Bright Sparks

When professional meetings are a pleasure!

2012-02-11T17:18:00.002+05:30

There are various experiences that come our way, when we meet people. Especially so in the professional world.

I add value - do I?

We spend our most crucial resource - time - in meeting others, and sharing ideas, thoughts, secrets and expecting to learn from them.

One of the most interesting forms of meetings is an open-ended industry-discussion. The participants wish to discuss the present state of the industry they are in, and speculate on the future direction of the same.

It turns out that there are three kinds of experiences one can get, in the course of such professional meetings, depending on the quality of the people.

I. The donkey bray: This is a rather unfortunate waste of time as the other person(s) have little value to add to the discussion going on. Either all are clueless, or one is not and the rest are. If only a couple are good, it creates a complete imbalance in the discussion as invariably, many will be left out. If no one has any clue, it's a total waste.

Cause: Idiots all around!
Outcome / Solution: Pray to God, end it fast, and run.

II. The mediocrity trap: This happens when not everyone in the meeting is an idiot exactly, but they aren't a bunch of Einsteins either. There are no breakthrough ideas that come up. Most of the people know about the same stale things, and repeat it ad nauseam in the discussions.

Cause: No homework done by people
Outcome / Solution: Nothing much to be gained, except reinforcement of existing beliefs

III. The high-on-morphine experience: This is ideally what an alert mind expects. There are people in the group who know what the world has been shaping upto lately, and can connect the dots while going backward, and forward. Various ideas are thrown, dissected, torn apart, and seen from multiple perspectives. People fearlessly put forward their ideas as they have experienced them personally. You realise that people read a lot, analyse a lot, research a lot and evolve not just on theory - but practically as well.

Cause: People have invested in their personal research
Outcome / Solution: A lovely rejuvenation of industry understanding

At the end of it, a professional needs to really make a choice between remaining brain-dead and performing his task dutifully, or remaining alert to the world around while carrying out his duties loyally. No one can help you develop yourself - the time and effort has to be one's own. Read newspapers, watch relevant news channels, talk to people, analyse on your own, think!

This is the only way you can add value in any professional discussion on your industry. And when you start doing that, more and more people start expecting your company.
~

Don-2 – unfortunately the chase continues

2011-12-24T17:39:00.006+05:30

Charming Don

Do exotic locales make a commercial movie stunning?

Does the lead hero’s halo alone create the magic around a great movie franchise?

Can a serious heist theme in a foreign country be the core of a masala Indian Bollywood film and yet pull if off?

Don-2 left a lot of these questions lingering in my mind when I left the hall. When I entered, I had great expectations. But interval came too soon and I realized it was going to be a waste overall. With movies, somehow you get to know in the first 20-30 minutes what’s going to be the overall offering. Very rarely does the pitch change midway. Sequels are always hard to make, and with a technical core, Don-2 just did not make it.

Gorgeously immortal

For those who came in late, the "Don" franchise was built by none other than Big B in the 1970s. Amitabh Bachchan did such a great job as the Don that a whole genre was created from scratch. It's sure that coming remakes will be judged against that benchmark.

Now our modern Don - King Khan – has emerged from the shadows (post Don-1 disaster) and has reached somewhere in East Asia (Thailand I guess) piloting a great yacht through some unbelievably beautiful rivers. And then he asks for the name of the best Italian restaurant in town, before mowing down an entire gang of hitmen armed with Uzis and stuff, who were out to execute him on orders of a rival international cartel. Then he lands up in a Malaysian jail only to smoothly slip out with Vardhaan (Boman Irani).

By the way, the Malaysian jail, if you look carefully, is so neat and clean, that our Indian home ministry mandarins can use it as a training tool for housekeeping guys back home. In fact, the toilets were better looking than of most hotels I have been to. What an amazing jail it must be!

The Don then hatches a grand conspiracy – after all he is the Don – to go for the biggest kill of them all. Why ask for ransom and all such filthy change when you can print it yourself! So the target is the printing-plates of the German Central Bank (Sorry Bundesbank, our guys robbed you right in the middle of the Euro crisis! How inconsiderate.)

Oh so inspiring!

Unfortunately the story’s core forms around this theme – and it gets more and more technical from there on. I don’t know why several moments reminded me of the great “Ocean’s 11” especially when the brilliant computer geek/hacker (Kunal Kapoor) is lubricated into participating in another illegal plot, much against the wishes of his almost-about-to-deliver-pregnant German wife (girlfriend?) and when the fire truck was prepared in the garage, and so on. Similarly the fight sequence between the SEK commandos and the gangsters is all too similar to the memorable military-building sequence of Matrix (part 1).

I suspect that the writers and director realized somewhere in the middle that the movie may lose all grip due to its technical storyline and slow pace, and hence created extra/artificial moments of romantic comedy (very silly at times, cool at some) and some chase sequences etc. But all this is, in the end, artificial, and hence very difficult for audience to accept naturally. In fact, Shahrukh's personal charisma is relied upon repeatedly to maintain the glue. The standard Donisms are thrown at us to ensure we stay in our seats. My advice to SRK - don't let movies be driven only by your cool quotient, or the cinematographer's quality, or some silly dialogues.. let your acting quality and a really deep, good story rule. You are capable of much much better output. Perhaps you need really classy directors to do justice to your talent.

Now the Don has a big target. So big names are cornered who’d help the Don secure entry to the sanctum sanctorum. These big names have a shady past that they’re all too eager to hide, etc. In fact the blackmailed guy starts looking so pathetic after some time you almost start pitying him and wish that this Don character gets a good whacking!

One thing I truly admire – Don’s negotiation skills. The intrepid deals he regularly cuts with the Interpol / police can make any hard-boiled corporate negotiator squirm in his chair. But since the jungli billi (wild cat) Roma is platonically / figuratively in love / infatuation with our great Don, she never shoots him. Not even when it is the final choice between her life and his. One feels sorry about this Sameer (Roma’s boyfriend).

One question though: Is there a single incident in the entire movie that proves Roma to be remotely close to being a jungli billi? In fact one cannot find a more confused school girl.

So after many chases and “booms” and blips and “damnits”, finally the Don escapes unhurt, with the plates! And God save this world – arrives to his mole and Sameer on a bike numbered Don-3.

Fun moments

Mallik (Om Puri) saying “It’s Don” on his mobile, to others around him. Even an exclamation was missing from his deep throaty voice here. His voice was so tired saying it, almost felt as if he wanted Don to win and take away whatever he wanted, and the film to end! In fact, right at the start when he informs Roma that he's retiring, one fears he actually means it!

Roma (Priyanka Chopra) saying “Damn it” with the unserious precision of a high school girl!

Vardhaan (Boman Irani) trying to look menacing – Sir aap kitni bhi koshish kar lo, cute hi lagoge! Surely that Jabbar fellow looks convincingly evil! What muscles, and what a bloody club that was :O

Missing from the movie

Music – did anyone hear anything?

Class – funky cars, slick cinematography and slicker physiques can beguile youngsters to treat it as class, but the mature eye can see the hollow core inside the gloss.

As said earlier, a the Euro is bound to collapse now. With the German currency printing-plates stolen by Don, Eurozone’s strongest economy is bound to fumble, taking with it the rest of the gang. Meanwhile, Don gets richer, presumably running his printing press in some safe corner in Patagonia. (and awaiting his return as the numberplate on the bike - Don-3 - clearly indicated! God!)

There’s a trend I see in movie-reviews and online feedback of latest releases : the imprint of 800-pound-gorilla-like PR machinery. It is distorting public opinion dangerously. So maybe this movie will do great commercial business, but remember - genuine fans of SRK (me included) are left wondering of the denudation that's setting in.

Cheers!

The Tintin saga - now in a theatre near you!

2011-11-21T16:49:00.002+05:30

Let me start by saying a big "Thank You Steven Spielberg!" for bringing Tintin on screen in a serious way! After all these years of make-do animations, here's a promise that Tintin will reach out to a new generation unaware of the magic. While as a Tintin fan I feel there's a long way to go before justice is done on the big screen to the legend that's Tintin, it's a great start.
...

Close to 80 years ago, a Belgian artist dreamed of a boy character who would take on the villains of the world, and stand for peace and justice. Little did that artist realise that Titin - his boy character - will become a legend in his own lifetime. 'Millions of books sold in many languages around the world' hardly captures the success of the boy character. The zeal and love that his fans hold for him in their hearts perhaps does.

Tintin was a result of the circumstances of those days. The artist - George Remi (R.G. - Herge) - brought real life incidents to bear upon the development of the character of Tintin. Slowly, over the decades, more characters joined the duo of Tintin and Snowy.. and the family grew to a handsome and reliable lot! Travelling all around the world, taking on the most devilish of villains in the most believable of ways, Tintin brought happiness and cheer to kids and adults alike.

Over the decades, the strength of Herge's character grew so strong that he had to often run away in isolation - to regain his mental balance (Tintin drains me completely, he would say). Each character added to the script was so profoundly intense in their own ways, it was totally magical. From the loyal and irasible Captain Haddock to the dumb detectives Thomson and Thompson, and from the ultra-intelligent and absent-minded Prof Calculus to the singing sensation Bianca Castafiore, it all fit in really well.

I grew up with Tintin through the '70s and '80s, till the time the last major adventure - Tintin and the Picaros - was published. Then new adventures stopped with the death of Herge.

But surprisingly, the Tintin magic only kept growing. Once addicted, I found it impossible to get off. In fact, like a mellowing wine, I started enjoying the adventures the more I read them (the same ones!). Strangely, even a change of published format allows for another reason for a die-hard fan to buy the same adventure book again!

So Tintin became a living legend in his own right.

I feel this is what made him so:

Ultra-realistic drawing by Herge, taking into account the minutest of real-world dimensions
Deep and meaningful storylines, rendered credible by real-world happenings
Something for everyone - kids loved Snowy, adults loved Haddock, everyone loved Tintin!
Genuine humour, clean fun
Almost zero violence even when it was present
Tintin hates guns, and abstains from vices (like liquor) - a perennial message throughout the series
Pan-national appeal (perhaps villains like Rastapopulous are everywhere!)

So far, there was no serious big-budget attempt at bringing Tintin to screen. Steven Spielberg does a wonderful job of it.

Here are my observations about the movie:

Fantastic quality of animation - real-life like!
Nicely mixed the two adventures - "The crab with the golden claws" and "Secret of the Unicorn" to create a new story altogether
Great idea to use a lot of characters in the first movie itself - except Prof Calculus, almost everyone was covered
Three cheers for Spielberg for believing in the story of Tintin

Here are my suggestions for future productions (which inevitably will come):

I feel that too many guns and gunshots were used. These are not needed in a true Tintin adventure. At least try to avoid 'Tintin firing too many shots'.. it is disconcerting to genuine fans
Let Snowy talk. It'll be good for the storyline, even if he talks to himself only
Too much of action is avoidable - an entirely new action sequence (in the city of Bagghar) was added to the movie (not there in original adventures). Perhaps it can be avoided or made less destructive
The amount of damage and destruction shown in the end of the movie (in the city of Bagghar) is something Tintin would never approve of! So be cautious in your attempt to Americanise an essentially European character :)
Turning a hit storybook into an equally hit movie is a very tough job - still, the steadfastedness with which Herge created the original deserves a matching effort by moviemakers.

I will be happy if more kids get exposed to stuff like Adventures of Tintin rather than the utter gibberish they are used to, on television.

Crumbs! I am going on and on. Let it end here! Adios amigos, see you soon.
~

A Chinese Arab spring?

2011-11-10T18:59:00.003+05:30

A question that's popped in many minds since the Arab spring started dislodging long entrenched regimes in the Arab world is - Will China go the same way?

I did a social media brainstorming.. here are the results! Very good insights spanning the whole spectrum. (insights not edited)

The Question
Almost all the Arab world dictators have fallen in past 10 months. In Dec 2010, no one had seen it coming! Do you think the same can repeat in China one day? If yes, when?

Piyush Joshi why will this happen in China?

Kunwar Gyan Singh Pawar sir ji china ka to pata nahi, but India me 2013 me jarur hoga

Aditya Jain The day China enters in a war with India. All the attention of armed forces and intelligence agencies of China will be on India and that will be the end of China's communism.

Deepesh Baghela Definitely yes...when growth of China will be slowed down & People of China will focus on Democracy

Nitesh Arya not in this decade..

Abhishek Sharma It is said that Chinese communists have grown old and they fear to hand power to younger china, well lets hope for the collapse of old and stiff Communist rule in China.

Adhiraj Dare The day when someone grows stronger than China.. US certainly cant afford to do this to its biggest lender.. Cant see happening this in the next 20 years or so..

Umesh Mali all the chinese people lives in out china back to china and face as usual old policy of china , I think that day change in china,, Actually process aginst chinese people against sys start but, china govt don't explore any thing in world wide mida,, it's verry near future same prob face rashiya also,,,

Himanshu Khandelwal This will happen anytime from now, the thing which trigger this will be the cultural globalization which has already started. As more n more people from china come across the liberty enjoyed by people of other demography, they will start demanding the same for them n then starts the great collapse of Chinese communal ism. My prediction is towards the end of this decade may be around 2017-18.

Amit Maheshwari well it can happen but the speed with which and the way they are doing may be it ll not happen in china.....

Claire Mansha Swami it might be a most wanted Fall to come up!!!!!

Saurabh Jaiswal I think the china will re-engineer the concept of communism and yet retain its soul.

Bharat Jhalani One of the main reasons behind Arab spring was the inflation in essential commodities tripled with the slowing growth and rising unemployment (as they say..empty mind is the devil's workshop)... Interestingly China has started facing some of the same problems (High inflation, tightening monetary policy and slowing growth).But unemployment is not a pressing problem in China yet (its just 6.5% as compared to 12% in Egypt). A lot depends on the the way Euro crisis shapes up. If Greece falls, it will have a domino's effect on rest of the Euro zone especially in Italy,Spain & Portugal.. And the repercussions will definitely be felt at China. Communist Party must divert some part of its huge $3.2 trillion reserves to Euro zone if it needs to rule it own backyard 'Peacefully'!!

Shivalik Daga Even if the Chinese 'dictatorship' crumbles I doubt it will result in the sort of economic logjam like it did for the USSR..the Chinese are already reaping the benefits of a market economy and they already have a lot of capitalist institutions in place. But one major impact I can think of if the communists lose power is that China's population would definitely grow faster in the small to medium term as the OCP is repealed : Imagine generations of Chinese people have grown up without knowing what it means to have a sibling!

Mukesh Muwal It is comparatively very easy to protest against one person or a few people than to topple an empire of 7.5 crore people. Anyways, Chinese people doesn't have much reasons (b'coz they are employed) and sources too, to recognize the real face of govt. and above all, only extremely committed and uneducated people protest for a cause, I think china lacks both. Fall of Chinese communist party is not possible this way but it can happen if people within the party protest against it.

Navin Kaushal I guess it will take a long time this to happen in China as their government is taking all the necessary steps to provide employment to their people hence frustration level among the people would be lesser. Also many Chinese people have the fear and memories of Tiananmen Square Massacre

Mohammad Malik May not happen very soon.. Whatever happen in the recent past is just a part of larger world politics, then the actual people led revolutions. The commanility of kingdoms have been Oil, non alignment with US, and ambition or rather purchasing power of arsenals other than US made.. The Coupe has been mostly instigated by US and company. Infaltion, and unemployement have been the catalysers, offcourse. China on the other hand is an Oil deficit growing economy. Any urest will be non healthy for huge US investments. Its all about controlling the stearing, rather than lifting the car on the shoulder and move.. :)

Virendra Phr only Hosni Mubarak and Gaddafi have fallen .Arab world is pretty complicated as I experienced it ...there are many rulers who dont have dictatorial designations but still rule the country on the same lines.....

Nilesh Dani Never....

Ayush Rathore maybe

Anup Mittal it will take time...........

Kshitiz Bhutani i think sir this thing will take years to happen in china......as there administration and political decisions regarding development issues within china are very strong and committed one's....its not like that they had not provided autonomy they had done it in few areas....but ignoring defence powers there ! China seemed to have an different outlook then that of arab crisis....they equally think about there people its not like that the people of china are not aware what is happening arround the world, what we saw on news channels and interprered version china is this , china is that might we are only faccilitated with those facets only bcoz media we trust upon operates from europian countries then how would european super powers could make highlight those aspects which are chineese feeling oriented.....i just mean to say we should consider both faces...! If something unusaul happens there they will sought out themselves weather by hook or crook those things will never exposed in a bigger way as that of arabs , chinese have that much of strength that they could easily crack this nut.....we should also remember no NATO....will interfare in b/w issue of china , they are also a super power every nation will think twice before making such decision ! Its dragon

Arijit Chakraborty Iran is in que...

Neeraj Tiwari i think sir it took lot time them to be there at

Ketan Bapat as soon as the younger generation become elite and free from mean mentaliies...........

Herwig Streubel If it is going to happen too soon it will be very bloody! But it will happen. Hopefull a sort of Chinese Gorbatshev will rise before that happens.

Sandeep Manudhane All empires collapse, eventually

Tumuluri Rammohan ‎"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain"

Sonam Jain when people will fead up of this dictator ship this will repeat in china also

Rizwan Khan some one china dictator needed in India, who at least people work and not waste time on facebook like me.

Gautam Kumar CHINA CHINA CHINA....ab aur nahin...In China the new generation that is coming up has not seen the adversity of the olden days. The orderly succession that is managed till now will be a problem in future coz the discipline of communist part has gone. Today smarter, younger ones don't want to sell ideology they want to sell coca-cola. China getting deprived of ideology...its dependency for raw mat on other nations increasing...domestic consumption doesn't seem to rise...not in near future but eventually it will fall...as of know world seems to be without leader.

A good brainstorming this was!
~

Why India lacks a "Harvard Business Review" - a case study

2011-11-01T18:45:00.003+05:30

Appeal for the World

Management institutions are built to serve three core purposes - (a) promote direct education of young and mature students, (b) create productive academia-industry engagements, and (c) act as a research and publications platform for high-quality, original thinking.

It is the third role that we will discuss in this case study.

Undoubtedly, when there's a lot of original research going on in a B-school (if you have a smile on your face, you know the malaise!), there will be an inclination to publish it. It's perhaps the best currency of power you have with corporates. It can generate future revenue streams for your school more reliable than student enrolment, perhaps.

So, research and publications at any management institution depend on some factors:

Quality faculty willing and capable to do original research
Enough industry interfaces available to ensure lots of credible raw material to research on
Design and publications team that can present the ideas and research paper in a lucid manner
Successful commercial interface (advertisements and marketing promotions)
Process owner - the key driver of the effort

The number of managements institutions that dot the landscape of India, the amount of public funds that the central government lavishes on the chosen ones (the Indian Institutes of Managements - IIMs) and the tremendous media heft that these B-schools carry with local and national media, suggest to a layman's mind that there would be several world class management journals being published from these hallowed portals of management education in India.

Surprise, surprise... there is not a single world class publication that India can genuinely showcase. That you can take to the boardrooms of the world's top corporates and read (and show) with pride. And if you set the HBR (Harvard Business Review) as the benchmark, the situation is visibly shameful. Indian management publications stand nowhere. And in the past 3 years, it's all the more amazing that HBR has been able to hold its high ground, when the whole edifice on which western capitalism itself stands is shaking wildly than ever!

To put it crudely, most of the so-called management-journals being printed in India by various business schools seem only to be there to fulfill some requirement of the AICTE or UGC law. Drop that requirement, and the number of journals will drop overnight. When you print something just to fulfill some norm, it's obvious what commitment you'll carry behind it!

Before I move any further, let me define what I feel will qualify as a "world-class management journal". I feel it's a publication that engages, enthralls, excites, and raised the reader's intellectual level without him/her even consciously realising that. It presents the real world problems in a colourful, tasteful, artistic and lucid manner that most people can comprehend. And most important of all, it lacks bullshit disguised as academic jargon. Stuff that's only there because some professor wanted to prove a point.

Example of bullshit - "Customer-engagement metrics were redesigned and recalibrated to create a sustained harmony of user-experience that was unparalleled in the industry landscape dotted with horror-stories of failed paradigms that threatened to obfuscate the need for ground level research"

Simplified, it reads - As many companies had failed in this sector, we redesigned our approach to customer service. We wanted them to get a fantastic user-experience.

This example is a strong indicator of the editorial scissors that must be used in ample measure.

So, why is the situation so bad when it comes to management journals from India? And is it really a bad situation? Let me offer a dispassionate review.

I have been a subscriber to the HBR for more than 15 years now - the international edition. They played around for a while in between automatically offering local Indian edition, but reverted quickly to the original western edition upon my protest. (This further gave me a strong insight on why Indian publications simply lack the kind of gravity you get addicted to when using the western editions.)

What makes HBR solid? Here are eight differentiators -

Terrific presentation - from the cover page to the cartoons, and from the graphics to the colours, it's totally gripping. The graphics are outstanding, the cartoons very enjoyable!
Intense commercial engagement - advertisements and promotionals from leading brands of the world make it very credible, and readable (the advts are generally so well-designed, they are an education in themselves!)

Cohesiveness - the whole issue looks cohesive end-to-end; one does not feel like putting it down without completely absorbing what's in it. Leaves a great impression everytime, and a deep sense of satisfaction

Colour, taste, style, substance
Goodbye, academic bullshit - management professors are very good at quelling all resistance from ordinary mortals through their complex presentation of facts, statistics and statements. HBR consciously seems to distance itself from all such nonsense. Very rarely does one find an article one wishes to skip due to its academic rigour. This absence of bullshit is commendable because the editors must be inundated with tonnes of it, I am sure. The scissors are sharp, indeed
Real world problems in a simple language - a senior practising manger can relate to at least 60-70% of an issue. An entrepreneur can relate to almost 70-80% of what's being said. A young b-school student can understand at least 50% of what's written in any issue of HBR. That's the power of simplicity
A big central theme - each issue (generally) picks up a big theme that's the cover story, and that's appealing, and then goes on to dissect it. Innovation / Leadership / Emerging Markets ... you name it!
Big names all around - as you flip through the pages, you see photos and interviews of names you have heard of, seen on TV, and perhaps one day dreamt of becoming! This creates the readership glue most magazines strive for
ROI - there is a conscious effort through all this to make the reader feel there's a great ROI on what he/she is investing in - it's more than putting in colours and graphics.. it's a conscious effort by an owner to tie the whole thing together in a tremendously market-friendly package

Now compare the typical management journal from one of the leading IIMs in India. How does it rate on the above 8 parameters? Here is my reading. (You may surely differ!)

Presentation - dull, drab, almost colourless, academic graphs only
Commercial engagement - (forced or friendly) advertisements of leading corporates who perhaps fear denial of slots during campus placements :)
Cohesiveness - missing, sense of accomplishment (to a reader's mind) - totally missing
Academic bullshit - I found stuff that most practising managers may not understand or relate to; you be the judge!
Real world problems - present, but presented in a manner that takes a lot of effort to digest
Language - tough, definitely not user-friendly, replete with jargon amazingly arcane and senseless
Big names - do not hit you hard anywhere
Practical ROI for anyone who reads it sincerely - the big question :)

I subscribed to two such journals around 10 years ago, and discontinued after 2 years of failed effort to engage myself with them. There's just no appeal! It's so sad.

In all fairness, I must add that perhaps the global nature of business that Harvard is exposed to makes it easier for them to churn out issue after delightful issue... but then the Indian economy is no less colourful. So how come the leading Indian B-schools get it so wrong? Perhaps - and most likely - they just don't believe it's worthwhile investing so much energy into a publication. Perhaps it doesn't affect the Professors' career prospects. Perhaps they just don't understand it's the nation's image that can get bolstered with an honest effort.

It also reminds me of a painful conversation I had the other day with a student who reminded me that there was not a single Indian university in a recent top 200 ranking in the world. While that's a debatable issue, what's not debatable is the fact that there should be many Indian names in such lists, given the insanely high value we attach to a formal degree based university education in India.

My suggestions to make a desi HBR that would stand high and mighty one day -

Create a dedicated team with a 5 year target - set specific metrics for what a world-class management journal from India should look like. It should be a dispassionate exercise, without fear or favour
Get young blood into the driver's seat - desperately needed young drivers for a new world that demands speed, social media savvy and worldwide engagement
Commercial engagement - this is the most important aspect. Understand this with an open mind - when you actively seek out commercial support from leading brands, you are forced to create a good product, a worthwhile return on investment. More than anything else, this can drive your project
Get real - With almost all multinationals setting up base in India, getting uptodate inputs on practical issues that matter to most readers (many of them non-MBAs and non-Professor types) should be rather doable. Think of entrepreneurs as your potential readership base - you'll see a lot of light now
Get lucid, get colourful - will be difficult once you are addicted to speaking long sentences to make a small point, but needs to be done
Allocate serious funds - this thing is costly to do, and takes time, bandwidth and global reach to gain traction. It is doubtful if a smaller private player can ever pull it off. Has to be an IIM, or an ISB type giant that pushes hard till it happens

It's important to do this because it's high time public funds were used appropriately to showcase Indian management education industry's genuine and intrinsic strengths that can render asunder any cobwebs that threaten its very vitality.

Put simply, it's public money, don't waste it. Do something worthwhile!

Ra.One - Oh fish

2011-10-30T19:52:00.003+05:30

As is the tradition with movies that are promoted like mad, most of them turn out to be far below expectations.

And so it is with Ra.One.

If you have taste, and watch a lot of good movies, and appreciate the calibre of actors like Shah Rukh and Kareena, then Ra.One will come as a terrible disappointment - to be aptly summarised in the words of the irritating boy character Prateek - Oh fish!

The movie comes from Ms Gauri Khan's kitchen, inspired thus:

Today we will create a new Hindi SciFi Action movie - Ra.One

Take the golden container labelled Shah-Rukh-Khan

Put in 300 gms special effects from Matrix (be shameless, go ahead)

Add 250 gms special effects from Terminator series esp. Terminator Salvation (mix hard, don't feel scared)

Add another 500 gms of totally-out-of-the-place emotions (sprinkle uniformly across the movie)

Don't forget 100 gms of robot-learning-antics from the classic "The Bicentennial man"

Plus 1 kg of a totally-cool Chhammak Chhallo that's absolutely out-of-the-place in this movie

Don't forget to put in some glamorous faces (ensuring makeup even in mourning)

And some now mandatory Hindi expletives (the Delhi-Belly effect)

Now wrap it with a silver-foil called Kareena

Cook to a charcoal-black, and let the smell spread for many months before you serve.

Enjoy patrons. Thanks for buying the tickets, and paying extra for the 3-D glasses.

As the movie starts, a bumbling Shah Rukh Khan (a south Indian character, poorly played) tries to park his car, and throw the keys to a friend (valet?), doing both with amazing errors. Quite surprising for a genius who ends up creating artificial reality that even the Wachowski brothers were scared to bring forth so quick in their creations.

So this genius video-game programmer has a kid who does not believe his father is a cool dude (pronounced 'dood' idiot, not 'dude'). The father tries instilling some good south Indian family values in the kid, but the producer unfortunately neither gives enough time in the movie for some good moments to depict that, nor is the Director too worried that a thin treatment of the core message of the movie will dilute the whole game. That's what happens. The movie loses all track soon, and the storyline vanishes like Kareena's grief soon after her husband's sudden death. A song with words like "Mohan" appears out of the blue when a nattily dressed dead Shah Rukh Khan is ensconsed in his coffin, for everyone to see. The song is out of the place, the death is strangely executed, the whole sequence is terribly done.

Things move rather fast. The villain - Ra.One - is a powerful one because the father needs to oblige the son by creating a really strong villain because that's what the son longs for (although plays for the Hero, and that too strangely with a black name - "Lucifer"). So he creates Ra.One. And in the launch party, the son quietly plays away while father is busy dancing and singing to some utterly stupid Hindi number in the heart of America (with majority of non-Indian Americans around). And the oriental mother of the father's colleague ensures her distaste for Jackie Chan is properly displayed (why, oh why!).

So the son leaves the game midway near the end of the second round, and Ra.One comes alive. "How dare you leave me thus?" (The anger is quite understandable, given the budgets and all).

Ra.One fantastically crosses the border from virtual to real, by invoking all available and willing electrons in the lab, and starts doing pretty nasty things.

But lose no heart! The hero - G.One (or Jeevan, in Hindi) was also made by the father Shah Rukh Khan when alive, although a much weaker one (because Prateek wanted it so). So through some electronic tomfoolery the glamorous techincal assistant of the now-dead father brings G.One back to life. And then G.One starts rocking, from America to India.

Then, as we just said, follows a great journey from America to India, once the father is killed, mother moves back home to an assorted menagerie of airport goondas (unbelievably lame sequence!), Mumbai local driver's coach (eeks!), a fat south Indian neighbour, and some more attempts at holding the masala loving Indian audience. Unfortunately when you create a film based on a Sci-Fi film, it inevitably degenerates into an emotion packed trashcan that has everything in it but genuine science fiction.

G.One jumping around the Mumbai local could have been done much better, at least. Why do Indian science fiction movies resort to crutches of comedy repeatedly? Does the Director completely lack confidence in a pure sci-fi sequence?

I particularly find it rather tiresome when characters are artificially inserted to try to make you laugh through their out-of-place physical antics that have no sense in a setting like the one. Satish Shah wasted.

Finally, after all the mumbo-jumbo and heavy animations are shown from all angles, and the animation studios have earned their fees, comes the final showdown. A shadow is all it takes, fantastic. And Arjun Rampal (oops, Ra-One) is tamed.

If this movie is for kids, you are doing a bad job because they will learn that this is what science fiction is. A very bad idea. If it is for adults, then please give it a mature treatment. The idea was not bad - you just cooked it charcoal black, and had nothing truly original in the tactics, or the storyline treatment.

A lot of effort - all gone down the drain.

After all these years, I am still waiting for a genuine Hindi science fiction movie. Come on Bollywood, trust the audience. We deserve much better. And don't try to convince me this was an action movie - that would be a grand excuse.

I wasted a complete Sunday evening for this? Oh fish!

Inflation - the many sides of it

2011-09-21T14:19:00.012+05:30

India has been facing an inflation headache for more than 2 years now. Nothing seems to be able to tame the beast to levels the government would like to. The central bank (RBI) is doing what it can (raise the benchmark interest rates), the government is doing what it can (issue positive statements, push supply side factors to the extent possible etc.), and the people are doing what's the only option for them (bear the brunt!).

I posted an update in social media, and people brought in fantastic angles of the story to the fore. It turned out to be a very lively and intense debate, sure to benefit anyone who reads through the whole thing. Enjoy the heated debate, in all shades! I have not edited the comments.

Sandeep Manudhane: It's quite amazing that the Indian central bank (RBI) is following an inflation-busting strategy using higher interest rates, quite independent of what the government may want. This highlights two things (1) The RBI may be becoming more autonomous and free of Finance Min's control, and (2) It is charting a course different from other nations in the world (ex. Turkey that reduced its interest rates, hoping for higher growth & hence lower prices).

Sunil Talwar: while rbi may b growing its wings, the entire strategy seems to be lopsided. raising interest rates, assuming that people will buy less and save more to reduce pressure on the economy, is not right. in india we need a two pronged strategy to control inflation; ‎1. remove or reduce corruption, by which i mean the black money in circulation. immediate or instant fall out of this action will be so much more money in the system ‎2. reduce interest rates, open doors for more capital to come in not in the service industry as it is coming in today, but more in manufacturing set up, in hard core infrastructure. attract large capital with long gestation periods of pay out or no movement out at all

Munish Sharma: Perfectly put Mr Talwar.

Sunil Talwar: we need fresh infusion of capital, money that will not move out of india like it does today, in the stock market or other investments. we money to stay back in india and put to productive use

Sandeep Manudhane: Bingo. That's precisely why I started my status with "It's quite amazing..."

Sunil Talwar: rbi seems to have forgotten basics of economics and its application

Munish Sharma: Just a counter argument: The monetary tightening effected so far by the Reserve Bank has helped in containing inflation and anchoring inflationary expectations, though both remain at levels beyond the Reserve Bank’s comfort zone. As monetary policy operates with a lag, the cumulative impact of policy actions should now be increasingly felt in further moderation in demand and reversal of the inflation trajectory towards the later part of 2011-12. As such, a premature change in the policy stance could harden inflationary expectations, thereby diluting the impact of past policy actions. It is, therefore, imperative to persist with the current anti-inflationary stance.

Sandeep Manudhane: Yes, that's why it's politically unpalatable - action happens, results take time. But RBI Guv need not bother about political feedback, he is not an elected official.

Ajay Pal: True sir..and addition to this RBI increased the Repo rate and revers repo rate with 0.25% which is the 12th hike after 2010. And i think due to this GDP growth rate, which was 8.8% in June 2010 has been decreased to 7.7%.

Sunil Talwar: this is the simplest traditional way in Monetary Control Toolkit that Governor Saab can apply..Grow up its not 1947.. keeping all arguments and counter arguments in mind, the only thing that looms large is that there is a larger than life cost of living which is difficult to service. cost of real estate, cost of education, cost of medication, cost of travel, cost of food, cost of capital. way too high and the future estimates of costs dropping also looks very bad. we need to re look at what and how we produce and not at what and how we cost it or buy it. we need to make more for what we invest. we need to be able to service our loans and investments better

Sohil Mahendru: ‎@ sunil talwar that is what the point is the basic resources are the vital point rest is the game of numbers. Economy and all things depends on demand and supply.

Sohil Mahendru: Sandeep Manudhane sir dont you think there are various factors which had given rise to " Mahangayi "? Just to say resources used in non-vegetarian meal are far more those used in one vegetarian meal. To prepare one chicken it has to be given, so much grains and water other stuff. On the contrary if those resources were used to provide food to other people. More than 200 people in our country can fill there stomach, all the poverty could have been ended its just the thing in which way we can interpret.

Sunil Talwar: by rbi increasing interest rates, they effectively dampen the run on money in the immediate short term and once the rates cool down with a slight relaxation the fires are back in action. we are facing this situation for the last 3 years plus now

Sunil Talwar: ‎@sohil mahendru if you see our basic resource management, i have only one ward for it 'bad' look at the way we were mining precious iron ore via the reddy brothers and their like for the last so many years. un ashamed mining of natural resources and shipping them off to china for free. giving away krishna godavary basin gas for free to reliance....sick is the only word. these are only a few instances of bad politics which has lead to this sorry state

Sandeep Manudhane: Yes Sohil - non-veg food is extremely energy-intensive (even before it's consumed!). But that's the food of choice for many.

Gold-e Tuteja: Nice discussion... but I feel the RBI guv is in a catch 22 situation ... he'll be criticized either ways ... I myself feel that inflation will not b tamed by merely increasing the interest rates.... it has to b attacked from various angles... raising interest rate is not the only solution. All said n done RBI has always been ahead of the curve... they have gone wrong at times... But it's just the way of staring at the glass ... its either half full or half empty ;-)

Abhishek Jain: Well, Raising interest rates is not a very efficient tool to curb inflation, as our economy is not credit based such as USA, where you buy everything on credit. The major problem of India is food inflation and we don't buy vegetables taking loan from a bank, so how come raising interest rates solve the basic problem?? Then what is the solution? The solution is to approve FDI in sectors such as retail, as FDI are more permanent source of growth than FIIs. An FII can remove their money any time they want while an FDI is for long term. But Alas!! The politics!!! Raising interest rates just reduces some percentage points from our growth rate every time. Why China grows at 9-10% and we fell even below 8%? Lower interest rates and improve infrastructure to attract FDIs.

Ashish Andani: Inflation in this part of globe in pro growth and Demand side inflation rather than a supply side, which can only be tamed with taking measures on creating leverages on supply side both agri and non agri commodities..... RBI on the other hand is doing what it can, as they can sit idle in the country where ministers need reasons to kill babus..... on that side of the chair....

Rajesh Kumar: The basic idea is that if inflation is more than the rate of saving people will avoid saving and spend more and saving rate will come down. The major funding of government debt comes from public instead of institutionalized debt. Higher spending in consumptions is not good for any economy. The present day inflation is not based on demand and supply effect as despite the bumper crops and good monsoon inflation has not come down. Inflation can favour borrowers at the expense of savers – because inflation erodes the real value of existing debts- if real interest rates are negative. These are the reason RBI always tend to increase the rate to counter the inflation. I think Government should increase the Petrol prices say by Rs 50 and reduce the diesel prices by 20.00. The burden on petrol will not only tax on luxury (Big cars or Buffet Tax on Obama) but also someway reduce the automobile pollution. The Petrol users can be asked to avoid unnecessary petrol vehicle and to use the public transport. At the same type VAT on Diesel vehicle purchase should also be doubled or increased substantially which will reduce the freight and carriage charges which will necessarily reduce the price of essential commodities. Similarly to check the pollution we need a law that a particular type of color car of private vehicle should run run on a specific day. Say white run vehicle should not run on Sunday, Red on Monday, Green on Wednesday, etc..

Sunil Talwar: Don't run after cars. You will run out of steam and nothing will come out of it. Petrol or diesel price will not control inflation.

Abhishek Jain: Well Petroleum prices should be deregulated to have better market driven pricing system. However inflation does not get affected mostly by petrol prices (Diesel prices affects transportation cost though). The commodity trading of agri products plays major role in hiking their prices. It's all virtual price increase, as anyone can see in the recent rise in gold prices. The exchange trading of Agri products should be banned, to control inflation till we have enough tools to control it...

Sunil Talwar: I will not agree to ban e trading of agri commodities. Look around u there is a tighter noose choking the agri market, the Mandi. Remove all politicians who sit as mandi chiefs and then see how these markets behave. At the end it is all about good money chasing bad demand

Prateek Patel: Nice One Sir, our Central Bank is acting Capitalistic..!!! But, it will again fail because our economy's DNA(which is socialistic indeed) will not let it happen..!!!

Abhishek Jain: Well actually raising interest rates cannot be considered as capitalistic approach, as Capitalism works on 'Laissez faire' i.e. no intervention of Govt., while our Govt. controls everything. For ex. The Petrol pricing, in which we rank among one of the most expensive countries, due to excessive duties and surcharge on that. However the austerity approach of RBI saved our banks from investing in low rated debts, thus we were largely unaffected by Euro debt crisis. But raising interest rates to curb inflation, is not a good or at least permanent way, it is slowing our growth.

Ram Gupta: GE Sir, Government is playing an opposite role by increasing petrol prices, which will definitely, nullify the RBI move.......

Rajesh Kumar: It is a good idea that future trading on food & agricultural items should be banned from comex . Since the start of comex the food items have never come down despite bumper crops

Abhishek Jain: ‎@Rajesh Kumar, I agree with you, because the excess food grain is rotting in the inefficient storage and the public has to face the inflationary prices due to the Future trading of Agri products. Thus the Commodity Trading of Agri and Food product should be banned for a certain period of time till we have better tools to fight inflation than interest rates.

Rima Chaturvedi: in some areas autonomous behaviour of institutions is quite important...

Mustafa Jaorawala: this is an institution where the entire economy vis a vis the governance is done....so its important to have fin.min.to control the inflows and outflows of the revenues and the rates else it wud be a complete haywire situaion..where inflation has to be calculated on a daily basis...

Sumat Singhal: sir i reserve my opinion, first lowering interest rate may hinders economic growth and RBI is considering priority of growth over inflation and second even on behalf of govt it is not clear that it really wants to control inflation although RBI is autonomous and independent and governor D subbarao has also made it clear.

Jonathan Livington Seagull: The FM has always maintained RBI had an autonomous role, though in concurrence with FM & The Planning Commission for the fiscal policies. Turkey's case is a stray case altogether where Islamic Laws in relation to Interest were also considered. In the case of RBI only RRR etc can not curb the nation's Inflation; the other factors like Demand Supply, Prices of commodities like Oil, Budget Deficit, Fiscal Deficit all account to Inflation.

Ali Mn: Infact if you watch it closely, the hike has more to do with feeding the interests of the big banks. The logic is simple; the rates get higher so that govt. bonds are issued at higher interest rates and who are the buyers..guess..yeh...banks and financial institutions..so they make more money. Not this hiking interest rate has other side too. It not only absorbs money but on th other hand also gives bank a chance to increase the floating rates on the loans given to borrowers. Also, as the bank increases its portfolio of RRR, it can also lend at an increased amount to the public. And here the spiral generates. Now the bank has more money to lend as compared to before hiking the rates. Banks have dual advantage of the hike i.e. increased lending power - one from the increased portfolio of RRR and other from the increased deposits from the people.

Was a wonderful debate, wasn't it!
~

Towards a mature Republic

2011-01-28T16:59:00.004+05:30

Majestic and proud

Six decades is not a small period in a nation's life. India just celebrated its 61st Republic Day anniversary (26th January) and everyone who loves Mother India did stop for a few moments to ponder on the direction we are taking. The past few months have especially been extremely disturbing in our national life, with a near-complete loss of political balance, and a steady deterioration in the public's perception of what our leaders are upto.

Mother India is a vibrant, prolific and culturally rich entity, and it hold significance for entire humanity. With its 1200 million inhabitants, modern India is moving forward with a lot of promise. There are tales of "the India story" and "the Indian Elephant stirring and shaking", and the world tends to believe that the next decade will be dominated by stories like India's.

Distractors and the distraught often say that "भारत के गणतंत्र में गण पर तंत्र हावी हो चला है."

So it's time for some reality check. And who better to answer some fundamental question than Indians themselves! I wished my social media friends a happy republic day, and asked their opinion of what they wish to change in modern India, and as usual, the replies were eye-opening.

Here goes! (I have not edited anything in these replies)

Saurabh Baradia - I hope that India concentrate more on agriculture and manufacturing rather than the IT world....The scenario is going to change. thats the reason of high inflation. Thats the scenario what people in WEST have already face and are facing. So India should be well aware of all such issues in advance....Still INDIA is the best.......

Sumit Desai Happy Republic Day!!!! Jai Hind!!! Inquilab Zindabad!!!

Nick Jain ‎"khud ke desh mei TIRANGA nhi lga paye" that where our Nation is Moving and Shaping like never before...

Contrasts.. thy name is India

Shivansh Mishra sir i m happy with my country but not with its politician all though some are remarkable but some are proved as a shame for the country

Kunal Pursnani Happy Republic Day sir.... Sir I think India is standing on a point from where it can grow (sky is the limit) and it can even go in a downfall as 28 years is avg age of people living in -India but mostly people are illiterate.... And now how india uses young population is the major question that will decide the KAL of india. I think If uneducated youth is employed in manufacturing this is a guarantee we can leave china behind. JAI HIND

Bhavik Savaliya First of all we need remove corruption from our nations, then after we can think for next development....

Sujeet Sakalle Lets decide before saying this.... Will indian become superpower till 2020 that....wether we the indians want to become superpower till 2020 ...and we will shape our and countries future...right sir....???/

Niraj Vashi happy republic day sir.... this decade is going to be so important for india and we have to be hungry for development.....

Ankit Bandi keeping finger crossed... hoping india become more prosperous.... economy continues to grow at steady rate.. India become more strong in defence, agriculture and industrial sectors...governement promote SME's more then MNC's so that more y...outh select enterpreneurship then high packages.. all money deposited in swiss bank come back to india and be in rotation in the market..... and hopefuly we will able to unfurl flag at lal chowk, shrinagar in next decade and then we can truly claim kashmir hamara hai.... Happy Republic Day sir !!!!

My shelter is omnipotent

Yogendra Rai Is din hamara samvidhan lagu hua tha. Samvidhan banane walo ne best cheejo ko shamil kar ise banaya. Lekin ise lagu karne aur karwane wale dono nakam rahe. Legislative, executive apni credibility khote jaa rahe hai, ummid ki chhoti si kiran kewal judiciary me dikh rahi hai, lekin woh bhi aajkal controversy me aa jati hai....Media jisko fourth column kahte hai(jiski duty hai ki poore system ke nigrani kar sach samne laye), woh to ab puri tarah se TRP ki gulami kar rahi hai. So i am not happy with the way nation is shaping up.

Ritesh Sharma Respected Sir.... I am very happy to be Indian as every citizen of the country, Republic day for rights and duties , law and civilization , democracy and culture. As we have the largest democratic country . I really respect our constitutio...n but as we are rapidly moving towards the Modern India , here we need to make some amendments which could help for better advancement like: 1) Cases which deals which cognizant offence should deal in fast-track process. 2) There should be online process for police complaints and actions. 3) Media people should feel there resposibility from there authority . and laws should amend for the same. and Many more.

Avinash Kumar In every country there is somehings which curse u and create obstacles to move ahead and India is also one of them but still the best part of the country is people know how to overcome from the worst part and make it as a learning object WHICH HELP THEM TO SHAPE THEIR FUTURE NOT ONLY IN INDIA BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD E.G. BARACK OBAMA HAS ALREADY TOLD IN THE SPEECH, INDIA HAS DONE WELL EVEN IN THE RECESSION, AIRTEL LIKE COMPANY SPREADING ITS BUSINESS IN AFRICA WHERE NO ONE WANTS TO GO

Manish Gangwal Jai neta ki jai adhikari ki jai hind

Herwig Streubel For the last 26 I am observing the development in India. An economic development was initiated in 1991 and you could see it in towns by 1995. Around 2000 there was visible more cash also with poorer people in towns and 2005 in quite remote ...areas (MGNREGA helps a lot!). Now the government has started to take its social duties more serious - Education Guarantee Act, Anti-Corruption Drive. I really hope they continue this path, especially they have to drop the top-to-bottom approach in different schemes and have to foster basic democratic systems like Gram Swaraj - all schemes have to be implemented only with the approval of the concerned Gram Sabha (participation with the majority of the villagers, 50% women etc.)

Through the shadows of time

Mukesh Kumawat Republic day is a celebration of the historical day on which the citizens were given sovereign power and exercise this power by electing representatives, directly or indirectly. The coming decade will be very crucial for India and will be o...ne of the most "INTERESTING TIMES". India will have the chance to raise to the rank of a superpower if this gargantuan corruption gets controlled and the govt. succeeds in creating jobs for the rapidly increasing population. Moreover, radical changes will be needed in the education system and the agricultural output will be required to rise substantially to meet the food requirements. The govt. will be required to revolutionise the sports infrastructure and faciliites. The red tape will be needed to be reduced and entrepreneurship spirit will be needed to be seriously encouraged. Only then will India truely "shine". Lets be optimistic.........JAI HIND !!

Rajat Sharma First of all Happy Republic Day to you too Sir! This day reminds me that India is my Mother Country and for the proper continuation of democratic system India made its Constitution and it's absolutely one of the best like others. But it has ...not been followed properly. I am happy the way it's advancing day by day, and it is now even praised by developed country. And as per this situation it will be more technical based and strong country in the next decade. But the only thing is missing in our country is the feeling of belonging to it. But I love my country. Jai Hind!

Subodh Puranik i proud to be an indian the way nation is shaping up northward.young generation and the ambition they have will definately take nation to new hights

Ankur Chourey yeah!! the way our nation has shaped itself in these 60 years has been remarkable.India is undoubtedly one of the best stories throughout the world even before china and to be a part of this country I feel proud..

Colours that beat the world

Pallavi Chauhan we always celebrate our birthday , anniversary, and our religious festivals also. But this is the real festival because of this we are able to celebrate our all these festivals so in real sense this is the real festival to be celebrated. i am very happy that we are growing so fast and i am sure that in coming decades we will be top in the list......................

Tulesh Sahu Jai Hind Sir, i can see all comments its very nice & i came to know that we common people know what is going wrong hence we can say our politician may also know bt still they are enjoying their POWER & POSITION & doing nothing. WE... LOVE INDIA

Prashant Ghotkar I think era with in British empire was better than this, planned shaped and up to mark. I thank them the physical foundries they took from us returned in same manner, and later we lost them.Thank to them for nice administrative setup, railw...ays, special thank to them. I still dont think our natinal leader still have any concreate plan to take this country in coming next 10 years. We need to have key focussed drivers to shape it up. JAI HIND.

Punkaj Goyal Adrash Society in Maharastra

70,000 Crore in CWG
Raakesh Mohan Thanx Sir,Same to You...Probably the Apt time has come to start contributing further to the develotment of Nation by self decipline and knowing what good you can do for the society...and You are one of the examples,Mr Manudhane...

1,76000 Crore in 2 G Scam

Uncountable money in swiss bank and much more.

OR FIR EK DIN ONION AND PETROL K PRICE BADKAR LOGO KI AANKHO ME AANSU LA DETE H OR SARE METTERS SCREEN SE DIKHNE BAND HO JATE H.......Sir, i hope u can guess our hopefulness in coming decade!!!

Karan Verma i am personally not at all happy the way it is shaping up sir. Despite the fact tht many of us has forgotten the sacrifices of our ppl, for our nation andfreedom, we still r supporting tht coward congress govt whose corrupted upto core level. Look at the inflation rate, & Ice-ing on the cake Dr Manmohan Singh condemns hoisting of Indian flag. Now that is boiling up the blood streams, such a shame for letting such ppl governing us. THE YOUTH IS ANGRY, FURIOUS AND WHEN WE SPILL OUT OF OUR GLASSES THERE WILL BE ONE MORE REVOLUTION..

Anand Singh Tomar We need to think properly in order to develop the Nation..... Its really really high time for us.... all youths of Nation need to pull their socks up.....

Modern and traditional

Prahlad Baghel Happy Republic Day to You sir, and to all PROTON family, This is PRAHLAD BAGHEL, Ex. student of PT Education. This day is meant a lot for us, as the day signifies the democratic and constitutional remedies of the country.

Paarth Ashok Narang Happy, yet not satiated :) Instead of complaining; I will try taking that one step, which is waiting to be taken by the commoner. Congratulating the masses on this day spelling integrity and republic status of the state!

Satya Mahant its really proud to be INDIAN, really we have achieved a great height,but still somewhere we lack.We lack good politician,awareness and responsibility to change fate of INDIA.bcoz still there r people who sleep without food,children who r u...naware of school and still great pressure on the mind of middle class people for everything and there are people who r still filling there bags with money enjoying the money of ours. i think we youngster can change this we should understand our responsibility not only towards our family but also towards our motherland. So lets start to be a good citizen.lets take an oath to contribute in the development of humankind and our INDIA.For that we have to be honest, energetic, determined and feel ur heart with proud of being INDIAN.

Mohit Wadhwani Historically this day counts a lot, constitution came into existence rules and regulations needed for smooth running of country came into existence but now it's just a book nothing else. Every1 knows how to bend laws for their use, lakhs of cases are pending with judiciary, which will take another 5 to 6 yrs time. I think if India needs to get fwd not only economy needs to be strengthen but judiciary too. HAPPY REPULIC DAY TO ALL

Sameer Katarpanch जय हिन्द

Jasvinder Singh Hora Well,its time to keep Personal Interests apart and try Shaping the future !! Problems are around the World including Corruption and Me First attitude,a Hunger for Getting Noticed and Materialistic Mania !! When the Parametre of Success is Fo...reign Holidays,Property Assets and Fat Bank Balance for We Youngsters as Well then for sure we will Continue falling prey to the Craving to accumulate. Try checking the Trail of Existing Politicians,I guess majority would Inherit the Position by Virtue of Family in Politics or after earning Lot of Money or being a Celebrity the Last Destination remains Politics. Intelligent People like Amitabh Bachchan stepped Out from Politics stating "Its Not my Cup of Tea". In this Context,the Need is that the Political Corum should be 50% THINK TANKS and 50% EXECUTORS.Social Workers who have made a Mark in some Social Cause should have Place in the Corum.

Avinash Choudhary We've demographic advantage but don't have the educational infrastruture which can transform this young population into a positvie force. And how dangerous ambitious, unemployed, indisciplined youngsters can be to ...a society, is something we will see in the coming decades. Because every school can't turn into an English Medium school, instantly. Even if it happens now it will take 12/15 years for these student(who are in 1st std of an English Medium school) to get jobs. And in the next 12-15 years, I believe India's chances will be almost over. It is only the people who are starting English Medium schools in villages can save this nation. And they are doing it at a rapid pace, I've witnessed in my own town. Still, in my opinion, unlike what our PM says, we will have a very EXCLUSIVE growth. But even then I am very hopeful, as I come from a village where most of the houses(including mine) got electricity connection when I was in class 5th. And today I am connected to the world by Facebook & internet. And read very good books & interact with very successful people which I always thought of. Though above contradicts my exclusivity point but India is very big than my village, here a small part of population is also very big in absolute terms.

So that's the voice of modern India. Insightful, appealing, emotional and so clear.
~

Stepping into the uncertain decade

2011-01-01T18:11:00.004+05:30

Hopeful. Exuberant. Bullish.

It was the 31st of December 2000. There was abundant enthusiasm all around. The world economy was on a roll, with the USA leading the charge as usual. Dotcoms were bubbling all over, with mind-numbing valuations. Risk was contained neatly inside properly designed mathematical models that now governed a lot of stock market trading. Despite the LTCM debacle, rock-hard optimism about a pink future had steamrolled all objections from naysayers. Mainstream media, as usual, played along and magnified the sense of well-being and promise of prosperity.

Not a single soul - apart from the planners sitting inside Afghanistan - had an inkling that September of the first year of the fresh decade will bring havoc. That it will rewrite all rules of global diplomatic and military engagements. That it will force the 800 pound gorilla that's the US to actually flex its muscle militarily in faraway lands, in engagements that were potentially capable of bankrupting it monetarily and for a short while, even philosophically.

That's uncertainty for you. While the immediate physical pain of the horrific 9/11 incidents has subsided substantially, the learnings derived from the same poke fun at every human attempt to create some amount of predictability out of the utter chaos that's human life now. And the entire decade of the 2000s was spent with one crisis spilling into another, piling all along, and so on. Political crises completely overshadowed the various technological and economic gains made through sheer enterprise of innovative companies the world over.

Here's what really went wrong with the 2001-2010 decade :

Blackest of the Black Swans

Asymmetric terrorism: a whole new genre of terrorist reach and impact was created with the Al Qaeda creating missiles out of commercial passenger aircraft. American defence establishment - armed with the most sophisticated batteries of assault weapons and satellites - watched helplessly as this asymmetry engulfed their entire existence for a short period of time. It was clear to everyone that a new chapter had begun, with absolutely new levels of destruction now possible inside home territories. No nation was safe anymore. No shred of intelligence was extra anymore. No suspicion was unwarranted anymore. All this meant that the basic threads of civility that tie our modern civilisation into what it is came under attack. The impact was to be felt throughout the decade.
Unrealistic overseas adventures of the US: Though it was morally obliged to do so, the US overstretched itself in the overseas military adventures through 2001 till date. Iraq and Afghanistan bled the coffers profusely, and visible victories were far and few in between. Many allies were also sucked into the whirlpool of "with us or against us" rhetoric, only to pay their own price in terms of terrorists attacks (England, Spain etc.). The terrorist organisations proved flexible and robust enough to survive the direct attack by the US army over several years. This drained the international enthusiasm for more direct military action, and the good-old strategy of peaceful diplomacy suddenly started looking like a viable option!

Is greed still good, Mr Gekko?

3. Capitalism's excesses: This surely would have given Bin Laden & Co. maximum satisfaction. It was amazingly sad to see capitalism's infallible promise of prosperity being torn to pieces, by the merchants of greed and excesses. The Federal Reserve of the US failed completely in its mandated task of maintaining monetary macro-stability in the US, as it allowed a giant housing bubble to build, through its loose monetary policies. The inevitable collapse of the mortgage markets (and the CDOs/CDSs) spread panic in lands as far as Iceland and Australia. It was obvious that the biggest names were morally and financially bankrupt. For a while, communism's vendetta seemed coming to fruition! Hopefully, through the right policy mix, over the next decade, capitalism's captains will be able to create a system that'll no longer be held hostage by a bunch of greedy idiots.

Who says we don't care
about human rights?
China's clarity of purpose! There is no doubt about it - the Communist Party has no intention of easing its vice-like grip on any aspect of Chinese life. They intend to keep the economy, the exchange rate, the diplomacy, the social setting and the global adventures firmly under the unique influence of Chinese brand of Socialism (which is basically state directed capitalism!). This was clear from the various incidents and exchanges, from the annual posturing towards Taiwan, to the aggression against the Japanese (the fishing boat incident). Whatever little hopes the stray statements of luminaries like Wen Jiabao raised, were quickly quashed by the brutal state machinery. China repeatedly reminded other global powers to mind their own business - most notably in the Liu Xiaobo Nobel peace-prize incident. So the writing on the wall is clear - Tibet or Tiananmen, the Communist Party is in no mood to relent.
No major breakthroughs on global issues: Humanity lost another decade in its fight against the spectre of global warming, with both Copenhagen and Cancun turning out to be almost dud events. The urgency with which we must act in unison NOW so our future generations may have a planet worth living, is missing. That's very sad. We are running out of time.

Fit for the decade ahead
6. The Russian monster: Vladimir Putin destroyed whatever little democracy there was in the world's largest country, with a systematic undermining of the judicial machinery. This was evident in the Mikhail Khodorkovsky trial where the second (and latest) judgement has again put him away for another cool 14 years. Mr Putin, it seems, is here to stay for another decade. You can image what that means for Russia, and its relations with an already uneasy West. A quick survey of Russian economy over the past 10 years reflects the state clearly - stagnation in all major indices. But the political reality of the Kremlin is so stark, that even the Wikileak expose claiming the "Kremlin being at the centre of a large mafia operation" does not seem to cut much ice with anyone in a decadent state. Poor Mr Medvedev - he can only wait and watch while his master prepares for the eventual takeover as the next President of the Russian state. Interestingly, his fortune is directly tied to the oil prices - much like that of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
Growing ethnic and racial tensions in Europe: While Europe gradually started to sink into its demographic decadence, immigration was on the rise. As the natives' fertility rates drop alarmingly below 2.1 (replacement rate), original "white" populations have started to shrink. This inevitably will lead to significant amounts of immigration in most European nations, leading to cultural, racial and ethnic clashes. The Turks inside Germany have already started facing the heat. It will only grow.

Easy now, dear friend, easy

The intractable Israelis: As one of the world's hottest political flashpoints, the middle east tensions refuse to ease out. Israel's position hardened through the decade, and in response, the frustrated Palestinians responded in kind. While it is obvious to the rest of the world, the Israelis refuse to accept the inevitability of the two-nation solution. Until that happens, we must prepare ourselves for an explosion anytime. Iran won't miss the opportunity to inflict collateral damage, in such a case. The overhang of the Nazi brutality on the Jewish mind is so severe, that they measure all other races in the same context.

And this is what went right :

I'm not 30 yet

Social media revolution: In an almost unprecedented manner, social media came into being, then dominated the internet scene, and is now threatening to overturn established monarchies (Google, etc.). Till 2000, most of us had no idea what the internet could offer other than an email ID and a great search engine. Today we know. This will surely count as the decade when humans around the world came together through the social media websites, that evolved so fast that all predictions of pundits failed. I find it extremely painful that while social media websites brought far-flung people together quickly, cheaply and 'lovingly', the political situations (mentioned above) acted to tear them apart.
Only a recession, not a depression: It was good that the US economy used the first stimulus to avoid a massive depression, and escaped only with a recession. Had the economy plunged into the depression (which surely would have been worse than the 1930s one), the consequences for other nations, including India, would have been catastrophic. A minor bout of IT projects slowing down was enough to throw corporate India into total panic (through late 2008, entire 2009 and first part of 2010).
India and China on a high growth trajectory: It was interesting to note that for entirely different reasons, both India and China maintained a robust 7-8% per annum GDP growth rate throughout the decade. That surely was very important, given that close to 40% of humanity resides here. Though India failed to generate employment on the scale that the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut did, this is what Indian policy makers will surely focus on in the 2010s. The honeymoon with Services sector growth has taught India one thing - there ain't nothing like good old smokestack manufacturing when it comes to generating millions of jobs quickly!

Questions for the decade that's upon us : (and my estimates)

How quickly will the US influence decline? (steadily throughout the decade)
Will the Chinese, tied down as they are due to the trillion dollar worth of US paper they hold, get reckless and ruin the relationship? (in newer ways, yes they will)
What of Taiwan? Will China finally annexe it? (yes; the incoming President Xi Jinping will try that)
Will Pakistan disintegrate into pieces due to internal friction amongst the major power centres - the government, the judiciary, the army, and the ISI? (perhaps yes)
Will China allow democracy to flower? (Certainly no, barring some radical asymmetric development)
Will Talibanis rise again in Afghanistan? (Yes)
Will India's maintain its high GDP growth rate? (Yes)
Will job creation for young workers in India happen at the pace required? (Perhaps no)
Can terrorists try to go for a big kill - using nuclear weapons? (They will try their best)
Will Kashmir break apart? (No)
Will the Naxalite problem in India be solved? (It will be contained, not solved)
Will quantum computing become a reality? (Almost near the end of 2020, yes!)
Will Facebook destroy Google's dominance? (No, they'll go their own ways)
Will corruption in Indian public life reduce? (No, unless some radical movement shapes up)

Circumspect. Tentative. Unpredictable - adjectives that define what's coming up.

So tighten your seat-belts friends! It's going to be a rough, bumpy and enjoyable ride. After all, what's human life without its share of uncertainties. My best wishes to everyone for a great decade ahead!

What WikiLeaks really means

2010-12-10T19:30:00.004+05:30

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead, anthropologist.

An unknown individual who calls himself 'Australia's most famous ethical computer hacker' - Julian Assange - puts up a website that supposedly carries leaked versions of documents and communications on sensitive state subjects. All hell breaks loose, as the one of the states concerned is a mighty power, engaged in multiple controversial & costly wars abroad, and the leaks put a big question mark on the entire authority of the apparatus itself! Apologies in advance are offered to friendly nations worldwide by the superpower (perhaps a diplomatic-first of its kind). Red-faced bureaucrats and politicians patch up in advance on many issues likely to emerge! The website promises more and more juicy releases, nation after nation goes after the site's founder (and administrator) and finally one of them nabs him.

Welcome to the WikiLeaks controversy. Perhaps for the first time in modern history, a single individual has challenged the might and repute of the superpower that's the USA, and dragged alongwith the reputations of many others. Perhaps for the first time, world governments realise how vulnerable they are to what a single man can do to them. Perhaps for the first time ever, media and its unbridled power to create extreme transparency are under question.

This controversy raises fundamental questions which I will attempt to answer below. I feel the three questions raised are

Does a State have the right to do anything in the name of sovereign power? And then cover it up?
Can media truly exercise extreme transparency without upsetting human civil values?
What is the nature of truth itself? Are there permanent truths for us to hang on to?

Death by a thousand cuts!
It's rather easy to be killed by a single bullet. The mind will not get enough time to feel the pain. Getting stabbed is painful but it ends quickly. The real torture is when someone inflicts countless minor lacerations on your body, and death arrives of blood-loss, slowly and steadily. WikiLeaks does precisely that - putting entire legions of foreign service-men, diplomats, ambassadors, bureaucrats and politicians on tenterhooks - awaiting the next cut to their reputation, the next blow to the carefully built facade that's been holding the reputations for long. On the face of it, the whole business of doing business with foreign nations comes to a halt, as suspicions build up. It's the classic spy-vs-spy story, with WikiLeaks as the huge catalyst for aggravated suspicions.

A simple analogy, anyone?

Imagine that someone puts a secret camera and microphone inside your bedroom or living room, and records everything you do. And then promises to release stuff bit by bit, on some website (SharmaLeaks, for example!!), over a long period of time. The intolerable pain of having to wait for what's coming next can tear the family (or marriage) and the reputation apart. Our lives are like scratch-books - some incidents are scribbles, others deep-etched memories of things really important. When voyeurism prevails, both categories get mixed up in dangerous and avoidable ways.. and it's never good for anyone. There's no husband in the world who will want to live with his wife any longer if the complete history of every single conversation that the wife has ever done is made transparent. That's how humans are. We accept our partners, friends and colleagues on "averages". On an average, things work out just fine as the pluses outweigh the minuses. Try finding someone, any one, who has never spoken ill about you, and you'll end up searching forever. (the husband-wife example quoted was intentional; the reverse order is 100% certain!).

The State as the Big Brother
What's wrong with someone who tells you the truth? A lot, if the truth trespasses the thick line that separates concepts underlying individual liberty from those representing State's sovereignty.

The State is all powerful. The State is not to be played around with. The State can get you, anyday, on any pretext. The State knows it all, and there's no escape. And to live happy ever after, it is necessary for everyone to pay a rent to the State. In nations like India, rent-seeking assumes multiple forms, most of them illegal and unconstitutional, yet unavoidable (unless you are willing to learn the basics of law, human rights, and are willing to fight for the same). In developed nations of the West, high levels of media scrutiny keeps raw power of state under check.

So what is this "State"? The term represents the whole concept around which modern civilisation stands. Independent, powerful and supposedly benign national powers that take care of their citizens, provide for them and create an environment of peace and prosperity. Rule of law governs everyone, thereby levelling off any specific advantage a group may command. Everyone is equal before the law.

Who is this "State"? What's the permanence of people who make it up? Well, certainly the people who make up the State's machinery are not permanent. They come, they go. Some of them stay on for 30 or 40 years, making up the bureaucracies that we all so love to hate. But ultimately even they have to retire. No one stays on forever. Everyone has to die some day! But even though men (and women) come and go, the system keeps grinding, as the policies are documented, positions established and dogmas fertilised and kept alive. It never stops. It's the system that overrides all individual identities. Corporates like McDonalds may revel in their magnificent systems-and-process culture but no one comes close to the predictable repetitiveness of a State's bureaucratic machinery - cold, calculated, selfish, and always inward-looking.

Limits to tolerance - the empire strikes back

For centuries, kings, princes and authoritarian regimes have tried to carry a heavy pretense of looking democratic, open-minded and transparent. But history teaches us that limits to all these do exist. As long as peripheral and harmless issues are raised the State may pretend to actually get affected and take corrective action (on its own agents). But the moment someone points a finger at any core aspect of the State, the empire prepares to strikes back. And that can be pretty nasty. Agents of the empire (the police, the military, the administrators, and the judicial system) can cause harm that may take years to repair. And since the process of revenge-seeking is orchestrated by a body that's amorphous, foggy and amoeba like, hitting back (by an individual) is a very difficult and uncertain process. Countless examples exist. In fast moving systems like Singapore (a rich, developed State), the State precludes a lot of civilian retaliation possibilities by creating a vast array of repressive policies covering a wide gamut of civilian life en (no chewing-gum, for instance). Caning is a frequently used punishment (sounds medieval, right!). In complex and slow moving States like India's, most citizens are under-informed about their own basic legal rights, and can be taken to task almost without any effort by agents of the State (fear of loss of reputation if the police merely reaches one's home, for example).

Enter Julian Assange!
Well, to hell with the State, said Julian Assange. And he attacked where it genuinely hurt the most. The secretive communications that constituted the inner workings of the American State. Thus, he exposed not only the Americans, but also all those linked with them - other State-heads, informers, military generals, and so on. His WikiLeaks website, designed as a digital drop box, is a place where anyone can anonymously submit sensitive or secret materials to be disseminated and downloaded around the globe. In April, it posted its most explosive leak yet, a video shot by an American attack helicopter in July 2007 as it fired on a group of men on a Baghdad street, killing 12, including two unarmed Reuters employees. It continued in the same spirit thereafter "leaking" cables (communications) between the American embassies worldwide and their US Head Office.

WikiLeaks' commitment to what might be called extreme transparency means that it hasn't turned away documents of questionable news value or origin. According to WikiLeaks' credo, to refuse a leak is tantamount to helping the bad guys. "We never censor," Assange declares. No doubt, mainstream media's limitations (due to commercial interests) also got exposed in this melee.

How did it gain prominence?
Here are some of Wikileaks' biggest hits, that apparently have helped it gain the weight it has.

Video shot by an American attack copter as it mowed down a dozen men on a Baghdad street, including two Reuters journalists

Detainee treatment manuals from Gitmo

Inventories of US military matériel in Iraq and Afghanistan

NATO's "master narrative" for Afghanistan, which WikiLeaks said it unlocked by guessing the password ("progress")

Stolen docs from the Swiss bank Julius Baer's Cayman Islands branch, allegedly showing tax evasion

Confidential documents about sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeepers

Deailed reports on corruption and political violence in Kenya

Emails from Sarah Palin's Yahoo account

Holocaust denier David Irving's emails

Membership lists of the far-right British National Party

An internal report from the oil trader Trafigura about its disposal of toxic cargo off the coast of West Africa

Scientology manuals, including a list of URLs owned by the church, such as purehubbard.com and scientology-sucks.com

Since its launch in December 2006, WikiLeaks has published everything from the operating manuals of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to NATO's secret plan for the Afghanistan war and inventories of US military matériel in Afghanistan and Iraq, plus plenty of dishier stuff—Sarah Palin's hacked emails and Wesley Snipes' tax returns, as well as fraternity initiation books and a trove of secret Scientology manuals.

Basic assumption about WikiLeaks
That what it says is actually "true" - who knows that for sure? The governments are in a state of vehement denial, and there's never going to be an official proof of anything. Those who are benefitted by any specific leak will never deny it even if it's false! So the truth, alas, is based on a fundamental assumption that Julian is not making a fool of everyone :)

Also, the whole story of WikiLeaks has strangely accorded a certain reputation and status to Julian's credibility, and people tend to speak of him with a certain level of respect. That's interesting.

The leaked cables!
Now the really juicy stuff started about a month ago when Julian Assange started exposing "cables" that contained intimate details of foreign policy of the US. This is perhaps the biggest expose in the diplomatic history of modern world. It proves just how vulnerable everyone is, in this age of nano-second IT connectivity and mass rapid media consumption.

Three critical aspects of the "leaked cables" -

How nations interact - It becomes apparent that most of what we study in the erudite tomes on "Political Science" is actually correct (what a relief!). It is true that "in international politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies but only permanent interests". The way the US diplomats have described the various heads of states is telltale. Who would argue with the descriptions accorded to the North Korean dictator, or the French president. And frankly, there seems to be nothing wrong in the way it's been done. What's wrong is that is that it got leaked, thereby becoming scandalous. Otherwise it may have gone on for years without any potential impact.

How nations will interact - If you really reflect on this, it becomes clear that one of the two things will happen (the second one has a higher probability)

breakdown in relations

a big hearty laugh, and move-on!

Immediate potential damage - Yes, heads will roll. The Presidents and the Prime Ministers who have been shamed brutally will find scapegoats. The diplomats who uttered the most honest observations will be removed! But ultimately, the needs and necessities of international politics are such that everyone will have to move on. They will take a deep breath, and move on.

Let's get real. The diplomats of any nation, in general, are rooted in reality and understand that every nation will try to protect its turf by all means. That Americans need Pakistani support in their war in Afghanistan is obvious. The Pakistani establishment supports terrorism and funds it, and hence will use the Afghan lever in all its negotiations with the West. If WikiLeaks exposes this, it will only confirm the worst fears of the Indians.. it will not tell anything new.

Do you hear that Mr Anderson?
Like the detestable Agent Smith in the memorable Matrix movie trilogy, the State - for now - seems to be holding Neo (Julian Assange) in its grip uttering menacingly "Do you hear the sound of that train, Mr Anderson? That's the sound of inevitability.. the sound of your death".

It is certain that world governments will not take to WikiLeaks kindly. They will do everything possible to have it shut down permanently. That the greatest proponents of free speech consider this as the right thing to do speaks volumes about the context in which free speech is truly allowed to exist. Let's face it - modern civilisations have a threshold limit of tolerating dissent. The moment it threatens to upset the balance of the State itself, it ceases to be able to exercise its right to exist without fear. Julian has been arrested, and may be put away for ever. Wait and watch. As far as I am concerned, Julian's courage (whatever the motives may have been) fascinates me. It's the ultimate tale of one man versus the establishment. It's very inspiring. It's very disruptive, and it's very much a story to be told to yourself when you are down and out.

Margaret Mead made her memorable quote thinking of a small group of committed individuals. The debate rages over truthfulness of motives, the limits of media transparency and the rational of extreme disclosure.
~

Sundays!

2010-12-04T17:12:00.001+05:30

Oh the images that a Sunday conjures in our minds! Happiness, joy, enjoyment, togetherness. While we all have our own reasons to look forward to the weekly manna from heaven, I conducted a small survey among my social media friends, and here are the innocent, happy and amazingly enjoyable replies to the simple query - What is the one thing you enjoy doing on a Sunday?

The insights I got by asking a simple question were revealing. 360 degrees, in fact. From the apparently enjoyable act of merely dozing the day off, to the more cerebral tasks of planning and executing, the range is exciting! The more analytical minded of my readers will want to do a statistical post-mortem of this compilation. Go ahead! I am sure lovely learnings await.

A million thanks to all those who shared their thoughts.

For all marketing managers, here are the insights you were looking for. Now plan your budgets, and get cracking :)

What's the one thing you love to do the most on Sundays?

Kaushal Kasat - Sleeping, watching Movie, playing cricket and picnic.....
Pooja Khatri - Movies
Gireesh Nagar - Outing after a week long work.

Rohan A Shah - sleeping and sleeping and sleepimg
Shashank Upadhyay - Poha Jalebi, Family time
Dixit Javia - lunch with family, n hangout with friends and manage some events..
Ronak Shah - Want to attend college... gud one...

Gautam Gunjaria - Havin bread butter nd tea........

Chetan Chaudhary - Fun with friends,outing,dinner and at late night planning for next week.

Ajoy Sodani - prevent myself from thinking about Monday

Ruchi Dosi - Sleeping n cleaning of room

Piyush Dubey - On sunday, I feel like having the most perfect day of my life; a perfect lunch/dinner, a stimulating conversation with mates, casual yapping with friends and family, reading a good book in the afternoon and a perfect preparation for the next day.... Aah!! Eutopia... :)

Ibrahim Modiwala - planning 4 da next week ahead..........

Kirtan Chauhan - I Spend My Time For Spiritual Activity At BAPS Centre, Which Makes Me Feel That I Can Do Better For My Career, My Family And My Country To Live Happy.

Ritu Grover - Sleep """""""""
Amit Chaudhary - best 1 ll gt a prize..??
Akshay Joshi - learning learning & learning bcoz xm on head....
Sakshi Maheshwari - ‎@Sir - i try to make others (not only family but unknown too) happy as much as they can in a day.....

Kshitij Mahendra - sleeping......lol

Shraddha Agrawal - Net surfing, Biking with frndzzzz, stroll with family and Muvizzzzz........ :-)

Farzana Nasreen - sLEEPING, gETTING lAZY, n sPOILIn aLL uR pLANS wAT u hAV mADE 4 sUNDAY.... ;-)

Krunal Gurav - waking late and hanging out wid friends

Ankita Patel - Sleeping nd roaming out wid frnds..

Prasad Maha - sleeping and listening music!!!!!

Monica Dagaria - Be the most lazy soul alive on the earth!!

Hina Bajpai - sleeping till 10 in morning,then again sleeping in afternoon,n going to bed early at night..

Mohit Jain - i love to learn something extra......... which does not relate wid our study bt necessary in our life.........:-)

Kunal Pursnani - Sir , my sunday morning is same as any other day as we are open 365 days :D but still i jus love the feeling of telling how good is to work in organised manner :)

Anant Dadhich - Roaming n making sundy=funday..

Amit Pandit - soccer in the evening!!! what can be better??

Shoaib Qureshi - spending more time in the shower...
Shanu Tembhre - obviously sir... Studies...

Kishan Mundra - Farming

Pooja Jain - Family time............... :) :) :)

Lokesh Kothari - Gng to ma shop...

Rohit Gandhe - party-sharty, movies

Gagandeep Singh - IIFT'S exam.....

Virendra Jain - Sit on couch wid strong hot tea and fried potato; and watch fox history..

Rajesh Pathak - Being with the family
Prateek Khatri - to complete and maintain account books

Aakanksha Jachak - Only riyaaz (mandatory n i cant miss that ever :-o) and then MASTI all da tym ... :-)

Neeraj Mishra - I Love to sleep on sunday...........
Nidhi Agrawal - refreshing:):)
Jay Jain - Relax.....
Nikita Patwa - what about a refreshing day with children in an NGO or OLD AGE home...osum outing for me really...because i hate sleeping on Sunday.
Himanshu Gupta - sleeping
Priya Bub - an outing,movies n spending some time with my ownselves!!!

Anil Pandey - I use to plan for my next week business priorities and i use to get more revenues as compare to my week days.

Manish Bhagtani - Baddy n Cricket....
Shivansh Mishra - listening oldies and driving
Hashwin Chawla - my sunday is mostly relaxin n rejuvenating frm d past week...i gv time to introspect my past week... wat gud, wat bad... wat improvements i shud make in myself... but spend my most of d tym to cum out of d stressful week i hv had, n sleep a... lot
Herwig Streubel - Sleep longer

Shersingh Baghel - I want to hang around with my buddies...

Uttam Gangesaria - Sleep.......
Kalindi Bhatt - listen classical music and read books which outof std.
Trapti Agrawal - njyg and dng unplanned thgs :)
Ratandeep Bhatia - waiting for monday........ to do some work..... i hate being idle..... I love being at work.... i jus wait for next sunday..... because its nt possible to do everything nd complete pending work in jus one sunday...

Sunil Rajput - i try hard to excute all the plan that made for sunday but always failed.

Sukrat Tamali Ray - Dal Bati in Lunch
Ruchi Jain - blogging.........
Kalpesh Rakhasia - i wud choose to marriage
Neha Fatehchandani - Spendng time with my niece and nephew.

Satyam Chauhan - Spending atleast 12 hr with "Skype"....!!!

Jaya Pande - Doing all d work which mom does normally n giving her ample time to relax....it makes my Sunday really fruitful
Malini Agrawal - Try to make my brain stop thinking about any work. :-) serenity
Shishupal Singh - sleep_sleep_sleep
Devansh Bhatt - spend the earnings of other days to enjoy sunday......cheers sir!!!!! sm thng really parallely interesting to do other dan sleeping ....
Priyaj Vyas - hoping against the hope to have the next day also a "SUNDAY"
Akil Kotwala - playing cricket with all friend.........
Shailendra Verma - sleeping till 11 o'clock..
Mahesh Choure - Spending time with family and friends.
Shashi Singh Kushwah - sunday goes like a moment............hence I couldn't recall, what I do on sunday............
Kumud Chadhar - Offcourse sleep for long.....n other pending work of weekdays....
Shivam Jaiswal - reading PDF of GK lectures.....
Saransh Garg - taking rest sir.... n keepng mind lil offtrack frm d normal daily life....:)

So get set with your plans, and remember to share them with us!
~

The repositioning of Airtel

2010-11-26T15:55:00.003+05:30

We have arrived, world!

All of us have been hit in the face by the new logo and brand identity assumed by Airtel recently. There is no street, no traffic junction, no major hording that's left untouched by the striking red and white combination of its unique new design.

Why is Airtel doing what it is doing? And how is it doing it? What does it hope to gain from this? Here is a detailed analysis.

What's in a name!
Well, nothing really, but surely a lot! The name carries the entire persona of the brand with it. The words used, the colours chosen, and the way the whole thing blends together is a direct representation of the class of the brand itself. Just like situations and circumstances in the real world change, so does a brand's need to stay relevant and contemporary. The latest major upgrade by Airtel to its visual brand representation is precisely this - a desire to stay relevant (in the consumers' minds) in a changed world.

A picture speaks a thousand words

Time for goodbye

As said, the logo becomes the visual depiction of the entire company. The striking visual becomes the live embodiement of everything the company stands for. People may not know the company well, or may not be its customers, but the logo strikes a certain chord in their heads when they see it, and the company ensures that it (it's brand, that is) has ensured a position in the mindspace. At least for now. The large clutter in the brand street also explains why the "red" was chosen - the human mind is hit hard by red. That's why traffic lights are red too (of course, there's the Physics behind it - minimum scattering due to maximum wavelength etc.).

What has changed, really?
Well, Airtel has evolved with changing times quite rapidly. From a very small and loss making telecom company in the late '90s to a mammoth multinational (almost), it has traversed a long distance. The significant challenges it faced on the way were strategic - Mukesh Ambani's entry into Telecom, introduction of CDMA as a rival platform, emergence of newer players, and the need to spread its footprint around the world (not restricting to India alone). To the credit of the company's founders, so far the challenges have been met with ample confidence and style. Reliance could not trample Airtel no matter how hard it tried to, and the myriad & byzantine legal/regulatory apparatus of Indian Telecom sector did not decelerate its growth. It has also entered into all the new-fangled areas of telecom - broadband, 3G, VAS and all such terms most of us fail to fathom! Finally, Airtel rose to the occasion and spread to Africa, thereby becoming the first true Indian Telecom multinational. So now the Airtel head honchos feel that the new look of their company must be very modern, smart, youthful and bright. Remember that India and Africa are both young regions. So, smallcaps + swoosh + red is the combination chosen.

Why smallcaps + swoosh + red?

Swoosh?

Small caps - because it represents the internet and email generation, and looks informal

Swoosh - touch of class, speed, modern

Red - aggressive, appealing, visible

Also, if you look at the Zain logo carefully, the element of swoosh (resembling the "a") is there already. Perhaps Airtel had to borrow that (as part of the deal) and fix it into the new existence. So the new airtel is the old Airtel plus the Zain a shape, plus a striking red.

Curry for the brain

A problem this creates for Airtel surely is that it is strikingly similar to Vodafone's visuals. But I guess red was indispensable, and that's the explanation. There are 3 major brands now that come to mind that play on this red factor - The Economist magazine, Vodafone and Airtel.

What does this do to a consumer's mind?

The original?

Well, red being the colour it is, the logos' appeal tend to overlap. When we see "The Economist" logo, we may recall instinctively the other two as well. And if this trend accelerates, and some more mainstream companies decide to go red, it'll be trouble.

Red, red everywhere and not a place to hide..

Operational excellence in executing the change
I would rate the company 9/10 on this. It was amazing to see that the logo was changed almost "everywhere" simultaneously, a gargantuan task given that there must be thousands outlets and locations where the old logo was prominently displayed and the new one had to "suddenly" appear. We all know that telecom companies specialise in such outdoor acrobatics quite skillfully, but this was a very refined game Airtel played. I carefully saw that even on the smallest of shops (sponsored glowsigns) the new design was up and running! Now that's a fairly complex operation. My guess is that work on this change must have begun at least 90-120 days in advance, and a dedicated team of at least 20 to 30 at the Airtel HQ would have directed the pan-India transformation. Maybe even more. But the commitment shown towards this change was intense, and appreciable. Not many companies will do it with such speed and aggression. Now, if only Airtel can transfer the same spirit to the other parts of its operations (customer service, delivery, new products) it would be good.

A few pictures will prove this point!

Bach ke jayega kahan!

Every single point of sales

Gamut of services

Big time!

Why Africa?

Not just Africa,
middle east too

That's the last frontier for capitalism. It's untapped, unexplored and hugely nascent. Any company that has the 21st century leadership dream on its radar can't afford to miss on that continent. Also, telecom has proven to be the biggest social transforming agent in developing nations. Studies have shown an almost direct correlation between the growth of telecom density and the growth of that country's GDP. Many African nations understand this and are encouraging the telecom sector's spread. Airtel (like many others) sensed this and was trying to enter Africa for a long time. It finally succeeded with the Zain deal.

Money, honey?

How much would this have cost the company? A better question would be - how much would it have cost if the change were not made by the company? Many companies delay a change - it's taxing on top management's bandwidth, after all - and pay a big price. In the world of branding, remember the golden rule - Timely change is priceless, Delayed change is worthless.

Having read all this, it's worth reading the company's official line on the change! Taken from their website, we quote

airtel unveils new youthful and dynamic global identity

• Crosses the 200 million customers landmark, reinforces leadership position in global telecom

• A R Rahman composes a refreshed airtel signature tune in line with the new identity and global outlook

New Delhi, November 18, 2010 : Bharti airtel, a leading global telecommunications company, today unveiled a new identity – a shared worldwide vision across its operations in 19 countries in Asia and Africa. airtel also announced that it has crossed the significant milestone of 200 million customers, reinforcing its leadership position in global telecom. Announcing this, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti airtel said, “Fifteen years ago Bharti airtel started its journey in India with a promise of delivering world class and affordable services. Today, as we expand on the global stage, this new brand identity gives us the opportunity to present a single, powerful and unified face to our customers, stakeholders and partners around the world. It reinforces our promise to deliver innovative services and a superior brand experience to our 200 million customers across Asia and Africa.” From the birth of the brand as a single city operation in India, airtel has truly gone global today with the creation of a single and unified identity across the world. The new face of airtel is youthful, international, inclusive and dynamic – representing the journey of the first Indian brand to go truly global. The new identity underlines airtel’s willingness to embrace everything that is new. The red colour, which is an integral part of the brand, continues to represent the energy and dynamism that has made airtel the success it is today. The new curved addition to the logo is a symbol which will help ensure instant recognition across diverse international markets. The airtel signature tune has also been refreshed by A R Rahman making it youthful and dynamic in line with the new visual identity. Like the earlier tune, which has made history as world’s most downloaded mobile music with over 150 million downloads, the maestro has once again delivered a master piece. The new tune retains the essence of the original but uses an inspiring musical style, with a universal appeal, that will be loved by listeners the world over. The unveiling of the new identity also marks the 200 million customers milestone for airtel. airtel crossed 50 million customers in October 2007 and 100 million in May, 2009. The company added the next 100 million customers in just 18 months. This further cements airtel’s positions as one of world’s leading telecom companies. For its customers in India, airtel also announced that it was on course to launch its 3G services by the end of the year.

Students of management and marketing (and that includes almost everyone of us!) must pay close attention to these details as herein lie the secrets of building a long lasting empire. All the best!

Fiction : The day Ajinkya thought of it all

2010-11-23T20:18:00.003+05:30

This blogpost is a work of fiction. It's an excerpt from a book I am writing on this theme.
If you are a reputed book-publisher, contact me at sm@ptuniverse.com

The day Ajinkya thought of it all

Ajinkya Joshi looked outside the PMO's window pensively. He was overwhelmed by emotions, as memories of the past decade and a half flooded his mind, rushing like a series of powerful gusts of storm winds, ready to uproot everything he held dear all his life. It was the 28th of April 2023, when Ajinkya, as the Prime Minister of the broader state of Indian subcontinent, was presiding over a nation that was rooted in a new geo-political reality. The 'broader state of Indian subcontinent', as it was now called, included chunks of other neighbouring nations, some governable, others chaotic. It was the only democratic nation left in Asia.

Ajinkya was barely 45 years old when, four years ago, he was urgently summoned by the National Council of Patriotic Indians (NCPI), from his Finnish hometown. As a brilliant IIT graduate who earned his PhD in Nuclear Physics, he shone in the world of global security establishment. He had not understood fully the reason for the immediate call, but the broader picture was clear to him. Ever since he left the American Nuclear Command Services based at Washington DC in 2016, he had decided never to dwell back into that kind of work ever again. Though India always held a dear place in his heart, he really did not think his family would be able to adjust to the grim socio-political realities of the subcontinent now. But nonetheless, he had returned, much to the cheer of everyone in the NCPI. Much against his wife's and daughter's protests, he had left the secluded underground town of Kristiinankaupunki in Finland. Kristiinankaupunki was one of the few destinations in the world that boasted of completely nuclear-radiation-free lifestyles, still (most others had resigned to the fact that residual radiation was a part of life, and one had to move on nonetheless). Immigration was strictly controlled, and robotic processes ensured only those still un-inflicted could get in. Scandinavia had 21 such locations, interconnected through underground tunnels. There were open areas and cities, of course, but the risk of getting irradiated was entirely the residents'.

The collapse in 2015 of the National Power Grid in India due to an army of cyber-warriors on the rolls of China and Pakistan, the bombing of large parts of Jammu & Kashmir by Osama-controlled Egyptian-Sudaneses mercenaries, the splintering of the erstwhile Pakistani state into ungovernable chunks controlled by tribal ganglords (aided by earlier ISI men), and the memories of what was the USA back then made Ajinkya frozen with nostalgia. That a single lifetime will make him witness so many dramatic events was unthinkable for him just in 2008, when the first signals of what-is-wrong-with-the-world emerged from what they called Wall Street back then.

"A cup of coffee, Mr Prime Minister?", said Ronnie Abraham, the pantryman in Ajinkya's chamber. Memories of how Ronnie was the last of the remaining children from the Christian School in Jammu came alive in Ajinkya's mind. He was barely 17 when everything around him was bombed by the splinter group of what used to be the Pakistani army back then. In retaliation, the nuclear command of the then republic of India's defence forces had let loose a barrage of Agnis and Prithvis across Pakistan and Afghanistan, many of them not nuclear-tipped (but a couple of smaller ones indeed), reaching central Asia as well. No one could do anything, with the third last remaining chunk of the USA army firmly tied down in a grand war with Larger State of China along the (North) Korean peninsula. The Russians were firmly withdrawn into their shell after the sad collapse of democracy (or whatever it was in their nation since 1991) after a mass of frustrated Muscovites, hungry and tired after nearly six years of a tanking economy, had threatened the political establishment of dire consequences. The other two chunks of the USA's defence forces were stuck deep down in Catalonian ranges - the surprising new haven of a resurgent Al Qaeda - and most of the remaining used up in maintaining basic law and order in a now very difficult land - the USA itself. Ajinkya realised with a sense of perilous nostalgia that Osama never got caught after 9/11 and the billions spent chasing him.

For any right thinking human being, these events were just too many to digest. But for the NCPI this was destiny, much as the manner in which they had taken over control of Delhi aided by a mass revolt by the Army in the winters of 2019, when much of the existing political class was asked to relinquish office en masse till things would be set right. The army's disgust had begun an year ago with the arrest of the Chief of Central Defence Services Staff by the Government's Investigating Agency on charges of plotting a revolt against the state (when all he had done was persistently ask troubling questions of patriotism and propriety to the political establishment!) and had erupted with the final revelations of the unbounded wealth horded in Swiss banks, a feat achieved due to a tenth-grader's online adventures from Bhopal - an expert at cyber-espionage! The kid stole all Swiss data and let it loose on Facebook. Indian after horrified Indian started discovering the worth of their local politician, creating pressure-cooker discontent.

Bereft of any significant national-stature political class, with the army (and navy and the air-force) firmly in control of the state's affairs, better sense had prevailed. Leading citizens from various walks of life were summoned (!) to Delhi (and one more undisclosed location) to create the NCPI, the top governing body for the new state of India. Among the first things on its agenda was the search for a leader who exhibited strong future potential keeping in mind the now completely changed realities of the world. Of the 23 individuals of Indian origin shortlisted by the QuantumParam supercomputer based on 42-desired-character-matrix provided by the NCPI and vetted by the Unambiguous-Authority-of-Indian-Identification-and-Corruption-Prevention (UAIIDCP), the successor of the almost eponymous UIDAI which was dissolved unceremoniously by the central government in 2015 when it emerged through its pioneering efforts (although unintended) that more than 30% of NREGA funds were being usurped by 5% of individuals, most of them non-rural!

With a lot of effort, Ajinkya got a hold on his thoughts. He restrained the unchained flow of events that was tiring him out, and decided to get back to the Independence day celebrations. It was precisely 3 years ago, on the 28th of April 2020, that Indian nuclear forces had destroyed whatever resistance they faced in the subcontinent, and had suffered a terrible radioactive fallout. But freedom from fear was more important than anything else, and the choice had been made. The first pan-India 5G enabled survey was an instant hit - 89% Indians had voted in favour of 'karo ya maro'.

Ever since then, 28th of April 2020 was celebrated as the day India gained independence from the terror of living under constant fear of those who had sworn to destroy her. Of the 7.9 billion humans alive barely a few years ago, just 5.1 billion had survived the multiple nuclear confrontations. Many nations had no means to either counter the inevitable fallout, nor create a medical system capable of handling the crisis. "Chernobyl was such an insignificant joke", Ajinkya sighed in his heart.

The confluence of events that happened in the past decade was truly unbelievable. But the seeds had been sown many decades ago. With the global capitalist economy ravaging the planet like nobody's business, and with the massive collapse of the US housing bubble in 2007, capitalism itself had taken the severest beating ever since Adam Smith had accorded it the respect on the foundation of a philosophy of invisible hand. All that was past, as governments who had otherwise sworn themselves to the much-hyped laisseze faire had shamelessly bailed out white-collar criminals masquerading as corporate chieftains. The debt bill of all advanced nations had become unsustainable, and attempts to print the debt away had caused currency pressures no one had quite imagined. China had persistently refused to appreciate its currency even after the West's pressure, and that put a huge stress on the global trade chain everywhere. Savings rate in Japan and China had soared on hints of a global turmoil. Europe and Japan had also generally lost confidence on themselves due to the adverse demographics and the economies' inability to revitalize themselves again.

Military fallout of these events was inevitable. The world was up for grabs, and all major powers had sensed it around 2014. The militaries had become intransigent realising they were the trump cards in the global game of chess being played, and politicians had continuously lost out on their moral power which was the first condition for ensuring a neutral military that would follow the civil systems command.

How strange! It took centuries to create most of modern humanity. Like dominos, it seemed to fall apart in less than a decade. Truly, man's greed had proven to be his undoing. The complexities of modern mankind had made the system implode on itself. Almost. Ajinkya remembered the famous Nassim Taleb and his "black swan theory" that spoke of precisely such times.

Ajinkya finished his cup of coffee as he prepared to leave for the Union of Nations' summit meet of world leaders. The discussion was "Post-nuclear emerging world order and Prospects for humanity". He remembered, with a sad smile, that an international seminar with almost the same theme was successfully held way back in 2006 also. He hurried to the airport. He knew that the road ahead was pot-holed with landmines of risks unimagined, and unimaginable.
~

The Limits of Success - what internet companies can teach us

2010-11-17T22:16:00.012+05:30

As we go about experiencing and studying the business model of internet companies, there is a fundamental big lesson to be learnt about managing businesses - the limits of success.

Every business, new or old, successful or not, has to undertake strategic planning for its future. It can be an informal approach (as it is with most SMEs and FMBs) or it can be a formal HQ directed approach (as with most MNCs). Whatever the model be, there was a time when strategic planning meant creating a vision for the next several decades. Then it got reduced to perhaps around 10 years, and then 5, and then not more than the present fiscal. I doubt if strategic planning today can be done with any amount of confidence even for the next 6 months.

This is especially true for internet companies. By the term "internet companies" I refer to those firms whose main business is to provide a certain platform/service to users on the internet. This platform/service can be social media (Facebook), search engine (Google), online auctions (eBay), cloud services (Microsoft) or retail store (Amazon).

What do we mean by "the limits of success?"

Going beyond strategic management, the internet companies are a great way of learning crucial lessons about the most pressing question in business management - the limits of success. Four questions define this:

How much can a company succeed in its business?
For how long can a company succeed in the same business?
How profitably can a company keep on, in the same business?
Is success permanent?

These questions almost seem encroaching in the domains of philosophy and futurology, but they remain the core questions that every manager worth his/her salt has to confront some or the other time. As I said earlier, studying the internet firms is a fantastic and enriching way of understanding the answers to these questions regarding the limits of success.

Let me illustrate my thought with some detailed examples :

The engine and the windows

Browsers I remember way back in 1993, there was a time when the email was just beginning to make its presence felt. As the email spread around the corporate world as the most fancy thing to have, the path was set for the development of the first business model of dominating the internet - the browser. Netscape Navigator (NN) was the first classy internet browser that came along. Created by the famous Mark Andreessen, it soon became the dominating force for desktop internet search. However, this lasted only for a couple of years when Microsoft made a u-turn on its stand on the internet, and decided to come full force and destroy the NN. In classic Bill Gatesian style, Microsoft bundled a free Internet Explorer browser with its dominating operating system the Windows, and naturally, as always, it killed the NN in a short span of just 2 years. NN could do nothing and watched in horror as it almost vanished from the market. It still exists, but the glory days are over. As a dedicated user of the NN, it was quite shocking for me to see its sudden demise, and the inexorable rise of the IE browser. This - amongst other things - culminated in a legendary battle between Microsoft and the US Justice Dept, which again Microsoft won, and saved itself from being cut up in parts to avoid its monopolistic abuse of power.

Choices galore

Search Again, around 1998 I heard the word Google for the first time. Till that time, searching something on the internet was a mundane task, performed using a multitude of search engines like Lycos, AltaVista, AskJeeves etc. We never thought that search itself will become a business model for any company! And suddenly the upstart Google came along, created a fantastic new algorithm driven by their PageRank concept (which delivered much more relevant search results), and changed the whole game. Existing players could do nothing but watch as Google became the de facto starting point for anyone on the internet. Doubts were raised about their financial model (how will they earn because search was for free!) but Sergey Brin and Larry Page successfully built a text-based Advt format (AdWord and AdSense) that made them humongously successful. It took Larry and Sergey some time, and the wisdom of CEO Eric Schmidt to realise that their main business was not search but data-analysis and data-mining. Microsoft could do nothing but watch in horror as Google became the de facto standard for many more things- Email (Gmail), Maps (Google Earth), Videos (YouTube), and to some extent Social Media (Orkut). Microsoft tried everything it could but even with all the resources at its disposal, nothing much was achieved.

Battleground
supreme
Email There were hundreds of email providers around the world. The first big push for branded email was when Microsoft purchased the Hotmail service from an Indian creator - Sabir Bhatia. Unfortunately, Hotmail met the same fate with a new owner, as did MySpace (with Rupert Murdoch as the new owner). Its fortunes kept tumbling. Yahoo did rather well, and its email service became hugely successful. But the big bang came when Google introduced a completely new email service that was truly disruptive in nature - the Gmail. Yahoo could do nothing but watch in horror as millions defected to Gmail and made it their only ID on the web! Microsoft was never in the race, though it kept fighting bravely with its clutch of services under the MSN brandname, and kept the flame alive.
Social media Now this is really interesting :) The latest rage - social media came barely 7/8 years ago. Around 2003, websites started springing up that promised users connectivity of a different type altogether - online social networking or OSN. These websites had features where users could post/share/exchange information, pictures, videos about themselves with those whom they chose to keep in their group. And all this could be done in an informal setting. Some key learnings here -

Nobody imagined that social media would become such a rage (or else Microsoft and Google would be dominating it at any cost today), and hence a set of new companies emerged from literally nowhere to occupy the various niches in social media.
Facebook entered the informal networking niche, MySpace the funky and hep networking niche, LinkedIn the professional niche, Twitter the micro-blogging niche, Blogger the blogging niche, Orkut the teenager niche etc.
Till about 2006-07, they all were beginners. It was a game wide open. But the winners emerged around late 2008 and through 2009. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter trounced almost everyone else. But there's a catch - these are global leaders, and some nations (China, Russia) have their own local leaders as well.

Emperor,
for now!

Of all these, Facebook's is the most astounding success story. With more than 500 million users (subscribers), Facebook presents a danger to Google and Microsoft (and Yahoo) like no other. While FB is the leader in social media right now, it will only take the introduction of new services on its platform to completely disrupt the existing power structure. Remember Nokia and what its integrated digital cameras did to Kodak?
Similarly, when FB introduces an email service, Gmail stands at a dangerous precipice. I was surprised to see the sharp and cunning dodge by Mark Zuckerberg when while launching the new FB email service, he claimed that Gmail is not on his radar at all, and that this is not an email service (in the true sense of the word) he's launching! That's smart. Perhaps he wants to lull Gmail into summoning no frontal assaults till he establishes the product well. Expect a grand Sumo battle in this space in months to come. It'll be vicious. {Signals of this started appearing when the single-click data-migration battle began (between Gmail and FB mail). That's a complete story in itself, in which Google appears to be holding the higher moral ground for the time being.}
We must remember that Google's desperate clawback through Wave and Buzz has all but met with failure. They failed to generate the kind of traction Google hoped for, indicating that customers cannot be coerced, howsoever subtly, into accepting multiple offerings from the same giant. Remember how Buzz had made the mistake of automatically connecting (without user permission) contacts in a user's Gmail account to the Buzz social account also - something that privacy advocates freaked out on.
Mail and Social are two different animals. This is a bitter pill Google had to digest post the Buzz fiasco.
Google's entire existence is on just two pillars - Search and Email. If tomorrow Facebook were to launch a really good search engine as well, then Google will find it rather tough to remain the marquee brand it presently is. The recent pathetic attempt by Google ($1000 bonus to everyone and a 10% payhike) to retain its staff from defecting to Facebook and others reflects the growing angst. And till only yesterday, we all thought Google was invincible. So much for permanence of brands!
Meanwhile, Microsoft's desperate attempt to integrate what all it can offer into one single device continues. Its launch of the mobile operating system WP7 with various services 'burnt into it' like Bing, Zune etc. is reflective of it.

Warrior of the waves

Mobile phones A huge battle rages here. I cover it in this article as most mobile handsets (and OS) now have internet apps inbuilt (in them). The battle is between Blackberry (RIM) that's now trying to become something for everybody (a strategy fraught with risk), Apple (too cool for all others to match, at least as of now!), Nokia (trying to regain lost ground), and Samsung (with the successful Galaxy range). The Android OS will prove disruptive here, and may give Google an edge in the medium term, it seems. Although the Adroid has created a tremendous edge for Google in the battle for mobile OS, but analysts feel that the strategy of giving it away for free to any hardware vendor who asked for it, was not entirely sound.
You can read more here :
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/11/did_google_train_its_own_enemi.html

From all this, we can come to certain conclusions. Let me list those.

Three rules apply to internet companies :

Though they look like masters of the world they have created, they live in a totally unpredictable world, alive with the fear of the next garage entrepreneur chiselling a bullet with their name on it even as they relish their present (temporary) moment of glory.
Internet companies' branding is almost entirely in the control of their users, and no amount of control at the company's end is going to define the fundamental fabric of success. Facebook is what it is (in the minds of people) because the users made it that way. Orkut was the leader in India till Dec 2009. It isn't, now. Its fall has been a reminder of the dangerous network effect - "I need all my friends to be on Facebook because I love it and I am there. So dump Orkut." The words "Orkut" and "Facebook" may have exchanged places, and perhaps they do, in some parallel universe!
No amount of funding can guarantee success of an internet enterprise, or else MySpace (and hundreds others) would not be in the ditch it finds itself now. Only users can make or break these companies.

In instant success lies the seed of failure :

A glance at the phenomenal success of Twitter - a micro-blogging internet company - will prove the point. Twitter completely depends on the users' tweets to enrich the user experience. More is the number of people around the people tweeting regularly, better is the flow of information through Twitter's servers, and better is the user experience when they search using any keyword. Mainstream media may be beaten hands down during crises, when realtime on-site tweets are uploaded by actual victims or witnesses, using handheld smartphones (or mobiles). Now the sheer speed of success of Twitter (from Jan 2009 onwards) is so astounding, there is no reason to believe that another internet company tomorrow will not disrupt Twitter itself. All this is totally unpredictable, almost asymptotic, and well, very scary!

Practical learning :

Any 'consultant' or 'media visionary' who claims to guide these companies about their future is a charlatan. There is no point trusting them.
Keep your antennas up for any new disruptive force, but do not be lulled into believing the funkiest of them. You never know which one will succeed, and the chances of your buying a stake in "all" emerging future winners are slim. This may be nature's way of restoring balance to the business ecosystem.
Total domination on present day technology does not at all guarantee any presaging of what lies ahead - we may get too locked into the present mould of thinking to even imagine what lies ahead.
Mergers, acquisitions and takeovers may or may not work the way CEOs want them to.

So, the central thought of this blogpost is:

The internet companies' world is completely unpredictable, driven by consumers' fickle choices, and winners can relish their success only with the fear of ultimate, and perhaps sudden, demise. The limits to their success lie in the collective subconscious of the populations using their product, and that, much like the sands of time, has only one thing that's certain - Change.
~

ICH - an enduring brand

2010-11-13T09:22:00.003+05:30

I wrote this awash in nostalgia. It might as well be written by a student of the discipline of marketing, and for all I know the story carries so much gravity it could easily turn into a case-study one day. I hope it does! I like it when Indian stories take that route.

For almost all of us, some of the enduring memories of childhood relate to the time we spent with our loved ones while eating out. Those memories, vivid in detail, flash through the mind several times in later parts of our lives. These are pleasant memories, happy moments that stay with us forever.

It is rare for service providers and manufacturers to last beyond a certain age. Usually companies come and go. That's the rule. Very few stay. Either the concept gets worn out, or the promoters may lose interest for a variety of reasons.

Especially so for (retail) food companies that don't indulge in aggressive marketing. If they survive as a brand for decades, it means three things for sure

the quality of food is excellent
the loyalty of customers is pretty high
pricing of certain critical items is strategically done

India has its share of successful food brands. Amul is the foremost and the poster-perfect example of one such success-story. What makes Amul special is that it's not some high-sounding corporate that created it, but a cooperative federation. It's a sterling example of a truly unique experiment that was managed to near perfection. Not just the philosophy behind it, but also the commercial side was taken care of very nicely.

One more brand that has stood the test of time is the Indian Coffee House, or ICH. The name is a misnomer as they serve a full range of meals and food-items. And very tasty & healthy stuff really!

The Indian Coffee House is run by a series of worker co-operative societies. It has a strong presence with hundreds of restaurants across India, but largely in South India. I really like the idea as it is a commercially successful venture run by worker co-operative societies. This is as close as you can get to a healthy blend of socialism and capitalism.

Like many of those in my generation, I have been visiting the ICH since my childhood. I distinctly remember how my brother and I could not control our laughter when we would see the (usually) tall Malayali waiters wearing those unique headgear that made them look even taller! We found it very funny. I remember how we would always ask for extra 'chutney' and 'sambhar' and how delicious the extra bowl always tasted. I cannot forget the verrry long 'sada dosas' - crisp, crunchy and falling out of the plate, that was always shared between the two of us! I distinctly remember the stern-faced floor-managers who would prepare the bills at the front desk, and we would always try to save on the tip! Those 1 and 2 rupee coins meant so much then.

*Today I realise that the headgear was one of the branding symbols. An enduring one.

*Today I can sense that the taste of that chutney and sambhar was their secret recipe.

*Today I can understand that the stern faced South-Indian manager was their operational masterstroke.

*Today I can relate to their operating principle of low-cost and quick turnover.

Even today, the Indian Coffee House remains as strong a brand as ever. I do not see a lot of trendy young people visit the outlet in my hometown, perhaps because the aggressive marketing and image of the CCDs, Baristas and McDonald's creates a mental barrier.

Don't make that mistake young guys and girls! Go to the ICH once, and try the stuff they serve. You will not only like the taste, but also the earthy and no-frills ambience, the rates, and the sheer Indian-ness of the place.

A comprehensive historical description of ICH -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Coffee_House

They serve a full range of foods. But some of the stuff they offer is very must-have kind. You will not believe that the mini-meal pictured here costs just Rs 60! It's as hearty a meal as Mom could make. And at only Rs 60, it's a steal. Sure there are other bhojanalayas in each Indian city that do serve meals for as low as 30 or 40 bucks apiece but what I like here is the hygiene and the taste. Bet you will not remain hungry after finishing the 3 vegetables (in good sized bowls), Daal, Dahi, Sweet-dish, plate full of rice, basic salad and Rotis/Pappadum.

And of course, there is the trademark Filter Kapi (south Indian filter coffee!) that's perhaps better than most you will taste anywhere else. The item is so distinct in its appeal that the name ICH sounds justified.

And how can I not mention the entirely ethnic, original and very tantaslising Tutti-Frutti, presented in true ICH style. And for less than 50 bucks, it's again worth trying several times! Just look at the bright colours, the simple glass, and the way the decoration appeals to the child inside us :-)

So, can you afford to miss these? Let me now wind up before I sound like an official marketing agent for the ICH. Ha ha!

If only the ICH management can deliver some contemporary marketing messages to young people, there can be a strong growth through word-of-mouth as the product is excellent. Shorn of all frills of modern restaurant management, and yet fast, clean and tasty, ICH represents a unique old-age concept that can survive despite the unrelenting flood of modernism that seems to flatten everything in its wake.

Long live Indian food brands. Long live ICH!
~

The Indian Microfinance saga

2010-11-11T17:30:00.012+05:30

Over the past few weeks, I have watched in consternation as the malice and hatred inside and towards the MFI industry has spilled onto the streets, and in the media, and the paragons of virtue (the promoters of MFIs) have perceptibly fallen from grace. The drama has all the ingredients that a Bollywood blockbuster requires - the poor looking for messiahs, greedy MFI promoters, husband-wife battles, politicians hungry for power, red-tape and bureaucrats, billion dollar IPO valuations, the inevitable suicides, and the clamping down. From the glowing and rich praises heaped upon the work of Nobel laureate Md Yunus of Bangladesh, to a typical corporate-political potboiler is quite a distance travelled by the MFI industry, in South Asia.

For any entrepreneur, management student, or a policy-maker, the MFI saga presents an excellent ground for learning.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this story, let's run through the basics.

What is the concept of "microfinance"?

When you lend money to tiny businesses, you are doing 'microfinancing' of those tiny enterprises. A tiny enterprise could be as small as just one individual.

What are MFIs?

Imagine the scenario in small villages and towns, when people who have very little steady streams of income want to grow and meet their financial obligations and chase their dreams.. and no established source of credit comes to their rescue. Big banks surely do not. Governments are - generally speaking - tardy enough not to be very effective. So who helps these guys, if at all? It's the Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). These companies (or institutions) extend "loans" to these small guys. So naturally, it all sounds good. The small guy needs small sums, the MFI hands it over to them, and everyone is happy. So, microcredit is given to many borrowers by microfinance institutions (MFIs).

Microfinance firms typically give loans to small businesses that have no access to banks and charge an effective rate of 28-32 per cent a year, about double the rate on bank loans.

How does the business model actually work?

Surprisingly it was found in many countries (starting with Bangladesh) that these small guys have a better repayment rate as compared to 'big guys' who borrow from big commercial banks. So much for society's progress!
The system of microfinance (including that of the famous Grameen Bank, Bangladesh) is based on the idea that the poor have skills that are under-utilized. A group-based credit approach is applied which utilizes the peer-pressure within the group to ensure the borrowers follow through and use caution in conducting their financial affairs with strict discipline, ensuring repayment eventually and allowing the borrowers to develop good credit standing. Thus, in India, the leading company SKS Microfinance would give loans not to individuals but to groups of 5 women. Even their logo shows this fundamental business tenet. In the event of any single woman's default in loan/interest repayment, the others have to make good. So, borrowers (who are all women) take loans from SKS for a range of income-generating activities, including livestock, agriculture, trade (such as vegetable vending), production (from basket weaving to pottery) and new age business (photography to beauty parlours). SKS also provides members with interest-free loans for emergencies as well as life insurance and loan cover insurance to borrowers.
In theory, and practice, all this sounds good, and worked well.

So, a business model can be built around microlending. What's the Bangladesh story?

Yes, as we saw, it can be. And that is what many companies tried to do. And were successful. In Bangladesh, this concept was tried first as early as 1974. Muhammad Yunus was inspired during the terrible Bangladesh famine of 1974 to make a small loan of US$ 27.00 to a group of 42 families so that they could create small items for sale without the burdens of predatory lending. Yunus believed that making such loans available to a wide population would have a positive impact on the rampant rural poverty in Bangladesh. The greatest recognition of the bank's achievements came on October 13, 2006, when the Nobel Committee awarded Grameen Bank and its founder, Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.

See more here - http://www.grameen-info.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank

Why so much negative news in the past few weeks?
More than 50 suicides have been reported in Andhra Pradesh alone. These are all clients of some or the other MFI. And a conclusion has been drawn - rightly or wrongly - that due to wrong lending practices, these people over-borrowed (from multiple MFIs) and hence were in no position to repay the various loans. The MFIs started putting pressure for recovery, and many committed suicides.
These suicides by the poor suddenly attracted mainstream media attention, and of course, presented a great opportunity to various political parties to strengthen their mass appeal with grassroot voters.
Hence, the whole situation turned volatile suddenly. To be fair and honest to the MFIs, I do not think that they played any active role in ensuring these suicides! They were doing their job - recovering outstanding dues in a competitive local environment. The factors that led to the suicides must have been part systemic, part personal.

Overall, what is going wrong with the industry dynamics?

Basically, 6 things have gone wrong in tandem. Some may be cause, and others the effect. Or vice-versa.

The fundamental structure of formal Banking, which is not flexible enough or deep enough to reach those living on the fringes of society quickly and effectively - this led to the rise of the MFIs in the first place. Because Banks have to work under the government's priority sector lending obligations, at times they find it better (provided the local situations allow) to lend to one MFI rather than thousands of tiny businesses, and that makes it easy for MFIs to raise funds.
Excessive and quick success of SKS which bred tremendous motivation in other players to enter this field of fundamental social service - Many players entered in a competitive corporate manner (a basic mismatch of ideologies!). This was matched in ferocity only by the IPO scandal, the firing of the SKS CEO and the damaging revelations by the ex-wife of Vikram Akula gave strength to all industry distractors - "yes, they can be attacked". In less than 100 days, the messiahs have all turned pariahs! Astonishing.
Aggressive loan-giving without creating adequate personal relationships leading to drop in realisations and tearing apart of the delicate fabric of community shame that's a basic pillar of MFIs' long term success - When they give the microloans, they ensure that the group of women they lend the monies to forces any defaulter to pay up in time. This keeps the system accountable and operationally stable. But as more players entered, everyone pushed loans onto the poor people by compromising the basic tenets.
Changing habits of the 'poor' when they realise that multiple MFIs are competing to offer loans - to put it crudely, beggars suddenly become choosers and can play one MFI against the others. To hell with prudent lending norms! And expect the inevitable.
Poor economic factors in some regions - leading to poor repayment capabilities, more aggressive recovery tactics, culminating in suicides by the indebted
Involvement of political parties to settle their mutual scores (especially in AP) - this created a suddenly adverse environment for operational working of MFIs, and it was topped by an extremely stringent ordinance regarding interest rate capping and loan-recovery practices of MFIs (in AP)

As they say, microfinance used to work on two tenets: income generation and social capital. Unless the loans would help create income-generating activities, women could not repay the 30% interest without driving themselves into destitution. Simultaneously, the MFIs had to forge a form of social capital that would encourage repayment. Both these tenets were compromised with as the MFIs chased growth. They started thinking that their role was only of giving credit, and focused on making processes idiot-proof and scalable. They left income generation and social-capital building to the groups and the government. This marked a big downfall in their working style.

Meanwhile, the easy money changed the villagers' outlook towards loans. Instead of feeling ashamed about being indebted, they may make rival MFIs compete with each other on the rate of interest!

The volatile political situation in states like AP (homestate of SKS Microfinance, the largest of them) fanned the fire even more. The Congress government, which was losing political space due to aggressive stand taken by opposition on the suicides related to microcredit, hurriedly introduced a strong ordinance. It was aided by the bureaucracy, which never liked the MFIs in the first place!

As per a newspaper report - Vikram Akula, the executive chairman of the company, had announced his decision to slash interest rates from 31.08% (inclusive of insurance and registration charges) to an all inclusive 24.55% immediately after the ordinance was passed. The company now says it will levy 24% in all states where it has operations. SKS, the first microfinance institution to be publicly listed, said that its business has taken a beating as the ordinance disrupted the company’s field level operations. “AP accounts for 27% of the total portfolio, the proposed change in the operating model, the disruption in customer connectivity, resultant reductions in collection and the drop in interest rates, if not redressed are likely to have a material impact on profitability,” the company said.

All this ruckus is said to have impacted their business as collections were hit. SKS now has a 94% repayment against 99% earlier.

As a closing note, colour was added to the whole sordid saga by a scandalous expose by Ms Malini Byanna (ex-wife of Mr Vikram Akula). The letter can be read here http://www.moneylife.in/article/4/9957.html .

The MFI industry will take its own time now to recover from this sudden turn of events. It will be wrong to say that all of them are crooks; it would be better to understand the alignment of forces that has led to the present state of affairs.

Before I propose some solutions, I would like to quote Mr Swaminathan S A Aiyer, who defended the MFIs in a recent article. He wrote and I quote -

"Should lending rates of microfinance institutions (MFIs) — often 28-36 % — be capped? Some folk think so. Officials in Andhra Pradesh once closed down MFIs for usury, but the RBI came to the rescue, declaring there could be no cap on lending rates. Banning MFIs would only drive poor people into more expensive loans from moneylenders. MFIs have provided finance to 20 million poor people, whom nationalised banks could not reach. The RBI itself has promoted microcredit by classifying bank loans to MFIs as priority sector loans.

But now capping has again come to the fore. The finance ministry has apparently told banks to ensure that MFIs to whom they lend cap their lending rates at 22-24 %. This directly contradicts the RBI policy that there should be no interest rate caps, and the RBI is the regulator of banks. It remains to be seen whether the RBI will assert itself or give way on this.

Charging poor people 30% interest sounds terrible. Resentment is building up after the IPO of SKS Microfinance, India’s biggest MFI. Its shares were launched at Rs 1,000 and have soared to Rs 1,400. Other MFIs are queuing up for fresh IPOs. A sector that started as a service to the poor now looks a moneyspinner , attracting private equity funds with no social aims whatsoever. Some MFIs have a return on assets of 5-6 %, much higher than banks.

Is this unwarranted loot? Not at all, say the poor. They clamour for more such loans, and repayment rates exceed 99%, suggesting the interest rates are affordable. Critics say the poor are financially ignorant and being duped. Wrong: the poor are astonishingly sophisticated money managers, simultaneously handling multiple assets and liabilities. Indeed, their annual financial turnover, as they juggle assets and liabilities, can be three times their net assets. This is detailed in a seminal new book, Portfolios of the Poor by four microfinance experts — Collins, Morduch, Rutherford and Ruthven. It should be compulsory reading for the finance ministry and all other critics."

Are solutions possible? Yes, indeed. Most of them lie hidden inside the problems.

Solution 1. Rigorous supervision of lending practices by the RBI and State Governments
This will ensure that accountability at all levels is maintained. Of course, this is a generic solution, but this is always the first and the most important step.

Solution 2. Numerical cap on various critical numbers of MFIs
Since MFIs are in a socially sensitive sector, they must be treated not like full-fledged corporates. At the same time, they cannot be treated like charities. So create a new category of companies - Quasi-corporates, if you will. Once this is done, then legally the government can put a cap on certain critical ratios of these Quasi-corporates. One such ratio will be the No.of loans disbursed per employee. This is a direct control on quality of relationships that the Quasi-corporate will maintain with their microcredit clients. This solution may seem stifling at first sight, but in light of what is happening to the whole sector now (everyone may sink together), it is better to grow slowly and steadily.

Solution 3. Ban MFIs from the capital markets
The capital markets don't go well with the charter of MFIs. The greed factor that drives a capital market is the perfect recipe for disaster with an MFI. So new sources of funds need to be created - which the government can, with some thought - and this risk factor needs to be permanently eliminated. No stock market listing, no IPO, no scandal, no huge bonuses, no mind-boggling billion dollar valuations ... just plain simple social service with a clean profit. That's all. A perfect balance.

Solution 4. Integrate the UID project with MFI operations
Again, this may sound fanciful at this stage, but the UID project (Aadhar project) can be integrated (using an IT backbone) with the operations of microfinance institutions, so that habitual or regular defaulters are automatically debarred from utilising certain government benefits, and non-habitual defaulters are penalised differently.

Other solutions that come to mind - capping the number of MFIs that can operate in a region etc. for ex. - bring to mind the horrible memories of licence-quota-permit-inspector raj, and hence are best avoided.

All said and done, it seems that in the short run the worst sufferer, as always, will be the aam aadmi. In this particular case, the one on the remote fringes.

The Devil's Advocate : Let me play the devil's advocate here. Is there a chance, just a chance, that all this ruckus is created out of the fear of local politicians who now see their power of granting patronage to villagers and these small-guys getting eroded, due to easy credit availability from the MFIs? If yes, then this is perhaps the most telling comment on what India has become in 60+ years of independence. "Keep them ignorant, keep them powerless, for that is where the power will be derived from!"
~

Civic sense in India - Indians speak out!

2010-11-09T15:56:00.009+05:30

Recently, I started a discussion with my social media friends on this topic - "Indians lack civic sense - basic manners in public places that keep civility alive. Suggest one thing you wish to change in Indians' habits, that would improve civic sense and civility."

The list of answers I received reflected pain, hope and frustration in almost equal measure. Here I present the entire range of opinions expressed by various individuals. It makes a fantastic read.

Indians lack civic sense - basic manners in public places that keep civility alive. Suggest one thing you wish to change in Indians' habits, that would improve civic sense and civility.

Rohit Vyas VALUE BASED EDUCATION

Shoaib Ahmed If everybody loses "I am the king, no one messes with me or talks in even a lil higher voice with me" then India or atleast Indore would be, atleast, a place to live in.

Nikita Phadke I think talking loudly on phone in places is a habit people should try to improve.

Navneet Bajaj Every Tom, dick & harry in India has some 'Neta' connection, which not only empowers them to keep their civic sense at home but also enables them to take law in their hand...

Rahul Sinha the correct word is nepotism :)
Menal Lunawat The mentality of the people and would like to widen their thinking...people want all the luxury but dont want to make any efforts from their side....like people love living in clean city but still will throw wrappers n stuff on road even when proper place to discard them is there...but people should understand that make some efforts because 'boond boond se gadh bharta hai'
Yuvraj Jaipal staring @ people..
Anurag Mangal As a resident of Delhi, I believe that people should get themselves more calm. Unnecessary aggression especially in north India is very high. Which reflects on traffic lights, que of metro, buses etc. Those who are not a part of this aggression while watching others violating their rights makes them also to be a part of this disease.

Giriraj Singh Chundawat recently some official (i dont know name) claimed that we Indians have inferior cleanliness sense than west. I felt bad but somewhere inside i thought that actually he is partially correct too. The way we spit on roads, throw garbage wherever we wish, etc shows how much we care for our prestige. We sincerely praise the clean foreign roads (yar UK ki roads to kaach jaisi hoti h!) and then turn away in disgust our face when it comes to clean our own house. i wont suggest some law or something else to ban spitting etc bcoz thats very difficult to implement in the country of our proportions. But i think it can't be done unless we realise the moral responsibility of keeping our country clean. And we can do it. Why cant we keep our roads clean when we think twice before spoiling a five star hotels' floor? We are one of the oldest civilisations on earth. We have taught the world how to live. Cant we do it again??

Menal Lunawat And now being in Indore for almost 2 years.....i would appreciate if people here learn some traffic sense and at the same time follow the traffic rules because in the present situation it is really frustrating driving a vehicle
Anurag Mangal This improves civic sense in every manner. No doubt Delhi people showed drastic change in themselves while games but that was limited to end of the games. It is resuming now. Even a small cab driver to a business guy both have hurry to cross road at traffic light when it is red. I must some how their personal managements is too low and weak.
Anurag Mangal This improves civic sense in every manner. No doubt Delhi people showed drastic change in themselves while games but that was limited to end of the games. It is resuming now. Even a small cab driver to a business guy both have hurry to cross road at traffic light when it is red. I must some how their personal managements is too low and weak.
Rahul Jain I think that this is due to the typical Indian Attitude inside every Indian. These values can be inherited into them only from childhood. Education system and associated institutes have to work as the backbone if we want to see the civic sense in people.

Chetan Chaudhary Well we Indians are very hard working but if we start Respect the Value of Time our productivity will increases by many folds.....

Munish Sharma One of the basic etiquette has been found missing in youth as is reflected in their mannerism that they have grown impudent. The refinement in the language has been replaced by slang usage and impoliteness while conversing with the elderly strangers. This is what really hurts.

Nidhi Agarwal There is problem of implementation/execution with the thoughts that are coming. As a start, introduce a course book on civic sense right from Grade 1, with practical projects starting from Grade 4. Let it graduate into compulsory CSR activities at PG level. Follow developed nations. Bring it into law. Place the billboard display at traffic lights, displaying the increasing waste, pollution, deaths due to it every second. Organize the house-keeping/facilities labour, register them, increase their wages, seal them from hazardous working conditions with coorect tools, uniform etc. Let the people clean their houses themselves or approach the orgaizations. Municipal Corporations must be effective on its part. People make the dirty places dirtier.

Poorva Shukla At schools and home....we are being taught to keep our premises clean.... But people do not think that roads, gardens etc. belong to them......and its human tendency (or Indians' tendency) to not to take care of others' belongings......so the littering.... And for the youth.....rules taught at school are meant to be broken......then this becomes a habit.....and sticks with a person throughout their lifetime.... More rules won't achieve any purpose...... Right from the elementary level values must be inculcated to the children (both at home and schools).....so that they will learn to see rules not like imposed burden......but something which is going to provide them a better quality of life......

Girish Krishnani one thing to be changed is people not following the que, be it in the traffic or any other public place.
Annie Gupta Always throw garbage in their proper place.... Park vehicle in their proper place... Follow traffic rules...
Apoorva Saxena I personally think that civic sense can only come when you keep your home clean. If you love to see you home clean you will incucate the habit of keeping the your surrounding clean wherever you go.....and as a matter of fact home is the first place for learning and this how we learn ..

Aastha Chaturvedi spitting and peeing all over d roads !

Akshay Joshi strict control of law

Pradnya Bora having a step motherly treatment to public properties..! there is a clearr diffrence as to how we maintain our homes and our public assets.
Harsha Manjrekar I think that self decipline &civic sence goes hand in hand.Being upright & fighting anti social elements could b one of the ways.It can b taught at an early age of an child.Simple things such as avoiding spitting ,throwing the garbage inside the dustbin,respecting women & handicapps & most importantly following the traffic rules could be some of the ways...
Karan Mehta Stop there Spitting habits and atleast make them learn to use Dustbins.
Virendra Jain Respect women and honour their dignity. In day and in night time and let dem own the city and their neigbourhood as much as men..
Ved Jaiswal Where ever Indians gets place near by the road or any home, without any shame they do peeing........Indian citizen should take care of this dirty work........as well as Municipal Corporation should clean the toilet across the city...... Sourabh Jain I think that by making some law for the some good place atleast than we increases this area day by day and we are able to stoping such type of thing happen in India......!!!!!!!! Even the Historical place even not left by people of India they did what they want even writing such a rubbish thing on the wall and spitting on such type of places where the Indian Govt. get revenue from outsiders...........!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunny Vohra THE HABIT OF SPIT IN CORNER INSIDE BUILDINGS if this habit will change then public places will remain neat and clean
Khalid Mohammad Qureshi ‎1)The habbit of littering garbage here & there.Wnevr,i eat a packaged snack,wn im out,i mk it a point2carry it tl my home2dispose it or2give it2a shop keeper who hs a bin. 2)Indians love wasting water2.Once@TI,2youths wr hvng fun ev1whle kpng the tap@full flow.I ws tkn aback & tld thm abt thr mistake.They cynically rpld,"Abhi toh paani... bohot hai bheeya".I ws shocked @their basic literacy. 3)No love for nature,trees,surroundings: I live along wth my maternal grandfather who happens to be a Retired Forest Officer.He had planted a huge Desi almond bearing tree in my house.Often,the main topic fr our neighbours to pick up a fight wth us is,"The leaves of this bloody tree fall into our house,V dnt gt proper sunlight in our house,Insects enter our house,etc etc".V ev1 had2fight petty litigations ev1.In summers,these vry neighbours park their cars beneath it.Ev1 a toddler wud knw th benefits of a tree. 4)Wasting electricity..... 5)No traffic sense. 6)Lack of Secular Spirit.
Keshank Soni Municipal Corp. is req to improved.. Some strict rules r der to make for cleanliness of place.
Narendra Kumar Pankaj Indians take all the proud when they got chance to pee in any open area. lolz........seriously!!! Lately, when i was in Germany i felt this. Indians were enjoying in doing such pity things like: peeing in open area, using bad words while talking. @Navneet bajaj - I appreciate ur thought. That's the big problem in India. 'Kuch mat karo - neta to zarur ban sakte ho' & 'padoge likhoge to banoge sirf naukar.'
Apurva Garg heavy fine on people you litter in public places and humiliating punishments like cleaning the public roads and toilets....!!
Rohit Gandhe The way of thinking...!!!
Manish Bhagtani They only pretend to b civilised..as a fact they r wild by default..Penalise them on every wrong thing they commit...bt..bt ..democracy and diplomacy.....Sir free world hai Margin of improvisation is too high for all to fill in...M sorry to say..let us keep ourselves Civilised n calm..

Nishant Longani The proud sons of mother India who consider their country as their home sound like hypocrites to me. Otherwise, there would have been no need to post such forums by intellectuals because civic sense is nothing but one of the basic manners of a civilized society. This puts a big question mark on those purporting to be civilized and educated. The answer to Sir's question is hidden in the lines above: Indians should just treat their entire country as their homes and everything will fall into place.
Arhum Khan we need to understand d right thing n stand up for that....may it be a public urination prob or the traffic prob or d corruption or match fixin....we jus talk abt it ...n at times even contribute into it by sayin "chalta hai be" or "why shud i b bothered?" ...boss ...every prob has a solution...n jus writin or suggestin wont help...if the hi end ppl cant help...why cant the common JOE stand up n make a self help group......the right place to find a helping hand is at the end of ur own shoulder....charity begins at home........
Subodh Sahu Everywhere, specially in the corners of the wall, we find the spit of Masaalas & Pans which looks so bad & dirty. Even educated ones also do the same mistake again and again. so I wish to change this Indian habit & act like a good responsible citizen of 21st century.
Krunal Gurav Writing on historical monuments gives these beauties scratch forever, this has to be stopped.
Sunil Kumar Mistri they should stop littering.......
Prerna Sisodia the worst thing that could be changed is spitting all the stuff on the roads and public places...my father works in a factory making soya products.....he just exported a bag of soya chunks to australia....and guess what the manager of the company rplied..."there is a big insect/animal...found just on the outer cover of the bag....so ur bag cannot be accepted"...(that wasnt an animal indeed.....)so people need to have control over these habits.......they even spit on our monuments and our heritage.....sad but worth changing.....

Herwig Streubel I would like the Indians start to see what is inside the borders of India (although not always under India's control) as Bharat Mata and not as a single dustbin. Unfortunately also many Indians - majority is male, chauvinistic - see also their own mothers/wives as dustbins or the cleaners of it. In the West tourists like to go tho nice, clean, good looking places. Here in India I cannot whole-hartedly suggest to my foreign friends places to go - except The Baha'i House of Worship (Lotus Temple) in Delhi and some Jain Pilgrim places - as everywhere garbage lays around and the sights are not properly maintained.
Deepak Singh i would like to change eve teasing behaviour of boys..... because of this teasing only gals r nt able to fully express themselve...... such guys hv to change their mentality.....
Shrenik Shah though we say that we are unity in diversity.. ppl of different states are always involved in ppl of other's of India itself..
Dipen Joshi STOP LITTERING.! The most imp 'cz good environ will motivate you to be a good citizen as is the case in developed countries. USE ME bins should be available @ ALL public places..and waste collections system should be followed effectively by ...Municipal Corps, as i have seen in Surat, Gujarat.
Anshul Jain dont interfere in other's matter,... apne matters hi solve karle bahut hai...
Hitesh Agarwal Indians should be punctual......!!
Ronak Nair Unnecessarily Interfering in others life....!!!!! Indians, stop this...!!!!
Raunak Jain Only one thing MUTRA-VISARJAN habit on road side
Rohit Agrawal only one thing can do it..... "compulsory military training"
Pratik Rathore Rather than being taught 60+ subjects in life(which are ultimately forgotten by the end of school or college), the focus should be on providing the most basic traits of human life- respect, patience, cleanliness, patriotism, mannners etc. That can surely change some if not all minds.
Mahesh Karamchandani Everyone should mind their own business
Salil Kakkar Charging penalties is the best way.... Round the world it has proved to be an ideal way of punishing...! And special teams must be made for it... like a team from north must be posted to south India so that no one can make an adjustment(like links n contacts) to quit from it....
Kanchan Premchandani The chalta hai attitude sir! Agar hamare liye sab kuch chalta hi raha to improvement ka koi scope hi nahi bachega.

Wasn't that absolutely fantastic? That's what Indians think about civic sense. Time we got our act together, and truly changed our habits. It's the small things that make a big difference!
~

No action replay, please.

2010-11-07T00:24:00.016+05:30

The emptiness, fluffiness, unbelievable-ness and thoughtless-ness with which a movie can be made becomes visible to the audience. You cannot hide it. Even the lightest and most humorous of movies need solid gravity to succeed. They need at least one solid anchor to pull them off!

Unfortunately, if the quality of the movie "Action Replayy" is anything to go by, I would request the director Vipul Shah that "No action replay now, please!"

This movie has seriously dented the image (at least in my mind) of the much-applauded director. And in this fiasco of a wannabe blockbuster, the biggest losers are those who are actually not at fault - the actors. And the audience!

One enters the movie theatre with high expectations as the promos seen on TV are excellent, the cast is solid, and the director is a proven one. Yet, one of life's surprises is sprung when we find that even all these do not add up together the way they should.

First, the hapless cast!
Akshay Kumar - the great Akshay Kumar - Wasted totally!
Aishwarya Rai - the most beautiful Ash - Wasted!
Om Puri - one of the most versatile - Wasted totally!
Kirron Kher - proven with Om Shaanti Om - Wasted!
Neha Dhupia - a reasonably good artist - Why used at all?
Ranvijay Singh - a good actor used as a villain - Not used enough
Rajpal Yadav - an excellent artist - Used well
Aditya Roy Kapoor - used very well but sadly the movie fails him

I was completely, totally disappointed with the director as such a fantastic lineup of actors can fail only if the following 3 things fail together

The director's overall vision for the film
The tight storyline that should grip the viewer throughout
Real, solid humour and punches that are not affected or artificially induced

I think Vipul Shah was desperate to get a hit. In that desperation he got several good individual elements together, but then even the best chef cannot produce the best cake in the world with the best ingredients until and unless they are cooked in a fixed, firm and clear order. That's what's missing completely in this movie.

My great moments of frustration with this movie

The director should always remember that a movie of such a theme will be loved primarily not for its 1970s images and the science-of-time-travel, but for genuine moments of happiness and laughter it can induce. The failure of "Action Replayy" is very fundamental - it fails to make us laugh. And that's a big failure.
I am very sad that my favourite - and the indisputably amazing - Akki was totally wasted in the movie. The amount of time devoted to depict him as a buffoon should have been balanced adequately by the display of his macho-man style, aggression, solid sense of humour and positive persona. The balance was badly skewed. It does not work this way with Akki's audience, Mr Director! Even the senior Akshay (Bunty's father) was shown horribly aged, wrinkled and sullen.
Ash is beautiful, as ever. But her age is now showing. And her tomboy role was slightly artificial (which somehow was explained away by the sad story of her father's passing away etc. etc.) But no... it just did not work the way it was supposed to!
The sartorial perfection to depict the 1970s created a wonderful support for the movie to build itself on, but there was nothing firm at all. The whole story was, well, just not executed with a firm hand that's so needed in such movies, and is so possible with actors of this class and calibre.
The punches of Om Puri and Kirron Kher are completely artificial and totally unbelievable. {Even if you want to laugh for the sake of the atrociously priced Rs 170 ticket per person, you are unable to.} The relationship shown is absolutely stupid. No woman living in a rented home will hijack the landlord's car to her workplace everyday. It's simply unbelievable! Well, I agree that humour arises from things unbelievable but this was not even humorous.
The placement of the very funny "Zor ka jhatka" song is wrong. It's atrociously placed right in the beginning of the movie, when neither it has picked up steam nor enthusiasm. The whole song (a wonderful song) is thrown down the gutter. In my opinion, the song should have been placed either right before the "Madhyaantar" or after it. By the way, smart of them to use the word "Madhyaantar"!
(I would recommend everyone to watch this song on YouTube for sure.. it's hilarous - here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0EReETeKyc)
Sadly, in the end, when everything is sorted out in the movie, and the couple are happy-happy, and the young Bunty too has agreed to marry happily, we have the same "Zor ka jhatka" in the closing credits.. and that's completely incongruous at that point. It creates a mental confusion.
Why does Aditya's (Bunty's) hairstyle keep changing again and again throughout the movie? It's a distraction, and a killer of continuity. Bad idea. Similarly, it is unbelievable to see how Bunty is able to make friends with anyone he wants to, in a flash (no mother in the 1970s will accept a young boy with her daughter in her kitchen, late in the evening, especially when the young boy has just entered the plot!). I think some college scenes and background developed around that could have saved the movie's plot from going totally "base-less".
Why was Neha Dhupia in the movie? If anyone finds an answer, email me please.
Credit must be given where it's due. Full marks to Vipul Shah for keeping the movie almost free of double-entendres and expletives (unlike the Golmaal series which is full of words that can put you to shame if watching with family - and the director Rohit Shetty can be heard reprimanding artists on the sets of Comedy Circus (where he's a judge) for similar racy usage.. talk of hypocrisy in Bollywood!).
Unfortunately for Pritam, his good work will not shine as much as it should due to the movie's performance. In film music, it's like the Union Cabinet - they swim together, or they sink together (at least that's what they taught us in Civics theory, though that's hardly what we see nowadays despite the biggest of scams!).
The only two things that audience are likely to remember - "Awaaz Neeche" (a great Akshay-brand dialogue, which also fails to sustain the movie), and Raghubir Yadav's "Saara kaam main hi kyon karoon?" And the only move worth remembering is the "Zor ka jhatka" hand+torso jerk. That's cool!

This movie may hit Akshay's image as a successful versatile actor.

Since I am upset with the movie itself, there's no time I am wasting writing about the scientist, his charming grand-daughter (why is she in the movie at all?) and the entire science fiction trick borrowed from the famous "Back to the future" series.

Overall, a horrible experience to see a lot of effort go waste. The same movie could have been a blockbuster if executed properly. My nice Saturday evening with full family was wasted. Boo hoo hoo :-(

Better luck next time Vipulbhai. I guess it was just your awfully bad luck.

My rating for the movie (on a 5 star scale) * *
My rating for how much Akki + Ash were actually used (on a 100 point potential scale) 25
~

A Sunday accident

2010-11-04T12:51:00.006+05:30

This note was written on Sunday, 31-10-2010.

Had an interesting and sad experience today. While going out on a long drive with family (at 3 pm), I saw a motorcycle driver on Indore Bypass (near Truba college) lying on the road, bleeding profusely from the head. He had just met with an accident, and when we crossed by, I could see him trying to call for help (while lying on the street). People from nearby HP Petrol Pump and Dhaba had begin to gather around him.

I sensed that the accident must have happened barely 3 or 4 minutes ago. From the looks of it, the motorcycle was coming from the other side of the road (perpendicularly) and the car that hit it could not see it come, and hit it. That car had vanished by now, leaving just the fallen back bumper on the site. The victim was not wearing any helmet.

My family was in very good mood today. But this accident suddenly changed everything. Having seen that man bleeding & lying helpless on the highway, there was no way we were driving away heartlessly.

Usually, you do not see blood dripping like water from someone's head. Perhaps a whole lifetime will pass by and most of us will never witness such a sight. So when one is confronted with that unexpected situation, the mind finds it difficut to react immediately. I guess that's what happens in most accident cases with most onlookers.

Around 50 people had gathered by now. Dazed. Stunned. Silent.

I parked my car safely a little distance away from the site of the accident. My son got very scared, and asked me what we are going to do. I said "we are not driving away, that's for sure. But let's wait a minute before I get down and do something about this."

I immediately called up the Police Control Room from my mobile phone. The number was 0731 - 100. Someone sensible did pick the phone up, and took my message properly. He was polite, had practical sense and advised me to call up the Emergency Ambulance Service on 108 number and inform them too. In the meantime, I could see that most people gathered aroung that man (lying on the street, bleeding) had started making calls from their own mobile phones. I could not see now if that man was still conscious / alive or not. But I assumed he must be.

I called up 108. I connected in the third attempt as I tried 0731 - 108 earlier. That does not work - it's just 108 you need to dial.

They actually picked the phone up, and the lady's voice was quite well-trained and professional. Without panicking she took down my entire message, and especially the location. It was fortunate that the site of the accident was bang opposite the Bharat Petroleum petrol pump, as that would make it easy for the Ambulance to pinpoint the spot without wasting any time.

The lady took my entire message, and then politely told me that an ambulance had already been sent to that spot, in response to another mobile call they had received a few minutes ago. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this.

Then I got down from my car. Interestingly, no other car had stopped on the road during all this. Only the people living nearby had gathered around that man, and he was still lying on the road. If he were grievously injured, it may be getting late for him, I thought.

I walked down the road to that man. It surprised me to notice the distance from my car to that man, as the mental distance I calculated while looking at that site in the side-rearview mirror seemed very less.

Upon reaching the place where the man lay, I saw many people waiting to do something, but nothing actually happening. Everyone was waiting for the police and/or the ambulance to arrive, and for the man to be taken away properly to a hospital.
I asked a big Saradrji on the spot - "is the ambulance going to arrive soon?" "Perhaps yes", was the reply. I volunteered to take the person into my car and to the hospital. People looked quizzically at me when I said this. I asked "which is the nearest hospital?" "They will never treat him properly unless the Police get involved now" came the reply from another onlooker. That surprised, and disgusted me. I was imagining that if someone dear to me were lying on the street like this - God forbid - then would such a delay be acceptable? Not at all. So why now?

The injured, meanwhile, fortunately was conscious, lying on the street patiently (and helplessly) and had called up his family on this mobile phone (that was miraculous).

Just when I was about to bring my car back to that spot so he could be taken to a hospital, we saw a police jeep arriving at the spot. I think this must have been the regular patrol jeep of the concerned Police Station (in whose jurisdiction this area lay). The jeep turned around (as it was coming from the other side of the road) and parked at the right point. Two policemen inside the jeep asked as to what had happened. The people present on the spot offered some explanation of the incidence. I told one of the policemen that perhaps we should take the person in their jeep to the hospital, as if the ambulance gets delayed, it may be too late for the injured.

To my surprise, the policemen volunteered to do that. They got down, opened the back door, and 6 of us picked that man up properly and slowly and properly made him lie down on the seat in the Jeep's backside. The policeman requested one of the onlookers to sit in the jeep and accompany them to the hospital. "We will drop you back soon here", they said.

No one volunteered. People are too scared to become a part of any such issue. That's so sad. The system enjoys such a bad reputation.

Just as the Police were about to drive away, the 108 Emergency Ambulance arrived, with flashing lights. It was interesting and surprising to see such a quick reponse, actually.

The injured man's face was all red with blood, by now. His body otherwise was seemingly unharmed. He screamed out when we moved him, and I guess his leg too was badly hurt.

Two men got down from that ambulance (not in any official dress), and quickly got into action. One of them got a stretcher (proper bed type with wheels) near the injured. We again removed the person from the police jeep and onto the strecher. They took him into the Ambulance and quickly drove away to the hospital.

I asked the policeman if things will be ok now.. to which he replied in affirmative. He said "ab sab kuchh fatafat ho jayega sahi tareeke sey."

All this happened in less than 25 minutes.

The blood on the street was starting to dry. The motorcycle had been moved to the side. The relatives of the person had begun arriving on the spot.

I wondered what it would be like if the response of the agencies was slower, or if it was night-time, or if no one had stopped to help.

While driving back in the late evening hours from the same spot, life was normal. It was as if nothing had ever happened on that spot just 4 hours ago. I did not notice the name or address of that victim, so I do not know what happened to him finally, but I guess the situation (and his condition) must have been under control.

Let's do whatever little we can for those in need. Tomorrow, it could be any one of us needing such help - God forbid.
~

Germany, Europe, and the welfare state

2010-10-31T12:36:00.004+05:30

I had the good luck of spending some quality time with our Guest for the Global MDP XX, Mr Juergen Weyh.

Juergen has come to India on our invitation, alongwith Mrs Weyh, and is an extremely experience corporate professional. Since they are Germans, married for more than 4 decades, and globe-trotters, I sensed an opportunity of learning from their wide experience on matters as varied as German politics, culture, demographic issues in Europe, the Euro integration etc.

Here are the learnings from this joyful talk!

India is a great nation! - Both Mr and Mrs Juergen enjoyed the chaos, hustle-bustle and crowds of India thoroughly. They find India very different from Germany, especially due to the high population. That makes all the difference actually, they say. I added that Germans are known for their discipline, rigour, scientific approach and high standards in manufacturing.. they agreed. So the difference in the lives, lifestyles, and the future of the two nations was visibly apparent in the tone of our discussions. While Juergen has visited India earlier, for Mrs Weyh this was the first time, and she was visibly overwhelmed by the sheer scale and crowd of it!

Europe's welfare state is facing a unique test - Europe is, well, in deep trouble due to multiple factors. And Germany is having its own share of these. The overall economic situation is not all that conducive to creating a positive sentiment, and long term worries are constraining thinking at all levels. Politicians have been making all kinds of promises, then making all kinds of cuts, and making all kinds of noises about it. The most important disruption is being seen in the area of reforms in pensionable age (retirement age). Europe has, for long, been a welfare state with generous doles at all levels, especially for senior citizens. But that is a costly system, sustained only by high economic growth rates and a healthy tax regime. This reform agenda now has created a difficult political environment across large countries in Europe. France is witnessing large-scale riots on the streets in response to the government's raising of the retirement age to 62 (from 60), thereby delaying the onset of pension reforms. But reforms are essential - old people are now living much longer (maybe by 10 to 15 years) due to better medical care and hence the pension and health benefits promised to them decades ago are proving unviable (as those had assumed a much shorter average longevity). This is a huge public expenditure area-of-concern for entire Europe. The welfare state concept is eating into their very existence now. Juergen was candid enough to admit that he has enjoyed what was one of the most prosperous periods in Germany's history ever.

Marriage is a great institution! - There is no doubt that marriage creates stability, and is good for kids' upbringing. But unfortunately in Germany, there is this new concept of single parenthood where people live single in homes, totally isolated from their partner (even without a divorce) and this creates a unique set of social challenges. While in India, a large percentage still live in joint families, Germans (and Europeans) are facing a crumbling marriage-as-an-institution situation, and that has had serious demographic fallouts. Mrs and Mr Weyh have been happily married for more than 4 decades now, and I could sense the deep bonding, love and joy they enjoy in each other's company. Excellent!
Immigration, and the Turkish problem - The poor fertility rates in German families (and largely, the European while families) is leading to a shrinking of the young population in these nations. At the same time, the number of senior citizens is on the rise. As discussed earlier, this is putting immense pressure on the welfare state concept, as the dependency ratio gets skewed adversely. The solution to some extent is immigration. There are a lot of Turks that have moved into Germany. But the problem is one of cultural integration. While the Germans have spent the past 20 years patiently expecting cultural unison with immigrants, it has not happened. There are schools where Turkish kids are in a majority, and they don't speak German. So you have the unique (but rather rare) spectacle of German kids getting outnumbered culturally and linguistically in their own nation! This general phenomenon has led to the rise of the far-right parties across Europe, and also in Germany. The anti-immigrant tone is quite palpable. In fact, we discussed the recent speech of Chancellor Angela Merkel where she vehemently (surprisingly!) announced that the policy of cultural assimilation with the immigrants had "failed to deliver" and that immigrants must show respect towards the host nation by learning German. This "multi-kulti" debate is gaining ground, and obviously, politically it is rich hunting ground for all parties. Juergen went as far as to speculate that one day in the next 20 years, perhaps we will be overtaken by the immigrants, and then it may be too late to do anything.
Indian students are quite different - Juergen felt that students in Indian institutions are very much inclined to learning, and are more disciplined than their European counterparts. Part cultural, part technical - this problem is quite acute in Germany. Students may not show adequate respect towards teachers in schools and colleges, and that obviously will not have the desired impact. He was quite happy to see the spirit to learn in the Indian institutes that he visited.

They also liked the malls they visited, and the Indian food they had - tasty and spicy!

Overall, always a joy being a good listener.. great learning.

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein
~

Dukhu Ram says the king is naked.

2010-10-23T18:16:00.005+05:30

This small bit of news in my local Indore newspaper caught my attention early this morning. With a mix of laughter and sorrow, I read it again and again, and fell into deep thought.

Let's see the news, in original, first. Here it is -

Assuming what this news says is authentic and true -

Imagine.. an innocent village-dweller, being forced to attend court-proceedings for SIX LONG YEARS and no end to the torture in sight.. imagine his plight. His capital, whatever little it may be, is getting eroded and he may be on the brink of bankruptcy.

The innocent villager seeks wise advise from someone who with all his sagacity gathered over the years recommends greasing the wheels of the machinery to get it moving fast. Unfortunatly, the modus operandi of greasing is left unexplained! And lo - Dukhu Ram places the dough right on the Judge Saab's table in full public view - because that's what the wise man has advised him to do!

'Justice delayed is justice denied'. By this yardstick, a huge majority has tasted the fruit of denial for a long time, in the Indian judicial system. Imagine the plight of villagers with little resources, little education and virtually zero legal understanding. Forced to undergo the experience of fighting legal battles that are dotted with slow processes, expensive lawyers, repeated adjournments/postponements and the associated mental and emotional torture, millions get brutally grinded in this system.

Our Union Law Ministers for many years have acknowledged this and repeatedly promised to reform the whole system - nothing much has happened so far. At least nothing for people like Dukhu Ram.

I liken Dukhu Ram, the brave and innocent Dukhu Ram, to the proverbial child who told the king - when all others were praising his heavenly sartorial taste - that he was actually standing naked and the praises being showered by others were out of sheer fear of offending his majesty. In his innocence, Dukhu Ram unitentionally ended up doing what perhaps millions would have desired to, but did not, over the years!

So, dear reader, the verdict is simple - for being so innocent, for failing to understand the ways of the State machinery, for demanding quick justice that's actually his human right, and for being so forthright, Dukhu Ram deserves nothing but the death penalty. For the system is not likely to appreciate what he did, and incorporate the learning to improve itself drastically. The system is far too big, and far too ossified for anything so innocent to leave any impact.

We may criticise the Chinese for ruling by law, and pat our backs for having a rule of law, but the stark reality at the bottom of the pyramid leaves senses stunned.

Death to Dukhu Ram. Long live Dukhu Ram.
~

Kaun Banega Addicted

2010-10-14T13:26:00.008+05:30

Watching Amitabh Bachchan's "Kaun Banega Croreparti" on television is a fantastic exercise in not just rewiring and acid-testing your grey cells, but understanding the cultural nuances of India as well! It's an addictive & well-lubricated series, and hence immensely enjoyable to be part of such an exercise.

How easy it seems!

Well, KBC is a general knowledge based quiz programme, intended to bring out the best in its participants, all of whom chase the seemingly not-too-far a target of Rs 5 crores. In just 12 seemingly simple steps, you can reach the pot of gold! But no one seems to reach there quite often. Come to think of it - in an informal sitting, if I make you an offer that in just 12 questions you can win Rs 5 crores, and you can use 4 helplines too in the process, you'll think I'm a lunatic (as you will be almost totally sure of winning). But then, on the sets of KBC, not many people actually reach there. Amazing, isn't it?

Amitabh's style has the following distinctly positive elements -

Ultimate grace - you will never find Big B losing his calm and composure even under provocation. He remains cool, dignified, solid and friendly towards the participants, and the audience.
Helpful hints - perhaps as a part of the programme designers' strategy, Amitabh gives several hints before 'locking' any answer. A smart contestant on the hotseat can easily pick the clues.
Puts life even in repetition - the whole format is repetitive. After all, what's there in it? You get 10 people to do "fastest-fingers-first", then you get one of them onto the hot seat, then you throw 13 questions at him/her, then you award the money, and back to step 1. Even then, the whole process looks (feels) totally new everytime Amitabh reboots it. Credit goes to his personal charm, charisma and quality of communication.
Sartorial treat - most of the times, the dress designers earn a 10/10 for Big B's fantastic suits and ties. Even the most boring (rare!) of episodes seem to scrape through due to this!

The programme has revelations for you, if you take some pain to delve deeper -

A gold-medalist teacher who is on the hotseat, and unable to answer a question because he does not know the meaning of "vacuum" is a big red flag for Indian teaching system
A computer engineer (B Tech, 24 yrs of age) who does not know what the "S" in the "SIM" card stands for, is another big red flag for the engineering education in India
Many of the apparently easy questions are not easy at all! You realise that once your confident answer (delivered in front of your wife and kids) goes haywire. Ha ha!
Even a very slow programme (the KBC is quite slow - just 10 to 20 questions per episode of 1 hour) can be made addictive for millions of viewers, for years on end

These are revelations! And KBC has such nuggets in abundance.

The more things change, the more they remain the same -

The show's lead sponsors keep changing. But that does not at all affect the continuity of the show and the brand image "KBC". Logically, at times I think, it should.. as so much is at stake through the active involvement of the lead sponsor. But the KBC brand remains intact, irrespective of all this.
Even the anchor changes, and the brand remains intact! Shah Rukh Khan led the show in its third version, and came out a winner. And today when Big B is back, KBC is as vibrant as ever. This is quite amazing. And it indicates that the underlying trust of millions of viewers is much stronger than anything else.
KBC appeals to the most intellectual of viewers, as well as to those with no particular interest in the pursuit of knowledge. That's a significant achievement, especially in the Indian context. Perhaps that's why Bollywood was roped in to lead the show.
I guess one of the unstated clinchers in the KBC drama (I use this word positively here) is the cultural exploration of the contestant's background, by Big B. The way questions are asked (and answers given) about the personal, social and cultural background of the hotseat'ed' is very revealing. And at times, it seems to overshadow the quiz itself! But no one minds.
KBC holds lots of practical lessons for students of management - in marketing / advertising / branding, in operations / processes, and in strategy.

So on the whole, a wholesome treat to eyes, ears and the mind. KBC remains that lottery that can change your entire life, at least for some time!

Rock on, KBC!

China's Nobel nightmare, and lessons for India

2010-10-09T14:26:00.009+05:30

It finally happened. Despite aggressive posturing by China over the past few months, the Nobel Prize Committee decided in favour of granting this year's Nobel Peace prize to Mr Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident.

What's the story?

Well, in the year 2008, before the Beijing Olympics were to be held, a group of prominent Chinese intellectuals and dissidents met to discuss and debate the issue of "Universal Human Values" and whether these truly are universal (and hence worth pursuing) or - as the Chinese Communist Party likes to put it - a Western plot to push its own values onto the unsuspecting East.

The meeting ended with the creation of a Charter called the Charter 08 - which was a declaration that certain values like freedom of speech and democracy are indeed worth pursuing, are universal, and hence even in China, they must have a possibility of democratic debate and ultimately, a democratic government system.

This was enough to enrage the Chinese government. Obviously! So they did what they are best at - a rapid crackdown saw most of these intellectuals behind bars, Mr Liu included. The charges were 'revolt against the state'. But what Mr Liu had done was not unique. This was the feeling in the minds of a large number of Chinese, although not many openly speak up in the Chinese system of perpetual repression of free speech.

This incident opens up a lot of issues worth pondering.

How long can the Chinese trick of posturing (aggressively) before various world governments continue? Every time some head of state wants to meet the Dalai Lama, there is a stern warning issued by Beijing warning them of dire consequences. Even Norway was issued a similar warning recently (that relations will sour between the nations if the peace award was indeed given to Mr Liu). But Norway went ahead and did it. It's another matter that the Norwegian government is now trying to project that the Prize Committee and the Government are two distinct entities!
What is the "Chinese model of growth" that so many of us in India are also enamoured of? Put simply, it is a model of forced growth, where one central planning body takes all the decisions, and simply puts them into execution. They do not seek anyone's views, permission or dissidence! They just go ahead and do it, Nike style! There are no courts to interfere, and definitely no free media to slow them down. This model has created an amazing material prosperity for large parts of the Chinese mainland, and has been touted as perhaps a model that India would be better off with. In short, this is a model that does not value democracy, and believes firmly in "ends justifying the means".
A lot of Indians too have a feeling that perhaps this "Chinese model" may be better for India. They are lulled into thinking so because what we see around us is a lot of poverty, illiteracy and decadence. They see corruption, debilitating delays in the judicial machinery and horrendous inefficiencies. And they come to a simple conclusion - "Democracy is the main cause of India's backwardness".
I beg to differ. I strongly feel that democracy is a better system and must be followed by India always. I feel that democracy is the only way the universal value of freedom can truly be practised in a practical format. So where's the catch then?

Democracy is not responsible for our poverty and backwardness. The corruption and lethargy of the State apparatus is responsible for all this. We have to learn to differentiate between these two extremely different issues. If the State machinery is corrupt, inefficient and insensitive, that does not mean that democracy is responsible for it. It may mean the opposite - that despite democracy, the citizens are not taking these problems seriously enough to effect a large scale long-lasting change in the society.
In fact, the Indian State has become a parasite - feeding off its own people, demotivating the honest & the enterprising. Ominous portents. Problem with large part of Indian media too - can't genuinely differentiate between the goodness of democracy (as a model) and the badness of our State's apparatus. They automatically equate the two - because we have so many poor, hence democracy is bad. How wrong a logic this is! I repeat my conviction - we are poor because our State does not perform efficiently, not because we are democratic.
A final argument in favour of Indian democracy - it is a fantastic system of checks-and-balances, and generally is able to keep absolute power from falling into any one hand. And since absolute power corrupts absolutely, perhaps we are spared the tyranny arising from the same!

So my fellow Indians, the luxury of democracy is something we can surely live with! But the decadence of a deteriorating State apparatus is something we should all cry hoarse about.

Inefficient babus, corrupt netas, slow office procedures, lack of vision in project design and implementation, amazingly slow judiciary... all these are eating into the vibrant democratic freedom that we have offered ourselves.

Let wisdom prevail. Let change come.

~