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Showing posts from January, 2016

The survivors

Every weekend I eat breakfast at a small road side joint. The owner makes amazing food. I don't know where he learnt to cook such delicacies. I doubt if he ever went to school. Forget a business school. Yet he runs a profitable business, a family and raising future citizens of the country, his children and dreaming for a better future. We read so much about big success stories. But what about these small unsung heroes who have survived all odds and are living an independent life. There are millions of such amazing stories which are untold. I'm amazed by the tenacity of these people. As the government of India rolls out big plans like make in India, skilling India, incredible India etc, I feel that if we are able to harness these tiny enterprises and weave them in a formalised channel, India can achieve great heights both socially and economically. The future of India will be shaped by the harnessing of these tiny enterprises is what I feel. And you? ___________________ The

Automobiles: the laggards in long term innovation

Automobiles have evolved and not evolved at the same time. I remember a leading automobile company's ad that proudly showcased the changing keys of the brand in the last 25 years or so...However, in my opinion,  all the evolution has been more or less cosmetic and short term But has the automobile industry really innovated to survive in the long term? Ever since time immortal, everyone knew that the fossil fuels have a limited life. It has taken the earth millions of years to produce what we consume in less than a year. So it was never really sustainable. But do we have any alternatives yet? The industry focuses on self-driven cars and big, comfortable cars but do we have the fuel source to drive then economically without affecting the environment in the long run? The automobiles are still trying to give you a better on road experience, but have they thought of making automobiles that fly? or float? or do a combination of two or three different modes? Why can't autom

Why Delhi pollution crisis is a social problem

Recently I read one of the reports in a leading magazine that Delhi has taken the place as the most polluted city in the world. How did things go so bad? I somehow feel that it is more a social problem than anything else. Here are my reasons: Dishonest public transport: If Mumbai autos can run on Meter, why can't autos in Delhi? Every time I try to take an auto I am worried that I might be looted in Delhi but never feel the same in Mumbai...why? Big cars add to cool quotient Why is it that buying big cars is a fad? Why do we connect success to the size of ones car and house. Why not connect the success with the amount of good the person is doing and his contributions to the welfare of the society? The Delhi government is trying so hard to reduce the number of vehicles on road. But what about last mile connectivity? Why can't a system like Goa be developed where every biker doubles up as a taxi who in turn offers a lift to fellow passengers for a nominal char

The future of social media....

Social media has amazing potential. And so far we have really not started tapping it...I feel in the future there could be more and more products and services driven by the social media...some possibilities are: Emergency services: imagine if we could just tweet to a designated Twitter handle for emergency services like ambulance, police, fire etc Voting: imagine if voting could be done over Twitter or Facebook! Customer feedback: driven by the poll option on Twitter Breaking news: social media could be the key medium for breaking news in the future. The other media could offer more exhaustive information E commerce: what if we could use social media to shop These are just some random ideas . I'm sure the possibilities are infinite...