India was amazing in 1st game

Well, it's yet another toss that Dhoni lost, but it's a good one to loose. I thought Shakib's decision to bowl fast was not really well thought, considering the pressure situation that you would put yourself in front of home crowd against a tough opponent.Even if India would have scored ~250, Bangladesh would have found it difficult to reach there for 2 reasons - 1. The ball was really keeping low & slow (you would have seen how Kohli was finding it difficult to play his shots), hence scoring would have been tough against Indian spinners, 2. Since Shakib said 260 would be a good total, his side would have felt the pressure even more since home crowd would have expected them to chase.

They scored 282 against India's 370, because they were not under any pressure. They knew from the beginning that they wouldn't be able to reach there anyway. But 250 from India would have put them in heavy pressure, & going by their experience I am sure they would have got out in less than 200!!!

Sehwag was amazing, though he had a very restless start. Virat is doing good, taking full advantage of the break through that he got in last few series. Pressure to maintain his position in Indian side is making him play better. I think Suresh Raina must be now concerned about his position & hence I believe he will also have a good come back in the coming matches!!!

Way to Go India!!! Hope India wins this WC.....Good luck!!!

Sachin's last WC begins (though he doesn't agree openly....)

I am almost certain that 2011 WC is the last world cup for Sachin. He had a good start in the 1st match against Bangaladesh, playing very maturedly without taking much risk. He was going well run-a-ball, when he got run out to a mistake completely of his own. He scored 28 of 29 balls. But, to me it's the perfect start that I would have loved to see. Because, I feel had he got a good knock here, he mayn't have the best of world cup ths time. By scoring just 28, he went back in desperation wanting for more. This essentially means he would come out with more determination in the next match. This determination will build up till he reaches one century.

My prediction is - Sachin will build up his innings as WC progresses & he would play some magnificent cricket in Semi Final & Final to bring back the glory to India.

Can India pull it up against SA?

It was an amazing Test Match for Kallis. He proved why he deserves as much respect as Sachin does. And I believe he is the best alrounder the world has seen so far.  4th day started with lots of hope for India when Harbhajan took wickets in quick intervals. And after that it felt like an ordinary attack from India. Boucher & Kallis together took it completely away from India. I felt quite disappointed. Having set a target of 340, I am sure SA is almost 99% sure that they won't loose.What could be the strategy from India perspective? Will they try to win today? If they play defensive, I am sure the game will wind up by tea time, India loosing. If at all there is any feeble chance of India winning, then it all depends on Sehwag. I think his sheer presence for 40-50 overs will make the opponent feel negative about their chances. I think Sehwag will be clearly asked by Dhoni to stick around for as much time possible. Gambhir - I feel he will find it difficult to stay on the wicket due to his injury. I also have a feeling, this will be the last chance for Dravid to make a come back. If he fails again, then it will be wise for him announce his retirement as soon as possible (so that he can at least get one more series to play as a parting gift :)). If Sehwag goes early, then Dravid, Sachin & Laxman needs to play for draw. Going by law of average, I am not sure if Laxman can make it big today.Hence Dravid & Sachin needs to play it out till the end.... Let's see...

Watch out for Paul Harris!!!

Twenty Eleven - Will this be the year of celebration for Indian Cricket?

Indian Cricket was on a song in 2010 with some real amazing performances. Will they be able to continue with same momentum in 2011? Will they be able to notch the World Cup, which has stayed as a dream since 1983?

Sachin, Dhoni, Sehwag, Gambhir, Harbhajan, Zaheer - Will they be able to live up to expectations of billion hearts? Sachin hasn't played any one-dayer since February 2010. I am sure the Master has saved his best for the big occasion. Dhoni - I am quite impressed with his "cool & calm composure" in pressure situations. More than his batting & keeping, I have faith on his leadership. He is quite a character & his on-field attitude makes him quite different from others. As an exemplary leader, he has trust in his teammates, knows how to fire them up when required. Zaheer has been in his best form, though his fitness has been a great concern. Hopefully he gives no surprises for the world-cup. Bhajji - On Indian Subcontinent, he is going to be our key warhead. Sehwag - Well we all know what he is capable of. I am sure "Sehwag-Sachin-Gambhir" trio will give nightmare to most of the teams in the world cup.

Let's hope the Indian team manages to give the best parting gift to Sachin!!! Good luck guys...

Building & Sustaining a Great Brand

Today I am going to write neither about a business person, nor about a good book. This blog is dedicated to my wife, Sweta, who exemplifies a great brand by herself. I have been looking for examples to write about a good & sustainable brand. I think she exemplifies very much what I have been searching for & I don't need to look further.

Without any doubt, I can say that she is 110% committed to her work. Then, I asked myself - lot of people are committed at their work,  then why only a handful are successful in their professional career? Is there something else? And the answer is - "How sensitive you are, to your customers? What is the depth to which you empathize with them?". In her case, she has been handling employee benefits for quite sometime & I always find her being concerned about their problems as if it's her own problem. She doesn't stop their, she takes that extra step (which goes beyond her responsibility) to ensure a happy employee at the end of the day. And believe me, it works & she is a classic example of that. All that is required is a great degree of patience, an eye for details & a strong sense of determination to make people happy around you.

Now let's talk about great & sustainable brand. Well, a great brand represents a product/service which is of very high quality, customers feel proud/delighted to be associated with it & the brand sustains its image throghout it's life. The last part is tricky, but that is the whole essence of a successful brand. As individuals, we all create a brand of ourselves. It's equally important to carry a great image all throughout life to achieve excellence. I am proud that Sweta has managed her brand image well thru her exceptionally good work & I expect her to work with same level of consistency for the rest of her life. Good luck to "Brand- Sweta" !!!

Sustainability - The Way Forward

I am always curious about knowing weather of various places of my interest. And believe me, first thing that I search in a news paper is the weather section. I seriously don't know what makes me so curious about weather, but I have observed the no of incidents of weather storms, earthquakes, snow-melting, very high temperatures have increased over past few years. I often hear about "Sustainability", but never felt curious enough to understand it's meaning till recently. I happened to be a silent & curious listener to one of the speech given by Peter Graf, Chief Sustainability Officer, SAP. And what I gathered was profound. It's like doing few basic things to bring our world back to good old green days. After that speech, I also felt bad that my contribution to build a beautiful world is so less(almost none). I always feel excited to see the beautiful snow-picked mountains of Himalaya, but I never have thought about preserving their beauty. I love to stand under a tree in summer, but I never thought of ways to plant more trees to ensure a cooler summer in future. Going forward, I hope to see myself as a person who contributes for a better tomorrow!!!

Co-CEO Model for Product Companies

I am not a specialist in the are of analysing which model works best for a company. Yet, based on my experience in Product Development Companies, I have few thoughts around co-CEO Model. Here it goes.

If you are passionate about products, then you can develop something exceptional, innovative & path breaking.

If you are passionate about relationship building & selling, then you can easily make your way thru customers.

Having said above 2 points, I believe A Product Development Company needs an optimized combination of above two qualities at the top. Usually, it's difficult for one person to be best at these two parameters. Infact these two characteristics often don't go hand-in-hand. Hence, why not 2 people at the top? One focusing on Development of Product & the other Evangelizing the Product with customers!!!

Argentina & Mesmerizing Messi!!!

I started this world cup by supporting Brazil. As matches went by, I slowly started moving away from Brazilian Magic. Particularly in the match against Portugal, I was highly disappointed to see them playing very ordinary game of football.

On the other hand Argentina continues to impress me. I am not a big follower of football, but when I saw Messi in their 1st match, I felt this guy is very different than others. His has got all the skills to become next Maradona. His speed, his intelligence, his dribbling, everything looks so extra ordinary. I feel Argentina are just playing amazing game of football & Messi makes it look even more special. Though he hasn't managed to score a single goal by far, yet his brilliance is easily visible on the field.

I am putting my money on Argentina. Let's see how far they go!!!

Low Cost Enterprise Software???

While reading "Simply Fly" by Captain Gopinath, there is one idea which flashed through my mind. When Airlines started in India, it was very much considered as a high-end service. Only the rich could afford it. For the middle class, it was a pure luxury. Captain Gopinath changed the complete landscape with introduction of a LCC called as "Air Deccan" & suddenly flying became a daily affair for the middle class.

Similarly, in today's world the enterprise software is seen as a very high cost product. Only the Large Enterprises could afford it. For medium to small size companies, it's still a pure luxury. Yes, there are quite a few vendors who sell small pieces of software, but again those pieces don't really integrate well with each other in long run. I am yet to see any company who is getting out into market with a mindset to make these enterprise software available at a very affordable price. I know there are these "Cloud Vendors" who sell software as a service, still I don't believe their pricing is something which is "easily affordable". Hence I see an opportunity to create a "Low Cost Enterprise Software" Business!!!

Simply Fly - A Dream Came True for Many Indians...

Recently I concluded reading "Simply Fly" by Capt. Gopinath. Well, I give it a 3 Star rating(out of 5), for the simple reason that I felt the story could have been written in a more concise & interesting way. Having said that, I must applaud for this great & amazing serial entrepreneur; From Farming to Motor cycle Dealership to Helicopter business to Air Deccan & now Deccan 360. Every time he found himself in an adverse situation in life, he turned that into a business opportunity. And more importantly, he was an eternal optimist. I don't know how many of us can ever imagine building a helicopter or airline business without a good finance backing. But he did that. His determination & passion drove him to follow his dream without making compromises during his journey to success. 

Yes, we all must remain thankful to this great-man who made the low cost flying possible in this country. I must say he deserves all the accolade as any other great statesman of this country.

"Continuous Challenge" - A Key factor to Transcend In Career

Though I didn't see any of the matches that Nadal played, but his brilliance is unquestionable. Amazing consistency! Since 2005, he has won 5 of the 6 French Open titles. Yet, I am still a big fan of Federer. He is a "Silent Killer". Every time, he is challenged, he comes back with his exuberance & proves why he is still the best. I always feel that Nadal's excellence brings the best in Federer. As Nadal gets better, so is Federer. If Nadal came out as an ordinary player in last few years, I am sure Federer would have hit the roof & "stopped growing". I think Sampras didn't have the opportunity to have a great opponent during his peak of the career. Hence, even though he had broken quite a few records, yet his achievements didn't really transcend beyond a point. Continuous Success breeds Complacency unless there is a way to Challenge it!!! I like the competition between Nadal & Federer because I know this will help Federer to avoid complacency & achieve more Grand Slams which will be difficult for anybody to break in near future :)

Now let's look at the corporate world. If you think you are best, there is nobody to compete with, then you sort of hit the roof. There is no fun. Your performance doesn't transcend to new heights from there even though you are a genius.

My advice - Let's build a culture where every individual within the organization feels that he is challenged every day in & out. That will be one way in which we can get the best out of every individual!!!

Good Start "Raina" - You are on Track!!!

Suresh Raina is leading relatively a young & inexperienced side for Zimbabwe Tri-series. There is hardly any big-star in the team. As we have already witnessed, India lost twice very badly to Zimbabwe. Well, I feel it's a good start for Raina as a captain. On one occasion, he forgot to tell umpire that he was taking a power play & yet he made his field settings assuming he had taken the power-play. Well, yes it's a mistake, no doubt, but...does it really warrant so much of ridicule by media (when they call him "anari"). Well I don't think so. Come on guys, he is just 23, his 1st assignment as a captain. Who doesn't make mistakes? (even God, I mean Tendulkar, does). This doesn't mean that media should turn so reactive. From my point of view, I still feel that there is lot of learning for him. Thanks to the fact that he is starting his captaincy on a loosing mode. This essentially means, he is getting aware of "himself". And I feel that is more than enough to be successful in long run. I have been watching this guy along with Virat & Rohit. I realize this guy has got the humility to make it big in life(unlike Rohit & Virat). I bet, he will prove himself to be a successful captain in future. Watch out for this explosive batsman-cum-fielder!!!

e-Commerce -->> m-Commerce --> ???

Yesterday I was reading "Simply Fly" (autobiography of Capt. Gopinath). In 2003, while trying to establish Air Deccan, he made it a point to bypass the "travel agent ticketing channel" & sell tickets thru Internet. His objective was to provide air tickets at affordable prices by cutting costs in all possible ways. I know this may be a very common-place idea today, but way back in 2003, it must be quite a noble idea (given the fact that not many of airlines in India were selling tickets thru Internet). And after that, this became a common phenomena. We saw Cleartrip, MakeMyTrip, Yatra & so many portals selling tickets online. This is E-Commerce at it's best.

Now watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkcAL9wB160

What I am trying to convey here - we are moving to the new era of M-Commerce. I am sure, very soon we will order/pay our dinner, grocery, medicines thru mobile devices. We will see companies trying to focus a lot on Mobile Based Solutions. There will be flurry of mobile based portals available soon. Today's world works on laptop/desktop, tomorrow's world will probably be working on i-Pad, i-Phone & other mobile devices. Let's watch out!!!

Salute to the Real Heros - IX812 Crash

On last Saturday, I woke up to the horrifying news that IX-812, Air India Express plane, had crash landed in Mangalore. Almost the whole day I was glued to television in hope to see more survivors. It was gruesome to see the evacuation & charred bodies all around. It's even difficult to imagine the in-flight situation at that point of time. I also read news about people twitting within the air-plane about their arrival. Even the survivors talk about a near perfect landing & suddenly things became worse within no time. What I felt - life is so uncertain & it can change its course in no time. 

I dedicate this blog to those who lost their lives in the crash & the local villagers who worked relentlessly to save some precious lives. I must say the local villagers worked in a very unselfish way & their unquestionable courage was highly commendable. I wish, at the end of it, we see some of them getting rewarded for the bravery they showed on that very unfortunate morning.

Work Culture

After working 8 years in IT Industry, I have my own doubts about this widely misused (according to me) phrase - "Work Culture". Go around, ask your friends(particularly who are in Services Companies) - many of them would say that "Product Companies have the best work culture". I am not sure if we all are on same accord when it comes to describing work culture. Many of us believe, having less work, having no deadline, having no customer to face, means a GREAT work culture. Well, I have spent most of my career in Product Companies. And I personally feel, the model is not really a sustainable one. I have seen individuals/ teams sustaining over a period of 2-3 years without having much to work on. I don't know if this is an usual problem of large organization, but i strongly feel, it's a problem of plenty - it's like when you earn in crores, you don't bother if the laundry guy takes you for a ride for many months. How does it matter to you anyway!!! You get to realize the problem only when you are about to get bankrupt!!!

Blistering Heat & Gurgaon

Winter is like Heaven in Gurgaon. I know it's a wishful thinking on my part, still I am hopeful to see snowfall sometime in future. Summer is exactly opposite. The Blistering heat along with the hot air makes life hell. To spice it up, you have heavy power cut. Unless you are in a posh apartment with 100% backup, you will have to have sleepless nights. There are days when we are the victim of late night power cuts. Just imagine, you are in a top floor, the power goes off around midnight. And all that you are left with, is a fan!!! That throws hot air on you. Lovely!!! What the hell, it looks like as if I am in the middle of a desert. This time around, I am almost running out of patience. I hope I get out of this desert zone at the earliest!!!

Summing Up - IPL2010

In IPL2010 Final, Dhoni proved his mettle as a captain. Starting from team selection, batting strategy, field placement, bowling strategy; everything seemed to be quite perfect for the situation. He chose to go with 3 spinners & that was an excellent move given the slow pitch in DY Patil stadium. MI could have picked Jaysurya; at least from a spin bowling perspective.

When CSK started batting, they were anyway in the back foot. And MI allowed them to put a big score, thanks to Fernando & Zaheer for missing those costly catches of Suresh Raina. That was quite a turning point of the match. Secondly, MI started really slow. They could have taken few chances in the initial overs. Here, Jaysurya could have come handy (given his experience in playing under such pressure situations). I am still OK with Harbhajan given the opportunity to come early. Had he exploded, I am sure people would have liked the strategy. That was anyway not a turning point. What I failed to understand - Position at which Keiren Pollard sent in. This man could have made a difference, had he been sent before Duminy.

To sum it up, it was not MI's day. Not to blame anybody, they played excellent cricket all throughout. Excellent leadership of Sachin has given the MI side new heroes like Rayadu, Tiwary & Pollard. He deserves all accolades, and more importantly he proved his critics wrong - "Sachin is a good captain as well".

Can Mumbai Indians do it?

Well, I never had so much of respect & confidence on Sachin's captaincy as I have today. He is carrying the brand of "Mumbai Indians" so well. Finally they have made it to IPL2010 Finals. I am just keeping my fingers crossed for the final. I hope they will make it big. I am just concerned about the ongoing form & confidence of Chennai Super King. Suddenly they have risen from ass to get into Semis and now there in finals as well. Last two games, they showed their supremacy both from batting & bowling perspective. And one crucial thing to observe here, they never crumbled under pressure. Remember Dhoni, who pulled it off so well in that all crucial match where it was a must win for them to enter semis. And I think that gave them a real big lift in terms of confidence. In the Semi final, I guess they were a little nervous while batting. When they came to field, Bollinger got the cheers back with his charismatic over where he got 2 golden wickets. And that was beginning of the end for Deccan Chargers. After that they could never recoup from the doom.

Let's see who is the real hero in the Big IPL2010 final on 25th - Dhoni or Tendulkar? I put my money on Tendulkar ofcourse :). I pray Sachin gets fit for the final. All that MI needs from him is - his godly presence in the field. And that will do the trick :) Good luck guys, go and kick the CSK out!!!

IPL - I am tired of the overdose

60 matches in total, 14 matches (at least) per each side - isn't it a bit too much!!! Well I started watching the matches with a lot of excitement, but slowly over a period of time, I lost interest. In true sense it was a overdose of cricket. Now it makes me question the sustainability of this format of the game. Unless Lalit Modi moves beyond money & starts thinking about it as a sport, it will be difficult to attract the continuous attention of people. If the overdose continues this way, I am sure IPL5/IPL6 would not be attracting as many eye balls as it does today. Look around, talk to people, you will see this happening already.

With 10 teams from IPL4, it will be a good idea to have 2 groups (5 teams each), 2 teams from each qualifying for semifinals, then closing the end-to-end IPL within 20 days. I am sure that will bring more excitement & fun!!!

MTV Roadies 7

MTV Roadies 7 - It's a must watch for me every Sunday. What I like the most about this show is - adventurous & creative tasks. Especially, this year's African Safari was more fun to watch. I appreciate the minds who are behind conceptualizing & designing those creative tasks. Hats off to them. More importantly hats off to some of the roadies - Zaid, Mohit, Amrit who were amazingly great in most of their performances.

But what let me down this year is - the idiotic moves ("twists" as they say) which made sure that the crown finally went to one of the least deserving roadies. I don't think - this show deserves to be called "competitive" any more. There is elimination at end of every round. Which means, the least deserving will get kicked in the due process gradually. Then at the end who-so-ever remains, should be the winner. That's straight & simple. What's the whole fun of brining those people back who had lost previously & kicked out? It's a pure insult to those who have performed continuously to reach the final stage. And that's what exactly happened. Finally it was won by somebody who probably deserved it least. Hard luck to the top-performers.

I like to see competitive games. But when, it looses it's competitiveness, I tend to detest it!!!