It's time to protect "Brand India"

I still live in this belief that we are living in a democratic nation, where some nice to read terms like equality, freedom, human rights, law etc., exists in a lovely bound document written over six decades ago, by some wise old men called "constitution". Though there are  many reasons to convince myself, that the belief is nothing but hallucination and what we have is a flawed, depleted,  poor distant cousin of what it should have been termed as democracy, But I am yet to come in complete terms with that. That reasons my sporadic outbursts and meaningless musings, like this.

We all know that civil rights, freedom and liberty are wrested by a powerful few, and rest just manage to float around or rather float for them.  But still a few good things tend to filter down to the common man (probably the left over after the use and abuse of the powerful and mighty). Again I also have this hallucination (perhaps because getting used to seeing the tax deductions on the salary slip month after month)  that there is something called national resources, where every citizen of this country have equal rights on (which we call public property) and name of the nation (India - which itself was a gift from Persian invaders like the term Hindu), is one among them.  In that line of thought, representing the country in any international fora should or rather must rest with democratically elected civil bodies (what we call government). Which means that the nation cannot be represented by a any private individual  or group of individuals or clubs that are neither authorized by the government/civil bodies  nor a part of the democratic institution.  Logic says any individual or group of Individual who are representing (or supposed to be representing) the nation should be at least controlled by the government and accountable to every citizen of the nation.

Now apply this logic about the Cricket Goliath, BCCI. They themselves have declared that they are an independent entity, a society which is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. and the Government of India or any democratically elected civil bodies have no control over the administration of BCCI. And they are using government owned stadia  across the country at a nominal annual rent. They are a "private club consortium", that enjoy tax sops time and again, with a notion that they represent country India.  But above all they get the right to use/abuse the brand name "India" absolutely free. When their team looses in a bilateral series, the media across the world beams headlines - India bites dust, India beaten, India defeated... whatever. And the responsibility or shame of loss is comfortably passed across to the country and the people. While BCCI stays completely unaccountable and above every law of land. I know they have bottomless coffers to keep the mouth shut of even powerful imperial powers these days. They sell the brand name India for corporates and exploit the brand India commercially and restricting the benefits out of it within themselves. and India becomes Sahara India, or Nike India or whatever...  I think it's time for us to get united to fix this. I don't think it's in any means different from encroaching public space, or misusing public property. Not sure how can proceed though. It's high time that we should join forces to protect the misusse/abuse of brand India for commercial exploitation, on which every Indian citizen has absolute rights. Why don't they send their team in the name of BCCI.. not India. May be they can employ the best lawyers in the country and may counter legally,... but still there should be the people power that can ultimately reign, over all else.

Stars chasing records, let teams to loose

By the time I have completed writing this piece, it would already have become the sixth straight overseas test loss for team BCCI. Not so long ago they were staking claim for the world no.1 test team title.... One can talk about the uncertainties of the game endlessly, but to me this loss was absolutely predictable. As every one would admit, a five day match is real cricket, and the limited over matches are it's entertainment versions. It needs an overseas test series to determine, how good you are, as a pack of cricketers. And we have to admit that this bunch of cricketers are awfully short of being there. Even while considering the "manufactured win" against West Indians they are mediocre as the bunch. (some occasional individual exploits not withstanding)

 "Manufactured win?"... many of you may have doubts.. No it's not about fixing the matches... but  about doctoring the environmental factors to favor the hosts.  No one would disagree if i say the current Windies team will sweat a lot, to beat Boyc;s mom at her kitchen garden track. They are indeed a pale patch of the much feared predecessors, and that too without Chris Gayle. Still we struggled, puffed and panted to secure lead and seal the series... every test could have swung either way even In those environment that is tailored for you to win. If you struggle to succeed at those doctored pitches., how better the expectations could be when you venture out on hostile waters.... against a much tougher opponents.

In this country each and every man on the street, consider themselves as an expert and be always fit for the shoes of Duncan Fletcher. They will demand him to deliver win after win after win.. nothing else. It's no fun to be in that shoes. It needs oodles of luck along with the desired skills to succeed as coach for the team BCCI.  Being said that, I would reiterate Duncan Fletcher had been an absolute and colossal failure. He took charge of the team on it's crescendo, and it was mere maintenance that required for some period of time. But still...

One has to admit, we had an interesting bunch of talents around in the team (a great concoction of experience with freshness). Man to man, each one of them can match with any of their counterparts from other test playing nations. Also they have the best reigning captain in the world now. Still we are loosing terribly, match after match while travelling. The fact is that it's not on the talent front we loose, it's in the application that we fail. That is a problem that could not be tackled by the player himself... they need guidance and support from tacticians and management.  Take the case of Ishant Sharma..When was the last time he took more than two wickets in an inning?  He has been sleep walking so far series after series, without any success. He may be plain unlucky not getting enough wickets even after bowling well (?)..But taking wickets is the only thing that matters, in test cricket. So any exceptional bowling performance is useless if you don't have wickets to show.  I am not sure, if he is getting any support in orienting himself towards conversion. It is the case if he is not succeeding even after supported... then what is the point is continuing with him...I don't think the problem lies, when they get unsure about performing their designated roles, as the situation demand. Sehwag remains Sehwag all the time... likewise everyone... they all are considered as individual stars, not the one's who had to perform together towards a solitary team goal.

Again it's very easy to sit in an armchair and criticize post facto. But always better to aware of the situation and be better prepared. Sooner or later they are going to get hit by a tonne of bricks, when they can only see empty stands (as Rahul Dravid has already expressed  his concern) across the country, and waning resources sponsors let out filling their coffers.

And finally it seems they are getting it right....

When Tata Motors launched its so called "sub-one lakh" car - Nano, with so much of hype,  not too many expected a quick descent. But within an year post launch, market witnessed a gradual waning of demand, which was steadily doing justice to the nomenclature (nano), while compared to the mammoth expectations and projections. Though it's too early to write off such a path breaking offering, but cracks in the strategy and execution from the marketers side were evident to anybody who had been watching from outside.

To point out a singular reason for the slow down, I have nothing other than the gross under-estimation of the Indian customer by the brand. Whatever said and done, you cannot look down to the customer whom you would want to loosen their purse strings for your brand. But Nano did that... May not be intentional, but the initial communications from the brand conveyed the following perceptions to the intended customers.

a) Indian lower middle class families are suffering without a car and they would be just fine with box and four wheels for peanuts that they could spare. 

b) Tata Motors is doing a great favour to society by providing them a "cheap" car.

c) I am picking up a Nano because I cant afford a "better"one. 

May be the agency got communications speak in different language, the essence of every messaging was invariably around  the above three points. But then what was the reality?

Even if you have coughed up the money required to pick up the Nano, by stretching your family budget quite a bit, do you like to be seen as somebody who settle for a "cheap car" because you cant afford a better one?. A good second hand car was available - for much cheaper. 

Again, it was never a one lakh car, as most of us perceive. You have to shell out almost double of that  money to own one with fairly decent specs. So  for the people who gets turned on just with the "one lakh price tag", it became a terrible let down. So "the break through to fulfill a social obligation" has become nothing but just another corporate crap planted by the PR machine. Again, the quality... the reports were not as rosy as it intended to be. In short, the so called sure fire winning formula turned to a sour concoction in no time. I believe the marketers (who could be as usual a self-indulgent lot) may have only realized this when the dust settled.

Better late than never. The last quarter of 2011, showed a remarkable change in the outlook - especially from the packaging and communication. From a "cheap car" to a "young and peppy" avatar.. it's quite a positive transformation of all sorts. The marketers are doing a fabulous job in giving the little one a badly needed makeover. The cosmetic corrections on the product may also have connected in bringing it back into the consideration set... perhaps well in time. Hope what is under the hood have also got improved by gauging the pulse. I am sure the numbers are going to substantiate this as 2012 catches up.... I presume the launch of "autorikshaw with the fourth wheel" -  from Bajaj motors will also help to gather a better public opinion.