Clickin' my way into a new world

Pushing the Boundaries: Living outside your Comfort Zone

2020-07-09T15:49:00.000+05:30

“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling what if you fly..”

- Erin Hanson

You’re capable, at any time in your life, of doing what you dream of. All it takes is a leap of faith and a step beyond your comfort zone.

We have kept on saying this and we’ll keep on believing in it.

Our journey at Renzo Watches exemplifies the same.

It hasn’t been a cakewalk and we have wavered quite a few times but when we look back, it all makes sense.

Periods of uncertainty, moments when you feel everything’s drowning and there’s no hope left, it’s then when you have to believe in your passion, in yourself and be bold.

Our legacy has been built upon the magic that happens through the journey. In our pursuit of building uncompromising watches, we have taken risks and pushed ourselves beyond limits constantly.

Through our story, we hope that our watches remind people of that hidden spark and compel them to achieve more.

While we strive for perfection, the goal is progress- however small a step, every single day.

Break the shackles of routine. Step out and open up. Fall but never stop. Embrace change. Redefine who you are. Live and not just merely exist. Because life begins the moment when you step out of your comfort zone.

We know the journey will tire you. It will be exhausting. It will be scary. Every step forward will require more fervor than the last. Giving up will be easy but in that moment of fluttering faith, we wish to empower you. We want you to look at your watch, remember our journey’s testament and then march to the beat of your own heart.

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

We are on a never-ending pursuit to create extraordinary products to exhilarate and inspire you constantly. Let the thrill lying in possibilities prevail over your fear of failure.

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside you.

Growth can be unsettling and overwhelming at times yet it will feel like freedom. We wish to be there for you when you’re hustling, to remind you of your legacy and lead you to greatness.

We don’t live only once, we just die once. We live every single day. And living demands from us to be bold and uncompromising. We hope that our story and our products inspire you to make you feel unstoppable.

Each time you look at your watch, we want you to feel brave and defy all odds.

The world with its harsh realities will continue to intimidate you at every step to make you fall back. It’s then when you’ve got to chin up, bounce back and be proud of yourself.

We are determined to design watches that go beyond functionality. Our desire to innovate keeps us going.

When you decide to take that leap of faith and put your foot forward, we wish to unite our passion with yours and enjoy the journey!

Originally published at https://renzowatches.com on June 23, 2020.

India HQ Wipro gets its first "Foreign" CEO

2020-05-30T13:58:00.000+05:30

Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, headquartered in Bangalore announced its next chief executive officer and managing director. Thierry Delaporte, Capgemini’s COO and also a member of the group executive board, will be joining the Indian IT giant from July 6. Thierry Delaporte had an impressive career with Capgemini spanning across two decades where he helped drive Capgemini’s operations and strategic planning in several of its key business and led a number of key transformation programs.

Earlier in 2020, Abidali Neemuchwala stepped down from Wipro's top post citing family commitments. He led the firm for four years, a period when the revenue growth stagnated and it lost its tag of being the Top 3 Indian IT firm to HCL Technologies. The market share kept falling further and further behind the rapid growth of TCS and Infosys. A quick comparison of the revenue growth between 2017-19 tells us the entire story.

It all happened when Abid Ali Neemuchwala had set its target to achieve $15 billion revenue by 2020 when he joined Wipro as CEO in 2015/16. The FY2020 number, however, hovered around the ~$8 billion mark.

How analysts are seeing this change?

Rachael Stormonth, NelsonHall

Thierry Delaporte brings to Wipro huge operational management experience from Capgemini , which was also the management training ground for Infosys CEO Salil Parekh.

Phil Fersht, HfS Research

[Thierry Delaporte] is an ambitious business leader with a strong finance background. He will bring strong operational and fiscal discipline to Wipro and has a lot of energy and leadership capabilities.

Peter Bendor-Samuel, Everest Group

Thierry [Delaporte] is an interesting choice for Wipro, signalling its move to be a true multinational and global player. Thierry faces many challenges as he assumes Wipro leadership; the biggest amongst them is to get Wipro back to industry-leading growth. To achieve this, he must increase accountability, and streamline decision making.

Ray Wang, Constellation Research Inc

Thierry [Delaporte] is a global leader and has worked with multiple cultures, across different types of companies. He has experience in the international environment and worked in similar types of company cultures.

Pareekh Jain, EIIRTrend

[Thierry] Delaporte will be expected to bring in large deals momentum, which Wipro needs. He will also be expected to bring-in stability.

A Flight into the Unknown

2018-10-15T14:38:00.000+05:30

One needs to travel to understand that there is a world beyond our school, our office, our city and our country. Travel expands our horizons and fills us with memories, experiences that truly last a lifetime. My tale that I am about to narrate here reminds of a quote by Herman Melville: “It's not down on any map, true places never are.”

Unlike most houses in modern cities which are nothing but jungles of concrete with nothing but unending rows of apartments and other commercial establishments, my house was located a good distance away from the hustle and bustle of the city and very close to the woods. Being an only child and not having any neighbours, I led quite a recluse existence and liked to wander in the woods, explore the sights, sounds and smells of nature. When I got bored, I invented games and imaginary friends to keep myself occupied.

One fine afternoon on a lazy weekend, I was dawdling in the woods, when I heard strange whirring noises emanating from the sky. Glancing up, I could see a bright light and a saucer-shaped object which was about to land. Intrigued, I stepped forward in trepidation to observe this all too strange phenomenon right out of any standard sci-fi novel or movie unfold right in the front of my eyes. A weird looking metallic man stepped out of the UFO and spoke in deep guttural tone – “KGGGYYPPT ZYRRROPT”. He walked towards and handed me a device which looked like an iPod with way too many buttons. On pressing one of them, suddenly his gibberish began to make sense. “My name is KT-5402, I come from the Planet Toron 70 million light years from Earth with an objective to study about the human race. I have a choice to adopt one of the following human forms during my stay on this planet. Will you help me choose”? He handed me three photographs. “This one, the others are too old”. He immediately transformed into a 15-year-old boy, the same age as mine as I gaped in wonder. I christened him Keshav (indeed a catchier name than KT-5402) and took him for a tour of the woods. He observed everything with curiosity and the innocence of a 3-year-old and whipped out his IPodesque device at the slightest opportunity and pressed another button which gave him information about his surroundings.

I took Keshav home and introduced him to my parents. He seemed impressed by my home and joined us for supper later that night (since he was in human form, he could eat our food). After supper, I took Keshav to my room and made an exploration plan to the neighbourhood city. The next morning, I took him to a mall, and we watched a movie together. The youngsters were bubbling with excitement as some of the biggest names in WWE; Brock Lesner and ‘The Rock’, Dwyane Johnson were descending to town next week. I whooped with joy and told Keshav that he was in for an experience of a lifetime. Over the next week, I took him to some other touristy spots like waterfalls, hill stations and temples. We were drawing close to the game day, and everything was in place. Keshav and I left early on the big day and made it to the arena with plenty of time to spare. It was jam-packed, and the fans were screaming themselves hoarse. It was one hell of a fight, both Brock and the Rock pandered to the fans there. We had a whale of a time and went back home thoroughly entertained.

As we reached home, KT-5402 sprung a surprise on me by saying that he wanted to take me back to his home planet Toron. I was startled beyond belief and could only stammer –“But… But. But. Isn’t Toron 70 million light years away, that journey will take forever, I would be dead long before that. KT-5402 assuaged my worries – “Don’t Worry, a journey of 70 million light years will take the equivalent of 70 Earth Days –“A trip of the Observable Universe in 70 days”, he chuckled. My ship is well stocked, so supplies will not be a problem. We will be travelling through Worm Holes and have a few stops along the way. My mind whirred at the mention of wormholes and I suddenly wondered how happy the Late Stephen Hawking would feel if he could hear our conversation.

“We have to go now”- KT-5402’s voice brought me out of my reverie. I sneaked out of the house and followed him to the spaceship. I was awestruck at the swanky interiors which could beat any 5-star hotel. ”Make yourself comfortable”, my host said, It's going to be a long ride. “Welcome to the Toron Infinitum “, an automated voice on the ship spoke. I strapped myself in as the spaceship took off. Within moments, we had left the earth’s stratosphere. “Your first stop will be the moon”, the voice aboard the ship said”. KT-5402 seemed at ease and tried to make me feel relaxed. We reached the moon at the end of day one of our long sojourns. We had a couple of hours to explore the moon, and I was bursting with excitement. It had always been on my bucket list to walk on the moon and follow the footsteps of Armstrong and Aldrin, and it was just about to happen.

The moon is rocky, lifeless and eerily silent. The lack of gravity takes time getting used to, but after a while, I enjoyed bouncing around on the moon, the 2 hours went by in a jiffy, and we were back on the spaceship again, hurtling through the hitherto unknown and unexplored realms of space. I told KT-5402 that we were like Han Solo and Chewbacca. I wanted to explore a few other planets in the Solar System but was told that we did not have the time if we wanted our journey to stay on track. Nevertheless, I had quite a close look at Jupiter’s Red Spot and Saturn’s unmissable rings and asked KT-5402 to capture high-resolution images of the same. He directed the voice command system on the ship and then instructed it to take further pictures of anything else that I might ask during the trip. Our next stop was the Andromeda II galaxy a couple of days into the trip. I was starting to feel a little disappointed as I expected to be overwhelmed by incredible sights throughout the journey but it was mostly dark and empty nothingness, and I realised it was called 'Space' for a reason. I was told that Andromeda II is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 2.22 Million years away in the constellation Andromeda. We landed on an exoplanet named the XN 7000 and the conditions there closely resembled those on Mars. We again only had a couple of hours to explore the twin of the Red Planet, I took some rock samples back to ship to satiate my curiosity, and we were on our way again. NGC 300, NGC 55, Kkh98, Dwingeloo and many more, I lost track of all the galaxies we had crossed in the course of our trip and all of a sudden, I realised that the 70 days were almost over and we were coming ever closer to Toron. “My home planet beckons,” said KT-5402 excitedly.

Toron is a planet whose core consists primarily of iron. It is one of the sixteen planets in its solar system. It is ten times bigger than Earth, and its gravity is about 3.2 times that of our home planet. A single day here lasts for about 25 hours and a year is 280 Earth days. Toron has three moons and orbits its sun in a perfectly circular orbit.

The plant-like organisms on this planet are almost exclusively several types of grass. A few of them reach incredible heights while others would barely be noticeable on the floor if not for their striking fluorescent colours. The corals underwater are more spectacular than the organisms on the surface. Much like trees on the Earth grow leafed branches, the corals on this planet grow to humongous sizes and have branches with modified polyps. The planet is home to many sentient mammals as well.

KT-5402 gave me some time to absorb all the new information that was bombarding my senses and later introduced me to other members of the clan; XS-6000 the head, his wife PR-7200, his brothers MO-9001 and DF-5680 and his children RT-4200 and MP-8100. I observed the settlements on Toron, and they had an uncanny resemblance to igloos on the outside and were extraordinarily hi-tech and well equipped on the inside. I met a few other clans, KT-5402 had spread the story of his warm reception on planet Earth far and wide, and the inhabitants of Toron seemed eager to reciprocate. One of the clans invited me home and offered me a liquid that resembled raspberry juice, I drank it cautiously and to my surprise found it rather pleasant.

My days were spent narrating tales of Earth to the highly inquisitive but incredibly polite people of Toron and also examining the societal structure there. They were highly organised society built on the principles of equality and dignity of labour. Time and again, when there was a choice between what is right and what is easy, their forefathers chose the right path, and this is how their race endured for millennia.

My stay at Toron was rather short-lived as KT-5402 came up to me one day and said that he had miscalculated the levels of oxygen on the Infinitum and added that I would have to leave immediately if I had to make it back alive. I panicked, said rushed goodbyes to the people and was onboard the Infinitum again hurtling through space to make it back home. It was an experience like never before, and I had my reasons to love this unknown world which was different but still so similar like ours in many aspects. #SayYesToTheWorld #TheBlindList

To the Valley of Flowers and Beyond! Vol.1

2018-08-30T00:08:00.000+05:30

"Let's go to Valley of Flowers."

"We have a long weekend in August, and I'm up for another trek.", she asserted.

I wondered why it has to be the valley of flowers. I have done high altitude treks, and this one was never on my bucket list. I was eyeing either Rupin Pass or Kashmir Great Lakes to be my next destination. However, I had to concede seeing that everyone agreed and we went ahead with the valley of flowers.

No matter how well you plan your commute in Bengaluru to avoid traffic, it always gets to you. It took me 2 hours 45 minutes to reach the airport, and I could have missed my flight to Delhi, but luckily I didn't. IGI airport, T2 arrival was our rendezvous point, and we waited for everyone to join. The clock struck midnight, and we had a little surprise birthday celebration on the road before boarding the cab to Haridwar.

The drive to Haridwar was short and comfortable, and there we met the larger group at the railway station. A quick introduction and we were all set for another journey to our first base camp, Govind Ghat. I hate travelling on the hilly roads but can't escape it for all these destinations I keep planning. It was an excruciating 11 hours of spin, and we reached base camp in the late evening. It was almost dinner time and soon after that everyone gathered including trek leader, support staffs and all of us. I realised it was the first-time high altitude trek for most of them, and I again contemplated why I chose 'Valley of Flowers'. "Would it be worth it?", I thought to myself. A bit disappointed I discreetly strolled the street from one end to another.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we were all geared up to begin our adventure. It was a 4 km bumpy ride till Poolna, and from there it was 9 km trek to Ghangharia. The trail was well defined, and it goes parallel with a river. It was a delight to walk next to the rushing river amidst lush green cover and rain pouring over my head. The trail has umpteen number of dhabas along the way, and we stopped at one to savour Himalayan Maggi. I know it is the same Maggi by Nestle, but it tastes so distinctively delicious at high altitudes. The journey continued, and we reached an open space just before entering Ghangharia. A mountain with clouds nestled over its peak, a cascade of white water falling from a height on the far side, and the green meadow offered a feast to the eye. I was soaked in the beauty as I kept looking back while moving towards the hamlet. It was a long tiring day, and I had plans to explore the place, but the body said, "Not Today".

"It is raining outside", announced my roommate in the morning.

"We might have to change today's plan if the weather stays like this", said our trek leader during breakfast.

It seemed it wasn't a good start to the day, however, things turned out well in the next half an hour, and we were on to the valley of flowers. It was a short trek of approx. 4 km but we had to return to Ghangharia same day as campings are not allowed inside the valley of flowers. It didn't take long, and we saw a carpet of colours spread across the place. It was nice to have Yashpal bhai, the flower expert, with us who kept telling the local names of the flowers and I tried to take mental note of it, but very soon I gave up. As we reached halfway, we made a quick stop beneath a huge rock and waited for others to catch up. It had started raining again, but we continued going further inside the valley crossing one stream after other. It wasn't now just the flowers, but also the waterfalls. One waterfall, next to another waterfall, next to another waterfall, and I saw it in all directions. It appeared to be like a scene from planet Pandora in the movie Avatar.

I stopped at the memorial of Miss Joan Margaret Legge. She was a botanist from England who died here while collecting flower samples. Her sister built the tomb, and it had a beautiful quote inscribed on it.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills

from whence cometh my help.”

Sandakphu-Phalut Trek

2018-04-22T22:23:00.000+05:30

Not a very popular trekking destination but I thought to go for it. I had done a couple of treks before in the Uttarakhand region, and this seemed a bit different. Sandakphu is the highest peak in West Bengal, and it offers a grand view of the world's tallest peak - Everest (8,848 m), Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Lhotse (8,516 m) and Makalu (8,463 m). Moreover, it gives an opportunity to cross the border and continue trekking in Nepal for half the duration making it an international trek (Haha!). I had enough reasons to finalise it as my first excursion in the Year 2018.

I began my journey on 30th December 2017. I reached New Jalpaiguri next morning from where my pick up was scheduled for Jaubhari - the base camp. I joined other trekkers, and we were briefed about high altitude treks, the village, and Project Green Trails. I had a good night sleep and was mentally prepared for the challenges from next morning.

We started early morning, and our destination was Tumling. The distance we had to traverse was 11 km with an altitude gain from 6,400 to 9,450 ft. Our first halt was Chittrey where we stopped for a quick tea break and roamed around a monastery. The journey continued, and I encountered India-Nepal border stone - a good photo opportunity and I took some time to click pictures. We continued to Lamaydhura where we stopped to catch up with the group while enjoying Tibetan delicacy from a local shop. The trail from Lamaydhura continued to Meghma, and on the way, we crossed SSB check post. Not very far from here, we stopped for lunch in one of the tea house. It took us another 45 minutes of flat walk (right next to the motorable road) to reach Tumling. It marked the end of our day's trek, and we were greeted to the views of the Sleeping Buddha.

The Sleeping Buddha (also called 'Sleeping Shiva') is the name given to the Kanchenjunga cluster for its appearance. Mt. Kumbhakarna forms the head and face of Buddha, while Kanchenjunga forms the upper body. The other peaks that make up The Sleeping Buddha are Kokthang, Rathong, Frey, Kabru South, Kabru North, Simvo, Mt. Pandim, Tenzingkhang, Japanu, Narsing.

The day began with an exhilarating view of Mt. Kanchenjunga bathing with first rays of the sun. Such a glimpse pumped us for our today's trek that was supposed to be challenging. Our destination was Kalipokhri, and the distance we had to traverse was 13 km with an altitude gain from 9,450 to 10,400 ft. We discarded the motor road and followed the hiking trail. It took us to Gairibas where we halted to catch our breath. Gairibas is a small village and marks the beginning of Singalia National Park. Our next stop, Kaiyakatta, was not very far but the trail included a steep climb. We had our lunch here! The difficult part of the trek was over, and we slowly moved to Kalipokhri. It is said that the Kalipokhri (black lake) is the footprint of Lord Shiva. The darkness soon engulfed the place as we reached our homestay.

The next day's trek was not long and only slightly steep. Our destination was Sandakphu, and the distance we had to traverse was 6-7 km but with an altitude gain from 10,400 to 11,950 ft. As we reached here, we spotted a glass house near the cliff, and it gave 180-degrees panoramic views of the Himalayan peaks. While some of us sipped tea and coffee inside the glass house, I just walked around contemplating yet another Himalayan summit.

Dear Past Me

2018-01-28T13:13:00.004+05:30

I know life has been quite difficult being inept at handling daily errands and we have always wanted to have a personal assistant like those in hot shot movies, who could just do all the tiring work for us. I call us ‘we’ because you are past and life is changing, we’re entering into a different era altogether. I am going where the world is going, and I recently had the privilege to fulfil our dream of making life easier. So, I came across this great invention by the fast-paced technology that is that of Google Assistant. It is a virtual personal assistant developed by Google that is primarily accessible on mobile and smart home devices, and it can also take on a two-way conversation which is its USP. Users can interrelate with the Google Assistant through natural voice or via keyboard input is also supported. In the same nature and as Google Now, the Assistant can search the Internet, schedule events and alarms, adjust hardware settings on the user's device, and show information from the user's Google account. Google has also announced that the Assistant will be able to identify objects and gather visual information through the device's camera, and support purchasing products and sending money, as well as identifying songs.

The incredible thing about this technology is that it has now been included in Gooogle VPA enabled Bose QC35 II headphones. And these are the first to have Google Assistant. You see dear self what world has to bring in for us in this life. You know also it’s effortless to use Google Assistant, we just have to press the “Action” button on the headphones, and further one can easily talk normally like one does while on a call. You remember dear self how many times you missed out on important incoming messages and appointments? This is a solution to all such life problems as you can hear incoming messages and calendar appointments too. Further, we can also control music regarding skipping, shuffling tracks and switching playlists. Now isn’t that as good as a life hack! It also improves the music experience as it then gets used to your preferences and taste. Also, we have always been lazy to read news on our own and given that the world is facing a lot of advancements, you must have dreamt of keeping someone to read news for you. So, I’m going to spill the beans now; the Google Assistant also reads the news for you on a single click of the “Play the News” button. Similar to this is its calling experience where you don’t have to go on searching numbers. The headphones also make noise cancellation, and I know you wish you had something like that too, to save yourself from all the lies you spoke to parents.

Google’s VPA indeed has limitless benefits, and it has made the interaction with the world more accessible. Everything is just a click away, and I finally have an assistant to give orders to, this is the coolest thing you can look for in the Bose QC35 headphones. Never thought everything that I have ever wanted would come in a headphone and it will make my daily life errands fun and easy. The headphone comes in our favourite colours- black and silver, and I can’t wait to suggest my friends about the same, now that I am done telling you how cool it is!

Bose + Voice. Now you're talking

Decrypting Vitamin E

2018-01-23T23:51:00.000+05:30

We all are constantly looking out for something that could keep us as healthy as possible. But what if one comes across something that could not just benefit a particular organ or disease but has multiple benefits and can literally give people branding other vitamins a run for their money.

Vitamin E is one such nutrition that has multiple benefits. It plays many roles and not just takes care of health but naturally slows aging. Now, isn’t that great?

I have been trying my best to keep the most appropriate amount of vitamin E in my diet as I heard a lot about the good it does and not just to one’s body but also skin and hair! Mostly, vitamins and other nutrients tend to only add to the goodness but vitamin E also protects the cells from damaging. Vitamin E also plays the role of antioxidant, preventing free radical damage to specific fats in the body. Vitamin E is also known as fat- soluble vitamin that’s required for the proper function of many organs. Further, vitamin E-rich foods also helps in treating and preventing diseases of the heart and blood and is found only in plant foods, including certain oils, nuts, grains, fruits and wheat germ.

So, I recently increased vitamin E intake and that included taking more almonds and avocados. Almonds lower blood sugar levels, reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, reduce hunger and promote weight loss. On the other hand, avocados are nutrient-dense fruit. Further, I also started using olive oil not just as my cooking oil but also for my skin and hair where I use it with carrier oil. This makes skin and hair texture better. Vitamin E s also known for making vision better and one of the good sources for that is palm oil. And it also boosts immunity and prevents cancer. Palm oil is mainly used as cooking oil.

It’s not just oils and fruits but we also have healthy snacks to munch on and also get the best out of it. Sunflower seeds are one such snack that has plenty of vitamins E. It is known to reduce risk for heart disease. So, you can always grab a nutty bar covered with sunflower seeds and have it to improve your energy level on the go.

And how can I forget to mention spinach that I have increased intake of. The best part about this particular food is that you can eat spinach raw or toss it up in salads and consume all the goodness.

For the people who love to munch on non-vegetarian delicacies, shrimp is one good source of vitamin E. Shrimp may be high in cholesterol but it is a low- calorie food which is rich in minerals and vitamins, especially Vitamin E. To get the maximum vitamin E intake one can combine shrimp with chopped onions, tomatoes, chilli peppers, garlic, lemon juice, and put olive oil on a bed of romaine lettuce.

Vitamin E intake can always be fun and easy for kids and adults to consume and take care of themselves from many diseases and it’s not only only about the cure but vitamin E also prevents! With the right amount of Vitamin E intake in the diet and doctor-recommended Evion supplements - India's No.1 Vitamin E Brand, one can live a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Go #Evion to win over Vitamin E deficiency.

The MQL Trap and What Marketers Should Measure

2017-09-07T21:34:00.000+05:30

The effectiveness of marketing in a B2B provider firm can be increased by focussing on metrics that reflects entire sales funnel. A marketing qualified lead (MQL) implies a lead that is ready to hand-off to a sales person has been viewed in recent time as definitive way to measure marketing’s effectiveness. However, it wouldn’t be intelligent to focus all of marketing’s time and budget in top-of-the-funnel activities and limit the department’s capability to impact to help impact in later in the sales funnel. This is what Gartner calls ‘MQL Trap’. Marketers are required to broaden their scope from generating leads to contributing in actual revenue generation.

Moving Beyond MQLs — Other Ways to Measure Marketing Performance

MQL Conversion Rate: A typical inside-out sales funnel encompasses qualified leads (MQLs, SALs), prospects, opportunities, and concluding at closed deals. If the conversion at each step is tracked and looked over time, it will give a fair idea of the bottleneck and businesses accordingly can model campaigns to improve their performance.

Competitive Win Rate: How is the performance against competitor on a quarter-over-quarter basis gives an important metric to track for sale success. However, it's important not to measure only the overall win/loss rate. A more holistic measurement includes:
1) Win rates against the most common and direct competitors
2) Win rates against competitors in other parts of the Gartner Magic Quadrant (As a Leader, it is important to track against Visionaries and Challengers as you would ideally like to prevent them from moving into the Leaders quadrant).

A majority of revenue comes from renewals (especially with cloud solutions) and upsells/cross-sells, so retaining customers (with their recurring revenue) and growing account revenue are vital. More than 70% of respondents in a Gartner survey rated interaction with marketing as extremely important in their willingness to remain customers and increase their spending with the provider. Hence, it is wise to include several other metrics that measures the role of marketing in this front.

Customer Retention Rate	Upsell and Cross-sell Rate
Average Revenue Increase/Customer	Reference/Case Study Growth

A Big Data Approach for Predictive Lead Scoring

Case#1 DocuSign, a provider of digital transaction management solutions, was faced with a challenge of having four times as many qualified leads as it could handle with its existing sales team. So, instead of hiring more salespeople, DocuSign implemented a predictive lead scoring application that helped classify leads based upon propensity to close. As an example, the model determined that companies from two specific industries were far more likely to buy than were companies that used a specific lead management system, while venture capital-backed companies were less likely to buy. Since the implementation, DocuSign has seen a 38% improvement in leads that converted to closed deals.

Case#2 SolarWinds spends a lot of money with external lead generation vendors, and it was critical to optimize that marketing spend so the right types of leads got into the top of the funnel. Now, when it gets a batch of leads from, for example, a white-paper campaign, it runs them through the models created by Mintigo to see how they score. For example, the model found that a company was more likely to buy if it had to deal with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance or had a call center, and SolarWinds could look for leads that scored well in those categories.

Case#3 Citrix, a provider of virtualization, mobility management, networking and cloud services, built its own regression models using existing data, and then utilized Demandbase to clean up and append that data. While its internal models helped improve conversions for individuals, the emergence of buying teams meant that it needed to look at company level data, which it didn't have internally. It worked with Lattice to get proprietary and social media data about attributes, including a company's job postings on LinkedIn, regulatory actions, credit information and Web traffic, and built those into the predictive models. The leads were given a score from 1 to 5; leads of 4 or 5 were indicative of a high propensity to buy. In fact, those with a score of 5 wound up converting into opportunities at a 70% higher rate compared with all leads, and the value of the deal in the pipeline was nearly double.

Homecoming of Terror - House of Cards

2017-06-02T16:10:00.000+05:30

Frankly speaking, House of Cards (HoC) has been one of the best TV series on political drama in the recent past. It is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs and deals predominantly with themes of ruthless pragmatism, manipulation and power. Frank Underwood kept us hooked to the screen in its last four seasons of manipulation and politics of fear. It is now back with a tinge of terror in an all new season.

Frank Underwood is coming to India with the television premiere of House Of Cards Season 5 on Saturday, 3rd June, 5 PM onwards, only on Zee Café!

Here is a sneak peek at what you can expect in this homecoming of terror –

**Spoilers Ahead**

The episode commences with a message from Claire Underwood. She appeals to the nation to be observant of unusual activities and report it to the authorities. There is an intense look on her face, and the gravity of the message send a chill down the spines. Frank Underwood then plays a masterstroke in the congressional session and declares war on terror. He delivers a powerful and a compelling speech on the floor in the backdrop of an investigation demand on the crimes he committed as vice president. However, like always, Frank Underwood knows how to turn the tide.

“I am on my way to the funeral of an American patriot. A good man, a husband... a father... who was beheaded on American soil. And this chamber chooses to debate me?”, says Frank Underwood in his fierce speech.

Claire Underwood chooses to make a public appearance at the convenience store in North Carolina that possibly saw a terror attack. It shows how she is trying to influence the public opinion and use anti-terrorism sentiments among the masses to get votes in the upcoming elections. The funeral scene when Claire breaks down and tries to hide her tears but is stopped by Frank highlights the extent to which he has gone in manipulating sentiments and opinions of the people. As when Claire Underwood says, “We need to dial up the terror”, it reminded me of Donald Trump’s campaign that carefully managed apprehensions and staged ‘anti-muslim’ hysteria to garner votes and eventually won the election. In one of the scene, Catherine Durant and Frank Underwood talks about restrictions on visas and closing down the borders that draw striking similarities in thinking and policies of the reel life and real life POTUS.

The episode ends with Frank Underwood uttering the words “You have nothing to be afraid off” to a large public gathering outside the White House. However, it is frightening when he pronounces those words facing the viewers. I firmly believe it is just the beginning of the reign of terror under the President Frank Underwood and a lot more exciting but terrifying events and plot twists are about to happen in the coming episodes. Let’s wait and watch as it is revealed on Zee Café. Lay all your cards on the table with the Homecoming of Terror this season! #HOConZCafe

The Mountain Story - Kedarkantha Diary

2017-05-12T12:33:00.001+05:30

“I want to go someplace where I can see snow”, she asserted.

It was last few days of the college, and mandatory graduation trip was already in place. Our group was heading Indonesia for possibly the longest duration, but we craved for more and thus began the search for a snowy destination as she desired. We explored options from Sikkim to Everest base camp and finally zeroed down to Kedarkantha trek. It wasn’t easy to convince the lazy bones in the group for a trek, but we managed to establish a consensus. Just when everything looked fine, the plan received its first jolt when one of us had to drop because of early joining date. However, it didn’t stop the rest of us, and we embarked on the journey.

“If anything can go wrong, it will”, says the Murphy Law. A quick stop in Delhi to buy trek gears looked impossible even when we had buffer time, all thanks to the great Indian railways and the dreadful journey that continued for 36 hours. It can be a whole new story on how we did everything just in time and managed to catch the connecting train to Dehradun. Early morning, we reached Dehradun railway station where we met the rest of the trek batch. Our transportation was ready, and it took 8-10 hours to reach Sankri village. It wasn’t a pleasant ride. It was almost evening when we checked-in to our hotel. A quick batch meet was called, and we were introduced to trek leader and the staff. It was followed by a session on detailed rules and scenarios in trekking. Later after dinner, I thought of going for a walk to explore the place, and I was accompanied by my friend. However, there was nothing much to see except few open shops and basecamps of other trek organisers; therefore, we mostly spent time chit-chatting while discreetly strolling the street from one end to another. It had been a long tiresome journey in past three days, and I dozed off early.

The next morning, after quick breakfast and a mandatory group picture, we started our trek. The destination for the day was ‘Juda ka Talab’. It is approx. 4 KM from Sankri at an altitude of 9100 ft. Though the distance sounds less the steep climb and slippery track made it look like never ending path. The queries about distance kept coming, and there was always one standard reply from the guide – ‘another half hour’. Perhaps that was true for someone living in the mountains but for city dwellers like us that half hour was taking hours. A much-needed break came halfway when we stopped for lunch in an open meadow. A small Dhaba served us bread omelette and Maggi. It gave us some energy and with renewed vigour we continued. The first glimpse of campsite finally brought a smile and an end of today’s journey. I spent the evening sitting idly near the lake shore. The body was yet to acclimatise the mountains and the night wasn’t easy as almost everyone struggled to sleep. I had a sleepless night too but for an entirely different reason.

Juda Ka Talab

The girl who yearned for snow got sick and had a restless night, but she recuperated by morning. “I drank a lot of water, and that’s how I recovered”, she said. It is true that hydrating adequately is an essential aspect while trekking as it keeps body and mind energised. It was time for us to march ahead and move to the next campsite, the Kedarkantha base. It is approx. 1.5 KM from ‘Juda Ka Talab’ at an altitude of 10,800 ft. Everyone was expecting another hectic day, but this was the easiest part of our entire trail, and we reached there even before we realised. There I witnessed the most picturesque sunset, and it was pure bliss. I spent next one hour trying to capture the remarkable moments. The darkness engulfed the entire place soon after sunset, and we headed to our tents after early dinner.

A starry night greeted us at 3 AM in the morning as we got ourselves ready with crampons and gaiters to push for the Kedarkantha summit. I had started showing weariness, and my health card readings went alarmingly low in the morning.

“I told you to drink more water. Why don’t you listen?”, rebuked the girl.

“It is so scary to go out of the tent in that darkness.”, I replied sheepishly.

Under the moon holding a torch in hand, we began hiking in the sleepy trails of the snow-clad Himalayas amidst the dark trees. I saw moon fading slowly as the sunshine engulfed the sky and the summit was visible but still far away. The trail was getting steeper, more inclined and challenging as we marched ahead. However, the landscape in front of us was getting more beautiful, and that kept us going. As we reached halfway, a sumptuous treat of deliciously baked omelettes came from the Barfani Dhaba. There we stopped for a while to fill our stomach and regain lost energy before continuing to the summit. The last leg of the trail was toughest where at some point inclination was almost 70 degree, but it didn’t deter us reaching the peak where at 12,500 ft. altitude breathtaking 360-degree views of mountains welcomed us.

The descend started after spending 40-45 minutes at the summit. I felt exhausted and weak. However, it didn’t stop me as going downhill was comparatively easy and was more fun when we had to glide down. We traced our path back to Kedarkantha base and continued to our next camp in Hargaon. It was at an altitude of 8,450 ft. but not very far from Kedarkantha base. The body was drained but a jubilant mood wanted to celebrate the successful summit, and we continued playing games till late night. The next day we began descending back to Sankri. It was the last day of the trek, and we slowly but steadily followed the trail that was mostly through forest cover.

Hargaon Camp

It felt good to see roads again though we started missing the harsh terrain soon. It was a relaxing stay in the hotel in Sankri, and we geared up to leave for Dehradun next morning. I looked out the car window as we ran parallelly to the river amid continuous drizzle. It was time to say goodbye to the beautiful landscape, the never-ending trail we covered on foot, the bonding and pain we shared. Though our journey ended we’ll continue to cherish the lifelong memories made in the woods and mountains.

Not Just Friends #HalfGirlfriend

2017-04-26T17:12:00.000+05:30

I am sharing a Half relationship story at BlogAdda in association with #HalfGirlfriend.

“She is my best friend, but then I don’t know how to stop these feelings for her”, Rohan exclaimed. “I wonder what she will think if I tell her that I love her. It will spoil every good thing that is between us and that scares me to death.” He said.

I have known Rohan for two years, but we became friends only in the last couple of months of my graduation year. He was a quiet, thoughtful and introversive person. Sanya, on the other hand, was full of life, cheerful and congenial. Destiny brought them together, and they became friends; soon something more than that, best of friends! Their friendship was one of the favourite gossip topics in the campus, but they never cared what everyone talked about and continued being together. Three years of togetherness where both remained quietly by each other’s side. They had redefined friendship and rejected a popular misconception i.e. “A girl and a boy can be friends but sooner or later one will fall for the others” in all these years. However, I was witnessing an entirely new angle in their story that day. It was last day of our college. A farewell party was thrown by the juniors.

I didn’t know what to tell him, but I wondered how Sanya feels about the whole thing. In the corner, we were sitting when I saw her coming to us.

“If I were you, I would have told her without expecting a relationship instead just acknowledging how badly I am in love and without putting any conditions wants to continue loving her”, I replied and went away giving them some privacy.

I don’t know what happened next, but I saw tears rolling down their eyes. I stood motionless not knowing what to do next. It was heartbreaking to see her crying. I closed my eyes and wished a happy beginning of their love story. A minute later everyone was being called for one last group picture. I didn’t feel like going.

The next morning, I met Sanya on the bus while we headed to the railway station. Rohan accompanied her, and they looked happy just like the old days. I could sense the love she felt for him. They lovingly waved at each other till the bus left. She looked at me.

“You were right. It is all about being there for each other”, she smiled.

I was happy for her.

More Indian Than You Think

2017-04-23T20:50:00.000+05:30

It was summer of 2012 when I graduated and had an offer to join one of the biggest Indian manufacturing company. I was more than excited to begin the new phase of my life. The early days in the organisation mostly involved interaction with the officials, workers and various level of training before I was given the first work assignment. The job included assisting in managing one of the smaller plants in the suburbs of the Jharkhand. The productivity of the plant had declined continuously over the year, and the management wanted to bring some changes to keep it profitable. This had caused resentment among the workers, and it further aggravated the situation.

I was sharing my workspace with Ajay Sinha. He was senior plant manager and my mentor. He was in his early 50s and had spent thirty years of life in the organisation. A man known for his values and widely respected among peer and workers. However, the bitterness in the workers was growing, and he was snubbed a couple of times while addressing them in the morning. The same day something happened that frightened me to the core of my heart. At 11:30 AM, approx. 40-50 workers came into our cabin, and there were more than 200 workers that stayed just outside in the lobby. I had recently read about the deadly riot in 2012 at Maruti plant in Manesar in Haryana that happened due to a certain conflict between workers and senior management. The workers there had smashed properties, set the factory on fire and burned manager to death. I was literally scared playing out different scenarios that could happen. I looked at Ajay helplessly.

“What happened? There is still an hour to go before lunch”, said Ajay.

“Nobody is working until we know what is management’s decision” replied a voice from the crowd.

“Very well” replied Ajay with a calmness in his voice and then continued, “You know these things take time. I have conveyed the issues to management, and appropriate solution will be implemented keeping in mind everyone’s interest. However, I cannot defend us if the management comes to know that you are halting the work.”

“We’re not moving from here till our demands are met. No work today. We are ready to go on hunger strike” came another voice from the crowd after a pause.

Nobody moved or spoke anything for next couple of minutes. The tension in the room was palpable. Breaking the silence, I said, “I am not asking anyone to go out of the room, but then some of you can sit on the sofa.” I then vacated my chair and looked at Kartar Singh. I knew him because he was retiring in a couple of months and was one among many who had been in the manufacturing unit since its inception. He was respected figure among the workers, and they used to affectionately call him ‘Sardarji’. I pulled him from the corner and politely asked to sit on the chair. He was startled with this gesture and couldn’t refuse. I went back and sat on my desk. A dead silence prevailed in the room.

I looked at the clock. It was about lunch hour. I said, “I know we have issues here and I am trying hard to resolve it, however, if you think skipping work or lunch can help it then let me try that also.” I switched off my computer and put aside my lunch box. Everyone looked puzzled. At this, Sardarji got up from his chair and with folded hand said, “Sorry, that we all barged into your cabin, but we were just concerned whether management is taking necessary steps to safeguard our interest.” In next couple of minutes, the crowd dispersed, and it was just two of us in the cabin. I looked at the big screen in the hallway where Lufthansa ad was playing. I believe a major incident was averted that day because of the values that I learnt as a kid.

The Last JOURNEY Together

2016-05-22T13:10:00.000+05:30

It was love that kept us together even when we were miles apart. I had never thought that a bus journey will have such everlasting impact on my life. It has been three years since we first met on that memorable walk and I still remember every bit of it. Our third anniversary was approaching and we had decided this time to celebrate it together. Nothing could ever match a place like Goa and we both agreed to meet there.

It took 16-hour long train journey to reach Madgaon from Bengaluru. She was supposed to arrive from Delhi the same day in the evening and I had little more than three hours to plan our stay there. I wanted us to spend maximum time on the beach and so booked a resort near Colva. The name of the resort, 'Colva Kinare' aptly characterised the place 'cos of its closeness to the beach. I waited for her to arrive but the great Indian Railways delayed our evening plans and when she came it was too late. However, the next three days were entirely ours and there were nothing that could bother us there.

The plan was not to roam like sightseers to every tourist spots but spend some quality time together and so we began our morning quite early with just two of us walking on the beach, barefoot and holding hands amidst sea waves. I don't know how far we walked but in no time, we were soaked in water 'cos of the playful tide. A careful start of the day soon became carefree and we ended up going for all the water sports activity which began in the afternoon. It was fun but we were hungry and had to take a break. The search for a good place to eat commenced and since she is vegan I had to go for veg as well. Eventually, we found a place, 'Sagar Kinare', as the name suggests it was not very far from our stay. It became our usual stop for food till we stayed. However, we preferred dining out on the beach. It was so good to sit together and watch sun getting drowned in the vast sea. Every time the sunset reminded me that we now have one day less to be together and I wanted to capture all of the moments with her. In the next few days, our routine remained similar though it was very restless the last day. Neither of us could sleep and we were awake all night. I saw how the darkness of night turned into daylight and I yearned if somehow I could stop it from happening. She had to go first and I realised how the time passed so quickly. It seemed just yesterday day when I was waiting for her to arrive and here I watched her go. This time her train was on time and I waited restlessly for mine to come.

I was alone there on the platform and the entire episode was playing relentlessly in the back of mind. As I boarded my train to Bangalore, I never knew that it would be the last of our togetherness.

The Last JOURNEY Together

Flight Schedule Domestic Airlines

GAIL - Indian Speed Star: An initiative to strengthen the sport of athletics

2016-04-27T12:28:00.001+05:30

GAIL (India) Limited has embarked on a grassroots athletics program GAIL-Indian Speedstar, which is aimed at unearthing young talent across the length and breadth of India. GAIL (India) Limited and National Yuva Cooperative Society (NYCS), launched a grassroots athletics program GAIL Indian Speedstar on the 22nd of March, 2016 at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi.

National Yuva Cooperative Society has tied up with Anglian Medal Hunt Company as its Technical Partner for The GAIL Indian Speedstar project. The persisting, epoch-making attempt before - focused grassroots program aims to create a pool of athletes with knack which will possibly bring honor for India in track events at the highest echelon of sporting events - the Olympics 2020/2024.

The reason to launch this program is to identify, select and nurture the hidden talent in athletes. The targeted age group is 11 - 17 years in 100m, 200m and 800m track events across.

A panel of eminent sportspersons like P.T Usha, Rachita Mistry, Anuradha Biswal & Kavita Raut have been appointed to the selection committee to guide coaching camps. As members of the selection committee their role would include creating the selection criteria or the GAIL-Indian Speedstar program, and developing the training plan and module for the selected athletes at the National Level.

‘Legendary athlete P.T. Usha launched the initiative alongside the organizers Dr Ashutosh Karnatak, Director (Projects), GAIL (India) Ltd, Rajesh Pande – President, National Yuva Cooperative Society Ltd (NYCS) and Maneesh Bahuguna - CEO, Anglian Medal Hunt Company.

District trials were conducted under the watchful eyes of coaches and selectors, appointed by the selection committee. The selection of the athletes was based on talent identification and selection criteria set by the selection committee.

Initiatory, in its first year, earlier this year with initial trials conducted in 55 districts across ten states in which more than 25,000 children participated out of which 850 children made it to the State level.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon. Minister of State (I/C) Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dutee Chand, Anuradha Biswal and Purnima Hembram; selected ambitious young athletes from Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 14 children have qualified for the National level trials while Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Ji, praised and motivated the selected candidates for National level trials. The first State level camp and trial were organized on 27-28th of February in SawaiMaan Singh Stadium, Jaipur where 60 boys and girls participated out of which 4 have qualified for the next level. The state trials were held in Odisha (14 Selection), Delhi (28 Selection), Kerala (28 Selection) &Jharkhand(4 Selection)followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat in the last week of April. The shortlisted children from the State trials will then participate in the National camp and selection which is scheduled to be held in May 2016 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. Shortlisted athletes from state trials will attend an intensive national level camp. At the conclusion of the coaching camp, final trials will be held. Winners will be selected based on the qualification criteria and their potential. The winners will be given extensive training throughout the year. The top 9 athletes will then be provided with a world class coaching for over a period of 5 years with an ultimate objective of one of these athletes to represent India at the Olympics.

It’s not the will to win that matters - everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters. Know more about #IndianSpeedStar #GAILRaftaar on Facebook

#QuakerBowl with Quaker India

2016-04-17T18:23:00.000+05:30

It had been a long time since I attended an Indiblogger meet, the last time it was in Bangalore but then I shifted to Lucknow and all I could do was to read frequent meets that happened and be envy about it. However, I landed in Mumbai for my internship and I was overjoyed to see that there is a Quaker Bowl Indiblogger meet scheduled for the coming weekend. I waited patiently and finally the day came.

It all started with a little contest from IndiBlogger and QuakerIndia where everyone had to tweet about the tastiest breakfast mom ever made and throughout the time till I reached the venue I kept thinking about it. It is tough to choose the best among the bests as I liked anything, everything mom made, however, the delicious omelettes in the morning were my all time favorite.

The event started but came a little twist and surprise with the welcome tune of Taher Shah's Mankind Angel playing on the big screen. It was followed by entry of the mystical man aka Vineet Rajan taking the stage. An icebreaker time where we all did our little weird but fun exercises to gel ourselves in the surroundings. Indiblogger had kept the biggest surprise of the day "#QuakerBowl with Celebrity Chef" under curtains and that was revealed soon with the entry of the man about whom girls go crazy and needless to say that my fellow classmate from college has a huge crush on him. It was none other than Michelin starred chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer Vikas Khanna. He began with a little introduction and that was followed by a fun quiz. Though I didn't know the answer of any but it was good to learn certain facts like Pampore is known as Saffron Town of Kashmir!

Like always the best thing was yet to happen - a fun challenge where one had to drink soup in one go from a tequila shot glass and tell its ingredients within 60 seconds. I was among the one chosen by Vikas Khanna to perform the task and I could guess only two; Salt & Water. Nothing could be more embarrassing when you are the worst performer in a group but that was fun and moreover, I got a prize for coming last and it was given by Vikas Khanna himself that too on the stage. Yay! I had my first celebrity moment of the day and I also learnt an important lesson that one can make soup with Quaker Oats and was the main ingredient that I couldn't guess. It was followed by a team challenge where the task was to make a dish of our own choice with the available ingredients. I know nothing about cooking and that is very obvious from the ingredient guessing task and so all I did was to stand with the team and stare what they are doing that ended up making something that looked nice but tasty? that Vikas Khanna and his team had to decide and we didn't make it in the winning list.

It was time for lunch and we all munched on the food. A tasty end to a fun meet that was followed by free gift. Yet again, Thank you Indiblogger and Thank you QuakerIndia for organising such an enjoyable gathering.

My #QuakerBowl Moment

Haywards 5000 Hauslay Ki Udaan

2016-04-15T23:45:00.000+05:30

A billion population, a billion dreams and of those billion there are few dreams that desire to be the next business tycoon. However, many of those dreams die out before they even start. Haywards 5000 has launched "Haywards 5000 Hauslay Ki Udaan" - country's first start up reality program to give wings to those dreams and fuel the aspiring entrepreneurs. In its first edition, it received over 40,000 calls and a winning idea came out from among more than 500 entries that went through auditions. Last year the judges ranged from entrepreneurs like Sumit Jain – Co-founder & CEO, Commonfloor.com, Vivek Singh, CO-founder & CFO of Tone Tag, Naidu Darapaneni, founder CEO of Meraevents.com, Santhosh Karnananda, CEO of MeraEnglish.com to industry stalwarts like Sunil Subramaniam - CEO of Sundaram Finance.

It has now entered its second season with a new TVC campaign - "Naa Se Haan Tak" launched by Haywards 5000 Hausla Buland Academy. The TVC showcases the challenges of an aspiring entrepreneur who even after rejected by everyone stays motivated to fulfill his dream and makes the business idea a reality. The participants can register on Hausla Buland Academy to participate in the second season of “Haywards 5000 Hauslay Ki Udaan”. Auditions will be conducted across the nation in the following cities: Gurgaon, Faridabad, Jaipur, Pune, Nagpur, Kolkata, Bangalore, Secunderabad, Rohtak, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Mohali. This will serve as a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative business ideas and share their stories of unrelenting resolve. The participants will be mentored by an interview panel consisting of well-known entrepreneurs and industry experts as well as Hausla Buland Academy professional counselors through online and offline mediums. The finalists will be selected basis a combination of factors including market opportunity, the uniqueness of the presented business idea, the growth potential, the strategy, the enthusiasm and passion of the participant, the knowledge of the industry, realistic goals and finally the total investment required. The winning business idea will receive a seed funding of Rs. 15 Lac from the Hausla Buland Academy.

Haywards 5000 Hausla Buland Academy #NaaSeHaanTak TVC

AlphaDigest's Content, Branding and Marcom Solutions

2016-04-13T22:55:00.002+05:30

A startup is a vision of the young mind that sees business into a reality. However, as it becomes a reality, an equally important but difficult task is to create a meaningful and trusted relationship with customers scattered across the places. A unique voice is very crucial at the beginning as it differentiates the startup from other firms already occupying a place. Keeping this in view a Bangalore-based premium lifestyle, entertainment, and technology portal, AlphaDigest.com, has announced a strategic content offering for consumer startups in India.

“There is a growing trend of creative control and autonomy flowing unidirectionally towards content creators, and the right aggregators must create a supportive ecosystem for baseline contribution.”, says Shomprakash Sinha Roy, the honorary editor-in-chief.

“Automation is the keyword behind a sustainable content strategy, and we at Alpha (AlphaDigest) are working very hard to realize that dream for consumer startups.” says Gaurav Singh, Head of Technology at AlphaDigest.

AlphaDigest has recruited a sturdy mix of specialist bloggers from around the nation. The list includes Forbes-nominated author and veteran content marketing strategist Shomprakash Sinha Roy and Former Femina Features Writer Tvara Mehta. Also joining their ranks are fashion and lifestyle bloggers such as Flescia D’Souza and Prerna Maynil, who happens to be officially recognized as Deepika Padukone’s biggest fan. This mix of veteran and young content creators have an extensive knowledge in the realm of brand content creation and marketing. It also welcomes guest bloggers and columnists to submit their content which then undergoes an editorial review before publication. In a nutshell, AlphaDigest represents the finest pick in the blogging world that is drawing elements of citizen journalism and brand-integrated content together thus building a unique value proposition for consumer-centric enterprises.

As a premium online lifestyle, entertainment and technology magazine, AlphaDigest is currently available on the web, social and mobile (Android) platforms. It also has plans to go to print by end-of-year 2017. With an organic viewership of more than 50,000 readers in the lifestyle and entertainment space, it reaches out to a collective demographic of Indian millennials – early adopters, eCommerce enthusiasts, and technology lovers. The far-reaching knowledge of AlphaDigest in this segment presents a great opportunity for startups to get their words out. AlphaDigest has already created integrated editorial features for various organizations such as Uber, NestAway, HappyCook, Furlenco, Tinder and Treebo among others.

Fantastico Life Follows Right Conduct

2016-01-24T12:23:00.001+05:30

All it takes to be a ridiculously fantastic person is a lot of right attitude. The right attitude includes not only the way we see ourselves or celebrate ourselves but also the code of conduct that we follow. A lot of philosophers propounded so many theories that state the right code of conduct. A right code of conduct is heavily based upon universality. What we follow should always be liable to have the element of generalization. For a better environment and feisty or robust living we should always look for the right code of conduct. We read about the wrongdoings of hooligans and bad people and then the jackbooted force that it meets with. Our society is being maligned by so many thoughts, following the wrongdoing, that doesn’t let us live like a footloose toddler. This certainly is a bad news for all of us. The world that we are a part of has no such rules that ask us to don the apparel of heteronomy. But some people in our society lack the right conduct and so end up doing things that tortures the society. All of this comes from the lack of right attitude in a person who eventually ends up doing bad things and thus, happens to be curse for the society. On the other hand, most of the people who take right path in their lives and end up leading wonderful and peaceful life have the fantastico element in them. But then the good people suffer because of the bad people. So, only one conclusion can be drawn from this, everyone who cannot afford education should be educated for free and the others who are educated and still do the mishaps should be appointed psychiatrist or be exposed to personality development cells. We concentrate a lot on education but that is not the only thing that makes you a fantastico person but along with it one should be given the exposure to right direction in life. A society is the amalgamation of people in it or the integration of their attitudes and to have a fantastico society, all of its people should know the right code of conduct. This attitude should pass on generation to generation. There is no denying the fact that a peaceful environment is bliss and that nobody wants to lead a life where he has to do wrong things for his living. All want to have dignity and integrity for them. Moreover, being fantastic only adds to your good personality and successful life. The social skills it require and being able to take right decisions is one of the peaceful things one can vouch for. A fantastico person has everything to do with a fantastico life.

#TataZicaMarathon

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Peppy is the New Cool

2016-01-23T20:56:00.001+05:30

Good things are usually followed by a lot of hard work and faith. But is there anything else also that could add to the enthusiasm of success? Certainly, there is one thing that cannot be left just like that when we are talking of success as this one thing is imperative when trying to lead the path of success. Being energetic, what all it takes to be energetic or enthusiastic for what you are doing. Perhaps nothing but sheer interest in what you do and follow your heart. Energy has its own source which works efficiently for a bold person who is quite good when his ability to take decisions and risks are concerned. Assimilation of so many things and then being peppy too, could lead to happening of big things. This generation is more or less very peppy and thus, very successful. Our brains can do wonders as we all know but, only when we want to and also make ourselves feel energetic. One has to go in some particular field in life and then work for it for the rest of their lives. Some do it forcefully and some do it with that peppy element in them which makes them stand out. Even the little chores that we do or the way our day-to-day life is led, all should be done with all our heart into it. Anyone can make out, those things that we do reluctantly end up into mess. The good thing that could have happened transmogrifies into humorous bad things. They say, we live once and perish eventually. So, what is that life that has no dreams to be fulfilled, no work to be done, no wishes to look forward to, no goals and no interest? Rare things are there that happens only once and one should make the best out of such rare things. To be the hero of one’s own life, one has to do all what it takes. Being peppy is as good as being unique even if you are one of those from the lot as it takes a lot of courage and energy. One who is peppy should celebrate having the unique element in life and those who lack this element should certainly work upon this to build a better personality and follow success with all the enthusiasm. Things that seem to be burden become enjoyable when you are one of those energetic people who lack, more or less, nothing in life. Another thing that has to do a lot with it is that one can also welcome failure and learn his lessons righteously without getting discouraged and this sure gives an upper hand to such people in life and so peppy becomes the new cool.

#TataZicaMarathon

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Subjects Make Great Impact

2016-01-23T14:20:00.000+05:30

Aesthetic or unaesthetic, everything is characterized by both of these elements. Perhaps, some of the things that have life involved in it are perfectly endowed with the skills only. Such things from my perception are the subjects that we study. Be it Science where, we study the natural world or be it liberal arts which intend to give general knowledge or the finance where money matters are handled, these subjects and the other too make a greater impact in one’s life. We study in the starting years of our lives then get directed to various jobs and that certainly is where the whole life revolves around. Our lives are injected with so much and one can truly call it as a sort of investment (as is referred in Economics) and these investments are what that makes our personality. So our personality or the kind of person we become is all because of the impactful subjects we study all our lives. This is one case where unaesthetic elements don’t really take place even if some of the researchers go wrong with their respective researches as even the wrong here is in a way fruitful. When fallacy is considered one derives something very important that can be used in the experiments or researches that are to be done later. Moreover, these subjects become a matter of interest for most of the people. A scientist, a painter, a doctor, a banker all are skillful because they took keen interest in their respective subjects and surely celebrate the moments of success in their lives that concerns their work and subject that has given them the opportunity and blessing to lead a good life and have rational minds. One more thing that the subjects have in its credit is that education certainly does well to the minds of people and increases the rational quotient. Being logical and having fair reasoning for everything is sure a blessing and this skill can be easily achieved by having a good education. Some of the creative subjects that lead people to work in creative fields give opportunity to those who rather like to work for creativity than to already stated facts. We all are different and there is diversity among all of us that concerns our interests and everything. We have all kinds of subjects and areas to work into and this makes it easy for everyone to work for their will and not only for wages. Subjects have great impact on our lives and so deserve greater attention too. One should be always be thankful of these subjects and cherish the fact that they followed a particular subject or particular education system in order to evolve. Impactful things are rare and subjects are one of them.

#TataZicaMarathon

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

From Good Morning to GOLD Morning

2016-01-10T11:01:00.001+05:30

We are always looking for a new start whenever something wrong has happened or been done by us. Apart from finding solutions from corny and faux sources, one always looks for a new start rather. There is nothing better than the mornings for that new start. Morning treats the annoyance and bad mood very well. Be it the freshness from the breeze or the brightness of the sun, everything about the morning is so good. We wake up to looking forward to new and better things to happen. Mornings cajole the yesterday's nitty-gritty problems. One thing that is unique in itself about the mornings is that today in a world so dependent on technology everyone is busy dreaming big and all the while they do this they forget the source of basic needs of a human being consequently, we are creating distance between us and the nature. Mornings can bring you closer to the nature as the nature is best seen in the day's sunlight and can be appreciated and praised for its incredible beauty. Great things happen to people who value what is priceless. Morning is, no doubt, a gift from the almighty. New opportunity comes when new days begin. There is absolutely nothing as beautiful as the mornings. From one ray of sunlight that is proven to kill the germs present in the air to the fresh air that lifts up one's mood, all is impeccable about the morning. A new start is always exciting as it is a gift from the god to improve ourselves and fix what is wrong in us. Yesterday should never be a problem and can only be fixed by a new day. Moreover, the beauty of a place and nature is so attractive that all desire for travelling and exploring these beautiful places. Some of the beautiful and natural creations are created in the nature because of the presence of the sun. What we get to see and adore because of the sunlight is all that comes from happening of a new day. Our dreams shall grow into numbers as each day passes and one can always witness the opportunity to bring them to reality, as the days pass by. Things are reiterated and so does our rituals. Good mornings are already so good and are turned into gold because of all reasons that morning can offer for the goodness of our being. The staleness in lives and everything around, vanishes as the morning appears. Life is itself a ritual that repeats elegantly and is better supported by new beginnings. New beginning is supported by beautiful mornings and that's how life goes on wherein new things happen, good things happen and bad too takes its share but all is fixed once appears the #Colgate360GoldMornings.

INDEX 21 - IIM Lucknow

2015-10-31T23:20:00.000+05:30

What is INDEX? Is it a fun filled event to entertain the people of Lucknow? Is it a pure market research activity to help big firms take critical decisions with real time data? INDEX is an acronym for Information through Disguised Experimentation and it is one of the flagship event of IIM Lucknow. It has a long legacy and is being organized since 1994 in the city of Lucknow. A lot has changed since then but the heart and soul of the event remains to do market research and gain valuable information.

Usually the traditional method of surveying doesn’t yield the real picture as the target audience is aware of the purpose behind the process. They often tend to provide answers to suit the surveyor’s motives which significantly differ from their true opinions. This results in gathering of flawed and unreliable data that kills its sole purpose of knowing the consumer behaviour. Index has defined an innovative way to carry out the market research for various corporate houses. It involves multiple stages wherein the first stage the corporate houses put forward their research requirements in front of the students. Some of the brightest minds of the country then work on to formulate the proposals and the best among them is chosen by corporate executives in coordination with the esteemed faculties. The next stage involves finding creative ways to extract the required information for the project from a live audience. It proves to be the most challenging part where one has to truly showcase their artistry to meet the objectives. It often includes designing creative games and/or questionnaire and utilizing each moment of the interaction with the people to know consumer behaviour and get market feedback.

A 2-day fun filled carnival is organised in the heart of the Lucknow city. It has seen extensive participation in the past and is considered as one of the biggest festival of Lucknow. It provides a platform to carry out the entire research activity on a live audience. The data collected during the carnival is studied and relevant insights are obtained for the project which helps the companies to solve their business problem.

Khushi Ke Pal

2015-07-16T01:15:00.000+05:30

Life is some sort of hardship. If you have people around you who understand you,respect your opinions and participate, then it becomes a cakewalk. Cherry on the cake, if those are none other than your parents. Learning while you grow should be fun, as that not only inculcates knowledge but also ethics in one's mind. Interactive parents are always better than the instructive ones. Instructions do help but they need to be expressed in a manner that is polite and somewhat in a language that helps the kids. The current generation is a little advanced than the previous one. In that case, parents should go by the mantra of Buddy Parenting. Bonding with kids is essential so that one knows his kids through and through. Bonding also helps in making kids happy, as they are then complacent with everything.

I have experienced many Khushi Ke Pal moments. My parents have always been very interactive just like friends. I know, I can always count on them when it comes to sharing secrets. They have shaped up my childhood in a graceful manner. I don't feel the need of wrong doings in my life as I am provided with everything that one is entitled to and especially the right attitude. My Khushi Ke Pal has a never-ending list but the best always remains the best. I remember how I stayed silent all day long when I scored poor in my math's exam and was not willing to tell anyone as I had by then a very good reputation when academics was concerned. I felt I have shattered my mother's expectations this time. I was surprised to experience a wonderful moment that day, when my mother instead of scolding me explained me many things that helps me even now in life. It was so pleasant to have words of wisdom from her. We are so well bonded that she has rather become a best friend. This initiative called Khuljaye Bachpan is sure going to help kids overcome adversities in life. Kids need someone at home to look up to. Parents can be the best role models for their kids. This way kids get to have a good perception of everything followed by right inference from everything. Being unfettered while growing carves out a better personality in kids. They become fearless and outspoken, which is a boon. The other side of the coin reveals to be better too! In this process of opening up to kids, participating and getting involved in their friend circle, parents get to learn a lot. Next generation is always smarter than the one passed by and has better things to tell. So, there is a lot to learn and it becomes more of a mutual exchange of knowledge,fun and experiences. Kudos to the Kellogg's chocos' initiative, 'Khuljaye Bachpan'.

https://www.facebook.com/mychocos

Honey Diet - A Sweeter Alternative

2015-07-10T14:48:00.000+05:30

Well, not only the fall but the summer, too, gives us heebie-jeebies. There are many problems we go through when the weather change or even if it remains the same. Summer is known for ice-creams and cold drinks. On the contrary, one is supposed to stop having these in order to prevent excessive weight gain. In such case, Honey can do wonders and one can get rid of the nightmare of getting fat. The crash diet that lets you lose weight in a short period by reducing the daily calorie intake to as low as 700 calories, sure jeopardize a healthy diet as it stresses too much upon a single kind of nutrient. There have been levels up to which crash diet is ought to be followed but people have gone beyond these levels in order to look good. Staying healthy and alive should be the prime aim of life. A balanced diet is any day better than any other diet. One has to compromise a lot while following a crash diet. The era, where people are busy with their jobs and everything, fitness is rarely seen among people. Our body is such that not taking balanced diet can make us more prone to various types of diseases. Vitamins, minerals and the other nutrients are must. While compromising with the balanced diet for crash diet, one tends to reduce the intake of carbohydrates, as its main sources are wheat and rice. People do juice and soup fasts for days but that only helps in losing weight and not in staying fit. The mere need of human body is not fulfilled. In such case, one should go for honey diet as it helps in losing weight without having to compromise with the natural balanced diet. Honey is a great source of carbohydrates and thus gives our body, strength and energy. It provides effectiveness in our performance, energizes us and also reduces muscle fatigue.

Source: http://www.daburhoney.com

Honey is basically, natural sugar. Honey also helps in reducing weight and belly fat. A spoon of honey a day with warm water can do all good to a human body. Crash diet should not be followed as they do away with other important nutrients. The only habit we need to inculcate is to start having honey on a daily basis routine. Honey should be added as primary diet to the balanced diet. It gives immune system a boost and can also keep us immune from common diseases. Honey is tasty and sweet. One can be at ease in saying a big NO to the fried and sugary eatables. Honey is the best alternative for all. Healthy, sweet ad tasty, it can be added in so many dishes and serve as a good healthy treat. We should start having honey regularly now ad stay healthy. Dabur Honey, sure is the best sweeter alternative!

In a moment

2015-03-15T13:44:00.000+05:30

Like everyone else, like the current society and the ongoing trend of pushing kids and students to be an engineer or a doctor, I also faced this stereotype. It was very conventional of my parents to limit the options for my career. I was going with the flow. I took science stream and gave all the competitive exams for the best engineering and medical colleges and flunk all resulting in poor ranks. This was one time when I could have simply left everything in order to take a new start. I did nothing as I thought that the time has passed and nothing is going to be all right.

One day while sitting in the backyard, I saw my elder brother playing with our pet dog. My relationship with my elder brother was a little ruined that time as he was an introvert and I too was one of his kinds. He also faced the same journey as me and that made both of us a little less cheerful. We didn’t talk on most of the occasions. I saw him coming towards me and so I started faking him that I was busy doing questions. He sat near me and exclaimed that what I was doing makes him have a similar image of me as him that is fearful. I was startled and said that I was just being a good son and may be a good brother too. He replied that he was not in support of anything that was going on and he claimed of knowing about my dreams, which didn’t follow the path I was on. I was surprised, as we didn’t share any of our personal emotions, dreams and stuff. As we went on talking, I realized that we were opening up and sharing almost everything with each other. He was so busy telling me about his plans for future that I guess he never then realized the better thing that was happening in the moment. He asked me to be strong and unlike him confront our parents with my real dreams and plans. I did confront my parents that too with my brother beside me. That one moment in the backyard has changed my life completely. I got what I wanted that is, my parents agreed to everything. I felt that I got this strength and ecstatical fearlessness from the most fearful person I know and that was my elder brother. That moment has filled my life with so much optimism. It is never too late. It is all about taking a stand for better things. That moment, most importantly, gave me my brother back! I found his heart to be a deep abyss full of dreams and inspiring being. I had seen the spark in his eyes when he fought for me. It was much needed, to open up with my sibling. That moment was the most special moment for me and the memories it hold still fills me with joy and optimism whenever I am falling. I am optimistic about everything, my future, my relationship with my brother and with my parents too. A moment and memories with it can give so much!

#together with Housing

Source : https://housing.com/in