YAB

Driver on owners

2012-02-11T12:12:00.000+05:30

Those from north India may know it, but for those not aware फोटो स्टेट = झेरॉक्स.

सेठ मे सेठ सरदार सेठ
बाकी सभ (सब) फोटो स्टेच

Conserve Fuel

2012-01-31T18:22:00.000+05:30

ईराक का पानी
कम पीओ मेरी रानी

Island City

2012-01-26T17:40:00.000+05:30

Saw this post on MumbaiPaused today so posting this photo that a friend clicked for me last week.

तु १३ देख

Thousands are suffering

2012-01-11T22:33:00.001+05:30

from a condition called love.


जहाँ देखो वहाँ इश्क के बीमार बैठे है। हजारो मर गये सैकडों तैयार बैठे है॥

Mumbai Autorickshaws

2011-12-15T22:25:00.000+05:30

A - it's just the start

ए तो शुरूवात है ...

If you are Mangloo, he's looking out for you.

एक मंगलु की तलाश

Remember the Bam-bam Maharaj & Babuji joke?


ओढली चुनरिया विंध्याचल की जय जय बोलो बंबाजी की!

Marathi accent

2011-12-07T20:52:00.000+05:30

On a truck

नशिब अपना अपना

Unusual combination

2011-11-19T12:43:00.000+05:30

A cop, disciple of Shri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot and a fan of President Barack Obama.

Loaded today. Empty tomorrow.

2011-10-23T12:26:00.000+05:30

एक फूल दो माली - The most recurring theme in the Chopda-Johad camp films.

एक फूल दो माली आज भरी कल खाली

Dutch Graffiti

2011-10-20T22:29:00.000+05:30

A beautifully done wall in Utrecht, Netherlands.

Ubiquitous bicycles and an Indian Restaurant named (what else but) Taj Mahal.

Modern technology owes ecology an apology

Angry Motorcycle

2011-10-14T23:53:00.000+05:30

An extra K always helps.

According to urbandictionary, Terrarist is a person who commits terrorist acts in the name of preventing widespread environmental damage.

Mumbai King

2011-10-01T19:19:00.001+05:30

The expression - Shorgasm (shooting orgasm).

Mumbai King

Notice the line below the bumper.

KHAIL KHALLAS

Yellow dress and a red lipstick. Oooooh Raveena.

Made for each other

हम भी तो यूसुफ़ होते

2011-09-25T09:52:00.001+05:30

Spotted this Auto in May 2011. Popular stars on the Auto rickshaw circuit are Salman and SanjooBaba. This guy however is a huge Yusuf fan.

The small strip below the bumper is the place to look out for some interesting messages.

ना... मुन्ना ... ना

Here's picture I took December 2008 . This has to be the most creative and brilliant casting combination idea ever (Notice that it's the same auto rickshaw).

Red Chilli

2011-09-01T11:17:00.000+05:30

लाल मिरची हिर्व (हिरवं)
आठवन (आठवण) झाली पुन्हा भेट!

Krishna Nee begane baro

2011-08-22T20:57:00.000+05:30

This one reminded me of the song by Colonial Cousins.

अंधार झाला आता दिवा पाहिजे,
महाराष्ट्राच्या मातीला पुन्हा
जिजाऊचा शिवा पाहिजे

When the money runs out

2011-07-30T13:55:00.000+05:30

"What happens when the money from the land you just sold runs out?" he asks his elder brother.

A friend spotted this auto rickshaw in Dombivali. A common story on the outskirts of Mumbai where land (mostly agricultural) is making way for the housing needs of a rapidly growing city.

जागेचे पैसे संपल्यावर दादा करशिल काय?

Churchill on Golf

2011-07-16T12:41:00.000+05:30

Pedal Power - 4

2011-06-29T22:57:00.000+05:30

Pedal powered temple and behind it is a temple-bullock-cart. Bringing gods to your doorstep.

Pedal Power - 3

2011-06-29T22:50:00.000+05:30

Pedal powered advertising hoarding. This one is equipped with a battery to light up the display.

Pedal Power - 2

2011-06-29T22:40:00.000+05:30

Pedal powered knife sharpener. Knives, scissors sharpened at your door step. The bicycle is equipped with a display shelf too.

Notice the red string that transmits power from the wheel to grinder.

Pedal Power - 1

2011-06-29T11:06:00.001+05:30

Pedal powered goods carrier. This one has a payload of about 100Kgs.

Punjab to Kashmir

2011-06-16T00:22:00.000+05:30

Apart from the main message, there's also one in black paint (the badly painted letters)

तोता उड़ा पंजाब से, जा पहुँचा कश्मीर!
मिलने को दिल करता है मिलने न देती तकदीर।
--
प्यार करने वालो कि किस्मत बुरी होती (है)
हर मुलाकात से जुदाई जुडी होती (है)
--
वक्‍त मिले तो पढ लेना दोस्ती कि किताब
दोस्ती हर मुआयने मे मुहब्बत से बडी होती है

One truck, 4 messages

2011-05-21T17:48:00.001+05:30

This truck had many messages. This one highlights the importance of money and love for businesses (start-ups) and newly-weds.

गाडी वही जो नोट कमाए, दुल्हन वही जो पिया मन भाए

The correct way for overtaking (A gentle/genteel reminder to drivers and also blog readers)

राईट से निकलने वाले को नमस्कार

Another general message

मेरी चलती है तो तरी क्यों जलती है

I haven't been able to figure out the exact idea behind this one. Any guesses?

बाबुजी गई थी उडाके आगई

Life away from home

2011-05-11T20:38:00.000+05:30

In a foreign country with an oppressive regime.

लिखा परदेश किस्मत में, वतन को याद क्या करना
जहाँ बेदर्द हाकिम हो, वहाँ फरीयाद क्या करना

Crazy over hair

2011-05-08T22:43:00.001+05:30

Trucker on life and romance
[Click on the image for larger view]


तेरी ज़ुल्फो को देख कर दिवाना हो गया प्यार किया किसी से किसी और का हो गया

A Fan (?)

2011-05-02T21:14:00.002+05:30

Clicked this a few weeks ago. He insisted I take the photo of the auto along with him. Seemed like a big fan.
[Click on the image to enlarge it]

Another Evil Eye

2011-04-27T13:28:00.001+05:30

This trucker seems to be bored of the routine face blackening business.
Another trucker seen earlier was also bored of the face blackening method but was angrier.

[Click on the image to enlarge it]


बुरी नज़र वाले तेरा भी हो भला

One life

2011-04-22T10:14:00.001+05:30

A road safety message

करू नको घाई, हा जन्म पुन्हा नाही

Any time

2011-04-17T19:49:00.000+05:30

Another film buff
[Click on the image to view the details]


Chulbul Pandey Kabhi Bhi Kahi Bhi

A trucker's invitation

2011-04-14T20:04:00.001+05:30

To visit his (or her) village
[Click on the image to view the details]

कुँईयाँ का ठंडा पानी, पीपल की छाँव मे, सुबह चले आना, परदेसिया मोरे गाँव में।

Who will win?

2011-04-01T08:39:00.001+05:30

For a change it's not about cricket.

[Click on the image to view the crazy expressions]

कौन जीतेगा रिक्शा रेस

Wanted: Gabbar

2011-03-12T18:53:00.001+05:30

Back in the heydays of the dot-com boom (2000), Cash2Cash and even Bombay2Goa could have been business models for dot-com companies. With cool shortened versions like C2C/B2G and some luck, perhaps they could've even struck a pot of VC gold too.

We meet again 'n again

2011-03-07T12:41:00.003+05:30

The auto-rickshaw in this post suggested that those in a hurry were all gone. While this auto reveals where they might have gone.

[Click on the image to view the details]


धिरे-धिरे चलोगे तो बार-बार मिलोगे तेज चलोगे तो हरिद्वार मिलोगे

What would be the equivalent of Haridwar for other religions?

On life and death

2011-03-03T19:39:00.001+05:30

Words of wisdom from a trucker.

Hindi translations

2011-02-27T10:45:00.018+05:30

For some commonly used words/terms.

Keen observers must have noted the minor typo above. It should be "अन्तर्वस्त्रों".

Gender misunderstanding

2011-02-24T22:15:00.022+05:30

While the previous truck was feminine, this truck clarifies gender and declares that he wants to be your lover.

She'll be back

2011-02-22T22:57:00.004+05:30

The boss better be ready with the goods.

Tough divorce settlement

2011-02-12T16:50:00.008+05:30

तलाक दे रहे हो बडे गुरूर के साथमेरा मेहेर भी लौटा दो मेरे शबाब के साथ

They're all gone

2011-02-01T19:00:00.003+05:30

Most of us believe that Auto rickshaw drivers/owners don't care too much about road safety. This guy seems to be an exception. Mainly because the message is unique and it's hand-painted unlike those printed stickers which are carried by Autos only because some RTOs force them to.

[Click on the image to view details]

Bookshelf

2011-01-22T00:22:00.004+05:30

What's your favourite book?

[click on the image to view the details]

Water supply

2011-01-10T11:30:00.001+05:30

Hand-drawn tankers that supply water in swanky South Mumbai. The street side food stalls are their main customers.

This one's got nice art-work on it.

More than just workspace

2010-12-13T20:46:00.005+05:30

Operating on the Mumbai-Nashik route, this taxi doubles up as a makeshift bedroom for overnight stays away from home. The open hatch and windows provide fresh air and the custom built nets keep the mosquitoes away.

Idling Engines

2010-12-04T13:18:00.006+05:30

Spotted this sign at a rest area on a US Highway.

The law aims to reduce emissions by preventing truck drivers from leaving their engines running when parked at rest areas. The truck drivers on the other hand prefer to keep the engine idling to maintain comfortable cabin temperatures (heating/air conditioning).

Still, I find it quite strange that a law is needed to prevent engine idling.

Lot of Salmans too among American truck drivers

Scary ride

2010-11-29T00:14:00.017+05:30

An auto rickshaw done-up in a really cool theme.

Notice the skulls and blood on both sides of the the dash board and the magnetic compass instead of a speedometer :)

A message to the passengers.

Some more art-work to scare the passengers. (Click on the image to see the details like coffins, zombies)

Feroz, the owner who's made all the art-work himself using 'radium' stickers. He's worked for a TV serial (horror of-course) titled Aahat which is inspiration for the theme. In the words of the owner "Full gaadi horror hai".
Apart from driving the auto, working for TV serials, he also makes scaled models of buildings etc. for architects.

The final destination

2010-10-31T09:08:00.004+05:30

Multiple messages

2010-10-30T17:25:00.013+05:30

Driving, career, love, life and death.

Jesus he knows me

2010-10-29T00:02:00.008+05:30

Spotted this one a few years ago in Bangalore. Remember the funny music video featuring Phil Collins?

The details (click on the image to see the details)

Keep safe distance

2010-10-19T23:33:00.005+05:30

This auto will never get rear-ended. Never EVER.

HavabaN Harde

2010-10-19T22:52:00.008+05:30

Some products for the slimming market work to reduce one's appetite. This product claims to work the other way. Should work well for the plethora of foodies/gourmets/gourmands seen on TV these days.

Similar canvas bags can be spotted in Europe in small shops that sell quirky stuff. Apparently they're trendy.

Evil eye

2010-10-02T12:56:00.008+05:30

Truckers usually prefer to blacken the face of those who cast an evil eye. Not this one though. And it's got a better rhyme too (वाले-खाले)

God and Human

2010-10-01T14:51:00.005+05:30

This trucker makes an interesting observation on God's privileges.

The shooter Baba

2010-06-05T16:16:00.004+05:30

This on-screen Contrack Killer (yes that's C-o-n-t-r-a-c-k) who aspires to be a member of parliament in real life, has as seen it all: stardom-drugs-guns-prison-AmarSinghJi.

Transparency

2010-04-10T11:17:00.003+05:30

This entrepreneur chooses to prominently display the loan amount of his business.

This had me wondering

2010-03-06T11:00:00.002+05:30

"बाप" शब्द का सही बहुवचन रुप क्या होता है (होता भी है या नही)?

Good Karma

2010-03-03T17:00:00.003+05:30

Another great truck tip

No stress

2010-02-23T10:46:00.006+05:30

Apart from transporting goods, trucks carry some great messages. This one's for a stress free life.

History lesson

2010-02-22T10:28:00.001+05:30

A lesson from history on how to fight terrorists, naxals.

Cool registration number

2010-02-21T10:38:00.003+05:30

A X5 with X5.

Auto twitter

2010-02-20T13:55:00.009+05:30

The small space below the bumper is used for some very interesting messages. Kind of Autorickshaw twitter.

DIY bicycle

2009-08-09T11:31:00.001+05:30

A guy from Bangalore has customised a bicycle with laid back reclining chair (recumbent bicycle). Details about this interesting project are available on his blog.

Get out of the box

2009-08-09T00:23:00.007+05:30

I'd never seen this ad-film before on TV. Seems like Hero Cycles wanted to target the urban cubicle-dwelling, Santro-driving, ~~overpaid programmers~~ IT professionals to take up cycling.

Not a great ad, but not bad either.

SanjooBaba fan

2009-06-23T13:51:00.015+05:30

SanjooBaba on a motorcycle (probably a Harley). Notice the colourful combination of sunglasses and jacket. Nice intricate work.

Not bound by spellings

2009-04-13T11:41:00.017+05:30

Freakonomics has a post where the authors try to trace the origins of popular quotations. One of the quotes was:

“It is indeed a dull man who can think of but one way to spell a word.”

The Yale Book of Quotations notes that this is frequently attributed to Mark Twain, but the earliest occurrence found in research for the YBQ was in Marshall Brown’s “Wit and Humor” (1880): “A man must be a great fool who can’t spell a word more than one way.”

This auto rickshaw owner and a SanjooBaba fan is just super-cool.

Suspended for flatulence

2009-03-26T10:24:00.006+05:30

From this story

LAKELAND, Fla. - An eighth-grader was suspended from riding the school bus for three days after being accused of passing gas.
[...]
The teen, Jonathan Locke Jr., said he wasn't the culprit.
"It wasn't even me," Locke told The Ledger newspaper. "It was a kid who sits in front of me."

If they had an English version of आदा पादा, the issue of the wrong kid being suspended would never have occurred

Price wars

2009-01-22T19:38:00.001+05:30

This one was on a wall in Dombivali.

Road Safety message

2009-01-18T11:00:00.002+05:30

जितना भगाना है उतना भगाले तुझे मंजिल तक पहुचाऊगी।
तेरी नज़र से भूल हुई तो तुझे मिट्टी मे मिलाउगी॥

Boss' spoon

2009-01-16T18:59:00.008+05:30

Must say that the driver's brother-in-law has got it right

बेली के फूल, चमेली की माला
सेठ का चम्चा ड्राइव्हर का साला

Brother says

2009-01-16T18:46:00.005+05:30

Tough job

2008-10-27T16:19:00.002+05:30

A story about an Ambulance driver in Thane.

This 33-year-old ambulance driver has been following the same routine for the last 13 years - driving decapitated or badly mangled bodies found on the railway tracks as well as profusely bleeding but still-alive accident victims. What’s more, Dokre says he could have found a better paying job, but chose this one because he has an old debt to repay to the Thane railway station.

Twisted numbers

2008-09-27T15:32:00.001+05:30

Numbers being forced to look like someone else by their mean owners. Such incidences are becoming quite common these days.

Google search suggestions

2008-09-02T12:32:00.014+05:30

Here's a little comparison of search suggestions

Google's Marathi search suggestion for 'jig'

And Google's Gujarati suggestions for 'jign':

Keen observers must've noted the difference. સરસ છે?

Do expensive wines taste better?

2008-07-25T13:58:00.007+05:30

Here's a very interesting post on cheap and expensive wines. To sum it up, the post confirms what I've believed all along.

Fancy people with lots of training can tell cheap wine from expensive ones but regular people cannot.

So I say guys, wine ko maro goli. Let the Old Monk flow at a regular shady-bar in the neighbourhood.
Some interesting information from the wiki entry on Old Monk:

Old monk continues to be the choice of most college going students in India as it is relatively very cheap. It is priced at 140 rs for a full, ie. 750 ml bottle, or roughly 3$. In the army too it continues to be popular, being even cheaper and rumour has it that there is a stronger version brewed for the army, though this is unconfirmed. It has a characteristically almost pungent, very strong taste which tends to linger long after the drink is consumed. Local varieties in different parts of India usually have subtle differences in the taste and colour. The drink is usually consumed with water or coke. A thriving market of fake Old Monk rum exists in Bangalore, India. But most even slightly frequent drinkers can often tell the difference.

Read it out LOUD

2008-06-29T11:06:00.005+05:30

One more time. Get it?
Oh! there's also an important message from RTO Mumbai (E)
सुनो ड्राईवर भाई रखो इसका ध्यान जरूरत हो तो ही बजओ तुम हार्न।

Sports promotion styles

2008-05-04T17:50:00.007+05:30

Or why cricket is more popular than hockey.

The BWHA story

As dark clouds of officialdom loom over Indian hockey, there are some who provide the silver lining.
Prasad: Funded a team of tribal girls with his PF
Sponsor trouble
The earlier financers didn’t oblige, nor Prasad’s efforts to rope in new sponsors worked. This meant Prasad had to withdraw money from his provident fund and send the team for the Shimla nationals in 1984.

And there's always the IPL

Equating IPL to a ‘reality show’, Vodafone marketing head Harit Nagpal said: “We invested in IPL anticipating such ratings. The format is such that it combines the largest reality show in this country backed by Bollywood entertainment.” Commenting on the sustainability of the event, Mr Nagpal said: “I’m sure people who have stakes in the game will do everything possible to make it work.”

Twisted numbers

2008-03-10T21:37:00.001+05:30

2131 => राजे

Time our 'boys' take a shot at David Boon's record

2008-03-04T17:36:00.010+05:30

From the wiki entry on David Boon:
Boon achieved much fame and notoriety for consuming 52 cans of beer on a flight from Sydney to London before the victorious 1989 Ashes tour that saw Australia regain the trophy after five years of English dominance;

52 cans of beer! Is there any one from the Indian squad who has the G-mein-D to get close?

Six-word motto

2008-03-03T15:56:00.010+05:30

Readers of the Freakonomics Blog voted the following as the best six-word motto for the US:
Our Worst Critics Prefer to Stay

And a six-word motto for India:
Our Best Patriots Prefer to Leave

Back then Thums Up was red

2007-09-04T22:39:00.000+05:30

Happy days are here again
Food Friends and Thums Up
Everybody's feeling great with Thums Up.
Thums Up the refreshing cola .

Bajaj Chetak

2007-04-01T23:55:00.000+05:30

Bajaj Chetak enjoyed a supreme market share for a long period of time. In it's heydays (70s and the 80s) it was said that a marriage in a middle class family in North India wasn't complete without a Chetak dowry.

Consumers' preference for the more efficient 4-stroke motorcycles, stricter emission norms and an old styling (based on the 50s Vespa) saw a steady fall in the sales of Chetak. Finally it's production stopped in December 2006.

Bajaj Auto was once known as a scooters giant. This image of a 'scooter maker' was a bit of a burden initially when they got in the motorcycle market. Today they've successfully transformed themselves to a leading motorcycle manufacturer. So much so that they just have one scooter model in their current product line-up.

I hope that a few years from now, the Chetak gets re-launched with a classic Vespa-like styling, a modern efficient engine and an option for auto or manual transmission.

Tapkaa daal

2007-03-25T15:33:00.000+05:30

Drug trafficking
Illegal arms trade
Organised crime
Politics
Espionage

International Cricket now joins the above list.
Businesses where murder is part of the game.

Same message different styles

2007-02-09T18:49:00.000+05:30

The real world way.

The IDC way.

Cola Conspiracy

2006-08-25T18:03:00.000+05:30

What if the colas are not as harmful as the CSE tests show
What if the Health Ministry is using CSE as a tool to extract money from cola giants
[after all clean chits don't come for free]
What if the the cola giants are secretly behind the ban on sale of colas in schools
[after all banned substances are more desirable]
What if Baba Ramdeo is also working for the cola giants
What if cola giants have plans to repackage colas as Toilet Cleaners
What if Colas are banned completely
What if peddling cola becomes more profitable for gangs than Coke (the narcotic variety)

*Time for the medication*

Helmets are for your safety

2006-07-09T21:31:00.000+05:30

Last week, one of the new channels showed a story on Baroda Police's approach on forcing riders to wear helmet. Initially the traffic police were just charging a fine for 2-wheeler riders without helmets. That was the normal approach. Then they launched a drive where the policemen stopped riders without helmets and handed them a certificate and a rose. No fine, just a certificate and a rose.

Now that's an innovative and a sincere way of enforcing a law. Considering that the people behind this (the traffic police), who normally work on profit centric targets, it's even more praiseworthy.

Detergent powders pack much more

2006-07-01T19:19:00.000+05:30

The strategy makers at India's largest fast moving consumer goods company have decided "detergent powders should deliver much more than just clean clothes"

Their new campaigns for Wheel and Rin Advanced have taken detergent powders to the next level.

Wheel: A neatly dressed women-next-door-type housewife walks in to a Post Office. She hesitantly seeks directions to a particular counter and then fills up a money order form addressed to her father back in the village. The detergent logo then morphs to one rupee coins. No non-sense talk about cleaning abilities of the soap.
Message: Buy Wheel detergent powder, save money, send it back home. The more detergent you buy, the more money you can save to send back home.

Rin Advanced: Amitabh Bachchan is chased by little children in a mall. All they are trying is to grab his attention. Easier way to do this: buy Rin Advanced and get coupons that will enable your child to participate in a talent hunt contest.
Message: Buying Rin Advanced can help your son become the next Amitabh Bachchan.

If you thought detergent powders were meant to wash clothes, think again.

Who says star sons/daughters don't have to struggle

2006-06-03T17:29:00.000+05:30

MTV Fully Faltoo Film Ghoom is a shamelessly cheap spoof on Dhoom.

If you haven't suffered the original Chopda-Gang production, then get it's (pirated) VCD. To make this experience less painful, feel free to use the fast forward button liberally. Once you're done, you will appreciate Ghoom better. If you've already suffered the original, then you are all set. Go watch it.

Story in brief - It's an inspiring story of the struggle and hardships that sons of famous fathers have to endure to make a mark as an actor in this big bad world of Hindi filims.
Overall Ghoom is cheaply made, not as great as Ramgadh ke Sholay but it's worth the price of the ticket (must admit, I got free passes).

Value Add

2006-05-27T00:46:00.000+05:30

Just as the multiplex owners were managing to make the ends meet with their Rs 200 tickets and Rs 40 pop-corn, the f@g gang decided they wanted a bigger share of the revenues. As if that wasn't enough, some legal activist decides to file a petition against one of them for selling water at exorbitant price.

It's interesting to note the packaged water prices:
500 ml - Rs 12,
1000ml - Rs 18,
750 ml - Rs 25!

From the news article:
In it reply to the Commission, HPMW said the 750 ml mineral water is packed specially for the cinema halls. The company has installed special machinery for the purpose and it would take sometime to recover the cost of machine, therefore, the prices are high.

Of-course the prices are a bit high. But look at the value that these specially packaged bottles offer. Extensive market research has shown that movie-goers prefer 750ml bottles, and detailed scientific studies have proven that 750 ml is the exact amount of water needed by the average-multiplex-going-human-body.

C'mon guys, those poor multiplex operators are just trying to make the ends meet by preventing you from carrying water inside the cinema. If they don't do this then where will the money for cup-holder seats come from ... government subsidies?

Que for Cola Execs

2006-05-21T21:30:00.000+05:30

If I'm watching TV, it should be with Pepsi.
If I'm eating Samosas, it should be with Coca Cola.
But what to do if I'm watching TV and eating Samosas?
Please tell no. Also long time no cola war? Why-Why?

Fine print

2006-04-17T12:49:00.000+05:30

Artificially flavoured. Contains no fruit juice or pulp.
Read the offer document (red herring prospectus) carefully.
Accesories shown in picture are not part of standard equipment.
YMMV
Under standard test conditions.
Orbit Chewing Gum gum is "Not for Phenylketonurics"

Insurance is a subject matter of solicitation.
What? Why? Duh!

Oh and here's a article that digs into the ever present "Conditions Apply" clause.

A brand new mail box

2006-03-25T11:33:00.000+05:30

for the Department of Posts and Telegraph.

Looks neat.

Just can't wait for the next Jan 26

2006-02-03T15:31:00.000+05:30

Our cities already have malls with multi-storied car park, shopping trolleys, multiplexes, escalator & capsule lifts, drive-thru food outlets and Starbucks clones. A Thanksgiving-day type sale was missing though.

On January 26, 2006 BigBazaar's Mumbai stores saw an unprecedented foot-fall (not foot ball) for it's sale. The resulting chaos, traffic jams forced the closure of the store. If this event is planned better (I'm sure it will be), then Indian consumers may get their own Thanksgiving day sale. Imagine how much fun it'd be - to queue up all night outside a store and madly run to buy stuff at throw away prices.

India Shining

2006-01-29T22:14:00.000+05:30

Formerly known as Huma-Heena, the 2 theater cinema complex is now a swanky 4-screen cup-holder-seat-equipped multiplex and a shopping mall with factory outlet shops.

Sneak preview of the new marketing strategy

2006-01-22T21:28:00.000+05:30

Chocolate flavored bathing soap, SRK in bath tub, all new Green Lifebuoy...
So many soaps. Just one bath a day. Not enough.

Here's a sneak preview of the new marketing strategy:
Statistical data has shown that less that 0.002% of the consumers take bath more than once a day. There's an immense growth potential in this area. So the strategy to promote 5-times-a-day bathing among the consumers.

Why five?
-If Gillet can have 5-razor-blade, we can have 5-baths-a-day too.

How five?
-A strategic Tie-up with Sulabh international to set up world-class bathing kiosks complete with automatic vending machines, monthly memberships and frequent-bather reward points.

I'll take 14

2006-01-15T11:25:00.000+05:30

Clinic Plus, H&S and Pantene are available in small pouches of 7.5 ml. (i.e. 14
packets will give you 105 ml of shampoo)
CP: 1.5 x 14 = 21
H&S: 3 x 14 = 42
Pantene: 3 x 14 = 42
Their 100ml bottles are priced (as on Jan 14, 2006) as follows:
Clinic Plus: 33
H&S: 64
Pantene: 51

It is unusual to see such prices because in a normally one expects to pay a lesser per-unit price when the quantity increases. Packaging cost can not justify the higher price (a 100ml plastic bottle costing Rs. 12 or 22! NO.).

One reason could be that the companies selling these things might be cross-subsidising the smaller pouches by bottles. Somewhat like the Railways does (or at least claim to do) with passenger and goods tariffs.

Another reason could be that the companies deliberately price the bottles higher based on some statistical information that they possess in the form of slick PowerPoint presentations. The data basically tells them "your average bottle-customer has an average income of Rs X and he/she would not mind paying Rs. Y for your shampoo."

This complex art of maximizing profits without affecting sales is called pricing. In certain other situations like the auto/taxi drivers charging extra money to tourists it is known as duping or even robbery.

So when next time you pick up that bottle of shampoo from your friendly neighbourhood supermarket, remember you are helping some poor chap buy a 7.5 ml shampoo at an affordable price or you are being ...

Emergency Exit

2006-01-03T19:15:00.000+05:30

22 people lost their lives in an accident involving a Volvo bus. Though I haven't ever noticed, apparently Volvo buses have 5 exits.

Wankhede Stadium

2005-12-20T00:45:00.000+05:30

Saturday, December 10 2005. Left Powai at ~13:00. Was a Saturday and I was hoping to get a few things done that on weekday I'm too lazy to do. So after a stopover at Dadar and Grant Road I reached Marine Lines station. A 20 min walk and I was at the Wankhede stadium for the Ranji match between Mumbai and Bengal. I'd never seen Wankhede stadium before. Was very impressive. I've been to the Brabourne Stadium and the Chinnaswamy stadium before but I liked Wankhede better. No there's no proper explanation for this. It's just they call as the "Bombay/Mumbai" effect.

There were around 60-100 people watching the game. Right next to was a small kid who was busy trying to break the number-of-silly-questions-per-minute record. Bengal team were playing their second innings and they were trying to not to lose any wicket before the end of the day. Overall a very relaxed atmosphere. An occasional appeal for leg-before or a caught behind triggered some "ooooh" and "well-bowled" responses from the audience. Suddenly the crowd started clapping and cheering. I thought I missed out a fall of wicket but that wasn't the case. The kid next to asked his dad "why are they clapping"? I had the same question on my mind and so I listened to Papa's answer. The patient Papa pointed him to the electronic score board and told him that Sachin had scored his 35th century in Delhi.

The kid said "but why are they clapping here?"

2 wheelers: Back then and now

2005-12-09T18:23:00.000+05:30

Back in the 70s and 80s it was the largest scooter manufacturer. Bajaj Auto's market share made it look like a monopoly despite the existence of competitors like API (Lambretta), Scooters India (Vijay Super), Gujarat Narmada Scooters (Prince), AP Scooters (PL170) and LML.

Such was the demand for the Bajaj scooter that after booking a Bajaj scooter, one had to wait for 3-4 years to get a delivery. If you needed a scooter immediately you'd have to pay an extra sum (in black). This was referred to as "ON" money.

Now if you were the Bajaj management during those days, what more could you ask for? People were waiting for years to buy your product. The seller was the king and sold his product at his terms. During the 70s and early 80s, the Chetak model was sold only to those customers who paid in foreign currency, and these were the times when foreign currency was a rare commodity. Today it's hard to imagine that such a concept existed.

Oh yes, if you were the Bajaj management, your major challenge would be to make sure that the quantity of scooters produced every year was within the limit prescribed by the government. How tough is that? But apparently they messed up once and the chief of Bajaj was almost arrested for producing a few extra scooters.
"O-Oh! 3 extra scooters? I'm afraid that's against the law. FREEZE. You are under arrest. You have the right to ... blah blah blah."

During the late 80s, the Japanese joint ventures arrived. Ind Suzuki was the first to launch the AX100. Soon Hero Honda and Escorts Yamaha also started making motorcycles. Bajaj tied up with Kawasaki for motorcycle expertise.

The motorcycle market grew steadily and consequently the scooter market shrank. Bajaj was the last to enter the motorcycle segment and was left far behind in the competition. Their same old scooter that once ruled the markets was not selling. After rolling out the same product for 20-30 years without any significant improvements, it was time to do something. It was the after all the matter of survival. Product development & innovation was the only way ahead.

New models were designed and brought to market. Attempts like Rave, Chetak 4 str, KB SX, NXT2, Eliminator failed miserably. Though RTZ and 4S could not be classified as great successes, they did manage to hang-in for quite some time occupying the #3 or #2 spot.

Then came the success in the form of Pulsar. This success was soon improved upon by the dual spark plug DTSi engine. Incidentally this is largely an indigenous effort unlike the Eliminator, Challenger which had "Kawasaki" label attached.

Moral of the story: The desperate need for survival forced product innovations. Had there been no competition, we would still be buying a scooter that had to be tilted before kicking that kick.

[Cricket] New look BCCI

2005-12-08T20:55:00.000+05:30

BCCI today announced it's new schemes, new ideas etc. at a press conference. Soon, we can get the official "Team India" merchandise.
Caps, T-shirts, bats, stumps, bats, goti-pads ... the works. The cricket fan's prayers have been answered. Very soon Indian the cricket fan will be able to drive down into the friendly neighborhood shopping mall, flash a plastic card and get the cricket merchandise loaded shopping cart right up to the car in the parking lot.

I'm jealous of today's kids. As kids, we had to play cricket in elastic half-chaddis and these kids can have the *official* team India merchandise. बहूत नाइन्साफि है.

Better late than never

2005-12-02T12:08:00.000+05:30

Intelligent Network services (like toll free, Premium Rate, Calling Card numbers) have been around for quite some time now. However, these services have been accessible to subscribers of some service providers only. Mostly MTNL/BSNL subscribers.

Finally the regulators woke up, formed a committee, committee gave it's report and have decided to bring in a regulation that will make it compulsory for all service providers to provide access to IN services.

Why did they not think of this before? Why so long? The IN services have been around for 4+ years. This will definitely increase the popularity of IN services whenever the regulations comes in force.

Toll free SMS

2005-11-25T08:20:00.000+05:30

These days TV channels and news papers ask you to send an SMS on many not-so-important matters. These are known as SMS polls and most of them are utter rubbish. The messages cost Rs. 2+ to the sender. It's about time the mobile operators came up with a toll free SMS service. I suspect these messages are used to judge viewerships or readership. If these are used to obtain viewership figures then the TV channels should pay for it.

An Indian Idol or a KBC can command a price and people will still choose to send messages to them, but if smaller players in the TV business want to increase the number of responses, toll-free SMS is the way to go.

Counting Votes

2005-11-23T13:52:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was Election Results day. Field day for news channels. Back in the days when ballot papers were used, counting started in the morning and the first results did not arrive until late in the evening. Those were the days when the TV crews had the space to relax and streched themselves at times up to 48+ hours non-stop.

But in the era of EVMs the results come out so fast, news channel execs must be saying "In the good ol days, we spent so many sleepless nights. That was the real thing. "

So much of LPY footage, so little time.

Me too

2005-11-16T10:02:00.000+05:30

Everyone has a one.
हम कहे हमहूँ बॉल्ग बनाए।