Nikhil Shembekar's blog

Music Review of Jhootha hi Sahi

2010-10-07T05:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has been a while since I did a music review - it has also been a long time since I went & bought some CDs. Last week I bought many & one among them was Jhootha hi Sahi.

AR Rahman's tunes almost always take a long time to register, they grow on you, infact this review of Jhootha hi Sahi is after listening to the music for the 7th time..!..

Jhootha hi Sahi is Abbas Tyrewala's second movie after Jaane Tu..as a director. We all know what he & Rahman did to Jaane Tu.. the songs were hip, youthful & also soul stirring (remember the title song sung by Runa). This time the same combination is back, infact Abbas is so much a fan of Rahman that the rumor is that the release of this movie is put off by a week to ensure that Rahman completes the background music.

There are 9 songs in total - so let me start with the analysis

Cry Cry - is a song which talks about the life & how it should be lived, some excellent singing by Rashid Ali & Shreya make this the song to be talked about in days to come

Maiyya yashoda - the contemporary take on Maakhan Chori, also has a Remix version with extra zing, is a sure shot chartbuster & should be the song played in all discos.

Hello Hello - is a song made for Karthik, this song is OK OK by Rahman standards

Do Nishaaniyan - the piece de resistance of this album, sung by none other than Sonu Nigam. Sonu hardly sings in Hindi cinema nowadays, hence to listen to him itself is special. This song also has a Reprise version & the overall composition is excellent

Pam Pa Ra - by Shreya Ghoshal is another example of why she is the best singer in the industry right now. She can comfortanly adapt herself to any song & this song shows her versatality

I've Been Waiting - by Vijay Yesudas is another soulful, wistful, romantic melody. Rahman uses Sax & piano to a great effect & Vijay's voice adds to the great effect this song has on you

Call me Dil - by Rashid Ali, who is fast turning out to be Rahman's favorite, is again an OK number with nice orchestra arrangements

Overall this album takes time to grow on you, this may not be Rahman's best work this year, that would be Vinnaithandi Varuvaya, but this album still shows why Rahman can still weave magic.

Steve Jobs & Rashmi Bansal

2010-06-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

I recently bought Rashmi Bansal's two best selling books - Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish & Connect the Dots.
Today i was browsing Rediff, when i stumbled across the famous Stanford speech by Steve Jobs. I was reading the speech, when I came across the words of Steve Jobs - the same words which Rashmi has used as the title for her books.

Some quotes from the same speech:

If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.

On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous.

Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Hmm Interesting, I had read this speech some years back, courtesy some forward from a friend, but never registered the same in my mind - remember those were the days of the famous forwards, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, APJ Abdul Kalam etc etc.

This speech was very inspiring, I guess the very inspiration from Rashmi to write about people who were able to Stay Hungry & Stay Foolish & who were also able to connect the dots in their lives.

On the Bhopal Tragedy

2010-06-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

After the Bhopal verdict the Judiciary has, understandably, come under heavy scrutiny. As an ordinary citizen we should welcome this scrutiny in the hope that something good will come out of this.

At the same time we should not forget that Judiciary is only an interpreter of the Laws that the executive & legislature create. So blaming the judiciary is not going to solve the problem, the politicians should be blamed. I am of the opinion that judiciary inspite of all the rumblings of corruption offers us Indians the last hope of justice.

I also feel that the media is another important cog (Fourth Estate) in the wheel that drives our daily lives. 26 years back there was no vibrant media which could highlight these issues & reach such a large mass of people quickly. Today things are different. A highly alert media can actually create lot of pressure on executive & legislature. I am happy that the Nuclear Liability Bill has been shelved due to this.
So here is hoping that Bhopal victims get their due & our country learns from these mistakes, so that never will a Bhopal be ever repeated again.

Some random musings

2010-06-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Some random musings

1. Our apathy towards anything & everything is extraordinary. We Indians endure everything that is thrust on us without any murmur. Endless waits for flyovers to be completed, overflowing drains, corrupt governments & politicians.

2. Why cannot we do basics right? Look at the steel over bridge erected at KR puram crossing. Words cannot describe what an annoying amount of money has been spent without giving any thought how the pedestrians would cross the road. Did someone say penny wise, pound foolish?

Price Rise and Mr Sharad Pawar

2010-02-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

I happened to watch the Parliament debate the price rise issue yesterday on TV & what I saw really angered me. Here was Sushma Swaraj presenting her case on why prices were rising, she was aggressive, she was convincing & at her best speaking in chaste hindi. And opposite to her sat Mr Sharad Pawar, the agriculture minister, who had this irritating smile all over him.
I cannot understand why this man would have a smile all throughout the session when a serious issue was being discussed. I mean there are people all over India who are suffering & here we have an agriculture minister who is smiling on cameras as if nothing has happened.
Well, we get the leaders we deserve.

Starting a new blog

2010-02-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

This week we have launched a new blog, which focuses entirely on the HR Technology space.
The blog will be written by Tanzil & myself, both of us have significant experience in the HR Technology area, apart from academic grounding in HR concepts.
Its is a blog which seeks to identify the capabilities, challenges and future directions of Human Resources from a technology point of view. Also we want to focus on the Indian organizations based on our experience.
The blog is titled H Factors - Factoring Technology in Human Capital

The URL is given below here. Pl follow it & comments are most welcome.

H Factors Blog

Best Movies of this year - 2009

2009-12-28T02:36:00.000-08:00

This year had some good movies, some not that great.. So here is my list (one's that I have seen)
1. 3 Idiots - Amazing Aamir, impressive performances by a great star cast, funny one liners, great music - this is the best of the lot
2. Paa - Did anyone say that Amitabh is the best?
3. Dev D - I became a fan of Anurag after this modern take on Devdas. Amit trivedi's music & great lyrics makes this movie a classic. I am thinking that Dev D should be up the list, but seem to think that Amitabh's performance & an off beat storyline carries Paa to second spot
4. Gulaal - Amazing music, Kay Kay at his best, strong performance by Mahie Gill.
5. Hangover - Great comedy with a great storyline

I need to watch Kaminey on DVD, so thats one bad miss from my side for this year.

Have we lost the GKVK?

2009-12-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

The High Court has almost said YES by lifting the stay on an earlier order permitting the GKVK Link road (which will connect Bellary Road to Yeshwantpur-Yelehanka Road) work to continue (while not passing any final order) but also saying that a committee will be formed "to suggest ways for going head with the project in the interest of general public and also to review its bio-diversity aspects"
So my earlier post where I was saying that the GKVK will be saved - is no longer true..
You can see the sheer audacity of BBMP when their counsel says that "The BBMP had spent Rs100 crore for the project. Only the asphalting work was pending, The formation of the road will benefit general public"
Did the BBMP consult anyone before starting this work?
What does he mean when says that only asphalting is pending - does he even talk of who gave him the authority to cut the tree & what about the massive loss caused by cutting those 3000 trees?
When the whole world is talking of climate change & crying hoarse over the rising mercury, all BBMP can come up with is cutting trees & not having any idea what environmental damage they are creating.
The big surprise was the usually watchful forest department washed its hands by saying that "the campus is not fully under its jurisdiction"
The early morning walks in GKVK will be a thing of the past for all of us who stay nearby..
Bye Bye GKVK

End of on Premise is near

2009-12-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

Vinnie in his trademark style says that -- "If you add up all the systems integration, hosting, upgrade and application/basis management costs around SAP in the last 25 years – that done by its partners or its customer staff, I estimate it has been over $ 2 trillion in costs"

Wow.. that's a huge dollar number..

I have always maintained that on premise is getting challenged severly with customers demanding quicker upgrades & implementations, lower maintenance of hardware & software - leading to lower TCO's. SaaS based ERP promises all this.. there is a definite shift towards these models as customers ask & evaluate these vis-a-vis traditional ERP.

Interesting times ahead.

Bravo Vinnie

2009-11-17T00:53:00.000-08:00

Vinnie Mirchandani on deal architect blows away the rather irritating debate on cloud computing going on in Economist, by his excellent take on how the on-premise vendors have overpriced, over sold & under delivered their wares.

Decreasing personal interaction

2009-11-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

It could be sheer co-incidence that in the morning I was listening to an interesting (rare) discussion on FM Radio about how technology has removed the personal touch between people & we dont really have time to interact personally with friends, neighbours etc & reading Phil in his today's blog post about exactly the same thing.

In an earlier post I had written about how I am not a great fan of the social networking sites like twitter etc & how modern technology though unavoidable, has definitely contributed to the decline of the personal touch. Dont get me wrong I am all for social networking esp when we need to keep in touch with friends who are far away from us, but typing every now & then into facebook, twitter isnt my cup of tea..!... & true collaboration doesnt happen on 140 characters..!...

Helming India's entry to Oscar, 2010

2009-10-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Read an interview of Paresh Mokashi who is the director of India's Oscar Entry this year - Harishchandrachi Factory. Read the Interview here - Helming India's entry to Oscar, 2010: Rediff.com movies

I particularly like the inspiring comment he makes on the question of regional directors not getting that kind of recognition or financial help. Here's what he says "If I go to a producer with big names like the Khans or Roshans, I will get the money fairly easily. But if you knock at their door with a different kind of a story, they won't entertain you.
I'm all right with that attitude because it really tests my passion. It makes me question myself, "To what extent will I go to make this film?" So why not face these obstacles?
It's essential to struggle on your own for a while and prove to the world that you have the brains and brawn. Support will then automatically come your way."

Of course he is talking more from an entreprenurial perspective, but I feel that things we undertake in our daily lives as well can also draw from his quote. Maybe in my life it could apply to daily exercise, studying for that certification exam.
At times we start to undertake a few activities only to find that we have run out of steam & have excuses dime a dozen for the same. But the obstacles really help strengthen the conviction & resolve to go that one step further to achieve our goals..

Rio to host 2016 Olympics

2009-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

IOC announced that Brazil's city Rio de Janerio will host the 2016 Olmpics Games, ahead of even Chicago which was strongly backed by Barack Obama. IBN reports that economic muscle of Brazil was one of the main reasons that IOC awarded the Olympics to Rio. Brazil's economic muscle, Lula behind Rio's win

Was wondering that amongst the BRIC countries except India all the other countries have hosted or will host the Olympics.
When will India get a chance to show its might & have the authority to host a Olympic Games.. or is that just a pipe dream. I am optimistic & maybe in our lifetime we will have the Olympics in our country.

Social Networking Shy

2009-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of internet & its power, but I was never enamoured with the so called "Social Networking" sites & frankly there are too many of them now. Orkut was the front runner, then we had the facebook, linked in, twitter etc etc.
But this time i really found the power of social networking when i was able to connect with most of my US friends through these sites, esp Orkut & LinkedIn.
Well, maybe I will get converted to using these more often..Having said that I am still not comfortable with opening a account with Twitter..!.. or maybe i will find a reason to get converted.

MSS Implementation - Why should I?

2009-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

I had a rather interesting question posed to me by one of the HR Business Managers in the context of implementing a Manager Self Service, they currently do not have one & managers have the HR Admins or Deptt Admins doing all the transactions on their behalf.

Question was: Why should I implement a Manager Self Service module, what is it going to do for my managers? Is HR trying to push its dirty work back to the Manager? What are the benefits of having a MSS solution. This set me thinking real hard on the actual merits of a MSS.

A line manager is an extension of a HR function & is supposed to execute the policies, processes that the HR function implements. Manager by virtue of his name, is the closest to the employee & understands the employee the best. Also all job descriptions of a manager would include tasks like managing the workforce productivity, manage turnover, quality, training etc., so in essence a line manager is a "mini HR Manager" & hence having a MSS makes lot of sense for him/her to accomplish the HR tasks.

There are numerous advantages of having a MSS
1. Manager's now have access to all of their direct reports data in one single place, which means that they don't have to go back & forth to HR for this information
2. It definitely decreases the time taken for routine transactions like approvals for say absence or timesheets
3. With areas like compensation planning, MSS would have provide managers with their budgets & they could plan & recommend salary increases for their direct reports
4. In areas like performance reviews, competency management, skill development managers have the information required on their desktops to carry out these critical tasks.
5. It will help decrease the paper trails, improve control of information, improve data integrity - all essential requirements from a SOX compliance angle as well

What this is doing is really freeing up the time HR would spend on routine tasks & enable them to focus on what is really strategic for the organization - like Talent Management for e.g.

Hiring is On.. But be careful

2009-09-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

A recent report in Rediff indicates that hiring trend has gone northwards. The same report also indicates optimism -- "as much as 25 per cent of the employers showing an intention to recruit people in the next three months of this year"

While this is good news, there is something that recruiters need to be careful of. This report in workforce.com indicates the discrimination claims that employers can expect if they recruit from social networking sites like Twitter or Linkedin.

Hmm.. while this report is US specific, it gives a good insight into what might constitute a discriminatory hiring practice, something global recuiters will need to be aware of.

GKVK Saved

2009-09-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

So.. All's well that End's Well..
Finally the Courts had to intervene.. In what I would like to call a Landmark judgement from the High Court, the trees of GKVK will not be cut & hence the link road through GKVK linking Yeshwantpur-Yelahanka road with Bellary Road will not be taken up further.
Link to High Court Verdict in Times of India.
For this verdict special thanks to all the Vice chancellors of GKVK who filed the PIL in high court. Hasiru Usiru for their sustained campaign & who organized a Green March at MG Road to highlight the issues if such a road were to come up.Rotary Club of Yelahanka which organized candle light vigils at GKVK.
Special thanks to indian Express, Hindu for exposing the former commissioner of BBMP Subramanya's undue involvement in the road project.

Some questions which readily come to one's mind
1. Why should the court's be always involved in these kind of environmental issues, doesnt the exectutive understand these issues?
2. Why is the BBMP getting involved in a road project which nobody wants? A road already exists which connects bellary road, this road is the Sandeep Unnikrishnan road & has considerably reduced the travel time to the airport in the north bangalore area.
3. The whole of Bangalore is crying for attention to the existing infrastructure which is woefully short for the current population, what are the BBMP's plans to expedite this?
The KR Puram ring road junction is an excellent example of what is lacking in Bangalore's infrastructure. As a daily user of this route for many years, I shudder to see fear on old citizens faces when trying to cross the road, the daily traffic jams on both sides of the road have been a regular feature since the sky bridge has come up. What has BBMP done to address this single piece of infrastructure. Maybe a PIL to the High Court will help?
On a funny note here is Mr Subramanya's singular piece of contribution to Bangalore's infrastructure..!..

Water; An attempt to understand cinema

2005-10-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

I was just listening to the music of Water by AR Rahman.. Melodious music no doubt from the master, but this post isn't about the music. Instead I was thinking about the theme of Water directed by Deepa Mehta. This is the last in the trilogy after Earth and Fire. I am not a great fan of Deepa's work, & happened to see the above 2 movies for their controversial themes, especially Fire. I watched Earth for Aamir Khan..!..
Water is the movie which was disrupted by Bajrang Dal activists in Varanasi, protesting against the way the hindu widows were being betrayed by Deepa Mehta.
I saw the trailer of the movie in some website, I am not able to recall, some days back & it did have something to do with how a child is married & she becomes a widow at a young age (played by Lisa Ray). She can then no longer marry & is forced into isolation till the time she happens to meet John Abraham & I am assuming the rest of the movie is how they overcome the odds and get married.

This triggered a thought process, where I was wondering what the real purpose of cinema is;
is it for entertainment or does it serve a kind of larger social cause.
Can it trigger an awareness of the society's problems, or is it that directors like Deepa Mehta want to sensationalise some incident and gain popularity (this was the main grouse of people when she released Fire, which did not address the hidden-under-wraps issue of lesbians).

Why do people see cinema?
I for one think it is mainly entertainment & I am sure for most of the masses would not want to spend 50 rs for being lectured on morality or see some serious issue after spending a hectic day at office or work.
Is it any wonder that No Entry a laugh-a-minute comedy is the biggest hit.. if so why do people like Deepa Mehta make these kind of movies?

Change

2005-10-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey
I have changed the look and feel of the blogpage... the old one I thought had outlived its exsitence..
Do let me know how this feels..?

Currently reading..

2005-10-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Heat & Dust by Ruth Praver Jhabvala...
the Booker Prize winning novel...

Review of Rising.. Mangal Pandey

2005-08-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

I managed to see Rising some days back at Rex cinema in Bangalore.. this was my first movie in quite a while & Aamir Khan's in 4 years..!..

Needless to say Aamir Khan doesnt disappoint.. he is revolutionary incarnate as Mangal Pandey, his eyes, his face convey all the emotions & bring to life this long forgotten freedom fighter.
Toby Stephens as Capt Gordon is excellent & is unbelievably good in the last scene where he tries to defend Mangal.

There are also grey areas in the movie, esp the two heroines Rani & Amisha whose characters arent very well developed. Also some songs, esp the Rasiya one can be easily removed from the movie since it dampens the proceedings. Rahman's music is also OK, but could have been better.

But all in all a very good attempt by Ketan Mehta to bring to life a long forgotten historical figure & yes Aamir Khan (good to see you..!!)

The Rising.. Mangal Pandey

2005-08-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Rising is all set to hit the screens on 12 August.. & is the most awaited movie of the year.
It has already been premiered at Locarno festival..
The reviews from there havent been very good though.. read here

Betting has already begun for the movie, whether it will be a hit/flop etc... bookies have been to Locarno for the movie & have predicted that the Rising will be a flop..!...

Lots of reasons given..
1. Ketan Mehta's awful record as film maker. (Maya Memsaab, Oh Darling yeh hai India etc)
2. Period films generally havent done well in India.. (Bose is the most recent example)
3. Rising has been in the making for almost 4 years now.. & a film loses its punch once it takes so long to make..

These have been the arguments..

I for one would defintely like to go & watch whatever the press says... simply for Aamir Khan & the fact that he is acting after a gap of 4 years.. & also for Rahman's music..
Sak kushal Mangal hui Jaaye..!!...

Bangalore's traffic.. & my take on it

2005-07-19T01:35:00.000-07:00

My solutions are quite simple really..

1. Metro
2. Metro
3. Metro...

Well, its that simple... Metro or any kind of mass transport system is definitely the need of the hour. I think we have wasted enough time & resources trying to figure out what is best for Bangalore.. Delhi Metro has shown the way ahead & this I feel should be the way going forward.

4. Traffic police & their role in the traffic management needs to be redefined. They need to be more proactive & book people on spot during traffic violations, especially auto & bus drivers. On busy roads one observes this quite frequently, where traffic police are mere bystanders & dont take any firm action.

5. People (pedestrians) should be taught to walk on footpaths, sometime footpaths are occupied by hawkers etc, the traffic police should ensure that these are cleared off. Sometimes debris is collected on footpaths, this also hinders pedestrian movement. The agency responsible has to act & clear the debris immediately.

6. Usage of traffic lights on all busy traffic intersections, I have observed that even on Hosur Rd, there arent traffic lights, leading to lots of chaos...

These are small suggesstions, but I guess this is the only way forward.

Bangalore's traffic.. & Ethiraj is caught in it..!..

2005-07-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

Well.. well.. so Govindraj Ethiraj of CNBC is caught in the famed Blore traffic... for us it is a daily ordeal..
http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/jul/15guest.htm

His article is suprisingly quite mild where he praises the citizens of Blore & says that they are trying to save the city. Well if the citizens have to pay taxes and come to the streets every now & then, what is the Govt for?

The BDA only gives deadlines & more deadlines for existing projects to complete... while on the other hand it announces new ones..!!... ironical..!!...

I promised I will give my take on what needs to be done for this mess... well I am going to do so.. watch out....

Bangalore's traffic.. & solutions

2005-06-21T04:15:00.000-07:00

I have now spent almost 27 years of my life in Bangalore, the famed garden city of India.. now this very sobriquet will only elicit cynical laughter or a sigh from Bangaloreans...
I travel by the dreaded Hosur Road daily, since I work in Electronics City, I notice that to cover just 9 kms of stretch from Electronics City to Silk Board Jn it takes 25-30 minutes, which is a pathetic 20 kmph on an average... this distance should ideally be covered in 10-12 minutes..
Anyways to cover the distance to my house in distant Yelahanka it takes 1 hr 15 minutes.. !!.. the distance just 30 Kms.. again an average speed of just 24 Kmph...

With this kind of infrastructure it is ridiculous to find the so called administrators of bangalore messrs Deve Gowda, Dharam Singh, BJP fight over Metro/Mono rail...
If my memory serves right this Metro project was conceived some 15 years ago.. when I was in school... yet the debate goes on.. why? what has happened since then.. Why hasnt any decision been taken.. Ditto for International Airport.. this project too was initiated some 15 years ago.. it is only now that some action has been taken...

This list is endles.. (Now that I write this, I can recollect the Hudson Circle flyover was supposed to start long long time ago.. it is only now I can see some activity happen & I am sure no flyover will materialise in the near future)
I think time has now come for some decisive action from the residents of Bangalore.
What are the solutions... let me brainstorm in the next post.

Back again.. & again..!...

2005-06-17T04:03:00.000-07:00

Last time I had remarked that I would be regular in my postings.. but seems I really havent done justice to my remarks..
Anyways hope to be more regular...

Some of the important events that happened since the last time..
My son Dhruv's arrival....will upload some snaps soon.
Trip to US & some great learning experiences..
New found interest in Marathi Literature, Marathi movies, philosophy esp Gita, Wine making, HR-BPO.. ha ha seems like a pretty wierd list...
will want to talk about them in the future...

Back again

2004-11-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

I have been off the blogging arena for a long time... was busy with work & was out of the country for some time now...
But i am now back & will start the blogging afresh....

Accident on Kokan Railway...

2004-06-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

It was really sad to hear about the derailment of MatsyaGandha Express today in which around 25 people were killed.
This was the same train I had taken when I travelled to Mumbai from Mangalore some months back. The Konkan Railway though a man made wonder and extremely beautiful, still is not free from accidents. I remember another accident about a year back.
Although the rocks around tracks have been covered up properly by steel meshes, when it rains the boulders still roll on to the track. Something needs to be done urgently to reduce the accidents especially in the monsoons. Maybe the rail minster Laloo Yadav can take this as a priority.

HR folks at the TOP...

2004-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Hey it has been a long time since I blogged.. lots of reasons.. but now I intend to be more punctual..
I picked up this from Gautam's Blog.. since I also a HR person it made good reading to know that lots of HR people are at the top. Of course Sujith Bakshi is the one who comes to my mind immediately.

Well I am not talking about the usually understood contexts of glass ceilings as applied to minorities in the corporate workplace.

Instead, I am referring to the functional glass ceiling. For years, accounting, sales, marketing and finance people were usually the first choices to lead businesses as CEOs. Most people who had spent their careers in a support function like HR had to be content with a job like Director HR in the corporate ladder. The only route that was open to them to actually head businesses were in niche industries like HR consulting outfits.

No longer.

In India at least I see a rash of HR honchos who've made it to the corner office, and interestingly its in the people intensive BPO industry. There are several reasons for this but lets take a look at the people:

- Sujit Bakshi of vCustomer
- Aadesh Goyal of Hughes' BPO unit
- Bhaskar Das of Sutherland Technologies
- Prashant Sankaran of Digital Contact Centre (a part of HP)
- Vinoo Thimayya of Honeywell's BPO

I am sure there are others in the non-BPO industry too ( I know of Dr. Ajoy Kumar who briefly headed Cummins Deisel Sales & Service after a stint as GM HR of the Tata Group, but then he wasn't a career HR person). And a lot of CEOs have done some stints in HR.

Coming specifically to the case of HR people heading BPO operations, I have the following theories:

- BPO work is quite content-free and the essential skill required for a leader is people management skills, where HR people are the assets
- When BPO organizations mushroomed in India there were not too many top leaders available and with the reason given above HR directors were given the chance

The First big blow to the NDA

2004-05-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

The first big blow to the NDA led alliance was felt when the TDP lost badly in the AP elections. There is a landslide victory for the Cong alliance here.
If these results are anything to go by then the Lok Sabha poll resukts suggest a similar sweep to the Cong. This will be a real disaster for the NDA which hopes to do well in AP & TN.
The results of these two states could well decide who forms the next Govt.
Eagerly awaiting the results on May 13.

exit the polls...!!....

2004-04-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the elections when the pollsters take over... television channels are oudoing each other in analysing exit poll results... and the political parties are crying hoarse that these polls do not reflect the true character of the indian voter.
anyway I guess it is too early to make any predictions about the outcome of this election. even some months back the pollsters had got it terribly wrong on the assembly elections in MP & Rajasthan. there is no evidence to suggest that such a thing will not repeat again that too for a national level poll.
better to wait till May 13..

GMAIL

2004-04-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

started using the google's much hyped email service, which could usurp yahoo's position as a leading provider of free email service.
the service is good.. no worry about mail storage space etc.. over 100 MB free space..
looks good maybe i might shift completely to this in some more days..!

India goes to polls

2004-04-20T01:57:00.000-07:00

India today Apr 20 went to polls to elect its MPs to the 14th Lok Sabha. These elections will be spread over 4 phases and the counting will begin on May 13. It is a long drawn affair and will test the EC to its core.

As Indians most of us are waiting for these results. Will NDA repeat its performance of 1999? Will it get a reduced majority as some opinion polls are suggesting? Will Mulayam or Laloo become king makers? All these answers will get answered partially today when the results of exit polls start coming in. Anyway the polls are yet to begin in other parts of the country like UP etc which are more crucial to the NDA.

This is probably the first poll to have development as its core agenda and a good majority to NDA will help the reform process greatly.

Nikhil Shembekar & his blog

2004-04-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Picked up from gautam's blog.

This is Martin Bower's memo on behaviors he wanted to be admired in McKinsey

I want the newcomers to know what kind of behavior we admire, and what kind of behavior we deplore:
1. First, we admire people who work hard. We dislike passengers who don't pull their weight in the boat.
2. We admire people with first-class brains, because you cannot run a great (organization) without brainy people.
3. We admire people who avoid politics--office politics, I mean.
4. We despise toadies who suck up to their bosses; they are generally the same people who bully their subordinates.
5. We admire the great professionals, the craftsmen who do their jobs with superlative excellence. We notice that these people always respect the professional expertise of their colleagues in other departments.
6. We admire people who hire subordinates who are good enough to succeed them. We pity people who are so insecure that they feel compelled to hire inferior specimens as their subordinates.
7. We admire people who build up and develop their subordinates, because this is the only way we can promote from within the ranks. We detest having to go outside to fill important jobs, and I look forward to the day when that will never be necessary.
8. We admire people who practice delegation. The more you delegate, the more responsibility will be loaded upon you.
9. We admire kindly people with gentle manners who treat other people as human beings--particularly the people who sell things to us. We abhor quarrelsome people. We abhor people who wage paper warfare. We abhor buck passers and people who don't tell the truth.
10. We admire well-organized people who keep their offices ship-shape, and deliver their work on time.
11. We admire people who are good citizens in their communities--people who work for their local hospitals, their church, the PTA, the Community Chest, and so on. In this connection, I am proud of the example set by some of my colleagues during the year."

Infy crosses 1 billion

2004-04-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

Infy declared its results today & as expected crossed 1 billion in revenues.. it is a great achievement for an Indian company. consider that for a company which was just 250 mn 4 years back. & you can see that the growth has been tremendous. When i joined last year I was told that it might take 6 quarters for it to cross.. but it has taken just four. so it has been excellent progress.
Of course challenges remain for the company:
1. managing career aspirations of an ever increasing workforce. (last year was particularly bad when attrition reached flashpoint)
2. managing salaries of workforce due to competition from MNC's who have set up shop in India
3. to develop a different (consulting?) kind of mindset in the employees to take on challenges from MNC's
4. managing a rising rupee and dipping margins
5. creating that top of the mind recall for CXO's in the US
6. creating a scalable & efficient global delivey model & offering not only cost effectiveness but also great quality "solutions" to client. As Nandan said " we want to be active business solution providers not reactive problem solvers"
Of course Infy will benefit with an ever increasing interest in Outsourcing and the future looks good for a great company.

Mitti map recasts farm future

2004-04-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

Mitti map recasts farm future
National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), under special mandate from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Following exhaustive work spanning three decades, the bureau has created a databank guided by 40 different parameters — including pH level, water holding capacity, texture, depth, stoniness, microbe content, salinity, minerology, irrigability — to determine the quality of various kinds of soils in the country. If intelligently used, the inventory can revolutionise the way agriculture is managed in the country.

excellent work done by the ICAR.. and this should revolutionised Indian agriculture.. sort of news which should make headlines..

Outsourcing: Long-term gains for all

2004-04-01T01:47:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Outsourcing: Long-term gains for all
an article by economist kaushik basu who raises important points for the opponents of outsourcing
also a letter to this article sums up everything..
Outsourcing frees up resources which should, in theory at least, allow those resources to become more productive in other or new areas of the economy. The governments of those countries being adversely affected by outsourcing (with the loss of jobs in the short term) should focus on creating an environment that fosters and promotes an innovative, entrepreneurial culture to enable this migration to better jobs in the long term. Better tax incentives, funding channels, start up promotion and less red tape - all these and more will help to combat job losses.

Music Review of YUVA

2004-03-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

I was waiting for this album for quite some time now. I couldn’t wait because the combination of AR Rahman & Mani Ratnam has always worked magic on the music front. Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Thiruda Thiruda, Iruvar, Kannathil Mutthamittal, Alaipayuthey being some of the movies which instantly come to one’s mind.

With bated breath I put on the CD and lo, there was the heavy beat of Rahman’s music and boy wasn’t it good.

1. The album opens with Rahman, Karthik & Mehboob (the lyricist) singing Dhakka Laga Bukka. The song has got good beats and the lyrics convey a youthful energy. This song will definitely become a hit and has all the trappings of a typical Rahman number (similar to Mustafa Mustafa or Urvashi Urvashi)
2. The second number is the one currently showing on the small screen. Khuda Hafiz is a good sensual number by Lucky Ali (who seems to be Rahman’s favorite nowadays) and is a very soothing number.
3. The third number Kabhi neem neem is by new comer Madhushree. She sounds very much like Alka Yagnik and also sings well. The lyrics are good but I liked Rahman’s background vocals very much in this composition.
4. I was a trifle disappointed with the rap number Dol Dol by Blaaze. Somehow the tune seems incoherent and hopefully may sound good with the movie!!
5. The number Badal, is very good and is rendered by Adnan Sami & Alka Yagnik. I would have preferred Asha Bhonsle here, but Adnan Sami’s high pitch voice and Rahman’s excellent sound mixing make it a good song. It also reminds me of Rahman’s Boom Boom from Boys.
6. The piece de resistance is reserved for the last with Fanaa. This song is my favorite in this album. Rahman’s classical interludes coupled with the synthesizer sounds are simply mesmerizing. This song will surely be a hit.

All in all a good Rahman album, but somehow one is not very happy after listening to it. The combination of Ratnam and Rahman haven’t really made waves this time. Some critics have said that this album is Rahman’s best. I am not sure and I do not agree. There have been better albums by Rahman and I sure liked Meenaxi more than this.

IIM, the accidental brand

2004-03-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

IIM, the accidental brand
good article.. & says what many corporates & MBA's do not want to hear... ask me..!!..

The broad objectives of management education should be to develop competent managers to run various kinds of institutions (profit-oriented corporations, non-profits, government and social sector organisations) and create intellectual capital through cutting-edge research that can influence practice. There can be several other objectives, too, but these are certainly the most important.

In these two crucial tests, the IIMs -- and other B-schools in India -- have flunked

the IIMs do not produce great managers; it is cut-throat competition for IIM seats that ensures high-quality MBAs.

it matters little whether the IIMs charge Rs 30,000 per annum or Rs 1.5 lakh. Either way they don't produce the kind of managers India needs.

Equally, it matters little whether the IIMs are autonomous or not. They have done little with whatever autonomy they had so far. The unvarnished truth is that the IIM brand was not the creation of a far-sighted government or of the people managing these institutions.

It was an accident resulting from the sheer quality of students getting in. The issue before both the government and the faculty is simple: accident or otherwise, they have a good brand on their hands. Should they acknowledge their undeserved good fortune and make joint efforts to make the IIMs really worthy of their reputation or should they destroy it, since they did little to create it anyway?

What children should watch on the idiot box, according to experts

2004-03-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

What children should watch on the idiot box, according to experts
No saas-bahu melodrama
Family dramas result in premature exposure to too much negativity.
The study states that programmes for kids should ideally

• be positive and encourage a child’s cognitive development

• be simple, more visual, and less verbal

• showcase bright colours, fun characters and music

India ready to compromise with Pakistan for peace: Advani

2004-03-12T00:23:00.000-08:00

India ready to compromise with Pakistan for peace: Advani
Advani statement is welcome, but will the hardened elements in India allow him to do so?
But in today's scenario it may not be possible to claim the territory that India ceded to Pak (or Pak took it away from India?). So in the best interests India can come to a working relationship with Pak. For everlasting peace this line of thinking needs to be taken on further. But what will that entail for India?
1. Parliament passed a resolution demanding accession of POK to Indian Union. Who will undo this? & how will it be done?
2. What is the guarantee that tomorrow Pak will not play tricks again? Can they be trusted?

Forgotten day in Kashmir's history

2004-03-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

Forgotten day in Kashmir's history
excellent article from Aravind lavakere.. where he talks about kashmir's irrevocable accession to Indian Union, something which the assembly of kashmir wanted... something which the people of Kashmir wanted.
So the rumblings over kashmir seem ridiculous now.. guess politicians can make a simple issue seem so complex..!!..

what is Reliance doing...??

2004-03-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

On board with Mukesh Ambani - The Economic Times
Reliance is now
1. Reliance Infocomm is looking at an acquisition in the telecom space and it could be on the lines of its recent takeover of Flag Telecom.
2. Reliance Infocomm is working on buying rail tickets through mobiles.
3. Plans are to own several lines of stem cells and work with global institutions and companies to build products. We will be just like Microsoft in IT, which supplies software but doesn't build the entire system
4. Possibility of taking hydrogen out of water and using it as the cleanest fuel.

Great news for all...!!.... Reliance & its legendary vision...

Hers not to inherit

2004-03-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

Ed in Indian Express
Last week the legislative assembly passed a bill to deny equal property and employment rights to women who choose to marry ‘‘non-state subjects’’

The triumph of human crossing - The Economic Times

2004-03-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

The triumph of human crossing - The Economic Times: sumantra ghoshal again... Ach's experiments in psychology found that "there is a barrier that people have to cross before a wish or a desire becomes an unwavering commitment. "
When people move from ‘I’d like to’ to ‘I shall’, they cross their personal Rubicon. After that crossing, there is no more hesitation, no more intellectual weighing up of alternatives, and no way back.
There are three phases in the journey across the Rubicon. The first phase is that of intention formation. Next comes the actual crossing over to the domain of will and volition. After that, in the course of action-taking to achieve the goal, lies the phase of intention protection.
Intention Formation
The first phase of intention formation is triggered by the perception of an opportunity. The opportunity must not be routine. To stimulate the process of intention formation, the opportunity has to be exciting, something special, something that really makes a difference.
Crossing the Rubicon
There can be no crossing of the Rubicon unless there is a genuine feeling of choice. Without choice, there can be no ‘free will’, no volition. Another essential requirement is the recognition and acceptance of personal responsibility.
Intention Protection
Some shield their intentions by deliberately controlling their work context.
They restructure their work to reduce fragmentation, reserve parts of the day for reflection, and manage the expectations of others — bosses, colleagues, subordinates — so as to broaden the scope of discretionary behaviour.
They also create sources of positive energy — ‘personal wells’ that they can access to draw energy from. For some, it may be a long walk or intensive sports; for others, it may be a conversation with a close friend or partner. At work, they re-energise themselves by celebrating successes along the way.
Perhaps the most important requirement for intention protection is the protection of one’s courage and self-confidence.

Where there is a human will... - The Economic Times

2004-03-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Where there is a human will... - The Economic Times: sumantra ghoshal makes a "distinction between motivation and volition; between action driven by calculative self- self-interest and action driven by the power of the human will. "
Create a Desire for the Sea Leaders can strengthen peoples’ volition by helping them create a vivid picture of what they wish to achieve. It is this picture, more than anything else, that allows people to activate their emotions, commit, and protect their intention through the action-taking phase.
Does it Feel Right?
Volitional commitment requires that the cognitive and intellectual dimension must come together with the intuitive and emotional dimension so as to make the resulting intention something that exists beyond the reach of calculative rationality and constant cost-benefit analysis. For engaging their will, people have to confront their feelings, not just their thinking, and reflect on whether they can personally stand with their head and heart behind an intention. Leaders who unleash the force of the human will encourage their people to ask “Does it feel right?” and “Do I really want it?”
Create Rites of Passage
Leaders who foster volition formation do exactly the opposite. They prevent people from making hasty commitments. They don’t make things look easy. They build in concrete steps that people have to consciously take in order to test their own readiness to commit.
Build in Stopping Rules
Finally, perhaps the most important senior management task in engaging people’s willpower is to ensure that for each volitional initiative, there is a clear stopping rule that is specified in advance.

Gems from Sumantra Ghoshal

2004-03-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

BPO gets a boost..!!...

2004-03-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is starting a regular course on outsourcing at its famed Alfred P Sloan School of Management.
The course is the brainchild of two senior faculty members, one of whom is an Indian American. Dr Amar Gupta, a product of IIT Kanpur, has been on the MIT faculty for the last 25 years.
All 55 seats were picked up within 24 hours of the announcement and there is now a long waiting list.
The course will make students aware of both the positive and negative aspects of outsourcing. "We know the pain that comes with lost jobs, but people don’t necessarily appreciate some of the benefits we get every day because of outsourcing." He talks of lower consumer prices and higher dividends because of the corporate turnaround due to outsourcing.
comments: good for BPO & good for India... !!..

source: HT

Oscars & India

2004-03-01T01:40:00.000-08:00

Today was Oscars & Hollywood was honoring its best(?) people for the last year. I also happened to read a article in Week by maverick director Mahesh Bhatt. He was talking how we Indians have been trying to wag our tail in front of Hollywood & saying that we are now being recognized by them. He quotes some critic in Hollywood who wanted to make a film on Satyajit Ray, arguably India's only respected director in the west. The critic it seems did not know for whom to make the movie, for there was so little interest in Indian cinema.
I think we should stop fooling ourselves & decide what we want to do. There is no point comparing ourselves with Oscars or Hollywood, Indian cinema should try to come up with original cinema, deliver good quality films to the audience, recognition will follow automatically....

Reform of Rural India

2004-02-26T23:55:00.000-08:00

Read a good article from R Gopalkrishnan or RG as he is popularly known as. Shows his masterly insights into Indian agriculture... a combination of facts & views on what needs to be done... A very timely reminder..

RG calls for a "shift in public policy on agriculture to markets and competition from the traditional ones of regulation and support, and a view of agriculture as an agribusiness. "
Public investment in agriculture has declined from 1.6% of GDP in the early ‘90s to 1.3% of GDP in 1998-2002. The agricultural production index has stagnated and the productivity of agriculture has made no progress.
He also says that there is an ever widening gulf between agri & non-agri per capita income in our country having wide social implications.
Money can reach the poor through public investment in agriculture (rural roads, irrigation, marketing infrastructure) and employment (rural industries, public works).
We need to restore to the farmer in a calibrated way the decisions on agricultural inputs, production volume, product mix, hedging systems, marketing decisions, market access and so on.

Comments: This is a similar view echoed by CK Prahlad, who says that India has to tap its potential in Rural India & create opportuniities for the poor so that they can take part in the reform process. In fact he is now talking to giants like HLL to increase their rural reach. The government has to support this kind of initiative in all possible manner. This will ensure that the majority of our population which is in rural India is in sync with the urban India.

Politics of Religion

2004-02-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

The Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh on Friday withdrew its controversial order to close teaching work in government schools and colleges by noon on Fridays to facilitate Muslims to offer prayers.
Comment: What is the use of such a move? Whom is it serving? Even after 50 years of Independence minority pandering goes on. There should be emphasis on development work not give out orders which no one wants.
The MP Govt wanted a ban on wearing of jeans by girls saying that it was against the Indian culture..!!
Cooment: The MP Govt came to power promising that it would give basic necessities to people like Bijli. sadak, Pani. But what has been done? There is nothing in sight for these people. On the grounds of culture etc it has been only doing more harm to people. There was a report that MP Govt bad also banned fishing by tribals in Narmada waters near a religious centre. But for these tribals eating fish. eggs etc is the only way they can get nutrients cheaply. But the MP Govt could not care less. The sooner these acts are stopped & government gets down to development work (MP is one of the BIMARU states) the better it would be for the people & the Govt.

India's tour of Pakistan..is it worth it?

2004-02-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

Even as i post the bottom post, there is a post on our Bulltin Board.

India's tour of Pakistan could be worth $20 million.

All it will take to wipe out the Pakistani Cricket Board's huge losses is one visit from the Indian team. I repeat...in just one visit. India's tour in March-April is expected to rake in huge financial gains for the Pakistan Cricket Board.
I am one of the biggest cricket fans you'll ever meet, but something about this deal is just not right!!!

Why the stomach churn?
Sadly, Indians are ready to play cricket with the perpetrators. But, before they do so -- let us acknowledge what they're choosing to ignore :

There were the Pakistanis who packed in bombs into a school-bus in Bandipora, grievously injuring five schoolgirls. Packing bombs into a school bus! (Ref: Washington Times)
Karam Veer, 14, and Harpreet, 13, who were brutally killed at Vaishnodevi just as they stopped to get a bite to eat. Dozens of other children were injured that day and, of course, the terrorists proudly took ownership for this deed.

The list could go on and on -- since this happens almost every day. In many cases, the children receive yet another kind of sentence -- they lose their childhood, their parents and their futures.

But simply put, every week, Indian parents have to scrape the bodies of their children off the streets or receive bullet-riddled bodies in body-bags, thanks to the Pakistanis -- and still they are enthusiastic about seeing Tendulkar square up to Shoaib. Wow.......wat a craze 4 cricket !!!

Remember, all this killing and debauchery does not come for free -- the Pakistani terrorists get good money for this. And, the money has to come from somewhere. Not surprisingly, The New York Times amongst others have consistently reported on the open fund-raising for jihad-e-Kashmir (& many other organisations 2 name) that goes on unabated in Pakistani mosques. While our Rotarians collect money to save Pakistani lives, Pakistanis proudly announce their accomplishments in raising resources for the terror in Kashmir.

So, it would seem that some businessmen, who would benefit from television revenues and access to the markets through selling their wares during the matches, may be willing to pay handsomely for killing their children. Rest assured that by advertising and gaining access to Indian customers, some of these same traders will gain many times more than the $20 million the PCB will earn. This is just initially predicted figure. Amount must be much much higher than this.

No prizes for guessing which 'charities' these traders will bequeath sacks of money to. And, Indians are stupid enough to believe they can buy the goodwill of the financiers and cheerleaders of the terrorist clans.
Doesn't make sense to me, any which way you look at it.
In the past, the Samjhauta Express, life-saving medical treatment for dozens of Pakistani children, numerous peace-offers -- nothing, absolutely nothing, has tempered Pakistani society's innate bloodlust. So, why do Indians expect magic to happen this time?
But, but, but -- say the die-hard peaceniks -- this has nothing to do with cricket! Not quite.

Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi's terrorist first cousin, a local commander for the Harkat-ul Ansar, was killed by the BSF in an encounter in Kashmir recently. Please note -- first cousin!! So, while the BCCI (Board of cricket control in India), Indian advertisers and the paying Indian public will bail out the now bankrupt Pakistan Cricket Board, close relatives of Pakistani cricketers are busily killing Indians. Also, let us not forget that officials of the very same army, that run the Pakistan Cricket Board, also run the organizations that regularly issue threats to the lives of Indian star cricketers -- nice people they are dealing with, aren't they?
Such direct family and personal connections to terrorists are not at all uncommon in Pakistan -- a country where doctors, nuclear scientists, cricketers, PhDs from MIT and government officials regularly consort with terrorists.

So, if Indians refill the coffers of Pakistani cricket and with their hard-earned money, there's a very good chance some of it will find its way back to their home -- as bullets into the heads of Indians!! Is this the right way to invest our money? Do really Indians r so stupid wanting to finance the people who're anxious to bash in the heads of their own children?

Sure........ some of them want to see their docs to treat Pakistani children -- great go for it !! Some want to make sure that relatives can visit each other across the border -- nothing wrong with that! That's all very Indian and very humane. But do they really have to subsidize the war on our children, their neighbors and their extended families?

Sure, cricket is important to INDIANS -- but is it important than their own children & family members ?? If their answer is yes, then well forget this article And i m extremely sorry 4 taking their valueable time.

Should India tour Pakistan?

2004-02-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

This question has been in the minds of every Indian on whether India should go ahead with its cricket tour of Pakistan or not. Anyway now that the foreign minister has given its approval, it is time for sound thinking from every Indian.
Rohit Brijnath while writing in BBC said that there is enormous pressure on the players. "Reasonable people want nations with so much in common to end their enmity - but cricket cannot fix this. The distrust between India and Pakistan is too deep to be bridged by a cricket match. Let us not expect men in white flannels to do what politicians for years have been unable to. Their strength is cover drives not diplomacy, and it is foolish to invest cricket with more importance than it deserves. They want the killings in Kashmir to stop. They want the nuclear muscle-flexing to end. But cricket cannot fix this."
He is right, people on both countries cannot expect 50 years of acrimony to end with a cricket tour. Treat this just as any other tour.
Rajdeep sardesai while writing in NDTV echoes similar thoughts. "should our cricket team go to Pakistan? Despite all the pressures, I believe it should. It should go precisely because we believe that all Pakistanis are congenital India-bashers, with a gun in their hands and jehad on their lips. Somehow, the stereotypes of two nations at constant war have prevented us from even attempting to deal with each other in a remotely 'normal' manner."

The Offshore Proposition by Eriq Lindquist

2004-02-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Vivek Paul, Vice Chairman of Wipro Technologies, the $1 billion India-based outsourcing company, told me a very interesting story. When his 1995-model car recently needed a repair, he dutifully clipped a coupon from a Silicon Valley newspaper offering 20 percent off the regular service rate. When told that even with the discount the rate would be $92 per hour, he couldn't help think, "For 30 percent less than that, I can get engineers who can design a brand-new car rather than fix this old one."

In that automotive nutshell may reside the impetus that drives the outsourcing industry, of which Wipro and its customers are a part.

As I'm writing this, the excesses of Enron and Tyco have not yet worn off and the phenomenon of the regal chief executive appears ready to re-emerge. Yet here's one of the top players in the hot-seat position at an international company who clips coupons and is frustrated that the repair rate is too high for his last-millennium automobile. There's more: Paul works in a simple office, sees no need for a bevy of handlers and betrays a concern for the bottom line at his company—a concern as intent as his desire to get his car fixed at a reasonable rate. All in all, you can see why the software engineer shouldn't be the only one worried about outsourcing.

Maybe outsourcing should start in sumptuous executive suites where catered lunches and a moat of handlers prevent chairmen from understanding the needs and expectations of their customers. How many layers of management and administration does an executive need in an era when many technology products are sold because they promise to speed decision making and reduce management stratification?

Once again, the repair labor rate, even with the discount, was $92 per hour. A mechanic should be able to charge what the market will bear, but an automobile manufacturer or dealer should not count on making up for lost margins on car sales by nailing the consumer on service costs.

The rising costs of services for anything containing electronics and the difficulty—often the impossibility—of performing the service yourself is a major reason customer service is racing to offshore sources.

Somewhere along the line, service stopped being, well, a service and started being a profit center. Once the bean counters took hold of the equation, they started to look for ways to charge users more for service while having their company pay less for it. The next thing you know, you're talking to someone in Manila about your cranky computer. Designing systems that don't need service because they work as expected would be the best service offering vendors could develop.

Paul, when confronted with the expensive service charge, realized he could hire a designer back in India for 30 percent less than the mechanic was going to charge for servicing his 9-year-old car. Indeed, the next stage for offshore outsourcing will not be merely offering customer support, nor will it be carrying out work necessary to build products. It will be in conceiving and designing the products themselves.

Paul acknowledged this trend in our conversation when he said one of his next goals is to develop business understanding and consulting skills within Wipro. And what is the next stage after that?

Once the offshore companies realize they have the business development, design, manufacturing and service skills, they'll begin asking themselves just what their U.S. partners are bringing to the table. This will bring about the emergence of new competitors among companies that were once partners, which, I predict, will be a hallmark of the technology market over the next year.

This election year is due to amplify the entire outsourcing issue beyond its current relatively small (OK, I know it doesn't feel small when you are the one being outsourced) percentage of the U.S. technology marketplace. When outsourcing companies become competitors throughout the product cycle, traditional U.S. vendors will have to show that they have learned more from outsourcing than just how to transfer costs. They will have to show they have learned how to develop products that meet customers' needs without a $92-per-hour service bill attached at the back end.

A worrying reco of UR Rao report

2004-02-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

Article from ET

Apparently India produces seven times as many engineers as it should!

Stop. Rewind. Let's go for some background bullets:

§ Up to 1 million tech jobs will be off-shored from the US in the next 10 years

§ 50,000 financial services jobs will be moved to India in the next 4 years

§ There are 20 per cent more engineers in Bangalore than in Silicon Valley – and the gap will only grow

That’s the demand side. How about the supply? On current trajectory, India should be producing 500,000 engineers a year by 2010, up from the current level of about 260,000, according to Nasscom estimates.

But not if U.R. Rao has his way. The former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation believes that India produces way too many engineers given the job scenario.

So, in a report that is being used by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry to slash the fees of the IIMs from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 30,000 a year, Rao has recommended cutting the number of seats in engineering colleges to 30,000.

What???!! Yeah, the scientist believes that the human resource pool that is enabling India to become a major work centre for the world’s knowledge industry should be made to shrink. Arguing that the 1,200-and-odd E-Schools in India today – up from about 300 a decade ago – cannot assure quality, Rao has recommended shutting down most of the institutes.

Wait, there’s a method to the madness. For, Rao’s reccos are based on the following points:

§ With a recommended teacher-student ratio of 1:15, there should be about 30,000 professors. Given that only about 375 PhDs are given out every year, it would take nearly 90 years to churn out enough professors. Likewise, says Rao, there are 25,000 master’s degree-holders too few to service so many students.

§ There is no stipulation that an E-School has to register with the AICTE. Which, in turn, means that the majority of E-Schools remain out of the jurisdiction of the body that is supposed to regulate the technical higher education market in the country.

§ At 350,000 engineers a year – Rao’s estimate – there will be 15 lakh engineers in four years, at a time when unemployment across all engineering sectors is running somewhere between 15 and 20 per cent

But wait a minute. Isn’t it precisely the enormous pool of qualified, English-speaking grads in general and engineers in particular that is leading globocorps to India? Isn’t this pool the reason GE Capital Services employs 18,000 people in its back-office ops? That IBM is planning up to 10,000 people in India? That EDS will have 3,500 people here? That Intel employs 1,700 and Oracle, 6,000?

That not a day goes by when some global IT company or the other announces plans to hire in India?

If Rao’s recipe is followed, wouldn’t all these companies find it far less attractive to be in India? After all, simple economics suggests that cutting the supply of people will immediately raise prices, lifting tech salaries to levels where American companies, for instance, will not find it worth their while coming to India.

As for the over-supply problem that Rao envisages, the dramatic increase in outsourcing and offshorign predicted by every major forecaster – whose estimates place the job-flow to India at anywhere between 200,000 and 350,000 a year – should take care of the availability factor.

Following the Rao formula would, of course, make mockery of the very advantage that global corporates are discovering in India. In the words of Steven Clemons, executive vice-president of the New America Foundation think-tank, quoted in an article on a Website on the finance business: "There's a culture of inquiry here. I've never met so many smart, so incredibly inexpensive people."

It would be interesting to see what Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi – who cited Rao’s report to cut IIM fees even though the IIMs were not part of the ambit of the report – makes of this particular downsizing strategy.

A good article on Anu Aga of Thermax

2004-02-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

Posted on Indian Express

In 1996, when Anu Aga took over as Executive Chairperson of the Pune-based Thermax Group after the sudden demise of her husband Rohinton Aga, she wasn’t really ready, having done only a stint with Human Resources. But she had two choices: either to compare herself with her husband, focus on her limitations and feel small or to be herself and do her best.

With a lot of fear and sadness and no excitement whatsoever, Anu Aga took up the challenge. A year later, there was another tragedy —her 25-year-old son died in an accident. But putting the pain behind her, she did her best. And more. Today, Thermax, the energy and environment major, is a Rs 538-crore company, having turned around after some very difficult years. When even the employees had lost the faith.

It’s perhaps fitting in the scheme of things that in her last year as Chairperson — she turns 62 in September and will most likely hand over the baton to daughter Meher Pudumjee (now vice-chairperson) — she is being honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Financial Express’ Women in Business Awards.
She, of course, thanks everyone else for it: “I am the recipient, but the credit goes to many people in the organisation who have done a remarkable job of turning around the company. My family who have been always there for me, my husband who helped me grow into a career person. I may be the person to receive it, but I honestly believe the award belongs to Thermax.”

So, is Thermax where she wants it to be? No. “I would always want something more than where we are... for there’s no destination, it’s a journey”. In this journey, Thermax may have earned the right to exist today, but there’s a long way to go. “I am sure my daughter, who is a very value-based person, will do a fine job of taking us wherever we need to go.”

Thermax takes corporate social responsibility very seriously. Since last year, it has been putting in 1 per cent of its profit after tax for the community. It is a caring organisation, committed to the cause. In fact, Anu Aga, who raised her voice against the Gujarat riots, is still very unhappy with governance. She says though India has done economically well, there’s creation of wealth but very little distribution. And she’s pained at what’s happening to the Satyendra Dubeys of the world or to communal harmony or to the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute or to the IIMs...

Anu Aga’s also passionate about social work. And reading and travelling. She will try and fit all of it in her retirement plans. A host of people want her on their boards, but then she wants to take a year or two to look around at different NGOs of her interest (women’s issues, children) and maybe even compile a book, and then decide where to give her energies.

Among the books that mean a lot to her - she loves to underline favourite passages - are Charles Handy’s The Empty Raincoat: Making sense of the future; Ricardo Semler’sMaverick (an incredible book about how a 25-year-old turned around his company in Brazil through innovative practices), Hugh Prather’s Spiritual Notes to Myself...

Everyone has two sides to themselves, the ordinary and the extraordinary. During the hour-long conversation, we get a glimpse of the extraordinary self of Anu Aga, who pushes herself and takes no rest till she’s given her best. But has she always been this tough at heart? Yes, and meditation - now she does 10 minutes of pranayam too, besides vipashana - has done the rest

XLRI placements 2004

2004-02-17T05:12:00.000-08:00

Just got the info that XL placements are over & it was a resounding success....
Accenture gave 10 offers to IRs
Wipro gave 10 offers
CTS gave around 5... TCS & Infy gave 4....
there were lots of companies.... especially IT sector.... so good times are here in IT...
as they say India is shining .. XL too is shining...

Are IIMs accountable? If so to whom?

2004-02-17T01:08:00.000-08:00

Brilliant column from an iim prof

These are interesting times and interesting times are challenging times. There is a furore among some sections of the elite about the ministry of human resources development's recent directive to reduce the fee charged from IIM students. Normally one expects lots of enthusiasm for such a step. But in these globalising and reformist times more the fees the merrier [at least for those who are not prospective students.]

Let us look at some issues closely:

1.There is an 80 percent reduction in fees, from Rs 1.5 lakhs per annum to Rs 30,000 by the government order -- it is unfair.

The annual fees [excluding mess charges] have been increased from Rs 3,000 in 1991-1992 to Rs 1.5 lakhs in 2003-2004 which is a CAGR [compounded annual growth rate] of nearly 40 percent. Any economist would be amazed.

In these 12 years nothing has grown at this annual rate -- inflation, student strength, price of books, faculty size or salary and buildings. The first major fees increase in 1992-93 was undertaken by the IIMs to around Rs 8,000 with an understanding that an increase of around 10 to 15 percent or inflation rate [whichever is higher] will be made each year and on that basis the fees today, after these 11 years, would be around Rs 40,000 only.

The market can bear argument is not tenable when the IIMs are in a monopoly situation. Out of every hundred aspirants only one is admitted. By keeping the intake numbers low the IIMs have created scarcity with a dominant monopoly principle.

2. The board of the IIMs is the supreme authority in financial matters.

It is interesting that very recently [one week before] when the government announced [in the vote on account] the merger of 50 percent DA [dearness allowance] with basic pay, it was immediately implemented by the IIMs. This time nobody argued that the IIM board should discuss it and may reject this proposal. When it is convenient, the board's 'autonomy' is forgotten and the IIMs follow the ministry's instructions immediately.

The IIMs [for those not familiar] are not companies. They are societies which are creatures of the central government under the Registrar of Societies Act of the respective states. The memorandum of articles of association of the IIMs has not vested the board with financial decisions, pertaining to fees.

3. Students in higher education should not be given subsidy.

The IIM controversy: Complete Coverage

Fair enough. But from the canteen to electricity [24 hours] to housing to Internet [24 hours] to plumbing to garbage disposal in the IITs/IIMs, everything is very highly subsidized. For instance, the market rent for a three bedroom house with garage plus servant quarters with attached garden and full time security is around Rs 30,000 per month in many cities. But inside the IITs/IIMs people pay only Rs 1,500 to 2,000. How come the subsidy argument fails then? The argument on subsidies is a much larger issue not just applicable to students in institutions of higher learning only.

4. Can the IIMs manage with this reduced fee?

By all means. They can and will earn extra from sponsored research/consulting/executive programmes etc. Since, on these activities there are no 'fees' restrictions.

5. Bank loans are there.

Incidentally, one of the closely guarded secrets in our country is the percentage of NPA [non performing assets] in the loans given to IIT/IIM students. A couple of years ago one of the IIMs published a long list of defaulters [wilful defaulters] year-wise in their alumni magazine. But everybody thought it was an honours list!!

Informed bankers suggest there is less default among cobblers and tailors. The alumnus, having two bytes on television, should repay and encourage others to repay for further loan flow. To overcome this problem educational loans should be recovered like TDS -- the onus on the employer -- with every pass certificate stamped as 'loanee.' The passport should also should bear a 'loanee' stamp [for recovery before travel abroad]. There are issues of collateral particularly for students coming from rural and average income backgrounds.

6. The surplus with all IITs/IIMs is very useful.

It is kept in central and state government securities [the investment norms are -- up to 90 percent should be in government securities]. Some state undertakings are in such a situation that there is a question mark on the interest and principle to be received by the IIMs. It is like our foreign exchange, kept in US treasury bills earning 3 percent. At least, let us hope the US treasury will honour its commitments! Just having a corpus is no fun unless massive construction etc activities are undertaken. Buildings/pensions etc are always funded by the government.

7. Financial surplus implies world class and autonomy.

Neither is automatically true. This is a typical American notion that financial strength implies 'freedom' and 'independent.' Actually throughout Indian history, sages and fakirs who were totally poor were independent and did not worry about opposing the rulers. During the sixties/seventies, IIMs were fully dependent on the government but still had total autonomy. Also to note, that many capitation fees charging street corner colleges are 'rich,' but that does not make them world class. People have chosen/choose to be teachers since it is considered as a passion by them and not as a vocation or career.

8. Cost cannot be covered.

The government did not say anything about research/executive programmes/consultancy/international programmes etc. They are relatively tougher tasks compared to increasing fees for students. IIMs can and do earn from those sources much more. Globally all business schools subsidise post graduate courses from research/consulting and executive programmes.

9. IIMs are self regulating and know how to maintain global quality and hence they should not be questioned.

In the context of global schools, there is something called tenure track [permanent] which may not be got by all the faculty. In IIM/IIT structure after two years everybody is permanent and till retirement nothing can be done to her/him unless s/he indulges in grave sexual/financial etc impropriety. For academic non-performance nobody has been sacked/penalised in the last forty years in our higher learning portals. Hence all comparison with US schools is meaningless.

10. The minister is saffronising IIMs.

Unless it is felt Mr N R Narayana Murthy, Mr S M Dutta [ex-HLL], Mr Yogi Deveshwar [ITC], Mr K V Kamath [ICICI], Mr Ajit Nambiar [BPL], Mr Venu Srinivasan [TVS] etc are all saffron! All these were appointed on various IIM boards by Dr Joshi. Actually some saffronites complain that he has not appointed them to these places!!

11. Dr Joshi's style of functioning is not good.

There may be a point in this. It is complained, that he does not consult with a large body of academicians etc. The same is the case with many political leaders. As a wag commented most of our politicians stand between two mirrors [like in a saloon] and make consultations to conclude that they had consulted infinite number of persons!!

12. Four areas are critical for functional autonomy:

Curriculum
Recruitment of students
Recruitment of faculty
Promotion/assessment of faculty
None of this is currently under any threat other than the feelings [like the feelings of Bush on WMD] that 'they may be affected in the future.' More than the mirage of financial autonomy what needs to be stressed and preserved is Functional Autonomy.

IIMs are tax exempt entities under the assumption that they are organizations not for making profits. But recently they are claiming they are making huge surplus. This does not seem to be compatible with the original educational objectives. The bottom line --Are IIMs accountable? If so, to whom?

In a democracy it has to be to Parliament and the ministry and in a sense to society at large since IIMs are public organizations. Unfortunately for an institution like the IIMs the bottom line can never be profit after or before tax.

It is also interesting to note that the corporates who are making lots of noises have not come forward with huge funding to the IIMs like Rockefeller or Fulbright Foundations. There is a school of thought among some of the 'reformers' and 'globalisers' that the IITs and IIMs should be handed over to the private sector and this view is supported by some corporate chieftains and some in the English media.

That would be a sad day for our educational edifice built with so much sagacity and foresight. There are enough corporate sector institutions to worry about top line and bottom line. Let there be some institutions at least, in our country which are solely concerned about pursuit of knowledge and preparation of future citizens based on contemplation and a passion for research and innovation. I rest my case.

Needless to add, all these are my views and are not of the organization to which I belong.

R Vaidyanathan is professor of finance and control at IIM, Bangalore. He obtained his Fellow in Management (Doctorate) from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta where he also taught for four years.

The Great Film Awards Jambooree

2004-02-16T02:03:00.000-08:00

An eye opener... something needs to be done for the awards at the Film Level...

It's the Bollywood season again. That time of the year which starts the series of Filmi awards right from Screen, Sansui, Filmfare, Zee Cine, IIFA to name a few.

The guidelines for judging the excellence for each award vary from another. Screen has a complete jury based system while Filmfare is 50 percent votes (magazine readers and online voting mechanism) and 50 percent jury. Sansui and Zee are only viewers' votes. And each one claims to be fair. But what do our audience's and media think?

Coming to the nominations, every year we have atleast one controversy over a nominee who withdraws citing irregularities. This year we had Manoj Bajpai withdrawing his nomination from the Best Supporting Actor in the Screen Awards since he was not nominated in the Best actor category. JP Dutta also publicly withdrew LOC-Kargil from Screen. We have Aamir Khan who does not attend awards because he feels all of them are biased. And to top it all, we have the ace filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who does not believe in the awards system at all. At the other end, we have Shahrukh Khan, who has the maximum Filmfare Awards in his kitty!

Some of the awards also create special categories to keep everybody happy. For example: Best Actor category and Most Outstanding Performance category. That way, you ensure that everybody is happy and smiling…at least in the front of the camera!

IndiaFM ran a poll to rate the credibility of the awards. A total of about 1.2 million respondents have given their verdict loud and clear. About 45% of the respondents felt that all the existing awards were arbitrary and unfair in some manner.
They think very poorly of the awards in terms of credibility. The maximum that any award could manage was Filmfare, which was judged fair by as low as 40% of the respondents. For all the others, it was pathetic. National awards are judged fair by only 15%. For the other awards, the less said the better, for their trust % was in single digits.

Our awards are all about money, honey. So basically the awards benefit everybody, the organiser who makes the moolah, the TV channel who gets software and sponsors for the event, the media who get an event to go ga-ga about, the print who gets stories to fill up the paper, and most of all the nominees, who get talked about and get the photo-ops and write-ups. And finally the winners, who get to make their thank you speeches. And the way the system works, each performer will win some or the other awards. And most of all, none of those involved speak out because all awards are controlled by some or the other media house. So nobody wants to enter in the bad books of any media house, for that would mean no publicity, which in effect is a hara-kiri, for what is a celebrity without publicity.

You have the PNC-Sansui 'VIEWER'S CHOICE AWARDS', which not only nominates its own movies and performers in as many as 8 categories. And then it insults our intelligence by wanting us to believe that majority of 'PUBLIC' has voted for Juhi Chawla as the best supporting actress for the movie Jhankaar Beats, which is a PNC production.

Incidentally, most of the PNC product nominees have not been nominated in any other awards. When it failed to get Kareena in Chameli any awards, they give her a jury award for best performance for Chameli, which is another PNC production. And the icing on the cake is that PNC released Chameli in only one show in one theatre in December 03 to be eligible for the awards.

Coming to the media coverage, Filmfare Awards are not covered by rival publications since Times Group is associated with the same. Similarly, Screen Videocon awards are not covered by other publications. Zee Cine Awards are also not covered by rival channels. Can you imagine Oscars not covered by a single newspaper or a channel?

Now let's compare our awards to the Oscars

Membership in the Academy is limited to those who have achieved the highest level of distinction in the arts and sciences of motion pictures.

Members currently represent 14 branches — Actors, Art Directors, Cinematographers, Directors, Documentary, Executives, Film Editors, Music, Producers, Public Relations, Short Films and Feature Animation, Sound, Visual Effects, and Writers. At this time, there are over 5,700 voting members of the Academy.
Up to five nominations are made in most categories, with balloting for these nominations restricted to members of the Academy branch concerned. Directors, for instance, are the only nominators for Achievement in Directing.
Final winners in most categories are determined by vote of the entire voting membership of over 5,700 individual filmmakers.

Even a nomination in Oscars is considered an honour. An Oscar means added box office revenue and a global TV audience. Compare this to Indian awards and you will find that Indian awards do not contribute to an increase in audience or collections.

The need of the hour is an award on the lines of Oscars. An award that truly recognizes the excellence in cinema. And one that is handled by the peers in the industry, for the industry and not some media house for its own benefit. Will somebody take the lead to light the light?

Eliyahu Goldratt & his theory of Constraints

2004-02-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

Eliyahu Goldratt & his theory of Constraints... This one again from ET

We asked Eliyahu Goldratt, management thinker and author of bestseller The Goal, what drew him to India. A puff on his trademark pipe and a smile later: “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” he says. Nudged on, he explains, “India has the best education of management in the world and perhaps the largest internal market. You have the potential to be one of the five economic powers. But, are you?” For the creator of the Theory of Constraints, Indian managements are ‘constrained’ by their “admiration of sophistication”, he tells ET.

He’s here to lead managers down a different path. “I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” he says. Look at IT, those wonderfully complex machines. “People don’t understand that any complex system is based on inherent simplicity. Capitalising on inherent simplicity is what enables incredible improvements within a short time.” Mr Goldratt was in Mumbai to speak on ‘Viable Vision’ at a seminar presented by ET.

His viable vision can translate into “bringing up the company so that in less than four years, net profit equals its current total sales.” Mr Goldratt’s theory rests on the assumption that organisational systems are in fact complex. Made more so by the cause and effect relationships that exist between various components.

“Examine a given system and ask yourself, what is the minimum number of points one has to impact in order to impact the whole system?... For every real-life system there are very few elements governing the entire system.” The fewer the points, the easier the system is to manage. “To get results you have to spend your time finding those elements,” he explains. These elements, or constraints, are also the leverage points of the organisation.So, here’s Dr Goldratt’s five-step agenda to almost immediate performance jumps:
Identify the system’s constraints;
decide how to exploit these;
subordinate everything else to this decision;
elevate the system constraints; and finally,
if in the previous step’s constraint has been broken, go back to step 1.

Reliance on TIME cover

2004-02-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting take on the Ambani's by the Time Magazine. This article was on the ET today.

The Reliance group of industries of the Ambanis figures in the cover story of Time magazine this week in which it takes a survey of the leading business families of Asia and focusses on the changing nature of family-run business empires.

The magazine, which takes a close look at the daily lifestyle of the two Ambani brothers, Mukesh and Anil, says that there was a doubt whether they could fill their father Dhirubhai Ambani's shoes.

"People will remember you after you are gone not for your money or your power, but because of what you have left behind," the magazine quoted Mukhesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, as saying.

The magazine said that since taking over Reliance Industries as chairman and vice-chairman respectively after their father's death in 2002, Mukhesh and Anil Ambani have reinvented India's most powerful business enterprise.

The brothers have taken the company beyond its textile production and petrochemicals base into lucrative ventures in power generation , oil exploration and mobile phone services .

Last year, Reliance Industries had revenues of $16.8 billion and accounted for 3.5 per cent of India's gross domestic product (GDP).

Some had questioned whether Anil and Mukesh could match their father's managerial skills, even though Mukesh graduated from Stanford's Business School and Anil from Wharton School and others wondered whether the antipodean brothers could work together, Time said.

Flashy Anil, who is married to a former film actress, likes designer clothes and jogs every morning, his chauffeur driving slowly behind. Mukesh prefers spending time with his children or catching up on technical journals

Music Review of MEENAXI

2004-02-13T01:57:00.000-08:00

Did this posting on our Bulletin Board... got good reviews!!

Starting today every fortnight I will be reviewing music albums & films. Please note that this is from a layman’s point of view & any comments are purely mine. My only claim to fame is that I have a passion for music & films. So please take it with a pinch of salt..!!.... Any comments are always welcome.

Meenaxi is painter MF Hussain’s second venture after the dud GajaGamini starring Madhuri Dixit. This time he has the beautiful Tabu as his heroine. Movie is set in three cities of Hyderabad, Jaisalmer & Prague. Music by AR Rahman reflects the sounds from these cities. Lyrics are by Rahat Indori, Sukhvindra Singh & MF Hussain.

Song 1: 'Yeh Rishta' is a superb track that has vocals by new comer Reena Bhardwaj. This song should become a rage in days to come.

Song 2: Chinnamma Chilakkamma' is the next track & the lyrics & vocals are by Sukhwindra Singh (& isn’t he a magician) are too good. This song is set in the Telugu land like Jiya jale in Dil Se was in the Mallu land. My guess is that it would be the next chart topper.

Song 3: Do Kadam Aur Sahi' from Sonu Nigam reminds one of Sooraj Hua Maddham from K3G. It confirms Sonu’s status as one of the best singers in Bollywood. This song is very soothing on the nerves & should be listened on a calm night with the lights turned off..!!.

Song 4: Dhuan Dhuan' is By Asha Bhsole. No words are sufficient to describe this diva. Her versatility is yet again confirmed when she so easily sifts between western classical to Hindustani classical in this track. A great song by a great team (remember Tanha Tanha from Rangeela & other numerous hits given by these two.)

Song 5: 'Rang Hai' is by Alka Yagnik is a peppy number & similar to the shaadi song in Zubeidaa. This song is also proof of versatile nature of Alka.

Song 6: 'Noor-Un-Ala-Noor' M.F.Husain has written lyrics for this song & this is my favorite in this album. Wonderful drums by Sivamani & bass guitar give this qawwali a great zing.

Songs 7 & 8: Potter's village' & 'Cyclist's rhythm' are instrumental tracks. Potters village is set in Rajasthan & has ghatam sounds blending with eastern music. Cyclists rhythm has the cycle bell (yes Rahman can make music out of this also..!!) mixing with drums & whistles. Although not in the genre of Bombay instrumentals this is still too good.

Comment:

Rahman’s eye for catching new comers is a legend in Hindi & Tamil Cinema. Remember Unni Krishnan & Harini. This time is no different. Reena Bhardwaj is excellent as a new comer. Also his team work with Asha Bhosle is excellent & Ashaji again confirms that she is the number one. Great orchestration in all the songs again from Rahman especially Noor Un Ala.

This is Rahman at his best after a long time & forget Tehzeeb & Lakeer. This is definite buy for his fans & yes, look out for Yuva in April some time. Also look out for his composition in the Chinese film Warriors of Heaven & Earth in some more days

2004-02-13T01:46:00.000-08:00

Hi
This is just a test post. will update in few more minutes