The ubiquitous Indian!

Vango or just Go!

2011-10-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

Wannakum! Vango!

I’m starting with Tamil because of two reasons; I’ve started writing this blog while I’m sitting at the Chennai Airport in the last leg of a whirlwind trip from Delhi to Hyderabad, Chennai and back all in the space of 3 days. The second reason will be obvious during the course of the blog.

The last few days of traveling meant an interface with two Hotels, two Airlines, two Taxi services and a few restaurants. Apart from that, the prospect of playing a key role in an upcoming department store in Hyderabad in a crazily populated area called Dilsukhnagar or DSN for short had me visiting a few neighborhood malls. Typically what sets me thinking! A heady concoction of sights, smells, ideas, opportunities and people…………. and not necessarily in that order!

Vango means Welcome in Tamil and despite whatever Wannakum sounds to you, it is just a greeting!

It’s an early morning flight and despite my plans of taking it easy and thinking I could get ready at the Marriot in Hyderabad where I’m scheduled to stay, I find myself all through with the daily ablutions, fresh and in time for the flight, at the airport as usual. I guess I’m not much of a risk taker! Nevertheless, I am starving by the time I have gone through in to the security hold area at the Terminal 1D.

On the first floor there is a food court with a few options so I just walk up to the court and figure out what to eat quickly and non-messily for breakfast. I see people happily tucking in KFC chicken at 7.00 AM bright and early. Awesome! I’m thinking it may not be a bad idea to set up a beer bar here. Should do breezy business in the mornings! “Mr. Mallya”, I think, “Are you sniffing this opportunity”?

Meanwhile I sniff something else! The welcome aroma is coming from a food counter called Vango vending Idli, Dosas and Vadas with coconut chutney and piping hot Sāmbhar! Too hard to resist at this time in the morning especially when you’re starving! There is a short queue which seems to take forever and we have two extremely busy staff and a few idlers. Sets me thinking about why don’t these guys help in making sure that the queue is expedited quickly?

After a short deliberation while I’m in the queue, I decide on a ‘plate’ of idli marked at Rs.99 as it would be easy to tender the exact cash. Out of concern for the fellows behind me in the queue, I dig out a 100 Rupee note, clench it in my hand and await my turn patiently. The lady ahead of me is apparently not a concerned citizen like me and is still fishing for the Rs.23 that she should have done a little in advance. I feel why do some people not have concern for others and almost want to point that out to her but somehow resist myself.

Finally, I’m at the top of the queue and order the Idlis and push the Rs. 100 towards the counter executive who demands for Rs.9 more and I want to know why is he charging extra to which the nonchalant mock is, “VAT Sir!”. Embarrassed I quickly conjure a twenty and throw it towards him, ask him to keep the change and mutter something about displaying ‘Final’ prices on the wall and hurriedly rush away to the delivery counter feeling sheepish.

There is a mini commotion in progress here as everyone needs immediate attention. In the middle of it the gentleman being served asks for an extra Sāmbhar and another clean plate. The counter guy refuses blatantly for the plate but obliges with the Sāmbhar. The customer doesn’t relent and a scene ensues involving of course a heated argument and other frustrated waiting customers. I step in and ask the Customer to relax and manage with what he has as clearly the counter guy does not have any plates to spare. He reluctantly pulls away and as soon as he’s out of the earshot the counter guy says, “I just don’t know where these guys come from!” and gives me a knowing glance. I tell him assertively that his customer handling skills are way below par and he slinks away and doesn’t look up for a long time, at least till I’m gone. Thankfully the food is better than the service and the Idlis are piping hot like the Sāmbhar.

Next I’m aboard Spice Jet where all is well. Even the Airhostesses sound bored with the safety announcements and share some silent joke with each other too obviously as they can barely hide their chuckles and the exchange knowing grins. It’s not funny however when the Airhostesses try to peddle Sandwiches and other edibles to improve the bottom-line of the company. Each sale is almost viewed as a victory. I try out a sandwich and a soda and to support their yeoman service. Not impressive at all, I mean the sandwiches. Their efforts- laudable or laughable- depends on how you view it. They could also do well to keep some change handy though!

Hyderabad airport is shining and spotless as usual. I reach the luggage reclaim area by walking fast and am lucky for once to receive my luggage in one of the earlier lots. I thank the lord silently and begin walking towards the exit when I suddenly hear a man’s voice saying, “The only person on this flight is Sumit K. Lal and he is not on the list”. Whoops! I stop and turn around to look at a man in safari suit speaking on a walkie-talkie. I pull up to my full height walk menacingly towards him and ask him if he just called out my name. He sheepishly explains that he is from the Marriot where I am scheduled to stay and is figuring out the pickup list. I tell him that I had not asked to be picked up and he says that’s what he was explaining to the person at the other end. Talk about coincidences! But he says that he’d help me get a Sky cab. So I allow him to wheel my luggage but keep a wary eye on him. Hyderabad, after all, has its share of scamsters for sure!

Soon I’m in a Sky Cab, which is a new radio taxi service in Hyderabad and apparently is giving Meru a run for its money. I notice all the Cabs are new gleaming Mahindra Logans. The taxi driver’s name is Hafiz Khan and he shares his number with me with a promise to be at the hotel the next morning to drop me off at the airport if I call him. I debate mentally if I could survive another ride in his car especially with the “Chameli” perfumed oil that he’s applied on his head. But apart from this rather too flowery head aching smell, he is a nice person and we discuss the Telangana stir.

At the Marriot entrance the cab is thoroughly checked and we have a gentle Labrador sniffing into the car and its inhabitants searching for explosives. I give him the, “My name is Lal and I’m not even close to being a terrorist!” look. He obliges by pulling back and I’m inside the Marriot to suddenly realize that I have forgotten to bring Cuff Links and all my formal shirts that I’m carrying, require these. I ask the Bell boy about where I would be able to buy some quickly. Luck is on my side and he tells me there is Jewelry shop at the lobby which will stock some of these. He is a courteous feller and offers to get a few of them to the room. I agree and in the next five minutes he is back with 2 of the cufflinks and I do not quite like and tell him that I’ll visit the shop to choose, but he announces that these are the only 2 styles available. He also explains that the cufflinks are hand crafted and are Bidri work (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidriware). I try it on my shirt and it looks pretty awesome so I buy it.

Next I’m off to meet the clients who are promoting the department store and we decide to visit the area Dilsukhnagar or DSN for short. This area is a compilation of numerous middle class colonies and these are present for almost 10 Km in any direction from the mall. The catchment is unquestionable!

On account of a significant percentage of the population of DSN being an up market middle class community having a sizeable dispensable income because of their education and jobs (The Millennial community), their aspirations for shopping in a modern retail ambience such as Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons, Lifestyle and Central remain unsatisfied unless they travel to the main city which may not be a convenient affair for all owing to time limitations and traffic conditions and they have to plan such outings. Looks like Wal-Mart has also realized the potential of this area and is making a foray less than a kilometer from the proposed mall.

There are about 30 cinema halls in the vicinity and a high percentage of young people preparing for competitions etc. DSN on account of being slightly detached from the Hyderabad main city has developed its own retail mix over a period of time; a blend of old fashioned department stores vending Saris and other dress materials and gold for all occasions.

There have been some new retail endeavors by these old established department stores and they have tried to create modern retail concepts. However on account of their experience and success with their previously existing formats which are crowded and overstuffed with merchandise, it has not been easy to break away from their heritage. Hence the Consumer experience in these ‘Modern’ malls hasn’t climbed many notches. Also the merchandising is completely unfiltered, cluttered and all over the place.

One of the stores has pretty ushers in traditional south Indian attires welcoming all the customers with a loud cheerful south Indian greeting, “Wannakum!” Inside I’m accosted by a stampede of colors, schemes, merchandise and I jokingly think to myself that they could well be selling an Elephant in here as well. Sure enough, there are two big ones up ahead- bronze ones!

Moments later I spot a Parrot, a real one albeit caged and it’s with a soothsayer with a mini queue of a few patient persons who await their turn for getting their future foretold. My host asks if I would like to get my future foretold. I mentally conjure up an image of a PETA raid, and the subsequent headlines that would read something like,”Leather Footwear Professional now employs caged Parrots to foretell his future!” I laugh away the proposal and the thought.

We visit the Inorbit mall in Hyderabad enroute to which I see a Reliance Trendz shop in Jubilee Hills. I make a casual remark questioning the presence of a mass offering in such a niche area which sets off an animated discussion till we reach our destination. Anyway we still do not have an answer as to why Reliance would ever do such a thing. The entry and the driveway are so familiar that I’m stumped. Then I realize, the driveway is eerily similar to the one in the Elements Mall in Hong Kong. Talk about coincidences!

We walk into the new Pantaloons and the store which is a joy to look at and navigate. Amazing in your face Visual Merchandizing that doesn’t cramp you at all! The store is comparatively smaller than its usual cousins but extremely well planned and despite a barrage of offerings there is clarity and ample space for people to move. There aren’t too many shop staff to bother you as you examine the merchandize which is pretty exhaustive. I am truly impressed!

Next we end up in a restaurant in the IT area for Dinner which is touted to be the IT hangout in Cyberabad. A little later, we cannot figure out which is the worse of the two, the service or the food?! The waiter has no training/knowledge of the menu. Even worse, apparently the chef doesn’t either. We all vote for the ambience being super horrid and vow to never visit again!

Later in the night, when I’m getting my cufflinks off, one of them breaks. It’s too late to go to the shop downstairs so I just blame my poor choice and go off to sleep writing off my investment.

Next morning I’m back in Hafiz khan’s cab (a late night telephone call to him requesting him to drop me off to the airport worked well). The high point of the morning, however, is that when I was walking out after a hearty breakfast I saw the Jewelry store open bright and early and with a different Sales Clerk. I thought I’d still try my luck. A minute later, I had a replacement cufflink and a genuine apology. I am truly delighted at the prompt attention and customer service that I got.

Chennai airport is not impressive at all. I’m scheduled to stay at the Le Royal Méridien which is a few minutes from the airport. The Hotel had called me when I was in Hyderabad offering a pick up and I had agreed. After 15 minutes of waiting at the usual pick up spot, I call up the Hotel to realize they have forgotten the pickup. Within a few minutes I have the local Méridien rep at the airport next to me who organizes an Innova to get me to the airport.

Ten minutes later, I’m being ushered into an executive Club room at the plush hotel. I’ve been upgraded! This also means that I can have an unlimited quantity of IMFL of my choice between 6.30 PM and 8.30 PM and I could choose to savor 5 snacks along with at no extra cost. Needless to say my Starwood preferred membership would also get the points at the Executive club rate! I mentally thank the guy who forgot to send the pickup car at the airport! God Bless him!!

Nothing more eventful happens and I’m through with my day at Chennai. The Clients come and visit me and insist that I take a look at their Retail shops so I agree and return after a 2 hour ride out of which the last 90 minutes is spent in a major traffic jam attributed to the Metro work. I realize Delhi had handled it a lot better. Things look promising with the local clients who are good guys and I realize that I can add a lot of value to their initiative.

At the Chennai Airport next morning there are never ending queues as usual. Worse this time they are not moving! I see the airline staff happily chitchatting as if they are in a club. It transpires that the computer system is down.

As it is I’m pretty unhappy with the food vendor who does not have small bottles of water as I had to pop in a pill for head ache. Now you can guess who availed the IMFL offer….Ahem! It is so vital to encourage good service. I still need the pill, so I improvise with Frooti which does not turn out to be a great idea as I spill some on my bag. Pathetic packaging I say!

The Computer system takes forever to mend/reboot/whateverthehecktheydotoit and I fumingly think, “Why on earth can these airline staff not announce the exact situation and stop chitchatting and irritating us? How can they look so cheerful while the passengers are sweating it out?”

Anyways eons later after I have checked in I see huge queues towards the security check in. I know however that you can check in from the first floor and sure enough I breeze through. But not fast enough! Chiddy who is with his VIP entourage is ushered into the aircraft and he sports his usual constipated pale and holier than thou expression. No security check for Chiddy! I personally believe all politicians irrespective of the parties they belong to, should be frisked at security like other people.

At the end of the trip I can just think about the varied experiences that I’ve had, that somewhere along the way we have forgotten our priorities.

Politicians and Marketers have become so similar in their approach. They forget why they are in business. Isn’t it about serving the multitude and the consumers?! The Politicians pillowtalk prior to the elections whereas the Marketers do so in their advertisements! Both are happy to just sell, post purchase experience can go take a ride! Then the consumer/multitude is stuck till they are ready to buy a new product or choose again a representative. Then the whole story repeats. The pity is while the Politicians may survive, the erring companies surely do not!

This should be warning bells to even larger companies like LG, Samsung etc. who in their urgency to acquire numbers are creating a key set of really dissatisfied and pissed off consumers. I’m one surely.

LG owes me INR 3250 for a “Bounced Cheque” which is a 50% replacement for the 5 in 1 I’d bought from them and they could not repair when it went rogue. Funnily the cheque they’d issued after long follow ups, bounced and they have also taken away the 5 in 1. Emails and other forms of communication have not worked. I’m seriously contemplating a Consumer Court; however the sum is so paltry and the efforts so high that I resist my feeling each time.

Samsung is a shade ahead; the touch screen for a phone that I bought for around 20k broke due to my fault. I sat down, while it was still in my rear pocket. I took it to a service centre and was happy to note that they had a premium consumer counter where I was rather bluntly informed that my product was not Premium any more as the prices had dropped a few months after I had purchased the product! That was really interesting but it meant that, I had to get in a queue which was about 50 odd people. So I promptly forgot the Samsung and bought myself a new phone from a competing company and traded in the broken one for a pittance which I thought justified the phone and its makers.

That’s the last LG or Samsung will get off me! They are off my purchase list for good now!! Also I am completely in favor the Right to Recall for both Politicians and Brands.

Nicholas Nassim Taleb says that we live in a world of ingratitude! I have to agree.

The name of the game apparently is Vango, Buy/Choose and Just Go! And come back only when we need you!

New Age Branding- of tectonic shifts and the spirit of humanity!

2011-02-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

Indeed the New millennium is one that is breaking many established eternal truths that are now no more than mere myths. And who knows, perhaps this period may even qualify to be the period of Branding Renaissance! I believe we are blessed to be witnessing these tectonic shifts in our understanding of Branding and Consumers. I mean isn’t the sheer dynamism of the shifts absolutely amazing?!

We all know that Branding started more as a functional concept and gradually evolved to its Aspirational Avatar that most of us will recognize. A new study by the Havas media Labs throws up a very interesting statistic. It says that the consumers have become so indifferent and less attached to brands that if 80% of the brands were to go away they would not as much as notice.

Most of the marketers would hope that they are a part of the lucky 20%. In fact they would be fairly confident that they are indeed in the top twenty percentile that matters. Funnily, that reminds me of yet another very interesting statistic provided by Dr. Neil Bearden of INSEAD during one of his classes that I had the fortune of attending; 82% of the drivers think that they are in the top 30% safe drivers. At the cost of being accused for overkill, another one from NB; in a study, 86% of the Harvard Students felt that they were better looking than their classmates.

So what’s new now?! From the Aspirational we are moving to Meaningful brands. Dr. Philip Kotler in his recent book Marketing 3.0 talks about Value based marketing and the human spirit that Marketing 3.0 entails. Consumers are increasingly becoming caring about the Communities they live in, the societies they are a part of, the nature that provides them with the bounty. The hitherto clichéd terms such as the human spirit and societal good have attained a realistic dimension. This is perhaps due to increased sharing of everyday lives across communities, countries and continents through social media networks. Consumers tend to understand and empathize with each other. They have realized that mostly humans are same across the national and international divides. Even language has ceased to be a barrier, long live the Google translate feature!

Another interesting fact that comes out of the study conducted by Umair Haque of Havas Labs is the fact that the emerging markets like India, China and Brazil are different from the developed markets like the USA. Contrary to what you may think the study reveals that it’s these emerging markets where the spirit of humanity matters more. Interesting isn’t it? I’m sure that in the coming times USA and Europe should catch up with these emerging nations in their endeavor for the Human good ;)

So from the aspirational, “I’ve arrived!” statements to the more meaningful current avatar, “It matters to me because it matters to my community!” is a major tectonic shift. It will not be enough for Brands or Companies to not harm nature, society and community due to their operations, products or services. Rather the new age consumers expect the companies and Brands to make a positive impact to them if at all they wish to be a part of the top twenty percent of brands that matter.

It’s not as if companies or Brands have not realized this and many may argue that these concepts could be Old wine in a New Bottle. However, I would think these are different from the usual CSR routine dished out by the major corporations during the last few decades. The old CSR initiatives would be limited to a certain area where the companies would operate or would have influence in. However, my understanding of the new concepts is that they are much larger in perspective and influence. Consumers aspire for brands that positively impact and make a difference to the spirit of humanity. This would mean that a consumer in India is likely to make a choice of a brand that is perhaps working towards sustaining the Amazonian rain forests. Although the consumers’ immediate community is not benefited by the Brand or the Company, the fact that the Brand or the Company is working towards the betterment of humanity is a good enough reason to consider the brand a meaningful one. And all this travels faster than you can say Twitter! A point in the case is the latest faux pas by Kenneth Cole, strangely trying to draw mileage from the disturbances in Egypt by saying that the turmoil in Egypt was caused by the excitement generated by his Spring Summer Collection 2011launch. He was criticized across all the media, both traditional and new age. Positioning will acquire a new connotation post this careless and irresponsible tweet and Mr. Cole will have a tough time erasing this blot from his brand’s résumé and the consumer mind. And absolutely no prizes to guess who could be the latest addition to the 80% Club!

You would recall how Tommy Hilfiger was tainted by a malicious campaign across the Internet on his alleged remarks on the usage of his brand by people of Asian and African descent. It caused the corporation significant amount of money, effort and time to stop this baseless and vitriolic rumor. Such is the power of Web 2.0 that the rumor going on for almost two decades was fuelled so much by the web 2.0 that Tommy Hilfiger actually had to appear in the Oprah show and deny the false allegations along with placing the denial in the Company website FAQ section. Interestingly, even though the alleged comments were directed to specific sections, Tommy’s reputation suffered across the world. The following link is an interesting read in the case http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/hilfiger.asp .

So where in the Purchase decision journey does the new thought process fit into? I would think that definitely during the Initial Consideration List and the Active Evaluation phases. Thinking ahead, one could argue that the company’s stance with respect to the communities, societies, countries, environment and nature would definitely constitute to be post purchase experience and should have a significant bearing on the loyalty status- Active or Passive!

I guess the outcome of the above is at least two fold; the companies have to always keep the big picture in mind and brand positioning may be not only be in the minds of the consumers but also in their hearts!

Emotional Accounting!

2011-02-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

To splurge or not to splurge, that is the question,

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to spend

on fancy cars and a plasma;

Or to donate the cash to an Orphanage

And advance your Karma?!

Fortunately most of us have an answer to this. It depends upon where we got the money from. Strange isn’t it? But do think! Don’t you do that? What about your close friends and relatives? Bet they do the same.
It has been known for a while that Consumers have an ability to perform mental accounting in order to track their money. This is done by tagging the money according to its source. So if you won the money on a wager or whether you received a tax refund will determine how you tag the money. This also reflects in the way you spend it.
The concept of Mental Accounting emerged in the 80s and was developed further into Income Accounting that determined the way the money was spend in a way that matched the source. Very recently Professors Jonathan Levav and Peter McGraw have propounded the concept of Emotional Accounting and they say that Money is categorized based on the feelings it evokes. This sounds very plausible to me when I think of myself as a consumer.
Levav and McGraw explain that consumers create “affective” tags for money as an emotional response. These affective tags then determine the coping up strategies in spending the money. For instance if someone were to receive money as a compensation for a wrongful death of a near and dear one, it is more than likely that the money will go for charity than for home improvement, unless of course you are plain evil like one of my ex-bosses. Even the scam artistes Indian politics produces by the dozen are known to donate to charities and temples in hope that the lord may not take notice of these teensy weensy improprieties. So the money can be Positive or Negative depending on the feelings it evokes! Post this, Levav builds on this theory on Mixed Emotions and the usage of this money becomes slightly more complex.
In the negative scenarios Consumers tend to adopt strategies on spending on virtuous things and activities and hence laundering the money. The positive scenarios lead to different spending patterns altogether. What is interesting is that in both scenarios the product purchased may be the same but its usage may vary.
It should be interesting to figure out a way to practically use the above information as Marketers? It should work wonders in high value personal selling. Combined with Professor Ram Charan’s Value Creation Selling concept it could be a potent weapon in any personal salesman’s arsenal. If the salesperson could deduce the spending motive and the attached affective tag from the consumer interaction, he would definitely hit pay dirt!

The New Active Consumer, Paradigm Shifts and their Impact on Success Strategies

2011-02-07T08:35:00.001-08:00

As usual, there is a huge buzz around change especially given the context of the recent economic recession. Like always, this time around as well, most organizations are slow to react. The Managing boards are nearly always skeptical and perhaps rightly so and hence like to take it easy with change! Professor Nicholas Nassim Taleb, conclusively proves in his extraordinary work “The Black Swan”, that predictability is much better in retrospect!! And, like the cliché goes, Change is constant!!

Think of an answer the following question without straining yourselves! What was the front page solus advertisement in your favorite newspaper today?! If you can recall, be proud of yourselves, for, you are among that minority of the readers that save the advertisement industry their blushes.

And, delving a little deeper, Will you use the product? If yes, will you like it and become a loyal user? If you do become a loyal user, will you become a zealot read “Brand Endorser” who recommends the product? The more you keep answering in the affirmative, the more your tribe keeps getting exclusive. We could do this exercise for the other traditional mediums and end up with similar results. So while companies are spending their millions on traditional forms of advertising, the returns may not be something to write home about.

Does that mean traditional advertising as we knew it is over? Well, in isolation it is! But when you look at traditional advertising as a piece of the jigsaw to solve the consumer puzzle, it has utility that cannot be denied or defied!

Alright so with that piece of good news let’s scan the environment in which we operate and see if the paradigm has shifted any?!

Financial Paradigm: When Lehman Brothers (the company) breathed their last, it signaled a change that few of us can forget in our lifetimes. The recession that followed saw many huge and established players biting the dust. How effortlessly can corporations fall, was never demonstrated with such élan in the past. Also how Public money could be transferred shamelessly into the private domain and how the bonuses grew while the businesses perished was also exhibited by the key stakeholders of these big MNCs.

Information Paradigm: Information has undergone transformation. New planets have taken over the cyberspace.3G, SNS, Blogs, DTH, Web 2.0, Intranets. Business at the speed of thought could well be a reality sooner than later.

Knowledge Paradigm: Apart from the information transformation, new research and research methods backed by super software and powerful computing have boomed the Knowledge arena. Just to prove the point, think Neuromarketing, Pheromones, Effect of Colors, Mirroring, Blink, Tipping point and the Black Swans. And all of this is almost post 2000!

Consumer Paradigm: The consumer has changed. Latest research from Mc Kinsey which covers Japan, Germany and US consumers across various categories shows that the Consumer decision journey has changed. All of us are aware of the funnel shaped linear consumer decision journey. The new research shows that the process is circular and is definitely not funnel shaped, meaning the brands under consideration do not necessarily narrow down. Instead at the second stage they may increase. This is because the present day consumers are active in seeking information rather than passive waiting for marketers to reach them. The research also points out two various kinds of brand loyalists, active and passive ones. The passive ones are open to buying other brands as well.

Impact on success strategies: A lot has changed contextually w.r.t Branding. Marketers have to address an empowered active consumer base in an increasingly competitive environment. Hence the fact that some practice has continued for the last few decades, does not justify its continuation any more. Smart Brands will differentiate based on consumer experiences.

Smart branding will be based on more on functionality and relevance. Organizations that can build a direct line of sight to the consumers for all employees will continue to be successful. Brands that will learn to be strategically tactical will move north-east with time. Smart organizations shall fight their battles in the back drop of strategic snapshots in various geographies, segments etc.

Companies will have to build and execute relevant experience for the Consumers at the various touch points (Company Driven Marketing, Consumer Driven Marketing, Point of Purchase, and Post Purchase Experience)

And no matter what and in which age; Consumer Value will always drive share holder value!

Time Travel!

2009-11-07T00:27:00.000-08:00

I'm into time travel these days and so are many of my friends. It's almost the norm now!

I usually time-travel either in the weekends or some times in the evenings. I like to go back into the past and have never really ventured into the future, for my time travel device can just travel to the past and back! And how fast and how short really depends on me. And the best thing is that I do not even have to pay the moon for it ;)

Recently in one of my sojourns, I went back to when I was in class XII and met a friend who was also there apparently doing his travel. I had met him after 2 decades and to me he certainly looked a bit old and worn out. And then I looked at myself and saw that even I was 'slightly' overweight for a class XII guy and actually looked similar to my friend, meaning that the travel could take us to the past but couldn't make us any younger (...and what a pity, it could not restore hair...damn!!). We chatted up with each other and made fun of each other on the way we looked. When I got back into the current time, I felt strangely rejuvenated at meeting this old friend after so many years and certainly felt younger. Then this happened again and I felt even better. Suddenly , I thought I had found the elixir of youth and now I could always go back at will and if I had the time from my current responsibilities. Funnily enough, you met different traveller friends over different visits but the effect was the same- REJUVENATION!!

Many of these friends I met in the past accidentally, are now in touch with me in the current, because we exchanged numbers as well. It so awesome to meet these people after decades and just take off from where you left off...It' great to hear from them, talk to them and know what they are up to in their current lives. It's fun to see them do well for themselves and their families. It's nice to see heart throbs have transformed into Moms and dudes are now dads ;)

Sounds familiar!! So where do we from here? Your Page or mine?! Thanks FB!!

Of Roman Polański and Justice!!

2009-11-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

"I had rather be a dog and bay the moon than such a Roman"- William Shakespeare (Julius Caesar)

If Shakespeare were alive, perhaps even he could not have imagined the quote's relevance today. Roman Rajmund Polański an escaped felon, a brilliant film director, a paedophile and a man completely and utterly hopeless lends certain credence to the quote today!!

My friend David Ben Hame sent me a link to a petition which asks for boycotting all supporting Roman Rajmund Polański. I am sure the one's supporting Roman would have their reasons but I do not think they will hold any water for any sensible person.

You could access and sign the petition at;

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/405/petition-to-boycott-roman-polanski-petition-supporters

The latest News says that the victim Samantha Geimer wants to let go of Roman now as the media pressure has become incredibly high for her to handle.

My point is not whether Roman gets convicted or not, I'm thinking, what is stopping him for owning up and atoning for the crime that he has committed and publically accepted. What good is a life which is led, with guilt hanging like the sword of Damocles?! For you can delay this doom…but you cannot avoid it Mr. Polanski!

All Smoke and No Fire!!

2009-10-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an anniversary for me.....well sort of…..I quit Cigarettes exactly 2 years and 6 months ago. In this period I did not smoke about 36600 cigarettes and saved close to USD 4000 on the cigarettes and also about 127 days of my life. I get all this cool info from a neat statistics calculator (installed on my last laptop) which has now ceased to be of any interest to me but for some occasional unexpected surprises like yesterday, when while looking for some files I was prompted that it's actually been 2.5 years that I took a decision that I'm now proud of. And I can say I'm feeling happier, healthier and a tad richer!

And for my super geek friends, another interesting statistic; If the cigarette brand that I used to smoke, has a length of 80 mm and I were to make one big cigarette out of the number that I have not smoked, I would have a cigarette with a length of 2928 meters, roughly 9 times the length of the Eiffel tower or almost 6 times the tallest building in the world, the Taipei 101.....Now that would be one really long stick ;) I also estimate that the amount of nicotine at roughly 10 mg per stick should have generated enough nicotine to at least clog one of my lungs completely!!

There was a period in time where I wouldn’t be seen without a fag in my hands. And anybody who would talk to me about smoking would automatically qualify to be an unsolicited advisor and completely avoidable ;) I've actually thrown out a Mom and daughter duo out of my house a few years back for 'sneaking in behind my back' and 'educating' Anita, my wife, about the ills of smoking and how I was always seen smoking. Well...I would chuck them out again...as their agenda was perhaps more than just to make me quit smoking. God I love myself...for what I did ;) ........and thank the lord Ani saw through their failed effort!

On a serious note, Smoking will kill about a million people in India alone in 2010. It will also earn the government revenues..............obscene revenues! And the explanation that the Government continually dishes out is not only revenue generation but employment potential that the tobacco industry has!

EXTRACT from a Government website (http://dacnet.nic.in/tobacco/handbook/intro.htm):

"India ranks 4th in the total Tobacco consumption in the world. But India's cigarette consumption ranks 11th in the world. Out of the total production, only 19% of the total consumption of Tobacco is in the form of cigarette whereas 81% is in other forms like, chewing, bidi, snuff, Gutkas paste, Jarda, hookah paste etc. The per capita consumption of cigarette in India is one of the lowest in the world in comparison to major Tobacco consuming countries like Zimbabwe, UK, Brazil, U.S.A and Pakistan. The annual level for demand of cigarette in India remains the same at 96 billion sticks as it was 15 years ago, despite the cumulative growth in population by nearly 35 percent during the same period."

Oh Man! I'm so relieved! Our per capita consumption of cigarettes is one of the lowest in the world. I'm thinking if population has anything to do with per capita...Is there even a connection??? Oh! There is??! Really??!!

Just 96 Billion sticks a year...nothing!! Imagine the number of Eiffel towers you could create with 96 Billion sticks!! Honestly, I would like to challenge the fact that the annual level in demand has stayed unchanged for the last 1.5 decades! Excuse me!! I do not buy that….

Meanwhile, cigarette companies will continue to bait youngsters with their subliminal lifestyle messaging and surrogate advertising and will deploy every neuro-marketing trick that will give an inferiority complex to Martin Lindstrom.

Tobacco companies will continue to hide the fact that far from making the young guys masculine their products could make them impotent. Tobacco companies will continue to correlate slimness in girls to smoking...a fact that has no scientific explanation. By sponsoring sports events and creating sports and performance merchandise, the companies may be trying a subliminal association with health and well being, but actually ask a patient who has got Emphysema because of smoking how healthy he feels with each passing day and if he could walk briskly with you for 3 minutes.

These tobacco companies may have launched clothing brands and are actually showing to the world that the division has nothing to do with tobacco and is profitable enough to be a profit center and hence as a enterprise they have every right to make profits by using their brand to peddle anything....Do not mistake...the money they make out of the clothing division is not even a fraction of what the tobacco division makes. Do not mistake it............ this is SURROGATE Advertising...and NOTHING else. A casual observation to even a retail non-expert can show that most of the tobacco clothing brand stores cannot make profits even in the next 10 years. So what brings sustainability into these businesses and why do these companies keep running these stores in high visibility market places which cost the moon and end up losing money???

I think it’s high time we all wake up to this rude reality that WE ARE SIMPLY NOT DOING ENOUGH TO SECURE THE HEALTH AND FUTURE OF OUR NATION!!!!!!!

To curb this smoke we need a lot of fire!!

The politics behind Chindia!

2009-10-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got my HK frequent visitor card by regular post today. The FVC entitles you to faster clearances at the immigration and you do not have to queue up in never ending lines. It’s pretty cool and I guess I will not have to literally run to the immigration after deplaning, to avoid the longer waiting period.

I am sure there isn't a soul on earth that can underestimate the power of Chindia. Those who ignore the emergence of both China and India will do so at great peril; say the co-authors of the book ‘Getting China and India Right’. The writers, Anil K. Gupta and Haiyan Wang advocate a joint China and India strategy for MNCs. According to the duo, in a recent interview with INSEAD, China and India are currently the only two countries in the world where four compelling realities are playing out simultaneously. These are: rapidly growing mega-markets; platforms for global cost reduction; platforms for global innovation; and springboards for the emergence of new fearsome competitors. And I believe, what these wise academicians have to say!!

But what has been disturbing me recently, is the increasing anti-India rhetoric in China and anti-China tirade in India. I'm beginning to think whether in the 21st century we can afford this kind of unfriendliness.

Interestingly amidst this acrimony, there has been a spurt in visas issued to Chinese businessmen in India and over this year till now about 27,000 visas have been issued! Needless to say, that a lot of Indians travel to China on business frequently. I have met during my frequent visits to HK, Indians, who trade with China, and visit there every two weeks or so. So it’s quite clear that the businesses of both these countries want to explore new alliances, better relationships and of course profits in each others’ countries.

So what could be the reason for such mutual unfriendliness? Why can India and China not be the best of friends?

I think the answer lies in the current state of the world economy and the political state of affairs in South Asia. Both countries have progressive economies in an economically challenged world; they have internal issues that need some serious sorting out. Both nations’ citizens along with increasing prosperity are growing demanding of the things that they want and the way they want it. Richness often does that to you! Who doesn’t want value for money?? More so the rich, they have a voice!!

Normally in a kneejerk response, any nation will create an outside fear to make sure it’s Citizens fall in line or do not notice the obvious problems and generally do not become too demanding of their Governments. I think it’s just a way to avoid providing better and consistent service to its Citizens that they owe on account of leading the nations. I think India and China are convenient red herrings for each other. After all the erstwhile USSR and our northwestern neighbors seem to have bitten the dust and can’t do the red herring routine.

I think this is grossly a short term view, because together as friends, Chindia can make it happen! Regarding who is going to lead the world in the coming times, well who cares?? As long as we are all happy, prosperous, rich and safe, that should not matter!

I would like to call upon the fourth estate on both the sides to grow beyond mere rhetoric and try and build a sense of confidence in the people of these two great nations. Let’s for a change look at the obvious! India and China are destined to be natural allies in the very near future!!

I must say though that, I am encouraged by the Premiers of the two nations smiling and meeting up recently in Thailand, followed by a meeting of the foreign ministers in Bangalore. Let’s focus on what we can do together rather than what we can do to each other.

The dreamer that I am, I can’t help but extending the logic further- think of a US, EU, China and India combine-Awesome!!

The 1st Blog!

2009-10-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm already nervous at the thought of writing this blog! It's easier said than done and then the accent on KISS...damn! what made me write that, don't we all we all know that I'm a rocket scientist?? Making simple things complex and now I've committed to do the opposite...Well done Mister!!

Then what if nobody reads what I have to write...I can think of a few friends I can push into reading and what the heck bully a few childhood friends into following as well.

One good thing is that I can write any thing under the sun....that's the beauty of ubiquity!!

So what do I start with? Good question! But haven't I started already... ;)

Maybe I should pick up an extremely relevant political topic and attract eyeballs or maybe I could talk Cricket...they say you can get away with what ever trash you dish out on the game. There is bound to be some one reading it. Case in the point- The ghostly blogger from KKR a few months ago. who ever it was...

I could talk about child labour. But then wouldn't it be too niche (both in English and in Hindi).

So what do people want to read about? Maybe I should do this little dipstick survey to establish what the heck should I write about to make it Pertinent, Relevant, Interesting, Cocky and Kicking? Maybe I can ask Kareena to inaugrate this blog for me and just may be it'll take off like that self help book she wrote the intro for, that nobody reads but keep gifting to each other! And heck guess who is laughing all the way to the bank!!

Hey what about Nostalgia?? That's surely gonna work...I met friends on Linkedin and Facebook after 25 years (damn I gave my age away...now I can not pretend to be a 25 year old...!!).

I'm sure gonna sleep uneasy tonight but tomorrow is another day and who knows I just may have an answer!!