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દીક્ષાંત સમારોહ: એક અનંત પાનખરની પહોર
ખિલવા થી ખરવા ની સફર..
એક મેદાનમાં વાંસના લાકડા પર બનેલો વિશાળ પંડાલ, સવારના ૮ વાગ્યે લગભગ સાવ ખાલી. ખાલીપણું એની વિશાળતાને જાણે હજીય વધારી દે. જોતા જ જોતા ૯ વાગ્યા સુધી આ પંડાલમાં અઢી થી ત્રણ હજારનું માનવમેહરામણ એકઠું થઇ જાય. દીક્ષાંત સમારોહના પારંપરીક પહેરવેશમાં નવજાત એન્જીનીયરો તેમના વાલીયો સાથે આવી એક અનોખા કૌતુક સાથે સ્ટેજ તરફ આંખો ટકાવી બેસી જાય. ડીડીયુના વિદ્યાર્થી તરીકે નહિ પણ ચાર વર્ષ ઘણા એવા લોકોને જોનાર પ્રેક્ષકની દ્રષ્ટિએ જો પંડાલમાં બેઠેલા વિદ્યાર્થીમિત્રોના ચેહરા પરની લાગણીયોનું વર્ણન કરું તો ઘણી અસીમ વ્યાખ્યાઓ પણ ભોંઠી પડી જાય. સાહેબ, અતિશયોક્તિ જરાય નથી કરી રહ્યો. ચાર વર્ષમાં એકાએક જર્નલ-શબમિશન, ઇન્ટરનલ-એક્સટરનલ, વાયવા, નખરાળ પ્રોફેસરોનાં નખરાં અને નડિયાદ-ગામની અનેક પ્રતિકૂળતાઓથી વ્યથિત ચેહરાઓ પર આજે આખરે સંતોષ અને આનંદ છલકાતો દેખાય છે. ઉપરની બે લાઈનને જો સંક્ષિપ્તમાં કહું તો – “હાશ! છુટ્યા…”નો ભાવ! મોટા ભાગનાં લોકોના અંત:કરણમાં હજી એ લાગણીનો સાક્ષાત્કાર નથી થયો હોતો કે અત્યારે જેમની સાથે બેઠા છીએ, જેમની સાથે મસ્તી-ઠઠ્ઠા કરી રહ્યા છીએ, એ લોકો હવે ફરી ક્યારે જોવા મળશે એ તો નિયતિ સ્વયં પણ ખુબ ગણિત પછી જ કહી શકશે. પણ થોડાંક મારા જેવા પણ હોય જે આજુબાજુની દરેક બારીકીને પોતાની આંખ અને પોતાના દિલમાં સમાવી લેવા માંગતા હોય છે, કારણ કે કાલથી “લાઈફ” બદલાઈ જવાની છે.
ઘડિયાળ આશરે ૯.૩૦ બતાવે ત્યારે “એકેડેમિક પ્રોશેશન” પંડાલમાં પધારે. મોટાભાગનાં વિદ્યાર્થીઓ સમારોહની આ પરંપરાને પેહલી વખત જોઈ રહ્યા હોય છે અને આ વિધિની ભવ્યતાને જોઈ સ્તબ્ધ રહી જાય છે. (જે વાંચકમિત્રો અત્યારે ડીડીયુમાં અભ્યાસ કરી રહ્યા છે એ આ લાગણીને “ફર્સ્ટ પર્સન”માં અનુભવી શકે તે માટે “એકેડેમિક પ્રોશેશન” શું છે એ નથી લખી રહ્યો). વી.સી સાહેબનાં અભીભાષણથી સમારોહની શરૂઆત થાય છે. એમનાં આશિરવચન અને સલાહ સંભાળતી વખતે બે મિનીટ માટે એવું લાગે કે આ દીક્ષાંત પંડાલ નહિ પણ MMH છે અને અવસર દીક્ષાંત સમારોહ નહિ પણ ઓરીએન્ટેશન છે! ડીડીયુમાં તો જીંદગી પૂરો ગોળાકાર બનાવે છે! છેલ્લે, જ્યારે સાહેબ કહે “તમે સૌ આ યુનિવર્સીટીની બહાર પગ મૂકતા જીંદગીનાં અનેક રંગોને જોશો….” ત્યારે જાણે એક ચુંબક વર્તમાનમાં પાછું ખેંચી લાવે એવી ભ્રાંતિ થાય છે! પછી જેઓ શિદ્દતથી ૪ વર્ષ ભણતર વ્યવસ્થાને મહત્તમ માન આપ્યું (ટોપ્પર) હોય એ લોકોને થોડાંક સોનાથી (તાંબા પર સોનેરી રંગેલું ચક્ર – ગોલ્ડ મેડલ) વધાવામાં આવે છે. દરેક ડીપાર્ટમેન્ટનો ટોપ્પર સ્ટેજ પર મેડલ લેવા આવે ત્યારે સૌથી જોરથી હુરિયો (કાઠીયાવાડી શબ્દ) કયું ડીપાર્ટમેન્ટ પાડે એની હોડ લાગે છે! આ બધા વિધિ-વિધાનમાં મસ્તી-ઠઠ્ઠા તો ચાલ્યા જ રાખે. અને ભલે ને આજે છેલ્લો દિવસ હોય, પ્રોફેસરસાહેબો આજે પણ “માઈન્ડ” કરવાની ડયુટી પર! ખાલી આજે “વાયવામાં જોઈ લઈશ”ની ધમકીનો ડર નથી હોતો! જોતાં જ જોતાં બે-અઢી કલાક ક્યાં પસાર થઇ જાય એનું કઈ ભાન નથી રેહતું. ચાર વર્ષ સાથે રહેલા જોગીયો લાગણીથી સર્જાયલા વેક્યુંમમાં બહાર ફેકાઈ દુનિયાનું ગુરુત્વાકર્ષણ અનુભવે છે!
ભેગું થયેલું હજારોનું માનવમેહેરામણ બપોરના બે વાગતા સુધીમાં અશ્રુઓ સાથે વહી જાય છે. વિચાર એ આવે છે કે નિયતિનો સંયોગ તો જુવો એક માંને એનો દીકરો ચાર વર્ષ પછી પાછો મળે છે અને ડીડીયુની ભૂમિ-રૂપિ બીજીમાં અપાર સંભારણા અને લાગણીથી પોશેલાં અનેક દીકરા-દીકરીઓને એક સાથે વિદા કરે છે. નડિયાદને ભલે કેટલીય ગાળ દઈએ, પણ આ ભૂમિની સહનશક્તિને તો સલામ આપવી પડે. પાનખર પછી તો વૃક્ષ પણ સુનું દેખાય છે, જાણે વિરહમાં ઓતપ્રોત થઇ ગયું હોય, પણ આપડા કોલેજની જમીન, એની પાનખર તો એક જ દિવસે ઉમટી પડે છે, એના તો હજારો પાંદડા એક જ દિવસે ખરી રહ્યા છે. એને તો આપણને શૂન્ય-દિવસ થી જોયેલા છે – MMHમાં બેસતા, લેબ-ક્લાસરૂમ શોધતા, પેહલી વખત કેન્ટીનમાં જતાં, થાકેલા હારેલા કૉલેજથી મેદાનમાં થઇ હોસ્ટેલ પહોંચતા, પેહલી વાર બંક મારી રાજહંસ જતાં, કરચરલ વીકમાં ગાર્ડનમાં બેસી ટોળામાં અનેક ઘોષ્ટિઓ કરતાં અને બીજી અનેક સંવેદનાઓમાં આ ભૂમિમાં બરાબરની ભાગીદાર રહી છે. એની સંવેદના વિશે આપણે કોઈ દિવસે વિચાર્યું? અને આ પાનખર તો અનંત છે, હજારો વિદા થયેલા પાછા ફરી ક્યારે આવશે કે કેમ? કે પછી અમદાવાદ-બરોડા-સુરતમાં બસ નડિયાદને ગાળ આપતા રહી જશે. પણ સાહેબ, છોરું કછોરું થાય પણ માવતર કમાવતર ક્યારેય નથી થતું.
હમણા જ ઓગસ્ટ મહિનામાં ગ્રેજ્યુએશન પછી પેહલી વાર હું કોલેજમાં ગયો. ચકડોળ જેવો નાનો અમસ્તો ગેટ ફરાવી અંદર ઘૂસતા જ જાણે કોલેજની જમીને એ મને એની બાથમાં લઇ લીધો હોય એમ લાગ્યું. એક ટીપું તો સાહેબ મેં પણ પાડ્યું! એક બાજુંથી સેન્ટર ફોયોર તો બીજી બાજુંથી કેન્ટીન રાડ પાડીને બોલાવતાં હોય એવો ભાસ થયો.
સેન્ટર ફોયોર: “અલ્યા યાદ છે અહિયાં તો ડેસ્ક મૂકી કેટલીય ઇવેન્ટનાં registration કર્યા છે, કેટલાય પોસ્ટર મારે થામ્બ્લે લગાડ્યા ‘તા”.
કેન્ટીન: “અલ્યા, પેહલાં અહિયાં જો. મારી અંદર બેસીને કેટલીય જર્નલ લખી છે, એક્ઝામ પેહલા અહિયાં જ તો બેસી વાંચતો ‘તો! કેટલાય મિત્રોની બર્થડે પર એમને અહિયાં જ તો કેકથી રંગ્યા ‘તા અને મારો ફ્લોર બગડ્યો તો, એ ભૂલી ગયો શું?”
આવી ઘણીય ભ્રાંતિમાં ખોવાયેલો હું ગુલાબી બિલ્ડીંગની વાયે આગળ વધ્યો. ડોકું ઝુકાવીને ચાલતો ‘તો, ક્યાંક રેતીમાં કસેક ચાર વર્ષમાં પડેલું મારું જ એકાદ પગલું દેખાઈ જાય! ના જડ્યું તો આજનાં તો જમીન પર છપાઈ જાય… એટલા માં વરસાદ તૂટી પડ્યો! સાહેબ, કુદરત પણ ખરી ચાર્ટર્ડ એકોઉંનટંટ છે, ખરો હિસાબ રાખે છે. આપડે ભૂલી જઈએ કે આપડો સમય આ ભૂમિ સાથે ચાર વર્ષનો જ છે, એ પછી નહિ આપડે કે આપડા પગલાં અહિયાં રહે છે. વરસાદે મારાં પગ-નિશાન ધોઈ ફરી યાદ અપાવી દીધું – “ચાર વર્ષ પૂરા! હવે તો ભાઈ ALUMNI કેહવાઓ!” ૯ મે, ૨૦૧૪ના રોજ શરૂ થયેલી પાનખર આજીવન રેહશે. હવે દુરથી બસ ડીડીયુમાં જુનિયરોની ઝાકળ જોઈ થોડોક આનંદ અનુભવું છું!
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Java or .NET, as I see them.
Hello all, winter greetings. As an Amdavadi I have been charmed by winter’s spell. In a city, where sun shines with full gratification and pomp, who would not enjoy some low temperature days? I am just done with my 3rd Semester Final exams, one the worst set of exams so far. But no qualms as the Semester has finally ceased. Students in Computer Engineering at DDU are just on the brink of entering their 4th Semester and they’re confronted by a decision making step. They’re to choose between Java Technologies and .NET Technologies for the future studies in B.Tech Comp.Engg. This blog post of mine is addressed to my classmates in CE as well as anybody who’s looking for a mild comparison between Java and .NET. This blog post consists various facts about Java and .Net ranging from beginner to intermediate as well as some Industry veterans speaking on them. Read more as I throw some light on the matter.
Firstly, we shall begin with a brief introduction about Java and .NET. Java was developed by Sun Microsystems, was owned by it for years and now it’s taken over and managed by the industry giant ORACLE. Java is a programming language which is in turn made in C and C++. Java over the years has becoming crazy rage of programming fantasy for programmers and IT Industry for its huge domain of Class Libraries, Support features, Ready-to-Add things, and exceptional programming concepts like Beans, Serverlets, Applets, etc. Ask any programmer what does he prefer between Socket Programming (In C and C++) and Java? He won’t take a second to answer Java. Java has hardly any loop holes, it’s known for its strict and robust security and more programmer-friendly behaviour as compared to C/C++. Also the most important plus of Java for which it sits in the pinnacle of Programming Fame is its OS Independence. Yes, a venture coded in Java, can work comfortably on any OS- Windows, UNIX, LINUX and yes MAC too. These were some very basics about JAVA. Now let’s switch to .NET.
Unlike JAVA, .NET isn’t a programming language. .NET is an architecture/environment. Now what is an architecture/environment? Like Turbo C/C++ is your environment for coding C/C++ programs, .NET is an architecture in which you can code in various programming languages like C,C++,C#, VB, VBScript, etc. Now what is special about this environment? Let’s take an example. Consider you making a big IT system, something like billing system of a Shopping Mall. Let’s suppose you don’t know any other programming language except C/C++. Also, let’s assume you have just Turbo C/C++ with you and not GTK visual kit. Will it be possible to make a User Friendly system (on which the Non-Tech mall employees can work well) in such an environment? Will you be able to include good graphics, good navigation, rich interface, and better communication with the OS/File System? May be not, unless you’re an ace in programming. For this you have Architectures like .NET. You can think of .NET as huge software, which almost have a drag and drop interface for the software/program/project you’re making. You don’t have to call graphic functions, as you would do in a conventional C Programming environment. Also, suppose you want to communicate with your OS (which is Windows here). Your system makes some files on your system, modifies the files, and interacts with your OS. In such a scenario, you will have to include lots of “#include ”, mug up some subroutines in this file and then try executing in your code. With .NET environment it is done relatively much easier. This is the biggest plus of .NET- its interaction with Windows OS. And no surprises at this, as .NET architecture is made by Microsoft, it includes seamless support and easy interaction with its OS Windows. So, this is .NET, an interface to make software systems but JUST FOR WINDOWS environment.
Now, let’s move to the comparison between JAVA and .NET – their job openings, their applications, the pros and cons, and a lot more.
The most evident demarcation between JAVA and .NET is their platform dependency. Java is Platform/OS Independent whereas .NET compulsorily requires Windows environment for its applications to work. A Software Developer working in .NET Architecture Rashmi Gharat says that, “OS Dependency is the biggest negative of .NET, but since have more than 50% computer users with Windows as their OS, .NET continues to be in demand.” Java on the other end, is popular across all platforms, particularly large enterprises thriving on Linux and Solaris prefer JAVA products only as they hardly have an option.
Next issue to debate is their LIFELINE. A popular myth in the Computer-IT world is .NET architecture is coming to an end, to which Dipen Desai, an IT Head in a Software Development firm says, “Either Java or .NET, take any, both are bound to survive for next 15 years for sure. As far as .NET is concerned, a giant like Microsoft will make every possible attempt to keep it breathing. Hence, I don’t think there is an end to it.” Also, Rashmi Gharat a software developer doesn’t agree to this news saying, “It might be inappropriate to say that .NET is coming to an end. It has Microsoft’s backing. End is too far, I think it’s going to grow more in the coming time. There is a faint possibility that Windows in the coming years might add other Oss support for .NET architecture and somewhere down the lane you may see .NET becoming platform independent.” Also to affirm this statement of Rashmi, we see Development environments like Microsoft Silverlight, a platform based on .NET architecture to make Rich Internet Applications and Microsoft SharePoint Server, again a .NET architecture to make Web Apps and Portals (on Internet and Intranet)both being made by Microsoft, released and are already popular today. Silverlight built on .NET architecture is already a hit and is considered to be responsible for the end of FLASH in WEB.
Other issue is which is better/more efficient – Java or .NET? I asked both my experts and they had different opinions. Dipen Desai, a IT head says, “Consider a system possessing 5 trillion database records and some heavy stuff. I can’t imagine any piece of code in .NET architecture capable of handling this. Hence JAVA is the best option if you want to make HUGE apps.” Rashmi Gharat, a Developer working on .NET architecture said, “You can make any level of HUGE applications in either of the platform. .NET too. It all depends on the person who’s making it. If you’re sound enough with the architecture, you can make any level of application. Consider the same system containing 5 trillion DB records, you can make an application handling such enormous chunk of data in .NET too if the developer is sound enough.”
Another myth in the student world is .NET is easier and Java is tough or Java is for toppers and .NET is for residue. Again this is a myth with hardly any potential in it. Firstly .NET is architecture and not a programming language that you can compare it with JAVA. Yes .NET is user-friendly/programmer friendly. But when it comes to coding in .NET architecture, you must be sound with the concepts of the language you’re coding in .NET- be it C#, VB, VBScript or any. Hence, to claim that .NET is easier is not apt. Other side of the coin which says “Java is for toppers and .NET for the rest”- to check the validity of this statement, you may just want to ask a Java Developer code a peculiar application in .NET and you will see the truth unravelled. The fact is decision between JAVA and .NET is just a matter of personal choice. It’s like choosing between Spykar and Levi’s – both are equally good brand of jeans, but a person’s choice between them is a just a matter of personal like.
The last issue which people have is .NET architecture isn’t popular abroad but JAVA is, and hence if you’re a .NET Developer, it’s tough for you to go abroad and get a job there. To this Developer Rashmi said, “I don’t agree to this. I feel .NET is more popular abroad than here. Windows being a US product has to be more popular there than it is India. I’ve had a lot of clients from abroad demanding for apps coded in .NET architecture. Hence, this news is necessarily not be true. .NET enjoys equal popularity in foreign countries too.”  Dipen Desai on the other hand said, “There might be some potential in this information. The fact is huge enterprises today work on Linux and UNIX installations only. Open Source is much more popular abroad than it is in India. Hence, .NET is ruled out when it comes to software development on OS such as Linux and UNIX.” Supporting Dipen’s stands are some facts in the Mobile Development World. Andriod Development, Symbian are all JAVA products. All Nokia, Samsung, LG phones are JAVA based. Android too is an indirect JAVA product. Hence, .NET has no stake here. And if you believe the news, Mobile Development is to get more extensive in the coming years.
As far as job openings and applications are concerned, either you choose Java or .NET you’ve to start your career as a Developer. There are almost equal number of companies for Java and .NET developers, in India at least. There are more Web Pages with .aspx extension than .JSP extension indicating popularity of .NET in web. Also interfaces like Google Analytics, Google AdSense and so many other Google products show the power of product developed on Java platform.
So, summing it up, I’ve covered up almost all issues pertaining to Java and .NET relevant at this stage. I am a person belonging to Web Design and Development industry hence I personally wasn’t the best person to write the whole thing on my own and hence I talked to some Industry experts like Mr.Dipen Desai, Ms Rashmi Gharat, Mr. Jay Shivanand who provided their valuable and reliable inputs on the matter. To conclude with I would just say that Java or .NET is just a matter of personal choice. See them and decide on the basis of which appeals you more. As far as future is concerned, you will definitely have bread and butter in your house provided you’re the master of what you choose.
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Posted on November 12, 2011
Wowing The Customer:The Kingfisher Saga!
Hello all hope everyone’s doing well. Blogging after a reasonably long time, this time something unconventional and beyond my forte. I have been very interested in Economics, Finances, Capital and other Entrepreneurial matters, as I am an aspiring Entrepreneur and will be one in real-time in a month or two when I start my own Web Development Company. I have also been closely following experts, columnists and panellists who write on Entrepreneurial subjects, one of them being my uncle Sunil Gandhi, a veteran Chartered Accountant on his blog Anekant. He mainly writes on “Customer Experience”- in simpler words, a methodology for entrepreneurs to give your customers a better service. I as a small scale Entrepreneur too had believed in this concept and hence had been reading his literature often. But the recent fiscal fiasco, in which Kingfisher Airlines disembarked, left me shaken. I present my perspective on the issue here:
I haven’t been a frequent flyer by air to judge airlines on each and every detail, but yes I have travelled by air enough number of times and in variety of airlines to pass a personal verdict as to which is better and which isn’t. Of all the airlines I’ve travelled so far (I’ve travelled in Jet Airways, Air Deccan (Now a part of Jet Airways), Jetlite, Spicejet, IndiGo and last but not the least KingFisher). Of all, my senses were captivated by just one- KingFisher. The reason being, it’s Customer Experience. After you disembark a Kingfisher’s aircraft, you feel like you’ve been to some King’s Palace where you were served like King’s Royal guests with all amenities possible. There are several aspects in Kingfisher’s service which leave you just spellbound. In the next paragraph I will aim to jot down one by one.
I begin my customer experience with ground services. First thing which grapples your attention will be kingfisher’s graphical design. It uses Red as its theme colour. On the airport you find red bagging counters with red-dressed support staff (males and females both, fairly good looking), red billboards, red baggage tags and almost everything red. Now the thing to observe is this red isn’t eye-disturbing or gaudy. It’s mild and good. To my opinion this red design overall is capable to seduce an impotent person. (Might be an overstatement, but apt to describe the awesomely designed Kingfisher campaign). You’ve announcements and everything happening on time. You’ve support executives after check-in (even for economy class customers) to escort you to the final check-in from where you proceed towards the runway. After the final check-in, you see an awesome white-red coloured bus waiting for you to escort you to your aircraft. Now what is special about this bus? Again red! Yes, the bus is awesomely designed, with lavish red couches (yes you have puffed and smooth couches in the bus unlike those cheap airlines with Bakelite polymer seats). The bus is air-conditioned (something which even Jet Airways doesn’t manage to provide even after looting customers). And yes won’t forget to mention, the bus driver too is dressed in red. This bus then swiftly takes you to your aircraft. (You don’t feeling like getting off this awesome bus.)
Talking about the on-board services now. You don’t have to wait down for the dummy staircase to arrive before the aircraft. It’s already there! (Mentioning it explicitly because I know some shitty airlines with unbearable level of mismanagement who keep their guests stranded on the runway waiting for the staircase to arrive to board the aircraft). Then as soon as the last step on the staircase disappears, you have two too beautiful (and yeah unusually sexy too from a guy’s perspective) airhostesses welcoming and greeting you. What a marvellous start to a journey! (This too is a part of WOWing your customer. Though it targets the male senses, but who cares? Profit, Profit and Profit is what an entrepreneur wants). Then you have some welcome drinks and water bottles given to you immediately as you seat. Won’t forget to cite that beautiful airhostesses personally assist you in fastening up the seat beat. (That sounds cheap, but who cares? Remember Profit and Customer Experience!) You also have the airhosts (Yes red-dressed males too to WOW the females, Mallya doesn’t leave a stone unturned) and airhostesses assisting you to keep your luggage up in the luggage boxes without you asking them to do so.  Then the ambience of the aircraft, I bet no other airlines have such aircrafts, at least not the domestic ones. You feel almost in heaven when you’re in the aircraft. You see the smoke/air (I don’t know what thing it was) coming up from the windows inside which give you a heavenly feeling. And I would explicitly cite that the aircraft is well air-conditioned in advanced making sure that you do not sweat for a second even after being on-board. (I remember my experience in Air Deccan; bloody jerks didn’t start the AC till the aircraft was on the verge of taking off. Misers! ) I have a pic here to show the awesome interiors in Kingfisher’s fleet:
Also one of the best part of the on-board services in Kingfisher is the awesome cabin crew (Hey, Hey both males and females). Your eyes do feel pleasant seeing faces around at least for the time till you’re on the aircraft. Lolz! (Had to mention because there are Airlines like Air India who hire people with “Dijvijay” faces as Air Hostesses. Awful! ) Then one of the most exclusive features which separates Kingfisher’s experience from the rest is it’s On-board Entertainment System. You’ve small Television screen behind each seat not making your travel demure. The TV is preloaded with short movies, videos, news, interviews, songs, etc. (There’s always content related to Deepika Padukone, partial Mallya, but who cares? – Customer Experience). To augment audio pertaining to the videos, you have a kit exclusively given to you containing brand new headphones, a pen (For any crap you wish to write during the flight) and some rough stationary, in case you’re some Ruskin Bond.) And yes, won’t forget to mention, this kit is brand new, given to each guests and yes to Gujju Bhais reading this, this is your property you can take it home. I have some 4-5 such kits @ my place. Ha-ha. The television also has the facility to show you the current height the aircraft is at, the speed of the aircraft, the temperature outside the aircraft, all this to add thrill to the journey at high. (No other domestic airlines, even looting ones like Jet Airways provide such features on-board to economy class customers). Then comes the main part- Gourmet Services (Sada Shabdo ma: FOOD). That too complimentary! (Other misers ask you to order it explicitly and pay for it). The food quality is A+ Grade. Any cuisine, be it Indian or Continental tastes too delicious. (The gourmet Sandwich in Ahmedabad-Delhi flight tasted as good as the Rajma Chawal during Delhi-Bagdogra flight) For a foodie like me, this defines Wow Customer Experience.
Lastly, before the flight’s landing you’ve air-hostesses coming to you individually and asking for your feedback. (Is this feedback taken seriously? Yes it is, see the end of this blog post). When you descend from the aircraft, you’ve the airhostesses again greeting you and thanking you for availing Kingfisher’s services. I remember my experience. I was so overwhelmed that I thanked the air-hostesses instead, that too twice or thrice to which I was given an awesome smile and “our pleasure sir” in return. Then once you’re on the ground, there is again a Kingfisher coach waiting ready for you to escort you to the airport terminals. And point to be noted my lord; they don’t fill up people inside the coach as a herd of cows and goats. There are some 5-6 coaches present; each one of them accommodates only that amount of guests which can be comfortably seated on the lavish red couches inside. (Misers like Spicejet and IndiGo shall take some lessons). There is no hassle at the bagging rotator. Each and every baggage is systematically delivered without any misplacement. I haven’t heard a story till date of some baggage misplaced/lost from a Kingfisher flight. Overall, you get a lifetime experience, totally enchanting. (Please note, all the services I mentioned are provided in the Economy Class. Imagine the treatment in Business Class then! )
Coming to the Entrepreneur’s perspective now. From my above description, you might have been convinced by the fact that kingfisher provides a reasonably WOW Customer Experience. Now let’s see what it got in return. Just and just losses. (And yes, unaccountable sarcasm from Faking News. Check this: http://www.fakingnews.com/2011/11/mallya-announces-austerity-drive-deepika-will-travel-in-gareeb-rath/) Let me mention some stats here. To your astonishment, want to tell you that Kingfisher hasn’t ever made a profit since it got listed! It made 1070 crores of loss during 2010-2011. It owes 200+ crores to Oil companies for fuel. And a lot more. Now let’s compare Kingfisher and Jet Airways. Both have almost the same rates for Economy class travel. On one hand where Jet Airways acts like a yet another airline with hardly any customer experience even after looting the people, Kingfisher on the other hand provides awesome services, with real value for money and an unforgettable customer experience. Now, if just loss is the fate of providing a WOW Customer Experience to the audience, why would an entrepreneur want to do that?
To provide a Wow Customer Experience, it requires an Entrepreneur to go out of the box. Kingfisher’s On-board entertainment, gourmet services are some out of the box ideas that constitute a WOW Experience for its customer. But this Wow Experience, rather designing any Wow Experience requires extra capital that too with no returns for their investment guaranteed. In Kingfisher’s case it was loss, it might not be so in all cases. There might have been some mis-planning @ the Management level that led to such high losses, but it was not only mis-planning. Some other Airline (let’s say Jet Airways) could design same level of Wow Experience with better planning, but it will have to compromise with its profits (It will still be in profits, but lesser in magnitude). The problem is the social structure our country has. The main of customer experience is increasing the customer base. For airlines this doesn’t happen so. Instead of Air Travellers increasing, the rate has sharply fallen in the last 5 years, the figures say. The bread-hungry Indian mass doesn’t require any Wow Experience, it has learnt just compromising since ages and will continue to practice so in the coming time too. I don’t say that the Wow Experience doesn’t impact the Indian Customer. It definitely does, but as an entrepreneur, I too want something in return for the Wow-Experience- more customers and referrals. But this somehow doesn’t take place in the Indian mass. Just take your example. Even after reading this awesome article of mine about Kingfisher, will you prefer Kingfisher for your next air travel? Definitely not. You still prefer saving your bucks (compromising with Customer Experience) and commuting in IndiGo and Spicejet.
This was my perspective about Kingfisher’s case. It might necessarily not be correct. But I feel too strong about this awesome Air Carrier and I felt a need to pen down the awesome experience I had when it served me. And yes, the commerce part of the aspect- Customer Experience was inspired by my fua. Hope you all enjoyed reading this piece.
P.S. Love Red Love Kingfisher.
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Posted on March 3, 2011
Invention is the mother of Necessity
Hello Friends, this blog post of mine is an article published in International Teen Magazine- Teen Ink, online. Sharing it with you all here:
I’m sure you all might have sensed something wrong as soon as you would have read the title of the article- Invention is the mother of necessity. Well, to go by conventions there is a proverb which goes like –Necessity is the mother of Invention. My English teacher used to elaborate this one by explaining that, it’s the necessity or paucity of something that leads to an invention. To cite a few simple examples-Telephones,mobiles etc.  The telephones and mobiles were invented because it was a necessity for people to get in touch even when they are miles away. So that is how the proverb- Necessity is the mother of Invention goes. But, the technology traits today converse the proverb in entirety. In today’s mind-boggling advancing Technology Universe, it’s the invention of something that evolves its necessity.
We need not be Marketing Experts or Trade Analysts to understand this simple yet cunning gamble of Technology vendors. I will begin justifying my topic with  the latest Tech-trends- The Tablet PCs. I’m sure you all might have seen the recurrently flashing endorsements of Tablet PCs, most popular of them being Apple’s Ipad. Let’s go in deep waters. The Tablet PC vendors in their advertisements claim that Tablet PCs are a vital necessity for professionals in the Corporate World. Corporates have lots of work, to be specific important work, and if they want to carry it with them, they can just do it via Tablet PCs. Hence, this would increase the response of the corporates towards events and thereby increasing a firm’s productivity. This is the most clichéd explanation a marketer for Tablet PC would provide. But, I would make a simple question here. Were Microsoft, Apple Inc, Hawlett Packard and other Big Daddies in B-World making losses when Tablet PCs weren’t invented? Or did their profit graph break the charts after the Tablets were invented? Obviously not! Then why the Tablet PCs? Answer to this is simple- Profits. If we try to understand the marketing strategies, we would come to a conclusion that a company cannot sustain profits with a single product. You cannot keep on selling the same thing every day, because people already have it, their necessity is quenched and they wouldn’t want to buy it again. Hence, why not create something new? Once a new product is made, the demand for it can always be created. People are always in hunt of new gadgets, not out of necessity but out of curiosity and voracity. People would always want to try something which they’ve never tried. That too, if the target audience is the Corporate World, sell them anything in the name of profit and they would buy it obliviously. As a result, now you see the corporates going “GAGA” over the Tablet PCs, some of them have even started equipping the creamy staff with IPADs and stuff in panic for high profits.
Another example is Facebook. Facebook was created under the pseudo motive of Social Networking. I feel like laughing when I hear the term Social Networking associated with Facebook. The reason being, there is everything else happening on Facebook except Social Networking. Spying, Virtual Relationships, Corporate Deals, Advertising & Marketing, Gaming, Celebrities but Social Networking is something with definitely seems absconding. It was invented to get people (rather strangers ) closer socially. But I’ve a question to ask, did people have no friends before Facebook existed? I bet people had better friends and better relationships before Facebook. Now, the scenario is that, we would see the newspapers reporting breakups and divorce due to spying issues over Facebook. We would find people’s privacy violated and hence misused. 3 out of 7 days in a week, the news fader on Yahoo! homepage shows issues posed due to usage of Facebook – A couple got divorced due to suspicious wall posts, an employee was sacked for writing ill about his boss in his status updates, celebrities digging at each other and what not. In the name of a bliss pertaining to Social Networking and Togetherness it proved a jinx! Not only this, it made the youths so fervent about it, that its mania affected their academics. Facebook now has become an indispensable part of almost everybody’s life. It was never a necessity, but its invention made it a necessity, to be more explicit-an ADDICTION.
If you look around, you will find so many things which logically hold negligible prudence in our life, still we have gotten hooked to it, rather we have been made to get hooked to it. Sometimes, we are hooked to a particular thing not because we find it necessary or important, but we do, due to peer pressure. Ipods, Ipads, Smartphones have become a “STATUS SYMBOL” today and hence many people use it involuntarily to show off their lofty stratum. Marketing Strategies have cast such a robust spell on our mind that it hardly sees the vitality of anything and just makes it a part of our life. It’s difficult to get out of this conjure but not impossible. It’s time we contemplate about the things we’re using, and about the things we’re addicted to.
To conclude, “Invention is the Mother of Necessity”- is the Mantra which Vendors and Marketers follow today. We being mere mortals fall an easy prey to this hoax. Yet, if thoughtful approach is given precedence over Peer Pressure, Greed for Profit and Class Conscious Approach, it can be tackled with.
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Posted on January 30, 2011April 1, 2011
Life Through Computer’s Monitor
Hello Friends, article time now. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading Friendship, Love and PAism. This article of mine- Life through Computer’s Monitor is my perspective towards what that the Computer World has to teach us. This is also published in the International Teen Magazine Teen Ink. So far it has got great response, so I thought why not to post a copy of it here too. Here I go:
We all work in front of this dumb electronic device everyday but we overlook almost everything it tries to teach us about life. Yes, you read it right. The computer and its world is not dumb and insane in realtime according to me. The computer is no less than a sage, if you ask me. It has a amassed wisdom about life and its stark chronicles which it bears within its hardware and software. All we don’t do is not talking that dumb machine seriously.
Let me begin under different subtitles about the lessons I infer from the PC world.
Well a layman may not think anything special about computer’s hardware. Even you might think of it as an embedded system, then what has it got to do with life? But no, it certainly has. Initially the computer comes with fixed hardware- some RAM, some Hard Disk, some graphics etc. To club all this in a nutshell, we call it computer’s capacity or configuration. But then, as the time passes, your demands, your greed for multitasking increases. You want IE10, Windows Media Player, Photoshop CS5 running smoothly without any system crashes. But then, the computer’s capacity doesn’t cope up with your demands and expectation. So what you do is, increase the RAM, the Hard Disk, the graphics, and then you gradually get along with your expectations. Same fact the computer aspires to teach you.
As you don’t get your expectations fulfilled without increasing computer’s capacity, similarly, you cannot increase your productivity, your success, without increasing your capacity and capability. If you want success in 12th with hardwork of 10th std level, its like running GTA 4 on Windows 97. Computer says, increase your capacity, success automatically becomes compatible to you.
Every part of the computer, be it hardware or software applications need timely updates. The case is more apt for the latter. Every software application comes bundled with an update script which find updates for it at regular intervals. To make the case simpler, take an example of Anti Virus Program. They check for updates almost daily. The reason being, there are bugs in OS, new technology, new threats are inevitable. Hence to keep it up to date, it updates itself. Imagine, you using an AntiVirus of 2007, will be any good for your PC in 2011! Certainly not.
Same is the case with your thinking and approach towards life. If you want to stand erect in the tough and turbulent whirlpools posed by world’s challenges, you will have to adopt an approach relevant to that situation. Wisdom lies in complying with the need of the hour. If you don’t walk with time and remain stubborn, having your approach towards life unaltered, the time and the world will leave you behind. To stay at par with world you will have to walk hand in hand with time and generation. A very practical and real life example, I can give you is GENERATION GAP. If you ask me, there should be nothing like generation gap. Generation gap is another name of stubborn mindset. The elders who move with time don’t face difficulties in getting along with younger generations, where as the ones who don’t, call it VAST GENERATION GAP. Time won’t ever change as per your fancy, it’s you who has to bow in agreement against the commandment of time.
So keep your software updated. You will never be affected by virus and crashes.
YM (Yahoo Messenger) Yesterday, FB(Facebook) Today:
Just a few days back I was talking to Priyanshi and we happened to talk about YM and FB. YM had been a vital medium in bonding us. Each chat on YM brought us one step closer. But then as we see today, YM’s importance has decreased to almost negligible. It has dropped to such a drastic level that the Yahoo people have actually started advertising about it. Yahoo Messenger needs advertisements now ! Why ? FB and FB chat. People change their priority very easily in life. Yesterday they all used YM, but as soon as they found FB, and people talking about FB they stopped using YM just a dropping a hot brick in hand. Their priorities changed in wink of an eye. A YM, which was an indispensable part of their life till yesterday, couldn’t find a place on their desktop today. Why? Their priority had changed. Something same applies for life.
In the Web World its YM and FB. In realtime, its you and me. Today you’re an integral part of somebody’s life, that doesn’t guarantee at all that you will hold the same level of prudence in his/her life tomorrow. Let’s accept the undraped tangibility of life that priorities change in life and the majority falls an easy prey to this erroneous & ruthless practicality of life. After entering the college life, I did experience such things happening with many. The so called friends remained friends for name sake. The “KEEP IN TOUCH” promises being violated. It was just that, their priorities had changed. They were investing their time and attention in their 4 year plans. Who’s gonna be with me- the college guys. So let’s get along with them. Old past are a past now, forget the past and move in future. Thank God for it hasn’t happened with me, but I have seen this happening with many. So God forbid, if you come across such circumstances, accept it with a big heart. It’s a part of worldly practices.
Well there are a lot of things that you learn from this programmed device. Its dumb, yet it speaks a lot of things. The skill shall lie within your inner self to grasp it. We technocrats, think of this machine just as a medium to enhance the virtual world of IT, but I believe there is a hidden philosophical approach to it which the world is yet to explore. Enjoy computing !!!
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