Got time to Blog......

Generations Unfold...

2009-03-24T21:24:00.003+05:30

Closing voiceover by Mohinder Suresh in Heroes (Season 3 Episode 19) :

Generations unfold — father to son, mother to daughter. Where one leaves off, the other follows, destined to repeat each other's mistakes, each other's triumphs. For how do we see the world if not through their lens? The same fears, the same desires? Do we see them as an example to follow, or as a warning of what to avoid? Choosing to live as they have, simply because it's what we know, or driven to create one's own identity? And what happens when we find them to be a disappointment? Can we replace them? Our mothers, our fathers? Or will destiny find a way to drive us back? Back to the familiar comforts of home?

Know where you are

2009-02-06T00:06:00.006+05:30

Knowing your destination or end-point is not enough to reach that place. There is one more thing that you need to know, which is also as important as knowing your destination.

Any guesses?

Your starting-point, your source. Without having a clue about where you currently are, there is no way you can figure out yourself how to reach the destination. The only solution to reach your goal, in that case, would be to ask for directions. You could be very very near to your destination or maybe miles away from it. But you don't know that, because you don't know where you are currently. Hence, you could just blindly follow directions as given by others and hope to reach the end-point.

So, the next time you are lost, instead of asking for directions, you should ask them where you are. Ask them where you are, how far you are from your destination, how much time and efforts will it take to reach there, and then ask them how do you reach that place? Once you know accurately where you stand, where ever you are, you will be able to make better decisions on road to reach your goal.

Random Quotes: Business

2009-02-05T02:03:00.001+05:30

Operating a Business doesn't come with a manual

- Rishi Agarwal

Random Quotes : People and Egos

2009-01-15T00:24:00.003+05:30

Its the ego that inflates our tiny self in this world.

- Rishi Agarwal

Random Quotes : Life

2009-01-15T00:21:00.001+05:30

We are small people but our lives are big.

- Rishi Agarwal

Survival of Art

2008-12-14T15:55:00.001+05:30

If you have read my previous blogs, you would know that my favourite book (and movie) till now is The Lord of The Rings. I read the book recently and loved it (more than the movie itself). The 3-volume novel was launched in 1954 and is still one of the most read books today. What could be the reason behind this ?

The answer lies in the fact that the book is truly a great piece of story-telling. It's a fantasy novel, and there are many more, but the reason this book excels is because people have something to learn from this book. Be it 1960, 1970, or even 2010, whenever you read this book, you can relate to any character, their actions and the surroundings they are in which led them to their action. And the best part is, if you read this book after a gap of 10 years, you will infer the book in a different manner, according to the situation you are in. Kids and adults of this generation read the book and love it as they can relate to the book.

I finished watching the great epic Mahabharat (1988) made by Late. Mr. B.R. Chopra and his son Mr. Ravi Chopra. I will write a detailed review on it later, but in brief, it was amazing. Its the best Indian TV series to date, and I think the same can be said even later. People have told me that back then in 1988, when the series used to air at morning 9 AM on Sundays, roads were deserted, people post-poned their gatherings and literally everyone were glued to their TV for 1 hour. And now I quite believe them.

I found the same thing in the series. I have not read the epic-book 'Mahabharat', but I am sure it will also be amazing in the art of story-telling. With its variety of characters and their actions, you are compelled to take a leaf out of the book and compare yourself to it, in some manner, at any point of time.

Some work of art lives through ages. It survives because people of any age at any time are able to deduct something from it for themselves. They can feel that the art speaks for them. Maybe thats why there are many old songs which are heard by this generation too. Even though the piece of art belonged to an era, it survives the passage of time as the newer generation is ready to accept it in their lives.

If you know of any other work like these, please let me know. I would love to try it.

Powerless (Say What You Want)

2008-10-29T00:53:00.000+05:30

I like Nelly Furtado's song - Powerless (Say what you want) - the remix version by Josh . Been listening to it since long time.
The lyrics goes something like this :

Cuz this life is too short to live it just for you
But when you feel so powerless what are you gonna do
But say what you want
Say what you want.

People do that a lot! I have observed many people do the same thing, when they feel powerless. They cannot bear what is happening around them and if the person feels he/she cannot control the situation he is in, he ends up taking a drastic action. This action doesn't even help improving his/her situation. For example, some go in depression, some go on a killing spree, some commit suicide, some end up hurting others, etc. No one gets affected, life goes on, except for the person who was feeling powerless.

For me, this is wrong. Take actions which elevate your position from being powerless to powerful. A man with power or in a powerful state can do far better things than him being in a powerless state. Divert all your actions to change your situation. I know its difficult. The reason you are feeling powerless is that you don't know how to change your situation. But there is always a way out. Start analyzing your situation, how you got yourself into it, and how to get out of it. Think wisely, analyze hard.

This might be dogmatic, but I believe it will atleast prevent someone from taking a drastic, unnecessary action. Any comments ?

Its That Time Of The Year Again

2008-10-26T18:47:00.000+05:30

Its the month of festivals. Started with Navratri, then Dushera and finally Diwali (I am sure I have missed something). If there is any season when you should forget all your worries, its now. Literally. How else do you plan to enjoy this festive season. It feels great looking at other people enjoying the season with their close ones. And here I am worrying about my ceaselessly growing belly. That too now! There is other time for this - like January (after Christmas of course ;) ). For now, just eat all the goodies and bask in the fervor. That should be the motto. Yup, and it is. Starting now...

Simon And Garfunkel

2008-10-18T00:05:00.003+05:30

Listening to Simon And Garfunkel after a long time. Their songs like 'Scaraborough Fair', 'El Condor Pasa', 'Cecilia' are some of my favorites. For me, their music takes you to a different time.

There are many songs, pictures which take you to a different place and time when you hear or see them. Some ring a familiarity at the back of your head reminding you of something . And its a different pleasure altogether to experience it.

Thank You For Calling, Have A Nice Day

2008-10-03T00:10:00.002+05:30

I just called Airtel Customer Care to register my Home Landline for National Do Not Call (NDNC). When I say 'just called', I meant I called them at midnight (too busy to do these things during the day!). I called from my house in Pune, India and am sure the call was received by some Indian working at some call center in India. He asked for my landline number and where I am calling from. Anyways, it took hardly 1 minute to do that, and there were no issues in getting that done, but at the end of the call, the fellow at the other end wishes me 'Thank you for calling Airtel, Have a Nice Day'. You see where I am getting at ? For God's sake, its midnight, you know I am from Pune, why can't you just wish me good night, instead of wishing me a good day. I guess a IVRS might do a better job at it (you just need to program it to wish a customer according to the time he/she is calling).

I know all these BPO operations are a huge source of revenue and employment generation for India. It has changed the whole demography of many small towns and Tier-II cities. We have better spending power now. It has given a rise to all malls mushrooming all over India, which in turn generates more jobs. Good for us! But then we don't use our common sense any more. Even though the guy from Airtel who recieved my call was trained to say 'Thank you for calling...', I think he should have wished me good night. But thats not the way it is.

My Blog has its own URL !!!

2008-09-24T19:00:00.013+05:30

Yes. If you are reading this on my blog (and not through a RSS feed), then you will notice that the URL in your address bar is http://blog.rishiagarwal.in.

I never believed in all this domain business, but lately I realized you need to have your identity in the online world, some sort of presence in the virtual world. After you meet people at social gatherings or after networking with people, some might want to go back and know more about you. They might want to contact you. Some might need your help after a few weeks and they might just remember your name. In today's world, they will go online and search you (on LinkedIn or Facebook) or else just google you. And the best way to be found online (other than blogs) is to have your own website + a good URL.

So now I have my own domain - rishiagarwal.in, which cost me a lot, as the .com one was not available (even after requesting), and .in (India) ones are double the cost of .com domains. A .com domain is the most preferable, as thats what started it all. But apparently, these country code Top Level Domains (ccTLD) like .in, .us, .uk are more expensive than the generic .com one. Searching on Godaddy, I found that the most expensive international domain is .jp ( Japan ). I guess I paid quite less compared to some 'Rishi Agarwal' from Japan who will have to shell out $99.99/yr for rishiagarwal.jp :)

Note : Only http://blog.rishiagarwal.in works and points to my old blog http://darkcloud84.blogspot.com. I have not put up any website yet, hence http://rishiagarwal.in will take you to 'Work In Progress' page.

Cleaning Up

2008-09-19T00:51:00.003+05:30

Everyone takes out time to clean up some stuff around them. Re-organize things. Like your desk, cupboard, etc. At times, it happens often, or once in a blue moon. But, it gives you a sense of satisfaction that you are able to organize your life and put things around you the way you want it to be.

When I was less than 10, I used to clean up ( rather re-organize ) my comics collection once a while.
Then after 10, I started cleaning my study table. This used to happen often, with my table littered with books all around and stacks piling up within a week.
Then I got to cleaning my cupboard, giving out old clothes to the needy.
During college, cleaning of my books and project stuff used to happen after every semester. To be frank, that was one of the best pleasures, to put those course materials away hoping to never see them again ;-)

And today, I cleaned my Home Desktop... Phew !

I wonder which story our we in ?

2008-09-06T00:22:00.009+05:30

Contains Spoiler from Lord Of the Rings

There is this awesome excerpt from Lord of The Rings. It involves a chat between Sam and Frodo in the chapter 'The Stairs of Cirith Ungol' from The Two Towers, contemplating what they have got themselves into.

Now recently, there has been this trend of publishing your status message through Twitter, Facebook , Google Talk and other IMs. I wanted to put up this excerpt from the book on any one of these applications' . I could basically type it out from the book, but as I said, it was too long. So, I searched, and found this one more useful website Wikiquote from Wikimedia Foundations ( the guys who came with Wikipedia ) .

So, finally, I got my favourite quote from that site ( Give it a try, its really good ) . But couldnt publish it anywhere because of its size and I really didn't want to cut it down. So here I am , publishing it where I can type anything, without any limits, without any boundaries.

Anyways, enough of history, here is the quote :

'I don't like anything here at all.' said Frodo, 'step or stone, breath or bone. Earth, air and water all seem accursed. But so our path is laid'

We shouldn't be here at all, if we'd known more about it before we started. But I suppose it's often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually — their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on — and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same — like old Mr Bilbo. But those aren't always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen into?

Now since this is my blog, I would like to add the same quote from the Lord of The Rings : The Two Towers movie ( though it occurs in a different setting ) . The same quote is a bit modified, but nevertheless, it sounds awesome and becomes the perfect climax scene for the movie because of the ingenious direction by Peter Jackson

Here it goes :

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end... because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going... because they were holding on to something.

My thoughts about Lord of The Rings : here and here

How good a movie is for me ?

2008-07-23T17:51:00.009+05:30

I saw The Dark Knight few days back. I was not shielded from all the hype around the movie. I hate it. Of course I was desperate to watch it, from the moment I saw Batman Begins. And at the end of the movie, when Gordon informs Batman about a new criminal named Joker, I knew the next movie will be a class in its own. But I avoid being involved in the hype till I dont watch the movie myself. So anyways, I saw The Dark Knight, came out of the theater, content.

These are the factors according to me for considering how good a movie is :

I come out of the theater , and have no words to describe it. Speechless. I dont know what to reply when people ask me " how was the movie ? " . I dont know what to say after coming out of the theater. Everything in the movie is so perfect, that you would just want to savour the moment. Something like eating a very well made Dessert/Dish, which everyone just savours and avoids talking for the time they enjoy it and after that.
I would want to watch it again in theater. Considering the busy lives we have, its difficult to catch a movie one more time.
I start recommending it to people.
I want to own a DVD of that movie ( specifically a collectors edition ) .
I get totally immersed into everything about the movie ( IMDB , Soundtracks, Wallpapers ) . It means I have become a fan of the movie and contribute to the hype building around the movie :)

The last time all these points came true were for Lord Of The Rings : The Return of The King and Titanic. And now The Dark Knight.

Sarkar Raj : No Power At All

2008-06-14T01:12:00.018+05:30

Let me begin by saying that I loved the first movie Sarkar. I have seen it 4 times till now, which is good enough number according to my standards to term it as " I love this movie " ( Haven't I mentioned that yet ?? ) . The other movie from Ram Gopal Verma which I adore is Satya. Brilliant. These 2 movies give RGV a different status altogether in Bollywood.

And thats why I went to see Sarkar Raj with lot of anticipation ( mind you , not expectation ) . I ignored all the mixed reviews from critics and friends. I wanted to go to the theater with a fresh and clean mind.

But within 5 minutes after the start, I started getting the feeling that this movie will be a disappointment after all. The feeling turned into reality within 25 minutes. The less said about the movie, the better. The movie was no where near the charisma of its prequel. Everything in the prequel was close to perfection. But here, in the sequel, you feel that everything was being done in a hurry. By everything I mean the dialogues, screenplay,music, even the acting ! The scenes just came one after the other, without allowing the illogical plot to sink in. The dialogues had no effect whatsoever, which were blurted out by actors just for the sake of saying it. The first movie had a brilliant casting of supporting actors ( the likes of Silvermani , Swami , Vishnu ), which was missing from the second.

The only saving grace in Sarkar Raj was the climax of 15 minutes, which reminded of classic RGV-style movie-making. All in all, a hastily done over-hyped movie. I have observed that this happens a lot to directors who set a level for themselves with their previous work. I sincerely wish he regains that level soon.

Handling Difficult People

2008-05-27T22:02:00.003+05:30

I read this article a few months back in The Sunday Times ( Times of India ) newspaper under Mind Over Matter section. Brilliant article. Actually awesome. It explains why, at times, people become difficult to handle, and how to handle them.

Give it a try. If you are facing someone who has become difficult lately, then it will definitely help you.

Handling Difficult People

If only everyone could understand this, there won't be any argument at all in this world. More thoughts on this later...

Lord Of the Rings - The Book

2008-05-26T22:23:00.004+05:30

I finished Lord Of The Rings book last week. I wanted to read it since the first movie of the series - The Fellowship of the Ring was released ( that was 6 years back ) . I finally got the time and chance to read it. And I loved it.

This is one of the finest books I have ever read. The other ones were The Fountainhead, The Alchemist and The Kite Runner.

I wanted to write an elaborate review of this book. Many were left in draft, and then deleted. Words deceived me to elaborate the grandeur of this book. I then realized my review will not do any justice to the book. But I will just say this much, that it took me to a world which no other book has ever done before. I saw the depth of relationships that I had not seen before. Please read it if you get the chance to do so. It is a work of literature, and anyone who loves reading should read this book.

I salute J.R.R Tolkien.

Taare Zameen Par - Bollywood at its best

2008-01-07T00:28:00.001+05:30

It is for movies like Taare Zameen Par, that I still have trust in Bollywood. I went to watch this movie, with lots of expectations, and Aamir delivers again, and this time, brilliantly as a director.

First, let me clear this :

The movie is not about dyslexia.
The movie is not for kids, but for parents ( the lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are evidence of this. I don't think any kid below 15 will be able to understand most of the songs )
The movie is a must-watch for all, or would-be parents ( you might have heard this hundred times, but believe me, its true )

Now, the movie is about a boy ( the main Hero ) who is not good at academics, but has a hidden talent in himself. But, as our Indian educational system doesn't value anything less than 95% in academics, the teachers, principals, children, parents all think that the boy is good for nothing. Then eventually, Aamir Khan ( our second Hero ) comes along and identifies the hidden talent in the boy and also what is the main reason behind his poor performance in academics. In the process, Aamir Khan gives some award-winning speeches ( for which he wont accept a single award , let me remind you ) , making the audience realize what the whole society has become into and how it is effecting the kids in the process.

So, the movie is fantastic, direction is great, the songs are wonderfully done, dialogues are too good, etc etc etc. I don't want to ramble on and on about the technicalities of film-making. The movie just speaks for itself. All in all, a properly executed movie worthy of a Filmfare ( the equivalent of an "Oscar" in India !!! ) .

I have heard that majority of the female audience has cried during the movie. And many males too have wiped a tear or two.( yes, there wont be any such thing as 'the weaker sex' in our society in near future. Yay !!! ) . Although people might refuse to accept it, but the fact remains that every kid has been a victim of his/her parents wishes.And parents (sitting in the audience ) do realize that they have done it so, sometime in their kids life.This is why everyone in the audience , every single person, does relate to the movie.

The movie is made purely for India, and not for the "international" market ( take that , Karan Johar , Farah Khan, Yash Chopra, etc. It is also entirely shot in India, just like Lagaan and Mangal Pandey were ) It addresses a issue which is prevalent everywhere in India. I doubt many of our global audience will be able to relate to it, as their educational system is different than our's.
Aamir Khan has not succumbed to the pressure of entertaining our Indian audience throughout the movie, and for that reason, the movie might seem a bit boring in the middle. But that is to make you feel how the kid is feeling, every scene in the movie speaks of the feelings of the boy.

I know, I know, I have not mentioned anything about our main Hero - the boy - till now. Well, Darsheel Safary is fantastic. He makes you laugh, he makes you cry. He reminds you of children's innocence. He makes you sympathize with him in every shot. The guy has done a marvelous job at all these, overshadowing even Aamir Khan. I hate that Filmfare has an award for 'Best Child Actor',because I know that the judges will put him in that category and therefore, will deny him of any nomination in the Best Actor category, which he very well deserves.( Come on, the kid has carried the whole film on his shoulders, what else do you want ?? )

Our second Hero doesn't give a damn about the Awards, but I hope Darsheel gets an award worthy for his work.Till then, I will try Welcome too, who knows, it might be up to my expectations.

Update : Well, I didn't watch Welcome. And, Darsheel got a nomination for Best Actor in Filmfare. He did not win it, but at least a nomination amongst other great actors of Bollywood is worthy of a mention. I am now waiting for the DVD of TZP. Hope it is launched soon.

Best Movie I Saw in 2007

2007-12-30T15:13:00.000+05:30

Well, there are many fantastic movies I saw this year. Its difficult to remember, but to name a few - City of Gods, Die Hard 4, No Smoking, The Sound of Music, Indiana Jones Trilogy etc.

But the best one I saw is Pan's Labyrinth or El Laberinto del Fauno ( 2006 ) . Its the most captivating, spell-binding movie you will get to see, after Lord of the Rings. Actually, it should be put in the leagues of LOTR. Guillermo Del Tero does a top-notch job in story-telling. This is a must-see for all the fantasy lovers. The enchanting background score does justice to the screenplay. The actors have done a wonderful performance, specially Ivana Baquero , who plays the main character - Ofelia , a little girl who believes in fables. Sergi Lopez plays the evil Captain Vidal, whom you fear and hate so much. Not all the effects in the movie are animated or CGI. The director has used puppetry, traditional prosthetics to give a realistic effect to the makeup and costume.

Btw, the movie is in Spanish language and has a running length of 120 minutes.It is rated R for graphical violence. ( Many parents in Mexico took their kids to theaters without knowing this ) .
Its too bad that movies like these are not taken up by any distributor in India. ( As they know the number of the crowd that will turn up ! )

If this is not compelling enough for you to watch it, then read this :

It won 3 Oscars for - Best Achievement in Art Direction, Cinematography and Makeup.
It was nominated for 3 other Oscars - Best Achievement in Original Score, Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film .
It won the BAFTA award for - Best Foreign Language Film , Makeup, and Costume Design
It was nominated for the coveted Golden Palm award of Cannes Film Festival. After the show, it received 22 minutes of applause at the Cannes Film Festival !!!

This is the last blog from me this year. And my last recommendation for this year will be to grab a copy of this movie and watch it, in case you haven't.

Mobile Phone Etiquettes

2007-12-18T10:36:00.000+05:30

Mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives. I am sure everyone who is reading my blog has a cell phone with him. Following are some rules/commandments of using a cell phone :

1) Every call on your cell is important. Be it from your wife,children,parents, colleague, boss, shop-keeper, gym instructor, driver, plumber, pimp, pet, etc. This is the primary rule based on which other rules are formed.
2) You should never put your cell phone on silent mode, specially when you are requested at places like meetings, cinemas, temples, mosques, churches, etc.
3) Always, and always, pick up a call when you are driving. It should not matter that you are hurtling down the road at 100 miles per hour or driving down a busy street with vehicles behind you. Your sudden lapse in concentration and erratic driving does not matter to vehicles around you ( even though they give you a disgusting look ) .
4) Wear a blue tooth headset 24/7. This way its easier to pick up the phone while in the toilet.
5) Shout on the receiver - its good for your health. It compensates for all the harmful effects on your body of using a cell phone.
5) You should always use your cell phone to click photos at public places, even though the photos mean nothing to you. You may never know when that 1000 * 800 pixel photo might get picked as stock photography earning you big bucks.

Grrrrrrrr.......

Review of The Kite Runner ( the book , not the movie )

2007-12-17T22:33:00.000+05:30

My friends gave me The Kite Runner as a birthday gift ( after checking my 'to-read' list on Goodreads :-) ) . As this book was shorter than Shantaram, I decided to go with it first.

The book was a refreshing change from the books I have been reading lately - Rich Dad Poor Dad , Cashflow Quadrant. The last book I read which made me forget my daily activities and stick to reading was Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, when it was released. And now, The Kite Runner.

In one word, this book is - touching. Emotional. Not to mention a bit depressing in between.Actually, it is a emotional ride set in the backdrop of Afghanistan and the political events in the region which altered lives of Afghanis who were living in as well as out of Afghanistan. You might have traveled the world in Dan Brown series, but this book takes you to never-seen-before Afghanistan, and you will love the picture painted by the author. Just makes me imagine what Afghanistan must have been back then in 1975.Khaled Hosseini is the first English author from Afghanistan and gives a true picture of the country, right from 1975 to the post-9/11 attacks.The book brings out the true nature of Afghanis , something which I have not seen or read before anywhere.

The book is about two boys in Afghanistan, enjoying their innocent childhood. Amir loves his father and wants to gain his attention.And Hassan, his friend, has always been loyal to him. Then tragedy strikes,and things fall apart. Afghanistan is raided by outsiders and people flee.But the past still haunts them. It always does.The choices we make always come back.There is a way to be good again.

There are many cliches in the book ;- the story and events become predictable ( just like in a Hindi movie ). But that is all accepted for the simplistic writing.Do read this book. Atleast before you watch the film version of it , which I guess is released in US this week. It is directed by Marc Foster - director of Finding Neverland - so eagerly waiting to watch it.

Activeciti Beta Released

2007-07-29T14:29:00.000+05:30

After 4 months of hard work, I am happy to announce that Activeciti Beta version has been released.

For those of you who don't know, ActiveCiti is a web application specializing in planning and organising of events.
It simplifies the life of people by taking care of their mundane and laborious tasks, which are mandatory to successfully organizing the event. So, you can use Activeciti to plan a get-together at a coffee shop / movie, or you can use it to arrange a party at your place. It also allows people to create public events that are happening around the world. It also sports very easy-to-use RSVP. There are tonnes of features to assist you, like Polls - to take suggestions from your invitees, discussion forums etc.

This is my first product from my first start-up ThinkingSpace Technologies . Hence, you can imagine the thrill and excitement as well as the satisfaction of launching a product which in due course will be used by people worldwide. Now the next step is to increase the user base of the site and hope that Activeciti solves the purpose what it was built for.

Well, I hope you sign -up and like the site. Till then, this is me signing off, to relax on a Sunday afternoon :)

Bank of India

2007-05-31T20:08:00.000+05:30

This blog is dedicated to the hospitality shown by the Bank Of India.

As I have started my new venture with two friends of mine, we thought of going to banks and enquiring about the process and details for opening a Current Account.We went to IDBI, ICICI and till then the representatives of these banks answered most of our queries and cleared our doubts ( as there is lot of paperwork involved in opening an account ) . Plus , as usual, these banks were quiet eager to take a new customer.

Then we went to Bank Of India. Before I write down today's experience , let me mention about my past experiences with this Bank : I had a Savings A/c with this bank. Twice I went to them for a DD and both times I had to wait for 2 hrs to get it done. And the previous time I had visited the bank to remove money, ( I was still in college ) they started asking me questions as though I looked like a conman to them. Well, I dont blame them,with so much fraud happening , and people being prejudiced, they had their reasons.

Anyways, today I went there hoping things have changed. I went inside, asked a person about where to enquire for opening a Current A/c. She directed me to a lady sitting in a corner. My friend and I went to that lady, and this is what happened :

Me : Hello,Me and my friends have just started a firm. We want to open a Current A/c.

( Lady looks at us with a suspicious glare, and tells us to wait. Not to mention, she didnt offer us to sit. After 5 minutes... )

Lady : What proof do you have to open a Current A/c. ( Again, with a very cross look , as if examining us or interrogating us in a court trial . I think she believed we were strolling outside, and came inside this bank just to pass away our time )

Me : The Agreement made between us friends, for the firm.

Lady : And address proof ? ( No, we dont have that as we are running our business from M G Road footpath !!!! )

Me : That will be procured.

Lady ( Not looking satisfied ) : Where is your office ?

Me : Vishrantwadi. ( Its a remote area , kind of a suburb )

Lady : So why dont you go to so many banks in Yerwada ? ( Yerwada houses lot of banks, mostly Co-op Banks. Its a very shady kind of place where it is quite risky to open a Current A/c )

Lady : Plus, the minimum balance in this bank is very high.

Me : How much ?

Lady : It is Rs. 25,000 .

( She was waiting for a look of depression or shock on our face at these words )

Me : Thats ok.

Lady : But how will you operate from Vishrantwadi? You will have to come here everyday.

Me ( ignoring her ) : And what about Outstation cheques/At Par cheque facility ?

Lady : That is available, but no OD ( over draft) will be given initially.

Me : For how long ? For how many months ?

Lady : Atleast 6 months, or longer than that.

Me ( wanting to close the discussion ) : Ok, but the minimum balance is 25K ?

Lady ( sternly ) : Yeah .

( I soon realized it is useless getting more details from her , and we walked out from there )

I had many terrible experiences before - with SBI, BoI , but that was all because of huge queue, inability of staff to handle operations, inefficient working of the Bank's infrastructure. But this experience was the worst. Its because the Bank ( represented by the Lady ) was not keen to get a new customer. We were not keen to open an account in BoI. We went there for details. If the details would have suited us, we would have gone ahead with opening the a/c. But they actually wanted to avoid us opening a account in their bank.Nothing can be worse than this. I have never seen a vendor/establishment/institution trying to push away probable customers.

Maybe it was the Lady's prejudice that led us to this experience. But that is not how businesses are run. Maybe if we had interacted with some other employee, the experience would have been different. But that doesnt matter.In a corporation/institution, each and every employee - right from the receptionist to the Manager - represent their organization and the values that the organization stands for. People associate the organization with the employees they interact with. Each and every employee should be trained and should act accordingly.

We went to HDFC after that, where the lady at the help desk was very friendly. She first asked us what is our Business into, and what type of transactions are we looking for. She then explained all the details that were required. I am actually considering going for HDFC , even though they are not providing many Outstation Cheque facilities which are being provided by other banks for the same Minimum Average Quaterly Balance.

Organizations need to build a relationship with their customers. There needs to be a sense of trust between the vendor and customer. It is very important , atleast in this fast-pace world to offer more than just services. Providing services alone is not enough.

Entrepreneurship in India

2007-05-17T01:35:00.000+05:30

Its been almost 2 months since I took my first step in my dream to become a successful entrepreneur. I knew it was coming, I knew I had to take the step at some time, but it just got catalyzed thanks to the same dream shared by two friends of mine from college. Everything is steady now, and I will keep everyone updated about our venture from time to time.

This is my theory for future of entrepreneurship in India. ( Yes, now I have changed my specialization from writing on 'philisophy' to 'entrepreneurship' . Or actually , now its both ! ) I think with increase in job opportunities in India, more and more people will be inclined to take the path of becoming an entrepreneur .Kind of paradox , isn't it ?

Let me explain ... First of All, the main ingredient for becoming an entrepreneur is your risk-taking ability. It all comes down to how ready are you to take a risk - calculated risk or not.Your every step and decision in your entrepreneurial life will be associated with risk, which will have an impact not only on yourself, but many other people that are associated with your venture.

So, my theory is , when people have more job opportunities, and when they see that situation is not going to be that bad in future , in terms of getting a job, people ( I mean students and population under 30 ) will be ready to take risk and opt for becoming an entrepreneur. I mean at least those who wanted to do this from a long time, or who wanted to take a bit of risk, might start doing it now. Because they know that even if the venture fails or if they don't succeed, they still have the safer option of doing a job in future.

When people don't have jobs , they start feeling insecure. There is tremendous pressure , specially on students from lower and upper middle-class families, to get a job and sustain the family.Hence people stop taking risks. They start looking for alternatives, like doing post-graduation , just so that they can get a job after doing post-grad. They feel more pressurized to take up a job.

The other day , I met one senior from our college, who is about to start his MBA this June 2007 .After talking to him for sometime, he expressed his ambition to start a venture, but as he got into a good college , he postponed his step , and might do it after doing MBA.

Recently , more and more IIM-A ad IIM-B students are opting for starting their own venture. Many of the students are not even sitting for campus placements. They know that this is the time to take the step. They are sure that even if it doesn't work, the job situation in India is getting better, and will improve for some years down the lane.

Everyone have their own reasons to take the step. Some have a burning passion to do it, some want to just try it , and others do it for necessity. But I feel this is the right time to take the step. So why not take the risk, won't it be worth trying ?

Anyways, this is my theory, and criticism is always welcome. More blogs on entrepreneurship coming soon !

Yearn to Learn

2007-03-06T18:08:00.000+05:30

While chatting with a friend about his brother's future ( who has just given his 12th exams and needs to decide his future course of action ) , I got a chance to reflect back on my past.

I will describe in brief my path till now...

I did 12th ( HSC ) from the 'Fergi' college of Pune in 2002 . Then did Computer Engineering from Pune University ( from not so well known but decent college - MESCOE aka Wadia Engg College ) and got my BE degree in 2006. Till 11th grade, I had a dream of becoming an architect. Due to some consultancy and research, I dropped that idea. And, as the only thing that every guy in FC wanted to pursue, I chose the path of Engineering. I still didn't have a clue as to which branch I am apt for, but had a bit of interest in Computers and Automobiles.

After 12th grade results, I got into Computer Engineering and that too in the college which I had dreamt of ( yeah, right ! ) . The only good thing about the college was it was close to my place and ofcourse, the people I met there. My Engineering life was pretty good, I fared above my expectations , got decent marks and secured a job in a decent company ( thanks to the recent spurt in IT industry )

Well, back to present.... Are you with me now ?

So, while chatting with my friend, I told him that I am happy I did Engg, rather than Architecture. He responded by saying that it doesn't even matter. But I feel it did matter. It did matter that I chose Engg, it did matter that I chose Computer branch, and to top it all, it did matter that I got into Wadia college.

Let me explain. Everyone gets a job. Everyone accomplishes his goal, his dream, sooner or later. If I wasn't in Wadia, but some other remote college in some remote district, then maybe I would have got a job after doing MBA. Maybe if I was in a better college than Wadia, then I might be writing this blog sitting at a better company than I am in now. Same would have been the case if I had taken a different engg. stream , or a different career path altogether.

What I liked about my engg. life is the things I learnt, apart from the technical curriculum. I learnt a lot from my friends in that college.Many of us friends shared the same vision. Many of us had similar interests. All these people did contribute to my thought process.My interaction with them did evolve my thinking, and I guess that if I had been in a different college, my thoughts, views, ideas would have been different. Which , in the end, might have led me to somewhere else in my life.I learnt the good habits of people, which mistakes can one avoid, whom to trust , whom to distrust and so on....

Well, education is all about this. Education is not a mean to earn money.You get a chance to interact with thousands of new people when you study further . Take that opportunity. Do whatever you want, whatever field you choose, but keep learning - as in learning stuff outside the curriculum. I am not saying that you should not fix up on some particular branch or career. Its good that you know what you want. But its always better if you keep an eye for things and keep learning, keep evolving your thought process, at the same time, fixing your mind on your goal.

In the end, it all matters on your daily decisions. Small decisions or major ones, your life's course depends on your choice. And those choices ultimately depends on what you have learned, what you feel is right, what you have experienced. It depends how flexible your mind is, how flexible
you are to opt for new thoughts, how you adapt to different situations.

Actually, this learning process doesnt end at our graduation or post-grad. We are students all our life, and so should our mind be.