Do patrons of Micromax get ‘Nothing like anything’?

Micromax has grown leaps and bounds in all these years and is among the major successes that telephony market in India has ever seen. Its initial innovations were no less than remarkable and had everyone take notice of it. Despite being an Indian brand, assembled and made in Chinese and Taiwanese markets, Micromax rung up to the top league and sat comfortably next to biggies such as Noika, and Samsung, in considerably less time.

Micromax’s rampant success caused heavy losses to other foreign brothers including LG and Sony Ericsson. Micromax did live up to Nothing like anything.

However, as it has happened with other Indian brands in the past, Micromax could not keep up the momentum and capitalize on the hype it initially created. As the story unfolded, its quality which was always a question mark became a reason of its fall from the growing quality conscious, fashionista customer base. Micromax may still have held tight control over the price sensitive, fad catching customers. In my mind, Micromax could easily be called Ravi Kisan of Indian mobile market.

Now that Micromax has reached where it belongs I have for a long time had this question lingering in my mind – what would its patrons make of Nothing like anything? Please bear in mind the customer profile which in my view can be sketched as –

• A willing man belonging to a working class has come to the city from a small town in hope of making big. He is in a stable job or a business, slowly and steadily getting his foot in. He has only opened books to see pictures and rarely read. A half of his teeth are dark red, if not fully spoiled.
• A college-going teen caught in the fad, competing with better offs in his/her surrounding and trying best to catch up with in-things.

The consumer base that Micromax is now serving is quite Desi. Nothing like anything is a US-born phrases to which a parallel can be drawn with I ain’t no anything. They both sound more complicated than they actually are. The literal meaning of Nothing like anything is Incomparable. But, those who must get it for Micromax would actually get it? I have my doubts.

I can say it with lot of confidence that a consumer survey done on what Micromax users make of Nothing like anything will throw some startling results. Anyone interested to pitch in?

Conundrum!

What is a word made up of 4 letters yet is a word made up of 3. Although is written with 8 letter, then with 4. Rarely consists of 6, and never is written with 5.

Some might find in above a conundrum of a sort and to some it might appear simplified. It caught my attention for I could see in it the way we read ourselves – our mind and consciousness. Going back to above, it is a simplified statement which inherits the answer yet as we read it in flow we tend to lose connect and find it all gobbled up.

Doesn’t it present a fitting analogy as to how we tend to catch and lose connect with our core? Often than not many of us are aware of who we are and what we stand for, yet on exposure to temptations we tend to reconcile and shuffle our thoughts over and over again whereas the response stands still before us. On other hand there are those strong characters who hold it firm and read accurately without any aberration.

If there was a belief, “when you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” There also exists a reality that the world inside outside you also stops you from believing and clouds your mind and heart to weaken your sight of the core. Those who hail the storm steer pass everything only to be left with elements that work in one’s favor.

Easier said than done! Perhaps this could only be simplified by treading on an even tougher path of unified aim and bringing renunciation in action. Harsha Bhogle summed it up too well in his praise for Rahul Dravid, “giant edifices are built on solid foundations.” The foundation itself runs many out of patience and pose toughest test to your grit and substance. May be that’s why it was said that the real wealth is ‘patience’; patience to not lose hope and conviction that ‘tomorrow never dies.’ 

Rahul (bhaiya) Dravid : My Hero!

It has taken me long time to firm up my mind to write about my idol Rahul Dravid who I fondly refer to as Rahul Bhaiya. If I were asked to speak at length on anyone, I would say Rahul Bhaiya is one among very few I can go on and on about, right from taking references of his records, best innings, attributes, my experience of being with him during my days at Rajasthan Royals, etcetera.

I thought about a blog on him many times but always deferred it thinking it would pan out very emotional, all over the place, and very lengthy. I have never been sure about my projection of him in my blog because for me he is more than just a cricketer. Having read Rahul Dravid: The Timesless Steel and learning about intense love and respect for him in others that I finally decided and felt confident about the line I would take in this blog.

I too can rave about him a Cricketer, his batting, his contribution to the game, but more than that he has moved me as a person. His fundamentals and morals, which are very well projected in his game and on field persona, touched me the most that too at very early age. I remember praying for his good luck in his early days in international cricket in late 90s. I was in school back then. We did not have cable network at home so out of choice I would frequently visit nearby general store to have glimpses of his batting. Now, when I look back I can say without any exaggeration I barely managed to watch his innings at a stretch for more than 20-25 minutes.

I fell in love with his poise, his stance, his stroke play. I would dream about him doing exceptionally well every time he came out to bat. I would hate him getting out; I would wish for whole team to get out but him. I wanted him to be the only reason behind the success of Indian team. He was Cricket for me!

As years passed by, my passion for him did not subdue but my learning of his thinking and vision got better. I did not leave any opportunity to know what he had to say about the game and life in general. I started to like him more; my vision of sport and its spirit got better. I began to realize Cricket is a team’s sport. Not only I learnt about the spirit with which Rahul bhaiya went about his game but also found a great semblance of his thinking in my life. His passion, perseverance and ethics are worth admiring and imbibing.

Perhaps my love and respect for him was genuine that the dream I never dared to see turned real. I not only met him but also spent good 2 months with him on the ground, in the stadium, and in the player’s lounge. I was shell-shocked and spellbound for first few days of my role as media manager of Rajasthan Royals as I had to brush shoulders with Rahul Bhaiya every now and then.

His sight would have been enough but I was lucky to have him leave his seat and come forward to shake hands with me in our first meeting. It was simply the best moment of my life till then and to date. I had to brief him on his media interactions and I was fumbling and mumbling, eyes moist, moved by his largesse and humility.

Rahul Bhaiya for me is epitome of hard work and passion. He is someone every Indian or for that matter any young person can identify with. He of course had abundance of talent, but at the same time most difficult questions were asked of him compared to any other Cricketer of modern era. Had he been weak hearted he would have fizzled out a lot early in his career. But he was not to give up and then came to live an ascetic in him. He would meditate on the field in the cheer and choir by thousands of people in the crowd. He appeared calm as Kungfu master and incisive as tiger.  

As for millions of people, he has been my inspiration too. He inspires me to believe less in destiny and more in myself. He teaches me to have my foot on the ground and prepares me to grind. He is someone I swear by and would look up to all my life.

As anticipated, the blog has not turned out to be as envisaged. I did not wish to shower praise on him and rather talk about finer nuances of his personality and values he embodies. I would like to believe it is impossible for me to capture him fully in a single blog. With the hope I return to him with greater insights, I sight off. This is my short and humble tribute to a man of real steel, timeless steel Rahul (bhaiya) Dravid! He is my Hero, a word that he personally does not like to be associated with. For him, heroes are doctors and soldiers but for me he is no different from them.

Eulogies and thereon….

The past one year has been laden with demise of numerous noted figures: Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dara Singh, Jagjit Singh, Rajesh Khanna to name a few. An air of sadness surfaces with such unexpected events, and those who care and are genuinely concerned must get affected also.

The stars who left us weigh heavy in stature at some point or the other. They all had talent widely celebrated and made tall contribution to the society in their hay days; some even died working. Among them were those who faced frailty both in health and stardom with growing age and widening gap.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that some lived a depressed, dilapidated life as stardom dissociated itself from them.  With advent of internet and media, a business that has flourished the most in the wake of such events is of Eulogy. R.I.P, a term that I believe Hindu middle class was ever oblivious of, has now become obvious and a must know.

As the star takes his last breath, every news channel has to carry a breaking news tag – so and so died. Some will go to an extent to state – we are the first one to report the death owing to our deep connections in the family. In no time, netizens spring to action and what follows is a flood of RIPs. Some get creative and upload lyrical text, pictures, videos, audios, and many more.

 The sight has often perplexed me as I think to myself – did anyone care when they were alive? By having decorated, cosmetic concerning posts, are we celebrating their life or death? Often than not those who are the most excited are among the least informed on the person, leave aside having emotional bond or attachment. Then you have fellow FBians liking and commenting on each others’ posts.   

The classic case is of Rajesh Khanna. I have watched quite a few of his movies. I always liked him and somewhat aware of his stardom and superstar status. I also heard stories about he was sidelined and suddenly brought to pits from the height that he had achieved in his not so long career.

It seemed from reports in media that he did not live a happy life ever since he lost his star tag. His personal life was ruined as his close ones alienated him. He was not given due respect and attention by the industry as he grew older. People would mock at his state of being and rarely visit him to check on his health and well being. I think all had kept it in reserve and were waiting for him to die.

His death on the other hand appeared to be a two day festival celebrated across the country. Internet, TV and newspapers all flooded with his photographs and great wordings on him and his work. Something that late Rajesh Khanna would have appreciated and enjoyed had even 1/10^th of this fanfare was bestowed upon him while he was alive. His appearance in Havells commercial testifies the fact that he longed for recognition and fanfare.

He might have tried to make an appeal through the commercial but that too was mowed down by us. He left gasping for more from life and his fans. I do not wish to come across critical of this trend, but yes I am amazed at life and its mean ways. It is heartening to see Mr. Dilip Kumar, another phenomenon, being celebrated in his lifetime. The industry does turn up to celebrate his birthday. 

Anushka defies definition of archetypical men and teaches a lesson or two about dirty habits

In a cluttered environment of TV commercials today, we see biggies such as SRK donning different avatars every other day to keep toothpaste brand alive in a highly competitive market while on the other hand someone as tall in stature as Amitabh Bachchan trying to connect with kids for Maggie. Perhaps a few but there exists a cohort that is churning out intelligently thought-after TV commercials that live up to traditional techniques of positioning and are succeeding in carving a niche.

My personal favorite of late has been the campaign by a new brand called Kara in a relatively virgin market of hygiene and personal care for men. The product here in hand is facial cleansing wipes. I first used such facial wipe not so long ago, offered by a female friend, and then a few times on Kingfisher airlines which is sadly flying low these days. Hope its demise is not caused by overburdening cost of these wipes.  

I can recollect my friend’s exact words when she offered me a facial wipe. She said, ‘you will like it for it is wet, cold and fragrant. It will help you beat the heat.’ I too liked it, perhaps for sheer novelty, but would never imagine buying it myself. I always thought wet tissues/facial wipes are meant for women. It is cosmetic essential. Nor did any women I got in contact with ever frowned or stopped me from using my handkerchief for wiping my face. It was never meant to be a social faux pas as blowing your nose, burping, or farting in public gathering would be.

This commercial further pushes the envelope and gives a new height to the concept of Metrosexuality. It is in your face content wherein actress Anushka Sharma presented as icon for today’s brimming with confidence, young women brigade stares into guys face and teach them a new term called ‘DIRTY HABIT’.

The guys have grown-up caring two hoots for what their parents taught them about good and bad habits. A philosophy that defines an archetypical men in our society is “Shero Ne Kabhi Mu Dhoya Hai” / “Have tigers ever washed face”. Now these are the same guys who are being intimidated by same age women. And not to anyone’s surprise there are plenty to follow the path shown by fellow girls.

Going further into the commercial, Anushka brings about a fact that you should not wipe your face with the handkerchief that you use to wipe your arms or neck with. Doing that would qualify you to be stung by dirty habits and cause as much loss as a girl that you desire to marry. I am sure this commercial would not have caught my attention had it been targeted to women.

A new brand one would imagine vies for share in most obvious established market before venturing into a new territory. But, achievers defy the set rules and create their own. Full respect to Aditya Birla Group, owners of brand Kara, and the creative agency to come up with a highly impactful campaign and hitting the nail on its head.

It will not only make men conscious but also wake-up women to this fact. The commercial directly may not hit the TG and get influx of new business; I assume it will have a gradual effect. It is capable of bringing a new air of change in attitudes. I suspect girls to be more receptive of this commercial and they in turn will coax boys to get rid of the handkerchief for face and switch onto using wipes.

However, the only impediment that I see here is a logistical catch. Men on the go do not carry an accommodating purse as women do. They will face challenge in carrying a pack of wipes because the available space in trouser's pockets is occupied by the other three essentials – cash, handkerchief and mobile. It will be farfetched to say that this product is capable of replacing cotton handkerchief for men. I hope this down side has been registered by the propellers of the brand and are looking into it.

All in all a delight for sucker for good ideas and creative execution.

CAR'NAMA' – Gaadi Ki Sawari!

Hello! It is good to be back after a gap of two weeks. All this while I went through a range of issues and thoughts that pushed me to write, but due to paucity of time, or so called my clock-by-clock routine, could not make it. I am not saying this only to my fellow readers, who I am not sure whether really care, but also to this page who I promised to give my company as much as possible.

Nonetheless, as I sit to write I am going through a range of compelling thoughts, some of which I shared with my new friend Nishtha. Just to let you know, she is impeccable with words and very elegant at expressions. I have met a very few who have as vast vocabulary as she has. I know she usually reads my posts, so many congratulations to her.

I am quite inspired to write about two topics – My fetish for workout and Rahul Dravid. I am sorry I cannot explain why Rahul Dravid in a few lines here. I would rather wait until I finally write about him. The third element that has occupied most of my mental space of late is Car.

Yes, Car. I do not have a Car! I do not drive a Car! It is a confession that I am making, and I do not really feel inferior without a Car.

Before I go any further I want to apologies to all my well wishers who might take offence at this post. And make it clear that I do not write this to show anyone down. You all have been those few ones who I would love to share my happiness and sorrow with. However, I write this to put down what I go through and how I see what I hear and made to feel every now and then.

It is great to own and drive a car. And I very well understand the fact that it is more a necessity in current times than luxury. I will not get into explanation of why I do not have a car. I am more interested in sharing – how I am expected to own a car, why I must have a car, and how is life without a car.

Just to set the pretext before I could dwell over these questions – we never had a vehicle in our family! It was not so much of a trouble until a few years ago. It is not that much of a handicap now also, but somehow I am reminded more about it than ever before. Perhaps one of the reasons could be earlier my financial status was not so sound that I was expected to buy a car. May be now I am! This is not the end of a story. I am also of a marriageable age.

I am sure very few of you would refute that and understand the direct correlation between marriage and owning a car. It is quite obvious now in most of the sects in our society. Otherwise what will my the bride’s father consider and see in me or my family for her daughter. The flip side is if I already have a car, even a second hand, I am likely to get another, fresh one in my marriage as a gift, or if you were to put it crudely, in dowry. Should be an effective profit proposition!

There is many a slip between the cup and the lip. Not everyone is alike. Keeping the morality aside, it is still not a very attractive one. Anyhow, now when I meet people it is taken for granted that I must have a car. Sometimes it is brought up in conversation and that leaves me in lurch whether to correct them or skip the topic. If correct them, then whether to give them an explanation or not.

Ownership of certain ‘must-haves’ is definitely a step ahead in your life. It pushes you up in status ladder. But for some reason if you could not have it at the opportune time or chose to opt out or postpone it till a certain point in future, could this become a matter of great embarrassment and concern?

In my experience, to an extent yes! My father never had it or for that matter many in my relatives and friends did not have it even when they could afford it, nobody questioned and no haste. It would have been totally fine. Not Now!

In my view, it has largely to do with easy access. Earlier loans were not in; less people sought credit from banks. Even banks did not push loans and related schemes down to your throat. Now, you get loan even if you sneezed. And that has made attachments such as ‘ownership of a car’ at a certain level very obvious.

There is one more insight that I have gathered from people who had their eyebrows up on knowing the reality. I do not think it would be exaggeration if I said that quite a few of us are often than not interested in knowing the status of the other person from his/her clothing, sense of style, speaking, etc. And then are the same people who sadly give-in to others’ intimidation and try to live-up to their scrutiny of us.

We must stand for who we are and what we have! We grow to enrich our lives for our wellbeing. Others saw even when did not have and will see whenever we have!

On tactical side, as I said earlier, there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. I wish our roads and infrastructure had not contracted with growing economy and evolving society, lesser mortals like me could afford safe parking and enjoy “GAADI KI SAWARI”. :)

Rowdy, abrasive, offensive, attacking...can we do it with all?  

I stepped out of Gangs of Wasseypur (GoW) perplexed and melancholic. Aesthetically speaking, this film was at par with previous films of this genre such as Omkara, The Dirty Picture, Once Upon a Time, Pan Singh Tomar and more. I am personally a keen watcher of this kind of cinema and appreciate good work by all the departments of film making.

GoW crossed all the lines and was in your face experience. It epitomizes profanity and machismo, I am afraid to use the term male chauvinism as my male readers may tag me feminist if I tried to show them in bad light in any way. It was less about honor and ego but more about exhibiting creative use of foul language, rowdiness in men, and men’s ways with women’s integrity.

There were sequences which provoked response from ‘guys’ in the audience. I would imagine men among guys would refrain from acting frivolous in public; therefore I am using the term ‘guys’. The response induced was not an applaud but proxy dialogues – highly condemning to say the least – as they were disrespectful towards women and, to a large extent, showcasing them as no more than sex objects.

I am sure the filmmaker read well about the life back then in Bihar however he did not take enough care to show it with great authenticity. In an attempt to make the film commercially viable, he brought in lousiness and frivolity. If the film was meant to be docudrama, educating masses of agitation among cartels post independence, then I would say it did not succeed fully to do so. I doubt many will remember the story more than frantic dialogues.

Such films are entertainers, make you laugh, great deal of art direction and impeccable actors put together an ensemble worth loud applause. However, only for and by the audience that has active faculty called Discretion. There exists a large section of society which is highly susceptible to such content. They can get inspired negatively and are likely to exhibit such behavior in real life.

It was only an intuition when I got out of the theatre but was stamped confirmed by an incident I witnessed in my neighborhood the same night. It was a case of altercation between two neighbors. And it suddenly got intensified to an extent that both families resorted to manhandling and violence. I would not say both the families are the most literate in the colony but decently educated and civilized (now I am doubtful whether they actually are).

I do not know the real reason of the brawl but from what it appeared it started off with verbal exchanges which turned to physical attack. Not that it was for the first time I was witnessing scuffle. The most astonishing bit was young boys in their teens battling from the front. The language was at its worst – I could imagine characters in the movie GoW or others in these guys – that too against women. They showed little hesitance in attacking women with baton and pelting stones at them.

By no means could quarrels like that be passed ‘usual’. They definitely give us a hint that exposure that we are provided is doing little or no good, if not exactly bad, to budding generation. Levels of patience are ever decreasing. We are prompted to raise voice and hands against the weak in wake of protection of honor. There is no sense of respect against elderly and fair sex. And speaking of sex, if it does not come easy, then go and grab it is the attitude. Even if that meant going to the extent of molestation or committing rape.

Our society has matured; level of understanding and exposure is far greater than ever before. Kids are smarter; some say new generation is born with three DNA strands whereas our ancestors had only two DNA strands. More the DNA strands more the intelligence.

At the same time there are rising levels of shrewdness, killer instincts, impatience and abrasiveness. 

Movies too have matured with content being set amidst society. Stories are excavated from past, many a time not too rosy and uplifting. We are tagged to be ‘Accepting bold content’. Yes, we are definitely growing in all aspects but in very small proportion. Not all are ready for such high speed, naked truth of life. Many can get swayed away like those young chaps willfully attacking women with words and baton.

It is great to be back here after a gap of few weeks……….!!!! :) :) :) :) :) Did you miss me??????

You might be wondering what the hell on earth is wrong with him. Well, I won’t be surprised even if you didn’t find it amusing. This is exactly how some of us communicate today! Isn’t it?

The exclamation and punctuation marks are used to create dramatization. We may not be good actors on stage but out here we leave no stone unturned, or should I say no punctuation as it should be, to exhibit emotions through our written communication. We intended to have our readers read much more than our sentences are capable of expressing.

Perhaps the idea is to give facelift to our written expressions by decking them up with exaggeration. A never ending ellipsis (… /….) might be applied to say, ‘dude, this is how far I went to bring my girlfriend back’, or ‘this was exactly the length of her cleavage, if I gauged it right’.

The funniest being multiple use of question mark (?) – ‘??????’. In my mind I can imagine only two things – anxious and frowning face of the grumpy sender or bandarwal (decorative-cum-good luck sign at the entry gate of the houses of Hindus).

:) :) :) :) Though does not appear to be as alarming and offensive as the ones above, yet it is hard to imagine the sender’s giggling face on laptop screen. All the more a tasteless imagination if the sender had two teeth missing from the front. :) 

Nonetheless an innovation of a sort by lingo laded communicators of today!

The only downside to this in my mind is underestimation of one’s personality. If I am inquiring about something from someone my purpose should be established by brevity and selection of appropriate words rather than wasting space and dirtying the slate like this. The language is already abused in many ways, referring to shorthand writing by netizens, leaving punctuation marhs to their original self can only do good.


There is no greater power than word power....Empower thyself! :) Koi shaq?

IIMs, ISBs - Janambhoomi of ‘mythical’ legends  

Although MBA is something that occupies a lot of bytes in my mind space; however, it never struck to me until today that it could be a matter to write about here. Having a branded diploma in MBA/PGDBA/PGDM (there must be more nomenclatures that I can speak off the cough) for sure assures a large sum of money and with it certain imagery among coworkers and those who are aware of the stamp on your back.

In my previous companies I never had MBAs from aspiring league so I had not much knowledge of how well received they are in real world. Of course, a sense of awe, the wow factor was always there for such colleges. Whereas my current organization is full of IITians, IIMs, ISBs, and some have in their immediate families Oxfords and Harvards of the world.  Yes, you have thought it right; I at times find myself out of place and dwarf among such giant figures.

But this is not the case that got me into writing this post. I am trying to look at it from brand perspective. How what we wear, where we eat, what we drive, where we live can create an impression among people, similarly where we have studied also creates imagery. Not just that, here I would like to stress that the former aspects are unwrapped gradually whereas having a stamp from an aspiring league spreads like fire in forest. There is sudden recognition, buzz around the workplace that such and such person from such and such institution has joined at such and such position at such and such package.

Mind you! It does not necessarily end here. Seldom people like to test your ability or to show you down. In all likelihood your intelligence is taken for granted and if you performed reasonably well, your co-colleagues will do the rest. How you are spoken about goes something like this – “Huh! he/she is from ISB/IIM; ought to be good. There acumen is very sharp; too good at grasping. I am sure one year of rigorous course has done this to him/her. Lucky him/her – ISB, IIM! Different league altogether you know!”

I hope I am not exaggerating but it gives a birth to LEGEND in you. As you move out of the brand factory, a mythical legend is already born in you then whether you actually end up doing something exceptional in your work life is beside the point. In whatever little I have seen of corporate, name of the college you come from is not just printed in your CV but also on the others lips. It is more like Chinese whispers – spreads from one to another.

I am not averse to the idea of MBA or related courses. I am sure they must do world of good in your understanding and overall personality. Yes, I am quite surprised at the fringe benefits that you get as dividend to hefty one time fees that you pay. It is largely to do with our society I believe which is so stuck up on names and titles that it does not let anyone get of the pedestal and recognize raw talent.

Either you get ready to take chances and stick to your guns for indefinite period to prove your mettle in corporate world or take a short but expensive route to have others salute you or, should I say, your label.

You can find your Hamburg in about 10,000 hours from now!

I had my heart in my mouth when a few minutes from taking the stage Partho said he was not sure what was he there for? And he had not done something like that for a long long time. He further added 90 minutes for him to deliver his message to that large an audience could be a bit too short a time.

Perhaps it could have been a disaster had it not for Parthos’ crystal clear thoughts and innate talent to calmly and quietly present himself before the audience. He is a 50 years old, posture slightly tilted forward, long salt-n-pepper hair, broad eyes, and shining face. His voice is his asset – it comes out so clean and clear like sound of water from the water fall. His style of speaking leaves one with awe.

However, you must be thinking that those who are articulate and sound terrific may not always be most relevant and lucid, but trust me he was. H e may have had little or no idea about why he was there but he had something worthwhile that he could leave behind with most of us present there. His style was benign, far from being forceful; he was neither a sage nor a corporate czar.

Before he proceeded further he set everyone’s expectations right by making a point that neither he was there to deliver a lecture nor did he expect to change anyone’s life for good. Most he could do was to open windows for those listening to him. He called himself an educationist who only knew how to bring one to know oneself. He did not understand corporate language – EBIT, Targets, etc. What he had was answers for some questions such as what are organizations made of, how ambitions could not be enough for a happy and content being, what is passion, love for work, and excellence.

 And he did succeed in opening windows for many, including me!

He made some statements which took many by surprise. He said “Ambitions are not good as they make you restless, angry, give birth to feeling of jealousy and politics in the cohort.” To which he further elucidated – Ambition should be replaced with attaining Excellence. And Excellence can only be achieved with calmness and patience. He spoke of Kungfu and football where terrific and excellent players/masters display stillness in being and calmness in midst of chaos and havoc. Those who are aiming Excellence are unhurt by successes of others; they are silently improving their own game even when others are taking the front stage.

In one of his answers of the audience question he said “Passion cannot be created for work”. He added, “You are in the wrong job if you are not passionate about it”. He then thought over what he just said for a while and responded to the next obvious question - what one should do then? You have a person dependent on a certain job and not passionate about it.

He came up with a flash of brilliance. He said one thing that all can be and should be passionate about is Excellence. You must look for excellence in whatever you are thrown into! And, in my personal opinion too, each one of us must have this approach as it not only can see us through our lives but can also make us meet what has always eluded us.

It is true in my case at least that I have mostly hoped for better and seldom tried to go deep into my work and master it in all possible senses. Usually for all of us the End takes precedence over the Means! In today’s times of struggle for survival what we need the most is awareness of ourselves and purity in action.

It is so true for a footballer that in midst of high decibel noise he takes the corner and with his poise he lifts the ball through the goalpost. He may be hearing those sounds but still he is connected with himself, listening to his heartbeat and joining every dot in his mind that takes him pass the goalpost. Stillness in action is the secret behind a man who in real sense has arrived in life.

Taking reference from Outliers, I sign out – You can find your Hamburg in about 10,000 hours from now! Those interested to know the story behind this phrase can write or call. Keep improving, keep rocking! 

Is doing the right job makes all the difference? Or, doing the job rightly does?

These are the two paradigms one often comes across. And interestingly we mostly hear from wise that how one does the job is all that matters. I can only speak for myself here, rarely have I come across people who are content with the job they are doing, leave aside the point of approaching it in an upright manner. I too at times find myself caught in this dilemma - Am I doing the right job? I don’t remember myself enquiring – Am I doing the job rightly? Yet, the popular notion is to do the job rightly than vice-versa.

It was heartening to listen to a sexagenarian Rickshaw puller on this subject the other day. This gentleman called Shyam has been carrying me to the bus stop in the morning and on the way sometimes we speak about him. On my request he talked about his approach towards his job and I found out that this person has been trying to do his job rightly for the last 32 years. And I think he is doing his job superbly well.

One could find pulling a rickshaw a curse and it truly is in many ways. Rickshaw pullers are usually subject to wrath by pillions – always accused of overpricing. They lead a dilapidated life, further antagonized by those sitting in air-conditioned cars and driving alongside. The kind of abuse these guys go through can drive any so-called civilized nuts.

Shyam carries a small frame of four feet something and has a deep hair line with a cluster of white hair at the centre and around his head. He also sports a white beard, wears a lungi and shirt, and his skin is shining dark brown. His voice is sharp and loud – unfettered and reflects content and cool in his head.

That day in his response Shyam spoke of goodwill, trust and more importantly routine. He sleeps at 1 am in the night because he has two regular passengers, brothers who own a shop in the market, at midnight. He drops them off at their residence and gets Rs. 40 (Rs. 20 from each brother). And this Rs. 40 that he earns in one go takes care of his daily Rickshaw rent.

Shyam lives in a single occupancy room because he fears theft and unruly roommates. He wakes up at 5am because water goes off at 7am; he likes to take proper bath before he starts for work. He has breakfast and is stationed at a point he takes me from by 7am. His daily expenses are around Rs. 250/- including Rickshaw rent, room rent and food – he eats only at hotels (read dhabas). He sleeps for three hours from 2pm to 5pm in one of the streets. Surprisingly, residents of that street guard him from theft as he by that point has about Rs. 200/- or more in his upper pocket. 

He has been ferrying rickshaw in a given radius for last three decades and that has earned him Goodwill and Trust, these are the exact words he used, of local shop owners and residents. He is entrusted by them to transfer valuables and receive payment on their behalf. He gets premium when he executes such jobs. Similarly, he has set of regular passengers whom he ferries day in day out. 

Shyam turned what could be the biggest setback of his life into an opportunity and developed an enterprising nature. A hard to keep routine of 32 years and patience has resulted in continuous income and that ‘eluding respect’ for him. He saves a modest amount of Rs.10,000/- every month after taking care of his own expenses that count up to Rs. 7,500/- per month. 

May be Shyam knew just too well how to go about his job rightly!

Sometimes knowing what we want is not that what it takes; knowing what we should not have or do can be all that matters

“Procrastination of thought is a reason for major suffering. Think deep, give yourself time to introspect, make a note of every feeling that gives you discomfort, howsoever fleeting it might be, understand the cause and effect, shift focus from outside to inside and change your karma for an evolved existence...”

A recent post by Gautam Vazirani on his Facebook wall caught my attention. I read it and moved on, but it kept on coming back to me. I found it particularly true in my case. There have been moments of sheer anguish owing to my being caught in a cocoon; a cocoon that developed as a result of being in rut; a rut because I failed to deliver on my thoughts. 

Thoughts are essential to any change; maybe they are the right foundation to all the necessary actions. I know what I need to let go off, yet it continues to cling onto me. I may know where I belong and what I need, but inability to take a definitive action to amputate what is not required could just be the last straw on the camel’s back.

It is easiest to be drifted and driven by hailstorm but only those who are steel strong from within are able to steer clear through dust particles and maintain a hawk’s eye on where they have to be.

As has been said above, a look inside is must for an evolved existence. May we all are able to connect better with the world inside us than we can ever with the world outside us. 

A neighborhood at an angle from 45* to -45* on my laptop screen

There is a unique, virtual neighborhood that exists on the right hand side of my laptop screen. Like any other neighborhood, this neighborhood too comes alive at the crack of dawn. The only difference being the dawn at this part of the world usually happens at around 9:00am. Here, my neighbors live in houses made of four different colors.

Green - given prominence at the top as the people living in these houses are often at leisure, welcoming, and interactive

Red – a blend of genuine and imposters. I say so because Red here signifies ‘being busy’ /‘may not be available’; however, not often that occupants of red houses are truly busy and unavailable. They are at times as relaxed as the ones in Green are, but for some inexplicable reason they choose to live in red houses.

Yellow – residents of this house leave the premise unlocked. They are there but somewhere hard to locate. Even incessant knocking won’t wake them up from slumber. They can only be found in neighbours house i.e. green or red, only when they chose to step from their own yellow houses.

Grey – The inhabitants here are modest and simple. They are on vacation, out of the virtual world.

The occupants of Green, Red and Yellow houses are more privileged than the ones in Grey. They are allowed to communicate indirectly with onlookers. They are provided a window through which they can vent out frustration, preach, request, plead, promote, and emote.

Just to satisfy the quest of an inquisitive lot, I have always been the occupant of Green house.

No prizes for guessing! The neighborhood I am talking about here is called Gchat or Gmail chat. It starts at an angle of 45* on our screens and could go up to – 45* when browsed fully. I myself have been a daily visitor here for many years now. It has been so long that I can’t even place the first time I came here.

Unlike in my real neighborhood, I have a set of favorite neighbors here who I talk to every day. Some I speak to in the morning, some in the afternoon and some in the night. There have been neighbors in the past I would talk to all through out the day. And such neighbors were all girls! :)

Since I am a Public Relations practitioner I have had neighbors who I would bother for work and always go to in the hope of a favor. Among them, those I failed to charm with my wit and suaveness ignored me and in some cases slapped the door on my face (here it means resorted to a Grey house).

This virtual neighborhood has many advantages over a real neighborhood. Here I could look through my neighbors a lot more frequently than I would ever do in my real neighborhood.  A flip side to this is that it has given a birth to an intruder in me. When doing nothing I would just scroll through my neighbors for no good reason.

Being here has also meant adrenalin rush and emotional damage. I have wooed girls, dated them, made love to them of course virtually, fought with them, and then again made up with them. There have been a few it got really messy with, and as an effect, much to my dismay, they relocated into Grey houses.

This neighborhood continues to be a favorite den among my pals for gossiping, bitching, flirting, and lending a shoulder to another pal to cry over his/her woes. However I may crib and dislike, it has only grown deeper into my life too. Now, I am always here through mobile!

For those interested to become my neighbor, my address is arpitgarg8@gmail.com ;)

A fitting tribute to 18 till I die!

So, I get introduced to him in a crowded street outside Ghantaghar where the camera team is busy locating an appropriate position to capture this 100 years old wall clock. He gives me a broad smile and hits his palm against mine to create a loud sound of a clap – an exaggerated version of a hand shake. He is a South India, born and brought up in Vadodara, speaks fluent Gujarati and uses swear words in Hindi in every second sentence with flair of a true Mumbaite. His command over abusive slang makes me picture him a Delhite.

He is moving around, sometimes 360*, only to find something amusing and crack a joke over it. And trust me he can make people around him chuckle with his desi, boyish jokes. He is dark like charcoal and dons a full grown moustache, with hair strands partially hiding his upper lip. Each strand is harmoniously trimmed and symmetrical.

His dressing is pretty relaxed and young; he prefers wearing collared Tees that too straightened, unfolded collar covering his high neck which he owes to his days in college as a footballer and a cricketer. His forearms are so curvy that they immediately catch the attention of a gym regular like me, and I fail to refrain myself from offering him a compliment out of sheer admiration. And he shrugs it off with a smile!

Before going any further, I must deal with a dilemma in my subconscious mind i.e. whether I should reveal his identity here or not because doing so might stop me from painting his true picture which will be an injustice to his colorful and vibrant persona. In fact, today I made him a victim of paparazzi with an intention of putting his candid pictures here. Ummm…okay, in his best interest and as a matter of morality, I keep his identity hidden for now. 

However, I should tell you that he is a Sr. Executive in Siemens, a bureaucratically run multi-national. And I must tell you that he states his designation with a lot of pride.

The reason he got me interested into writing my first ‘character presentation’, if I could use this term for this post, is his flamboyance and overflowing, contagious energy. In my six months with Siemens, he is the one person I found with a distinctive personality and a character that is poles apart from what he does and the nature of the company that he works for. He is by the way into administration and previously dabbled into outdoor advertising for a good part of his career.

Okay! Now, I give you a run down on the events. The day shoot ends by 12:45pm and we proceed for lunch at Hotel Surya Palace, not a five-star but a renowned hotel owned by a descendent of Maharaja Family. I follow him to steer through the main entrance into the lobby. He gets in and takes a look around relaxed as if he has got back home after a long. He goes to the reception and a hi-five to front desk operators. With a wavy hello to people at the other end he greets everyone and vice-versa. We move ahead and there comes a female hotel manager who he gives a tight hug and chit-chats in local language. The whispering appeared to be a lovey-dovey exchange. All very good till here!

We get into the restaurant for a buffet lunch. Here again, people come forward to greet him – hello sir, after a long time, etc. We are all seated and the camera crew with the producer from Germany is looking through the recorded footage. He and I are taking a walk through the displayed menu. I have decided in my mind what I will have. He screams to the chef at the far end – Where is the fried green chilies? (He says it in Gujarati with twitching sound created by rubbing middle finger against the thumb). And there comes a reply, will be ready and served to you Sir. All well!

We go back and take our seats. He waves at a restaurant manager and asks him – Fried Prawns kidhar hai? Apne ko mangta hai! Manager – OK SIR! I and this other colleague of mine stand up, take our plates, fill some dishes and return to the table. He is still seated; out of courtesy I offer him food from my plate. He says, ‘I don’t eat much.’ He stops a waiter passing by our table and asks him to bring some non-vegetarian starters for him.

We are seated on the last table, with back against the wall. He is seated facing the hall and while we are seated facing the wall. He is constantly looking around and passing comments on everyone entering or leaving the room. He has a running commentary on girls coming for the lunch. His comments are all very boyish and funny. In the middle of my laughter I ask him to go and approach some of them. He retorts, ‘I only admire girls. I do not try on them.” In other words, “door se dekhne ka aur bas nikal jaane ka. Chedne ka nahi, galat baat!”

He sees someone and walks away from the table to talk to him. After a while, his orders arrives and we look back to signal at him. The waiter stops us and says, ‘don’t worry sir. He has been informed’. Now, that is impressive!

He returns and starts eating. I ask for a Diet Coke from a waiter. A few minutes later, hotel manager comes to our table and politely tells him, “Sir, Diet Coke won’t be there”. He listens to the manager and asks her to sit besides him. The manager says she can’t as she is on duty. He jokes with her and we agree on Diet Pepsi instead.

We are in the middle of our lunch and he tells me that his wife is not keeping well for the past six months. I ask him what is wrong with her. He says Kidney problem. He goes onto tell me how disturbed he is because of her illness. While we are discussing his wife’s problem, his son calls him up to update that his wife has eaten her lunch. He is very happy that his wife has had her lunch, which he says has happened after almost a week. Very good news indeed!

Suddenly he digresses from this conversation to pass a comment on the girl entering the restaurant. We turn around to look at the girl. The topic of discussion has now moved on and we are now talking about whores, beauty in Delhi, Vadodara and Mumbai. He goes onto to state with the confidence that during his advertising days he had had the best of women. He swears on his clean record and claims that he has never misjudged a woman and could tell from a single look whether she is a whore or not. Wow! That took out a debate and discussion which is not worth talking about here.

We leave the hotel, royally treated! More importantly, he leaves the hotel with a lot more fanfare than he had entered with. Something I never experienced before.

From a local Five-Star Hotel to back on the streets! With a sudden fall in status, his gears also shift and we are ducking under shade to protect ourselves from scorching sun. He buys an electric racket that kills mosquitoes and flies. We proceed to the next location.

The Director now demands to go onto the roof of a commercial building to shoot the MS University. He shrugs off the request and says, ‘bhenchod iska permission nahi liya main.’ Tum log marwayega mujhko. It seemed he had forgotten for a moment that there is no ‘NO’ word in his dictionary. He realizes his mistake and smiles. In a minute, he is inside the building trying to set-up shoot from the roof top. In between, he is the one who gathered all the permissions for the city shoot at various locations. Supposedly, he carries out government and police relations on behalf of Siemens Vadodara.

Our caravan goes on and with it his never decreasing levels of energy. He claims that 80% people in Vadodara know him by face and name. He may just be a Sr. Executive, no pun intended, but a very popular local figure. People vouch for his networking skills. He is the Man Friday for Siemens.

His flamboyance and boyish mischief cannot be mistaken for misbehavior and loose character. He is perceived to be very discretionary and mannered. In a day spent with him, I could see colors of Rajnikanth, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in him. He is a superb Public Relations role model and a charming personality.

He is 45, father of a 16 year old, and a devout husband. He lives life King size in his own zone. He is very unlike Siemens; hence, surprised me! He comes across caring and concerned, yet he does not let complexities reflect on his forehead.

He is a fitting tribute to 18 till I die! God bless him.

Having reached the end of my post, I realize it would be incomplete without his photograph at least. So, I take the risk and put it here.