Raj Subramaniam

My country has paid up the ransom, Mr. Hazare!

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 23:39:00 +0530

Disclaimer: I am equally appalled by corruption in governance. I’m not a government stooge.

If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.

The second thing we must do is to observe the caution which John Stuart Mill has given to all who are interested in the maintenance of democracy, namely, not “to lay their liberties at the feet of even a great man, or to trust him with power which enable him to subvert their institutions”. There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men who have rendered life-long services to the country. But there are limits to gratefulness. As has been well said by the Irish Patriot Daniel O’Connel, no man can be grateful at the cost of his honour, no woman can be grateful at the cost of her chastity and no nation can be grateful at the cost of its liberty. This caution is far more necessary in the case of India than in the case of any other country. For in India, Bhakti or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship, plays a part in its politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of any other country in the world. Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.

These are the words of Dr. B R Ambedkar, delivering his landmark speech to the Constituent Assembly before presenting the final draft of the Indian Constitution. Here’s the link to the complete transcript. Take some time out to read it and then some more to ponder over it.

The events of the last few days should pain and scare, in equal measure, every responsible citizen of this country. Even as I write this post, the television is filled with joyous images of people celebrating the Nation’s victory over corruption. The hysteria and euphoria is palpable.

And yet, I’m sad. Very sad. Today, the Indian Constitution lost. We lost. I’m shattered.

We lost because a few hundred people were able to hold a constitutionally elected government to ransom. We lost because one man was able subvert the very Constitution that guarantees everything that we hold dear - our liberty, our life. And we lost because, in our exuberance of having achieved a rare “victory” over our government, we haven’t realized what we’ve lost!

Please don’t get me wrong. I want change as badly as you do. I want a corruption-free nation for my unborn children. I want a government that is truly for the people.

But what I don’t want is the will of a small group, however well-meaning, to trump the country’s Constitution. The founding fathers have blessed and armed us with the most extraordinary Constitution - filled with provisions to accommodate the true will of this nation’s citizenry.

While I completely support Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption stand, I vehemently oppose his means. And I vehemently oppose his hair-brained solutions. I don’t even want to mention the useless piece of legislation, the Lok Pal Bill, that is at the heart of the entire agitation. Shuddhabrata Sengupta and Nitin Pai have written fairly balanced articles on the subject.

It’s a blatant perversion of the constitutional democracy that “award-winning”, “eminent” personalities from the so-called civil society have weaseled their way into the legislative process. The power to legislate is a privilege bestowed on the elected representatives, who, by definition, are answerable to the nation. A bunch of eminent personalities, by the virtue of having won a few awards, have conveniently usurped this privilege without being charged with accountability to the nation. Why should we celebrate the wisdom of awards juries over the democratic process of elections. Remember, a certain Rajat Gupta was the blue-eyed boy of such juries not so long ago.

If Anna Hazare is competent enough to nominate members to represent the civil society in the bill drafting committee, why not completely dispense with elections? Let Hazare nominate the members of the Executive and Judicial branches as well. As Dr. Ambedkar warns in the aforementioned speech, hero worship is a sure road to eventual dictatorship. Read this story in TOI to get a dekko into the workings of Anna’s mind. With due respect to his age and intentions, Anna Hazare comes across as an older (and slightly sober) version of the chest-thumping patriots with warpaint, usually seen on the streets during cricket matches, with grand plans for the country!

Tools like Satyagraha have no place in a constitutional democracy. As Pratap Bhanu Mehta, in The Indian Express, rightly points out:

There is something deeply coercive about fasting unto death. When it is tied to an unparalleled moral eminence, as it is in the case of Anna Hazare, it amounts to blackmail. There may be circumstances, where the tyranny of government is so oppressive, or the moral cause at stake so vital that some such method of protest is called for. But in a functioning constitutional democracy, not having one’s preferred institutional solution to a problem accepted, does not constitute a sufficient reason for the exercise of such coercive moral power.

And equally unfortunate is the irresponsible use of terms like “Revolution” and “Uprising” by the protestors and the media. A revolution is, and has to be, the last resort. It is not a fad. So my dear fellow countrymen, don’t you dare tell me that my country is beyond redemption and needs a revolution.

A nation simmering with anger over the blatant corruption in governance and frustrated with high unemployment rates is a dynamite keg. A small spark, especially in the form of a messiah promising salvation, is enough to trigger anarchy. Hence, calls for civil-disobedience and ‘jail-bharo’ should be condemned.

Effecting socio-political change is not a matter of holding candles and marching in front of television cameras. Such Rang De Basanti inspired shows are not sustainable. If the protesting youth want change, they have to work for it. And work very hard. Any change requires the participation of the entire nation, not just the educated elite. There are hundreds of organizations like the Association for Democratic Reforms (National Election Watch) and Janagraha who working towards educating the electorate. Lasting change is achievable without resorting to unconstitutional stunts. But this requires hard work and an active participation of the youth. Volunteering with organizations working at the grassroots is a good start. But of course, there will be no cameras, no bollywood and absolutely no glamour.

But any further discussion on this issue is moot. A government, weakened by a slew of scams that would put African despots to shame, has caved in. The rubicon has been crossed and a dangerous precedent set.

So, there you go. My nation has paid up the ransom, Mr. Hazare. Congratulations!

And I'm back!

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:01:00 +0530

After an unplanned year-long break, I’m back on my blog. Though I blame twitter for weaning me away from blogging, you know the truth.

So what brings me back? Anna Hazare, Bollywood and the Babas (both the spiritual and the designer clothes varieties) protesting outside Jantar Mantar. A very rant-y post is coming up.

Btw, how do you like the blog’s revamped look? The previous version was unreadable.

Just a quick post. I was watching Swades a little while ago on...

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:35:00 +0530

Just a quick post.

I was watching Swades a little while ago on TV and had to get this thought out in the open. The realism of the movie is also this country’s greatest tragedy . Swades needed a Mohan Bhargava, a Brahmin scientist, to bring about social change in the village. Had he been of a lesser social standing (read Caste), no one in the village would’ve given a damn. Even today, “well educated” friends of mine, from premier institutes, will not dare cross the caste lines, esp. when it comes to marriage.

Though the movie is all about hope, do we have any? Leave your comments below.

India, my India!

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:33:00 +0530

The recent 20th anniversary celebrations of the fall of Berlin wall had an unlikely fallout here in India. The hopeless romantics amongst us got off indulging in unnecessary and ill-informed banter about Indo-Pak unification. What made it incredible was the fact that such discussions were being spearheaded by people you’d normally believe to be well read.

Many years ago, as part of a school competition, I had written an article about the basis for formation of a nation. I’ll try and reproduce the gist of the piece and add my two cents of learning since then.

Every nation in history has had its foundation in either one or both of the two basic pillars - religion and language. Notwithstanding invasions and temporary conquests, these have been the only unifying factors.

This brings us to India - a marvel that seemingly has no such basis for existence. We are as fragmented as we could be - half a dozen major religions, a few hundred castes, thousands of sub-sects and millions of deities. We supposedly have close to 2000 recognized languages and god-awful number of derived dialects. Though all this makes for a nice statement about oft lauded Indian diversity, it also brings to the fore the lack of a common thread that could keep a country glued together.

In this context, it is no surprise that we are strife ridden - be it the religious riots, Naxal violence, the Maratha Manoos, Kashmir separatism, Khalistan movement or any of the innumerable other skirmishes. The undercurrent of hatred erupts every once in while, primarily online. A cursory glance at the discussion forums on any of the India-focussed content sites would suffice. Even the most harmless of articles like a movie review is enough to polarize our people - often on geographic lines between the “southies” and the “northies”.

This can be traced back to our history. Till the beginning of the 20th century, we were nothing more than a collection of princely provinces unified by invasion. The idea of India has absolutely no historical basis. At different times in our history, we had morphed as dictated by the military muscle of the dominant kingdom. Even the religious books like the Ramayana considered “Bharath” to be the fertile lands north of the Vindhyas. The “rest of the Indians” were either primates or random beasts. The only unfortunate commonality was the strict social stratification perpetuated by bloodline. For all the noise that we make about racism, India has been and will be (at least for a few more generations) the most racist country (and also the most hypocritical one).

Hence, it is astonishing how we managed to wriggle our Independence. Not everyone was unhappy under the British rule.

India’s first war of Independence in 1857 was dismissed and derided by the intellectuals of Bengal and the South as nothing more than a drunken misadventure. Trade, commerce, technology and western education flourished under the British. The oft neglected lower castes felt a little more secure. A lot of social inequities were diluted as the whole nation was one of slaves.

The idea of India comprising of the current nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of Afghanistan is a fairly recent one - not older than a couple of hundred years. The dominant communities in these present day nations are as different as chalk and cheese. People may cry hoarse about generations of marriage across the current borders; which is true - but only within the community. The entire independence struggle was based on a very shaky truce between communities and provinces and the realization that it was the only way.

Post independence, the mistrust resurfaced and manifested in the form of creation of Pakistan - it was an eventuality that no one wanted to admit. It is easy to place the blame of partition on the shoulders of a few, but takes lot of courage to look beyond the sham of bonhomie forced upon us by the invading British. Pakistan’s creation, thus, was based on a very strong foundation of Islam. It would not have become the sorry mess of today had the rulers been ingrained in the tenets of Islam. I’m not, even for a moment, suggesting that fundamentalism is the way for Islamic states. Running a country requires discipline and that was lacking in the western educated rulers of Pakistan. All middle eastern nations are good examples of excellent governance - don’t slam me with human rights and other such nonsense. Trying to straddle the Islamic foundation with their brand of western capitalism, the ruling elite of Pakistan pushed themselves into chaos.

In the same breath, one needs to ask the question - then what is it thats holding India together?

People may offer a million answers - some jingoistic and others a little more plausible like economic interdependence.

However, I have a theory - THE GREED OF THE POLITICAL CLASS IN INDIA IS WHAT IS KEEPING US TOGETHER. It may seem very simplistic and to some, idiotic. But there is no stronger force than greed. The collective wealth of India is manifold than that of the sum of the parts. The potential to grow and multiply that wealth is limited only by one’s imagination if we stay together. And this opportunity with unlimited upside is one that is not lost on the politicians. Hence, inspite of their petty bickering and occasional secessionist spiels, our politicians will keep us together. And that is the irony of it all :)

To wrap up, Indo-Pak unification is not even fit to be a pipe dream because there is no role for Pakistan in this cozy arrangement. All you people thinking about it, ~~STFU~~ keep dreaming!!!

Disclaimer: I am NOT a separatist!

Now, you can start throwing the eggs!!!

Tweet! Tweet!

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:42:00 +0530

Twitter totally kicks Facebook’s backside!

Where else, but in twitosphere, would two diverse personalities as a bollywood actor (@gulpanag) and the editor-in-chief (@nramind) of India’s best newspaper respond to and connect with someone on the same day.

Without doubting the merits of FB as a social networking platform, what makes twitter such an awesome social tool is the simple fact that I can choose to follow the lives of people who interest me without necessarily being acquainted with them. Similarly, if I pump out good stuff - stuff that interests people, twitter makes it easy for others to find/know me. This, my friends, elevates Twitter from being just another social networking site.

Apart from the obvious marketing and monetization potential of twitter accounts, the big game can actually play out in education. During my school and college days, I would’ve loved to get daily bite-sized (140 characters at a time) nuggets of gyaan from professors and authors who were nothing more than faceless names on my reference books. How awesome it would’ve been if I were able to propose improvements in theories directly to their proponents than to skeptical lecturers!

Twitter empowers every single individual to circumvent “the system”.

If you’re a wannabe author, you don’t have to grovel in front of publishing houses!

If you’re a salesman, you don’t have to knock on doors!

If you’re an activist, you don’t have to conduct a thousand meetings to galvanize support!

You may be anyone - doing anything. But if you want an audience - to connect with your reader or customer or even a fellow ideologue - twitter lets you do that.

As long as you have what it takes, the world is just a few clicks (or is it tweets?) away!

When is the right time, eh?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:47:00 +0530

This post is in response to all those people who keep asking me - when is the right time to start off on my own?

Just because I’ve been an entrepreneur for a few years now doesn’t mean that I have the faintest idea when one should start a company or even if one should! There are a million and one people out there who would love to assist you. They’ll tell you everything - from how much to save (depending on your risk appetite) before starting up to planning for your marriage and family.

But from my limited experience, I can safely tell you this - If you need someone’s sanction (be it your astrologer’s, for all I care!) to dive into the world of entrepreneurship, KEEP AWAY, my friend.

I’m putting in writing what I tell wannabe entrepreneurs who come looking for advice. Don’t let the romance of a startup fool you. There’s nothing romantic or cool about it. Its a life full of struggle and impossible deadlines - deadlines that you cannot afford to miss. Nothing can be put off for tomorrow - everything needed to have been done yesterday. And most importantly, have the ability to swallow your pride and grin when your classmate shows off his new big car!

So, if you got the steel to survive the rigours of being your own boss, start today, nay, NOW!

P.S. There’s a pot of gold (and a very BIG car) at the end of the journey - that is, if you last that long :)

Where did Cleartrip screw up?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:21:00 +0530

Those on twitter would already know about the Kiruba Incident and Cleartrip’s response. Though Cleartrip did make up for the lapse by quickly compensating Kiruba, their handling of the social media has been disastrous to say the least.

The emotion heavy cleartrip post does not even address the core issue - breakdown/non-existence of their international ticketing process. No one really cares what happened post-facto. Nor does anyone want to know if there were other players to be blamed.

If I am not responsible to my customer, who is? I’m, not for a moment, implying that all fault lies with Cleartrip. Kiruba should have been more careful while filling his details online. But thats not the issue, is it?

All that was required of Cleartrip was an acknowledgment of the fact that there was a failure in their process and the steps that they’ve taken to rectify it. This was a perfect opportunity to engage and reaffirm their commitment to exceptional customer service. Cleartrip’s handling of the return journey would’ve earned brownie points instead of being relegated to the background. This needn’t have degenerated into a slugging match between the so-called “social media” and Cleartrip.

At the end of it all, companies need to realize and recognize the growing importance of social networks. Tools like twitter, seesmic, facebook and others have amplified individual voices. And this is only going to grow louder - barriers are crashing, distances disappearing - and the word travels faster and farther!!!

Cleartrip.com, you sure did lose out on an opportunity to win ~~some~~ a lot of love!

UPDATE: All’s well that ends well - Check out Part 2 of Kiruba’s post. Hope the love is not lost after all!

Disclaimer: I’m a Cleartripper - absolutely love their service. And my company is a partner of Cleartrip.com!

P.S. Check out Gary’s handling of what could’ve been a PR nightmare!

Epiphany and Confession Time!!!

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:48:00 +0530

TODAY is the game changer. TODAY is the day that has changed the way I’ll lead the “rest of my life”.

And all it took was this one post by Steve Blank.

I quit the supposed “rat race” to follow my dreams but I never realized that the rat race never quit me. And this post is about an entrepreneur’s confession.

The long hours at my previous work places always left me feeling extremely empty - a void that I could never explain. Entrepreneurship shouldn’t have been such a natural choice that it eventually turned out to be. After all, there isn’t a drop of business in my blood - in fact, a secure, well paying job should’ve been my priority no. 1. It wasn’t.

And boy, was I glad that my family supported my decision to throw away a fast track career and jump into unchartered waters. The day I quit my globe-trotting, offensively well paying job, I had absolutely no money in my bank accounts. I never cared too much about saving - I wanted and had it all - new cars, a small penthouse apartment, fine dining on weekends. My decision to quit meant quite a few sacrifices. I thought it would be heart-breaking to let it all go. And once again, it wasn’t. If I remember right, I even agreed to forgo one month’s salary in exchange for being relieved without having to serve out my notice period.

The first few months are always magical, sometimes completely unbelievable. It is a high that one cannot explain but only experience. Every day brings new ideas - days turn into nights and the conversations continue well into the next day. The adrenalin rush is completely overpowering. Like every good fairy tale, life has its mandatory twists - one needs to be able to take the punches without being knocked down. In the life of an entrepreneur, the tough days heavily outnumber good ones. However, the good days more than make up for the struggle. So we do what we should - work harder, work smarter, work longer.

All was well till I read the afore mentioned post. One more thing that all aspiring entrepreneurs should know before I continue is that one tends to lose the ability to tolerate criticism, esp. from people who really care. That combined with ever-changing goal posts and deadlines can overwhelm the best of us.

Armed with the power of my latest epiphany, I did some some honest soul searching. Sacrifices were made not just by me but by every single person who loves and cares about me.

The long hours are no different from the times before my startup. The constant stretch was not only pushing my limits but of the people around me as well. In the last few years, I’ve never found time for family, friends and even my loving wife. All I had was a ready list of excuses for not being there. I was so consumed by my drive that I was completely oblivious to the fact that time was fast running out. Earlier I could blame it all on my employer, boss and sometimes even clients. But today …? All my claims of making up for the lost time sound so hollow now.

It is also very easy to take everything and everyone around you for granted while chasing that pot of gold. Families are not just your source of support but also an easy target of your anger and frustration. Most of us (including yours truly) wrongly interpret patience - patience does not mean tolerance - its just a rope, a very long one. Never try to push your luck too hard. I did - thankfully my rope was long enough.

Justifying the toll your ambition takes on the family is something that every single entrepreneur I’ve known in my life does. Its almost natural to fool yourself into believing that this grunt is for the greater good of your family and the generations ahead. Not for a moment did I realize before today that my family would rather have 1 hour of my daily life than a year of “quality time” on an exotic island.

So, my friends, stop making excuses for not spending enough time with your loved ones. If it means sacrificing an hour’s sleep to wake up early to go for that morning walk, do it. If it means turning off the laptop to chat about the day, do it. Do everything possible to enjoy life in the moment - you never know, tomorrow may just be too late.

I promise to turn my life around - DO YOU?

UPDATE: I’m still an entrepreneur (some people were concerned). I just need to find some balance. And the quest for the holy grail continues…

Cafe Coffee Day - Seriously?!

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:00 +0530

This is very disturbing. I had visited the Coffee Day outlet on Commercial Street last Sunday to meet a friend. When we ordered a couple of cold coffees, the waiter offered the familiar choice of whipped cream, ice-cream and chocolate sauce. Since all that we wanted was a glass of cold coffee on a very hot afternoon, we declined.

Then came the shocker, the waiter informed us that they don’t serve cold coffee without the “extras” on weekends. Incredible!

After haggling for a while, we settled for the extras to be served on a plate. In one swift stroke, CCD lost years of brand equity that they’d built with me. Forced up-selling never worked and probably never will. Siddhartha and Co - didn’t really expect smart people like you to do this. No wonder, the outlet was a ghost town on a crowded Sunday. CCD, SHAME ON YOU!

Update (IIT/IIM: National Shame)

Wed, 27 May 2009 11:16:00 +0530

A big thanks to everyone for responding so passionately. Let me reiterate once again - the post was not meant to provoke but highlight the fact that we are celebrating something that we shouldn’t be proud of. The reason why its a lot tougher to get into IIT/IIM than Harvard or MIT is because people there have a wider choice of top schools.

I don’t intend to be prescriptive in any of my posts. I got a lot of responses from people who argued about everything from public policy to pedagogy and legislation. Some of the responses were completely off the mark and argued against current legislations like reservation and other affirmative actions. My personal opinion about this subject (though it may only be tangentially related to the current post) is that no nation can progress without taking the entire nation along - even if it means a couple of generations have to make sacrifices for a greater future, so be it. After all, we’ve been independent for less than 62 years - Americans were hunting each other down 60 years after their declaration of independence. Once again, this is a very contentious subject and I would rather leave it alone.

I request everyone who has sent me mails to post their views on the blog - the comments section is not moderated - so feel free to candidly comment.

IIT/IIM: National Shame!

Tue, 26 May 2009 13:52:00 +0530

Let me add a disclaimer right at the outset: This post is not intended to be provocative and I definitely do not want to be drawn into a lengthy debate.

My earliest brush with the word IIM was in primary school when my father, an employee in a public sector company, spoke about the time he first stood outside the gates of IIM (Bangalore) many years before his marriage. That image got stuck in my mind and there were many nights when I tried visualizing what my father had described - I wanted to feel the same awe. I got my chance not much later when one fine day, sometime during my middle or high school, my father decided to take me to IIM(B) on his 50CC moped. After what seemed like a very long journey, we reached the imposing gates and a huge signage with the words Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. After a quick chat with the security head, we walked in. I don’t remember how many hours we spent walking around the campus but it was late evening by the time we started our ride back. The return journey seemed a lot shorter - I was just not in my senses. It was a kind of high that I’ve experienced very few times after that (the latest when I was getting my married to my wonderful wife). I was hooked - and from that day forward, all I wanted to do was to force my way through those gates.

Fast forward a few years - I was peer-pressurized into joining a couple of coaching classes for the IIM entrance examination (CAT). That is when the sheer magnitude of what I wanted hit me. The classes used to be packed with extremely bright people - all fighting for the few hundred seats on offer. I loved and hated the challenge equally. Something didn’t feel right even though the competitor in me reveled.

Cut to a couple of years ahead - I was sitting in my room in one of the IIMs and surfing through the articles online when I was sent a link by one of my classmates. The link pointed to an article in “The Economist” which had rated my B-School as the toughest in the world to get into. The primary criterion was the ratio of applicants to seats. On an average there were close to 70,000 “serious applicants” for less than 200 seats. The ratio has jumped many times recently with close to 200,000 competing for around 250 odd seats. The whole school was celebrating - I was saddened.

I come from a place where there is a huge premium on education. Families make many sacrifices to provide good education to the kids. My thoughts wandered to my classmates at the CAT coaching centre - what made me special? Does just a fraction of a percentile point make me better? I thought not.

Last night while catching up on the day’s news, I came across this story about IIT entrance examination results on NDTV 24/7 where the news anchor mentions (or was it proudly declares) that getting into an IIT is tougher than getting into Harvard or MIT. That took me back to the time when I was sitting in my room and feeling guilty at being a student at a “top of the line” B-School.

What were we celebrating? SCARCITY?

The years that followed my graduation from IIM thoroughly alarmed me - the government with its shoddy and short-sighted attempts at making quality education available to all and the IIMs trying preserve their “exclusivity”. Both made extremely hollow statements - while the government failed to convincingly present their case, the IIMs took refuge under the argument that they were protesting against “dilution in the quality of education”.

If a nation of over 1.2 billion people does not have the faculty to man atleast 100 IIMs and 100 IITs, then this country shouldn’t have been posting almost double digit growth rates over the last few years. Frankly speaking, I have come across many lecturers and professors during my under-graduation days who were at par with those from IIMs.

Exclusivity/elitism is discrimination and a denial of choice. With such a large youth population, this country could definitely do with a few hundred IITs and IIMs. The only way to turbo-charging this country’s growth and changing the fate of a nation is by giving the choice of quality education to all. So what if we don’t win awards from The Economist? Why not standardize and implement the IIT/IIM-way of education across the country? Why not follow the hiring processes of IITs/IIMs for all universities across the country? If an applicant with 98.3 percentile points deserves to be in an IIM, so does someone who missed out with a 98.2 percentile - or for that matter an applicant with 97 or 96 percentile.

So lets stop this sham of celebrating scarcity and elitism in the garb preserving quality. This is the last thing a young nation on the path of endless possibilities needs. Lets march on!

UPDATE: Please read this too!

Watching the news now - got an idea for a blog post - something that I’ve felt very strongly...

Mon, 25 May 2009 23:14:00 +0530

Watching the news now - got an idea for a blog post - something that I’ve felt very strongly about for a few years now - details to follow!

Startup 101: Go, get some love!

Sat, 23 May 2009 21:13:00 +0530

In the last 2 years that I’ve been running a startup - though I’m not sure if we can be called a startup anymore, there have been very valuable life lessons. Apart from the usual perks and pitfalls, one thing that has really stood apart for us is the sheer range of people interactions that we’ve had - family, friends, customers, investors, ex-colleagues, business partners, vendors, bankers, lawyers… you get to see people in a whole new light - people who stand behind you like a rock to those who abandon ship at the slightest hint of trouble. From the heady days of 2006-2007 to the dismal lows of 2008-2009, we’ve seen and survived it all.

The secret to this is not money, not luck - but love. Love of your family and love of your friends - probably the most underrated input for survival and success.

Money can be substituted - offer your employees stocks - pay rent using credit card - make your landlord an equity partner - and voila, money does not look all that important. But when you’re down and desperately groping around for motivation, all you need is an arm around your shoulder, a smiling face (and maybe someone to buy you a cold mug of beer) - and that, my friends, is where the game is won. The will to keep going in the face of insurmountable odds cannot be bought with money - the strength to get up, dust off and run again after being repeatedly knocked down requires just on thing - unwavering support - that of your family and your friends. When every single conversation leads to nowhere alley, your family and friends provide the light.

So I have absolutely no doubt in declaring that the single factor that has gotten us thus far is the love of our families and friends. Pleasantly enough, I’ve found new friends along the way - from ex-bosses and ex-colleagues to people I had lost touch over the years. I can narrate extraordinary acts of kindness - but I’ll leave that for another day.

So all you wannabe entrepreneurs out there - speak to family, speak to friends, connect/reconnect with people - go, get some love.

"What does a startup need more than anything else ? - not money, not luck - but loads of love..."

Fri, 22 May 2009 23:42:00 +0530

“What does a startup need more than anything else ? - not money, not luck - but loads of love and acts of kindness!”

- Explanation to follow!

Kyra Theatre, Bangalore

Tue, 19 May 2009 19:04:00 +0530

Kyra Theatre, Bangalore:

Theatre + Restaurant + Bar = One Great Evening!

Susan Boyle - Astounding Performance!

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:19:00 +0530

Susan Boyle - Astounding Performance!:

Listen to this woman sing - absolutely fabulous. Looks can be so deceptive.

Tumblr

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:35:00 +0530

Finally, moved to blogging on Tumblr. Once you figure it out, Tumblr is a breeze to setup and run! Tumblr cannot import my old posts from wordpress as yet - thats the only bummer. Will update more often henceforth.