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Showing posts from 2017

Broken

I feel like the kite that was flying high in the sky And suddenly the thread broke somewhere somehow And the drifting and dancing with the cool breeze started And then slowly the gravity took over dragging down and down and down The children of the area were too busy to run after me Probably attending some class for their future The onlookers didn't give me a second look Now I'm stuck on a branch of tree High up from the battles but not high enough for the breeze to push me again and again I am tied to the tree It talks to me about being grounded About the greatness in being rooted I don't understand it Because I have only flown all my life Never been tied to a tree I have only longed for the blue sky all my life Have only heard cheering when I flew high Now the rain gets me wet and soggy And the sun makes me brittle I wish the tree knew the joy of flying Wish I could convince it the beauty seen from high up in the sky The feeling of racing the birds hi

Has #Virushka failed to #inspire?

#Virushka is one of the biggest phenomenon in the social media for 2017.  The two stars in their own right Viraat Kohli and Anushka Sharma decided to tie the knot to put speculation about their relationship to rest. Instead it started another unrest - in the media, on social media and our lives. #virushka was the most trending topic on Twitter that day. Then why do I feel they failed? Here are my reasons... #virushka is the ultimate role model for the affluent middle class in India. They started with humble beginnings with no godfathers in their industry yet made it in the super league. A fairy tale come true. But, how many middle class family really vowed to make their sons and daughters like them? I'm sure not many... Why? Because it's risky to be #Virushka Fame is fickle. Glamour corrupts. The success rates are equal to the chances of a sperm fertilising an ovum which is one in a million. I'm sure many felt that #virushka will not get pension when they grow old like

Microfinance: the greatest employment generator

It is said that give a man fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. The quote seems absolutely bang on as I look around. India, as everyone knows, has the potential to be the nucleus of global economics but for it to be truly realised and effective, the grassroots levels have to be brought into this opportunity. Only then can there be inclusive growth and social stability. Otherwise we will see the disparity between the rich and the poor growing which can destabilise the social fabric and create economic instability. For the goodness of the world, the world needs to ensure and support India in every way to make this happen. As technology takes over, we are seeing a trend of jobless economic growth and it seems the trend will only get more pronounced. So what is the way out? Help people become job creators rather than job seekers. The Modi government realises this and is working towards skilling people through the Skill India program but it

5 reasons why compulsory CSR is great for PR

As we all know, Government of India has made it mandatory for corporates to spend two percent of their profit before tax on CSR. I think it is the lifetime opportunity for PR. Here are my reasons: 1) Big budgets at PR's disposal Community service is one of the safest and best ways to be seems as a responsible corporate citizen. This money can be spent regularly and genuinely used for community development. And these moments can be captured on social media to garner positive image of the company 2) Tool for employee engagement Employees are the biggest brand ambassadors for any company. In today's world many employees want to contribute towards the betterment of the society. If the company is able to harness this opportunity it can win the loyalty of employees which will be more than what money can buy 3) Better relations with the Government Doing something good for the society that helps the government to show on their achievements is one of the surest ways to win their h

India and joint families

Most Indians of my generation have grown up in a joint family setup. The family was always there for support, for strength and for sharing burden. Mass migration to larger towns and cities broke up joint families giving rise to the nuclear families. The new Indian middle class was very happy to be free from the responsibilities of a joint family. The joy was short lived. Soon the people realised that we may be westernised but our systems are not. Putting your kid in a crèche while going to work was not very good for the child. Or cooking a meal after coming back from work wasn't very pleasant. The bigger issue was the lack of support system in the nuclear families. The comfort of having your own around in times of need. We may quarrel often but still family is family. Indians always find a way to make up for their shortcomings through jugaad. And that's exactly what we have done. The joint family version 2 is a modified version of the joint family of yore but with a slight

3 lessons from #metoo

#metoo is undoubtedly the most infamous two words on social media today and has become a viral over many platforms. Three lessons we can learn from it are: 1. Oppression unites Every revolution in the world is a witness to this. Oppression unites people and creates a common language that becomes the symbol of the movement. The red flag of communism or the Nazi flag, certain symbols cause pain for decades. #metoo is an addition to this long list. 2. Tears spread faster & wider than smiles on social media Anger, sorrow, pain spreads faster and wider on the social media as if human beings are like magnets that attract negative vibes first and fast. 3. Virals spread easily from one platform to another and together have the Dominio effect The origin of this campaign was a text or post in one platform. Now it is a wild fire across all leading media and is fuelling a revolution around the world. #metoo showed the world how powerful the social media can be and that how individuals wi

How can #brands #incentivise #consumers on #socialmedia #performance

Social media is here to stay and will only get stronger. The consumers on social media have tasted blood with the knowledge that they have the power to run or ruin brand reputation. That brands cannot take their consumers for granted. I'm sure it is worrying a lot of marketeers that now they are not in control. Well, at least not fully. So how can things change for the better? How can we reach a win win situation for both the brands and customers. How can brands incentivise their loyal customers for spreading positive word of mouth? The solution that comes to my mind is : PPP or acronym for pay per promotion. To elaborate, let's assume that someone retweets a brands post and is able to get 1000 retweets on the post. The brand can decide a certain sum that could be paid to the consumers depending on a rate determined by the brand and mutually agreed upon by the brand and the consumers. There could be a concept of an auction where every consumer could pick to choose which bran

Don't let the world murder your dreams

There are killers lurking around you People who want to kill your happiness Strangle your desires And stab your dreams Dressed as friends & family. They get pleasure by stripping you naked of your hope Avoid them. Blast their intentions. Kill their evil initiatives. That's the only way you can survive. You owe it to yourself. You are not a black hole to suck out all darkness in this world You are human not an alien from Mars Who is made from different elements Protect your dreams Don't let the dream rapers rape them. Your dreams are your sunshine and moonlight Your candle over the most romantic dinner with your soul Find the eternal peace by making peace with yourself. The darkness enveloping the world will lighten itself up Making way for you to conquer the terror spread by the mass murderers of humanity Spread hope. Spread joy. Spread happiness. Enjoy life like you have moments only to live and relish life like it will last forever.

Last mile connectivity in transportation and how #csr can help

In Delhi NCR, the last mile connectivity is a major challenge. Metro stations are far from homes, parking at the stations a challenge. The result: more private cars on the road and more pollution. How can #CSR help? In more ways than probably we ever imagined 1) Allocate areas to corporates Every area in the city could be divided into zones. These zones could be given to corporates to manage last mile connectivity and the spends could be used against the 2 percent CSR commitment 2) Electric vehicle manufacturers take over Lots of companies are manufacturing electric three wheelers. These companies could use a few vehicles and train a few drivers for free service around a determined radius. This again could be debited to the CSR commitment of the company 3) Promote bi-cycles Allow bicycle companies to offer cycles on rent for full days against a deposit. And develop cycle tracks which are safe. This would also help add to the health of the citizens. The bicycles could be donated

Sacrifice: the mantra to leadership

It is said that all that you chase evades you and what you give away comes back to you. That's the law of Karma. When I revisit great epics like the Mahabharata, the sacrifices made by the Pandavas to establish peace inspite of the injustice dished out by their cousins made them the heroes and therefore the subjects of Hastinapur preferred them over their cruel cousins. In Ramayana as well, Lord Rama sacrificed his right to rule to obey the wishes of his father and later he chose to abstain from the pleasures of married life to win the trust of the people. The Buddha sacrificed the comforts of the palace to attain wisdom and lead humanity to the perfect world he visualised. Jesus sacrificed himself to cleanse the sons of humanity. Willingness to sacrifice what others crave for is one of the main qualities a leader must have. For every jar of poison there needs to be a  Lord Shiva who has the power to negate the efficacy of the poison. A leader is the one who is stronger than

Lipstick under my burkha: my thoughts

The film reminded me of my hometown. A small place near Kolkata. A place that produces many state level table tennis players. To these people in my native place, table tennis is not a game; it's a path to freedom. Freedom to enjoy the life people in bigger cities take for granted. The players are fighting hard to achieve a state level status and then look for government jobs that offer stability and pension. The struggle of the characters in the film represents what the millennials in the smaller towns of India are going through. These towns are exposed to the world thanks to internet and satellite television, but have to live under restrictions imposed by their not so open minded earlier generations. It's ironic that the world is changing so fast but many of the smaller towns are still trying to live the life that ceased to exist long back. It is becoming an eternal struggle. And for the ones who escape such traumatic circumstances are lucky. But then there are many who ar

The playground

To most, it's just a green patch of land Where noisy children and adults who refuse to grow waste their time. To many, it's a place that leads to no where To many, the ground is where one goes to gossip and eat light evening snacks To me, it represents hope. The running boys and girls represent the fight of the youth against the process of ageing... The hope that the children can run away from the terrible and boring future that awaits them in the form of routine. To me this ground represents the urge of mankind to remain humane and not become another robot. To me this ground is a sanctuary that preserves innocence as children and adults play, laugh and have a good time. To me, this playground and the ones like this are the oases in the desert called urban life. It's an attempt for us to be alive and kicking. To me, this ground is the gun in the hands of a solitary soldier waiting patiently in the trenches of life. To me this ground is life....

The future of Apps as I see it

Smartphones and Apps are inseparable. But what is creating trouble is that now there is beginning of an era where too many apps and shrinking mobile spaces are creating turbulence in the happy married life of smartphone and apps. So what's the way forward? Possibility 1: Big daddies like Google and Microsoft will own all the apps in future and they will be offered through cloud like the email and pics. So consumers will not have to download the app on their phones but log in to Google or Microsoft account to use these apps. Possibility 2: The apps themselves go on cloud and offer to free up space in the smartphones of the consumers. Incentivise the consumers with more space through referrals or ads Possibility 3: Apps tie-up with smartphone makers and subsidise the space in mobile handsets in exchange for exclusivity or permanence. For example, a 64 GB phone could be offered at the cost of a 16 GB phone but the app that sponsors the space stays in the phone and not be deleted

The curse of consumerism

I was reading Mahabharata, one of the greatest epics ever written. There are so many things I find still relevant today as they were during the rule of the Kurus. One of the things that caught my mind was the succession plan and the way kings retired in those days. They handed over the reins of the kingdom to the heir and retired in the forests amidst austerity. In other words, you slowed down the machine called human body by forcing it to consume less, to lose yourself in search of spirituality and you offered yourself in the company of people who were of your age. Then happened consumerism. The thirties became the new twenties and the forties became the new thirties. So on and so forth. And thus humanity's struggle with age to look younger and sexier began. The rise of cosmetic world overshadowed the spiritual world. We may now be a fine looking corpse today. But it is assured that we will be corpses one day. We still have not found a solution to that. Consumerism has led us

Hey gorgeous

I find you beautiful not because you are good looking I find you beautiful because your eyes share the same pain I see in my own I find you gorgeous because you wear the look of a fellow traveller longing for the train to arrive in the station soon I find you irresistable because I see the fountains of joy that soothes my heart in your eyes as you look at me I find you stunning because you are imperfect and scarred just like me Let's share this life Whatever little is left of it Let's laugh and cry together Let's celebrate the scars and toast the time together as finally we have the chance to be with each other Let's not give up now Let's not wait another lifetime to quench the thirst our souls feel for each other Comeon let's approach the future together Like a pack of wolves chasing a prey And let's feast on moments we conquer  for ourselves...

The conflict

I'm tired of this eternal conflict Between dreams and reality Between fantasy and facts Between what I want from the world and what the world wants from me I want to run away from all this Go to a place where I can be me Not the images world believes I am I'm tired of this pretence.... Why is it so difficult to find the simplest things in life Pleasure , love and tranquility? Why can't the soul be drenched with fulfilment? Why can't my soul be light like a feather Floating freely from place to place Garnering experiences the heart seeks? Why can't I just play in the rain like a child for hours? Why do worries bow my head down? Why can't I find solace in the company of the beloved The one who torments my waking moments and dreams Too many conflicts and too many hurdles Too many riddles and unfinished puzzles Corroding my soul with endless worries Killing me from within like termites .. I desire the forbidden fruits I long for the pilgrimag

The future : Robots as cattles

I keep reading so many articles talking about how artificial intelligence and robots are going to take away our jobs. I feel on the contrary it will make our life simpler. For centuries we have domesticated cows buffaloes and donkeys. We have used them to do the hard work needed to plough the fields, to carry goods etc. Now we will domesticate robots. We will use them to do our boring mundane work while we enjoy movies books and the finer things in life. So may be many years later we will have robot fairs the way we have fairs for camels and cattles today. We will own these robots and train them to do the work we do to earn money and we will control them and they will earn us our salaries. Seems like a good thought on the weekend... Hope you are having a blast....I'm sure enjoying.... cheers

How #theatre can #boost #incredibleindia #tourism

It is said that reading a book is like making your own movie. Wherein you give personality to each character in your own way. I feel travelling is also similar. You add up every moment of your journey through all your senses and create your own unique experience. Can theatre add to that experience? I think a lot.... Traditionally we have had 'Harbolas' who narrated stories from one corner of the country to another corner. Ramleela has been going on for ages. We have powerful groups like the famous Prithvi Theatre that regularly does so many plays. Why not have plays that add colour to our mythology, our history and heritage monuments? Imagine if you were to visit The Taj Mahal and in addition to a guide, you have a fifteen minute long skit depicting the various known unknown facts of the legendary Mughals and their monuments. I am sure it will add a lot of colour to our colourful past & heritage and make the tourists enjoy them more... What do you feel?

#demonetisation, #jio and #mobiletelephony #india

We have been hearing that mobile network is one of the fastest growing in India and indian tariffs are one of the lowest for many years now. The likes of Airtel and Vodafone basked in the glory. And they failed to see the opportunities that became threats to their survival. Mobile wallets - Paytm and cheap data coupled with free calling - Jio. Airtel and Vodafone were clearly complacent. They were myopic to try and protect their turf instead of focusing on growth and changing consumer preferences. The Indian consumers contributed to the fat ARPUs of the telecom operators were growing out of the habit of calling as the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook's offered free data based calling. The need for data went up as the videos were in demand. Live streaming of movies and music were becoming the preferred mode of consumption. The leading players thought the consumers had no choice but to be content with the high priced poor quality data they offered. How could they take the consume

#twitter I love you!

One night I was reading The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. I was enjoying the book so much that I tweeted about it. And I was elated to find a reply from the author. I just loved the sponteinity and the reach of Twitter. No other social media in my view helps in connecting with opinions and brainwaves of your favourite icons better than Twitter. It really pains me to see Twitter struggling. Because I really love Twitter. Why is Twitter struggling? I guess it needs to explore different revenue streams and not just depend on advertising. Also I'm aghast that it is finding it difficult to find a suitable buyer! Twitter, according to me, has taken the concept of 'breaking news' to a different level. If there is an earthquake I look at Twitter for updates as withing few seconds there are details available. The large media and publications have a huge opportunity in Twitter. It's the most instant way to reach the whole world. Most celebrities are active on twitter. Any gossi

Can the exhibition industry go virtual?

Exhibitions and stalls are an integral part of direct marketing in almost every industry. But can these exhibitions go virtual? The stalls could be virtually created and virtual meetings fixed from the comfort of one's own location. Imagine the amount of time that can be saved in travelling, planning logistics, managing hotel reservations etc. And ofcourse the cost. Imagine if virtual reality was able to give you the same feel as you get when you are inside an exhibition! You look around and be part of the traffic just as you are in real world.... Imagine animation, 3D and other graphics can add life to your stall. Just like an animation film, if  you are able to create a virtual reality.... If today you are able to attend eight meetings a day, may be you could attend twelve then as you will save the time of commuting physically from one room to another. Can it happen in the near future? I feel it can! Would love to know your views. ---------------- The views expressed are m

Let's go global

Recently a friend's wife mentioned to me that Delhi board is contemplating making an Indian language compulsory as the third language. The first and second being English and Hindi respectively. So a foreign language, other than English, is pushed to a fourth option and not mandatory. I found it really odd. The world order is changing. More and more Indians are settling abroad. Many Indian companies are setting shop in India inspired by the Make in India campaign. More and more tourists are visiting India inspired by Incredible India. If we want Indians to be global citizens, then we must equip them with the right tools. And foreign language is one of the basics in getting to be a global citizen. If we want the world to come to us and we want to do business we must speak their tongue. There are too many languages in India and for all practical purposes business is and will continue to be done in English and/ or Hindi. So why complicate the child's life? Why teach them someth