The CEO (Curious Enterprising Optimistic) Journey

An Idiot Showing Signs of Wisdom

2009-06-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Apart from good food and more than adequate sleep, staying at home (home town) increases my television viewer ship which otherwise remains restricted to cricket matches. I thought it would be worth while to share some interesting observations, especially for those who have given up on the idiot box.

The ‘breaking news’ is that most of the ‘saas-bahu’ soap operas have gone off the air. The new fad is the soaps focusing on child marriage and female infanticide in rural India. I must say that this is a tremendously pleasant and pleasantly tremendous turnaround. From provoking inane and baseless drama in Indian families, soaps have graduated to delivering a meaningful message to the society. With these social issues becoming critical in few Indian states (Rajasthan, Haryana), the soaps are doing a marvelous job in communicating the right messages to Indian masses. Their set up, culture and characters are adapted to the states where these problems have become a very critical social issue.

The second in line are the reality shows. The term reality shows has acquired a negative connotation. So I must clarify that here I am referring to talent reality shows and not Roadies and Big Boss types. Without having to invest in tv stars and expensive shootings, these reality shows are definitely high margin products for the producers. But keeping financial considerations aside for a moment, I think they are doing a very effective job in showcasing tremendous and diverse talent that exists in a country as huge as ours. This coupled with the fact that stand up comedy shows add humor and laughter to lives of millions of families every day has made the idiot box acquire fair bit of smartness and respect, at least for the moment.

Television for years would continue to be the biggest source of entertainment in India, particularly in non-metro towns. My first hand observation would put average viewer ship at 3 hours per day. This is partially contributed by the fact that other forms of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, museums and theatre is completely non existent in Indian towns and cities (barring metros). One does not need more facts to estimate the potential of the social impact that a responsible television holds. Internet has taken up the world by storm, but majority of India continues to be captivated by the idiot box.

From marketer’s point of view, it is an option that should be carefully exercised. Multiple national channels, overlapping concepts and regional channels pose a severe challenge of choosing a right mix. Further, the deeper you get into heartland, more the skepticism towards advertising pervades among the audience.

Before I conclude, I must reserve my appreciation for the entertainment channels only. As far as news channels are concerned, the turnaround is from bad to worse. The latest example is IBN7 covering for full half an hour the developments in the previous episode of one of the soap operas. And those who have not yet tasted the creative juices of India TV: D, I would recommend searching youtube and experiencing the unique blend of awe, humor and disgust in person.

While the power of television may be hard to grasp for those who live and breathe on the internet (including me), it may take at least another generation before any other medium can even come close to surpass it.

Some Thoughts on School Before School

2009-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Over past few days, I have had the opportunity to interact with students and faculty from various engineering institutes of the country, especially my alma mater IIT Kanpur. Looking back at my college through the eye of a professional has brought some observations.

To put my thoughts into the right perspective, I would like to mention a quote from Subroto Baagchi's Go Kiss the World. Mr. Bagchi writes, 'One's ability to connect and comprehend is not necessarily a function on one's education'.

'For most socio-economic problems in our country, only 20% of the solution is technical, rest 80% is people related', told me a senior official of one of the most prestigious engineering institute of the India. I couldn't have agreed more.

As engineers, we were wired to develop the best possible technical solutions to the problems. We did not learn to acknowledge and appreciate the implementation, institutionalization and training related issues that show up during the course of implementation. (The nature of the problems that I am referring to here are socio-economic such as those related to health, education and energy) We need solutions that are simple to implement, do not get stuck in the quagmire of bureaucracy and are easy for the end consumer to adopt into his life style. This change in the mindset is one of the key reforms that few years of work has brought on me since my graduation.

I will try to illustrate through an example. For one of my clients, I spent many days designing incentive schemes for its channel partners (dealers, retailers) only to realize that the recipient was incompetent to understand the permutations that would work best for him. As a result, the incentive plan fell flat on the face though technically it was the most optimum solution for achieving company's objectives. Later on, we proposed an incentive plans that was so straightforward that it made me feel redundant in front of the client. Bingo! The channel partners applauded it as they were comfortable with the plan. They worked towards it. Clearly, only 20% of solution to my problem was technical (designing incentive plan). Rest 80% of the challenge was people related - training the channel partners and communicating the incentive plan effectively. It did not matter whether it was technically the best incentive plan or not.

Taking cue from this experience, are we not missing something important in the our education system, engineering in particular? What about the implementation orientation, leadership and soft skill building aspects that make effective professionals? Are these aspects not missing even in best of the institutes in our country? Infact it becomes all the more important in IITs whose students have usually grown up with a spirit of cut throat competition bred by parents and teachers all their life.

Though I have no experience of US education so far, from what I hear I feel that US education system has successfully incorporated all round development into its curriculum. It is achieved through field work, community projects and strong collaboration with the industry. We may have something to learn and adopt from them.

What about faculty in higher education? With no institutional mechanism to train our faculty, how will they connect with new generation of students and nurture them as future leaders. I think my definition of training merits some clarification. Training here does not mean imparting knowledge and skills, but refers to the 'ability to connect' as mentioned by Mr. Bagchi. In professional set ups, there are training programs outlined for all levels - from analyst to the CEO. Why not in education set ups then? The official that I mentioned told me that he had once floated a proposal to set up a leadership development calendar for the faculty. However, the proposal was peacefully turned down by various stake holders involved, majority of whom were faculty themselves. Here too the problem was mostly people related.

Why Live On The Edge When You Can Live Off It :)

2009-06-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Looking Forward To The Elevator Pitch

2009-06-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

At Berkeley Entrepreneurship Forum, one gets 90 seconds to reach out to investors and partners. A great yet so simple concept. It reminds me of high signal to noise ratio concepts from my wireless communication courses at IIT.

Quoting verbatim from website:
Make Your Pitch!

Have a great idea that needs funding
. . . a new company that needs that special person?

Be a “number” at the UC Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum!

“The Numbers” is the Forum’s special name for those four or five people who make their “elevator pitch”, named after a window of opportunity one might get when taking an elevator with a potential prospect (especially in Silicon Valley).

“The Numbers” occur at the beginning of each program. Each speaker has 60-90 seconds to present their company and their need. Are you looking for help in building your company: funding, personnel, team members to enter the business plan competition, or maybe a student intern? Consider asking to be a number. Pitch to 150 people instead of 10-15 (maximum density of most elevators).

The forum also hosts quiet a few business plan competitions, one with focus on social entrepreneurship. The center also connects students with mentors and hosts various talk series.

Life appears very exciting when there is so much to explore and look forward to :)

By the way, I just returned from 8 day field visit for Light a Billion Lives initiative of TERI. If I have to summarize the entire experience in one word, it would be 'transformative'. Lots of interesting experiences and pictures/videos would be shared (few already shared on facebook) soon.

Getting to the Grassroots

2009-05-26T21:19:00.001-07:00

This day marks a landmark in the journey of Sustainability Network. Within few hours, a team of 3 evangelists of S-Net - Ankit Jain a graduating student from IIT Kanpur, Soumil Shah a second year student at IIT Kanpur and I would be starting our 10 day journey to villages in Ranchi, Jameshedpur and Mayurbhanj (orissa) under Light a Billion Lives initiative of TERI. Here is what our itinerary looks like

Day 0: 27th May, 2009 – Departure from Delhi

Day 1: 28th May, 2009 – Meeting with NABARD and SRI meeting

Day 2: 29th May, 2009 – SRI visits (Parimita, Arvind,) / KGVK meeting and Visit ( Dhairya, Smita, SNet Team & Prashant)

Day 3: 30th May, 2009 – Traveling to Mahatabera /Jamshedpur (All team) – LaBl Choupal

Day 4: 31th May 2009 – AOL visit / SEEDS villages

Day 5 : 1st June 2009 – Traveling to Jashipur – LaBL Choupal (SAMBANDH) – Arvind, SNet Team

Day 6 : 2nd June 2009 – Creating Entrepreneurship - Jashipur (Arvind, SNet Team)
Parimita & Dhairya – Bhuvneshwar

Day 7 : 3rd June 2009 – LaBL Choupal - Baripada (SPARDA) – Arvind, SNet Team

Day 8: 4rd June 2009 – Creating Entrepreneurship – Arvind

Day 9: 5th June 2009 – Traveling to Delhi from Balasore – Arvind, SNet Team

We eagerly look forward to next 10 days. During this period, we will interact with NGOs, villagers, village entrepreneurs, touch and feel the transformation of rural life through solar energy, understand the technology and non-technology issues of the LaBL model. Thereafter S-Net team will come back and propose solutions, a business model, suggest projects for technology enhancement, tie-ups for funds mobilization, strategy for expansion. They will act as torch bearers who would engage other students on campuses for the same. The team will also pledge to 'Lighting a Village' and motivate others in the campuses to join in the pledge.

With mercury touching 50 degrees, the 10 day trip would not be a cake walk. But it will surely be an transformational experience worth slogging for. Watch this space for regular updates. I am not sure how much internet access we will have. But will cover every possible experience on return.

Go Kiss The World

2009-05-22T06:04:00.001-07:00

It is probably very later for its reviews. Nevertheless I cannot resist to state that if ever I would want to write a book 20 years down the line, it would be this. Thank you Mr. Baagchi for such a wonderful read.

Unlike most management books, Go Kiss The World is not didactic. Like a story book, it meanders from childhood to adult experiences of Subroto Baagchi. And each experience brings out a learning for life (professional or personal). A must read for all professionals.

The second half of the book traces the inception to success story of MindTree. It is amazing to see how Subroto Baagchi managed to retain the first 10 members of the firm for 8 years, during which the firm touched 100 million dollars. The first 10 members were very senior professionals, coming from different backgrounds and professions. Keeping such senior professionals intact towards a common vision and through times of trouble is as much an art, as it is science. Through this, the author emphasizes on the importance of managing, or what I should say 'connecting with people.' In the long run, it is much more worthwhile than your IQ. How else do you think a person without even an engineering degree founded one of the most successful IT consulting firms of the world?

I could not agree more when the author says that it is very important to have a sales experience in life. It makes you a good negotiator. You learn to negotiate with partners, with employees, with bosses, with investors, with family and most importantly with your life. You learn to face rejection on your face. You learn to move on. You learn to act smart.

The book is interspersed with beautiful quotes highlighted through real life examples and situations. Quoting few verbatim.

The Power to Receive... a good example is family. Imagine parents of four children who raise them in a very comparable manner; yet the four children may grow up to be very different people in their own lives. One may become rich, and successful and insular, one poor but willing to help, another leads a life of principles and another develops a flexible moral code ond blames it on the environment. The input from the two parents remaining the same, the output can be vastly different. The power is then not in giving, it is in the extended hand the receives. What matters is the capability to catalyze what you have received.

You could not stop marveling at the simplicity and power of the above.

Life is not about living to earn, it is about taking the flight

We live in a world where perceptions are reality. And it takes time for perceptions to build up.

While it takes time for perceptions to build up, it takes even longer to change them.

When Subroto Baagchi wanted to leave Wipro, he said to Azim Premji
'I want to leave because we both think so differently'. Premji replied, 'that is why you should stay'

In days of crises, one leader may not necessary bail the team out . In dramatic journey, different people have to bring to bear their situational leadership capabilities.

I would not spoil the party by giving more excerpts without context and perspective. Enjoy the read. And more importantly, internalize it.

Size Matters

2009-04-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Reliance Trends put up a giant t-shirt (more than 50ft in length) spanning across 5 floors inside Ambiance Mall Gurgaon. It was a very attention grabbing promotion and an example of how marketeers constantly need to think innovative to make their products heard and seen. Posting pictures for reference.

The Last Lecture - The First Lecture

2009-04-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

It is my last week at Milagrow. Milagrow has been the most enriching professional experience of my 3 years and 11 months of professional life. So in my last days, I decided to pass on my professional experiences to the relatively younger work force at the company. Later, I will post a series of blogs on my past year and a half.

It was a semi-formal motivational workshop. I think everyone found it quiet riveting and I was able to make them raise some hard questions about their life. I did not talk about secrets of professional success only, but heavily harped on the point that the professional journey should be defined by what one wants in personal life.

It was also my first of its kind of public talk. Though I have bored many of my friends on one to one basis, it was my first public stand as a motivational speaker (I'd like to use that adjective). I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also revived memories of school days when I was more active in public speaking. I think I have penchant for public speaking. It would be interesting to see how I govern my professional journey to give me more such opportunities :).

The entire talk has been video taped and the link would be shared soon. So would be the presentation.

Here is the notice that I circulated. Some pun/humor may not be obvious if your are a non Milagrow.

My Professional Journey So Far -
Experiences, Failures & Learnings

Hi All,
On 30th April, I will complete 3 years, 11 months of my professional
life. Though it is a sign of ageing :-( , it can also be looked at as a reflection of wisdom :-). These 4 years have been replete with interesting experiences and learnings which I would like to share with all of you before going. Many of you have just embarked on your professional journey and I am sure you would get some interesting cues to make sure impending SUCCESS BIGGER
and GRANDER.

Hurry Up

Limited Seats Available

The session is being
subsidized by

Milagrow Small and Medium Enterprise Association

A Division of Milagrow Business and Knowledge Solutions

The cost of attending the session is nil, provided delegates come with
open and cheerful mind. The session is only open to Milagrow employees.

Venue:
Milagrow Office

Date: 24th April, Friday

Time: 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Agenda

A snapshot of Professional Journey, How and Why I landed there, how each experience enriched me Professionally and Personally

Key Failures and What did I learn

Personal Initiatives that improved my professional
performance

Responsibility Evolution Chart (Task to People),
Professional Qualities & Etiquettes, Office Dynamics

Some Inspiring Thoughts and Success Tips

* Agenda is subject to change

Did You Know

2009-04-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY

Interesting!

The Green Branding

2009-03-29T00:40:00.001-07:00

I call it Green Branding - creating a consumer towards your brand by positioning it around social or environmental cause. With awareness of environment and sustainability gaining momentum, many brands will start embracing such strategies. About an year ago, I had also contributed an article to the Milagrow Newsletter talking about Sanyo's new brand Mantra - Think Gaia (Gaia means Earth in Greek).

Companies like Green Buy, that were popular among niche audience would now start attracting larger audience. The success of such ventures lie in building comprehensive range of products (Green Buy is quiet thin at the moment) and making pricing competitive to non-green counter parts.

Greenpeace also publishes its rankings rating Consumer Electronics companies according to their environmental policies on raw material and waste management.

Ironically, I recently bought a Lenovo (rated 3.7) over Toshiba (rated 5.9) at the slightest cost vs benefit skew in favor of Lenovo. The rankings were at the back of my mind but Lenovo offer was too hard to resist. Moreoever, there was also a question of credibility or accuracy of these findings. On the flip side, Toshiba never leveraged or marketed its Green Rating on its website and product catalog. Just goes on to prove that the Green mantra has still not taken deeper roots in the minds of consumers and sellers. The Green factor can only give an added value to the product, but cannot replace any functional or price value. At least for the next few years.

How Your Hunch can Transform the World

2009-03-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hear the world's most Creative, Intelligent and Visionary minds of the world speak at the TED Conference.

In the following video, Evan Williams talks about how TWITTER, that started a side project evolved into a cult that is changing the world. Even the blogger started as a side project.

Moral of the Story: If you have a hunch feeling or an idea that can transform the world (or your life), try it, test it, experiment with it. Either you will make the difference or you will move to the idea that actually will.

When Going Gets Tough, Creative Gets Going

2009-03-19T21:47:00.001-07:00

The Sustainability Network - Inviting Students, Faculty and Alumni

2009-03-15T00:31:00.000-07:00

LINKING INDIA'S INTELLECTUAL POWER FOR INDIA'S ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY

The Sustainability Network is an initiative to stimulate the intellectual power of the nation towards development and deployment of Energy Management and Renewable Energy solutions in the country.

The Sustainability Network engages country’s future professionals and business leaders into the field of Energy Management. The network comprising Students, Alumni and Faculty from Engineering and MBA institutes of the country sensitizes the future Engineers and Managers to this emerging need and opportunity. The idea is to give them the relevant experience while they are still in college through projects with the industry and thus encourage them to pursue Energy Management initiatives in the organizations they work with after graduation. In the first year, we are initiating the network in IITs and IIMs.

The Sustainability Network is first of its kind initiative in India aimed at bringing like minded individual together and working out solutions for country’s energy sustainability. The Network creates entrepreneurial organizations at each of the institutions at the ground level which can organize activities on campus to drive the sustainability initiatives.

Every participating institute is called the Sustainability Link (e.g. Sustainability@IITK, Sustainability@IIMA and so forth). Spearheaded by Students, every Link works closely with the Alumni, Professors and Professionals to undertake activities that

Create awareness about this emerging need and opportunity among students and soon to be professionals
Facilitate learning and development in the area of Energy Management and Renewable Energy through internships, course projects, campus activities etc and generate pipeline of Energy Managers and Entrepreneurs
Help companies improve energy efficiency and deploy new Technology and Management processes with the help of students
Encourage students to take up R&D in Energy Management
Foster new ventures in area of Energy Management and Renewable Energy

If you are a Student, Alumni and Faculty who believe in the need and opportunity of Energy Management in India, write to me. We are currently developing the Link Nucleus at all IITs and IIMs. We are looking for alumni from these institutes who can spearhead the formation of the Link in their respective institute. While there would be many motivated and capable individuals who would want to take forward this initiative in their respective alma mater, we would like to engage only those individuals in the core group who can invest time (we expect 10 hours per week) and occasionally money (say traveling expenses to the institute once a quarter). If not as Nucleus Members, alumni can always engage with the Link in various capacities described above.

We are working with authorities at apex level in the institutions to initiate projects in summer of 2009. The program will include training and live projects. In case you are a student who would like to engage with the Sustainability Network, please write to us.

I would also appreciate if you can propagate the message to your friends and colleagues who are interested in this area and would like to get involved.

We are also present on Facebook under the group - The Sustainability Network. Join Us.

Only For Beer Drinkers

2009-03-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of Advertisement that evokes laughter. People need to laugh and smile more than anything else, and that is biggest value your advertisement can add to their lives. Retention and ROI would obviously be higher when people discuss and talk (or blog) about your ad.

Non Beer drinker's would have some difficulty in comprehending it. I suggest they go and try out some beer.

Thanks Manya for sharing it.

Back to School

2009-02-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

For the uninformed, I am going back to school. I had applied to US B-Schools for a 2 year MBA program. I have received admits from Darden School of Business (University of Virginia) and Haas School of Business (Berkeley).

The journey which started with the preparation of GMAT in December 2007 culminated on the night of 29th January 2009 when I received phone call from Berkeley and email from Darden. I have decided to join Haas.

The 4 months of application process was very exhausting. It involved researching school websites, selecting schools, writing resume, drafting essays, revising essays, revising essays, revising essays. . . (5-8 times), recommendations, transcripts, TOEFL (form few) , school fairs, interviews and much more. However the entire process made me introspect so much about my past, present, future, success, failure, achievements, contribution to society, learning experiences, mistakes etc. that my self awareness index increased manifold while preparing my applications.

There are many people who helped me with the application but acknowledging each one of them would make this blog sound like a post Oscar speech.

One a side note, Clear Admit Wiki is a good source of understanding the interviews process. I found it very useful in my preparation and hence decided to contribute to it. I have shared my experiences at Darden interview here. (also below)

Darden Interview: I was told by alumni and friends to prepare well for the 20 minute monologue in response to 'tell me something about yourself' opening. While I was getting ready to embark on the monologue, the first question came from the most unexpected quarters of my resume. I was asked - 'What did you do differently that you were able to record highest sponsorship in your undergraduate festival'. My interviewer was an ex-Mckinsey Associate Principal and I guess he was adept at startling candidates.

I was thoroughly probed on the reasons for choosing a US business school over IIMs (India) which give equally good ROI. He wanted to see if I have a good enough reasons to invest a fortune in the US MBA education. I was able to convince through the argument of diverse class profile at Darden, compared to IIMs where more than 60% of class comprised of engineers.

I was then questioned on my experiences of leading teams on client projects and how I improved my team's performance. Here my interpersonal skills were thoroughly evaluated. I had sufficient content to appease the appetite. But a person who has had limited people interaction would have not fared well. Overall, almost 25% of the interview (~15 min) time was spent discussing my experiences with colleagues, clients and peers. One needs to prepare well for this section.

Finally, my interviewer spent around 10 minutes evaluating my business acumen (I guess he was validating my professional achievements). I was probed on some client projects (consulting). I was able to strike chord with the interviewer when I told him about my experiences of working in a restaurant. He also had similar experiences during his graduate education and we had lot to talk and laugh about. So if you have anything interesting or out of place to talk about, do not hesitate to share as it will make you stand apart.

Finally, I was able to improvise my questions based on my interviewer's background which I think was well appreciated. I asked him about his experiences of working in Consulting vis-a-vis Industry and his recommendations for me (I told him earlier that I would not pursue consulting after MBA).

Overall the interviewer was very friendly but with no-non sense demeanor. He had not read my essays and only had access to my resume prior to the interview.

I received admit, so I guess all went well. Good Luck!

Fun Brands

2009-02-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

Earlier blogs on fun brands here. Humor is definitely a winning formula to engage people (customers) especially when times are tough and laughter is rare.

A Healthy Experiment For Advertisers

2009-02-14T00:15:00.000-08:00

From Business Week.

When Google announced its television venture—dubbed Google TV—nearly two years ago, it sounded promising. The search giant is trying to replicate its Web model for TV, offering a self-service, auction-based system for advertisers. Advertisers can choose shows that best fit what they are selling. For example, a travel agency can visit a special Web site, type in, say, "cruises," and Google finds programs through guide information that might mention cruises, like an episode of King of Queens in which the characters Doug and Carrie go on a cruise. Advertisers bid on the ads available for that program, decide what they are willing to pay, and upload their commercial, which is delivered directly to the TV network. Companies pay only for those TV sets tuned in to their ad for five seconds or more, data Google gets from set-top boxes. "We're about speed and flexibility," says Mike Steib, a former NBC Universal (GE) executive who runs Google TV.

Full article here

Dedicated to my Great Grandmother

2009-02-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

My Grandmother passed away on 5th February 2009 . She was 86.

I could not reach in time to meet her. Now this hollow feeling, of not being able to see her one last time is inflating and deflating like a balloon inside me. There was so much to say to her, appreciate her and thank her for. She was ok about 12 days ago when I last met her. Sudden deterioration in her health led to untimely demise. This sudden revelation that I would never see her again is very hard to internalize.

She was a great person, a true inspiration for all of us. Today we remember her for her rock like grit and determination that she exhibited through out her life. Her life had been replete with pain, loss and struggle. My grandfather expired early (her eldest son was just 15), leaving with her 3 sons and 2 daughters to take care of. That was 50 years ago and social environment in those times made life of a widow extremely difficult. Not only did she educate all her children and ensured a respectable professional life for all of them, she also protected her ancestral land from prowlers hoping to seize the legacy from who they considered a feeble woman. Never ever they would have found themselves so much on the wrong side. She single handedly fought the legal battles, managed farming in her land, carried out land transactions, resolved family disputes and traveled between her home town and ancestral village all her life. Never did she put her personal happiness beyond her duty and her family’s happiness.

Her rock like inside was never evident to me, till I was mature enough to understand it. To me, she was a second mother to whom I went whenever I was scolded by my parents. I was her favorite among all her grand children and she always stood for me. Even when I was on the wrong side, she supported me. When I was a child, we had a story telling deal under which we use to tell one story to each other every night. I remember that I used to repeat same story again and again and again, and every time she used to listen and respond as if it was the first time she was hearing it.

She wanted me to go abroad for study. For past two years, every time I met her she used to ask me about my plans. I am glad that I was able to give her the news of my admission before she departed. She wanted to visit me abroad once I have a home and job there. She also wanted to fly once, and I was waiting for her health to get better. I sincerely and innocently believed that I would be able to fulfill her dream. I want to dedicate every moment that I spend in my MBA to her.

I don’t know if she was the greatest person on this earth. But she was definitely the greatest person I have ever associated with. I hope that I live up to the remarkable determination, patience and perseverance that she stood for. And I too, like her, put sense of duty and other’s happiness before mine.

I wanted to communicate all of the above to her and thank her for her love and inspiration. I don’t think I ever communicated all this to her so explicitly, but I hope she knows it. May her soul rest in peace.

Dear Davos

2009-01-31T21:56:00.000-08:00

Hear World Leader's

Shell CEO on
At this time of financial crisis, global conflict and climate change, what can be done to inspire the hope that sustainable living is possible and even positive?

Intel Chairman on
What is your opinion on the state of the world now and give us your reasons why it needs to be improved?

Click here to view.

Make sure to view the last part where these leaders tick on the year in which they think the economy would revive.

Details on Dear Davos initiative carried by CNN here. Questions poured in from all over the world and the selected ones were put forth to these business leaders.

Join Greenpeace

2009-01-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

Greenpeace exists because fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs voice.

Recently I met a group of Greenpeace activist in Pune. They were college students and were working on a campaign to promote energy efficient CFL lamps. I have been working with a lighting company for past one year on the business development of its CFL lamps. Upon hearing this, the young activitsts opened up and shared their stories of how they have staged protestes in front of the factories of lighting companies that still manufacture incandescent lamps. Little did they know that they were talking about my client.

Impressed by their enthusiasm and some other work they presented, I came back and explored Greenpeace. I must say that Greenpeace is doing very impressive work. For example, Greenpeace India staged protests against genetically modified varieties of brinjal that could have had deleterious effects on the food chain. It seems that the private company that developed these varieties collded with the regulatory body to get the approvals for launching them in the India market. But Greenpeace, through RTI obtained all the research data and sent it for tests to some international laboratories. The lab results suggested complete 'No-No' for the new varieties. Supported by these results, Greenpeace staged protests and demonstrations. Finally, the voices were heard in the government corridors and minister of health ordered inquiry into the matter. Full story here. For other ongoing activities in India, read this

There are many ways in which one can get involved with Greenpace. There are various ways to contribute even if you spend most of your time in front of your computer and do not have the leeway to go into the field. I have signed up for Greenpeace. I found their forums quiet interesting and with genuinely enthusiastic participants. I have also registered myself as volunteer. Bloggers can also contribute a bit by including Greenpeace logo on their blogs and spreading the word around.

Greenpeace is a non-profit association and does not take any donation from Governments and Corporates. This is because most of the time they are working against them. This I beleive gives lot of credibility to Greenpeace, masks it from politics and ensures that the sanctitiy of its mission is maintained.

Hope the good work continues...

Mumbai Marathon

2009-01-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

I happened to be in Mumbai a day before the Mumbai marathon. At 7 in the morning, while I was still napping in my bed, a friend called me up and told me about the live atmosphere at the marathon venue. It revived the memories on Pune marathon and I could not help but jump out and race to the marathon venue.

As expected, it was a carnival - bands playing through out the marathon track, helicopter hovering at arm's lengths, people dancing and moving in groups, NGOs voicing social messages like rights and waste reduction, colorful clothes, kids, young, aged, celebrities. The icing on the cake was the marine drive stretch which constituted almost half of the race track.

The marathon rejuvination me completely. The newspapers reported that 35,000 people participated in the marathon. How often do you find 35,000 people high with happiness and enthusiasm? I guess that's what rejuvinated everyone.

Jaago re!

2009-01-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

After seeing much of advertisement on TV, I visited Jaago re! website today. And I was delightfully shocked. An amazing concept of intertwining the brand building and corporate social responsibility exercise. The website is very creative and its message comes out with lot of impact.

The campaign aims to create awareness among the young educated class of India about the importance of voting. It very well captures the mindset of its target audience that knows it should vote but does not do it out of slumberness.

The website tries to simplify the protocol of registeration. The website provides digital registration form which is a relief over long hand-filled form. It also provides address of the nearest electoral offices in respective cities where individuals can submit the forms. Once submitted, Jaago re! would track the application and inform you once your name is added to the electoral list. According to the website, the form submitted by each and every individual who registers through Jagoo re! is tracked to make sure that his/her name is present in the electoral list when it comes out. Further, the website also has an Grievance Redress Mechanism where you can file your complaint if your form is not accepted at any electoral office. Jaago re! would register these complaints with Election Commission and follow it up till resolved.

Not only this, Jagoo re! has also propagated it into a mass movement by inviting individuals to participate in awareness programs at friends, community, college or city level. Once you register, you get a Votometer that gives the count of number of people awakened by you. So if you go and register on Jaago re! and mention my email or mobile on the relevant section of the form, my Votometer would tickle by 1. A creative way to get some social good done by yuppies and make them feel good about it too.

The marketing campaign will surely give the brand a huge edge. If marketing spends creatively channeled towards initiatives like these, they would also hold true to the adage of killing two birds with a single stone.

Humor Element of The Recession

2009-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Already a Millionaire, albeit a Frugal

2009-01-04T02:22:00.000-08:00

I entered my room at Pearl Continental and inserted my card in the key holder. Immediately, the whole room lit bright. All lights - 6 in room, 5 in wash room, 3 in cupboard and 2 on study table - turned on. As I am kind of paranoid about conserving precious electricity, I went about the room switching off more than 80% of the lights that were not required. But I wondered how many others in the hotel even noticed, forget about switching them off.

The other day, I heard a speaker say in a conference 'Frugality is Good'. It is good for business, society, economy as well as personal and spiritual well being. Business that are frugal build efficiencies. Societies that are frugal re-cycle and re-use products, generate less waste and become environment friendly. Individuals who are frugal learn to respond to their needs rather than peer pressure. And Economies that are frugal do not end up in the current economic mess.

As far as all the hotels worldwide are concerned, they should be instructed to install economy switch that gives adequate minimal lighting in all their rooms. It can be put as a default option and customer can choose luxury lighting if he/she wants. And so should shops and restaurants. They can use the economy switch during their housekeeping exercises. And all the saved carbon dioxide could go as carbon credits (worth millions :) ) to my account.

India in 30 Minutes!

2009-01-04T02:05:00.000-08:00

Few days ago, my car broke down on one of the relatively deserted streets of Gurgaon. The battery gave up and someone had to shove it to ignite the engine. However, it turned out to be an experience that made me smile all the way back home.

First came a Rickshaw wala whio called 2-3 workers from the other side of the road. They pushed the car but the engine never started. This meant that we had to push it all the way to garrage. The workers helped me for about 50 metres but eventually I asked them to go.

As soon as they went, a yuppy, 25 something, driving Santro was passing by. Seeing me making some calls in middle of no where, he stopped by and tried to help. Another 25 metres before I thanked him.

After few minutes, a rich elderly person, 50 something passing by in his Honda City stopped by. Without me even asking for help, he came over, offered help and started shoving the car. Just then then my friends, whom I had called, came over and took the charge. I thanked him for his courtsey.

If we profile Indian population by age and economic strength, one would find that whole of India had come to help me. Such affection and soft attitude coming from people of Gurgaon is as rare as all nine planets coming in a straight line. Or is it that I no longer expect people to behave like they did, and hence I donot behave like they did to me? The thought is defintely worth a blog.