Modi Failed India . Or did he ??

Thats the comman refrain that we have been hearing and going forward will be heard more.
and people who are saying it are right.

Modi HAS failed India .

All his flag ship schemes.
Swach Bharat Abhiyaan
Start Up India
Make in India
Skill India
Housing for all
Global Solar Alliance
Namami Gange
ODF India
Connected India
GST
Demonitization
UDAAN
 and many more such initiatives failed. Failed Miserably . Many didn't take off. Really ? Think.

He is not experienced on National stage and international level. Has no Idea of how federalism truly works. So he failed as statesman and leader as well.
He has done more damage to India's global reputation and its relationship with neighbors.

He has failed India's minorities. They live in fear, are being tortured, are not allowed to practice their belief freely.

He has curtailed freedom of speech, media, press. You cannot criticize the government .

He created banking Scam, allowed 2 Modis and One Mallaya to leave the country . Many millionaires have shifted base outside the country. 

Now read the above statements closely and reflect on last 4 years , closely. Many people are not happy with Modi .

The businessmen are not happy : They were off radar, making piles of cash , Investing in real estate , jewellery, abroad. GST, Benami Sampati, Demonetization. has killed their "spirit of entrepreneurship"

The real estate industry is not happy : benami transactions were the biggest source of revenue. FDI was th route through which many politicians funded the India growth story. today all are stuck . RERA, Judicial activism has also not helped their cause.

Jwellers are not happy : Demonetization, Pan declaration, Adhar linkage has killed their hoarding customers. People have little ill-gotten or surplus funds left, buying largely in No1. Helps no one .

Minorities are not happy : they are being kept at equal pedestal as all Indians, abide by the law, not appeasement anymore, sabka saath, sabka vikas is bullshit. On top of that they are asking our sources of funding, telling our education institutes to standardize, stopping conversions, even trying to liberate our women . Yeh RSS ki Saazish hai.

SC/ST are not happy : He is telling them to upgrade their skills, become job ready, stop depending on reservations and government jobs only. Again this sabka Vikas, Sabka Saath, is manuvaadi vichardhara. We had such a free run, when behanji gave us statues, huge parks, collection targets, she even kept our monies safe with her and her brother. We had the backward yadavs, in thier BMW I8s serving the poor. we had the messiah of poor Lalu, who was taking away animals feed and sparing the poor, backward, SC/ST.

The Youth are not happy : They are BAs, Bcoms, BSc, Msc, MPHil but not getting jobs. government jobs are even not available on sale. earlier they could bribe thier way into the system. that too has become difficult. The fact that they are not job ready and has been fooled by various state and national education boards, universities with useless education has yet to reflect upon them. SSC papers leaked, cancelled, Xth, 12th leaked cancelled. Yeh Kaun Sa sabka Saath Sabka Vikas hai.

Media is Unhappy : earlier they had politicians at their beck and call. Free access to clubs, parties, mostly backed by shady NGOs under tutelage from favorable ministers. All that Intellectual Snobbism is dusted and busted. No political interviews, favours, special excess, free jaunts, hotlines, club parties.
On top of that there is a censure of Amit shah's office. Shah Kaar, is the new Hahakaar.

No Political party is happy : They are not able to gain anything in bargain. for 4 years. Congress, SP, BSP, TMC, NC, NCP, TDP. many within  the fold of government too not happy with the government. He doesn't listen to any threat, Dharna, March, protest, Shutdown. this government is arrogant, abusive, Hitler, fascist. No more daily political blackmails, No effect of parliament shutdowns. A failed democracy by its leaders in complete nudity in front of the nation. EVMs have further taken away what ever political favours were possible.

Bureaucrats and Babus are not happy : Somebody is holding them accountable, has taking away thier lal battis, is asking them to talk deliverables and not why it cant be done. How Un Indian can it get. Time bound, paperless, silos free team work , digital, transparent, under close watch of PMO. It doesnt get scarier then this. Of course officers hate him.

Farmers are unhappy : They had hope, as always. and their is a genuine concern . They have struggled for years and will continue to struggle till the system becomes little more , infact much more favorable to Anndaata. Soil Heart CARD, CROP INSURANCE, River linking projects, organic farming, have yet not helped.
So what have they done in last four years.

Completed and scaled up some key infrastructure initiatives pending for years

Delhi's eastern and western peripheral expressways
Delhi Meerut experesway
Rural electrification gained momentum
India for the first time, willingly gave up subsidies.i.e LPG. Gives hope that many people who use reservation and education subsidies will also give up once a clarion call is made.
Swach bharat might not have delivered on ground but there is massive change in mindsets on kids, youths and other stake holders in India's future.
E market place like GEMS has driven away mediators, corruption in government sourcing.
Airports , Railways are getting revamped at break neck speed.
The spirit of Competitive, Cooperative federalism is forcing states to perform better then each other to garner investments, improve livability index etc.
The focus on Northeast  too is a game changer initiative. never before has central government focussed so much on one region.
Imagine, Had kashmir given up separatists. What we could have done and achieved there.

Most Important thing. Not one instance of corruption has been reported in these 4 years against any minister.

We got an honest leader, back by a nationalist school of thought called RSS, and a great team that is working diligently.  There are no cases of quid pro quo. None of his relatives or extended family members got rich either in gujrat for 12 years or in India over last 4 years. His Jija is not into real estate.
His Son , Is not brokering telecom deals, he doesnt have a son is an added advantage.
His Brother doesnt own a business empire.

But Why is Modi not doing Course Correction , Now that elections are round teh corner ?
Why he not annoucing populist measures that make all these pained souls happy. ?
Why is not doing Real politicking and taking this risk ?
Doesnt he see the writing on the wall ?

India needed a huge course correction, for the 70 years of corruption, nepotism, family politics, nexus between leftist media and Secular Politicians. 

4 years and lots of hard decisions later. India is steering in the right direction. The System of governance has started to gather momentum with delivery at its focus.
The activism and hope that India has risen to in last few years is mind blowing. The accountability is coming, the deliveries are happening.
Now is not the time to go back to politics of cast, religion and regional division.
Now is not the time to go back to cructhes of appeasement, SC/ST, Gurjar Jaat agitations.

All good things that Team India has earned in last 4 years including international goodwill, opportunities, aggression, will be lost to the network of political nexus in the name of secular front .
The bauraucrats for the first time are not fighting for Gymkhana memberships as they are under close watch.

For the first time, the country is being ruled with a sense of purpose. of speed and scale.
By a man who is ruling from the front and is not being remote controlled by some Rajmata
He doesnt have reckless family members running shadow PMOs.

All this is definately painful for the people who thought Modi will not be able to handle national and international pressure. He not just handled it , but came out with flying colors. changing games, making paradigm shifts. bringing in new facets to administration and working culture.

Yes Lot of believers are pained. Many great ideas have not delivered. But atleast the intent is honest .
Intent is to build a better India.
Intent is to be inclusive.
Intent is leave a mark

Jumla, Suit boot, Chota Modi. Gabbar Singh Tax. are all jibes with clear undertones of frustrated opponents in light of ever growing clout of Team Modi.

Else what explains the coming together of all kinds animals, lickers, suckers, leeches, blood hounds, kangaroo kids, Chota Bheem Fans, Bheem Fans ?
Why is this sudden urge to dilute your ideologies, which never existed at first place and join hands to defeat narendra Modi. Not even RSS, or BJP aur Manu Vaadi aur Hindutva Forces. Just one Man !
Imagine 30 Political parties, 3000 politicians, 30,000 leftist intellectual terrorists, 3,00,000 government officers and businessmen whose black income sources and Do Not Work attitude has been straightened, some 300 Media professionals from Lutyens Mafia and 3 key congresswalas.
The total number 333333.  Among 1300000000 indians .

Thats the core group of haters. Multiplied10 times is the number of people who hate anything and everything about India , Anyways.

He must be doing something right that everybody who has even on wrong side of law , sometime or the other is gunning for his head.

Think, Reflect , Act

Amrik Sukhdev

How many of Delhi's car owners have been to NH1, the road to karnal and Ambala and have not eaten at Amrik Sukhdev ? People you have missed not just a gastronomical delight but also a sight of passion for food that drives India. Actually very far.

Has been to this place when it was a humble Sukhdev . But crowd even them was phenomenal ans food awesome.

As Amrik Sukhdev this place has not only innovated itself as a highway hangout place for young India, but has also stayed true to its roots of north Indian highway veg cuisine. Any day anytime , you have to jostle for space. On a weekend be ready for at-least 30.minutes wait during peak hours. Feeding 1000 plus people every hour with customized menu food is simply awesome. 

People drive almost 100 kms to just have a parantha with white butter, their signature dish. And trust the travellers, no other highway parantha tastes the same. The speed, the taste, the variety , the hygiene and cleanliness both inside and outside is just awesome. 

They have not just changed with modern times but have also managed to keep their value and core proposition intact. Something of a lesson to many brands struggling to renovate themselves for modern times. 

Times of selfies , global crowds, news age tastes, moneyed youngsters, forever traveling

tourists to himachal and punjab. India is relishing its highways, a sight clearly adorable at Amrik.

Next time when you hit the highway. Don't miss Amrik Sukhdev, don't get hassled by the surging crowd. Don't worry about the highway time you would have saved , just enjoy the break relish the taste to your hearts content .

Milestone Buyout and its effect on Indian OOH Industry

It was long in news/grapevine and waiting.

Finally Nabendu again has bitten the Bullet. First time when he did was when he started Milestone. Amidst opposition, skepticism, challenges, distrust.

But he grew, consistently, improved consistently, acquired and delivered businesses Consistently to become a apple of investors eye and later global communication groups for acquisitions.

The Milestone Story comes as a positive news and breath of fresh air to an industry reeling on internal  and external onslaught. An Industry that has always been looked down upon by insiders and as well as outsiders.

An Industry which people chose to leave and go to "mainline" or "Client side". It was in this scenario Team Milestone created an Entity and grew it through consistent delivery and amazing team work. They proved once again that with right mix of passion and persistence , any indian industry can grow and it does not take an IPGWPPLMNOPPQ to revive indian OOH industry.

Milestone grew without help of any "group" businesses. Milestone grew without any global alignments. Milestone grew in-spite of repeated obstacles by stronger competition.  This deal is a Stamp of authentication of importance of team work, leadership, dedication. It also proves that your command over English, grammar, global travel and world perspective, love for art, literature and finer things in life help little when only thing that matters is hardwork, knowledge, domain expertise.

More Importantly, It gives respect to the OOH professionals. Some thing they seriously lack among industry peers. Print media professionals, TV, Digital, Radio . Most of them are proud of their media roots, but not OOH. This deal gives them a reason to hold their heads high.

Most of the OOH agencies part of global networks have shrunk in size or have closed shop, or merged with others. I know at least two , which i was part of . Primarily because of the lack of  understanding on part of the global networks on how indian market operates in this space. where you need to have onground knowledge. Knowledge of demography, local culture, sensibilities, business practices.

Till the time it was confined to to 5 towns it was a good business . When telecom boosted growth and penetration it became better. but then the bubble burst and it needed a chnage agent to consolidate growth factors. realign priorities.

Nobdy gave the chance to Mr. Bhattacharya, yeah you can call him that now. but Nabendu being a hardcore,rugged  OOH professional that he is, let his work, passion, persistence and delivery talk.
In an industry that loves gossiping for 20 days of the month. this guy worked 35 days a month to create a business entity worth this valuattion in 5 years.

I know lot of people who have lot of things to say for and against him. but does that matter anymore people ?
Just like NaMo. you might hate him , you might like him. but you can no longer ignore him. This simpleton, with his own style and trademark swagger is here for good. Better learn from him and start building critical mass , deliver, slog hard, be consistent, creative, communicative ( The 3C of OOH).

to my limited Knowledge its a first large scale buyout of an indian OOH Agency by a global group. and this would help Indian OOH industry in building scale, developing global footprint and most importantly earn client's trust.

This deal would also help industry look at organic avenues to growth, invest in research and data ( a consistent talk point for a decade, but few dared to walk the talk)

develop new Indianized, Asia specific models of OOH growth and allow Indian OOH agencies to offer services beyond India.

Great show Nabendu, Excellent work Team Milestone.



The Author of the Blog has worked with Nabendu before milestone and has been a keen observer of Milestones journey from the start. The author has no alignments with any OOH entity as on date.

The Goa Sojurn

A trip down the roads of Goa can be an eye opener for an observant eye and thoughtful mind. The tree below would have seen the portugese settling, leaving , goans relaxing, tourists invading.

The house in waiting for its owners to return,sell, renovate and what not. but again. Development has taken its toll. As Goa becomes commercial , it looses it flair as offbeat happy indian destination.

The new structure awaits completion behind the old houses grill. This is is stalled , that one is lost. World just passes by. This is the Story of Goa. Behind happy faces , there are locals who are left to face nuances of drunk and abusive tourists, as they are the only regular source of revenue. The jobs are few, the houses have oldies left. Lots of houses lay vacant. The oldies gone to heaven , the youngsters not willing to return. The Hoteliers watching like vultures.

It will serve Goa best, if Tourism is encouraged for Goan, No big Hotels, only small Goan style hotel, large scale home stays. Most jobs from Top to bottom should be reserved for Goans, Proud goans and not frowning goans. 

Clean beaches, can be another boon for the locals as well as tourists. Goa See you soon.

Indian OOH Industry : Is it time for Agencies ? Or will they reinvent and revitalize ?

It was in 2009, that few instances happened that shook the industry.

In infallible fell. The industry was in a big shock. But bigger shock awaited the industry.

For next 3- 4 years. The industry stagnated. People just shifted roles, jobs, agencies, vendors. Talented , bright people left the industry , for good actually.

What industry was stuck with grew to become leaders. You cannot make Giant Organizations on the shoulders of Midget Team members. That seems to be all too visible in OOH.

Last 4 years, over all agencies profitabilty have come down. Mergers and acquisitions are more of rescue operations than joining of strengths. Hiring and Firing has become a regular practice. because the industry didnot respected itself and its professionals, the clients don't respect them either.
Though i am no more parts of Billboards industry, but it pains to see the situation of people, organizations and businesses. Industry due to lack of leadership and vision. is today in doldrums. Though people will hate me for saying this. They are suffering from frog in boiling water syndrome.

Nobody likes the middlemen, but they are neccesary evil. And on heart.Do we like property dealers ? God Hell, No. Uncooth, womanisers, Dogs, blah, blah.

But still we go through them as they are experts in thier business and do the dirty paperwork for us. More Importantly both parties trust him.

In our case, It has become worse than that. Clients are squeezing for better rates and savings and agency commisions. Vendors refuse to give in as they dont trust the agent.

Irony is industry is doing bad, but people working in the industry are doing well.  Nobody seems to realize that its all visible. Everybody knows, whats happening and its showing on your business numbers. Though the clients love OOH. They dont trust the middlemen.

Hai koi OOH ka Kejriwal ??? Jo is Saanp Newle ki ladai se industry ko bachayega ????

Aaya Mausam OAC ka

Chalo Goa . This seems to the buzz in the OOH agencies nowadays. The bigger question is who will go and what will they come back with from the annual drink and Gossip get together of the industry.

Here is the summary of discussions that i have with friends from the fraternity on OAC 2013. This will give you a fair idea. Those who can understand great, Those who can't don't bother.

Obviously Top management and regional heads have to go go, for others, its a cost constraint. The industry is going through a bad patch.

Will it be some learning ?Who knows.

Will there be some knowledge sharing.? Who cares

So what will you do in OAC ? Sleep , drink, roam around in goa on our Activas and Aviators.

What will the discussions be around ? Measurement of media, RoI, Currency, Transparency, Innovation. 2 din ke liye demaag ka Dahi.

Followed by free ke Daru and Awards aur kya.

Have you entered for awards ? Kya fayda, fixed hai.

Fixed hai matlab ?  Unhi  2-3 agenciesmain batna hai, isko 20 usko 30 baki sab 1,2,1,2. Woh dhandha kartey hai hai, Wohi award lete hain. Bade logon ka game hai. Hum toh sirf maje lene ja rahe hain. 2-3 din ash karenge , yaar doston ko milenge. Is baar goa hai toh aur bhadiya.

How is business otherwise ? Dhanda hai kahan yaar. There are no clients in the market. Those who are there, everybody is after them, cutting rates, offering better deals. Payments are stuck, vendors are after us. on top of that , recession.

People are being fired , left right and centre. No fresh hirings. All freeze. Lagi padi hai bhai.

The icing on the cake.

So what are your plans to come out of this mess ? Abe hum kya karenge. Jo karega bhagwaan karega.

In an industry ruled by MNP. There is hardly anything you can do, to offer better service, idea, or innovation.

So friends, Till it lasts, enjoy your booze, have fun in Goa. Happy OAC 2013

KAHANI GHAR ke BAHAR ki ( OOH KI)

KAHANI GHAR ke BAHAR ki ( OOH KI)

Once upon a time few rare crabs were imported from planet Jupiter ( read media)  to earth ( read OOH). And an experiment was done.

Crabs from Jupiter:)

Experiment-

Steps-

1) Two open jars were taken . Number One and Number two; And these jars were placed in front of an ocean.

2) In number 1 jar there were all the rare crabs from Jupiter

3) In the number 2 jar were crabs collected from different countries of earth ( agencies)

The Two jars were observed carefully for a few days

Time zone  1-

Jar no 1- All the crabs seemed to be sleeping . Immobile and completely relaxed with eyes closed. As though they  were on a vacation , Sun bathing in front of the ocean.

Jupiter Crabs chilling!

Jar No 2- In contrast here, there was restlessness. Like these guys were suddenly put in middle of a traffic jam in Mumbai and they had no clue where to go, suffocated and nauseated by this sudden shift of environment. ( incapability to adapt due to poor learning and training)

Time Zone 2-

Jar No 1- These guys seemed finally tired of their vacation and opened their eyes. All of them held their hands together formed a crab pyramid and one after the other helped each other move out of the jar. Effortlessly effortless… As though they were enlightened!!! ( IRS and TAM)

Happy and Out of the jar!

Jar No 2- Oops! these guys looked tired for some other reasons. When a crab would crawl up a little using utmost strength, the others would pull him out. Some were climbing over the other, a few who had risen little higher by attacking the weaker or the tolerant one, had announced they were super powers. The ones who were down below were waiting to hit back when they got a chance. And Jar war 1, Jar war 2, and three happened. (TYPICAL OOH INDUSTRY SCENARIO)

Time Zone 3-

Jar No 1- This jar was completely empty and these crabs were now dissolved in the infinite ocean. ( Client side, Other agencies, digital , new ventures)

 But one crab from Jupiter found his way to Jar no 2. Let’s name him the enlightened crab.

Enlightened Crab looking towards the Jar 2 

Jar no 2- The enlightened crab again seemed to have fallen asleep in the midst of all the jar wars going on in there. Slowly a lot of tired crabs were attracted by this guy and went near him and tried power sleeping like him.

Jar 2 Crabs happyy after the power nap 

Time Zone 4-

Jar No 2- The enlightened crab finally opened his eyes and whispered a secret code in the ears of the crabs flocking around him (a handsome number had gathered around him by now.) and they all held their hands made a crab pyramid and moved out of the jar one by one, helping each other. Those who did not choose to join continued there journey in the jar, but the ones who got the secret code were now Merged in the Infinite enjoying the thrills of the ocean, surfing, playing, celebrating being free….

But what was the secret code??

I heard it vaguely from distance it sounded like

DATA , RESEARCH, ANALYTICS