Reflections

FMCG : PATANJALIED!!!!! {PART – 2} Previous Part : Click Here The rise of Patanjali cannot be explained by mere Marketing Factors; to further underscore my point, let me just quote a small observation : for the first time, I am seeing an FMCG Brand {or any other product, for that matter} being discussed in Social Media, Whatsapp forwards and discussions, personal discussions etc. Now this is absolutely unique; for a mere Brand to get so much traction as to become a talking point in such areas does call for comment as well as some pretty serious thinking and analysis on the part of both Academa as well as Corporates; it is {yet another} indicator of the seismic shift in the Indian Consumer that should have been spotted The Indian Consumer Story is admittedly complex with deep differentiation and divisions that most corporate honchos love to parrot – and they are spot-on accurate. However, when trying to pin down the growth of Patanjali, one has to go beyond these narrow ...

FMCG : PATANJALIED!!!!! {PART – 1} The Rise, Rise And Rise Of Patanjali… The rise, rise and rise of Patanjali in the FMCG Sector is the cause many a heartburn in the trade  whose marketshares it has eaten, excitement in the media which gets something magnificent to talk about and report on – analyse – discuss; and a whole new range of products for the customer to experience. A lot has been said and anaylsed about the rise of this brand, and a few responses are also trickling in from the current majors in the trade, which is where the issue stands as on date. A lot has been said about the key reasons behind the rise of this brand; a lot of it does actually make perfect sense; the factors that I have read are indeed pertinent and contributory factors behind the rise of the new brand. But, and this is a big but, all of these factors together will account, or rather, ought to account for, the rise of Patanjali . I respectfully submit to all Marketing Pundits out there,...

PAY COMMISSION AND THE ARMED FORCES This is a topic I came across when I got a Whatsapp forward of an NDTV Discussion on the 7 th Pay Commission and its impact on the Armed Forces – given in the Video clip below. This was a discussion anchored by Barkha Dutt, and featured an Ex Army Chief, A former Finance Secretary, A Senior Retired Police Officer, several other middle level Armed Forces Officers and political representatives of two parties. A very high quality discussion, this featured decently presented pros and cons form both sides of the debate very fairly, and yet, the contents were worrisome. { 7th Pay Panel Puts Police At Par With IAS, Soldiers Say 'Blatant Discrimination' } ; The debate, or dissatisfaction of the Armed Forces {as per the media video above}, is around the 7 th Pay Commission Recommendations in terms of some allowances – Hardship Allowance, for example in comparison to the other services, and parity with other services, among other ...

BENGAL DIVIDED – THE UNMAKING OF A NATION 1905-1971 By Nitish Sengupta There are some books which can honestly be classified as yearnings, or – in the reflected light of reality, as forlorn hopes & a deep yearning. This is one such book, which is from start to finish a softly melancholy yearning, and a deep sigh for what could have been. I don’t begrudge the author that yearning, that is a human trait – and given the power of cultural similarity, or should I say, perceived cultural similarity,  the author’s view can be accepted. This is the story of United Bengal; the sad and tragic story of the division of a people that were once one in almost every way except religion; this is the story of a time when the ties of culture and people were stronger than the ties of religion for some people. And this is also the story of how precisely the one people became two for a part of their community, of how external forces brutally played havoc with cultural unity and drove...

SINHASAN BATTISI – MANOJ PUBLICATIONS Worded by : Gopal Sharma Translated by : Arun Kumar A chance stroll to a railway station book trolley on Nagpur Railway station lead me to yet another discovery – having had prior experience of a rewarding nature on such strolleys, I was open to more experimentation after reading good, and yet cheap books on Chhatrapati Shivaji and The Mahatma. This time, I found a book that took my memory back to my childhood and young adult years – the fabled stories of Sinhasan Battisi … and at a very cheap Rs 40/-! Not believing my luck, I went for it like a shot The stories of the Sinhasan Battisi revolve around the Ujjain King Vikramaditya , who also is credited with the Sanaatani Calender Vikram Samvat, which is one of the two major calendars still followed in Modern India – Vikram Samvat , and Shaka era. {For Western readers – we use local calendars, one of the above two – for almost every cultural event wherein everything is determined b...