Where ???

DONT LOOK HERE

DONT LOOK HERE

DONT LOOK HERE

DONT LOOK HERE

DONT LOOK HERE

DONT LOOK HERE

DONT LOOK HERE

Look here!

And i thought this was the PRIME of my life...

Prime Generating Polynomial Records

The latest "Al Zimmermann Programming Contest" shattered all existing records in the field of Prime Generating Polynomials.

One polynomial that generates 49 primes is x^4 - 97*x^3 + 3294*x^2 - 45458*x + 213589, first found by Mark Beyleveld and later by 5 other participants. Six people found this record-setting polynomial within weeks of each other!

CUBIC: -66 x^3 + 3845 x^2 - 60897 x + 251831. Prime for x=0 to 45. Ivan Kazmenko and Vadim Trofimov.

42 x^3 + 270 x^2 - 26436 x + 250703. Prime for x=0 to 39. Jaroslaw Wroblewski and Jean-Charles Meyrignac.

QUARTIC: x^4 - 97x^3 + 3294x^2 - 45458x + 213589. Prime for x=0 to 49. Mark Beyleveld.

QUINTIC: (x^5 - 133 x^4 + 6729 x^3 - 158379 x^2 + 1720294 x - 6823316)/4. x=0 to 56. Shyam Sunder Gupta.

x^5 - 99x^4 + 3588x^3 - 56822x^2 + 348272x - 286397. x=0 to 46. Jaroslaw Wroblewski & Jean-Charles Meyrignac.

SEXTIC: (x^6 - 126 x^5 + 6217 x^4 - 153066 x^3 + 1987786 x^2 - 13055316 x + 34747236)/36. Prime for x=0 to 54. Jaroslaw Wroblewski & Jean-Charles Meyrignac.

Source: www.mathpuzzles.com

Loop it !

The Travelling Salesman Problem

known to many

understood by some

unravelled by a few

undertaken

now

by the

LOOP

When everyone’s playing their best move to everyone ELSE’S best move, no-one’s going to move!

Life has not seemed to have moved since a long time

It keeps coming back to square one

I have many a times tried to write a new rhyme

But the job never seems to have done.

There are ways in which i can win over destiny

Beat it - Fail it - Subdue it

But it makes me feel puny

And makes the road i have taken, split.

Games have a winner

Chosen by destiny

A rule never decides a sinner

Chosen by many.

(Nash Equilibrium balances on the pivot)

Time bomb

One Hour and Forty Five minutes to go
I thought it was all done
The fuse was in place
The lights were green
The public was at bay
Everything was in place
Everything seemed just so right
So RIGHT
So RIGHT

Till there dawns on me the fact that
RIGHT is WRONG
in this case
I was never striving towards safety
I was never striving away from destruction
I was never looking at peace in the eye
NOW
Everything was in place
Everything seemed just so wrong
So WRONG
So WRONG

The bomb is about to explode
Any last minute moves can i make?
Before that i need to decide
Which side am i to take?

Live or Die
Survive or Perish
Play to win or loose

What is competition?
I am colourblind!
What is failure?
I am immune!
What is success?
I have no senses!

Does it really matter if the bomb explodes?
Yes, it does!
It is inevitable...and one has to 'live' with it!

'Logo' gically true ...

Afternoons in college - dreamy - sleepy - drowsy!
Afternoons in BSE - din, bargains, push & pull!
Afternoons in Pru ICICI - numbers, numbers, numbers!
Afternoons at the terminal - Red & Blue!
Afternoons in Citi - Decision Trees & leaves!
Afternoons in TAPMI - Revelations about all the above!
ICMS - Learning began where you ended...

P.S. KEY

There is another reason to be happy
another reason to smile

Her voice can now be heard
A tone can now be felt

Distances have become electronic
'bits' and 'peace's of them
can be founds everywhere now

Another reason to be happy
Atleast one reason for her to smile

"I am a rock"

Where have all the musicians gone?

Are they leaves who fall?

Are they chords who faint away?

Are they notes that quiver?

I think they still vibrate somewhere!

He who sings...shall be heard!

An experience of a different kind...

The chain fails to end

Another experience is on its way

29 Oct - 5 Nov

Lets hope the rope doesn't get stuck this time!

Opinion Maker

Source: Not Mine

As the shadow falls

Opinions are made by each

One crosses the line

Another sees the breach.

He, who is afraid

Cannot stand on the other side

To make an opinion

about the great divide.

Jealous Nature & Angry Rose

The sun shines on those

who simply pose!

Certified pagal....???

Taste bud-dys....

4 down ... no, no ... dont look at me like that !!

What does Manish Vidhani look like?

" Yuck...I hate this drink!"

'S'ome 'M'en 'I'nherit 'T'alent

"Mach Turbo"

They are not ready to believe

he can manipulate things

They say

if he could

Then he would have manipulated the test

Dont you understand-

He is manipulating us!

Anagramatically yours....

IT IS MEANT AT GETTIN' A NAME UP!

T. A. PAI MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

See anything in common?

Rush, 'who' me?

Goodbye girl

You shall remain captured

Always in our heart...

Keep smiling...

Have fun...

& yes,

Miss us!

And he said, "We have defined Risk-averse!"

Source: Not mine

"See through"

DOUZE who...?

There seems to be no reason

why brands dont work

for all that i could think

there was no perk

to think out loud

to think again

to stand tall

in front of the rest seven

DOUZE

wait and watch

Look behind

for he who overtakes

might be

DOUZE plus ONE

Section Two ... making their own way !

"Versus...."

PROMIT

life it seems will fade away

drifting further everyday

getting lost within myself

nothing matters, no one else!!!!!!!!!!

i have lost my will to live

simply nothing more to give

there is nothing more for me

i need the end to set me free

PERVY

if end was a solution, every human would be free

like a bird falling off the tree

but it ain't so easy,not all that simple

we have to have to slog, we have to crumble

its only in these moments, that peace awaits

for the mind to come and find the bait

so never mind if you feel you are fading away

you are only getting higher on the ultimate pathway!!!!!!!

A Brand Scan'ned against Coca Cola !

Half Circle Full Circle

Half Circle A

Half Circle Full Circle

Right Angle A

------> COCA COLA <------

One wrong decision by Coke long back made things chaotic today.

Brand Scan just found a new meaning.

Decision Making under Uncertainity just became more uncertain.

God - Be my saviour!!

Dont go away ... please!

Aankhen band karloon jo mein

Dekhoon bas tumhe

Khabon mein hi keh sakta hoon

Apna tumhe

Rehne de mera yeh vehem pe hi yakeen

Na ja abhi

Pyaar ki yeh raat hai

Ab Na Jaa

Choti si ek baat hai

Ab na jaa

Tumhi se hai meri neendein

Na bhi ho toh kya?

Tumhi si hain meri baatein

Na bhi ho toh kya

Kehne de taaron ko

Kahani ankahi

Na ja abhi

Pyaar ki yeh raat hai

Ab na jaa

Choti si ek baat hai

Ab na jaa

Pal do pal ka saath hai

Ab na jaa

Jaado si yeh raat hai

Ab na ja

Maathe pe pyar ki bunde

Bikhre se kai sawal

Aankhon mein kitne mausam

Pal mein beete kitne saal

Rehne de jahan bhi le jaaye zindagi

Na ja abhi

Pyar ki yeh raat hai

Ab Na jaa

Chotisi ek bat hai

Ab Na jaa

Pal do pal ka saath hai

Ab Na jaa

Jaado si yeh raat hai

Ab Na jaa

- Euphoria

A sense of Security ...

The Security Guard (Mr. K.P. Tharakan) at ICICI Bank ATM at Manipal Main branch helped me in finding out the Deposit Rates on Fixed Deposits last week. The CMW assignment made me go back to him to know more about his background and interests in the job.

Me – Boss, remember me? You had told me the FD rates the other day. I just came back to tell you that I have invested 30000/- in the same.

Security Guard – Oh!

Me (looking at his name tag) – Your name, Sir? K.P. Tha…?

Security Guard – Tharakan! Why? (talks in local language)

Me – No, No. English! Where are you from Boss?

Security Guard – Udupi

Me – So, you go back every day to Udupi after working here? What time?

Security Guard – 8. Do you have to take out money?

Me – No Boss. Just waiting for a friend who has gone to take out cash from a branch!

Security Guard – (Nods) Ok!

Me – I was working in Vysya Bank 3 months back! We used to have Security Guards, who used to work in both shifts! What are your timings here?

Security Guard – 8 to 8. How much were they paid? (Now talks in English)

Me – Oh, it matches with the branch timing – 8 to 8! Payment…let me see…I think it was close to 4500/-. Isn’t that enough?

Security Guard – 4500/-? Where is this? (Means which city)

Me – Delhi. Isn’t that enough? How much do Security Guards get here?

Security Guard – 3700/- and no overtime! Do they have overtime there?

Me – Yes. In fact, most of them do overtime daily. I think because there are more ATMs there than Security Guards. So 3700/- is not enough? But Manipal is cheap, isn’t it?

Security Guard – What cheap, ya? When you have 4 mouths to feed, nothing is cheap!!

Me – Oh! (Amazed & highly reluctant to continue the conversation!)

Security Guard – Where are you studying? M.I.T.?

Me – No, TAPMI.

Security Guard – Ok. Do you have an account here?

Me – Yes, for the past 6 years now! I think I will deposit more money here. ICICI is offering good FD rates after a long time.

Security Guard – Yes.

Me – Ok Sir. Thank you (Shake hands). It was nice talking to you!

Security Guard – (Simply nods)


I leave the ATM with a sense of accomplishment, of I don’t know what – completing the conversation or knowing that someone has to go back at 8 pm, to feed four mouths!

Conversations ...

He - Hey, I really like the top you are wearing today! Which brand is it?

She -Thanks for the complement! But it’s not branded. I just picked it from one of the stores in Metro Plaza.

He -What? It’s not branded. How can you wear something that is not branded? Oh, I think it is so not professional. As a B-School student, you should start getting accustomed to branded clothing!

She -Hey, what I am wearing is just a casual top! Where does B-School dressing come into the picture?

He - It’s not about situational clothing. Knowing you, I thought you would be a brand conscious person. Don’t you prefer branded stuff when dressing for a meeting, presentation or party?

She -I am brand conscious to some extent. Say, for example, when it comes to buying a pair of jeans that lasts for a number of years & fashion trends not changing much in this category, then quality does become a priority. But when it comes to casual or daily wear, I am more of an impulsive buyer. You have seen me na, I pick up stuff right from the shelf – anything and everything that catches my eyes at that moment!

He - And what about Formal Dressing? I have not seen you wearing formals even once for a presentation in class! Don’t you think it’s equally important to dress appropriately?

She -Yes, it is important to dress for the occasion & in case you have not noticed, I am always appropriately dressed for all the presentations! And that the women formal wear market is not well-developed; it does not give me the option to explore it!

He -Oh please! It completely shows that you have not worked in a formal environment. I have seen such well-dressed women in the banking industry that I cannot even explain. These people don’t go to Milan to shop. In fact, I personally think that Wills Lifestyle brings the best formal clothing for women to India. Haven’t you tried them?

She -Yes, I did; when I was looking for a formal shirt before the MBA interviews. I tried all available brands in Kolkata – but the biggest problem I faced was that there were not many options available to suit my taste and the ones which did, did not fit me well! I think Sanat, you are confusing ‘branded clothes’ with ‘formal wear’?

He - Isn’t formal wear all about brands? How else do you expect me to dress formally for a presentation or meeting, if I am not in a Park Avenue suit, a Peter England shirt & a Van Heusen tie? In fact, I remember when we were designing our college t-shirt, we chose Rockport (Reebok) as our vendor so that people get a brand – instead of going for a local cloth supplier in Delhi.

She -But why should branding be applied to informal wear? I am more interested in a smart shirt, than a branded shirt which is more costly & gives me no extra value!

He - Are you sure? Don’t you get a guarantee with the brand; an option to return the shirt if you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit you well; good customer service and above all, a sense of esteem when you get noticed wearing the brand? It’s like – don’t you like the recognition when people smell you wearing a ‘Cool Waters’?

She -So you think it’s all about what people think of you when you are dressed and not what you are comfortable in? I am completely not that way. I would prefer to wear something that I am comfortable in and that makes me feel good, rather than to please anyone else!

He - So that makes you a person who is against Dress Codes! Do you know that the Service Industry has dress codes for every day & occasion? Will you be able to cope up with that?

She -Yes, definitely! But you miss the point – women spend more time shopping for clothes, buy more impulsively and are more image-conscious. So how can it be possible that they will not be appropriately dressed even for office? I know where to draw the line between ‘adhering to a dress code’ & ‘being appropriately dressed’. How else do you think new fashion trends come up?

He -Yes, because they do come up because of people like you who dress in-appropriately, just to look different! But a formal environment does not want casualness and dressing differently is a sign of casualness in your approach towards the organization’s unwritten rules!

She -Whatever it is, I know I am never badly dressed! If you think, brands make a man – wait till you see me in a saree!

He - So will it be a Nalli or what?

And the argument continues…

She has arrived...

There seems to be a meaning now...

...in whatever i write...

...it comes out as the ink from the pen...

...with emotions i feel now and then...

...with a feeling of satisfaction...

...a feeling of joy...

...a feeling of remembering...

that there is someone somewhere waiting for me

...to hear my voice...

...to read my words...

...to challenge my authority...

...to make me complete...

I am closer to eternity

There is nothing i fear now

She will not complain

In fact, i can already hear the WOW

There was pain

There was anguish

There was a sadness in both of us

It melts into the keyboard now

Words flow out

Cheeks fill with dimples

Tears roll down

I dont know what to say to her

Hi

or

FINALLY!!!

Trade Unions - Have they been relevant?

Mr. Shukla comes to office as and when he wants. His train from Ghaziabad reaches Old Delhi, half an hour after the business hours in the bank start. He has the option of taking an earlier train but he doesn’t!

Mr. Sinha, an Associate Vice President in the bank, was a previous member of the Employee’s Union. He left the Union and became a CTC employee of ING Vysya Bank in 2002.

The Vysya Bank Limited (VBL), a 75-year old Andhra Pradesh based bank, was taken over by ING Group of Netherlands in 2002. The bank was restructured in the same year and broken up into four – ING Vysya Bank (IVB), ING Vysya Mutual Fund, ING Vysya Life & ING Vysya Financial Services Ltd.

The Vysya Bank Ltd Employee’s Union saw intense turmoil in this year. ING offered these employees an offer to leave their IBA pay structure and join IVB as a CTC employee. This meant a change in the job profile, hierarchy & EOY performance appraisal. Many people who wanted to move out – walked out of the union – and joined the bank. The rest continued to work under the IBA structure and strengthened the Union.

4 years since the turmoil and IVB is still struggling with issues regarding its employees. Sub-staff like Mr. Shukla do not give importance to work hours! Constant reminders do not deter these stalwarts of The Vysya Bank Ltd Employee’s Union. Also, the Union has boycotted its previous members, who shifted to the CTC structure in 2002. If there is a sub-staff in the branch, under Mr. Sinha, he does not respond to any instructions – complaining – you ‘ditched’ us & now, you face the brunt!

Yes, we have come a long way since the days of Trade Unions! My 2-year experience, as an IVB CTC employee, brought me to closer to the fact that it is imperative to keep the Union happy, if the organisation wants to prosper.

ING Vysya Bank – although one of the pioneers in banking in South India – has not been able to make a nation-wide mark. One of the key issues discussed today in its boardrooms is the unsuccessful transition from VBL to IVB.

Things have come to such levels that the old employees of VBL, who have been in the company for more than 15-20 years, are getting paid less than the new entrants (like me!) & this is creating great rifts in the working environment. There is at least one strike in 2 months by the Union – asking for a pay raise, admission of new entrants on the IBA pay scale structure and many more related issues!

The bank has not been able to show profit in 3 consecutive quarters ever since the take-over! If I may ask Mr. Shukla, what goal is the Union trying to achieve by helping the company not perform? What is the fault of Mr. Sinha if he has chosen performance over persistence & brought glory to the bank?

Whose cause is the Union fighting for – Self or Employees?Whatever the answer – the organisation is suffering!

Standing tall...

I am happy again today
All of you have come to see me again
To stand below me
To salute at your pride

But

Just twice a year
That’s it?

Why did you paint me last week?
Because I had those grease marks from your garage
Because it would not look appropriate
Holding your pride

He is kept
Well folded
Dry cleaned
Well packed

What about me?
Don’t I stand tall to hold it?
Don’t I deserve the salute too?

I don’t bend
I don’t run away from the sun

I know how to
Stand Tall
Stand with pride
To hold someone who matters more than you
than me

I am not complaining
I intend to remind

If it were not for me
Your pride would have not fluttered in the wind
It would just been used to cover
some of your kind who were once upon a time, brave.

Don’t cover the dead
SimplyCelebrate us!

Faceless

As I walk down the aisle
I see him sitting there

Quite
Sad

He is looking at a mirror
‘Faceless’

He says, “As much I intend to reach myself there,
I get away from myself.
As much I am closer to reality,
I tend to move further away.”

He is us.
He is our intentions to retain what we think we have.
Our freedom
Our Independence
Ourselves

All of us are faceless in his eyes,
But we blame him.

He is our conscience which pricks us to question everything.
Even why I should think beyond myself
Beyond my freedom

I am quite
I am sad

Today
There is no shame
There is no pride

We all stand together
To salute our Independence
To simply celebrate
That we survived all these years
‘Faceless’

"Pro""Kri"ation .... hmmm?

“Experiences – of a different sort !”

August 12 2006 8:30 pm

“How is everything going?”
“Oh. I had a great time today. As part of our social service drive today, I visited the small village behind our colony – where all the daily wage workers to the nearby factory stay. We distributed sweets & bars of soap to them. The urchins ran towards us and snatched the sweets & soaps! We had a doctor with us as well who was explaining the importance of sanitation to them. Women were checked for any elementary diseases & the children were told to keep themselves clean.

And yah, do you know what the children did with the sweets & the bars of soap?”

“No. Tell me.”

“They gave the sweets to their mothers to save it for their next meal & tried tasting the bars of soap – to see if they tasted good enough to eat!”

I am speechless!

What my mother witnessed was something that was very close to an India that we often only talk about but seldom try to change. One of the women, who stay in that village, comes to our house as a maid. Her 7 year old adopted son studies English, Social Science & Mathematics from my mother, every afternoon. In 2 years of teaching, he has reached to the top 10 in his class from the 76th rank. He says that his Mathematics teacher does not teach in the local language but in Hindi, so they only try to infer what is being taught in the class from that is written in chalk on the black board! Mathematics has ended up only being numbers to them!

I am thinking!

What my mother does is probably each one of us want to be a part of. We want to now change things at the micro level! We tell each other – “Charity begins at home”! But what the adopted son of my maid is influenced by is not only poverty at his home – but also – population explosion (think of a 100 student classroom for small children!), faulty Government implementations (a Hindi speaking teacher in a Bengali community!) and obviously, abject poverty!
I have often asked her does it really make a difference to them when you go to such places every Sunday to perform your acts of social service. How much change have you brought in the society? I am reminded when I used to go to a nearby art school in my colony in my childhood, to learn painting and drawing, the children of the officers of the company (in my case, Tata Steel in Jamshedpur!) were asked to sit inside the hall by our Art teacher and the children of the workers, used to sit outside the hall – to learn art! Now, I cannot locate my teacher as this happened too early in time - but didn’t we sow the seeds of poverty based on discrimination at that time? What we are trying to correct or amend right now is an outcome of our own deeds in the past!

March 30 2006 9:30 pm

“Yes. What news at this hour?”
“Subu just died in a road accident in Bangalore. I don’t know what will happen to your sister now!”

I was in a state of shock! My first cousin’s husband, Subhajit Dutta, died in a bike accident, on a highway 34 kms away from Bangalore. She is 3 months pregnant! Next morning, at 8 am, I am at their BTM layout house in Bangalore. The body is in the hospital for post mortem. My sister has not spoken for hours but just burst out crying on seeing me arrive!
The toughest part for me, besides handling my sister, came about when I had to get the Death certificate of my brother-in-law made, for any further official or insurance paper work. With no fault of his in the accident, he had been charged with negligent driving by the police in the FIR. (Probably, the truck driver did his job well!) Not being a localite and with an FIR, Hospital Discharge receipt and Cremation Certificate in hand, I ventured to get the Death certificate made.

Coming from Bihar and now Jharkhand, I used to think that only the machinery in Bihar and surrounding states are corrupt. Well, my belief was shattered within a week. The FIR cost me 1000/- and 3 days. The Cremation Certificate cost 200/- instead of 30/-, and the person/agent who offered to get the Death Certificate made, started with 2000/-.

Is there anyway I could have avoided it. Whom do I complain to?
I don’t know the answer to a lot of questions but one thing I know for sure, people are just opportunistic!

December 27 2006 11:30 am

“Who is lady Sir and why was she in tears?”
“Oh, Sanat – Its just one of those cases! Her husband, an auto driver in Delhi, died last week in a road accident. Now she is helpless and has 4 mouths to feed. She wants me to tell her a way out of this situation.”
“So what did you suggest her?”
“What else? Like every other reservation, I told her to get a certificate made from this person I know – of being an OBC & then, I will get her, a license to set up a small shop at the Old Delhi Railway Station platform.”
What a way to help a person out of such misery! My client is the brother of a prominent Rajya Sabha member. Doesn’t he know very well how to bend the system? Getting an OBC certificate & manipulating the tender system of shop allotments – is there anything left that people in power cannot manipulate?
Last year, my friend from school, who I didn’t know was an SC (who notices all this in school anyway?) was thrown out of IIM Calcutta, for failing in first year. I was so proud of him till that time when I heard this news. Within a week, he called me up and informed me of his joining a company at almost one and a half times my CTC.

I didn’t know what to feel about it. I had a Masters Degree before joining my job and he was a simple engineer and an IIM failure! He used his SC certificate to move up the chain all this life and now, a company recognizes his true potential? (I still don’t know how he managed the entry in that particular organisation but I am assuming it not based on his caste!)
How does one decide the true potential of a person?

August 13 2006 10:30 pm

As I sit back and think on any aspect of the society I can influence, I am at a cross-road. As I said in my second presentation in class, I am an optimist – I would like to re-iterate that I am not an ostrich either! There are issues which each of us has seen happening around us – which render all efforts helpless!
When I say I am an optimist, I don’t mean I don’t see the negatives. I mean I see the light at the end of the dark tunnel that we are trying to venture into. The presentations & group thinking tasks have right now made each one of us aware of each other person’s background. I now know that there is someone in my class, who has been sexually harassed; there is someone who doesn’t believe in marriage; there is someone who likes to question all efforts an individual wants to make; and more importantly, there are ideas in class which we agree to disagree upon!
I am now aware of my surroundings. Till now, I used to think that I was only one of the few people in my generation who are not going to accept dowry during marriage! But looking at the number of students who raised their hands to that question, I realized that I am a part of an evolutionary society!
There are some evils that are man-made like dowry, drug abuse, terrorism, corruption, which creep out of greed, social unrest and insensitivity. By abstaining from them individually, I think we can play a part in the social reform that we intend to bring out.
My maid’s adopted son should not grow up to become a terrorist. The agent who got me the Death Certificate should not be able to fleece any more people. That politician should not play with the aspirations of the deserving people. My friend should not admit his children to any institution through the SC quota again.

May we not need any Civic Behaviour classes in the future to realize all this!

IMAGINE ! (Thank you, John Lennon)

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too

Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Now,i know you were here!!

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Janmashtami....!

Happy Birthday

Lord Krishna

Fellow presentor
Napolean's Strategist
Manthan 'the churning machine'

Silk Route

Juke Box

...Have a wonderful career ahead...

...Fellow Biker...

Advertising Directories....

“Statistics conceals more than it reveals!”

Can we replace ‘Statistics’ with ‘Secondary Sources of data’? I think we can.

As a part of our analysis of directories and surveys in India, we would like to discuss two sources of data and analysis, which are widely used and highly depended upon by the corporate world. The first one is an integral part of ‘Advertisement Spending’ by any corporate and the second deals with the management and publication of reliable database about the industry, from reliable sources.

Advertising Evaluation

When was the last time you picked up latest issue of ‘India Today’ to answer a ‘Poll Survey’ on ‘Have you seen the ‘Sar utha ke jiyo’ ad & has it impacted your choosing your cold drink?’

If you have not, probably you have missed the survey that Coca Cola conducted to know the effect of its new advertisement on the public?

Advertisement Expenses are a major source of concern for any organization today. It directly evaluates the performance of a particular advertisement launched by the company in the specific time period, its impact on the sales of the product and the bottom line of the company. Like many industrially advanced nations in the world, India is also aware of this phenomenon of Advertising Expenses and has research agencies which evaluate such expense. Advertising Evaluation sets in to help companies gauge their efforts and look further to bridge the gap between ‘understanding’ the market and actually ‘selling’ the product! Research methods like Advertisement Tracking, Brand Equity, Demand Forecasting, Market Segmentation and Retail Tracking, are used to analyze reach of a particular advertisement in the market.

ACNeilson stands out as one of the premier Marketing Research institutes in the world. In India, it conducts both Online and Offline market research, which focuses on understanding what users want from the Internet and from the Market. ACNielsen's leadership in On-line research lies in its ability to offer insight into consumer behaviour and attitudes, ensuring client development and maintenance of competitive strength through their websites and e-services.

Another important Advertisement Research agency in the country is IMRB (Indian Marketing Research Bureau). A research wing of J Walter Thompson, IMRB specializes in Predictive Modeling, Media Measurement, Data Capture and Consumer Handling. It is also associated with National Readership Survey since 1978, Television Rating Points (TRP) System for Continuous Television Audience Measurement System since 1986 and a joint venture project with ACNeilson on ‘National PeopleMeter’. With such stalwarts in Advertisement Research in India, it leaves no room for companies to let Sales and Marketing depend on luck!

But let’s look at relation between Sales Figures on Demand Forecasting! A pre-test of consumer’s response to ‘cologne based soap’ versus ‘lime based soap’ was carried out in the month of December. The sample was taken from various supermarkets across a particular city in India & this data was provided to the FMCG Company, to analyze which of the two fragrances would be more successful in the market – after the recent advertising campaign. The survey showed that people preferred ‘cologne based soap’ in the winter months in India and ‘lime based soap’ in the summers. Since this survey was carried out in December, this seemed to be a pre-conditioned data. Also, since the sample was taken only from Supermarkets, it did not take into account the innumerable people, who buy soaps from ‘kirana shops’ and other places. The product might be a success amongst certain set of people in that city but not otherwise.

Thus, a focused and un-biased Advertisement Evaluation is necessary by any organization today to understand the needs of the consumer. This besides, increasing the sales of their product would also promote the positive brand image of the product!

Directory Databases

It is practically impossible to enter a Railway Station or a Tourist Spot today without coming upon the ‘Road Map’ and ‘Places of Importance & Interest’ directory somewhere! In fact, one has become more proactive now and has started finding these details, even before he has reached the ‘place of interest’. One of the easiest ways to access any information about any other part of the world is through the Internet.

Computerized Databases have replaced a lot of printed database that exists. If that sounds like an exaggeration, it would be worthy to note that every printed form of database today finds an electronic medium of storage. Most of them are either accessible to the public or to members of these sources.

There is no one today who would have not heard the name of ‘Tata Yellow Pages’. It is undoubtedly, the most trusted source of information regarding anything and everything in India. From industries to its components, hospitals and doctors, wholesalers and retailers, agents and prospective sellers – everyone finds a mention in the ‘TYP’. A lot of other databases have come up in the recent past, e.g. Just Dial Services in Metros, which attempts to integrate the Telephonic Database & Online Database in this regard, but in vain!

TYP is complied every year in the months of March and April with proper Advertisements inviting information to be published in the Yellow Pages. This happens both on local, regional and national level. The best part about TYP is that it integrates the data from every nook and corner of the country and gives the reference of the same in every edition of its publication. Once all the advertisements are compiled, they are sorted out, proof read and then finally printed in index form.

‘Sales’ finds a big help in entering different market pockets by the use of the TYP and its related issues. From information about the cloth merchants and their association in Chandni Chowk, Delhi to the Shop description of Fashion Street, Mumbai; TYP successfully manages to compile data about everyone who is ‘in the business of doing business’. A local approach followed by a national integration approach increases the viability of the database by leaps and bounds.

TYP finds a mention in this article on Computerized Database as it has made successful attempts to put all this information online. This data is now accessible to everyone and anyone and gives one the scope of knowing details like Contact Address, Inception Data and Work Profile of the Company.

The TYP database, although informative, cannot be considered to be an effective medium for endorsements. Directory databases essentially enable the customer to get to the product and not the other way round. To an onlooker, it projects all that information which is projected to him and not the actual.
Another point that goes against these databases is that it only has those companies, which have them listed with the database. The ones, which do not have the money to advertise themselves in the TYP, do not find a mention in the database. This way, a customer may not get the most accurate information.

If one takes the example of ‘Mohan Industrial Area’ in Faridabad, it consists of all those factories which were relocated out of New Delhi, during the ‘Clean Delhi’ drive, at the end of the last century. Somehow, the local Directories of Faridabad fail to mention the details of these 100-110 factories located in its outskirts and simultaneously, no Directory in Delhi mentions the same as they are not a part of Delhi anymore. This might be a case in isolation, but informs one of the anomalies which might set in Directories on a regional level, due to politics & misrepresentation of information.

Parallel computerized directories have emerged in the past to capture data at every level in the market. CD-ROMs, with collective data on doctors, medical practioners, architects, consulting engineers, are circulated in closed professional communities, which help a devoted section of society, to keep all the information at hand. This is actually a very good method to provide information about the market to everyone who is concerned about it. We believe that every database should provide online directories to local people (in addition to online cataloging and storage) in order to help in the usage of the same.

One year might be too long a time to revise a Directory. Since the system is computerized, a level of dynamism, in the matter of updation of irrelevant and old data, can also bring about the presence of ‘clean data’. This supported with proper representation of those entities which find it difficult to get publicity, can increase the reach of the Directories, manifolds.

Tata Yellow Pages, along with Just Dial, Infomedia Yellow Pages, are yet to prove their parlance in the modern database management context. Yellow Pages Association is working in tandem with them and we hope to see a ‘smarter’ Telephone Directory, on the next Phone Booth that we visit, the next time we get lost, round the corner!

References:
1. www.acnielson.com/in
2. www.imrb.co.in
3. www.yellowpages.com
4. www.getit.co.in

Triple A Bonds !!!

AAA Bonds

"AAA" bonds are the best quality with the smallest risk of default.

(Well proven in real life)

When bonds are insured by one of the major insurance agencies, they automatically attain a "AAA" rating, identifying the bond as one of the highest quality you can buy.

(Well proven in the 'Banerjee' Family scenario)

"AAA Battery" - A single-cell battery used in a myriad of electronic devices of all variety.

(Please fix me up! :-))

Statiscally proven...

Let's see

Half Full

Empty

Full

or

Half Full

Full

Empty

Decision??

Yes, I am thirsty!!

Time & Tide ... wait for no man!

Some friendships

withstand the tests of time

only time will tell

I am an optimist

At the THIRTEENth hour...

Adi-Smi-Mach-Anee-AC-Debo-Jyot...in action

Rafi...missing

Satan...the Eye of the Devil

(We 'are' the system!)

Individual as a Consumer !!

Some wisdom from the man himself --->

"Yes, i am have made a lot of assumptions - And i screwed up!!"

"I am capitalist in my mind & socialist at heart!"

(Words of Wisdom....indeed!)

Power - less or ful ?

Powerless

Manish says

Powerful

I say

Whats about to come is not know...

Whats about to happen it yet to be seen...

The defeated is defeated...

only till he accepts...

Did you ask him, Manish...

Was he playing to win?

or loose?

Is he powerless

if

he wins after loosing?

Onlookers only stare

Give him another chance...

to rise up again

at the very next glance...

Lets see who wins!

Annie's Song for Anindita & Ayan !

You fill up my senses like a night in the forest,
like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain,
like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean.
You fill up my senses, come fill me again.
Come let me love you, let me give my life to you,
let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms,
let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you.
Come let me love you, come love me again.
You fill up my senses like a night in the forest,
like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain,
like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean.
You fill up my senses, come fill me again.

- John Denver

Yesterday, we were together ...

Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away

Now it looks as though they're here to stay

Oh I believe in Yesterday

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be

There's a shadow hanging over me

Oh Yesterday came suddenly

Why she had to go I don't know

She wouldn't say

I said something wrong now I long for yesterday

Yesterday love was such an easy game to play

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh I believe in Yesterday

Why she had to go I don't know

She wouldn't sayI said something wrong now

I long for yesterday

Yesterday love was such an easy game to play

Now I need a place to hide away

Oh I believe in Yesterday

(Yesterday...we went through many emotions)

(Today...we are parted)

(Looking forward to all the yesterdays!)

(...Gaurav n Govind...)

Haridwar ...

...a trip of a lifetime...

...never ceases to end...

...never makes me forget...

...never reminds me as well...

...what went wrong...

...why i am here...

...will i meet them again...

...will such days visit me again...

...will we do what we were supposed to do...

...questions...

...never seem to end...

...I want them back...

...nothing more...

...nothing less...

...a trip of a lifetime...

Has something gone wrong here ?

Lime Juice up the....

No more Spoon Feeding...

'S'ome 'N'ew 'E'xpressions 'H'ire 'A'ttention

Some New Expressions Hire Attention

New as they are

Surprising as they are

Relative as they are

Bring togetherness & friendship

Bring focus

Bring bewilderment

Hire Attention as they are!

Look no beyond...

So hail & hearty...

So 'hail'

Is this the dark side of you?

So 'heil'

Is there a dark side to you?

Still discovering that gleam behind the glass!

Still discovering that devilish tooth!

Still discovering you...

...the 'pulsa'ting guy!

My 'Forks'

In Harmony with times...

'Rockport looking for Design tom morning?'

Do we have something credible to be printed?

T-Shirts speak alot abt individuals

abt Institutions

abt occasions

'Harmony - 22 days to go'

Dummy T-Shirt not ready

Orders not taken yet

Prices not finalised yet

Do we have a solution?

at 1:18 am

It gives what is good

exhuberance - joy - moments

It takes away

everything else

Is there anything else left?

Yes

The T-Shirt

...soahc

Sti a tibah ot etirw ni esrever

ot kinht yltnereffid

ot eb desufnoc

ereht si on redro

ni redrosid

yllautca

there is

...my thoughts !

They left me and went

...in the middle on the road

...to find a new house

...to talk a new language

...I stood there

...wondering

...what did i come with them for

...to find shelter

...to talk to them !

They left me and went

...again

...in the middle of the road

...to find their house

...to understand each other

...I stood there

...wondering

...what did i come with them for

...to stay with them

...to listen to them !

They stand here next to me now

...at our house

...talking to me!

They are...

Have we lost it ?

Arjun

Have we lost the light?

We were told

It is at the end of the tunnel

Didnt we go there?

We were told

It is all around you

Didnt we look around?

We were told

It cannot be seen

Didnt we turn blind?

Now 'he' says

There is no light

Have we lost it?

I dont think so

They also said

It is within us

'Beatles' as Individual Decision Makers !!!

"All my Loving"

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you,

Tomorrow I'll miss you;

Remember I'll always be true.

And then while I'm away,

I'll write home ev'ry day,

And I'll send all my loving to you.

I'll pretend That I'm kissing

the lips I am missing

And hope that my draems will come true.

And then while I'm away,

I'll write home ev'ry day,

And I'll send all my loving to you.

All my loving I will send to you.

All my loving, darling I'll be true.

Man, Be Hasty !

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools", said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you

"But my words, like silent raindrops fell

And echoed

In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said,

"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls"

And whispered in the sounds of silence

From 8 to 25 in...

From 8 to 25 in One Theme 'flat' !!

A reason to 'Excel'

A reason to 'Enthrall' oneself

Fifteen mins it was

the time to move from

mediocrity

to

'excel'lence

One & a half Themes

to move from

technologically challenged to technologically smart

Simply smart, i guess!

Was I?