Thirty and Beyond

It would be wonderful to be the bubbly affable twenty year old with lot of dreams to pursue and less of worries to ponder over and lot of help and support from all quarters. The days were filled with joy, life at twenty was terrific, the only thing that you had as a responsibility was to be good to your parents and to keep up to the reputation of your parents. Those days are a no more at thirty life gets gloomy with every responsibility to be shouldered and shrieking is considered to be a sin. Every thing is viewed pessimistically it. You start living for others, if you marry early that’s a problem if you marry late that too is a problem. If you do not have a job that is a problem and if you have one and crib about it that too is a problem, if you share the financial burden that is a problem and that if not sharing it would be a further problem. From kids to career to living life everything seems to be a problem and if you say these woes that too becomes a problem. Is that what life holds after thirty. I do agree that it is how we look at life is the way that we would lead ourselves but the fact remains that major part of our work involves addressing issues pertaining to work, health, family and finance. To disagree is your right and to agree to publish it in my blog is right. This is how problem creeps an example, keep the thread rolling ………..

The Marina Beach .....

It has been some time now that I have posted on my blog. I was wondering as to what to be writing down when I felt that when I think of going out in Chennai I do not have a great idea of the places to go, so I felt that I could explore the common hangout places in Chennai which help many to venture it out and then put their comments on my blog. I am more of a guy who prefers calm and serene places. Checking it out in Chennai the one that immediately strikes my mind would be the Marina Beach the second longest beach in the world. My tryst with the marina is not a very fond one because of my experience. It filled with lantern lit shops selling shells to fast foods in fact the later occupies most of the space. But still it is a sight worth watching the catamarans on the sea, a blend of youth and the aged jogging and relaxing, families dipping the feet in the waves and the children shouting in delight as the play and run around all the place makes the marina more than a reprieve from the city’s heat. The Elliots beach in Besant Nagar is my most preferred beach because it cleaner and it’s a popular hangout of the younger generation today. The crowd is comparatively less considering the over crowded Marina Beach. The two things that strike you when you hit the Marina Beach is the swirling beam of the lighthouse at the night and the memorials of the former chief ministers of the state. There is lot that could be done to both the beaches so that it attracts more people and leaves them with a better image of the city. The civic authorities could do their bit to improve the present status of the beaches and if the vendors and stalls that are available if organised properly would help keep the place litter free. Pl join me in my exploration of Chennai and leave your comment to make it cleaner.

My New Samsung E 250

I am a gadget freak though I don’t buy gadgets I do admire them a lot. Any product that’s tastefully done and serves purpose with style entices me. Infact this product that I got wasn’t bought by me but gifted by my sister. Since the time mobile phone hit Chennai market I have been using a mobile phone and over a period of 8 to 10 years I have been using only a NOKIA phone I had the red color 5110 to start with then moved to 3110 and the 3650 color NOKIA and a few other which I don’t remember exactly the models. I have all through used the NOKIA phone the current phone that I possess is a NOKIA 7610 which my brother got me from Malaysia even before it hit the Indian market. The phone has style, class and feature and a real crowd puller. Now that it is three years old and I don’t want to part but have a second phone I was prospecting into the stores to find a better model of NOKIA. Sadly either are they priced too high nor are they attractive to buy leaving me with the option that I never wanted to make; look for other brands of phone. The one that I currently hold the NOKIA 7610 was close to 18,000Rupees when my brother got it, if I were to upgrade I would have had to look at an N series in NOKIA, the communicator or Black berry. Though I can own them I seriously did not like the design. So I was into a dilemma over the purchase of my second phone. My sister this time got me a new Samsung E250. Lucky am I not. With much reluctance I took the phone and today I own it with pride because it has all the features that I had in my earlier phone at a much cheaper price. As the saying goes all good things come in small packages so does this phone. This phone has all the feature that one would need it has a FM, Camera, voice Recorder, Video Recorder, Upgradeable Memory Slot, Blue tooth, WAP capabilities and all and above is sleek slide model that any one would love possessing it. The Phone is not as user friendly as a NOKIA but definitely much better than the other brand. So finally I have broken the jinx of moving out NOKIA. So next time if you’re going to think of purchasing a phone spare a thought for the models other than NOKIA as well. But if you are a first time buyer let you phone always be a NOKIA.

Do Brands Brand You?

I am intrigued by the word ‘Brand’. Significant importance is given to the brand that one owns. The fact is that your day starts and ends with one brand or the other. The paste that we use to the mosquito repellant that we switch on before we hit bed are all brands in their own way. I developed a fascination to this topic because my brother Dr. Ramachandran is a brand expert himself and often researches and comes up with excellent output on varied topics pertaining to Branding. The fact that I wanted to blog on Branding is something more than Brand. Branding plays an important role in sale of a product can the same be said of one who owns the brand. Can one sell him better by wearing brands? Sound’s confusing isn’t! The Question is simple by wearing different brands does it lift ones personality. Brand gives a status, a confidence a feel of being superior. A guy dressed in Armenian Suit, Sports a Tag Heuer Watch a Red Tape shoes and carries a Sony Vaio Laptop might be great by the looks of it all but then does the inner persona have a change. I strongly believe that it is big no. Infact the other day when I was watching CNN IBN which featured a interview with vijay mallya of the UB Group where he was saying that I cannot hire any better brand ambassodor to endorse the brand than the Dr Mallaya himself. There is a list of illustrious people who are a brand of their own Narayana Murthy, Parameshwar Godrej, Singhania, the list is endless. These people are know for the values, their achievements and the success that they have brought to the respective fields. The Qualities make them a brand infact a brand of international repute. If we can emulate them or try following their footsteps one day we could make a brand of ourselves than to buy brands and have an identity for ourselves. If everyone tries to be a brand it augurs well for brand India. Rather than to be sporting a brand make a brand of you. I wish this blog of mine generates lot of response. But I would like to stop here by saying A Rose by any other name smells the same, but will it sell the same? May be. But I do believe, changing their qualities to make a brand of their own will change their fortunes.

(This blog of mine is humble submission of my views on branding though it might lack the logic the intentions are clear that it is my personal expression as the blog title suggest.)

World Cup – The Count Down Begins

The countdown for the world cup has begun. In a few days from now the event would unfurl itself. Everyone would be speaking cricket for the next two months. From Board rooms to bus stands, from the kitchen to cafeteria, from the educated to the layman everyone would be commenting about cricket. Afterall it can’t get any bigger than the World Cup .The team since the time Greg Chappell had taken over as coach of the Indian team has been subjected to lot of criticism. I believe that whatever experimentation that we had carried out in the last year or two would reap us a positive result. The entire nation awaits to see the men in blue in action. Team India this time around is poised to win the cup. Of the few years of cricket that I have been following the current team that has landed in the Caribbean island is the best in terms of batting and bowling. The earlier teams too were good but the top players failed to perform in the big matches. This time around the selection has been on merit and players had been made to bend their backs to secure a birth for the flight to West Indies. Players like Saurav , Shewag, Yuvaraj, Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan have all got to sweat hard to earn their place in the team. Hope this would make them and others in the team realize the result of complacency and make them perform. This would set as a precedent for the millions of youth in this country who are playing at various levels to understand the pressure and not be complacement of their game. The players have been selected and the stage it set for them to perform as a die hard Indian fan my wishes to all the players of the Indian team. Our men have the talent and potential to lift the cup. To strengthen it they need a little bit of luck too. Join me in wishing the Indian team to World Cup the very best of Luck……..