Life Experiences by Tilak

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

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?

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...

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...

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...

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...

I am no spiritual guru and I have definitely not attained nirvana. I am very much the average middle class guy trying to work towards a happy life. Like the tortoise. But I feel there is a process, formula or theory whatever you wish to call it. A way to beat the ladders in Maslow's need theory. A way to beat the basic motivators of life - greed and fear. And work towards the greater good. Something that feeds more than your body. Something that feeds your soul. When I look at great people and their lives, their lives can be divided into three basic parts - chaos, Karma and nirvana. Chaos is the initial self-doubts, the urge to prove themselves, establishing their supremacy in their chosen world. Then they slowly discover their karma. The work that makes them legendary. The work that makes them more than just mortals. Then somewhere nirvana happens. They grow beyond pleasing the outer world. They begin their journey inwards. Their journey towards feeding the soul. Their soul. ...