Friendship: Definitions galore..(Dedicated to all my friends)

Thinking of what it means, the first thing I did was what we do always- GOOGLE IT. The results were on expected lines, bordering to the extent of being repetitive. Some were different as well. Listing down some of them–

1) Friendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between people, or animals ( Wikipedia definition)

2) Friendship is a personal relationship shared between two individuals for the welfare of other, in other words, it is the relationship of trust, faith and concern for each other feelings.( http://ezinearticles.com/?Definition-of-Friendship—A-Few-Facts&id=1267049)

3) Looking slightly philosophically, Friendship is the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring all right out just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful friendly hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and, with a breath of comfort, blow the rest away.( http://www.xenodochy.org/ex/quotes/friendship.html)

4) Looking at some of the responses of a newspaper contest( http://www.successnet.org/scards/friendship.htm)

a) One who multiplies joys, divides grief and whose honesty is inviolable.”

b) One who understands our silence

c) A volume of sympathy bound in cloth,

AND THE WINNER WAS

A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.

But as they say, all that is bookish ( or webbish now a days) seems so boring and out of fashion. So, what about some unique, out of the box definitions, more relevant in today’s world..

1) A friend is one, who is permanent guest in all your functions and many a times without functions, some times leading to suspicions on even your orientation.

2) A friend is one, who either does not drink in a pub, because he has to carry you back or drinks the most, as he knows you are there to carry him back.

3) A friend is one, who sits on the terrace braving the Delhi cold at 11 in the night to talk to you, because in one room, while TV is switched on in full volume and in drawing-room, the spouse/mother is waiting and shouting for dinner.

4) A friend is one, who always teases the girl next seat, knowing either his charm will work or you will escort him to safety.

5) A friend is one, who asks stupid questions during examinations, so that prof’s attention is diverted and you can cheat comfortably.

6) A friend is one, who goes to the red light area with you, and stops you from entering a brothel, because his love could not say no earlier and his concern will not let you do wrong eventually.

7) A friend is one, whose car you can borrow at any time of day, and then finally call him to say, as to how it has been badly smashed and he needs to come and arrange to transport it, as you are getting late.

The list is endless, but that is what friendship is all about as Aristotle said- “What is a friend? A single soul, dwelling in two bodies”

More definitions are solicited.

Wake up Sid: Almost living upto its reputation

This certainly was one of the most awaited movies, especially for the gen-x/y/z… Something to look forward to.. Something different.. Something refreshing..Something not like loud comedy… Something not having vulgar poses and meaningless songs.. And definitely a break from the deluge of ….. in name of reality..

As the title says, it almost succeeded.. The story is of a spoilt brat (Ranbir) of a rich dad(Anupam Kher), who never takes the world seriously, unless he is forced to by certain incidents.. And who better to hold his hand through this.. Our own Aisha(Konkana).Their first meeting was an accident, but they soon became used to each other..(or should i say Made for each other).. The songs are different.. O RE MANWA definitely leaves its impression.. Konakan is brilliant in her acting..Ranbir too leaves her mark.. A character not used to the fullest is Sonia , but i wonder what more could she have been used for.. At times, the story looks lost, sometimes, the confusion looks little too much to fathom, but then that is what adds to its beauty as well.. Mumbai monsoons conclude the movies, which is as abrupt as it could get.

All in all a good watch, first half being a little slow, but as the time passes, the story picks up as well..

Bye bye capitalism, Welcome Policapitalism….

As a young child, the Economics teacher told me about three forms of economy, with Capitalism and Communism being the main two poles and the third one a mix of the two. For communist economy, the pet examples were USSR, China and Cuba. The passing time saw the disintegration of USSR, Cuba being not an economy to look at, and Chinese dragon following “GOD KNOWS WHAT” economy. This was the time when advocates of capitalism were most shrill in their voices, and tried to propogate it at the top of their voices. Even a country like India with mixed economy was not spared and shown innumerable ways to move towards capitalism.

Today, I wonder if any Indian knowledgeable citizen would not like to thank Indira Gandhi. Had it been not for nationaliztion of banks, the results are difficult to even imagine. Moreover, lets remember, we Indians are never used to Hire and fire policy of employers. What happened to an Executive in Noida and to Naresh Goyal recently is known to all.

As they say the character of a man is tested in difficult times. So came 2008 with the worst Economic crisis in recent times ever( I am yet to understand meaing of word SUBPRIME CRISIS, help solicited). Stocks and heads( i mean of corporate czars) rolled like dice in a Las Vegas casino. Every day brought the news of some more tumbling. Soon, the economic crisis became the humanitarian crisis with unemployment levels at an all time high. With more and more filings for bankruptcy, the choice was limited. Perhaps the cascading effect forced the White House to react. And react in an unprecedented manner. Guess, there would be limited number of I-Banks in private hands now. Proponents of Capitalism, what is your take?

Back to India, as a naive student of Economics I never believed that our politicians will let capitalism bloom in its full manner. It one of its kind of economy, where in the ruling party, by virtue of its post, gets a stake( even if it is undertable), and each changing election has new stake holders. What started between the Ambani brothers is nothing but a small example. I remember reading Vijay Mallaya’s interview saying ” I am not exactly an orphan”. (details available at http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/I-am-not-exactly-an-orphan.html). It leaves little to imagination. We may cry hoarse,but the undertable regulation is a phenomenon very much prevalent. The war between Ambani brothers allows us a better peak, as the political hawks are forced to show their preferences, exposing themselves. Not that it did not exist earlier, but with Hawala transactions under tighter scanner and global terrorism financing leading to stricter regulations, guess poliCapitalism is the new favor of the country. Though there are still business houses who are safe from this contagious disease( trust me, it is deadlier than Swine flu), but for how long is a more important question…

Man:Crafter of his own destiny or a mere puppet?

‘जाति-जाति रटते, जिनकी पूँजी केवल पाषंड,

मैं क्या जानूँ जाति ? जाति हैं ये मेरे भुजदंड।

Could not think of a better line than this for introduction.. These lines were a befitting reply by Karna to the royal people when he challenged Arjun in the show of bravery, and he was asked his antecedants. History is full of such incidents where people went against the tide, and secured a name for themselves. Taking a controversial example of Adolf Hitler, he said that I saw German pride lying on the road, picked it up and made them realize their own worth.  Among business leaders, Dhirubhai worked at a gas station, Bill Gates never went to the best universities of the world. They never had a family fortune to boast of, but never let came their way. Every second day, you come across stories in newspapers, where some one challenged his/her handicaps, and came victorious over all odds.

Cut the scene.. Man proposes, God disposes. (To understand the meaning of the same, please visit http://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Sayings/Quizzes/Religion/Man_proposes_God_disposes_915.htm, and you get the complete essence and background of the same. ) Everything is in his hand, as the code which thought was the biggest disappointment, can be the Eureka for the client, the colors which your kid accidentally spilled on the canvas, can the judged the best Modern art of the famous galleries.  Your promotion also depends on whether your face the long lost son of your boss, or a glimpse of the cab driver who had hit him.

An open debate, views solicited.

Salesman:Just another man?

Couple of years ago, someone asked me this question… Two years later, am forced to ponder upon it…

Yes he is like any other man, but he needs to know what is playing in other person’s mind.. He needs to know, how to plot his opening move… How to build the tempo as moments pass… How to hit the final nail, as there is small difference between sip and lip.

Yes he is like any other man, but he has to be ready to face dejections, keep smiling in the face of storm of abuses, be ready to bump into a lunatic/psycho at any other moment.. Still don’t give up on persistency, there is only one “S” between mile and Smile.

Yes he is like any other man, just that sometimes he has to forgo his lunch, sometimes his meetings are always at 7 pm, still can’t afford to lose his plastic smile,  fully aware that he had promised some one for dinner.  He knows, Make or break always rhyme.

Yes he is like any other man, just that year beginning is for planning, mid year for accleration, end year for consolidation/ safeguarding his turf. Spring and autumn are meaningless words for him. For him, there are only two seasons, Month end and new month.

Bolt lightens the world, Johnson was the hero some time back, Kenyans dominate the long distance.. Think twice. If only they had to run in never ending marathon, where the minimum speed should beat Bolt by a mile.

Do you still think, Salesman is just another man?

Corporate war: mythological learnings- II

Continuing from where I ended last blog. Taking Ramayan only as example, can we look at following earnings as well?

1) Always let your employees know they can deliver:  When the entire contingent of Hanuman, Jamwant and others was there at sea side while searching for Sita, it took the wise Jamwant to remind Hanuman of his prowess, and what happened next is everyone’s knowledge.

2) Know your competitors’ weaknesses and exploit them:  This is precisely the role of Vibhishan in Ramayana, and it was definitely at more than one instance, that his prowess helped Ram.

3) No loose statement/emotive promise, you never know how it will hit back:  Little did king Dasratha know that his once upon a time promise will cost him so dearly, that ultimately led to his own death as well.

4) Every failed investment can force you to go for more to recover, but if not careful, it will result in total loss:  Had Ravana got the message after losing so many of his world renouned heroes, he would have still saved Lanka, but it was not to be so.

5) Never underestimate your competitor, you don’t know what aces he has up his sleeves:  Bali ran in to fight Sugreev without thinking twice, and getting the details. It turned out to be his last fight.

6) Grapevine has tremendous power:  Any one having knowledge of Hindu mythology can not forget the role Manthara  played in Ramayana.

Hoping, the visitors will add to this list. Will be back with some more thoughts soon.

KASHID/MULUD-JAJEERA: WEEKEND PARADISE

When words fail, images speak..

AN IDLE WEEKEND

2nd Hue

Hues galore

Need I say more?

In Mumbai, the ideal weekend definition differs from person to person. While for some, it means an action packed street shopping on the streets of Colaba( I wonder, how many will still find that nice, given the unfortunate incidents of past few days), for others, it means hitting a party joint and shaking legs till you drop dead, and then sleeping away the next day. For some sober and sophisticated junta, it may also mean going to a play or catching up with a moive. The more coomon alternatives include a movie, some shopping and dinner. Mumbai, a city that never sleeps.

But, if you belong to none of the categories mentioned above, and want a respite from the maddening world, and just while your time away, my dear friend, welcome to Kashid.Mulud/Jajeera. Aabout 160 km from Mumbai, you need to hit Goa highway first while going out from Mumbai, and then take a detour for Kashid. 35 km from Kashid lies Mulud/Jajeera, known for its beatuful fort situated right in the sea. You need a boat ride to reach there, and bargaining for rates is a strict no-no. Like every fort, here also the stories galore, for most of whom, there is no conclusive evidence. But, then there is no contradictory evidence as well.

In the middle of nowhere

Then, it was time to hit the Kashid beach. If there is any place which can be called epitome of serenity, it is Kashid. Not even many food joints.. Shacks on the sea side, which provide routine food.. Not many people around.. The entire sea to yourself. Cleanliness which you will not see either at Juhu or Girgam choupatty. The sandy beach ensures you walk smoothly and can go into water without fearing rocks..

But yes, the nearest booze shop is 12 km away, on either side.. So, be prepared before you hit the ground .

LAY OFFS AND TALENT CRUNCH: Two most recent used terms

Was just going through different news pieces. Sampling a few ” BT decides to lay off 10000 employees”, “Vikram Pandit expects retrenching of almost a lakh employees”. The jet retrenchment drama captured the headlines for two days… The failing of the biggies in US and world wide led people to question the very basics of Investment banking.. As Barack Obama gets ready to take over the reins of US, pundits predict a gloomy unemployment rate of almost 13%. Cut to campuses, and the students are tense. The top tier colleges are concerned about the quality of placements and average salary, while the lower rung are fighting for face saving scenario. While they are concerned about their entry/re-entry into the corporate world,their seniors are concerned about their continuance. I personally know of people who have put their job switching plans on hold, either willingly or forced by dearth of quality alternatives.

Cut to other side, and the situation is equally grim. Nasscom study shows only 45% of graduates are employable in India, and by 2010, India will have dearth of millions of trained personnel for BPO and emerging IT sector. The emerging organized retail sector is alsready facing the brunt of the same. Especially with their focus now on tier-2 nd tier-3 towns, it is becoming more and more difficult for them to find quality work force and as a result, they are forced to compromise, and even then they are not able to get required number of personnel.

So, this represents the demand supply mismatch.. But, what is the way forward… Thats for you to point out… One way definitely is to walk the less frequented path, and look at alternative career plans.. Second can be addressing employability through our present education system( though at present, that looks like a distant dream)..

Any thoughts for the same? Please share for good of all…

Sales & Marketing: two sides of same coin

Going by common experience, not many people are actually aware about the difference between sales and marketing and treat them to be one and the same because of the high level of interdependence between the two. This article looks to clear the concepts and remove the myth as much as possible.

By definition, while marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations, and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives (Contemporary Marketing Wired (1998) by Boone and Kurtz. Dryden Press),  sales refers to the act of persuading or influencing a customer to buy (actually exchange something of value for) a product or service.

So, what are the notable differences between sales and marketing? Taking the type of interaction as parameters, while marketing is the effort taken to reach the persuade prospects, sales’ focus is to close the agreement and get the desired order/contract. Using at means adopted by both, while marketing relies on advertising, public relationship, brand marketing, viral marketing, mailers etc, sales depends on interpersonal interactions more represented by one-to-one meeting, cold calls and networking.

Again, the efforts of the marketers goes to identify the trends and customer expectations and be prepared with offerings as per the customer requirement and demands, the sales person are all determined to push these offerings to the hands of the customers as soon as possible. Putting differently, while marketing efforts are directed at meeting consumer demand as much as possible, sales person try to match the consumer demand with the product it has produced.

Saying all this, are the two really different? They may be, but then which is more important? Marketing can always boast of understanding the customer expectations and designing offerings accordingly, sales people claim to the ultimate bread earners for the company. So, while it is impossible to say which of the two is more important, the effort should be to integrate the efforts on both sides, and evolve a common strategy best suited to the interests of the company. Sales team that are not integrated to marketing strategy are doomed to waste of time and effort, while for marketers also , there is no better way to get the pulse of the consumer than their own team, which is there in the market day in and day out.

Harischandra is still alive!!!!!!!!!

They want a free ride, you are their friend..
They love your latest mobile, you are their pal,
They need a shoulder to weep, you are a He-Man,
They need an exhaust for their frustration, you are the nearest one,
They need a base to shoot from, you are the launch pad,
They need a path to progress, you are their guide,
They need some work to be done, you are their savior,
They need to cover their mistake, you are the matyr,
They need a patient ear for their crap, you are the God-sent angel,
They need some one to carry them forward, you are the Mr. Strong,
They need someone to support their lies, TU HAI NA…

BUT

You want a ride, the weather is worth walk,
You love his/her latest mobile, it is a personal property,
You need a shoulder to weep, it is an sling,
You need an exhaust for your emotion, it is so unsophisticated,
You need a path to progress, they spread the thorns,
You need some help, the schedules are so damn busy,
You need to cover your mistake, BBC is not far,
You need a patient ear for your problems, better try a patient,
You need some one to help you move forward, dial 100
You need someone to support your lies, Harischandra is still alive………..