Benares 2013 - 5000 years and counting

I have been to this "holi" city number of times...  but this visit had its own place... has the city finally become a tourist destination...  I am sure you are already thinking of closing the webpage...  hold on....  I meant has the city accepted the way shown by Goa or Jaipur.....  

Are the gallis more welcoming....  are the people getting warmer...  gone are the benarasi thag stories...  I window shopped for hours....  decent rates... no tricks...  no smirks when you say tats expensive....
Had a pleasant stay at a affordable affable hotel...  Close to Shiva's abode...  multiple darshans and Maa was happy....  loved the boat ride on ganga...  if you love time and the impact it has on humanity...  come to benares....  time stood still in the by lanes of this town...  said to be the oldest inhabited town....  sure there are malls coming up but the spiked hair gym toned gym still goes to the temple... he cleans the vermillion tika...  I understand coz that doesn't go with his body fit tee-shirt and low rise jeans...  specially his eyebrow piercing and the dragon tattoo...

I still believe the benarasi in him lives on...  I won't ask him to change a tad bit....  I don't know about you...  I believe in adapting to times...  if we kept the core constant...  much like our beautiful planet...
I was amused by the exotic lingerie available on the road that lead to Shiva.... I would love to know the connect...  there were more mannequins wearing fishnet stalkings... thongs than benarasi Saree's :D.....
Oh I could shop in benares for a few weeks and still feel yeh dil maange more....

To all foodies...  must visit place...  eat till you drop...  a few recommendations
*choti kachauri and sabji (breakfast)
*jalebi
*kheer mohun
*lal peda
*chats
*golgappe
*sandwich(sweet dish)

And paan(loads)

Now I am sure there are a million more...  I am mentioning my must haves...

I believe religion is something that's private...  but need to share some views...  can't keep religion and benares separate... can you... India to me is confluence of faith and belief...

I landed in benares a day after dussera... Maa Durga had just left us with the promise that she will be back next year with if not more equal gutso....  and the city had turned white for eid... young bois and men dressed in sharp Kurtas and lungis/pyjama/salwar... how soon and smoothly red became white...  I couldn't feel a difference...  in the evening I saw Maa ganga ki arti attented by Hindus Muslim's christian Jew's budhists... many more faiths I am sure...  there was a calm..  a calm tat was echoed by the river...  the flow is strong but calm... 

To this all I can say is that's my India.. it's not red white green saffron.... it's unique...  it changes hues for its people... as we select leaders our leaders we ensure he or she has no one color....
Got a bit serious right....

Let's change the mood..  on the ghats of ganga you will see countless international tourists...  I am going to be honest I was eaves dropping this particularly colorful chat between two American female students and a young benarasi Babu ( did I mention he was no more than 11 years old)... he looks at them and says your beautiful...  why didn't your boyfriend come with you...  don't you have one... when they said they do he looked absolutely disgusted that how could they have left their beautiful girlfriends alone.... 

Ah the legacy of Indian cinema... or western...  hum sirf jodon main achhe lagte hain :)

JOBification of Entrepreneurs

I have wanted to write this for the last 2 years... I am actually quiet surprised that most entrepreneurs I have worked with have become so enamoured by the Jobs effect. Nobody has spent time to ponder and realise well could it me that this man was a genius...

Look at what has happened to the product line after him... but ?I would not adopt his gut feel no market research policy regarding product design... You talk to entrepreneurs and they are convinced that, that's the way forward.... If they feel that the customer will love this then that's it... I find it really odd...

I have ended up having long and painful arguments and they have ended with the leaders saying do this because I say so.... And the rationale is that's how he did it... Are kidding me do you think all of us are Jobs pedigree....

One example stands out... Will the customer move from toll-free to missed call method... To the alien soul
Toll-free: is when the user calls and its free for them. The company will pay for the call charges
Missed call (Call back):  is the customer calls and the system disconnects the call and then calls you back.
The cost of 1 min toll-free is almost if not more than 3 times Missed call.

During one of such entrepreneurial discussions.. I was told are you crazy you plan to change the consumer behavior it will never happen... Yesterday when I saw a full pager on TOI cover by Future group saying please give a miss call on this number... I had a huge smile... Products are made on the ground not in air-conditioned meeting rooms.... Not by 5 VPs/CEOs/COOs but by people who actually spend time with the user... Products dont change directions every meeting they need to be tested on the ground... proper feedback to be done and upgrades to be made... Launching a product every year hasn't worked for marquee organizations ... Launch a product when you have something more to offer...

"Dont underestimate what the consumer can do where they see real benefit"

So all we need to do is create great products and communicate the benefit they bring to tehe table :)

There are success stories where no one man can stake claim... Let no Jobify ourselves... Get inspired from a great entrepreneur !!!