Reflections

This is   a book that some of the biggest names in the country have rated very highly; and yet, it is also a book that I just could not connect to, for specific reasons outlined in the review. Cutting The Gordian Knot is a book penned by – and reviewed by – some of the best talent in our country; that is true. It is also a book with zero ground connect, a book of dreams, a book of tall ideas – some practical, fewer practicable, and some not so practical. Practical implies useful, capable of being put into effect; while practicable means feasible as well as usable. That sums up the book . Practical – for sure. Practicable? No way. Comprehensive? No . It misses several vital aspects. THE GORDIAN KNOT The Gordian Knot means a difficult problem; the book is aptly named – it looks at some of the most difficult problems confronting our nation, our people at the current point in time. It looks at the state of Education, Employment, Employability, Entreneurship, Upscaling,...

THE WHATSAPP GENERATION The Whatsapp Generation… this is what we are. Regardless of age, in my opinion, it is fair to state that we, the people on Social Media in general and on Whatsapp particularly, can be termed as the Whatsapp Generation. Over the past week or ten days, two or three people have made the same telling comment, focused approximately on how Whatsapp has both brought people together, improved communication / information dissemination – as well as driven a wedge into relationships. This is a feeling gaining currency – that these technological capabilities are both enabling as well as functionally disabling we, the people as face to face meetings, even in families, become all too rare. Image Source: Pexels CATHARSIS These 2-3 comments lead me to a deep catharsis, a searching self-examination – and I had to agree on both aspects – the vitality of this medium to Modern   Life & Business, as well as its deep problems & ability to cause long-ter...

Me, I am old school; and perfectly happy in that classification, thank you very much. When I say a ‘successful” company I mean a profitable company; preferably one that is among the top brands in its market segment/s. To be even more specific – operating profit; that is a positive cash flow from operations to be crystal clear, a company where revenue is greater than expenses. What are these words doing in a book review, you say? Well, thing is, I have just read an entire book – yes, an entire book – that analyses ECommerce Companies, and not once does it fully look at the above. Nice, isn’t it? And yes, before you mention it – have been in ECommerce Sales for years as well. So, I don’t buy this current trend of looking A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z series funding, valuations, GMVs etc.{ Sarcasm added for effect }   As a professional, I have one, and only one question – be it brick-and-mortar, or be it ECommerce : Is your per unit sales valu...

JIO – An Analysis of Prospects and Challenges A common refrain, question, discussion point among at least us Telecom Professionals {those outside Jio at least} centers around what it is doing, what it plans to do, what disruptive impact it will have on services as well as devices and whether it will achieve whatever objectives it has set out for itself. My humble submission here is one simple statement: the key question is not among the points being pondered above; the real question is whether it, or indeed we as a nation, can afford it to fail? Indeed, does Jio have a choice in the matter except do what it is doing? Before we move into details, just look at the numbers involved: as per Telecomtalk & Economic Times articles dated January the 14 th 2017, it has infused 1,71,000 Crore into this venture; another 30,000 Crore is being planned. That brings the investments to 2,01,000 Crore. Its current subscriber base is between 67-73 Million Customers as on date, a...

CASHLESS!!!!! The newest mantra for the nation is this simple, soft and quiet little word – Cashless, that carries within itself a world of potent meaning, deep change, hopes, opportunities and stress… everywhere you turn around, you can see people on social media avowing it as the next great thing… while the naysayers are quick  to point out a series of objections and hindrances to this great new plan. THE NAY-SAYERS My take – both are right, both sides are spot-on; that said, there is a decided need to take a reality check for both sides. The nay-sayers first : they need to accept that digital payments are indeed getting to be the norm. You only have to visit the nearest multiplex window to see how many seats get booked through mobiles and other online methods to gauge the change that is sweeping the land. The need of the hour is to avoid making this is a matter of political affiliation, and view it as a sweeping change – one that is a logical extension to the...

The Internet, The Digital Age and Social Media is all over and ubiquitous, at least in Modern Urban Life; everywhere you look, everywhere you turn - you can spot its presence, its over-arching and all-pervasive influence. Virtually every news media, every conversation on the topic of the internet - all of it focuses on its all pervasive presence and the impossibility of staying without the internet & social media  on a personal level. This is now getting into an entirely new field : The Smartphone. It is increasingly thought that the power of the smartphone can replace the old desk- and laps by a segment of thinkers; that the smartphone can do just about everything; that it is now as essentiality; that be it personal or professional, you cannot survive in the modern world without the smartphone; that it is not a luxury but a felt and present need, as essentiality. Life put in my path a chance, an opportunity to test both hypotheses, this all-prevalent under...