Why theBargain.in

As a sophomore in college, when I read a book that elaborated on Supply Chain problems, I read a cliché ‘The Supply Chain is as strong as the weakest link’. The statement stood true to all the problems that I solved as a Supply Chain/Retail analyst at companies like Sterling Commerce, Oracle, QB Consulting and the MadOverGadgets project that I worked on. During my work at MadOverGadgets, I realized the extent to which India was a 'value for money' market.

1) Spend to save

India is aspirational; according to McKinsey - the 14 Million households that had more than $7,000 income in 2005 is now at 40 Million. The major contribution in this market came from the growth in the “Seekers” ($7,000-$17,500) category, which grew from 11 Million to 32 Million. The consumption/spend of the sections of this category were truly aspirational – but their income levels meant they couldn’t go overboard in spending. In our journey from a culture that saves a lot, to a culture that spends a lot – at every mile we cover and at every purchase that we make we questioned ourselves; 'Did I save – while I spent?' This is exactly what BigBazaar cashed in – with their slogan, “Is se sasta kahin nahi!" ("Nowhere cheaper than this!"). When the same culture spread to online buying – consumers spent most time in researching the cheapest place in airline ticketing and today theBargain.in offers exactly that.

My speech at the BITSAA Tea Party - A farewell message to all 2K4 BITSians.

My last blog on campus - my speech at the Director's farewell party on the 21st of April 2008 and also my last speech in a public appearance on campus as a student so lots of nostalgic feelings about this

Speech :

"Hounarable Vice Chancellor Prof L Maheswari, our own director Prof T C Goel , honorable guests , respected faculty,reverend staff and my dear 2004 BITSians.

I share this heavy and heartfelt moment of moving out of this serene campus BITS Pilani Goa for various reasons we all know.

No moment in life will comeback but the feeling that we have spent 4 years like 4 hours will haunt us and we will never feel so bad about the remaining days as we will for the days we spent here at BITS Pilani Goa.

Friends,bunking classes,birthdays,LTs,Audi Moviez,DC,Mess chats Monginis Coffee breaks,Jhopdy dips,Waves , Quark,Zephyr hostel fights , Vasco trips are only few reasons why we would miss this awesome place.

While some of my other friends who spoke or will speak here about why the time will never return.I will take a a different stand - having been an active member of the BITSAA Goa in 2006/2007.I would like to caution all my classmates that the ownership of responsibility is taking a new face from the pioneer batch of having started more than 70% of activities today on campus - we are going to be the pioneer alumnus batch of BPGC without choice.

Responsibility 1

Best colleges are the best colleges because they produce the best products and we have to prove that BITS Pilani Goa campus is no different to this.

Responsibility 2

I strongly believe that more than 99% of students,if not all, would feel that BPGC has changed their life for good and for all thos who think that way we should take an oath that amongst us atleast 20 to 25 students visit campus every year to enjoy and share your real life experiences with our younger siblings on campus at that point of time telling them about where you sat after dinner and various other things.

Responsibility 3

Contribute through scholarship/funds - another strikingly important reason why colleges stand out and the rest donot. The 1000Rs that you burn in Forum,Bangalore over one weekend can change the life of many needy and talented students on campus and help them be the best brains in India and across the globe. As alumnus we should raise some find through varios channels and contribute to the multidimensional growth of BITS Pilani Goa Campus.

Responsibility 4

Everyone will agree with me that BITS Pilani is one of the finest in India because of the PS Programme and its placements, all of us should keep the flag flying higher by acting as a brand ambassador where ever we work and endorse the brand BPGC to persist them to hire graduates on campus and that to in numbers that are non-parallel.

Responsibility 5

The final responsibility and a different one too, since we are the numero uno batch at BPGC we have witnessed more than 25 outstanding leaders on campus , rather than just being satisfied by just doing a 9 to 5 job and taking home lakhs of Rs , all of them or all of us for that matter should focus on creating employment by being entrepreneurs ourself creating jobs for the future Indians and never live by the dogma of others thinking.

"Responsibilities gravitate on shoulders that can shoulder them"

Having given a 5 point responsibility agenda,I would like to thank many with few sentence.

I would like to thank the CS/IS faculty , Economics and Management Dept and all other faculty , the support staff at BPGC and all you juniors who are worthy and brilliant to the cause, the BITSAA team,T6 friends,personal friends.

I conclude by quoting Steve Jobs

"Stay hungry,
Stay foolish."
"Live each day as if it were your last"

God bless 2004,God bless BPGC.

Thankyou. "

Is it the end or the start of life?

My computer is running damn slow!

Why? I am downloading all I can on to the 160 GB external hard disk I have from Strong DC - one very reason of sharing amongst BITS which makes this place so special.

Will we not get these movies any time else? Will we watch all movies downloaded on to the disk?

No is the answer. We are doing it because we are afraid that we will loose the game. We will be happy to realise that one day after coming back from office in August you would want to sit at home and think that yes - this is one thing that I did in the last few days of a life that would never return.

In just another moment - after writing my last exam at BITS - today , I am going to be a BITSian - like I have been for the past 4 years - a BITSian with a responsibility.


Man's existence is a trance

We all live each day at BITS now as though we will never live this day again.Yes,you are most certainly right about it.But it holds true for each day - you in life - but these days will never comeback because these were the days you never cared about anything you did not want to - you never looked at anything you did not want to.

You always did what gave you fun.

You lived life the way you wanted to.

What does this end of college signify to each of us?

When we end college - there are huge number of things that signify to us.

1)You are responsible :- One very reason why many of us are afraid to pass out of college is because there is someone outside standing for you to be the coolie from now on - to shoulder the responsibility of life , to take a decision very much dependent on n number of factors which you were never used to

2)My dad and mom have an asset in me :- No mom gives you birth because you would pass out of BITS or IIT - no father will join you in education bring home gifts because you would be a ranker - there is no reason why they do this.

This is called "Un-Conditional Love" - you are being loved for no reason - but as parents grow they become ambitious because they want you to be the best in life to live a life better than they did - they try to make every day of your life - college life think about lesser things in life and then lead a happy life - they will always tell you things that would make your life better not thinking of what it would mean to them - even your wife or lover would not do that ....

They are not touching their 50's - just try telling them Mom and Dad - you have struggled all your life for the past 22 years for bringing me up - now you have a son/daughter whom you can rest on - ask anything - like I asked you a choclate or an ice-cream each time we had gone out .... try telling them you would take them to pilgrimage tour just like they took you to summer resorts or holiday spots out of their savings . Tell them you will be an asset to the nation - give them your blood because they gave theirs when you were born.

Never leave them and live in a nation where you will have only money and no one to enjoy with . Imagine you only have a family and enjoy the movie in a IMax in NewYork - your parents are fed up of watching the TV.If you comedown once in every month to them - take them to a movie ,to a hotel , spend some time with them in a park ... in your house eat with them .. tell how much you love your mom's food, tell how much you liked bunking classes laugh with them ask them if they need anything more from you - that is life o...my friend ...life is giving back .... life is an expression of gratitude to people you meet....

3)This is not the end of friendship - one of the most important reasons why I am trying to do a startup is - I want to continue the college life -because college life , friends have been an integral part who will always tell you that you were the best and the worst each time you were on a low and high ... they always are the hands that will pull you , the hands that pat you , the hands that beat you when you did a mistake ...

It is very important to continue looking for an opportunity/create one so that you can always be together.Donot let this stop here.

I blog each time with logic - with knowledge - with judgment but this time - I gave my heart take the charge made other organs listen.

That is this blog a heartfelt feelings of a BITSian venturing into life .

God save us.

I want to end up with some funny quotes

"The first two years of college are vocabulary lessons. The second two years are spent learning who to ask and where to look it up." ~ Bill Austin

"I have never let schooling interfere with my education." ~ Mark Twain

“A telephone survey says that 51 percent of college students drink until they pass out at least once a month. The other 49 percent didn't answer the phone.”

Reel and Real - Can Megastar make it?

Before you start reading this blog by me let me put the disclaimer first.

Disclaimer: I am a fan of Chiranjeevi's(Megastar's) acting and I am only a fan of his acting.I am not biased nor prejudiced about his political career - you would realize this at the end of this blog

It all started when I gave it a thought , my friend asked me "Would you vote for Chiranjeevi , if he contested?".

Clash!!!.No answer - Heart says "yes" because I am any other Indian Cinema fan - who would translate screen brilliance to real life magnanimity.And then with the other organ that would pump "logic" instead of "emotion" it could not decide - because I am an ardent believer in educated and intelligent voting.

India is the largest democracy and that comes with a cost - one of the most corrupt democracies too - ill managed but getting better.

Politics and "X"ollywood ( where X=K,H,T,B,......) have married each other long ago and have always been interdependent.Actors had to be nice to politicians if they had to survive with some power which they craved for.Politicians used actors to woo the vote bank.

It is when this crossed limits that politicians - had to eat their own piece of cake - Actors turned politicians and competed against them.One of the most successful transformations can be attributed when X=K i.e. the Kollywood star M G Ramachandran (MGR).

MGR's popular mid-day meal scheme has won the praise of critics and patrons alike.He set the trend - then what happened next is known all across India - first popular outburst against Congress , and a successful one to.It only takes an educated and simple guess - because all Tamil movies (successful) had to be dubbed or remade into Telugu - this was not any different - this time the hero of the real time remake was none other than NTR - single most famous personality in Andhra Pradesh - lives in the hearts of common man but still met a controversial end.

First question to Megastar - does he know all this? - the obvious answer yes.

Does he understand and dissect the events that made them political leaders may be yes and may be no?

When will we get an answer to this - only when he chooses his team of action that forms the core of his political venture.

To analyze the events is not a daunting task - as he has seen it all in his life time.The basic idea to enter politics as I feel stems from the fact that as Matniee Idols each of them be it MGR,NTR and Chiru comes from the fact that they are dissatisfied that they have not been able to give back to the "FANS" what they got from them love,loyalty and hence life.

They want to return their favor by expressing gratitude in form of representing them in the parliament and doing justice to the needs of the common man.

Can they succeed? - "yes" and "no"'

Yes - it is very difficult at this point of time but still attainable when you consider that some basic selfless reforms will win the hearts of many - this is only after they get elected.If not they can still be worthy opponents as politicians in India - don't do much wrong when they are on the other side of the ruling party.

No- when you consider that all actors turned leaders had to surrender their aspirations to people who formed the common generality in their parties - the traditional Indian politician who would do any thing for a suitcase of money from VISA scams to Stamp scams.All these people have always been men who wanted to grab money against their leaders - just to ensure that they have their career on and their son can still manage sleeping in his house - if not he himself emulating his father.

Megastar can only pull it off when he has a good team - how does he select them? I think he has to follow Lok Satta's method - select with care - start small - contesting in 2 districts and then proceeding to 5 to 10 and then continue to do that way...he has to go into coalition with a party like Lok Satta - or people who have been genuinely involved in social service.Let youth be the pillars of his party.Not go for caste based politics - because it would be the same fate as his predecessor - NTR ; driven out by his own men.

I would only suggest one thing "Think before you ink" - A party without a proper ambitious team would be like a ship without a navigator.

I would like to dedicate this blog to Bobo - who celebrates his birthday just in 2 mins it is 11:58PM on 9th April.

Alll the best to Megastar - hope it all works out well and we have a good leader in him.

I will have a guest blogger to blog on the agenda that Chiranjeevi would have to adopt to make it big. We will have Dinesh Thummalapalli blogging as a guest very soon.