My  Apologies for a long hiatus from blogging. I am proud to share with you the following blogpost

which earned me 2nd Prize in the US Consulate – Chennai, sponsored blog contest on “U.S.-India

Partnership: It Matters”, I participated in this blog contest alongwith my friend Ram. The entry that

we submitted for the contest can be seen in www.harleymangotango.wordpress.com . For my blog

readers I am posting the content alone here…. and it goes like this

In a trendy pub situated in the heart of Chennai, India on a Saturday evening 2 pairs of friends share a table as it was too crowded being a weekend and it happens to be an evening where the home team Chennai Super Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League T20 cricket tournament. Here is a brief on the four characters.

Santanu – He is a sophomore in a master’s program on Politics and International relations. He is a character who is different, as it is evident by his choice of subject in an era where youngsters want the IT tag. But he has a lot of software professionals in his friends’ list and has come here along with one of them. His interests include Cricket, playing guitar, roaming on the roads on his ‘definitely male’ Bajaj Pulsar 220 cc bike.

Ganesh Krishnan – He has completed his graduation in Computer Engineering and is working in a software firm. Both Santanu and Ganesh are childhood buddies. They share almost everything! He is a diehard fan of Chennai Super Kings and never misses any cricket match played by India. He earns a five figure salary and today he has received his salary. Hence the weekend party at this pub, which is their favourite in the town. He has a good knowledge of the current affairs.

Bhuvan Pal Singh – He is an NRI settled in United States.  He got married 10 months ago and lives with his wife in California. He works in the hospitality industry. He intends to start a restaurant here in Chennai hence the visit. He is accompanied by his friend Sam Peters; both were college buddies. Bhuvan’s interest spans across tracking the relations between his Genetic motherland – India and his adopted motherland – US, he is a diehard Harley Davidson fan – and owns one in the US,  and he also likes to watch basket ball.

Sam Peters – A US citizen, here in Chennai for a brief assignment of two years.  He works for one of the “Big Five” in Management Consulting field. He is passionate about business consulting and reading business related books. He is an Apple evangelist! He likes the cuisines of Tamilnadu to an extent, he has learnt to cook his own Idlis and Dosas.  He is fascinated by the fan following for Cricket in India and has now become a fan of Sachin.

Santanu : Hey Ganesh, let us take this table as it is facing the TV, we will not miss any ball today. Today is gonna be an important one for your team….

Ganesh: Why don’t you support CSK? It’s our home team man. And see, it’s led by Dhoni.

Santanu: So what? I support cricket as a game. I am not a supporter of any team but a fan of  good cricket. CSK is not playing well anyway. Ok, you have got all the items required na​?… Otherwise once the pub is full it’s difficult to get any stuff out here.

Ganesh : Ya got them. So let’s start the party man. Here we go… Three cheers to CSK for winning this match.

Santanu: Even when they are losing how come you are cheerful I wonder! How come you are cheerful even when they are losing?

Sam Peters: Hey guys! If you don’t mind, can we share the table as we don’t get a view of the match in other spots.

Ganesh: Ya come on, join the party with us.

Sam : Thanks guys. Indians are always guest-friendly! Come on Bhuvan. And friends,I am Sam and he is my friend Bhuvan.

Ganesh: Hi Sam and Bhuvan. I am Ganesh and he is my friend Santanu.

Sam : So today is gonna be Chennai Vs Rajasthan right? Chennai is my favourite in this game. What about you guys?

Santanu: Yeah … Of course for our Ganesh it’s gonna be a big day today if Chennai wins!!

Bhuvan: Why Santanu, you don’t support Chennai?

Ganesh: Na, I support cricket, not team specific! How about you? Coming from Punjab, which is your favourite?

Bhuvan : I have been living in America since my childhood, though my parents were born here in Patiala; they moved to US before I was born, I used to come to Patiala once in a year in my childhood days. But this is the first time I am coming down south. So no favourite team… Not a diehard cricket freak as well.

Santanu: Any specific reason for coming down south?

Bhuvan: Yeah, on a mission to live my dream of starting my own venture.

Ganesh: From a land of opportunities (US) to Chennai…. What a transformation in a decade! Your parents moved there for more opportunities but you are coming back here!

Sam: Now India is a happening place,buddy. From 1950 to 1990 my firm which happens to be one among the Big Five, had worked in India on a very few assignments. But now, every month we get a new assignment either from our old client or from a new one. Every company, be it of Indian origin or International ,seeks our guidance in conducting their business in a way by which they will be able to utilise the opportunities available here.

Bhuvan: Where on  earth can one find a car for US $2500 from the group which has purchased legendary brands like Jaguar and Land Rover ? There are a number of consumers across the income spectrum, such that you can run a business to fulfil their needs. Hence, companies are able to find a market for their products/services by altering their business approach by tailoring their offering, suitable to their target customers.

Ganesh: Hey guys, see the catch taken by Bollinger. Wow what an effort! This is why I support CSK. They bounce back strongly once they are pushed to the extreme. I bet CSK will make it to the final four.

Santanu: Don’t daydream buddy… They have to win atleast 5 of the next 6 matches. CSK doesn’t have so many match winners in their team.

Sam: My firm has done an assignment also for IPL during its formative years. We were involved in drafting the business plan with special focus on identification of various revenue opportunities IPL can tap on. Now see, according to Brand Finance results, IPL brand is worth US $4.13 billion in just 3 yrs whereas the legendary English Premier League is just US $12 billion. Also, Santanu, CSK happens to be the most valuable franchise among the present 8 teams.

Bhuvan: But the world famous sports like football and basketball have very little fan following here, right?

Sam: Yes, Bhuvan. Very rarely I find people watching those sports here, let alone playing.

Ganesh: Yes, I agree with you guys. Cricket is like a religion here.  Although there are people who follow every kind of sport and few who watch even the club league matches of football and basketball, their numbers are very less

Santanu: You know, former US basketball greats are trying to bring in visibility to basketball game here in India under some special agreement called Basketball without Borders program by NBA.

Sam: These kinds of programs outside politics should be encouraged as they touch individuals at their personal interest levels. Also US being a basketball mad nation can use this opportunity to train basketball players in India and India in turn could reciprocate through Cricket training. By doing this, both sports would get more visibility and in turn more people will be touched at a personal level. In my opinion, relations between countries can deepen only if efforts are made to touchbase individuals at their personal levels and that too through their interests like sports, music, movies, businesses etc.

Ganesh: Rightly said, Sam. I also agree on this. Though our countries have made a lot of agreements in the past and our Heads of State meet very often now, as compared to the last decade, it’s the personal touch that matters. And, for that matter, there are enough developments taking place between US and India.

Bhuvan: Now Harley Davidson, my favourite bike, will touch Indian soil soon. So once I set up my shop here, Once I set up my shop here, I may even ride my Harley down here on Chennai .Also India on her part too   has   graciously agreed to send her delicious Mango fruit across the Pacific so that my fellas there in US can savor it.

Ganesh: Yes both items are icons in their own countries. Mango being India’s national fruit traded for Harley is a good barter indeed. Now Americans can taste the juicy and pulpy mangoes and will understand why Indians are mad about mangoes and products made out of mango!!

Sam: Last year I had the chance to taste this magic fruit, Bhuvan, I can’t explain it in words, man. It’s rightly called the magical fruit!! Once it reaches US shores, I believe Mango will have a bigger fan following.

Santanu: I believe Ganesh would go for a Harley if it wouldn’t put a hole in his pocket. He is mad about bikes, you know, Bhuvan! He now owns the latest version of Pulsar from Bajaj.

Bhuvan: Wow! Touch wood. Even I enjoy driving bikes and a drive in my Harley Davidson Softail! Hey Santanu, if you have a chance to visit US come to my home. You can feel and experience the real Harleys in their homeland. Also if you plan to buy, I can assist you in choosing one.

Santanu: Sure, Bhuvan. I would definitely love to own a Harley. But not now, as it is priced too steeply. But yes, I have plans to come to US for attending a convention on International relations in Harvard next January. I will try to visit your house that time. Who on earth would not utilise the opportunity to experience a Harley Ride??

Sam: Hey Santanu, you are interested in international relations as a subject?

Ganesh: Man, Politics and international relations is his favourite subject. He is also oing his master’s program in that only.  Although he got very good scores in his secondary exam, he opted to study this subject, even after many of us, including his parents, wanted him to take up Engineering.

Bhuvan: Santanu, we both have similar interests. Though I didn’t study Politics and International relations I follow this subject very closely. Especially, the Indo-US relations for the last 7-8 yrs have been my interest.

Santanu: The last 10 yrs can be regarded as the golden period for the Indo-US relations. One can’t ask for more keeping in mind the developments that have taken place between both our countries. In a sense, what President Clinton and Prime Minister Vajpayeeji started, entered a new phase with the President Bush administration and PM Manmohan Singh. Both Bush and Singh bolstered the relations between our countries, by making significant decisions which had an impact on the individuals.

Sam: President Bush’s commitment to war on terrorism was well received and appreciated by Singh’s Government. Also both countries were victims of terrorism in its most ruthless form. In distress, both countries supported each other in all possible ways.

Bhuvan: After winning the Presidential elections, Obama was clear about having India as a strategic partner. He said, “building strategic partnership with India will be my top priority as the 44th President of the US”. He also described India as “a natural strategic partner.” On India’s Republic day after Obama became President, on January 26, 2009, he issued a statement of commemoration asserting that, “Our rapidly growing and deepening friendship with India offers benefits to all the world’s citizens ”and that “ the people of India should know they have no better friend and partner than the people of the United States”.

Santanu: These are not just statements as a lot of thinking has gone into it. Considering that the developments happened during  Obama’s predecessor’s regime and agreeing  with the fact that without the world’s largest democracy, development in world order is not possible, President Obama and US are very committed in taking the Indo-US relations to the next level. This was evident from the Secretary of State Ms.Hillary Clinton’s visit. The two governments took up five key areas to have strategic dialogue.

Ganesh: What are they Santanu?

Santanu: Strategic cooperation; energy and climate change; education and development; economics, trade and agriculture; science, technology, health and innovation. Through a coherent structure of bilateral working groups, the two governments will address a wide range of issues with the goal of producing concrete results.

Sam: Wow! What an amazing follow up of the developments between the two countries. So how is its going to matter for both the nations?

Santanu: While the Strategic co-operation group will work on non proliferation, counterterrorism and military cooperation, the energy and climate change group will continue with the successful energy dialogue and begin discussions on actions to address the challenges of global climate change, in education and development they will enhance the partnership in education and initiate discussions about women’s’ empowerment, while the significant economics, trade and agriculture group will continue to address the issues on business, trade and food security thereby strengthening the relations between the two countries.  The area, which I feel is the most vibrant, is science and technology, health and innovation. The strategic group on this front will explore new areas for cooperation in leading technologies and in addressing global health challenges.

Bhuvan: Hey your talk makes me go back to my good old college days. Reminds me of some of the best professors I have worked with. Good stuff mate. In the science and technology area there has been significant progress between India and US. Almost all the Fortune 500 companies have their development work taking place in India. In a span of two decades India has emerged from nowhere in Information Technology front to the leader in Software development. What an amazing progress! Thanks and a big salute to the best of Indian Minds!!

Sam: It’s been a really significant achievement. Even now I have come here to work on an assignment with a software company. They are planning to venture into new geographies and are also working on emerging technologies. “They had sought a framework to work on for the next ten years from our consultancy. Based on the interaction I have had so far, they are simply amazing. In my experience this assignment will be one of my best.

Ganesh: What makes this assignment to count among the best?

Sam: The top management has got ia good number of visionary leaders; they are open to new ideas and are also bold. Their human resource is also very knowledgeable and they think differently. One thing that impressed me is their willingness to change which is missing in most of the organisations, but which is essential to any growing organisation!!

Ganesh: Hey which is the one you are talking about?

Bhuvan: I will pay your bill if he tells you that.

Sam: As per the policies of our firm we should not disclose anything about our client to the outside world. You know, even my colleagues don’t know who I work for. We refer to our project by code name only!! So excuse me on that Ganesh!

Ganesh: Ok leave it man. See this shot by Dhoni guys! What an amazing shot!

Santanu: So, Sam, you are assisting an Indian organisation to venture abroad, right?

Sam: We provide an operating framework they should follow while they venture overseas in that particular market for the next ten years so that they achieve big success there!

Santanu: A US firm working for an Indian Company and a host of Indian software companies working for US clients. This is what makes the India – US relations significant and it does matter for both countries to have a good relationship as it touches individuals at a personal level.

Ganesh: Hey, I believe Indian students make up the second largest student fraternity in US. And the best of  the minds from our premier institutes occupy coveted positions in US corporations.

Santanu: In a way it is the pride of our country. But these people are benefitting subsidization of education from public money, but they are leaving the country citing different reasons.

Bhuvan: Sometime back when US congress was not in session several hundred grads from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) occupied the seats in the House of Representatives to listen to a handful of Congressmen speak about India – US technology co-operation. At that time Congressman Tom Davis, a Senator from Virginia commented that, “It is unlikely we have ever had this much brainpower in Congress before”. This praise is not one of a kind on Indian minds in US. Several people have commented on this, on different occasions. Such is the importance given to alumni from elite Tech schools of India. There is also a program called Technology without Borders which focuses upon US and Indian collaborative efforts in technology, education and business. In this forum there will be discussions on a range of topics that include potential risks and impediments to new trade and economic development in India.

Sam: As India and the US stand poised to upgrade their cooperation in high technology, engineers, hi-tech entrepreneurs and scientists produced by the IITs have been at the forefront of a technology boom in both countries. Hence, you need not feel for it Santanu, the engineers you send from here are acting as a bridge between the two countries. Also they are in key positions in US firms. Whenever decisions are made on a political front on US-India, they play a key role in the process…

Bhuvan: You are right Sam.The recently signed US-India civil nuclear agreement is a major leap forward and can be considered as a milestone in the relations between the both countries. A lot of Indian Americans played a significant role at different stages to ensure that the deal passes through.

Santanu: Yes, Civil nuclear agreement is a milestone in the relation between two countries. And with that comes lots of benefits for both nations and it will also serve business interests.

Sam: It doesn’t stop with that, Santanu. This agreement means a lot. US’s commitment to India’s development shows the amount of trust the US government and the nation as a whole have on India and its people. US took it upon itself to ensure that India gets a unique treatment from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). United States approached the NSG to grant a waiver to India to commence civilian nuclear trade. The 45-nation NSG granted the waiver to India allowing it to access civilian nuclear technology and fuel from other countries. The implementation of this waiver makes India the only known country with nuclear weapons which is not a party to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but is still allowed to carry out nuclear commerce with the rest of the world.

Santanu: Indeed an appreciable effort from the two governments. Though both ruling parties were under pressure, they persisted and stood firm in their commitment to each other and ensured that the deal passed through smoothly.

Ganesh: There is a vibrancy in the relations between the two countries in different areas spanning across education, Healthcare, business, Space programs, defense co-operation, sports, entertainment and media, cultural exchange and it extends to many others too. I believe Bhuvan and Santanu are the subject matter experts and I leave the matter to both of them.

Bhuvan: Hey come on buddy… If we were to discuss topics related to software who on earth can compete with you? In the recent times there have been several high level discussions at the ministerial level on different topics as mentioned by Ganesh. On the education front, India has taken a bold step in allowing foreign universities to set up their campuses in India. During the PM’s visit to Washington both governments launched the “Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative” with funding from both sides to increase university linkages and junior faculty development exchanges between American and Indian universities. Also there has been a significant increase in the funding of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship program.

Ganesh: Nowadays I can hear a lot of news on India US joint military exercises carried out both in India as well as in US. I also believe that US trusts India more than her neighbours in terms of military co-operation and making the South Asian region problem free.

Sam: I also believe in that statement, Ganesh.That is why, US has entered into the Civilian Nuclear Deal with  India only, though some other countries also want a similar deal. But US had categorically refused that. In  the business front too, the relations have strengthened. More and more US companies are coming here and more Indian companies are either entering into US market are they are working for US companies here in India itself. The total trade during 2008 was US$43.4 billion (India’s exports to US –25.7 and US exports to India-17.7) as compared to US$21.6 billion (15.5 + 6.1) in the year 2004. Apart from that the FDI inflows into India from US has also reached newer heights. US now features among the top three countries investing in India. According to a report by FICCI, the number of disclosed deals involving acquisitions by Indian companies in US during 2007-08 and 2008-09 were 55 and 24 respectively and the values were $4.432 billion and $960 million respectively. The most active sectors were IT and IT enabled services, followed by manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. These figures prove that the business relationship between the countries is also entering a new phase. This way, it touches more individuals at a personal level by creating new jobs on either side.

Santanu: Mr.Sam, amazing knowledge in business.

Sam: Thanks mate. I need to have it, as I happen to be a management consultant.

Ganesh : If we do not discuss about films today it would do us all an injustice.

Bhuvan: Well said Ganesh. Everyone watches films made from either countries.  “Be it Shahrukh Khan in My Name is Khan or Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots, the Khan fraternity is having a big time in US. Though the name Khan was associated for different reasons in the past among locals in US, these two Khans from Bollywood have rocked the soil of Hollywood.

Santanu: Here too, Avatar made by veteran director James Cameron collected heavily in the box office and surpassed many Indian movie records. Infact the title of the movie itself is derived from Indian religious books. And who can forget A R Rahman’s double Oscar treat last year. He is truly a global citizen!! Now his songs are crossing more boundaries than any other goods or services I believe!!

Sam: Wow! Rahman’s music mesmerises me. I usually turn on to music whenever I feel stressed at work. Nowadays I turn on to Rahman’s classics only, as his soothing music relieves all the stress very soon – the power of Rahman and his music. If I get an opportunity to work with him, I will not even care about my bank balance!!

Ganesh: Is it so Sam? Let Rahman also hear this and you reach out to him. He will definitely love to have you as his consultant to strike better deals with overseas producers.

Bhuvan: Guys, Are Burgers available in this pub?

Santanu: Arey, we are not in a mall or in a burger outlet. It is a pub. You will get Budweisser not burger!!

Ganesh: But now even Indians are addicted to Burgers and pizzas more than any other time. During the lunch time I can see more of these outlets’ delivery boys as compared to the previous year. The craze for junk foods is increasing even though it takes a toll on one’s health.

Sam: Really? Though I am not crazy about burgers there are a few of my colleagues who just can’t live without them. Nowadays my favourites are Idli (south Indian dish name) and dosa (south Indian dish name). I have even tried to cook them in my house. But I need lot of improvement.

Ganesh: Hey great attempt Sam. You can visit my house anytime to have good idlis and dosas. Just give a call when you want to and you can have authentic homemade idli and dosa. My mom would love to serve idlis to my friends as she doesn’t get recognition from me for her cooking skills. But believe me she cooks really well. It’s a game between me and my mom going on.

Santanu: Sam, you should taste Ganesh’s mom homemade food. You will never feel like getting up from the dining table. She has magic in her hand.

Bhuvan: This is what we were discussing so far… Touching individuals at their personal interest level. Who in US would have thought of having idlis or dosas when the distance between two countries is thousands of miles? It’s all been made possible because of the cordial relations India and US have, as a result of which an Indian firm wanted a US consultancy firm to do market venture consulting through our own Sam in Chennai. Because of that, Sam had an opportunity to taste idlis and dosas, the delicacies of South India. Now he will never forget the experience both at the personal and professional levels.

Ganesh: Before we leave I would like to share something I read somewhere with you guys. “I don’t know much about cricket but I still watch cricket to see Sachin play. Not because I love his game or rather “the way he plays” It’s to know the reason why my country’s production reduced to 50 percent while he was batting”  Can anyone guess who would have said this??

Sam: I also came across this statement. It’s President Obama to an Indian magazine. That’s the impact a powerful individual can have on another country. Hence, let us all work towards constructive and cordial relations between our countries at our personal levels.

Santanu: The relations between India and US matter to every individual as their survival and growth depends on this relationship.

After exchanging their contact information all four leave the pub happily after a fruitful discussion and having  made new friends across borders!! Finally we close with friendships across borders!!

And I forgot to mention, Ganesh left even happier as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the match and he treated his new friends as well for the achievement of his home team.

Thanks for your valuable time and attention Do come back for more updates

Kwiz-O-Meter : 4

Leaden  hall street in the City of London in England was the headquarters of which organisation in 1729?

The answer to my previous question is Harley Davidson brand of bikes. All the names mentioned are video games inspired by Harley Davidson bikes, they were released longtime back. Also the name of the games are read as Harley-Davidson: The Road to Sturgis, Harley-Davidson: King of the Road,  Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders.

Kwiz-O-Meter : 3

Here goes the question: what is actually called as Bacon mail?  A sitter, so try without googling …

Nobody responded correctly

Now the question

How the road to sturgis, L.A riders and king of the road are connected.

Clue: These are all inspired by one thing…

Now I have decided to jump in the ocean of knowledge, I will definitely try to keep posting daily kwiz questions in this blog. The better way to keep me blogging and posting kwiz fundas is the feedback & responses I get to my kwizposts. So keep visiting regularly and try to answer the kwiz questions.

 Ideally I would be giving the answer for my previous question in my next kwiz post or the next day. I would be mentioning the name of the Kwiz enthusiasts who respond to my questions correctly

Here it goes….

Connect:

            Inorder to take on the Star Vijay’s various programs the Sun TV channel had launched a multi-pronged attack. Let me elaborate on the strategy they are handling as of now.

           They had bought the rights of Deal or No deal from Endemol Entertainment group of Netherlands. This program was a runaway hit in different geographies wherever it was telecasted. Basically this is a reality show with a chance to earn from as low as Re.1 to as high as 50 lac rupees by the contestant. Its a game of chance and its a game for the people who want to take risk and good at decision making considering the risk factors and the outcomes the situation throws out to the contestant. This program is also a good learning ground for mathematicians on the probability theory. You can also say this as a program for psychologists on getting to know about people’s decision making skills when high risks are present. But if you want to keep it simple this show is a real game show. So because of the new format of this game show and due to the fact its a show where one can earn more money without any investment this show had drawn huge audience across age groups. Also I would say that the marketing strategy adopted by Sun TV and the way this show was hosted had been the WOW factor to draw enough TRP ratings, courtesy more eyeballs during the weekend primetime which Sun TV was lacking due to the main competitor Star Vijay’s programs like “Neeya Naana” and “Anu Alavum bayamillai”. These programs were running for quite some time and had been proven, as hits. So to draw audience from these shows one has to have good program and a WOW factor. These both were present in Deal or No deal show.

            The tricky part and SUN’s mastermind strategy starts from here. They ran this game show for some time so as to officially prove to the advertisers and the media pundits that this is the much awaited change driver. Once this was established they started to use this game show as a money minter and as a show which can be used to launch the attack on Star Vijay. Once they convinced the public about the program’s authenticity in earning money, there were lot of requests in wanting to participate. Also Sun TV kept the public in dark on how they are choosing the contestants which was a real ploy. So in lot of public forums related to Tamil satellite channels people started asking on how to participate in this program. This was the situation what Sun TV was waiting for. Here came the launch of multi pronged attack. They started to advertise on the ways in which people can participate.

       On January first week they asked the people to watch two newly launched mega serials telecasted at 7.30 pm and 10.00 pm in Sun TV and questions were asked from those two serials one for each serial everyday. Hence whoever has answered all the 10 questions will be having a chance to participate in this Deal or No deal game show. The reason to select these two slots is Star Vijay’s hit serial of Village setup School drama “Kallikattu Pallikoodam” was running at the 7.30 pm slot and the thriller show of “Nadanthathu Enna” was telecasted in 10 pm slot. Both these programs were proven hits. Thus Sun TV went in for a double delight is what I would say. Converting the audience in the initial days for a mega serial is good enough to make them watch for serial’s lifetime also it will dent the number of eyeballs watching Star Vijay’s hit programs.

            There should have been a good response is what I would guess, because of the rising demand of people wanting to participate in Deal or No deal game show. To prove it further Sun TV had extended the same strategy by extending it to a different platform. Sun Pictures has released Actor Vijay’s Vettaikaran movie which happens to be a mass entertainer and has got enough elements to make the common film goer happy after the movie. To make this movie a mega hit, again the Deal or No deal show is used as a key. In the Pongal week, questions were asked in Sun TV group about Vettaikaran movie and contestants for the game show will be chosen from those who reply for this question. Hence with a sure shot winner in Deal or No Deal game show, SUN media group is reaping good dividends by denting on the Competitor’s armoury of programs and making its own programs get enough audience in its initial days.

            Thus at the moment its SUN Media group all the way….. Anyways as I already mentioned in my earlier blog entry, healthy competition brings in more stuff for audience to choose from also it leads to innovation in a world of mega serials and average reality shows which are making the audience move away from TV to new media. Let us keep our fingers for the next innovation.

            Thank you for your patience to read this long article……

I was fascinated by the way Star Vijay satellite channel rewriting the concept of festival programs. The tradition had been having special programs lined up on the day of festival with business organisations being the title sponsors of those programs. But the drawback in this model had been the effective audience will be spread across different channels and hence there is not much value addition the reason being only a certain fraction of viewers watching the program at any given point of time. As different people have different taste and given the choice of choosing the channel and program they want to watch they would easily migrate to other channels and hence at the end of the day only a fraction of viewers watch any program. But this year Vijay tv came up with a host of programs lined up for the entire week of diwali thus capturing the plum of viewers attention during the prime time. What they did?

They had done good homework long time back and it was evident in the line up of programs and the timing of those programs. Their promotion strategy for their programs was thru’ two mediums mainly. Through their own channel and thru’ posters (which is unconventional wherein one media is publicising its programs throu’ other media (thats the world of Out Of Home )) in the city of chennai.

The program Kamal @ 50 was running for more than a month and the final climax took place on 28th of September. But Star Vijay screened this program on the week of diwali. Thus opening the week of diwali with huge blockbuster.They had promoted the program heavily and this was evident when the rival Sun TV network doing a last move to dampen it by advancing its daily primetime movie in K Tv from 8 p.m to 7 p.m with a super star movie. This move might not have yieded much gain as Super Star Rajinikanth himself was present in the program Kamal @ 50 and he was the center of attraction. With two giants in the Tamil filmdom rubbing shoulders in the dais its a rare opprotunity to miss.

The title sponsor for this event happening to be HUL’s Rin detergent. HUL suffering from poor sales and having increased its advertising spend had chosen a good program to associate with. Star Vijay telecasted this program for more than 8 hrs on Oct 12th and 13th. Thus this program would have tilted the audience attention in favor of Star Vijay. The other programs on the week of diwali also were special like Super singer contestants and judges coming with their families and on 15th it was the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire in Tamil would have made the viewers keep coming again and again.

It was a clean sweep by Star Vijay and no other channel would have been prepared to face this blitzkrieg…..

Star vijay is emerging to be a contender in the fort of Sun Network. With innovative program content, Good thought out strategy, programs to woo different audiences, understanding the viewer’s pulse and appropriate timeslots for the programs its going to be Star Vijay atleast as of now till the competition wakes up. At the end of it its going to be a treat for Viewers and advertisers….

1.Which Indian becomes one among the few privileged to be the barbie model ? ( A sitter)

2. This Indian is gonna replace David Beckham as the brand ambassador for Moto Mini?

3.“Internet bus” and India – Who?

4.Connect – Friedo Pinto and Future Group

5.Connect – P Rajendran,NIIT with shaadi.com and hungama.com

Mail ur responses to quizerkk@in.com

•   Equity bank serves 50% of Kenyan market
•   It has more than 3 million customers
•   Opens 4000 new accounts every day
•   With all this Equity is the largest bank by customer base in Kenya

Awed by the numerical facts…… hold on till you finish. Coz….. the business model will surprise you more.

Equity was started in the year 1984, that is 8 yrs. after Prof. Mohammed Yunus started to experiment with his idea of Microcredit in Bangladesh under the name of Grameen bank. Equity gave a run for the money to the multinational banking giants like Barclays, StanChart. The man behind this is James Mwangi the CEO & MD of Equity bank who is responsible for this feat. Equity’s rags to riches story had attracted international attention. Teams from Stanford and Harvard universities have travelled to Nairobi to study its business model, while Mwangi has advised the U.N. and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on banking in the low-income sector. Last year he even shared an international microfinance award from the Berlin-based Global Economic Network with Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi “banker to the poor” who won the Nobel peace prize in 2006.

        Dr. James Mwangi, CEO & MD

So what’s the business model of Equity?

After surviving the slowdown in banking market in Kenya, Equity decided to target the unserved (lower end) market or what Prof.Prahalad calls the “bottom of pyramid” market. The managers of Equity found that though these people wanted to save and borrow but were not considered by the financial system as worth serving them. But Equity found that though as individuals the customers were not worth pursuing, but as a block they represented a huge and potentially very profitable market. Equity used armoured trucks as mobile branches in the rural areas. Traditional banks required payslips and utility bills as proof of address before opening an account with high minimum balances and monthly fees. Equity only asked for an ID card. Also a typical savings account required only $150 as minimum balance. Equity used what they call the “social collateral” to back up the loans given to individual customers who worked mostly in informal sector. The loans can be for less than $8 which are repayable in few months.

So what’s social collateral?

This can include accountholders grouping together to guarantee an individual’s debt. Women can offer up their matrimonial beds as security; the theory being that no wife is going to want to tell her husband that their bed is gone. Mwangi says, “For us it’s psychological security. Nobody wants to be excommunicated and lose their inheritance to the Kingdom”. With a default rate of 15% on average prevailing in the industry, Equity with its unconventional credit risk strategy has a default of less than 3 per cent on 600,000 outstanding loans.

This effort deserves a standing ovation!!!

As any unconventional practice attracts critics, Equity is also criticised. But Mwangi is unrelented by the critics. He is now eyeing the foreign markets. Already Equity has entered in Uganda, and has plans to enter Rwanda and Sudan.

As the name of bank goes ….. Equity is trying to bring in Equity among the public by spreading its arms, so that nobody is left out of financial system in Kenya.

Indian banks need to bring in more than 35% of population under banking net…… the unfinished task. When can people of India have equity in accessing banking services?

How about a beggar with a golden bowl?
This is what exactly the “Big Three of the Detroit” did when they went to Washington D.C. to beg Congress for a multi-billion dollar bailout in their corporate jets. So what was the response? The US Congress sent the auto chiefs empty handed. I do agree that corporate jets are often the cost effective way for the heads of far flung corporations to get around. But at least they could have shared a ride!!!

The Response from the “Big Three”
Since Corporate Jets are not welcomed by the policy makers the Chief Executives decided to take an alternative way of travel. Since there is no sub way that goes that farther and Bike ride will kill them for a 10 hour ride, they resorted to take the road in cars of their own make. They wanted to promote the use hybrid vehicles with the public, but they are either fuel sippers or at the end of life models like Chrysler’s Aspen Hybrid, which Chrysler CEO drove.

For Kwizers: Who are the “Big Three of Detroit”? One is given here

A Mobile application for just $999.99
With the release of Apple iPhone not only Apple reaped profits but also their non-Apple software developers who had designed from video games to other time consuming applications. Though most of the applications cost less than $10 there was one applications which costed $999.99.There were eight suckers who bought this costly iPhone application from App Store. The theme of the application: “I am Rich” (really rich one). After Apple got blasts for making this application available for sale they quietly removed it.

For Kwizers: Curious to know the application? A hint: It has red jewel in it.

Another Comedy in Apple stable
How would you react on seeing your obituary column? Here is a case of Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs. In August, Bloomberg News accidentally (they say) released an obituary for Steve, who in spite of his widely publicized pancreatic cancer is still alive and giving a run for their money to his competitors. To add oil to the burning fire, in October a post of CNN’s user generated site, iReport claimed that Steve suffered a heart attack. Result – Apple’s stock was 10% down in just 10 minutes. (A perfect 10-10).In counter Steve appears in front of a giant screen with the message, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” (Ya it was really a great exaggeration!!!)
My Choice of Bestest among the best
What will you say about a person who says his building is strong after one of its pillars had collapsed? This is what US Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain said. When Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy on the morning of Sept.15, McCain was declaring that “the fundamentals of this economy are strong.” By the day’s end Dow had already fell more than 500 points and the date becomes known as Black Monday. So McCain starts backpedaling fast. (Worldwide politicians are uniform atleast in the aspect of their skill in Backtracking). Recollecting what the same McCain said in late 2007, “the issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should, so only I’ve got Greenspan’s book.”

For Kwizers: Who is Greenspan and what are the titles of his books?

Peanuts at Cashew Price!!!
In a bid to counter Goliath Google, Microsoft makes a $44.6bn offer for Yahoo. The $31/share offer was 61% premium over Yahoo’s price at that time. Though Microsoft had rationale behind this offer it didn’t have a mechanism to find out Yahoo’s CEO mood. He declined the offer. With tech sector getting a huge beating in this economic crisis forcing Yahoo’s share to trade at $12 by year end, which means its present worth is $17 bn. Though Ballmer has the last laugh at Microsoft it is not the same case with Jerry Yang, since he has moved out.

Yahoo’s great mistake
If Microsoft made the mistake of over estimation then Yahoo made the mistake of rejecting the offer. Microsoft waited for a longtime before walking away. The deal would have made Yahoo’s shareholders three times richer in an economic downturn time. Yahoo did not stop with that, there were talks of merger between Google and Yahoo which attracted the attention of antitrust regulators. Hence it was put off, resulting in Yahoo making its final attempts for survival now.

For a perfect 8 in 2008
Homeowners in US are the most worried group. In order to bring HOPE to them, US Congress passed the only rescuing plan till date in July. A plan to guarantee upto $300 bn worth of mortgages and prevent more than 300,000 foreclosures. In order to be a part of that, banks must take steep losses which is voluntary!!! The anticlimax: Paltry 321 applications are filled since Oct.1 launch and not one loan workout has been completed according to US Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Source: Adapted from Fortune magazine news article