Maruti 800 - Going Going Gone

Since last few years we have been often hearing that Maruti Suzuki Ltd is going to Phase out the Maruti 800 from Indian Roads. Technical advancements, market demands and more factors than possibly understood by the general public would surely have compelled the Maruti Senior Team to decide as such. But then the inevitable has to happen and today morning I was a trifle sad when I saw the news item in Hindustan Times that today was the last day for ordering a Maruti 800 if one wanted. It will not be available for sale from tomorrow!!

Maruti 800 like many others was my first car. I rememember the car in its first avatar being launched in the late seventies. It was a triple jump event for the indian automobile indutsry and of course the common man. For years we had just seen the inefficient Fiats(Premier Padminis) and Ambassadors on the road and we had somehat given up.

Thanks to Sanjay Gandhi's inefficiency and unwarranted accidental death, his own pet car project got converted into the Suzuki collborration and Indians finallt got a taste of new technology. While the cars were being lapped up in other metros and cities, Kolkata was still taking time to get over from the Ambassador hangover!!

My first car was a Cream Brown 800 and I learnt my driving in it thanks to my neighbour Uncle Phil Kavrana in Pune. For people driving the older generation cars the feel itself was a relief on our hand and foot muscles. Of course there were prudes who would rather have the truck feel!!

I have a lot of lovely memories of long distance driving in my 800 from Pune to Nasik or Aurangabad and the sight seeing that we have done in the plains and mountains. I remember the accident we had with our car and a truck near Kufri. I remember taking Devika to the hospital when she had labour pains. I remember my first steep climb down from Panshet Dam and Chaitali's white face of fear.

I am a bit sad today. Sphere: Related Content

Is the business of selling bottled-water more about selling the bottle or the water?(Linked In)

Its about selling water in a suitable, usable portable container that happens to be a bottle. They are sold together as a product!!

The business is about making money by the entrepreneurs who saw that there would be a demand for drinking water of this kind and therefore producing them and reaching them out to the customer along with of course all other business activities that is related like brand building, cost improvements, etc,etc,etc. Sphere: Related Content

Somebody asked in Linked In...regarding the difference between Peddling and Vending?

Inherently there is no difference. There is no debate that to peddle is to sell by moving around eg. a street hawker. Similarly vending also is selling and can be interchanged with peddling except that you would have vending machines but not really a peddling machine.

I guess as the language evolves the usage of words keep changing though the meanings could be same or similar. Typically a sales person would be happy if you say that he is selling rather than peddling. And of course a street drug(of the wrong kind) seller would rather be known to be as peddling drugs.

So the differentiation is in how you would want to use the words and not really their inherent meaning!! Sphere: Related Content

How to collaborate with SME and Corporates?

Yogesh M. A. (OOH Media Entrepreneur) asked this question:
I have seen SME and corporates both have their own potentials and entrepreneurs need to work with both of them and both cultures are different I would be very glad if you explain us about how to collaborate with this biggest marketplaces.

My answer :
A SME vs a Corporate typecasting would depend upon "your" own business strategy. So my SME could be your corporate!! That being the basis of my answer the rest is as follows:

There is no logical answer to this that could be termed as generic. I tend to think that every organisation big or small has their own culture, hierarchies, bureaucracies, process and procedures of their own. The idea is to understand that carefully before and while you collaborate.

We also need to understand the organisational dynamics in terms of HR structures vs actual on the ground functional structures. By differiantiating you respect the individual organisation and thats what will finally bear results. That does not mean similar strategies do not work with multiple organisations. It could, but I believe they are never exactly the same.

I would agree to disagree amicably that Corporates only look for fast results, or SME's look for customised solutions. It depends!! I will need to find that out!!! Sphere: Related Content

IPL 2010

IPL has started again. I have watched all the matches so far. KKR always will be a fav for obvious and unknown reasons. It's genetic perhaps - Bong connection.

Why do then need those semi clad cheerleaders is beyond me? I mean I have no objections to them, but they don't seem to fit in the scheme of things. Maybe they could have given a show in the beginning and the break and at the end!!

Every evening for a month now has been taken care of. The World T20 to follow and after that its the mother of all. FIFA WC 2010. This is a good YEAR!!!! Sphere: Related Content

Kuwait Sea Front - A March 2010 afternoon!!

We have been planning to visit the sea front of Kuwait and finally we made it on a rather unjustified afternoon. It was sunny but not hot and the breeze was extremely pleasant and the prospect of having lunch at Mais Alghanim after the stroll made me compromise the family request!!

Some shots, not in chronlogiocal order.

Birds of a feather, flock (is 4 a flock?) together!!



Some other visitors for a midday picnic!!

Two siblings playing!!

We played holi the other day. Quite a contrast today!!

And a tortoise in clay to welcome you!!

And all this near Noodle House on Gulf Road!!

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