Rolling Gear Last May, Indian airline companies reduced the permissible weight limit on checked-in bags [domestic sector] to 15 kgs. The international limit ranges from 23 kgs (or lower?) to the more generous likes of Emirates that allows up to 30 kgs (Economy) and 50 kgs (First Class). The average suitcase weighs between 3-6 kilos. What remains is…
Carry This Last afternoon, I was lucky to chance upon some great customer service. I was at a station in Karnataka, heading back to Bombay with my mom. The indifferent railway staff hadn’t been clear about which platform the train would arrive on. After a long wait, the platform was announced. The person at the info desk…
Hope you don’t have a Rolled Model? We all have role models? Well, at least most of us do. And can we ever admire them enough? While it’s great if you have idols or role models, something I suggest to friends and acquaintances is that you should not be amazed by your role models. Instead, find out what it is about…
Your Time Will Come Three days ago, I was rushing to office after a meeting. The day somehow seemed very different. Special, in an inexplicable way. The meeting had gone well too. While waiting at a signal light, lost in the magical voice of the very beautiful Amy MacDonald singing ‘Your time will come’, when…
The Tata Nano, cheapest car in the world today, is arguably one of the biggest milestones in the auto industry in recent times, the world over. A close friend of mine, Sheshank Reddy shared an article which talked about how Mr. Ratan Tata, in hindsight, felt the Nano should not have been positioned as ‘the cheapest car’. Another close friend, Pradeep Shetty,…
Chip Off the Old Block Renaissance artist Michelangelo claimed that his job was to free the human form trapped inside the block. His words, apparently were: “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and in action. I have only to…
Seasons Greetings Y’all.! Compared to businesses abroad, companies in India have been notorious for having too many public/festival holidays. And employees, of course, have always been grumbling about not having enough. There are numerous and diverse religions and cultures here. And its our collectively celebrating festivals is what makes Indian culture unique and rich in itself. Now…
I Wonder If You Can Think about any random man-made problem that the world faces; financial meltdowns, corruption, greed, poverty. Also, inequalities, ethnic violence, crimes against women and children, “man-made” natural disasters, and so on. Wouldn’t it be easy even to just grasp the magnitude of these problems if they all had just one or a few common causes? And simple causes…
Sell Blankets to Eskimos This post requires you to think a bit. Might be difficult on a Friday night, but do give it a thought over the weekend. We all know how challenging the life of a salesperson can be. Unrealistic sales targets, unwelcoming prospective customers, unending follow-up calls and meetings. And then demoralizing posters outside offices and the crushing…
Everything’s What Not It Seems Life Lesson: As we go through life, at any point, if we find that nobody or relatively fewer people are opposing or contradicting our views or opinions, it can only mean one of the following: you’ve stated the obvious (Means you need to grow up) you’re absolutely right (Again, and again? What are the odds?) the topic is too trivial…