“In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes”, said the famous painter Andy Warhol in the year 1968. Today, more than 40 years later, he could not have been truer.
Today, with the proliferation of media and every channel having its own set of reality shows, almost everyone is trying his/her luck to get their 15 minutes or even 15 seconds of fame by coming on screen.
There is a plethora of options to choose from in terms of genre, in terms of programmes in one’s selected genre and in terms of channel for that genre. So if one is the adventurous type, then there are shows like ‘Roadies’ on MTV or ‘Iss Jungle se Mujhe Bachao’ on Sony. If one feels that he/she has the potential to be the next Lata Mangeshkar or Kishore Kumar, then there are shows like’ Indian Idol’,’ Sa Re Ga Ma’ and a number of other such singing shows. For people who think that they can shake a leg well, there are choices like ‘Dance India Dance’ and ‘Boogie Woogie’. If one enjoys the company and flirting of a large number of people of the opposite sex, then there is ‘Splitsvilla’ on MTV. For people looking for a fun yet adventurous date, the show is Dare to Date on V, for strategists and people who love mind games, there is The Player on V. Girls wanting to experience the glamour world have the option of ‘Get Gorgeous’ on V. Women who are keen to get married through a show by meeting the guy and his mother, there is The Perfect Bride on Star Plus, whereas for others who would like to get married to a celebrity, there is always a Swayamavar on NDTV Imagine happening for them. For the bullies, there is Dadagiri and for celebrities looking to change their lifestyle, there is ‘The Big Switch’.
As can be seen from a number of examples above, there is no shortage of opportunities. One just needs to decide on which genre and which programme does one want to make a mark for himself. A lot of them have even devised ways to hold the camera to them a little more longer – be it abusing at the drop of a hat, breaking into fights and arguments, flirting or doing something completey absurd and hilarious.
With all of this happening at such a frenetic pace all around us, what is surprising is that while people who do not end up in the finals or become winners are forgotten very soon, but in most cases, even the finalists and winners are nowhere to be seen as soon as the show gets over. Few examples that come to mind are the winners of Indian Idol 2 and 3 (have even forgotten their names), Rahul Roy from Big Boss, Salman (winner of last year’s Dance India Dance). The list is longer than that. What is worse is that even after being victorious, a large number of them are still struggling to manage to get a stable foothold in the big bad world of entertainment.
The big question that comes to my mind is that is this quest and run for the 15 minutes of fame worth it all, if after that one cannot sustain oneself and one does not even know what what hit him after feeling that everything was going right for him and the entire world had become his oyster? Would conclude with this thought.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
IDENTIFYING MARKETS AND OPPORTUNITIES - TRUE LEARNING FROM SMALL BUT ENTERPRISING PEOPLE
Every company wants to expand its presence by reaching out to new markets or by identifying more opportunities where their brand can be relevant in the lives of consumers and thereby increase its sales further.
Every year, companies and employees spend hours and hours of time and hundreds of thousands of rupees to source and analyse data so as to identify the right markets and right opportunities to get maximum bang for their buck. Companies even partner with a number of agencies to ensure that they get enough information to ensure that the markets and opportunities that they have identified is based on sound logic and data.
While there is nothing wrong in this approach that companies take, but what is amazing is that there are a number of people, who I would like to call small entrepreneurs who are able to identify such markets and opportunities without relying on any data, any analysis or any third party agencies.
Let me list down some of these small but enterprising people who look for that one opportunity, whether big or small just to earn a little more and improve their life a little more:
1) Autos: Auto drivers are the most enterprising lot and I mean it in a very positive sense. They know exactly where is a party, event or dinner happening in any part of the town and they ensure that they are present there to not let go of such an opportunity. One just needs to visit some of the night clubs on a Saturday night or a big wedding party outside a 5 star hotel or a late night movie show in a multiplex and as soon as you come out, there will be a number of autos ready to take one home.
2) Balloon sellers/Ice-cream sellers: This is the other group of enterprising people who will know where the next opportunity is for them and they will ensure that they reach there. Besides the regular picnic spots, these people know where is the big cricket match happening or which part of the town is a wedding taking place and they will be there right outside such venues.
3) Small trader in rural Melas (Fairs): Every rural Mela has a few stalls which sell items that women generally don’t get easily in their villages. You will see a stall selling fairness creams, small mirrors, bright colour bangles, plastic jewellery or any such item that will attract women in droves to that stall. Moreover, this entrepreneur will put up things that he can afford to price at attractive prices of Rs. 10, Rs. 20 or so so that everyone finds something or the other for herself. Once again, what is worth noting in the case of these traders is that they know very well where the next Mela is taking place in all the close by towns and they will be present in the next Mela with another set of exciting things.
4) Temple paraphernalia sellers: While people who have set up their merchandise outside temples do not move from there, what is very interesting is that if there is any new temple that is being built, there will be a set of entrepreneurs who will set up their space and their merchandise outside a new temple just before it opens so that as soon as the temple opens its doors to its devotees, there is a ready market and opportunity for such entrepreneurs.
5) Sellers at the signals: These are people who have more or less identified and short-listed their markets and keep looking for high gain opportunities. For such people, seasons and occasions play a critical role. That is the reason one sees such enterprising people selling Santa caps closer to Christmas, small flags near 15th Aug and woollen earplugs in winter.
6) Eunuchs: This is another group, who identifies its markets and opportunities in an extremely smooth manner and ensures its presence at such times to make the most out of it. In fact, this is one group which cannot rely on one market or one opportunity for too long (in most cases, just once) and for them finding the right place on a daily basis not only becomes a core competency but also becomes a critical success factor.
This, of course is not an exhaustive list and if one were to think, one would be able to list down a few other such kinds of people as well.
What needs to be taken out of this is that while one is looking at the data, one also needs to look beyond the data and scratch the surface a bit as the opportunity maybe lurking right around the corner but we may not be exploiting it due to lack of data or confirmation from a third party.
Every year, companies and employees spend hours and hours of time and hundreds of thousands of rupees to source and analyse data so as to identify the right markets and right opportunities to get maximum bang for their buck. Companies even partner with a number of agencies to ensure that they get enough information to ensure that the markets and opportunities that they have identified is based on sound logic and data.
While there is nothing wrong in this approach that companies take, but what is amazing is that there are a number of people, who I would like to call small entrepreneurs who are able to identify such markets and opportunities without relying on any data, any analysis or any third party agencies.
Let me list down some of these small but enterprising people who look for that one opportunity, whether big or small just to earn a little more and improve their life a little more:
1) Autos: Auto drivers are the most enterprising lot and I mean it in a very positive sense. They know exactly where is a party, event or dinner happening in any part of the town and they ensure that they are present there to not let go of such an opportunity. One just needs to visit some of the night clubs on a Saturday night or a big wedding party outside a 5 star hotel or a late night movie show in a multiplex and as soon as you come out, there will be a number of autos ready to take one home.
2) Balloon sellers/Ice-cream sellers: This is the other group of enterprising people who will know where the next opportunity is for them and they will ensure that they reach there. Besides the regular picnic spots, these people know where is the big cricket match happening or which part of the town is a wedding taking place and they will be there right outside such venues.
3) Small trader in rural Melas (Fairs): Every rural Mela has a few stalls which sell items that women generally don’t get easily in their villages. You will see a stall selling fairness creams, small mirrors, bright colour bangles, plastic jewellery or any such item that will attract women in droves to that stall. Moreover, this entrepreneur will put up things that he can afford to price at attractive prices of Rs. 10, Rs. 20 or so so that everyone finds something or the other for herself. Once again, what is worth noting in the case of these traders is that they know very well where the next Mela is taking place in all the close by towns and they will be present in the next Mela with another set of exciting things.
4) Temple paraphernalia sellers: While people who have set up their merchandise outside temples do not move from there, what is very interesting is that if there is any new temple that is being built, there will be a set of entrepreneurs who will set up their space and their merchandise outside a new temple just before it opens so that as soon as the temple opens its doors to its devotees, there is a ready market and opportunity for such entrepreneurs.
5) Sellers at the signals: These are people who have more or less identified and short-listed their markets and keep looking for high gain opportunities. For such people, seasons and occasions play a critical role. That is the reason one sees such enterprising people selling Santa caps closer to Christmas, small flags near 15th Aug and woollen earplugs in winter.
6) Eunuchs: This is another group, who identifies its markets and opportunities in an extremely smooth manner and ensures its presence at such times to make the most out of it. In fact, this is one group which cannot rely on one market or one opportunity for too long (in most cases, just once) and for them finding the right place on a daily basis not only becomes a core competency but also becomes a critical success factor.
This, of course is not an exhaustive list and if one were to think, one would be able to list down a few other such kinds of people as well.
What needs to be taken out of this is that while one is looking at the data, one also needs to look beyond the data and scratch the surface a bit as the opportunity maybe lurking right around the corner but we may not be exploiting it due to lack of data or confirmation from a third party.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
PERSONALITIES FROM THE CONVEYOR BELT
In my last few travels, I have started doing a very interesting thing. I look at the luggage that is coming on the conveyor belt and try to place who it will belong to by trying to match the kind/style of luggage with a similar kind of person standing and waiting for it.
You might think what a crazy thing to do but it a very interesting test of your observation and analysis. Obviously I don’t end up guessing right always but you feel really happy and excited when the luggage gets picked up by exactly the same person you have guessed it belongs to.
The approach in doing this exercise is to identify a particular piece of luggage and then start looking for a person to whom such a luggage would belong to. Let me try and put down how I go about matching the two:
1) If there is a funky and colourful looking bag coming on the conveyor belt, I will try to look for a young, trendy college-going girl to whom the luggage would possibly belong.
2) If there is a huge and bulky Samsonite kind of a suitcase on the belt, I would look for two different type of people – One would be a very stylish, high fashion girl who likes to travel heavy or it would be a NRI family who is travelling within the cities of India
3) If there is a very small, thin and black but smart stroller coming along, I would try to look for a person in his 30s, who is wearing a suit and is either reading mails on his blackberry or using his stylus to do something on his phone
4) If the suitcase is a regular size suitcase with a cover on top of it (usually army colour), I would look for a couple, who are in their mid 50s, used to travelling in trains over the years, dressed very simply and possibly visiting their son or their relatives.
5) If there is a big rugsack coming on the belt, I will look for a foreigner who is dressed in loose jeans and a T-shirt, possibly with an Ipod.
6) If there is a big silver trunk or rather a few of them on the conveyor belt, I will look for a hip looking guy wearing a funky T-shirt with possibly an earring or a ear stud and maybe a tattoo, which adds to his personality of being a DJ.
7) If there is a guitar that is moving on the belt, I will either look for a girl with a possible nose ring or a guy who has long hair and possibly a beard, wearing a T-shirt of any one of the cult rock groups.
8) If there is an old hardback suitcase (seen in films to give ransom money) that can be locked, I will look for someone who is wearing a Safari Suit and glasses or someone who looks like he works in the Govt. Dept. of the state.
Like I mentioned above, my analysis and matching of the luggage and the person who claims it is not always true. In fact, often I am surprised to see that the person who is picking a particular piece of luggage is completely different in terms of his/her personality than expected from the luggage.
In fact, if someone were to do the same exercise and try to match my luggage with me, it would be very difficult as depending on the place and duration of my travel, my luggage keeps changing and there is no particular pattern to my luggage as I travel with big suitcases also as well as small bags as well as just a laptop bag.
I guess it is interesting to do this exercise as just a fun exercise without putting too much seriousness or emphasis to it.
Farewells
In the last three years with my current organisation, I have seen a number of farewells – Farewell of close friends, farewell of not so close friends, farewell of seniors, farewell of peers.
Some leave as they are moving for better career opportunities, some others leave as they are moving to a new phase in their personal lives and some others leave not the organisation but their current roles to move to a different role in a different city. Each one has his own reason for moving on.
While each farewell ends with a speech of the person leaving and a few others who have worked closely with the concerned person, what each and every farewell has been telling me is that there is more to a person than his professional role in the organisation.
Every farewell makes me realise that I don’t know a large part of that person – his personal life, his goals and ambitions, things he is passionate about, causes he supports or would like to support, his knowledge and experience from his past jobs, etc.
Every time a person I leaving, it hits me that here was a person from whom I could have learnt so many things outside our current roles, could have connected with him better and got more closer, could have understood him more and better. But……one gets so involved and wrapped in the time warp of work that getting ten minutes out even once a week with the idea of knowing a person better seems an energy sapping and time wasting effort. Then there are inhibitions of the mind that how the other person will take it, will he be comfortable in opening up and sharing beyond the professional part or the regular and mundane part, which are the hygiene factors which everyone knows about everyone.
Well, the truth is that the other person does not feel uncomfortable… in fact it is oneself who is uncomfortable. The other person is more than willing to impart and share his knowledge and experiences if there is a genuine seeker for it. Who would not want to have someone within the organisation who doesn’t talk to him or come to him to only discuss work and its periphery.
Knowing this and being fully aware of it and now even blogging about it, I shall take sincere efforts to know people around me better and beyond the professional domain so that when I am a part of the next farewell, I can proudly say to myself that I have known this person well enough and even taken a few lessons of life from him.
Some leave as they are moving for better career opportunities, some others leave as they are moving to a new phase in their personal lives and some others leave not the organisation but their current roles to move to a different role in a different city. Each one has his own reason for moving on.
While each farewell ends with a speech of the person leaving and a few others who have worked closely with the concerned person, what each and every farewell has been telling me is that there is more to a person than his professional role in the organisation.
Every farewell makes me realise that I don’t know a large part of that person – his personal life, his goals and ambitions, things he is passionate about, causes he supports or would like to support, his knowledge and experience from his past jobs, etc.
Every time a person I leaving, it hits me that here was a person from whom I could have learnt so many things outside our current roles, could have connected with him better and got more closer, could have understood him more and better. But……one gets so involved and wrapped in the time warp of work that getting ten minutes out even once a week with the idea of knowing a person better seems an energy sapping and time wasting effort. Then there are inhibitions of the mind that how the other person will take it, will he be comfortable in opening up and sharing beyond the professional part or the regular and mundane part, which are the hygiene factors which everyone knows about everyone.
Well, the truth is that the other person does not feel uncomfortable… in fact it is oneself who is uncomfortable. The other person is more than willing to impart and share his knowledge and experiences if there is a genuine seeker for it. Who would not want to have someone within the organisation who doesn’t talk to him or come to him to only discuss work and its periphery.
Knowing this and being fully aware of it and now even blogging about it, I shall take sincere efforts to know people around me better and beyond the professional domain so that when I am a part of the next farewell, I can proudly say to myself that I have known this person well enough and even taken a few lessons of life from him.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Twenty Ten
Twenty ten. Wishing all you readers a Happy Twenty Ten. The year itself sounds like a sort of countdown moving in differences of ten. Twenty... ten....zero? The sound of this is not good so maybe 2010 is better... so will stick to that.
With the start of 2010 has started another big discussion. What do we call this decade or rather what do we call the years from 2010 to 2019. This is a dilemma that the world faces after every 100 years, but till now we have not been able to solve for it as there is no term for the decade of 10-19, whereas we have terms for all other decades, starting from the twenties and going up to the nineties. In fact, even the decade of 2000 to 2009 was coined a term called noughties.
Media houses, publications, social networking sites are all discussing and trying to solve for this dilemma. TOI even came up with a few options like calling this decade as tennies (sounds like a sport to me) or oughties and asked for the popular choice through a poll. People, of course, have different views and each one has his or her own preferences. Some even feel that we should call it the tweenies or some other such name. Someone even suggested that we need not bother as everything will come to an end by 2012 (Talk about movies influencing minds of people)
While people are bothering about what to call this decade I am thinking to go to the root cause of this problem. How did this problem get created in the first place? My mind goes back to the people who gave us all the numbers and who gave names to these numbers. It all started from there.
Whoever gave names to these numbers did not utilise his creativity to the fullest as he/she was very creative in giving names to numbers between 0 -20, but after that all the creativity fizzled out and laziness set in as all the numbers were given a common name for the entire stretch of ten numbers. Therefore numbers between 20 – 29 were all called twenty something and the same holds good for the number series after that.
It would have been much better if this creativity had fizzled out as soon as the number ten was reached because then in that case, the numbers between 10 – 19 would have been like:
Tenty One, Tenty Two, Tenty Three, Tenty Four, Tenty Five, Tenty Six, Tenty Seven, Tenty Eight and Tenty Nine
But since this would have sounded similar to Twenty series, the other option would have been to call it:
Ten One, TenTwo, Ten Three, Ten Four, Ten Five, Ten Six, Ten Seven, Ten Eight and Ten Nine.
So the question that comes to my mind is that should we solve for the smaller problem of what to call this decade or is there a bigger problem in the naming of the numbers and is there a possibility of changing that. I would like to end this blog with this thought in your minds….so that you can come back and comment on how you see the issue and what are the possible solutions.
With the start of 2010 has started another big discussion. What do we call this decade or rather what do we call the years from 2010 to 2019. This is a dilemma that the world faces after every 100 years, but till now we have not been able to solve for it as there is no term for the decade of 10-19, whereas we have terms for all other decades, starting from the twenties and going up to the nineties. In fact, even the decade of 2000 to 2009 was coined a term called noughties.
Media houses, publications, social networking sites are all discussing and trying to solve for this dilemma. TOI even came up with a few options like calling this decade as tennies (sounds like a sport to me) or oughties and asked for the popular choice through a poll. People, of course, have different views and each one has his or her own preferences. Some even feel that we should call it the tweenies or some other such name. Someone even suggested that we need not bother as everything will come to an end by 2012 (Talk about movies influencing minds of people)
While people are bothering about what to call this decade I am thinking to go to the root cause of this problem. How did this problem get created in the first place? My mind goes back to the people who gave us all the numbers and who gave names to these numbers. It all started from there.
Whoever gave names to these numbers did not utilise his creativity to the fullest as he/she was very creative in giving names to numbers between 0 -20, but after that all the creativity fizzled out and laziness set in as all the numbers were given a common name for the entire stretch of ten numbers. Therefore numbers between 20 – 29 were all called twenty something and the same holds good for the number series after that.
It would have been much better if this creativity had fizzled out as soon as the number ten was reached because then in that case, the numbers between 10 – 19 would have been like:
Tenty One, Tenty Two, Tenty Three, Tenty Four, Tenty Five, Tenty Six, Tenty Seven, Tenty Eight and Tenty Nine
But since this would have sounded similar to Twenty series, the other option would have been to call it:
Ten One, TenTwo, Ten Three, Ten Four, Ten Five, Ten Six, Ten Seven, Ten Eight and Ten Nine.
So the question that comes to my mind is that should we solve for the smaller problem of what to call this decade or is there a bigger problem in the naming of the numbers and is there a possibility of changing that. I would like to end this blog with this thought in your minds….so that you can come back and comment on how you see the issue and what are the possible solutions.
End of a Relationship
When the phone stops ringing,
And the SMS stops beeping
Is It the end of a relationship?
When the heart does not feel like doing anything
And the mind cannot concentrate
Is it the end of a relationship?
When the eyes show lot of pain
And the smile dissappears from your face
Is it the end of a relationship?
When the world looks like a horrid place
And you don’t feel like talking to anyone
Is it the end of a relationship?
When anything romantic looks like completely fake
And mountains and seas look like the worst place to be
Is it the end of a relationship?
When jokes do not make you laugh
And songs with pathos is what you want to hear
Is it the end of a relationship?
If only people knew
And they could see the signals before
The world would be a less painful place..
But no-one knows when or where…
it will be the end of the relationship for him/her.
(Dedicated to a few friends who have gone through a break-up recently)
And the SMS stops beeping
Is It the end of a relationship?
When the heart does not feel like doing anything
And the mind cannot concentrate
Is it the end of a relationship?
When the eyes show lot of pain
And the smile dissappears from your face
Is it the end of a relationship?
When the world looks like a horrid place
And you don’t feel like talking to anyone
Is it the end of a relationship?
When anything romantic looks like completely fake
And mountains and seas look like the worst place to be
Is it the end of a relationship?
When jokes do not make you laugh
And songs with pathos is what you want to hear
Is it the end of a relationship?
If only people knew
And they could see the signals before
The world would be a less painful place..
But no-one knows when or where…
it will be the end of the relationship for him/her.
(Dedicated to a few friends who have gone through a break-up recently)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
I WONDER WHY - SOME OBSERVATIONS SEEN ACROSS CITIES, PEOPLE AND LIFE IN GENERAL – PART ONE
1)While different people have different personalities and different tastes, what is it in social networking sites that it brings people of different profiles onto it and gets them hooked?
2)Are we jealous of the success of celebrities and their lifestyles that we are watching each and every step of theirs like a hawk and one mistake and we are ready to claw them and show them their place?
3)Why is it that when we are playing a sport we want to win convincingly and with a huge margin, but when we are watching a sport on TV we want it to be a thrilling and close game?
4)Why do news channels feel that we are dumb and any small news that they bring and hype will be watched with great enthusiasm?
5)Is it voyeurism because of which we enjoy reality shows, as in most of these shows, the life of a contestant comes in front of us (though lot of them may be faking it)?
6)Irrespective of the amount of planning or lack of it, whenever the launch date comes closer, why does one suddenly wish that if there was more time one could have done better?
7)Without meaning any offence, why are the saleswomen selling cosmetics not beautiful themselves? Is it that they want to ensure that women who come to buy these products, after applying or trying the product look at these saleswomen and feel beautiful?
8)Why is it that I cannot think of so many other observations that I have noticed over the years – I guess it needs to come back in Part Two of this blog
2)Are we jealous of the success of celebrities and their lifestyles that we are watching each and every step of theirs like a hawk and one mistake and we are ready to claw them and show them their place?
3)Why is it that when we are playing a sport we want to win convincingly and with a huge margin, but when we are watching a sport on TV we want it to be a thrilling and close game?
4)Why do news channels feel that we are dumb and any small news that they bring and hype will be watched with great enthusiasm?
5)Is it voyeurism because of which we enjoy reality shows, as in most of these shows, the life of a contestant comes in front of us (though lot of them may be faking it)?
6)Irrespective of the amount of planning or lack of it, whenever the launch date comes closer, why does one suddenly wish that if there was more time one could have done better?
7)Without meaning any offence, why are the saleswomen selling cosmetics not beautiful themselves? Is it that they want to ensure that women who come to buy these products, after applying or trying the product look at these saleswomen and feel beautiful?
8)Why is it that I cannot think of so many other observations that I have noticed over the years – I guess it needs to come back in Part Two of this blog
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Naked Streets
I was just reading an article on ‘naked streets’, where a new concept is being tried in a few towns of Europe, where traffic signals are being kept unoperational for a few days/weeks to see whether the number of accidents actually reduces as a result of this or not.
The rationale behind this new concept is that when people themselves are responsible for moving through busy intersections rather than traffic signals, then they become more cautious and responsible, which results in higher alertness and thereby a reduction in accidents.
Europe has studied data for some towns to prove that having no traffic signals will actually lead to a reduction in accidents.
European agencies have been feeling very proud of coming up with this new concept called ‘Naked Streets’. I guess they need to come to India to realize that the concept of ‘Naked Streets’ has existed in India across its length and breadth from a metro city to a small town. Anyone who has every driven anywhere in India will vouch that naked street is not a new phenomenon and it has existed for years now.
If one were to have a bird eye view of two naked streets – one in Europe and one in India, then one would realize how easy it is to travel on these naked streets in Europe when compared to India, as naked streets in India lead to utter chaos as one is not only competing with the four-wheelers, but there are two-wheelers, three-wheelers, bicycles, cows, bulls, dogs and sometimes even trams (Refer Kolkata). It seems that Indians are born with the talent of managing chaos and weaving their way through it, seeing their ability to go through a number of naked streets regularly.
I just hope that the Indian Govt. does not make the idea of ‘Naked Concept’ as an acceptable concept by aping the success of Europe without realizing that we have lived and experienced it and though I do not know whether ‘Naked Streets’ will lead to a reduction in accidents on road or not, but what I am sure is that ‘Naked Streets’ means confusion and lots of traffic jams in India.
The rationale behind this new concept is that when people themselves are responsible for moving through busy intersections rather than traffic signals, then they become more cautious and responsible, which results in higher alertness and thereby a reduction in accidents.
Europe has studied data for some towns to prove that having no traffic signals will actually lead to a reduction in accidents.
European agencies have been feeling very proud of coming up with this new concept called ‘Naked Streets’. I guess they need to come to India to realize that the concept of ‘Naked Streets’ has existed in India across its length and breadth from a metro city to a small town. Anyone who has every driven anywhere in India will vouch that naked street is not a new phenomenon and it has existed for years now.
If one were to have a bird eye view of two naked streets – one in Europe and one in India, then one would realize how easy it is to travel on these naked streets in Europe when compared to India, as naked streets in India lead to utter chaos as one is not only competing with the four-wheelers, but there are two-wheelers, three-wheelers, bicycles, cows, bulls, dogs and sometimes even trams (Refer Kolkata). It seems that Indians are born with the talent of managing chaos and weaving their way through it, seeing their ability to go through a number of naked streets regularly.
I just hope that the Indian Govt. does not make the idea of ‘Naked Concept’ as an acceptable concept by aping the success of Europe without realizing that we have lived and experienced it and though I do not know whether ‘Naked Streets’ will lead to a reduction in accidents on road or not, but what I am sure is that ‘Naked Streets’ means confusion and lots of traffic jams in India.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Swatantra Diwas – India’s Independence and My Freedom
With every Independence, my love for the country and my patriotism keeps going up. There is a lot more pride in my heart for India. In fact, I look forward to DD showing the flag hoisting ceremony at the Red Fort by the Prime Minister and try to surf various news channels to catch the mood of the year’s Independence Day celebrations across various cities. I also try to see if I can catch up on one of the patriotic movies that are being played on the various movie channels.
During childhood, Independence Day just meant like another holiday and reason to be off from school and I did not find the 15th Aug shows on TV to be very exciting. I do not know what led to the change - whether it is more hope and positivity for the country or is it the maturity of age, but the reason is not important.
Today as I write this blog, I am just trying to think of Independence beyond what we know it as. Independence meant freedom from British Raj before 1947 but after that it has meant completely different for different people at different times including me.
The other word for Independence is Freedom and one song that comes to mind is
‘I Wanna Break Free’. The reason why this song comes to mind is because post 1947, freedom has taken a different connotation and while one celebrates India’s historic Independence with great gusto, this day always gives an opportunity to sit back and ponder over what is it that one would want to break free from or what is the next level of freedom one would want to enjoy.
As a child, freedom meant a day away from school, books and homework and just play and play. As a teenager, freedom meant permission to go on a school picnic or a school trip and just have a great time. As a newly turned 18-year old, freedom meant the licence to drive freely on my own as well as the right to vote. As a young post-grad out from B-school, freedom meant an end to studies and a start to an independent career. Two years down the line, freedom meant the ability to choose the companies I would want to work for and not be dependent on a placement day.
This clearly shows that the meaning of freedom may keep changing but the joy of achieving it will always remain the same. Now, I am trying to think that what is the next freedom that I seek and maybe it will be some time before I can be ready for an answer so I think I will leave it for some other blog.
During childhood, Independence Day just meant like another holiday and reason to be off from school and I did not find the 15th Aug shows on TV to be very exciting. I do not know what led to the change - whether it is more hope and positivity for the country or is it the maturity of age, but the reason is not important.
Today as I write this blog, I am just trying to think of Independence beyond what we know it as. Independence meant freedom from British Raj before 1947 but after that it has meant completely different for different people at different times including me.
The other word for Independence is Freedom and one song that comes to mind is
‘I Wanna Break Free’. The reason why this song comes to mind is because post 1947, freedom has taken a different connotation and while one celebrates India’s historic Independence with great gusto, this day always gives an opportunity to sit back and ponder over what is it that one would want to break free from or what is the next level of freedom one would want to enjoy.
As a child, freedom meant a day away from school, books and homework and just play and play. As a teenager, freedom meant permission to go on a school picnic or a school trip and just have a great time. As a newly turned 18-year old, freedom meant the licence to drive freely on my own as well as the right to vote. As a young post-grad out from B-school, freedom meant an end to studies and a start to an independent career. Two years down the line, freedom meant the ability to choose the companies I would want to work for and not be dependent on a placement day.
This clearly shows that the meaning of freedom may keep changing but the joy of achieving it will always remain the same. Now, I am trying to think that what is the next freedom that I seek and maybe it will be some time before I can be ready for an answer so I think I will leave it for some other blog.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Recession can also be good for some!
Taking inspiration from Stephen Lewitt and his book ‘Freakonomics’, I would like to attempt my own take on Freakonomics and here it goes:
People have been saying that recession is bad and it impacts the entire economy and almost no-one can be saved from its impact if it continues for too long. While I completely agree with what everyone has been saying but for some companies there is a positive side to the recession and they tend to actually gain from the so-called recession.
Some clear winners are: electricity providers, DVD sellers/video parlours, chips and salted snack companies and even beverage companies.
People who have been asked to quit their jobs due to the impact of recession would obviously be spending more time at home and what that means is that they would be having lot of free time in their hands besides spending a few hours daily on trying for new jobs. So to pass time, they would either watch TV (lots of it) or go out and buy/rent a DVD for entertainment. This would mean an increase in an electricity bill as well an increase in sale of the DVD seller or the video parlour.
Now when people sitting at home are watching so much of TV/movies, chances are that they would eat something while doing that. They would also eat out of frustration and depression of not having a job. In either cases, the craving for salted food is bound to be higher and so products like chips and other salted snacks would be the options that they would desire. So even in recession, companies like these can be a bit relieved that their household sales may not go down and they may in fact see a reverse trend.
Same is the case with beverages companies and that happens to be the perfect companion to salted food and a movie experience.
So you see recession can also be an opportunity for some…. It all about looking at things from a different perspective rather than following the herd mentality where everyone says that recession is bad for them and so recession is bad for us.
People have been saying that recession is bad and it impacts the entire economy and almost no-one can be saved from its impact if it continues for too long. While I completely agree with what everyone has been saying but for some companies there is a positive side to the recession and they tend to actually gain from the so-called recession.
Some clear winners are: electricity providers, DVD sellers/video parlours, chips and salted snack companies and even beverage companies.
People who have been asked to quit their jobs due to the impact of recession would obviously be spending more time at home and what that means is that they would be having lot of free time in their hands besides spending a few hours daily on trying for new jobs. So to pass time, they would either watch TV (lots of it) or go out and buy/rent a DVD for entertainment. This would mean an increase in an electricity bill as well an increase in sale of the DVD seller or the video parlour.
Now when people sitting at home are watching so much of TV/movies, chances are that they would eat something while doing that. They would also eat out of frustration and depression of not having a job. In either cases, the craving for salted food is bound to be higher and so products like chips and other salted snacks would be the options that they would desire. So even in recession, companies like these can be a bit relieved that their household sales may not go down and they may in fact see a reverse trend.
Same is the case with beverages companies and that happens to be the perfect companion to salted food and a movie experience.
So you see recession can also be an opportunity for some…. It all about looking at things from a different perspective rather than following the herd mentality where everyone says that recession is bad for them and so recession is bad for us.
Contacts
Do you have contacts? Although it sounds like a very simple question, but quite often there is more to this simple question than what is seen. What one is trying to ask is that how much clout does one have. This is a question that is asked at various points of time in one’s life in India as lot of work gets done only through ‘contacts’.
But today I will not be talking about those kind of contacts. I would like to talk about the contacts that exist on our mobile phones. Each of us has a number of contacts on our mobile phones. In fact, each and every new mobile model that comes into the market promises more and more space for your contacts. From 100 to 200 to 500 and many more.
I just wonder how many of these contacts do we really contact….. and how often? In fact, the other day I was just going through my long list of contacts as I wanted to clear out some names, with whom there will be no contact or there will be no need to contact. There were some names against which I could not place any face at all nor could I recollect who or what that person had done to be a part of my contact list. Then there were some whose name was ringing a bell in the mind, but it was difficult to recollect their significance in my life. These were the easy ones to remove from the contact list as it was clear that they were not important enough to stay in my contacts list.
The difficult part came after this. As I started scrolling from one name to the other, there were faces, past memories and moments that started coming across me. Each name had a certain story and relevance in my life. Some of these names or contacts were very important in a certain phase of my life and these were the people I used to speak to very often, but as time passed by and college, cities, jobs, and relationships changed, each contact started moving up or down in one’s hierarchy of importance. Some of the regular contacts became once in a while contacts to a need based contact to a contact who just exists on my mobile phone. But these are still contacts, whose name I do not wish to delete as I feel that someday I might call them again and relive some of those old moments.
Till then Facebook will help me keep updated on a lot of them!
But today I will not be talking about those kind of contacts. I would like to talk about the contacts that exist on our mobile phones. Each of us has a number of contacts on our mobile phones. In fact, each and every new mobile model that comes into the market promises more and more space for your contacts. From 100 to 200 to 500 and many more.
I just wonder how many of these contacts do we really contact….. and how often? In fact, the other day I was just going through my long list of contacts as I wanted to clear out some names, with whom there will be no contact or there will be no need to contact. There were some names against which I could not place any face at all nor could I recollect who or what that person had done to be a part of my contact list. Then there were some whose name was ringing a bell in the mind, but it was difficult to recollect their significance in my life. These were the easy ones to remove from the contact list as it was clear that they were not important enough to stay in my contacts list.
The difficult part came after this. As I started scrolling from one name to the other, there were faces, past memories and moments that started coming across me. Each name had a certain story and relevance in my life. Some of these names or contacts were very important in a certain phase of my life and these were the people I used to speak to very often, but as time passed by and college, cities, jobs, and relationships changed, each contact started moving up or down in one’s hierarchy of importance. Some of the regular contacts became once in a while contacts to a need based contact to a contact who just exists on my mobile phone. But these are still contacts, whose name I do not wish to delete as I feel that someday I might call them again and relive some of those old moments.
Till then Facebook will help me keep updated on a lot of them!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Nana Papa
A very Happy Birthday to you Nana Papa. As I wish you on this blog, I miss your presence in my life. I always wanted you to see how I do in life – professionally as well as personally. After all, a large part of what I am today is thanks to you.
But, I guess that was not to be. You left us all in 2004, just a few months before my post graduation convocation ceremony. I still regret not coming for the last rites. I should have……maybe I did not have the courage….. maybe I would not have been able to face it.
You have been a great influence in my life directly as well as indirectly. You were an extremely smart and sharp businessman, a great family man, a fantastic cook and a much better human being. You have always been there for people and your assessment of things, jewellery or people has been very good.
Now, when I sit back and try to think of all the things that you have taught me….. I can think of lot of things that I learnt from you and a lot more that I could have but just did not.
It was you who taught me how to play Chaupar, Seep and Ludo. It always used to be my attempt to beat you in each of these games, but you were too good at each one of them, and I hardly got a few chances to do that. But whenever, I did that, it just made me feel that I have learned something from you.
I have also seen you play Canasta a lot with your friends, but I just never got a chance to learn that from you.
While accompanying you to the vegetable markets, I learnt from you how to pick the right size peas, the best quality tomatoes and capsicums and others, and how to negotiate prices with people. There were times, when I did not like to go to the vegetable market, but now when I think of it, without realizing, it was all a part of my learning, which helps me even today.
It was you who made me develop interest in jewellery and gem stones. The way you used to look at them and figure out what is good and what is not, made me curious to know of what lies behind these stones. To understand them better, I used to come and sit at the shop and you would tell me all the details about each stone. The more I learnt the more intrigued I used to get. At one point of time in my life, I was thinking of entering this business, but things changed over the years and I ended up in the corporate world, though my love for gem stones still remains.
It was amazing to see you play the Harmonium with such finesse. You could take out the tune of any song within minutes, and I would admire your ability to play with both your hands. Though I tried to learn a bit of it from you, I could not perfect the art. Rupal gifted me a keyboard last year on my birthday, and I practice on that these days. Hopefully, I should be able to improve in times to come, though I am able to play only with one hand. But, I am learning so that I can take this talent of yours forward.
Pav Bhaji was my favourite dish for years because of you. I have never tasted Pav Bhaji better than what you used to make. It used to be a great Sunday, when you would be in the kitchen, pounding on the vegetables and putting the masala to make the perfect bhaji. I used to look forward to those Sundays.
You loved to take care of everyone in the house and quality was never compromised on. You used to get the best of fruits, vegetables, mithai and other things in the house. I remember how happy you used to feel on getting Pink Rasgulle from Annapurna or Karachi Halwa for Goldy and me, and we used to relish it so much.
All of us were also pampered on certain Sundays with Bedmi Aaloo or Nagauri Halwa, which you used to go and get personally. You gave so much colour and characteristic to Chandni Chowk for me, that it is difficult to put it down in words like this.
I even remember the evening walks that we used to have on the terrace alongwith Mom and Nanima, and how in summers, we would throw water on the terrace floor to make the house cooler. We would also take bath in chilling cold water in the hot and humid summers of Delhi and it would be very refreshing.
Memories are coming alive in front of me, as I am putting words here. Right now, my mind takes me back to our trip to Kullu Manali and how the hot cup of tea became the best thing in the world on the chilly Rohtang Pass.
It was amazing to hear stories and incidents of your life from you as well as others. I remember about your kidnapping and how you managed your stay with the dacoits, your experience of leaving Multan, your visits to different countries across the world, your deal of the emerald glasses, your trips to Orissa and many more.
You played the biggest role in ensuring my MBA happens without any problems. You were my biggest support and you always felt that I would do well in life. It was your faith in me that drove me to do the things that I continue to do in life.
This is just a very small attempt on my part to put down the things that you have done for me. There are too many more things that you have done, but it will just not be possible to put everything down.
I so wish that you were there in some of the big moments of my life – my post graduation, my first job, my first salary, my marriage. I know Nana Papa, that although you were not there physically, you were still always there, watching me from above and guiding me, whenever I have needed it.
I miss you a lot……. I hope to live upto your dreams and make you proud.
Thank you once again for everything.
But, I guess that was not to be. You left us all in 2004, just a few months before my post graduation convocation ceremony. I still regret not coming for the last rites. I should have……maybe I did not have the courage….. maybe I would not have been able to face it.
You have been a great influence in my life directly as well as indirectly. You were an extremely smart and sharp businessman, a great family man, a fantastic cook and a much better human being. You have always been there for people and your assessment of things, jewellery or people has been very good.
Now, when I sit back and try to think of all the things that you have taught me….. I can think of lot of things that I learnt from you and a lot more that I could have but just did not.
It was you who taught me how to play Chaupar, Seep and Ludo. It always used to be my attempt to beat you in each of these games, but you were too good at each one of them, and I hardly got a few chances to do that. But whenever, I did that, it just made me feel that I have learned something from you.
I have also seen you play Canasta a lot with your friends, but I just never got a chance to learn that from you.
While accompanying you to the vegetable markets, I learnt from you how to pick the right size peas, the best quality tomatoes and capsicums and others, and how to negotiate prices with people. There were times, when I did not like to go to the vegetable market, but now when I think of it, without realizing, it was all a part of my learning, which helps me even today.
It was you who made me develop interest in jewellery and gem stones. The way you used to look at them and figure out what is good and what is not, made me curious to know of what lies behind these stones. To understand them better, I used to come and sit at the shop and you would tell me all the details about each stone. The more I learnt the more intrigued I used to get. At one point of time in my life, I was thinking of entering this business, but things changed over the years and I ended up in the corporate world, though my love for gem stones still remains.
It was amazing to see you play the Harmonium with such finesse. You could take out the tune of any song within minutes, and I would admire your ability to play with both your hands. Though I tried to learn a bit of it from you, I could not perfect the art. Rupal gifted me a keyboard last year on my birthday, and I practice on that these days. Hopefully, I should be able to improve in times to come, though I am able to play only with one hand. But, I am learning so that I can take this talent of yours forward.
Pav Bhaji was my favourite dish for years because of you. I have never tasted Pav Bhaji better than what you used to make. It used to be a great Sunday, when you would be in the kitchen, pounding on the vegetables and putting the masala to make the perfect bhaji. I used to look forward to those Sundays.
You loved to take care of everyone in the house and quality was never compromised on. You used to get the best of fruits, vegetables, mithai and other things in the house. I remember how happy you used to feel on getting Pink Rasgulle from Annapurna or Karachi Halwa for Goldy and me, and we used to relish it so much.
All of us were also pampered on certain Sundays with Bedmi Aaloo or Nagauri Halwa, which you used to go and get personally. You gave so much colour and characteristic to Chandni Chowk for me, that it is difficult to put it down in words like this.
I even remember the evening walks that we used to have on the terrace alongwith Mom and Nanima, and how in summers, we would throw water on the terrace floor to make the house cooler. We would also take bath in chilling cold water in the hot and humid summers of Delhi and it would be very refreshing.
Memories are coming alive in front of me, as I am putting words here. Right now, my mind takes me back to our trip to Kullu Manali and how the hot cup of tea became the best thing in the world on the chilly Rohtang Pass.
It was amazing to hear stories and incidents of your life from you as well as others. I remember about your kidnapping and how you managed your stay with the dacoits, your experience of leaving Multan, your visits to different countries across the world, your deal of the emerald glasses, your trips to Orissa and many more.
You played the biggest role in ensuring my MBA happens without any problems. You were my biggest support and you always felt that I would do well in life. It was your faith in me that drove me to do the things that I continue to do in life.
This is just a very small attempt on my part to put down the things that you have done for me. There are too many more things that you have done, but it will just not be possible to put everything down.
I so wish that you were there in some of the big moments of my life – my post graduation, my first job, my first salary, my marriage. I know Nana Papa, that although you were not there physically, you were still always there, watching me from above and guiding me, whenever I have needed it.
I miss you a lot……. I hope to live upto your dreams and make you proud.
Thank you once again for everything.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Familiarity in Unfamiliar Places
Offices, societies, apartment complexes, colleges. There are always faces that you see daily at these places, whom you never talk to. They are not your friends, colleagues, neighbours or a part of your gang so there is no interaction. They know about your existence and you know about theirs, but there is no interaction.
Life keeps going on and on, where you keep seeing them and they keep seeing you and that’s about it.
Suddenly, when you are out of your regular place, where you see that person daily, and you are at an unfamiliar place and you happen to see or bump into that same person, a smile comes on to your face and the same happens to the other person. Both acknowledge each other’s presence and sometimes even talk.
It is surprising to note that for days/months/years, one has been seeing the same person at the same place, but one does not talk, smile or interact with the other person, but when the same person is seen or met at a new or unfamiliar place, things change.
I just experienced something similar yesterday. I had gone to my regular supermarket for some household purchases, and the parking attendant happened to be a guy, who used to work as a security guard in my housing complex. On seeing me, he smiled and I also smiled. My immediate reaction was to ask him whether he has changed jobs that he is there and his reply was that this was just a weekend duty, which he was doing. This is the same guy, who is there on many days, when I bring my car back to my house, and he opens the gate for me and I park my car in my parking area. There had been no interaction with him before this, and yet when we met, we smiled and spoke to each other. After speaking to him, this thought of familiarity in unfamiliar places was playing in my mind continuously.
What is it at new or unfamiliar places that change our reaction on seeing a familiar place? Is it that we feel assured to see someone we know? Is it basic courtesy (which I am not sure, as then in that case, where was all the courtesy all this while?)
I do not have the answer and I think that is something researchers and behaviour analysts need to monitor and figure out.
Life keeps going on and on, where you keep seeing them and they keep seeing you and that’s about it.
Suddenly, when you are out of your regular place, where you see that person daily, and you are at an unfamiliar place and you happen to see or bump into that same person, a smile comes on to your face and the same happens to the other person. Both acknowledge each other’s presence and sometimes even talk.
It is surprising to note that for days/months/years, one has been seeing the same person at the same place, but one does not talk, smile or interact with the other person, but when the same person is seen or met at a new or unfamiliar place, things change.
I just experienced something similar yesterday. I had gone to my regular supermarket for some household purchases, and the parking attendant happened to be a guy, who used to work as a security guard in my housing complex. On seeing me, he smiled and I also smiled. My immediate reaction was to ask him whether he has changed jobs that he is there and his reply was that this was just a weekend duty, which he was doing. This is the same guy, who is there on many days, when I bring my car back to my house, and he opens the gate for me and I park my car in my parking area. There had been no interaction with him before this, and yet when we met, we smiled and spoke to each other. After speaking to him, this thought of familiarity in unfamiliar places was playing in my mind continuously.
What is it at new or unfamiliar places that change our reaction on seeing a familiar place? Is it that we feel assured to see someone we know? Is it basic courtesy (which I am not sure, as then in that case, where was all the courtesy all this while?)
I do not have the answer and I think that is something researchers and behaviour analysts need to monitor and figure out.
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