Rufous Treepie

I just had an excursion in the neighborhood.

Over the last many days, I've been sharing pictures of the birds that play around wherever I am. What started as developing photography skills results into this.

By about 4pm today, I was bored. Like I've tried filling every empty moment off late, I set out photographing birds, more specifically birds in flight, more specifically Black Kite in flight.

I reach this neighborhood stretch lined with a lot of trees and empty landscapes. I find all sorts of birds perched on the electric wires and the trees and I forget the 'Black Kite in flight'. I spot a White-breasted Kingfisher and a flock of Rosy Starlings singing in liquid notes. I start clicking...

I go further. I find some 30 Peacocks together roaming around in a field. Laughing Doves, Mynas, Ravens, Bulbuls, Black Drongos, Parrots, Black Cormorant, White Egret, Shikra... Until I find this. Rufous Treepie (also called Indian Treepie).

No. I didn't know the name until half an hour back. I had never ever seen this bird until this excursion. I stood astonished by its colors and its presence so near to me. I read a bit about it on the net and am stumped by my ignorance of it for a good 30 years of my life. Beaten hollow.

That's the point. I could see the landscapes on this stretch getting ready for new construction, for the growth of our city. For most, it seems pigeons are birds and birds are pigeons and pigeons are pests.

What's incredible is that as children when we are at our curious best, we are taken to zoos and museums but we aren't made aware of what lies right beside and around. As children we have no cognizance of the numerous remarkable life forms that exist around us. And then on many occasions we marvel at their fetish for mobile phones and video games and insensitivity in general.

I am literally dumb-founded. I can't change the course of life and the 'lifestyles'. But here's a simple thought. Like kids learn about apples and bats and cows from visual books, they can learn about a variety of life-forms. Through toys. And I imagine soft toys in all shapes and forms of birds and animals. I said 'all', not just teddys and doggies (no offence meant to teddy-lovers and dog-lovers).

Am sure the kids would evolve to appreciate life and life-forms before they develop the desires for objects and gadgets.

Goddess of English

I just came across this interesting bit. And only now.

A Dalit writer called Chandra Bhan Prasad, along with the dalit community of a village called Banka in UP, has built a temple to worship the Goddess of English!

An excerpt from a write-up on the BBC site:

About two feet tall, the bronze statue of the goddess is modelled after the Statue of Liberty.

"She is the symbol of Dalit renaissance," says Chandra Bhan Prasad, a Dalit writer who came up with the idea of the Goddess of English

"She holds a pen in her right hand which shows she is literate. She is dressed well and sports a huge hat - it's a symbol of defiance that she is rejecting the old traditional dress code.

"In her left hand, she holds a book which is the constitution of India which gave Dalits equal rights. She stands on top of a computer which means we will use English to rise up the ladder and become free for ever."

Incredible!

It's a sort of socio-cultural development but I gather quite a few marketing tips from this event.

If people are stuck up about religion, seed the change in the religion itself, instead of trying to generate an anti-religious sentiment. Am sure it must have been some work convincing at least some of the dogmatic people in the community.

And if God is the greatest and if God's word is the highest command, then make God command the change.

They've also announced that they'll celebrate Oct 25 every year as English Day. Of course, if you have Ram Navmi, Shivratri, Holi and so on, why not English Day for Goddess of English.

Still early days but this should yield interesting and positive results. Great initiative.

You can go through the BBC article here.

Pic courtesy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

An idea for aspiring MBA-lured entrepreneurs

Having 'studied' entrepreneurship, one thing is clear to me. You needn't study entrepreneurship if you really have to become an entrepreneur.

Also having been a management student and now training management grads, I realize how much money and time goes into pursuing an MBA. 10-12 or may be 14-15 odd lacs in a couple of years. Daily expenses excluded.

Here's an idea:

Enterprise MBA, let me call it. Instead of putting in a million bucks for sitting through the classrooms and listening to all the gyan all the time, I propose to invest part of the fee in setting up an actual venture. Rest goes into classroom training which would be limited to a couple of hours in the day on an average. For the duration of the MBA, you are guided in running this venture and make it work. When you graduate, you have something of your own. Already!

Imagine if 4 such students pool in their fee into a venture!

I propose this also after I have spent all the money in studying and this and that, and after I've found it extremely hard (and still find it hard) based on these credentials that my education accorded me, to raise the seed capital. Why waste all of this precious resource called capital into simply sitting (and very often sleeping through) the classes!

Government is a Limited Duration Monopoly

How?

You buy vegetables from a particular vendor. You suspect he's started charging you higher. You check at another vendor's nearby. Your suspicion is proven right. You start buying from the new vendor. The old vendor sees you buying from the other vendor and he gets what he has done.

This is typically called competition. The great part about competition is 'fear'. Fear that if I don't do enough I might not be able to convince the buyer. I might not be able to sell my stuff. I might lose money. I might lose my business. As a result, I am always trying to do things which keep me in business. Which earns me others' trust.

Competition yields results. If not immediately, then in a little while.

After a political party is voted into power and allowed to form a government, what powers do people have? Whatever bad happens, people wait for 5 long years to vote them out. If a scam takes place today, do people have the power to shift to another government in the next few days/months? For 5 years the government enjoys monopolistic powers and very little can be done about it.

If governance is the most serious business for any country, then the market structure for governance is lopsidedly skewed towards monopoly. The democratic process is invoked for a few days every 5 years. Between those days, it's all monopoly.

How do you write your heart out?

There isn't a universal answer. Nor is there a formula.

There are people who have a serious urge to sit in silence but interact with the world around. And they have a lot to share. So they write. Voluntarily. And they have platforms like twitter, blogger, wordpress, squarespace.

But for those who feel they should write or have an urge to write but don't necessarily have the an idea of what to write, here's the platform. http://www.plinky.com/. The good thing here is that you are given a prompt everyday and you need to write and share based on that prompt. Hasn't become immensely popular yet but great platform nonetheless. Btw, the guys behind plinky are the same guys who built blogger.

Bhagwad Gita called upon to fight Anna Hazare - A conspiracy theory

Congress is in a spot. Corruption is an age-old issue. And Anna Hazare and team have raised a storm which just doesn't seem to subside. It isn't a wonder coz when it comes to economic progress, more than the policies it is corruption which has hurt the common people the most.

The attempts to make Anna Hazare seem a controversial figure have so far failed. For most part since Independence, Congress has been in power at the center. The current situation might put a full and final stop to that.

What's the recourse? Play the next best card. Religion. Seed a controversy to kill a controversy.

Go to a far off land. Attack the most celebrated and followed scripture of the country. Create an external enemy. A religious one. Make the important men and media give it time and space. Make the important men speak gibberish. Plaster pictures of protest. Make it seem like the identity of the country is at stake.

Arouse a religio-patriotic emotion to kill the existential grouse. Can they pull it off? Hide corruption behind religion? Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost...

Reader of Philosophy

Reading about the word 'Doctor' on Wikipedia, I come across this: (highlighted in red, mine)

The Ph.D. was originally a degree granted by a university to learned individuals who had achieved the approval of their peers and who had demonstrated a long and productive career in the field of philosophy. The appellation of "Doctor" (from Latin: teacher) was usually awarded only when the individual was in middle age. It indicated a life dedicated to learning, to knowledge, and to the spread of knowledge.

Notice the words in red. As many things borrowed by India from the west, 'Ph.D.' is also a borrowed concept. From sheer observation, one thing can easily be inferred: the Doctors of Philosophy (the majority of them) out here haven't necessarily had a life dedicated to learning, to knowledge, and to the spread of knowledge. Quality of universities conferring Ph.D.s is largely suspect. The one function they really do well is 'confer the Doctorate' and thereby ensure that the 'Doctor' bags a job.

Also, the absolute number of peers has definitely increased. A learned person's view is subject to scrutiny among a greater number of peers than it was some decades back. In the Indian context, couple this with a lack of quality and there is good potential for academic hoaxes all around.

Ph.D. was once symbolic of great rigor. Rigor was always bigger than the symbol that stood for it. But like many other symbols, this symbol seems to have taken an existence of its own and seems to have given job-seekers a short-cut to bypass the rigor. 

My solution: have 'extent of reading' as a dominant measure of 'a life dedicated to learning, to knowledge, and to the spread of knowledge'. For quality of teaching is, to a great extent, a function how well-read the teacher is. Ph.R. seems more appealing. Would I want to converse with and learn from a person who's gone through like 1000 books? Definitely. Am I likely to 'enjoy' learning in company of such a person? You bet.

Dancing minds

If an organization thrives on great minds, a movement-mapping of the minds of its members would probably showcase a rather ugly dance. In fact, there would be no semblance of choreography, leave aside the concept of dance.

Wikipedia has a page on synchronized swimming:

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either solos, duets, trios, or teams) performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater.

Read that again. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater. Aren't these precisely what we desire among a group of people, team-members, employees?

Effectiveness and efficiency are a consequence of synchro-dancing minds. And the first requirement for synchro-dancing minds is 'a shared vocabulary'. An almost-precise and common understanding (among all the team members across the hierarchy) of the words and concepts that your organization/brand is hitched on.

Management Education through Reading

I dream of an institute where management training and education is driven by reading. Yes, the primary mode of instruction is reading. Indirectly, self-understanding, and of course, aided by the presence of experts around.

Instead of classrooms there could be reading rooms. Instead of classrooms there could be ideas-of-the-book discussion rooms. There could be two libraries - one driven by theoretical texts and the other by pop-texts.

Now what should I do?

The myth of confidentiality of ideas

On a lot many occasions, when I am asked for ideas or suggestions/advice, I find myself holding myself back. On many other occasions, I am sharing ideas left, right and center to many people's surprise. Near and dear ones even alert me on occasions when I go overboard talking about my ideas.

And my experiences so far lead me to conclude that the idea that 'there is merit in keeping ideas confidential' is a misplaced fear. And like many conclusions we come to, there are some exceptions to this conclusion as well. People share a hell lot of ideas on certain idea-sharing sites. But there are many - I suppose, majority - who don't.

I categorize ideas into two types:

• talking-dependent ideas
• doing-dependent ideas

Mind you, 'talking' also means 'doing'. Out here though, 'doing' excludes 'talking. :) You get the drift.

What do I call a talking-dependent idea? It's an idea which doesn't demand any significant change in the physical set-up (for once, consider 'software code' as physical). So that means a 'doing-dependent' idea is one which demands a significant change in physical set-up.

If you share some marketing communication ideas, it might be fairly easy for people to pick it up and run with it on their own. And that happens. But share an idea which implies birth of a new business model and you'll see how often it gets picked up.

Does that mean 'doing-dependent' ideas cannot be 'stolen'? Of course, can be. But the chances are slim, very slim.

I reckon a 'doing-dependent' idea would get 'stolen' if all of these conditions are met together. The person stealing the idea:

• has domain expertise
• has and is willing to risk his time and money on something that isn't his own 'idea'
• is intelligent and reads all that's in between the lines
• is energetic

Just 4 conditions but they are 'big' conditions to fulfill, all at the same time.

Is your idea 'doing-dependent'? Go, share! Chances of hitting the ears of a supporter are greater than those of a stealer. :D

Spice has what the Blackberry doesn't!

As makers of a business phone did they (Blackberry folks that is) ever not think of this one!? Projector in a phone!

I really have my doubts about this one since it's coming from Spice. I wish that the product quality is good. Whatever the case be, the communication has bagged the needed attention.

It seems to me they want to offer the facility of 'projecting' to one and all. However, I sense it would be more useful to guys who've got more to share pertaining to business.

Want to observe how this performs in the market. And does it help Spice, the brand, in general? Interesting innovation for sure!

Standing while working

I've ended that experiment for now. My shoulders started paining. I realized, something's still not sorted.

I think it's the position of my neck when I try to look at the laptop screen. That doesn't seem right. I can sense that if my neck doesn't have to bend at all and the screen is right in front, my 'standing while working' experiment might bear fruit.

I tried searching for a computer system with a laptop-like keyboard but couldn't find one. I searched for a laptop with detachable screen and found that Lenovo has just launched one. But the thing is that the screen becomes a tablet once detached; I presume then that the keyboard gets inactive. What I simply want is a laptop like key-board with a screen that can be placed/hung on the wall to keep my neck straight while 'working while standing'. :)

Just before the search, I thought it could be an opportunity to launch such a product - keyboard of a laptop with a detached screen. Like always I was presumptuous at the start. I realized that such products have been talked about ever since 2005. I also found that there are some technical issues; such an arrangement adversely affects the power output and the size might get bigger!

Anyway, am waiting for this product to resume my experiment ;).

Experiment with 'standing while working'

Have so very often felt that sitting is not a great posture while working. Guess it increases the waistline and makes one soporific and dulls the senses.

Earlier once, when I was in a job, I had asked for a 'standing desk' at office. But office being office, people fail to experiment with the smallest of things.

Today after checking out a couple of furniture stores, I realized I would have to make do on my own. So here's the arrangement :).

What do I do about Japan's Tsunami?

I wake up at 4:10 in the morning and write this.

Tsunami isn't nature's fury.

Nature is inert and Earth is a chemical mixture. Human beings seem to have played around with this mixture to an extent that the composition has changed and the imbalance is now playing out; the mixture is far more volatile.

Some other time, eons back, there was a change in the mixture and chemical compounds shaped in a manner that it gave rise to consciousness. On the scale of time counted in billions of years, the effect of that change in the mixture, which gave rise to consciousness, is being felt now by that very consciousness.

A theory of boredom

Have been operating out of home for a few days. On occasions it gets so so so boring that mind stops working and sleeping becomes tough too. So, with no options left, I have to endure the 'boredom' sensations.

However, I have been wondering how could 'boredom' have evolved. Here's my venture.

It seems to me that most of the time, since our evolution as 'humans', we would have spent doing nothing but either sleeping or staying 'alert'. That's right, staying 'alert'. Without concrete or solid protective structures around, that would have been the only option. To survive, staying alert the entire day was an imperative. And that was the occupation. And alertness induced action.
  

So, any task or occupation that doesn't match the evolved sense of alertness among humans is bound to seed 'boredom'. Over a period of time, as this seed of 'boredom' grows and as our own acceptance of 'boredom' grows, we lose what nature gave us - alertness and the propensity to act.

That's also one reason why, in spite of seemingly high degree of risk, entrepreneurship is alluring. It heightens our sense of alertness to a great extent. We have to be on our toes and wits :) to 'survive'. Alertness is the herbicide which checks the spread of boredom in our lives. Indeed, you are responsible for putting yourself in such situations where you have to be alert or you will be 'die of boredom'.

What kind of salesmen should automobile brands hire?

Off late whichever automobile showroom I've been to, the sales guys have failed to impress. I went to Chevy showroom in the morning.

I don't mean they look bad. No, their appearances have vastly improved. The problem is awareness of their own product. None of them (yes none of the ones I've encountered so far) have exhibited even as much knowledge of their product as I have. Not that I have a great deal in my head. But still...

That raises a simple question: what kind of salesmen should automobile brands hire?

I credit blogging and reading blogs for my awareness of the products in the automobile world. If blogs are responsible for depth of understanding and knowledge, let me say that bloggers would make for far far better salesmen at the moment of truth. So why not hire them for sales?

Not only will they sell better, they are gonna give a lot more back to the brand in terms of consumer understanding. Yes, bloggers have a penchant to articulate and express all that they gather and understand. And that in turn will work for product development.

So what does a brand do if not many bloggers hold any positive beliefs for its products? Hire them faster! No?

Machine gun and the perished berries

I've observed myself and many others over the years getting amused by the 'happy ending' at the end of the movies. More so, when the narrative is typical and the end is so very easily anticipated.

So a slew of questions:

• Why do only the hero-heroine stay alive at the end and all others get crushed? What about lives and stories of those who got crushed only to leave the hero-heroine standing tall?
• Why do off-beat movies don't sort of work with the masses so often?
• Why do the ridiculously and inanely comical movies work wonders?

One aspect is probability. If we simply look at the number of people who die trying, they are countless. Of course, how many big successes you see around you? Very few. So it is always a wonder that where countless died, what is it that these folks did that they survived.

I mean think about it like this. There is a little roadside thela of berries. Let's say there are 1 lac berries on this thela. And a man with a machine gun loaded with 1000 bullets suddenly opens fire at this thela :). What will happen? Most berries perish! Few will stay intact though. Those few are our hero and heroine :D.

Stories can only be seen retrospectively from the point of view of survivors. Only the survivors have a tale worth telling. Why? Simply coz they survived. Sometimes survivors tell a tale of what they witnessed, what influenced them. Still it's the survivor's tale. He chooses to narrate whatever he wants to coz he's alive :). Be a survivor, or influence a survivor. I assume though, it might not be so wonderful simply influencing and be an 'amazingly perished berry'. :)

Off-beat movies are so often driven by the common-place. Common-place dies. In the commonest ways. It's a story about perished berries. Why will they work! Sure there's something extra-ordinary even in the common-place. There is an extra-ordinary story of such perishing like berries. There is such a detailing of perishing in these movies.

Lastly, the ridiculously and inanely comical movies simply evade the question of survival and perished berries. In that, everything is fun. These movies have to work. They work.

Hail the comical! Jim Carrey! Rajendranath! Johny Lever! Govinda! Ajay Devgan! And all attemptors of the comic.

Grappling with my non-Pavlovian status

My last post was a reflection of my state of mind. This extends the explanation.

It really feels strange to be out of a 9 to 5 routine. Sometimes I find myself staring into the void. Still not able to relinquish my 'Pavlovian' needs :).

Perhaps this word needs some explanation. 'Pavlovian' as I've used means a repetitive juxtaposition of certain two elements such that eventually one is accepted as the cause of existence of another for no 'logical' reason. For example, getting a certain salary/compensation in the first few days after every month. So, 'the end of the month' gets so connected with 'receiving salary/compensation' that it becomes cause enough to expect 'salary/compensation'.

Anyway, seemingly linked to the above phenomenon, I've observed people are hired more for their availability than for their actual work. Just making sure that people are available at any point in time gives a sense of security that work will happen. And this observation is a rather disturbing one. For it undermines the value of time. Or, in other words, it simply implies that it is okay to let people idle away their time when there's no 'work'. It isn't a wonder then that spending 30-31 days at your workplace, doing whatever, means you oughta get your 'salary'.

Now, one can raise a question what is 'actual work'. :) Have fun.

Crabs vs Elephants

Invitation Cards for the Conference

That's the title of the conference on Medical Business Economics arranged here tonite at 8:00. About 100 odd doctors are expected to participate. Hoping for a breakthrough.

Push Posts

Having got addicted to reading through Google Reader and to using a Blackberry, I have a suggestion for smart-phone makers/marketers:

Introduce PUSH POSTS for smart-phones

If facebook and twitter mobile apps help people socialize to their heart's desire, if push mails help people stay as closely connected with their work-related matters as possible, PUSH POSTS might help them climb greater levels of enlightenment. The world needs more enlightened souls, no?

Hope 2011 is the year when marketers wake up to the idea of PUSH POSTS.