Mama bird's day out

This incident took place a couple of days back, to be precise, on the day of Eid (Bakrid). I was rushing out of my house to meet some of my relatives which I do every year, trying to finish my daily chores and come back home before evening. I was about to leave when something struck my eye. Something fell, not from the sky but from a tree which is next to our door. It fell on a car that was passing by, the driver was least bothered to figure out what it was and moreover I don’t think that he even realized that something fell. From where I was standing, I couldn’t figure out what it was and I had to move closer. It was a nestling (little bird/baby bird), not one but three who must have tumbled over their nest from the tree. 

When I realized that it was a li’I bird that had come down crashing a chill went down my spine. Is it alive ? If yes, then is it hurt or is it ok. Thankfully, they were fine, but could not fly. Me and my dad took them up into our lawn and placed them safely in a box, offered them some lunch and water. The birds were about 2 inches in size, very very small. The lawn and the tree are adjacent to each other, so the lawn is easily accessible to birds who wish to take a shower every morning, for a drinks break or some snacks. So we made sure that these nestlings were safe and secure from any external threat. Two recovered very quickly, but the third could not fly, not yet. But we could not leave it there for the night as it would get cold (winter is almost here) so we put the li’I one in a cage which was used to pet pigeons, put a little towel inside so that it stays warm and covered the cage with a cloth with enough room for air.

Early morning (around 6 am) on the next day, I checked the li’I one and it seemed to be fine now, better than what it was the other day. So the cloth covering the cage was removed. At around 8 am I heard lots and lots of chirping. It was a family reunion, four li’I birds with their mom, out on a quest to find the missing one. What happened for the next one hour made my day. Mama bird comes to the cage, has a little chat with her li’I one and flies away only to come back with some food. She feeds the li’I one and waits there for a while; the other four nestlings are still in the lawn, maybe to check for any danger. I was in my room looking at them from a window.

The first part of their mission was complete. Now comes the great escape. As it was a cage meant for a pigeon, the space between the grill was spacious enough to “pull out” the li’I one. Mama bird again had a chat- “Ok listen kiddo, I am going to break you out, stay close and follow me. Your brothers and sisters are out there in the lawn. We are going to check for any hostiles in and around the area and move very carefully”. I hope that was what she chirped. So, she pulled the little one out took it to safety in the lawn. Some more chirping, I guess everyone shared their experience with each other and told the li’I one how happy they were to see him/her once again. This mama bird comes to the lawn regularly, a regular visitor for water every morning and I was happy that we’ll get to see 5 more of their kind in the lawn every day.

Haleem at its Best

It was around 8’o clock in the evening and I was going through a city magazine, probably hunting some places where I could go for shopping this year. It was only a couple of minutes that I was into the magazine that an sms from my friend interrupted me. It said “Let us grab a haleem at Shah Ghouse”. To those wondering what ‘haleem’ is ….haleem, is a stew composed of meat, lentil and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. Blended with regional traditional spices, it formed a unique Hyderabadi haleem, becoming a popular food and is mostly prepared during the month of Ramzan.

Ramzan is probably the only month when people savour the dish. A battle is on every year to judge who stays at the top of the chart with Pista House, Paradise, Hy-Line, 555 café, City Light, Bahar, Sarvi, Niagra in addition to Shah Ghouse being the major players (possibly I could have missed some names here). Every joint has its own specialty and taste to offer. For example, the haleem served at Hy-Line is pretty lite and not too spicy. 

Quickly realizing that we had not tried the haleem there this year, we set off to Shah Ghouse Café. We crossed Pista House which is enroute to café and we were not surprised to see the Pista House guys standing right in front of the main joint, taking orders quickly to avoid congestion and traffic. Pista House like last year had setup its stalls at various places in the city for easy accessibility. And for those who don’t know, it is also going places i.e. you can now order a Pista House Haleem from anywhere in India (www.makemygiftz.com).  

So as we approached our destination, around 100 metres away from the café I started noticing these guys dressed in red, an army of them, scattered in small groups. On close observation I realized that these guys were from the café itself, selling boxes of haleem away from the main café in order to avoid traffic hassles and too much crowd which is quite eminent at Shah Ghouse. Finally, we ordered two plates and as usual it was a treat. The haleem was rich in content, the ingredients, the taste, everything perfect, worth a lot more than the hype that was created. Normally I don’t pick, but if I have to select the best, I would go for Pista House only because of the easy accessibility factor. Not to forget the other joints who are unique in their own way, because differentiation is important and we have our own tastes and preferences too. 

Not been there, never done that, but its fun

We come across various situations in our lives where we look at with awe the remarkable work done by some great people. The very next question that might pop up is that how did they do it. How was that business empire built, how did a couple of college dropouts change the world, how did an idea change the entire landscape, the complexion of social media. It happened because they wanted to do it and we can too if we have the potential to convert that tiny spark of ‘willingness to do’ into a wildfire of learnings.

This tale is about me and my friends from Aurora’s Business School who decided to start a cafeteria in our college campus. Initially, none of us had, in our wildest dreams ever thought of setting up something like a cafeteria. Everybody shared a similar agenda – complete your MBA, get a job and live happily ever after. But there was a twist in the tale. After our summer internship programme we had a gap of a couple of weeks before regular classes commenced and we were getting bored because this ‘Dil always wanted more’. Then came the idea from our Dean, to set up a student run cafeteria in the campus instead of a regular canteen walla running the show. This is where we come into the picture. We were still in two minds and were not sure whether to go with it. We made a list of all the items required, the menu and a business plan was made. Slowly as things began to unfold and the café took a proper shape we realized that we were taken over by a force that motivated us to keep marching.

It has been only a week now that we have managed to convert an empty room into a room full of gossip, refreshments, entertainment and fun which we call ‘Go Nutz’. A café where the students can relax, sip some coffee or grab a cup of hot lemon tea or some lip smacking soups. After all only a student realizes how another student feels after a long long session and what is needed to beat the stress. To cut it short and not speak much of planning, organizing, budgeting and marketing. We have  learnt how to make money and if there is any other venture that we wish to setup, it is going to be a cakewalk for us now because we know how it has to be done.

The journey has been incredible so far only because of the DIVE Philosophy of our college which encourages students to learn how to earn with a practical approach towards education. Though this is a very small venture that has been started but this has laid the foundation for other activities to build up. Like I said in the beginning, those who have the willingness only require a spark to ignite. And if you look at some of the most popular hangout places in the city and wonder how did it start. It started with a “ Chal kuch karte hain yaar !!”. We are generation next, let’s make things happen. 

Life Skills and their importance

Blink and you miss. That is how things are today. Everything happens in a matter of a couple of seconds. It clearly implies that the world around us is evolving and getting smarter, quicker and sharper day by day. And when the world evolves, the most superior species on Earth too have to evolve. We live in a social environment where it requires us to interact with people and be able to cope with life’s challenges. Under such circumstances it is important that apart from the formal education that we acquire, we also need certain life skills to bring out the best within. What are these life skills ? Read on.

Life skills are the abilities that one derives through practise that helps to develop positive behavior and deal effectively with the problems and challenges in life. It helps individuals to balance their knowledge, attitude and skill to help them develop their behavior. Therefore Life Skills.

Life Skill is not a definition or a book which can be read and considered as a ‘been there done that’. It comprises of certain essential skills which helps one understand his strengths and weaknesses which consequently help to explore the opportunities available, weigh the pros and cons and make rational decisions in solving problems as they arise. The skills are as follows :

I.     Critical Thinking/Decision Making/ Problem Solving: The most common mistake that most of us do is that we don’t think twice before taking any decision. What happens ultimately is that we have to repent for it in the future (under worst circumstances). Looking at the good side and also the bad side of things before making any decision is equally important. Looking at a problem from different perspectives not only helps us asses the problem in a better way and its influence, it helps to improve upon our decision making skills.

II.            Communication: Considered to be the most important skill. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal. How would you feel when you cannot express something to the audience? The main objective of communication is to pass on the message effectively. Communication skills require some practice and cannot be learnt/improved within a short span. It also includes active listening, and the ability to express feelings and give feedback.

III.          Creative Thinking : In simple words thinking out of the box. The ability to think of new ideas and think of doing things in new and different ways.

IV.          Developing Interpersonal Relationships : There has to be a shift from ‘me’ to ‘us’ and to do that, we need to develop our interpersonal relationships. An interpersonal relation is an association between two or more people. The relationship can be within the family, in the society, workplace or any other sort of commitment. Interpersonal Relationships can be built through trust and honesty, loyalty and faith, confidence and confidentiality.

V.           Empathy : Empathy, which is the ability to listen and understand others’ needs, is also a key interpersonal skill. In other words, the ability to identify and understand what another person is thinking and feeling and to accurately communicate what you have understood through a response that makes the other person feel that you have understood them. It is important that we understand what the other person is feeling and act accordingly.

VI.          Self Awareness : Having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions. Self Awareness allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment. If you are wondering why this is important, Self Awareness helps in mastering your focus, your attention, your emotions, reactions, personality and behavior, to determine where you go in life. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in any situation. Now, what is it that you sense, think, feel, want and wish to do next. As you begin to explore more about yourself, you tend to make changes in the interpretations and thoughts in your mind.

VII.        Coping with stress and feelings : Stress is an individual’s perception and assessment of the environment. Stress occurs when there is a lot of pressure and we are not able to cope with it. Basically there are three types of stress i.e. Eustress (positive stress), Distress (negative) and Understress (negative).  And the only way to cope with it is to calm down, organize yourself and seek support. Feelings on the other hand deal with your emotions and how you respond to various situations in life. For example, you may be angry but you do not wish to express it. It is always advisable to not overact or underact to any situation.

Life skills should not only address knowledge and attitude change, but, more importantly, behavior change. Traditional "information-based" approaches are generally not sufficient to yield changes in attitudes and behaviors. For example, a lecture on “safe behavior” will not necessarily lead to the practice of safe behavior. Individuals learn best which they can associate with their experience and practice.

You Just Don’t Buy a Bournville, You Earn It

At Bournville they have a tradition that you are supposed to open the pack gently, listen to the snap, and take in the aroma. But before you eat it, you have to ask yourself “Have you earned it?”

It was a fairytale come true for my friend. He opened his pack of Bournville. Gently listened to the snap, smelled the aroma, looked at it carefully and when he was just about to enjoy the delicacy, a thought sprang up his mind-“ Have I earned it? No!!! But I am going to eat it anyway”

And as the saying goes, You Just Don’t buy a Bournville, a worm sneaked out from his next piece and he was amazed at the incident .So amazed that he had to inform the local newspaper about the happening. A week later he received a “Caution” Letter From Bournville warning him to be ‘Earn’est  the next time he enjoys a Bournville.

The Amazing Spiderman - Review

One step for man and a giant leap for mankind. Woah !! Wrong catchphrase there, my mistake. It has to be “With Great Powers, Come Great Responsibilities”. Well, I guess the title explains what this write up is all about. So finally, I made up my mind to watch “The Amazing Spiderman” and the expectations were high. To begin with, apart from Spidey, Uncle Ben and Aunt May, all the characters in the movie are new. Mary Jane Watson is replaced By Gwen and you do not have a Harry Osborn in this movie.

The movie, as the trailer describes, is the untold part of the story and begins with a flashback of Peter Parker’s childhood followed by the story that we know and have seen before. Peter discovers a briefcase and finds out something about his dad’s research on Cross Species Genetics and heads to Oscorp to fit the final piece of the puzzle and end the long wait to help mankind. How ? By helping them grow their limbs back, in other words, regenerate just like lizards do. This is the point where the story beings to unfold slowly and we meet the antagonist to whom Peter gives a solution and repents later on. Ladies and gentlemen meet Dr. Curt Conners.

Dr.Curt Conners, after successful tests of the formula on mice and under pressure from Oscorp, plans to test the same on himself and turns into a giant lizard whose face looks like the Grinch who stole Christmas and smiles like the Joker from Batman. Possessed by the power of the lizard he plans to wreck havoc by dispersing the biological agent across Manhattan and Spidey has to save the day and the fate of mankind. The action sequences too are good in number.

Now, how is this episode of Spidey different from the others? To be precise, the original Spiderman. Well, there is a lot that is new.

Unlike the original, where Tobey Maguire (old spidey) creates his suit for a wrestling match, Andrew Garfield (new spidey) gets an idea and does the same after falling in a ring accidentally.

This spidey is more techno savvy and invents a pair of web shooters which are attached to his wrists unlike the original (observe the image carefully) but his spider sense is intact. Furthermore, there are certain twists in the storyline which I do not wish to disclose here (Spoilers).

This version of Spiderman is a lot more realistic and indeed worth a watch and worth your money. And for those Spiderman fans that haven’t seen it yet, you better rush to your nearest theaters because this baby will not be aired on TV anytime soon. 

Advertising in a Magazine

Circulation, Readership and Cost of advertising. If you are wondering what these three terms mean, let me explain that these are the three most important factors that an organisation or a business looks into before opting to advertise in a particular magazine (assuming that the magazine is read by their target audience). But, have you ever wondered about the process involved to advertise in a magazine ?

It is no surprise that advertising through print media has proved to be effective for many businesses and is the most preferred medium of advertising. Speaking of magazines and the number of magazines, the advertiser first selects a magazine which it thinks will reach its target group. Let me explain the complete process with the help of an example:

Assume that you own “ Magazine A” and you receive a call from an organisation who wishes to advertise in your magazine.

You explain all the options available i.e. the size of the ad ( double spread, full page, single column, double column, quarter page, strip etc ) , the cost and offers that you can give if the organisation wishes to advertise in multiple issues and try to finalize a deal after negotiations.

After that, it is important that you take a release order (R.O) from the organisation who wishes to advertise. The art work too has to be prepared by the advertiser and confirmed with “Magazine A” so that it can be sent for pagination and then printed.

The sign says – Free left turn

I was on my way to my office when I saw few cops dressed in white ( it was day time and I mean traffic police) arranging some flashy orange colored cones for a separate drive way. It didn’t strike my mind at first,  then and I took the left lane from the Karachi Bakery @ the Mozamzahi Market and headed towards Lakdi-ka-pul. The scene I saw there was something similar to what I had seen around 3 minutes back (no I don’t drive that fast, I could reach there in 3 minutes only because there was no traffic). Yes, the traffic police were busy arranging these cones again. Then I began to realize that this was regarding the new rule that is being followed from today that ‘Free Left turns’ are available at certain junctions in the city and those who obstruct the drive way will be fined.

                I guess I was the first person to see how it began today with the arrangement of cones and at certain places, written on the road in bright white bold letters – FREE LEFT TURN . Then again on my way back home I also saw some people getting fined because they were obstructing traffic. The traffic that wanted to use the free left. The reason being that they were not aware of the rule because they did not read the newspaper. It had been proven time and again that anything that is free is not always appreciated by some. What was meant to be a boon has now become a bane for others.

Hyderabad Traffic Police have claimed that this will help in smooth flow of traffic during rush hours. Well I hope that it will surely help. Oh, the most important point…did I tell you that I was stuck in a traffic jam for 30 minutes during a non-rush hour because of the congestion caused due to the free left ?? Anyway they’ll find a solution to that too. Cheers and enjoy the free left. And and and please don’t forget to read the newspaper before you leave, because the law says that – IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE . 

Kids today are not what they used to be

It was another fine day and some of us had gathered for a session on Google Adwords at our college, Aurora’s Business School. Our mentor Mr.Gunaranjan had arranged for the session and we were waiting for this gentleman from Google to arrive. As the session began, we began to discuss on how marketing has evolved, right from A to Z…..but we stopped at ‘V’-V for Viral Marketing and then slowly drifted to our main topic for the day. Now, almost 100 words into the article, you must be wondering – how does this relate to the title that I have given ? And there is also a possibility that u must have looked up at the title once again :D .

Sometime in between the session, sometime when we were introducing ourselves to the guest lecturer, we also had to tell him what we wanted to be when we were 8 years old. So, everybody in the room recollected, rephrased and explained what they wanted to be, right from an air force officer to an adventurer like Bear Grylls ( he is also a survival expert and that is how we know him ). Then this guest lecturer ( I am sorry I don’t remember his name – lets call him Mr.A for the time being) told us something that he had experienced in the train, around 8 hours back on his way to Hyderabad.

He met this little kid who was 8 years old and he was busy playing some game in his dad’s mobile phone. Mr.A had already interacted with this kid during the journey and they became friends. Casually, Mr.A asked him , “ What do you want to be when you grow up “ . The answer was something unexpected especially from an 8 year old kid.  He said that he wanted to be an “Application developer for mobile phones” . Something that is way too different from the typical – engineer , doctor, astronaut, pilot kind of careers that we wanted to get into during our childhood. A total paradigm shift. 

Yes, kids today are a lot more bolder and are taking decisions which is clearly evident from the talent shows that are being broadcast on TV.  Ready to take on the world. You must be wondering now, why does this end with out a proper tail ..what is new in it? Well it doesn’t . It was something I wanted to write and you read it J .

Me, myself and the "Troll Face"

The moment you look at it, one can guarantee that it is going to bring a smile or send you ROFL ( Rolling on the floor laughing) . What I am talking about here are the troll face comics that are all over the internet today. No one ever cared to go back to the roots and find out its origins. The name of the person who started this ( I guess ) is Whyne (http://whynne.deviantart.com/ - that is his link ) and that is where it began. I’m not too sure whether you are aware of the fact that there is some serious money being earned out there because of these comics. People tend to post these on their blogs and websites and sign up for Google Ad sense…grab attention and traffic..and that fills up your bank a/c.

               

Just imagine what would have happened if a company had purchased the patents of this comic from the designer. No doubt that he would be spending the rest of his life in Disneyland because would be on cloud 9 in no time.  We had the Zoo zoo ads by Vodafone which were a success, then came out the zoo zoo keychains and soft toys and what not. But imagine an organisation advertising through these troll comics in a digital motion picture format, people would go crazy and it would go viral before others unfolded their sleeves. With advertising reaching new extremes, what is next?

( What are your views and comments ? )

An opportunity is all you need

What made me write this is an incident that took place around 3 weeks back. I had to deliver my bike to a service station and once I did that I had to hire an auto to head back home. This is where the interesting part begins. I was busy reading some sms when the autowalla asked me, “Bhaiyya aap kya karte ho ?" and I replied that I was a student. He threw another question at me, “Graduation ?” and I replied “Nahi, MBA – Post Graduation”. He replied “Accha hain bhaiyya, khoob mehnat karna". It didn’t end there, after a gap of around 3 minutes he started to tell me about himself (maybe he was expecting me to ask a similar question i.e. about him). This person, who was taking me home in his auto was a graduate aged about 27 years, who had completed his B.Com from a reputed college in the city (I do not wish to name the college here). Unfortunately he could not continue his education because his father was poor and old and could not afford it and no bank was ready to give them a loan. That was when he had to don the role of an auto walla, to earn some bread for his family and for himself.

He did not give me a chance to interrupt and neither could I. He continued his story, this auto that I was travelling in was used by this man on a rental basis 2 years ago and today he owns 3 autos which are used by his brothers. How did he do it? I never asked him, he told it himself. Two years back when he took the auto on a rental basis, he had to give away a part of the earnings he had made during the day to his owner and he also had to ensure that there had to be atleast a litre of petrol in the vehicle. So his daily earnings were his share of profits less the amount for 1 liter petrol. So he used to calculate an approximate amount and set that as his target every week and the target would increase every month. In six months time he had saved enough money to purchase the same auto. He would then give this to his younger brother and tell him to use the same strategy that this guy was using. To cut the entire story short, this guy was increasing his daily earnings by 10% every week. Come what may they had to reach that target. Another interesting point that he told me was that they even visited a dealer and asked what the price of this second hand auto would be after 3 months (in a condition as it was now ) because he wanted to sell it and buy a brand new auto. On the basis of the amount that the dealer told him, he considered that it would be appropriate if he does not sell it.

Now, how did he decide that? He calculated how much he would earn in that time of 3 months and the amount was 300% more than the price that the dealer said. In his words – “Bhaiyaa aaj iska daam itna tha toh kal aur bhi gir sakta hain na, toh maine ise rakhna sahi samjha” . In the dictionary of an MBA this would mean that he calculated the future value of that auto and he was considering only the profits that he was earning. “Agar petrol ka daam badta hain toh humara nuksaan hoga aur ek mahine me kamayi 1000 rupiye kam ho sakti hain to main har mahine ke hisaab se 1000 rupiye alag kar deta hun" That for him is the risk that we call “Beta” in Corporate Finance. On the basis of all these factors and immense hard work, this guy had managed to purchase 3 autos in 2 years. Once he gave up on the rental auto, his share of profits increased because he did not have to give away a share to his boss. So much happened in a journey of 30 minutes and the best part was the way he had planned and made targets every week and month and his means to achieve them.

So what is the bottom line? The bottom line is that this person who had started his journey as an auto walla, did not get the opportunity in life to study further like the most of us. But whatever knowledge he had with him, he used it and if he continues to work with the same passion and determination, I am sure that this guy would run an auto agency of his own by renting autos. I gave him the fare and before I entered my house I smiled and said to myself – “I am done with my revision of Corporate Finance”.

RISE OF THE MOSQUIT ‘EERS’

To a considerable extent, there is nothing else that can make a human being go berserk and crazy than a little mosquito, sitting on a mosquito repellent, staring back at you, probably saying- “Hey buddy! What’s up? Don’t worry about me, I’m used to this, I’ll be fine. Just make sure that when I’m tired, you ought to be ready with a toast for me.”Jurassic Park taught us that mosquitoes have been around for 100 million years. In that time they have diversified into 3,000 species that are very different from one another.

Just like so many other terrorists groups these little terrorists have somehow found a way out to breach enemy lines. Come nightfall and these hungry ‘beasts’ are out hunting for blood. Man has many secret organizations planning out distinct projects to protect the world so why isn’t it possible that these little musketeers have a secret organization too, to protect themselves ? And even if we found out their bunkers, we wouldn’t gain much from it for the secret to their “impregnable minds” lies within them. But, one cannot take Science for granted and it is possible that in the near future there may be a translation device that will unravel some sense of what these insects buzz in our ears.

As the saying goes –“In the spider-web of facts, many a truth is strangled”, the media too is going to get a chance to be part of this hula-hula and we might find ourselves fortunate enough to pick up a newspaper screaming out the headlines – United States of Aedes* agree to sign a nuke deal with Anopheles* Africa “ or “Breeders from the Sagar take over the Amazon Maoists “ . Interviews , communities , celebrity makeovers are yet to follow. In the coming years there could be an Oscar awarded to a movie titled “ The curse of the Vectors” and I’d rather be on the safe side by not naming the lead actors playing the Vectors(The female mosquito).

Having given them the title of Terrorists we don’t mind buying a pack of repellent but we are still the “Aam aadmi” unaware of the consequences. They kill beneficial insects, attract mosquitoes but don't kill them. You can spray. It will give you relief from mosquitoes - for two hours. But it will kill every butterfly, ladybug, preying mantis, and earthworm too! Gosh we don’t even mind getting into a smoky and foggy affair to get rid of them. Gone are those days when the battle would be won as soon as the king died in the war ,but things are different this time around .What else can we do as every other mosquito looks like Osama and who knows he might have been under the knife to get a plastic surgery and look like a beetle and run away unnoticed.

Well whatever time may take them but there will be a time when a baby mosquito will come back after its 1st fight. On being asked by his dad, “How does it feel?”
It would replay, “Dad it was wonderful, everyone was clapping for me”

Don’t they deserve a Nobel peace prize, at least all the nations should come together to fight them, though it might be for a single day .