The Mumbai Marathon...

I was never interested in running. The last time I remember I ran seriously was in school, where you had no option but to run and compete and grumble, why running? Why do people run? What do they achieve after running, rather play a sport than running! But that was school and I had no option but to participate.

In my remotest dream also I never thought I would ever be running seriously. It happened that my boss introduced his couch to us in the office. My boss loves running, 21KM to be precise in marathon events. So, he introduced Marathon world to us. What happened next, is a series of beautiful stories and I can go on and on... Juhu beach... Rakesh... Runner wave... morning 530... JW Marriot... Citizen... half beach... full beach... power exercise... mat..., a dream, which was never seen, just happened...;)

17th January 2010 was the marathon day. I got up early, took an autorikshaw to borivali. As I reached there I could see lot of enthusiast with "Marathon", "Bank of Baroda", "TCS", etc corporate names printed on their T-Shirts. My excitment level increased. Thoughout the stations, participants kept flooding into the local train till I reached Marine Line station. It was almost a mob, by the time I reach there. I was accompanied by my office friends. We headed towards Azad Maidan, the holding area. Lot of participants were dressed as "Ram-Sita-Laxman", "Gandhiji", "Netaji Bose", it reminded me of the fancy dress competition that use to happen in school time. It was a fantastic feeling.

We started with our dream run, basically for fun, supporting cause, displaying the true spirit. The atmosphere was completely charged up. As we headed, people were shouting slogans in support of Anti-AIDS, Animal rights, Save girl Child, Save trees, etc. Companies made it a point to gather attention and mave their brands visible. I spotted stars like Ritesh Deshmukh, Poonam Dhillon, John Abrahm-who pulled maximum crowd, corporate honchos and people from political world. Poonam Dhillon herself came to me and chatted, I could not believe myself because you normally dont expect such things. I clicked with Ramadorai, Vice Chairman of TCS, and other celebrities. We crossed Churchgate station and reached Pizzaria square at marine drive. The TCS band was performing there. At various places bands were performing, StanChart, RadioMirchi, etc. All the way, people were standing, cheering up the participants. Volunters were distributing water and other food supplements.

As we reached marine drive, Oh! what a beautiful view that was. The mumbai skyline was so perfect and mesmerizing, I thought of staying there, spending more time. It is always beautiful at night time but the morning view was far more amazing. As we moved, the Navy band was performing, we stopped there, "Summer of 69" number. It was a rare occasion to get to hear the navy band, I managed to make a video too. We climbed the flyover and reached back to the Azad maidan, finishing the dream run. What an amazing feeling that was! I can not describe it in words!

Nearly 40000 people participated from various parts of the world. Prior to the event, we were supposed to collect goodie bags from World Trade Centre, Fort. I thought so many people will be there, it might take an hour or two, to get through. What an arrangement, boy, it took straight 10 mins for me, to get my things done. Appreciable arrangement!

Kudos to the organisers, Sponsorers, participants and the true Mumbai spirit!

Hamara Bajaj: An iconic indian brand that caught eveyone's imaginations!

"Hamara Bajaj, Hamara Bajaj"...two generations grew up humming the jingle...It portrayed the Bulannd Bharat, strong and united India. It caught the imaginations of the aspiring middle class...joint families. I, as a kid really enjoyed the jingle but never realise the importance untill the announcement to stop the production of scooters by Bajaj. Oh! you mean to say the priyas and chetaks are all history now! Has the time changed so much...I have travelled almost every corner of my city, nagpur, with my dad on scooter, as a kid! The adv reminds me of those days.

Launched in 1972, people use to wait for upto 15 years to become proud owners of a scooter. My dad got his first scooter after waiting for almost 4 years and yes, we were looked upon as a very cherished family. Owning a scooter in those days was among the sort after thing. People use to ask for Bajaj scooter as dowry, or if a bride's family is offering a scooter, they were highly regarded. The this generation kids would never understand the sentiments of Rahul Bajaj, when Rajiv Bajaj, the MD of Bajaj Auto announced to discontinue the production.

Renowned Indian ad guru Alyque Padamsee came up with the slogan "Hamara Bajaj". It was like a nationalist movement. The words were on everyones mind. Everyone could relate to it. It was truely the style statement and youth of that time use to boast scooter with great pride. I wonder if there could be any vehicle or even any product worth waiting for 15 years!!!

Aman Ki Asha - Not so Asha from it!

The advertisement is fantastic with "Dilwale Dhulaniya..." being guessed correctly in a game of dumb-charades, bringing joy all over. Its a nice initiative. But is it going to help even a bit? Do we wait for 1st Januarys of every year to start something like this? Another resolution...? The motive? Does making Amitabh Bachchan appear in an initiative help? Connecting people-to-people basis and bypassing politicains, going to help? Lot of queries...
TOI and Jang group makes another initiative on 1st January 2010, this time to spread harmony between the two ever fighting nations. The first thing that comes into my mind is, do we really wait for January 1st and make new begining! Nothing changes in a day, we can start things any day and make a difference. Anyways, why is it not supported by other news channels and politicians of both the countries. When its the matter of two nations, it should be atleast supported whole-heartedly.

Music surely has no boundries...
"Sangeet mein hai aisi fuhaar
Pathjhad mein bhi jo laaye bahaar
Sangeet ko naa roke deewar
Sangeet jaaye sarhad ke paar

Sangeet maane naa dharm jaat
Sangeet se judi kaayanaat
Sangeet ki naa koi zubaan
Sangeet mein hai geeta quraan
Sangeet mein hai allah aur raam
Sangeet mein hai duniya tamaam

Toofanon ka bhi rukh modta hai
Sangeet toote dil ko jodtaa hai"
Agreed. Lines from Mission Kashmir movie, written by Sameer and Sung by Shankar.

The adv is trying to connect common people from two nation, bypassing the politicians. I doubt if it is going to be appreciated by any political party. Its also good branding exercise by TOI... trying to make a statement, otherwise limited role played by the nation newpapers as a whole. I see few awards for the initiative for sure.

I am not among the pessimist bunch, but if we look at it practically, the impact is going to be really insignificant. Such initiatives should be carried out. It is not going to make any difference in either of the side, nor its going to move our politians a bit. But, it just keep the hopes alive. It keep us reminding that afterall hatered is not the only solution and we can be considerate at some point of time. It also ensures that movie and music business is not hurted because of the stubborn stance at the highest level. My take, nice initiative, "the first step" seems alright, atleast somebody is thinking on these lines, but we need more actions rather than just words!

Economic recession - Longish this time!!!

All indications are that the current global economic crisis is the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, in terms of geographical spread, intensity and duration. No country is spared, although some countries will feel the heat more than some others. Open economies with small domestic markets, in particular, seem most vulnerable.Growth forecasts for the world economy this year range between 0.5% and 0.9%. Many individual country GDP (gross domestic product) forecasts are negative. Economies already slipping into recession include the United States, Britain, Euro-zone members, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand and Singapore.One cannot rule out the possibility of these dismal numbers being revised further down before long, as the crisis is still unfolding. The worst is yet to come. Worse still, there are no quick fixes for the global slump, which means that this crisis will stick around stubbornly longer than most.

One explanation for this frightening prognosis is that this crisis does not represent a purely cyclical phenomenon of the usual boom-bust roller coaster variety, where ups and downs are dramatically swift. This crisis has been brewing for a long time unnoticed by analysts who were focused on short-term fluctuations.Serious fault lines have developed in the world economy over the years, with severe imbalances of sorts between savings and investment, production and consumption, revenue and expenditure, as manifested in widening current account imbalances and growing budget deficits, not to mention unstable exchange rates, interest rates, and asset prices.This crisis is a combination of both cyclical and structural problems. The latter require painful microsurgery, including major institutional reforms, which take time, quite unlike macroeconomic countercyclical interventions. What’s more, studies have shown that economic crises preceded by financial crises tend to drag on and on. The task for policymakers in such tough circumstances is daunting. Even the relatively easier macroeconomic policy interventions are not going to be that easy, as policymakers have fewer options.The three tools used during economic meltdowns are monetary, fiscal and exchange rate instruments to stimulate a faltering economy.

For the monetary policy, the central bank reduces interest rates and relaxes statutory reserve requirements so that banks can lend more, resulting in increased consumer spending and investment expenditure, augmenting economic growth.

Fiscally, the treasury reduces taxes and increases public expenditure at the risk of budget deficits, not only to increase the disposable income of the people so that they will spend more, but also to pump-prime the economy through increased government expenditure that will take up the private sector slack.

An appropriate foreign exchange rate policy in such circumstances will be to opt for a weaker currency, as this renders exports competitive and divert domestic demand away from imports to local substitutes.

Unfortunately, the reality on the ground now in most countries, especially the US, is that all three instruments are somewhat blunt. Interest rates are already close to zero in Japan and the US, while in many other countries, they hover at historically low levels.Interest-rate cuts will work only if rates are high to begin with and the cuts are substantial. Given near-zero interest rates, further rate cuts can only be marginal, with little impact, for nominal interest rates cannot fall below zero.In the US, real interest rates are negative, given the higher rate of inflation relative to the nominal interest rate. In a recession, inflation tends to give way to deflation, with falling prices, in which case the interest rate will rise in real terms by becoming less negative than previously, thereby raising the cost of borrowing.

In other words, the result will be the opposite of what monetary easing is supposed to accomplish.The picture is quite similar for fiscal instruments as well. Many countries, including Japan, India, Malaysia and the US, have been running large budget deficits even in good times year after year. Increased budget deficit through tax reductions and/or expenditure hikes, in such cases, may only have limited impact due to fiscal fatigue. A budget deficit of, say, 5% of GDP will have significant impact in an economy with a balanced budget, but not for an economy with a deficit of four per cent of GDP.Where monetary and fiscal measures do not work well, the foreign exchange rate mechanism can help if there are no constraints on exchange rate changes. Thus, an exchange rate devaluation or depreciation will increase demand for a country’s products at home and abroad by making exports cheaper and imports dearer.In theory, a country’s currency will depreciate in the wake of an economic slump, but this is not the case with the US dollar, which has been strengthening in recent times. The dollar is able to stay strong, despite US economic woes, thanks mainly to massive capital inflows into the country, as the US continues to borrow, with others wanting to keep the dollar strong so that they can continue to export to the US and at the same time protect their reserves from a possible collapse of the greenback.No way can the US economy recover rapidly so long as its currency remains unrealistically strong. The dollar will have to depreciate significantly for the US to produce more for exports and to divert its insatiable demand towards American products.Thus, exchange-rate corrections are needed, not only to reduce the US current account deficits but also to stimulate domestic production for both external and internal consumption. This is unlikely to happen anytime soon, however, given the global addiction to the greenback, and hence the failure of the exchange rate instrument.

With all three major policy tools- monetary, fiscal and exchange rates-under heavy sedation, the chances of a quick recovery are quite slim. The writing on the wall suggests the crisis will stick around for at least two years, if not longer.

AIRCEL: Another "Big Boy" in the making!

I have been pushed to ponder again and again of the company with long ads aired on television with Dhoni trying to sell the features of the service provider. The ad isnt impressive, though the desperation of the company to get accepted by masses is very much visible.

So, is another "Big Boy" in the telecom industry in the making???



Background:
The Aircel Group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd of India, with Maxis Communications holding a majority stake of 74%.

Aircel commenced operations in 1999 and became the leading mobile operator in Tamil Nadu within 18 months. In December 2003, it launched commercially in Chennai and quickly established itself as a market leader – a position it has held since.

The company has now stepped out of its comfort zone and into the big league by aiming to make itself a national player.

I think the company has got its initial foot right. It needs to be aggressive in marketing. It has to provide better connectivity and services in order to come anywhere close to the likes of Airtel, Reliance and Idea. If the company is able to add subscribers month on month at a health rate, it might attract lot of investors putting their confidence.

With Dhoni as brand ambassador, company has been able to make the brand heard. Now, what would be worth watching is does the brand get recognised and accepted by the masses.

Summer is here: Tata Tea forays in soft drinks.

Summer is here and all the Food and Beverages companies are gearing up to increase their product's visibility. Companies are ready to tap the huge huge potential market and the competition is all set to become stiffer between local and international players.

Tata Tea, a premiere Indian tea company, has made its foray into the branded cold drink market with the launch of T!ON. The launch took place in Chennai, targeting youth. T!ON is available in three exciting flavours, Mango Rush, Peach Punch and Apple Buzz, the 400 ml pet bottle is priced at Rs. 22.

Tata Tea Executive Director Sangeeta Talwar calls it a defining moment in her company’s history and something that is all about “disruptive innovation”.

The beverages market size is almost double that of branded tea, in which Tata Tea currently operates. Tea contributed close to 80 per cent of the Rs 4,366 crore company’s sales in the last financial year and the company is conscious of the warning signals.

While T!ON’s success is yet to be seen, Tata Tea has been firmly on course to being a brand-centric beverage company for some time now. It has in the past made acquisitions like Tetley, Good Earth (herbal, medicinal and traditional teas), Eight O’ Clock Coffee and Himalayan Water to diversify its range.

Worth Pondering!

Something I came across and is worth pondering!!!
(Click on the image to view it larger)

Zimbabwe - The Unbeatables!

The Indian people and the government are both quaking with fear with inflation hovering at around 8%. The people can barely make two ends meet with prices soaring, and the government knows that if prices don't fall, the government will.

But India is not the only nation grappling with rising inflation. The entire world is. So which is the nations with highest inflation rates?

Zimbabwe: 355,000%!
The inflation in Zimbabwe for the month of March 2008 rose to 355,000%! Yes, 355,000 per cent! It more than doubled from the February figure of 165,000%.
Economists say that it is a miracle that the Zimbabwean economy is still surviving and prices have been rising to unprecedented proportions. Inflation surged between February and March following the sudden rise in money supply that flooded the economy to finance the 2008 elections. Apart from this food and non-alcoholic beverages continued to drive up inflation.

Almost 80% of the nation is unemployed. The Zimbabwean central bank has introduced $500 million bearer cheques (or currency notes) for the public, and $5 billion, $25 billion, $50 billion agro-cheques for farmers. Just last fortnight the nation had introduced $250 million bearer cheques.

A sausage sandwich sells for Zimbabwean $50 million. A 15-kg bag of potatoes cost Zimbabwean $260 million. But then, Zimbabwean $50 million is roughly equal to US$ 1!

Oil speculators pushing prices to new levels - Part 2

Lehman Brothers, the investment bank, has estimated that fuel is 30 per cent overpriced because of an influx of money into the oil market from investment funds.

It believes that hot money accounts for between $20 to $30 of the recent increase in oil prices and that about $40 billion (£20 billion) has been invested in the sector so far this year — equal to all the money pumped into oil last year.

The price hit a record of nearly $120 a barrel on 28th April 2008, after North Sea production was shut down because of the Grangemouth refinery strike. In early trading, the price of US light crude rose $1 to $119.93. Prices later retreated to settle up 23 cents at $118.75 a barrel.

The situation may get even worse in the coming months. Chakib Khelil, the Algerian Energy Minister and president of Opec, said that crude could reach $200 a barrel.
The price rise comes despite a 400,000 barrel-a-day reduction in physical demand from the United States, which is consuming less because of its economic slowdown. This has been more than offset by funds seeking alternative investments to the falling US dollar.

Michael Waldron, energy analyst for Lehman Brothers, said: “There has been an increase in financial demand as many funds have poured into oil as a hedge against inflation and the weakening US dollar. This has been the main factor in driving the price in recent months. We do not think the fundamentals justify oil at $120 and, without financial demand, we think it would be trading at $20 to $30 below that level.”
Analysts fear that the price will rise even higher as supply shortages get worse in the coming months while both physical and financial demands increase.
On the supply side, shortages may occur if there is a bad hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico and because the oil industry typically saves maintenance work at fields such as the North Sea for good weather.
Rapid economic growth in the Middle East has led to a large increase in energy consumption, which is diverting oil and gas away from export markets to feed domestic needs. This has exacerbated the effect of rising energy demand in the region.
Yesterday’s increases came as the workers at Grangemouth, which is operated by Ineos, a chemicals company, began the second day of a two-day strike over pension benefits.
This forced the closure of the 700,000 barrel-a-day Forties pipeline and sparked fears that Scotland and the North of England could face petrol shortages. Grangemouth supplies 10 per cent of the UK’s petrol but also produces power for BP’s Kinneil plant, which processes the oil from the Forties pipeline.

The impact:
The high price of oil is having an impact on the global economy, with airlines failing and drivers paying more to fill their cars. Eos, the business-class-only airline, went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday and joins at least six other carriers that have also been grounded in the past two weeks by high costs.

Conclusion:

Though the report is not all conclusive, and I would further investigate into the matter but seems as of now is:

• Lot of fund managers are putting money in Oil to hedge against weakening dollar and recession.
• Lack of sentiments in equity market world over is driving money towards Oil & Oil bonds.
• When the physical demand for oil would join the financial demand, the prices would accelerate northwards without any brakes...all leading to a bubble.

Oil Rally - a bubble in the making! Part 1

It started with financial asset bubble burst in Japan with the Collapse of banking system, followed by Technology bubble burst then with recent and most devastating real estate bubble burst. I believe oil rally is yet another bubble in the making, which would burst and would impact several economies severely.

Oil's meteoric rise to near $120 a barrel looks like more than just another economic bubble - growing demand and tighter supplies are likely to keep prices high. Some analysts say even $200 a barrel would not be out of the question.

The latest price surge - pushing crude to record heights in recent weeks, and to nearly double its level a year ago - has some key components of a classic bubble, when market prices climb far above their intrinsic value. The burst comes when investors realise the assets are overvalued. But growing worldwide thirst for crude, in large part from the rapidly developing economies of China and India, means frustrated consumers probably won't get any relief.

"We can do our homework, but prices are going to go where they want to go at this point," said Jeff Spittel, an analyst at investment bank Natixis Bleichroeder.

Oil came close to $120 a barrel on 25th April 2008, on news that a ship under contract to the US Defence Department fired warning shots at two boats in the Gulf that may have been Iranian. The markets were also weighing the effects of a pipeline attack in Nigeria and a looming refinery strike in Scotland. Retail gas prices, which at times rise in tandem with crude oil, moved further into record territory near $3.60 a gallon.
 

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries - which supplies about 40 per cent of the world's crude - insists it's supplying more than enough oil. Instead, many observers blame speculative traders for bidding up the price as a hedge against inflation and as protection from the sinking dollar. Some see that as evidence of a bubble.
 

It's also becoming harder and more expensive for oil companies to find and tap new petroleum reserves - a troublesome scenario given forecasts that the world's energy needs will escalate by more than 50 per cent in the next two decades. Toss in the weak dollar and political instability in some oil-producing countries, and it seems unlikely that oil will fall below $100 a barrel anytime soon, if ever.
 

Widely watched oil price prognosticator Goldman Sachs has said oil could average $110 a barrel by 2010, up from a previous forecast of $80, and that a spike as high as $200 a barrel is possible in case of a major supply disruption.

Cell phones still fiercely opposed on plane!

The very idea of airlines allowing passengers to talk on cell phones during flights reminds frequent flier Alvin Kolchins of the movie Snakes on a Plane.
"I'm not sure which would be worse, but my vote goes to . . . cell phones," said Kolchins, a Penn Valley resident who sells life insurance and annuities. "At least with the snakes, they are quiet and can only bite and kill you."

Kolchins is one of millions of airline customers and employees who were horrified at a recent report that the European Union had cleared the way for carriers to allow the use of cell phones while planes are in the air.
"What a horrible thought," said Priscilla Sharpless, a travel agent who lives in Phoenixville. "Flying is miserable enough these days without having to listen to people yakking on their cell phones at close quarters."
The FCC ban - originally adopted in 1961 and later updated - was meant to prevent any interference with a plane's navigational instruments or disruption of phone service on the ground.
U.S. airlines aren't clamoring to change the rule. Flight attendants in particular are adamantly opposed to ending the ban, fearful that without it, confrontations between passengers would become common. And just in case an airline were to consider it, members of Congress are introducing legislation to enshrine the FCC ban in federal law.
The broad opposition may be a telling sign of the times. A dozen years ago when private cell-phone use was exploding and talking anywhere was considered a convenience more than nuisance, trade groups for the airline and electronics industries were expressing hope for easing of the rules due to traveler demand. But recently conducted survey showed that more than three dozen others who responded said they were opposed. None was in favor of lifting the ban.
"Cell phones on planes. . . . Four words that strike fear in my heart," wrote Wendy Earle, a marketing specialist from Kulpsville. "Who hasn't experienced the blowhard whose loud end of the conversation can be heard from 100 feet away? Wouldn't you just love to be sitting near him [or her] on a plane?"
Although cell phones increasingly are used for silent text-messaging and e-mailing, it was the prospect of gabby, one-sided conversations popping up throughout a confined aircraft cabin that elicited dread.

Don Goldkamp, a frequent business traveler who lives in Cedars, Montgomery County, called cell phones on planes "invasive to other passengers. I can't imagine why the airlines would want to make flying less pleasant than it already is," he added.
Objections to changing the rule started soon after the E.U. said on April 9 that midair cell-phone usage could start as soon as airlines could install onboard base stations in their planes. Passengers could turn on phones once a flight has reached 10,000 feet, when other electronic devices such as laptops are allowed.

After the E.U.'s decision, a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House Transportation Committee quickly decided not to take a chance that the airlines would seek to change the regulation. They introduced the HANG UP Act - for Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace - that would ban the practice.

"In far too many easily foreseeable operational scenarios, cell-phone use could be worse than a mere nuisance," Friend said. "It could have catastrophic effects on aviation safety and security."
The Air Transport Association, which represents the major carriers, hasn't taken a stand on the European Union decision. Were the restriction to be lifted in this country, "the airlines would have to weigh the benefits," spokesman David Castelveter said. "But you don't want to benefit a few and annoy the many."
Among the reasons airlines should not want to change the rule would be a loss of business from some customers, one of them added.
"The thought of allowing cell-phone use on planes terrifies me," said Earle, the traveler from Kulpsville. "If it happens in the U.S., that will be the final straw. If I can't get there by car or train, I ain't going!"


Source: world news network

Exclusive Report - One Lakh Car is a realty!

Mr. Ratan Tata unveiled Rs 1 lakh car, 'Nano' at the 9th Auto Expo Show in Delhi. With this a new segment is created in the auto industry. Tata Motors now offer from trains to trucks to even the most affordable car of the world!

"That's what drove me -- a man on a two-wheeler with a child standing in front, his wife sitting behind, add to that the wet roads - a family in potential danger," Mr. Tata wrote on the company website.

''Since, promise is a promise the standard dealer version will cost Rs 1 lakh,'' said Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata. He also said that that the car is eight per cent smaller bumper to bumper, than the Maruti 800 but at the same time 21 per cent larger in its interiors and can sit up to four people. Talking about the safety of the car, Tata said, ‘‘the car has passed the full-frontal crash and the side impact crash''.

The car will be available in many variants, which will include one standard version and two deluxe versions with AC.

Small Wonders - features:

* 624 cc engine

* Mileage of 20 kilometers per liter

* Passed full frontal crash test, the offset and side-crash test

* Legroom is expected to be 21 pc more than Maruti 800.

* The car meets the Bharat 3 (Euro 4) emission standards.

* The car that will come in two variants - AC and non-AC

* Will comes a dealer price of Rs one lakh plus VAT and transport charges.

* Commercial launch in mid 2008-09

Suppliers:

BOSCH - Alternator; Brakes; Fuel injection system; Ignition system. LUMAX AUTOMOTIVE - Headlamps. RICO AUTO - Engine blocks. NK MINDA - Switches; horns. SONA GROUP - Steering columns. GABRIEL - Suspensions. KINETIC ENGINEERING - Gears. FEDERAL-MOGUL GOETZEE - Engine pistons. JK TYRES - 12-inch tyres.

What is missing in the car apart from a reasonable luggage space is power steering. The car also said to have one wiper instead of the customary two.

Tata Motors has gone all out to make sure Ratan Tata's plan of a rupees one lakh car is fulfilled.

Surely, owning a four wheeler has now become affordable in India.