When the famous author Nassim Taleb coined the phrase ‘antilibrary,’ so many of us, across the world, felt a sigh of relief. Felt validated. Legitimised. Liberated from the guilt of buying more books than one could read. Antilibrary refers to the number of books in your personal collection that you have not read. “The library…
(First Published in ThriveGlobal) ‘Fearlessness’ is often a quality highly acknowledged and celebrated. Even if one is not, it is a quality that is projected or sometimes granted by people. But, personally for me, I have to admit I have largely been a fearful person. Such candid admission might not well augur for my outward…
I had stopped watching cricket on television or tracking the game many years back. I don’t remember exactly when I lost interest though. In any case, I was not a fan by any Indian standards. Yes, we played some cricket during school days, near home with cousins, with sturdy bats made of coconut stem, which…
This is triggered by a question Sairee Chahal, Founder of Sheroes, asked on Twitter. “How do you measure meaning in a startup?” This is just an attempt, based on my experience, fully acknowledging this may not be a flawless answer. I changed the word ‘startup’ to ‘organisation’ since my experience was leading a business unit that was part of a larger organisation….
(Originally published in the IMPACT 13th Anniversary Issue on Good Luck, a collection of notes from over 200 people in the Indian Marketing, Media & Advertisement industry on what luck means to them) The dictionary meaning of ‘Luck’ is “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.” By that definition, I do not…
Controversial as it may sound, the straight and simple answer is ‘no.’ Except that it is in an ideal, utopian world. In an ideal world, everyone—individuals, businesses, government, and other institutions—is socially conscious and behaves responsibly, making a separate development sector redundant. But we are far from it. Much has been said and written about…
(Originally published in Impact magazine issue dated 04th February 2017) In early 2000, a bunch of marketing, media, and technology folks kicked the grave of John Wanamaker and woke him up from his long sleep. John Wanamaker, who had died 78 years earlier, suddenly became the brand ambassador for digital advertising. For it was he…
(Originally published in the IMPACT 12th Anniversary Issue on Inspirations (2016), a collection of notes from over 200 people in the Indian Marketing, Media & Advertisement industry on what inspires them) When you are struggling to write 250 words on ‘what inspires you,’ it can perhaps mean only two things. Either nothing or everything inspires you. Since I…
(First published in October 2016) Times Internet has been on a spree of signing up partnerships to bring in international digital media titles to India. One would assume that we now get these sites with content relevant to India with their international production standards and design sensibilities. But unfortunately no. Let’s for a moment keep…
(First published in September 2016, in Maxus/WPP internal publications) The dynamic tension between two conflicting states and the need for an ideal balance is often considered a requirement for a system to move forward. For instance, the tension between change and stability; freedom and order; and innovation and efficiency and so on. So what do…