Tribute to Nana

 Nana, I miss you so much! 

Infact I missed you being close to me all along! That pinch in my heart whenever I wanted to be with you but couldn’t be I still feel it deep inside! 

But now, what I realized is you were “Universal” and your love was Universal and available for one and all! In my mind I knew you loved me but in my heart I was longing for a hug, a small chit chat and elaborate lunch and dinner with you around enjoying the dishes and being available to discuss my life, my insecurities, weaknesses and get life hack skills from your experience! But I know that deep inside you felt I was “Capable” & “Well Groomed” and can manage myself! Your goodwill on me was constant, unwavering and unconditional! I did get the vibes from you always that deep inside you knew “JAYU IS INNOCENT AND HE HAS A GOOD HEART”!! I hope I can keep up the same “child” in me and be the same “Jayu” who you loved so much 

As they say distance doesn’t matter when you love someone! I felt the warmth of your love whenever on the phone or on video! The blessings you had for Shraavani and Aniruddha was immense! If there was a measuring device it would fall flat of reading the intense love you had for your grand children! 

I still remember the “Africa vil Appu” story you narrated to me & Jithu every night for so many years! It was such a fascinating narration and I still remember me & Jithu dozing off hearing those stories! How you allowed me & Jithu to brush off your beard (stub) that gave a small thorn effect is still so fresh in my hands and mind! 😊

I was always wondering why you did not spend much time with your grand children though as you got very busy even after your 65+. But when I saw how you wept in the airport when Shraavani your grandchild was leaving to the US in 2012 made my heart melt! More than Amma I saw you crying Nana! I know you have such a pure heart but that instance reassured to me your tender heart again! 

How you treated all your Daughter in laws, nieces and grandchildren the same is really amazing! How you balanced it! When I look back, you have an individual personal story with each one of your nieces and relations that they cherish! How did you manage to do it with your busy social life I must say is a PHD thesis studies that your grandchildren must take up! 

The joy you experienced when Aniruddha started playing cricket all of a sudden is only something that I & Kamala saw it first hand! With so much love you got him his first kit bag and told me not to influence his style of play is so vivid! I was only hoping he could play a match for YSCA when you were around but God had other plans! 

What a great life you lived Nana! Took care of 3 mothers and you were such a dutiful son for all the 3! I hope my children and youngsters take inspiration from you on how to be a good son! In spite of your larger than life figure outside, inside home you were such a simple person! Very loving husband, I remember the instance when Peddamma told you that Amma was hard of hearing in within a few months of marriage but you brushed off stating what if my wife became deaf after marriage! She is “my wife after all”! What a beautiful lesson you gave us with your statement to Dr. Peddamma that day! I know how you loved Amma and wanted to have your 80th celebration with her! Not many have seen you cry but I have seen from close quarters how you cried for Avva, Peddamma, Amma passing away in front of your eyes! Not many know that you had given 1 year of solace to Cheenu Peddanaina! Yes you gave him shelter and more so your own bed room for him to recover from addiction! What a gesture Nana! Hats off!! I don’t know if I would ever do that after 55+ yrs of age where you went out of the way to do it!!  The way you cried in his funeral is still vivid in my memory!! 

 What a sense of duty and love you had ensuring all medical expenses of Raji Avva, Our Avva & Peddamma you took care without expecting any help from others! As a dutiful and loving son I remember how you ensured medicines are given in time, food is prepared as per their requirements and all their daily needs are taken care! How you took care of Amma is a lesson on how to show unconditional love to a better half! I know the sharp pain you experienced seeing Amma pass away in front of your eyes whom you were so hopeful that she would recover and come back strong! How many temples and Tirtha Yatra which you just did not go alone but took a whole entourage of old and dear ones with you so that they can get that punyam right from Kasi to Rameswaram! How you prayed for Avva’s health to Vakra Kaali that she recovered from breast cancer and lived on for 8 more years is truly amazing! What great faith you had in your Guru’s words and deity’s power! 

Every time I asked you to come visit US and you finally agreed and visited with Amma in 2016. Those 41 days you spent with us is still so fresh in our minds! When you informed Kamala that those 41 days (away from Cricket) were the best days of your life after reaching Chennai that was the best compliment a son can hear from his father! I feel truly blessed and cherish those remarks!  

Now coming to your social life inspite of having so many opportunities knocking your doors to make a living out of your passionate sport you chose to do it as a service! You never compromised your ideals and always were truthful to the thought of “Service to Cricket”. I haven’t seen anyone that I know of who can be so selfless in his life! Spent your own pocket money but never complained that you had to take the entire brunt of financial responsibility for creating a better life for thousands of your students whom you treated as your own family! Your math classes and cricket were like your 2 eyes! I got so many calls and messages from all your students who were overwhelmed with the opportunity you created for them and been a guiding light for them throughout! You proved that to do service you don’t need to be rich but your heart needs to be rich! Yes you did ask for help but that help was only for YSCA and the kids! No favor ever for your family! If there was help you took for your family you ensured it is paid back for sure or you would never rest! How can a man be so selfless?  I & this world around wonder’s Nana! 

You were the first to conduct the 30 over format, blind cricket for women, Tournament for schools and corporates, floodlight matches with white-ball, Color jerseys and third umpires, what a great visionary you were! You are a Super Star Nana! There was no one before you like this or no one like you after your life term! “न भूतो न भविष्यति” this is my conviction and belief! 

I had my disagreements with you but you never hated me for that! Sorry Nana if at all I did not respect your opinion or actions! As a son I couldn’t see you fail anytime! You were and will be my “Hero”  Nana! Try to forgive me and my actions if at all it hurt you even by my speech!  

You stuck to your passion until your last breath and like the great APJ Abdul Kalam you were with your students at the last moments of your life! What a blessing you had to pass away so peacefully without pain and as you asked “Anaayasa Maranam” without trouble to others! Like Kamala mentioned you had the gift like Bheeshmacharya to pass away to the divine plane at your wish!  

How can I forget that hug I gave you (*dared to) when I left to the US in 2022 and how you smiled with a wink in front of Aniruddha is still so fresh! I feel bad I couldn’t hug you before you were turned into ashes! But deep inside I know you hated death and disease and more so places of death! So I insisted you are at peace at our lovable home! I did not want your soul to look over your mortal remains being kept in some god damn mortuary! My body shuddered to even think you being kept in a mortuary! I know you hated it and I couldn’t imagine you being there waiting for me!  

I pledge and pray that YSCA will go on and one day your grandson will fly the flag of YSCA at the international level for sure! When intentions are strong and for the greater good, God shows a way and I know this from your life! 

In your life you literally followed this teaching of Adi Shankaracharya! 

“मा कुरु धन जन यौवन गर्वं  

हरति निमेषात् कालः सर्वम् । “ 

“mā kuru dhana‑jana‑yauvana‑garvam  

harati nimeṣāt kālaḥ sarvam “

Do not be proud of wealth, followers/relations, or youth; time destroys everything in the blink of an eye- so said Adi Shankara in his famous “Bhaja Govindam” song! You lived as per the great teaching! Ever humble and loving one and all!! 

You are the most eligible devotee as per Lord Krishna and what he stated in Bhagavad Gita

“अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च । 

निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥१२.१३॥“ 

“adveṣṭā sarva‑bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca 

nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sama‑duḥkha‑sukhaḥ kṣamī“

“One who has no hatred toward any being, who is friendly and compassionate,who is free from the sense of ‘mine’ and from ego,who is even‑minded in sorrow and happiness, and who is forgiving”

Some of the chats I got from my cousins below made me choke and proud and testimony to the great life you lived Nana! 

“ There have been literally hundreds of people, none of whom we know, who have come here and cried in sorrow and expressed deep anguish for your Dad.”

“ Its obvious that he did a huge amount of good for so many others ra Jayu. Very happy. He earned so much good karma. His peaceful end with absolutely no suffering, surrounded by the huge outpouring of affection is testimony of that. Wish you could have been here to see it. Regardless of his demise, you would have been overjoyed.”

You had all these qualities Nana! I am sure you have no personal regrets but if at all there is something I will pray God that it gets fulfilled through your future generations! Travel well in the divine plane and I will do whatever sacrifice I can to make you proud and happy! Bless us all and your YSCA always! 

In the service of you- Jayu

Tribute to Amma...

Amma! where are you? They say you are gone!

“Gone” my heart refuses to accept while my mind tries to mind it!

I can still feel the gentle touch of your hand, your warm hug, the brushing of your long nose with my fingers, the lovely smile and those caring eyes! Yes, I see you all the time!

How can I forget the sleepless nights, hurtful moments, fearful ailments and hurdles you crossed to serve your family and make me a person of substance! And teach me being a good teacher life's greatest lessons!

It is an understatement to say you did a great “Sacrifice”! Your every breath and every step was for ME and people around ME!

No offense! Yes, I emphasize the “ME” but in your Life’s mirror it reflects every “ME” that knows you and been with you! “ME” is everyone who knew you!

Amma! Do you Know??

My ears still hear your voice! Voice with that tender love! Everyone I know calls me “Jayu” but not the way you called me! That was special and only I know what it meant!

When I am playing with kids I know you are watching us from above with that lovely smile up in the white clouds!

When the wind trickles through the terrace garden I can feel your breeze!

When those flowers smile, I see those bright eyes of yours when looking at me!

When I meet my cousins I know they are smiling at you and talking to you! Yes, “with you” within me!

When Nana is upset I know you are with me to console him! To watch over me to give him that space! Space to heal and be considerate! “I will” and that’s a promise!

When Kamala and kids are around we can feel you are watching over us! Yes, we feel the warmth, the warmth of that love that is eternal!

Kids, Kamala, Nana and Rani never miss even a day to wash their eyes with tears of love for you!! I am sure there are many who shed tears elsewhere to cherish the moments they spent with you!

Family was so close to your heart! Some call you Pinnamma, some call you Atha, some call you sister, some call you Amma, but nevertheless you are imbibed in their hearts!

Imbibed deep within their soul! Every smile they smile, every drop of tear they shed, every grain of rice they eat,  every moment they cherish you are truly there! No holds barred they feel your touch! Your touch that made their lives better!

“Life is a train journey and passengers need to alight when their station arrives” you said! But you never informed when your station arrived! :-(

When I get up to pray nowadays, I realize my prayer has changed! Change is the only permanent thing in the world they say! But I pray that my love for you and your love for us never changes!

I cried a lot when you were in pain! I feared and trembled the day you won’t be there with me anymore! I wondered who would guide me and love me like you can! I know nobody can replace you and your love! Love that is Divine!

But your life was complete and that’s a solace! Solace for my broken heart that I can see you in every person I meet and life has come a full circle!

But I guess you decided to give us farewell to be on a higher plane! And shine on us among the stars at life’s darkest hours! 

Please forgive me for my wrongs! For any words that I could have uttered or things I could have done that might have upset you! For the love I had and will have for you is Supreme! Never with my heart I could hurt you ever!

You did everything with a smile and the Hope of a better future! Future where everyone lives in peace and become wiser with their life’s journey!

To say “Thanks” is an understatement. The bond and the impression you left is irreplaceable! Yes, matchless like the Bhadrachala Ramadasu whom you revered so much! I guess you decided to reach Lord Rama’s feet after going through the journey called “life”!

For those who did not understand you it’s a Shame! Shame on those souls that cannot see through your beautiful heart! Heart that beat every second for others! Forgive them if you can!

I miss you Amma! And I “We” will always love you! Greatest Mom, wife, Pinamma, Atha, co-sister, co-mother (for all my friends), cousin, relation, neighbor, friend anybody could have!

Actors, Thoughts and Men

Thoughts maketh a man.  Actions maketh a society

Actors are we. We enact our thoughts

Some Actors are “Revolutionary” & some “Innovative” and pull many souls. Yes, these Actors stir many souls! With their “New” found actor to break free, many souls Break free from links to inherent nature

Those links that maketh the society which is closer to Nature

Embrace change is the dream word of these souls. For souls that are lost in awe with the Actor

But they Ape the actor but forget the bond. Bonds that are ancient and time tested

Those Bonds that takes us closer to nature.

Pains to see Apes far from nature lost in Action and wanting more

Never you Ape, to give up your soul.

 If you lose nature within & outside for there won’t be apes left if actors do become ripe.

Ripe with prudence to respect Mother Nature. 

Likenomics

It was interesting to note the new terminology Likenomics coined by Rohit Bhargava. The way Rohit defines Likenomics is as below:

"New Affinity economy where the most likeable people, ideas and organizations are the ones we believe in, buy from and get inspired by"

So, he kind of gives us 5  tips to ensure that our Social Media strategy does not fail:

1. Provide value to conversations on Social Media rather than just creating buzz - Just don't start a conversation for the heck of it. Provide some value to the conversation. Best example is do not just run Quizzes / Trivias to attract people to a Banking page and make them participate.
2. Avoid creating content graveyards that requires a big team manage on a frequent basis and are real time. Have a balance of static educational content . - Yes, share tips on using a Product / Service / Info security  and help users become more Aware and better informed
3. Look at overall outcomes of Social Media like Innovation, Increase in Efficiency, Increase in Employee retention and not just sales / volume of followers or following
4. Give people what they want instead of focusing on just Marketing goals - Yes, when asking for a feedback on a product or idea do not make us fill an entire application form like I am applying for a job. And do not just think about getting Likes / Page views for a viral video. Please look at the outcome of the campaign. Volume is the worst way to measure Social media success.
5. Be prepared for people to customize brand image for sharing and accept the changes done - Let people customize the page in Social media with your brand name in it and share it with their friends. Just like what Heineken allows.

A very neat concept but I would say that it is same as the "Trust economy"  buzzword that was created by Mitch Joel but re-packaged nicely within the ambit of Social Media.

Waiting to read the book in detail once I get one.

Regards,
Jay

Digital Channel - Paradigm shift of Metrics

This blog post is about the most happening Online digital medium and the way this medium has matured into the most happening channel of communication and revenue generation.The way we measure the success or define success has changed since the invent  of the New age social networks.

Earlier websites used to measure the success of their Online presence by counting the numbers such as below:
1) No. of hits to the website
2) No. of page views
3) No. of Unique visitors
4) No. of  form submissions etc....

However, these metrics are mere numbers that make little / no sense in this age of Digital socialism. The success of an online channel is not only about the short lived popularity but how can it prove to be successful in the long run.Gone are the days when the website owners were churning out heaps of content and expect the public to endorse them. Yes this is the age of Trust and no matter how good a product is there is a heavy chance to lose the customer base as the competition is growing everyday to make better quality products.

So, what is that differentiator when it comes to building a sustainable online business model? Is it about the speed of churning out new content?? Is it about the variety of products that a company sells online? Or is it about the advertising genius of the ad agency working on the website. To my surprise I found that the answer is an astounding No to all this. What matters at the end if the day is the way a community is built around a good product which helps achieve a level of customer advocacy. Customer advocacy is the trust that the customer has that whatever product / service is being offered is absolutely based on his / her needs and the company does what is best for the customer and the society as a whole (sometimes).

Let's take an example. I visited the website Vim website a detergent manufacturer and found an image of a woman showing her back and a loud scream that Vim is the best detergent and it helps clean everything under the sun.Well I don't deny the fact that yes Vim could be good product but the Brand message is all about screaming out loud. This is obviously the 80's way of selling a product and god forbid I don't have to visit the website to see a woman's back again when I come the next time. Obviously the ancient metrics are the ones that would be used on such websites. Now let's focus our attention onto an similar product manufacturer called Seventh generation. The hero banner on the Home page screams "Protecting Planet Home". Wow look at the difference between this and Vim website. Here the message is very clear. "We invite you to join this initiative to make a better planet for you and the upcoming generations". Look at the kind of connect that is brought out by this website. It tempts one to really look up to their products because of the Customer advocacy that it creates. I would really love to buy this product and would definitely recommend this website to all my near and dear ones simply because of the opportunity it creates to share my views, complaints, recommendations and what not??The site is connected to all the major social networks like facebook, twitter, myspace and youtube. Also, it makes me much more comfortable that the company is very open to my views and helps choose a product that  I think is best for me and my home. There is no compulsion on my part to buy the product now and I made comfortable that at the end of the day it's my call whether I need to buy this product or not. Probably as a short term this could mean ROI is delayed. But I am sure ROI would eventually become 3-5 times more than what a competitor can get in a peirod of 6months-1 year. Now look the paradigm shift in metrics when it comes to measuring the online success of this website:

1. No. of re-tweets on twitter (Engagement potential)
2. No. of followers on twitter and Facebook(Popularity)
3. Ratio of incoming messages per outbound message (Conversational ability)
4. Net promoter score (Loyalty index)

No where in these metrics there is just mere volume sans Digital socialism. And ofcourse sales online is the last of the metrics that will be the effect of all the causes tracked via these New age metrics. So, as we see Online channel has become the face of the company and I would say it is more approriate to provide the right brand image online rather than spending millions in offline branding that is fast becoming extinct and costlier.
Also, it is all about matured branding Online by focusing on the Brand strategy and Key product features rather than on mere screaming that is increasingly becoming irritant to the ordinary buyer who is moved up the Maslow's hierarchy towards Self-actualisation and wants instant gratification of his recognition needs.I will write more about self-actualisation and how it relates to marketing today in my next blog. Until then cya.Keep sending in your comments...

Jayu...

Wonderful Article - Have Breakfast or Be Breakfast

An interesting management article from Dr.YLR Moorthi.

Have Breakfast… or…Be Breakfast!

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.

Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sony’s and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).

Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.

Nokia confessed that they all but missed the Smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's I phone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?

The "Mahabharata" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question – "who is my competitor?"

Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately. Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising? Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson". So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital."

In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both. It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?" The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.

In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco. Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget. So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no. Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands. If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!

India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmi gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket. Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 overs. Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the eve of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment). Cricket season might push films out of the market.

Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.

One last illustration. 20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cellphone! An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!

On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots? Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition. He said "Have breakfast …or…. be breakfast"! That sums it up rather neatly.

—Dr. Y. L. R. Moorthi is a professor at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. He is an M.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and a post graduate in management from IIM, Bangalore.

Interesting facts in Six Pixels

Just thought of sharing some interesting facts that I read in Six pixels of seperation the book by Mitch Joel. There were some interesting stories about how thinking Out of box helps businesses grow manifold in this age of competition.

Story 1: "Little Mismatched Socks" a business model which became a great success purely because of capturing the hearts of the young American girls who show off their creativity and express themselves by just buying a little mismatched set of socks and contribute a portion of the cost towards women empowerment in the U.S

Story 2: "E-bay" & "Amazon" on how they revolutionized selling online by banking on the "Wisdom of Crowds" & "Trust Economy". Bringing in a new era C2C Marketing

Story 3: "Radiohead" rock band on how they sold online by asking the buyers  to fix a price for their album for controlling music piracy and cutting out the middlemen. And how they proved the concept of "Homo Economicus" as false. Surely, a stepping stone to build trust and re-look at the marketing concepts

Story 4: "Free hugs" campaign and how it attained international acclaim by just using "You Tube" as its promotional platform clearly showing the chain reaction that the Online channel can create

and many more... This is the greatness of the book and it grounds you to reality by showing some living examples.

More in my next blog... Jayu

Wonderful Read - Six pixels of separation

I am reading a book by Mitch Joel - "Six pixels of separation" - A must read for every enterpreneur / online marketing guy who is planning to embrace the Web 2.0 paradigm. The author has wonderfully divided the book into various topics that deal with:


1) What is Web 2.0
2) What is Enterpreneurship in Web 2.0
3) What are the free Online tools available and how to embrace them
4) Why is it that the Homo Economicus concept is getting proved wrong in today's trust economy
5) What is the power of C2C and how the "Wisdom of crowds" works
6) How Democratization of media operates
7) Unconferences that help people create business opportunities by carrying forward the bond created online
and much more. I love this book definitely and will keep you posted on more stuff as and when I complete a few more chapters.


Until next... cya

Branding in a new Avatar!!

I think most of you know that I am heading the Online Marketing & Branding SO @ MSAT . I was wondering about what was the difference between Branding before Digital revolution and branding after that. This is an interesting comparison to make. Let's see the difference in the table below:

Before	After
Makers own brands	Takers kindle brands
Brand equity depends on financial reach	Brand Equity depends on customer reach
Branding is functional	Branding is emotional
Brand owners represent Brand personality	Customers represent brand personality
Brand is more often about being Splendid	Brand is more often about being candid
Avoid negative reviews	Convert negative reviews
Trust is incidental	Trust is instrumental
Consume creation	Co-create consumption
Competition based on geography	Competition based on psychography
Adapt to a Brand attitude	Create a brand attitude
Following established techniques fuels growth	Unlearning already learnt techniques fuels growth
Cost = Reach	Fast + Smart = Reach

I hope you liked the blog. Let me know your comments and views. Until next.. cya...
Jayu

Ode to our Freedom Fighters!!

I wanted to dedicated a poem to our Freedom fighters who put their heart and soul to help us breath free from the Western oppression!! Hope you like it!!Here it goes...

Freedom Freedom our souls cried!!
Far and wide the word spread its vibes!!
This thirst that never dried!!
Spread the fragrance of freedom with pride!! The pride to break free from repression!!
Those souls shall be blessed who were realised and with pride!!
Pride to conquer the bondage!! That became a disease with age!!
Fighting for ages and realised that there was no greater pride than to break free!!
Break free from the shackles of the western mind!!
Praise them who showed the World that the mind is stronger than the arms!!
Arms that embrace and minds that are tuned!! Tuned to the notes of Freedom!!
And shame the world to break free from the Bondage!! The Bondage that pollutes the mind!!
Pay obeisance to them who were cleaners who swept the world of its feet!!
To make it stand up with pride against the blown up “Greed”!!
Greed that taught a lesson to bow!! Bow to the minds of men who took pride in breathing Free!!

Jayu...

Proving my points right!!

Proving my points right to a friend who criticized my previous article!!
Point 1 argued: A/Cs do not emit CO2 so they are safe...
My answer - Chlorofluorocarbons find application as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioners. These are released during manufacture of aluminum; hydro fluorocarbons are released during the production of foam and other manufacturing processes. They remain in the atmosphere for a long time and trap heat. Moreover they are slowly damaging the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation

Point 2 argued - Too many vehicles on the road with A.C. that add to the misery. This is not due to Electricity
My answer -Car engines require spark to start combustion which comes from battery. Try starting your car / bike without battery

Point 3 argued - Too much entertainment for the senses leading to eye & hearing problems.This has to do with sloth and not electricity.
My answer - If no electricity then no T.V & no radio or music system. Isn't it true that many people are getting affected nowadays because of this??

Point 4 argued - Obesity due to automation of everything around us!! Another vice called Gluttony. Depends on individual responsibility.
My answer- Just see what happens if automation stops for an year and how healthy people become. Individual responsibility arises due to the fact that there is automation in the first place in this context

Point 5 argued - Too much exposure to radiation from cell phones causing brain damage.True. But as technology evolves, so will the cell phones. How many people get brain cancer from cell phones that you have read or heard of?
My answer - So are you waiting for people to die and then change your habit??there is no disputing the fact that cell phone usage has increased over the years and for many young people it's become a obsession.

Point 6 argued - Fat ass is a strong word. One has to work to pay off the loan.
My answer - work sitting all day long in front of the computer??wat an idea sirji!!

Point 7 argued - Too much pornography on the net which provides easy way to harass children. It's just a vice....
My answer - Dude wake up to reality!!God save you from cyber crime....It's increasing by the day!!

Point 8 agreed upon

Point 9 argued - I would prefer a Robot to clean by bathroom than a human.
My answer - I am talking about Industrialisation and not your bathroom.....You have a very good view :-)

Point 10 argued - Aircrafts and airliners that have polluted the ionosphere in the name of quick access!!And it's because of fossil fuels and not electricity...
My answer - Without electricity can your engine start?? can your radar work??wat nonsense!!

Point 11 argued - Ships & boats have increased competition and suicides. What??
My answer - Of course nowadays you have a motor boat and ships that need radar that can be operated only with electricity. And the food items bought would rot without maintaining the temparature with the help of refrigerating systems....

Point 12 argued - Development of weapons of mass destruction that is a threat to the whole world.What does this have to do with electricity?
My answer - Wihtout a propellant and without computer aided design can you build a missile or a nuclear missile?? wat a stupid question!!

Point 13 argued - Easier spread of viruses around the world like swine flu, SARS etc....No virus spreads have been reduced due to advances in medicine due to electricity...
My answer - If you kept your environment clean and body & mind active the diseases won't occur at all...Moreover a Mexican gets swine flu but a young Indian dies just because of people transporting the virus through aircrafts!!Open ur eyes will you??

Point 14 argued - GM foods are caused due to humans and not electricity.
My answer - Ok if humans did not have electricity can they make GM foods??think!!

Point 15 & 16 - no comments but final conclusion being human weakness is the cause. I am saying the weakness is caused due to application of automation in our lives.....

Cheers,
Jayu

B.E & A.E the two eras (Wondering Why??)

Hello everyone!It's been a long time since I posted a blog and I hit upon a beautiful topic that my colleague was discussing with me. We all know about the 2 eras namely B.C & A.D (Before Christ!!) & (After Christ)!! right??

Well I would say that there are only 2 eras namely (Before Electricity) & (After Electricity). Benjamin Franklin must be wondering why?? Hmm and I know you have already decided that I have gone nuts....Well, I have a point to prove!!Let's see the effects of having electricity now!!

1) Too many Air conditioners that pollute the environment causing Global warming
2) Too many vehicles on the road with A.C. that add to the misery
3) Too much entertainment for the senses leading to eye & hearing problems
4) Obesity due to automation of everything around us!! Like washing machine, T.V & Audio Remote control, Automatic doors etc...
5) Too much exposure to radiation from cell phones causing brain damage
6) Online payment of bills, bank transactions, applying for loans, cards etc that don't require you to move your fat ass!!
7) Too much pornography on the net which provides easy way to harass children
8) Changing food habits (looking @ junk food ads on TV) , Road accidents (due to stress), health troubles are all caused due to laziness and automated fast paced life of ours that in turn create a need for X-ray machines, scan machines, Electrocardiograms etc....
9) Robots and machines that have reduced the employment opportunities
10) Aircrafts and airliners that have polluted the ionosphere in the name of quick access!!
11) Ships and boats that have increased smuggling and importing of goods from other countries which in turn affects the local Indian farmer and businessman fueling the growth of suicides and mad competition
12) Development of weapons of mass destruction that is a threat to the whole world
13) Easier spread of viruses around the world like swine flu, SARS etc....
14) Genetically modified food and crops that are the most unhealthy ones to eat!!
15) Selling of processed meat (by machines) increased which in turn has created lots of health hazards to people and increases the Global warming due to more cattle being bred for meat fodder!! (Apparently Cattle waste is the predominant creator of Greenhouse gases!!)
16) and finally in the name of social media people like me write blogs to reach out to friends instead of going and meeting them in person :-) natural group dynamics is formed only when we meet in person!! laziness again!!

and the list just keeps going on....

So, friends think deep about the topic I have posted and pray that the Coulombs of charge helps us get charged rather than getting us into more troubles......

Until next,
Jayu.....

2008-Rewind and 2009-Fast Forward

Hi Guys,

It's been long since I posted a blog and frankly speaking I did not have anything to share with you guys since my last attempt. To start with when I look back at 2008 lots of things creep into my mind...

Well firstly I don't want to repeat all the sensational news that the News channels carry for getting the TRP ratings. Life shows to us as we look at it. Now, let us look at what had happened:

1. India-US nuclear deal inked amidst so many protests. Ironically, the nuclear man of India thought otherwise but was asked to keep his mouth shut :-)
2. India decides to go ahead with Iran-Pakistan-India Gas pipeline ignoring US pressure. US must be having nightmares about the growth of India. As always trying to backstab :-(
3. India and France sign pact for civilian nuclear technology which went out of focus due to the US nuclear deal and the drama!!
4. Year 2009 to be ‘Year of India’ in Russia. Did you know that?? So, pack your bags and head to Russia for a vacation this year. Statutory Warning: Going for vacation is detrimental to financial well being of IT folks!!
5. Reliance power raises $ 3 bn within a minute. This becomes India’s biggest IPO. Does not matter now. The Sensex is now perplexed :-(
6. Michael Jackson – converted to Islam and changed name from Michael to Mikaeel. Did you ever have a clue??Well, not even me :-)
7. Vishwanathan Anand wins world title after vanquishing Vladmir Kramnik. But he continues to stay in Spain. I think its much more peaceful than the mayhem here eventhough I encourage people to help this country grow sans our Netas!!
8. Virender Sehwag joins Lara and Bradman to be the only players to score two test triple hundreds
9. Tendulkar is now world’s highest test-runs scorer.Of course we know this :-)
10. Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani with net worth of $20.8 billion, displaces Lakshmi Mittal to become the richest Indian in the world
11. Aravind Adiga becomes the fourth debut novelist to win the coveted Man Booker Prize for his novel, “The White Tiger”. Remember this was his debut novel!! Have you guys read this book?? If yes, I need to borrow :-)
12. Chandrayaan 1 successfully launched on 22nd October from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. What a feat achieved!!
13. And of course the biggest IT sensational news was Satyam Computer Services chairman facing the brunt of investor rage after he decided to invest all the money in Maytas to support Hyderabad metro!! Well, ironically Satyam received the coveted "Golden Peacock" award for corporate excellence and so all I can say is 'Rumours spread faster than AIDS :-)'

Well, most of the news I shared are the good ones that you might have missed out other than the regular news bytes on Olympics and Obama fever. Of course I have conciously ignored the Mumbai terror attacks that still leaves me bewildered about our politicians...... And yes Tatas would get goosebumps when they look back!!Never in their history they could have suffered so much due to the political inefficiencies and greed!!

And personally I grew wise and determined with my career and life. After all the Hard work I got an "Average" rating and ironically my boss claims that he was oblivious to the fact :-) "Boss Mania continues" to haunt me!!And he continues to promise me to look into revisiting the rating and money :-) I handled few successful consulting assignments getting accolades from the clients and learnt so much about the intricacies of Market Research. And in personal life I have learnt to ignore my haphazard diet sensations and be more careful. Realised the value of time and choosing friends!! Never again I wil do a mistake of accepting a friend before I know what I need to know about them!!

2009 Plans / Wishes

• To author a fiction novel
• To buy a new car & house (Hopefully, we stop becoming greedy about selling our plots and houses more than the guideline value)
• To get married :-) (Well personally it takes guts to say that I might not be a bachelor anymore!! Sorry to break some hearts ;-) Hopefully I create a sensation)
• To grow in my career and hopefully get some hike and promotion. Heights of optimism being starting a New Business and make profits in this economic scenario :-)
• To see some Indian politicians die of greed and curse :-)
• To become less spiritual. Well, not that I claim to be spiritual but atleast stop worrying about reading "God and his creations"

So, guys "Wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year" May all or atleast some percentage of the wishes come true :-)

Jayu...

Life's Good with Chrome!!

I have become a fan of Google chrome and I think it's on par with IE 8 & Mozilla 3. Main features being:
1) More Browsing space
2) Omni box that acts as both search and address bar
3) Downloads would not invoke any dialogue boxes and can be easily dragged and dropped into any folder/ location from the browser
4) Recently viewed sites are automatically displayed when a new tab/window is opened
5)Incognito mode to avoid storing of browsing history and files in the computer
6) Recognises search engines on retail sites and automatically tips off the user to search for required content
7) Multi process browsing experience. Even when content in a tab is stuck we can continue browsing the other tabs without problem
8)Sandbox technology that is more secure for browsing and much more....
Don't miss the video below...... :-) and click here to download one!!

Tolerance!! Bane or Boon??

I was having a chat with my friend today and he was talking about the perception that people in his office carried about him. "Arrogant", "Aggressive", "Not a Manager material", "Stupid" etc... and the list kept growing....like the traffic in this City. I was not very surprised to hear what people thought about him though!!

In this fast paced "mad" world the perception others carry about us matters more than the skills we have to succeed in life. Let's analyse some scenarios we face on a daily basis.

• When you are in office it is okay to use Office phones for personal talk for long hours as long as the individual delivers his job. This especially holds true for all the young trainees and some (not so) clever seniors in your environment
• Your colleague abuses the system by "Working from Home" and "Falling sick" and doesn't have to bother about an important deliverable or attendance in Office as long as the chemistry with the concerned Manager is orgasmic
• Your peer screws up an important deliverable and asks help to complete it but you end up owning the deliverable. Manager keeps quiet until you deliver and when you ask him "Why?" he says to ensure "Team spirit is High"
• In a team meeting you defend your views and question the decision taken by your manager or rationale behind the deliverable and he says you are "Arrogant"
• You do all the work given to you by your manager effectively like a paid slave and in the appraisal he says "I expect more from you" when other team members get a "Star" rating just because they are a "Manager material" as they can keep their managers eternally happy by aping their idiosyncracies
• "Non collaborative" is what people say when you don't listen to your peers views when you know that you can think better than them
• You are an effective manager only if you take opinion from all team members who might influence the perception of the top management about you

Now let's move out of office and look at what happens on the road.....

• Well educated people jump a traffic signal, overspeed and honk their way into the traffic when we like idiots try to be patient and follow the road rules like a ousted clan
• "Let's settle this Sir!" has become so much a cliche sentence when we get caught by a traffic policeman when there is no fault of ours except that us being a well earning member of this society

And the list goes on.......

The question everytime that runs in my logical brain is "Do I tolerate all the flaws & become numb" or "Do I rebel"?? The irony being that when I tolerate all the flaws I am accepted in the system and when I rebel I am not a good team player!!

I am a wise guy when I act to please everyone who can create a perception or influence the system eventhough it is ethically catastrophic. In IT industry especially in India I saw a stats which indicates 7/10 projects fail to complete or over-run. Wondering why?? Well, I have to say that as long as 1) We tolerate the bad work done by your manager 2) We accept the deliverables given by your peers and dont question them back 3) We allow our juniors & peers to abuse the system and dont want to question to invite the wrath of your manager and 4) We keep dumb and do not express what is logically and ethically right..... we will always end up failing in any project we undertake.

People talk about corruption in the police force. However, we ourselves tolerate to get an advantage. We talk about how Western countries stick to law & rules where as we tolerate all the complacent behaviour shown by our fellow men.

Mahatma Gandhi taught "Tolerance" towards other people and not the system but I think we have learnt the other way around!! Wat ya say??