Evergreen Gareebi, evergreen slogans!

It’s weird, the people are with congress despite all it’s goofups, coz they don’t like being with a ‘communal’ party. Yes, the gory images of riots makes me seethe too, but that doesn’t make me forgive congress for what it continues to do

Someone rather knowledgable worded it interestingly,

Congress had a clear agenda in its mind, keeping Indians underprivileged and uneducated, so that they are surrounded by poverty and Congress shall keep its Gareebi Hatao slogan evergreen. They regressed on all progress made by NDA government, but could not go to pre NDA era because the people of India had tasted good life, there would have been a backlash if they had tried to do that. So they adopted an alternate strategy, to not to improve it any further and maintain status quo, because status quo maintained over a long time is actually negative development.

Yes, it’s rhetorical in itself, but there’s a lot of factual knowledge that has gone into it!

Would really hate to see the dalaals at rule again! India deserves better.

The generonosity of the farm loan waiver!

I didn’t think I was going to write on specific political topics, because it’s usually not possible to conduct complete research to be able to address all arguments. And without research, I can’t critique, but only allege.

I’ve been discussing or hearing about the farmer loan waiver issue, that’s been seen my some of my naive friends as a generous large-hearted move by our dear congress government! Decided to explore a lil bit, got some understanding from my political guide, and rest was easy to figure out, to let me have my own view on it.

In a nutshell, to me, it’s like giving fish to people, never teaching them how to fish, so they’ll keep coming back to you to get fish every day. Simple loyalty till perpetuity! So the congress makes sure the poor stay poor and keep voting them back to power! (No wonder, they don’t care so much about their urban taxpayer or educated audience, we’re irrelevant!) Appropriately, the congress webpage on this issue, is titled

CONGRESS KA HAATH

ANNADATA KE SAATH

Seems ironic to me, that the hand seems to be holding the annadata back from making any progress, in 60 years of independence. A waiver, is spent money written off, not like a better system for the future.  I’d not be surprised, if we find ourselves in a similar need-to-write-off situation again in a year or two!

My friend has a somewhat crass way of putting it across. Go outside a random temple and give 100 bucks to a beggar, in all probability, in three days, he’ll be again begging at the same spot.

The Congress on its website says, since the economy grew at 9% per annum under their able leadership, it was rather easy to pull out 72,000 Cr. to waive off these loans.  Perhaps it was loose change lying in their pockets! Something I did really like about the whole thing, was the simplicity, again from AICC website :

There is no application, no certification, no documents to be attached, nothing.

Easy, come and take it. Now, it’s only left to the imagination, how much of the 72,000 Cr. really reached the farmers! Of course, the banks in the game, made a fortune, by including the loans that were repaid, into defaults. And there’s no audit on the process!

The loan waiver could only affect people who had access to institutional credit(23% of all farmers), and the ones commiting suicides are the ones who had borrowed from local moneylenders at high rates and whose lives were made miserable by these lenders day in and day out.

No wonder the suicides continued at their own pace - 7 farmers continued to kill themselves each day, even after the waiver announcement.

And lets not talk about the farmer who felt like a fool for having repaid the loan in time, when everyone else got away with a waiver! As a rule, no farmer shall want to repay a loan anymore, (Haath haina) entirely destabilizing the prospects of the entire farm credit sector.

And we have our oh-so-sweet Rahul Gandhi taking an oh-so-noble stand

Freedom from poverty is not a matter of charity or luck; it is a right – Rahul Gandhi, AICC General Secretary

So while the economists were completely confounded with the fiscal profilgacy, the taxpayer felt helpless, my naive young friends, who felt disturbed by the farmer suicides, feel proud that their leaders are generous enough (at the taxpayer’s cost of course, unless congress has a goldmine in its backyard) to take good care of the poor Indian!

And well, it’s not just me talking, if you really want to have an informed opinion about it,

This is what Rediff picked from Business Standard

And, here’s a really nice one from the guys at Mutiny.in

And GVL Narsimha Rao writes the Bottomline in mint, to bring out the truth, that the move was to appease the unhappy farmers, who were unhappy for the wheat import at exorbitant prices!

And for a somewhat politically neutral pavilion, you might read Offstumped

So what happens next, the congress might have won the vote bank of the farmers, so it can comfortably ingore the itch that the tax payer felt with its largesse. And anyway, there’ll be some large hearted people who’ll buy the congress reasoning and vote them back!

If you’re convinced, with me or any of the links I posted, please spread the word. Unfortunately, there are quite a few ill-informed educated people in our country! The congress is appeasing it’s vote bank and till the sensible tax payers get together to call their bluff….

It’s time YOU need to act!

Can Educated India be politically relevant?

Much as there are a whole bunch of things I don’t like or understand about democracy, I won’t engage in arguing for or against it, simply because Democracy is here to stay, whether you and I like it or not.

What we do have in our hands, is the implications. Of divisive politics, and of caste based vote banks and the choice for us to become ‘relevant’

The underlying fact is, each of us, by himself, only has one vote and inadvertently allow vote banks to be created on the lines of caste and religion. One leader from an XYZ community can promise a few thousand votes of his people, knowing full well that they stand behind him. He can bargain for anything, including reservations, or other kinds of personal favors, or cash.  He won’t even shy away from taking to the streets or outright hooliganism, knowing that the politician dare not displease him and his vote bank.

And then, of course, there are the businessmen looking for their share of the pie out of the thousands of crores of government spending on various projects. They can fund the candidates’ campaigns, and money can then buy numbers. Don’t we all know of the several instances of country liquor, saris, biryani and other things distributed to buy slumdwellers’ votes.

And if you can get a vote ‘bank’ by any move, it’s anyday preferable to collecting individual votes, it’s a much better Return on Time Invested after all.

On the other hand, if as Responsible Indians, we were to come together and take collective political decisions, there’s a lesser chance that we’d be manipulated by short term poll tactics. We could constitute a vote bank, that means business and can’t be fooled. I’m not asking for blind following, or denouncing individual choice and freedom, just a more collective approach.

Simply put,

Why can’t a Tax Payers’ association stand up and make demands, that we’ll vote for the government that shows better transparency with the way tax revenue is spent?

Why can’t an IT professionals’ association stand up and say that we want better educational institutes ?

Why can’t a Youth Group, promise a few thousand votes for better attention to youth affairs – employability and vocational education?

Because we’re too busy to unite. We’re too busy to lend our voices to such causes. And, often, we have personal interests, that rise above the interests of our group or even the nation. (one of my most disappointing personal experiences, to note this in a young professional, who was too busy to help, but was keen do it for money.)

The trouble with smart people is that they’re really smart. We’re extremely difficult to convince. We’re too smart to follow the words of any leader. We have endless questions. We’re wishful thinkers who can enjoy a political discussion in the drawing room, but leave it at that. And we’re supremely cynical about the politics of the country.

And We they stand alone. One smart guy doesn’t easily trust the judgment of another smart guy. Even after he is convinced, none of us can claim to represent the political preferences of even a close friend circle. Because we’re shy of taking a public stand. Because we fear defying group behavior. We can’t step out of the herd. We’re afraid we’d be judged.. We’d stand out, we’d lose social approval……

The essential Mantra, is United we stand, divided we are irrelevant.

It’s time to waken the voice within and add weight to it, to become politically significant!

So lets stop taking the holier than thou approach, and start getting our hands dirty to clean up our home!

It’s time to start talking politics.

To Join Hands! To Ask Questions!

It’s akin to the freedom struggle, the quest this time, is the redemption of the nation!

P.S. This is an entirely politically neutral post! The change I want to see in the world – Hear a voice, irresepctive of political preferences! And this pursuit must continue, even after the elections are over and the powers are established. Whichever way. The Change will not be overnight.

I’m Politically Active! Are YOU?

Having a status message, “Getting Political, Working with BJP! Wanna Join?“, evokes interesting reactions from people. From surprise to disappointment, to excitement in Joining in the effort!

So well, here’s my story!

Middle Class thoughts and dreams!
Brought up In a middle class value system, I grew up to see my peers talk of politics as the last resort of scoundrels. A family intimately involved with the Sangh gave me the first ideas and also in rebellion, a chance to question what I did not believe in.

Today, having fulfilled the middle class dream of going to an IIT and an IIM, I have a greater belief in my own sensibilities and a greater willingness to question and understand things that are playing a key role in this country.

I can’t not participate in the political process that are going to shape the future of my country, and my world…

I had to do more…
Have been witness to, and sometimes participated in countless sessions of politician bashing, blaming corruption and so on.. As I grew up, I no more sign online petitions because I see them as impotent. I didn’t participate in candle light vigils, because that couldn’t proxy for REAL results that I wanted. I couldn’t consider my responsibility as over, just by taking these steps.

I wouldn’t do this to absolve myself of the guilt coming from being apathetic or uncaring.

Not the Easy Way Out!

I am not going to take the easy route of saying that everyone’s bad and nothing can happen of this country. I will get in, understand things the way they are, and initiate change the way I see feasible and practical. It’s not an overnight journey. Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m not asking to be made PM tomorrow.

More than One Silent Vote
I could choose to be a silent voter, in favor of whoever I choose. But this vote, would be more than canceled out by an uninformed/ careless or misguided voter. I don’t feel shy about having taken a political stand. I’ve taken a stand, and I’m vocal about it. I wear my choice on my sleeve.

At least I have made a choice. I’m not sitting on the fence.

Today, when I take a side, I am attempting to ‘Be the change I want to see in the world‘ . Young and yet mature, sensitive, educated blue jeans – white kurta politician, who may not KNOW everything, but has the will to deliver and the desire to make a difference.

History shall not forgive me, if I hide away behind the veil of busyness, and let the country go to the dogs.

I know I don’t have to fight for my bread as hard as my previous generation at my age had to. So work’s no excuse.

I am NOT afraid of the questions that people will ask, or what they will say, or will they look down upon me. What I can do, how much difference I can make, shall guide me more than the fear of what people will say.

But then why BJP?

On a sarcastic note, I wasn’t born a Gandhi, or a Scindia, or a Deora, or a Pilot , so I pretty much have no chance of making a sensible entry into Congress.

I don’t think BJP’s perfect. I don’t agree with everything each BJP leader says or does. There is NO Black or White in this space. And BJP, to me, seems a lighter shade of grey.

It’s consistently been fashionable to claim to be driven by secular values, and disregard BJP, while being the silent spectator to whatever else has been done, in the name of secularism.

I believe, there’s a better chance to bring about improvements here and be heard by the powers that be.

I’m going to write more  in the next few days, explaining my choice. I’m NOT a fundamentalist. Trust me.

So What am I doing for the BJP?
Having seen things from multiple angles, I do trust my intelligence and know how much the media loves to hate BJP, filling the whole generation of my intellectual colleagues, with nothing but hatred for a ‘communal’ party.

I am going to try to INFORM people better.

And then, everyone has opinions, ideas, issues that he wants raised, heard and responded to by the leaders.

I want to enable this to happen.

In a simple way, I’m looking at getting the educated youth to be politically active. And it doesn’t end with voting. It does shape in being vocal with your vote, and then playing an active role with the government at different levels.

It’s a citizen’s war, to choose their leaders, and I feel ashamed to know that 9% of eligible urban youth had voted in the last elections.

So would you like to participate in the WAR?

Join me, and we’ll rock. Join my enemy, and we’ll enjoy the fight. Just don’t be a silent witness.

Write to me at ankur.gattani(at)bjp.org and we’ll talk about what YOU can do !

And I do know you have a LOT of questions to ask of the BJP leadership, before you even consider them, please leave your questions here, and we’ll try finding the answers from the horses’ mouths!

Cheers!

Brands to use Internet?

Had been toying with this idea of generating ideas for brands about what they could really use the internet for. Though I’m more of an advocate of conversations really ‘using’ internet for what it can do, rather than ideas using internet as yet another broadcast mechanism, alongside TV, Radio et al. As I see it, internet should fit in to the larger scheme of things rather than be a standalone thing, with little connection with what’’s going on TV and print.

That, can only happen with the internet becoming a part of the proposals of mainstream agencies for their campaigns. It can’t be a silo of activity handled by a small team outside the main agency – unless they can actually establish a seamless way of communicating and integrating the whole thing together.

As I see it, ideas can be generated rather fast, if you get around to thinking, but it takes a lot more than a head to really put the idea into execution.

It would be just so exciting if I could be in a position to execute all these ideas, or at least discuss them with the powers that be, rather than just sit by myself and make mental pictures!

Coming to think of it, why don’t brands crowdsource ideas for their own marketing! There’s a whole lot out here, including me, who’d only be too happy to see a validation of their idea – by way of acceptance and execution – and not want to really charge money for it!

Shall give a platform for people to apply their creativity and brand loyalty to create something unique!

Interesting. So lets run a competition across b schools to create an ad campaign / plan for a few brands, and put the whole thing together online.

Now this kind of a thing would not be considered a part of internet strategy, but could lead to the most meaningful content being generated on the internet for the brand.

My stream of consciousness, generates ideas! And I can be a lil immodest that, amidst the crap, you’ll find at least some of them worthwhile!

Anyway. I still don’t follow the rules of blogging, I don’t do trackbacks, I read others, but dont’ often comment, or link to them. So I have no right to expect any one else to be reading this blog, or commenting here! But if you did chance upon it some how, might as well let me know you were here, so I’ll at least look you up!

Just realizing that I need to be terse and to the point when making these entries, so the reader doesn’t bored!

If nothing else, the blog will also carry the evolution of me as a blogger! I don’t know how long this streaming of consciousness would last though!

Undressing a soul?

It’s just amazing how layer after layer as people open up, you discover beneath the surface – there lies beauty, romance, a lil insanity, some hopes, some confusion, vulnerability, and life – in the beating of their heart!

Love this whole idea of undressing a soul… becomes on obsession sometimes.

But then, it’s only fun when there’s an interest in a strip tease too!

I enjoy metaphorising things!

How about a Kitchen 2.0?

Applying the 2.0 philosophy to non-obvious things, seems an interesting thing to do! The best part with internet, is it’s power to aggregate and disseminate information – to connect people that live in different worlds, in ways that create value for both the parties!

I’d thought over this one long ago, and more thoroughly than I remember now or am posting here..

There are ample singles who crave for good food, at home or office. (Not everyone is blessed to know cooking himself, or have a great cook). In some cases, married people might also have issues cooking regularly. Specially, if the wife’s gotta cook before she leaves for her own office!

So if one arranges for a nice quality, home cooked food, some of these guys would be happy to have it.

Now, what food do YOU like the most? on a regular basis? Perhaps it’s the one cooked at home by mom. Ok?

So if some of the housewives living in Bombay could cook a meal for you, alongside watching soaps – they’re in a job they know well, and are happy doing, and you might get food that’s more than edible.

System needs to ensure the information flow and the material flow. Use web and system generated sms/calls and a logistics system to arrange for the pickup and delivery of the tiffins. Think the dabbawalas know this job well.

Effectively, it uses internet/mobile to turn thousands of domestic kitchens into producers of food, generating value for women who can’t possibly step out of their homes to work, for whatever reasons. And provides good food to the several ill-fed guys and girls.

Little or no capital expense on the part of the kitchen owner, she ony cooks as much as she can, with her resources. The guy can have food from different kitchens every day, to keep the variety on. He can set the menu in advance, of what he wants, and the system will deliver him the same, wherever it’s cooked!

Can institute a  quality check before a kitchen/cook is taken onboard. They can show interest by sending an SMS or something.

Evolving further, you can have the choice of cooks online, based on reviews/rating by other eaters.

If restaurant rating can help you decide, so can kitchen rating. Lots more can be played with, on the web and phone interface.

What say?

Next, in my line of thought, is Gifting 2.0. Wish you could send just a rose to that friend of yours in the next one hour coz she’s pissed with you? No service provider can set up such a network. Junta can. Shall be writing further soon.

The Week 2.0 – A Crowdsourced Magazine with Adsense in Print!

Talking and generating ideas.. has never been difficult for me or for anyone for that matter.

What happens next, is the question. Today morning’s conversation with a friend, lagordabella on LiL and @labellagorda on twitter.

Here’s a today morning’s conversation, on things going the 2.0 way. I some how find this whole thing rather fascinating. soon will talk about how Kitchen 2.0 can work, and so can Gifting 2.0

pjr: The NYT goes in depth about The Printed Blog, the new startup that will print blog posts up into newspaper form and sell ads on them. It’s still a dumb idea.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/technology/start-ups/22blogpaper.html

me: who’s saying it’s dumb idea? you or someone else?

pjr: someone else, it will work in india

me: yeah, that’s what, already we have bloggers writing columns

pjr: i know

me: but thoda fight hai, the gratification of conversations doesn’t come from print..anyway

pjr: i agree

me: i think it’ll be syndicated content rather than only-for-print so it’s fine

pjr: yeah

me: worth giving a shot, but gotta do a lot of PR..and maintain content quality

pjr: but i guess it cud still work in india without its conversativeness…is that a word?

me: where does ‘conservativeness’ come into the picture?

pjr: conVERsativeness

me: oh. ok yeah as i said syndication, so the original conversation goes on

pjr: true

me: but I’d rather put a magazine format than a newspaper format, a weekly on should be good

pjr: a weekly maybe

me: crowdsourced : The week 2.0

pjr: the week 2.0, sounds nice!

me: the authors can get a share of the revenue, and not charge for the content upfront

pjr: yeah

me: So time for the Week 2.0 project you know who’s doing it?

pjr:

me: i think this would make more sense in vernacular

you might just get a whole lot of new blogging enthusiasts.. if they know it’s gonna be printed and circulated

pjr: wow the vernacular thing sounds even better

me: India! hinterlands

pjr:

me: access to content, but you need to note that for them, the content source is irrelevant

pjr: agreed

me: you’ll be compared with everything else on the shelf

pjr: hmmm

me: this just gives you a wider casting net, and ad sales.. shouldn’t end up adding a Lot of overhead costs

pjr: hmm

me: put an online platform to crowdsource ads too

pjr: hmm

me: become the adsense of print ;P

ideas galore

pjr: hmmm

me: you plan to do it. lemme know… else.. it’s just ideating !

pjr: well we cud do it

me: cud.. and REALLY want to!! are different

pjr: i know

me: it takes more than a could.. I know that well now

pjr: lol

Wisdom Tooth Hurts…

It’s weird, I’d initiated this post last year and I dont’ remember the context! The title sure seems interesting enough for me to rethink and start a journey through my years of having gained wisdom and how I don’t like it so much!

These might sound like rants of the angst, but well, first hand learning!

People are weird – they don’t always say the truth, they dont’ always mean what they say, and they dont’ always say what’s on their mind.

Personally and professionally, this has been the most appalling thing I’ve come across. To believe in people, only to be let down and be disappointed.

Then I wonder if it’s too naive to continue to trust people, or should I become wise – once bitten, twice shy!

The quotes that are treated as lessons, aren’t just ‘quotes’, my favorite one, in this regard now, is ” Trust only those who stand to lose as much as you do, when things go wrong“

I’ve wanted to stay the Anne Frank way, to continue to believe people are really good at heart and not judge them

The other thing, is the realization of the impossible – the rise of practicality, with a dash of cynicism.

Whenever I’ve been told about something can’t be done, I’ve been obsessed with walking around the whole thing, to find a logical, reasonable solution to show HOW it can be done.

To reach dead ends, hits you hard. To realize that the obstacles standing in front of you are too big to really cross over, move around and/or penetrate through.

The first time you accept something as impossible, or not worth the effort, the first time you let go of something is when the maturation process starts!

And then when you see expensive mistakes, that you can’t undo. Just like a hand of poker, where you see in the final round, after raising the stakes rather high, that you can’t possibly win. The moment you realize that, the wise thing to do, is to fold. It’s not easy. It takes wisdom! And to get this wisdom, you need to lose a few hands.

I wasn’t born a pro!

Tagore, surely didn’t mean this when he said, “Perpetual giving up is the only truth of life”

So what are the times YOU’ve turned wiser, with a bad experience?

Movie Marketing Online?

Current state of affairs, in a nutshell - Jazzy flash microsites, some media, wallpaper/ringtone downloads, Limited interaction possibilities, No dynamic content. Few Conversations.

Much as they’re high on visual appeal and can impress easily, I wonder if static microsites for brands/movies are the best things to do online. After having spent 10 minutes through the site, browsing through the content, there’s pretty much no reason for me to stay longer, or to ever come back to the site.

I don’t even end up discussing it on the coffee table, or in other online conversations.

I saw some new possibilities being explored with Ghazini, including the 15 minute timer that refreshes the site, to make you ‘forget everything‘, and the entire music of the movie being available for streaming online. comprehensive, but heavy on the bandwidth and static. A wee bit more interactive than most other such sites!

Of course, Ghajini, by far being the best marketed movie ever, only had a limited dependence on the internet to gain its audience. Additional things on the web, were only of a small marginal utility to them.

Before I start generating ideas about what can be done better, and engage the audience more, I find myself faced with the question that with a country full of bollywood crazy people and media do movies really need to bother about being online?

With the current size of the internet audience, and the several other windows for bollywood to get exposure ( mass media and the zillions of bollywood websites), to have it’s own site, may not be all that important to the film. All the site would do, is make a minor contribution.

On a simple metric of it’s importance, is going online in anyway going to help ticket sales? Maybe Yes! It may not be immediately apparent though.

For small budget films looking at the multiplex audience, it could be easier to reach out online. The interesting things to be a combination of ,

- To start with, quality media content around the movie, goes without saying.

- Engaging interactive content – games/ puzzles/quizzes/flash games/guessing games/trivia quizzes/

Could even include setting up a virtual star mannequin, that can be dressed up by visitors, and put up for voting by other visitors in a ‘Hot or Not’ format.

- A dynamic section that is updated daily/twice a week – content, the star blog/microblog, star text/video/audio blurbs/scenes that were edited out in the movie.

- Behind the screen videos, fun that the crew had, or is still having on the sets!

- Section for user generated content – a multimedia message board – greetings to the stars, expressions, fan mail, expectations of the movies.

- I would think the site should start well before the movie trailers start on the television, so the audience end up feeling a part of the movie making process. The movie, is a story, and it’s making, could be a story in itself.

Generate good content, and put it online! It’ll be seen, followed, and passed around.

Having cleared my head, I think it’s all been some general fundaes, and I didn’t find a compelling argument for a movie to take online marketing seriously.

Shall edit and add more points when I do find them. But am sure there’s a LOT more scope for creativity than is being used right now!

On to exploring what brands can do on the internet… lets make some plans, the imagination going wild!