IndianMaze

It has been quite some time that I penned any thoughts. It has been a busy schedule, some real rest forced and sometimes meaningless. On to other things. I am just back after a four country tour and have realised how lucky we are in India not to face the real heat of recession. I am going to stick my neck out now. Worst is behind us. Talent shortage still exists. All the companies that went overboard will have serious answers to give as talent hunting is going to be a real pain. Worse than before the dreaded R word hit us. Fear will prevent people from taking "logical" decisions. दूध का जला छाछ को भी फूँक फूँक के पीता है. (Once bitten twice shy) I feel sorry for those who lost their jobs and those freshers who could not manage a placement from campus but I can safely say that they will be first ones to encash the change. The real HR work will start now. Finally, sticking my neck out further, I think it all will start happening by September/October. I will write again on this ...

After a trip to the financial capital of India, Mumbai, I landed in the flashy city of Delhi. Of many people that I met and talked to in Mumbai, the discussion hovered around the difficulty faced by people in stock market, economic issues, tough times, tightening the belt, lay offs (declared and not declared), sectoral impact etc etc. In a nutshell "get into the shell for safety". Then I met Rajan S, a dear friend. I knew that he has lost a good more than 50% of his investments in stock market and was expecting a similar response that I witnessed in Mumbai. I was all set to ensure that I remain as balanced as possible. "Hi, welcome to my newly decorated home" he exclaimed. "I went and bought two easy chairs, 5 decorative pieces, 5 pairs of trousers for myself along with 5 shirts, kids wardrobe has been replenished, wifey has bought some sarees and suits and not to talk of new curtains; all in the last fortnight" he went non stop "there are such great ...

Few friends were drowning their sorrows in the respective preference of drinks at a club. This is usual but for the venue. Normally, these suited friends would be seen in the 5 Star bars and drinks would be Single Malts, Rose wines etc. Club menu offers limited choices and almost half the prices offered by 5 Star bars. Expected. The interesting bit was when one asked "what would people do when they want to save money but still pass time?" Opportunity strikes in most adverse circumstances. To cut a long story short, consensus was that people will spend more time socialising at home with families and friends and consume more food (part home cooked and part packaged/ordered from nearby restaurant) and consume more media. I sense an opportunity for TV channels (more time spent), magazines (more readership per copy and time spent), radio, video rentals. Does it mean more DVD players being sold? why not? Are creative guys working on it? Opportunity for more advertising?