Why I Like Google

 Went to their office recently (not the Mountain View one) in Gurgaon, to meet an alum who works there. Thought I should know something about them since they know so much about me- corrected the imbalance to an extent.

Now I know why they are rated so highly n Best Places to Work and similar surveys. Less bureaucratic than most, friendly atmosphere, great food and relaxation areas, flexi timings for those who want them, and more. Some pics from meeting Bhuvneet Raheja and another alum -Surjo Sankar sarkar- that we ran into from IIM Indore's IPM -5 year Integrated Program in Management. He recognised me, and is a Facebook friend too.so we took a photo, pronto - the third pic here.

During our 5 course meal. :)

Types of Airline Passengers

 Based on observation (one method of doing research), these are some types of airline passengers-

Corporate and Pseudo-corporate - they are usually carrying a laptop which they pretend to work on during the flight. Some carry a coat-case, while some wear a jacket- without a tie, as per prevailing fashion.

Mom or family with noisy kid- The kid makes a racket, and the Mom/Dad lovingly look on. 

Loo-minous ones- always visit the loo, two times or three, starting within five minutes of the flight. Leaving airport loos much cleaner, I guess.. not sure about the in-flight ones.

The Demanding Customers- they demand things which they wouldn't at home. Usually male, wanting water, tea or extras that they haven't paid for. 

Rude Rushers- they rush around and push people as if there's a Gold Medal for the fastest exiter.

Mindful Monks- they rarely speak, nod once or twice, and keep to their meditation mostly.

Mobile-watchers- after Kingfisher went bust, the TV screens disappeared. So these guys make up by watching some unwatchable muck throughout the journey. 

Tughlak Parallels

 In our history of monarchs, Tughlak became famous for quirky decisions which went unchallenged because he was the King! Now Trump seems to be giving him a run for his money.

Making sense used to be one of the benchmarks for administrative decisions- at least ostensibly. But new benchmarks are being set in a so-called Democracy. Is there nobody who can stop him? MAGA is likely to be Make America Grovel Again, looks like.. 

Well, everyone has an expiry date and so will he.. so what are our options as a common man? Take the R.K. Laxman view, and laugh at his quirky decisions which make zero sense, on the back of whatever America has stood for, all these years. 

Luckily, I don't need a visa to go to the U.S... I went in saner times, when Universities weren't persecuted. When it was actually Great!

Digital Marketing Strategy

 I taught a class (one session) on the subject after a long time. Two authors who I recommend on the subject are Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki. I used the book e-Marketing by Rob Stokes when I was teaching this as a full course at IIM Indore a few years ago. I also taught a Doctoral Seminar based on Journal papers on this subject. Some pics from the latest outing at Austin Tower campus of JIS University. 

Last pic- looking out from a campus window..

Creative Pursuits

 I always liked photography, as my parents introduced me to it. I have many memorable pics taken from places around the world. Some good, some that could have been better, but great memories usually.

Writing I got introduced to in college magazines as an occasional writer. I am proud of a piece I wrote about 100% attendance- a rule at IIM Bangalore. I titled it- "Of Godliness and 100% Attendance." A satirical piece, of course. It evolved into writing a lot for the wall magazine and Year Book, and later, books of two kinds. Technical, as in Marketing related, and an autobiography- self-published, unlike Chetan Bhagat's books. And of course, this blog..

I like punning too, and PJs. Many are spontaneous, and related to the conversation going on. I also ask questions on Facebook that test the creativity of friends, drawing them into answering the (sometimes silly) questions. My 'engagement' score is pretty high, I am sure.

A combo of all these is good for being social, at least on social media. 

Why Diversity is Important

 Generally, it brings new perspectives, and learning which you cannot get any other way. Also makes life less boring.

One way I made life interesting for myself is by working in all corners- and centre- of India, from Lucknow to Calicut and Bangalore to Indore. A senior friend once told me I wouldn't survive North of the Vindhyas. But I did survive for a limited period- actually a long time in Indore.

All universities must strive for diversity in their constituents- students, faculty and administrators. This difference is striking when you compare an average American University with an Indian one. I learnt by interacting with Chinese, Nigerian, Iranian, Turkish and Portuguese classmates during my Ph.D., in addition to American students.

Also, in my American workplace later, I had a Venezuelan colleague, as also a Korean, in a faculty of size 12.

It would be a nice goal to have a gender diversity goal, in addition to other kinds- regional, ethnic, religious etc. in any cohort of students, if possible. It makes classes engaging through peer learning too.

I have also been to conferences that had multiple nationalities participating- Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, New Zealanders, Canadians, Vietnamese, Australians and so on. Sometimes held in Singapore, or Japan, or Sri Lanka, or Vietnam.

 

Interfaith Dialogue - An Online Course by JIS University

 We launched this unique Online Program today. Will run from Sept. till Jan 2026, twice a week. Free, online. We had representatives from the Bramho Samaj of Raja Rammohan Roy, ISKCON, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, apart from Belur Math of Ramakrishna Paramhans, whose disciple Swami Vivekananda was. Pics from the launch event held at Austin Tower campus, New Town-

Places I Have Visited - A to Z

 I will mix up countries and Cities/Towns.

A- Amsterdam

B- Belgium

C- Cambodia

D- Detroit

E- El Paso, texas

F-France

G- Germany

H- Holland

I- Italy

J- Japan

K- Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (Wright Bros.' first flight)

L- Los Angeles, California

M- Malaysia

N- Negombo

O- Orlando, Florida

P- Phoenix, Arizona

Q- Quepem, goa

R- Richmond, Virginia

S- Sri Lanka

T- Thailand

U- Ubud, Bali

V- Venice

W- Washington, D.C.

X- Xanadu, a mythical place I first found in Mandrake comics

Y- Yellowstone National Park
Z- Zurich

Teachers' Day at JIS University

 For some reason, each department does their own celebration- making it tough for me to attend all. Anyway, what I saw at the Law and Computer Science depts. was good. Creative impersonation of faculty - many of them, and dances and songs were the highlights. One shayari performance too. We enjoyed it. Pics-

With Samrendra, a student, and the Dean of Engineering.

Performers -included a Mouth Organ player!

Dance, and below, an imitation of the HoD by Rajshree of Comp. Science! He was right there!

Labani Bannerjee-a student from the Law Dept. sings

Chat masala Guest Episode with Suhita Thatte

 She's a an actress with substance. We chat about Suhita Thatte's entry into theatre, then films, serials and so on.. the link here-

https://youtu.be/4149WlsrnHM

Woodburns - An Interesting Blend

 Not sure how old it is, but I just got introduced. It's a whisky, with some a strong peaty taste.

I have been a fan of peated Single Malts for a while now, but this is a blended whisky, not a Single Malt. I guess it's also mostly a grain whisky, but aging in charred oak barrels makes a difference, and it's also totally indigenous.

All in all, a real value for money bottle at Rs. 2200 in Kolkata.

Another blend I really like for its smoothness is Royal Ranthambore. Different taste, not peaty, but nice.

Also pretty reasonably priced. Around 1900 in Kolkata.

Old Age Pastimes

 How do you spend time when you get old and less mobile?

Some of the activities you were used to including going out, may be difficult. So how do you pass your time?

Here are some idle thoughts-

Read. You can re-read books that you may have read long before. Including favourite authors. The newspaper delivers something new every day, and keeps you abreast of what is happening.

Talk to people- on phone, or in person. They may be your friends, family or whoever. Once in a day or two. Make a video  call on Meet, or Zoom with your kids if they live elsewhere.

Listen to the radio. It's great for listening to any songs you like. Or buy a Carvaan type device with a lot of stored songs.

Walk around, either in your housing society garden, or any other suitable space where it is safe.

TV? I would not recommend it. Maybe watch a movie on Youtube or an OTT channel. That is usually more satisfying.

If you are actually mobile, you have more options, like volunteering, guest lecturing or other ways to occupy yourself.

Unique Pics

 Some pics become unique or are designed to be so. An exceptional view, or technique or congregation of people, are some reasons.

From MANDU- above, and  IIM Bangalore campus in the 80s, when I was a student there (below).

A staged pic in the monsoon, and from a tree in my front yard, both at IIM Indore.

(Above and below)

Strangers- at a wall at Jam GATE, near Indore-above, and Marine Drive, a random shot while walking around, in MUMBAI, below.

Under-estimating Marketing Time and Cost

 Most businesses underestimate the importance of marketing in their success - or lack of it, if they don't succeed at all. Peter Drucker had said long ago, "Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two--and only two--basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business." 

Surprisingly few have heard of him, or follow his advice.

While many new businesses concentrate on the product, or Finance, or whatever, they ignore the marketing effort needed to build a brand from scratch. This is also true of many companies that need scaling up, after their launch. Of course, positioning it wrongly is a mistake often made. But even the nitty-gritty, of planning a marketing communication campaign, is usually not well thought-out.

The promoters usually have no idea of why marketing needs a lot of attention, and get carried away by the advice of a few who surround them. Saving money is all very well, but after investing sufficient amounts in the first place. Cost reduction in marketing can hurt badly. Competition is one good reason for keeping marketing on its toes. But even otherwise, if you have a distinct product or service, communicating that to potential consumers or repeat customers needs a budget.

After sales service is another weak point that can kill a brand, even when it succeeds the first time. Sometimes the company is so involved in selling, that it forgets to take care of grievances. Sometimes this is because the sales have grown too much, beyond the company's capacity to handle service issues.