Author: Wribhu

  • Organized retail in residential areas

    The frequent (and usually negative-themed) coverage of the fortunes of most organised retailers has left most wondering as to what really went wrong for most retailers. While I am sure most consultants are making money coz the answers are still unknown, I think the concept of retail outlets in residential areas needs a special focus.…

  • Value of Marketing

    I remember my MBA days when I thought I had made a very smart decision to not take up any marketing courses. I felt as if it was all jargon-wrapped-common-sense. Why sit through classes(& worse exams) for something you can pick up by just keeping the eyes and ears open. And for a long time…

  • Ambassador push-starting a Santro

    Yday while driving to work, I witnessed a not-so-uncommon scene, a hassled guy trying to push his car since the battery had conked off in the Delhi winter. But what was uncommon, was how he finally got his Santro started ! And while many zipped past this old economy metal monster pushing the “smart people’s”…

  • Finding the techie Rancho !

    Since 3 Idiots seems to be the most talked about thing these days, heres a post to reach out to those young smart thinking techies out there. For one of my ventures, I have been looking for someone who is good at Ruby-on-Rails and PHP. Went through the usual route of spreading the word around…

  • Mukhteswar- an ideal hill station

    December was almost gone & I had not done any serious trips in the whole of 2009. The guilt was really high & I was asking some friends if they were keen on a road trip – anywhere from the hills to the deserts. After a lot of SMS, I realised by the evening of…

  • Why entertainment Sells?

    On my recent trip into the Kumaon region, I noticed that almost every second house had a DTH connection – with the dish antenna being flashed at every bend on the road. I remembered noticing the same during my trip into N Sikkim last year & I was wondering as to why there is such…

  • Has the BlackBerry revolution begun?

    Last couple of weeks, I have been amazed at the number of users who have been flashing their BlackBerries. All my friends have one – whether they are salaried or self employed – and I do understand their need to be connected on emails. But the surprise came when I met college students using BlackBerry…

  • Lending after recession

    What happens to loan disbursal policies immediately after recession? – Do the banks tread a careful path & go slow & stricter in lending – Do they see the improvements in economy a sign for them to also go bullish in lending – Most importantly how do they cater to the now-able-to-pay but bad-credit-profile segment…

  • Boeing- Built to Last !

    Just got this mail from a friend in the US-truly inspiring- “I happened to see this in passing at the backside of a Boeing newsletter few months back. Simply love the raw determination of the human spirit. What a privilege to belong to the same species!!” “I’ve tried to make the men around me feel,…

  • Mobile Advertising & the Indian market

    Advertising on the small screen aka the mobile handset has been a hot area for quite some time. We have seen multiple models come – some to stay & many more to just fizzle out after their two moments of glory. The excitement is well founded, its a screen that probably gets the maximum impressions…

  • Mobile operators & financial Services

    The telecom operators in our country have a really enviable position. They are probably the only ones who have in such a short span created a consumer base that cuts across almost all economic and geographic boundaries. Their elder cousins from the FMCG sector are still way behind in capturing the imagination of the rural…

  • What is vipassana?

    Disclaimer: I have attended just one course and my understanding of Vipasanna might be inaccurate. I would recommend interested people to read literature on the same by Goenkaji or actually attending the course. ————————————————————————- Vipasanna is best summarized as a meditation technique that revolves around body sensations. Sounds strange- right? But apparently this strange but…

  • My first vipassana course- part 2

    Couple of masala-teas later,when the shock of the situation had been absorbed, I started figuring out how best to utilize my time before the registration (which was to start at 1400hrs). AY had already told me about a good trek to Bhagsu village, but I needed to freshen up and dump my stuff somewhere. The…

  • My first Vipasanna course- part 1

    Life is best lived if one learns to read the signs (so says the Alchemist) and most of us have at some point or another read those signs and followed em. Vipasanna was one such sign that had been staring me in the face for almost 3 years. The first I heard about this seemingly…

  • Jungle path at Vaishno Devi

    Almost the whole gang from work- some 27 of us- went to Vaishno Devi early this month. There are two routes that one can take to reach “Bhawan”- the new shorter and cleaner (as no ponies allowed) one or the old one that goes through Sanjhi Chatt. As usual we took the new route and…

  • The elusive Tigers of Corbet

    Jim Corbet is one of the most celebrated National Parks in the country, but what is celebrated more is the tiger sighting- its become so rare at this park that most people consider themselves lucky if they come across one. We were amongst the bigger unlucky lot as far as the tigers go, but was…

  • Park dedicated to the Witch Doctors

    Somewhere in Sikkim is this strange touristy spot- a park dedicated to the Banjhakri- or the witch doctors. The life like sculptures in the park are one helluva scary art piece. Local lore has it that the BanJhakri can cure any disease that befalls man, but its like a double edged sword. The apparently moody…

  • New challenges in retail banking

    I was having a conversation on CIBIL and how it has changed the lending process at most institutions in India when someone asked me this – ” A large segment of the population has become CIBIL -ve due to various reasons incl the slowdown. Will these guys ever get credit in future once the economy…