My two bits …
Posted by: sunainak on: November 11, 2008
I haven’t blogged in the longest time. Probably didn’t have a compelling enough thought to contribute. Did not feel an urge to offer an opinion, up until now I guess 
I was surfing through channels the day Barack Obama was elected, when I was drawn to this debate on NDTV Profit where they were discussing the impact of the election results on India and outsourcing in particular. That is when the thought struck me! Why is it that when we Indians (and perhaps the entire world) are so closely affected by the results of the US elections, that we or at least our elected representatives not given a say (even if it is a minor percentage) in who should be the next US president (or the elected head of any other country for that matter).
Now we have to admit that no country can afford to live in isolation anymore or just offer their opinions from the sidelines while someone else is making the decision of how their future should be shaped. We have seen how the financial recession has shown its impact the world over, even though our Indian finance minister had been confident that India will not be affected too badly. We see the Indian airlines firing employees, Tata motors closing factory operations for a week to avoid inventory pile-up (uncannily the same happens with the automotive industry in US) and other such drastic measures. It is no longer the case that when the US gets a cold, the whole world gets fever. It’s just that the whole world including US catches the infection together and suffers and fights through it together.
The US elections have been observed closely the world over for the last 2 years and will most definitely play a hand in shaping our future. We have taken the opportunity to discuss it in detail, study it from all perspectives and offer our opinions. My idea is that it is only fair that we should have been allowed to participate in it.
Hmmm… With the Indian elections coming up, I wonder whether we can be bold enough to take the first step
Crossword puzzles that Full Circle couldn’t solve!
Posted by: sunainak on: January 18, 2008
My friend and I were waiting our turn in the queue at the cash counter of Full Circle - a well known book store in Khan Market, Delhi – when our discussion about our reading interests was interrupted by a loud, thickly-accented female voice.
“What do you mean??!!! I am a regular customer of this store! You cannot make an exception for your regular customer? Surely you don’t expect me to carry the card with me every time!”
The voice in question belonged to a middle-aged, well-dressed lady (one of the many that are found in abundance in Khan Market). She was upset at the lady behind the counter for being unable to give her a member’s discount because of the non-availability of a membership card. The membership card is a “Friends of Full Circle Bookstore” card, which you can obtain ‘on-request’ from the cash counter at the store on purchase of a book. Why I highlight ‘on-request’ is because until this incident took place, I too was unaware that such a thing existed despite the fact that I am a frequent visitor of the store. So obviously it is not too well marketed by the store. The card allows you to collect 10 points on every Rs. 100 spent by you, for 10 visits. On your 11th visit, you get to redeem your points by getting a discount equivalent to the total number of points collected.
The conversation that followed, was interesting enough to hold our fancy for the next 5 minutes –
Lady – “I have many purses. My card could be in any one of the bags. You cannot expect me to carry the card with me everytime! I am a regular customer and I have been to each one of your stores. You can check your records. I live here in Golf Links!”
(Obviously the Golf Links bit was added for tashan value 
. After all, we are rich and speak in an accent. It is our birth right to show off!!! )
The executive behind the counter, by now suitably embarrassed, quietly relented, and started drawing out a fresh card for the lady. Through with the billing procedure, she handed the bill along with the card to the lady.
Lady – “What is this? You have made a fresh card for me? Have you given me a discount?”
Executive – “Yes Ma’am.”
Lady (incredulous by now) – “You mean you have given me a discount and added my points for THIS purchase????!!!”
Executive – “Yes Ma’am.”
Lady – “But I bought 3 books. Should you not add my points for the 3 books as 3 different visits???”
(My friend and I gave each other conspiratorial grins. Oh come-on lady!!! You are Rich!! You live in golf links! And the babe just gave you a discount. Don’t argue and behave like a baniya!!! Just take your books and your discount and Run!!!!)
And Run she must!!!! For if you ask me, it is neither lady’s fault, nor that of the female behind the counter. The fault completely lays with the store owners. You call me a Friend of the Bookstore, but how about being friendly with me? If I am not mistaken, there are at least 2 stores of Full Circle in Delhi. If I am a member with them, should they not have my details including my membership number and the total points collected by me, stored in their systems and easily accessible at both the stores?
Crosswords Bookstores, another chain of bookstores with a presence all over India, also offer membership cards. But they store my information electronically for it to be available as and when I need to access it. I mean this is what usability is all about! We are Humans! You cannot expect us to remember to carry these things with us everywhere. That’s where technology needs to come to our rescue. And believe you me, even though Crosswords charges Rs 150 for their membership card, unlike Full Circle’s which is for free, I would much rather pay Rs 150 and take membership with Crosswords. They advertise their membership card (even on their website), hold special events and schemes for members, provide special privileges to the members and also give them a discount on EVERY purchase.
And Crossword’s user focus goes beyond the Membership card. Being an avid reader, I have purchased books from Crosswords, Teksons Bookstores and Full Circle. I have the hardest time locating the books of my choice at Teksons and Full Circle. They have such a hap-hazard categorisation of books! I always have to take the help of the executives at the store. Crosswords Bookstores, on the other hand, have a beautiful categorisation of books. I have purchased books from them in their larger stores in Ahmedabad and their much smaller one in Delhi (Shopper’s Stop, Rajouri garden). And the usability of their layout doesn’t fail to please in either case. They have books categorised according to the high-level genres, author names and even have sections called best sellers, Crosswords recommends, Crosswords top 10 etc. Buying books at Crosswords is always a pleasure! Now that’s taking customer experience to a different level. Usability beyond service with a smile.
(P.S – I hope they open more Crosswords stores in Delhi. One small outlet is just not enough!)
Tata Nano – the Dream Car?
Posted by: sunainak on: January 14, 2008
- In: Auto Expo
- 3 Comments
In the past few weeks, we have experienced a considerable hype generated about Tata’s dream car – Tata Nano. Why a dream car? Well the reasons are obvious. Being the cheapest car ever to be produced, Tata Motors has raised the hopes of all those who so far had only dreamt of owning a car but could never afford one. When Tata Motors had first presented the concept of a Rs 1 Lakh car, many scoffed that it was unachievable. Yet it has been done. The dream car will be finally unleashed to roam free in the third quarter of 2008.
(image source: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/tata-nano-the-worlds-cheapest-car/)
Well, it is probably easy to get carried away with the euphoria. And so lakhs of people landed up at the Auto Expo 2008, in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi to see the car they will own in the future. The Nano stall itself attracted a footfall of close to 3 lakhs over the weekend. TV interviews quoted people saying – “1 lakh ki gaadi hai. Hum to zaroor khareedenge!” (The car costs just 1 lakh rupees. We will definitely buy it!). Makes me stop and wonder though. Isn’t it true that since the car is so cheap, every individual who used to afford a Motor bike for commuting in the past will now instead opt for the Nano? Is Nano going to replace all the motorcycles, auto-rickshaws and 2-wheeler scooters in India? Can we then imagine the state of the already over-flowing traffic conditions in the country? Is the already choc-a-block traffic condition going to get worse? And are we not talking about higher pollution levels? Where on the one hand, the Delhi government is spending crores of rupees in improving the public transportation system, and seriously thinking about the pollution dilemma caused by the increasing numbers of diesel vehicle in the capital, what role will the Nano play in the situation?
I heard in a news channel that Mr. Ratan Tata plans to launch only 2.5 lakh Nanos in a year. Where that could help to curb the incessant demand for the dream car, I still wonder whether the dream car is actually going to turn out to be a nightmare?
Other post on Tata Nano - Nita’s Blog
Sab Chalta hai, Take it easy!!!
Posted by: sunainak on: November 2, 2007
NEW DELHI: The driver of the Blueline bus, which mowed down an 11-year-old boy in Badarpur on Saturday, taking the toll to 100, has been arrested. He was arrested on Sunday evening by the Badarpur police station where a case of death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered against him. (Times of India, 29 October 2007)
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Delhi’s been seeing blue for quite some time now. A blue monster is loose on the streets, eating anyone and anything that came in its path. Much (and a very valid) hue and cry has already been raised on this subject. The death toll is increasing and we need to control the situation. As a regular passenger, who has suffered like others during the blue-line strikes, my attempt here is to add another perspective.
I agree that the blue-line drivers are rash (also un-educated, rude & uncouth if I may add), but we need to take some of the blame too. I commute from Okhla to Karol Bagh everyday, and everyday I see people hanging on the buses from all possible sides. Some think they are dare-devils and get their kicks in life by doing so. Some – like the children in the above picture – are trying to save a few rupees. Some just don’t find space beyond the footrest of the bus because it is already splitting at its seams with 160 odd passengers. Every single one of these people are requested by the conductors of the buses to step inside. But all of these people and many more continue to adamantly ignore him and travel the same way every single day. Given the traffic situation in Delhi, the speed of the buses and the precarious position in which these people are dangling, who is to be blamed if one of them slips and is ‘Mowed Down’? The bus driver? The traffic policeman? Parents of these children? Bystanders like me and many others who quietly see this everyday and just honk for the bus to get out of our way? Are we really saying that someone else is responsible for our lives?
All of us see this happening every day. All we contribute to the situation is a couple of tsks. Maybe like the many other wrongs happening on the streets of Delhi, this one is also to be blamed on the government. The government in turn increases the challan and threatens to stop the blue-lines completely. The bus drivers panic and woo the local traffic policemen in their favour by bribing them with 200 rupees every fortnight (that’s the going rate I believe, though it differs for blue-lines, chartered buses and trucks). The thula (traffic policeman) of course is then ‘morally’ bound to ignore the antics of these monsters. The result is the great big khichdi we call the bad ‘traffic situation’ of Delhi. But ye to regular hai na … Sab chalta hai, Take it easy!!!
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