A Fulfilling Experience

A fulfilling Experience

Few days ago I received a mail from the “stjosephsacademy” Group. On an average I receive 4-5 such mails every day. There was something different about this mail though. The sender had sent the mail to various groups. I happened to notice them; one of the groups was ‘Pakistanis in USA’.

I was fascinated and read the previous mails from this person. It so happened that this alumnus was in school till 1947, thereafter, his family had left for the then newly created ‘Pakistan’. I was aware of the rich history of my alma mater which was established in 1934. But this was a different realisation altogether.

I interacted with this alumnus and his brother (who was also an ex-josephite). Their love for the school and Dehradun was overwhelming, two interests shared by the three of us. The phrase used by them to describe Dehradun, “The land I love” captivated my attention. These seniors had not been able to visit ‘The Land they love’ despite being US nationals because of their Pakistani background.

Somehow I wanted to help them. It could be because I know the feelings a Doonite has for this beautiful valley. It could also be because I am aware of the love a Josephite has for his alma mater. Another reason could be that I knew that with little effort from my end I could fulfill somebody’s distant dream.

An idea struck upon me and I committed to them that I would arrange for a video conference to show them their alma mater. Today, on 9/11/2013 I, with the help of my dear friend Siddhartha Negi fulfilled this commitment. I showed the school to one of the alumnus over skype. The feeling after doing the same is inexplicable. I could feel the joy in his eyes when he saw his alma mater after 66 years. In the twenty three years of my life so far, I have never felt so good, not even when I almost cracked one of the famous examinations in the country! I am not writing to brag about this incident, I am writing about it to share what I consider as the most fulfilling incident in my life.

Uttarakhand: The forgotten reason

Back in the late 90’s (when I was a kid), various “bandhs” were organized in Dehradun. Thousands would convene meetings and conferences to strengthen their demand for a separate state. A plethora of reasons were laid out for this demand. One of them was inspired by the veteran leader Sunderlal Bahunguna’sChipkoo movement. People wanted to preserve the ecosystem of this part of the then Uttar Pradesh. They wanted sufficient fuel wood to suffice their village’s needs so that they would not have to migrate to the plains in search for livelihood. This was the base of their demand or at least a part of it.

Thirteen years on the state seems indifferent to this particular reason. For more than a decade different governments in power have been meddling with the fragile ecosystem they were supposed to preserve. The immediate cause of the floods might have been the cloud burst but the human interference for a prolonged period only exacerbated the situation. The governments have cited “development” as the reason for constructing in the eco-sensitive zones. If this is the price one has to pay for development then we’d rather stay under developed. Deforesting forests, constructing malls, hotels, digging out tunnels in the mountains are all actions challenging Mother Nature.

Why doesn’t the “development”savvy government complete the procrastinated construction of the Dehradun IT Park? Setting up of Rural BPOs for the youth is another option if it really wants to develop the region by creating jobs. The problem is that construction of dams and other structures comes with a package. The funds from the exchequer can be misused to personal advantage. And I feel ashamed in writing that even the relief fund for such a calamity can and I believe will be misappropriated.

What the government needs to understand is that sustainable growth is the key to a bright future for the state. Uttarakhand is beautiful not because of its man made structures but because of its natural heritage, let’s try to preserve it.

THE MUDDLED MOTIVE

THE MUDDLED MOTIVE

I have had the desire to become a blogger for quite some time now, the only hiatus in fulfilling this desire being a subject that would compel me to write and discuss about it.

Like any 21 year old male "engineer", I have been an avid sports follower. From Cricket (goes without saying in our country, not that I am complaining) to Football (EPL, LA LIGA,SERIE A) to Field Hockey(WC, Sultan Azlan Shah, Champions League) to Lawn tennis (The Grand Slams) to Squash.... and the list is endless. Sporting events are an encouragement not only for the players involved and the youngsters ready to follow suite, they are also a source of great financial boom to the firms presenting them.  

In this light, the London Olympics 2012 has brought forth an interesting point to chew upon. Like any Indian I was supporting our athletes and praying to the pantheons for their success. When Vijender Singh lost his bout in the quarter final, I felt bad for him. I felt exacerbated when some of the athletes could not even make it to the finals or a "respectable" round exit. With these thoughts in my mind and a lot of grief in my heart I looked upon the island nation Jamaica's success. The Jamaicans had 3 gold medals to their name. I was wondering how such a small nation had conquered the track events at the biggest sporting stage in the world. With such preoccupation I came across an advertisement, the "Hero wali baat, India.. Jeet humare saath, India" campaign by HERO MOTO CORPS. What enthralled me was the conviction with which the singer was demanding a gold medal from the athletes. It suddenly caught my attention. Even I wanted India to win gold medals and not one or two but as many as possible, but why is it that we expect positive results without giving a thought to the abysmal training facilities that are provided to the athletes over the years? 

Hero has been a supporter of the "non mainstream or sidelined sports" (if I may put it so,with due respect to them) for quite some time now. The efforts are certainly appreciable and it gives hope that there is somebody willing to extend support for "these" sports. But, by launching an ad campaign and sponsoring the event the purpose is not being solved. 

It would have been laudable had Hero provided good training facilities to the athletes over a period of few years, trained them for the Olympics, recorded the training sessions to show the difference their effort had made (for their ad campaigns) and topped it up with a powerful motivational song just before the games.

Airtel has recently launched the "Are you ready to be a rising star" campaign. The timing could not have been better, with the Olympics in progress and the EPL round the corner. What's captivating about this campaign is that the winner of the competition would be sent to the Man U soccer school to become a professional. Again the effort is commendable but a stronger initiative would have been training 30+ or so young players, providing them world class facilities and building a national team for the future. Airtel or for that matter Hero could have and still can easily afford the cost involved to do the same. 

These companies could have and still can take such an initiative and reap the financial benefits in the longer run. As a marketing enthusiast I know the kind of BRAND LOYALTY such an initiative's success would bring along. This loyalty could be en cashed by these firms or others wanting to take similar initiatives. After   all any firm is in business to make profits and why not! 

I would like to quote the theory given by the great intellect, Dr. C.K. Prahlad, "Fortune lies at the bottom of the pyramid."  The analogy being that had there been a sports pyramid in India, most of the Olympic sports would have featured at the bottom of that pyramid. It's time someone comes forth and changes this.

No prices for guessing the sport at the top!