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An open letter to The Hon. President of India on holistic and practicable solutions to reduce depravities, sexual crimes, improve police sensitivity and morale, and make women feel safe enough to focus on progress rather than protection. Dated:22/4/2013 - Delhi Rape Delhi Rapes - Practical solutions - Punish Rapists - Rape Deterrents - Minors Rape - Police hand in growth of Rapes

2013-04-22T19:56:00.002+05:30

An open letter to The Hon. President of India on holistic and practicable solutions to reduce depravities, sexual crimes, improve police sensitivity and morale, and make women feel safe enough to focus on progress rather than protection. Dated:22/4/2013

(emailed to Smt. Omita Paul, Secretary to The Honourable President of India)

Dear Mr. President,

We write this letter with hope that you will respond to the solutions mooted herein to deal with the root cause of the problem. We were prompted to write this letter to you as the rest of the country is fuming with anger and vengeful spite, there is no moderate discussion on the causative factors and practicable solutions to control this epidemic of psychological disorders that are turning Indian men into devious perverted criminals.

This is a clinical approach to analyze and resolve this problem with definitive and holistic solutions which will not just control this spurt of current crimes, but address deeper cardinal issues driving the spread of this disease into an epidemic.

Your acknowledgement of this letter and your valuable comments would reassure us that adequate measures and right-thinking minds are working on ‘real’ solutions and that this furore in the country will not be doused till the next heinous crime surfaces.

Thanking you with good faith and hope,

Yours Sincerely,

Love Baronia.

Indian Citizen.

Cc: Hon. Union Home Minister of India.

THE INDIAN RAPE EPIDEMIC

“Every minute in India, the modesty of the ‘weak’ is being exploited, gender, age, status no bar.”

“Majority of these cases go unreported, swept under the blood-drenched Indian rug.”

The brutality and detail in the recent minors' rapes are indicative of the deviant mutation in the rapists' psychology created by long-term sexual repression and consequent perversion.

Protecting Women in a Patriarchal Society

Rapes are more commonplace and acceptable in our patriarchal environment, where men make the policies, men police the weak and mostly, men judge the accused. If you look lower down the pyramid, where 70% of India still subsists, the revered Indian men call the shots in Indian homes. The by-product of the patriarchy is that rapes are becoming acceptable phenomena and only classified as domestic rape or husband/uncle/neighbour type of rape.

Epidemic of Psychological Disorders in Indian males

The last crime though, prompts us to not just categorize the rape, but dig deeper to analyze the criminal psychologies or pathologies of the rapists. The rapists are a part of a booming population of sexually perverted men fuelled by sexual repression in Indian society.

Despite being the country that aboriginally inked the Science of Sex to the rest of the world, treats the same as a taboo.

In a country where subsidies are a way of life, whether it is fuels, mid day meals, food grains and even housing. The policy makers over the years have neglected a vital civic need for so long that the need turned into a disease which thanks to media is now being seen as an epidemic which Indian women are being forced to live with for decades now.

It would be prudent to begin with understanding the macro problems, causative factors and triggers of this growing epidemic.

The Root Causes of Rapes

Indicators of the growing demand-supply gap of adults:sexual outlets in India.

1. Multiple Husbands in a village in Haryana

2. Phenomenal growth of girl child and women trafficking in India

3. Meteoric Growth of escort services and massage parlours in India

4. Dozens of Rapes come out of the closet with media support since the Nirbhaya case

The blue-collared Delhi men haven’t become ‘hornier’ in the last three months since the ‘nirbhaya’ indicator. It is just that powered by media support, more and more cases are coming out of the closet, normally locked shut by the family, or nipped in the bud by cops. Even today, only a fraction of the real volumes of rape cases are being reported.

“ If the reportage was 100%, rape statistics would be easily comparable with the no. of weddings/accidents/robberies in the same time-span for any geographic on India.”

Gender Imbalance

The gender imbalance is a viscous circle, men want sons, not daughters, as the daughter’s modesty needs to be protected and saved till a groom can be found for them at an increasingly ill-affordable price (please read as dowry). Further, they do not add to the MHI. The man-made imbalance has left few women in India per man. So, their libidos are now screaming for release in our sexually repressed environment, even hunting hapless minors. Till such time, the policy makers do not change their attitude towards altering the age-old gender prejudice.

The least reported crime

The social stigma in the 70% third-world demographic of our country, and the prospect of feeding the raped daughter at home for life, since no one will marry her are not deterrents enough. In many cases in rural India, the entire village boycotts the rape victim’s family for disclosing the calamity. As such, who will dare to be singled out and socially stoned as a tainted family in the neighbourhood, so that explains why 97% rapes are swept under the rug in India. The perpetrators see this as a crime with the least chances of getting caught, leave alone convicted, and even if the family is senile enough to complain, poverty-stricken thus corrupt cops, are easily saleable to shield the criminals.

Lack of adequate & affordable sexual release infrastructure for underprivileged

“In a country unable to provide adequate urinals for citizens, obviously focus on sexual release infrastructure has clearly not been on the civic or social agenda.”

Sex is largely an illicit or unorganised private market in India, whether it is trafficking of girls and women, screening of pornographic films in video parlours, growth of call-girl services garbed as escort services and massage parlours. Most of the sexual release services cater to citizens with comfortable expendable incomes.

“The poor and blue-collared Indian male’s sexuality is left to brew up a perverted storm in his frustrated mind.”

Social irregularities and imbalances retain rape as an accepted reality of Indian women. It is imperative to deliberate on some simple solutions for the safety of women in this rather patriarchal environment.

Practical Solutions

to check

sexual repression

To reform the depraved and over-pampered Indian men

“Infrastructure capable of a subsidized brothel for every 1000 men needs to be commissioned immediately to stop this epidemic from spreading wider and deeper in society”

Setting up of Government authorized, regulated and subsidized brothels for the blue-collared or underprivileged Indian male. Libido is energy that needs to be released at healthy intervals, when it is contained for long durations; it curdles into perversion that leads to negative and criminal psychologies that keep growing into dark and devious outlets like violence and abuse. Any psychologist would endorse this degeneration among individuals with unspent sexual energies.

To reform the (so-branded) insensitive, greedy and corrupt cops

“The livelihoods (living conditions and pay scales) of the personnel in Indian police forces unfortunately place the cops in the same demographic as the rapists.”

Blue-collared Indians [which include our frontline cops (Non IPS)] are surrounded by citizens with abundant finances, air-conditioned cars and all luxuries while they struggle everyday in the hot Indian conditions to plate three meals for their family every day. The frustrations manifest an animosity towards the affluent and carefree urban middle class.

To understand the cops, it is important to spend time with cops and their families in their houses which are only slightly larger in physical dimension than the cells in jails for prisoners, when compared with the parameter of square feet divided by the no. of occupants in the cops quarters, the jail cell seems like a palace. Further, many Indian police quarters do not even have attached toilets, though prison cells do.

“The cops too suffer from the same perversions of the criminals as they share similar depraved environments with financial and lifestyle aberrations.”

If cops bribe recruitment officials to get into the force, they consider it only logical and moral that they will be compensated through corrupt means. How in such an environment can we be expected to rely on cops? When they see every new complainant as a potential earning opportunity for themselves. A look at the pay scales of cops would educate our otherwise literate Indian classes that the Govt. expects them to survive at a monthly income which is half of a manual labourers cumulative monthly income. Today, a plumber makes five times the amount of money compared to a cop’s salary. Only pay scale revision, better living conditions will make cops sensitive to other citizens’ peeves and pains. Cops need to be treated as equal citizens for them to get sensitized to fellow citizens.

To reform the Judicial and Policing systems

The Indian judiciary should like the west encourage financial penalties as for crimes along with jail terms. By forwarding a slice of the punitive collection to cops as their incentive for bringing criminals to court, the income and inclinations of police personnel will deliver better sensitivity and efficacy. This solution to increment the livelihoods of Indian cops without widening the current account deficit of India. The volume of cases will drive policy makers to check growing depravity among fellow Indians, who are turning into criminals.

“This will cull corruption amongst the frontline police cadre and bring forth more cohesion amongst citizens and their protectors.”

The on-going PR crises of the Indian Police has deepened in the wake of the last few incidents in the last quarter, where those cops have allegedly been numb towards the victim and their families pain and instead fuelled their apathy by trying to subvert the episode. Incentivizing cops’ efforts to bring crime to book will shine a new ray of hope for this otherwise no-win and abysmal situation for Indian citizens with respect to the worsening of the already helpless law and order situation.

“The Aam Aadmi Party has evidently created a make-shift supplementary system for victims and their families to seek justice, and the whole system prima facie seems very democratic and functionally efficient. As such, solutions on frontline management of cases are not included in this letter.”

Logical Benefits

While the solutions defined above are holistic, we are reiterating only the salient benefits...

Sensitized Police Forces

With revised pay scales and more humane living conditions, cops will feel like equal citizens of the country, feeling the pain of fellow citizens flipping most to turn over leaf. Further, their lust for media recognition for their humanitarian feats on duty would be a further incentive. Thus, more genuine complainants would come forward for their assistance.

Crimes out of the closet

More crimes being registered always is a trigger to reform the respective laws that may be functionally toothless when seen as deterrents. Evolution of the judiciary is stagnant ever since they are only trying to cope with the large volume of impending cases rather than introspecting progressive and reforms to the laws as crimes evolve with demographic changes in the country.

Victims inclined to report cases

“More families will see reason in reporting cases, which has to be the first benchmark of success in this subject.”

Controlled depravity ratios

“With availability of affordable and legitimate sexual outlets, lesser volumes of depraved citizens will get perverted and women will feel safer.”

Reduced Trafficking of Women

Illicit trafficking of women and their abuse will reduce as official brothels will be governed, and even be a viable option for destitute women who opt for this trade voluntarily. They will finally be able to do so at their own terms and be assured of the clean and hygienic conditions, and be able to insist on safe sex methodologies and keep a fair share of their earnings and progress in their lives.

“If we can have government-run fair price shops, why not affordable brothels, is that more embarrassing than facing the option of brutal rapes of infant girls?”

Safer society for women and children

“Only perversion can make a minor a sex target. With release of sexual energies, our children will be safer, and needless to mention the women folk will be able to focus on progress rather than protection.”

End-of-Document

Needles V/s Haystacks - Ideas, Evolution and Future of Web Search

2012-09-05T19:10:00.000+05:30

Needles V/s The HayStack

( Evolution and future of Web Search )

Love Baronia

Sep 5, '12

My preposterous alter-ego and my abrupt journey through the world of academia kept me from being a member of the herd. Without being shackled by the grids that contain our vision, traps, I have always scoffed at the inertia of businesses to adapt to the evolving ethos they subsist within. Innovation has traditionally been the responsibility of the new entrants in the space or the inertia is shaken off only when competition threatens to take a slice of their pie.

In the case of online search, there is absence of serious competition yet.

The growth of the web is driven by ‘search’

Many realize the irony of how the prolific growth of Google continues to be the anchor dragging for the growth of ‘online search’ per se. An 80/20 slice of non-email net-usage purposes, the world wide web still reflects a majority of the net-users are still in the ‘discovery’ mode. This factoid predicts that search products would have been mainstream in this nascent stage of the internet. However, search products outside Google have not been able to make their mark. In effect, search per se has not evolved as dynamically as it needed to have. From a sector-perspective, the growth of the internet is directly dependent on the net’s ability to deliver more ergonomic and pointed search solutions.

Since, Google.com, the virtual monopoly of search has dictated the evolution of search globally, and as the thumb rule of growth goes, Google has done well for itself, but the growth and evolution of online ‘Online Search’ as a segment has suffered due to the lack of competition. This piece is NOT about how Google stifles every other search provider that has endeavoured into oblivion. Instead it is about reiterating that Online Search is the core sector of the gargantuan eco-space on the world wide web. Search is the lowest-common-denominator for the netspace.

Many have not recognized that the main unstated USP of Facebook was to be a smart and convenient platform to search for your all friends, colleagues and family that the modern-day life had estranged from users.

Factors affecting Online Search

Focus on Generic Search Products

Following Google’s lead all other search players have also tried to blindly straddle the entire spectrum of search instead of formulating products based on the ethos of the markets. The world we live in today is about borders, boundaries, classifications, categories, sections, factions…. I can go on and on. In a world where we grow up belonging to all of the above, if new Online Search businesses had tried to launch search platforms for niche or specific arena instead of being generic, they would have tasted success. Evincing you of this theory are the successes of Flickr.com (Image Search), Youtube.com (Video Search), LimeWire (For Music), Amazon (for Books) or even Facebook (for friends). Despite their success, the silicon valleys across the world are still to wake up about to the phenomenal potential for launching category-specific search platforms.

If this is not enough motivation, let us discuss some of the de-merits of generic online search which are now experience commonplace by veteran users of Google for online search….

Adulteration of authentic search due to the abuse of SEO by commercial enterprises.

Abuse by myopic SEO providers has cost Google, the very efficiency of online search sliding the delight value proposition that it earlier soared upon to dominate the online world.

First pages commercial influx

The first page premium is lost due to SEO abuse and that has taken away the ‘instant’ and ‘accurate’ gratifications from the users’ end-benefits. If Google had not kept competition from growing to their size, these factors would have had a visible impact on numbers.

Abuse of Key-words by SEO outfits for even unrelated sites

The cracks at the bottom of the Google ship that need to be plugged are the unscrupulous use of unrelated keywords by SEO providers, which ‘con’ searchers to unrelated sites adding to the fury of the searchers, costing Google the credibility that once the world swore by.

Days of Macro, all-pervasive online search only for the uninitiated

Generic search platforms like Google are increasingly reducing to becoming the kindergarten for newbies (read first-generation net users) logging on to the internet from the slower third world economies. Google is now a set of training wheels on the net bicycle the new net users want to learn riding the net on.

Contemporary Search initiatives

The people-driven eco-space does not take long to find solutions, contemporary web products are already revolutionizing online search, Wikipedia is another new-age avatar of online search, filling the growing void of ‘authentic’ search result and that being its core value proposition and thus straddling the first and second-generation users.

Even if Google is actually stifling competition, mountains like Google are not conquered in a day. The birth of new-age, ergonomic search platforms for specific categories will slowly chip away the solid rock to tunnel through the mountain of monopoly called Google.

Continue to watch this space for how the days of the hay-stacks are replaced by needle-scouting sensors.

Love Baronia.

Return to Happiness - Brand Wagon 2012

2012-05-17T17:57:00.001+05:30

Return

‘Happiness’

Old elixir, New media… for marketing brands in India

To understand this phenomenon from a marketing (consumer psychology) perspective, let us first recap key demographic changes impacting consumer psyche in India.

ü The poverty line is sinking down the Indian pyramid of consumers.

ü The 'have's v/s Have-not's ratio' is balancing more evenly from it’s polarised past.

ü The middle class burgeons with new migrant consumers rising from the bottom of the pyramid.

ü Consumer focus shifts from personal financial security to social issues.

ü Eroding emotional quotient in daily life creates unspent emotional energy

The Socio-Economic Factor . . .

Economies are being driven by new consumers with their fundamental securities in place, delight needs move outside the personal arena, room for selfless thought, create aspirations of giving and green living changing the priority tables of consumers.

Happiness through giving, sharing, and eco-conservation are the new aspirations, after realizing happiness attained by consuming goods and services is only transient, and that true happiness is in communal living, thus connecting dots of the like-minded creating a common subliminal ‘delight need’ in the huge mass of initiated consumers today.

With happiness being the gateway into other deeper elements such as empathizing, giving and sharing,

happiness is percolating amongst the wider TG (Target Groups)as the lowest common denominator.

Impact from changing Lifestyles and truncated EQ’s. . .

Since marketing is the science for consumer psyche, happiness is becoming the most effective value proposition in India. The erosion of emotions and happiness from audiences' lives, due to the following factors:

ü Growing indulgence with growing purchase power,

ü Indulgence in technology such as TV, the web & mobiles dominating waking hours.

ü Marginalised proximity with kith and kin

ü Proliferation of Nano and Nuclear family formats

The factors below create an emotional void due to unconsumed emotional energy, which then gets lured by larger causes and peeves of the world outside their own personal lives.

To conclude. . .

The science of consumer psychology has always had happiness high in the aspirations mix when creating messaging and value propositions. The role played by economic evolution thru the Indian demography has brought 'happiness' to the forefront in value propositions in brand communication these days, as it has become the key pulse (Lowest Common Denominator) amongst Indian emotions.

Few of the current ‘happy’ campaigns. . .

ü Coca-Cola (Open Happiness, A Happier Tomorrow),

ü Dominos (Khushiyon ki Home delivery),

ü BMW - (Joy is Timeless),

ü Cadbury's Chocolates (Pure Happiness, Pure Cadburyness),

ü Moser Baer (Hello Happiness)

ü Expedia.co.in (Happy Hour, Every Hour)

ü Raghu Dixit Project – ‘Harbinger of Happiness’

Parting Thought . . .

Last, but far from the least, Raghu Dixit Project is being seen as the ‘Harbingers’ of Happiness, as their music is about stopping and enjoying the happiness you find, instead of only chasing it. The positive energy Raghu exudes through his music further catalysed but simple yet deep lyrics, and the amazing accompaniment by their latest find Parth on the flute, ooze cheer and happiness all around.

Now, let's hear what you have to say . . .

If u'd like to share this analysis, you can share on fb, twitter or mail this to a friend.

Ride the Surf - New Dot Com Ideas and Opportunities NOT for the near-sighted!

2011-08-11T14:33:00.001+05:30

Cheers !

To all those who seek to win their daily bread and butter from Indian Netizens!

Most literate Indians have FB accounts, use electronic banking, download forms and documentation for all govt. liaison their social and professional lives involve.

Surfing trends and online activities are evolving as new migrants enter the online space in India. Social Networking, Smart Phones and the growth of PC penetration are the constant drivers of evolution in net usage trends.

Even our tardy Government offices are waking up to the proliferation of net users in India and are now beginning to get on the online bus to become more efficient. The Passport Office, The Electorate Office, The Unique ID (Aadhar Card), Nationalised Banks are all pulling up their socks. eTax filing is a sign of the times.

The burgeoning Indian economy has spiralled the spread, of the Indian online eco-space. The density of Pc’s, smart mobiles and their web connectivity across the literate demographies in India, are radically evolving the consumption grids. While all this has been happening, we continue to analyze markets and grids using tools which became antiquated over a decade ago.

Factors triggering new trends & opportunities in the Indian e-space:

· Changing surfing and networking trends of Indian netizens,

· The rapid inclusion of new migrants to the web space in India,

· The faster pace of learning catapulted by info-sharing on social networks

· Smart phones adding to the web hours of netizens

· New netizen sub-groups

An incisive look into each of these factors would show us that we have been using dated periscopes to check the depth and environment of the web space around us. Ecommerce and networking are dinosaur ideas if they are not used as components and tools and not the whole.

The new latent areas of development have been engagement through niche interests and needs. Delight needs are more secure, but the new stated needs in the market space are the first indicators to attract focus audiences and focus advertisers.

Not only is this more lucrative in today’s evolving times, it is also more affordable.

Healthcare Opportunities …

On the W.W.Web is one key example today is,

While there are millions of organized and unorganized players saturating the space in common goods and services, how many domestic B2C sites cater to healthcare needs of Indian patients with common lifestyles diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiac Issues, Respiratory Disorders, Acidity, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Thyroid. Other potential healthcare areas are Pregnancy & Infant care, Paliative Care, Sports Medicine, Skin Disorders and Ageing, Cosmetic Surgery.

There are a huge number of OTC brands and products (free-to-purchase) approved by FDA that have the permissions and budgets to spend millions on their products. A few examples of OTC Products in India would be Eno Antacid, Disprin, Triple Cal/ShellCal, Johnson & Johnsons, Pampers, Procter & Gamble, we can go on and on with the names. Ayurvedic products have also gained traction in the last few years amongst the otherwise rigid western medicine loyalists. Homeopathic brands like Dr. Batra are reporting growth at a scorching pace. Last, but not the least, are private hospitals, hospices and clinics which are hungry for share-of-voice in this space.

Also medical tourism is one key domain trigger that has drawn the attention of MNC Healthcare brands to the Indian sub-continent. There may be some revenue to juice out from there as well.

Currently, when you search for the above domains, you will see the potential when you notice, like many of us did, that MNC players are milking this space and in fact Indian hits make a very large slice of their audience.

To evince the skeptics in you of the validity of these opportunities, I will post research stats on specific lifestyle diseases.

How to engage?

Today, the new patients of lifestyle diseases are more than interested in staying updated with information regarding their illnesses and new research and medicines are seen as a transient panacea for their subsistence.

Forming clubs which receive weekly news letters, and renowned specialists available at their fingertips for second third or generic advice are the keys to success of these sites. There is much more one can do to engage the database of users on your site. However, too many apples a day, will surely make the doctor a very rich guy.

Would appreciate if readers added value to this forum, and we can together lead with identifying new grids and not follow the west as usual. Thanks, God Bless.

Join Media protest - Mid-Day Journo 'Akela' 's unjust arrest under OSA Act 4 exposg RPF lapses

2011-05-20T12:00:00.002+05:30

MiD DAY reporter jailed for exposing Railway lapses

By: MiDDAY

Date: 2011-05-19

(Case Text from Mid-Day's published article)
IN what can be construed as an assault on the freedom of the press, MiD DAY reporter Tarakant Dwivedi, better known as Akela, has been put behind bars by the CST Government Railway Police (GRP) for exposing the poor condition in which hi-tech weapons procured after the 26/11 attack were being kept by the railway security forces.

The article published in Mumbai Mirror ('Leaks in CST armoury put new anti-terror arms under threat', June 28, 2010), where Akela used to work before joining MiD DAY, stated that all the new arms and ammunition were stored in a dank, decrepit room, where water was dripping from the roof and damaging them.

Akela, a veteran journalist with more than 15 years of experience under his belt, had reported on the issue in public interest and the article had shaken the railway security forces out of their slumber and had even resulted in the transfers of a few senior officials.

Clearly, however, this article, and others before it, rubbed some officials in high places the wrong way, for one Pradeep Sontalia tried to file a complaint against Akela, a policeman and one more person with the CST GRP for trespassing into the Arms Koth (armoury) of the Cash Guard Section in connection with the article in September that year.

When they refused to take his complaint, Sontalia went to the Railway Court, which directed the GRP to inquire into the case and an FIR was finally registered against the three people under Section 447 (trespassing) of the IPC.

Later Sontalia went to the GRP again, asking for the trio to be booked under the draconian Official Secrets Act as they had got into a government armoury.

But, since he was told that only government officials could file a case under this act, he went to the Railway Police Force (RPF) and got one of its officers to file a case on his behalf. Later, the court asked the police to investigate the case under the Official Secrets Act although it was not mentioned in the first FIR.

Arrest
On Tuesday evening, GRP officials came to the MiD DAY office in Parel to inquire about Akela. They took him to the GRP police station saying they wanted to take his statement, but, later that night, arrested him claiming he was accused of trespassing and of violating the provisions of the Official Secrets Act.

No papers
Akela was supposed to be produced in the Railway Court early last morning but constables kept telling MiD DAY that the papers they needed to submit before the honourable judge were not ready. When we went to the investigating officer, however, he said that he had already sent the papers. We even spotted a constable standing with the papers near the court but not producing them before the judge, leading us to conclude that the process was deliberately being delayed.

ACP in lock-up?
Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Mahabole, who has no jurisdiction under the railways as he is associated with the city police, allegedly walked into the lock-up before the hearing had started.

He met Akela and said, "I wanted to see you here." He made some more comments and then instructed a constable to keep a tab on the people visiting Akela and to note down their details.

Akela has been remanded in police custody till May 21.

Readers, if you have reached the bottom of this story, and would like to support the protest regarding his unjust arrest, under an inappropriate Offical Secrets Act. Kindly leave a comment, share this on ur fb account, retweet this link and follow this space to be informed by mail of any on-ground events that are planned to protest this hideous act bu the Railways Police Force.

Peace & love,

Love Baronia.

A win-for-all solution on the Ayodhya Dispute for the SC Judges

2011-05-15T02:06:00.001+05:30

A simple solution to the Ayodhya Angst

Since eternity, politicians have looked for pegs to invoke common emotional brouhahas to integrate commoners and use them for their vested interests in the space. Even on Ayodhya, the politicos have instilled the fear of another ensuing communal catastrophe, to keep us civil Indians nervous and away from the fantacism.

However, technology has transformed democracy, no longer is it constrained to be a cumbersome process to choose ur country's fate every 5 years. We, the literate, urban, rationalist Indians have not just been empowered by RTI, PIL, we now have convenience in participating without disrupting our lives through blogs, facebook, Twitter. Anna Hazare's campaign gained traction online and on cell phones more than the TV channels.

So, let us view the Ayodhya dispute as an opportunity to end our third-world vulnerability to cower under the almost obsolete religion distinction, let us put our money where our "humanity first" mouths have been.

Centuries-old documents hazing the clarity on the case, no decision would be 100%, so we recommend a Korean auto brand's line, "When we can't change the rules, we change the game".

The Solution even God would have wanted....
On the disputed plot of land, we recommend a state-of-the-art hospital or school be built which would be free for the poor and needy from all religions and races. Asking all religious associations, groups and parties to donate for the same, would make for the making of a truly secular modern India monument for the world to see and follow as an example of productive thinking and harmonious living in commune.

A win-win solution for all

Being a religion-proof solution, with all earning credit in the wholesomeness of the cause, and even fundamentalist parties have now resolved to secular as the popular stance, we expect all to amicably agree to the SC suggestion/directive.

If u read this far, and support the idea, pl leave a comment as this space, will be presented as a cumulative legal opinion of modern India on the dispute, for the Judges of the Supreme Court to appraise and analyse before reaching a decision. Your support can end this century-old debacle, once and for all!

As a rationalist thinking responsible citizen, do at least ur li'l bit of the following.

Leave a comment, tweet it, post this link on ur fb acccount, whatever u can do, to give the endorsement of the civil literate fair side of India a voice, with a simple yet sweet solution. Help make this a movement, creating a precedent for the world to follow from India.

Praying for support,

May Humanity Prevail over Distinction,
Common sense over communal catastrophe,
Peace & love,

Love Baronia

Dell and their myopia

2011-05-03T09:53:00.000+05:30

Dell and their myopia in their Indian vision

Word-of-mouth makes Dell the perception leader, and gratification achiever amongst all PC users in India. However, the brand has been doing li'l to join the dots and make a large canvas out of it. I am not going to assume teh cliche of complacency, they clearly are too busy upgrading their products to keep the gratification of buyers high with evolution.

Since, it is considered the best product technically, and quality-wise in India, it is already poised the premium "Intel Inside" stable. And the premium labelling need not be seen as a price push pointer, I am probably referring to the "Bata" kind of attributes, where quality met fair pricing, which is what I find in Dell's products. So, it can be perceived as premium with fair pricing.

Sometimes, the glory and compliments need to be pronounced to create the halo of tertiary ovation, which Dell is completely oblivious about, for some reason. Here are some ideas -

Scholarships which offer 60% discount to the university's Top 100 every year in every genre of education.

Dell Scholarships that assist meritorious graduates in attaining admissions in the right B-schools or coveted engg institutions.

Dell reserve quota in premier educational institutions for meritorious students.

Launch of Dell's self-owned premier scholarships/Institutes on design, development and animation.

Dell creative cafes, very premium kiosks for most Dell users to sit and work, as the entrepreunial spirit grows.

A Testimonial contest amongst existing owners on what makes Dell their choice and the best.

A testimonial campaign among technocrat celebrity users of Dell products, to endorse Dell not just as a popular choice, but the intelligent conscious choice.

A Dell achiever of the year promotion, which commemorates the achievements of entreprenuers, professionals or students in any space who are also Dell users.

These are just some of the Ideas, that can be rendered thru ATL procured or editorial media to append the pixie dust and integrate user pride in the brand.

Wake up Dell and get a pair of our lenses, to see all the opportunities sitting right under our noses.

Is "Narrow Casting" the nextgen solution for media?

2011-03-30T08:44:00.000+05:30

Hi,

After decades of looking for spillage-safe solutions in Media to optimize the mileage of the marketing Rupee, the rigidity in the media space has maintained the polarization of popular generic products, or B2B products, which still elude the consumer. There are few products that have garnered a healthy bunch of enthusiasts, who are happy reading developments in the space of their interest.

If brands are able to decipher which are the products or services being used by their potential consumers, why aren't they reaching out to them through media vehicles designed only for those pointed audiences, which clearly have the need, the resources, interest and inclination in their product.

A lot of brand crafters will say, we do, we DM them!

But isn't DM an entirely different story again, the thorn-laden route of the "unsolicited material", not to mention that the sudden conversion of the middle class into lusty consumers of most things money can buy, has increased the volumes of each such niche segment. Not just geographic scatter, the sheer volumes don't make DM an effective medium anymore.

The future of media marketing, according to me shall be narrow casting to interested users, through media vehicles which take the pain to understand the psyche, needs, delights and pains of that audience, so that they can male a connect with those readers, and expect to sustain the periodic communication.

Only then can you start thinking on monetizing the vehicle, that reaches a very focussed and typical audience with common characteristics, buying needs and behaviour.

With DM losing it's cost-efficiency and it's appeal value, the future is narrow casting of specialised products for audiences with specific needs.

The distinctions need to also be revamped from the new-third-world perspective, the regular distinguishers need to give away to newer more incisive and accurate grade-breakers, which will functionally categorize the groups and cater to them.

Finally, an example, about fifteen auto magazines are in the marketplace, and all are difficult to distinguish from each other, unless the dateline of the page reads you the name, they are creating and publishing to be eligible in their peers. All have common sections, different names and packaging, common information, rendered in slightly different styling.

I have one simple question, "If you love automobiles, is it not understood that the road tripping will be a never-ending fantasy, and so is the need to be updated on motorsport." However, most Indian Auto products are generic with sections devoted to motorsport and a travelogue thrown in once every other month.

There are enough clubs mushrooming in various parts of India on road tripping, and the manufacturers themselves are initiating various social products for their customers from different segments (The C, D segments).

We see a future of products which will be focussed at magazines for each specific segment of buyers, woven into the ethos of their lifestyles and priorities, which also decide the periphery of their fantasies.

Without finding a niche, the auto space will also go the way other sectors have gone, multiplicity is good, but just how much multiplicity is the question before, niches are found and established.

The auto space like any other nascent media segment has a lot to offer to all products on and offline, only if they do not crowd a common space, cannabilising into a small promiscious space of readers, when there is room for all to find secure niches with more specific and loyal patronage.

This is where narrow casting becomes a mantra again, when catering to niches, publishers need to be more efficient and accurate, as low volumes do not allow a large margin for error, and thus profiling the ethos, lifestyles and buying behaviour of not just media products, but all else, wil help publishers understand the universe of advertisers they can tote along with their products much more definitively.

So the way to go in most eco-spaces today is "narrow".

Pl add value to this forum and let us take this to a more tangible space.

Thanks & Cheers,

Love Baronia.

9819015077

ideas27@gmail.com

Open Letter to US President Obama from India on simple solutions and policy reforms to revive and balance the US Economy.

2009-02-18T15:22:00.000+05:30

To,

Mr. President, (Barrack Hussain Obama)

The White House,

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington DC 20500

This is the open letter sent to President Obama from us in India on simple solutions and policy reforms to revive and balance the US Economy.

Dear Mr. President (OBAMA),

At the outset, congratulations on taking on "The world’s biggest Challenge" for the next five years. Like the whole world, which sees you as a fresh breath of air for the US eco-system, I also hope that you too believe that most problems and the challenges they pose are soluble using simple common sense invoked solutions. I am no economist, but common sense and logic helped me see a simple solution to solve multiple yet salient problems in the US of A using the clinical third-persons’ perspective.

To start with, the proposed idea not only solves the problems listed below, it will also auto-solve the by-problems that are created:

Economic slowdown
Growing Unemployment
Continuing Recession
Growing crime and drug abuse problems

Since the solution lies in the problem itself, it is important to see the problem from another perspective and analyze the root causes of the US Economic Crises.

Dependency on Import from other countries:

USA's new-found socio-economic vulnerability is due to it's dependence on other countries for both products and services. The US consumers' dollars have gradually converted many poverty-stricken economies into large consumer markets, earlier non-existent in the Global consumer pie. Growing globalization has crystallized the rest-of-the-world into a gigantic market, larger than the US which was originally the biggest consumer market in the world, weakening the USD, the erstwhile universal trade currency denominator.

The Price-sensitive myopia -

To commercially survive in the heavily taxed and excessively competitive US Marketplace, US enterprises had no option but to offshore jobs and production to maintain profitability thus, further weakening the US economy. Consequently, as any weak economic space, US markets also became price-centric, propagating import of low-quality low-priced products from Asian markets, especially China. Chinese import also increased US’s indirect contribution to the global carbon footprint. (US is aanyways teh largest poluuting nation in the world, and not due to it's size or industry, due to it's negligence to green issues)

Paradoxic Laws and Lack of Vision in Economic Reforms -

While rigid and stringent regulations and taxes choked domestic entrepreneurs, au contraire, the laws of the land did not apply to import of sub-standard products from countries using non-ecological and polluting processes, exploiting labour, even child labour. This paradox in the legislations and the core values worked counter-productively on domestic entrepreneurs, discouraging new and existing entrepreneurs and impacting enterprise performance and employment.

Drowning in their own credit -

In the Good old days, USA was a super-power with the largest bullion reserves. Today despite (as hearsay claims) the fact that, the ex-chequer does not print currency in proportion to the Gold deposits in the Federal Reserve Bank, and that they print as often, as much as they desire, the crisis is till imminent. It is the obsessive hunger for rapid growth which intensely promoted the credit-based economy, so wide-spread, that the Super-Power of the world has reduced to mortgage packets that would occupy half of New York City. The once cash-rich country has undone itself, due to it’s own impatience with growth pace.

The full-circle theory applies to economy as well, albeit slowly, and as credit-laden consumers keep jobs only for pay-backs, there is little cash or security left in their lives, this has made their decisions extremely price-centric for all their consumable purchases. Inferior foreign (read Asian) goods of inferior quality became popular, making nations such as China richer.

Offshoring to Survive -

The lack of adequate and visionary reforms in economic laws left entrepreneurs with no option, but to outsource jobs to cheaper labour nations like India, Indonesia and Africa.

The key differentiators that have driven this migration of jobs and production are the most ironic, and thus Dollars out of the country to the third-world are low capital costs, low cost English speaking skilled/unskilled manpower.

Irony of Language, Labour and Unemployment -

Uncannily, this was a problem created by US themselves, by their rigid labour laws and thus costs and high capital costs. There has never been a dearth of English speaking population in the United States. Just like the Government promotes recruitment in the army for young Americans, they could train students on Computer programming which is not astro-science really, and stop the exodus of jobs to Asia. And most importantly, even when we outsource jobs to native Africans, the government failed to wake up even then and see that there were enough African Americans which could be made eligible if trained and employed in a special reformed economic environment.

I call it ironic because, the entire world including us, focused on learning the language English because, US, being the Global super-power English was now the “Universal Business Language”. And third-world countries learnt English to be able to conduct commerce with the large consumer market of the US. It is ironic that the same US, needs to outsource jobs which require “English Speaking Skills” to the same third-world countries, despite a majority of Americans being fluent in the language, and a large chunk of them reeling under debt due to unemployment.

Solutions:

Pointed Reforms to solve Wide Problems -

US even today has abundant resource of unused horizontal space in the up-country areas and in the southern states where barren rocky landscape is wide-spread. With this abundant space, if the legislation were to activate Special Economic Zones to promote enterprises to start producing goods and services under special taxation regulations earmarked for these SEZ’s, the same toys and ITeS would be home-grown, and would start revitalizing the domestic economy through the large volumes. And just like we have seen the third-world transform into the developing world while producing Goods and services for American consumers, the SEZ enterprises would also create more jobs, more allied enterprises there from, thus compensating the SEZ’s loss of taxes and reliefs from the voluminous tax revenue generated by the newly employed and new enterprises. The taxes individually may be rebated, but the volumes will compensate. All this, while also becoming lesser dependent on foreign states for their own goods and services.

Stub mediocre imports and prepare for Carbon Credit Economy era -

With relaxed labour norms and tax rates, more enterprises would become viable, and the US could start competing with Asian prices, albeit with better Quality Control. Also, considering that the Carbon Credits would again become the global currency in the world, consuming nations will have far lesser control over regulating their Carbon credits, and it would be the manufacturing nations which have state-of-the art ecological means and methods that would assume the dominant positions in the world, as they would be able to incentivize and contribute to larger deposits of Carbon credits. Also, lead the global campaign on banning of goods made in non-green plants or using exploited labour, to curb the propagation and sale of sub-standard products in the world.

Enough Growth, now consolidate, Bring back the reality of Cash –

Only when you pay in cash, do you pay really sensibly and shop responsibly. Americans are in the rut, that they got themselves into because of the trend of predating purchases, that could not be able to afford for years to come. They spend the rest of their lives repaying and re-borrowing to repay, and thus there is no security, the moment they lose their income, making the economy brittle and vulnerable. This vulnerability has made the once-confident Americansinto nervous wrecks who act only out of insecurity as the third-world used to till the recent past. Mass job losses spell doom more in America than anywhere else in the world. With cashing out culture, returning, America would hae gone the full circle of being a cash-rich and independent super-power.

Show the power of colour – Black and brown with white collars

Finally, the African American and Asian population has always constituted the larger chunk of unemployed Americans sect, and that is explained due to their limited education leading to lesser white collar jobs. Mr. President, if you viewed the African American and lesser income groups of America as the third world nation and formulated Training SEZ’s, which allowed them to learn specific skills for their vocational objectives, such as Computer Programming, Craftsmanship etc., you have the single largest potential workforce waiting to be converted in your own country. And needless to mention, crime rates and drug running would substantially reduce. This would also take care of both the other large problems concerning the US, underlying racism and terrorism. With more Asians being moderated by education and employment, little room remains for radical fervour, which is nothing but idle unspent energy bottled up, which when spiked with religious or racist instincts unleashes the fury of doom being witnessed across the globe.

If Indian, Indonesians and Chinese who barely speak English, are able to perform at ITeS jobs, and Call Center Jobs, so can the African Americans. As Such, all the resources lie right here in your land, what keeps you from them is the maze of laws, regulations which have not evolved to the current proportions of have’s and have-not’s, making these laws quite obsolete and quite like anchors dragging the feet of development and Growth of Unites States of America.

“Lead from the Front, Mr. Obama”, Bring US to the full circle -

Lastly, Mr. President, as it is said in all motivational communication, “Lead from the Front!” eradicate racism, regionalism, terrorism, recession, unemployment, and crime with the powers vested in you by the people of America and media from across the world. Reform laws to employ the unemployed and motivate new enterprise, train, educate and employ the colours weaving them to into the social fabric of the US, promote realistic and patient lifestyles to make the country cash-rich and a super-power again. Give to the Americans the liberty the lady of the constitution promised them, and bring America to a full circle. I wish you all the very Best.

This letter has been mailed to the White House as well, and we await feedback.

Meanwhile, I invite your comments, even if knee-jerk on the above problems and solutions from all those who read this post. Comments help us write better. Thank You for reading. I would start believing in the blogspot medium the most, if I were to see a post from the White House.

Love Baronia.

(Not an Economist)

The new seamless sphere in Management

2008-06-25T03:35:00.000+05:30

Love Baronia.

Hi and welcome,
As global economies down-shift gears, enterprises and brands already spread thin by fierce competition will now be forced to stretch the mileage of the marketing dollar further. The fast-evolving markets demand equally quicker analyses and vision to stay ahead and get the beginner's advantage.

We will try to discuss one such large concept that subsists in the new-age marketing and management space, albeit is still evolving and is yet to crystallize into an icon. We use the term coming a full circle very often, whilst discussing evolution. The full circle statement is what holds the key of management for tomorrow. Because, it is the nature of the circle itself, which is the way forward for all of us, and that is seamless management, just as the circle, which will cease to be, if not seamless.

Current real-life examples of the evolution of seamless management are evident in most mature businesses today. Publishing for example, editorial and marketing heads work together to target and aim before any of them shoot. While marketers provide input on the potential advertising opportunities which may arise from adapting certain specific content ideas. The same works vice-a-versa, when a preview of the editorial content decides the marketers' pitch. Art departments spend almost half their time, designing prototypes or dummies for the ad-man to sample with advertisers. The breaking barriers between departments at the core level is what we are referring to as seamless management.

The seamless factor is not just limited to departments within an organization, even rigid black and white definitions of many trades have changed. For instance, using the same publishing example, the editorial space earlier believed to be sacred, legitimately creates opportunities for advertisers to find their way in, often using the contextual alibi. Advertorials of yester-years have now been adapted to editorial content sponsored by a contextual brand. In-film advertising is one of the most common examples to showcase this trend of diminishing lines, or do I say seams both internally as well as externally.

Competitors too come together in the seamless age, the under-sea cables is the biggest example. If infrastructure of capital limits enterprises to tap on a cognisable market, they do not even mind coming together.

Rising customer interaction from research to trial to after-sales feedback, shows how the line between the enterprise and the end-user is also fast disappearing. Multi-level-Marketing programs are the best example on how users are now also partners.

Finally, the lines between owners, management and employees are also fast diminishing with stock options, sweat equity, etc. becoming commonplace. Democratic ideas and feedback sharing systems exist in almost enterprises today, showing how every component of the enterprise is fusing into a whole.

We can go on deciphering new-age environment and it's evolving seamlessness, however, the idea behind mooting this futuristic ideology was to then using this universal tool of Seamless Management, ideate on sectors, projects and brands that could do better, if they used the seamless perspective in their corporate vision and marketing strategies therefrom.

I will leave this post with one such suggestion. From the word go, brand management differentiation. I propose to reverse that very same fundamental theory. While, we have fragmented the market for our own convenience, the fusing of some of the volume segments, and now positioning brands and products as universal and thus suitable for a wider straddle of audiences using the identification route. Even before you discard this theory, here's a thought if this theory worked for insurance and cement companies, why not for pens, apparel, footwear.
The new-age fragmented markets themselves indicate the same, the reducing gap between socio-economic classes, and the slow-down will drive many brands to down-shift and focus on new products and brands positioning to appeal to the more obese segments by introducing products that appeal to a wider spectrum of buyers, the days of the niche are numbered.

Market fragmentation is just pre-cursor to fusing the seams into a whole. We recommend subscribers and challengers of this seamless concept, mention their perspectives or applications of their theories using specific brands or market segments to make it both interesting and beneficial to all visitors here.

Love Baronia.