Code RED!!

Being in the second year, chang (my roommate at Purdue) and I had taken the liberty to go back to school a week late. But we had received some flak for that decision from our professors and we were glad that we were at least going to reach Purdue 24 hours before class started and this would give us some time to sleep our jet lag off and get started on some of the work that had piled up in our absence.

The flight from Bangalore to Delhi was on time with no delays (unfortunately for us we later thought) and the airlines told us that we don t even have to pick our luggage and that it’ll go directly on to the international flight... Life was good...

People in Bangalore often ask why the domestic airport was shifted so far along with the international airport and a compelling counter to that would be go fly international thru Delhi and find out!! The international airport is an hour long drive from the domestic airport and when you are traveling in an AC bus with the AC not switched on and you don t have the option of lowering your windows... It feels like eternity... or eternity as we thought then: p


The bus drops us off on the sidewalk at an extremely crowded and confused airport terminal and drives off!!! The passengers are standing there saying "now what!!"
I felt sorry for some foreigners in our midst, imagine their situation if we Indians felt lost and worried in this chaos..!!
Then, someone figured out where the counter was and we started moving towards it and this airlines agent comes and says "all flights out of Delhi delayed due to fog and please find your luggage; I think it’s lying around there somewhere!!"
I am not kidding the moron used the same words!!!
So we search frantically for our luggage and the pain of traveling with more suitcase than you have hands was just starting.. Luckily for us we find all our bags to only realize that the flight has been delayed by more than 8 hours!! Fortunately (or not), the airlines said they all be shifting us to a hotel for the night.

Trolleys are great!! Trust me, u realize that wen u need them and there no trolleys!!... so with the help of this man’s great invention, we move our luggage onto a bus and we drive for another hour to reach this nice place I guess...(forgive my cynicism here, but I was pissed off as hell and I don t know why they could not put us up at a place which did not require us to travel for 2 hours up and down)... so we reach this place at 12 in the night and they tell us they’ll give us a wakeup call at 3 a.m.. See what I mean by putting us up at a nearby hotel... so chang and I are hungry and being put up in a 5 star hotel with no dinner means that we pay 500 Rs. for a plate of Biryani!

I receive a call from a lady at 3 and she says "sir, your flight has been delayed by another 5 hours and we all call you in the morning to give you an update" I am too sleepy to care and I go back to sleep...and then in the morning at 7, I realize that the checkout time is 8:30 and there’s free breakfast!! (Not if you believe time is money, then we are being ripped off right now :-) )
What happens when there is a plane full of people trying to go down from their rooms with 3 pieces of luggage all at the same time and there are only 2 small lifts???
Operations students will say “the throughput is low and the input is rate is high and it leads to a queue in the system (Little's law for all the geeks :) )” So we spend half an hour in this interesting exercise and the hustle begins!! By the way in midst of all this I am asked to pay 120 Rs/minute to make a call home from the hotel...

So the airlines people book 3 busses to take back people to the airport and soon passengers realize that it’s not enough to fit everyone and it was fascinating to see international flight passengers trying to jostle each other (yours truly included) for a seat in the bus :-) I read somewhere people are hardwired and our instincts remain forever, it seemed that people had reverted back to their hunting days when it was survival of the fittest :) ... predictably, the bus's luggage compartment gets filled with people still yet to put their luggage’s in. I don t know if the airlines was trying to save some small change or it was a case of miscommunication but I do know that it was extremely badly managed..

So we arrive back at the airport only now it s sunny and thankfully, yes, thankfully less foggy.. And the flight s on time and we hear some rumor that there was ice in Chicago and stuff... Actually thinking back, I am flying from fog prone Delhi and snow/ice prone Chicago in January and I had actually hoped to be on time!!! :p

The flight takes off at noon Delhi time delayed by more than 12 hours now and our buffer time that we were glad about has now been reduced to less than 12 hours.....

So now we are 4 hours away from Chicago and the airhostess has just served dinner or breakfast (so when you are flying international, and before you land, are you on your source time or destination time??)
Anyway, I see a chocolate mousse and am eager to get to it...all of a sudden an airhostess runs to the mic and starts shouting "CODE RED!! CODE RED!!We have a CODE RED!! “There’s panic in her voice and the other hostesses serving dinner just push away their carts and run towards her...

Imagine this if you can... You are 10,000 feet up in the air and these people panic by shouting code red!! We have a code red!..
Now! What the hell is a code red?? My heart skipped a beat!! I had seen too many movies and my mind came up with thoughts like terrorists, engine failure, are we landing in a river?? Landing gear not opening.. (We were not even preparing to land... but this I thought of later.

Obviously passengers were scared as hell... This went on for a minute and then somebody said it’s a medical emergency... I am sorry to say this but it came as a relief to most of us... (Human instinct to live won over compassion) so then they called for any doctor's on board and 5 doctors volunteered and one of them even wore a gloves and asked for IV!!
They debated on what to do for half an hour or so... when Chang famously commented "too many cooks spoil the broth"

So much for the food... I lost all my appetite and the chocolate mousse did not fulfill its destiny of being eaten that day (though chang happily finished his meal thru all this.... for once chang world helped!!!)...for the rest of the journey we could hear intermittent moans of pain from this passenger. Finally it was time to land and after we landed we were requested to be seated for another half an hour so that paramedics could come and stabilize this lady and shift her to a hospital... we did see a puddle of blood when we were getting off the plane...

So after all this, it was only fair to the story that there should be more... because of our delay, we missed our coach to Purdue and we were left with a choice to spend the night at the airport or drive in the snow and after some 30 hours of travelling... anyone want to calculate that buffer time we had left??

So we decide to drive and decide to help another student at Purdue who is in the same plight by giving him a lift home...so if you have seen the TV show 24 you would probably guess that when you think you are done with it... there’s something more... yes, 30 minutes from my destination a cop flashes his lights behind me!!! I was supposedly going slightly over the speed limit!! Did someone say "Murphy’s law??"!!
Well fortunately for me, my record was clean and the cop just gave me a warning which obviously goes on my ex-spotless record :-(

So it’s around 2:30 in the morning and we finally reach our destination easily after 35 hrs of leaving Bangalore...all hopes of catching up on work long gone...

A visitor to India

Sitting in an airport waiting for your flight gives you lots of time and limited choice of activities. I am charging my laptop and having no internet I have decided to pen down my thoughts about the last 30 days which I have spent in India.

A month ago, I board my flight to India eager to meet loved and missed ones but I also think will my dog remember me?? Will I be able to drive on Indian roads?? How many of my friends have moved on??

I was picked up from the airport by my mom and everything seemed so different, somehow unfamiliar for a city in which I have spent 24 of my 26 years!! I blame it on the new international airport which is like a city away and the traffic which according to me has worsened. The irony was the only thing which was familiar was the total lack of road sense or courtesy shown by autos and taxis!! :p “ I won’t be able to drive in this madness!!”

Being a foodie (believe me it shows L) I used to prize myself on knowing most of the eating joints in my city, but on familiar roads I saw unfamiliar restaurants and lack of some known ones. Some of it saddened me, others looked like new territories to prowl and conquer J ( I am among the ones who live to eat :p)

I reach home and I rush to meet Leo (my dog) and I hesitate just a second coz after that he was all over me licking me and jumping on me and there was so much joy on his face. And there I was, stupid enough to doubt a dog’s loyalty… J Concern #1 down the drain J

Concern #2 : I start my car thinking, Can I use the clutch? Will I drive on the wrong i.e the right side (sorry couldn’t help not pointing it out :p)…I put the car in gear and instinct takes over…I am cautious for the first ten minutes entering into intersections and wary of bikes and autos zigzagging.. but as soon as I stop searching for the non existent lanes, the concept of lane driving vanishes and I become a part of the chaos which is Bangalore traffic..

Concern #3: I meet my friends and we finish the regular, U have become pale, U have lost weight formalities J ( forgive my 2 secs of vanity here J) it was weird coz I have not been a part of their lives for nearly two years now but I realize now there is just more to talk and catch up on J and a trip together of some close friends for 3 days is just what the doctor ordered and by the end of it I was up to date (read “Rolling on the floor laughing” J ) on each of the stupidities committed by them.

So I am sitting here at the end of the trip trying to think of some good reasons why I am leaving all this behind and the answer is unfortunately “yes, for the greater good” J.. anyway, my flight’s been announced so I have to go.. but I am thinking of the cliché statement “Home is where the heart lies” !!

Hey wait, little did I know the adventures or mis-adventures I would have on the return journey.. so look for my next blog “CODE RED!!”

Sacrifice.. the greatest gift?

Nestled amidst the heavenly hills
Lies a lake with its water green
Misty clouds make nature look its best
With a setting sun, a sight it is to be seen.

This paradise it seems, created by a god in love
Looks lost on a boy sitting here
There is a chill in the air there is light rain
His face is so sad; oh he is in so much pain.

Clutching at a pendant, trying to rewind time
Sobbing he sits, looking back at his life
In this silence, his soul cries aloud
How can my friend become another’s wife?

The birds here seem to share his grief
There is no other sound in the air
They respect him for they all know
To love is easy, but to sacrifice is great.

A party without sound

Sitting here i am going mad
feeling lonely, oh the world is so sad
Was it always like this i think
i get the answer before i can wink
Clear is the voice in my head
NO!! it was fun is what it said


Struggling thru life week after week
for fear of being branded meek
Acting strong even if u r weak
all for praise, which everyone seek


People told me reach out for the sky
all i had to do was to ask them why
When i was havin fun on the ground
did i make life a party without sound

Pretending to be what u r not
I wonder now, achieves what
Life stares at me right in the face
even to hide i dont have a place
What choice do i have but to act
so with myself i make a pact


Leading life without a care
i ll try to make it a happy fair
Work i will, but i will also play\
consequences come what may
For i know no price is too high to pay
to go through life happily day by day

CSR is changing!!

“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” – William Penn


CSR activities should form an integral part of work in any company. An organization should strive to achieve a more equitable sorrounding society by creating small, but effective opportunities in the areas of healthcare, education, social rehabilitation and the arts. Corporate social responsibility, according to me, has changed dramatically over the past few years. Previously, CSR encompassed philanthropic activities which enhanced the organization’s commercial benefit and raised its reputation with customers. I believe it is now about using the core competence of the organization to establish linkages between the internal and the external communities.

In addition to the CSR’s obvious benefits to society, it builds a positive image of the organization among the employees and encourages their social involvement. Today’s employees increasingly feel the need to contribute to the cause of creating a better society. This leads to a dedicated workforce that is proud of its employer. Therefore, I believe CSR is a two way street, where the companies help the society and in turn reap the benefits by improving its image both internally and externally. This has caused CSR to emerge as a strong force in the corporate world

The business side of China!!

Chinese economy has been booming since the 1950’s; the economy has been increasing so rapidly over the past decade that some analysts predict overheating but the Chinese analysts feel that this boom is supported by the substantial improvement in the economy’s potential for further expansion. This claim is supported by the rapid advances in industries like electricity, coal mining, petroleum and infrastructure etc. China has more than enough funds to sustain this phenomenal growth. The people of china have built up a large amount of private wealth and one of the reasons for this is the development is funded through FDIs. There is a solid inflow of foreign investments in china due to the huge potential for demand in China. Some of the economists feel that the Chinese economy size is undervalued since the Yuan is undervalued. One dollar is nearly equal to 7.0 Yuan whereas if we consider the goods that we can buy in a Dollar, the exchange is around 4.0 Yuan.

The analysts feel that China is moving from being the world’s producer to the world’s market. Therefore all the major companies want to cash in on this huge potential market. The accumulation of private wealth in China is making the baby boomers in China a huge market. The domestic consumption in China has seen an increase since 2002. The rural population has seen an increase in their earnings due to the income re-allocation scheme introduced by the government in 2002. The government has even allowed people to shift into the cities by providing PR status. The analysts say that this situation has improved due to government’s efforts to lay more emphasis on public welfare of pensioners and rural workers.

This dispensable income with Chinese people has had many benefits to the economy; one of them is the growth in the fashion and luxury goods industry a Louis Vuitton brand manager talked to us about the growing need for luxury goods in China. China is already the third biggest consumer of luxury goods. The manager also talked about the prestige value associated with these goods and how the Chinese people place a lot of emphasis on this prestige value. But the problem facing the government is the rip-offs or the lack of a system of intellectual property rights of these luxury brands. The fake markets are hurting the brand image and the sales of companies like Ralph-Lauren badly. But the big brands are still going to China because their researches have shown that there is a section of rich Chinese society that doesn’t mind overpaying for these luxury goods and this segment is increasing. Even sports like NBA recognize the importance of China and its huge potential market for the sport. The NBA created a separate entity called NBA China this year to promote basketball in both rural and urban part of China. A speaker involved in this process talked about the huge expected revenues this body can generate by popularizing this game in China through TV rights and selling NBA merchandize.

Some of the analysts felt that to have a successful business in China, it is necessary to follow both differentiation and cost leadership. While this strategy might not work in a developed market like United States where the brands are established and sales are possible through differentiation only. In China’s developing market cost is very important and it is tough to sell items only through branding. This concept was highlighted by Lenovo’s success over other competitors like HP and Dell. Another very important aspect necessary to succeed in China is to build strong relation with the government as the government is strongly involved in most of the successful businesses.

Who has answers!!

Here are some thoughts...the internship has been highly structured.... the projects are exciting and we all have gr8 visibility within the company...well i guess the situation Sears finds itself in is "change now or go down"... so this means that every process can be optimized and there is no complacency regardin the existing processes.. if i have to point out the negatives... it will be, the organiz'n wants to change but do ppl want it.. i mean changin anythin is more work and some ppl s motto for work is avoid anything which involves anything extra coming to them... :( ever organization has its faults i guess... so what is happenin to Sears?? the retail industry in general is down in the US but Sears is into home appliances which is affected also by the subprime crisis.. so Sears is more hit than Walmart or target...

Having said this, there is more to it.... walmart has an exceptional supply chain which reduces the costs of every product and it has grown soo huge that it get s a lot of economies of scale.. so its tough for any company to take on Walmart on cost.. it is the mighty low cost retailer targetting the massive middle class suburban segment of the society..coming to target, target has grown exceptionally over the last ten years.. they have successfully differentiated themselves from Walmart by providing better stores with brighter lights...better carpets.. more store associates.. they have created a better experience for the customer.. therefore the customer who goes to target is willing to pay that extra dollar compared to walmart...they are targetting a slightly more affluent part of the society...
So two major retailers have a clear strategy but where does tht leave Sears... should it go after walmart s customers... tht s impossible w/o walmarts supply chain effeciency and economies of scale... or should it invest a lot in making the stores better and try replicate the target model... thts more money and if it doesn t attract customers, it leaves the company in a worse situation... so the questions are simple... sears is stuck in the middle it has to get out... but go wer?? which direction?? and how?? the key is how to get the people to come to the stores??
I don t think anyone has the answers unfortunately :(
so currently the company is talking profit and loss view and goin for different initiatives, some tried and tested and some really innovative.. i think everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for tht one success story which will kinda have a ripple effect all over the company... but kudos for the positive attitude of the mgmt and the associates in such difficult times!!!