Bihar resurgence more by design than default

Dec 29, 2010

Critics dismissed the claim, Bihari Diaspora looked up with nostalgic pride and a large section of Bihar population kept wondering; but the conventional school of economics had just got a new case study. And the eminent economist Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar was only stating the obvious. The state of Bihar, known for poor perception, projection and performance had managed to achieve a growth rate of 11 per cent at a time when the national GDP had nosedived to 6 per cent and many developed countries hovering around 2.5 per cent.
Everybody had their own reasons to react-the critics who were always apprehensive with the competitive edge of the talent pool were just comfortable with the denial theory. The Bihari Diaspora who has by and large seen the worst side of reverse racism in metro cities and has preferred silence in exchange of a decent living had suddenly found that their time had come. The large part of the Bihar, however, kept wondering that if Bihar has actually made history then where have the fruits of development gone? 
The turnaround of the fortune of Bihar will be discussed and debated at various level- economic, social and political. However, the fact stands that this turnaround has been made possible without any economic package by the centre, without any big-ticket investment, and despite coping with the legacy of state being at the rock bottom of governance, all human development indicators and nature’s fury with flood. All this is a clear indicator of the resilience of the state.
No wonder, in a fragmented polity where anti-incumbency is the only indicator to judge the governance; the voters of Bihar gave the unquestioned mandate to its turnaround man in recently held Assembly elections. The real challenge for the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar starts now with the burden of expectations on governance and much more. The moot point now is that what is the road map ahead and whether Bihar can sustain its resurgence as the state with highest GDP.
The fact of the matter, however, is that much water has flown in the Ganges in the last five years and there is visible change in the perception and projection about the state. Already the economists have started discussing whether the new economic wave in India will be heralded through Green Revolution in Eastern India in general and Bihar in particular. After all, the migration rate of Bihar at this moment is the lowest in the last three decades and that is clear reflection of Bihar emerging as the food basket of the country.
Waiting for a young prosperous landlord at his place in Gurgaon of Haryana, I was pleasantly surprised to see him coming straight from his farm land in swanky car but hands all soiled. He was cutting a sorry figure for working himself in the harvesting since the third generation landlord was all clueless as to where have all the labours gone? After all, he had seen Bihari migrant labours since childhood, and never even dreamt of working himself in the field.
But it not just the migration check that makes me optimistic with the resurgence of Bihar. I recently met a well settled business man of Nepal, who was sulking as to how the improved law & order in Bihar has fled all the criminal elements into the Himalayan state. Unable to cope up with the emerging extortion demands over there, he is looking to shift base to Delhi. These are the case studies that suggest what is paving the way for investment in Bihar. What Bihar needs now is one big ticket investment and that will set the ball rolling. It will not just add to the employment opportunity in the state, but also be a trend setter for more investments, big and small.
Already there seems to be intent by the Bihari Diaspora to get back to its roots. When a well settled friend from Saudi called me up to inform that he has immediate plans to wrap up the flourishing business in the Gulf, I felt as if it is a routine story of the Indian Diaspora. After all, behind all the swanky living of the Indians across the world is a stark reality of accepting second class citizenship in exchange. But what surprised me is the fact that his future plans are to settle business in the home state of Bihar.
Already there are very many professionals who have, of late, opted for working at the grass roots in the state, instead of a cushioned job in the metro cities. There is no doubt a sea change in the perception, projection and performance of the state. Critics and pessimists among us may argue that Bihar’s resurgence and astonishing growth rate has been by default, but by all indicators its continuance and the roads ahead are going to be a case study for the academic and governance purposes. The Bihar’s reach to the pinnacle of glory will definitely be by design than default.

Broadcast Media is OUT, Narrowcast Media is IN

Dec 22, 2010

With our core business & expertise in media consulting, at every year-end people keep asking as to which way the media is heading to in the year ahead. At the end of the year 2010, the very same curiosity has got even more relevance with the kind of media expose that the country has seen, both internally with Radia tapes and globally with WikiLeaks. Will it change the shape of things in media? And with TRACK2MEDIA Consulting launching its first news project in the form of e newspaper on real estate sector, Track2Realty, it is all the more necessary for us to release a fact-sheet on the media roadmap that we find shaping up in the year 2011.
Different people have different reasons to be curious-journalist friends want to know whether the entry of more players will just add up to the number of jobs; or the increasing competition will have some impact on the pay packets as well. The clients in the corporate world are always curious to understand the behavioral dilemma with the necessary evil called media. But most importantly the new players who are eager to explore in the media business want to understand as to what makes a media project viable.
Well, TRACK2MEDIA Consulting as a communication management group has lost a couple of upcoming media projects in the year 2010 because we have been upfront in telling the clients that their approach to replicate the model, both in content & revenue, of existing biggies is fraught with dangers. Every wannabe in the media business, unfortunately, tries to replicate the existing news project, and in the process turns out to be the poor Xerox version of the existing players. When the global management consulting company McKinsey forecasted a few years back that India will soon see around 500 TV channels uplinked, it had probably no idea as to how the business of news & entertainment will see a horizontal growth than vertical one.
Some of the regional channels competing in a cluttered market are a testimony of the fact that it is not just niche market that is a key to success. Most of them have failed to evolve a serious game plan and hence unable to create a community around them. This failure has also brought a sea change compromise in the standards and ethics of journalism. Jobs are offered nowadays not just on the journalistic merit, but the ability to raise revenue from the region that is on offer. Still, most of the thinktanks of these media group are clueless as to where have the audience and revenue gone.
Nine out of 10 new media projects in the year 2010 have either failed flat or are struggling to make a break even. Indian media market has already seen dot com bubble burst, the TV channels closing down and even some big ticket print media projects failing to make a mark. Some of these projects have failed to get noticed despite of deep pockets of the promoters. On the contrary, there are other media projects, though few and far between, which are doing well despite of working in a low-cost model. This raises a question mark over the business model, brand differentiator and TG loyalty of the project.
All the successful media ventures may be devising their old success stories, but there seem to be a common pattern of almost all the failed ventures. That is their attempt to replicate the model of the existing successful ventures.  After closely examining the evolving media market in the country, we always advise the clients to write their success stories, instead of replicating anybody. This goes true for our own venture Track2Realty as well, which has been conceptualized as a market differentiator in the real estate segment.
It is not that there is any dearth of media ventures in a lucrative sector like the real estate. But where Track2Realty stands out as a market differentiator is the fact that we are neither competing with the marketing supplements of the mainline newspapers, nor are we providing a B2B platform to the industry. For us real estate is newsworthy subject that has been a virgin territory. And we are here to track the real concerns of all the stake holders-realty companies, investors, consultants and the end-users.
The question that many people ask is that whether niche segment is the new potential zone to emerge. With a certain amount of conviction I keep telling the media wannabes that the days of broadcast format is over. Unless one has a few hundred crores with a long time span to get into competitive zone with the large media houses, there is no point to even think of a venture with broadcast format. Providing every bit of news for everybody is something that has been monopolized by the large media institutions. As a consultant I keep telling everybody that even if you have deep pockets, it is always better to channelize that resource on a road that has been less travelled by.
It is our firm belief that while the broadcast format may not work for the new players, narrowcast format brings in more synergy, room for creativity & experiment and connects instantly with the focused target group. The next wave in media is slated to be with the narrowcast format, where one may not be offering everything to everybody, but an exclusive offer for a niche audience connects much better with the desired target group. One may not target million of audience who will surf your news platform once in a while, but an exclusive offer to even thousands of audience will do if your offer is worth visiting twice or thrice a day.
News and for that matter any form of media is also about creating a community around your media vehicle. Perhaps Facebook is the best example, and also an answer as to why people in general spend more time on Facebook than a professional networking platform like the LinkedIn. Both Facebook and LinkedIn are available on the Internet, accessible to everybody worldwide. But while LinkedIn is conceptualized on a broadcast format where you can network globally with anybody on a professional level, you may not end up working together on a given project even if you need services in that given geographical location. This is because this professional networking platform may not bring in like minded professionals on the table.
On the contrary, with Facebook one may not be bothered about millions of users, but in a narrowcast mode one is closely networked, most often with same likes and preferences, with the friends’ list. The medium offers even more focused narrowcasting within the narrowcast in the form of creating a group. Our study on the business model, audience psychograph and emerging pattern clearly suggests that the future belong to such narrowcast format in media.      
Among the three popular modes of media-Print, TV and Internet, the power of the word of mouse is tremendous; but has not been tapped fully because there is a credibility factor that is missing on the net in the absence of any regulation. It is a free for all medium. Columbia law professor in his recent book “The Master Switch” argues that Internet is as powerful as any other communications medium.  He expects to see consolidation and government control over the web. That may be a blessing in disguise as most other media-Print, TV, Radio & Movies, have gone through phases of wild growth and experimentation, eventually settling into a pattern of consolidation, control and credibility.
If Print Media today is seen as the most creditable piece of journalism, it is largely due to the edit control mechanism of the medium. In contrast, Television may attract more eyeballs but edit control is relatively less in a Soundbyte driven medium. Internet media entrepreneurs need to adapt to this reality and reinvent their project into a digiprint format. It is not just the US President Barack Obama who contested the elections on the social networking sites, but across the world even the most conservative governments have started realizing the power of the medium.
China has launched a new search engine of its own to make foray into its 420 million strong net users’ market. Known as Goso.cn, China’s search engine has been aimed at countering the negative reports of the country on rival Google. It has been launched by the country’s largest newspaper the People’s Daily of the ruling Communist party of China. This shows how several countries view development of the internet as part of their national strategy.
Internet is a medium which enables one with a daily budget of even Rs. 10 to practice journalism and other forms of media activity. Internet has cultivated a public vested in its freedom. But then activism and radical openness of the web has to eventually set an organized pattern for the medium. With a bit of regulation, more serious players opting for the medium and the medium itself not just penetrating deep into the demography but also in the psychograph….the future is definitely calling to the digital media.

The idea of track2realty

Dec 4, 2010

Isn’t it ironical that a sector worth $140 billion that has weathered the market crash twice in the last around a decade and still emerged as the fastest growing contributor to the GDP has not been granted even industry status in India? Even at the rock bottom in terms of the market sentiments today, the Indian real estate is poised to grow at a remarkable pace in view of the larger number of private investments and IPOs in the pipeline.
After all, the market capitalization of the real estate sector in India is just about 4.2 per cent of the total market capitalization, which is below the global norm of approximately 15 per cent, thus reflecting the scope available for growth of the sector. Sadly, the image makeover and fair trade practices within the sector have been ignored by all the parties’ concerned-government, realtors and media. The media focus seems to be as disorganized and haphazard as the real estate sector.
When a team of journalists with thorough knowledge & background of real estate sector got together to come out with a professional e newspaper, we first asked ourselves-why track2realty? We strongly believe that we can provide an alternative and viable media vehicle to the sector only when we are self-analytical and self-critical. Most of the real estate supplements of the mainline newspapers and realty magazines are actually marketing brochures of the sector and there has been absolutely no attempt to track the real issues and concerns of the sector.
It is here that track2realty is determined to make a difference. We may not act as a consumer rights’ activist group, but this e newspaper will not be an extension of marketing brochure either. We are a professionally managed media outlet for tracking the real concerns of the industry, investors and the end users. We will also come out with the research paper on the sector, and our periodical survey will reflect the true concerns of the sector.
Since real estate and infrastructure has emerged as the second largest economic activity in the country after agriculture, it has also given rise to a new economy including the media economy. The ad spend of the sector has gone up phenomenally in the last decade, surpassing even the FMCG sector in terms of growth rate. No wonder, most of the existing media foray on real estate sector are just a B2B platform with hardly any concerns for either the consumer empowerment or the industry regulation. We have well identified this demand-supply mismatch and our e newspaper will try to fill in this gap.
While we are providing news, views, reports and advisory to the readers, we are also providing a networking platform for the realty professionals. Our research reports will be aimed at providing industry reference, and survey will reflect the true state of the Indian real estate sector. At times, such hard-hitting research reports and reflective survey may not cheer up the industry, but then our focus would always be on what the industry needs and not what the industry wants.
And last, but not the least, our grievance section will be an open forum for everybody including the end users. In our sincere attempt to track the sector and raise voice for a better & organized market, we may at times rub a section or two the wrong way in the short term perspective. But we are very much committed to emerge as the genuine & reliable voice of the real estate sector in the long term perspective.

Corruption and political hypocrisy

Nov 18, 2010

On the 1st day of Winter Session of Parliament JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav got agitated during a discussion on the corruption charges on Telecom Minister A Raja, CWG boss Suresh Kalmadi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chahvan.  In the heat of the moment the former Union Minister got so much carried that he made a politically not-so-correct yet candid statement that once being a part of the Union Government he is aware that in India investigating agencies are so much under the clutches of the ruling party that any investigation has absolutely no meaning and corruption & political nepotism remains a way of life.
Though the allegation of Sharad Yadav was meant to target the Congress Party, it actually proved to be a revealing statement on how the respective governments in India have misused the central investigating agencies, and hypocrisy is the only buzz word on the issue. The question here is that whether corruption actually is an issue in India beyond middle class hysteria. Well, your guess could be as good as mine. Had corruption been an issue then the ruling Congress party that has been responsible for institutionalizing it had not been ruling the country uninterrupted for almost three decades since independence.
The fact of the matter is that corruption has never been an issue in India and the governments who have performed even decent on the given parameter of governance (development, social justice or just plain PR) have repeatedly been re-elected even after being declared corrupt by the investigating agencies and the court of law. The political parties that are stalling the parliament year after year seem to have learnt the art of engineering the middle class hysteria over corruption, while they are all hand-in-glove, and collectively determined to laugh their way to banks while plundering the public wealth.
What Sharad Yadav said in the House is only the tip of the iceberg. The malaise runs much deeper in the system. Have not we all seen the then CBI chief Joginder Singh saying in Patna that prima facie there is no case to charge sheet Laloo Yadav in fodder scam and then stating otherwise in Delhi in a matter of few hours? After all, he was only following his boss’ (Prime Minister) order against the wannabe Prime Minster. Did corruption charge desert the massive vote bank of Laloo? There are a number of examples where the corruption and other criminal charges have worked the other way and instead mobilized the gullible voters even further.
With the change of time, corruption has only snowballed into a kind of media trial, with the political parties more interested in engaging the public and engineering vote bank than reaching to a logical conclusion. If that not be the case why are opposition parties today demanding JPC with more members of ruling alliance than a PAC with more opposition members? The fact of the matter is that all they are interested in is a drift of DMK from the ruling alliance and not taking the corruption to its logical end. The ruling UPA alliance is playing equally smart to let the bedlam happen and in due course pass the tide. Public memory, after all, is very short.
Had public memory not been that short, the principal opposition party, BJP would not have gathered morale to raise such a hue and cry over corruption. After all, the track record of their own NDA government has been equally pathetic, filthy and stormy over the issue. The telecom scam is not just confined to the grant of 2G Spectrum; it actually started within the NDA Government. When one of the upright ministers, Jagmohan stood out as whistle blower, he was ungracefully shifted from the ministry and sidelined. Who doesn’t know how Reliance was given license for local loop phone initially and then all the norms subverted to favour the corporate house.
When the corruption scandal had surfaced in the Defence Ministry of the NDA government, did the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee showed the kind of leadership that the Manmohan Singh has now shown? The BJP had then gone “On Record” saying that it is the prerogative of the Prime Minister to retain and drop a minister, and he is not bound by the wish of the opposition party. It had led to a new precedent in the history of Indian Parliament when throughout the tenure of the NDA government, the opposition kept the Defence Minister George Fernandes boycotted, and never asked any questions. Of course, the common gullible middle class kept wondering that whether our leaders have stood so low that even the coffins of war martyrs at kargil were not spared.
It is due to the all pervasive political hypocrisy that a political party raises a toast over Adarsh Society Housing Scam in Maharashtra, despite the fact that their own Party President is one of the beneficiaries. How conveniently they forget that one of the Chief Ministers of their own party had shamelessly defended corruption with a couplet, “paisa koi khuda toh nahin lekin khuda ki kasam  khuda se kam bhi nahin” (Money may not be god but god swear is no less than god). May be the poor guy was just following the principles set by his Party President who was caught on camera accepting bribe, not leaving even loose currency of Rs. 10.
The country was not so shocked beyond middle class hysteria yet again. The rest had digested the first time whiff of power that brought the greed out of the holier-than-thou political party. They are any way not alone in becoming a poor Xerox copy of the Congress in terms of corruption. The respective Third Front Governments, often a by-product of disenchantment with the two leading political parties, too have been found lusting for the same booty through means fair and foul. Hence when a leading industrialist blew the whistle of being asked 15 crores for airlines license, nobody was surprised or shocked.
The moot point here is that when every political party has been equally shameless then whom to be blamed. The first blame goes to people like us for being hysterical with selective amnesia. So long we are a party to the political vote engineering in the name of whistle blowing on corruption, the soap opera called “war on corruption” will continue. As concerned citizens of the country our agenda should be to boycott the corrupt, and at the same time deplore those who have double-speak on the subject with a holier-than-thou war cry.

An open Letter to Bihar Chief Minister

Nov 6, 2010

Dear Mr Nitish Kumar
As you are poised to take over the realm of the second largest state in the country, Bihar the 2nd consecutive time, I feel like interacting with you directly over certain issues that I feel deserves due attention. You or even many of my friends may dismiss this letter as a publicity gimmick and question my locus standi to such an interaction. After all, why should a lone person without any political mass base and a non-Resident Bihari who does not even cast his vote in the state evoke your interest? Still I felt like writing an open letter to a man who is my Hero but yet there are shades of grey in his governance that is a matter of concern as well.
Mr Kumar, you may be more concerned with admirers and critics who matter the most as far as the political calculation of the state is concerned. But then all these admirers and critics also have some vested interest that has goaded them to their respective line of ideology. I have none. Still I am one of your ardent fans. As a non-Resident Bihari I have been quite vocal on the issue of Bihari Diaspora and their legitimate rights. And this is precisely the reason that you are my Hero as far as Bihar getting its pride back is concerned. Had it not been you turnaround performance as the Chief Minister of Bihar, the state would not have got its due place back. You have suddenly transformed Bihar into new power centre in this part of the world.
The average non-Resident citizen of Bihar is no longer living with subdued silence in exchange of a decent living across the country. The unprecedented development of the state in the last five years has equipped us with the kind of statistics that the outside world often wonders. Of course, it is also backed by the fact that many of those who left the state in the last couple of decades have made a mark with their impeccable merit, unquestionable hard work and live in a new aspiration driven economy. Still a large share of the credit for the new-found confidence goes to you. After all, it is not just about boasting our individual success, but the issue has been perception and projection of the state at large. 
Though you have absolutely no background in media, you have successfully cultivated the art of media management and the positive perception and projection of the state is a Case Study in itself. It is due to this dramatic turnaround that a section of regional parties mooting the possibility of another Third Front Government at the Centre think of you as the future Prime Minister. If that happens and when that happens, we all will hold our head high with pride. And it is precisely such a big picture in vision that I am compelled to write this open letter to you.
As we at the TRACK2MEDIA Consulting conducted election forecast survey in Bihar, I was wondering as to how opinion on your government’s performance has been diametrically opposite in different pockets. I can understand that normally in any given election there is a sharp contrast between the macro level indicators and micro level sentiments. But in Bihar there has been something more than what average pollsters would have noticed. For the last few days the political commentator in me was trying to figure out whether development always translates into votes. My understanding of Indian polity and electoral politics says that the governments who have performed even decently have got reelected in a democracy like India where political overtones on every nook and corner are most often silenced by the voters at large who are generous with least expectation level.
However, there are very many visible examples where development has not translated into votes. The question is if development doesn’t translate into votes, what else can be done? Well, it is just a matter of looking at development with a holistic vision-development for whom and at what cost? when development is confined into select pocket, when there is absence of inclusive growth and when the fruits of development are not shared equally in the society; it leads to not only the process of political marginalization and resultant mobilization, but also leads to long term social unrest. I wonder whether already divided Bihar (on caste and other socio-political parameters) can afford such unrest.
I understand that by and large you have served your constituency (caste, class, geographical and political) reasonably well. The failure has been more on the part of your alliance partner who remained so clueless with sudden found power in Bihar that they started repeating the same mistakes that Congress did during its alliance with the RJD Government. The BJP failed to either create a separate constituency or serve the section that has been its traditional strength in the state. But then the BJP today appears to be more Congressised than the Congress itself. They are well known to follow the Congress in their quest to understand the intricacies of governance, and their corruption and lust for power at every level is a testimony to it.  
As far as you are concerned, I, and many like me, expect you to be a statesman. A proven performer who can do wonders for the state. And it is in this perspective that I feel your second term as Bihar Chief Minister will be even more challenging. This can well be your make or break innings in the state. I am not saying this because there will be sky high expectations to deliver; rather I am more concerned with the fact that my Hero should set a new benchmark for the overall inclusive growth of the state. Destiny, after all, doesn’t favour those who take corrective measures only when confronted with the crisis. Even Laloo Yadav did his best when dethroned from Bihar to turnaround the Indian Railways. It proved to be too little & too late. I just wish that the visionary Nitish Kumar will not repeat the same mistakes.
Yours….
A Concerned Non-Resident Bihari 

Brand Bihar shines against odds

October 27, 2010

When a prominent journalist made a faux pas on Bihar being a liability on tax payers’ money and Brand Bihar ignoring it, he was made to eat his own words by the strong reaction of the well placed Bihari community across the country. Prima Facie what seemed to be the new age technology and networking sites like Facebook giving a voice to the pride of the otherwise detached class of Bihar, had something more than that. A very close follower of the diaspora of Bihar and their sensibilities, it was heartening to see the emergence of “Brand Bihar” in true letter and spirit.

Had the resurgence of Bihar as a truly power centre of India been only for the academic purposes, the diaspora of the state would not have erupted with such a strong reaction. But the voice of the Non Residents Biharis (NRB), who may not have any plans of resettling in home state, was as curt as the residents of Bihar. This is a clear indicator of the fact that the resurgence of Bihar has come of age. 

 The economics of “Brand Bihar” is not the only indicator of the hidden potential of the state. Of course, the GDP rate of 11% at a time when the world economy was reeling under recession and even the national economy slumped to around 6% will always remain a matter of pride for a community that has been at the receiving end of reverse racism in its own country for nearly three decades.

However, what gives me a sense of satisfaction is that the economics of “Brand Bihar” has been equally supported by the sociology of emotional pride for the state. A History Graduate in me clearly understands that the civilizations turn into Great & Role Model for future only when the economics and sociology of the land and its people are inter-linked. I have time and again raised my voice at various forum that what is missing link in harnessing the true potential of the state of Bihar is the sociology, and not economics.

The unfortunate reality thus far has been this lack of emotional chord. There are two reasons responsible for relegating the Bihari identity into dustbin. I may be rubbing some of my own brethren the wrong way here, but it is high time that we look into the deep rooted malaise, if Brand Bihar has to be positioned like never before. Let’s face the facts bluntly. The curse of caste has been the bane of Bihar, as deep rooted in polity as in society. But the rising economy & high aspiration level is certainly reducing the caste divide. A strong focus on “Bihar Pride” will further cement the gaps.

Our own acceptance of fate as second class citizens in exchange of a decent living is something that the migrant Biharis had to live with. The poor projection of the state at various human development indicators led the collective consciousness to shape up against the residents of Bihar. An average working class somehow started learning to live with this crude reality of being under the social scrutiny for no fault of theirs. The strengths of the state of Bihar was not even allowed to be discussed in public for quite some time.

The wheels of fortune turned in the last few years when the state started showing signs of development and improved ranking of state on human development indicators. A catalyst to this undercurrent has been the fact that the thinly spread vocal working class with relatively better consciousness of their rights and pride started networking. Even though such networking has mostly been on the sites like Facebook, it subconsciously gives every other Bihari that he is not alone and can’t be cornered.

The moot point here is whether this emergence of Brand Bihar has been accepted beyond Bihar. It is here that I find graceful acceptance of this social reality few and far between. I can say with my own experience in Delhi that the people, who accepted us as one among equals, only accepted the elite class in us while their subconscious mind always gave them pseudo assurance of being more than equal and added superiority complex. 

While reservations against the state have always been borne out of perception, the rise of Brand Bihar has not diminished it. It has actually further intensified among a larger section who see the state as a threat to their own existence. The detaste against Brand Bihar may not be vocal like a few years back, since calling somebody a Bihari with negative connotations is fraught with danger now even in public transport of metro cities. But the silent resentment is even more dangerous because you never know who is actually a frienemy.

It is not unusual to find people in metro cribbing that their children can’t compete in premium services like the IAS and IIT, since most of the seats are occupied by the students of Bihar. While the grudge to not competing in this meritocracy has always been there, the rise of Brand Bihar has inculcated a new fear psychosis in them. It may be silent, it may be hidden…but then Vinod Dua is not the only person who thinks Bihar is a threat, can’t be competed against and hence the only option is to demoralize the state with a negative perception created around it.

I wish they could see the new power house called Brand Bihar, and get benefited by acknowledging it. Come on guys….since you can not beat us, join us. Brand Bihar invites all Indians with arms wide open. We have been doing so since ages and our academic excellence in Nalanda has been a testimony to this. 

Hey Ram...Save Rama from his fanatics

October 2, 2010

Immediately after the Ayodhya verdict over Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid, a young man’s chat completely turned me off. “Sir Hindu Jeet Gaye” (Hindus have won)…This was not just a statement, rather reflected the thought process of a generation whom we expect to be progressive. I was all the more ashamed by the tenacity of this idiotic statement since it was coming from an educated person who is also a qualified lawyer. Legality of the judgment and ethics & plurality of the nation apart, the statement reflected an undercurrent of the psyche which still believes India should not move ahead of the medieval act that happened on the fateful day of Dec 6, 1992. 
While the country eagerly awaited the verdict on Ayodhya, it was heartening to see the vocal class of India pleading peace and harmony over religious bigotry. If various social networking sites were any indication, the mood of the nation seemed to be in favour of moving ahead of the controversy over temple & mosque that has seen the turnaround of India’s polity in the last two decades. However, the big question remained: Will it be the same goodwill after the verdict? After all, a win-win solution for all the parties (consciously calling them parties and not religion) seemed to be only a wishful thinking.
However, while the questionable verdict was accepted by and large by the nation with an appeal for moving ahead, stray and loose comments in-between has got alarming proportions. It is true that 2010 is not 1992, an entire generation has been exposed to a different and progressive society; there is no devilish P V Narsimha Rao, conspirator L K Advani or idiotic Kalyan Singh at the helm. But then what is more dangerous to the humanity in general and plural character of the nation in particular is the thought & ideology than the individuals.
Coming to the ethics of the dispute and legality of the judgment, I wonder had it been the other way round then whether the fanatic Hindus (who are still vocal with war cry) would have agreed for moving ahead? Moreover, if it is Hindu victory (as believed by a few educated idiots) then why the hell is Hindu Mahasabha challenging it in the apex court? I am myself a devout believer of Lord Rama and believe that he is very much part of the nature, hence exists everywhere.  After all, Sanatan Dharma and Vedic Living advocate the worship of even trees of Peepal, Banana and others. The fact of the matter is that Lord Rama’s existence and reputation is today more in danger from his own followers than the followers of other sects fighting over the Babri Masjid rights.
I am equally perplexed by the judgment which, according to me, raises more questions than answers the given dispute. Of course, the three bench judgment itself is divided and a clear answer was only a wishful thinking. However, one wonders whether the illegal demolition of the Babri Masjid has been legalized by the judgment.  What would have happened had the mosque not been demolished as yet? Had it then been a legal sanction to the demolition of a religious shrine? What about the constitutional assurance to the minorities that all the religious structures should stand the way they stood at the time of independence?
But I suppose the jurisdiction of the court was confined to the title rights over the land. Under the given circumstances, with Archaeological Survey of India findings also inconclusive, the honorable judges confined their decision over the title rights of the land only. However, the socio-political nature of the dispute demanded that the state should have intervened over the issue to not only address the issue but also set a precedent.
Had there been a timely state intervention, it would have saved Lord Rama being victimized, traumatized and de-glorified. May be a national monument on the disputed site would have done no harm to the reputation and international image of India. It would have also acted as a deterrent to the lumpen fanatics who think Ram Janmabhoomi judgment is the run-up to Krishna Janmabhoomi.    Most importantly, India would have really moved ahead in the true sense of the term.

Mythical perception of communication

September 15, 2010 

Communication strategy can be a funny business and the mythical perception about what constitutes an effective communication makes the job even more ridiculous for the serious practitioners of the business. More often than not the conventional wisdom that communication must aim at creating mutually beneficial relation between the organization and its stake holders goes for a toss, when the client reminds you that there are other agencies waiting to grab the account on the clients’ dotted terms. It may not shock me anymore, but definitely disappoints bitterly with the dogmatic ideas that collective consciousness of the business community carries as far as communication is concerned.
There seems to be a definite lack of understanding of how business relevant and business beneficial communication strategy can be. My failed brain storming with the management of a soon-to-be-launched consumer product reminds me yet again that India Inc communicates more to impress than to express. This lack of foresight results into a complete emotional disconnect with the audience for whom the product has been conceptualized. I fail to understand the point why a metro kid with all the polished Ps and Qs should be the face of a brand which has the least possibility to be consumed by that given segment.
I can understand a “method” into it if the product is aspirational in nature. But with a consumer product that would be mostly consumed by the tier II and tier III kids in their given comfortable budget, such an endorsement hardly reflects any serious thought process or strategy. As Ad man Suhel Seth recently said during FICCI’s “Brand Talk” that marketers who resort to Celebrity Endorsement of their products are the laziest people in the business.
With my academic perspective and market exposure of over a decade now, I often end up arguing, even at the cost of losing business, as to why all the communication (Advertising & PR) should be in the national English dailies. To an extent this is necessary from branding perspective, but the question is how much market share can be earned by shouting in a market where decibel levels are already too high. Based on my experience with TRACK2MEDIA Consulting where we always suggest for a market survey/research before any new communication campaign, I personally feel the Indian businesses still have to go a long way before they bank on expertise at every level.
In the absence of a scientifically evolved methodology, most of the board room decisions are based on perception than ground reality. A friend heading the corporate communication of a pharma major recently shared how they exhaust 80 per cent of the budget in the mainstream media and only 10-15 per cent in the vernacular media. Keeping in mind the fact that major product of the company is prescriptive medicine; this clearly defies any logic in a country where 50 per cent of the doctors are from Bihar.
But the think tank of the said pharma company is not the only one that seats in the ivory towers from where Ground Zero is more often than not invisible. No wonder, many of such management are pretty happy with their advertising in page 1 of national dailies, often with a jacket cover; while the PR campaign fails to take off. I would blame equally to the PR agencies for cutting a sorry figure before the clients. The day they stop overpromising on coverage in the national dailies, they would earn some respect for themselves and the profession as well, even if it means loss of business at times.
There seems to be an obsession of the clients to get published in the national English dailies, even if they don’t have a news value and their product does not address the readers at all. Many of them are not even open to the idea of any out-of-the-box strategy, which can earn them more reputation in terms of brand building, connect directly to the target audience and ensures more market share. But the medium is ever evolving, and it is the job of a brand strategist to make them understand that old school of communication is changing the world over.
If advertising used to be the king of communication till around a decade back, with a lion’s share of 80 per cent of the marketing budget, the rise of the branding tools and methodologies suggest it should not be more than 40-45 per cent now. Public Relations, Corporate Sponsorships, Corporate Social Responsibility, Online Reputation Management, two-way seamless communication to connect with stake holders……the medium is ever evolving. But the moot point is--before we put our foot down and say NO to the clients who believe in self medication, are we as communication consultants convinced that we are strategists and not vendors to the clients? Well, my guess is as good as many others who are in the business of communication consultancy.    

Class as Caste turns sociology upside down

Aug 15, 2010

A request by one of the followers of my blog, a young journalist, has evoked the sociologist in me to rethink the way we interpret caste and class. Even though my journalistic and migrant background has always goaded me to activism on issues ranging from caste, class, diaspora and regionalism, my understanding of Indian society and culture made me believe that caste is more often than not class in this part of the world. And hence the rebellious writer in me has always been up against challenging the class conscious society which has by and large stood shamelessly by its commitment to status quo.
The query that whether class has turned out to be caste now in the modern India actually led me to introspect as to whether the class & caste conundrum needs a fresh perspective. Has the conventional wisdom of sociology that caste is class not been relevant in today’s market driven elitist society? Certainly if the young generation like Abhishek Kumar of Political & Business Daily feels offended when asked as to how much he earns as his first class identity, I feel it is time for a serious discussion on the subject. A young man’s offence to his class in question also gives a ray of hope that the market driven society has not completely captured the class the way they would like to.
After all, the class conscious society in Delhi would have easily cornered a young migrant from non-descript city like Raxaul in Bihar. But my objection to the class as caste runs much deeper. Of course, I come across almost on a routine basis with such class conscious elitists for whom one’s address and swanky cars are the only introduction to the individual’s class. The more shameless breed doesn’t even mind getting into the economics of whether the flat that you live in is a rented accommodation or you own it.  The car you drive is on loan or purchased with down payments….the list can be filthy disgusting.
However, the above examples are just tip of the iceberg and this shift from traditional school of sociology is merely the symptom, not the disease. If free market economy believes in currency as the new class, the social divide on grounds of rural-urban, native-migrant, English-vernacular and many such chauvinistic parameters make the notion of class even more profound. It seems the larger section of the society that has been at the receiving end of class ostracism will continue to suffer. It is just the fact of academic interest that while earlier their respective caste had been relegating them to that class, now the class (socio-economic) is relegating them to caste, or better to call them outcastes.  
There are certain other parallels to be drawn out of this class and caste conundrum. While the social barrier still remains the same, the prerequisites to switch to the other side of the fence have not changed either. Of course, it has to meet the acid taste of not rubbing the sensibilities of the so-called upper class. Earlier it was the elevation of the lower caste in economic stream (read elite government jobs) that was qualifying them to rub shoulders with the upper castes, now it is the same professional ladder that provides them acceptability and turns their caste as per the elitists.
We as migrant professionals in Delhi and other metro cities witness this class turning out to be our caste day in and day out. The very same class which pretends as upper caste and disapproves our presence in the city wants to rub shoulders with us once we rise up the professional ladder. This may not be an acceptance of our migrant identity or our regional identity, but the acceptance is for our elite class, that suddenly turns out to be our new caste. 
I know the truth is a bit bitter but there are a number of friends in Delhi who are neither comfortable with a migrant in me who has proven intellectual and professional sharpness over them, nor have they accepted a resident of Bihar. But then a communication professional in me is welcome to the very same people whose profile of CEO, TRACK2MEDIA Consulting defines his elite class to them, which in their perception is also his new caste. Call it fair or foul, but class has become the new caste today and it is definitely turning the conventional sociology upside down.

Grooming and nurturing at Tagore International school

August 01, 2010

After spending more than a decade into audio-visual medium of communication it is hard to impress me with the kind of patchy work that is being taught in various media institutes nowadays. It seems mass communication schools that have mushroomed across the country are only mass production factory of low quality jack-of-all-trade stuff. And thanks to the television revolution in this part of the world, where the journey from one Doordarshan to 400 odd TV channels has not taken more than a decade, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking has been relegated to the dustbin.
Over the last few years of my professional life in various capacity, the first thing that I have always told to these young mass media pass outs is to unlearn on the job what all has been taught to them in their respective institutes. And hence when a friend of mine asked me to be one of the judges on the panel to evaluate the work of school children, I had a mixed feeling. Even though I have a natural love for children, I was not sure as to what sort of animation and television production the young kids could have done. Worst even, I had this apprehension that it will be more of schools competing against each other in the name of their students’ work.
However, the obligation to the friend drove me to the Tagore International School in the early morning of a working day on Thursday, July 29th. The cultured grooming and discipline of the children here is something that reflects in the overall ambience of the school. In an age when many of the schools, especially in the NCR region are in the news for all the wrong reasons, this school stands out in terms of class and quality of its students. The general feeling that I have carried home is that the children here are not taught but nurtured.
It was an inter-school competition with students of around 20 schools from India and abroad being invited to showcase their talent in the respective categories. Though the first impression in the school had already made me all the more curious to see whether their works also has the substance to stand out, I kept my expectation level way below with these kids. But the screening of the inaugural film that was supposed to be “of the children, by the children, for the children” was an eye opener. At least I have not seen any amateur group coming out with such creative work with perfect finesse in the last few years.
This is no mean achievement by a bunch of school going children who have no formal education in film making at any professional level. I wish the young professionals who come out of various media institutes and are desperate to make a career in the profession, show the same kind of creativity, passion and zeal. But then the differentiator here will always be the quest to make a career by every possible short cut routes and innocent passion by the kids.
The Ordinatrix Event has been one of the most fascinating experiences in recent times. The feeling is not just because the event was very neatly organized, but in a much larger context it also reflects the fact that the mass media revolution in this part of the world has not completely gone haywire. At least the animation and television production of school going children suggest the same. Some of the concepts, ideas and interwoven social responsibility in it were indeed an eye opening for me.
Even though these children completely stand out with their class act, their feet has been firmly rooted and they don’t seem to mature and overgrow their age and experience. No wonder, the journalist and sociologist in me was equally eager to figure out whether the overt courtesy and politeness was an inherent part of their grooming or it was all plastic emotions meant for the day.
The post event interaction with the core students’ team that organized the event along with the Principal Tagore International, Madhulika Sen, dispelled even this doubt. The innocent children admitted that many of them may have to leave the creative hobby as parents want them to become successful with Engineering and likewise socially accepted degrees. Probably they don’t value even the fact that along with their routine academic curriculum they have taken the best advantage of the computer lab set up by the school and honed their creative skills. Given more opportunity they can work wonders.
I just wish these children are allowed to do whatever they enjoy doing in their lives. I wish somebody would suggest the parents of these children to watch the movie 3 IDIOTS and take a leaf out of the experience. I wish Principal Madhulika Sen replicates the same role with these children as Aamir Khan did with his other two idiot friends. My wish list is a bit too long, may be, but my expectation level has been exceeded by the experience with Tagore International school.

Oh Bihar! My Bihar! I am ashamed of you

July 23, 2010                                                                                                                                            

It is not easy for a blogger/journalist to eat his own words. But there are certain earth shattering moments when you are failed by your convictions; when your optimism falls flat in the wake of harsh realities; and when your role models ditch your trust. The obvious choice is then left between justifying your perception & assumptions to defend your ego and an honest acceptance about error of judgment.
Within a week of my last blog post on “Bihar elections and Barack Obama effect” where I had expressed pride and optimism about the state politics transforming into techno zone and opting for an inclusive dialogue with the common man through social media tools, ruckus in the state assembly has yet again shattered my faith. The world will notice the hooliganism in Bihar Assembly through the prism of collective consciousness about the state and its politics over the years. 
However, a common man from the state and a writer in me hangs his head with shame for being optimistic about the state after a spate of development and seemingly sophistication on various social media sites. “Oh Bihar! My Bihar! I am ashamed of you” is a result of this frustration with the collective failure of the Bihar legislature where all the political parties have been an active participant in turning the elected House into a den of street fighters and goondas.
Had it been the act of a few opposition members in the House, my reaction would not have been that strong. But on July 20, 2010 the entire bunch of elected representatives in the Bihar Assembly seemed to have vowed for callous disregard of every norm of civilized behavior in politics. I had earlier witnessed one such unruly incident in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in the year 1998. While I still remember my story “Constitutional climax in UP with opposition’s Governor”, I personally feel there was no such compelling politics in Bihar Assembly now to bring democracy to this low.
Though the outrage on the democratic process can not be justified in any given situation, what had happened in Uttar Pradesh had a much larger stake in retrospect. It was the question of survival for Governor Romesh Bhandai himself, Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, coup Chief Minister for nine hours Jagdambika Pal and Mulayam Singh Yadav. I wonder was there any such situation in Bihar at the moment. The drama that continued in the House till next day clearly reflect that it was not even heat-of-the-moment kind of situation.
In Uttar Pradesh the BJP had then taken a moral high ground following the Allahabad High Court intervention. However, the same party in the ruling alliance in Bihar has a lot to answer now since the responsibility for the floor management in the House rests with the ruling alliance. But when your own legislators are part of the fighting hooligans where is the question of any moral high ground? Probably the BJP, being on the other side of the fence in parliament, should have by now learnt the art of floor management with their own conduct. Whenever their MP’s slogan shouting creates ruckus in the parliament the Lok Sabha speaker has time and again adjourned the House to prevent further ignominy to the House. 
The ruling party JD(U) is even bigger a guilty here and adding insult to the injury for the Bihar in general and democratic institutions in particular has been the statement of JD(U) national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Shivanand Tiwari. In an explicit display of no remorse for the damage done to the state and its democratic institution he defended the act by saying that this has not only happened in other states, but it happens across the world in democratic countries. It seems he is still carrying the baggage of his background with Laloo Yadav in RJD.
Nitish Kumar has over the last around four years quite successfully done the balancing act of turning his critics into admirers. However, he failed to rise on this occasion and came out of the House smiling, just dismissing the whole vandalism as the desperate act of opposition. The young lot of Bihari voters who sees in him dynamism and turnaround capabilities was expecting the Chief Minister to be the first one to condemn the legislators cutting across the party lines. He, however, was busy calculating the whole incident in terms of gains and losses in the forthcoming elections.
The Congress has to do a lot of introspection if they are looking forward to emerge as the first choice of youth in the state under the charisma of Rahul Gandhi. They seem to be making the same mistakes that created the crop of Laloos, Paswans and Nitish in the state. Of course, if a woman legislator was manhandled in the House, it needs to be condemned. But resorting to undemocratic norms and creating histrionics like the one Jyoti Devi displayed, reflects an ill designed method in her madness. There are much better democratic and civilized ways to protest, get noticed and emerge as better Brand Ambassadors of Bihar politics.
Laloo Yadav seems to be living in his own time zone that derailed Bihar from every possible Human Development Index. Crowded by fly-by-night alliances like the LJP of Ramvilas Paswan, he fails to see the larger picture emerging out of the state. It is no longer politics of poverty and deprivation with symbolic empowerment to few that he can continue with. He needs to understand that he has to replicate his performance of Union Railway Ministry and not his previous stint of Chief Ministership where lawlessness ruled the roost.
But the biggest culprit has been the Speaker of the House Uday Narayan Chowdhary for letting this bedlam happen. He failed to protect the integrity of the Chair and instead became a spokesperson of the ruling alliance. His stand that interference by any constitutional body or a statutory body in the functioning of the Assembly, its Public Accounts Committee or any other legislative committee would constitute a breach of privilege of the House, not only sets the Bihar legislature on the course of possible confrontation with the judiciary but also sets a wrong precedent in shielding the guilty and prosecuting future governments in office against scam. 
It is debatable at the moment whether or not the Patna High Court order asking for a CBI enquiry into the alleged bungling of funds to the tune of Rs 11000 crore between 2002 and 2008 amounts to scam. And if it is scam, Rabri Devi led RJD Government has to answer as much as the Nitish Kumar Government. If BJP will have to explain being a coalition partner in Nitish Government, Congress will have to as much explain for its support to RJD Government.
The question here is if the guilty of yet-to-surface scam are all or none, then who is the beneficiary of bedlam in the Bihar Assembly? Has any political party came out with the moral high ground for whatsoever reasons? If the answer is none then what was the high voltage media show all about?
Should we assume that all the political parties were hands-in-glove in diverting the attention of the voters from the real issues? May be all the parties were carrying home the point with their own set of calculations that a House ruckus at this point of time would benefit them.  It is difficult to point out which of the above two assumptions are more dangerous for the civilized Bihar, but the elected representatives have definitely put their electorates head hang in shame who are left with no choice but to so…..”Oh Bihar! My Bihar! I am ashamed of you.

Bihar elections and Barack Obama effect

July 16, 2006

Can Bihar, predominantly seen as one of the most underdeveloped states of India in collective consciousness replicate Barack Obama’s model? I understand the question itself will be seen as cynicism but wait. Give it a thought and there will appear some parallel in these two different poles on various given parameters of governance, development and overall human development index. My assessment, or rather I should say optimism is not based on the phenomenal and unbelievable growth rate of Bihar in times of global recession. Of course, the GDP projection of 11 per cent by an eminent economist and 16.5 per cent by the Central Statistics office would definitely be a cause of envy even to the world’s super power in America.
However, my above assumption is not based on the reports of Bihar revival by the now unquestionable turnaround man in the Chief Minster Nitish Kumar. What has actually surprised me is the sheer presence of the state, its governance and its politics on social networking sites like the Facebook and Twitter. When the Economist magazine analyzed how politicians around the world from Venezuela to Japan and from Greece to Chile are using social media tools to get out their messages to constituents and voters, they had actually no idea about the penetration of the medium further deep.
Considering that LinkedIn was established in 2003, Facebook in 2004 and Twitter in 2006, it no doubt seems to be a fast forward march by the politicians of the state. With some of them without any background in the formal university level education, it is all the more surprising that they are adapting and accelerating quicker and faster medium for political dialogue.
In a way it spells good for democratic institutions in Bihar where wide engagement combines with open sharing of information. It is clearly an issue, as social recommendation becomes bigger the challenge is to engage individuals deeply enough that they will escalate from passive viewer to active participant. Most of the Bihar centric discussion revolves around the performance of Nitish Kumar government and the forthcoming elections. By extension this also applies to those who aim to unseat him.
My Facebook wall is generally full of heated discussions on Bihar elections nowadays. What seems to be the result of the vocal nature of Biharis in general and educated and migrated non resident Biharis in particular is actually more than what meets the eyes. It is not that only the educated Biharis who have migrated to metropolitan cities for a decent living are the ones who are demand drivers of Bihar debate. The young lot in the state with limited access to electricity and even lesser access to internet are as much active on these sites as their non resident counterparts. 
The question as to why development in the backdrop of politics and elections are the only issues to be discussed automatically comes into the mind. Perhaps the answer lies in the restlessness of the youth in the state, which had for around a couple of decades been clueless, have suddenly found a medium to air their grievances. Many politicians from the state too have sensed this transformation and want the first-movers-advantage in the cyber space networking.
The moot point here is that whether it is a natural progression of the state into technology zone or the political parties have taken this first-movers-advantage a bit too seriously. On the basis of Facebook and Twitter discussion Prima Facie it seems a carefully crafted social media campaign has been launched by at least two parties (JD (U) and BJP) in power, with Congress social media campaign racing up along the charisma of Rahul Gandhi, while the other two players (RJD and LJP) seem to be clueless as to what is this hype all about.
My assumption, however, proved to be wrong when some more searches found the presence of even Laloo yadav and Ramvilas Paswan on the Facebook. Not only this, individual ministers and MLAs in the state with relatively less exposure to the technology and global obsession with social networking too have got their own website done, with some of them adding dynamic features. It seems everybody is omnipresent on various social networking sites; even the illiterate ones too have social media managers for shadow boxing.
Easy to dismiss, but less easy to master; the mantra of social media is perhaps yet to come of age in Bihar politics. But its growing influence and ubiquity, particularly among younger voters, cannot be ignored. The complications of this new reality are that 18- to 24-year-olds are not prepared to consume political messages passively. The catalysts to this transformation have been the mainstream media that are largely into the mode of broadcast and not conversation.
The 2010 Bihar campaign can prove to be India’s first true social media electoral cycle, if the momentum picks up and reflects some tangible vote swing. Whether the JD (U) uses these tools to their maximum advantage or whether the BJP or Congress figure out how to employ social media to explain incumbent policies and rally their base will be analyzed in-depth following the November elections. It may not prove to be India’s first true internet campaign, won and lost Obama-style, Bihar elections nonetheless have a distinct Barack Obama effect this time around. 

Fashion catastrophe & media ethics

July 6, 2010

After writing a number of articles on the TV news channels’ mindless programming right from ghost chase to heaven chase, nowadays I prefer to keep my lazy Sundays off news channels. Even though some of the programmes on news channels are more of an entertainment beating even Bollywood flicks, my personal choice is Hollywood movies for the weekend. This Sunday, however, could not help getting hooked on NDTV India in the course of the channel surfing. It was Pankaj Pachauri’s show that kept me glued for a very specific reason.
The discussion that centered on the suicide of the model Viveka Babajee was allowed to not only discuss the business of fashion in its entirety, but the panelists and audience were even allowed to be critical of the role played by the “Media”. It is not that such media bashing has not happened in the past during TV shows. It happens off and on when the anchor loses control over the show and some of the smart panelists take charge of the content.
However, on this show anchor in Pankaj Pachauri was in complete control of the programme, often himself satirically introspecting with tongue-in-cheek statements like “when a fashion icon commits suicide it is news, and four suicides a day by the farmers across the country is not newsy”. It was a rare self introspection by the TV channel when the media was allowed to be criticized and one panelist went to the extent of calling the show as a “Pink Shiphon Condolence”.  I wonder how many TV news channels will take a leaf out of such bold and candid shows. 
I have always felt that the media perception of Fashion has been very flawed and superficial. Their understanding of a business worth more than Rs. 12,000 crores is confined to the size zero models, ramp walks and designer clothes. However, facts suggest more than what meets the eyes in the business of fashion. As per a study the business of fashion, or to give it more inclusive parameter “wellness” is not all about cat walk and designer clothes. Even though we don’t take into account a number of skilled and semi-skilled workforce that make such shows a big hit, the business statistics suggest a much bigger market beyond ramp walk. Needless to say, this also suggests that media must do more research before they assume themselves as authority on the subject.
As per the sales figure, the number one driving force behind the business of fashion and wellness is the beauty products for men, yes you read it right it is for men and not women. The much-hyped designer clothes come to the bottom of the fashion pyramid in terms of business. How many times the media has given space on the serious nature of the business of fashion? I blame print media more than their TV counterparts for this flawed vision of business. Fashion industry like any other industry is a serious business and demands a whole lot of hard work.  Beyond hard work the nature of the business suggests that the aspirants need even more stroke of luck to succeed.
Unfortunately, this side of gloomy picture is rarely reported and never given a Page 1 space. The PYT pix and juicy masaala and rumours are the staple diet of Page 3 and city supplements. Added to this, a few Miss India and Miss World fuels the fire and every small town girl aspires to become the “Next Big Thing”. Since many of them are not conditioned to cope up with the failure in life after a heavy dose of glamour, the absence of emotional infrastructure leads to the incidents like the suicide of Viveka.
If the industry of fashion and MNCs making beauty products and advertising an unrealistic aspirational world are to be blamed for this, media is even more to be blamed. This is because it is the media which is not just the vehicle but the catalyst in most of the cases. However, till the time the editors will have the shameless defense of “we show it as it is” or “we sell what market asks for” things will remain the same. The irony of the business of media today is that the very same editor, who sends PYTs with size zero with high heels but no knowledge of fashion to cover Page 3 parties, is also part of the routine “Pink Shiphon Condolences”. No wonder, while a wardrobe malfunction gets Page 1 coverage, fashion catastrophe keeps crying for some media ethics.

Clash not class calling Indian youth

June 23, 2010

A British Research Scholar on an Indian visit recently asked me as to how the Indian students, known to be politically volatile and radical in their approach, are more reactive than pro-active to society at large. He was referring to some news clips about intolerance and violence in the Indian universities. The general inference was that in the campus many violent incidents have been witnessed in the past and many more appear to be in the pipeline. University and violence have become synonymous in this part of the world, he suggested.

I must admit here that even though I defended the Indian youth with instances right from a successful JP Movement to the exemplary service by a few young parliamentarians, like Rahul Gandhi, deep down I knew that he was stating the obvious. The Indian youth today seems to be rebel without a cause and pause. The legacy of youth upsurge that toppled the might of the ruling Congress party to dust in the seventies has not been channelised into constructive politics.

The Indian universities are today exposed to the unfortunate reality of mindless violence. Student politics has seen its rock bottom in terms of quality leadership for the future. The phenomenon of violence in Indian universities has actually invited scholars to widen the concept of violence by including in it the concept of institutional violence or structural violence. In the context of Indian society universities have, no doubt, acted as the most vulnerable institutional structure to contribute to the growth of violence.

However, this analysis is not confined at all with the occurrence of violence on the university campus. The sole purpose here is to see how violence in India is related to the role performed by universities. I remember a decade back the brutal killing of CPI (ML) student leader Chandrashekhar Prasad was overtly projected as an attack on the youth politics at large. It was due to an eye over the vote bank on the university campus that the young leader was publicised as more of a student leader than a CPI (ML) activist. The local CPI (ML) leader in Bihar Shyam Narain Yadav was also killed in the same firing in Siwan, but his killing was never a selling point to provoke resentment. But a name linked with the university became so.

The reason for this may be traced in the very nature of our centralised politics, which leads to the formation of a strong central leadership demanding loyalty. This structure in which “Yes Boss” flows from the top to bottom is prevalent in the whole society. Within the universities also loyalty towards power-holders becomes a value. Vice Chancellors are appointed in the universities on the basis of their loyalty to the party in power in general and chief minister in particular. Vice-chancellors, in turn, demand loyalty from the teachers and the teachers from the students. This produces an atmosphere of flattery, sycophancy and intellectual servility.

Moreover, all attempts for educational reforms, meant for using education to improve the lives of individuals, have so far resulted in the rejection of prevailing values and beliefs, including more particularly notions like honesty, duty and discipline. Our universities are, at best, academic cafeterias offering junk food to young minds. At worst, they are breeding grounds of corruption, indiscipline, dishonesty and irresponsibility.

Young men and women, who come out of the universities without a developed critical faculty, are seen by business and government organisations as an asset, for they believe in ends, not means. A corporate boss has constantly to engage in activities which require shrewd execution. Politicians also need shrewd administrators. What people in power desire is loyalty for themselves and the ability to get things done by hook or by crook. Hence, a questioning mind, a spirit for novelty, creativity and scrupulousness has all been relegated to subordination.

The effect of economic inequality on educational institutions has also been conducive to violence. Two particular instances of it may be noted. First, it perpetuates the mass elite gap in India. Children of the upper social strata of greater access to higher education than those of lower strata. Secondly, it has intensified group conflicts. Legislation that gives special privilege to castes and tribes has encouraged many communities to claim more seats in colleges and administrative services, leading to clashes between the backward and forward castes.

Universities are contributing to violence in a subtle way also. The establishment of various regional universities has led to the growth of regional, local and parochial forces rather than a sense of nationalism. The same goes true with the universities and institutions meant for the minority communities as well.

Gone are the days when discipline and non-violence were written with a sunbeam on every student’s mind. Gone are also the days when universities produced students equipped with knowledge, culture, sympathy and fired with devotion to duty. Universities today are producing another kind of fiery lot who are sullenly moving with alcohol in their bodies, guns in their hands and hatred in their heart.

Holier Than Thou Journalism

24th May, 2010

Around a decade back while working as Assistant Editor of a monthly newsmagazine I came up with some fancy ideas to revamp the overall look, feel & content of the magazine. While some of the ideas were appreciated by the management, I still remember the dirty look by the consulting editor, an industry veteran, when I proposed the byline mentioned with the position of the journalist. The idea, as a matter of fact, was not original one and the leading newsmagazine, India Today already had that style sheet during those days.

The disapproval of the editor was not confined to his overt gesture; he did not mince words to say that a serious newsmagazine should not be a self glorified pamphlet for the journalists. When I see all the mainstream English dailies in the country being redesigned, with glorified promotional campaign suggesting international designer giving it a global touch, I feel there is anti-thesis of what all has been taught to us in the good old school of ethical journalism. The mug shot pix of reporters along with the bylines overtly suggests that the newspapers are brand ambassadors driven and not content driven.

Five or six photographs on a single sheet of newspaper often makes it difficult to identify whether it is a news page or the advertising supplement where these reporters are IIT or Medical toppers and the coaching institute wants to make the best out of this publicity campaign. If this is the reality of today’s leading English dailies, anything said about the vernacular newspapers would be stating the obvious. And the semi nude photographs, which proved to be the calling card of regional dailies like Punjab Kesari has moved from city supplements to main newspapers, even getting page one positioning off and on.

The holier than thou variety of journalism, the print media is facing an identity crisis today and certainly is not far behind their television counterparts when it comes to shouting at the rooftop with their perceived achievements. It seems the glamour of television journalism is a cause of complex in the print media and they strive to catch up fast on that given scale. No wonder, following the footsteps of television news channels the leading dailies do not forget to remind the readers that this newspaper was the first to report on the given issue. Worse even, HT Impact or Times Impact of the news reports are glorified like never before.

I, Me, Myself syndrome is all pervasive in today’s print journalism when it comes to credit share. Print journalism, as a matter of fact, has always been plagued with this I, Me, Myself syndrome with individual journalists’ deep-rooted belief that they are god’s gift to the profession. My Story, my byline, my scoop, my expose…..it could never become a team job. No wonder, barring a few exceptions journalists could never specialise in team handling or man management. Snob value it seems gives a cutting edge to the editorial profile and everybody is found bitching up and down the editorial chain.

However, this inherent weakness in the nature of the business was always overshadowed by an intellectual clout where commitment to the news and profession remained more or less unquestionable. Personal glorification and personal graft remained that only…. personal. This is despite of the fact that most of the journalists in good old days of journalism were poorly paid and many of them even died in acute poverty.

However, the advent of TV channels brought about a sea change in the overall economy of the business. The new generation of print journalists landed up in their respective jobs with relatively comfortable salaries. Unfortunately, more money failed to raise the standards of journalism, nor did it contribute to the commitment or the integrity of the individual journalists. The only difference was visible in the lifestyle choice of some journalists and they appeared more corporate in their appearance and attitude than newsmen.

More money also initiated a greed driven economy in the print media and the line that bifurcated in the collective consciousness between editorial and marketing got blurred. Of course, the nature and character of the newspaper owners had also changed to the extent that the leading English daily in the country started overtly proclaiming its edition as “Made in Delhi”, and not published. Once newspaper became a product, like any other product, for the management, the marketing folks took the center stage and quality of editorial content nosedived like never before.

Barter deals (Ad for Equity) between the corporate groups and newspapers became the new market mantra and editors started getting notes from higher-ups to protect the reputation of barter deal clients. In such a win-win deal for both the newspaper and the company, the mediator advertising agencies were also laughing their way to the bank and the job of PR pros too became easy. The quality of editorial content remained nobody’s agenda.

Today’s print journalism is not dependent on right kind of sources for news, PR industry has mushroomed like anything to offer them readymade releases, features and what not. And somewhere in this evolving economy of journalism personal integrity has seen its rock bottom. Triple Cs of modern marketing (Concept, Contact & Corrupt) works in tandem and some of the PR agencies discuss three picks of the day (read three overtly paid stories) in their routine morning meetings. Needless to add, PR pros are always on prowl for such journalists who are available for moonlighting.

Print journalists love to ridicule television and most of the newspapers have a dedicated media page to evaluate the counterparts in television. I wonder how many times that space has been used for self introspection. I remember it was around 1995-96 that the media page of Thapar-owned newspaper Pioneer used to evaluate Media with feature stories on print media as well. At least I have not seen that kind of integrity or honesty with the print media of late.

I always suggest to my print journalist friends that the next time you mock at TV news, must remember that conventional wisdom suggests that those who live in the glass houses should not throw stones. But then one wonders whether wisdom has its way in the big bad world of journalism.

It's TV Stupid

18th May, 2010

Ever since James Murdoch’s recent India visit the speculation is rife that Fox News is all set to enter the country. Murdoch has already met three key players in the Indian media market, including Shobhana Bharatiya of Hindustan Times and Vineet Jain of the Times of India for a possible tie-up. It is believed that the global media moghul is unhappy with the Anand Bazaar Patrika run Star News in India and the FDI cap of 26 per cent leaves him with no choice but to look for other partner in the region. Industry grapevine is that Fox News will start a news channel in English, followed by a Hindi news channel.

This sounds like an impeccable business strategy where the Star-Fox combine can control the business of news channels in the country with their own channels competing against each other in the top slot of the TRP and the ad pie. However, a cursory look at the Indian television news market gives confused and baffled signals. India TV has also announced to launch its English news and business channels. News X has only recently been relaunched and a couple of other players have big plans in the Indian television news business.

Media analysts are apprehensive that whether there is any room for more news channels in a cluttered and over crowded market where every other channel looks like the replica of another channel. The resource pool in terms of technicians and trained quality journalists also seem to be on short supply. So, where is the need and space for all these new channels to accommodate?

However, I personally feel there is not only room but urgent need for serious News Channels in India, since all the channels in the name of news are into business of triviality. The country is perhaps yet to see what a serious news channel should be. It seems mediocrity flows from top to bottom in the business and it went to dogs when a news reporter of a leading television channel asked the then Home Minister of the country, Indrajit Gupta as to what was his name.

This debate just reminds me of the outburst of a friend on the quality of newsmen in business. A journalist-turned-corporate affairs professional he recently remarked that in the world of intellectuals, journalists are at the bottom of the pyramid. He was reacting over a news anchor asking in the live news to the reporter on the spot of a fighter jet crash as to how many passengers were there on board. But this …OOPS Syndrome is a repetitive reality of today’s TV news rather than an exception. A news channel popularly known to lower the standards of journalism and scaling up the TRP ladder ran a story where voice over said the army chief will take the oath of office. It seems the television news channels in the country have grown horizontally than vertically.

In the rat race of TRP (the biggest racket in the business of TV news) the grammar, sensibility and ethics of TV news goes for a toss and an English news channel in its sting operation on changing face of prostitution goes to the extent of asking a sex worker as to what is her rate, per night and per stroke, and then airs it unedited. May be the promoters of the group of channels were calculating their bottom lines on those scales only where hundreds of employees were sacked on the basis of productivity report of an outside agency.

This marketing research consultancy agency had no media or news background and the productivity report was hence quantitative. More the number of bulletins you produce with lesser salary, the more productive producer you are. Poor journalists who focussed on the quality stories, and for a change knew the difference between breaking news, news flash and news update were declared non-productive. If a bulletin producer is so good with producing volumes of programmes, who cares for his linguistic skills. He can even translate an english copy suggesting two chief ministerial claimants to hindi as two chief ministers being installed in the state for the first time.

No wonder, if an anchor is available for overtime and presenting more bulletins, she is a better asset for the channel. One such anchor recently asked the CPI leader D Raja as to what is the take of CPM on the issue. The decency in the left leader made him say that his party CPI believes that……But every body is not found to be that decent. The President of International Tennis Federation was taken aback when an Indian television reporter asked him as to what should India do to make this rich man’s game to common man’s game. He bluntly put a counter question as to who is he to suggest what falls in the domain of Indian authorities.

It seems being dubbed as the Idiot Box, television news channels are determined to turn the tables and make the audience feel like idiots. Does anybody still have any questions as to whether there is any room for more news channels in India?