Planning commision: you are hilarious to the core

Oh, it was damn hilarious and is good enough to get anyone burst with laughter but the best part of it, is  the people who cracked this joke were damn serious about it. The so called (or self proclaimed) best planning brain of our country that came together and termed as planning commission voted for a statement that says "a daily expenditure of Rs 31 enough to sustain a family of five in a city like Delhi and Mumbai". Hey, nothing wrong with your eyes or specs, and you don't need to read it over and again, you have read it write, it is Rs 31 only.  In its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the panel quoting the Tendulkar Committee's recommendations said the urban poverty line is fixed at an expenditure of Rs 4,284 per month while it is Rs 3,905 a month in rural areas (check the article Plan panel's joke on poor).

Let me quote the definition of poverty line, that I know, poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living. The key word here is adequate standard of living, It means that the money is enough to bear the expenses on health, food and education. A family spending more would fall in the above poverty line (APL) category. 31 Rs for food, education and health? I have no idea on what basis the gurus of economics and politics have arrived at this figure but if I walk on road and pick any random guy irrespective of his education level and ask him to survive in Delhi or Mumbai with a paltry sum of 31 and support a family of 5 too, he will immediately help me with the address of nearby mental asylum and having asked this question, I rightfully deserve a place there.

My dear planning commission members, the people of India need to buy everything, and unlike you, we don't get it at subsidized rates. We have to pay taxes on every small thing necessary for living. Kudos goes to the honest workers of your party that the food inflation rates on 22nd Sept was standing tall at 8.84% and your party was celebrating because they somehow brought it down below 9. Indeed an achievement. But I don't understand the nitty-gritty of this inflation rate or who monitors it. What I understand is that when I would be buying my food tomorrow, it won't be cheaper than yesterday. 

What else do we need to prove that we have absolute jokers running the country, who don't even know the ground realities or if know have turned blind eyes towards it because they are busy in realizing their own ulterior motives. Mr prime minister, if you have read about it somewhere, please try to take some corrective measures against it. Rs 31 is surely not enough to get one good meal for a single person, leave aside supporting a family of 5. Please ask your co-worker to stop ridiculing the poor by making these kind of law or statements because it will not go down with the people of this democratic country who may be unaware but not insensible or emotionless. Choice is yours, choose wisely.   

10 long years of denying justice

If you are reading this page, please leave everything for next couple of minutes because I want to take you to a journey where justice is so much delayed that it is as good as being denied. Can you look back in past and share the changes that have come in your life in past one decade? There are many na? It could be your journey from being an average student to becoming a successful professional today. It could be meeting with your girl friend, who may be your wife today, first time, falling in love and then a long struggle to get united as a couple. Each one of us must be having so many stories to share. 10 years indeed a long time and a lot would change in 10 years, wouldn't it be? Well, for Irom Sharmila Chanu (born March 14, 1972), also known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur" or "Menghoubi" ("the fair one"), nothing has changed in past 10 years. She is still waiting for truth and justice to prevail, which looks like a distant dream though.

Sharmila has been on hunger strike since 2 November 2000 for a demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for violence in Manipur and other parts of India's northeast. Having denied food and water for more than 500 weeks, she is still continuing the the world's longest hunger striker. The government made the travesty of her struggle and three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide". Do we still need anything to have a bigger laugh than this? Why wasn't Anna charged for committing suicide or why isn't Modi being charged for committing suicide. Oh, I missed the point, we have laws that can be tweaked as per the will of powerful and against the weak.  

3 days Sadbhavna fast of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is everywhere in media but the long struggle of a gritty soul seems to have lost in time itself. Hats off to unwavering faith of Irom sharmila that keeps her hope alive even after 10 long years. She still feels that justice can be delayed but can't be denied.

I have no idea how many of us are interested in Sharmila's story but if you think, she is fighting for a cause which is just then be a part of her struggle and stand by her as we stood for Anna. I hope, the voice of her determined soul reaches to so called law makers and justice prevails. Amen!!   

If you want to know more about the cause, she is fighting for, watch this video. 

Social Media and B2B, myth is broken

You have got a business and have got an online presence too? Congrats, time to celebrate. Couple of months down the line, you expanded your online presence to social media, the most talked about medium. You have developed a very good looking and interactive Facebook page and with efforts you've got some active followers and fans. Time for three cheers again.

Everything was so good until you realized that the efforts you are putting in managing the FB page are not reflecting in terms of sales or ROI, and then you started making up your mind that social media is just a hype, it doesn't work. At this juncture, somebody who is so called an "EXPERT" of social media whispers into your ears that you are into B2B business and having a FB page is a good strategy for B2C but may not always work for B2B. This expert doesn't tell you the tools you need to resort to in order to get benefited from the social media, consequently, a more prominent thought that Social media works for B2C businesses but not a good medium to consider for B2B, makes inroads into your head permanently. Now you adorn the status of "EXPERT" and are ready to spill the beans everywhere.

I read an interesting article on social media Vs search on forbes website with the title Social is Intriguing, But Search is Proven, where the author has compared the two form of online advertising and proved the efficacy of search over the social media, when it comes to B2B marketing. Though, it is a very good article to go through but compares two completely different mode of online marketing. Where search is completely "intent" driven i.e. a user was looking for something with an intent and luckily (pat the back of your SEO guy) came across with your page, got his/her intent fulfilled and went away. He/she may or may not come back to your page ever, they may not even remember the name of your website. They don't need to. On the other hand social media, just like videos are driven by "interest" i.e. you want to connect with a brand or company because you are interested in them. You may not always be a buyer but could be a strong admirer or influencer in buying cycle. Remember, no marketing is as good as word of mouth. A user, advocating your brand is the best brand ambassador, you can ever have.

The biggest question is if ROI is the correct parameter for Social media. Which is the better sales pitch, a cold call or pitch where you already have some relationship in place. Most of you would vouch for the later, won't you? If yes, then why are we judging Social media only on the matrix of ROI? Isn't this medium is good in building a network of your prospective, who may not be shelling out money on your products as on today, but may get convinced enough in future to become loyal customers with you? It is all about having relationship in place before you can pitch them for your products.

In a recent study done by KnowledgeStorm of B2B technology decision makers the following statistics were revealed:

• 90% Participate in Video
• 80% Participate in Blogs
• 80% Participate in Wikis
• 69% Participate in Social Networks
• 53% Participate in Podcasts

The above stats are convincing enough to prove that how important it is that B2B companies explore social media marketing channels.

One picture is worth of thousand words. Hence uploading a picture below to that I found on web. I hope it should help you out to formulate your social media strategies.

One thing you will do without worrying about the failure??

Live your passion and do what you feel like doing. Don't drag your feet on something which doesn't excite you. We have heard these lines many a times in our life but when ever we try to follow these lines and start the process of mustering our courage to chase our dreams, the evil thought of failure starts haunting us. Haven't we all gone through this phase, when we got so fed up with the status qua that deep inside our heart we developed this urge to challenge it but then mere a thought of failure made us so vulnerable that we gave up our urge.

Why the thought of failure is so powerful that it knocks us down each time we try to fight against it? Book of history has innumerable stories about the people who believed their heart and reached the destination, why didn't the fear of failure trouble them? Why do we get so inspired each time we read this book but tend to brush aside all learning with the first encounter of trouble? Why do we have only one Bhagat Singh, Gandhi, Anna Hazare, when many people think on the same line? Don't we know that in order to live happily we got to be doing something we really want to do? 

The above questions were humming so raucously in my head that I strained every bit of my grey cell to find out an answer but for no use. I had almost smoked off these thoughts when someone asked me a simple question "what could be that one thing you will do without worrying about failure?" I am still trying to find out an answer for this question but I got the lesson that came out of this question. Many a times, we are dazzled by the success stories of others and try to follow their path. We expect ourselves to succeed like they did and in the process we start chasing success instead of our heart or passion and when you are running a race to success you are bound to think about failure. 

I am trying to find out that one thing I will do without worrying about failure. Do you have one in mind? If not try to find out that. Who knows in the process of finding the answer, you will find out yours true self. 

Love: Stop abusing it please

Sitting with my friends cum colleagues at office, enjoying some rare leisure moments during working hours, when suddenly the topic of my never existed love story became the talking point and everyone started questioning about my lackluster efforts towards having a love story. They were curious to know what really held me back from allowing my heart to go for someone and to my surprise, I didn't seem to have an answer. What has really caused me to dream about someone but let her go at the end of the story? Is it that I always had a doubt about the existence of love or it is such a sublime feeling that I found it hard to ever believe on its existence. It is so confusing for me and was enough a reason to find me brooding over it and allowing my finger to play with the keyboard of my laptop in order to help me pouring my heart out on this space. Does love really exist and if it does, why do we behave so erratically, when it comes to accepting it?

What can be addressed as love? A group of fanatics beats the innocent people to death and justifies it by calling it their love and devotion towards culture or country, is it love? We love the martyrs but either have no respect for their martyrdom or we think that writing some pages and remembering them on national festivals is enough to salute their martyrdom, without even caring about the cause they were fighting for, certainly can't be qualified as love. We worship Goddesses, but abuses the women, is it irony or love?. We love our country and ready to sacrifice our life for it, but if someone is dying on the road, it is none of our business, so what, if a country is made of people living there and loving a country essentially means to love its people. We love pet and love eating them too. Two guys are after the same girl, one is beaten by other and other gets dumped by the girl, where is love? Please don't give a counter argument about mother's love and all, that is so pious and I don't want to touch it by bringing it into conversation or in an argument.

I may be sounding like a frustrated soul who has been defeated in love in some point of time in his life, hence questioning or criticizing everything but be honest to yourself and tell me, if I am not close to the reality? We have questions but don't want to make an effort to find out the answers for them until someone like Anna Hazare leads the way. In reality, we love being a follower and that is the only logic that defines the all saga of everyone falling in love at the tender age itself. I am supposed to be in love because my friend is in love or everyone else is in love for that matter, isn't it like following a fashion statement?

Isn't love the most abused word? Don't we use it where ever we feel like as per our convenience? Lend me some money or you are not a good friend of mine, doesn't matter why do I need it. I don't care even if I hurt your sentiments, you need to behave normally because we are room mates as if just because you are agree to stay with me, it gives me right to treat you the way I want. 

Are you finding me harsh here? But I have avoided using harsh words then how come you figured it out? Actually, you sensed the feeling associated with each words that may appear mild but are pinching somewhere. Words are hollow until unless backed by emotions and that is the point which I want to make here. Love is just a word until backed with genuine feeling and deep concern. Don't go and tell anyone that you love him/her until you mean it and likewise, don't hide it from him/ her when you know you really mean it. Else you will be on a beautiful voyage but neither will reach to the destination nor will enjoy the journey.

Feel the Humanity...!!!

Humanity??? Sometimes felt as if the word extinct like the way dinosours...!!!

I am not going to blabber anything nor going to give a gyan... I am just writing what I had seen in reality...

Where to start??? hmm..... Yup...

10 years back, the avg lowest salary of a person is Rs.2,000/- and avg highest salary of a person is Rs.20,000/-. And now, the avg lowest salary of a person is same Rs.2,000/- and avg highest salary of person is Rs.2,00,000/- and so on. Hope you would have heard the sentence "Running behind money" and now it turns back as 'Dieing behind money". Cities and cultures are changing according to this highest salary drawing person.

Do you think how many type of persons live in your cities?

Only Two types... quite surprising...???

Yes... One who is inside shopping malls and the other who is outside shopping malls watching those fancy things in desire not able to enjoy it... the one who is inside disco clubs/multiplexes and the other who is outside watching with the same unfulfilled desire...

One fine day I was withdrawing money in one of the ATM center near my office... A lean lady at age of 40s entered into center when I was leaving... She stopped me and requested to help her for withdrawing money... I felt surprised, how come she can reveal her PIN to me?? After certain step of ATM procedure, it entered the money withdrawal page. She said Rs.100/- to withdraw. I felt again surprised, for 100rs? When I entered the amount, msg came as "Unable to process becoz of low balance"... I explained her and by the end of my word, I could see her eyes with tears... She told she was waiting for her salary of Rs.800/- to pay his son's education fees. Now I felt ashamed... All i could feel is her tears... I told her I could give Rs.200/- if she accepts. Nope... She went without saying a word... Questioned myself, "When so much of people are struggling for life, then Why do you need so much fancy in your life Arun?? What you did for others? 1000 questions arouse in another 5 mins similar to that... Thought am also one of biggest Asshole in life...!!! True... No way I can take back this word...!!!

Another few minutes, I was passing through a shopping mall... I saw few ladies standing in front of it, of age 20s, 30s, 40s...!!! "Touch me here if you dare", "Don't look at my face", "I do have a face above this", "Unbutton me", "Keep smiling", "Want a meaningful night", "You are naughty boy go to my room", "Size definitely matters", "Good girl, gone bad", "Born again bitch/virgin"... These are all not philosophical quotes in any of the books, I have read... I could see these in those ladies T-shirts... I could see a deep shit of bitches/whores standing there... Men are no different from this... Same story in different format... What a shameful fucking world...!!!

People who have money save it as if they are gonna die tmrw and people who don't, die for money just to fill their hunger...
As well said in one of recent movies, "Richer get richer and Poor get poorer"...

Instead of living the life, most of us survive the life...!!! Quite a difference...??? Hope you understand.

The above seems to be complete shit to you sometimes, but this is reality. If it is a shit to you, Of course guys, We live in this shit only...!!!