Categories
Just about it Motorsports

Narain Karthikeyan – My Role Model

 

Narain Karthikeyan
Narain Karthikeyan

One of the most interesting part of my career and one of the best jobs ever was being manager to ‘the fastest Indian in the world’ Narain Karthikeyan’s manager. Though it was just a manager’s  role , it led me to a world of opportunities to explore and work through.

The fascinating aspect of this role is what presented an opportunity to watch this one of India’s sporting sensations and only one of the kind of human being at a very close range, reporting to him.

One of the character traits of Narain Karthikeyan is perseverance and never let go attitude. It has been an asset in his nature to be the persevering self right through his career. If anyone else was in his place I am sure there would not have been the first Indian in F1 till date.

I have watched the positivity and the never let go trait working in his favour by sheer instinct if you call it. Possibilities when you are made of such stuff, the heavens do conspire to make it happen.

To give you a classic example, we did a shoot for Vijay TV – the Star TV Tamil channel a two week episode, and Narain almost said as many times he looks forward to be the first Indian in Formula 1 history. This was just 3 months prior to the announcement.

When the news unravelled I sat reliving all those moments when he was so positive, a classic example I saw of positive thinking, given that no one has ever completed a season with any team except Narain Karthikeyan.

He will remain my role model for his perserverance, positivity and never say never attitude till the goal was reached.

I am sure one day I would be able to recall all those moments in a memoir 🙂 aptly titled ‘My F1 years!’

I am writing about #MyRoleModel as a part of the activity by Gillette India in association with BlogAdda.com.

Senthilkumar

Categories
Internet Mobile Advertising New launches Product Review social media

The State.com Review!

India is an opinionated country. We have an opinion on everything, from Narendra Modi to Smriti Irani to Chetan Bhagat to Salman Rushdie.

It does not matter what our pretensions are or our qualifications are, it is like our second nature to offer opinions and also make judgments. So when this becomes a part of your ideal situation in minimal words and a choice at that, it becomes interesting.

I came across State.com a few days ago recommended via Bloggadda.com. It was a refreshing site to me at first sight. It had only one thing I was asked to do – well State whatever I was about to state, if it explains literally. and a quick popup is the only way to interact makes it a very easy to do that. It also had a set of already existing opinions to choose and that would be easy to think. In case I wanted something new, I can always add that word.

That’s my home page on State

Suddenly it dawned on me that a word is so powerful that you dont need sentences to be opinionated about things around you. So it was a fascinating journey and I think I started off searching topics that would be interesting to me. It was evident that it was US content led but that didn’t stop me from identifying Rajinikanth or Narendra Modi or start a new topic Narendra Damodardas Modi – the Prime Minister of India.

I believe it would take some time for us to identify those topics across categories especially when we are logging in from India. The topics on the front page except the Information tech part would be totally different. The cricket is THE sports profile in India and may be the FIFA will take over here for the season in India.

I would prefer customization of the home page by geo targetting so that I get the best of what I am interested in from India and that adds to my participation more than search and state opnions  as I am doing it right now.

But the intent and the user interface makes it a breeze to use.  Really liked the user interface and the trends on the side bar and a refreshing the same with the click. You could invite all your friends to check out via social – fb, twitter…

Then you have tuning into the topic as well as people tuning to you to track you on what you are stating. That’s a nice way to keep track and following interesting people.

The sentiment on the topic will tell you what the world thinks quite a revealing stuff this with single one words that will stump you sometimes and you would quite be understanding.

So you wana try this state-ment  of yours, do login at state. Its easy to login with social handles and also you could publish everything from state.com to all your social media timelines.

As you can see from the video, this might be the one you were looking for, may be give it a try and for all you know you might get addicted.

So my experiences has been that people do answer your opinion and say they agree or sometimes they dont, yeah we live in a democratic country ! I think I will use it more if I get more of localised content in here on the home page.

A good attempt to make opinions heard the rightway. The next time if someone asks you what good is your opinion tell them to State it on State.com

From the digital marketing perspective, I see a big window for brands to do native advertising here on this site in a few days from now. Its quite an opportunity for brands to check what the sentiment is all about. It could come from a PR point of view and then the consumers would choose some adept words to describe it. Imagine brands being described in three definite words! Way to go possibly!

A great and a simple to use site should be rocking in some time in this part of the world.

This review is a part of the product review programme by Blogadda.com about State.

Senthilkumar

Categories
Book Reviews Books Reading / Read

Ramayana: The Game of Life Series – Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas a book review!

ramayana-the-game-of-life-400x400-imadqqfhg2tbgzua

 

Publisher Jaico Publishing House
Publication Year 2013
ISBN-13 9788184955309
ISBN-10 8184955308
Language English
Edition 1st
Binding Paperback
Number of Pages 256 Pages

 

The beauty of Indian classics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is always enhanced positively when you reread them. The different versions of the story from different parts of the country is a testament to the fact that our country had a different way of looking to meaningful discussions and interpretations of the wonderful stories and also how it moulded the generations to think and act.

Ramayana for all its splendour from the Valmiki’s world to Kamban’s storyline to Tulsidays’s renditions with soulful music accompaniment has always been a great story for kids as well as for adults. Here in this series called Ramayana: The Game of Life, and the first book in review – Rise of the Sun Prince, we find a classical and easy to read narrative of the early life of Lord Rama and the setting in which the original classsic took its first shape.

In a different world sought to be mythological and storified, Ramayana would remain exactly that – a story. The quintessential idea of the story was more of the thoughts and morals and the way of life for us mortals to understand in its relative terms of living one’s own life. That perhaps was lost in the story being celebrated and the idea of the living being relegated in what was perhaps the historic distortion in a way.

Here the author Subha Vilas decodes the essence of life, from looking at the wonderful instances or rather every instance that happens in the life and times of Rama the Lord incarnate and his associates in the family and others.

This book is a long read which I believe is one to be read and digested. You would add to the beauty of the composition and also the understanding that you would love to have. The author has taken exceptional effort to paraphrase and link the resources to all materials that make for a great reading.

I believe this attempt at rendering the Ramayana will be one of the best life changing efforts from a storified version.

There’s so much to learn from every instance of the story, you get glimpses of the character’s strength, the weakness and how they have held their nerve to be what they are. This is not a one – off  reading but a life book essential for anyone looking to learn from Ramayana and help oneself to tune to better thoughts and better days.

The author has kept a nice prose in effect making it very readable to modern day young audience and has taken care not to lose the charm of the story telling especially that of the young princes in question.

It has some great revelations in the story as much as we have taken Ramayana for granted. Read it for its sublime and sheer ecstasy of story telling  and the nitty-gritties of the characters involved.

As I said earlier, you would take time to read and then digest them. Once you are done I am sure you are going to go back, open it and continue relishing those and discover for yourself newer meanings and ideas.

As always the scriptures have been pregnant with meaning and this holds true for this series too. Look forward to the remaining series and live to celebrate the life of one of the most charming and greatest kings the world has ever seen – Lord Rama.

Senthilkumar Rajappan

PS: I was very happy to receive a mail from the author, and I believe this review is a destined one in a way that I should write about the wonderful series to be. Thanks a lot to author Shubha Vilas for the review copy and this opportunity to review the book.

Categories
Book Reviews Books Reading / Read

Sita’s Curse by Sreemoyee Piu Kundu a Book Review

sitas-curse-400x400-imadvb4mrxfawtb7

  • Publisher Hachette India
    Imprint Hachette India
    ISBN-13 9789350097809
    ISBN-10 935009780X
    Language English
    Binding Paperback
    Number of Pages 344 Pages
    Book Type Fiction Book

Sometimes there comes a time when you know the author has decided shes’ going to play rebel and revolt against emotions and stereotypes and cast  herself in a new mould and discover herself within that. Society is but a reflection of the individuals in harmony. So here we come across a character who we might have seen many a time in parts and some time not so overtly. I loved the narrative in the first person. Its a story of emotion, deceit, marriage, betrayal and more, a  fast read and a spicy one at that we see a significant lifetime over 30 years to be precise infront of us.

The character of this story Meera traverses from her not-so-happy childhood in a village to the city of dreams Mumbai. In thorough her eyes the author has tried to build up an emotional story of the girls in villages,  her instincts, her urges and the sexual exploits of some of the men she comes across, then getting married to a city dweller and the life at the matrimonial home.

She moves to Mumbai, a unhappy marriage and a husband who cant support her mentally, and the usual tantrums of the matrimonial home and the story takes a turn with Meera trying to get into what the author calls it being a free bird unleashing herself.

She gets introduced to the internet and then she learns a lot, not that her neighbourhood dance master is very far into teaching her some moves apart from the dance. She tries to learn English too. The internet part of the story is akin to what we normally is exhibited as how dissatisfied wives are all over the net. And you also find a man who sells his body named Yousuf. The narrative ends with the big rain that Mumbai ever had and how the characters live to tell the tale.

Now the author perhaps has a lot of potential but is getting wasted in trying to get to the sexual fantasies into words and it treads into soft porn and sometimes a little tad over.

While the character has her exultation at her adventures, I am at a loss to understand why should she get emotional at the loss of Yousuf to rain in the end, perhaps she could have done without that after all that’s what she has become at least we think the constraints that the character is not bound to be, the free bird not being attached to all these.

In a way it’s a story of the village belle getting to know the city and trying to live in it getting adapted and be modern and whatever. But along the way the definition lacks the purpose simply because she has to become the same woman she probably didnt want. A women on leash, living her world the way she wants and true to her whims and fancies but still has the emotional tag.

Sita’s curse starts off very well and goes off track a bit in the mid and I still feel could have been a tighter grip to the narration in the end. The characters except Meera dont stay with us for long.

My ratings: 3 /5 stars ( rated adult reading )  

“This book review is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com

Categories
Just about it Spirituality Videos

The nameless Autowala bhaiyya – Celebrate Men who make a difference

auto (1)

It was in the thick of things that I started from the office that evening. I had an event next day. The buses had been on flash strike, on April 1. Whoever wanted to make a fool of whom only they will know the answer.

It was tough to get rickshaws, and if you got one, they would ask a  bomb or never cared to take you short distances. As I cursed myself I thought I should walk the distance if everything fails.

As I contemplated this I saw another rickshaw coming my way and waved my hands. Luckily he stopped. I told him the hotel name, he said ok and then we crossed the  highway to the road on which the event was to be held.

I asked him how the day was. He said it was busy and he hadn’t stopped even to eat. I asked him why, he said ‘Its been very sad that the BEST buses went on a strike, nobody knew and who knows what emergency people have and yeah I can live off without food for a single day no?’

I could feel so happy about someone, who took it so nicely and since autos were very tough to get, I said it was nice of him. We exchanged ideas while we waited at every traffic junction. While it was true they had genuine concerns on the payment and salaries they should not have made it so bad for common people. That was his take.

As I neared the hotel, I saw the meter read some 1 . odd kilometers and the rate read 17 rupees, I handed him a 20 rupee note and was about to leave without taking the balance, he shouted back “ruko bhaiya”

I turned and he held 3 one rupee coin and said I have taken my due this doesn’t belong to me.

I was actually offended, I told him I am giving him happily, he said, still I would not take it , then he added, ‘Today you will be give me, who will give me tomorrow. Let me keep what is mine and I am happy!’

I was literally stunned, in this world where we go after money, someone was content, at his rightful earning, and happy at that.

He became my role model. I told myself, if I have to earn money it shall be done with respect and dignity.  I dont know his name- I call him my Autowala bhaiyya.

Senthilkumar

I am writing about #MyRoleModel as a part of the activity by Gillette India in association with BlogAdda.com.

Categories
Motorsports

Cracker of a race in Bahrain – Hamilton finishes on top with Rosberg behind…

What a team win that was!

That was a race that would be remembered for a long time to come. The V6 era has come to stay and the change in attitude of the teams led to what was a redefinition of the wheel to wheel racing at the first night race ever at Bahrain International Circuit. In an incident filled race, where quite a few teams even traded the fastest laps, Lewis finished P1 and Rosberg finished P2.

The qualifying was an anti climax with Lewis not making it on top though it was a 1-2 Mercedes front grid. He made it up in the first corner going ahead of his team mate and maintained the lead till the chequered flag. Not before we were witness to some of the best wheel to wheel racing moments. There were no team orders and it was fun for the fans, ofcourse they had to intervene to just say ‘Bring home both the cars.’ I think that resonated well with all the teams, the Sahara Force India, the Williams and the Redbulls.

The sun had set and it was an evening of sheer magic for the fans watching the show on television. The way the front lead cars battled out for the prized top spot on the podium was an exhilarating experience that was special in a way the team mates took out on each other at every given opportunity and made come backs too. The camaraderie of the sport was in full glare when Lewis and Rosberg were all smiles and Rosberg acknowledged his teammate’s performance, though he did warn Lewis on a tweet that he is going to be back to see how he can be at No.1.

The other team which delighted us to the core was the Sahara Force India, coming in at P3 and P5 and it was a terrific drive by Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. The pit stops were clean and then the drive super smooth. Wheel to wheel, overtaking and everything you wanted happening around the racetrack.

The RedBull also had a great race considering that the cars started at 10th and 13th and finally finishing at P4 and P6 with Riccardio and Vettel. There were moments when they were struggling a lot and they managed to overtake and get themselves to the best results they could achieve.

Williams also added to the fury of the speed when at the start Massa went off  a dream start and I thought they had some problems and settled for the best places Massa at P7 & Bottas P8. There were spurts of excellent driving in the race by these two men.  The last 2 in the top 10 were taken by Ferrari Alonso and Kimi in that order.

There was a Safety car moment when Maldonado went straight into the Guiterrez and flipping his car over track. Luckily he was unhurt, which actually wiped off the advantage the race leader Hamilton had built up.

But the Mercedes were at their best check the lead of over 24 seconds that splits the top 2 and the rest of the teams. Now this race is gonna be remembered for long for quite some time!

Well, you now know what happens if the teams can just shut and let the drivers race!

Indian F1 fan

Race Results

1. Lewis Hamilton Britain Mercedes-Mercedes 57 laps 1hr 39m 42.743s
2. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +00m 01.0s
3. Sergio Perez Mexico Force India-Mercedes +00m 24.0s
4. Daniel Ricciardo Australia Red Bull-Renault +00m 24.4s
5. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Force India-Mercedes +00m 28.6s
6. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +00m 29.8s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Williams-Mercedes +00m 31.3s
8. Valtteri Bottas Finland Williams-Mercedes +00m 31.8s
9. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 32.5s
10. Kimi Raikkonen Finland Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 33.4s

11. Daniil Kvyat Russia Toro Rosso-Renault +00m 41.3s
12. Romain Grosjean France Lotus-Renault +00m 43.1s
13. Max Chilton Briton Marussia-Ferrari +00m 59.9s
14. Pastor Maldonado Venezuela Lotus-Renault +01m 02.8s
15. Kamui Kobayashi Japan Caterham-Renault +01m 18.3s
Rtd Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +2 laps
16. Jules Bianchi France Marussia-Ferrari +3 laps

Rtd Kevin Magnussen Denmark McLaren-Mercedes 40 laps completed
Rtd Esteban Gutierrez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari 39 laps completed
Rtd Marcus Ericsson Sweden Caterham-Renault 33 laps completed
Rtd Jean-Eric Vergne France Toro Rosso-Renault 18 laps completed
Rtd Adrian Sutil Germany Sauber-Ferrari 17 laps completed

Categories
digital Mobile Advertising Online e-Commerce social media

Mobile World Congress 2014 – an insight from #Intel – nice infographic

Mobile World Congress 2014

Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

Categories
Book Reviews Books Reading / Read

No Man’s Land by Nilesh Shrivastava – a book review

no-man-s-land-400x400-imadpzgbphyh9khp

Publisher Prakash Books
Imprint Fingerprint
Publication Year 2013 November
ISBN-13 9788172344825
ISBN-10 8172344821
Language English
Binding Paperback
Number of Pages 352 Pages
Book Type Fiction Book

I am reminded of the poem by Lord Tennyson on The brook where he says the following:

For men may come and men may go,  but I go on forever.

A little analogy of the river to land would be read like this, men may come and men may go but I stay on forever.

Vagaries of nature and the way it has affected us and the everlasting inspiration for man to control nature is always beset with troubles and problems which extends to generations.

Here in this novel, No Man’s Land the author Nilesh Shrivastava very vividly takes us through a myriad of relationship of the characters in the novel , the relationships between a father and a son, an estranged father to a bastard son and of a wife and a mistress and much more revolving all around a piece of land which today is valued at crores and crores of rupees. And as they say every land has a history and the story unravels with its past and a tumultuous present.

With a setting as real as the Gurgaon realty, it is but natural that the author makes a piece of land infact a farmland the central theme of the novel. Around the land are characters built with unique perspective to what it means to them and there you go a scintillating story of men and women who take you on the ride with their whims and fancies taking over them.

I also found the naming of the characters pretty telling especially Karan and the uncle Dushyanth. Not to miss Agastya the central character, Pranay the narrator of this tale, Shreya his girl friend et al. The characters themselves stand out for whatever they are good, bad and in between moderate voices. The story moves very fast and why not the life is fast as ever.

There are times when it goes on expected lines and times when you get the twist at the unexpected times. There is romance, there is stalking, there is betrayal , treachery, deceit in optimum doses and these get played right in front of you as you turn the pages. Fast paced and well thought of plot this will leave you dazed and show a picture of what’s happening around you.

The author has succeeded to bring three generations in a seamless time frame with the change in perceptions and how ethics and things have changed and redefined themselves in the days they live.

May be sometimes the author’s been harsh on those characters but in the end he brings home peace suggesting that there are more things to life than those who value money or the land. If you think hard, probably every land is No man’s Land.

Pick this book for a fast paced read, you will finish this before know it. Some images will leave an imprint, sometimes you might see them in the realtor next door.

Thanks a lot to the publishers Finger Print for sending this review copy.

To pick up your own copy please visit:

Flipkart: http://www.flipkart.com/no-man-s-land/p/itmdppznhxysvhya?q=No+Man%27s+Land&as=on&as-show=on&otracker=start&as-pos=p_1&pid=9788172344825

Amazon: http://www.amazon.in/No-Mans-Land-Nilesh-Shrivastava/dp/8172344821/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394957468&sr=1-1

Senthilkumar

Categories
Mobile Advertising New launches Product Review

Nokia introduces android based Nokia X at an affordable 8599/-

nokia_x_front_yellow_home

nokia_x_back_green (1)

Nokia X running Android™ apps launches in India

New Delhi: Monday, March 10, 2014 – Nokia today announced that the Nokia X, part of the new Nokia X family of affordable smartphones that run Android™ apps, will begin selling in India. The new Nokia X family that includes Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL is the perfect introduction to the world of Android apps, coupled with signature Nokia experiences, and the most popular Microsoft services.

“India is one of the fastest growing markets for smart phones in the world. With the launch of Nokia X, we are adding more ammunition to our smartphone portfolio. We believe Nokia X is a unique combination of Nokia quality and experiences, Microsoft services and Android™ apps. It will resonate with consumers and set a great precedent for the level of quality that can be achieved in the fast-growing, affordable smartphone segment.” Said Mr. P Balaji, Managing Director, Nokia India.

Nokia X comes with Fastlane, a screen which lets people switch between their favorite apps more smoothly. People can access curated, quality-tested apps from Nokia Store, more than a dozen third-party app stores and by side loading. All devices are also pre-loaded with a variety of very popular third-party apps and games such as BBM, Twitter, Facebook, Plants Vs. Zombies, etc.

Commenting on the opportunity Nokia X family offers to developers, Mr. Nami Zarringhalam, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, Truecaller said, “Truecaller is at a very exciting juncture and it gives us immense pleasure to be associated with Nokia, which has been a preferred brand for many users over decades. Our alliance with Nokia alongside the X Series launch has helped us reach a broader audience.”

Out of the box, consumers can enjoy signature Nokia experiences including free HERE Maps, with true offline maps and integrated turn-by-turn navigation, and Nokia MixRadio for free music streaming and downloadable playlists. The Nokia X is also an affordable introduction to popular Microsoft services, including 7GB free cloud storage using OneDrive and additional 3GB if consumers enable camera back up.

Nokia X: an affordable introduction to the X family
The first offering is the Nokia X, a beautifully crafted smartphone with Nokia’s signature design approach and bold, bright colours. At only 10.4mm thin, the slim, durable monobody design features a 4” scratch-proof display and exchangeable back covers that come in a variety of statement colours. Inside, the device runs on the Nokia X Software Platform and is powered by a1Ghz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

The Nokia X features two screens: home, which features a fresh, tile-based design and Fastlane. Fastlane is a dynamic record of how people use their phone, day by day, moment by moment. It captures everything people love: they need only to swipe once from the home screen to access Fastlane, see a record of recent activity, and switch between their favourite apps, smoothly. Fastlane has been completely re-imagined for the Nokia X family. People can return a missed call by calling or texting, accept or decline calendar invitations, or control the music player – all from within the Fastlane view. Fastlane is also more customizable and social-friendly than ever. People can select what appears on their Fastlane feed, read notifications from their social networks and update their status from within Fastlane, making the experience even more productive.
Product specifications and availability
The dual SIM Nokia X will be available from today in India starting at Rs. 8599 MOP. Additional specifications for the Nokia X:
• 4’’ capacitive touchscreen
• 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Dual Core Processor
• 512MB RAM
• 3MP camera
• Dual SIM
• Up to 32GB expandable memory
• 1500 mAH battery
• Satellite GPS
• Accelerometer
• Available colours: Bright Green, Bright Red, Cyan, Yellow, Black and White

Await a review of the same.

Senthilkumar Rajappan

Categories
digital Internet Mobile Advertising

The Mobile first companies are the future…#FBbuyswhatsapp

When we woke up to the fantastic news of FB buying out Whatsapp for an incredible US$ 19 Billion, it was an inevitable moment waiting to happen ever since the Instagram buyout by Facebook last year if you ask me.

It was a big day where everyone including me made comments on the valuations and how the pricing could have been better and there were questions if it was worth the price et al.

It was also interesting to see how it was a classic rags to riches story of the founders. A wonderful reading of these two pieces here and here would reveal the  The ideal situation as I read is how the founders stuck to basics and that’s what is missing in our way of looking at things.  The best part for me is how could an app with over 450 Million active users say NO to advertising. Going by the blog from Sequoia  it has been different right from the start. Sample this…

From the moment they opened the doors of WhatsApp, Jan and Brian wanted a different kind of company. While others sought attention, Jan and Brian shunned the spotlight, refusing even to hang a sign outside the WhatsApp offices in Mountain View. As competitors promoted games and rushed to build platforms, Jan and Brian remained devoted to a clean, lightning fast communications service that works flawlessly.

As we fret over the price that FB paid it is becoming increasingly clear that FB is driving around without a clear cut mobile or mobile first strategy. As more and more platforms come into vogue and the interest begins to fade in FB, it will be interesting to see how they will restructure Facebook to make it relevant or spruce up the offering they have in Instagram and Whatsapp.

As I keep reading loads and loads on the acquisition, one things comes clear that you need to build a  no nonsense product and get the users hooked. The rest as they is history.

Two more aspects that the twitterati and the people world over loved is the fact that Brian was rejected by Facebook and twitter for employment. These I reckon are hard times for HR especially on how it could have changed the whole scenario.

The other aspect is that of No PR, it is everyone’s attempt these days that you need to be a part of the PR machinery but in this case of Whatsapp its been the other way round, the founders not even willing to meet up VCs lining up their office. Oh btw the office had no sign board literally. Sounds pretty cool detached as in the vedic way!

Back home we have the same template which played out in New Delhi elections, someone from the ruling party had mentioned this, had they passed the Jan Lok Pal, there would not have been IAC or AAP. I do think only similarity ends just up there.

It goes without saying that the mobile first is the way to go especially if you are trying to solve a pain point in the days to come.

Before I end I think this image will remain in memory for long…

tumblr_inline_n19kcby0jA1qzzumw

Senthilkumar