Life Experiences by Tilak

Prosperity is in the air. The numbers of luxury cars and foreign vacations are really impressive. Indians are finally living it up. The glittering mobiles and jewels are adding a lot of glamour to the cosmopolitan Indians. Is it? We are, in my view, moving up the ladder as defined by Maslow's need theory but in the process losing out on the basics. So in short we are building skyscrapers on swampy lands. Ready to collapse anytime Sorry for being so pessimistic. Most readers of this article are beyond the basic needs of food , clothing and shelter and have started their journeys on the bigger things. But, look at the mass urbanisation leading to shrinking farmlands. Look at the falling water tables. Look at the quality of air we are breathing. We need to understand that money is good for nothing if in exchange for it we can't get what we desire. So while we might be increasing our net worth on paper but later we may have to consume only those papers to survive. It's an a...

Mobiles, cars, laptops etc are all toys for the grown ups. What's interesting to observe is whether we treat these as slaves or as mistresses.. why? Cos it can help marketeers the kind of products they need to develop and the kind of volumes they can expect... The ones who treat their toys as slaves usually want value for money. They want maximum features at minimum cost. They push the levels of performance of their toys and extract utility. The users who on the other hand treat their toys as mistresses tend to focus on beauty and flaunt their toys. They are more likely to be lavishing on looks and physical attributes or the show off quotient of their toys. So, which category do you fall in? Would love to know....

In my view, there are four kinds of behaviour and all of us are capable of displaying any of them depending on our inherent skills, talent and interest.   The first type is the 'peep' behaviour. This behaviour shows that the person gets excited seeing others perform like watching a cricket match or attending a concert. Here the individual is happy to see someone else do what he or she can't do so well The second type is weep behaviour. Here one is just regretting and crying for something lost or seemingly unachievable. Like crying over lost love or money. The third type is sleep behaviour. We know certain things are needed now but we are happy to be oblivious wishing that they go away on their own. Like not exercising , not saving enough or not preapring well enough etc The last is the leap behaviour. In this one feels that he or she has super powers jumping on problems and getting into action mode to solve problems and make this world a better place.  Would love to h...

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 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...

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...

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...