A few ideas to start your Business.

13 May

For someone with a little entrepreneurial ability there are many exciting business opportunities. Most people tend to be repetitive & follow existing models that lacks innovation. This Blog lists down a few interesting ideas that can be developed as a successful business – so all the intelligent bored housewives, Gujjus, Sindhis …with business in your blood -  here is something to get you started.  All the ideas are based on Basics of human need around Food , Shelter , Clothing. In the past many of my ideas have translated into big business – hoping some of you pick up these ideas and execute them successfully.

Nuts.com – Simple Trading – but go Online

The Marwari’s have built an empire out of this. Small Investment, Low margin but multiple cycles of business is their mantra. If you invest 1 Lac and make a profit of 2 % in one day by trading in wholesale look at the money you can make in a year. The ROI is obscene !

We were recently in Kashmir and found that the best quality of Walnuts & Almonds are available at about Rs 600 / Kg. At Delhi INA market this becomes nearly 1000 / Kg and at Bangalore its closer to 1200 / Kg.

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There are at least 10M Indian families whose daily food intake includes some nuts – its good for health. And then during Diwali and other festivals Nuts are great gifts. So here is the idea – start an Online Store that sells limited variety of quality Nuts, Tie up with a large merchant in Kashmir, depending on the scale and margin you want to make you can decide if you want to run this as a small outlet store in Bangalore or a large online play with a warehouse out of Srinagar. So with Nuts.com – you can actually start a very profitable business – margins in excess of 50%. You can then expand this to get dates from Middle East – that’s another great food item, doesn’t need refrigeration, can be stored for long and its rare to find good quality pitted dates in India. Take a look at what sells online in India eTailing –  everyone is busy selling books , gadgets , apparels .

Online Retail

Once the concept starts , further expansion is possible – create an online store for every unique item you get from different States – yes the concept of State run handicraft stores exists, but its poorly managed. So your online store can have Cotton Sarees from Cal, Kolhapuri Chappals, Pashmina Shawls, Silk Sarees from Kancheepuram, Special Navratri Dresses from Gujarat etc – an online boutique that gets you the best from every state in India at the lowest possible prices. Today this segment does not exist online – so there is virgin opportunity waiting to be tapped both from India and the 15 M NRI’s visiting India.

 

Italian Buffet

Indian’s love Pizza & Pasta. India is the fastest growing base for Domino’s & Pizza Hut. We also consume more Pasta than all of Italy ! Yes we have many Italian Restaurants and Pizza Joints but what we lack is a low cost Italian Buffet joint. Many years back we used to frequent one in the US – CiCi’s Pizza, it was a great success story. Unlimited Pizza , Pasta & Soft Drinks for $6.99. In India you can probably charge Rs 499/- for a similar buffet. Clear opportunity to build a chain with scale.

Pizza Buffet

Theme Restaurants

Many years back we had visited Cancun. One evening we visited a cultural program that included a buffet dinner. It was organized by the Mexican Govt – but it was an excellent experience. In any large Indian city we are starved for entertainment – IPL tickets get sold months in advance, and any good dance / musical event at Chowdiah memorial is a sell out. The only entertainment for Indians in most metros is eating food, visiting malls and watching movies.

National Folklore Ballet of Mexico

How about a Theme Restaurant that serves different variety of Indian food each day along with some cultural program from that state using local artists. So Mon night would be Bhangra & Punjabi food, Tue would be Odissi or Baul Sangeet with E Indian Food, Wed could be Gujju food with Dandiya & Garba & Thu could be dishes from the Malabar Coast with Kathakali Dance. You will need a place in the suburbs (Something like Vishala in Ahmedabad) and could announce the schedule in advance and have all the seats booked ahead of schedule. Given the no of IT companies in Bangalore and the foreign visitors who come every week – this one will be a sure hit from an entertainment point of view both for tourists & locals. ( This one may be a little complicated to execute and would require some connections with a big realtor or politician)

Food for Rail Travellers

Not sure how many of you saw the recent TV expose on how food is cooked in Trains. Most people would want to stay away from that food. There are over 5 M passengers who travel every day on an overnight train. They need food – what you get in the train & station is substandard and not something you would want your children to eat. Cooking at home is an option but it would be a lot easier to get something from near the station.  Renting space in the station is difficult (you need to know Mr. Bansal’s relatives). So what’s the Option ?

Passengers crowd together at a platform after part of a railing from a bridge collapsed at Allahabad railway station

A Saravana Bhawan type joint that is located close to the station – offering packed delivery food. Not too many varieties but clean, hygienic & packed well for travel. Idli Vada Combo, Curd Rice, Lemon Rice, Sevai, Roti Subji, Puri Bhaji.. Over a period of time the good food and hygiene standards will establish the place as a brand by itself. You may even have the option of delivery in the platform so that you don’t need to visit the shop as you rush to the

Store for the Sr Citizens 

We have many stores dedicated for Babies – why not a store dedicated for the old ? A store that specializes in food / medicines / soaps / day to day ingredients that they need most. Maybe extend it to a restaurant like Sanjeevanam that serves Indian food with limited oil , create a menu for diabetics , one for Heart patients , make it like a club for old people who can spend a few hrs every day – a sort of CCD for the elder citizens to hang out.

Sr Citizens

And finally my favorite one – A nice housing complex in Coorg on the banks of the Cauvery 

Water is drying up – in the last few years we have seen how the water table has gone from 30 feet to 500 feet and we survive on tankers. Think of how the situation will be 10 years from now as even more people migrate to the cities. A great opportunity exists in building a good quality medium budget villa complex on the banks of the Cauvery – in case of water shortage you can always go and haul a few buckets in. Land in Coorg is still cheap – less than 10 Lacs / Acre – so its very possible build Villas 1500 sft 3 BHK independent houses for 30 – 40 Lacs on 1/2 acre plots – the right builder with the right pricing can sell his layout in one weekend in Bangalore.

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Brainwashed

27 Apr

During WW II London was bombed , almost all of Europe was demolished, Japan was nuked – yet in  a short span they rebuilt their cities and went to on to become great countries. All this thanks to the leadership of some great people and the hard work of  the common man. Europe has a history that can be traced back 2000+ years to the time of the Romans, Greek’s , Spartans , Vikings , Gauls…. the US has literally no history and is a country of immigrants. The point that needs to be made is whether its a company or a country good capable people  make all the difference. Lets keep this point in mind as we move on.

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Whats the history of our country in a few lines. A great civilization , probably the oldest , home to some of the oldest scriptures and holy writings which supposedly have a wealth of information written in such a cryptic manner that only a blessed few can understand them ,  a Religion which is more a way of life , great stories like the Ramayana & The Mahabharata which every kid knows from his childhood. A clear demarcation of what is good (Gods & Deva’s) and what is bad (Asura’s) , Millions of God’s, a strong caste system that is accepted and rarely contested – and then the external invasions and how all the greatness was stomped out and we were relegated to poverty and strife.

I dont know if the above is true or if its a holy brainwash – like every kid in India I have heard the same stories , read the same Amar Chitra Katha’s and as a parent propagated the same information to my children. But I now have a few questions. Every story has two sides to it – the version of the winner that projects him to be the greatest and everything else as evil. Have we tried to find out the other side of the story ? There are hardly any facts and historic data to prove the veracity of the stories we have heard – but there are many questions in my mind.  In the last few months I have visited the Louvre & the British Museum – right when you enter both is the entrance to the Egyptian Section – you will see hall after hall , row after row of artifacts that date back 2000 – 3000 years old.

Egyptian Section

Surprisingly none of the worlds greatest museums have any section of ancient India. What you will get to see of India is mainly the Chola Bronzes that date around 800 – 1200 AD and then the Mughal Miniature paintings. The oldest structure we see in India are probably 500 BC and they represent some ancient Buddhist Temples , Fresco Cave paintings , Stone Edicts . From Egypt we have proof that stone statues can survive over 3000 years , so what happened – did we lose all the ancient palaces, building , structures of the great old days ? Many of them would have got submerged – but excavations could have revealed them like they revealed the Indus Valley Civilization.

Lets step back and look at the story of Ramayana. Yes Rama vanquished Ravana – and since then poor Ravana has been the symbol of a perfect Villain. But was Ravana indeed a villain as he is portrayed. Is there a second perspective to this. Were the Asuras really demons and the “Bad people” and the devas the greatest. The word Asura has a close resemblance to ” Ahura” which comes from the Persian Language and means great warriors. Ravana , Bahubali were all Asura kings who were known for being great administrators and valiant warriors. Ravana is portayed as an egoist with 10 heads  - but maybe he had the valor & the intelligence of 10 people , you just need to step into Sri Lanka and the stores of Ravana there are very different from what you hear this side of the border.

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Was Indra a great king of the Deva’s ?  or was he in charge of a brigand that used to attack the existing rulers (Asura Kings) and the innocent citizens – If he was indeed a great king of the Deva’s how come there are no temples or hymns in his praise that we chant every day.

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Was Kubera the king of wealth or just a shrewd Shylock ? who made money out of others not always with principles.

Was Kumbakarna addicted to drugs which caused him to be drowsy all the time ?  and maybe the poppy plant  grew for only 6 months – hence he was awake the rest of the 6 months

Was Varuna the king of the Seas or just a pirate who controlled the seas thru his power ?

Were the great Asuras slowly but surely pushed back by the terrorists and their women & children slaughtered & raped ?

The Samnudra Manthan could well have been a period when mankind learnt to domesticate cows , horses, elephants – learnt the usage of medicines to prolong life (Nectar of life) and all this could have happened when the three races that existed Asura , Deva’s and Nagas lived peacefully for a few hundred years without any in fighting .

Is there Heaven , Earth & Patala or were they three regions on adjacent to the other starting from deep S to the North towards the Himalayas. And if the Deva’s ruled the Norther most area did that automatically qualify as Heaven and Naga’s of extreme S become “patala”. Was there a land mass where the current Indian Ocean exists that extended almost all the way to the Antarctica ?

Geologists say that the Anadaman & Nicobar islands are actually peaks of mountain ranges which was submerged in the ocean thousands of years back. Was there a land mass there that existed – which sometimes finds mention in old Tamil Sangam Literature ? If Tamil is indeed a language as old as Sanskrit how come the history books at school don’t even talk about it ?  Is the history we know the real History or is the history that was crafted by the British along with the Aryan Invasion Theory

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Nobody knows the answers but we believe what we have been told over the years, they make great stories and there is no need to question them – so we continue to be brainwashed.

If we were a great civilization and world beaters 5000 years back then a short period of domination by invaders would not have changed our DNA – if Europe and Japan could rise from the ashes so could we  - but we haven’t and we still cling to the past as the present is mired in scams & controversies resulting in abysmal poverty and lack of infrastructure.

Last few years there have been many books and discussions on this topic and its good to see questions being asked. Lets hope we see more research on these topics and hopefully get to see light at the end of the tunnel , which will eventually ensure that we are not brainwashed.

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Kashmir Holiday

16 Apr

 ”Gar firdaus, ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast.” If there is ever a heaven on earth, its here, its here, its here. 

Anyone who has seen Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) would have dreamt of visiting Kashmir . We finally translated our dreams to reality and spent 9 days in Kashmir on a family holiday. Yes we were a little concerned about safety especially with the recent Afzal Guru incident  - but it turned out to be a wonderful and memorable holiday and we all agree with what Firdaus & Jehangir say about Kashmir. here is a quick planner with tips on how you could go about planning your holiday.

Day 0, Fri - Evening we departed Bangalore at  1845 to Delhi and  spent the night at a small rustic place close to the airport at Anand Niketan called “ Inn at Delhi”  - its basically a B&B with the owners staying on the 1st floor and about 5 rooms in the G Floor. Its basic and functional, close to the airport, good for a one night transit stop.

Day 1 & 2 , Sat / Sun –  Delhi to Srinagar is a 1 hr 25 min  flight and as you land you can see the lovely valley surrounded by snow capped mountains. We reached at 12.35 and the cars were ready to take us to Gulmarg. Known as the Skiing capital of India its about 60 Km from Srinagar and you save 30 min if you drive straight from the airport rather than the City. We covered this journey in about 2 hrs . The 1st hr was regular road (You can stop at Mirch Masala for lunch , its about 45 min drive from Srinagar airport) the last 60 min was a climb up the mountain – not too many hairpin bends , easy climb to 8830 feet (Ooty  is about 7000 feet). On the way you cross Tanmarg (The drivers may stop here and ask you to rent Snow Shoes & Jackets – but please refrain, there are better shops in Gulmarg). Gulmarg is a small town and is famous for its Cable Car (Gondola) rides. The cable car rises in two stretches  and the final height is about 12,200 feet. Tickets for each section is to be bought separately  and they cost Rs 400 for 1st stage and 600 for the 2nd stage. The cable cars are small and can accommodate 6 people – takes about 8 Min to reach level 1. The level 1 landing point has many shops / activities ( Skiing , Snow Biking etc) and can keep you busy for 60 – 90 minutes.  Level 2 is the peak – windy & cold ( It is closed at times if the wind speeds are very high). Gulmarg has a lot of snow even in April ( we had over 4 feet) and temp is cold – 0 to 10 Degrees, so be armed with thick jackets, Thermals , gloves and socks. Helps if you have a nice shoe with thick rubber soles (Woodlands Type)  - that way you can avoid renting the rubber shoes. Avoid walking on snow in normal shoes.

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The Q for tickets for the Gondola ride can get very long – we were lucky as our Travel agent had organized for the same. Most people do a day trip to Gulmarg so it gets very crowded from 10 AM to 5 PM. We stayed for 2 nights and the kids spent a lot of time in the snow near the hotel. We stayed at a lovely place called The Vintage – nice comfortable hotel with about 40 rooms. We had selected a suite so it was very comfortable, excellent heating and the food was great (Don’t miss the Kashmiri Pulao packed with dry fruits) . The only challenge was the walk from the hotel to the Gondola ride – its a 3 km walk , you can take a sledge or walk. The sledge is a wooden cart manually pulled and did not look very comfortable. There are good hotels near the cable car (Khyber  & Highland Park) – staying there can save you the walk.

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There are limited places to see  - and being an army camp most places are out of bounds for travelers. We had a relaxing easy 2 nights , 1 1/2 days – but I guess a night stay was probably enough to cover the place.

Day 3, 4, 5 , Mon / Tue / Wed 

Post Breakfast we left Gulmarg on Mon morning and headed to Srinagar , reaching the Dar – E – Salam hotel by lunch time. Its a lovely hotel on the banks of the Nageen Lake (A part of the Dal lake) – 14 lovely rooms , a lovely garden , and Shikara rides right from the hotel, it actually looks like a colonial mansion. We consciously decided against big brand hotels and the service and comfort of small boutique hotels was excellent all through our travel.

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Srinagar is famous for  3 Things  1. Lovely Mughal Gardens 2. Shikara Rides 3. Boat House . We had planned our trip in April so that we could see the famous Tulip gardens. The garden is open for a month every year around end March to end April. Its a very pleasant sight to see row after row of colorful Tulips. They say Amsterdam is Tulip city but in April you can get the same experience in Srinagar.

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Right next to the Tulip garden is the Botanical Garden. Close to this is the Chashme Shahi and Pari Mahal ( Palace built by Jehangir for his daughters) . If you plan well you can cover all these spots in the morning and head for lunch to the newly opened Taj Vivanta that is close by on the top of a hill. Food is good but the view of Srinagar and the Tulip garden from the top of the hotel is better. So yes the lunch may be  a tad expensive but reason with yourself that some of the cost is apportioned for the view. The Botanical Gardens is very well maintained ( would probably rate it at par with the one at Ooty) and during the sunset you can get some brilliant photos.

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The other famous gardens are the Shalimar Gardens & the Mughal Gardens. You may get bored visiting so many gardens but do ensure that you visit the Badaam Vari (Almond Garden) – as the name suggests its a garden full of lovely almond trees. Of all the parks we visited I liked this the best , we were there at 930 AM and the park was empty. vast expanse of well maintained gardens and lovely trees and you just felt like lying down on the grass and spending the full day. With such lovely gardens in Srinagar I wonder why they call Bangalore the city of gardens ? Srinagar is a lovely city – broad roads , nice pavements , limited population , fresh air , and a lovely view with mountains all around.

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Talking of Almonds – Kashmir is the best place to buy Almonds, Walnuts , Saffron & Pashmina . They are cheaper here by 50%. 1 KG of Walnut that costs Rs 1600 in INA Market Delhi is just Rs 600/- in Srinagar. And  so is the Mamra Badam . Pure Saffron costs about Rs 200 / gm . So remember to keep some space in your bags to get back a lot of these for you & your friends. The pashmina stoles start from Rs 1000 ( 30% Pashmina) but the pure ones can be as high as Rs 3500. Yet they are a fraction of the price that you will pay in Bangalore – so all the Gujju’s & Sindhi’s reading this blog – here is a great business opportunity for you.

After you have walked around the parks do try out the Shikara. The Dal Lake extends all over Srinagar across nearly 45 Sq Kms. All along the lake you have Shikara – costs only Rs 300 / Hr. It  can accommodate 2 Adults & 2 Kids, but try and stay 2 to a boat gives you that much more space to stretch & relax. The Shikara will winds its way through the lake talking you to floating markets , lotus ponds and many more interesting places. You will also see many houseboats. Most people do spend a day at the houseboats – we decided against it. It does look cramped and damp, its stationery and one worries about how they handle their sanitation – and the only way to reach the boat house is by the Shikara. The boat houses come in different varieties – and rates vary from Rs 1000  to Rs 6000 / night.

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What else to do in Srinagar – you can visit the Hazratbal Mosque, the Temple of Shankaracharya (Hilltop Temple, that requires a 30 min walk up some 300 steps) , take a balloon ride, and visit the Dargah of  Sheikh Abdullah . Also do visit the Lalit Ashok hotel. This is a royal palace of the Dogra King converted to a 5 Star Hotel. It has lovely lawns and a beautiful garden overlooking the rooms. Its a lovely hotel and we spent some time here over lunch. The weather is lovely – a pleasant 10 – 20 Degrees. Bright & Sunny.

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Distances in Srinagar are small and you can cover the city easily in two days. The river Jhelum flows close by so you can always venture out for some treks. Shops are open from 7 AM to 10.30 PM – so there is enough time to shop late in the evening. There is a central market area which has a lot of lovely shops. No malls / No Pubs / No bars – so nightlife is non existent. Some people take a day off and head to Sonmarg – but if you have been to Gulmarg , it may not make sense going to Sonmarg.

Day 6, 7, 8 , Thu / Fri / Sat

After 3 lovely days at Srinagar we headed to Pahlgam on Thu morning. Pahalgam is 92 Km from Srinagar and takes about 3 1/2 hrs. Half the ride is thru dusty roads and small villages on the way you will see many farms growing Saffron . After the midpoint (Anantnag) the scenery gets beautiful . The Lidder river flows with joy and purpose and both sides of the roads are full of yellow dancing mustard fields. On the way you will cross two famous points – Avantika which was the capital of the Hindu king in 800 AD , you can see the ruins of a large Shiva & Vishnu temple on the main road. A little ahead a small detour can take you to the Markand temple – one of the rare Sun temples in India. Not a very impressive structure but its unique that the same complex has a Gurudwara and the Sun temple. It also has a natural rapid .

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Pahalgam has the best scenic beauty of the 3 places. Lofty snow capped mountains , Lidder river and some amazing spots – its been the scene of many a film shoot. One of the valleys is named Betaab Valley and even the recent Shah Rukh Khan movie ” Jab Tak He Jaan” was shot in Pahalgam. We stayed at the lovely Pahalgam Hotel – a 90 year old hotel that has been the venue of many a film shoot including Khamoosh. The rooms are very spacious (we again had a lovely Suite) and the service / Food is excellent. The Hotel is located on the main street close to the Taxi Stand.

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Around Pehelgam there are three main areas to visit

1. Betaab Valley & Chandan Wadi – this is the route taken by the pilgrims who trek to Amarnath ( Pahelgam is the base camp for Amarnath Yatra , you can get a helicopter ride from here also). Betaab Valley is 12 Km and Chandan Wadi is 16 Km from Pehelgam – a lot of snow in Chandan Wadi so Kids can have round 2 after Gulmarg. The scenery is enchanting as you see the snow melting and flowing into the river gushing by.  Budget 2 – 3 hrs for this visit. Cab rates are cheap and an Innova costs Rs 1300/-

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2. Aru Valley – 11 Km from Pehelgam takes about 45 min. Nothing much to see here . the drive  is scenic . One you reach the destination you can take horse rides to see some scenic spots. Innova rents for Rs 800/- for this trip.

3. Horse Ride trek to Baisaran , Dabian & Kashmir valley.  This is a must do. The horse climbs up & down steep slopes riddled with boulders and its scary as it walks on the edge of deep ravines. To cover all the 3 places will take about 3 hrs. This area is called Mini Switzerland and is a must visit. Yes the Horse ride can leave you sore the next day – but its worth it. Priced at Rs 700/- but you will give a very generous tip at the end of the trip.

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The Pahalgam hotel overlooks the Lidder river and sitting in the garden  drinking Chai & pakora is itself a moment to cherish. The hotel provides Buffet Breakfast , Lunch & Dinner – but I would strongly recommend the Restaurant right in front of the hotel for Lunch – Called Dana Pani , its a nice restaurant run by a Sardar and serves excellent N Indian & S India dishes. After many days we were thrilled to eat Idly, Dosa & Curd Rice here. Overall food all across Kashmir  was superb – most places were pure veg , the challenge if any was that the food was too rich and towards the end we started requesting for simple dry non gravy Sabji.

Imp to note that in both Gulmarg & Pahalgam you can use only local cars – the cars you get from Srinagar need to be parked in the hotel.

On Sat we left Pahalgam after lunch and headed back to Srinagar, reaching the Dar E Salam hotel by  4.30 PM.

Day 9,  Sun 

After an early breakfast , we headed back to the Airport and reached Bangalore Via delhi by evening. Security at the Srinagar airport is very strict so plan to reach 2 hrs in advance. Security is visible all across – gun toting CRPF is seen every 1 km in the roads , most of the large buildings the forts , cricket stadium etc have been taken over by the army / CRPF / BSF – local residents are clearly upset with ASFSPA.

That concluded a wonderful trip to Kashmir , and we all will savour the sweet memories of this lovely land and its soft spoken beautiful people for many years. Its indeed a  beautiful state and as I read the book on my return flight ” Tragic Hero of Kashmir – Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah” by Ajit Bhattacharjea I could not but help feel sad at the broken promises made to them. What added to the fun in the trip was the company of Jayshree & Family – its always good to have like minded company when on an extended holiday.

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The trip cost us a fraction of what we would have spent if we had travelled to Switzerland ( 9 Nights 10 days for about $ 2700 – Excluding airfare). This included suite rooms for 4 ( always helps to have a suite when you are a family of 4 with lots of luggage), an Innova at your disposal all through the day , breakfast and even dinner in some places. Entry fees for most attractions were a pittance – 5 to 10 Rs / person.

We owe our thanks to Ketki Kapoor from Hopp Worldwide for helping us with all the bookings. We had planned our trip nearly 6 months back – so we got excellent rates. The itinerary was smooth and not rushed – its always good to have some extra time to budget for kids falling sick or a rainy ( snowy) day so any of you planning a similar trip do feel free to reach out to Ketki – contact details are below.

Ketaki Kapur Pantle (ketaki@hoppworldwide.com)

Hopp Worldwide Excursions Ltd

F44 Bhagat Singh Market
New Delhi 110001
Ph- 91 11 43780000
www.hoppworldwide.com
www.luxuryescapes.in

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The agony of being 2nd !

2 Apr

Wed March 28th  - 1984. A day I find difficult to forget. It was the finals of the school TT competition. We were in the fifth set –  the first 4 matches were close, very close , all the matches had run into deuce  : 29 – 27 , 26 – 28, 25 – 23 , 23 – 25 , and now we were locked in the 5th game at 28 – 27. For the 1st time our PT Teacher had convinced the headmaster to extend the tiffin break – the whole school was watching , even the teachers had taken sides. The supporters were lined up on each side of the hall. And then the inevitable happened –  after a long rally the ball nicked the net and my desperate attempt to get to the ball was not good enough – I lost the fifth set 29 – 27 and the championship. As everyone rushed to congratulate the winner  and carry him – I was left alone. Thats always the fate of being 2nd – in sports or in life. The winner gets it all.

Since then my heart has always gone out to the loser – who is so so close but yet so far. Think of PT Usha who missed her medal by 1/100th of a second. I at times even empathize with Ravan & Karna –  the stories are always the version of  the winners , who knows the truth of the loser.

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One would think that the best products need to be winners – but truth is different. There are many cases where the better product gets a raw deal . Lets look at some examples.

Hindu Vs TOI

I have been reading The Hindu for the last 3 months – in comparison to the TOI its a class apart. Excellent english , thoughtful editorials , unbiased and fair , its a pleasure to read The Hindu. Look at the TOI – it feels like 90% of the paper is commercial trash , yet TOI rules on the numbers front. When I looked at recent circulation figures I was happy to see The Hindu slowly but steadily gaining market – and I hope I live to see the day when Quality trounces Crap.

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LML Vespa Vs Bajaj Chetak 

The first scooter that I bought was a LML Vespa . It served me well , strong & sturdy it was indeed a reliable ride. On Quality & stability it  beat the Bajaj Chetak hollow – yet Bajaj survived and LML Vespa had to close shop. I am so happy to see that Vespa has come back with its range of scooters – I hope they do well.

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Windows Vs Mac

No Virus, never crashes, better GUI, faster, integrated hardware & S/W – yet Windows rules and Mac is a distant second – wonder why, it just doesn’t sound fair .

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P&G Vs HLL 

On a blind test P&G always scores higher. Take Dove or H&S or Tide – product Quality of P&G is always superior. But when it comes to units sold HLL rules – just not fair.

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Android Vs iOS 

Thats another Mac Vs Windows example. iOS is any day a superior platform but Android continues to dominate the market globally

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These are just a few examples – all of us could think of many more. And I keep asking myself  the question – how come the best products don’t end up as winners ? Doesn’t sound logical or fair ! Justice Katju says 90% of Indians are dumb – can we extend that as a global paradigm ? Or is the age old marketing rationale ” Perception is Reality ” indeed true . Does massive ad spends result in “familiarity creating favourability” ?

Ever since that fateful day in March 1984 I have stuck to the No 2 guys – they try harder and are definitely the better products, so think before you act next time.

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Are we really a Global Village?

28 Mar

I ask this question after it took me nearly two months to find a pair of cycling shoes. Let me step back and set the background. Spinning  (RPM) s a great group exercise – 1 hr of Spinning can help you burn 600 – 800 calories. A few months of regular spinning can help you lose weight real fast.

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I started Spinning nearly 6 months back and since then have got addicted. When I travel abroad I look for hotels that have Gyms with spinning stations. And most people in the class are – the morning batch at our gym Zela is sold out 30 min before the class and of the group of 15 women, many come as early as 1 hr before the class, its a cat-fight to get the front row bikes  (I am still not sure what attracts them -  exercise or the instructor)

After a few months as you build stamina and want to push yourself more you are looking at means to improve efficiency.  One way to do it is get the right gear.  The right shorts and shoes can help you improve performance by as much as 50%.

Ladies Cimson and Creme Shorts

This is where the saga begins. I visited Decathlon at Sarjapur Road in late Jan and bought the right shorts and a pair of shoes with Cleats. The technician fixed it and I was all excited. The next day at class I realized that the Cleats were embedded too deep inside the sole of the shoes and it was not possible to use them in the cycle.

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I went back to Decathlon the next weekend and tried to exchange the shoes – unfortunately the other model with the cleats jutting out was not available in my size. The store manager was friendly and said stocks were expected in a weeks time. I visited after a week – but still it had not come – Decathlon was kind enough to give me a refund.

A few days later my instructor informed me of a new online store that specializes in biking gear. http://www.cyclingboutique.in. The CEO was nice enough to get back with lots of options but unfortunately did not have my size. (Before people think I am a giant – my size is 11 , which is pretty normal). He promised to order my stock from Italy and assured me that it would be available in a few weeks by end Feb. I kept following and finally yesterday they acknowledged they had goofed up and the stock was yet to be ordered.

On a visit to Whitefield yesterday I spotted a Decathlon there and took a chance again. Luckily they had my size in the variety I wanted. But then there was no technician to fix the cleats ( It requires a special instrument to screw the cleats). Going to Decathlon is a challenge as it can take ½ a day – however my enterprising driver figured a way to get the cleats fixed.

So here I am after nearly two months finally with the shoes I wanted. I am hoping it works today evening when I go for my class.

But the question that bugs me – would I have had this problem in any other large city in US or Europe or even Singapore? When it comes down to getting stuff like these shoes or even Mascarpone Cheese, or Halloween Costumes it’s a big challenge even in a Delhi, Bangalore or Mumbai – you literally have to hunt down the few stores which have a remote chance of stocking them (Mascarpone Cheese is a key Ingredient to make Tiramisu) – chances are 9 out of 10 you wont be lucky.

So what makes us say we are in a Global Village  – or do we have to wait for some more years for the Wal-Mart’s & Tesco’s to come before we can truly become a Global village.  Let’s hope that happens soon.

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Brilliant, Down to Earth people – A dying Species

22 Mar

Recently I had an email debate in our building Yahoo Group with a very intelligent person – who stuck to his point even when he knew he was on the wrong track.  And I asked myself where does this behavior come from ?  One thing led to the other and here I am trying to present a new theory in the form of a simple grid to try and position people

Over 2000 years back the Greek physician Hippocrates (460–370 BC) incorporated the four temperaments – Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic & Phlegmatic into his medical theories. Since then these have formed the basis of many psychometric & behavioral testing methods. (Source – Wikipedia) This is indeed complex and difficult to understand.

Lets look back –  over the years we would have interacted or been influenced by thousands of people – famous personalities, teachers, friends, office colleagues, managers, team members , all the people you have interviewed for potential jobs , a shopkeeper , a Pizza delivery boy…….. And I ask myself is there a simple and easy grid that can be created, to plot the behaviors of all these people, something that is effective & simple. Something that does not require a degree in Psychology to understand.  Here is a simple grid that I propose – let me know if this appeals to you.

First let me ask you two simple questions

a)   Would you like your Child to be Brilliant or Dumb?

b)   Would you like your Child to be Arrogant or a Simple Down to Earth person?

The answer is obvious. So I guess the same thing applies for everyone you interact with. Using this simple principle I have created a grid called the B.D.A.D template. A visual speaks more effectively than words so I am enclosing the grid with samples of few people who fit in beautifully into the four different quadrants.

BA Final copy

The BA Type (Brilliant Arrogant) 

The name is self explanatory. These guys are world beaters. They are best in class. Many are Brilliant bordering on eccentricity. They Know it – and thats where the arrogance comes from. They are probably less than 0.1% of the global population – brilliant & hardworking they are a deadly combination. They are high achievers and are almost always right with their logic – but on that rare occasion when they are wrong they do not accept it and stick to their guns. They come from the best of colleges & universities what they missed out was a simple sentence that can be so powerful – “Sorry I was wrong” ! In India the IIT/IIM ‘s generates many of this type of personalities.

The BD Type (Brilliant – Down To Earth) 

The world would be a much better place if we had more of these people. Everyone loves these guys. They are Brilliant & Simple. Their class speaks for themselves. They are so talented that they shine & sparkle. Sadly this is a tribe that is continuing to diminish in numbers – call it the curse of Kaliyug. Its great to have these people as your manager or your team members – it just makes your job a breeze , thankfully I am in that spot these days.

The AD Type (Arrogant & Dumb ) -  This is a deadly combination . A dangerous type and you want to stay away from these people by a mile. They are loud, thick-skinned, and inconsistent. Some are also wily and that makes them a deadly and miserable specimen of humanity. You will see them all over the place – the guy in office taking credit for work he has not done, the cricketer who knows he has friends in BCCI, the kid whose father is a big shot “babu” ……… Some of them have done very well in their careers – one even went on to become the President of the US !!!  I may be biased here but I feel that in India this specimen is found in higher density North of the Narmada, specifically in and around the NCR region.

And finally the type thats probably 80% of the world population , The Dumb – Down to Earth (DD) Type

This is the common man, Not sure if this is the group that Justice Katju was referring when he said that 90% of Indians are dumb. These guys don’t have a public view and tend to get swayed easily. These people love to be in groups and follow the voice of a leader. They are simple, down to earth people, not harmless in any way. They are just the quiet silent mass.

So are there just 4 types? Like in any grid there are shades of traits of these four characteristics in every individual. With this Grid its easy to create a scale where 10 = Most Brilliant, 1 = Big Dumbo  & again 10 = Most Down to Earth and 1 = Most Arrogant

So a B10D10 = Best profile of someone who is extremely Brilliant & Rooted to the ground. Thats a dream profile. We all need to work hard to get there or maybe its just in the genes.

The other end of the spectrum is B1D1 = Someone who is extremely Dumb & Arrogant. In-between these extremes you have all the different permutations & combinations where we can fit almost everyone we know.

So the next time you need to hire a person – you can send a detailed JD to your HR manager but top it with a ” I want a B5 D5 guy” -  because that may best explain the cultural fitment you need for your team.

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Wealth Managers – do they really grow your wealth ?

14 Mar

18 Months back my wealth manager sold me a financial instrument. It was a structured product from Deutsche Bank and was linked to the growth of the Stock Index. While there was no written commitment I was assured of returns that would be much higher than a bank FD – lots of upside , no downside – I was promised. Last month I got my money back – but not a paise in gain. Input 10 Lacs – Output 10 Lacs.  During the 18 month period the Nifty did go up  - Deutshe Bank made money , Axis Bank made money , my wealth manager made her incentive – and I was left looking like a sucker. (If I had put this money in a  FD I would have made ~ 1.5 Lacs in Pre Tax profit)

Nifty.jpeg

Ever wondered how Banks / Wealth Managers make money. What funds the fancy offices and hefty bonuses ? They have no manufacturing , IP , Code, product  to sell ? Why is it that they promise a lot but never commit even 1 % more than a bank FD ?

The harsh truth is they  make money out of you. Insurance policies , Complicated Structured products , the stock market itself – are all designed smartly to ensure that the retail investor is attracted but very soon left high & dry. The head of  Wealth Management of a large bank  told me that 90% of retail investors lose money in the Market. After 20 years of stock market investing I tend to agree with him – whether in the US or in India you gain big & lose big but Nett Nett if you do not have tremendous discipline its difficult to make money in the stock market.

So the next question is where do you invest ? How do you beat inflation ?  India’s gross domestic savings rate has increased near-steadily over the Five-Year Plans and is among the highest in the world ( Nearly 35%) . The recent savings rate of the country is comparable to Indonesia, Thailand and Korea but much lower than that of China, Malaysia and Singapore. (Consumer states like the US and the UK had their savings rate as low as 11% levels in 2009, while the rate is 17% for France and 21.4% for Germany. Among emerging economies, Brazil had a low savings rate at 16.5%.)

Lets look at simple FD – its easy to understand , easily available in every branch , has high liquidity. If you see the table below for people in the 30% Tax Bracket your FD interest rate does not help you beat Inflation !

Interest

Talking of Tax – most of us think we pay 30 % Tax – but we pay a lot more. There is service tax on everything you buy , add education Cess , Metro Cess and inflated prices on Petrol – we probably end up paying 10 – 15 % on everything we buy – so our actual Tax Liability is much higher than 30%.

Real Estate has got expensive. 10 years back  when you bought a new flat you paid Registration on the undivided share of land only. Today you pay on the entire flat value – add to this the Service Charges & VAT on construction  - you actually pay close to 20% of property value in Taxes & Registration. Builders take away most of the profit and appreciation is limited.

Making money has indeed become difficult in the last few years . Which brings me back to the question of what are the options to beat Inflation – I see a few of them.

1. Debt Funds – which should hopefully give 10% + Post Tax returns if the RBI governor starts cutting Interest rates

2. Land – yes its not Liquid and requires a lot of research to get a clean deal – but with population growing and mass exodus to Metro’s difficult to lose money on good land deals.

3. Gold – Not so sure on this one. Looks like it will crash. But given the wealth and black money that exists in this country the demand for Gold may not drop and with india being one of the biggest markets for Gold globally – it may keep shining for many years. But this is virtual profit – because no indian family sells Gold for cash at a profit ( not many Jewelers give you cash too ) – they either hoard it  trade it for newer jewellery  , or loan it  to Muthoot finance.

4. Maybe buy  the Index ( Nifty-bees) – because from a long term you can go wrong on individual stocks or mutual funds – but its very difficult to beat the Index. That may be the simple and safe way to 12% annualized returns.

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