The start...

The various operations of flushing out terrorists from Trident, Oberoi, Nariman House and Taj are over.

Now will begin the investigations, but one of the most important question after the planning part is the import of arms and ammunition in Mumbai. Be is the Coast Guard or the Police, everybody is involved in some way in overlooking or maybe turning a blind eye while this consignment was coming in.

The corruption started by traders and businessmen to avoid taxes and levies, made them start corrupting the very people who are responsible for checking every thing that comes into a city. These officials are so used to turning a blind eye towards normal consignments that they dont even realize that the consignments they are allowing through might be of dangerous kinds. For them, it might be a "regular" trading item on which the taxes are to be saved for their clients and pocket the money.

This level of corruption needs to be halted at ground level. Everybody needs to understand that one day, the seeds which they are sowing might turn out to be that of a nasty weed. Trading and business community needs to understand that while bribing the officials, they have set such a precedent that has blown up badly in their faces also. Businesses have suffered because of the recent attacks. Everybody is so jittery that even a small rumour is leading to shutting down of establishments for the day.

The officials need to understand, that they have been put up to prevent something, and it is because of their lapse that such huge consignment might have entered Mumbai.

RIP Mumbai heroes from ATS and police deparment

I am leaving the blog empty......as no words are enough to salute these heroes.....

Falling property prices and the sane mentality of the purchaser...

Daily, we are reading about the fall in the prices of property and the further expected falls. While speaking to a gentleman who stays in my building, and happens to be a doctor, I asked him about the progress of his plans to shift from rented place where he runs his dispensary to a place of his own. He informed me that he has put off the plan as of now. He explained that he had infact seen a place for 32 lacs. But now that the expected fall is to be in a range of 25-30%, he feels it is better to sit on his money and save atleast 10 lac rupees. Not a bad saving. So the old saying of cash is the king surely works for this gentleman. Saving 10 lac is not an easy thing and is certainly a big thing. He says even if I pay around 20000 rent per month, I am shelling out only 2.4 lacs. So still I save 7.6 lacs. Smart guy.

Recession and Vacations.....

I have written in the past also how recession is affecting vacations, not to the point of people not ready to spend, but because people are afraid of facing pink slips. Though that was totally my point of view, now it seems, it if seriously affecting a  broad spectrum of people.

Outings, shopping, everything is on a fall nowadays. The malls which normally are fully lit and colourful....have reduced jazz as they are trying to cope up badly with the falling sales. I have had an opportunity to visit two big malls, and was surprised to see such a low foot fall on Sunday. Infact one of the shops has partitioned its premise into half and shut down the other half. I wouldnt be typing this without seeing it myself. But now people are coming out in the open and admitting drastic fall in sales.

But one mistake most shopkeepers are doing is increase the cost of the product to cover up the fall in the turnover, and cover the profits. This is a very wrong thing to do. Ok agreed that your volumes are down, but by increasing the prices of your items and trying to cover up for the fall in profits is certainly a very wrong thing to do. What one is doing is losing out not only on a regular customer, who is aware of your rates, but also on a prospective new customer.

So finally do I agree to the fact that we are in recession????? Our Government doesnt agree so. Hope they are right and hope the same government presents the years balance sheet and confirming that their targets have been met. Otherwise.....Lord save the common man......

Short term memory and Marketing

It is said that the general public has got very short term memory. And this is used to full advantage by the biggest marketing man of Bollywood......i.e Shah Rukh Khan. If one notices a pattern, than most of his movies are always released by the year end. Nothing much to it except for the fact the most of the Award functions take place in the end of the year or in the first few months of the next year.

Public voting always goes in favour of the latest movie which they have seen. And with due respect to the great SRK, his movies work more on marketing strategy, which he carries forward to the award functions.

Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar have also realised this potential, though personally, Aamir Khan has always shown disinterest in the awards. This year we are going to see their movies compete with each other. Lets see how the short term memory of public is going to help them in the award functions.