Category: Uncategorized
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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”…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Road to Kargil & Drass
What began as a fall-back plan (with the rains playing spoil sport to the Ladakh trekking plans),the trip to kargil & Drass became one of the best road trips I had ever done. I boarded the bus around mid-night @ Leh to take me to kargil and this meant that I could not see the…
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Letting Destiny build the Itenary – From Leh to Kargil
I have always been a firm believer that best of the trips happen when you dont really plan them, when you have the freedom and time to take the path that unfolds itself to you. It was June in 2005 and I was supremely depressed during my 15 day leave, coz I was not able…
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Will TATA’s Nano command a premium
The much hyped release of Nano was a welcome change in these recession hit times. For once both the consumers and the manufacturers were speaking in highly positive tones. It prompted a strange discussion at my house. My dad feels the euphoria around Nano is so much that its booking delivery process would command a…
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Organic farming – tough road ahead
I went on a trip to Sikkim, with a pal who works for organic farming certification in that state. And while I was doing my sightseeing, managed to enquire a bit about how organic farming is structured and marketed in the country. Quite an interesting case study it is. Organic farming involves complete dependency on…
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Will anyone buy Satyam ?
Its been a not so great start to 2009 for India world over. The economic crisis just keeps getting worse. I had last written about a how the slowdown could be the right time for cherrypicking. But the Satyam story has made me wonder if the same really applies to competitive industries in the service…
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Global slowdown- right time for cherrypicking?
Its known to the kid next door (a keen stamp collector) that its a good deal if a stamp which was worth five triangular stamps (in the network) is now available for just 2 ! In business language, its called “timing your buy” when the price is lower than the target or true value. So…
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And Honda does it Again !
Honda has always been like the Intel of the automobile market. It has had a steady stream of products coming out of its shop which has meant that one time Honda owners stayed with them while looking for an upgrade or a replacement. The City platform has seen a steady stream of variants and so…
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DTH Games begin- Elephants will win
The arrival of the telecom giant Airtel has made the DTH arena crowded and fun to watch. Not only was the Airtel’s teaser used by BIG TV, the offers from early entrants like Tata Sky Dish TV have seen a never before decibel levels. At stake is the current 6 million household market which is…
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In the business of breaking (the) news…
I dont spend too much time infront of the idiot box, but I have been a witness to the news blitzkrieg that Indian consumers are forced to live with. With so many news channels, i usually end up pressing the “Up channel” button almost 20 times before I get out of the “breaking news” zone.…
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Why Google launched Chrome ?
Google launched its very own Internet Browser- Chrome- and die hard fans apart, early experimenters also say- that its cool ! While the industry pundits discuss the features and the strategy behind launching of Chrome- i came up with my very own answer- as to why Google launched Chrome? And the answer lies in the…