Trip to Goa..

Been almost 9 months since we got married, Vivek and I have hardly been out to spend time with each other after our rushed honeymoon... That's not to say we have not ventured out - we have! But our own ways.. Started with a trip to Vaishno devi, followed by two short trips to Coimbatore... in between a failed trip for Onam, for I was unwell, once for Diwali when I went alone for our first diwali.. Most conscipicuous..Vivek's onsite assignment for 6 weeks in Denver... Does not sound too exciting does it? Well, I guess thats wat a working couple's life affords.. Finally, we have planned a getaway to Goa.. I have not been to this popular destination since I was 10 .. I think most things are in place... Tickets... Accommodation.. what's not in place.. I guess priorities.. eventually the trip itself.. it's a rather heavy ending to a light Sunday...

When life seems so simple....

I have been staying away from home for over 2 years now and the one thing which I always like to write home about is about the kind of people I meet all the time. The last post here was on Chitappa. I have not spoken to him in a while, but we mail each other quite often. This time its about meeting some people who cast an humbling emotion. I was in my room surfing the net, watching more than my eyes could capture. Amidst all that I was audience to constant yakking of the little girl who came with the couple. She kept running around, and in an effort to prevent any damage from happening, her mother gracefully & flawlessly chaperoned the kid around. I went out to meet them & said Hi. Then came back to my old world. The man was less than average in looks, someone who would certainly not get even a second look. But he was accomplished, talented and a good man! The next I heard was a melifluous bhajan being renditioned by the pretty better half of the naturally tanned, bald, short & pot bellied man. Wondered wat brought the couple together. Had to be beyond looks, had to be beyond caste, creed and all that explains(atleast supposedly). It had to be only about understanding, accepting each other for not 'what they were' but 'what they made off each other'. She could not see, congenitally blind.

She teaches music and lives life as if she has seen it all. I have to say... I have yet to see & learn so much more...my life is still so simple...

Chittappa has gone..

He came as a guest of my land lady a month and a half back. Down the line, he was someone I wanted to spend more time with. A 70 year old man, cheerful at the first instance I saw him. For him and his wife any outing from home in Chennai was desirable. So was this. Chittappa would wake up very early in the morning, meditate and then practice his Yoga without fail. He infact taught me some of the Pranayams so well that I can never forget them. My day would begin with wishing him good morning as he would always perch himself on the left side of the dining table and I would on the right. We would talk about the news, or even the most insignificant things, but they would be the most interesting pieces of conversation just coz they we shared them. He had not given up any of his interests which showed that he never got bogged down by the flying years and grey hair. He would watch cartoons and animations like a baby. Stick himself 6 inches away from the TV and follow each and every trick the motion picture had. A terrific sense of humour...his quirks on life, his wife, people in general were as contemporary as I could imagine, and more profound than I could comprehend! He had his gentle way of putting his point across. He had the will to cut himself off from what he did not want to be a part off, and contribute fully & with much panache to topics which appealed to him. Extremely creative and a curator by nature, his creations with play doh, paper cuttings, a vase made of ribbon for a fake rose lie on the table outside which remind me of him all the time. He blogs, he is a netizen and he uses creative software to do some freelance work & to fulfil his creative urges.

I am glad I should have the opportunity to meet him soon ... for he surely will remain one of those people I fondly remember for his affection & simplicity and admire for how beuatifully balances centuries simultaneously in his disposition!

Miss you chittappa :)

Plea to Marketers: Is the consumer really king?

A synopsis : From an article by JWT's Das

Consumer is king, but should not be. The premise being the level of equality in society. The explanatory measure.. Hofstede's power distance index (PDI)! The higher the score, the more likely brand oriented companies will face the wrath of consumers which are spoilt for choice. India is 77 whereas the world avg is 56. Explains why in India we take no time to take the service providers like Airtel to task if a connection which should take 24 hrs to fix takes even an hour more. This in the west is unlikely to happen. PDI is lesser and consumers do not relegate brands relative to themselves but treat them as equal entities! This article focuses on service brands and sites examples of cases where infuriated consumers threaten to change from airtel to vodafone OR from Hathway to Tata Sky or simply blasting a credit card seller, amongst other anectodes. The author also draws our attention to how the shabby treatment metted out to consumers in the past is now being reversed in a revenge where consumers want their due.

My take on it : I think we are bunking some fundamentals here. No brand will be hailed until it is associated with service that satisfies. In case of India, global standards are being concertedly replicated. However, services cannot be made people proof. Recall the basic difference between a service and a good. The benefit cannot be separated from the provider! Building on this logic unless the service delivered is punctual, accurate and honest; consumers will continue to be king for service brands which over-commit and under-deliver. The author inadvertently bolsters this argument with the e.g. of Kingfisher Airlines on how their service standards have helped them attain the status of an aspirational brand. My own example of a brand that has transformed in the minds of the consumers due to sheer service fine-ness... The Indian Railways. While Hofstede's cultural indices are novel notes to this raved chant, it cannot be insulated from the rising consciousness of the consumer. Borrowing again from the same theory by Hofstede..the index on Uncertainty Avoidance also explains why consumers become exacting of a service- hence imploring special attention, thats all!

Ofcourse, choice spoils!

Finally, if consumers in the West can sue a coffee maker for their own mistake and still win a court battle, the equation moves from Power Distance, simply to Legal provisions & at times--plain eccentricities.

.......Could not help but let this picture speak a 1000 words ;-)

Life up until now...

Holi went past by ...... I have been working non stop. Atleast in my mind. Work has been very hectic..sometimes because I take it head on and sometimes because I have to just wait for things to happen. The only constant in the past few months - brushing some nagging personal issues under a verrry heavy carpet! I remember when I started working in Hyderabad market, I knew I would need to travel fairly long distances and I would need a vehicle. Even after having calculated my last EMI for several models, I have not bought a vehicle. Simply because I am now quite comfortable ''pillion riding''... risk-ily so without a helmet!!! A typical day would be to meet an executive somewhere mid-way, hop on to the bike and roll away into some lanes and by lanes which are best accessed on a bike. Waise I have ridden on all kinds... an achiever, a pulsar, a passion, a splendor and I have to say the pulsar beats them all...so any friends reading this and looking to buy a two wheeler, take the pillion rider's word for it :-)

Living with three senior citizens these days. Chittappa(uncle in tamil, not mine but my land lady's) is the best. We laugh on silly jokes, we make fun of Ramdev while the other two adore his histrionics, he watches English movies like a teenager and he also loves to talk about business! So, today I found Chitappa perched on the peg-stool before the telephone in dim light with his phone diary next to him. And even after 15-20 mins he was still there looking confused, despondent and frowned... Hoping all was well I enquired. Got to know this was the reaction to a call he had just missed thanks to Patti who answered it -not associating with the call----- that just came from Star Plus for Chittappa...!!!!This was a potential selection to SRK's new game show which has a booty of 5 crores! DAMN... he was soooo upset and kept on dialing back the number but in vane.. aaawwww...but yeah we did diffuse the virtual loss with some jokes around it.. but I cannot forget the bent posture, trembling fingers to dial the number, expectant eyes behind thick lenses ...all hoping for this excitement in life....a life which then retired to its routine 5 mins of meditation in the evening and then a whacky macho movie on TV. This Chittappa rocks!!!

Happy Holi !!!

The splash of colours to wish you a very happy holi... the painting with due credit to www.sepahigallery.com.

Shamashabad Airport: A first hand experience

Drove upto the new airport yesterday for work ..

1-The look: Uncanny rememblance to Schipol, Amsterdam

2-The drive: IS BAD! It took 1.5 hrs to get there against the 20 mins which were warranted had the flyover been in place

3- The site : Is raw, as can be! Still seems eons away from any from of operability..but I think the politicians think otherwise

4- The retailing - Most stalls are yet to be taken/ tendered hence passengers may initially have to go hungry!! Hope not.

5- The excitement - Was visibile from the gate itself, which was flanked by over 100 people who had presented themselves for jobs.

6- Labour arrangements- The labour upto the opening (16th) is being provided food & beverage by the GMR contractor FOC... At the stroke of 16th midnight, the enclosures for food will be demolished and then food becomes the burden of labour. The nearest food place would be atleast 5 kms away... and getting in and out of the airport is itself an ordeal.. so I wonder whats going to happen on that front.

7- The optimistic scenario : Nice time to buy property in that upcountry area (existence of money lenders & sahukars only nails that tag)

8- The anciliary industry to grow : The cab agencies would soon start 'package deals' to and from the airport and multi-seating vehicles!!

Overall, I was impressed with the structure, and its by far the classiest/ state of art airport I have seen in India. Blr could just be better, but don't know. However, gone are the days of morning-evening trips for a lot of white collared people flying into Hyd, and that extra night I always got at home to reach Hyd next morning to go straight to work!!

Perhaps not long enough....

• Like a decade since I smiled..
• Smiled without a pause..;
• Joy sleeps before my eyes...
• Lows keep awake, yes without a cause

• Life brings its gifts, dark with emptiness
• The bash meant nothing, in the end I just clean the mess
• Jokes and jibes galore with humour pretty rough
• Lows remain high, yes without a trough

• I do what I can to iron things out
• Perhaps fate I fight, fate which has more clout
• I ask forgiveness, in life I ask another chance
• A chance I deserve, happiness give a glance?

• I withdrew from one battle, the other I wish to win
• Never shied from a fight and hope makes me tough
• But it's been a long time waiting
• Perhaps not long enough...

What goes around .... comes around.. :-)

I finished my last dance class today! Well, the last of this batch. I had missed quite a few in the middle due to my ill health and felt the loss today. The hours that I devoted to this were all stolen away from work.. therefore meaning a lot more. :-D I once in my life bargained time for myself with my boss and felt good about it. Moreover, its fair to take the organization up on their offer - of WORK LIFE BALANCE. The classes seemed a bit tiring initially as I got into an advanced batch after a gap of 6 good months. As the pack unfolded, I felt rejuvenated with every beat I danced to, the new steps learnt, blaring music, the soothing Surya-Namaskar to 'Jashne Bahara' and much more. The class had chosen Hip-Hop as the genre and I kind of disliked it. Being in the minority, could not even effect change. However, by the end of it it, it was just a song and I was moving to it. The instructor was one of the stars of Shiamak's troupe and his delivery in class testified that. I also appreciate the initiative where each of the batches had to prepare a short skit on ''global warming'' and present it on the final day before they break into a dance. We did too and a cute one that using some congruent humour and exaggeration. One of the best take-aways from this class is - The original steps to Dhoom Machale!! There was a sad moment too when I learnt that a young boy in my class lost his father. But I admire him for springing back to life and attending the remainder classes. Wish him the best in life. Had a cake cutting, smearing and of course eating session today! Look forward to joining it again. My presentation is on Sunday morning at Ravindra Bharati. The next batch starts on 21st April, 08. Dont know if i'd be in Hyd long enough to finish it. But would love an outlet such as this, every single day!!

From the Streets....

SASTA aur TIKAOO.... Cheap and effective way for this new 'Meetha Meetha' flavour of Rajnigandha Pan Masala. Men dressed in pink on double peddal bicycles- a fleet of those rode from A-Z of a street, and could not be missed by any... carrying sachets of the 'chewy' they successfully 'induced trials' with as much ease as was planned. 'Food Bazaar' too has taken to a temporary way of passing the message. For opening of new outlets and to communicate promotions etc, they made 'banners' wrapped on two bars, hired daily labour and made them stand at various check-points in the city!! NOT BAD.. so no need to pay any rentails, meagre printing charges and movement round the clock. Wonder if other cities have seen this too.

THE BUSY STREET.... 2) The busy Char Minar Area, where u may not like to pick up something you have dropped for in that moment you might just end up losing the rest in your pocket. An unscrupolous crowd of retailers, where the FMCGs complain of missing assets and broken promises!! The only thing that would be attract me to that place again is an independent mandate to correct share if not the long standing, bewildering 'chudi bazaar'. The best way to go is by cab as parking is limited and a big hassle at that.

WHATEVER WORKS.... 3 & 4) Was at a retailer explaining the Pepsi's and 7 Ups in price ranges Rs. 7/- upwards, when I was compeled to look at this kid you see in the picture. She places a 1 Re. coin in the rusted lid of this small kirana store and asks for Pepsi... ''Is the new EMI scheme for Pepsi??'' I ask myself. Just when 'Maalik (if a Marwadi)/ Anna (if a hyderabadi/telegu)'..pulls out a frozen sachet of a drink which could be anything, who knows- but is branded, Frooti, Pepsi, Thums-Up! Does this testify the resonance of a brand....albeit customised to pockets and clientele? OR is it a failed attempt to permeade to the inner most layer of society where 'their' ignorance, is the 'manufacturer's' bliss, and OUR loss!?!?