Can we ever let you go?

That smiling face, that happy soul he possesses, the calm, the love that radiates from his face is probably the result of a lifetime of passionate singing and 'give all you've got' attitude which SPB had all through his lifetime. At this moment, as he battles the most feared disease on Earth, my soul is torn between letting him go and wanting a lifetime more of him. "Who are you to let him go?", "Were you close to him?", "Did he even know you?" would be the first few questions anyone would ask. Answers are, No, i wasn't close to him, and he didn't know I existed. Yet, I knew him. I grew up with a lot of love-hate relationship with this man all through my childhood. 

As a child, I got to know SPB through All India Radio, Ungal Virupam (listener's choice). In the 80's not every house owned a tape recorder. So, when the radio played, that was the source of entertainment. No one used to sit and listen to the radio. One used to wake up, turn on the radio, cook for the family, take bath, eat breakfast, pack lunch and rush to school, and while doing all this, the radio will churn out a couple of ads from "ponvandu ponvandu soap parunga" to "washing powder nirma" and between these songs, it would be songs sang by SPB, KJY, and Malaysia Vasudevan as they were the contemporary singers. KJY's songs soothe the soul with his base voice, Malaysia Vasudevan wakes you up with his above average pitch voice, and SPB could be the combination of all the singers put together. He could do anything, just anything with his voice. During those times, I never used to like him as he did not follow a fixed pattern, as though he did not have an identity of his own. Nevertheless, his songs dominated Ungal Virupam and I grew up eating breakfast and packing lunch while listening to his songs from Grade 3 through Grade 12 to college. By this time, tape recorders and speakers became a fashion a young man used to play songs loud enough for 10 houses in the neighborhood not allowing anyone to study. Though initially it was a nuisance, later that became my source of listening to popular music in high quality. Again, most songs were sung by SPB. I hated it if he sang peppy numbers where he used to sing some English lines as it he clearly didn't have a neutral accent. There were times I have told family members and friends, why is this man doing this? Why should he sing English lines in an Indian accent? Why include English in a Tamil song and spoil both? Twenty years later, after experiencing a whole lot of emotions associated with adult life, I understand SPB much better. His ability to deliver emotions beyond the lyrics and music of the song, his ability to move you to tears with one song, and make you dance when he sings the next one makes you wonder the reach his voice had in swaying emotions of a person he had never known in his life. Some of the songs he has sang have defied his own boundaries making the listener surprised if he(SPB) had really sung that song. 

With the number of stage shows and reality shows increasing, he started appearing more often on TV. The voice which accompanied my lifetime got a face, and the face was a kind one. That face had a certain calm and love radiating out of it. The way he interacted with people around him showed us that a man, despite being in the pinnacle of glory, could be this humble. His calm and radiating face, is the result of passionate work and the 'give all you've got' attitude, and I am sure he has attained the purpose of his birth.

Not a day would have passed in my life without hearing his voice. Tamilnadu plays his songs all the time, on the radio, in tea shops, in buses, and so do we in our personal music devices. So, yes...I am not exaggerating. Not a day would have passed without us(not just me) hearing his voice. It has traveled with me all through my lifetime. And I don't want to miss it for anything. I would ask God to give SPB a hundred more years, so that we can listen to him for one more lifetime. At the same time, it shreds my soul when I hear that he is suffering. Would I want him to struggle so that I want to listen to him for many more years to come, or would I say, enough of the struggle dear Sir.... I will let you go! I am still not able to decide. May the Almighty have mercy.

THE WAY FORWARD...

1. All MSMEs who got money from the government to reinstate all employees they have sacked and pay them salaries.

Picture courtesy: Economic Times

2. Find ways to ensure Direct Bank Transfer to those who run small businesses (shops, can drivers, auto drivers, barbers...and the like).

Picture courtesy: iPleaders.blog

3. Set up a system to identify and help Economic Migrants who are scattered through Police who will encounter them on roads. The government authorities should be given responsibility to ensure migrants are fed and financially secure.

 Picture courtesy: The Hindu

4. Open up public transport (primarily buses) to ensure no one is stranded on roads. Police should coordinate these efforts and buses should be directed only to those areas which need them.

Picture courtesy: Latest Laws.com

Picture courtesy: Times of India

5. Announce a date for lifting lockdown in Green and orange areas. Do not go back on this date. This will create certainty and people & businesses will gear up to work. This will raise hopes.

Picture courtesy: Times Now

6. All garment industries should make sufficient and excess masks on a war footing.

Picture courtesy: thehindubusinessline.com

7. Get ready for re-migration and open different economic centres of the nation at different times.

Courtesy: dreamstime.com

8. Free transportation of migrant workers back to the cities they work should be the way the nation shows that their services are valued. The money needed to do this should be monetized.

Picture courtesy: Hindustan Times

9. Production of PPEs and ensuring unhindered availability to all hospitals to be used by those who might be in the frontlines to deal with a potential rise in COVID 19 cases after 'normalcy' returns.

Picture courtesy: tradeindia.com

10. Phased and sustainable economic growth ensuring the growth of all its stakeholders....and attain self-reliance.

Picture courtesy: India Today

Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, broken toys

We lost a brilliant soul in a freak accident. She would have been alive today if her car wasn't speeding. And she wasn't driving it!

This is to all who are consumed by speed and feels they are in full control. Most often, they are not.

We all ride/drive. We ride motorbikes or scooters and drive cars to go from point A to B. Now, give that last line a second thought. How many of us drive / ride,  just to get from point A to B, and how many of us 'race' and 'speed' from one point. Since I ride from an early age, i understand what a combination of young age, powerful machines, and speed does. It thrills. And one mistake, it kills. It destroys dreams. It destroys lives of innocent people who would have just been co-passengers/ by-standers or fellow motorists. One mistake at high speed could devastate parents, create orphans, or bid adieu to a sibling. To lose all this for some cheap gimmick what adrenaline does to ones' brain is one of the silliest and most irresponsible thing a human being could do.

• If you crash when you ride at 30kmph, you might have torn skin.
• If you crash when you ride at 60kmph, you could break some bones.
• If you crash at 80kmph, it will be a miracle if you are alive.
• If you crash at 120 kmph, that's is just suicide.
• If you crash into someone at high speed, it is outright murder. It is NOT a MISTAKE.

Make a promise to ride responsibly. Ride fast only if you find a stretch of road, free of people, other vehicles, and animals. If you encounter any of the above, don't hesitate to slow down.

Remember, you can pick up speed again/ do that overtaking 30 seconds later/ zoom past somebody when the opposite lane does not have on-coming vehicles...but you cannot bring back a lost limb, reverse a blood clot in the brain, seal oozing blood, or bring back a brother, sister, father, mother, or friend alive by speed.

SPEED KILLS.

FORWARD IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO.

#roadsafety
#ramyaanand

How can one Signature Change the Future!

To create a niche market is one of the toughest things in the world. It is like swimming against the tide, and only companies with great resolve can do this. They will have to do a lot of convincing, show that their product offers the value for the money paid, come with attractive offers to lure customers, and establish their brand. As spectators / market observers, we don't often get to see companies doing this. However, there is one brand trying to establish itself in the market now with all enthusiasm and passion - Ather 450(TM), and Ather 340(TM) from Ather Energy. Their promotions and advertisements have made the brand name familiar and their advertisements have also reached the millennials because of their social media presence. They are also working fervently on the ground in establishing an extensive charging network and have made a promise that they will make charging points available one every four km, which in itself is an ambitious target. Also, this company is providing 'hard to ignore' offers like Charging Cost reimbursement which essentially translates to 6 months of no fuel costs (that's a wow at this day and age)!

Now with all this, why wouldn't any buyer take the plunge and buy this EV? This looks like the answer to the problems caused by rising carbon dioxide emissions. Why wouldn't any person who is looking to reduce his carbon footprint not take the plunge and buy this? If the Government of India decides that it is going to be supporting the EV movement by increasing subsidy and introduce NO GST for the same, EVs could become a pocket-friendly proposition.

Every petrol/diesel vehicle sold and sent out to our road is a mini carbon dioxide factory which, if it burns 1 litre of petrol will produces 1294 litres of carbon dioxide (assuming petrol is only octane). Diesel will be much more than this value. With the number of vehicles powered by fossil fuels being added every day on a regular basis, we are not taking a step forward towards solving the global warming crisis. Instead, we are taking ten steps backwards deep into the crisis.

By introducing tax cuts for EVs in India, the Government is not losing revenue. Instead, it is investing for a cleaner and greener India and ushering in the much needed change for a highly populated, highly responsible, global power, the Republic of India.

I sincerely hope that Ather energy is successful in building a Niche market for electric scooters and may they also reap the economic benefits of being the first. I hope the Government goes a step further than what it is currently doing in guiding such businesses to the path of success. Let Ather Energy become a successful case study in future Business school books.

India, at the Cusp

People born during the 70’s and the 80’s in India are largely responsible for the transformation of this nation. Though the seeds of transformation were sown by leaders who were born earlier, all the tilling and ploughing and raising the crop of transformation should be credited to the people born in the 70’s and 80’s. Sectors like real estate, automobile manufacturing, IT, IT enabled services, and Telecom have shown phenomenal growth. Incomes have gone up significantly as compared to the 80’s and so has purchasing power of the middle class. Things which were considered luxuries earlier are now been considered as necessities. Splurging on entertainment has become the norm. With more disposable income, people don’t hesitate to spend and to live much more luxuriously than the previous generation.

Along with this economic boom and prosperity came along some uninvited guests. Excessive emissions from factories and vehicles causing heavy air pollution, unmanageable proportions of piling e-waste and plastic causing pollution of land, untreated industrial effluents being let into rivers causing water pollution, encroachment of water bodies, destroying hills and river beds for construction, excessive depletion of underground water, conversion of agricultural land into residential plots and rampant deforestation. Initially, the effects were not felt and nobody took heed of it. In the past few years, these problems have become difficult to ignore, not just by the public, but also by the government. And, that brings us all to the next phase of growth – where growth is sustainable and well-planned.

India, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Mr.Narendra Modi is all poised to be the key player in ushering the new era of sustainable development. An era which will make petrol and diesel vehicles a thing of a past which could bring air pollution under control; an era where renewable methods of electricity generation will be a reliable partner along with nuclear power plants and the coal-fired thermal power plants; an era where bio-gas plants and LPG availability will replace firewood chulas, much to the respite of the womenfolk. If the leadership does not get wooed by the lobbyist who would want to maintain status quo, make enforcement agencies implement environment-friendly policies at grass root level, and set high environment-friendly targets and work towards achieving them, we can be sure that India would spearhead this revolution and would stand as an exemplar nation to the entire world.

Now, all this said and done, what does this mean to the common man? And what does it mean to the environmentally unfriendly businesses which dominates current markets. Can governments achieve these goals without their support? The answer is, it cannot. The ambitions of the government could be achieved only if both these factions, the people and the businessmen, cooperate or rather lead the change. Let us look at an example. The government has plans for 100% conversion of all three-wheelers  and two-wheelers to electric by 2023 and 2025, respectively. This is being received with hesitation by one of the leading business houses. I am sure, they are not alone in having reservations. This is natural as the three and two wheeler automobile markets are still growing (though not as much as in the past few years) and every manufacturer is launching more products (sometimes more powerful, sometimes more beautiful) to appeal to the buyers and increase their market share. Considering the time and energy they invest in building brands, they would want time to reap the benefits of their work. What good would it do to them if they build brands only to be replaced by their electric counterparts three to five years from now? That brings us to another important question. Why are these leading automakers not shifting their focus to electric right away and launch only electric auto rickshaws, scooters and bikes? Well, they won’t make the shift right away due to the lack of infrastructure. Battery operated vehicles need charging ports. How many of them are publicly available in India? Not many. Is there a private investor coming up with a chain of electric-vehicle charging ports? The answer is no. The reason for the same is that the charging ports will not have customers, not many, at least for the next few years. So, the investment would be considered a dead one. Would government initiate the project? No. The government works on such ventures only with private partnership, and since no private investors are ready, such projects would not take off. This would require electric-automakers also make charging stations available. This is also not likely to happen as they won’t have the specialization to do the same. The only way forward is a partnership between those who want to make charging stations, electric-automakers, and the government. Such threesome collisions have always been the rarest occurrences.

Let’s now bring in the fourth entity, the consumer. Having tasted convenience (ease of refueling with petrol / diesel / cng) the customer would want his vehicle to be charged as fast as the vehicle being refueled by petrol / diesel / gas. Now, that’s going to be disappointing. Batteries don’t get charged within minutes. A large section of the customers are driven by ‘thump’ of the vehicles they ride, the power, and the range of it. Generally, battery operated vehicles would fall short in all three aspects. Exceptions are there, but they prove to be very expensive. While automakers sold their conventional petrol driven vehicles, they used consumer’s emotions to advertise them. None of the emotions applicable to powerful petrol vehicles apply to the battery-powered vehicles. Their Chief Selling Points are that they are environment-friendly (if charged using renewable energy) and lesser maintenance costs. It is just a simple way to travel. Now, how do we rewire the customer’s brain to see the goodness in this. That’s a task for the marketing division of these EV manufacturers. Another way to retain the present comfort level of the customers is to invest heavily in R&D and come up with Quick charging solutions, and high-power – long-range batteries. If indigenous R&D teams fail, the technologies can be imported or companies can come up with merger divisions which would aid each other in sales  and for the technology shared. Such tie-ups are already coming up. Maruti Suzuki and Toyota India has announced such a tie-up.

           Mahatma once said, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”. This statement increases in relevance with every passing year as population increases and per capita comforts increase. The ‘pazhamozhi’ in Tamil “சுவர் இருந்தாதானே சித்திரம் வரைய முடியும்.” Which means “Only if there is a wall, can you draw a picture on it.” Though space travel is becoming a reality, and people are planning to colonize at least the Moon, if not Mars, presently Earth is our only home. It is important that everyone understands this and does his or her bit to keep it intact for the children of 2020s. May God bless our steps into the future.

Some planning and a lot paint and pain - First step towards regulating Indian Traffic

I look out of an A320's window, looking at the beautiful city lights of Chennai. The airplane slowly gdes over from the Bay of Bengal over the Marina, cross over the arterial roads of Chennai, flies over the butterfly shaped Kathipara fly-over

and lands at the Chennai International Airport with a gentle thud. An announcement goes from the flight attendant mentioning the local time, temperature and instructions to passengers about immigration details. The seat belt sign switches off and the subtle race to the immigration counter begins among passengers. In less than an hour, I find myself hauling my luggage onto the trolley, which I realize, has only three wheels moving.

I scan through the faces at the airport to spot anyone familiar. Alas, I have to be on my own for the next hour too. I find many taxi drivers vying to get my attention. It is somewhat similar to what our politicians do while they visit homes to garner support for the upcoming assembly elections. After multiplying the taxi driver's quote for the drive home by 0.75, I start my bargaining from 0.50 of the quoted amount until we both agree at 0.75 time the initial quote by the taxi diver.

Once this ritual is done, the baggage finds its place in trunk of the car, and I in the front seat of the car. I do that because, since childhood I loved to be as close as possible to the driver's seat, be it a bus or a car. My hands pull the retractable seat belt (only to find that it's retractability is now a thing of the past) and buckle it. "Athu ellam thevai ille sir. Night thaane....policekaaran kanduka maatan" comforts my taxi driver. He tells me that I need not wear the seat belt now as it was late in the night and the cops would not mind even if one does not wear his or her seat belt. I chose to keep it on. Thankfully I did.

As the taxi raced through NH-45 which connects the southern districts of Tamil Nadu to its capital, I found myself searching for a brake pedal to reduce the taxi's speed. No! Was it the speed? No. It wasn't. I have driven my Getz in Brunei at speeds slightly above 100 kmph. It was not about the speed. It was about how he navigated through traffic, treating dogs, scooters,  cars and pedestrians alike. For him, all the above were just obstacles between his current ride and the next one waiting at the airport. So, he continued his obstacle course while I held on to my life, pressing an imaginary brake pedal. When I reached home and described this experience, people at home proudly exclaimed - Welcome to India Bro!

Since that day, I wonder why India cannot have disciplined drivers. Is something wrong with our people, that they are always in a rush; or is it something wrong with our 'system' that is not able to streamline things and make it work the way it should be.

Ask either parties, and they blame each other. And the truth is - Yes, both the system and its people successfully contribute to the pandemonium on Indian roads.

The Two-Wheelers

Let's start with the commoner. Yes, I am a part of this crowd - the motorcyclist. He has the machine which is the most efficient, not only in terms of fuel efficiency, but also in terms of distance traveled to time taken ratio. No matter how crowded the roads are, He can zip through the BMW GTs and Merc AMGs and reach his workspot earlier than his boss. And while doing so, he does not care which lane he is on, and which lane he will be in the next few seconds (He asks me, "Where are the lanes?"). It all depends on where the gap lies, and you will find him (and a fellow motorist who shares his story) filling it as naturally as how water gushes down a stream. 

He does not care which driver had a panic attack as he probably severed in front of the car barely missing the bumper. He can do more. When the road is choked, I take to the pavements.
He honks and makes pedestrians wonder if they should be walking on pavements or they should climb trees.

If someone does not move, he 'gently nudges' them till it painfully hurts and they let him pass. He decides which traffic signals are important and should be obeyed and which should be ignored. For him, Stop line is for the vehicles which queue up behind him. And by doing all this, he reaches in time. It gives him such an adrenaline rush that he never has to play any adventure sport in his life. It also gives him the feeling that he is working harder for his family and for his boss. He is completely convinced : this is the way to drive, and in his mind, HE IS RIGHT.

The Share-Autos and Taxis

They are on a league of their own. They have their own ways of driving, which would not follow any single country's style. They travel at full speed and stop when you hardly expect them to. And they stop in the middle of the road, or would turn without any indication. They could butt into free flowing traffic when they decide to continue their journey after picking up or dropping off one of their customers. If they want to change lanes, neither do they turn on the indicator nor show hand signals; instead, they poke their vehicle's noses between two vehicles in a manner that threatens people on the road. And they are in...in the lane they wanted to be in...and they would pick another spot to change back into the lane whey were in a few seconds later.

The vehicles are over-crowded, with passengers knees jutting outside the vehicles.

These passengers reaching home as one piece makes me believe God works miracles every day.

The Transport Buses

These are the Godzilla's of Chennai Traffic. They bully, and are the last to get bullied. So, they have their way - Always. This sometimes leaves others with no way, and get stranded. All Fridays, and any Festive days are days of torment.

The transport buses queue up in threes to pick up their prospective customers and would not budge until their buses are full. The fastest cars idle on the roads until the Godzillas decide that they have had their fill.

The Pedestrians

The pedestrians are not innocent either.

The young have so much energy that they can jump over medians and cross roads amidst full traffic. The old people are left behind at the mercy of these unruly drivers. In India, you are blessed if your old parent can safely return home without being brushed aside or knocked over by these impatient drivers. 

The Cops

They check driving licenses, insurance papers, pollution control certificates, and the blue card (RC book). They do not curtail people - driving in the wrong direction; not stoping at traffic lights; who ride rash; who don't stay in line to take a U turn; and who drive away from bars. In short, the rules are on the books. Enforcement is less.

In many situations, it appears as though they are not interested in enforcing rules; in certain other cases it is evident that they don't have enough manpower. It is also clear that people have come to understand that a few bucks to the cops, as a fine or otherwise would let them go scott-free even if they have not followed road rules.

There are also situations and places where signals don't work or are redundant, lanes and stop lines are not visible, and road signs are too small to be visible from all lanes.

What to do?

If you feel you are affected by all this and you feel that it is high time something has to be done regarding this, here's my suggestion. You! Yes, You follow lane discipline - Yes, irrespective of the fact that others are following it or not. If you are a pedestrian, walk on the pavement facing the oncoming traffic. Do not budge when two-wheelers nudge you. Sternly show them their place on the road. If you ride a two-wheeler, stop before the stop line. If you drive a car, stand in a single file while taking a U-turn.

If you are a cop, go home, read the rule book, and enforce all rules you find in them without hesitation.

If you are a top-cop or if you are in the PWD,
a bit of planning and a lot of paint (lanes) and with a lot of pain (law-enforcement), we can achieve traffic-discipline not just in our city, but in all cities of this country. 

Please spread the awareness. Make the need to be felt. Everyone wants a better country. Everyone wants safer roads. Then, everyone should work towards it. Let it start from the one who is reading this blog!