gate marketing

This is the new jargon in marketing.Yes,you guessed right,and invented by me this instant.Saw a board outside a gate "do not park in front of the gate".Fairly common sight you would say.But then what is unusual is that it is a "sponsored gate".The new marketing gimmick in this part of the town.Sponsored by ICICI Lombard.With mushrooming vehicles and very little road space to park them(cannot park inside apartment complexes,they are overflowing),so the bungalow owners do not want any vehicle to be parked in front of their gate.So they spend precious money and time and effort in fixing it in a queer angle and with lettering done by an amateur roadside painter.
Now enter the company agent who wants to sell householders insurance policy and cleverly spots an opportunity for a win win situation.He checks up with his boss for a sales promo expenditure of 100 rupees and gets an sms asking him to go ahead.So springs a very well painted board and the owner is eating out of his hands.Our friendly neighbourhood salesman has of course told the prospect, he is putting up the board out of pure goodwill and he does not have to take a policy from him.Yeah,right,exactly 3 days later our friend has thrust a cheque for a policy to our salesman.
And when heard last the virus of this company's gate boards have spread.And the success of any venture is when there is largescale copying.so it is that we see several companies vying for "gate" space and eye contact space of customers.
Marketing strategists tell us that this is the most cost effective outdoor sales promotion invented by man so far.It costs 100 rupees, needs no maintenance and is at eyelevel and message reaches the target audience very effectively.
If this is not gate marketing i dont know gate marketing if i see one!

Workshops? this is Kolu workshop

Workshops are a part and parcel of corporate life these days so one scans those titles in newspapers and learn to ignore them;they are so ubiquitous.But this one in adyar times caught my attention.A workshop on kolu.Yes, a workshop is organised in association with mylapore times a two hour session which will help you in planning for the kolu and execution; theme kolus; traditional decorations; drawing kolams and yes, tips on how to preserve these and the dolls till the next year kolu.
traditional wisdom is getting institutionalised.Yes, we have no time to listen or practice kolu from our elders in the family.we are separated in time and distance but then if this knowledge is available wherever we are , we could utilise it "just in time"
adyar times has been pioneering traditional values and belief systems in the city in association with mylapore times.they have been organising kolu competitions in these localities for many years now.It is an interesting feature of strengthening community activities.It is a well participated event in Adyar and there are many veterans who look forward to winning; and they are both young and old ladies in that.Yes some entries have given due credit to the man of the house for being a joint venture owner!
Keeping a simple 3 steps kolu is mindboggling for me.Every year i plan for a whole lot of decorations.extra fittiings and themes.Actually throughout the year i plan for the kolu.But then the passion for the festival which i have in abundance is not possible to translate into a tangible output as I want .But then i make up by fervour for classical music which kolu is supposed to spawn.I make it a point to sing atleast 4 songs everyday.I manage to do sundal(for my health and my family's health and happiness,too)on some days.Invite friends/family whom it was not possible to meet throughout the year;wear some fineries which one wanted to show off.And go to some kolus and pick up their best practices for possible adoption in your kolu, next year!See planning has started.
One of the festivals i love and look forward to every year.There is something for the staunch religious minded ladies.they do pooja since morning for goddess. There is something for the creative people.They can decorate as they wish.no dos and donts here.Hence children can run riot(only before and not after the kolus are set up)There is something for the musically inclined(me!)to show off talent.there is something for the gregarious.Can right royally enter and exit houses under the pretext of receiving invitation.Health freak would love this festival for its sundals.And me , for the myriad tastes that the mixture of sundals brought home by the children!thankfully this festival is in october and chennai is not its scorching worst!Usually some rains come on the day you are in your finery and plan to go visiitng.But it is okay, unlike diwali there are no crackers which will not work due to rain!
So kolu is arriving in a week's time and my mood is up!

translators of the world unite

Translatating epic works is as old as the hills;no, as pen and paper,lets say.I was never one for translations or reading translated works.Used to believe everything one needs to learn/appreciate was available in Tamil,English, to some extent Hindi!Yes, i had a tunnel vision.Believed in the unique flavour of each language which cannot be truly brought out into a different language.Was generalising the intrinsic flavour of tamil language which one gets to savour and enjoy.It has the culture angle also to it i guess.
But then it was long long ago.We used to have very good short stories translated from Bengali or Telugu featured in Kalaimagal and Kalki.The themes used to be very serious and the way it was handled too would be very professional.Hence i came to associate translations as very heavy stuff;to be read when one could handle serious stuff.They were very good and brought the period and tenor of living of people in those regions to your study table,as it were.I would not have known or appreciated those authors but for the translators.
Understood the power of translation when i came to know Rabindranath Tagore got his noble prize not for his bengali Gitanjali but for its English translation!No need to market the power of translation any further,isnt it?
But then today we are not talking of those translators who are into literary stuff.
They are everywhere if not physically,virtually in cyberspace.I am told there is a big market for instantaneous translation of talks/sppeches of leading politicians in the cyberspace.(Not for me though)There is intense need for document translation with commerce across language/time barriers making a big thrust.Wonder how ancient Arabs traded with Indians their superior horses!may be everything was in cash;i mean in kind; lots of spices and silk fabrics in return. Spot settlement and not contract based i guess.There needs to be quality control checks on the translated documents too because of the critical nature.(see a brand new position is born here)
I remember a story here which is very relevant i assure you.There was this politician who went to Russia to deliver a lecture to the "aamjan" there.He had an interpreter who used to wait for pauses and then do the translation.Our friend wanted to end the talk with a story and a punch joke in the end.He narrated non stop for 10 minutes and then stopped only after the story was over.He was eagerly waiting for the translation and then the laugh at the end of it.He was surprised when his entire story was condensed in one sentence and the audience spontaneously burst out laughing.He asked the translator,your language appears to be fantastic,it can condense 10 minute talk into one sentence.To which the translator said,it is very simple; all i told them was we have here a very important guest and he has told a joke,please laugh immediately!
A recently concluded Basha 2005 in the city recently concluded by saying there are more than 13000 languages in the country, with 13 official languages and any number of languages without script.If we have Rabindra nath tagores in any or all of these languages,it can keep the translator machine running full throttle till the end of the century!

Telemedicine grid

Technology is leveraged to help a common man on the streets to get the benefit of expertise in various fields,like education,health and information regarding his land records.
Stories of how a villagers from an inaccessible place was diagnosed for an eye ailment and referred to Arvind hospital in Madurai with a proper appointment.Arvind hospital has special arrangement for treating non paying patients, and our villager gets referred with a definite appointment there.
There are twin advantages and one cannot say which is more critical.I would say it is more critical to get a definite appointment in reputed hospitals.Anybody who has had the job of fixing up appointments with renowned doctors/hospitals would agree.
Now apollo hospitals and reliance infocom have entered into an arrangement to enable customers to fix up appointments in apollo through 240 webworld outlets of reliance infocomm in 30 cities.This when it is put to full use will be a real boon.It will be a quantum leap in taking technology to the masses where it is critical.
Same way TTD has made their darshan tickets to be booked through their chennai outlet!A very critical application for an ardent balaji devotee like me!

Romancing the young readers

Harry Potter has definitely brought the youngsters back to reading books, and wow what books they are.I talk about the size, each time it gets bigger and heavier!She has created such a hype, that an youngster who does not have the book within a few minutes of the launch feels he is out of the pack.True marketing genius, fit for a case study in management schools.
every other day we hear of newsreports of publishers vying with each other to have promos to entice young readers.Some book stores like landmark try to get the author to release the book in their store and hype up that event.Other bookstores are quick to follow suit.Chennai has a unique book fair event which is well organised and is listed by many young and old readers on their yearly calender.It also has heavy participation from schools with variety shows,street dances and competitions like "talk your way to singapore"
Hence when singapore decided to revamp their national library with an avant garde design it has to become a hangout place for youngsters.One usp is "it is not as cold as other libraries";hence you can curl up on the comfortable leather sofas with your favourite author.It has very modest registration charges and stocks books in digital format too.It seems to have succeeded in attracting youngsters to the print world as more than 40 percent of new registration are from teenagers!
Even teenagers and young adults need time off from the ubiquitous screen!

Say no to light pollution

Took the night sky and the stars and the moon for granted. Till yasaswini told me one day casually about not being able to see the stars and the inky blue/black sky due to light pollution in Singapore!It was this comment which flashed across my mind when i read today about the new regulation being proposed in New York.Lights on top of skyscrapers in Manhattan have to be switched off by midnight.But why? So that migratory birds are not hindered in their flight path.It appears that they get attracted to the bright lights like moths and crash against the buildings, and thereby killing or maiming them.So, as a measure to enable migratory birds,these lights will be switched off in the city which is said to have never switched off its lights ever!
This round the migratory birds have won!

President goes "green"

President Abdul Kalam is a thinking,active president.It is a refreshing change from any of the earlier presidents we have had.He is more in the news for the "right" reasons than even the Prime minister who is the executive head!
He hit the headlines a few days back with inaugurating a project to make the entire rashtrapathi Bhavan his official residence,self supporting its energy needs.Yes he is installing solar power plant in the premises.Not only that he has charmingly remarked that the heavy curtains are preventing him from enjoying nature while he is working!He also wants to utilise the abundant sunlight and air available in plenty and thus save on electricity for fan/light/ac in his bungalow!
He is also surprised why in a tropical country with abundant sunlight,the offices have to be "curtained" to keep out natural light and put on tube lights throughout the day.
While we may have our views on the "side effects" of keeping windows fully open(dust, prying eyes,mosquitoes,hot and humid weather)one can't but help admire the First citizen in propounding ideas and having the commitment to carry it through.
One remembers how his garden is having an entire portion devoted to medicinal plants which he takes personal interest in designing and monitoring.
What the President believes and actualises will definitely have a trickle down effect.Definitely the youth of the country and the school children are very much attached to his endearing ways.Yes he has taken on the task of talking and motivating atleast 1 crore children studying in schools before his term.And he is completed more than half his target!Wow what a president!

shihan hussaini - the 8th dan

We have been seeing of late posters of shihan hussaini,the karate teacher.The posters proclaim that if one gets enrolled directly under shihan hussaini for one year What is unsaid is i think a black belt at the end of the training programme.
Shihan as he is known among his admirers,is an amazing teacher.If you have any doubts ask yasaswini.But then be prepared for a 15 minute nonstop account of his teaching capabilities.
He is also an equally amazing showman.He is the one who popularised karate among the elite of the city of chennai and also among college students.Yes, he also saw to it that these are widely covered in the media.
He gave a series of "what is karate" to the tv viewers.He used to demonstrate a difficult "kick" explain the situation where it comes in handy and why and then ask a volunteer who had no clue to karate to try it out.He used to use his students to give demos and they were the ones who used to get the brunt of the kicks!(comedy trail actually)
He gave shows on the TV about simple cooking.It used to be terribly entertaining and all of us used to crowd around the tv and let out screams.
Got to know a lot of vocabulary after yasas enrolled for karate in her school.Various colour belts and the various stances and poses which used to have specific names.
What is usually not known is that like every other martial art, karate imposes extreme restraint on the practitioner;to be used as a self defence only and also with restraint to block the opponent rather than harm him.

schools collaboration :singapore style

Minister of education of singapore is hitting headlines,going to various schools in the city to understand the best practices in school education.Schools selected are anybody's guess: vidya mandir,.ps senior,dav,sboa,padma seshadri.He will also be visiting centres of higher learning;yes you guessed right;IIT and IIMs.
singapore wants to leverage the relationship with India which is very special for them.Trade ties with India are even more than China(again,why does it have to be mentioned?)
Vidya Mandir especially has been chosen to demonstrate to the visiting team,how they are able to integrate differently abled children into mainstream education.for years dyslexic children used to be specially taken in and treated as part of the class.The experiement has been highly successful.Many a child is not diagnosed as dyslexic and suffers in the process.vidya mandir has got specially trained teachers who are able to identify children fairly early and rest is happy ending!
My aunt who is a teacher there,teaching primary class for the last 15 years or so,has endless activities and initiatives that the school takes to differentiate it from the rest.they are celebrating their golden jubilee and the activities are mindboggling.
To make schooling a joyous learning,there is lot of backbreaking work from the teachers!Definitely in vidya mandir!

fresh water from salt water for chennai

A momentous decision taken to set up a megaplant to convert sea water,which we have in plenty,to fresh water which we have a great scarcity.By 2006 we should get a feel of desalinated sea water.And 2007 will usher in a major part of the drinking water being pumped to chennai houses,will be through this process.Hurrah!
Politics and economics and technology have played their part in delaying this for so many years.But then humankind has a longer time period than the limited time span of 4 years of politicians.So if we did not get to see chennai being a self sufficient "water" destination,let our children get to see that.
Then the only remaining agenda to make chennai the preferred destination will be a portable ac system which you can wear like a jacket to keep the sultriness and stickiness at bay!

superhighways- the real and virtual

read a wonderful article in the newspapers about one of the ways to get out of the transport problem in metros around the world.
Urban transport is predominently to and fro from work.If virtual network can be leveraged by every organisation, bulk of commuting could be saved and hence vehicles on the roads can be reduced.with rising fuel costs it is definitely worth a consideration by urban city planners.
To construct 1km road it costs 1 crore and 3 crores if it is a national highway.Whereas for a wide bandwith 1km costs only 3 lakhs.It makes sound economic sense.
When India can do the work of US by outsourcing,why can an office work not be done within a few kilometre distance at the house of the employee is a question the author raises.In effect he tells us "practice at home what you practice anyway "
for the skeptics: can all jobs be outsourced: obviously not,but a large percentage of it can and it is definitely worth giving it a thought.
Do all cars on the roads predominently go to and fro from work.Yes, but we are addressing that segment only.We are not looking at people who commute for pleasure.they have a choice to go or not and obviously people going to office do not have such a choice.
Another winner is this argument: price of automobile fuel is likely to rise dramatically in the near/long term,whereas prices of electronic "roads" are likely to fall!
there are many views/recos for decongesting urban metros and this one was novel!

assembly line-hospitals?

Seen some super efficient hospital today.Had to take mom for a cataract operation.The hospital is so well oiled and functions like an efficient factory;to be precise the shop floor assembly line in a factory.
From the registration table it is leading the patient through all the formalities without any confusion.I have seen so many hospitals working with such utter confusion,that this was a refreshing change.While the patient is waiting the system works around the patient,instead of the patient working through the system.When into the room,very good channel music greets and soothes the patient.distilled water is brought immediately.One by one the nurses and attendants come and move above effortlessly without disturbing the patient.Even the medicine shop outside the hospital has an arrangement for them to collect the prescriptions and deliver medicines to us.
Operation theatre literally works to see that the patient is kept ready in such a assembly line manner,the doctor takes just 3 minutes, yes you got it right three minutes per patient to perform the most important part of removing the cataract.And mom was his 20th patient for the day.And he was not done yet.I am told that when this was told to a set of japanese doctors who take about an hour per patient,they could not believe their ears(and eyes too i guess)
The kit given to the patient is so well organised and they think of everything that most usually occur to the patient once they reach home!
The doctor who runs the place is a thinker and also thinks ahead.And with customer focus!Rare species, no wonder he is very very popular and doing well for himself too!The last one heard was he is on a buying spree and one by one all kirana merchants and odd shops turn themselves into some exclusive in patient /outpatient/exclusive patients/vip patients/rooms!

Ubiquitous dress code

Chennai colleges/universities have seen a spate of fiats from the principals/vice chancellors about dress code applicable to girls students.No jeans/t shirts/sleeveless tops/short tops.Only churdidar/sarees are permitted on the campus.One also comes across a college which has introduced uniform for its students; no this is not in chennai.Mobiles are also banned in class rooms.Filmi music,dance numbers are banned in the culturals of some colleges.
While this is definitely causing concern,one can see all this embargo as a backlash against permissiveness seen in campuses.But then the students argue,when atrocious and obsene dresses/scenes are being shown on the tv every day in and day out and being watched by impressionable minds,why ban those on the campus.What is being achieved by this measure?Why ban mobile phones,they may get an urgent message.Nobody would have resorted to banning mobiles,if it were not for their beeping with all sorts of music(?) throughout the classes and distracting everybody.And students were not playing games and smsing in the class on such a massive scale.
Actually violent and unreasonable backlash comes when freedom is misused consistently and pervasively.Freedom is not absolute.
There is a peculiar issue here in the Indian context.Colleges have to be seen to placate parents of students,because they are their customers as they are the ones paying the tuition fees.Parents feel comfortable being good to the children and not enforce any discipline(or are not able to and have given up trying)and hence look to colleges to impose restriction on their dress/behaviour/mobile usage.And colleges have to respond to this need.
We used to think parents transferred responsibility to teachers in school.Now it is getting extended to colleges.Colleges tout this as an usp to attract students from conservative families who want the children to pursue higher studies but with "due restrictions"
It is all commerce really;not any moral issue.
Students can fund their higher education,then they will call the shots!

New design toilet flush

Today's paper had a newspost about a 8th std girl from a mofussil town,designing a toilet flush for trains.It was prominently featured in The Hindu.It seems she has received some recognition and prices too for similar design innovations.The chief guest who came for the school function has directed the Railways management to have a look at this idea.It is a simple idea no doubt,which makes the driver pull a lever when approaching a station,so that the toilet waste does not fall on the tracks till the time the train is in the vicinity of the station.Of course further innovations and improvements can be thought of.But that a school girl thinks of these things is the important point.
It led me thinking;More and more the academic institutions can really plough their ideas to help the industry/gov.They are all the time busy with facing competion,make the cash registers ring, and keeping their head above the waters, that original thought/research passes them by.( I would add, trying to kill any new idea if it comes from your colleague,is to establish a one upmanship and dog eats dog world of industry)
In the US such a synergy appears to be existing but at the higher education level.It enriches both the institutions.It is like the quality of mercy,blesseth him that gives and him that takes!
Another issue here is newspapers are also interested in attracting young readers(the new market and growing one),so they want to highlight their achievements.With WTO in education sector, schools want to differentiate from other schools and this healthy trend is catching up very fast.I welcome this trend!