The Cell Theory

I actually hate to start writing anything about consumer electronics, my opening lines sounds very much like some story going ‘In our times….’ It makes me feel like a Paleolithic specimen on his way to the museum of natural history.

But I guess the rate, at which electronic products and consumers for them are evolving; it does seem like too much has happened already. The telly had a belly like tube, which got flat, became a size zero with plasma and TFT and now works on LEDS. Radio forgot what Short Wave is. Letter Writing is now a literary art form as just about everything today is SMS Lingo (Save Money by Slang)

If there every is a Demand curve plotted for all consumer electronics, I am confident what will be the steepest category. Cell Phones!!! There will be no other product in India which has the level of desire, acceptability and affordability like a Cell Phone. As a vertical open to access for all, cell phones in India are only 15 years old. (Deregulated outside Government Agencies only in 1995) and till February 2010, there were 564 million cell phone connections in India- that’s almost half of our population.

If first impressions are anything to go with, it was a luxury item that cost Rs.17 even if I would have accepted an incoming call- today it has come down to 1 paise /second. But that is what we would say in management terms is the operational expense; what about the capital expenditure. I feel this is the place where the game has changed majorly.

Recently I came across an article in Business Standard which said the handset market is worth Rs 50,000 crore in India. Wow!!! 5 followed by eleven 0’s…. that’s sleek. What’s more, the number of handset providers has gone up from 5 in April 2008 to 30 till March 2010, one new manufacturer has come in to the market every single month. What’s more, The Union Budget 2010 has relaxed the burden on Indian manufacturers- so more could just be around the corner.

Now I can understand, there are going to be names we have not even seen or heard of much. Lava, Benq I have so far only seen on outdoor hoardings. Karboon, Maxx, INQ, Spice, Micromax have moved into the mind space only after their mega sponsorship stints. But that has been just the tip of the ice berg. I really am not sure if anyone has even heard of Oilve and Airfone.

We are seeing the entry of big shots like Videocon, Onida, Acer and Asus: all with strong backgrounds in other electronics come into cell phones. But how about Luminous - a power and energy storage company - into the mobile handset market; coz that’s what has happened as well. All these new home grown entrants are giving tough competition to well entrenched players - Nokia, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson - in terms of price, features, models and services.

In fact the biggest loser has been Motorola; no new model since 2008. I can’t even recall its last ad- MotoRocker was it???

As I said earlier, it is desire, acceptability and affordability that are driving demand today. We always say that innovators have the advantage of being first. But there is a flip side- others can learn from you and your mistakes take advantage of them and make hay in the market which the innovator has spent years to build.

Desires have changed over the years. It is not limited to communication any more. My Dad’s first cell was a Nokia 2210. It was like a bulky and robust brick. My first handset a Sony Ericsson T100 doesn’t even excite my 3 year old nephew as a toy thanks to its’ mono-colour screen and ringers which sound like- well a cell phone ring…To be completely honest, no buyer from any part of India will be happy today with just a phone to talk.

Desires are driven by your level in the pyramid. Not even a first time user will like a phone which does not have a coloured screen, FM Radio/MP3 playback and funky ring tones. If you are not a first time user, a camera, GPRS capability, Bluetooth and expandable memory become basic. Collegians are now driven by the widgets and applications, young professionals want a QWERTY keypad and Managers want to have cell phones that can become an option to a computer.

Manufacturers have recognized this trend; one reason why these new entrants always talk of the pain points of previous users. Just run a check on how many high end models Videocon has on the platter as a new entrant.

Cell phones have today been accepted as a need and no longer a luxury- of course, I still believe a VIRTU at Rs. 5.5 lacs is one. In many ways, it has replaced the concept of a landline at home. As for affordability, you can get a decently loaded cell phone for Rs 999.

So after all this fact findings, the usual question I love to ask- where next??? Cell phones have affected sales of wrist watches, alarm clocks, calculators, calendars, flash lights, cameras, and portable music players. They have killed the digital diary and business organizer.

Considering we still finding new uses for this small screen each day I feel the next victim is either amongst the TV or the Computer, That’s my Cell Theory….

PAR excelLEnce

If there is one Indian Company that can be given the honours of making Indian Brands that could beat a foreign entrant hands down, I believe Parle Agro will just walk their way to the top.

Most often when we say Parle, every Indian has the quickest recall of a Glucose Biscuit. But sadly, that is not the company I am talking about- that would be Parle Products. Parle Agro is not connected in any way with Parle G, Poppins or Hide N’ Seek. This is a company which has revolutionalized India between the last 1970 to this date.

Every brand created by them is a journey into a frontier where no man has ever been before. If Thums Up, Limca, Gold Spot are their glorious past, Bailey, Frooti, Appy, LMN and the latest Hippo… all are a part of a brand list created from nothing but sheer boldness. Every brand is also a testimony to how brands in India have been built.

Thums Up for instance; an Indian Cola Brand which had a 60% market share when Coke decided to buy it for Rs. 120 Cr. A brand so strong that Coke; which at one point tried to underplay Thums Up and boost its own self, was forced to revive and make the Global Coke-Pepsi battle into a Coke-Pepsi- Thums Up in India. This might be one of the blunders Coke has done after the New Coke fiasco in 1985.

Thums Up ruled India for 16 years after its launch in 1977. This meant fighting off Campa Cola which came from the same plants which made Coke in India since 1949. Though there are stories about the manner in which Campa Cola was brought down to its knees, there is certainly nothing to take away the credit as to how they built a fortress called Thums Up. Much like Thums Up, Limca also did not lose its shine. Gold Spot was the only brand which made way for Fanta.

In 1985, no one could have imagined a drink in a Tetra-Pak, and that’s what set Frooti apart from Mangola. Appy in a Tetra-Pak in the 80s was not as successful; but its new avatar in the 2000s as a sparkling apple and grape drink is a success story. Bottled water named Bisleri came into India from Italy. But it was only when Bisleri under Parle-Bisleri came in a PET bottle, that bottled water came as a concept in India. Today, Bisleri is not only the category leader; it’s a category by itself.

Latest in line; while Lays and Kurkure, fight Bingo their wars for finger snacks, Hippo comes in as a bread snack with a proposition of not being fried but bakes. If Real and Tropicana are the choice of fruit juices, Saints is waiting n the wings.

In conclusion, FMCG is a sector where loyalties and brands can we washed away when the multinationals flood the market. For the time being, Parle Agro has made itself a class apart- par excellence in true terms

Stuck in a Moment

I have never been a TV person. Beyond movies, sports, and Discovery, NatGeo and History, there are a few select Sitcoms; I have ever had the patience to follow on TV.

TV Soaps have never really been anywhere on my list. Reason- well I cannot break free of the world and rush to a TV screen to follow certain soap. That can happen on a Sunday for an F1 race, but that too is limited to the season and only 20 days in a year. Daily follow up is even too much to ask for at work… leave apart it being a recreation.

Now, it was only recent after I completed my Masters in Communication that I actually began to track some TV channels to try and understand what comes where and when… well as marketing consultants need to do that. This was necessary to understand more the consumers rather than the programming logic of channels. Which in fact became the main agenda as I see it today… is there a programming logic at all???

While doing my post grads, I came across people who made confident statements about human psyche and that we as humans love to see suffering. That’s what we seek in movies and drama, that’s what the Oscar Jury seeks as well. Fair enough- that’s how Slumdog made it big; guess Hurt Locker has a similar underlying view. (Not sure as I haven’t seen it)

But what comes on the telly-tubes as Soap has to date not made any sense to me. It is quite astonishing that when audiences to theaters openly appreciate concepts with a strong message, a new social awakening or situations which can arise out of the new internet generation, the TV guys are still at most ease to dish out recipes with the 17th Century flavor. What is disturbing is that most renowned TV actors have come from a theater background and while an actor does a path breaking role on stage, before a camera, he’s watching his wife being questioned for not having her head covered before the elders.

This is like the epitome of hypocrisy we live in, and this is not limited only to Hindi- it’s more like Universal in India. (He He!!)I see it on Marathi channels and can get the same feel over Bengali as well. Interesting topics are taken as the storyline- surrogate motherhood, generation gaps as a result of changing life styles and working cultures. But I freak out when we pull out a ritual from the age of mummies; make them alive by reading from the book of death to make your serial seem different.

I fail to understand how the most popular serial today be Balika Vadhu- considering child marriages are a criminal offence. How can a serial like Sajan Ghar Jana Hai even co-exist with today’s times? How can an on screen woman professional are showered a line demanding her to return home before sunset. If media was a powerful weapon, I see it being applied in a manner that’s more destructive as I see it.

I understand that since normal people will be too boring for people to watch; there always has to be someone who is mentally challenged, a widow or at least one lady who might be not able to conceive for multiple reasons. But how sick is it to include dialogues like “Oh, you can't conceive; you should not even cast your shadow on a pregnant lady”…. Not to forget, this same lady might be a super woman running the family business.


What’s most alarming- we tend to pick up things very easy from what we see in films and TV. I don’t think there was a Z+ security needed for a Grooms shoes before the 90s. Point to be noted: there is high possibility that something we see on TV can trickle down our skin and cause damage.


I find it really tough to understand what kind of people we all are. There is some part of our practical mind which is seeking itself to rise up as a Global Giant. But then there is also this demand from us to retain our identity by doing things the Indian Way- no matter how impractical it might be. Who knows, if anyone was to despise the Women’s Reservation Bill-well, in all likelihood, they will termed as MCPs. I am not sure what we should be calling this media which is putting the chains back onto our society.


We are kind of Stuck in a Moment, one foot in the past and one in the future- where we go next will be decided only once we which foot did we rely on next….

In Pursuit of Excellence

Possibly the first thumb rule a person is taught through any kind of teaching; formal or informal, try to do the best at whatever you try your hand at. Then it might be sports, academic or building your hobbies. Knowingly or unknowingly, we all do become slaves of the rat race called the pursuit of excellence

People across the world have built their reputation of excellence in almost anything you will find on the planet. A French Wine to Italian Leather, a Persian carpet, a Cuban cigar, the production efficiency theories from Japan or even the Marketing practices out of US. Each one has held its own unique association- a matter of pride. So who can carry the accolades as a country known for its engineering excellence? Of course, Germany!

German Engineering- take any car brand, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen… and by now
you already have a shiny car before your eyes. Each one has defined themselves to a high level of aspiration- no matter where you are. Germans take pride in the fact that they can create master pieces when it comes to machines.

But here comes the flip side of it. Sometimes this pride can become a passion and become the reason for downfall. The Pursuit of Excellence can actually become the most dangerous cause of self destruction. I just came across two examples where the tides just turned from bad to worse when excellence became the operative word rather than what the need of the hour was.

Take for instance the Tanks in World War II. Search the net and you will find a lot of people saying that the German Panther and Tiger tanks were superior in terms of specifications compared to an American Sherman or a Russian T-34. But major tank battles like the Battle of Kursk saw Germany actually lose out to supposedly inferior competition. How did this happen?

The American Sherman was more like an offshoot of the road truck, simple adaptation prepared for war. The T-34 was a hasty production and was coming off production lines that made farm equipments. But the German tanks were designed war machines. Engineering marvels- master pieces that took time to make. They had power trains that can draw the awe of an engineering brain any day.

But when the average life of a tank was down to 150 kms on a battle field, the Panthers and Tigers were simply outnumbered. Inch by inch, the Allies just got closer as the Germans suffered in their cause to excel in their work.

Well this is certainly not the only example where pride became the reason for losing out in the bigger race.

Let’s talk about Motorola- a Company boasting its Six Sigma standards. The Black Belts becoming consultant to organizations throughout the business circles. Motorola actually has a university dedicated for Six Sigma. But sadly, this became a passion that they just could not get rid of.

Motorola became a world leader in Analog Telephony and Communications in the late 90s. No one could match the sound quality of a Motorola. It’s a Walkie- Talkie... oh... must be a Motorola. It’s a Pager, Must be Motorola.

But the times were about to change. Cellular technology was taking the World over by storm. Transition from Analog to Digital should ideally have suited the leaders much better than the followers. But it certainly didn’t happen. Motorola never became a leader in Mobile Phones. The Six Sigma in sound was no more a priority. The big shift in technology got in something called Short Messaging Service. So while Motorola was busy creating the Crystal Sound technology, Nokia came out with robust models for every country and flooded the markets.

Samsung got a camera into a phone; Kodak did not bother to add a phone chip to its Camera. Today, Kodak looks at shutting down its Camera Film Rolls manufacturing as globally more pictures are now taken on a mobile phone camera.

Bottom Line….. In Pursuit of Excellence cannot be a Goal if it is not the need of the hour.

People did focus to the last digit accuracy in Pursuit of Excellence - what they missed while they played with a Vernier, was the competition going past them by the meters.

Did Game of Life miss the bus???

I know I’m not old enough to be a fossil as yet: but sometimes when I just sit back and think about all the things happening around me- I am forced to ask myself, “Is there something terribly wrong about me that I am still searching things from the past even today???”

I have often referred to myself as someone who grew up in the era of Doordarshan, first generation to experience Internet as it expanded from being a mail service to being a virtual world of its own- but I also want to call myself from a generation which was possibly the last one which grew up to board games.

So if I learnt how to identify the dice and count with Snakes ‘n ladders, Ludo and Bingo, Monopoly (or Business as released by Speedage Games in India) was the ultimate game if handling money, building houses & hotels and seeing the other person weep when they landed on your estate was wanted. But I guess what I loved the most was ‘Game of Life’ or just “LIFE”. I guess it was the most intriguing and entertaining game I have played.

But what hurt me was a recent incident where I realized that the boards have just lost out to the screen heavily. Over a casual discussion at work, someone mentioned, “Pay day is still 3 squares away”, and we had question marks bigger than the one’s on the “Chance square” glaring back at us. Okay, so even though just a few years younger, there are three people around me who have no idea about Monopoly and Game of Life??? And it did not end there- Ludo and Checkers was at par with Latin and Chinese. What followed was an equally interesting debate as to how Ludo was played.

So it was crystal clear: board games and my endless memories around them are history…

But how did this happen??? How did the joy of sitting in the Monopoly Jail, calling it the ‘Safest place’ (Even the Underworld has realized it) and make money from others suddenly die out? How did the hours of excitement of starting from scratch, graduating, getting married, having kids (even twins sometimes), awaiting the Pay Day and retiring rich not have the charm today?

I guess what happened was Computers just changed it all. Computer games were new to my generation. Even if the 286 machines ran on DOS, I remember having played ‘Prince of Persia’ and ‘Where in the World is Carmen San Diego’ in groups with cousins and having as much fun. The difference I guess was we adapted to Computers coming into our life- children after that were born with one already in.
So if Fisher Price replaced its alpha numeric blocks and chimes with a Cool School Computer, may be Milton Bradley should wake up and smell the coffee as well. I feel it is time to revamp the Game of Life! If since 1860, the only major change has been a change in the look of the board and maximum number who can play- it is time for Operation Brainstorm. My only suggestion, take a leap further than anyone has… its LIFE; anything is possible.

I personally feel facebook is the place it should be. After the kind of fanatical following of Farmville, Fishville and Café World, I feel people have lost their sense of reality. I guess there are more happy Indians as farmers on Farmville than on any place in India. The size of my brother’s farm is a discussion topic amongst my cousins. Fishville is not affected by cyclones. I also heard my friends fight for the lone net access in the apartment to serve their customers in Café World.

So let us just get into our dreams and play the Game of Life on facebook. And I believe this can be some serious learning as well. This game has potential to replicate any situation. .. Yes ANY!!! It can help you cope with family, work stress, decision making in real life- it is can be like a simulator for life.

What’s more, it will be more than hilarious to read the news feed then. Imagine:
•Bhopoo is on his Honeymoon and urgently needs a pack of Condoms
•DevD ran out of Vodka, only No. 1 is now in stock; Oh No!!! – Maal Laya Uncle likes this
•Brady was on a vacation in Somalia and found a lonely urchin on the street and adopted him – Angie said WTF!!! One more 
•Balbir Paasha has now been awarded a Gold Ribbon from NAAC for testing negative again!!!
•Dharna Halal wants to share her very original recipe for Hyderabadi biryaani in one cup of water- Sanjeev Gafoor loves it!!!!
•Baagh Lakdi wants to thank all the girls he has visited during the days of his PGA championship- muah!!!

At the end of the day; all I hope is someone saves the board games… and I sincerely hope… Game of Life should go on…

Being the Underdog

Every human always aspires to win- we are conditioned to believe that winning is everything. We love to Win; we admire only Winners. I guess that’s so because even without moving a muscle, you got to be someone by recognizing a winner.

So what happens to the one’s who are not numero uno on D-day??? Mostly we would like to even evade a situation being on the side which didn’t win. Who wants to be termed a loser- though officially, you might be a runner up? So how does it feel to be a part of a team- say Force India; just a second off the pace of the best- but not a winner.

I have actually been on both side of the divide quite a few times. But it’s been only a few times when I went home satisfied even when I did not win. It was the realization that on that day the under dogs earned more that what the winner walked away with.

This is one such incident that is etched on my mind, most simply because when I look back, I actually realize the power under dogs possess- the power of surprise. I have since realized what just the fact that people believe in you can propel you to.

I played badminton for some year while in school. It was basically a good way my parents found to channel my extra energy which was otherwise wasted in destructive activities in and around the house. I won’t say I was an Amateur level but did good enough to win a few times in Home tournaments and move up to a few rounds in other Open and Inter-School Tournaments. It was here that I learnt the valuable lesson.

Age 12 meant fit to play Midget group. But Home tournaments gave me the chance to play across Midgets, Juniors and Men’s draws. So while the first category was to excel, the rest were to boost experience. The challenge came in one such Men’s Doubles draws, me and Santosh Shetty (age 18) were against Milind Padgaonkar (age 23) and Raghu Raman (age 30)

On paper it was the most one sided match in the draw. Santosh and I were well aware, like, most that we were practically half the game the opponents were. My game was predominantly the first 5 feet from the net. So all we had on mind was at least score 10 points in each game and enjoy as much of the game as possible. “Don’t feel bad if I miss out on a smash or you miss a drop, we are out to play our best”, Santosh- that was the best piece of advice I have ever got.

Now came the surprise element- to keep our spirits high, the organizers (No one big really, but Vijay Nair it was) managed to get all of our age group to come over and support us through the game. All of a sudden it becomes a bigger stage with cheers, whistles all going around.

The opponents won the toss, wished to serve- if all went well for them, we would probably not even get a chance to serve. The game began with Milind serving and Santosh facing; two returns and came a smash from the other side that just seemed to indicate the difference in the playing level. But the cheers went on and support was still high. Next serve, Milind to me; frankly I was nervous.

I got one that went so fast across from above my head that I only managed to make a desperate attempt to touch it. I guess it was one of the wonders of being under dogs; it took the frame, lobbed in the air and went across the net practically touching it all the way down. The crowds erupted…. I was still at loss to understand what had happened. I still am- that’s why I recall it as if it was yesterday.

I don’t know how many realized that it was not skill that broke the serve; but all of a sudden we were in the game. The next 3 serves actually put us in lead- 3:1, something no one was even ready to speculate. But that was where the dream run ended. The next serve saw the opposition rally up to 8 points on a trot, with me and Santosh having no replies to the smashes across the net. But the cheering continued.

We broke back 3 more times, saw some brilliance from Santosh. I managed a few close drop shots and living up to my task of managing the first 5 feet from the net. By the time the last point was on, we managed to score 14 points. We had set out with 10 as our moral victory.

As we shook hands and walked off the court, every “well played” was a mark of achievement. We had managed something that no one was expecting. But how did this happen, I was still the same, so was Santosh. So what happened in those 30 minutes or so that we were so proud of?

I possibly found the answer very recently I guess. It was being the under dog. No one expected any thing, everyone was supporting us and cheering us to pull off a task too big, and we managed it to a decent extent. It was just that feeling that 30 guys are behind you that possibly took the shuttle across that net, or helped us go beyond the score of 10.

What ever it was, being an under dog is not such a bad thing; just hold on to your stong points and play your game- you just don't know how many invisible hands are actually pusing your shuttle across the net.

Everyone finds bread in Mumbai…

This time I decided to come up with something that can possibly bring some mouth watering thoughts to the readers.

Recently I was running from pillar-to-post looking for what I can find about Chennai that instantly connects with the locals. Though I got answers running from filter coffee in a steel container, idli and dosa on a banana leaf, pongal, rassam and much more; nothing was coming in as the thing you would say originated from Chennai.

It out me back to my desk to think if I can’t think Chennai- can I do the same for Mumbai??? And as if by some divine intervention, a light dawned on my head saying… “How about Pav???”

Oh yes…. Pav, baked bread made from white baker’s flour and yeast to make it soft and fluffy. This is not an Indian bread from its origination. But this sure is the thing that Mumbai has accepted, like all its migrant population, and created a whole new range of Mumbai food specialities; a category comprising of the unhealthiest fast food in India today. (I will advocate every fast food in my own way in person some other day)
Now when I say Pav; its not counting the Pizza base, slice bread or the gourmet breads into account as this is definitely alien to anyone in India. The Pav under discussion is the laadi-pav which comes together in a bunch of 6,8,12,16 or the 24- the maximum I have seen so far.

So where has this Pav come from and why is it called so???? I am pretty sure this Pav is another thing that came from the Parsis. The only reason I feel so is because this is the main item on any Irani restaurant. So even if the brun-maska, Irani paani-kum Chai, and Istanbul tea are the selling points, Pav is the item most prevalent on the menu. Besides since yeast is believed to be used in bread that was from Egypt, the Parsee Community from Persia might have got the first taste of the Pav. So I’m not actually finding the answer to whether the name has come from “pav” meaning a quarter in Marathi or it was “pau” or feet in Hindi.( yes there have been report where the dough was being kneaded by feet)

What ever may be the origins, Pav is an integral part of Mumbai. Even a beggar on the streets of Mumbai craves for a Chai-Pav in the morning and a Vada-pav at the end of his day. In fact it has been so much into the social food system that if the prices of pav are to go high, there are agitations outside the bakeries.

Pav also seems to have been one thing that has broken the barriers of caste, creed and religion in Mumbai. Every Mumbaikar has dug his teeth deep into a Vada-Pav, Bhajji-Pav, Missal Pav some or the other time. If you are into some fusion, well patties- pav and samosa-pav (my staple diet in my engineering days for lunch) will be suiting your taste buds the most. Go to Mohammed Ali Road and you will get Kabab-Pav, kheema-pav, kalegee-pav; just about anything you want. The double omelette- pav or just simply maska-pav with sugar from a Kayani or BastaniAnd don’t you forget how fantastic is Sorpatel-pav from any place in Bandra or Orlem? Mumbai will never be the same without its favourite- Pav.

So if its time for me to now end this topic and I say, I believe- everyone come to Mumbai with a dream; more often than not, always finds the bread before he goes asleep!