iGot iPod

I finally joined the revolution about three years too late. Ever since I heard about it, I wanted to get on. I could not because of obvious economic reasons. I finally got it from my August salary (June, July). I am talking about iPod.

I bought an iPod Nano 2 GB today. I could have got a 1GB, 4GB, iPod video also but I ended up buying this one. I was told to buy a Creative Zen Nano, an iRiver a Mobiblu and a host of other things. No one realized I did not want to buy an mp3 player. I wanted to buy an iPod. Period. Dot. Full stop.

Ok here is something interesting that happened. I plugged in my iPod to my ThinkPad R51 and woot ... the laptop turned off. And it won't start again. I had to physically reset the battery to get the laptop on. I realized that there was a problem with the USB port I was connecting my iPod to. When I tried connecting the mouse to that port, even the mouse wasn't working. I don't really know if this is a problem with all the laptops or the USB version is old or what. I need to find out. I am handicapped without a mouse and with only two ports on my laptop, it would be hard to charge the iPod and use the computer without a mouse.

Coming back to the iPod, the sound quality rocks. Whoever said the sound quality is not good, they can go and jump off the face of a cliff or something. The sound of an iPod is the next best thing to real sound. I am not saying iPod is the ultimate sound machine. There would be better gizmos and devices but there it no denying the fact that iPod rocks.

And yet another cake smearing on my "techie" face. I bought the iPod, charged it, loaded music on it, had all the fun in the world but when I wanted to finally shut it down, I could not find a turn off button. I got real anxious when I realized there has to be a thing called the help file or the manual. And yes now I know how to turn it off. :)

Your iPod is the beginning. Discover the rest.

I bought the iPod few months back and I registered it on their website.

Few days back, I got this mailer from them and obviously it made me happy that I own an Apple product. I might or might not buy the iMac but I am happy that someone out there cares (even though it's an automated, unmonitored mailbox)

Your iPod is the beginning. Discover the rest.

Marketing at its very best. Hats off to Steve Jobs and team. There are few observations.

Customization. The mailer could have addressed me with my name.

Value. Some kind of discount (even 5%) on purchase.

Time bound offer. Buy within next 30 days and get a discount.

Spreading the word. Send this to your friends and help them get discounts.

The Takeaways
Q: Why would someone register a product on the website?
ME: Because Apple offered a free no-questions asked tech support for a year.
Apple: They get to collect data about users and preferences. In some cases it also helps them to check on piracy and smuggled items.

Q: Was registering hard? Was it fun?
ME: No, just enter the ipod serial number, enter your email address and that’s about it. Any customer initiated activity should be simple, fun and fast.
Apple: They just needed to make a simple small form where you are not asked useless questions unless they know a user. First time interaction should be fun, easy and simple.

Q: Was the actual support as good as they promised?
ME: Had problems with the ipod. They exchanged it without even asking a question.
Apple: Another way to keep customers happy.

Related Links
Shankar on Steve Jobs

Open Letter to the People of the World

I do not have a Million Dollar Homepage where I could sell pixels, I don't have One Red Paper Clip which I could trade, I don't have a soul that I could auction on the web, I don't have any pets called Toby that I could threaten to kill, I don't know how to run an adsense fraud and make millions sitting at home ... but I do know one thing. I want an iPod !

This is an open appeal to the people of the world (going by the stats, world consists of two visitors I have on this blog) - Please donate me an ipod. All I am asking for is just one ipod 1 GB shuffle - nothing more and nothing less. And if you can not donate, get me one if you are coming from US. I checked on amazon, one iPod Shuffle 1GB is only $99 in US. I could have bought it here but It is not available here. They say its out of stock. And according to ebay, if it was available, it would be atleast Rs. 7000.

If there is humanity, if there is god in the world and angels in the heaven and satan in hell, if there are enough millionaires left around, if there are flights connecting India and US, please please get me an ipod. I have a friend who is supposed to give me a gift upto the value of Rs. 3333. And thats my budget :D

iWant iPod iAgain

I just bought an iPod Nano. Its not even a couple of month, an all new iPod nano is in the market. Needless to say, I want it. I think I would sell the one I have and get the new one.

Happens quite often with me. The moment I buy something, there is an announcement about a better deal. If only I would have delayed the purchase by a couple of months, I would have been able to lay my hands onto a new one. Anyways I have been taught by one of my professors that a decision made under available information should not be criticized in view of new information.

Biking and Music

Picture this ..
Thursday
7 AM (in the morning ;p)
A Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber Croma WITH DISK BRAKES
An iPod
A biker
Empty Roads of Chennai

I was listening to Dil Deewana from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. The song has been shot on SRK and Deepak Tijori. I am on the bike and I can almost see myself doing things that SRK does in the song. Pavlov ... ?

By the way, Apple announced sale of their 100 millionth ipod on April 9.

And now picture this ..
Thursday
8 AM (in the morning ;p)
100 empty chairs
100 turned off monitors
A sleeping guard
And this place is my office !

Marketing Apple

Marketing Apple is about 5 pages long pdf that talks about things that have worked at Apple. I respect that company for all those wonderful marketing ideas and how they create hype before a product is even launched. I think its an interesting read for any one looking out for marketing ideas and new products.

 

However I disagree with one of the observations. Point 2 says "Never be First to Market".

 

I strongly disagree. Ok Apple was never first to market but that doesnt mean being first to market would not work. Todays world is like a flush. The first player comes and customers flock the way water rushes when the plug is pulled. And to complete the analogy, once a customer is hooked, the switching costs are too high to let any customer go. Once you enroll at MDI, you can not tihnk about enorolling at a better BSchool - cos you have paid so much and any other BSchool is only marginally better.

 

They could have talked about solving a problem easier and better and faster. iPod worked becuase it was part cult and it solved the problem of moving around with music better than any other player in the market (check out iPod launch videos on youtube).

 

So basically create something that is attractive, easy for cusotmers to join and has high switching cost for customers.

 

I more or less agree with the other observations.

 

Any comments ... ?

 

P.S.: Talking is way too easy. Getting an idea and opening an enterprise is way too difficult :(

Numb3rs - Reloaded

I posted Numb3rs on August 26, 2006 and since then (about 51 days) few of them have changed. Here is an updated list...

04p050 - My roll no at MDI (this can't change)
1982 - Year I was born in (neither can this)
22 - My Date of Birth (no luck here too)
24 (26) - My age (ah change !!!!)
22:10 - Time on the clock at the bottom right of my screen (yipeeee)
229 - My hostel room at MDI in first year (nopes)
309 - Mu hostel room at MDI in second year (nah)
364 - My house number in Delhi (still the same home sweet home)
879 - My house number in Gurgaon (no more a gurgaava resident)
5K6231GTSZB - My iPod number (got my ipod replaced and hence the change)
9810840224 (dont use this number anymore) - My cell phone number (and if you want to call me ..;))
P0505***** - My driving license number (nopes, its the same)

And to add things .. I just bought a jeans and my waist size now is 36 inches .... !!!!

Last Updated: 7 Apr 2009

Million Dollar Home Page vs Crorepati Page

The concept is simple. You register a fancy domain name. Make a 1000 x 1000 grid. Put individual pixels for sale and you get a million. Cool and Easy.

A student [Alex Tew] in UK created the original Million Dollar Home Page and got famous. I have to salute him for the amazing amount of creativity and thought process behind the concept.

As always, since it is an easy way to get rich and famous at the same time, people were bound to copy it and here it is... An indian homemaker has copied it and hosted her own indian thought-about creative concept at Crorepati Page. Well done my friend. I am very tempted to put my very own million rupee page on the internet. I think I would do it on saurabhgarg.com ...

I copied this from the Crorepati Page ...

And lastly, who am I?

My name is Sunaina Bansal, and I am married to my loving husband, Karan. I am a homemaker. In addition, I am highly educated and like to think creatively, and be aware of the many milestones that man (and woman!) has achieved today. And it is this awareness and the accompanying confidence that helped me create my concept. I sincerely hope that this influences the online Internet community in India and contributes to the growth of Internet marketing. And that it also influences more women to try the Internet, which also adds to the online community and enormously benefits the companies that advertise on my website. I hope I gain your support."

And here are my honest uncalled for opinion on that ...
1. You do not get creative if you steal the idea. You have not created the concept. You have just copied it from the web. EDITED LATER: She has given due credits to the original Million Dollar Page and I accept my mistake.
2. Growth of internet marketing? I have serious doubts.
3. Benefits companies that advertise on your website? Yet again ... doubts !!!!

I wish people would start thinking originally and stop passing other people's idea as theirs. And if you have to copy it, how about giving the original ones some credit? EDITED LATER: Yet again, I am at mistake. :(

EDITED LATER
Unlike a lot of other people, here someone actually took an initive to reply to the email. My sincert apologies to Sunaina. I was at mistake by being rude.

Here is the reply I sent her ...

Hi Sunaina,

I dont know if this would reach you or not ... (hope this does)

Few things first...

The about us page on your website do NOT say anywhere that it was Alex Tew. Well, now it does (just checked) but the day I posted, it wasn't there. I am not saying that you have added it after I wrote about it but I might have missed it the first time. Hope this clarifies things and reason for my posting it.

I do not call gmail a imitation of hotmail because they do not take credit for being the original email service. They just say that it's yet another email service of course with a change.

Talking about your website and internet marketing, I seriously have my doubts on it. You can have testimonials but I REALLY REALLY think that websites like Alex's and your's do not contribute towards it. Well this is just a personal opinion. I am not convinced.

I agree to the fact that yes internet marketing is growing leaps and bounds; it is the next big thing. If you realized, internet marketing is getting more and more personalized with companies like Google (with their adsense program) targeting people for selected keywords. Your website is opposite. It is in effect is a potpourri of advertisers who think yours is a good website/idea. A website like yours, it's like a classified page on a newspaper (well worse than that - newspapers at least categorize information, your website doesn't even do that. You allocate space based on the preference). So for a person lets say searching for ipod, your website is a bad idea. He can see a list of 1000 advertisers and their services but he hardly can spot an ipod ad. Whereas a website that has a simple page on music is better.

Talking from advertiser's point of view, they would not give you money to place on your page. They would not get their target audience from your website. Please ask them the number of hits they get from google adsense or link exchange and compare with hits from your website. You would be surprised.

Further, I agree that they are getting more than 250 hit per day but once you get more people to advertise on your website, the number of hits is bound to reduce. I might be wrong but these are my personal opinions. I would be glad if you could prove me wrong. I would love to see more stats once your website get that millionth pixel sold.

If you get offended by it, please accept my apologies. I was just trying to say that, like everyone else, all you did was copied an idea and posted in online for reaping quick buck because I don't see it as the answer to cyber marketing.

As far as spreading the mantra is concerned, I am trying to ! I am connected with friends etc just through my blog that hardly attracts about 5 visitors per day. I wanted them to read about your website and I posted it.

I sincerely apologize for being very rude. Trust me it's not in my nature to be rude or negative. I appeared negative but I think you could have guessed the reason. I am real pissed off with a lot of people trying to pass off as genuine inventions. Your case is an exception. You have given Alex credit and I think that is more than enough for me.

In the end, thanks a lot for at least taking time off to reply. I have written to lots of other Indian ideas that are passed off as original without eliciting even acknowledgement for the email. I would edit my post and please accept my apologies yet again.

Regards,
Saurabh

P.S.: Do I get a spot on your website for free ;)?

The Charging Cable Conundrum

If you read this blog regularly, you may know that I use an iPhone 5. In my opinion it is the best phone available in market. I know its debatable but we'd get into it later.

The thing with iPhone 5 is that it comes with a different charger, as compared to all other previous iPod and iPhone family devices. Apple calls it lightning charger. Its a great charger. Takes less space, charges fast and is as small as a charger can get without affecting functionality. But then since its so unique, its so hard to find. I mean most people I know has either an older iPhone or a phone that uses a miniUSB charging input. So if I am in a room, the probability is almost zero, of finding someone with a charging cable for my phone. Let me park this here for a bit.

Next up on the rant is legendary requirements of smart phones for constant charging. And when they are on 3G, this requirement goes up by tons. And something in me refuses to use the iPhone on EDGE or GPRS. I mean whats the use of a smart phone if you cant use the awesomeness that data connectivity allow you to indulge in. And an iPhone 5 is a sucker for battery juice. Really, literally and otherwise. The battery drains out in less than 4 hours for me. And all this when I use it moderately. Blame it on million applications that are running on my phone or constant use of twitter feed or whatever, the battery dies so soon that I am left wondering, if there was any battery at all in the first place. Ok, hyberbole but I'd park this as well.

Third thing is my legendary carelessness. Funny thing is that till three months back, I wasnt. Am I getting into the artist zone? I dont know. Its a post for another day. But now that you know that the charging cable for an iPhone 5 is so important, can you believe that I lost misplaced my cable? I have lost larger and more important things - my wallet, my driving license, my credit cards etc. But iPhone 5 cable! For God's sake I can not move around without a phone. People dont call me that often since that July evening but I still need a phone. I love the concept of being connected all the time. If for nothing else, but for Google Maps and Twitter (follow me on @altSG and @saurabh). And since I cant charge the phone without a cable that I lost, I am left in a conundrum. What conundrum? Hang on for a minute.

Fourth thing is legendary money making prowess of Apple. The charging unit is patented and that means that a company of repute will have to license the design from Apple to make their chargers. And that means that their accessories would be more expensive than Apple's. This to me was counter intuitive. I thought Apple made the most expensive accessories and here I am looking at units from Griffin, Capdase that are more expensive than Apple! There are a few fly by night operators as well, that sell these accessories for a fraction of money but then they are fly by night. What do you expect from them. Id come back to those guys.

So after these 4 back stories, after I lost my cable, the jobless me decided to save some money and buy a cable from those fly by night operators. The cable was priced at 499, compared to Apple's 1460 and Griffin's 1799. I saved about 1000 bucks at the drop of the hat. The cable worked well for a week and then it stopped working. I bought yet another cheap one for 179. It worked for exactly 5 days. Then I bought one for 250. It worked for a month. And then I bought one for 499 again. It worked for, a week. And then finally I was on the road whole of yesterday and I missed an amazing opportunity to meet colleagues and friends from my previous job, because my phone did not have battery and I did not have a cable. I decided its time to take matters in my hand. And that my dear friends is the conundrum I am talking about.

I could chose to buy the cheaper cable, at the rate of one every fortnight. Or I could buy the expensive one and be in peace for a year at least (apparently the official Apple cable comes with a one year replacement warranty). Of course this time,  I bought the official Apple cable for 1460.

And I am cringing since then for the insane amount of money that I have spent because of my carelessness. Damn me. Side note, you have to see the packaging of this official cable. Its so beautifully done that it almost bought tears to my eyes. Thing as insignificant as a charging cable has been packed with so much love and so much care that I dont really feel bad about paying them all this extra money. 

But you know unlike popular belief, iPhone 5 users are NOT rich. They could be jobless as well you know. I do love the iPhone 5 and I would recommend it any day to anyone. I love using it. I love owning it. I love everything about it. Just that, I wish the accessories were cheaper. Or may be I wish I could make some accessories and sell em to people at these inflated prices!

And for you, the reader, next time you want to buy me something, you know what to buy. No? #facepalm!

P.S.: If the title of this post sounds familiar, you, my friend, are addicted to Big Bang Theory. As Sheldon would have said, "O, I am amazed at how the great mind works, in its own subtle ways!"

Trip # 1: Thoughts, Trips and Tips

I plan to take a note of *all* trips I make on my bike. Let me call the ride from Neo's place to work as Trip 1. Not that this is something special (I had a bike till about three years back and I use to ride it to work in Delhi and Chennai) but I thought I would record how I felt about things on the dream machine. And I am itching to write.

Without further ado, in "bullet" points, are the thoughts.

• A bike could be faulty. But like true fans, I excuse the makers for oil leak on day 1. Hoping to get it fixed soon.
• The hair (or whatever is left of it on my head) goes for a toss because of the helmet. I still have to tie a bandanna before I can put on a helmet.
• Mumbai roads are bad. Real bad.
• If you do not use a pair of eyeglasses, your eyes would get about 2 kilos of dust and grime.
• Your arms would tan by about three shades.

And here are few thoughts that I had in those 45 mins that it took me to ride from Vikhroli to Andheri.

• I need to dig out my ipod and put all the travel songs on it. Music should be a mandatory accessory for biking. So should be a chewing gum.
• Riding is real fun. After a point a sort of monotony sets in. This is the time when you start that journey within self that you always hear about. I was coming down the JVLR and I went in that mode for a few seconds. It was nothing less than bliss. It is worth all the effort and pain.
• Biking does not change you overnight. But moment you put the machine in first gear, that change begins. We just dont realize it, till it takes over you. It changes the way you perceive things and act on them. And mind you, its not that you are looking for a change. It just happens.

On Bullet,

• With a bullet, comes the famous thump. You feel it. There are no words to do justice to the sound and thump.
• Never attempt to race with mortals. You should have your own speed. Your own space and your own ride. Never compete. Its not worth it. A bullet gives you the confidence that you control one of the best machines and it is not about winning against someone you dont know and never will.
• With a bullet, you know that you are controlling a beast and when the beast responds, you suddenly are awed by all the power. Power that you can only exert over a machine ;P
• And of course not to mention, all the attention you get from everyone on the road. Some are awed by it. Some are jealous. Some are inspired. Some are angry. Some pretend to be indifferent . Some pretend to ignore. But you know and they know and they know that you know that you are being watched. And obviously, you notice all the attention and you want to believe that you dont notice it. But you do. I do.

That's it for the day I think. Keep tuned in for more. BTW I decided that I want to go for a Vipassana course. June is the earliest I can do. Lets hope I can do it sooner. And I need to improve my writing. My style is, too coarse. Tips?

No tips ;P

Branding 101 for Digital Brands

In this post I shall talk about brands as I understand them and as they are applicable to digital brands. Please note that this list is still in beta and will evolve with time. Your feedback would be really appreciated.

This is required because we need to stop looking at startups as just startups but serious businesses where branding plays a vital role. Often, the way you look at the business makes a lot of difference to way you work.

Coming to the point, I think there are three principles. Utility, Emotional Connect and Relationship that goes beyond just one product.

A: Utility

• Customers never talk about a brand they are going to use. They talk about the action they will perform. What problem does the brand solves?
• I need to book and air ticket. I will use Cleartrip.
• I need to upload slides and show them to friends. Let me use Slideshare.
• The brands that can make themselves synonymous to utility invariable become the leaders.
• Can you Google the data on number of Internet users in India?
• Can you Slideshare your presentation please?
  
• The utility could be functional, mechanical, emotional, psychological or any of those –al things.
• Using Twitter helps me stay in touch with friends on the go.
• I use FB because the elite Internet users in India are on FB.

B: Emotional Connect

• A customer will use a brand that he can associate himself with.
• I like Apple products because they stand for innovation, user interface and simplicity.
• Google stands for open culture. I am an open source evangelist and hence I will use and promote Google initiatives.
• If possible, the association with the brand should elevate the status of the user.
• Google could have invited everyone when they launched Gmail. Limited invite was a way to get traction. All limited launches are like that.
• Alltop gave away batches like “featured on alltop”. People displayed these batches because it was a way to show off that you belonged to the best of the category (as rated by alltop).

C: Relationship extending beyond single product

• The relationship should start with one product and when the company launches more products, I should be aspiring to buy them too. This is very important for creating sustainable businesses that go beyond one time relationship.
  
• My relationship with Apple started with an Ipod. I have already bought a MacBook and have pre-ordered the iPhone.
• I started using Google as a search engine. Then I started using groups. Then it was Gmail. And then calendar. The list continues.

Which one of the three things are valid about your brand? If it does only one, how can it do other things?

Please give your feedback to me at saurabh.garg+digitalbrands@gmail.com

iGot MacBook

Finally iGot MacBook.

Finally I am proud owner of a MacBook. My work at CLA grew beyond a desktop and I was entrusted with a MacBook.

Related Posts
iGot iPod

Why I would NOT buy an iPhone

I am a huge fan of Apple Computers as a company and Steve Jobs as a business leader. I have used Apple products in past. An iPod and a Macbook. Both times I was ecstatic and getting them was such an important event that I had blogged about them.

Coming on to iPhone, everyone around me in India is talking about iPhone now. So much so that you can pre-book it with two major operators - Airtel and Vodafone (Hutch).

I have been wanting to get one ever since Steve Jobs launched it in one of his SteveNotes. For me, iPhone has revolutionized the way mobile phones are looked at. It is the first time when a mobile phone is being looked at just more than a communication tool. It had become an entertainment tool. An accessibility tool. A tool that was intuitive and was easy and fun to use at the same time. You could leave your home with just one iPhone and nothing else and you could still be fine. Why wouldn't you want to have an iPhone?

Few lessons for marketers

1. Hype is an interesting thing. The way an Apple product is hyped, it can put all the marketers and movie makers to shame. But too much hype can kill it.
   
2. Mass marketing could be a bad thing. I would not want to see every Tom, Dick and Harry carry an iPhone and trying to look uber-cool. I know at least 10 people who have been tracking the iPhone for about six months now and would not buy it just because everyone else would have it.
3. Price it right. At 31K, in India, it is out of reach of most of the people. Even the ones that are SEC A1. Even the ones who were waiting for it eagerly. Like me.
   

Wishlist / Bucket List

I was talking to a friend and I realized that I dont have one single wishlist. I have blogged about my todo's in past (here, here, here)

Here is my wishlist (aka the bucket list)

1. Get a Royal Enfield Bullet Electra. (Got in Apr 2009)
2. Get a Sony PSP. (Got it in Mar 2008)
3. Buy an iPod. (Got it in Aug 2006 and donated it to my sis in Dec 2008)
4. Publish at least one book. (Done. The Nidhi Kapoor Story in Oct / Nov 2014)
5. Preferably a travel book.
6. Teach. (Done. At EMDI. Two courses. On marketing and planning. Aug / Sep 2014)
7. Bunjee Jump. (Jumped off Macau Tower in May 2010)
8. Bike from Kanyakumari to Leh.
9. And from Rann of Kutch to Arunachal Pradesh.
10. Visit places in my Travel WishList. Visit 1000 cities across the world. 
11. Win a WSOP bracelet. 
12. Run a Marathon in less than 4 hours. 

Funny how I have want so many materialistic things in life!

Update. The initial list had 10 items. The first ten. Added more as I went along.

Last updated on 16 Sep 2016

Cannes Lion for Advertising

I saw a Cannes Lion for the first time ever. My team won a Cannes Silver Lion in 2007 for their awesome work for Travel Corporation of India. It arrived today morning and it was awesome. And its one of those things that moment you see them, you want to own them. It inspires you to do more and better.

Other things in the same category (things-to-own) are the ipod, razr, goodies at thinkgeek, Playstation 3, few books, some movies, Simpons episodes, 24 episodes and a very long never ending list.

As far as getting a Lion, I will earn it. And if anyone wants to gift me things off this list, please drop me a line here.

Dear Girl in Blue Dress

Dear Girl in Blue Dress,

I am so sorry. I was in the same coupe as you were in. I was there when those men intruded on your personal space and dared to touched you. I saw your Dupatta being pulled away. I saw you crying. I saw that despair in your eyes. Your eyes were searching for help in that crowded metro coupe and they infact had briefly met mine. I looked into them, gave them my sympathies and then diverted my attention on my ipod, pretending to search for the next song that I wanted to hear. Ofcourse I was pretending and I was still aware of what was happening to you. I told myself, what every other man would have told himself, that I dont know you and hence what was happening to you, was not my problem.

I know that I am proud to be a male. I am chivalrous when with womenkind. I am courteous when I am with elders. I am loud when I am with girlfriend. I am protective when I am with my sis. And yet, I am indifferent, with every other women. I dont even consider that more than all these superficial relationships defined by us, you and I share, a stronger and bigger relationship. HumanKind.

I know we are the men of Anna. We have taken loud pledges against corruption on public forums, and in person we dont mind paying that ten rupee note to get things done faster. We pledged with Anna and we joined him for his fast, and post that we went to fancy restaurants to party and debate on things happening around us We went to India Gate with a candle in our hand, and post that raced our bikes around that very India Gate, a little high, on alcohol and pride. Rather that all these fancy things, a mere act of helping you would have elevated me higher than any other deed. 

I am sorry. For not having the balls to act and stop those men. I can ofcourse give a lame reason that there was just too much crowd to do anything. I can even say that since I did not know you, why should I get into trouble. But end of the day, my inaction cant be justified. And of all those men who were meek spectators. What troubles me the most is that some were secretly enjoying the act as well. I wish I could slap some sense into them. And you know, I dont think I even I have the right to comment on them.

I just want to tell you that Delhi is not what you think we are. We are not rapists and we know our limits. There are some people who need a life and I am extremely sorry for letting things happen to you.

And I hereby promise that next time I see something like that happening, even if I dont know the woman, even if I am outnumbered, even if I am handicapped, I would do my bit to help you. I promise.

And once again, I am really sorry. I am sincerely ashamed. 


Apologies,
An Ashamed Delhite.

Inspired by an incident that a friend had to go through while traveling by Delhi Metro. And this is from and for all those men who just stood like meek spectators. Would I have done anything about the incident? May be not. But I shall, next time it happens in front of me.

Aaj Pehli Tareekh Hai

Nov 01, 2009.

In an ideal world, today would have been day 1 of a new month. And would have meant, amongst other things, salary. Ok, if not salary, the hopes of getting one (my salary usually came in the beginning of the second week). Salary meant that bank balance would be back to respectable levels (which IMHO is subjective). And that would mean midnight buffets with friends at five stars (and an opportunity to ogle at pseudo-celebrities, act rich and snobbish). And would mean a new gadget (that I would use for exactly four days. Ask my iPod, PSP, Kalieodoscope, Rubik's Cube, Dominoes, Juggling Balls etc.). And would mean a new pair of jeans/sneakers/tees etc (and bragging points for redefining desi "coolness"). And would mean plans to travel to yet another place (and once in a while those plans did work and me and Neo explored places, mountains, rivers, roads, people, ourselves) . And it would mean decisions of investing whatever is left in some penny stock (hoping that that might go up by 500% in one week and dreaming the vicious cycle of dreams). And it would initiate those conversations where you compared your paycheck with your classmates and colleagues (and you discovered that you earned the least among the lot).

Sigh! those were the days.

Lyrics - Tere Bin - Rabbi Shergil

I was listening to FM and there was this track by Rabbi Shergil. I know little punjabi and it was awesome. Googled for the lyrics and found it on Shubhi Gupta. Dedicated to someone very special.

Here is a quick copy-paste job. All credits to Shubhi Gupta. Thanks is all I can say.

tere bin / besides you
sanu sohnia / my love
koi hor nahio labhna / i shan't find another
jo dave / who'll give
ruh nu sakun / peace to my soul
chukke jo nakhra mera / and indulge me
ve main sare ghumm ke vekhia / i have gone and seen it all
amrika , roos, malaysia / america, russia, malaysiana
kittey vi koi fark si / there wasn't any difference
har kise di koi shart si / they all had some condition
koi mangda mera si sama / some asked for my time
koi hunda surat te fida / some were fascinated with my face
koi mangda meri si vafa / some demanded my fidelity
na koi mangda merian bala / none wanted my demons
tere bin / besides you
hor na kise / no one else
mangni merian bala / wanted my demons
tere bin / besides you
hor na kise / no one else
karni dhup vich chhan / shall shade me in the sun
jiven rukia / (the) way you paused
si tun zara / slightly
nahion bhulna / i shan't forget
main sari umar / all my life
jiven akhia si akhan chura / you said, looking away
"rovenga sanu yad kar" / "you shall weep in my memory"
hasia si main hasa ajeeb / i laughed a strange laugh
(par) tu nahi si hasia / but you didn't
dil vich tera jo raaz si / you had a secret in your heart
mainu tu kyon ni dasia / why didn't you tell me
tere bin / besides you
sanu eh raz / none shall tell this
kise hor nahion dasna / secret to me
tere bin / besides you
peerh da ilaaj / what druid
kis vaid kolon labhna / has the cure to my ills
milia si ajj mainu / i found today
tera ik patra / a note of yours
likhia si jis 'te / on which you had scribbeled
tun shayr varey shah da / a varis shah couplet
park ke si osnu / upon reading which
hanjnu ik duliya / a teardrop fell
akhan 'ch band si / what was locked in the eye
seh raaz ajj khulia / was revealed today
ki tere bin / that other than you
eh mere hanjnu / these tears of mine
kise hor / won't be kissed by
nahio chumna / none else
ki tere bin / that other than you
eh mere hanjhu / these tears of mine
mitti vich rulnha / will wither in the dust

Awesome track and very very meaningful lyrics. Reminds me of someone very special. (Yes, this is for you, you were right - I didnt get that iPod) and I cant even apologize... :(

After Anubhav commented, I am hereby changing the source of the lyrics to http://rabbism.blogspot.com/2005/07/tere-bin-rabbi-shergill-lyrics.html.

Thanks To Anubhav !

Alvida - Life in a Metro

Life in a Metro (wiki, IMDB) is about lives of people trapped in Mumbai. I will say trapped because thats how you feel when you are in Mumbai.

If you happen to live in Mumbai, and don't feel trapped, you are living in an illusion, a matrix and sooner you wake up, better it is for you.

Coming back to Metro, although all the songs in the album are must have on any ipod, Alvida is my favorite. There are two versions, slower one by KK (my favorite singer) and a faster one by James (Bangaldeshi Singer/Composer). Even though its favorite KK vs relatively unknown James, I prefer the faster one. You want to cry with the song when you here James sing it. It pains just to listen to his voice. You can relate to pain and suffering.

KK proves yet again why is he the maestro of high pitched songs. I have heard him sing live and hes a magician. And as a person, he is as charming and down to Earth as anyone can be. Got lucky when I spent some time with him at my college fest in 2006.

Here are the lyrics ...
Music: Pritam
Lyrics: Sayeed Quadri

Full Lyrics

Chupke se kahin, dheeme paaun se
jaane kis tarah, kis ghadi
aage badh gaye, humse raahon mein
par tum toh abhi thi yahin
kuch bhi na suna, kab ka tha gila
kaise keh diya alvida

Jinke darmiya gujri thi abhi
kal tak yeh meri zindagi
dono baahon ko, thandi chaanv ko
hum bhi kar chale alvida

Alvida, alvida, meri raahein alvida
meri saansein kehati hai, alvida
alvida, alvida, ab kehna aur kya
jab tune keh diya, alvida

Sunle bekhabar, yuun aankhein pher kar aaj tu chali jaa
dhundegi nazar humko hi magar har jagah
aisi raaton mein leke karvate, yaad hamein karna
aur phir haar kar kehna kyun magar, keh diya alvida alvida
koi puchhe toh zara, kya socha aur kaha alvida
alvida, alvida, ab kehna aur kya
jab tune keh diya, alvida

Hum the dil jale, phir bhi dil kahe
kaash mere sang aaj hote tum agar, hoti har dagar gulsitaa
tumse hai khafa, hum naaraaz hai, dil hai pareshaan
socha na suna tune kyun bhala keh diya alvida alvida
koi puchhe toh zara, kya socha aur kaha alvida
alvida, alvida, ab kehna aur kya
jab tune keh diya, alvida

kyun socha aur kahan alvida

dono baahon ko, thandi chaanv ko
hum bhi kar chale alvida

Lyrics copy-pasted from Big Bang Bong

Tears anyone ... ?

A Marketers Delight

A friend once told me that I am a marketer's delight. Looking back at the spending pattern of last few days, his words sound like prophecy to me.

I have bought a laptop bag because I was hanging out in a market full of bag shops (I needed a bag but the one I bought is something that I did not like).

I bought a PSP that I bought just because I wanted to own one and one of friends was coming from Dubai (I bought an iPod in 2006 for the same reason – that fake sense of ownership).

Two pairs of shoes (not that I hate shoes, its just that I did not need them. The other pair I had sufficed my needs).

This brings me to a confession. I might say that my interest lies in the area of decision-making, but I really suck at it. Need to think more before I make a purchase so as not to make myself a sucker.

And if someone wants me to gift things off my wishlist, please lemme know.