Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Why the #NewYear doesn't matter.

1. Because  time isn't running out for you.  Expect to live beyond 80 & plan to work till 75. So if you're 45, you have 30 years of work-life to go! So don't let age become a barrier in your mind. Keep the energy flowing!
2. Because you haven't lost time in 'finding your passion'. Not all of us have one. We chose to do what we are currently doing after considering many options, making a good decision. Just believe in it!
3. Because you're not just doing the same job repeatedly. You're actually getting better at it. Genius- data says- isn't about DNA. It's about hours and hours of practicing and perfecting a skill. 10,000 hours to be precise. So if you've crossed 5 years in your current job, you're close to mastering it. Don't lose that advantage. On the contrary, stick with it and in a while you've be commanding a premium for your expertise.
4. Because change is not about what's happening around you, rather it's about what's changed about you.When age and passion aren't restrictions in your mind, go out and initiate new things. More than the reactions of people, you will feel the change & know that you're actually riding it!
New Year's Day is just another day. But a fresh approach, is a whole new YOU!

 Happy New You!
#career #life #work #professional #worklife #newthought

Friday, December 1, 2017

Don't kill it!


Don't let one failure kill your zeal for thinking out-of-the-box.

I've seen this happen thousands of times. With clients, colleagues, professionals & creative directors.
The failure of an idea closes the doors on any further effort to think out-of-the-box.
All professionals agree on one thing, that out-of-the-box thinking is the need of the hour. Then why is so little of it happening?
If you set aside technology companies, almost no large company is embracing this unquestionable truth. Why is this so?
The reason is simple: "A burnt child dreads fire" Take a company facing fierce competition or with an ambitious growth target. An out-of-the-box idea is the need of the hour.It develops one along with its agencies and research teams. It earmarks a huge marketing budget, top professionals in the company put their careers at risk to back the idea. A huge PR campaign is launched and the product is rolled out. After the initial euphoria, no great growth is seen. The naysayers within the organization draw out their daggers and heads begin to roll.
For the company & the professionals who lost their jobs one question is asked repeatedly, "Who told you to do this? at least you would have a job!" There's now a unspoken bad word within the company - "out-of-the-box". Everyone flinches from it. The professionals who join other places come down hard on anyone in their team who uses these blasphemous words! Nobody want's to be unemployed again! Even though everyone can see the end of the organization looming, they now prefer to sit tight and keep shut. Sad, but true.
We must understand that an idea carries high risk and seek learning not scapegoats. Standing still or flowing with the tide is also failure.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Why this world needs mavericks.



As a young Account Director in a large, perhaps the largest network agency, I had earned quite a reputation for myself and had given my bosses quite a few headaches. I was known to hold my ground - when clients demanded changes for no apparent reason and had even gotten into a few arguments if our work had been rubbished. Soon I found myself working on the Mumbai circle of a famous telecom brand headquartered out of another city. This client had the penchant of inviting pitches for everything from a greeting card to a double-spread ad.
But one day a call from our client galvanized the entire agency. This company was merging with another telecom entity and the top management from both companies were reviewing a new name, identity and positioning for the behemoth that would emerge. While everyone from the CEO of our agency was involved in the pitch & it was being led by branch servicing the client at their head-quarters, I and my team were completely sidelined by our own branch head.
Had we been invited to share our ideas, perhaps I & my tiny team may not have reacted the way we did. But BECAUSE we were ignored, we decided to do something about it. Here I'll break to introduce you to my team of untouchables: There was KP my 2nd-in-command, who refused to speak unless forced to. And when forced, he believed in being stingy with his words, often replying in monosyllables. Then there were my creative team: art and copy - given to dressing in psychedelic colors and dabble in similar material. The four of us got together, took one look at the staid brief and said aloud, "To hell with this! Lets knock this one out of the park!"
Easier said than done! After struggling for a week, we entered a phase of self-doubt. But in the wee hours of one morning, KP pulled out a single ad he'd done, all by himself, mind you -he was a servicing guy! It showed a gorilla! (long, long before Cadbury's discovered it!) Now we had something, we were energized. Working many nights in a crazed frenzy we came up with the very antithesis of the client brief!
We swam away from the mass-market in our presentation, our campaign was about a cult: A handful of people who lived, breathed and lived on the edge-of technology. It was zoned out, edgy & terrifying stuff! And we took this to our bosses.
I recall the NCD and the Branch head taking a close look at us. Four disheveled 20-somethings standing in front of them with bleary red-rimmed eyes that oozed fire and brimstone. I think their courage failed them in telling us that we were crazy and this stuff nuts. So they politely told us that they'd call us later.
That 'later' never came and our work was never shown to the client. What was presented was the boring, regular stuff done by another team, which the client openly mocked at during the presentation calling it, "Exactly what we expected from you!" This almost cost us the campaign, when one day the client's man-Friday landed up at the agency's branch office for some work and chanced upon our campaign- handed over to the local team.
All hell broke loose! The man-Friday loved it and took it straight to the owner who said that this was what he'd been looking for all along. He took the campaign to the other patriarchs and they all loved it. Finally they chose a name that began with the same alphabet, in the same inverted manner and in the same zone as suggested by us. But I reckon our recommended name was better because it left far more to the imagination and possibility than what they settled for.
In any case, my contribution to their story ended there. But it lives with me till today. Even now when a young, angry and brimming-with-ideas youngster from my team presents something outlandish to me, I look back to that moment. I know that the next few days will have me holding my head in my hands while everyone from colleagues to clients will question my judgement in letting that outlandish idea be presented. But I will take it all and defend that idea. Not only for the merit of the idea but also because I know and firmly believe that an outlandish idea is often the break-through we're all searching for in this rough-and-tumble corporate life. It's what creates huge economic value, recharges economies and creates wealth and prosperity for nations.
This world needs mavericks and their crazy ideas. And because they're not common, they don't fall under 'acceptable' parameters. They're rare. They stand out in a world that's increasingly getting dumbed-down. Where all the 'smart' guys hedge their risks. And everyone want to be in the good books of everyone else. In a grey world, full of yes-men, tricks sell in the place of genuine ideas. Sometimes with the limited objective of winning awards.
So hold you head, keep a pack of Disprin ready, work on your calming statements that'll cool down your clients. But back these kids to the hilt. let them off the leash. give them the run of the place. let them defy everything and pull down every logic. Let them create that new world.
Let a million mutinies bloom!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

The Champion Attitude



Nadal & Federer have confounded the pundits, beaten younger players and importantly overcome injuries, to reclaim grand slam titles & the No.1 slot . They are true champions and exhibit a champion's mindset, reflected in this recent quote by Federer, “What I’ve just come to realize is when you don’t feel positive, you just won’t beat top-10 players. That’s where both,  Rafa and myself say, ‘OK, enough of this negativity. Let's give our 100% and win!" The path to winning is, to not worry about what you lack, but to make the most of what you have. I recall watching a young & visibly sick Dean Jones hit a century at Chennai, years ago. He turned to his captain, Border and asked if he could retire hurt. Knowing the job was far from done, Border told him to keep walking to the airport. Jones went on to hit a double century even as he continued to throw-up at regular intervals. Australia won that match and the series and built the World's best cricket team on the back of that attitude. Winning is about believing that what you have is fabulous and then putting all of it into the task. Sooner than later, you WILL win.

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Art is as important as commerce.

Our newspapers, digital media and TV channels  don't get tired of repeatedly covering companies, CEO's business leaders, entrepreneurs and high-profile investors. How many of such companies and people do you recall from 50 years ago?  Perhaps 20.  And from 100 years ago?  Now the numbers drop to a single digit. 200 years? None! So what tells us about our history? What tells us about how we lived, the cities we planned, the battles we fought, the famines, plagues, celebrations, events from 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 years past? It is the ART from those times. The architecture, stories, poems, folk-dances, folklore, paintings, sculptures, temples. E.g. To know how people lived in the 1950's, watch Gurudutt 's flicks for a taste of city life & Mehboob Khan's will provide insights into rural ones.  Yet there's not a page, not 5 minutes spent on the artists of today. All the money that takes up our time, all these business barons will be forgotten. But 200 years hence, on excavating the ruins of this coast, a few remaining bricks containing a street artist's paintings on the walls of Elphinstone station, will tell the inhabitants of the future world, that there once was a great city here, where  23 innocent people were killed in a mindless stampede. Value art. 

Monday, November 13, 2017

Mad moments from the ad world!

I began my career with an agency, in a time before flying was the norm. This agency, had a famous doyenne heading its media department, known for her short fuse as much as she was admired for her incisiveness. This fierce dragon had a mouse of a man for her secretary. Poor Larry would quake and shiver as he scurried around office trying to manage both, her impossible demands and fiery outbursts. One such incident remains  etched in my mind. At 7:30 pm one Friday, Larry was seen bolting from Madame's chambers at the speed of the Mangalyaan rushing unerringly towards the travel desk. Madame had to urgently travel to Delhi the next day. She needed a seat, any time, any class.  Unfortunately all seats were booked all flights running full! We felt sorry for poor Larry as he rushed back towards Madame's door wringing his hands and beating his chest. His courage failed him at her doorstep, but was replaced with an extraordinary idea that blended his innocent ignorance of air-travel with his middle-class Indian upbringing. Time stood still as Larry rushed back towards the hapless travel desk, his words cut across the office and is remembered even today with great mirth, "If all airline seats are booked, can't you send her standing?"

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Generation gap

A teenager at home is also a bridge to understanding your young co-workers.
My 16-year old son's project on conservation was to be reviewed by a global think-tank. I offered to drive him to its plush office where he had to present his model to a very senior scientist.
Even though my part would end at the waiting lounge of the organization, by force of habit, I was dressed in my sharpest suit. 
Imagine my shock when my son emerged wearing a collared tee-shirt, jeans and sneakers! 
"Don't you think you should be in err...more formal attire?" I asked.
He took a good look at himself and said with his most winning smile, "Dad, I'm in a collared T-shirt and jeans! This is formal wear." My mind flashed to his regular clothes: shorts, vest & sandals. 
The nickle dropped. 
Mentally I reorganized my perception of a young man's wardrobe today.
A generation gap is bridged. 
Partly at least :)

Monday, October 23, 2017

An officer & a gentleman

One day when I was in my teens, our doorbell rang late in the night just as we were preparing for bed. We opened the door to a very frightened young lady. She was a young IRS officer from the West Bengal cadre who lived alone in a flat within our colony. She  was in tears as my parents ushered her in. In between her broken sobs we could make out that she was A) Suffering a mild viral fever B) Missing her parents & C) Feeling lonely and frightened.  Without a fuss, we kids gave up our tiny room for her, Mom made her some hot milk and whipped up some home remedies which helped her ease into  sleep. By the end of the next day she had suitably recovered and was a very different cheerful person when she joined us for dinner. She said something at the dinner table that left a lasting impression in my mind.  "As I lay alone & terrified in my bed thousands of KM from home, I wondered who to turn to for help. Immediately your father came to mind. Having worked with him and seeing him conduct himself, I knew him to be a thorough gentleman and I knew I would be safe and cared for. I didn't hesitate to search him out and knock on his door however late the hour." I turned to  my sisters. They were looking at father with adoration in their eyes. 

#gentleman #womenatwork #realmen #respect

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Professional Etiquette

Not winning at a pitch does not mean defeat. It's an indication that someone else was better on that day. It is important to accept the client's decision with grace, improve from the feedback and maintain the relationship. In a world where nothing is permanent you never know when the winner of yesterday will fail tomorrow and you may be called again. So it is with interviews and job offers also. If you're not selected, understand why and improve. Nurture the contact. Treat it as an opportunity to grow your network and let the person know you beyond your CV. Do the same even if you are unable to take a client on board at a low cost or if you're not taking up a job being offered. Maintain that outlook with your vendor-partners as well. The world's a funny place and you never know when, where and in what position you meet the same people again. Sometimes it's you making the pitch and surprisingly at other times, the tables are turned and you're the person deciding. A calm, mature perspective marked with dignity and a genuine effort to maintain and nurture relationships is what will hold you in good stead. The world, after all, is round.

Monday, July 24, 2017

How to lose a customer.

As marketeers, we need to understand consumer behavior better and treat the consumer's interest with patience, especially online. Today a consumer who shows interest by clicking on an ad is immediately taken to a microsite that attempts to capture his contact details in excruciating & unnecessary depth. This is the first put-off point. Not all customers are happy sharing personal details. The customer is further harried by an irritating OTP mechanism that tries to verify his details are accurate. If he hasn't lost all interest by then, a pop-up window asks to chat, once again seeking information. All this for a customer who perhaps just wanted a quick summary of what's on offer. But the consumer's ordeal is far from over. S/He is then hounded by call-center and sales people who keep asking and repeating the very same questions! After a fortnight of hounding all contact stops! The consumer is forgotten, no updates are sent to him, nothing to remind him, to keep his interest perked. He's simply forgotten. This process is ABSOLUTELY HARMFUL to the brand-consumer relationship. Marketeers must review this process immediately. DO NOT leave this to your digital agencies who're thoughtlessly slapping an ancient template onto your precious and costly consumer-engagement process.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Heroes and Leaders

Interesting analogy between Indian mythological characters and leadership styles: 1. The right-action driven leader -The Rama leader: Never takes a decision that is unethical or could cause harm or damage. Even if it means enduring losses. Values societal good over everything else. 2. The objectively-clear coach. The Krishna leader: Extremely clear on purpose and objective and ruthless in its pursuit. Marked by a team of extremely diverse and talented CEO's who head verticals, all of which are market leaders. 3. The flawed-great. The Ravana leader: Builder of conglomerates that are fundamentally anti-life. Everything else about them is as remarkable as the Rama leader, however the biggest problem is their denial that what they produce is harmful to Earth, nature and life. 4. The Negative loyalist. The Duryodhana leader: They create the greatest challenger brands. This leader inspires tremendous personal loyalty. Such companies often resort to fraudulent means to win and get caught. A pity for the companies could have been great if not driven by the negative trait. 5. The invisibles. The Bhishma Leader. Rarely heard or seen. Often unknown. These leaders build great companies under the shadows of big names and then quietly fade into oblivion.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Client-Servicing: The Heart Of the Communications Business

Communication is the core of every living being. In business and in branding great communication is often the driving force that keeps consumers and the community at large interested and hooked. The core of every piece of communication machinery is like our heart, which pumps blood to every part of the body rapidly, providing oxygen to the cells keeping them fresh & throbbing with ideas.
This heart of the communications business is the function of client servicing. Just as a weak heart translates into a sick body, Client-servicing is today sadly mistaken for and reduced to the image of a diffident and duh waiter at a lowly roadside 'dhaba'. The ills that plague the communications business I reckon, is due to a marginalized role for this most important of functions. For the advertising and communications business to thrive, it needs to have its heart back, healthy, bustling and pumping. This article is about what is client servicing and who does it. To begin, let me address the 2nd part first. Who does client servicing?
Everybody. As simple as that. Some of the best client servicing people I know are actually guys with the title of 'Creative Director' and 'Planning Director'.
That's right. Client servicing isn't about taking down a client brief. It's not even about having lunch or a drink with the client or having his family home over the weekend. And it's definitely not about arguing over what is good communication for the client.
  1. Client servicing is about EMPATHY. To listen and to learn. To not rush into giving solutions. To have the patience to understand the unique details and differences in the client's business. To take the effort to scour every alley the brand sells in, to sift through tons of research that nobody went through, to study and evaluate the competitors, to look for similarities in other countries, categories, industries. And after doing all this, you need to get under the skin of the person sitting opposite you. What is she/he struggling with? What are his/her strengths? Where does she/he get stretched? What is the organization culture, the founder, his value-system, the key people in the company and their views. The people dynamics of the place. Also open up. Share bits about yourself and your company, personal, work...but in a constructive framework, in keeping with the line of the discussions. Let people know you & your organization, let them get comfortable with you. If you do not provide information about yourself, people will get it from other sources which may not paint the right picture about you and your organization. The best solutions are well-informed solutions. By displaying empathy, considerable information begins to flow between the client and the communications company, building the foundation of trust and creating the right environment for development of a framework for the eventual solution.
  2. You are the LEADER, act like one. I have often heard Account Managers and Account Executives whine: What can we do? I'm just an AE. I've heard them say the same even when they become GM's. Such words earn no respect. Neither from clients, nor from the creative/media/partner team nor from juniors. Great servicing people always have a plan in place. Don't worry, there's nothing like a perfect plan! 50% of all plans fail!! But a well thought-through plan improves your chance of success. You don't have to begin with a well-developed plan. Begin with many tiny ones and bounce them off your team and client to develop each on merit. Finally, you will have about 2-3 workable ones. Always walk into meeting - with clients, bosses, creatives, partners with a plan in your head. Draw ideas from anywhere around. People sense and gravitate towards those who have clarity and a plan. Be that person.
  3. Be BRAVE and always go beyond the brief. Problems are never the same, so how can solution be the same? Reflect and evaluate your work constantly. Is it similar to your past work? is there a pattern? Only print? only TVC? only digital? Only Hindi? only advertising? only GEC channels? ....If yes, it should be clear that you're not growing and neither are your solutions. You could argue that your client only asked for that much. But then you have to raise the question if that much would do the job? And if you know that it won't, then don't keep silent. It won't help to retain the client. Or your job. Give solutions that are honest. Give the right solution, even if you aren't making a rupee from it. Because the short-term never matters. Your work and advise will linger on. You client will return to you, in a bigger avatar. Quality and integrity never go out of fashion.
  4. BELIEVE. In yourself, in your team, your work and your solution. And in the fact that you can make anything happen! Yes. Seriously. You can. Send a rocket into space? Yes you can. There's always a way. Everything can be done. ANYTHING can be done. In a week. In 3 days. In 1 day. Overnight. That's because good client servicing people know, if something can be imagined, then it can be done. You simply have to find out how it's done, simple! The best part is that the more incredible the task, the more you learn and grow. If you can make one impossible task happen then you've done what millions of people don't achieve in the lifetimes. Client's don't buy work. They buy your CONVICTION in that work! A word of caution here, belief is great, but it needs to be backed by hard-work and detailing. Conviction doesn't come from knowledge. It comes from having made thing happen.
  5. CLARITY & ANTICIPATION. At any given point, good client-servicing people know exactly what is happening in their worlds. From the macro to the micro. From the smallest counter to the biggest event. Every bit is playing out in their heads, busy as they may be elsewhere. Such managers know how to 'flit back and forth between the balcony & the dance floor'. They're never pressurized by the quantum of work for they asses each task quickly, break them up into components, assign responsibilities and set them all rolling as separate balls. Then they step back to monitor the progress of every ball they've set rolling. If they see a ball lose steam, they give it the required nudge. If another's losing direction, they get it back on course. If one is hurtling towards the edge, they re-direct it. A million rolling balls are inside their heads. As they keep their eyes on them, they do one more thing. They ANTICIPATE what could go wrong. Therefore long a problem occurs they've taken corrective action to account for it.
  6. ATMOSPHERE. Well before a presentation, a good client servicing executive knows what the outcome is likely to be. That's because he knows the mood of the team doing the work. He knows the confidence levels in the work, the quality of the information used and how much of what's needed to be done has been ticked off. Which is why MANAGING work atmosphere is critical to client servicing. Ideas aren't logical. Indeed the best ones defy all logic. Ideas don't just happen. Someone, somewhere takes a LEAP. And in an atmosphere of fear and risk, I can assure you, none will. The greatest servicing people absorb the pressure to keep the work atmosphere clear, buzzing and full of excitement. That gives teams the courage to take leaps. That feeling is intoxicating. Soon ideas flow unchecked and before long you have a winner.
Client servicing is not just 'client-servicing'. It's the heart of the communications business. It's what you touch when you want to reaffirm the faith. Client servicing is to be the GO TO person in the ecosystem. For the client, for the team, for the solution.
You have to be everything: creative, problem solver, psychologist, doer, thinker, fighter, researcher, analyst, talker, sponge...yet you have to be the person in the shadow: the voice of reason, the sense of belief, the conviction in the idea, the detail in the God...
Client servicing is to be the 'Dasavataar': The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu, taking different forms, shapes, doing different deeds and acts, setting the wrongs into rights...To be the Protector, the person who keeps the world in order, safe, secure and thriving with life and ideas.

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Karma, applied.

The senior executive completed his presentation and rose to accept questions. The evaluating panel began their questioning gently but soon the discussion became heated with the chief of the panel directing some sharp words at the senior executive with a ring of condescension in them. The entire room went silent as the essence of the words sunk in. The young apprentice sitting along-with the senior executive winced internally on hearing them. Her senior though remained unaffected. Requesting more time to support his view, he made a quiet exit with his young ward in tow.
The drive back to office was a quiet one. The young girl was both seething at the obvious insult to her senior yet too pained for him to mention anything. She stole a quick look at her boss. He was many decades her senior. A highly respected professional, he was also a patient boss who took a lot of trouble to educate and train his subordinates. Little wonder they held him in such high regard and felt pain at the sign of any disrespect shown towards him. But now he appeared relaxed and focused on his driving. Not a word on the matter transpired between them over the next few days. However both of them fell headlong into preparing their rebuttal for the panel.
A few weeks later, they found themselves facing the very same panel. Very calmly the senior executive explained his point of view using good references and strong credentials. The head of the panel was much mellowed in his questioning and finally the discussions ended in healthy handshakes and an exchange of pleasantries.
The young girl was elated! As soon as they reached their workplace, she turned around and told him, "Sir, I was quite upset all these days at the behavior and words the panel head used at you. He had no right to do so! I'm glad you taught him a lesson today." She was in for a surprise, for what she heard from her boss, was something so different and so unique that it transformed that girl completely from then on. This is what he told her.
"My dear girl, you are completely mistaken in holding that gentleman at fault. No one is to be blamed for what you heard and what I was subject to. There's only one individual responsible for it and that is myself. What we endure, what we undergo and experience are only the consequences of our own actions. Both the sum total of our past actions and those with reference to the task at hand. If there were harsh words said, if there was derision and insult, it is only the result of my own actions. This is KARMA. One must never mistake the messenger or the vehicle for the consequence of one's own actions i.e. I cannot blame or fault that gentleman because he is only the channel through which the universe balances my actions."
"Once we understand this truth, we can begin to learn how to separate the SELF from the EGO. We can be free of anger, vengeance and self-pity. We begin to understand the consequences of our actions with clarity. This directs our efforts in constructive measures and helps us become calm and objective in our approach to work and life."

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Budget this

I hope this Budget will be an Entrepreneurial Budget.
I am firmly of the belief that the economic strength of this country rests on the Atlas-like shoulders of its start-up, small and medium size enterprises.
These are the people who today take maximum risk, get least support from the government and battle against all odds: poor quality staff, extortionists, horrible infrastructure, stifling bureaucracy, high debt, too many taxes, hurdles for expansion, un-supportive ecosystems. ...among others.
The big companies rarely innovate because they get their way by lobbying with the government. Socialistic policies that throw money at the poor rarely have a long term benefit. It also breeds laziness. Frankly we have to admit that one section of our society is not going to work and there's no point in throwing money on them.
Therefore my budget should:
1. Provide entrepreneurs with ease to set up and operate their business
2. Create avenues and forums to help provide money and managerial support for them
3. Remove infrastructural roadblocks and create high speed corridors to operate businesses
4. Set up platforms where they can collaborate and meet innovators for mutual benefit
5. Attract international talent to infuse a global perspective.
In my opinion by unlocking the potential of this segment, the government will unleash a wave of economic progress which will benefit all sections of society who will now have role models to emulate.
Economics is all about enterprise and not managing the books of account. Right now is the opportunity. Let's hope our hon. Finance Minister grabs it.

Monday, February 20, 2017

Real innovation is happening outside the fake, fake world of tech startups & venture capitalists

There are two kinds of 'technology' startups in India. One that has little innovation, low usability, minimal technology and is often digital based. These are found inside the IIT campuses of this country. These are funded by 'Angel' investors, international PE and venture capitalists firms and their Indian clones, sitting in coffee shops outside these campuses who have no real understanding of technology. They care even less about the social implications of what they're putting their money (sorry, other money) into. They're only object is 5(?)X return. The esteemed pink paged newspapers are full of the stories of these people.
Then there are people across India who invent things because either they, or people they love suffer a problem which they can't bear to see. These could be uneducated, poorly educated faceless people in nameless villages. The parts they use to invent astonishing things are all around us. Their brilliance is in relentlessly putting it all together to make that thing that solves the problem of the ones they care for. And in the process they perhaps provide a link to solving a catastrophic problem the world's grappling with. They too have investors. Their fathers, mothers, relatives, neighbors who donate money (that won't equal the amount of money the PE firms spend in a month at the coffee shops) not expecting anything in return. Their innovations rarely are heard of in the mainline press.
The day we separate the wheat from the chaff, the day we understand and recognize true innovation. The day we look for social impact over return...that day... India will become a genuine value-based economic super-power.