Deep Impressions

    Cinemahalls : Reeling A Reincarnation ?   Against its previous rivals (TV, VHS, Cable TV et al), cinemahalls could flex their muscle through technological innovations. But as they reopen, they face a unique rival.              ------- ------- -------   ------- ------- -------  ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- When the first Indian film  Raja Harishchandra    (1913) was screened, the cinemahall had remained silent.    During 1910s, Cinemahalls would face tough competition from theatre – which then had    voice . With talkie films, Cinemahalls surpassed theatre,    as writers could write stories for cinema that could not have been narrated in theatres.     During 1940s to 1970s, Cinemahalls in India, saw a rapid growth. When during 50s & 60s, cinemahalls in US faced competition from television, it was countered through technological innovation called    widescreen formats (cinemascope etc.). Widescreen formats were very cumbersome to watch on TV. In India, cinemaha

Telecom and Real Estate : A strange case of similarities     अति रूपेण वै सीता चातिगर्वेण रावणः। अतिदानाद् बलिर्बद्धो ह्यति सर्वत्र वर्जयेत्।।     Extreme beauty of Sita,  Extreme haughtiness of Ravana,  Extreme charity of Bali  were the cause of their troubles.  Therefore, extreme is prohibited everywhere.     ~ Chanakya Neeti (Chapter 3, Shloka 13    )     The summary of the above i.e.  Ati Sarvatra Varjayet    (extreme is prohibited everywhere), has brought two sectors with no commonalities – Telecom and Real Estate – on the same table. The differences among these are, of course, very obvious. The former, being technology driven, represents the modern and experiences things moving at the speed of light    Real Estate represents the old and is slow in reacting to events. If Telecom costs are about a small monthly charge and Real Estate purchase is about biggest expenditure in one’s life. Differences are so much palpable that according to a few analysts the two are set at cross purpos

  With the global developments of the last few years it is time we rethink the format and the definition of democracy.    So here is a wishful speech to the guardians of democracy. ------------ ------------- ---------------- x  ------------ ------------- ----------------  ( In case you wish you listen this blog,  please CLICK HERE )   From settlements to territories,  From territories to empires And from empires to nations     …... civilization has come a long way in search of structures and conventions through which a human population connects, cooperates and controls itself.     Community chieftains gave space to kings. Kings were taken over by emperors and emperors surrendered to the democratic forces.   In this process of evolution, democracy has not only proven to be the most stable but also the most widely accepted structure. However, to believe that democracy is the last word in governance, would itself be a challenge to the spirit of democracy – which is ‘openness to dissent’.

  Reel, Royalty, & Real Estate ….. "It is not the legal documents that drive long partnerships, it is the silent compromises that define the spirit  of partnership." ( This blog has also been published in Times Of India and in  Business World )      ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------   A young lad in mid 20s bubbling with ideas but with no past achievements. And a construction baron in his 60s - with bountiful of money and experience.    The above could be a very common Founder & VC story of startups of today. But this a story of 1940s and 1950s - when partnerships was always among equals.    K Asif was an Urdu speaking Muslim from Punjab. Seth Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry, was a Parsi from Mumbai.  So if  Bambaiya Hindi  was the only mode of communication, their partnership too was uncharacteristic, it was born out of a mammoth alienation - the Partition of India. With this backdrop, the two partners worked tog