I received a call sometime in the afternoon day before yesterday. An old colleague of mine was on the line. I could not take her call then as I was in the midst of something.
I spoke to her finally late evening the same day. I try and return all calls the same day. She had simply called up to say a Hello! The conversation moved to how the other mates were doing and I suddenly proposed that we get together the next day. She was taken aback but enthusiastically agreed to put together the group.
I landed in Pune the next day. Work was on hand. So, the day passed by in a rush. I landed up in my hotel room, had a quick change and then proceeded towards Post 91 where we were to meet.
The small group of five enthusiastically met each other. Four guys and a lady. Two of the guys with their new wives too. I was the veteran when this group had come out of college and joined work. They acquired their skills under my mentorship. They spread their wings and one day floated away. I kept hearing of their exploits, mishaps, determination and growth, smiling inwardly at my little accomplishment.
Yesterday, I saw them again, in full bloom, confidence personified, the strut of defiance, for success and against suggested failure.
I soaked it all in. The feeling was...priceless!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I have been transferred back to Operations and now shall be heading the Mall Operations of Phoenix Market City Pune. Is it exciting? Yes!
Now, as I meet retailers and am abl to suss out their true leanings in terms of their spread in Pune Retail, their understanding of the city sociography, the catchments that they would like to deal with, their mindsets and their store physicalities, I find disorder.
The challenge is to convert this disorder into order. We need to capture their mindspace, get them to make great stores, perform out of their skins in the oncoming months for attaining great sales during operations.
Does this remind me of Hotel Operations? Yes and No. Yes, because Malls do need the order that Hotel Operations have to attain the Facility upkeep, Financial and Community building goals. No, because it is a lot more inclusive with B2B and B2C affairs taking place simultaneously. Sometimes, we may have to overlook the partners for the end consumers or the vice versa.
But, interesting times ahead!
Now, as I meet retailers and am abl to suss out their true leanings in terms of their spread in Pune Retail, their understanding of the city sociography, the catchments that they would like to deal with, their mindsets and their store physicalities, I find disorder.
The challenge is to convert this disorder into order. We need to capture their mindspace, get them to make great stores, perform out of their skins in the oncoming months for attaining great sales during operations.
Does this remind me of Hotel Operations? Yes and No. Yes, because Malls do need the order that Hotel Operations have to attain the Facility upkeep, Financial and Community building goals. No, because it is a lot more inclusive with B2B and B2C affairs taking place simultaneously. Sometimes, we may have to overlook the partners for the end consumers or the vice versa.
But, interesting times ahead!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Why does the modern Indian suffer from morality coughs only when public figures are dragged down from the high pulpits?
I would like to compare Modern India to the Roman era, only substitute one Rome with a few more. The senate had the most immoral and debauched group of leaders that the world was to ever see. But, they frowned on the outsiders and threw them to the gallows with regularity. Democracy while it was flaunted for namesake, actually stood for blatant state repression most conveniently. The civil society was thrown a few choice messages and they saw all good coming out of the senate and so the society thrived and the world saw the happening of a great civilization. Perception Management at its best?!
Most governments still apply the same rules generally. Send out the right messages. Work quietly on the unpopular ones. Leave the tenuous ones to conjecture and rumour. If it starts to get uncomfortable, just leave those messages and decisions alone. They die a quiet death. Communication people in the government work this perfectly.
Companies and Organizations picked this art up in the last 400 years quite effectively. Remember East India Company and their idea that they were here in India just to trade! And we know what happened. In the last millenium, there have been various instances where rules were broken but the right messages allowed us to be lulled to sleep again. Monsanto, GM, Union Carbide, Toyota, Vedanta, Mittal Resources, Many Pharma companies have repeatedly flouted all kinds of rules and put a positive spin to their deeds and got away with it.
Now, over the last few years, we see the immorality strike sports and entertainment too. Lip synched songs, stolen writing to create movies, the IPL fiascos and match fixing, all show us that morality is really at a premium and the green buck governs almost all things. Funny thing is, if we still look at the society at large, greed does not govern all our actions. The old and the very young are still being looked after. People generally pay after availing services of other people. The family is still governed by a few values. But the cracks have started to appear. Are we prepared to govern ourselves just that little more to enable a better tomorrow?
I would like to compare Modern India to the Roman era, only substitute one Rome with a few more. The senate had the most immoral and debauched group of leaders that the world was to ever see. But, they frowned on the outsiders and threw them to the gallows with regularity. Democracy while it was flaunted for namesake, actually stood for blatant state repression most conveniently. The civil society was thrown a few choice messages and they saw all good coming out of the senate and so the society thrived and the world saw the happening of a great civilization. Perception Management at its best?!
Most governments still apply the same rules generally. Send out the right messages. Work quietly on the unpopular ones. Leave the tenuous ones to conjecture and rumour. If it starts to get uncomfortable, just leave those messages and decisions alone. They die a quiet death. Communication people in the government work this perfectly.
Companies and Organizations picked this art up in the last 400 years quite effectively. Remember East India Company and their idea that they were here in India just to trade! And we know what happened. In the last millenium, there have been various instances where rules were broken but the right messages allowed us to be lulled to sleep again. Monsanto, GM, Union Carbide, Toyota, Vedanta, Mittal Resources, Many Pharma companies have repeatedly flouted all kinds of rules and put a positive spin to their deeds and got away with it.
Now, over the last few years, we see the immorality strike sports and entertainment too. Lip synched songs, stolen writing to create movies, the IPL fiascos and match fixing, all show us that morality is really at a premium and the green buck governs almost all things. Funny thing is, if we still look at the society at large, greed does not govern all our actions. The old and the very young are still being looked after. People generally pay after availing services of other people. The family is still governed by a few values. But the cracks have started to appear. Are we prepared to govern ourselves just that little more to enable a better tomorrow?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Small town boom town...
Have you seen a tournament called T10 Cricket Tournament being telecast on DD Sports?
I saw a match, being played in Sirsa, amidst a bad winter, with players from all around the country and names like Daman Gullies, Latur Gullies, Ludhiana Gullies, etc.
I was tickled. There is hardly any viewership but the teams have sponsors - GO Airlines and some others like SAIL. The teams are nicely attired, have coaches, physios and managers to boot!
The tournament even has experts like Charu Sharma doing some commentary. LOL!
But, I am trying to tell you something else. Is this the dawn of the hinterland in our consumer psyche. Early last year, we saw the invasion of small town India on the telly. By this year, practically all channels have shifted to small town stories.
Now, Cricket has taken that road. Give it a year or two and then watch it blossom and garner ratings similar to some bigger tournaments just like Aajtak and IndiaTV!!
I am looking forward to the same thing to happen to Indian Retail. It has happened in a very small but forthright manner already but there is more to come. I look forward to more of the Lilliputs, Sreeleathers, Liverpools and Ritu Wears to be developed right in our backyards as they move on from just being manufacturers to full blown fashion retailers from small and significant geographies pushing the boundaries of retail beyond what we know as the 5 city bang!
I saw a match, being played in Sirsa, amidst a bad winter, with players from all around the country and names like Daman Gullies, Latur Gullies, Ludhiana Gullies, etc.
I was tickled. There is hardly any viewership but the teams have sponsors - GO Airlines and some others like SAIL. The teams are nicely attired, have coaches, physios and managers to boot!
The tournament even has experts like Charu Sharma doing some commentary. LOL!
But, I am trying to tell you something else. Is this the dawn of the hinterland in our consumer psyche. Early last year, we saw the invasion of small town India on the telly. By this year, practically all channels have shifted to small town stories.
Now, Cricket has taken that road. Give it a year or two and then watch it blossom and garner ratings similar to some bigger tournaments just like Aajtak and IndiaTV!!
I am looking forward to the same thing to happen to Indian Retail. It has happened in a very small but forthright manner already but there is more to come. I look forward to more of the Lilliputs, Sreeleathers, Liverpools and Ritu Wears to be developed right in our backyards as they move on from just being manufacturers to full blown fashion retailers from small and significant geographies pushing the boundaries of retail beyond what we know as the 5 city bang!
Friday, December 04, 2009
Global Terrorism - My two Cents!
Global Terrorism is the result of inequality – in Economic opportunity and Human Literacy. From the ancient times most economic progressions have happened with war as an instrument. Growth was by annexing new geographies. The Greeks, the Mongols, the Spaniards and the British have practised this form of economic progression in some form or the other. The aggressed have resorted to defence in various forms including covert war that have sometimes yielded results or at the very least, created statements.
The Modern world, heralded by the Industrial Revolution of the Nineteenth century in Europe laid a focus on using the threat of war as an instrument rather than actual act of war. This form of progression divided up the world like never before, along nationalistic lines and religious beliefs. The result was Two World Wars and the long period of the Cold War. The Cold War allowed numerous groups, sects and countries to align with super powers that could feed or raise their agenda, in any form. Unbridled greed and insecurity also fed their agenda that mutated to dreams much beyond the rules set up by the super powers themselves. There was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The Cold War ended after the Berlin Wall. But the arms that were available in the world, their users who had acquired egos and inward looking governments of various countries presented an opportunity for the under classes who had not yet been a part of the world wide economic boom. Instruments of war turned against the Global population. The oppressed wanted to turn aggressors. The gun presented them with the moment.
So, Lebanon, Syria, Chad, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua and many other countries that did not see their governments pick up the gauntlet of progress turned to the gun as an instrument of peace, security and prosperity. The super powers could not play the game of checks and balances. Hydras created had started to threaten their masters.
What we see as terrorism today is a process of livelihood and progress to many groups and sects. Religion has got very little to do here. Literacy, or the lack of it, has got a lot to do with it. The UN has not made rapid enough strides in Education. The whole basis of Developmental Economics is to allow a person to progress in his surroundings and culture and not to uproot him. Development in the modern world has disregarded this tenet completely.
If we were to correct the situation today, we should start with Education, then move to Local Livelihood engagements, Provide for Local security of land, shelter and work places, create effective Local Governments that are democratic in nature and create centres of Excellence that allow religious beliefs, moralities and creativity to flourish even as countries pursue Industries and Infrastructure.
Inclusive Economics, a phrase much spoken about, has a much deeper meaning today than ever before. Terror is an instrument, used by people. Reform is for the people. The instruments shall be put away as a matter of course!
The Modern world, heralded by the Industrial Revolution of the Nineteenth century in Europe laid a focus on using the threat of war as an instrument rather than actual act of war. This form of progression divided up the world like never before, along nationalistic lines and religious beliefs. The result was Two World Wars and the long period of the Cold War. The Cold War allowed numerous groups, sects and countries to align with super powers that could feed or raise their agenda, in any form. Unbridled greed and insecurity also fed their agenda that mutated to dreams much beyond the rules set up by the super powers themselves. There was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The Cold War ended after the Berlin Wall. But the arms that were available in the world, their users who had acquired egos and inward looking governments of various countries presented an opportunity for the under classes who had not yet been a part of the world wide economic boom. Instruments of war turned against the Global population. The oppressed wanted to turn aggressors. The gun presented them with the moment.
So, Lebanon, Syria, Chad, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua and many other countries that did not see their governments pick up the gauntlet of progress turned to the gun as an instrument of peace, security and prosperity. The super powers could not play the game of checks and balances. Hydras created had started to threaten their masters.
What we see as terrorism today is a process of livelihood and progress to many groups and sects. Religion has got very little to do here. Literacy, or the lack of it, has got a lot to do with it. The UN has not made rapid enough strides in Education. The whole basis of Developmental Economics is to allow a person to progress in his surroundings and culture and not to uproot him. Development in the modern world has disregarded this tenet completely.
If we were to correct the situation today, we should start with Education, then move to Local Livelihood engagements, Provide for Local security of land, shelter and work places, create effective Local Governments that are democratic in nature and create centres of Excellence that allow religious beliefs, moralities and creativity to flourish even as countries pursue Industries and Infrastructure.
Inclusive Economics, a phrase much spoken about, has a much deeper meaning today than ever before. Terror is an instrument, used by people. Reform is for the people. The instruments shall be put away as a matter of course!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Why do we shrink from quality family time..
Gautam Gambhir has decided to forego the last Test between India and Sri Lanka for his sister's marriage in Delhi. The Australians take leave from Cricketing duties for much less. Yet, it seems to be a matter of discussion in the media here.
Ganguly in his column in TOI actually defends Gambhir for what he is doing. Why? Why does a man trying to take care of his family have to be defended at all?
This is a very strange phenomenon I see all over India, in workplaces, in schools and colleges or in public engagements. Family time is viewed as an oddity. I remember a Chef friend of mine had just returned from Canada and as parents there do, went off on a weekday to his son's school to watch his son at basketball in Goa. For the next few days, all of us spoke of his neglect of work for trivial pursuits such as that. Strange but true.
Another instance, not too long ago, there was a lady worker on my floor into her fifth month pregnancy and she had to go for a check up. A colleague went hammer and tongs at her the next day. Intelligently, he avoided mentioning the pregnancy, but he picked on her lack of detail on the previous day and how she could have rectified it the next day, when she was not present.
This brings me to my question. Are we not prepared to seek or take some family time that all of us require from time to time. Is it blasphemy to speak about personal engagements during work in India. I have seen so many people conveniently lying about it at work.
This timidity we carry from schools, onto colleges and into the jobs that we go to. In US, many of my friends remain the best workers for time, but low on quality many a time as the recoup is just not there. Is it the reason that our people do not have original ideas? A question there....
Ganguly in his column in TOI actually defends Gambhir for what he is doing. Why? Why does a man trying to take care of his family have to be defended at all?
This is a very strange phenomenon I see all over India, in workplaces, in schools and colleges or in public engagements. Family time is viewed as an oddity. I remember a Chef friend of mine had just returned from Canada and as parents there do, went off on a weekday to his son's school to watch his son at basketball in Goa. For the next few days, all of us spoke of his neglect of work for trivial pursuits such as that. Strange but true.
Another instance, not too long ago, there was a lady worker on my floor into her fifth month pregnancy and she had to go for a check up. A colleague went hammer and tongs at her the next day. Intelligently, he avoided mentioning the pregnancy, but he picked on her lack of detail on the previous day and how she could have rectified it the next day, when she was not present.
This brings me to my question. Are we not prepared to seek or take some family time that all of us require from time to time. Is it blasphemy to speak about personal engagements during work in India. I have seen so many people conveniently lying about it at work.
This timidity we carry from schools, onto colleges and into the jobs that we go to. In US, many of my friends remain the best workers for time, but low on quality many a time as the recoup is just not there. Is it the reason that our people do not have original ideas? A question there....
Monday, November 09, 2009
DTH is the way to go for Budget films in the future..
Yesterday I read in a paper that India shall have 6 million DTH subscribers by October 2010. Good. That set me thinking.
What would it do to the floundering revenues of films in India. A country where filmed entertainment has been ravaged by piracy. These days, to get a body into a multiplex auditorium it costs an amount to make a film and near about that amount to market it, all for the first three days, beyond which the pirated discs are out and the hinterland happily buys the Rs. 30 disc to partake in the entertainment, quality be damned!
DTH shall have 6 million subscribers. So, there is opportunity for this. Read on:
1. Make a movie for 3 crores at best.
2. Promotion is just digital as practically all subscribers shall visit the net or his TV screen or some such digital medium.
3. Make Lease transactions with all the DTH companies for a short term Lease.
4. Release it on DTH platforms along with a few choice theaters thereby calling it 'class' entertainment.
5. Even if 5% of the DTH Subscribers see it in the first two weeks, the revenues could be -
6000000 * 5% = 300000
300000 * Rs. 100 (average ticket per download) = Rs. 30 million
The money spent on the film production is already recovered. So, a producer can make profits if he just puts in a bit more effort in Marketing his content, acquires a good story and gets a good director to work wonders with the story. The stakes are low and so he can work this story without the necessary stars that populate our tinsel world.
We shall be spared "Kambhakht Ishqs" and "Blue" films!!
We may even get to see gritty subjects, made by good directors with a neat cast who can "act", not tire us with noddy mannerisms that pass off as acting.
Also, digital content cannot be copied so easily and so we may not see pirated discs. Also, pirated stuff are usually of the "star" subjects and not these low budget ones we are talking about here. So, no harm done!
Better technical personnel will get their due through this alternative medium. Indian masses are most happy when served good entertainment at home, through room service. So, no harm there too!
A safe idea, ain't it!
What would it do to the floundering revenues of films in India. A country where filmed entertainment has been ravaged by piracy. These days, to get a body into a multiplex auditorium it costs an amount to make a film and near about that amount to market it, all for the first three days, beyond which the pirated discs are out and the hinterland happily buys the Rs. 30 disc to partake in the entertainment, quality be damned!
DTH shall have 6 million subscribers. So, there is opportunity for this. Read on:
1. Make a movie for 3 crores at best.
2. Promotion is just digital as practically all subscribers shall visit the net or his TV screen or some such digital medium.
3. Make Lease transactions with all the DTH companies for a short term Lease.
4. Release it on DTH platforms along with a few choice theaters thereby calling it 'class' entertainment.
5. Even if 5% of the DTH Subscribers see it in the first two weeks, the revenues could be -
6000000 * 5% = 300000
300000 * Rs. 100 (average ticket per download) = Rs. 30 million
The money spent on the film production is already recovered. So, a producer can make profits if he just puts in a bit more effort in Marketing his content, acquires a good story and gets a good director to work wonders with the story. The stakes are low and so he can work this story without the necessary stars that populate our tinsel world.
We shall be spared "Kambhakht Ishqs" and "Blue" films!!
We may even get to see gritty subjects, made by good directors with a neat cast who can "act", not tire us with noddy mannerisms that pass off as acting.
Also, digital content cannot be copied so easily and so we may not see pirated discs. Also, pirated stuff are usually of the "star" subjects and not these low budget ones we are talking about here. So, no harm done!
Better technical personnel will get their due through this alternative medium. Indian masses are most happy when served good entertainment at home, through room service. So, no harm there too!
A safe idea, ain't it!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Clenched Jaw Determination...
I haven't attended to my blog for a long time. Criminal, very criminal, but what do I write about?
1. How I have been doing at work?
2. How I have been utilizing my spare time in running after a passion that has brought me at the cusp of a great transformation in my career and my talent for creativity?
3. How I have been postponing the writing of the second draft of my book?
4. How I have been avoiding a trip, to a hill station, close to my heart?
5. How I have been trying to shed those extra kilos that sheath me in ripe middle age?
No, I shall write about all this some other day.
Today, it shall be about a trait called "grim determination"!
Some years ago, we had bought this duplex Apartment in a suburban area of Kolkata and were to shift to the new abode in a few weeks. I and my daughter decided to visit the place one evening. My daughter was then in first standard. An obidient child that she is, she kept by my side through out my visit to the apartment. But, I could sense her excitement on seeing the green lawn and its play area, that the developer had thoughtfully provided for the community there. But she had no playmates. I suddenly suggested to her that she should run three rounds of the lawn.
She agreed enthusiastically. But a small child like her would have problems and so it happened in the third round. She was breathless and very tired. I egged her on. Then I saw her face change. A different jawline appeared as she ran the last few metres just on determination, the will to succeed and the single objective of achieving the finish line. I was impressed with my child. I knew if we did not spoil her in the oncoming years, she will excel in whatever she does as she had that 'grim determination' to succeed under all circumstances.
This year, under a lot of duress at work, a change in job profile, my erstwhile colleagues living the company in a hurry and basic insecurity in these tough times, I had not many people to turn to. The saving grace was that my new assignment had me returning to familiar environs of Pune for business development. I had to grit my teeth and start all over again in my tenure with my company.
I dithered, for that is human. I optioned my chances of success. I tried to chart out a progress in this scenario. But then one never knows about what lies ahead. I could not turn to a forecaster or a soothsayer! It was also getting late at the job. I needed to perform. So, I decided to ditch all inhibitions and wade into this river with only my abilities as company and lots of "clenched jaw determination" that I had not used for quite sometime.
Today, I am glad to say, I am ahead of the curve, at work, at home and in my head. I am able to clinch deals, understand goals and getting around to achieving them as my organization would have wanted.
Is it not fair to say, when in strife, just put the head down and work hard, as you can!
1. How I have been doing at work?
2. How I have been utilizing my spare time in running after a passion that has brought me at the cusp of a great transformation in my career and my talent for creativity?
3. How I have been postponing the writing of the second draft of my book?
4. How I have been avoiding a trip, to a hill station, close to my heart?
5. How I have been trying to shed those extra kilos that sheath me in ripe middle age?
No, I shall write about all this some other day.
Today, it shall be about a trait called "grim determination"!
Some years ago, we had bought this duplex Apartment in a suburban area of Kolkata and were to shift to the new abode in a few weeks. I and my daughter decided to visit the place one evening. My daughter was then in first standard. An obidient child that she is, she kept by my side through out my visit to the apartment. But, I could sense her excitement on seeing the green lawn and its play area, that the developer had thoughtfully provided for the community there. But she had no playmates. I suddenly suggested to her that she should run three rounds of the lawn.
She agreed enthusiastically. But a small child like her would have problems and so it happened in the third round. She was breathless and very tired. I egged her on. Then I saw her face change. A different jawline appeared as she ran the last few metres just on determination, the will to succeed and the single objective of achieving the finish line. I was impressed with my child. I knew if we did not spoil her in the oncoming years, she will excel in whatever she does as she had that 'grim determination' to succeed under all circumstances.
This year, under a lot of duress at work, a change in job profile, my erstwhile colleagues living the company in a hurry and basic insecurity in these tough times, I had not many people to turn to. The saving grace was that my new assignment had me returning to familiar environs of Pune for business development. I had to grit my teeth and start all over again in my tenure with my company.
I dithered, for that is human. I optioned my chances of success. I tried to chart out a progress in this scenario. But then one never knows about what lies ahead. I could not turn to a forecaster or a soothsayer! It was also getting late at the job. I needed to perform. So, I decided to ditch all inhibitions and wade into this river with only my abilities as company and lots of "clenched jaw determination" that I had not used for quite sometime.
Today, I am glad to say, I am ahead of the curve, at work, at home and in my head. I am able to clinch deals, understand goals and getting around to achieving them as my organization would have wanted.
Is it not fair to say, when in strife, just put the head down and work hard, as you can!
Thursday, June 04, 2009
He is more determined than usual. The company that he has set out to start up is showing no signs of coming off the ground. At work, he realises that he can go as far as this and no further as the requirement of his skills are only that much. It can be frustrating. But, he is training himself to hold breath, judiciously mix his abilities with his vision. He is being patient. Alien to him, but an altogether necessary commodity in this crazy path to success.
He is more silent than usual. Not his style. But, being vocal would not get him where he wants to be. He would not be able to listen to the clicks of the levers when destiny shoves the key into his liberation groove. He needs to keep his eyes and ears open for the click of the key. Interesting stage, it is!
He can see the mist. Of insecurity and unsure future. But, he can also feel the throb of his diligence, his ability and his knowledge. The throb shall turn into a purr. A machine well oiled when he is on board and sailing. It is a matter of time, he understands.
She knows it all. She can see it in his hooded eyes. She can feel it in his tensed body at night. She envelopes his frame in her warm cuddle to melt away those measly worries. She fertilizes the determination in him. Silently yet lovingly. It is the salsa that needs no practise anymore.
The click. That sound. The flight of pigeons. The soar. The applause. She, the silent one. Beside him. Tender. Warm and indulgent. Man and woman!
He is more silent than usual. Not his style. But, being vocal would not get him where he wants to be. He would not be able to listen to the clicks of the levers when destiny shoves the key into his liberation groove. He needs to keep his eyes and ears open for the click of the key. Interesting stage, it is!
He can see the mist. Of insecurity and unsure future. But, he can also feel the throb of his diligence, his ability and his knowledge. The throb shall turn into a purr. A machine well oiled when he is on board and sailing. It is a matter of time, he understands.
She knows it all. She can see it in his hooded eyes. She can feel it in his tensed body at night. She envelopes his frame in her warm cuddle to melt away those measly worries. She fertilizes the determination in him. Silently yet lovingly. It is the salsa that needs no practise anymore.
The click. That sound. The flight of pigeons. The soar. The applause. She, the silent one. Beside him. Tender. Warm and indulgent. Man and woman!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Life on the Leasing Path!
It has been a long time that I have attended to my blog. So, here I am, back again to do as good a job as I can.
Many things have happened over the past few months. There has been a shift in my Job Description in the past month. I am now in Leasing and Sales. In a way, this is my first direct Sales job ever in life. Usually, people go the other way. They first do Sales, then Marketing or Strategy and then arrive at General Management. I moved from Operations to General Management to Projects and now am in Sales. Well, that's how it is. Go with the flow, as they say!
But, Leasing, in my belief (and I should be right about this) is a different ball game from plain Jane Sales. One has to create an ever lasting relationship that goes way beyond just a Sale. Some Realty agents or Salesmen in US operate on a different scale. They schmooze at a very high level, keep excellent relationships, keep track of executive movements in the professional world, in fact sometimes have a whole office who advise them as to when to go in for the kill!
In India, we do not do such stuff as our relationships are easily formed and kept. Over smaller achievements, answers and smiles. But, we are not able to articulate what is on our mind so easily. I believe that our culture does not provide for that. We just have to carry along with this. I am grateful to Baba that he taught us the art of positive speaking so early in life. I always believe that if I get into a room with other people, they shall be convinced at the end of the session, no matter what the subject is about!
But, Leasing has another thing to it. Follow Up. Rigorous. This is where most of my mates are stumped. This is where I need to test my mettle.
More stories as I motor along this highway. Sayonara.
Many things have happened over the past few months. There has been a shift in my Job Description in the past month. I am now in Leasing and Sales. In a way, this is my first direct Sales job ever in life. Usually, people go the other way. They first do Sales, then Marketing or Strategy and then arrive at General Management. I moved from Operations to General Management to Projects and now am in Sales. Well, that's how it is. Go with the flow, as they say!
But, Leasing, in my belief (and I should be right about this) is a different ball game from plain Jane Sales. One has to create an ever lasting relationship that goes way beyond just a Sale. Some Realty agents or Salesmen in US operate on a different scale. They schmooze at a very high level, keep excellent relationships, keep track of executive movements in the professional world, in fact sometimes have a whole office who advise them as to when to go in for the kill!
In India, we do not do such stuff as our relationships are easily formed and kept. Over smaller achievements, answers and smiles. But, we are not able to articulate what is on our mind so easily. I believe that our culture does not provide for that. We just have to carry along with this. I am grateful to Baba that he taught us the art of positive speaking so early in life. I always believe that if I get into a room with other people, they shall be convinced at the end of the session, no matter what the subject is about!
But, Leasing has another thing to it. Follow Up. Rigorous. This is where most of my mates are stumped. This is where I need to test my mettle.
More stories as I motor along this highway. Sayonara.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Delhi 6, Billu, Dev D - a study in Strategy
Let me draw your attention to a very prudent Marketing principle:
“THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MARKETERS NURTURE THE STRONGEST RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR MOST PROFITABLE CUSTOMERS”
Delhi 6 is releasing this Friday. The net is agog with good news out of New York about the movie. Good to hear. UTV, again, as usual has done a tremendous job of getting the film to its required junta. The songs and the music are doing wonderfully well and are able to lend to the movie’s marketing a whole lot.
In fact, this brings me to the above principle. Delhi 6 was announced to the world some two years ago and R O Mehra took some time to get together his principal cast. But, he had done his script and had taken pains to give A R Rahman a complete narration of the screenplay. Rahman , on his part, started with his homework and it then took a painstaking process of much over a year before he got all the tunes in place. Tunes that were from all over the place, various types of music, even a devotional number that he had safeguarded for about nine years!
ARR knew Rakeysh’s story. He also could get the spirit of creativity. He nurtured it. So, look at the product we have at hand. ARR strove to provide us through Delhi 6 music the strongest relationship – love and honesty. These were tunes that were not hatched up in a Rum and guitar session. These were not ditties that were composed at 6 am in the morning because Shreya Ghoshal was not going to be available for another 3 months as she was going away on a Live tour! This was not poetry that was hatched up with stock words such as “Soniye”, “Munda”, “Mar Jaawan”! This is lyrics, as we know it from the “Aaa chalke tujhe main leke chaloon” days. Prasoon Joshi may not write another single line at all but shall be remembered for “Arziyan” forever. This is what I mean when I say “Strongest Relationship”.
When this kind of a relationship is created at the outset, the rest of the movie is created with the same fervour and devotion. I can very well imagine the cast, high value ensemble that it already is, would feel when confronted with such writing and such music. Top your best, shall have been the cry in unison. I can definitely say with complete confidence, even without getting a minute peek into the film, that Vijay Raaz, Dipak Dobriyal, Divya Dutta, Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Waheedaji, Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra, Sheeba and the others would have just been driven by some unseen power to deliver acting standards that they themselves had not touched before. Such is the power of sturdy, hard, painstaking, honest work and craft!
The Marketing principle also stated “Profitable customers”. Fortunately, Indian cinema, the unique Entertainment juggernaut does have the entire country’s population as its “profitable customer”. Movies made with utmost honesty with true regard to story, plotting, music, language, idiom and communication shall always be able to reach out all the customers.
Billu – a moderate movie with a simple cast except Shahrukh Khan has not seen hysteria at the Box Office. Why? For me and many other people, it is that entry of Shahrukh and his dalliances with three heroines, promoted as they were. So, what happened?
a) It became a mass movie that converted into a multiplex movie
b) It was a multiplex movie all along but had tried to break into other markets too
I really have no problems with either marketing premise, but was the story or marketing true to its form. No!
Ideally, the movie was to have 3 – 4 nice songs from the heartland, like the location of the movie, based on new sounds, but heartland, with good and clear lyrics, not the Urdu symbolisms that fail to enthuse the normal paying people and that good cast to do some even more pithy lines of dark humour right through the movie.
But what we got is a Shahukh Khan starrer where he has pontificated about the goodness of our film industry. C’mon, people can see through all of this! So, Monday onwards the movie is taking a huge dip. At best, it will scrape through somehow and a thundering performance by Irrfan shall be consigned to the back pages of tabloids.
On the other hand, Dev D, a movie, that had an entirely different form, style, content and visual appeal has managed to stick through the last ten days quite merrily. The reason is very apparent. Kashyap and UTV focused on getting their customer right with the right story, the right pitch, the right music, hummable lyrics, easy to understand dialogues, everyday pronunciations and generally kept the vim and vigour flowing. Kashyap has gone on record saying that he bounced it off his mother too.
This is the hallmark of a good Producer, manufacturer or service provider. They keep it simple to make it easy for the customer to see some value in it. Thereby, a Brand is created and generates mindspace and heartspace.
Delhi 6 is on its way to become a huge trendsetting blockbuster.
Dev D has shown what a good small film can do.
Billu is where it is!!
The Best Startegy is still the best product, a great movie shall still result from a well told story and its accompaniments, other gimmicks can be kept back in the garage!
“THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MARKETERS NURTURE THE STRONGEST RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR MOST PROFITABLE CUSTOMERS”
Delhi 6 is releasing this Friday. The net is agog with good news out of New York about the movie. Good to hear. UTV, again, as usual has done a tremendous job of getting the film to its required junta. The songs and the music are doing wonderfully well and are able to lend to the movie’s marketing a whole lot.
In fact, this brings me to the above principle. Delhi 6 was announced to the world some two years ago and R O Mehra took some time to get together his principal cast. But, he had done his script and had taken pains to give A R Rahman a complete narration of the screenplay. Rahman , on his part, started with his homework and it then took a painstaking process of much over a year before he got all the tunes in place. Tunes that were from all over the place, various types of music, even a devotional number that he had safeguarded for about nine years!
ARR knew Rakeysh’s story. He also could get the spirit of creativity. He nurtured it. So, look at the product we have at hand. ARR strove to provide us through Delhi 6 music the strongest relationship – love and honesty. These were tunes that were not hatched up in a Rum and guitar session. These were not ditties that were composed at 6 am in the morning because Shreya Ghoshal was not going to be available for another 3 months as she was going away on a Live tour! This was not poetry that was hatched up with stock words such as “Soniye”, “Munda”, “Mar Jaawan”! This is lyrics, as we know it from the “Aaa chalke tujhe main leke chaloon” days. Prasoon Joshi may not write another single line at all but shall be remembered for “Arziyan” forever. This is what I mean when I say “Strongest Relationship”.
When this kind of a relationship is created at the outset, the rest of the movie is created with the same fervour and devotion. I can very well imagine the cast, high value ensemble that it already is, would feel when confronted with such writing and such music. Top your best, shall have been the cry in unison. I can definitely say with complete confidence, even without getting a minute peek into the film, that Vijay Raaz, Dipak Dobriyal, Divya Dutta, Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak, Waheedaji, Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra, Sheeba and the others would have just been driven by some unseen power to deliver acting standards that they themselves had not touched before. Such is the power of sturdy, hard, painstaking, honest work and craft!
The Marketing principle also stated “Profitable customers”. Fortunately, Indian cinema, the unique Entertainment juggernaut does have the entire country’s population as its “profitable customer”. Movies made with utmost honesty with true regard to story, plotting, music, language, idiom and communication shall always be able to reach out all the customers.
Billu – a moderate movie with a simple cast except Shahrukh Khan has not seen hysteria at the Box Office. Why? For me and many other people, it is that entry of Shahrukh and his dalliances with three heroines, promoted as they were. So, what happened?
a) It became a mass movie that converted into a multiplex movie
b) It was a multiplex movie all along but had tried to break into other markets too
I really have no problems with either marketing premise, but was the story or marketing true to its form. No!
Ideally, the movie was to have 3 – 4 nice songs from the heartland, like the location of the movie, based on new sounds, but heartland, with good and clear lyrics, not the Urdu symbolisms that fail to enthuse the normal paying people and that good cast to do some even more pithy lines of dark humour right through the movie.
But what we got is a Shahukh Khan starrer where he has pontificated about the goodness of our film industry. C’mon, people can see through all of this! So, Monday onwards the movie is taking a huge dip. At best, it will scrape through somehow and a thundering performance by Irrfan shall be consigned to the back pages of tabloids.
On the other hand, Dev D, a movie, that had an entirely different form, style, content and visual appeal has managed to stick through the last ten days quite merrily. The reason is very apparent. Kashyap and UTV focused on getting their customer right with the right story, the right pitch, the right music, hummable lyrics, easy to understand dialogues, everyday pronunciations and generally kept the vim and vigour flowing. Kashyap has gone on record saying that he bounced it off his mother too.
This is the hallmark of a good Producer, manufacturer or service provider. They keep it simple to make it easy for the customer to see some value in it. Thereby, a Brand is created and generates mindspace and heartspace.
Delhi 6 is on its way to become a huge trendsetting blockbuster.
Dev D has shown what a good small film can do.
Billu is where it is!!
The Best Startegy is still the best product, a great movie shall still result from a well told story and its accompaniments, other gimmicks can be kept back in the garage!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
To President Obama - Sramana Mitra on Strategy
To President Obama - Sramana Mitra on Strategy: "Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let our minds awake.
-Rabindranath Tagore"
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let our minds awake.
-Rabindranath Tagore"
Thursday, January 15, 2009
2009..Here we go
2008 was bad for India and for the world at large. For me it was a nice year. I switched from my Job in Pune in early Feb. In fact, I recieved the offer while I was in Kolkata celebrating my cousin sister's marriage in Jan.
My in laws visited us in Feb. They did have a nice time in Pune. I spent my last few days in Pune at home, with the family. That too is a rarity for me. Ma also went over to my brother's place in Hyderabad. She also had a nice time.
My new Organization turned out to be very different from what I had seen of companies till then. The pace is hectic and so are the dynamic people in it. Work became a pleasure, a passion to excel, curiosity for the better and striving for productivity. I loved this. Mumbai was kind. I took up residence in a PG dig in Bandra and started life anew.
By April, I had been assigned Bangalore as my area of purview. The project was very promising. After having been in Marketing and Operations through the most part of life, switching to Projects and Retail Leasing was the trickiest. But, I have been managing fruitfully till now. There are two projects under development in Bangalore. Things are underway and we are making daily progress towards a mid 2010 launch!
Personally, I got to know a lot of new people. PFC became a serious hobby. I am looking at this getting to be a serious business entity in the oncoming future.
I acquired a lot of new friends on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. It helps!
My classmates from the olden times have also become accessible. Its been good on the whole.
So here's to an equally or more happening 2009!!
My in laws visited us in Feb. They did have a nice time in Pune. I spent my last few days in Pune at home, with the family. That too is a rarity for me. Ma also went over to my brother's place in Hyderabad. She also had a nice time.
My new Organization turned out to be very different from what I had seen of companies till then. The pace is hectic and so are the dynamic people in it. Work became a pleasure, a passion to excel, curiosity for the better and striving for productivity. I loved this. Mumbai was kind. I took up residence in a PG dig in Bandra and started life anew.
By April, I had been assigned Bangalore as my area of purview. The project was very promising. After having been in Marketing and Operations through the most part of life, switching to Projects and Retail Leasing was the trickiest. But, I have been managing fruitfully till now. There are two projects under development in Bangalore. Things are underway and we are making daily progress towards a mid 2010 launch!
Personally, I got to know a lot of new people. PFC became a serious hobby. I am looking at this getting to be a serious business entity in the oncoming future.
I acquired a lot of new friends on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. It helps!
My classmates from the olden times have also become accessible. Its been good on the whole.
So here's to an equally or more happening 2009!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
WTF of the Day
Friday, December 12, 2008
Downturn..What and Why?
What is a Business Downturn?
I could not find an answer to this anywhere on the net. At least not satisfactorily common man answers. There is a lot of economic mumbo jumbo being spat out that makes no difference to my idiotic mind. So, what is it and why has it supposedly made people very wary of doing anything positive and visionary at work?
Also, what was a continuous super boom even six months turned into an almighty doom now.
Sampath Nayak is a small farmer in the district of Sambalpur, Orissa. His brother is a cab driver in Mumbai. I asked him about the state of affairs back in Sambalpur. He had this three liner, “The same thing, like before, no electricity, no water, bad seeds and no rains. One Crop and just enough to fill our stomachs once a day. I don’t know whether that is bad or good!”
I have heard about other states and a similar story of gloom through the last few years. So, they are our have nots who have not got any proceeds of the supposed boom.
So, who have benefitted? If we whittle down our country population to 100 and do a simple study, we shall find that the boom will have affected not more than 7 people from among this 100. I may be wrong in my calculations. But this is what the Human Development Index 2007 says.
So, it is gloom and doom for 7 people. Fine. But, these seven now control the loudspeakers of this country. So, if they are shouting doom, then so be it.
The benefits of the boom were never passed on by the companies, real estate barons and Investment banks that made their dough in the near past. It is they who have hit upon tough times. As the hoard turned bad. So, I have another term. Greed. Very known but seldom used.
So, we happily followed the dictum of some guy from a movie out of Hollywood - Greed is Good!
Great, all is fine but now the shit has hit the fan. The guy from that movie is not making a sequel and telling us about what Greed now is. USA is grappling with the aftermath of the mortgage crisis. They have a sound Federal system with its checks and balances. They also have a sound education system that will ensure the learnings from this shall not be forgotten in a hurry. They will make do. What about us?
The downturn in my eyes is:
1. The relearning process. What is right and what was wrong.
2. The required understanding of how a company should make money.
3. The strengthening of Fundamentals. The requirement of any business. Get your facts right.
4. The concentration on Processes and Knowledge development rather than adhocism.
5. The basic understanding that money is not so easily made. It needs diligence.
6. Have to do hard work!
It is not actually a downturn but nature’s way of telling us to be more inclusive in our growth as an economy. Money in fewer hands has to make way for money in more hands. If this fundamental is taken care of, a jitter in NASDAC will not shake somebody’s arse in Raipur. Not that it has even now. Our media just don’t know the business reality of our own country based as they are the two leading cities and rarely if ever travelling to the hinterland except for elections and natural calamities.
So, I believe that is a nice warning bell for predating companies to introspect and understand the nature of country, train its people to work hard and expect suitable results only.
The real alarm is elsewhere. We are deficient of very basic economy and growth differentiators:
1. Our Education is headed southward in Quality. Research and Development is at an all time low. The cities are mass producing engineers and MBAs who have no specialities and Innovation capacity. The hinterland while producing graduates are unable to get them to go up the L&D ladder. So, talent and its usage are still abysmal and what is progress without the Human Resources!
2. Job and wealth creation is a complete sham. Ask an average citizen and he has no clue how to get things going to achieve all this. The inherent idea of all inclusive progress is absent. So, it is herd mentality that prevails. Let’s take IT as a case study. In the mid 90s, just as US realised that there were a lot of jobs at one end of the food chain in the IT industry that could be farmed out to other countries to save costs, we grabbed the chances and progressed as an IT service nation. The turn of the century saw ITES also take the same route. Media went bonkers with the scene and India became the back office of the world. Some companies understood that the basic work would not last them for years and went on to create more products and services that probably would last the test of time. But others, who were simply looking for the buck, are in deep shit now. Even if no one says anything, the writing is pretty much on the wall. No new products, no R&D, no killer apps, no developments from university labs and most importantly, no hunger or appetite for Innovation or invention. So, what wealth creation are we talking about for the man on the street. Only the share market fellas and a few Investment guys doing trade in Land bought their Pajeros and Villas!
3. Bureaucracy does not permit Risk taking and Entrepreneurship as yet. First, the guy is basically risk averse because of the voodoo surrounding business in most communities except select ones and then the government does not promote or support it. Even if they do, conservatism by banks, institutions or peer groups overturns all the enthusiasm into cold sweat very early enough. Numerous guys with stars in their eyes early in life decide to settle for the quiet little job. Roam the countryside and you will find scores of youngsters wanting to set up that pharma lab, small savings company, PVC plant or restaurant settle for a job and lose it forever.
4. The mass at large have no direction. Bad schools that tell you nothing about ideals and ambitions. Colleges where you just go to pass an exam. Teachers who are largely failures themselves. Parents who just don’t have any clue. TV that tells you nothing positive. News that is depressive. Factories that have no excellence. Mentors who don’t impart wisdom. Managers who are busy saving their jobs. Loose tongues, Loose morals, Indiscipline and Impatience have largely fucked the country beyond redemption. Oh and Yes, the politicians and thought leaders are clueless. The bureaucracy is still in the British era. What a state of affairs!
This is the biggest downturn. In the garb of garbled progress we have unitedly pulled down all institutions of the country. So much so, 10 bloody terrorists just wangle their way into our land, rape us and the media beams our abject state to the whole world. What a downturn!!
I could not find an answer to this anywhere on the net. At least not satisfactorily common man answers. There is a lot of economic mumbo jumbo being spat out that makes no difference to my idiotic mind. So, what is it and why has it supposedly made people very wary of doing anything positive and visionary at work?
Also, what was a continuous super boom even six months turned into an almighty doom now.
Sampath Nayak is a small farmer in the district of Sambalpur, Orissa. His brother is a cab driver in Mumbai. I asked him about the state of affairs back in Sambalpur. He had this three liner, “The same thing, like before, no electricity, no water, bad seeds and no rains. One Crop and just enough to fill our stomachs once a day. I don’t know whether that is bad or good!”
I have heard about other states and a similar story of gloom through the last few years. So, they are our have nots who have not got any proceeds of the supposed boom.
So, who have benefitted? If we whittle down our country population to 100 and do a simple study, we shall find that the boom will have affected not more than 7 people from among this 100. I may be wrong in my calculations. But this is what the Human Development Index 2007 says.
So, it is gloom and doom for 7 people. Fine. But, these seven now control the loudspeakers of this country. So, if they are shouting doom, then so be it.
The benefits of the boom were never passed on by the companies, real estate barons and Investment banks that made their dough in the near past. It is they who have hit upon tough times. As the hoard turned bad. So, I have another term. Greed. Very known but seldom used.
So, we happily followed the dictum of some guy from a movie out of Hollywood - Greed is Good!
Great, all is fine but now the shit has hit the fan. The guy from that movie is not making a sequel and telling us about what Greed now is. USA is grappling with the aftermath of the mortgage crisis. They have a sound Federal system with its checks and balances. They also have a sound education system that will ensure the learnings from this shall not be forgotten in a hurry. They will make do. What about us?
The downturn in my eyes is:
1. The relearning process. What is right and what was wrong.
2. The required understanding of how a company should make money.
3. The strengthening of Fundamentals. The requirement of any business. Get your facts right.
4. The concentration on Processes and Knowledge development rather than adhocism.
5. The basic understanding that money is not so easily made. It needs diligence.
6. Have to do hard work!
It is not actually a downturn but nature’s way of telling us to be more inclusive in our growth as an economy. Money in fewer hands has to make way for money in more hands. If this fundamental is taken care of, a jitter in NASDAC will not shake somebody’s arse in Raipur. Not that it has even now. Our media just don’t know the business reality of our own country based as they are the two leading cities and rarely if ever travelling to the hinterland except for elections and natural calamities.
So, I believe that is a nice warning bell for predating companies to introspect and understand the nature of country, train its people to work hard and expect suitable results only.
The real alarm is elsewhere. We are deficient of very basic economy and growth differentiators:
1. Our Education is headed southward in Quality. Research and Development is at an all time low. The cities are mass producing engineers and MBAs who have no specialities and Innovation capacity. The hinterland while producing graduates are unable to get them to go up the L&D ladder. So, talent and its usage are still abysmal and what is progress without the Human Resources!
2. Job and wealth creation is a complete sham. Ask an average citizen and he has no clue how to get things going to achieve all this. The inherent idea of all inclusive progress is absent. So, it is herd mentality that prevails. Let’s take IT as a case study. In the mid 90s, just as US realised that there were a lot of jobs at one end of the food chain in the IT industry that could be farmed out to other countries to save costs, we grabbed the chances and progressed as an IT service nation. The turn of the century saw ITES also take the same route. Media went bonkers with the scene and India became the back office of the world. Some companies understood that the basic work would not last them for years and went on to create more products and services that probably would last the test of time. But others, who were simply looking for the buck, are in deep shit now. Even if no one says anything, the writing is pretty much on the wall. No new products, no R&D, no killer apps, no developments from university labs and most importantly, no hunger or appetite for Innovation or invention. So, what wealth creation are we talking about for the man on the street. Only the share market fellas and a few Investment guys doing trade in Land bought their Pajeros and Villas!
3. Bureaucracy does not permit Risk taking and Entrepreneurship as yet. First, the guy is basically risk averse because of the voodoo surrounding business in most communities except select ones and then the government does not promote or support it. Even if they do, conservatism by banks, institutions or peer groups overturns all the enthusiasm into cold sweat very early enough. Numerous guys with stars in their eyes early in life decide to settle for the quiet little job. Roam the countryside and you will find scores of youngsters wanting to set up that pharma lab, small savings company, PVC plant or restaurant settle for a job and lose it forever.
4. The mass at large have no direction. Bad schools that tell you nothing about ideals and ambitions. Colleges where you just go to pass an exam. Teachers who are largely failures themselves. Parents who just don’t have any clue. TV that tells you nothing positive. News that is depressive. Factories that have no excellence. Mentors who don’t impart wisdom. Managers who are busy saving their jobs. Loose tongues, Loose morals, Indiscipline and Impatience have largely fucked the country beyond redemption. Oh and Yes, the politicians and thought leaders are clueless. The bureaucracy is still in the British era. What a state of affairs!
This is the biggest downturn. In the garb of garbled progress we have unitedly pulled down all institutions of the country. So much so, 10 bloody terrorists just wangle their way into our land, rape us and the media beams our abject state to the whole world. What a downturn!!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
0312.I shall remember.
The shouts. The cries. Vande Mataram! I trained my eyes onto an oncoming group of people. Dressed in chaste white Shalvar Kameezes, donning white skull caps, flowing beards, they were devout Muslims. Then I noticed the placards. “Pakistan is a Terrorist State”. Indian Flags aloft. The Group was highly animated. Pretty Large number by any standards. Raza Academy, the people behind this organised walk. They brushed past. Then, the clapping started. Thunderous! All around me were people who stopped what they were doing and applauded this segment of our community for doing what they did. It was then I realised the strength of my country. India.
Let me rewind. Blogs, SMSes. Facebook. Orkut. Everywhere was this call for being there at the Taj on 03.12.08 to send out a message to the entire country, the administration and the Politicians that we were to be no longer taken for granted. Non Cooperation was the word that Suparn, my organiser coined. As the day dawned, I had other pressing matters of the office to take care of. As if in sign of honour of the day, BEST got rid of the electricity in our office building at 8.45 am as I reported for work at my office. I lingered for a while at the chai shop while BEST put things right. The talk was about mundane things in office when someone piped up that he would be going for the march in the evening. Now, I am not really forthcoming about my other life with my office mates. So, I mumbled about me going there too.
Evening 6 pm. I hurried to finish my work at office. Left at 6.10 pm. My driver was smart enough to get to Churchgate by 6.40 pm but after that it was snail pace. I could see the sea of people all over, in “I love Mumbai” T shirts, with placards, flags and other assortments of democratic indignation spilled all over right upto Metro, that old and venerable movie hall. I did not fume. Let the driver be. He instinctively got everything right too. We turned in front of the Mumbai Police Headquarters. I told him that he needed to drop me there and proceed to any parking space that he could get. I would walk it from Regal. Ha! Little did I know that it was the only decision that could be taken under the circumstances.
Manjeet, my friend from PFC had already called and was waiting somewhere near the Ferry place along with our other mates. So, my mission was to get there first. But, what was this. ‘Sea of people’ was an understatement. People on the road. People on Traffic Podiums. People on the dividers. People on cars. Even people on the shoulders of other people. The Tricolour had been freely bandied about. There were scores of them. Banners were there in all shapes and sizes. The grim ones, the smiley ones, the naughty ones, the solemn messages, the concise ones and the silly ones too! Politicians. Pakistan. Parties. Media. CM Deshmukh. Raj Thackeray. RGV. Achutanandan. Naqvi. RR Patil. They were all lampooned.
Then the Cries. Vande Mataram was a crowd favourite. Jai Hind rang out all the while. Then the made up ones. Poor Pakistan bore the brunt. “Jab tak Sooraj Chand Rahega” was another favourite. Scores of youngsters in Tees. I had never seen such an emotional outpouring ever in my life. Absolutely never. There was no breast beating, mind you. Just a response. A huge response to a call given by fellow citizens about the state of our country. There were people from Colleges, from surrounding offices, from the far suburbs, all classes of the society, all religions and all age groups. I saw young kids in shorts doing “Jai Hind”, saw perfectly sane housewives from South Mumbai shouting “Down Down Pakistan” and a very old couple with the lady holding aloft the National Flag proudly and walking erect beside her husband of many years leading a bunch of very boisterous youngsters to an amazing effect. I took my time soaking in this unique and historic happening. I plodded along amidst this amazing humanity. I shouted too. I laughed at some ridiculous slogans too. The occasion was sombre but the people weren’t. The glint in the eye was combative, resilient and intelligent. Nobody was there to make merry. Not one soul did misunderstand the occasion. But they made it their own. It was so freeing, so life giving!
I reached Gateway of India. Manjeet, Raja and Suparn were there with their group. We talked about some normal stuff. Actually, I did not have much to talk. I was overwhelmed. Totally taken in by the sense of occasion. I am not Harsha Bhogle who can reel out a measured take on any occasion leave alone Cricket. I was not Alyque Padamsee or Mahesh Bhatt who could have given a philosophical edge to whatever was happening, anywhere. I just stared and stared. Trying to make a sense of where this could go. Shortly, we were joined by Kartick and Ashish. Kartick told me that he was witnessing history here and then would again be witnessing history back in US in a few days again with the Obama induction. Yes, he was absolutely right. This is history. In the making. And I just hope I can be some part of it!
Lastly, as we were coming back, we could see a large group of people standing still in the middle of all the melee. Went closer. “Jana Gana Mana” was on. I also belted out the last lines as I joined them. A sense of relief swept over me. This is my dear country. India. Redux.
Let me rewind. Blogs, SMSes. Facebook. Orkut. Everywhere was this call for being there at the Taj on 03.12.08 to send out a message to the entire country, the administration and the Politicians that we were to be no longer taken for granted. Non Cooperation was the word that Suparn, my organiser coined. As the day dawned, I had other pressing matters of the office to take care of. As if in sign of honour of the day, BEST got rid of the electricity in our office building at 8.45 am as I reported for work at my office. I lingered for a while at the chai shop while BEST put things right. The talk was about mundane things in office when someone piped up that he would be going for the march in the evening. Now, I am not really forthcoming about my other life with my office mates. So, I mumbled about me going there too.
Evening 6 pm. I hurried to finish my work at office. Left at 6.10 pm. My driver was smart enough to get to Churchgate by 6.40 pm but after that it was snail pace. I could see the sea of people all over, in “I love Mumbai” T shirts, with placards, flags and other assortments of democratic indignation spilled all over right upto Metro, that old and venerable movie hall. I did not fume. Let the driver be. He instinctively got everything right too. We turned in front of the Mumbai Police Headquarters. I told him that he needed to drop me there and proceed to any parking space that he could get. I would walk it from Regal. Ha! Little did I know that it was the only decision that could be taken under the circumstances.
Manjeet, my friend from PFC had already called and was waiting somewhere near the Ferry place along with our other mates. So, my mission was to get there first. But, what was this. ‘Sea of people’ was an understatement. People on the road. People on Traffic Podiums. People on the dividers. People on cars. Even people on the shoulders of other people. The Tricolour had been freely bandied about. There were scores of them. Banners were there in all shapes and sizes. The grim ones, the smiley ones, the naughty ones, the solemn messages, the concise ones and the silly ones too! Politicians. Pakistan. Parties. Media. CM Deshmukh. Raj Thackeray. RGV. Achutanandan. Naqvi. RR Patil. They were all lampooned.
Then the Cries. Vande Mataram was a crowd favourite. Jai Hind rang out all the while. Then the made up ones. Poor Pakistan bore the brunt. “Jab tak Sooraj Chand Rahega” was another favourite. Scores of youngsters in Tees. I had never seen such an emotional outpouring ever in my life. Absolutely never. There was no breast beating, mind you. Just a response. A huge response to a call given by fellow citizens about the state of our country. There were people from Colleges, from surrounding offices, from the far suburbs, all classes of the society, all religions and all age groups. I saw young kids in shorts doing “Jai Hind”, saw perfectly sane housewives from South Mumbai shouting “Down Down Pakistan” and a very old couple with the lady holding aloft the National Flag proudly and walking erect beside her husband of many years leading a bunch of very boisterous youngsters to an amazing effect. I took my time soaking in this unique and historic happening. I plodded along amidst this amazing humanity. I shouted too. I laughed at some ridiculous slogans too. The occasion was sombre but the people weren’t. The glint in the eye was combative, resilient and intelligent. Nobody was there to make merry. Not one soul did misunderstand the occasion. But they made it their own. It was so freeing, so life giving!
I reached Gateway of India. Manjeet, Raja and Suparn were there with their group. We talked about some normal stuff. Actually, I did not have much to talk. I was overwhelmed. Totally taken in by the sense of occasion. I am not Harsha Bhogle who can reel out a measured take on any occasion leave alone Cricket. I was not Alyque Padamsee or Mahesh Bhatt who could have given a philosophical edge to whatever was happening, anywhere. I just stared and stared. Trying to make a sense of where this could go. Shortly, we were joined by Kartick and Ashish. Kartick told me that he was witnessing history here and then would again be witnessing history back in US in a few days again with the Obama induction. Yes, he was absolutely right. This is history. In the making. And I just hope I can be some part of it!
Lastly, as we were coming back, we could see a large group of people standing still in the middle of all the melee. Went closer. “Jana Gana Mana” was on. I also belted out the last lines as I joined them. A sense of relief swept over me. This is my dear country. India. Redux.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
So, no Age of Shiva!!
The criminal that is man,
Never blames himself at all,
Others pay for what he does,
Pray for what he destroys.
Is it the Age of Shiva?
Investment Bankers ruled us,
then fell like a pack of cards,
So all spoke of Global meltdown,
and the Bankers partied!
Is it the age of Shiva?
Is it a Cascade effect?
Is the market telling us to stop,
If so, then my milkman does not know,
As he still asks and gets his dough.
Is it really the age of Shiva?
My Ma feeds me an Orange juice,
her beta must keep well,
for there is a lot of work at hand,
and he better have a healthy look!
Is there an age of Shiva?
What goes must come back,
The Laws of motion, they say,
do your best, Gita espouses,
Is Life all that difficult?
And so will there ever be an age of Shiva?
Hold on, easy, as Jeeves says,
Paste a smile on your face,
and work like hell,
For nothing comes easy.
Maybe that Shiva bit...
But will actually come,
Happiness that eludes now,
As rationality would prevail,
Making the world a better place!
So, no Age of Shiva!!
Never blames himself at all,
Others pay for what he does,
Pray for what he destroys.
Is it the Age of Shiva?
Investment Bankers ruled us,
then fell like a pack of cards,
So all spoke of Global meltdown,
and the Bankers partied!
Is it the age of Shiva?
Is it a Cascade effect?
Is the market telling us to stop,
If so, then my milkman does not know,
As he still asks and gets his dough.
Is it really the age of Shiva?
My Ma feeds me an Orange juice,
her beta must keep well,
for there is a lot of work at hand,
and he better have a healthy look!
Is there an age of Shiva?
What goes must come back,
The Laws of motion, they say,
do your best, Gita espouses,
Is Life all that difficult?
And so will there ever be an age of Shiva?
Hold on, easy, as Jeeves says,
Paste a smile on your face,
and work like hell,
For nothing comes easy.
Maybe that Shiva bit...
But will actually come,
Happiness that eludes now,
As rationality would prevail,
Making the world a better place!
So, no Age of Shiva!!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Madhumati - a tale of two generations! (posted in PFC too)
“suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen..hamein dar hain hum kho na jaaye kahin”
There is a Magnet Hypermarket in Mahim near the station on the western side where I buy some of my stuff. Today was another good day to stop by and buy some stuff that one continually needs. Beside it, in a hole in the wall space a “paan bidi ka dukaan” is there with an ever attentive bhaiya in place. I was needing my next pack of Marlboro Lights and that seemed as good a place as any other. A hidden Tape or CD player (I really don’t know which one) threw up this tune...
...and pulled me back into so many memories, so much so that at 1.45 am I sit down to share some of those memories with all of you.
My brother was just about a year old and it was this Sunday when Baba and Ma decided to go to our nearest town Ooty or Ootacamund then and Udhagamandalam now (really don’t know who speaks of it with that name!!). This was a weekly ritual and we always alternated between Coonoor and Ooty. Coonoor, if it was a short trip – the market, tiffin or lunch in Ramchandra’s , a stroll through the main road, Baba’s stop at a book shop near the bus stand and then back. Ooty was another thing altogether. The market was mandatory but there was this nice half a day at Botanical Gardens or Ooty Lake, Lunch at various places – dosas, sandwiches, Tandoori stuff (yes, they were available even then back in the mid seventies), cakes and other nice stuff that a seven year old usually craves for. But, the highlight for my parents was a movie. There was this quaint hall called National back then, don’t know if it is still there, and that is where Baba gravitated once he knew about the name of the movie that had arrived there. Obviously, readers shall understand that this was the only movie hall that used to screen a few English and a smattering of Hindi movies. Why smattering...because those were the Anti – Hindi post Kamaraj days of Tamil Nadu...and a Hindi sentence usually met a retort like “Yenna da..yenne peserei nee!!”
That Sunday was one of those rare Hindi days and the movie was “Madhumati”. I am not going to harp on the movie here. I know most of you admire it for what it is or has come to represent over the years. But, I cannot begin to tell you about the happiness on the face of my father after he manages to buy those three tickets from the ticket window. He educates Ma about all the erudite people behind the film. Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak, Salil Choudhury, Shailendra, Dilip Kumar, Vyjantimala, “Sar jo tera chakraye” Johnny Walker,Pran, Hrishida and a host of others that I did not even begin to comprehend then. (Actually, I would not have remembered even this so vividly but for his narration of this same episode years later when both of us sat in another dark theatre in Chandrapur and saw that smash called “Golmaal” by Hrishida.) There is some time to go for the film to start. Ma feeds my brother so as to keep him quiet for the next couple of golden hours. Baba is fidgety. I have acquired a strange affinity for the Box office window through which some people were getting their tickets.
The bell rings. We queue up to get into the hall. Well, there are not too many people and so we are able to claim our seats in a jiffy. The Fims Division documentary about 20 point programme, an Emergency thing, is duly shown. I think that was obligatory back then. All halls showed practically the same documentaries. As the FD film was finishing, Baba asks us to keep quiet and watch the movie with considerable interest. For a shifty seven year old, that is a tall order.
The magic starts. For me, the songs, the background score, the supernatural thing, the Bicchua dance, Madhumati being killed by Pran and the “that Aaja Re strain” when Madhumati reincarnates and Dilip Kumar is trying to find her, all hold me in complete thrall. The film is over. I have many questions. Baba is not very enthusiastic answering any of them. Ma tries to do some justice but with another crying infant in her arms, she also is not able to satisfy my curiosity. The thirst remains!
Some years later, Baba has become the Durga Puja Cultural secretary (that is a very honourable position for any culture loving Bong) and he has to arrange for entertainment for four days at the Puja premises near the Factory. I have no clue what he did in between but this is how the Entertainment programme card reads:
MAHASHASHTI – Film: Jana Aranya (Dir: Satyajit Ray)
MAHASAPTAMI – Film : Kaapurush/Mahapurush (Dir: Satyajit Ray)
MAHAASHTAMI – Theatre : Sajano Bagan (Wr: Manoj Mitra, Dir: A.K.Majumdar)
MAHANAVAMI – Film: Madhumati (Dir: Bimal Roy)
Does not that card speak of the pride of a film loving Bengali with all the enthusiasm of filterless Panama cigarettes, broad white pyjamas and half kurta or fatuas as they are known?!
Also notice how cleverly the cultural secretary has inserted his own directorial virtues among two of the best India has produced – ever! RAY – MAJUMDAR – ROY!!
Not that he did any badly, my first interaction with shades of night and day on the same stage was through this play – Sajano Bagan. It got converted into a movie later called “Bancharamer Bagan” in Bengali and it was also made in Hindi in the eighties.
But Madhumati comes, plays to full house and in 1977, 19 years after the movie was first released receives a rapturous ovation from the entire canvassed theatre in their Navami finery. Mind you, there are Army generals, colonels, staff, Cordite Factory officers, workers and even some manual workers in the audience. The power of great cinema!
The more relatable outcome, Baba is mobbed by his seniors who drawl, Majumdar Saheb, aaj to kamal kar diya, haan, very good, Congratulations, and all that. Whoa! That was Bimal Roy who did the magic and not Mr. Majumdar. But who cares, it is the Power of great Cinema!
Baba bounced in that reflected glory for many weeks after that.
He is no longer there. I miss his enthusiasm for good cinema. But, the CDs are there and his enthusiasm has crept into the next gen ever so nicely. Only, can somebody do another movie like Madhumati ever again?
There is a Magnet Hypermarket in Mahim near the station on the western side where I buy some of my stuff. Today was another good day to stop by and buy some stuff that one continually needs. Beside it, in a hole in the wall space a “paan bidi ka dukaan” is there with an ever attentive bhaiya in place. I was needing my next pack of Marlboro Lights and that seemed as good a place as any other. A hidden Tape or CD player (I really don’t know which one) threw up this tune...
...and pulled me back into so many memories, so much so that at 1.45 am I sit down to share some of those memories with all of you.
My brother was just about a year old and it was this Sunday when Baba and Ma decided to go to our nearest town Ooty or Ootacamund then and Udhagamandalam now (really don’t know who speaks of it with that name!!). This was a weekly ritual and we always alternated between Coonoor and Ooty. Coonoor, if it was a short trip – the market, tiffin or lunch in Ramchandra’s , a stroll through the main road, Baba’s stop at a book shop near the bus stand and then back. Ooty was another thing altogether. The market was mandatory but there was this nice half a day at Botanical Gardens or Ooty Lake, Lunch at various places – dosas, sandwiches, Tandoori stuff (yes, they were available even then back in the mid seventies), cakes and other nice stuff that a seven year old usually craves for. But, the highlight for my parents was a movie. There was this quaint hall called National back then, don’t know if it is still there, and that is where Baba gravitated once he knew about the name of the movie that had arrived there. Obviously, readers shall understand that this was the only movie hall that used to screen a few English and a smattering of Hindi movies. Why smattering...because those were the Anti – Hindi post Kamaraj days of Tamil Nadu...and a Hindi sentence usually met a retort like “Yenna da..yenne peserei nee!!”
That Sunday was one of those rare Hindi days and the movie was “Madhumati”. I am not going to harp on the movie here. I know most of you admire it for what it is or has come to represent over the years. But, I cannot begin to tell you about the happiness on the face of my father after he manages to buy those three tickets from the ticket window. He educates Ma about all the erudite people behind the film. Bimal Roy, Ritwik Ghatak, Salil Choudhury, Shailendra, Dilip Kumar, Vyjantimala, “Sar jo tera chakraye” Johnny Walker,Pran, Hrishida and a host of others that I did not even begin to comprehend then. (Actually, I would not have remembered even this so vividly but for his narration of this same episode years later when both of us sat in another dark theatre in Chandrapur and saw that smash called “Golmaal” by Hrishida.) There is some time to go for the film to start. Ma feeds my brother so as to keep him quiet for the next couple of golden hours. Baba is fidgety. I have acquired a strange affinity for the Box office window through which some people were getting their tickets.
The bell rings. We queue up to get into the hall. Well, there are not too many people and so we are able to claim our seats in a jiffy. The Fims Division documentary about 20 point programme, an Emergency thing, is duly shown. I think that was obligatory back then. All halls showed practically the same documentaries. As the FD film was finishing, Baba asks us to keep quiet and watch the movie with considerable interest. For a shifty seven year old, that is a tall order.
The magic starts. For me, the songs, the background score, the supernatural thing, the Bicchua dance, Madhumati being killed by Pran and the “that Aaja Re strain” when Madhumati reincarnates and Dilip Kumar is trying to find her, all hold me in complete thrall. The film is over. I have many questions. Baba is not very enthusiastic answering any of them. Ma tries to do some justice but with another crying infant in her arms, she also is not able to satisfy my curiosity. The thirst remains!
Some years later, Baba has become the Durga Puja Cultural secretary (that is a very honourable position for any culture loving Bong) and he has to arrange for entertainment for four days at the Puja premises near the Factory. I have no clue what he did in between but this is how the Entertainment programme card reads:
MAHASHASHTI – Film: Jana Aranya (Dir: Satyajit Ray)
MAHASAPTAMI – Film : Kaapurush/Mahapurush (Dir: Satyajit Ray)
MAHAASHTAMI – Theatre : Sajano Bagan (Wr: Manoj Mitra, Dir: A.K.Majumdar)
MAHANAVAMI – Film: Madhumati (Dir: Bimal Roy)
Does not that card speak of the pride of a film loving Bengali with all the enthusiasm of filterless Panama cigarettes, broad white pyjamas and half kurta or fatuas as they are known?!
Also notice how cleverly the cultural secretary has inserted his own directorial virtues among two of the best India has produced – ever! RAY – MAJUMDAR – ROY!!
Not that he did any badly, my first interaction with shades of night and day on the same stage was through this play – Sajano Bagan. It got converted into a movie later called “Bancharamer Bagan” in Bengali and it was also made in Hindi in the eighties.
But Madhumati comes, plays to full house and in 1977, 19 years after the movie was first released receives a rapturous ovation from the entire canvassed theatre in their Navami finery. Mind you, there are Army generals, colonels, staff, Cordite Factory officers, workers and even some manual workers in the audience. The power of great cinema!
The more relatable outcome, Baba is mobbed by his seniors who drawl, Majumdar Saheb, aaj to kamal kar diya, haan, very good, Congratulations, and all that. Whoa! That was Bimal Roy who did the magic and not Mr. Majumdar. But who cares, it is the Power of great Cinema!
Baba bounced in that reflected glory for many weeks after that.
He is no longer there. I miss his enthusiasm for good cinema. But, the CDs are there and his enthusiasm has crept into the next gen ever so nicely. Only, can somebody do another movie like Madhumati ever again?
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