In search.... Hemant

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Location: New Delhi, Delhi, India

confused soul... who wants to try out everything, just to see what it is... and then just moves away from it... give me money, and i ll spend it in no time... without money, i ll survive without whine...

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Thank You Shaila

This post is to thank a very good friend... who is the reason for me appearing for gmat and going to IIMA...

I have been telling her that i will be writing a thank you note to her for over a yr now... but i never did... so i thought that i will thank her on a more public platform...

I met her when i joined Emami in Sept 06... and actually talked to her in dec 06... since then we have been extremely close friends.. chatting on for hours at length.. at least in Q1 07....
post which our chat durations have reduced considerably.. but we still remain very gud friends...

My life has been pretty aimless... and she is the one who gave the idea of Gmat... i didnt take it very seriously till mar 07 at least (which was when i shifted back from kolkata to mumbai and our talks reduced) but after that i joined coaching for gmat and the long journey began...

i havnt been serious about anything in life... and had no intention to be.. till i took 3week leave and prepared for gmat... and shaila.. i m thankful to you for pushing me to do something seriously after a loooong time... 
those 3 weeks gave me more satisfaction than i got in my entire worklife till date... those 3 weeks i was single mindedly working on something.. and really njoying it...
the result was gud... but more than the result... i am happy with the effort i had put.... if only i find something so engrossing and enjoyable that i put all my energies into it... i think i will be extremely happy in life...
btw.. she did talk to me almost every single day of those 3 weeks.. actually we have been talking over ph for almost 3-4 times a week for past 2yrs... and this is more regular than i ve been with anybody else in my life... though i must admit that she has taken more effort to do it... and thank you for that...

she also believed that i would get into IIMA, and i did not... specially after i was wait-listed for over a month... though i never took her words seriously.. i m happy that she felt like that... 

she even wanted to improve other things in my life (sometimes behaving like typical indian gf/wives do)... but as stubborn as i am... i guess it wasnt to be.... but thanks for trying...
u know i am a guy with a big male ego.. i cant listen to a girl telling me wat to do in life... i ve to feel that its me who is taking the decision.... so maybe i ll take right steps and improve things... but not coz a girl has asked me to... even if its you...

but anyway.. thanks for trying... 

and my best wishes are with you.... hope you and siddharth life a  wonderful and extremely fulfilling life... 
hoping both of us figure out wat we want in our professional life... 
personal life - i dont even have hopes :)

Hemant

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Update on my Life

Hi!!

More than a yr when i wrote last... and life has changed quite a bit during the period....
changed another job... joined Kimberly Clark Lever Ltd around 6 months back.. and now leaving this job... and going to IIMA to do the PGPX course..

in between all this..
got rejected by host of colleges abroad... made a few new friends.. and lost touch with more of them...
Shifted base to Pune.... had lost my love for mumbai... so it wasnt difficult. Infact i liked the city.. fell in love with the weather.... at least till few days back... now heat is taking its toll on my preferences.....
had no work in emami.. and a hell lotta work here, specially in last couple of months.. even night outs for work...

so a lotta turmoil in professional life...

On personal front, got hit by the travelling and adventure bug.. but still ended up with not much travel to speak off.. goa, alibaug digha etc were a few places where i went
went for waterfall rappeling and trek as well..
made a hell lotta plans... from amboli to paris... but didnt end up doing anywhere....
even made plans to start my own company for conducting tours in uttaranchal, with my college friends.... but never took the plunge.....

actually quite a few things to talk about..
will take them one by one later...

till then.. i hope to remain alive...

hemant

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Hi Again

Well.. am in kolkata... in office with no work..
waiting for few meetings to get over...

As far as MBA abroad is concerned, status quo is maintaine.. no new updates on that front..

to continue the ex-gf thing.. nothing interesting happened.. i just wished her.. gifted choclates (safe gift).. got a small treat.. chatted for an hour.. basically taking updates on the life in past few yrs and about common friends...
havnt talked after that... nothing interesting as i said earlier...

as far as work is concerned.. the launch is getting delayed more and more.. would be lucky if i launch the brand by may... though target date right now is april first week... so its frusrating, as it is for all the people in emami... invariably the launches are delayed... for now rhyme and reason.. the directors dont take decisions and w/o their permission.. nothing can go ahead...

thats how life is going right now...

hemant

Friday, January 18, 2008

Just Updating

Hi Again!!

Just updating for my own benefit.. nobody anyway reads it..
but when i read it after months or so.. i can remember all the stuff..

well lets start with update..
just got a reject letter from INSEAD... adding one more in the list...
my application for MBA from abroad is getting rejected left, right and center.... and the worst part is that i don't know why is it happening.....
i thought my application is pretty good... and i have a decent score as well.. and nice work ex... apparently, the colleges don't think so.... still applying to a few more colleges.. lets c how things work out.... though i was keen on INSEAD....

apart from it... one more interesting thing... i am meeting an ex-gf today...
waise not exactly a ex-gf.. we went around a bit.. then i proposed her and she refused... so u can say it watever u want...
anyway.. we have not been in touch for years... suddenly i saw her message on yahoo messenger.. sent around month and a half back... asking to call....
i saw the message today and called... and coincidently its her birthday... so m meeting her in the evening...

i think we both are past that period.. but it might be interesting :)

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Ages since i wrote last

It has been ages since i wrote my last blog... in technology field, i guess they would say a generation has passed in the meantime...

Will quickly update on the tangible changes that happened in my life..
took GMAT in July end.. Got 720/800.. which is a decent score...
took TOEFL in sept end i guess.. got 108/120.. which also is decent, but not as imp as gmat...
have been applying to colleges... rejected by wharton, interview scheduled with kellogg..
applied to 4 colleges more.. 4-5 more in the pipeline... lets see how things work out...
its a damn long process, and difficult as well... so its irritating.. cant help really...

rest job is going fine.. still with emami... my brand is scheduled to be launched in Feb end or so.. got delayed by 4 months already... a bit of workload these days...

on personal front.. have not gone home for over a year.. due to mba thing.. the marriage is also not on the radar...

still equally unclear of wat i want.. trying out various things...

baaki sab khairiyat hai...
Hemant

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Unfortunate to have an unknown President

I think we all must be feeling sorry, sad and helpless to have our President as Pratibha Patil.
The first question that anybody asks is Pratibha who??
such is the popularity of our would-be president. After watching News Channels for hours and Googling for her, you seem to find some dope on what she has done. Though i think most of the details came on net only after she was declared UPA's candidate for Presidential Post.
(One good thing she did was not to take her Husband's Surname, otherwise we would have been having election between Mr Shekhawat and Mrs. Shekhawat.)

Anyway, leaving aside the jokes, she definately maintained low-key (by choice or by lack of charisma and attraction is anybody's guess).
Let me just quickly run through the issues that her supporters and detractors are giving and give my opinion so that i can rationally conclude with what i started - "Its a sorry state".
Her Supporters say that:
1. She represents empowerment of women:- I would be interested in knowing, what she has done for women empowerment, apart from enjoying her own success (and money of other women put in her bank, for that matter). She has been in the system for decades. If she still hasnt done anything, what is the issue of Women Empowerment.
2. India will have its First Women President:-
But shouldn't the President be chosen irrespective of Gender? Shouldnt it be based on credentials and merits of the individual??
3. She has a clean Image:-
After the issues like supporting murderers and defaulting loans, even her supporters are finding difficult to say that. Though Congress spokesperson said that these charges come only when she is a presidential candidate. Well very true, who bothered to listen to charges on an unknown anyway?? Have we still heard about 14 others who have been issued notices for defaulting on loan?? Are we bothered with them?? NO, because we are not making them president.


The most unfortunate thing is that even after so many days and chances she has had to put her point across, she has hardly been able to do so.
Only one time, when she opened her mouth really (about purdah system), she had to bite her tongue. Now, we will have a President, who cant even speak publicaly, wih authority. We already have a Prime Minister, who is basically a spokesperson for Sonia. Now, we will have a President, who will be doing the same. Even Pratibha wouldnt have thought in her dreams, that she will become President of India. Sonia is going to make her the President of India - Isnt this reason enough to feel obliged....
dont worry, the time to repay Sonia will come soon, and that will the unfortunate time for India, when our President will also behave biased...

Can't do anything, but feel sorry.


Saturday, May 26, 2007

Understanding the Indians

Hi again!!

First of all, hurrah!!! i bought the laptop.. and its my first blog from my laptop...
it has been 3-4 weeks, so the xcitement z a bit subdued.. but watever... i still m happy bout it...

today i choose to write about a topic, which i ve been thinking bout for quite some time...
actually the origin starts a bit differently... i ve been thinking bout the success of Big Bazaar really... i had the opportunity to deal with them a few years back, when i was in loreal..
we had counters in Big Bazaar which i looked after...
honestly speaking, its a lotta mismanagement there...still it apparently is one the the most successful ventures across industries..
so i ve been asking this question.. Why??
Why people stand in queues to buy stuff from there??
Of course the simplistic answer is "Is se sasta aur acha kahin nahi"... but its a too simplistic answer... i feel there are a lotta other reasons for it..
Kishore Biyani (or 'Bania' or 'KB', whatever u call him, i m in awe of the guy) has recently come out with a book "it happened in India", which, of course, i immediately bought with expectations to understand the reasons. But i was very disappointed. The book hardly shares any insight. It is a blatant attempt to hardsell his organisation and to attract people.

So now, that i didn't get anwsers from there, i would like to purport my own theories on why Big Bazaar has been a success. KB says, they have a deep understanding of behaviour of Indians. I would like to point out what those differences are. These differences can be used in any field, and i think KB has used them fantastically.
So with that long Background, let me start with my theories. I will try to basically point out the differences between Indians and Foreigners (primarily of developed nations). These are not in order of importance, just what is coming to my mind right now and whatever i ve learnt from my limited interaction with 'whites' ( and i ve never gone abroad, so u know these are very limited interactions)..
1. Yesterday, i was reading an article, that Indians are the second worst tourist in the world. They are loud, noisy and litter. This is really one of the key difference. We are loud and noisy. Our marriges, festivals, functions are a testimony. We talk loudly, laugh loudly, during sports matches, we make all sorts of noises... even in sports like tennis, see the difference when sania is playing and when say sharapova is playing.
So what did KB do, once he actually had people with 'Bhopu' announcing the schemes. This is unthinkable anywhere in the world. Indians feel comfortable in noisy atmosphere.
Firangs, prefer silence, no disturbance kinda atmosphere.... we Indians dont.
2. Unlike firangs. we dont strive for perfection all the time. We are mediocrates and we accept mediocracy. We dont expect people to deliver xactly what they commited, we dont accept vendors to deliver on time. We invite guests in any function 1hr early, coz we know everybody will come late. In every field of life.. we dont feel bad if others dont do 100% of what they promise.
Big Bazaars, if u ve gone in the morning, take their time to settle down. And nobody feels bad about it. If a mall is not fully operational at the time of opening, it might create a ruckus.
Have u seen a Opening of a Big Bazaar?? u ve to see it to believe it. I ve read stories of hi-tension wire falling at the opening of first Big Bazaar, sound system not working on the day of opening of BB at bangalore... Indians dont mind that at all.....
3. We are Emotional people. I dont think this point has really been taken up by Big Bazaar, or anybody else.. but i think this can work, if somebody uses it properly. I hope, i dont need to substantiate on emotional Indians, Bollywood is the biggest testimony.
I think the international campaign of "we are no.2, we try harder" would have been a humungous success in India. Actually, its still up for grabs. only we need to add some Karan Johar 'tadka' in it. We love underdogs
4. We love to bargain. I dont know how it can be used by BB or by anybody else, but we Indians love to bargain.
5. We have a more holistic view of beauty. We really understand beauty is within as much as its outside. That is actually the reason why cosmetics and specifically color cosmetics hasnt been such big in India. Color Cosmetics is just 350cr in India. This comes up often in researches as well, where people say, "all these cosmetics wont help if we dont eat properly".
6. Most Important point, which i was almost going to miss is Marrige and its importance and implications. I think it needs to be talked about in detail.
i. Marrige is sacred and sacrosanct in our culture, unlike in west.
ii. People spend their earnings of lifetime for marrige.
iii. Women stop caring about themselves after marrige, their families are the only priority
iv. Infidelity, is still limited and looked upon as worst thing a women can do. Though it is still consider tolerable for men to do.
v. Even if marrige doesnt work, and partners live in misery, they dont divorce easily. They continue to live with each other.
vi. Men and Women, stop worrying about their physical appearence after marrige, primarily becasue its rarely seen as a reason for separation.
vii. Kids are a responsibilty of parents till mid twenties, and their staying separate in same city is considered unacceptable.
viii. Concept of giving surprises to partners, gifts etc is hardly existant.
ix. Women look at their husbands for approval of everything and feel that their position in society is determined by the position of their husbands.
x. Independence is not of primary importance. Indians love to live tied to their family, their houses, properties etc.

There are more differences, but i am mentioning, what came to my mind right now.

Now the question is, how is it relevant to marketers like us?? how they effect their buying behaviour (which is our primary interest)... i cant explain all here.. but i would mention the key things.

One, the cosmetics is not such a huge market, because of this... people use less and less of cosmetic as they grow older, while it is the other way in developed countries.
Two, the male needs to approve everything tat is bought. Women need their approval.
Three, Marrige is a huge market, which remains largely unexploited.
Four, you have to impress kids, if u want women to buy ur products. In Hindi, there is a saying "Guy ka dudh nikalne ke liye, bachde ko pataana padta hai". Those who have seen how a cow is milked, will understand that.
Five, the decisions regarding teen population is still a family decision and will remain so for some time.

7. We dont understand complexity. We understand and therefore appreciate simpicity. That is
the reason why most award winning ads are not the most successful ones. If you look at foreign Ads, most of them will not cut ice with Indians. This is another reason where i appreciate KB. the ads are simple and straight-forward. "Is se sasta aur acha kahin nahi", no faff at all. this is the language that indians understand.
Even in our movies, we need long dialogues to express emotions, unlike in Hollywood movies.

I think Indians wont mind long ads if they are simple. Hutch Irfan Khan Ad being a case in the point.. the thing is that it needs to be simple and straight-forward. We shudnt need to think what the Ad is trying to say.

I think it has become too long already... will continue later