AAGEE Syndrome on a long weekend...

Long weekend of Holi-Easter-Id-Milad was too much to bear for me. As all I had to do was just sit at home & watch the Idiot Box go blah-blah-blah… After spending two days in the confines of the four walls, the third day was really refreshing… A good Formula1 race, some good food & a little bit of cricket surely did cheer me up or should I say prepared me for the grueling week ahead…

A friend of my room mate came-up with the Idea of going to the ICL T20 challenge, the price banding really warmed me up to the challenge a meager Rs. 100/- So after the Formula1 race & seeing my hero Kimi win, I was all cheered up to go. Now it was time for “Good Food” I accentuate here because all week long it is the same exorbitantly priced tasteless office canteen food of dal-roti/chawal… bleech!!! Not that I have anything against dal-roti/chawal, I guess most office-goers will understand & agree with me.

So after food it was turn to go. The best part of all was none of us knew where the stadium was situated! We had our tickets courtesy internet, knew the name of the place but didn’t know the way!

After a lot of asking directions & hearing only one direction “AAGEE” (straight ahead) we managed to reach. If ever one has to ask directions in the dust-city called Gurgaon don’t bother, everything is “AAGEE”. Collecting the tickets wasn’t much of a fiasco. Again we were hit by the “AAGEE syndrome” of Gurgaon. I have come to call it so because in just one evening I heard the word around 30 times. Genuinely no one knows where the place being enquired is they have just the same answer. AAGEE… I am planning on applying for a patent for a new syndrome I happened to discover.

Anyway be as it may be, after collecting tickets we entered the preordained location. On reaching we found were felt let down. The coveted stadium is called Tau Devi lal stadium. I would say Tau Devi Lal Park would be more precise. The longest boundary was I think, around 45-50 Yards. This according to me was fit to play a tennis ball tournament between two school teams. It reminded me of my Engg. College Cricket ground only difference this one had a green cover all over.

Despite being such a small field of all only 2 6s were hit in the entire match & both in the Lahore team innings. The main reason for this was Mushtaq Ahmed. Mushtaq was wonderful, for a guy almost into the 40s he was fantastic... He was a class apart... Delhi batsmen weren't able to pick him... like Navjot Singh Sidhu would say; they were bamboozled, flummoxed, like a baby in a dance bar. Mushtaq bowled one Delhi batsmen round his legs... that poor chap was just gaping as to how he got bowled.

Pricing of tickets is ok, Rs 100/- sit anywhere you want. Most of the crowd that came was more interested in the dancing girls than the sport...

When it was evident that the Lahore team had outdone the Delhi team all of a sudden there were Indian & Pakistani flags sold & a cry of India India… Hey this is just a private company conducting a competition to earn money. Why bring in patriotism here? As the last few overs of the match were being bowled there was pin drop silence in the stadium. This sort of behavior was shameful… No one, yes sir, not a single person spotted the fact that the throws coming in from the deep fielders of Lahore team were thudding into the keeper’s gloves… There was a passion in the way they played. Why can’t Indian fans just accept that??

Imran Nasir again showed the world why the legendary Imran Khan regards him so highly. He saved around 15-20 runs at point position. Then guiding his team to a wonderful victory scoring majority of the runs.

Once out of the stadium we again experienced the AAGEE syndrome managed to get home. End of the day it was a wonderful experience. A good way to spend a weekend. A good chance to meet some of the international stars & see them play from close quarters.

Vrooom... Formula1 2008 underway...

A wonderful racing weekend in Albert Park, Australia. Didn't miss a split second of it. Out of 22 cars only 6 managed to finish. Cars flying, tumbling, crashing into each other… Wow nothing can get better for a season starter.

Reliability again hit Ferrari. Unfortunate incident saw curtains down on Massa’s chances, rash & irresponsible driving by Kimi. Ferrari's performance w/o Todd & Schumi will be scrutinized. Probably we could see some in clashing develop in the team. got to wait & watch.

A bad day for most teams, guess this will be the pattern in which the season will progress.

Nico Rosberg was fantastic. Now not many will call him son of great Keke Rosberg but Williams Team Leader Nico Rosberg. Excellent driving, wonderful pressure handling. Nick Heidfeld also drove a wonderful race. Robert Kubica drove beautifully soaking all the pressure from Hekki, until a freak incident ended his race. These guys are the ones who have grownup without driver aids like traction control & all they will be the flavor of the F1 2008.

Super smooth driving by Lewis... he is going to be more than a handful for Ferrari & all the other teams this season. Lewis has a super smooth driving style developed as a result of GP2 series where there is no traction control but both Ferrari drivers have grown on traction control & driver aids so it is going to take some mistakes by Lewis & lot of luck for Ferrari to come out winning...

Kimi did all the good work on soft compound tyres to get up to P3 & then he undid himself by trying a Maverick on Hekki result P9 at end of race had he waited just another lap he could have reached podium. Alonso did well, kept his cool unlike Kimi & came out flying experience telling him to do so. Renault has had reality check last year & seems to have made some progress or is it just the brilliance of Alonso will be answered in few months time.

Force India hope to revive but can't see them going anywhere now... all the investments made by Mallya till date have been great runaway success so got to wait & see where he will take the team... they have a good experienced driver in Fisichella. Their main aim this season would probably be to complete as many races as possible... Fisi came up with some superb performances last year in Renault... hope to see the same with Force India. If they manage to score a couple of points then it will be great...Fisi is one of the right choices Mallya has done…. I would think he could get just not couple of points but he can pose a lot of questions to the other teams to put thinking cap on the other teams permitted the Force India team delivers him a quite a descent car. A lot is said in Indian media about this team. Got to wait & watch... lets see what they come up with...

With the number of cars crashing out & the new rules & regulations guess the teams will not be able to bear the financial burden if Australian GP was an indicator of anything in store for the year ahead. We could see the return of driver aids. Ferrari will be a team that will welcome this change with open arms.

I would rate Nico’s effort as No.1, Kubica No.2, Alonso No.3. & finally Kimi No.4. (till the time he got a rush of blood & did the Maverick maneuver to loose out his position). Alonso tiff with Hekki was the highlight for me, the entire maneuvering was excellent and that few secs when he moved from 4-5-4 were superb… Handling pressure has to be learnt from him. If the reaction from the pit wall of McLaren was an indicator of anything that had happened last year during these few seconds then it would be an understatement. The moment Hekki overtook Alonso, Ron Dennis jumped with the joy of a school kid being handed a handful of Ice-cream.

An overall wonderful weekend at Albert Park, Australia, Lets wait & watch what is in store for us in less than 5 days time at the Sepang circuit, Malaysia.

Till then Drive safely.

Barking dogs seldom bite....

Work for 10-12 Hrs a day & still people crib about the work we do. Sounds familiar?
Well nothing new to those working in "IT industry".

All one does is slog for all his worth and "people" come back with a feedback "you are not up to the mark". "You are not good enough to make it to the top; you should strive harder; you should put extra efforts".

Ok one ends up working longer & harder. Well They have a problem with that too... "You are spending more hours in office, you are not able to complete your work in time. You are putting in extra hours because you are not efficient".

Ok what the hell? One starts using Google to complete work faster, using others' setups, etc... finally happy about finishing work soon & have some spare time for oneself. Phew! Jussssst a minute jusst a minute... "People" can't do away without cribbing can they? Its Addictive! This time it is "You are not proactive enough at work. If you finish your alloted work you should ask for more." (Remember what happened to poor Oliver Twist when he asked for more. Huh guess these guys don't) "You need to involve yourself more in team discussions/technical discussions" (Ok how often do you hold one? prob once a month? once a quarter? You see discussion forums & meetings are a waste of precious "resource billing time")

Well well well what does one do in such a situation? How does one handle it? Hey buddy don't worry know the age old saying "Barking dogs seldom bite"? Well it is apt enough. In adversity of being bitten never panic! You know there always is a vaccine!!!

Of twists and turns in Sandal Land...

Twenty20!!!

Wickets tumbling, sixes flying of the bat, fours racing to the fence, 3 Hrs of non stop entertainment... India Victorious!!!

If this is what you expected in this column sorry, I'm speaking of the political turmoil in sandal land.

Last time round, when I wrote my previous blog I was under the impression that politics was thru with all the surprises it could dish out; but that was a Big NO!!

Look at what has happened over the last month and a half or so, even you will understand this is just power politics... A few regional news channels have gone to the extent of saying this is remarriage or some such things.

The best part is all the "elected idiots" (Yes I'm bold enough to call them that) have given in writing signed that they agree to offer unconditional support first and then put 12 points condition (again signed by all) and then say we don't support (this too has been signed) well God knows whats next.

Well for all I know who knows what will happen next & who will be next CM? If and when he becomes one is he worthy of being a CM? Or worse will there be a CM?

From a Auto-wala to vegetable vendor everyone is bored and disgusted with this dirty politics going on.

The local leader of the "Saffron Army", a guy who takes instantaneous decisions & then rues them so maybe he has gone a bit too far this time to even rue. If they had not accepted the re-alliance with "Secular party" then maybe they would have got a pity vote but now its just gone down the drain.

For all I know as I'm writing this post here sitting at home, the dirty power game might have taken yet another turn & twist who knows?

If the state affairs are to be run as per the whims and fancies of a fickle minded satrap, who calls himself son-of-the-soil, is it worthy of having him around? Isn't it time we got down to the drawing board?

but just not yet!! not yet!

Poll fever in Sandal land…

In a few days, Karnataka is headed for polls… Is it necessary? Was it inevitable? Well that remains the big question. And so far most experts have been unable to take a single strong stand on their answers…

So what exactly led to it? When did it start?
A few weeks back… no absolutely wrong… it all started when it was poll time last time round. Say 18+20=38 months ago. What? So long ago? In world of politics it is a long long time ago. Sadly yes, it is very true.

Let's see how? Well last time round when there were elections… the people gave a split mandate. The Cong got 60+, BJP was the single largest party with 80+ seats & fortunately or should I say unfortunately the Kingmaker was the JD(S). Lead by the ever fluctuating ever fickle minded JD(S) top boss who likes to call himself "Son-of-the-soil" with 40 something seats.
With a hung assembly in the state, Son-of-the-soil rallied to and fro to Delhi to talk to the "High-command". Resultant a compromise and make shift marriage between Cong & JD(S) well the Cong got the CM's chair, JD(S) had to be content with whatever it got. JD(S) totally refused to talk to the other party BJP (still to see a CM of it's own in the southern states) on basis of secularism and other factors (well that is what was told & printed in papers!).

With the tenure of CM from Cong nearing its end and a transfer of power to JD(S) in the cards; what do you know? The ever loyal son of JD(S) chief betrayed his own father (or so apparently) to tie up with BJP to form a secular Govt.! My God! Start of the Twenty-20 Govt. Bitter rivalry of son and father continued for a couple of months. It was now that Son-of-the-soil realized what a genius his son was.

The saffron party was thirsty to get some hold of power in south so blindly agreed to "an agreement" between two individuals. JD(S) got what they wanted. So did BJP or did they? Well what followed is now known to everyone. Every other "Leader" rallying to some or the other temple to make offerings to god, rallying to Delhi to meet party heads & high-commands to set it right… Ok we needn't reiterate what has happened in the last few weeks… everyone knows it.

Now who is responsible becomes the next big question.All I have to say is it is us, we people.What the hell? How? How dare you? How are we responsible? It is the internal feuding between the parties, fickle minded leaders who are responsible, not us!

Now if you can calm down I will explain…
Huh… go on… blah blah blah… I'm not listening… hmm… uh hmmm… ah haa… Ok, we the general literate young future of India what is that which interests us most?

Guys/Gentlemen – which pub serves maximum happy-hours? What is Sachin's record in the calendar year… will India beat Aus/Pak? Who is the current coach of Chelsea/Man United/etc… Who is the new gal in my team? Can I hook up with her? Which is the latest version of play station? How do I impress my boss? to get promotion/onsite, so and so forth… the list never ends.

Gals/young ladies – Ah… which one's do I mention? Let me give a try… which is yuvraj/dhoni's latest ad? Who is having a crush on whom? Who broke up with whom? What will happen in the next K serials… which is the latest designer wear? Where did ur team mate in the next cubicle get her hair done? How do I get tickets for the next concert? La-Di-Da-Di-Da...

Ok now don't start to point out that I'm just pointing fingers at urban public. If we the urban public can't make a difference, how can we expect the people with lesser exposure to make a diff? Do we realize the fact the people from lesser exposure come to cities to get a lead from us urban dwellers… What an example we are setting? Well If I ask a person going on the street to list the number of parties in the constituency where he votes; trust me 90% wouldn't know half the names of parties or party representatives.

All I'm asking is how many of us, for how many seconds in a day do we think of the state of affairs in the state let alone in the country?

I feel that with our type of mental attitude we just deserve two parties. One or the other will surely come to power. We will not have so many elections, by elections. Just look at US. Most of us dream of going there well they have just two parties and surely and clearly one is the winner! Hmm maybe it would be more of an NDA v/s UPA.

But would our regional satraps survive even one season? One full term looks too far… In a culturally diverse country like ours which has been ill-bred on feeling of regionalism more compared to nationalism; religion before national harmony; the satraps like son-of-the-soil, red flag army who hold the key.

Well we are heading for combined elections this time in the land of sandal wood. Are we justified? Are we getting too much from the parties or are we expecting a bit too much? Are we not in turn taxing ourselves by giving a split mandate? Do you realize that the frequency of elections hits our financial states? More taxes, price hikes, etc... to name just a few.
Don't get me wrong here. This is not just here in sandal wood land that this is happening… well that is the plight of our country.

Well we do have the right to elect our leaders, but do we deserve it?

In This Country...

It is in this country, India that cultural fanatics can convenience a ‘Secular’ government that watching a fiction movie can cause 'The Holy Stone' to crack. It is in this country, India that a silly kiss in public is regarded as a crime against the religion. It is here in India that by only censoring and moral policing can social harmony be achieved. It is in this country, banning TV shows and channels help bring up reponsible, culturally and socially sensitive indivudials. It is here; in India that talking in open about the-three-letter word is considered a crime. Well they at least make inquiries and congratulate you the morning after your marriage! It is here, in India that some politically religious, religiously political, some religious, some fundamentalist, some activist groups never seem to have been let down by the government. It is here that two parties with just political power control interests can always get along to form a secular government. It is here in India that rules are and can be formed just to satisfy the political interests of some.

Of Ads & Offers

Everyday we watch TV be it the (stereo type) saas-bahu serials, sports channels or any other. I remember an ad on one of the news channels. It was with Sachin with a yellow shirt saying life is like cricket... blah blah blah... another one in which SRK & John fighting to autograph a stupid looking bloke, to be finally called "Uncle"… "mujhe accha nahi laga…"

Today advertising/promoting your product/commodity is more important as compared to its quality/service. Every channel, every 5 minutes has an ad about some or the other thing. Earlier at least news channels were being spared but, now I guess, news is being telecast between ads.

Technically speaking definition of advertisement would be where a one-way communication through a medium which is being sponsored by the seller. When I say medium it includes television, radio, movies, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, and billboards. Some crazy people have gone to the extent of body advertising. By advertising a product, some feel any thing and everything can & will be sold.

The best part of advertising comes on the Indian Television channels. For the very smallest and simplest of products there is a lot of emotion, love attached to it. Does it actually help in improving the product's image? I'm not sure. But none the less there is. Say a simple thing like pet food. People have gone to the extent of introducing flavored pet food. What's next? Flavored energy drink for pets?

Coming to the point of emotions & all, just before & during the world cup of cricket remember there was a series of ads saying Hoo Haa India! Aaya India! After a dismal showing of the Indian cricket team, I don't remember seeing it. It was totally taken off air and posters were pulled down overnight. The companies didn't want to associate themselves with a bunch of "losers". They quickly took to movie stars. They are a safe bunch you see! Not much of national pride associated here. Pretty safe huh?

When one talks of movie stars in ads one can't forget but to notice every other product from chocolate to skin care cream, hair oil to pain balm, polio campaign to cement, there is a common face & a pretty familiar one, yes it is the Big B. some times I feel we've had an overdose of him. Thank god they don't rope him for ladies beauty products! Phew just imagine… The other two stars giving the Big B a run for his money in TV ad campaign are Sachin and SRK. Most of the ads are senseless & do in least promoting the product. Uncle zara iside dena... Move on... GHve way to younger people. We have had an overdose of you in cricket matches and your movies respectively.

Long time ago I remember seeing an ad on TV. It was very simple one well presented. It was a old chap fishing in the country side early morning, villager comes singing some tune. The old chap hushes him. The villager puts 4-5 drops of some liquid on a iron rod sticks it in the lake. Next minute he has caught 5 fishes & leaves happily. If I'm correct this won the best Ad for a couple of years. Why can't, if not all most of the ads be like this? Some measures of sensibility or at-least which help boost the image of the product.

Now to tell you another example: I was watching this BBC Entertainment channel; there was an ad of the Audi A4 sport variant. Such a wonderful ad, it hardly had any emotion or crass to it. Just all about the vehicle and comfort of driving it. It was a refreshing one.

I for one believe that an ad must be made such that it captures your imagination or gets you thinking. Not just senseless emotion, not promoting the product just for the heck of it. We have so many good ad men in our country. Guys wake up get your brains to work. Give us some good ones which will be remembered for a long time to come.

Apart from the television advertising, the next biggest one is advertising on net. Everyday we get so many promotional mails; every other site today is being sponsored, Google and Yahoo to name a top few. You can view advertisements based on your choice of search, your interests. But there is a problem here if you don't know how to benefit from this; it's as good as gone astray

After advertising the next big thing is Offer/Sale.
There is an MRP, cost price, selling price, profit and discount associated to a product. Every product is manufactured at a particular cost, overpriced to a preset sale price add to it sales tax, this tax, that tax, what tax, what not tax… to get MRP. Now all this excess money will give people in the supply chain a hell lot of money.

Just for example, say person A has a business setup of his own. They are retailers of products B & C in a small town. Now would you believe he makes a whooping amount by just being the retail dealer? I.e. gets stuff from a guy higher in the supply chain & transfers it to smaller trader. For doing just this one is paid a whooping amount.

So wondering what has that to do with what we are discussing? Well the roots come from there. If one of the blokes in the supply chain says ok I'm having a huge stock, I'll sell it at lower price to make up my loss, the guy at the end of the chain gives you the buyer what he calls discount. I.e. he is still making money but to you it seems like a huge amount because you don't realize how much more you end up paying. A similar network works in the Am-Way and other such products too. All the posters saying discount, sale and offers are nothing but selling you things instead of keeping them in storehouses.

Another thing that can happen is the guy who is selling you a product first overprices it and then gives you some discount. This again you are at a loss. Oh just don't forget to read the terms and conditions of the sale. Which will invariably say: objects once sold can't be returned. I.e. you're a goner.

Nowadays these offers have become so common that even airlines are giving offers! Domestic & international travel has become so common & economical that airlines can afford to give discounts & offers. What this is doing is heating up the air & room for survival for is shrinking… So soon there will be a situation that there are only a couple of players & the others have gone bankrupt or moved out to another sector. Finally it is the customer who pays the price.

Well as long as the things are in our favor why worry about what might happen sometime in the unseen future. As long as we are paying at least something less or apparently less; as long as it gives us a feel good factor, it is time to enjoy and savor.