Of the confessions, text messengers and lost battles…

Have you ever got the heavy feeling, when you read a text message and consciously choose not to revert? Well, making a mental check of you replying to a text and then forgetting to reply is a different scenario altogether. The former deals with the urge to catch up on information, checkout updates, read emails and so on.

Let us make it more experiential so that we analyze the behavior. What do you feel after doing such an action? You feel weightless, relaxed and peaceful. It can be compared to a feeling of a momentary moksha.  The same feeling you get after a day’s hard work. Next, what motivates you to repeat this behaviour? Well, in this virtual world of social media boom, it is the constant need to stay updated. It like you’ve a mental task list and you always want it to be ticked.

We can draw an analogy with the blackberry messenger on how it became so popular and how the follower whats app is laughing all the way to the bank. I’m not a psychologist to comment on this issue.  Being an avid follower of social media trends, a content writer and a having done a lot of self-introspection and a series of long discussions has helped me to shape my opinion on the issue. In fact, the new trend through confession pages and more non-anonymous form of updates like statuses and twitter posts,  people are more opiniated  than ever. It is ideal for a democracy like India where people are more aware about the issues. I look at it as a situation where everyone is a writer with an assured audience as the connections are constantly checking out their virtual social circles for whats new?

In fact, this obsession to be at the top of the pyramid in this communication revolution has disarmed my self-control and whenever, I find some free time, I’m hooked to reply to an email from some friend as the thought conquers my mind. I’ve had a partial success with giving up blackberry, no whats app, abandoning the phone and facebook for fortnights. However, I’m convinced that this is a doomed battlefield as my friends and family wish to communicate through these convenient channels. Ultimately, either they decide the future ways to communicate and lead the paradigm shifts or I join them. The medium and message has now become interchangeable…

The Great Indian Reality Show

Indians have always had a nose for ‘news’. With the detoriation in the popularity of reality shows, the news channels have filled the demand gap and what we’re witnessing is the emergence of a new age in the viewership of the idiot box. The news has emerged as the great Indian reality show.

A simple reflection is what constitutes our prime-time shows.  The new family TV time is the Bulletin Broadcast. There can be various motives attributed to it. Firstly, it is the dearth of good Indian fiction shows.  The new-fangled intelligent audience doesn’t find relevancy in the glamour and drama soaps. The youth fulfill this craving by feeding on the international sitcoms. The elders are disconnected to these international flavours and naturally sans alternatives. 

Furthermore, it is the evolution of social media which has cultivated in us, the impulse to be bang up-to-date with what’s happening around us. In fact, other than the usage and impact of the information, the emphasis has moved to who know’s what and when. Thirdly, it’s the age of power media clout. The news channels now have engaging talk show hosts who sensationalize and seem to represent the hoi polloi. The celebrities and the politicians alike feel the necessity to come out and voice their opinion instead of being misinterpreted by the shrewd spokesperson.

Now that we’ve discussed the raison d’etre, let us scrutinize if the trend is evil? In our times, information is power. Politics is a foremost element of this masala. This makes us a robust democracy with people being cognizant.  This newly found power has however, waged an intra-industry war amongst the news channels. They are contending on what makes the breaking news. They are crafting and flouting social movements at their will. These will are motivated by what pushes the TRP and not on what quintessence the information has.  So the reality show camouflages itself with the audience voting.

A recent illustration of their muscle would be the Anna Hazare led India Against Corruption movement which was predominantly created by TV media. The chosen one to point out these loopholes has been a sibling of TV. It can now be addressed as the step brother- newspapers. It challenges the newscast shaped by TV through its editorial and Points of View sections. The youngest sibling Private radios rather than challenging the vox popli have decided to go with the tide. Like never before radio channels are indirectly sharing news content and leading social movements.

So earlier there were reality shows, which were deemed to be fixed. Now, the battle has surpassed the war-fields to the mediums competing. Although the consumer is the king, the medium the ministers, it’s the newsmaker- the secret dictator…

But who cares once the reality show is over?

The Ramayana of Consulting

More than 100 years ago, the business empires were struggling,

Their profits trembling and fortunes sinking,

To the business leaders rescue innate the Management Consultant,

He used facts, numbers and analysis to circumvent.

In the new kingdom, like always there was white and black and seldom gray,

The dormant brother BCD accompanied the evil Mk in every way,

Bain came to the world and always did the analysis right,

Took the responsibility for the execution of the insight.

The growing territory due to its solutions approach led to complexity,

He befriended Bain Capital to manage the Kingdom of Private equity,

This was led by a devotee with the face of a monkey,

He was the leader of the future: Mitt Romney.

Seeing their empires shrinking, led to jealousy among wicked Giants,

As they lost their dedicated servants and clients,

The evil conspired to steal the Bain’s heart “Profit from the Core” book,

Authored by the wise sage Chris Zook.

When Bain and Bain capital were in exile,

Mk disguised as a customer in artistic style,

He requested Bain to share the book to know,

How can he make his business grow.

No sooner he got it, than he ran away to his distant office,

Attempted to tear of its cover,

Romney who reached at that moment, used a spell in hope,

The cover then only grew like an endless rope.

Mk prepared its consultants for what was in store,

The biggest war in consulting history which changed its core.

Romney in his first attack burnt the memory of entire kingdom,

Thus, was lost their newly acquired wisdom.

Another difficulty was how to reach to distant land,

Bain got direction from its ‘True North’ principle,

People’s tremendous effort and chore,

After all, it was for 10 years the ‘best place to work for.’

The war was difficult and long lasting,

First to lose its expertise was the sibling BCD due to its contrasting,

For as always his troops made an amazing strategy and plan of action,

They lacked the essence of the power of execution.

Mk needed to be killed 10 times for its 10 decades of experience,

That had made it close to CEOs and politicians.

Bain discovered that its business built merely on contacts,

It could attack its base of facts.

Then the new Chairman Orit Gadiesh estimated the point of assault with an 80: 20 approach,

The bow slained the unjust, with a Zero defect poach,

And after 14 years of turmoil, when Bain returned to Boston in 1993,

The business world celebrated the victory of good over bad- the ‘Consultant’s Diwali.’

P.S:

Shh.. This is one of Bain’s best kept secrets,

Even now some ancestors of the evil consult without regrets,

Bain confident about its ultimate leadership doesn’t rant,

‘People Passions Results’ is its victory chant!

Jeena isi ka naam hai...

The line has a strange recollection. The first pictures being Farooq Shaikh’s award winning show, the latter being vivid images of Raj Kapoor’s song. I shall speak about the former.

 The show format incorporates calling all the people who have had an impact in the lives of celebrities and successful people. This includes neighbours, school friends, college friends, industry friends, relatives, co-workers, admirers and fans. It is not like another talk show which poses scandalous questions and rapid fires to get that extra piece of information. This series talks about the journey of life. The milestones defined by the people who one meets in the various stages of life. It encompasses small anecdotes which define our life decisions. It describes you as a person where other give testimonies about how you made them feel. The host is focused on the penultimate moment when you’re empowered with the closest people standing by your side and in unison saying- Jeena isi ka naam hai…



 The show celebrates life. It justifies why we celebrate birthdays even though we’re moving close to our death. It is a prequel to the question- “Who will cry when you will die?” and transforms it to “Who will smile and be happy and has drawn meaning from your life?” And I believe we should have this feeling at least once, as you’re always your hero in your own eyes…

Delhi v/s Mumbai- A tale of 2 cities…

Please copy the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p0pPRBmJx8hffu46iRLzzm8OfiSvYrCVpp1gZZMut-A/edit

Why Facebook is here to stay...

More than 5 years since its inception in India and the 8 letter word, not only being a new addition to our dictionary has inarguably become an intrinsic part of one’s verve. It has replaced some of its predecessors to such an extent that ‘Orkut’ and ‘Myspace’ have become an extinct vocabulary. I’ve had many discussions with my friends on how its charm shall be doomed by something more ingenious but in vain.

If the high valuation of Facebook’s IPO wasn’t convincing enough, glance through its membership which is bound to traverse the populace of a myriad of nations maturing into an international obsession beyond the multiplicity and diversity. Its popularity is farther than American elections and has raised insecurities of some Governments to such a level that it has been banned. For critics, who are not a friend yet, have either been persuaded by friends or had a tough time convincing their friends why they don’t believe it is logical to join.

The biggest catalyst beyond connection and secrecy is that it enables the users to create his own content. The user can update the status of his life, tell which corner of the world he is in or even add his secret crush. So, one can be in command of public relations controlling his information sharing. Consequently, there is a constant bustle in one’s life, followed by the curiosity of knowing what’s happening with the people you know. So, it can match up to a customized newspaper where you’re the editor; coupled with the choice of content at a click of the mouse. This narcissism is here to reside.

This is escorts ease of access facilitated from cell phones to tablets. In addition, Facebook has harmonized its efforts in accelerating connectivity with constant upgradation of its Timeline like introducing video calling with skype, social reading such as Washington post, giving a complementary email account, photo access with Instagram and professional networking with Glassdoor. Moreover, the profiles can be beyond people, extending to companies, interests and public figures we love or hate. Another interesting trend is mankind’s shift towards productivity where there is a constant urge to do something constructive and this is a step forward for man’s instinctive ability of being a social animal.

Also, you can share practically anything on the world wide web by just posting a link. One of the attractive raison d'être for its development comes from its premium alma meter ‘Harvard’ , moving on to the other Ivy Leagues which have a cult following in today’s youth and intellectuals. Also, facebook provides superior content for gossip mongers, one of our national pastimes. In some lingual connotations, it has been used as a synonym of time pass. The manner in which the largest multinational corporations and most powerful government’s in the world have become a consumer of this platform themselves has lead to an all new ball game of social media marketing. This vividly signifies its significance in our popular culture. Confidently, it is here to stay until we stop changing our status or a new plus multiplies its reach.

Closing with an appealing remark-

Entertainment Weekly included the site on its end-of-the-decade "best-of" list, saying, "How on earth did we stalk our exes, remember our co-workers' birthdays, bug our friends, and play a rousing game of Scrabulous before work."re Facebook?"

7 Life (changing) skills enabling infinite possibilities

Your age, profession, preference no longer matters. The Information Age at its onset brings the realm of new opportunities with a duality of challenges. After a lot of reading, experiences, discussions and more importantly introspection here is a compilation of 7 colors of your personality traits/skills which you need to rediscover/redefine to devise your X-factor.

1. Speed Reading-

Today’s newspaper, fortnightly niche magazines, company reports, online articles and the list is unending. So much to read and think, still lesser time. 250-300 words per minute is passé. The pre requisite is glancing through the text twice or thrice faster than your current speed to cope up with the overflowing information all around us notwithstanding the urge to read the PAGE 3 column.

2. Listening-

How can listening be a skill? You’re already hearing to the sounds in the vicinity. With all the neighboring noise and our habit of conveying our opinion, listening inclined in importance .If you still disagree, observe a senior manager/politician LIVE and check how much they listen. Lesson #1: Listen to your inner voice.

3. Walk the talk-

Approaching strangers can be difficult, let alone attempting business with them. To stand opportunistic enough, get out of that comfort zone and stop thinking ‘Why should I start talking to him?’ For practice try social places like the local club, dance classes, playgrounds etc. It is most useful when travelling and approaching people for directions.

4. KISS (Keep it Simple Silly) -

Whether it is an investor presentation, the first date or a child enquiring ‘why does something happen?’ What everyone wants is simplicity, a summary of the complex information. So, you continue the hard work, develop your logic but when you present- KISS.

5. Autodidactism (Self-learning) -

There is a system of formal education, technical courses, everyday skills and the list is unending. Whether it is cooking, how to tie a tie or how to do bhangra, thanks to www everything is available at the click of a mouse. It requires a bit of a research but a magnitude of discipline. With self-directed learning you can surely be a ‘Jack of all trade.’

6. Social media management -

With such an array of media available, it is strenuous to choose how to communicate and maintain contact, most importantly have a consistent message. All of us aware of their usage nevertheless it commands a lot of training and trial and error to harness them effectively and unleash their true potential.

7. Time management-

Ultimately, to grasp all these life skills, you need time and time management is itself a skill. The tenor can be sticky notes, to-do lists, pocket diary or cell phone reminders. Yet ,a new pedagogy is essential to enable a paradigm shift from focus on per minute productivity to a rostrum for self-awareness and leisure. It doesn’t matters how much you do in a day, but what you actually do. For starters, start with accomplishing one perfect thing in a day.