Sachin Tendulkar - Giving Joy and Tears to the Nation

What do I say? Where do I start? Let me begin by talking about myself. I have always been interested in sports right from my childhood. Cricket, Table Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis…just a few of the sports that I have tried my hand at. I was not very good at most of these sports and you could say that I was average in a few and a bit more than average at a few others. But that did not stop me from grabbing every opportunity that I got to play a sport, be it at the school, in college or even later in life. 

The adrenaline rush that one gets on scoring a point, hitting a run, smashing across the court cannot be written and can only be experienced. And then comes the high of a victory which cannot be guaranteed every day, especially if you are not very good at the sport, but whenever it comes, it brings emotions of elation and achievement. 

Long back, I had realized that any individual who reaches a certain level in any sport has gone through lot of discipline, practice, training, sacrifices, sweat and persistence. For me, this realization is enough to give respect to every sportsman. And when a sportsperson reaches a stage where he is playing for the nation, it is clear to me that he/she deserves great admiration and respect for where they have reached and I have no authority to question or critique their game unless and until I have reached a similar stage. I cannot be an armchair critic. Period. I would rather celebrate the joy of sport than to question someone’s talent. 

A sport is a sport and every sport brings with it a certain amount of happiness, pain, climax and disappointment. Who am I then to judge whether someone who enjoys watching hockey is not cool or someone watching football is cool. It is a choice they have made and we should not be questioning their choice.

The problem is that not everyone understands what I said above. And if the sport happens to be as widely followed as cricket, then you can expect to have experts all around you. Comments like “He should have let go of that ball”, “What is he doing? Does he not know the run rate needed?”, “What is wrong with Dhoni. Why is he handing the ball to Ishant?” are heard quite frequently. When these statements come on the spur of the moment, one can understand the emotion behind it, knowing well that there is no serious intent behind such questions. 

Now if the sport happens to be cricket and the man in question tends to be Sachin Tendulkar, then you can expect people of all hues and age to have an opinion on him. Everything from his shot selection, his ability to win matches, his form and his retirement date gets discussed threadbare and that is what is happening for the last 24 years. Many a times, critics and former cricketers have had to eat humble pie as soon as they made a statement as Sachin would prove them wrong as if he had an epiphany of this and he was waiting for the right moment to silence them.

The mind boggles at the thought of a single person amassing 34,000 runs on the back of a hundred hundreds and 164 half centuries. It is no mean feat! Statisticians may question some of his greatness by bringing averages into discussion but life is not only about numbers. It is also about consistency, rigour, temperament, values and much more. If one were to put the lens of perspective, then one will also realize that no other cricketer has faced the pressure and burden of 1.2 billion people or the entire nation the way Sachin has. To go out there in the middle, with such loud noise all around you, knowing well that a few bad innings could lead to people baying for your blood and despite knowing all this and yet go ahead and deliver for 24 consistent years requires the determination and skill of someone special.

Playing 200 Tests, 463 ODIs and 310 First Class matches mean that one has been on the road for atleast 1750 days, which means that 5 years of one’s life has been spent on the field. This is without counting the days spent on practice or the days spent for IPL. How many of us can think of staying away from family for so long just to pursue our passion?

With another sublime innings of 74 runs that Sachin Tendulkar played in his 200th test to bring joy to the nation, one thought that one had seen it all till the time he took that final walk back to the pavilion in the middle of the Guest of Honour given by his team mates. The entire nation had a heavy heart on witnessing that scene. 

But it was not over as yet. The best was yet to come. He spoke and he spoke with the purest of heart, giving the world a glimpse into his soul and bringing a lump to the throat of millions across the country. His farewell speech can be counted as one of the most genuine and heart-felt farewell speeches given by anyone. To acknowledge almost everyone and recounting incidents from the past just shows the humility of the giant. He bound the nation with his words and left them all teary-eyed. Every heart was booming with the words ‘Sachin Sachin’ even though the eyes were moist. 

Sachin is a legend and we are proud to have lived in the same era as him. 

He batted. We prayed. He scored. We rejoiced. He lost. We lost. He won. We won. He cried. We cried. #ThankYouSachin

Here is the video of Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfCBWUkWzXM&feature=youtube_gdata

Given below is the text of Sachin’s farewell speech:

Friends please settle down, I'll get more emotional! It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end. I've a list of names to thank. The first is my father, who passed away in 1999. Without his guidance I wouldn't be standing in front of you. he said 'chase your dreams, don't give up, the path will be difficult.' I miss him today. My mom, I don't know how she managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. For four years I stayed with my uncle and aunt when in school, they treated me like their own son.

My eldest brother Nitin doesn't like to talk ,much but he said, whatever you do, I know you will give 100%. My first cricket bat was presented to me by my sister Savita. She still continues to fast while I bat. Ajit

my brother - We have lived this dream together, he sacrificed his career for me, he took me to Achrekar sir first. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal. Even when I'm not playing we will still be discussing technique. If that hadn't happened, I would have been a lesser cricketer.

"The most beautiful thing happened to me when I met Anjali in 1990. I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her. But she decides that I should continue playing and she took care of the children. Thanks for bearing with me for all the nonsense I've said (Anjali wipes tears). Then the two precious diamonds of my life Sara and Arjun. I've missed out on several birthdays, holidays. I know for 14-16 years I've not spent enough time with you. But I promise you I will spend the next 16. 

"My inlaws - I've discussed several things with them. The most important thing they did was allow me to marry Anjali. In the last 24 years my friends have made terrific contributions. They have been with me while I was stressed. They have been with me even at 3am when I was injured. Thanks for being there for me.

"My career started when I was 11. I was extremely delighted to see Achrekar sir in the stands. I used to ride on his scooter and play two matches a day. Sir took me along to make sure I played. On a lighter note, Sir never said 'well played' because he didn't want me to be complacent. You can push your luck now, Sir, 

since I'm not playing cricker anymore.

"I started my career here in Mumbai. I remember landing from NZ at 4am and playing a Ranji game the next day. The BCCI was fantastic from my debut. Thanks to the selectors. You were right with me making sure my treatment was taken care of.

"Thanks to all the senior cricketers who have played with me. We see on the screen Rahul, VVS, Sourav, Anil who is not here. All the coaches. I know when MS presented the 200th Test cap, I had a message to the team - I said we are all so proud to be representing the nation. I hope to continue to serve the nation with

dignity. I have full faith that you will serve the country in the right spirit.

I will be failing in my duty if I didn't thank the doctors who have kept me fit. Given the injuries I have suffered. They have treated me in odd hours.

My dear friend the late Mark Mascarenhas. I  miss him. My current management team WSG, for continuing what Mark has done. Someone who has worked closely with me for 14 years is my friend Vinay Nayudu.

"The media has backed me a lot, since my school days. Even today. Thank you. Thanks to the photographers for capturing those moments. "I know my speech has become long. I want to thank people who have flown in from different parts of the world. I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. "Sachin, Sachin" will reverberate in my years till I stop breathing."

 (Followed by loud cheers)

38 missed calls in 10 mins!

Rajeev woke up ten minutes before the alarm on his phone could go off. The phone showed a time of 4.50 a.m. He stretched his arms and legs a bit and then got up from his bed. He hadn’t been able to sleep too well and kept tossing and turning every now and then. The excitement, nervousness, stress and anticipation of the coming day were too much for Rajeev to get a sound sleep.

It all began three months back when an email message popped up on Rajeev’s screen which read like ‘You could be the next Executive Assistant (EA) to the Global CEO of Barney and Company’. This was an event that took place every two years across all the countries where Barney and Company had operations and it was an event that was most looked forward to by employees working in Barney and Company. Barney and Company had operations in 135 countries and being the Executive Assistant to Mr. Stephen Carpenter, the Global CEO was not a small thing. The EA was expected to be the shadow of Mr. Carpenter, which involved him/her to know the challenges and strategies of every market, sharing regular updates of financial market movements, interaction with CEOs of big companies, preparation of speeches for Mr. Carpenter for the shareholder meetings and many more such tasks. 

The role came with its share of perks which included travelling the world in Mr. Carpenter’s private jet, staying in the world’s best hotels and rooms, exposure to various markets, meetings and global heads and a great career ahead after finishing the role of an EA. The current roles and designations of the past EAs was a valid proof of the fact that getting on the role of an EA was nothing short of leapfrog in one’s career by at least 10 years and three grades. 

Rajeev had spent 15 years with Barney and Company, having joined them from campus from the country’s leading B School and had done very well for him and was now the General Manager for one of the verticals for South East Asia. He was seen as a star performer and was way ahead of his peers in his career. With a strong and ambitious mind, Rajeev wanted to go further ahead and he thought that trying for the role of an EA would be the best possible way to achieve that. He sent his application to the Head Quarters in USA a day after getting the mail and started preparing for it rigorously. 

Malini had seen Rajeev’s ambitious streak from the days they were dating on campus and she found it as one of the reasons she got attracted to him. Three years after their wedding, Malini and Rajeev got blessed with a beautiful daughter, who was named as Gitanjali. To take care of Gitanjali and ensure that Rajeev is able to concentrate on his career, Malini decided to take a break from her career of a banker and decided to become a home-maker and a full-fledged mother. She excelled in her new role and ensured that not only did Gitanjali turn out to be a great student but all a well developed personality. Gitanjali was being trained in Swimming, Martial Arts and Classical Dance and she was proving to be a natural at all three. Rajeev was delighted at the way Malini was grooming and taking care of their daughter and knew very well that he has to take no stress for the way Gitanjali is being brought up.

The day Rajeev sent his application to USA, he had a chat with Malini in the evening, where he shared with her his decision of sending the application and applying for the role of an EA. As he was expecting, Malini was extremely encouraging and gave a huge fillip to his morale by showing her confidence in his ability to get this role. 

What followed was a number of rounds of discussions, interviews, lunch meetings, video teleconferences with a number of jury members which led to elimination of a number of candidates across the world. Every time this contest was announced, it led to a barrage of applications and even after eliminating lots of them on the basis of the strength of their application, there would still be a number of potential contenders as Barney and Company is known to have some of the best talent in the world. 

After two months of intense rounds, there were only 10 candidates left for the EA post and out of that, two candidates were from India. One of them was Rajeev and the other was Sohail. Sohail was one year senior to Rajeev in Barney and Company and the careers of Rajeev and Sohail were moving at almost the same pace with one of them getting a particular role earlier than the other and then the other person moving to the next role faster. While Rajeev and Sohail maintained good professional relations, both of them tried to watch each other’s backs very keenly as they had a very strong competitive spirit among them. They both knew that the role of an EA is a stepping stone which will take one of them way ahead of the other.

The short-listed 10 candidates were invited to the Head Quarters at New York City to present their final case to Mr. Carpenter and the Executive Board. This was the day Rajeev woke up at 4.50 am as this was the day he had been waiting for so long. 

The session began at 8.00 am and every candidate had an hour to present his case and then be a part of the Question and Answer session. The first candidate to go in was a person from Japan, followed by Sohail. Rajeev was the third candidate. 

At 11 am, Rajeev was called into the Board Room. He had dreamt of this moment for years and he knew it very well that he has to grab this opportunity with both hands. He entered the Room and saw 15 men and women sitting there with Mr. Carpenter sitting in the centre. He greeted everyone as most of them knew him from their India visits in the past. Rajeev kept his mobile on the table and started his presentation. After 20 minutes, Mr. Carpenter asked him to stop. Mr. Carpenter had a short 15 minute telecom with the ministers of one of the countries which could not be avoided so he asked everyone to take a break. 

Rajeev picked up his mobile and saw 38 Missed calls in 10 minutes from Malini. He wondered what was going on as this was not usual of her and she knew very well where he is and would never disturb him like that. He got worried and stepped out of the Board Room to call her. Malini was sobbing on the other line and she informed him that Gitanjali has met with an accident and they are taking her to the hospital. This struck him like a bolt of lightning. As soon as he hung up, he saw Mr. Carpenter heading back to the Board Room. Rajeev walked in and informed everyone that he would not be able to continue with the case anymore due to what has happened to his daughter in India. 

Mr. Carpenter offered Rajeev to take his private jet and not waste any time. Rajeev flew back to India and got the best doctors to take care of his daughter. Four weeks later, Gitanjali was back on her feet and back to her usual self. Both Malini and Rajeev heaved a sigh of relief. 

A day later, an email popped on Rajeev’s computer screen with the message ‘Sohail bags the role of EA to Mr. Stephen Carpenter’. Rajeev looked out of the window and saw all his years of work flashing past him, but then smiled at the thought of having his daughter completely cured. 

Two days later, Rajeev got a letter from USA. It was from Mr. Carpenter himself, inquiring about Gitanjali’s health. He also offered Rajeev the role of CEO for Asia Pacific and finally ended the letter with the line ‘Hope to see you at the next EA contest in 2015’.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

India – A Musically Talented Country

There is one common talent that every Indian possesses. That common talent is a musical talent that everyone has, irrespective of age, gender or geography. What is amazing is that people do not even take any training for this musical talent but it seems ingrained in them right from birth, which gets to be seen only after a certain stage in each individual’s life.

Do not scratch your heads in wonderment. All of you have witnessed this talent in others – your near and dear ones as well as complete strangers. The only problem is that no one wants to admit about this talent openly or acknowledge its existence within people they know. 

This musical talent that every Indian possesses is the talent of ‘Honking’. Honking comes as naturally to an Indian as crying comes to a baby. No one teaches you, you do not practice for hours, there is no school to teach this to you, but yet you know it. You just know it. 

In fact, a horn in an automobile could easily be one of the most important components for an Indian, who would get far more upset on the horn getting spoilt rather than the engine! 

In fact, a sizeable number of people do not like the sound of the original horn that comes with their car and they like to get it customized which goes with their style and personality! As a result of this, customized horns are a big business across the country. 

The reason I say that honking is a musical talent is because of the number of notes and the various scales that different Indians can churn out from this small device. The notes and scales differ from situation to situation, even if the person playing those notes at different scales may be the same individual. 

These notes and scales can be used to convey every possible emotion that exists in a human being. One does not need any psychological tests to understand a person and his mood swings as a person’s honking style is a good indication of how he/she feels on that particular day:

•  Someone overtakes you…you honk and show your anger. 
• The music in your car is quite peppy, you express your enjoyment by blowing the horn exactly like the beats and as many number of times.
• You woke up late and are now rushing to your office for a very important meeting, blow the trumpet (in this case the horn) all the way through.

Happiness, sadness, anger, rage, frustration, triumph, hurry, sleep deprivation and many more such emotions can be expressed through honking in India. 

This talent is so wide spread that the popular rhyme and jingle ‘If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands’ can easily be changed in India to the lines of ‘If you are happy and you know it, honk and honk’!

Holidays in the Mountains or Holidays by the Sea?

I often hear people asking this question “Do you prefer the mountains or the sea?” and most people also have a response basis what they prefer. I am at a loss of words when posed with such a question. The struggle continues even when this question is posed in another way “Are you a guy who likes the hills or the beaches?” No, not because I cannot make choices! But when it comes to mountains and the sea, I just don’t have a preference or rather I prefer both. My preference for each of the two is dependent on which state of life I am in and what I am going through.

To me, the mountain and the sea both have their own beauty, their own relevance and their own connection with me. I can sit for hours by the sea or with the mountains in front of me. Both the sea and the mountain are great companions to have. I can never feel alone when I have them for company. I can have conversations with both. They both listen to me and then give me some great advice and lessons of life. 

So when do I prefer the sea and what do I learn from the mountains or vice versa?

I like to sit and watch the sea during those phases of my life when I am struggling to achieve something, when things seem impossible and life starts looking difficult. Do you know why?

Because the sea signifies HOPE to me. It inspires and instills a sense of belief. The waves that come towards me do not give up and continue doing their job, despite knowing that after the highs and the lows, they will crash near the shore. Whether they will be high or low is also influenced by external factors like the moon and the wind, but that does not stop them from joining hands and trying to create a symphony of sorts with the way they rise and form a chain from one end of the sea to the other.

Isn’t that like life itself? The end is known but that does not mean that one stops living and doing the things that one wants to do. One should strive to go out there and collaborate with the world to deliver on whatever you have set out to do. 

On the other end of the sea, I notice the horizon. This is where the sun meets the sea every evening. That tells me that the journey is far but the result will be beautiful. It also tells me that what lies ahead is unknown but I will discover that only when I reach there. 

So if the sea is all about hope, what are the mountains about?

The mountains signify to me a SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT. Mountains are places I like to visit when I have succeeded in something I had set to do, when I have accomplished something. This is because when I see the mountain, I see someone standing tall, being admired for its accomplishments and enjoying the fruits of its success. It tells me that once in a while, when a lot of hard work has been done, you need to sit back and enjoy the moment and feel the sense of achievement. The peaks tell me that you will be remembered for your results and not your efforts. 

These are lessons that cannot be learnt by just one trip to the sea or the mountain. Every time that you go there, it gives you a different perspective on life. It doesn’t matter to me whether I am at a place which has a sea or a place which has mountains as both these places make me feel alive!

So the best place for me would be a place that has the mountains as well as the sea. Any recommendation guys?

Mountains in Uttaranchal
Clicked in Dec'2012

The Arabian Sea as seen from Mumbai
Clicked in Aug'2013

A place that is far more beautiful than you can see in this pic.
A combination of mountain and lake (not the sea) - Vevey, Switzerland
Clicked in Apr'2012

बादल Baadal (Clouds)

बादलों को देखा तो ऐसा लगा, की रूई का एक मुलायम झुंड जा रहा है,
उनसे खेलने को दिल किया, उन्हे एक दिन छूने के लिये मन किया तय |

लेकिन वो तो बहुत दूर थे, उनके पास जाना नामुमकिन सा लगा,

कुछ पाना था और उसके लिए मैं कई रातें जगा |

फिर वो दिन भी आया, जब मैं ऊपर और बादल मेरे नीचे थे,

ऐसा लगने लगा की ज़िंदगी के ख्वाब अब नही रहेंगे अधूरे से |

तब ये एहसास हुआ की सपने देखना कोई बुरी बात नही,
और दूर से जो जैसा दिखे, ज़रूरी नही की हक़ीक़त भी हो वही |

जो मुलायम लग रहे थे, वो तो अंदर से कठोर हैं,
हवाई जहाज़ को बिना किसी संकोच के, अपने दिल को चीरने देते हैं |

अपने अंदर बहुत सारा पानी समेट लेते हैं,
और अगर गुस्से में आ जायें, तो पानी की बौछार लगा देते हैं |

मगर दिल फिर भी उन्हे देख कर मचल जाता है,
उनका हर रंग चेहरे पे एक मुस्कुराहट लाता है और मन को बहुत भाता है |

क्या वो यह जानते हैं और इसलिए आँख मिचोली खेलते हैं,
कभी दूर तो कभी पास आके सताते हैं लेकिन यह तो हम प्यार से झेलते हैं |

सूरज की किरणों के लिए एक पर्दे की तरह तैयार खड़े,
कोई दो एक से नहीं, कुछ छोटे तो कुछ बड़े |

रुकते नही हैं वो, और चलते जाते हैं अपनी मंज़िल की तरफ,
अपने साथ कहीं लाते हैं धूप तो कहीं बरफ |

सीखना चाहता हूँ मैं उन्से ज़िंदगी के कुछ अन्मोल पाठ,
अगर मौका मिल जाए तो करूँ उन्से थोड़ी सी बात |

डर और भय से कोई नाता ना रखूं,
उँचाइयों को पाके मैं भी सफलता का रस चखूं |

ए बादल, मुझे बना लो अपना शिश्य,
चाहता हूँ मेरा भी उज्ज्वल हो भविष्य ||

दुनिया देखूं पूरी और बनूँ लोगों के लिए एक मिसाल,
की मेरे जाने के बाद कहें, की था एक आदमी बेमिसाल जिसका नाम था कुणाल |

Hindi poem in English script

BAADAL (Clouds)

Baadalon ko dekha toh aisa laga, ki rui ka ek mulayam jhund jaa raha hai
Unse khelne ko dil kiya, Unhe ek din choone ko mann kiya tai.

Lekin woh toh bahut duur the, unke paas jaana namumkin sa laga.
Kucch paana tha aur uske liye main kayee raatein jaga.

Phir woh din bhi aaya, jab main upar aur baadal mere neeche the.
Aisa lagne laga ki zindagi ke khwaab ab nahi rahenge adhoore se.

Tab yeh ehsaas hua ki sapne dekhna koi buri baat nahi,
Aur duur se jo jaisa dikhe, zaroori nahi ki haqeeqat bhi ho wahi.

Jo mulayaam lag rahe the, woh toh andar se kathor hain,
Hawaii jahaaj ko bini kisi sankoch ke, apne dil ko cheerne dete hain.

Apne andar bahut paani samet lete hain,
Aur agar gusse mein aa jaayein, toh paani ki bauchaar laga dete hain.

Magar dil phir bhi unhe dekh kar machal jaata hai
Unka har rang chehre pe ek muskurahaat laata hai aur mann ko bahut bhaata hai.

Kya woh yeh jaante hain aur isliye aankh micholi khelte hain
Kabhi duur to kabhi paas aake sataate hain lekin yeh toh hum pyaar se jhelte hain.

Suraj ki kirnon ke liye ek parde ki tarah taiyar khade,
Koi do ek se nahin, kucch chotte toh kucch bade.

Rukte nahi hain who aur chalte jaate hain manzil ki taraf,
Apne saath kahin laate hain dhoop toh kahin baraf.

Seekhna chahta hoon main unse zindagi ke kucch anmol path,
Agar mauka mil jaaye toh karu unse thodi si baat.

Darr aur bhay se koi naata na rakhoon,
Unchaaiyon ko paake main bhi safalta ka ras chakhoon.

Aye baadal, mujhe bana lo apna shishya,
Chahta hoon mera bhi ujjwal ho bhavishya.

Duniya dekhun poori aur banoo logon ke liye ek missal,
Ki mere jaane ke baad kahe ki tha ek aadmi bemisal jiska naam tha Kunal.

Does your brand give the SPA benefit?

Marketing is not like mathematics. There is no set formula that will help you in arriving at a final answer and being able to prove that the theorem is right.

Marketing is a lot about trial and error, individual personalities, conviction and confidence, guts and gumption, risks and courage, fundamentals and basics and much more. 

There are enough and more books out there that promise you marketing gyaan and marketing knowledge with each one coming up with their own way of building brands. I have also read a few and I still intend to read a few more. There is no harm in getting to know different views and perspectives that exist out there for a subject as wide and as abstract as marketing. 

But over the years, I have also picked up my own understanding of brand building and what works. Instead of giving lot of theory and corporate jargon, if I could offer you one tip of how to build a brand, then my suggestion would be that your brand can only be successful if it offers the SPA benefit. 

Now stop scratching your head and wondering that if your brand has got nothing to do with salons or massage or SPAs, how can it offer the benefit of the SPA. This SPA benefit that I am talking about is not what you are thinking. 

SPA in this context means:

S – Salience

P – Performance

A – Advantage

Now that I have taken care of your doubt and you have stopped considering me to be talking like a lunatic, let me elaborate on what I mean.

A brand has to offer the SPA benefit to become successful and stay successful. Let us understand this a bit more in detail:

Salience – Irrespective of how big a brand may already be, the brand will lose traction with its consumers, if it does not spend enough and be visible and salient in the minds of consumers. People often ask me why big brands like Coca Cola or Nike need to advertise as everyone knows them and thinks about them when making a purchase. My answer to them is that, as brands stop advertising, they start losing share of mind and that is when the downfall of a brand begins. Share of Mind is a critical aspect as it plays a crucial role in the purchase decision at the store and salience helps in driving share of mind, which leads to share of the wallet of the consumer. 

Performance – You can spend millions of dollars on your brand across mediums, but all of that money is money down the drain if your brand does not perform in line with what it promises. Positioning of a brand has to be chosen after lot of consideration because this positioning that a brand takes, forms the barometer by which a consumer judges the performance of a brand. This combination of positioning and performance then helps in forming the perception of the brand in the minds of the consumers. So it is critical for brands to ensure that they perform what they promise. 

Advantage – It is a competitive world out there and market conditions like a monopoly do not exist anymore. Sectors, industries and categories that see great growth and profitability will always attract more and more new players. Amidst such clutter and din, it is absolutely critical that your brand has a competitive advantage over the other brands, and the consumers should be able to tangibly feel or see that advantage. This will allow you to stay ahead of competitors who will always try to pull you down and overtake you.

So brand building basically starts from identifying the advantage that your brand has over your competition. This advantage should then be converted into positioning of the brand and monies should be spent behind that, to drive the positioning in the minds of consumers and building salience of the brand. This would ideally lead to trials or repeat of your brand and over time, the performance of the brand will help in building the perception of the brand and thereby the brand itself. 

Once again, I would like to conclude by reiterating the fact that you can build a successful brand only if your brand offers the SPA benefit. 

Sending a Telegram your Way

The idea to blog on this topic came after reading Santosh Desai’s article on the telegram in the Times of India recently. 

The problem is that, despite being on the other side of 30, I do not have any nostalgic association with a telegram. I have never sent any telegram in my life and nor have I witnessed too many telegrams in my house. Trunk calls and STD were more of the norm during my growing up years. 

So then the question that should come to mind is that why would I even contemplate blogging about the telegram when I do not have any memory attached to it. The answer to that lies in the simple approach that I take for most of my blogs. I look at the status quo and question it and try to see it from a different lens so that I can give all of you a different perspective to it. 

As I kept reading more and more about telegrams and how it used to work, two words kept springing up in my mind every now and then: SMS and Twitter. 

So the equation running in my mind was something like this:

Telegram= SMS/Twitter -$$

Let me explain this equation to you. A telegram was nothing but a mode of communication, where one had to be very brief and concise, as each word had a cost attached to it and the more number of words one used, the more was the cost of the telegram. To save on costs, people would do the following:

• They would come up with abbreviations.
• They would avoid the use of complete sentences.
• Prepositions and definite articles were the first ones to be thrown out when putting together a telegram.
• Other than the full stop (STOP), other punctuation marks had no role in the telegram.

So what was done then laid the foundation for the SMS lingo of today, which is similar to what I described above. Even for SMS, the earlier approach was done to limit the message to 160 characters as each SMS had a huge cost attached to it. Soon, laziness and a ‘supposedly’ cool attitude further led to the kind of SMS lingo that we are witnessing today. So if you think about it, a SMS is the modern version of a telegram. 

Now if you talk about Twitter, it is another extended version of the telegram, where the character limit ensures that you keep your words limited in a tweet. Moreover, instead of a SMS which is only meant for known people, Twitter is the modern version of sending a telegram to the world of your followers!

The only difference between the Telegram then and the SMS and Twitter today is that one does not have to pay for every word that one uses, even though there is some cost attached to that SMS that you send. 

I hope now you understand why this equation has been running in my mind for the last few days since the time, the telegram news has been out:

Telegram= SMS/Twitter -$$

This is Water

Sometimes, the title of a video or an article can be quite misleading. It may or may not work in favour of what the content is.

The video below is another example of that, but the reason I am sharing this video is not that but because it is simply a brilliant video that needs to be watched!

It is a 9 minute video but I urge you take out those 9 minutes and see this video as after watching it, you will definitely sit back and think about what you are doing in life.

Marketing with Ps or Marketing with a C?

Pick up any marketing book and chances are, that what Philip Kotler had proposed in his marketing theories is what everyone else is also propagating. What that means is that every book/every author/every marketer will tell you about the importance of the four Ps and how it still holds relevance even after so many years. 

I also entered the world of marketing with the same belief but over the years, my thinking and belief has changed and evolved. While I do not negate the importance of these four Ps, one important thing that no marketing book or theory tells you is about the importance of a C in between all these Ps. The C that I am talking about is that of CONVICTION. 

Yes my dear friends, Conviction is as important an element of marketing as any other. If you are not convinced about what you are doing then no amount of marketing can help you to see success, whether it is a product innovation, a consumer promotion or a campaign for your brand. 

When you think of conviction, the first name that comes to mind is that of Steve Jobs. He showed lot of conviction in the product idea and design that he believed in. Even when no one could fathom the existence of things like the iPod, iPad and the iPhone, he persisted with his conviction, made others believe in it and turned Apple into the success that it is. 

The dream of the Wright brothers to fly and give this world a machine that can take you in the air was built on the solid pillar of conviction. So was every other product innovation that change the dynamics of the market. 

While consumers and markets may or may not give you insights, directions and feedback, it is your own conviction that will help you in moving forward your brand and your market share. But remember conviction does not come alone. With conviction, you need lot of patience and the ability to be challenged and yet hold your ground. There will always be people who will try to prove what you are doing as a failure or as something that is not working and that is when the conviction should not waver and rather come out much stronger to tone down all such doubting critics. That is when you will stand tall and be seen as someone who delivers whatever be the circumstances. 

So guys, go out there with complete conviction and make a success of whatever you are working on! 

IF THIS WAS THE LAST BLOG FROM ME

When I start tapping the keys on my keyboard to write a blog, there is always a topic I want to talk about and share my views about. But today, it is different as the idea was to blog again after a long time but there was no topic to talk about. 

I kept thinking and trying to recall all those topics that had popped up in my head while driving or working or travelling, hoping that since they popped up from the head, they would remain there. But realization happened today, when none of those topics that vie for my share of mind came out today while I was struggling to write something. Seemed like they were enjoying this game of Hide and Seek with me. 

So finally giving up on that, I suddenly remembered that sometime back, someone who reads my blogs had asked me to write a blog with the assumption that it would be the last blog from me. Now that is an extremely interesting, complex and difficult thought to write on. But then therein lies the fun of putting something together on such a topic. 

If this would have been the last blog from me, chances are that I would have said all that I wanted to ever tell to the world and nothing more would be left for me to say. Something like that could only happen when one’s mind stops processing as the human brain will always have ideas, thoughts, opinions till the time it is active and the person is alive. 

The other reason this may be the last blog could be that this phenomenon and magical world called the Internet would be coming to an end and hence rather than choosing to put forward my last blog, I may be forced to end my blogs with one last blog. In that case, my last blog would actually be an amalgamation of so many blogs or rather thoughts of what I still intend to say and put forward to all of you. 

My last blog would probably cover various genres – fiction, poetry, philosophy, humor, observations of life and the world. But then who knows that a mixture of so many things would appear so gibberish to people that they might say themselves “I am glad that he decided to end his blogs. He had stopped making any sense!” 

Now before that happens and I leave you guys confused, I would like to bring a conclusion to this blog. 

But then, there is another thought that strikes me as I come to an end of this blog. Chances are that when I would be putting my last blog, I may not even know that this is going to be my last blog and hence some of the things that I have said above may actually not even appear in that blog. 

In fact, one thing is for sure. If it were my last blog, the headline of the blog would not be the same. After all, there is no reason for an If when there is a sure and certain eventuality to something. 

Think about it!

The Metro Manual

Out of the last 800 days, I must have used the Metro at least 500 times. Now before you start thinking that I am so obsessed to keep a track of the number of days gone by, let me tell you that the figure of 800 comes from the fact that I have completed just over two years in my current organization and hence the number. 

And the figure of 500 is an estimate. Please note that it is 500 times and not 500 days, because every day that I do decide to go to work by Metro, I also decide to come back home and hence a count of 2 per day and hence the number of 500.

Now that I have cleared the air for the doubting Thomases, let me come to the main objective of this blog. I believe that I have cracked the code  for men on how to ensure a seat in a Metro every time that you travel. I shall be generous enough to share the secret with all of you through this manual:

Step 1: Step into the ladies coach only if you are feeling fit and rich: This step should be obvious to the men but it does not seem so. If you are a man and you do enter their coach, forget getting any seating but be sure of getting a beating! And if it is your unlucky day, you will also be fined and handed over to the police. So stay away from this coach. If you are a lady, my advice to you also would be to stay away from this coach. It is always packed and there are chances of you getting a seat in the general compartment rather than here as those coaches have seats reserved for women.

Step 2: Get into the second coach only if you want to be seen as a Roadside Romeo: This is not the coach to try your luck for a seat. This coach is the next one after the ladies’ coach and it consists of three kinds of people:

1.       Men who have been pushed away from the ladies’ coach

2.       Men who want to check out women and purposely get into this coach

3.       Men who caught the Metro in the nick of time, while climbing down from the stairs

Women do not have a great perception about men in this coach so it is better to stay off this coach as anyway the three kind of men described above are in abundance, ensuring that this coach is packed.

Step 3: Sit on the seat reserved for ladies with your reflexes on full alert: If you get onto a coach and see a seat reserved for ladies available, do not put a face of content and satisfaction. This seat is like a temporary post in a Government, which can be pulled away from you any minute. As soon as a lady enters the coach, you will have to stand up and offer her the seat in 30 seconds, else not only her reaction but the looks from others will suddenly make you feel like a dwarf.

NOTE: The only place where you can get away by sitting on such a seat is the last coach, which normally sees lesser women boarding it. Go ahead and try your luck!

Step 4: If you have studied Consumer Behaviour or Human Psyche, then apply it here: Always wondered how psychiatrists or marketers (Really!) are able to decipher what people are thinking then this is your opportunity to show that you are no less! People tend to start shifting a bit in their seats, closing that book that they are reading, start combing their hair, or looking at their watch just few minutes before their stop is about to arrive. Be smart and notice this before others and go and stand close to that person. Chances are that you will get the seat at the next station and you can feel smug about it. But beware! There are people out there who do all these things and confuse the hell out of you and have no intention of getting off till the last station! I hate such con artists.

If after reading all of this, you are still not able to get a seat in a Metro, then scroll down and read the Disclaimer, while I go ahead and apply for a patent for this Manual.

Special tips for people outside Delhi/NCR reading this:

People in Mumbai city: Save this manual. It may help you someday. The day the Metro does come up.

People in Bangalore/Bengaluru:  You are the new kids on the block. Use this manual and show your expertise.

People in Kolkata: No manual can help you! Tell Didi that the time has come for an upgrade of the Metro.

People in other places: You will just have to hope that you also get a Metro to be able to use this manual.

Disclaimer: Reading this manual is no guarantee of getting a seat in the Metro. The writer of this blog still struggles to get a seat every day, despite showing expertise in the above article. 

Why are our online identities so different from the real ones

Have you ever wondered why Big Boss is one of the most popular reality shows on television, making people sit and glued to their television sets? Or have you ever thought why is Halloween gaining so much popularity in India over the years? 

The answers to both of these questions are the same. We love the thrill of disguise and the act of unveiling that disguise through its layers. 

In the case of Big Boss, we enjoy watching personalities without any of their reel character and yet there is an iota of disguise in their behavior, which we try to unravel. Halloween is the exact opposite of that, where one goes to a party in a disguise to present oneself as something that one is not. 

The reason spy films give an adrenaline rush to viewers because the detective is a secret agent, who often catches criminals while disguising himself as someone else. 

If given a chance, people would love to live such an existence where they can be what they aren’t in reality. The online world gives that opportunity. This is the kind of thrill people get to live daily when their online identities are completely different from their real selves. An online identity is like a Halloween mask, allowing one to live with a completely different identify from one’s real self. 

Social recluses become popular characters on Twitter – sort of mini celebrities, ugly looking men become Hrithik Roshan in their display pictures, women become men, fat girls tweet like Katrina Kaif, talking about their admirer and people who would never dare to even oppose anyone’s views become trolls abusing celebrities and the Government openly. All of this transition happens when people move from the real world to the digital world. 

The question that comes to mind is that why a sane and normal person would do something like this. One can understand criminal or psycho minds doing something like this but why people like you and me? 

One of the big reasons for that is that people believe that if you are online, you have become invincible. No one can find you or touch you. There is an immense sense of power, which makes one believe that whatever they say or post is perfectly fine as no one can do anything to them. Though, even this reality is changing, as was witnessed in the arrests of two girls who had posted some statements on Facebook. 

But not all the people online are like this. There are a few other kinds as well who lurk there in the digital realm. 

There are those who are like an open book, whose every move in life is shared with the online world, irrespective of whether they know people on the other side or not. They talk about their mood, what they ate, where they are holidaying, who they are seeing, what are their views on the cricket match and anything and everything else in between as well. For these people, online world is a security blanket but in a different way than the way it is for the kinds explained above. 

Insecure people in real lives have online identities that defy their insecurity and showcase them as confident individuals. They tweet and post content at regular intervals and every like, comment or retweet that they garner acts as a confidence booster for them. These are also the people who will try to give a point of view on every topic just to be seen as cool. 

On the other side of this set of people are cynics in real lives who like every post, every picture and project themselves as people who appreciate good content. Talk to them in the offline world and spitting fire is second nature to them. 

Let me now conclude with something provocative but yet worth thinking. Try and analyze all these different kind of people a little more and you will realize that there is a bit of us in each one of them. We have also been one of these at different points of time, so all these different kind of online people are nothing but mirrors of our real selves at different points of life, despite the fact that we tend to have online identities that are different from our real identity.

2013: #55wordstory Themes: Week 1

Theme: Illusion

He woke up with a startle.

Was this a nightmare? Or was this real?

Was he really lying on the hospital bed? Or was that also part of a dream that he was still having?

What was reality and what was an illusion was something he had to decipher.

The hash brownies had played their trick.

Theme: Passion

For ten years, she went to the beach every day. She felt the waves talk to her and come close to her, sometimes touching and caressing her body and sometimes teasing and going away. This was pure passion.

She stopped going to the beach, the day she realized that these waves will always go back.

Theme: Children

The first raindrop was enough to send us into a frenzy. Rushing out with our paper boats, ready to jump into puddles without a care about the world. No stress of daily rigmarole nor the rigour of the daily grind. Free spirit and a clean and creative mind.

Childhood was a great stage of life.

Theme: Sand

Ranbir was born with a silver spoon. All his wishes got fulfilled, making him believe that owning everything was his birth right.

When he started dating Radhika, he started getting possessive about her, which suffocated her.

He did not realize that a relationship is like sand – tighter the grip, sooner it goes out of hand. 

Theme: Dust

It was brought home with great fanfare. The entire neighborhood came to congratulate us. Soon, it became an integral part of our lives, with all events happening around it. It was witness to our joy and sorrow over the years.

Today, the black and white TV is gathering dust with no-one willing to buy it.

Theme: Invent

Churning out stories from thin air!

Creating something on a page, where nothing existed moments ago. With every word, a chain is formed. A series of such chains is what leads to a creation. Sometimes the word limit of 55 keeps the chain small. But, if this is not an invention, then what is?

Theme: People

There were hundreds of them. All had come together to show their humane side. Each of them believed that they were a good human being. As soon as they entered the alley, they were greeted with a row of mirrors. Not a single reflection of people. Each mirror reflected a beast, their inner evil! 

Impatient India – Is it a boon for the Future?

I might be the nth person writing a blog on the gruesome incident that shook the country a few weeks back. There have been numerous articles, blogs, debates that have come up since the day of the incident, with each one of them giving their own view point on the incident, the punishment that needs to be given, safety of women and many such topics surrounding the incident. 

I do not want to be another one commenting on all of this. I want to take the incident and the reaction of the youth after that to talk about the psyche of the youth today and the rationale behind such a reaction. 

To understand this we need to go back in time, at least two to three decades back. We had been independent for about 30 years or so and were taking small steps in coming on our own after being ruled for centuries. Modernization was happening at a very slow pace and aspiration was taking wings for the middle class slowly but surely. 

Everything that one desired had a certain waiting period. If you wanted a scooter, you would have to book it and wait for six months; waiting for a car was much longer. Getting a telephone line at home was an occasion of celebration as one got that after months of waiting with their name in the booking list. One had to save for years before thinking of buying a property and saving for the future/for the rainy days was the philosophy that was prevailing in the country. 

People were so used to waiting that things as simple as speaking to a relative in a different city would mean booking a trunk call a few hours in advance and then being able to connect to them if you were lucky. There was only one channel Doordarshan in the country and one had to wait for a Sunday morning for an episode of Mahabharat or a Wednesday evening for Chitrahaar. News had a certain sanctity and the elders of the house would gather around the TV at 8 pm to watch the news, which would come only twice in a day. 

With all of this, people were patient and willing to wait for the smallest of things. 

Then came the 1991 Liberalisation phase, which was brought in by our current Prime Minister – Manmohan Singh. This changed the face of the Indian economy and put the country on a fast paced pedestal. Cable TV invaded our homes with a plethora of options. You could watch something or the other at any given point of time, day or night. Credit cards and easy EMIs made life easier with the philosophy changing to ‘Why wait when you can do/buy something now. We can pay it off over the years.’ Cars and homes were available without waiting. The buyers for these item started getting younger. 

Mobile telephony and Internet penetrated Indian homes at thrice the speed of TV penetration. You wanted to speak to someone, just pick the phone and dial and voila, the other person is there on the other side. Then came the phenomenon of Social Networking, making the entire world a global village. You did not have to wait any longer to share your feelings with the world. The moment you feel it is the moment you share it. You could talk to anyone anywhere in the world Live without having to bother about time zones. 

What all of this meant was that the generation that was born in the '90s and thereafter had never understood the meaning of waiting. They got what they wanted immediately. Impatience was a personality trait for this generation and it was this impatience that led to the occurrence of the entire country coming together, demanding for quick action. Unfortunately, our politicians belong to the era of waiting and they did not realize that statements like “We are looking into the matter”, “We will take action”, “This shall be taken care of”, “Dekthe hain. Kucch karenge” would not cut ice with a generation that wants results now. 

It is this impatience of today’s youth, which could possibly be the game changer for our nation and if this impatience is recognized by our politicians quickly, it will help in forming a better nation. 

Disclaimer: I see this impatience amongst the youth as a virtue rather than vice and I believe that it is this which will help us to dream big, achieve big and make the nation a better place in times to come.

2013: No Resolutions. Just Follow the Es

Another year has come to an end. The lesser said of the year that has gone by, the better it is. 

Once again, we have stepped onto the pedestal of the first day, which will be the harbinger for the rest of the 364 days that lie ahead. We will once again have to start with a clean slate. 

As humans, the eternal optimists that we are, once again there will be New Year Resolutions that will be formed all around, only to wither with the passage of time. The biggest flaw in a Resolution is that it usually gets broken because there is a leash or a constraint of not doing something and as soon as you do that, the Resolution dissolves in thin air. 

I realized this last year itself and committed to not putting Resolutions in place but rather going for something that does not have the fear of getting broken. I flipped the whole concept of a Resolution into something where the more I do something the more I gain rather than constraining myself from doing something. 

I devised a model for myself, which I call the ‘E Model’ as everything that I would like to do in a year can be easily encapsulated in this model. This is a dynamic model and keeps evolving every year, basis my needs. (Did you also notice the use of E words in the last two sentences…just to warm you guys to the E Model that is going to be explained J ) 

Following are the key points of the E Model for 2013 for me: 

1. Extraction: To learn something new, it is critical to extract maximum possible from various sources. 2013 will also be a year of reading, learning and evolving. Extraction is not only about external sources but also about me. This means writing and blogging much more. 

2. Exploration: According to me, one is truly not living a complete life if one is not travelling. I would also like to make 2013 a year of exploration just like 2012, which would mean seeing a few new places either in India or outside. 

3. Experience: What is the point of ending another year with the same and mundane things that you have done before. This is all about coming out of the comfort zone and trying out new experiences of life. It could be a new adventure, a new skill, a new course. As long as it is something I have not done before, it will go as part of the experience. 

4. Entertainment: There is no dearth on the plethora of options that exist out there. What this also means that there are so many movies/shows/songs/music videos that I still have to see, not to forget the ones that will release during the course of the year. 

5. Expansion: This is the new E that I am adding over the four that I had put in place last year. Expansion is all about stretching the borders and boundaries of friendship/relationships/networks. The intention is to strengthen the bonds with the existing set of people in my life, renew some weak ties and also meet new people and form new bonds. Personally, this will be one of the most difficult as well as interesting E that I will venture into and it would be a test and challenge for myself. 

If you go through all the 5 Es, you will realize that they are strongly interlinked and there are chances that while I am following one E, the other is also getting achieved. So if I travel to a new country and indulge in some bungee jumping, it would allow me to explore as well as experience. 

Such a thought makes me find this model extremely interesting and engaging. To add to that, I do not have to bother about it getting broken as this stays valid till the last day of the year. 

The success of these Es would also entail a few other Es though – Execution and Expenditure. Any wrong estimation on one of the two, would lead to not achieving what I set out to do. 

To keep myself on target, I am also putting in place a few quantifiable and measurable targets as part of these Es, so that I can monitor myself as I go along. 

I would conclude by saying “Let’s do Eeet!”