The true colours of politics

Orissa's Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik had this to say about whether he would support Sharad Pawar as PM - "We can certainly look with great clarity into that possibility"!!

Well, if your head is still spinning trying to decode that, its absolutely no use. Because that my friends, is the current state of political climate in this country.

Jai ho! ... and the Pussycat Dolls.

I just heard the new version of Jai Ho! A wonderful collaboration between A R Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls. And it definitely is a reflection of the interest the world has in India, its movies, music, and people.

Though I wonder who wrote the lyrics. It seemed like they just put in random words to fill in the blanks!!!

Sometimes I feel that we try too hard to achieve something that should never have been in the first place because the original itself is such a master piece not worth touching.

Lets make a difference

Why is it that when we go out to buy something, we make a conscious effort to compare choice, prices, features, etc before making our decision. Isn't voting our representatives our biggest buying decision.

Let us pledge not to vote for corrupt candidates with criminal backgrounds. To know more about the candidates standing for election from your constituency, sms 'MYNETA<space> ______ (your pincode)' to 56070. And then make your choice.

Sign of the times...

I crossed this sign on my way home.

I'm sure Ratan Tata would never have imagined that Satyam would be his first competitor to the Nano.

As for the recession, well I guess its effects have reached far and wide.

I'm still alive...

Many (and here I am wishing that there are actually more than 'many' who read my blog) of you might be wondering where I've disappeared.

While I have a long list of topics, I just haven't had the time to actually sit down and write. Which is a good thing I think, what with the recession and all !!

So please bear with me for a few more days and I promise I'll be back soon. Until then, would appreciate a few comments and reactions to my previous posts.

Boom. Recession. And the moral police

Moral policing has hit a new high (or low, actually). The moral brigade are now targeting men too. For wearing sleeveless tees !! So are they really trying to protect "Indian culture" ?

My guess is that they are just looking for an excuse, any excuse, to vent thier frustration. Why? Because they were left out of the last economic boom. They envy those who made money. And envy those who spend that money even more. Sometimes I wonder are they the only ones to blame ? Or are we equally at fault ?

There is definitely no justifications for their actions. You cannot go around town hitting and molesting people. For whatever reason.

But have we contributed to the overall situation ? I think so. I think it is a miracle that this did not happen sooner. And I would attribute that to karma. Fate. Religion. God. And the way Indians believe that their whole lives have been written out before they were even born. But even fate has its limitations.

Would you blame the doorman at the pub you went to last weekend for being envious of you ? He knows how much you spent. And he knows that he does not earn that much in a month. And feeds 5 maybe 10 mouths with that amount.

Or would you blame the waiter at that new restraunt you went to to celebrate your birthday and ran up a bill of more than 10 grand ? For 6 people ? That guy feeds 6 people for a whole month. And pays his rent. His electricity bill. His water bill. His childrens fees. His medical bills. In most cases on less that 10 grand a month !!

But that does not mean that we should stop going out and enjoying the money that we have honestly made thru' hard work, intelligence and perseverance. It is after all our money and we have every right to do what we want with it.

The problem is that the speed of change was very fast. And it left out most people in the bargain. The massive priorities given to IT & ITES in the past 8-10 years has ensured that though India has gained a prominent spot on the world map, it is only 1-2% of the population who have benefitted. And the balance 98% have been left out. So when a small part of that balance 98% get frustrated, I think we are all to blame.

We need to look at a more inclusive growth model. Develop education. Develop health care. Improve farming technics and bring in newer technology. Focus on manufacturing. And yes, also focus on IT, ITES and service. But definitely not one at the cost of others. We as individuals can make a difference. We need to get involved in the whole political system. And the first step is going out there and voting. And then engaging our representatives and demanding action. And change. And improvements. We cannot be mute specators and just sit back and complain. And hope that things change. Because they won't. Not if we don't do anything.

I vow to make a differnce in an indifferent world. And I hope that you do too.

Go out and entertain

There are two types of people in the world. Those that entertain. And those that observe.

If you are not entertaining then you are just an observer.

So the next time you go out there, to sell something, for an interview, for whatever, go all out and entertain. And you will realise that your job just got easier.

Trust. Integrity. Honesty. Transparency

The four pillars of business.

Unfortunately a rare occurance these days. Pity.

Bangalore welcomes April Showers... IN MARCH!!!

Now if this isn't screwed up, then I wonder what is.

While the showers are most certainly a welcome relief from the sweltering heat, they are a month early!!

And that is definitely not normal.

Remember, when we were kids, most of us said that when we grow up we want to change the world. Well, guess what? We just did.

Thank you

Dozing one evening on my way back from work, I was suddenly woken up by a hard knock on the window. I open my eyes to be greeted by the bluest, saddest pair of expectant eyes I've ever seen. Before I could react, the signal turned green and we were off.

I belong to the school of thought who feels that giving money to beggars only encourages them to beg some more. Labourers toiling hard day after day in most cases earn less than beggars do. So what do we do ? Sit in our air conditioned cars and curse our luck that India is such a poor country. Look at beggars with contempt because they are spoiling an otherwise beautiful landscape. Wonder what "foreigners" will think of "our" country when they see so many beggars on the street.

Isn't "our" country also the country of those same beggars ? I am sure that when God was doling of life choices at birth, they did not voluntarily choose the life they eventually got. So what exactly did they, or we, do to deserve our lives ?

The look in those eyes haunts me even today. And they got me thinking ? What did I do differently to deserve the life I got ? Is it karma ? Is it a blessing for a good deed that I did in a previous life ? I have never believed in these things, but something tells me that its more than just plain good luck.

And that good luck is what I call Mom & Dad.

So if I have never thanked my Parents for gifting me my life and giving me opportunities which They may not have had themselves, then I am thanking Them now. I will thank Them tomorrow and I will thank Them for the rest of my life.

And I am thanking God for giving me the Parents that he has.

And I think that we should all be thanking our Parents. Irrespective of all the disagreements that we may have had (or will have) with Them. For if you are sitting in front of a computer, reading this post, then you are where you are today because They opened a lot of doors. Because They treaded paths which They may not have wanted to Themselves but did for us.

Mother Nature

... is just chemistry, biology and physics. Everything she does is just the sum of those three things. She's completely amoral. She doesn't care about poetry or art or whether you go to a church, mosque or temple. You can't negotiate with her, and you can't spin her and you can't evade her rules. All you can do is fit in as a species. And when a species doesn't learn to fit in with Mother Nature, it gets kicked out.
And that's why, everytime you look in the mirror now, you're seeing an endangered species.
- Rob Watson, EcoTech (http://www.ecotech-intl.com)

What's your carbon footprint?

While on the subject of global warming I thought I would calculate my carbon footprint to see how much damage I am personally causing. And I was shocked !!! No. Make that SHOCKED !!! Actually more like *** S-H-O-C-K-E-D ***. And ashamed.

Brace yourself.

This is what I am leaving our kids. 11.47 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide every year !!! Yup. You read that right - 11.47 tonnes of CO2 dumped into the atmosphere every year. And that is only me !!

Here are a few facts :
1. The average footprint for people in India is 1.20 tonnes a year.
2. The average for industrial nations is 11 tonnes.
3. The average worldwide carbon footprint is 4 tonnes.
4. The worldwise target to combat climate change is 2 tonnes.

In 1750, at the onset of the Industrial Revolution there was approximately 280 parts per million by volume of CO2 in the earths atmosphere. Today it is 384 ppm. And half of these emissions have occured since 1975. And it is estimated to go up to 550ppm by 2050. That would lead to a 3 degree Celcius rise is global average temperature.

So how much is my 11.47 tonnes of CO2 contributing in terms of ppm ? Let me put it this way :
Assume I lead the exact same life style as long as I live. And assume I live another 50 years. And assume another 1 crore people live my exact life style. By the time we die we would have contributed to a 3ppm rise in CO2 levels !!!

Now the scary part :
The population of India (estimated) in July 2008 is 1,14,79,95,904 !! Thats 114 crore people.
The population of China (estimated) in July 2008 is 1,33,00,44,544 !! Thats 133 crore people.
All these 2,47,80,40,448 people are aspiring to lead "better" lives. And "better" lives leave a larger carbon footprint.
And we need to find just 1 crore peole from these who lead lives similar to mine to add 3ppm in the next 50 years. Or 66 crore people to add 200ppm !!

And now the even scarier part : I have not taken into account emissions from industry and agriculture.

But there must be a silver lining among all this gloom, right? Right. Most of us reading this blog will not be alive to see the full extent of the damage we're causing. But we will experience the change. Slowly and steadily. And with each step things will get worse.

So, whats your carbon footprint?

Global warming decoded

"When the oceans are warmed up, they release CO2, just like you would if you heated up an open bottle of Sprite. It bubbles out the carbon dioxide gas. That is what oceans do. They bubble out the CO2 and that warms the atmosphere, and then that warms the oceans more and they release more CO2. In addition, when it gets warmer, the ice melts, which means the ice reflects less sunlight, which in turn causes more sunlight to be absorbed, which causes even more warming."
- Nate Lewis, Energy Chemist in the book Hot, Flat & Crowded by Thomas L Friedman.

Now if you're not already thinking 'What the...?' then now is a good time to start. Go figure out how you are contributing to ruining our planet. And then go and think of ways to reduce that effect. One step at a time.

Lessons in marketing

Small is beautiful. Especially if you are the customer.
And old is truly gold. Especially in approach to business and relationships.

Went to one these new mega electronics stores part of a chain owned by India's largest private sector company. So what happened?

1. Wanted to buy 6 A/Cs
2. Asked them for their best bundled offer.
3. The store manager had a lot of misplaced attitude.
4. Behaved as though he was doing us a favour and not the other way 'round.
5. Made us wait over 45 minutes while he punched away at his calculator
6. Came back and said they have only 5 A/Cs and hence will fine tune his offer for only 5 inspite of us saying that we are willing to pay for all 6 immediately and don't mind waiting for up to a week for the 6th to be delivered.
7. Made a "final & best" offer with a discount of 3%!!!

So what REALLY happened:
1. It didnt matter to the store clerk or even the store manager whether their company made a sale or not.
2. The phrase "customer service" and "customer satisfaction" didn't exist in their dictionary.

So we went to our friendly neighbourhood ex-mom & pop electronics store who are now nuturing their own ambitions of running a pan-India chain of stores. What do we find? They have learnt most of their lessons from the other stores. From where we have bought ALL our home appliances over the years, the same people now give two hoots for our business!! So much for "friendly neighbourhood store" !!

In our view, service and attitude is more important than price. I wouldn't mind paying more if I know that the people I am buying from are interested in my business.

So we went directly to one of the oldest manufacturers of A/Cs. And were pleasantly surprised. They literally fell over in a bid to please and assure us. They were truly interested in selling. And it showed. And we bought. At a higher price but we are very satisfied.

Whats the lesson in all this:
1. No matter what your size, customer is still king. If she doesn't buy, you don't sell. And if you don't sell, then you don't exist.
2. Some things never change. The way to deal with customers for instance.
3. Did the executive at the manufacturer have to engage with us. I guess not. Certainly not for ONLY 6 A/Cs. Too small a number at the manufacturer level. But his attitude reflects the attitude of his organisation. And we know for sure that should we face a problem that they will be there for us. To service and satisfy.

Footnote:
Since the service was so terrible at the first two places and so engaging and satisfying at the third that I feel compelled to reveal the names of the companies.
If you haven't already guessed it, the first store was Reliance Digital part of the Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Ltd.
The second wanna-be store was Girias.
And the manufacturer with whom we found satisfaction is Godrej.

So you have money to invest...

Here's your investment guide for 2009:

1. Theres a new weapon of mass destruction that destroys people but keeps the building standing. Its called the stock market.

2. The difference between a pigeon and an investment banker. The pigeon can still make a deposit on a BMW.

3. Whats the difference between a guy who lost everything in Las Vegas and an investment banker? A tie!

4. What worries me most about the credit crunch is that if one of my cheques is returned stamped "insufficient funds" I won't know whether that refers to mine or the bank's.

New stock market terms:
1. CEO - Chief Embezzlement Officer
2. CFO - Chief Fraud Officer
3. Bull Market - a random market movement causing an investment banker to mistake himself for a financial genius.
4. Bear Market - a 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance and the wife no jewellery.
5. Value Investing - the art of buying low and selling lower.
6. P/E Ratio - the percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.
7. Broker - what my broker has made me.
8. Stock Analyst - idiot who just downgraded your stock.
9. Financial Planner - a guy whose phone has been disconnected.
10. Market correction - the day after you buy stocks.
11. Yahoo - what you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 a share.
12. Windows - what you jump out of when you are the sucker who bought Yahoo for $240 a share.
13. Institutional Investor - past year investor who should now be locked up in a nut house.
14. Profit - an archaic word no longer in use.

Stimulating the stimuli

What have the various stimulus packages announced by the government actually accomplished? February was worse than January and we all fear that things will still go downhill for a while.

Cutting excise duty by 2% or service tax by 1.8% will not stimulate anybody in buying more cars or making more calls. If I can afford to run up a Rs.1000 phone bill, the prospect of saving Rs. 18 per month won't excite me into making more calls. Neither will a price reduction of Rs. 5000 spur me on to buy a new car.

Instead of losing revenue by Rs. 30000 crore, the government could have very well have left tax rates unchanged and used that same amount to kick start the economy. State Transport Corporations can order 1000s of buses. Dozens of power plants couls have been sanctioned. Roads, bridges, airports could have been built.

What would this have achieved? Certainly not a saving of Rs. 18 per month for someone spending Rs. 1000 on his phone bill or Rs. 5000 for someone paying Rs.7,00,000 for a new cars. What it would do however is help bus manufacturers resume production. Help BHEL, NTPC, Coal India, NHAI, AAI grow in these tough times. This would have a domino effect of other sectors. Capital goods, transport, manufacturing would have all gotten back on track. Fewer job losses... More money in the hands of the consumer... More buying... More selling.

Is this too simplistic a view of the economy? I think not. But then why couldn't our honourable ministers think of this? Are all these stimulus packages simply poll gimmicks? What will happen once the elections are over?

More questions. Few answers. And unfortunately no light at the end of the tunnel.

Whats in a name?

A lot I guess.

Atlease going by what happened to me a few days ago.

A friend recommended a candidate for a vacancy in my company. I try to make my interviews as informal and comfortable as possible. I find that potential employees tend to share more than they actually want to.

Anyways, i found out that my friend had also interviewed this particular guy. I asked him how he thought he had done there and he was confident that he impressed my friend.

Super. When I asked him if we were both to select him, who would he choose to work for. He said the other company. Why? Because they were a "LIMITED" company where as I was only a "Private Limited" one. Never mind that in actual business terms I am bigger. This guys choice of employer was based solely on the name!

So I guess there is more to a name than we actually imagine.

And, yeah, I did get to speak to my friend about the interview and needless to say neither of us chose this guy.

Profit & Loss

Can you be ethical and yet be successful in business? It sure seems not. Especially in times like these. Its a financial bloodbath out there. Profits are private... Losses public !! The common man seems to be paying for a few mens' foolishness.

One of Indias largest (and iconic?) business houses bought two loss making British brands last year for a little above £2 billion. Today they have their begging bowls out and asking for a bailout of approximately the same value!! Who then really owns these two white elephants? The iconic (?) business house? Or the public? And if its the public then shouldn't they have been consulted first on whether they even want to buy this dud of an company? If this acquisition had succeeded (and thats a BIG BIG IF) who would have benefitted? The public? I guess not. Unfortunately.

So why are governments all over the world falling over each other to bailout companies? Do they honestly feel that giving them free money will actually help revive the companies and hence the economy? Or is it another version of "private profit public loss"? Why is the ex-CEO of RBS, Fred the Shredder, still taking nearly a million pounds a year as pension? AS PENSION? Or closer home, why is the sale of luxury cars is only going up? Exponentially! Yet we read in the papers everyday about thousands of people losing their jobs? Wouldn't one Rolls Royce be able to pay the average Indian annual salary bill of 400 to 500 people?

Agreed, if some has worked smart and earned a fortune then its his/her prerogative on how to spend their money. But they are not alone in this world. You can't layoff 1000s of workers and then the next day drive to work in a spanking new Rolls Royce. Or fly in your private jet to go beg for a bailout. Or sit in the 20th floor balcony of your $2Billion mansion in Mumbai and look out to see mal-nutritioned kids playing in each others poop. Its just not right.

Its just not right. And things like these always manifest themselves in another form. And one of those forms we are seeing today is the now infamous Shri Ram Sene and the moral police brigade all over the country. But thats for another day and another post.

Finally!!

Welcome to my blog - Spoilt Apples

Why the stupid name you might ask. Well I tried a few names that I really wanted but as usual they weren't available. So well, this popped up and here I am.

Anyways, I'm planning to post my experiences and opinions... Nothing concrete as yet so lets see which way this goes.