Science, especially with the understanding in evolutionary biology and neurosciences tell us that as a species we have evolved over millions of years and our brains have evolved over time. And our actions are controlled by reactions/changes in any of the three parts of the brain. Millions of years back, the primary purpose was to…
A Travel Hack for 2020
(First published in Impact Weekly, August 2020) Sometime in 2004 or 2005, I met a client, who was heading India marketing & sales for a global IT product company. He is an expert in and passionate about photography, has a great portfolio, and held exhibitions occasionally. This was the time before good mobile cameras, Facebook,…
The Serendipity of Discovering Books
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…
When Care Is Expressed As Fear
(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…
Cricket in the time of Diarrhea
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…
How do you measure meaning in an organisation?
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….
What does Good Luck mean to you?
(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…
Do we really need a ‘development sector’?
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…
In 2017, do not invest in digital marketing
(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…
What Inspires You
(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…