February 2023 - TODAY INDIA

Movie Review: Sahib, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns

The return of the Gangster is highly anticipated, Irrfan Khan as a new gangster in the movie is all set to take Saheb (Jimmy Shergill) and his Biwi (Mahie Gill) in his hook. Releasing on 08th March 2013 ‘Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns’ will definitely make a good impact on its audience, it has a hero, a villain, romance and action which makes it a typical Hindi movie. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia again sticks with the ground and added two actors in the movie, Irrfan Khan and Soha Ali Khan. Tigmanshu Dhulia casted Soha as Irrfan Khan’s girlfriend in the movie.

The action particularly in the movie is ‘Ghamasaan’, according to Irrfan Khan. Jimmy Shergill and Irrfan Khan have worked together previously in ‘Hasil’ directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia which was very well received by the Indian Audience.

Born on July 3rd, 1967 Allahabad, Tigmanshu is drawing a new line in Bollywood this year. As a Cancerian, he is both creative and spontaneous. He always goes for experiments and knows what the Indian audience loves watching on screen. 2013 will forge some new alliances for him that will bring him benefits in the long run. He just needs to be open to meeting new people and talking with his colleagues in depth. Tigmanshu may forge a friendship that turns into a helpful work ally.

Talking about Jasjit Singh Gill Alias Jimmy Shergill was born in a Sikh Jat family in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Born on 3rd December 1970, the fiery Sagittarius (Jimmy) is best suited as (Saheb), playing a very demure lead role in the movie. Jimmy was quite off from Bollywood in 2012, but in 2013 there are chances that his career graph will rise up and this movie will prove an amazing Bollywood comeback for him.

Playing a second lead role, the villainous Irrfan Khan is always in the limelight for his acting skills. Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan known as Irrfan Khan was born on 7th January 1967 Jaipur Rajasthan. Being a Capricorn, Irrfan is always in search of showing something to his fans. Irrfan Khan favoured over his peers during this period; expect his career chart to rise dramatically. This is not a stroke of luck but hard work and determination on his part.

Rimpy Kaur Gill alias Mahie Gill is known as a new avatar of Tabu looks perfect against Irrfan khan in the flick. They both were seen together in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s ‘Pan Singh Tomar’. Her zodiac sign is the ‘Sagittarius’ and she was born on 19 December 1975 Chandigarh, India. 2013 is a great year for her to work as a team. Mahie will find that she can only take her projects so far on her own and she needs the support and assistance of her colleagues to get her to the next level. This helps to improve the quality of her work as well.

A new face in the flick Soha Ali khan is also playing a very decent and interesting role. Being a Libra, Soha is a fast learner and an easy going actress and with Tigmanshu Dhulia as a director makes things easy for her. Born on 4th October 1978 her strong drive for achievement will propel Soha to take calculated risks as she confronts small hurdles. The good thing is that her confidence will help her carry-on despite some setbacks. Even small failures will be a learning experience for her in 2013.

Overall, the film is based on feelings of rivalry and vendetta, with the India flavor written all over it, making this an undoubted hit. The planets are well aligned and their positive influence will surely make ‘Saheb Biwi and Gangster returns’ a memorable hit. From the business point of view the film will make enough money. And the chemistry of all actors in the film would be much loved by the viewers, and this would also keep the film on top.

Your Professional Growth and Type of Blocks in Career Path – Which Block Are You?

Introduction

Though I belong to northern part of India but in my professional life, for maximum number of years I have worked in southern and western parts of the country. It is only now, since 2005 that I shifted my base to northern India . Sometimes, people ask me the difference that I noticed in terms of work-culture, workplace environment and practices in northern and other parts of the country, during my professional journey. Usually my reply to those queries is: “People in western and southern parts of India compete for success and growth. They have constructive and positive approach. They value their and other’s time. Where as, in northern parts of India , people love to grow at the cost of others…by harming others. They have political mindset. They have destructive mindsets.

In western and southern India , the attitude is, “Lets grow together. You don’t harm me and I will not harm you; you have your own strengths and I have mine, we will grow together”. But in other part of the country, people want to be in lime-light. The philosophy is, “Only, I will grow. You, either perish or live in my shadow”.” This is the general attitude, perception and behavior of people. However, exceptions are always there.

Growing together – The Importance of Team Work

How good are you, when it comes to team-work? Do you understand the importance and synergy of team-work? To my knowledge, “We Indians” are very bad players of team-work. Each member of the team wants to hog the lime-light, wants to take the credit for the “Success” of the team and “Love to Blame” his team-member for the failure of his team. Be it any team; as small as a team of two members or as big as a team of fifteen members, we have always failed as a team. Hard to digest but this is a fact. Some of the factors our failures as a team are:

1) Personal Ego (Larger than life ego)

2) Its only “me” and no one else

3) Lack of knowledge (Subject Matter Expertise), Confidence and Self-Belief gives rise to self-doubt and “insecurity”.

4) They love to “Demand Respect” rather than earning respect.

When you have ego, arrogance and insecurity, you tend to block others’ success. You tend to harm them. You tend to play “Political Games” with your own team-members.

Team-work in Corporate World

Now, let me narrow my write-up to “Team-work in Corporate World” and “Team-work within a department”. You cannot do all the work that is expected from you and hence, there is a need of a team. “Delegating your Work”; Outsourcing; Vendor Management is nothing but steps towards “Team Work”. We talk about man-hours and man-hands. For example, I as an individual is capable of doing X work in seven days but along with my team of three people, I should be able to complete the task in three days.

But it’s not me who has done that work in three days; it’s my TEAM. Many times, knowingly or unknowingly we harm our own team. In the process of showing others “my control over my team”, people hurt the team, insult the team and thereby affect the morale and sprit of the team. There is a saying, “Don’t kill the hen laying golden eggs”; but some people divide the team because they feel insecure. They divide the team. They back-stab their own team members; they gossip about one member to another and they insult their team-members in front of others. They do all this because, they don’t have subject matter expertise, and they are not sure about their position. They don’t have self-confidence and self-belief. They feel that the only way that they can survive is by using the old tactic of British India , “Divide and Rule”. Just like the British rulers of that time, these team-leaders and team-managers are aware that “if I let these people unite, I will not be able to survive. A very bad tactic, isn’t it??

Role of Team-Leader / Team Manager

There is a saying in Hindi, “Yatha Raja, Tatha Praja” (As the king, so the people). Hence, the Team-Leader or a Team Manager have very important role to play in “Team Development and Management”. As is understood that to be a Team-Leader or a Team Manager one should have at least one person to supervise and manage. Team Leader should have confidence in his own abilities, knowledge and skills. If he does not have enough confidence in himself, I will doubt his abilities and skills to boost the confidence and morale of his team. To be honest and fair and based on my personal experiences, I do feel that 90% of managers have sense of insecurity from their subordinate. They feel that their subordinates will grow faster. They feel that their position is not secured. They have very low Emotional Quotient. Hence they try “to block” block the pace of growth of their juniors / subordinates. Here are some blocks that Managers / Team Leaders put on the way of their subordinates growth:

Dam – When you construct a dam on a river, it does not stop the growth of the river; rather it generates electricity, helps farmers in irrigation and control floods. Similar is the role of this block in your profession. He guides you. He mentors you. He grooms you. He sharpens your skill. He helps you to grow. He is a catalyst. He knows that he is big enough for you to harm him in any manner. It’s like an executive reporting to a President. This is a positive hurdle.

Hurdle on the road (Rock, big & heavy stone) – Imagine a situation when you are traveling to some place and happen to face this hurdle on the road. What will you do? Either you will remove the hurdle or you will just pass by its side. Another example that I have is roundabouts in Chandigarh . You can not drive over them but need to drive around them to move on other side of the road. In a similar manner, there are blocks in your professional life and you can grow only by ignoring and avoiding them. They feel that they have put, big enough hurdle on the path of your career to slow-down you and/or stop you. It might take some time to over come this hurdle but this is not permanent. This is arrogant / egoistic but temporary hurdle.

Wall under-construction – This is a positive hurdle that you can face in your life. As you grow, the other also grows. He is intelligent and knowledgeable. He is willing to learn all the time. He is a person with high-self esteem. He has high expectations from himself and also from people around him. He is not afraid by the growth of his subordinates. He does not harm the growth of his subordinates. He does not sabotage their growth. The more his subordinate grows, the higher he increases his own level and his competencies.

Closed Door – This is a negative block. Whatever you do, you will face rejection. Things will just bounce on you. This person is afraid of your success and pace of your growth. When in open and competitive market, he feels insecure. He feels comfortable and secured when he is in closed room and that is why he keep the doors closed. If you want to grow in the presence of such superior / boss, you should either be pleading him or buttering him (making him comfortable) or requesting him or you should wait for the right opportunity. (You should look for the ventilator to enter in).

Conclusion

If you want to draw a line, longer than the one which is already drawn, the best way and constructive way to do that is to draw a new line, parallel to existing line and longer than that. Same way, the best way to grow in professional life is to always keep yourself updated with the latest in your domain; to sharpen your skills; to have dreams and to have confidence in yourself. You cannot grow by suppressing someone lower to you. Even if you manage to grow in this fashion, you will not be able to sustain that growth. Be honest to yourself and to your team-members. Don’t lie to them. Share the credit. Most importantly, “Learn to Work in a Team”. Talent Acquisition is Important but Talent Management is Equally Important.

Gone are the days when people use to “butter” their bosses and use to say, “YES Sir” for every order / instruction of their bosses. This is the era of competition. You want to grow then come compete with people.

That’s an end of the write-up. Do share your views and comments.

With Love

Sanjeev Himachali

(BLOG: http://sanjeevhimachali.multiply.com/ or http://sanjeevhimachali.blogspot.com/)

Cheap Ad, Cheif Trade

Introduction

Just a child then, when television broadcasting had begun in a makeshift studio at Akashvani Bhavan in New Delhi. A low power transmitter and 21 television sets were used as foundation stone for this globalize television broadcasting in 1959. Really, it is a great achievement for those who had witnessed that particular occasion. Bhaskar Ghose, former Information and Broadcasting Secretary shared the joy of that moment, “images of a gramophone record were being shown on television as the music blared away.” (Kohli 2003, p. 59) That gramophone picture and fantastic music became a landmark for Indian television broadcasting. People got more than enough what they have visualized as television before.

A new appliance entered into our periphery with its uncommon characteristics. Have you ever thought about the family members of a newborn baby? Every day and every moment, they are anticipating some changes in their child. Like that, we were expecting for new significant changes in television broadcasting.

The journey from 21 television sets to 80 million has been marked by many milestones: Regional Kendras; DD metro; satellite transmission; and cable broadcasting among others. In 1976, television broadcasting was ‘de-linked’ from All India Radio (AIR) with a new appropriate synonym for distant vision (i.e. Doordarshan). As a public service broadcaster, it was also claimed as an ‘advertisement-free’ electronic media. The revenues for Doordarshan were funded through a combination of television licenses and allocation from the annual budget. But the need of advertising revenue was felt by DD only after the telecast of first commercial on 1st January, 1976. Though the advent of commercial could fulfill only 1% of Doordarshan’s budget, however later advertisements become the only major source of revenue for Doordarshan.

Cable Television Industry

Cable has grown from an apartment connected together in 1980s to coverage of nearly 42 million households in India. During the last decade, the cable network mushroomed as an industry. There are about 280 channels that beam their signal over India. Generally the MSOs are delivered 80 channels (31 are pay channels and 49 free-to-air channels) to the viewers. Gradually the large broadcasters or cable companies stepped into this business as multi-system operator (MSO). They had the capacity to set up a large control room and subscribe maximum number of pay channels.

Now the cable industry is fragmented with over 40,000 cable operators. These cable operators are controlled by MSOs. Some major MSOs in India are Siticable, IndusInd Media, InCable Net, Hathway Cables, Sun TV and RPG Netcom. They are not only controlling the four metropolitan cities but have also covered some major cities in India. Siticable has the highest market share (5.4 million) of Indian Cable industry while IndusInd Media has its subscription base of four million homes.

Multi-system operators (MSOs) are backed by large corporations to invest money in this business.

Siticable is a joint venture between Zee TV and Rupert Murdoch’s News Television. InCable Net is managed by the Hinduja group; property baron Rajan Raheja’s Hathway Cables has come out of nowhere to become a powerhouse over the last couple of years; the most dominant cable force in south India, Sumangli Cable Vision is run by southern media baron Kalanithi Maran; and RPG Netcom is promoted by the RPG group, who holds sway over West Bengal. This is just like any other business. Think of MSOs as a wholesaler of the signal while the small cable operators (SCOs) are the retailers of the trade.

Obviously, these small cable operators have a control over the viewers. They collect subscription fee from the cable home every month. Barely 15-20 percent of every subscriber’s share goes to multi-system operator. Though, this monthly cable charges vary from place to place, the MSO’s share is almost equal everywhere. The multi system operators (MSOs) know that it is very tedious task for them to touch the threshold of the last mile. So, they don’t have any direct control over the cable homes. But in some cities like Bhubaneswar and Trivandrum, the MSOs have controlled the cable homes directly.

Let us take an average of Rs. 100 per subscriber per month, India’s 61 odd million cable and satellite households shell out a cumulative Rs. 61 billion. This is one major revenue stream for the cable operator/MSO. After launching of pay channels, they are looking for any other source of revenue to get more profit in this trade. If you consider the structure and the way revenues flow through it, then the cable industry is just like a pyramid. The satellite channel broadcasters are up-linking the signal from their earth stations and these signals are captured by the multi system operators. The small cable operator (SCO) distributes the feed in his territory which covers between 200 and 300 households of its neighborhood. The main aim for cable connection is to get clear reception and enjoy matinee and night show cinemas, which was telecast in the cable channels.

These cable channels belong to MSOs like SitiCinema belongs to Siticable, CVO belongs to InCable and C-News belongs to Hathway. In small towns, the small cable operators (SCOs) also have their own channel in which they telecast Hindi movies, regional movies, songs, religious discourses, fairs, community games and regional news. The cable operator has all type of control over these channels. If any blockbuster movie is to be telecast in cable channel, they have given a prior notice to their viewers about the timing of the movie. Sometimes, they also use this channel for some statutory warning (pay your monthly fee on time; else without notice your home will be disconnected from the network.)

Some local advertisers were interested to show their messages as scroll item in the bottom of the television screen. Instead of advertisement tariff, they pay very less amount to the cable operator for their service. At the beginning, they have accepted the money as an extra income. However, son they got a positive response from their consumers. Gradually, this became another growing stream of revenues, which so far has gone unnoticed.

Cable Advertising

From scroll item to message plate, from animated to full-fledged television ad, the cable ad have passed through various stages of growth. As we know, television is one of the most expensive and effective media for mass advertising. If you are booking for a television slot, do not forget that it is very expensive. For a prime time 10-second commercial in a national television channel will cost several thousands of rupees. So, television advertisements are out of reach for most small and medium sized businesses.

As far as small business is concerned, it has its own target consumers and those consumers are confined to a particular geographical area. Television advertisement lacks the ability to restrict your advertisement to closely target audience. Sometimes the marketer feels that advertisement is the only way to enhance the sale. Instead of choosing a proper channel, the marketer advertises in different slots of different programmes in different channels. Many times, the investment may not be very productive as per your expectations because thousands of people may not be interested in your product so they may skip your advertisement.

The taste and choice of the consumers in the developing countries are more vulnerable to that of developed countries. After globalization, the multinational companies entered the market with different promotional activities. Advertising counted as a major activity in which local brands had to face stiff competition with their multinational counterparts. Even the best local product may not survive in the market unless it is advertised. On the one hand, they have to advertise their product to survive in the competitive market. On the other hand they have to choose a media which touches the grass root level.

Cable TV provides a solution, especially for small business. Cable TV advertisements tend to be less expensive, even though their audience is huge. Almost half of all Indian homes subscribe to cable. In a research it is found that cable’s subscribers watch more television and belong to higher income groups. Cable also has the ability to send your commercials to specific parts of town and neighborhoods. If you have a product or service that can be visually demonstrated, cable television can work wonders.

Before cable television the local advertisers have very less opportunities to advertise for their business. In small towns, they were distributing some leaflets or advertised in the local print media. In some cases, they did not get the proper channel for advertisement. I spoke to a small marketer about cable advertising. He expressed that generally in two situations they prefer to advertise.

(1) When they want to create awareness about the shop or product.

(2) Whenever they are offering any discount/rebate, they are heading towards advertising. Before cable advertising, they used outdoor advertising (leaflets, hoardings, etc.) for the purpose.

After advent of cable advertising, they are spending more revenue in this channel due to instant result. Sometimes, after a few minutes of telecasting the ad in cable television, the customers rush to shop. Though, they have a limited budget for the advertisement, they take every step in a careful and calculative way because it counts the success and failure of their business. Let’s have a glance on overall advertising industry in India.

India has one of the lowest advertising spends to the GDP ratios in the world. If you compare with developed economies – UK (1%), Germany (0.8%), France (0.6%), Japan (1.1%) – as well as developing economies – Latin America (1.2%) and China (0.6%), the ratio of advertising expenditure to nominal GDP in India is about 0.4%. On the advertising front, consultancy firm KPMG estimates that the overall advertising pie was Rs 118 billion in 2004. Press advertisements took a share of 48% followed by television with a share of 41%. Radio advertising, outdoor advertising and cinema advertising has their respective share 3%, 7% and 1% in the advertising revenue. India has almost 108.2 million television homes with comparison to 213.1 million total homes. Out of these, almost 61 m homes have cable connections. The last few years have witnessed a conscious shift of advertising revenue. Indian companies spent a total of Rs 48.5 billion on TV ads in 2004.

The advertising pie consists of five major advertising channels – print, television, radio, cinema and outdoor. Lack of transparency keeps the growing cable advertising market away from the major advertising channel family. Everyday, every moment, cable ad is stretching its tentacles in all possible directions. That’s why it marches ahead against all other media. Though, print media has a major share in the advertising pie, but unnoticed and unobserved media, cable TV has covered a wide populace of 61 million.

Newspapers have a limited and stable readership with compare to cable advertising. Newspaper readership has declined with every passing generation while cable TV viewership continues to rise. As we know, geographically and demographically radio has reached all the nooks and corners of India. As a portable medium, radio has a very strong grip over the audience during the morning and evening commutes.

Cable TV reaches viewers through out day particularly in primetime viewing hours. But when we think from the advertiser’s angle, cable advertising impresses more than radio advertising because of the visual notion. Cable TV viewers are active, because TV itself is an intrusive, emotionally charged medium. As a big brother, broadcast TV covers a large number of diversified viewers – even viewers with no interest in the advertised product or service. Cable advertising can target the approximately exact consumers through unique programming that appeals to their interests and lifestyle choices. In the same time, having all the features of big brother, cable advertising prices are very low and cost effective because cable TV offers less waste through more strategic program targeting. Now let us familiarize ourselves with the advantages of cable advertising.

Advantages of Cable Advertising

If you compare cable advertising with the television advertising, you will find a very thin line between them. Cable advertising offers an audio-visual medium, motion, colors, like television advertising with an additional benefit (i.e affordable rates). It also has the ability to cover geographically and demographically target specific customers. The peripheral area of television may be larger than cable television but this is targeted at the ‘right’ customer. However, as a business strategy, every marketer wants to increase the area of the marketing sphere. So, they give first preference to the television channel. But due to high advertising rate, they cannot afford it for long time.

In many cases, some small makers may advertise for a limited period in the prime time. Others may choose a non-prime time slots if they want to have any long-term frequency. Unlike having a big budget and a particular allocated amount for promotional activities, it is very difficult to survive in the market. That’s why more and more small firms are turning to advertising on less expensive alternative, local cable channels.

Local cable television advertising can be highly effective, and very affordable. It can quickly create awareness of your business, product or service. It also establish your image and educate viewers about your products.

When your target viewers are limited and confined, cable advertisement is a perfect channel for micro target groups. You can compare cable advertisements with other television advertisements, cable advertisements are very cheap. You can achieve frequency on a limited budget, which often moves fence-sitters into action. Televsion advertisements may be missed by viewers due to bouquet of channels and the cable viewers are always in a fickle mood to switchover from channel to channel. There are many cities in India, where the viewers watched cable channel for their local news, films and some non-fiction programmmes. Because the private satellite channels are either in Hindi or English. In some states, you will find private regional channels. But in maximium states, the viewers have to satisfy with the only Doordarchan’s regional channel because they have no aternatives and the viewers need more entertainment programmes.

Cable operators take this opportunity by telecasting some regional films, songs and local news. It is also found that, these cable channels have a large viewership in compare to other satellite channels. So for a local advertiser, cable channels allow to communicate enough information to prompt people to call for an appointment, send in an order or request additional information. If you think about the medium’s cost in terms of the number of the number of people it will reach, then it will be the unbeatable vehicle for your advertisement. You can enhance and stretch the power of other existing advertising you might be doing. Though televison overcomes the barrier of literacy which is a major obstracle as far as print media is concerned.

In cable advertising, you may be able to reach a different segment of the population, one that doesn’t read newspapers or magazines. Overally, it fulfills all the functions of television advertising with a cost of less than the print media.

InCable is a leading cable and satellite distributing company in Hyderabad and subhurbs. The MSO distributes the signals through a single control tower connecting to small cable operators through optic fibre cable covering a radius of 30 Kms. In the local cable channel, InCable telecast two telugu news programmes, three movies (two tulugu and one hindi) daily. Though it telecast basically two types of programes, the ad tariff slots have catagorised into morning, matinee, night and news slots.

ETV Oriya, a 24 hour satellite regional channel, telecated oriya programmes exclusively for oriya viewers. This regional channel has covered larger geographical and demographic area than cable channels. ETV Oriya telecast at least 20 programmes round the clock. The ad tariff in a regional channel is catagorised on the basis of programme’s television rating point (TRP). In ETV Oriya, the tariff slots are divided in five groups (O1, O2, O3, O4, and O5). The duration of advertisemnt is calculated in 10 seconds. Whereas in local cable channel, the advertiser will be offered two types of slots ( 20 and 30 secconds). The rate for 10-second advertising slot in prime time (20:00 hrs) in regional channel is just 38 times less than regional channel. If you compare the same slot in a national channel, the difference is hell and haven (around 400 times). After this finding, the big advertisers are turned up towards the local cable advertising.

How to place your advertisement in cable

A ten second spot in television is actually equivalent to 80-second spot in cable television. One also has number of choices on the hand. You may produce an advertisement for 30 second spot or you can telecast the 10 second advertisement for eight times. A 30 second advertisement may contain more visual and information, which can portray your sale massage very attractively and effectively. The most important thing is the ability to target specific groups of viewers. A clothing store specializing in kids cloths can advertise on matinee movie. It is not a matter to count number of eyeballs watching your advertisement but a careful targeted audience that gets results for your business.

The next phase is to book a slot in a cable television.

Cable rates are highly negotiable. Some channels will cost more than others. The zones you choose to send your spots to, the size of your town, and the time of year, all have an impact on the spot price you pay. Don’t wait until the last minute to place your spots. Plan weeks in advance. Placing your order early will ensure you get the times and channels you want at a lower price. Call the sales department of your local cable operator. Find out spot rates and coverage areas. Before entering into the trade, make a sketch of your plan. It may need some research and good planning. You should have a ‘second look’ on your advertisement before releasing to the cable operators. Do not leave everything on media sales people, because they are good at devising clever strategies to use your entire ad budget. It is better to trust your own instincts and stick to your plan.

When you are buying cable slot, think horizontally, not vertically, when scheduling your advertisements. In other words, advertise on the same few networks at the same few times on the same few days of the week, week after week, month after month. The goal is to reach the same people over and over again. This is the best way to reach to your consumer. The consumer is exposed to your advertisement repeatedly. The best formula to reach a person with a second and third exposure to your ad is to go back to the same channel at the same time on the same day of the week that you reached him the first time. Do not scatter your ads across many different networks at many different times of the day. Yes, it will reach too many people with too little repetition to ever secure in their minds. It is nothing but to reach 100 percent of your city and persuade them 10 percent. But it is always better to reach 10 percent and persuade them 100 percent.

Conclusion

Due to powerful and persuasive advertising medium, cable advertising is become a smart choice of small and medium marketers. By positioning itself as an alternative to network television, cable television has found itself judged using the same parameter of network television that of mass reach and low cost. If you compare with magazine and direct mails, cable will score higher on its audiovisual capabilities. This is where cable should innovate. Cable industry can develop a time selling framework that lets advertisers buy cable slots on a local cable system basis. Now cable television is booming in a rapid way. MSOs are expanding their business not only in term of the number of subscribers but also in term of number of people employed by them. They should have separate advertising department that looks after this trade. In some cities, the big advertisers are also turned up towards cable advertising. No doubt it is a cheap ad but at the same time it is a chief trade.

Sources:

[http://www.businessworldindia.com/archive/201113/cover1.htm]

[http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inimr-ri.nsf/en/gr119406e.html]

[http://www.equitymaster.com/research-it/sector-info/media/]

[http://www.mpw.org/cable_why_advertise.htm]

[http://www.etv.co.in/etv_d3/sponsership.php?channelname=Network&fromhome=index]

[http://www.incableap.com/adtariff.htm]

Rich and Varied Heritage

India is always remembered as a land of diverse cultures. The geographic position, climate and the extent of exposure to foreign cultures have totally influenced the traditions and culture of the different regions at different periods. The greatness of Indian culture has been in adopting the best from all the invaders and intermingling their customs and styles with the existing and this is visible in all aspects of culture.

Indian culture have always been attached to the great river systems, the watersheds of the Indus and Ganges, the Deccan plateau and South India.

Secular India is home to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other innumerable religious traditions. Hinduism is the dominant religious faith followed by the majority of the population. Colorful traditional festivals are almost 400 that have been happening for centuries. Not a single day passes by without a festival in one region or the other. It is an occasion for men to put on a new traditional costumes and jewelery.

Traditional wears like the silk saris, cholis have fascinated many a traveler over the centuries. Men in villages are still more comfortable in traditional attire like kurtas, lungis, dhotis and pyjamas.

Indian literature, Indian poetry, Indian epic poetry Ramayana and Mahabharata, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture- everything is depicted and interpreted through religion and philosophy.

Well known classical styles of dancing on the Indian stage are Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi, Kathak, and Manipuri. Folk dances also contribute to the plethora of Indian dances. The common root of all classical dance forms can be traced to Natyasastra, ascribed to Sage Bharata who is believed to have lived between the 1st and 2nd Century AD

18 Indian languages with 1600 regional dialects are spoken and the linguistic lines are drawn by State boundaries Besides Hindi and English, the other popular languages are Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Oriya, Telugu and Urdu

Indian Cuisine skill lies in the subtle blending of a variety of spices to make various delicious recipes. These spices are used as home medicines too.

A typical North-Indian meal would consist of wheat. Rice is the staple diet in South Indian food. Coconut and oil are essential ingredients in all the meal. A meal is rounded off with betel leaf which holds an assortment of digestive part.

Women are the mirrors of culture of a society. Indian women are becoming increasingly visible and successful in the professional and public sphere. Whether it is Barkha Dutt, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, they have all heralded the arrival of Indian women professionals.

Latest outsourcing of technological agility, quality, flexibility, cost control, time-to-market and competitive advantage have made India well known in the business world.

India exports software to 95 countries around the world, outsource high quality brain-power 82% of the US companies ranked India as their first choice for software outsourcing.

Differences in Indian Ads in the USA and American Ads

The style that Americans use for advertisements is different than some other cultures. For instance, if you see an Indian ad in the USA, it would likely stand out from all of the others because of the difference in tone and voice these countries use. These differences mostly relate to the cultural differences between the United States and India. Understanding these differences can help give you a clearer picture on what countries like India value in employees.

In countries like India, the people use tone and attitude to get their ideas across more than words. Therefore, the ads from this country are likely to be less wordy than those Americans are used to. This doesn’t mean that the company doesn’t have much to offer; rather, it will show you what is most important to the company. If you are unclear on something, you may need to contact the company directly to ask if it wasn’t included in the ad.

While both an American ad and an Indian ad in the USA will provide you with a headline, body, and possibly an image and tagline, the emphasis differs between the two countries of origin. In the United States, companies place most of their focus on the image and tagline for an ad. However, while Indian ads also place a majority of their focus in the same places, they focus more on the other areas, such as the headline and body of the ad, than their American counterparts.

The type of speech used in the different ads varies as well. For instance, American ads are more direct and to the point. They use concrete language that tells you exactly what to expect from the company. A country like India, however, tends to use more creative language, even in an ad. They will focus more on descriptions than hard facts, so you may need to read between the lines or ask for clarification if there is something else you need to know.

Understanding the differences between an Indian ad in the USA and an American ad can give you a glimpse into the way each country does business. While Americans tend to be very business-like with their ads, as well as their encounters, Indians often take a more personalized approach. This approach may seem unusual for Americans who view these Indian ads, but it is a reflection upon the Indian culture and is important to understand if you want to work with them.

This ‘Spirited’ Film Lacks Substance

A London based successful fashion photographer Armaan sleeps in the station for he hears voices in his apartment or even when he is alone. Realizing that he can not only hear them but also see them the dead contact him to complete their unfinished business on earth. Crazy as it sounds he starts helping them much to the disdain of his clueless girlfriend Ghena. The only people who know this is his psychiatrist and Mini, his lesbian assistant. Armaan starts helping Carol, a spirit murdered by her husband some 30 years ago, to look for her son. As Armaan gets more involved in Carol’s world his psychiatrist is convinced that he is schizophrenic. Unperturbed Armaan realizes that he isn’t just looking for Carol’s missing son but is, in fact, seeking to unearth some secrets of his past as well.

The screenplay of the film spirals out of control with each passing moment leading to sheer anger and frustration in the viewer. Think about it – Armaan has been helping real ghosts solve tangible problems but his psychiatrist is convinced that he is suffering from schizophrenia and even convinces Ghena of the same. Rather than confronting each other Armaan doesn’t tell Ghena about the ‘real’ ghosts that she believes are ‘imaginary’ and she won’t come out and tell him that he is nuts! If Armaan can take Mini on ghost problem solving mission then why won’t he ask her to explain things to Ghena or just take Ghena to meet the dead ghost Kapoor’s very alive wife!

In addition to a fistful of half-baked decent scenes legendary Ashok Mehta’s cinematography is all the substance in Hum Tum Aur Ghost. Three writers including Arshad Warsi are credited but it seems like they came up with scenes just to fill the interesting lines they conversed in. The treatment is contrived and stupid that physically we see Armaan the first few times when Kapoor enters his body but when it comes to ‘meeting’ his wife Armaan transforms into Kapoor!

Arshad Warsi plugs in a few good ones but takes a beating for trying his hand at drama as his emotional histrionics leaves the audience in splits. Boman Irani as Kapoor the main ghost is passable while Sandhya Mridul’s gay assistant photographer might be routine but enjoyable in parts. Dia Mirza puts in an earnest effort and is partly convincing as well but one thing’s beyond doubt she has never looked so pretty on screen!

Director Kabeer Kaushik who gave Arshad Warsi his only decent serious outing as an actor in Seher seems completely at sea here. Hum Tum Aur Ghost might have been interesting on paper but lacks luster and ends up being below average.

Cast:

Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza, Sandhya Mridul, Boman Irani and Zehra Naqvi

Screenplay:

ArshadWarsi, Arshad Ali Syed, Soumik Sen

Directed by:

Kabeer Kaushik

Hindi EBooks, India and the EBook Market Revolution

Market potential for eBook sales in India is immense but are Indians embracing eBooks and how is this influenced?

As at June 2011 a reported 850 million Indians were mobile phone subscribers with a projected rise to 1 billion by 2013 which will rival China.

Reports suggest that approximately 100 million Indians were internet users at the beginning of 2011 which represents a mere 8% of the population but still placed India 3rd in the world league table of users but with one of the world`s lowest internet penetration rates. At June 2011 less than 1% of the population were Broadband users.

Clearly, on a simplistic numbers analysis, the potential for manifold growth of Indian internet consumers is vast but how does this sit with the evolving e-book market?

To date, the volume of Indian eBook purchases has been steady and developing rather than explosive, in line with many other countries who have been slow starters. There have been limiting factors such as prohibitive cost and inaccessibility to e-reading devices, the lack of a broadband service with adequate internet speeds to service fast download and scarcity of published eBook titles due to squabbles between authors and other vested parties and publishers slow to convert their catalogues to the digital version. However, these market dynamics are changing as competition intensifies and more platforms to download and read eBooks are introduced. PC tablets, smartphones and a variety of specialist e-readers are bringing consumer choice to market which can only benefit pricing. As India rolls out its broadband program, faster internet speeds are being integrated. A much wider selection of eBook titles will come to market as eBook publishing houses,authors,agents and retailers reach agreement on the financial fundamentals.

Indians generally have become conversant with developing e-commerce in the form of e-newsletters,e-marketing,e-newspapers and aspects of e-learning. The concept of an eBook presents a different dilemma as it is a personal choice reading medium which does not offer the physical `feel` of a paperback book and, to some, will sit uncomfortably with their traditional reading habits and rationale. Some will be reticent to change and others will embrace. In many respects the eBook revolution mirrors that of the music industry a few years back when it would have been unthinkable to consider that downloading a song or album to an mp3 player could essentially replace the music CD.Could the eBook replace the paperback?

If we examine a sector of the current market say Hindi eBooks you will find a wide range of subject matter both in English and the native Hindi language word covering categories such as Hinduism for children, The Holy books of Hinduism, Hindi early stage learning eBooks for children and a multitude of Hindi verses, poems and scriptures. Educational eBooks download is a particular favorite where medical, accounting and engineering eBooks are popular. The entertainment and leisure industry is also well represented with eBook titles covering Bollywood, cricket, autobiographies, an array of Indian cooking recipe eBooks, fiction and non-fiction, to name just a few.

The current `eBook India` market is being driven by young Indian students, professionals and parents, who recognise that modernity in the shape of digital reading for learning,education and entertainment can co-exist or enhance traditional methods without compromising cultural values, beliefs and faiths. Their recognition of the eBook age lies not only in their thirst for keeping pace with technological advancement (and parity with their children’s development) but also that e-reading passes the practicality and immediacy test-crucial for today’s fast paced world. They see value in the merits of a portable lightweight reading device that can store a whole library of books and can be topped up with a download in minutes. These groups are discerning and driven and will continue to be the catalyst for growth in the eBook market.

Currently the US and UK markets lead the way. Amazon.com reports that the US business has sold 3 times as many eBooks in 2011 as the same period in 2010 and that eBooks are now outselling paper and hard backs combined. Since April 2011, Amazon.co.uk reports that for every 100 hard backs it sells 240 eBooks.

As the ingredients fall into place for the Indian eBook market, the expectation is of rapid consumer growth and whilst there will always be a place for traditional means, digital advancement is unrelenting and all absorbing.

How Can I Fit Within My Zodiac? Astrology Predictions

I was enthralled by astrology predictions when I was very young. My father, a total disbeliever, considered it was nonsense. He alleged that the daily predictions were all written so unclearly that they could relate to anyone. He also maintained that the depictions of the different zodiac signs were so universal that anybody in a blind study could lift up any of the depictions and find himself in it. I regarded my dad as an intelligent man, thus I tested his supposition and came across that he was totally mistaken. I used to open the books which explained what different zodiac signs would behave like and used to haphazardly commence reading to locate some part of myself in those depictions. But very few went with me in any way. On the other hand, I took note of the fact that I did not completely match every lone item of my own sign. Why is it so? Why does none of us completely match our birth sign?

This is because the fundamental sun sign just informs one part of who we are. You would find that there is a moon sign, a Mars sign, a Venus sign, and so on. Every one of them has a dissimilar intention and comprises various parts of our prospective personality profile. If we use an analogy, conceive of each planet as a different feature of the human mind, for example, the feelings, the drives, the loves, the spirituality, the interactions, the intelligence etc. Besides, we may consider each zodiac sign as a different culture. When I say to you that I bumped into a woman from Brazil today, you get an instant impression of what type of person she is. But is it true that every lone woman from Brazil precisely identical? Certainly not, but we can make a broad impression in our minds with regard to what she is possibly like. However, if I informed you that this woman was born and brought up in Brazil, her looks were like a Scandinavian, had the disposition of an Irish woman, the religious values of a Jewish woman, might plunge in love similar to a French woman, and had the self-sufficient trait of an American, you would be able to get an even improved impression of what kind of woman I had now come across.

This is like what comes about when an astrologer draws your chart and informs you that your moon is in Virgo and your Mars is in Aquarius. Suppose one astrologer is having a discussion with another astrologer and states, “Yes, I have drawn a chart today on a person whose Moon is in Aries, Mars is in Leo, and Sun is in Scorpio opposing his Saturn in Taurus”, the other astrologer will right away have an image of the individual simply very similar as you could envisage the woman depicted making use of comparisons to different cultures.

As it is true that someone can be born in a region which geographically is on the boundary between two cultures, the same can be true for astrology. A person who was born and brought up in USA but all the time resided right close to the Canadian border is prone to get the hang of and be familiar with the Canadian way of life and faith systems. Similarly, an individual who was brought up in the vicinity of the Mexican boundary would most probably be influenced by the Mexican culture as well. This occurs when someone is born on the cusp between two signs. They may in principle be Leo, but demonstrate many manners of a Virgo as well.

When scientists attempt to confirm or refute astrology predictions as a precise way to ascertain the psychological makeup of an individual, they by and large take it from the line of attack that all Capricorn’s are workaholics and disheartened, all Scorpio’s are vindictive and sex addicts, all Virgo’s are anal about systematizing and health cognizant etc. This is almost as precise as mentioning that all Irish people are inebriated, all Germans are Nazi and all Japanese are in the depths of despair over bad grades and unsuccessful businesses. The only manner that science will be able to draw precise statistics is that they have to start examining the complexity of the parts as a whole. They have to conduct studies to verify if people who get a grave Aries and/or Mars influence all through their charts are more prone to be violent. But they should not take for granted that every single individual born during the season of Aries is unavoidably violent.

To give an example of my findings from my own family, my father’s sign is Leo, my stepmother was a Sagittarius. They had a very fierce unstable relationship. Their son is born as a Leo. He goes well with both of them. They have all three fire signs. My sister is a Pisces which is a water sign and I am a Capricorn that is an earth sign. We never did blend in with the three of them. When I study the profiles of our sun signs, I could understand the essentials of my family dynamics describing. It was only normal that when we were truly young, my sister fell down into a pond of tears each time things got disordered and ugly, and that I would defend her and guard her from their fire that so intensely offended her.

When I read the accounts of other zodiac signs, I could find great pieces of myself in the accounts of Aquarius and Libra. I was not virtually conventional enough to be a forceful Capricorn. I like creative, seductive, and multicolored clothes and everybody is aware that I am too odd to ever blend in with the status quo like a true Capricorn. It was only years afterward when I was taught how to draw a chart and discovered that I had a serious influence of planets and aspects in Libra and Aquarius. The pieces of me that did not match the Capricorn account can be located in those two zodiac signs. If scientists were on the lookout for me to be wholly Capricorn, then they would have to come to the conclusion that astrology predictions does not work. On the other hand, if they regard me as a Capricorn who takes actions and thinks like a Libra and who loves and clashes like an Aquarius… ah then they would make out that astrology predictions works rather satisfactorily in spite of everything.

Any expert astrologer can offer the following predictions after analyzing your horoscope:

Planetary Yogas And Their Effects

Your Career And Financial Prospects

Your Relationships

Level Of Collection Of Money In Your Life

Areas From Where Money Can Be Brought In

Any Combinations/Habits That Make Money Issues Negative For You

Periods Of Highs And Lows etc…etc

Basic Palmistry Part I

Palmistry is an ancient art and one that has many systems of interpretation. It is also an intuitive art that is easily learned just by learning a few basics about the symbolism that is represented by the lines that run across the palm, the mounts (or fleshy parts) of the palm and the structure of fingers.

In some systems, the right hand represents who you are today and the left hand, everything that you were born with when you came into this world. For “palmistry on the run” though it is best to read the hand that the person writes with, as that would be considered to be dominant hand.

In palmistry, the hand as a whole is divided into three different sections. The Fingers represent the mind and the higher self. The middle of the palm represents day-to-day life and the conscious mind. The lower half of the hand represents primal instincts, health and basic drives of the subconscious. Palmistry is all about proportion, symmetry and distortions of what would be considered to be a perfectly formed hand.

You can tell a lot about a person by looking at their thumb and fingers. The thumb has three phalanges. Its tip represents will power. A club shaped thumb indicates criminal tendency. Pointed or long tips indicate creativity and intelligence. The middle phalange represents logic. The longer the phalange, the more efficient and strategic the person. The fleshy part at the base of the thumb is called the Mount of Venus, which represents empathy, emotion, grace and compassion. The fatter and fleshier this part of the hand is, the more sensitive and compassionate the individual.

The index finger correlates to the planet Jupiter and indicates good fortune and career. The middle finger is related to Saturn and limitations and restrictions in life. The ring finger is called the Apollo. It relates to self-expression and intelligence. The pinky finger belongs to the planet Mercury, which is about your ability to communicate with others and sustain relationships. The longer and straighter the finger, the more good fortune a person can expect to have in these areas. All these fingers have their own mounts, which are located on the palm right below each one. The more developed or pronounced these fleshy mounds are beneath the finger, the more developed that trait is in a person.

The Mount of Jupiter below the index fingers represents ambition, leadership, religion, honor and love of nature.

The Mount of Saturn below the middle finger represents sanity, sobriety, wisdom, introversion and karmic events such as good or bad luck.

The Mount of Apollo below the ring represents confidence, creativity, impulsiveness and extroversion.

The Mount of Mercury below your little finger has to do with ability to sell yourself, communication, quickness, connection as well as writing and mathematical abilities. Sometimes the Mount of Mercury will be feathered with short vertical lines that are called Lines of Affection. These sometimes indicate the number of deep emotional connections or significant relationships in a person’s life.

Right below the Mount of Mercury (below the little finger there are two more mounts. About half way down is the Mount of Upper Mars, which reflects your temperament: if this mound is fleshy then the person tends to be more courageous or war-like. Below that, near the base of the hand is the Mount of Luna (also known as the Mount of the Moon). This mound reflects such qualities as generosity, warmth and imagination. If it is over pronounced it can indicate a tendency to madness.

Below the Mount of Jupiter (follow the index finger downwards) lies the Lower Mars, which deals with aggression, hostility and capacity for evil. The center of the palm is called the Plane of Mars. If the plane has a dip in it you are calm, cool and collected. If it is raised or flat you are more likely to display a bad temper.

The Heart Line cuts laterally across the upper palm between the mounts of Jupiter and Mercury. Loops, bubbles, cuts and breaks in this line indicate relationships and episodes occurring in a person’s love life.

The Head Line is normally positioned and can cut across the palm or curve downward. It is an indicator of intelligence and mental health. An optimum Head line runs straight, is deep and has a long extension almost to the other side of the palm. This more the headline curves downward towards the list, the less control the individual may have over his or her emotions.

The Life Line usually circles the thumb and begins under the mount of Jupiter and extends to the wrist. It encircles the Mount of Lower Mars and Venus and in most cases ends at the base of the hand. This line indicates major life events as well as the health of the subject. The longer this line is, the longer the individual will live.

The fourth main lie on the palm is called the Line of Fate (also known as the Line of Faith. This line runs vertically from the middle of the base of the palm and up towards the middle finger. It is an indicator of material and financial strength. The deeper, stronger and less broken the line, the more likely the person is likely to be successful. It also indicates a serious, business like nature.

The line of Apollo is a vertical line that is found on the upper part of the Mount of the Moon. It has been called the line of the Sun, and the line of Brilliancy, and to it has been ascribed the gift of great artistic talents, wealth and fame. Not every hand possesses this line.

The line of Mercury has been variously called the line of Health or the line of Liver. It is found either on Mount of Mercury or the Plain of Mars. If there is no line you are probably blessed with excellent health. Strong markings in this area indicate troubles with health.

There are many Minor Lines that don’t appear in every hand but one of the best known is the Girdle of Venus that starts between the Mounts of Jupiter and Saturn and ends around the little finger. This line looks like a loop circling three of your four fingers and its presence is supposed to indicate beauty and luck in romance. The hand is filled with all kinds of markings, lines, feathers, stars, and crosses –each with particular meanings.

As a rule of thumb (no pun intended) any time you find a marking on a mound, it usually indicates that something special is going on in that department of your life. Next month’s New Age Notebook will go into more detail about the meanings of these symbols in the hand.

Value of Using Multi-Page Booklets in a Small Business During Tough Economic Times

This is the third in a series of articles on the design and use of print media for value added marketing and advertising during tough economic times. The goal of this article is the same. Use print media for marketing and promotion during tough economic times. It provides the best value for your marketing dollars. Our specific marketing goal is increase the spending base of existing customers and attract new customers.

This article deals with multi-page booklets. They are probably one of the most expensive of the printed promotional tools, but depending on what your business offers, can be one of the most value added. Multi-page booklets can be used as menus in a restaurant, menus in a salon and spa, product catalogs, multi-page brochures and more. When your business needs to convey a lot of information about products or services in a professional and classy style, the multi-page booklet may be your answer.

Dimensions and Paper- There are variations, but the standard dimension are typically 8″ x 9″, 8.5″ x 11″ and 8.5 x 5.5″. Most standard run printers offer booklets ranging from 4 to 32 pages. Printers specializing in catalogs and magazines offer more pages, but that is out of the realm of we are discussing today. scored and folded in the center. Booklets typically are printed on 100lb Gloss Book Paper and come with or without UV coating. Variations in the type of paper and finish will likely cost more. Order quantities range from 100 to many 1,000. The more you buy, the better the value.

Design/Message – As mentioned earlier, the multi-page booklet is the choice for conveying high quantity, high quality, classy offerings. When using the higher cost multi page booklet approach, ensure you know what message you want to convey and how you want to convey it. If your business pays several hundred dollars for booklets and you decide after the fact they were not what you wanted, our value proposition just went out the window. The basic rule of thumb when using them are:

o best for businesses that have many products, each with detailed descriptions that need to presented in an organized, easily read manner.

o best for businesses that are providing a variety of services with complicated descriptions.

o make sure the design and message coincides with the theme, decor and branding of your business.

o As with other printed materials, keep it simple and easy to read. Flowing hard to read fonts in titles and text, tend to lose readers. Make it as easy as possible for your prospective client, but make it look good. Again, design and message is where a good graphics artist is a must.

Uses – we mentioned some uses earlier, but we will go into a little more detail in this area.

Your business includes internet sales of 15 to 18 health and beauty products. Using an 8 page multi-page booklet as a catalog describing the products, manufacturer, availability, ingredients and pricing may be ideal. A catalog can be shipped with some or all orders and provides quick information concerning your other available products.
Your business is a salon and spa that offers hair care, skin care and massage services. Using a 4 page booklet as your menu of services may be your solution. With your graphic artist’s help, you can convey detailed information about services, training and certifications your business has, pricing and present it all in a classy style that coordinates with the decor of your salon and spa.
Your business is a small neighborhood ethnic restaurant that specializes preparing in-house and take-out the way the customer wants it. Your solution may be a 8 page booklet as your menu. The menu would describe your standard meals and pricing along with the specialty items available for the made to order dishes with pricing. This menu would be given to first time customers as a reward for coming in. They can take it home and determine what there next eat-in or take out will be beforehand.

Again, I am going to harp on branding. The most important thing to remember is to keep all of your promotional materials branded to your business for quick recognition. That means use the same logo, colors, fonts, and themes when developing your print marketing materials.