SELL DREAMS

Met my school Principal today, a revered monk after almost 14 years over morning breakfast. Were generally chitchatting about anything and everything. When the talks veered towards the topic of this blog, he provided me the simplest B-Plan I have ever come across. Two words is all he took “SELL DREAMS”, and there is not a more profitable venture, you can come across.

Lets go into the history of few successful ventures. The Sensex hit 21K, and the wealth of corporate czars increased by few lakh crores. “RELIANCE ON, POWER ON” was the talk of the country not so long ago. Every second IPO was turning out to be a gold mine. Pause and think for a moment….. They did nothing, but sold dreams to millions of people….

Lets jump across to a very different field altogether. Search for experiential learning, training academy, leadership training, work life balance management, Stress management modules, and they have mushroomed in every corner of the world. Worldwide, we know and accept that a leader is a born leader, and its not formed over the years. There is definitely a theory of Situational leader, but that is also a debatable one, and its longetivity is certainly questionable.. Again, do you think that rafting down the Ganges suddenly makes you a better team player, or a proven leader? So, what do these trainers or organizations do ?They take you to the aspiring set where you also feel like a champion, a team player or leader. But how long does the euphoria last? Introspect deeply.They do nothing, but SELL DREAMS….

Cut  to literature. In the words of George Bernard Shaw,    You see things; and you say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?”. What does he intend? The inference is obvious….

Jump back to reality, and you have sweated for years to put in place a concrete B-Plan, something which you think can revolutionize the world, and something you think is just waiting to be launched. You need the seed capital and meet the venture capitalists. What are you trying to do? “SELL DREAMS”.

 The history is replete with the examples of dreamers and how they changed the world for times to come, and who captures it better than following words of D.H.Lawrence

All people dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

So, Happy dreaming, happy selling, and trust me “DREAM SELLS”.

Sub-prime crisis: Implications and path ahead for Indian economy

When troubles come, they come not single spies but in batallions- Shakespeare.

These were the words Indira Nooyi used to sum up the financial turmoil in US. Guess she could not have been closer. With all the institutions which were considered invincibles till not so long ago, falling one after the other, the initial reaction for anyone was of dismay and distress. The world around, the central banks joined hands in the endeavor to reduce as much impact of this financial Tsunami as possible. Now, as the dust settles ( though many analysts are still pointing to this being just the tip of iceberg and warning that future is going to be worse), the thoughts racing across the minds are what effects will it have on the Indian economy and how coming few months can shape up and what can be ideal role of the RBI to help us tide the crisis as best as possible?

The different schools of thoughts are coming up with different ideas and predictions as to how it will impact and how it will not. Best analogy can be  the Indian capital market and Indian Banking system. While the former are experiencing the echo, later have remained fairly insulated from any direct impact of the crisis. Its obvious, as on one hand, the Indian banks did not have significant exposure to the sub-prime loans, FIIs are pulling their money to cover their losses back home. Their withdrawal still continuing, Indian equity markets can expect some turbulent times ahead as well.

Coming to IT sector, an effort to reduce costs can  boost outsourcing of services, and Indian IT companies stand to benefit from the same. There is a genuine concern among the ongoing projects with these troubled financial institutions, but with most of them being bought out or bailed out, a new wave of consolidation requirements is not far away. This simply means more business. Though there are talks about the IT majors who are heavily dependent on their overseas clients getting affected as the US economy heads for slowdown, but overall the positives seem to far outnumber the concerns.

Coming to exports, in 2006, roughly 18% of India’s exports ( amounting to 15% of GDP) was directed to US. Slow down in US can impact the same. But, fortunately like China, we are not an export oriented economy, so the efect would be less and some deficit can definitely be offset by increase in service exports.

What this crisis also means that cost of raising capital will go up. This is laready being felt by Indian corporates, as loans at sub-PLR have almost vanished from the market. Also, with liquidity crunch abroad, the companies have to look forward to domestic market for raising capital, thereby exerting upward pressure on domestic borrowing costs. In the words of Indian Finance Minister, P.Chidambaram, “There is impact in terms of credit flows and financial flows. But at the moment, I believe that impact is second-order impact and a moderate impact”. This is where I feel the role of RBI becomes all the more important. Having faced the record inflation recently, it would be nice to watch if it continues with its efforts to reduce inflation or shows a more pragmatic approach by pushing for growth.

Summing up in words of Mr. Chidambaram, “Growth is imperative. Growth is important. If there is growth, there is chance of inclusive growth. Without growth, there is no chance of inclusive growth” lets hope that the coming days see all the endeavors in the same direction. Only then, the tiger will roar to its fullest, and can take on the dragon.

Apotheosis: Life at top is all alone

Learnt this word quite recently. In fact yesterday morning. Thanks to one of my friends. Then thought how would an ordinary mortal react to such efforts?

 

“Mere prabhu!

Mujhe itani unchai kabhi mat dena

Gairon ko gale na laga sakun

Itani rukhai

Kabhi mat dena”

A.B.Vajpayee

(`My Lord, Never let me climb so high that I can’t bend down to embrace another human. Deliver me ever from such arrogance.’ )

These lines aptly capture the response to efforts of apotheosis( a Greek word meaning glorification of an individual to divine levels).

History has been replete with examples where people have been referred to and regarded as divine deities, and their acts have become the guiding principles for scores of their followers. A little slip on their part can cause mayhem, as Sri Ramakrishna ( one of the most revered saints of modern India) used to say that if he would piss in a standing position( which used to be a taboo in the Indian society), then his followers would move around and piss.

Looking at the corporate side of apotheosis, we have numerous examples of corporate czars, who have been regarded in almost the same high esteem, both by their employees as well as others. Their peaks of success are just like mountain peaks, rearing up against sky and apart from the normal life below. There are no two doubts about their majesty or grandness, somethings you can easily get in awe with. Only request, please don’t be myopic. Look around. Its all snow: white as shround and cold as death. Neither can a tree grow there, nor can a bird set up her nest. Still think, apotheosis is a blessing. Think again.

While it is human to feel cynical about the same, especially if your thought process is not in sync with the concerned individual, who has been heaped with such honours, think again. May be he/she is also not comfortable beacuse you have no one to share your burdens, no one to see beyond your smiles.Need one say “LIFE AT TOP IS ALL ALONE”.

 

 

 

PULSE: Does it send your pulse racing?

Please no queries about how we landed there.. It all started at the Leopold cafe at Coalba, continued till Nariman Point, went on as we scouted pub after pub in Bandra West on a Saturday night, and finally landed up at Pulse. As far as the scouting bit is concerned, we went to Totos, the garage pub, where we were told to wait for half an hour, at Red Box cafe, we did not ask only looking at the long queue, and at Sheetal Bukhara, found it not what we were looking forward to, were unable to locate Poisson, and thats why we ended where we were.

For the uninitiated, Pulse is a discotheque located at Hill road, bang opposite Globus showroom. No idea, when does it start, and very much like most of the discotheques, you never know when it closes down as well. We were told at 9 pm, that because of some private party, it will open at 11pm, and when leaving at 3am, we still saw the people dropping by. No queries again about the entry charge, as it varies from time to time and from situation to situation, which the entry desk decides. For three of us, it was Rs. 1500 cover charge (now don’t laugh if we paid on the higher side), as we anyway encashed all of that.

Before the real story begins, few confessions to begin with. Had never been to a discotheque earlier, so all my descriptions may suffer an extreme bias… Anyway, the entrance was small, not loads of people around. Anyway, it was just 11 15 pm and peope had just started tickling in. The interiors were invisible, so it does not matter whether they are well done or not. In one corner, there were few stools, where you can nurse your drinks or just relax, if you had one too many. As we went inside, it took a while to adjust to the dim lighting around, and to ensure we looked like pros, hit the bar straight away. Don’t ask me what all we drunk, I don’t even remember now, there were so many different flavors of breezer and obviously the more enterprising of the lot had to try beer as well. The music was nice, and the DJ belted nice numbers one after the other. Thankfully, for ordinary mortals like me, there were some Hindi numbers and known English tracks, so that one atleast knew what was going around. The crowd went on increasing, and so did the spirit. Time to hit the dance floor and set it on fire straight away. We did set it on fire, albeit in our style, and don’t know if our dashing dance steps left some heartburns also in the crowd….

Time did fly and so around  2 30 am, the faint hearted amongst us thought its high time we leave the place. People were still tickling in, booze was still flowing, spirits were getting a bit too high for comforts of many, and PDA( Public display of affection) was on in full swing. Guess thats when I realised what the phrase “PARTY ANIMAL” means. Few minutes later, thought it was enough of an experience and left the place through some back door after passing through a dark alley.

If only the night ended here, which was not to be. We had heard somewhere that Bandstand remains open till 4 am, and so thought it quite natural to sip some nice drinks there as well by the sea side before calling it a day. May be we were a toch too greedy, or at least the almighty thought so, as it was closed. So, we were soon all loaded again in the auto cheering an eventful day ( or call it night, if you feel so) and humming some unknown melodies.

P.S. Did i mention anywhere the fun of herding back two of your friends to home, when one was ready to sleep at anything anywhere, while the other was moon walking all the way. I hope, i have not, but trust me, its fun.

Low Cost airlines in India: The past and the future

The history of civil aviation in India started with the first commercial flight on Feb 18,1911 covering a distance of 11 km between Allahabad and Naini by a French pilot Monseigneur Piguet. The next step came when the first domestic route was opened between Karachi and Delhi in December 1912. The Indian aviation industry has certainly come a long way since then.

Times change, and so do the market sentiments. The last ten days have yet again proved that nothing is impossible, else who would have predicted the stalwart I-Banks to go bust, that also in droves. Was recently reading an article echoing the sentiments during early 2006. It was the time, when the LCC craze was catching up. With Deccan launched in Sep 2003, Spicejet in May 2005 and Go Air in Nov 2005, there were others waiting to grab a pie of the ever expanding market (as it seemed at that point of time). After all, LCCs were tipped to capture 50% market share by 2010. There were talks by LCCs like “Every time we fly, the economy looks up”. Finding an investor was never a problem. In words of Kapil Kaul, CEO( Indian sub continent and Middle-East), Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation, “There is a mad rush of money chasing India‘s aviation sector.”

 Also then, A meagre 6.67 percent of Indian middle class used to travel by air compared to 35 percent in China. So, with India shining, did it not mean a terrific opportunity? In the words of Ray Webster, the former CEO of easyJet,  “In Europe, the number (of passengers) is far lower, journeys are short, and traveling by train is a nice experience. Yet, the low-cost airline model has worked very well. I can’t begin to imagine the size of the market in India.”. He obviously had a point there and found many takers for the same. But, there was a voice of dissent too, some one whom people did not pay much heed to, and some who is soon going to start international operations of his airlines.Yes, it was none other than Vijay Mallaya who said“I don’t believe that there is a space for low-cost carriers in India. Where is the low-cost opportunity? You are forced to fly under dispersal guidelines on unprofitable routes, you pay the highest air turbine fuel (ATF) prices in the world, including humongous sales tax levied by the states, pay a lot of landing and parking fees, and there are no secondary airports where you can save money. On the contrary, air traffic control (ATC) delays are so huge that all financial calculations on point-to-point destinations go haywire. Pilots are costing a lot of money and there’s a rat race for engineers. So where is the differentiator?”

 CUT 2008, and the scenario changes. Deccan has been aquired, and lately rechristened Kingfisher Red, Spicejet was in desperate cash crunch, unless it had Wilbur Ross pumping in Rs. 345 crores,Sahara Airlines has been aquired and rechristened Jetlite. The few other operating airlines are also not breathing easy. With crude oil touching an all time high about a month ago, they burnt pockets like never before. Then came the spate of increasing prices and fuel surcharge, but how much deficit did it cover for them is still questionable?

Now, looking at the parameters, where a particular airlines can look to leverage cost benefits is faster turn around time, more load capacity, optimum staff utilization, and no frill flights ( no snacks or meals on board). Looking at few other parameters, airport congestion ( and therefore additional costs and levies), lack of proper infrastructure, increasing fuel prices, lack of trained manpower, they are common across all the airlines, and these are the factors which account for majority of the expenses for any airlines. Obviously, all of them are trying new and innovative ways gain as much of financial leverage as possible, but is there a room for the same? And what about the government regulation which ensures that the airlines fly to unprofitable sectors as well? Can they really do much about many of these parameters. Falling rupee has further compounded the problems as the expat pilot salaries and fuel prices are paid in dollars only.

Looking at the industry trends,  air traffic in India could double to 50 million passenger journeys a year by 2010. India would need 1,100 planes over that same period, worth $105 billion. Also, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) estimates expect the domestic traffic to grow 25% to 30% annually and international traffic at 15% until 2010. But, does that mean that times are out to change for Low cost careers. Perhaps, I would like to go by the words of M.Thiagarajan, MD, Paramount Airways, who feels that there should be a threshold level in pricing to provide value addition to passengers, and in whose words, “a low cost airline in our country is a fallacy and may not be in tune with the sector which is still emerging whereas in the US and Europe the vastness of the geography together with the passenger volume have been responsible for LCCs survival”.

KAUSANI: THE HONEYMOONER’S PARADISE

If you ever watched Hindi movies or listened to Hindi songs, and stumbled across the song ” HUSN PAHADON KA” (from the movie RAM TERI GANGA MAILI), and thought, what a boastful statement, think no more, pack your bags, and be set for Kausani experience. Don’t ask what are the favorite tourist spots here, where to go to capture the nature at its best, or which all banks have the ATM here. Because there is none of the same here. Having second thoughts… Leave them aside. There must be something which forced Mahatma Gandhi to call the place as” SWITZERLAND OF INDIA”.

Situated at 1890 metres aboce sea level, Kausani is nature’s own abode of solitude and greenery. Located 110 km from Nainital and about 125 km from Kathgodam( the last rail terminus), you go through the serpentine routes and valleys, before you see the nature opening up its arms to embrace one and all. You may decide to hire a taxi or go by bus from both Kathgodam as well as Nainital, and the frequency is not too great, but decent none the less.

There are not more than 20 shops around (the count when I visited the same), 2/3 hotels, few resorts nearby, no ATMs, no AC restaurants, no lines of shops selling souveniors, and you may think as to what the hell.. Relax friend, thats why you are here for… Check into one of the hotels, (bargain if you can, and if you have not booked the rooms earlier), dump your baggae, and sit outside on the veranda waiting for tea to be served. It would be hardly moments, before the beauty sinks in. The pine forests on one side, majestic Himalayas on the other, and no hustle bustle of the city life, is this not what you had long pined for? With you and your partner holding arms in arms, going for an evening walk in the lap of mother nature, is it not blissful?

Don’t fix an agenda, live the day as it unfolds, visit the near by tea estate, take a trip to the nearby famous Shiva temple at Bageshwar, and enjoy the Sangam of Saryu and Gomti rivers there by the temple side. Go to the Gandhi ashram, sit by the road side, wake up early to see the sunrise over famous peaks, or just idle around knowing and discovering each other.

If words like routine, hectic don’t fit into your definition of perfect getaway, this is the place to be. Provided you love nature, are willing to explore it, and have 3-4 days to spare.

LOVE DEMYSTIFIED…..

Never claim myself to be a well read person, but am definitely some one, who devours anything worth a read. Read a lot about love, heard that Men are from Mars, women from Venus, came to know different perceptions of love, was forced to hear many a times how the male emotions are different from female emotions, but never ever I found an article so relevant, so accurate, so hard hitting. It gets down to the core in no time, and bares everything. You may hate it, you may despise the words, the choicest words of chauvinism can be used without a second thought, but you can not deny it.

Written by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, one of the greatest Hindi poets of all times, this is an excerpt from his famous book Urvashi. Its about nothing but love, when looked from two different angles.

Love demystified

 

So, which side are you on? Completely banishing the thoughts of the poet, or an enthusiastic supporter..

HARD ROCK CAFE: The night begins late here….

Had heard a lot, but never been there. People said that if you leave Mumbai without a visit to Hard Rock Cafe ( HRC), you have definitely missed something on the party circuit… Not that I am a party animal, neither am I too much into rock… But still, this place was presented like ” MUST BEEN THERE” types, some thing I could not resist. And so last Saturday, was there with two of my friends… Also, before I jump to next paragraph, just few confessions— I am a teetotaler, and all i hear for music are Hindi songs of yesteryears. ( You may very well ask then why the hell was i there?)

After asking for directions from one and all, here we stood in front of HRC. Some one told me that franshisee fee for the same is Rs. 15 crore, and some one else had confirmed the same as well. So, the expectations were high, and it had to be a stunner to live upto the same. But, stunner it was. The ambience was something of the sorts, I have never seen before. Tuesdays and Thursdays are live performance nights, and once every month, they have some foreign band coming down. Decorating the walls were the memorabilia of all the great stars who have performed there.

We were just in time, before the crowd started building and soon, there was no place, and the average wait must have been some 45 minutes to an hour before you got a table. Not a rock literate, I can’t say which all numbers they played, but it some how brought me close to Rock music, as I did not despise it either. One thing which stood apart from all the joint I have visited so far was the ever happy, pranky,cheerful service staff, who made the atmosphere all the more lively. The crowd just kept on coming, and were happy waiting for a table while sipping their favorite drinks. Now, need I say the crowd was worth a watch, with latest trends of apparels in display, reaffirming the off late quote of “Shorter the better”.

So, after enough of eye candies and sipping all the five mocktails available, and munching the starters, time to review the menu again. Not many options for veggies, the available ones were tasty. Prices are a bit on the higher side, but with India shining and burgeoning middle class having more dispensible income, who cares anyway.

WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR: A theatrical delight

The Indian cinema has offlate been credited with coming of age, and making some off the beaten track movies. This again is an effort in the same direction. The movie is open to interpretation. Some may claim it to be a subtle romantice movie, others can look at it hitting the social evils present in our society. Yet, some others can claim it to a failed effort to tackle too many things at one go, and in the process losing the steam some where. All of them are right in their own domains, but sum up the three, and this is what “WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR” has to offer.

The movie does not boast of big names, but that no way is reflection of the acting prowess you see in the movie. Need I say, Shyam Benegal’s midas touch is also quite apparent and is reflected in attention to all the minute details you can think of. Shreyas has done justice, and there is Amrita, the epitome of perfect match of purity and sensuousness, and lives every bit of her role. Ila Arun is at her best in her cameo. What catches your attention all the more is the lingo used, the typical Sajjanpur lingo, with all efforts to left in untouched in the entire movie.Also, the take on rampant social practises, be it superstitions or political muscle flexing, just seem to ease into the movie. Some may question the Rageshwari- Ravi Kishen bit, but with so many honour killings happening in recent past in the country, in the end that also stands justified. Some people may question the songs and their relevance, and they may have been done away with as well, but the regional dialect still endears some to them.

The film also stands out for bringing out the real facts in the end. The haapily living after myth of love birds Ravi Kishen and Rageshwari is shattered, and so are the hopes of killing Munni bai who had come to power, because in politics its power which matters the most. So, what if the movie is a bit slow. Every bit a worth watch, it just seems like a theatre on screen.

Dajeeling: The queen of hills

There are two queens as fas as the hill stations in India are concerned: one in the north ( Mussorie), and other in the east ( Darjeeling).. Both of them come with the charms very few can resist, and once you are there, the hills ( or should i say the queens) always call you back. I have been one of the fortunate souls who had the opportunity to visit both of them. Comparing them will be futile, but the options and the list of places to visit in Darjeeling far out numbers that of Mussorie. Needless to say about the toy train, a pride of Darjeeling.

You name the ambience, and you will get the same. Be it playing with waterbodies, or going for a serene walk/ trek in woods,  praying to the almighty, or a romantic boat ride with some one close, roadside bargain shopping or munching your favorite snacks, or spending time with your favorite or endangered species at the zoo. Still more lucrative options include just looking out of your window to the mighty Himalayas ( if your hotel is suitably located), or just strolling along the tea gardens and absorbing the scenic beauty.You may not find a single person, but you don’t need one either. Need i mention, you can always have a lifetime experience with toy train.  The heavens seem to melt, and at times right into your arms.

Like most of the hill stations, it is not advisable to be out till too late, as hills sleep as well as get up early. You get hotels across all rates, and never hesitate to bargain, as there is always scope for the same. Food is never a problem, as you have plenty of options across all the cuisines.

The world at my feet

 The nature has bestowed the area with all kinds of flora and fauna and no wonder, you fall in love with some of them, as you go along for a trek down the road.

Can you take your eyes off..

For the devout souls, you can always visit the famous Hanuman temple, or the adjoining Lord Shiva abode, or even more famous, The Durga temple.

Divine power

Time for some adventure.. Play with the water bodies at Ganga dham, much down the stream or just observe the water flowing down in full charm. Abig turn on for any one.. to say the least.

Need i say anything

And if you thought, it is all, you are wrong. Some more to follow soon.. In this very blog…