Brand Management -Explained through a family conversation!

 

“What exactly do you do? I hear you talking about multitude of things. Is all of that, your job?”- exasperated, my mother asks me, one fine day. She had been noticing me, for a few days now, given that working from home had become the new normal.

“Ma, you know I’m a brand manager. Let’s start with learning a little on what do you think a brand is?” I asked my mother. 

“Any product which is famous, gets used by many people, has something unique, has a promise of certain quality and therefore sustains its presence over a period; is a brand”. — Mom answers, without giving it a real thought and here I start the process of decoding her answer in my mind.

Me: “Ma, why don’t you name a few brands for me that you remember from your childhood?”

“Which category?” she asks. “Any, that you like.”, I reply.

Mom: “Bajaj - in scooters category, Lakme - in cosmetics, Lux - in soaps, also, Pears and Dove that came later and yeah Sarvana Bhavan - in the food chains. That too is a brand, right? It has expanded across countries. I think that’s a brand too. Then yeah, Levi’s, came in somewhere in nineties. So, these are the brands that I can recall, that have been there for a while.”

Me: “Ok ,this is good. Now, why don’t you tell me, what you remember about these brands?”

Mom: “Bajaj- It was our first scooter when we got married, it had this beautiful “Hamara Bajaj” ad. Lakme- It is the cosmetics brand with a “reasonable cost and good quality”. Lux- It is a soap brand which often has the famous female celebrities in its advertisements. Dove is the one with moisture in it. It’s ads show how a certain part of the soap bar is cream so that your skin doesn’t dry up. Sarwana bhawan - I got introduced to it, when we visited Chennai long back and now, we get the same taste here in the Delhi outlet. The exact same taste, isn’t that amazing? And yeah, Levi’s was such a good solution to the perpetually tearing pants, problem!

“But why have you started taking my interview?” She says, seeming a little confused!

At this point, my husband sitting close by, feels the urge to chip in. “Should I tell you my favorite brands?”, he asks. “Ok, go on!” I reply and here starts the millennial consumer with his new age choices and love for Amazon, HDFC bank and OnePlus. My mom gets curious and asks what makes these his favorite but also questions whether Amazon and HDFC bank are service providers rather or brands?

Husband:

“Amazon is the one stop solution to most of my requirements. It has everything available, I get deliveries within a day because of my prime membership. I get to watch movies, web series, I get to read books, from my prime library, on the kindle app and the list is endless. All this, at a steal cost of only thousand bucks a year. It has become my obvious go-to. I don’t even remember, when did I last visit, any other e-com portal. Not just that, customer service! Well, I’d rather call it “delightful customer- experience”, such hassle-free returns and refunds policy. I don’t even need to actively check for refunds — that’s the trust, I’ve developed.

HDFC bank — You know I’m a tech savvy person. Thanks to the brilliant net banking interface, all my transactions have been made hassle free. I don’t feel the need to visit the bank. My premium credit card service even offers me an exclusive hotline. I don’t have to go through an IVR. The service ensures they pick up my call within 2 bells as the phone rings and they solve all my problems over the call. Additionally, I also get reward points. I have their forex card, they’ll be my first choice for my home loan, whenever I need one. I’m surely going to give them a good customer lifetime value.

And One plus — This is the phone that converted me back to android after 6 years of iPhone loyalty. It was a new brand in the market but won over the masses with its superior functionality at a competitive price. It had set up an experience store around my office premises and a 15 days hoarding ad. I got to read the functionality over the hoarding and experience it first hand at its experience store and I was convinced!”

“Wow guys, you both have summed up my work. Ma, now you see, what I do?”- I exclaim with joy, only to look at a perplexed look on my mother’s face. “Well, let me explain!”

So, brand management encompasses the entire life cycle of a product from the idea stage to time product reaches the point of sale. Let’s break it down into steps:

1. What is a consumer need that is unfulfilled? What is the product that can answer it? What is the product benefit?

Levi’s was solving “tearing pants” problem with its rugged jeans that were made to bear the wear & tear. Dove was solving the dry skin problem with it’s moisture content. Amazon was providing the convenience of shopping from home at most competitive prices, with a hassle free experience.

2. How will the identified product be manufactured?

Levi’s will need a textile plant.

Dove will need a soap manufacturing line in a plant.

3. What will be the profitability of operations?

One needs to work the entire cost structure & price sensitivity for the product in market to understand profitability

4. What will the product be called? Who will it talk to? Who will use the product?It can be named after the founder like in case of Levi’s or anything that resonates with the functionality of the brand

It speaks to an identified target group who will buy/use the product.

5. Who will be the competition for this product?

Direct competition for Dove -All soaps

Indirect competition for Dove- Moisturizing creams.

6. Which markets will it sell in?

Where does my core consumer group reside, where are my chances to succeed, the highest. Sarvana Bhavan started with Chennai, expanded in India and then across many countries, looking at the demand.

7. How will the manufactured product be serviced to market?

At convenience stores or grocers, modern trade stores, in case of dove, lux; through an entire sales & distribution system.

Plant->Distributor-> Retailer-> Consumer

8. Why will the retailer stock this product?

Consumer pull/awareness created by the TV ads/other media channels

Competitive retailer margins,

Promotion at the point of sale to build visibility & offtakes.

9. How will the product be marketed to the consumer?- communication like the lux ad with celebrities you remembered or Hamara Bajaj jingle for Bajaj scooters or the experience centre & hoardings by onePlus

10. What is the key message?

The key message, in case of Dove, was about the dry skin & how 1/4th cream component solves it. So the key message can be about the functionality of the product or the emotional need it is answering.

11. Why will the consumer stick to your product?

Solution you offer, experience you provide, trust you build, love you build.

The loyalty my husband had built for amazon & hdfc bank because of his hassle-free experience & brilliant features was a perfect example of what makes your consumer stick to your product.

12. How do you speak to your TG / identifying the media strategy?

Depending upon how mass your product is you choose to put your creative unit(ad) on TV — which has the maximum reach and is also expensive(in absolute) but efficient for cost/contact if your TG is wide. Or you choose to put it on digital, if you want local reach so that you can target by geography or demographics. Or you choose radio/ hoardings / social media platforms etc depending upon the objective

13. When does a product become a brand?

Picking from the quote by my mom — Any product which is famous(has scale), gets used by many people(has a loyal consumer base), has something unique(product benefit), has a promise of certain quality(reason to believe) and therefore sustains its presence over a period; is a brand.

Or the more classic definition- Brand:

1. Solves a problem

2. In a unique way

3. Reaches a certain scale- in volume

4. By building a loyal consumer base

5. Among its target group

6. By being readily available for consumer

7. And communicating on its key message on the right media channel

“You do all of this? Like everything?” — My mom is still as amazed as she was in the beginning of the conversation. Only, now, it’s with a little more hint of satisfaction. “Well, let’s just say, I manage stakeholders and assumingly, do that pretty well!” I reply, gleefully! 😉

P.S- there are functional experts to handle each of the parts like consumer insights & research, media, supply chain & operations, sales & distribution, finance, legal but the brand manager is the custodian of the brand who must own it, define it, nurture it and grow it because she’s the closest to it.

P.P.S- I do all this 😉 for an energy drink & a soft drink brand. Hope, you all enjoyed the article.

Disclaimer- This is not a paid promotion for any brand and article has been published with best research and intent in mind, to explain concepts in a simple way. The author is not responsible for any mistake, if made, unintentionally.

Tale of two cities

It was announced... One fine day,

A new journey awaits me.. I've to lead a new life in a new way!

I've to leave my home- my parents, my city,

I've to settle at a new place, oh what a pity!

Over are my days of joy and play?

Or begins a new journey set to be all happy and gay?

The choices were tough, in every way

On one side was home-Delhi, and the other was Bombay!

Hello, welcome all folks, it's been sometime, I must say!

But 'better late than never' is what they say!

So, let's begin the tale in the usual way?

Let's start comparing - Delhi and Bombay?

Na! That's not my style, that's not my way!

I love south Delhi as much as south Bombay!

                                                            -----------------------------

Mumbai aka Bombay is the city of dreams!

My experiences weren't just limited to marine drive and fun life, it seems,

There were the slums, the cosmo culture, the chaos to add all sorts of themes!

There was a beautiful blend of people of all races and extremes,

The muslims, marathis, parsis, iranis, gujratis, marwarhis formed the majority,

But the good thing is the rest didn't feel like a minority.

On one side was the ancient British architecture,

on the other was the lastest skyscrapper!

There were houses of riches that looked too dreamy, 

there was also a slum next door- that didn't say - 'free me'!

There was so much equality despite the differences,

Everyone was living an independent life, too occupied to notice the differences

There was safety, equality, opportunity and independence,

Hard work was almost in the blood of this city's residents.

There were famous antique restuarants owned by the parsi and the irani

There were beaches of juhu and everyday was a new kahani

Yes it rains and it rains so much,

But nothing can stop the spirit of this city as such.

There was so much festivity in this cosmo,

Everyone lived the life, in this metro!

Ganpati, dahi handi, garba and diwali are the famous festivals

However beats of drums are heard everyday as if there was a new festival.

Lit festivals, starry film cities, sports were the highlights 

Sight of marine line was beautiful during nights

Eating, partying, living was the theme of the city,

Vada pav and local train were not the only symbols of the city

There was charm in its grandeur, there was life in its slum.

It is a beautiful city, it was a beautiful run.

                                                                  --------------------------

Now, let's come back home and talk about Delhi

Dehi- the city of rich culture and history,

The city that unfolds for everyone a unique mystery.

The city that holds a special place in my heart,

The city that gave me so many people with a beautiful heart.

Known for their hospitality, love and care, 

the people of this city can die for friendships mere.

There's a beautiful spirit in this city's air,

Never say die attitude is what they wear.

Delhi sure is the city of excitement, thrill and fun!

Is all about Delhi said above and that's done?

There's lot more to Delhi than what media portrays,

Delhi is not the capital of all rapes!

Best colleges in the country, best cafes of the world,

The city has lot more to offer to the world.

Best doctors, engineers and managers graduate from here,

But only the negatives seems to capture attention over there.

Pretty girls, pretty dresses is what surely stands out,

But is the girl who wears these pretty dresses all about looks, is the question to be pointed out.

There's a lot more that she possesses , there's a lot more that stand out,

Then why are we stuck at just what is visible from out?

There sure is unmatched festivity around the diwali here,

But even few rain droplets and a shower are celebrated like a festival here.

People here believe in eating at Dhabbas the most, 

Aalo paranthas capture as much attention as a ghost!

Metro train is the lifeline of the city,

Beautiful and well maintained ring roads add to the beauty!

I love my city, I adore my city,

It was a beautiful run and in the future it'll be an even better one.

                                                          ------------------------------

Signing off for the moment guys! Hope it was an interesting read. Please leave your comments, would love to hear from you! Ciao!

                                                          I go only to come back stronger!

A hill-top

It was an afternoon, in broad day light,
That she set her foot first, with her eyes so bright.
She was so lost in the awe of this hill-top site,
Until the beautiful valley struck her sight.

Was this all about the alluring stage?
or was it the birth to an everlasting voyage?
Set by the sea, giving their lives a thrill,
What was it, set up on the top of the hill?

What it holds for her, she asked the mighty hill?
Will it fulfill the dreams, so strong in her will?
Set amidst a place full of wonder,
Will it have space for warmth, in this grandeur?

Rattling and rolling came motors of all sorts,
An unknown voice then broke her string of thoughts.
There were numerous faces that suddenly connected those dots,
She realized it was time to tie new knots.

                                                                       -------------

It is a beautiful twilight just before the dawn,
A beautiful morning is about to be born,
The sound of birds, the fainting sight of moon,
A part of her life won't be there very soon.

The hill top stands so gorgeous still,
A beautiful reflection gives her a chill!
Thoughts in her mind don't stop their flow,
Was it just two years ago?

The time has just flown by,
It is time for her to say, good-bye!
As she packs her bags in her room on the hill top,
She wishes, the time to stop.

The beauty of valley, still makes her daze,
The hill top is, no longer a maze.
There in warmth, even in the cold morning chill,
It is her home now - the top of this hill.

She now knows, its not just the beauty of nature,
She now has so many people in her caricature.
Her alma-mater has given her beautiful bonds,
It's her wish that she now responds.

This hill-top took birth long ago,
The family has begun to grow,
New members come and old ones go,
It's her alma-mater, she doesn't want to go.
She doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to go....!!
                                                                             ---------

The above is a dedication to the beautiful campus of Indian Institute Management- Kozhikode and the wonderful journey it has been for me in the past two years. It's a piece written by one but surely is the narration of everyone who has been on this beautiful, heavenly campus situated on the hill-top at Kozhikode.

It's a narration to thank everyone who made this journey beautiful.

Signing off for the moment. Bonjour readers.

                                                           I go only to come back stronger.

The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum

            

“Women always had ambition – but the opportunity has blossomed slowly.”

Gender disparity has been a concern from time immemorial. Gender and cultural notions of gender have evolved constantly. From the time, when popular images depicted women as decorative and sensitive creatures, to now, when women have taken over the positions of CEOs, gender and the idea of it has been moulded and reshaped, time and again, to deal with the social needs. There was a time when people felt these divisions and definitions of gender are natural and normal but we are now, in an era, where women are seen as the agents of social justice and social change. It is considered that without women’s emancipation there would be no social progress. Yes, the Gender agenda is gaining momentum.

Yes, the gender agenda is gaining momentum and it is showing its impact in almost every field. Where law is implementing stringent norms to prevent the injustice, the women are also not staying behind in depicting their excellence in every field, be it business, politics, entrepreneurship or any other so called “masculine” or male dominated field like military. World War II saw the participation of women in military. The eternal association of women to delicacy and beauty has evolved time to association of women to power and success.

From women on home front, women went on to work. Where in the past, great women like Madam Curie and Mother Teresa have left impressions on the walls of honour by their significant achievements and steps towards emancipation of women, today also there are women leading the world to new changes. Be it, Ms. Aung San Suuu Kyi on the political front or Ms. Oprah Winfrey as an exemplary figure on media front, women are making an impact. Within the country, also examples aren’t few. Today, look around anywhere, there is an Indian woman in the pursuit of entrepreneurial dream. Smt. Sheila Dikshit stands as Chief Minister and we have had the women President as Ms. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil. Ms. Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi talks about breaking the glass ceiling and has made India proud by her excellence as CEO of PepsiCo. Also, there are girls who have the freedom of dreaming to be one of the above mentioned or the next Sania Mirza. The women are achieving and rising. Yes, the gender agenda is gaining momentum.   

The notion of physical might has been replaced with intellect, art, culture and invention. Today, the powerful women don’t need hair does and make-up to speak for them. They are intelligent, aware and rather than just being objects of change, they are now becoming the agents of change. Everywhere you look, women are in the pursuit of their dreams. They are more ambitious and are talking about building business not just earning income. Yes, they are the leading entrepreneurs. They are asking questions on economic fronts and shaping the Austerity policies. Diane Elson is warning women to start questioning the economic reforms and Indra Nooyi is talking about breaking the glass ceiling. Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg is trying to introduce a social movement by her book on breaking the glass ceiling. Yes, the gender agenda is not just gaining momentum but also showing results.              

But what are the factors that have led to this change and where will the women be in the next 5 years?

 Over time and distance, the equal rights of women have progressed. Laws have been amended to get more stringent against any injustice against women. Opportunities have been scaled up to provide a growth environment. Media, social platforms, movies and NGOs, all are working to protect the rights of women. Studies are conducted on regular basis and bodies like UNESCO work to show the progress internationally. Media poses questions and there is pressure built to protect the rights. There are reservations to protect the rights of women and countries are now rated based on how well they are protecting the rights of women and leading to their progress. Policy changes have been implemented and women are getting the much needed liberty and they are showing results through their excellence. Their excellence is being celebrated with proper vigilance for their further progress. Any action against women is considered seriously and even misogynistic remarks are not tolerated. The world acknowledges women and respects them. Yes, the gender agenda is gaining momentum.

Looking at it globally, five years back, the world hadn’t heard of many female billionaires. The United States had never had a viable female candidate for president and the Republicans had never had a female VP on their presidential ticket. The world had never heard of an octomom nor had they heard of a woman winning an Oscar as best director. But today the world knows Ms. Mr. Marissa Mayer, Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nadya Suleman and Kathryn Bigelow and respects them.

So the next five years can have a lot in store:

·         U.S. would have seen a woman President

·         Threat to women’s healthcare would be a thing of past

·         More number of women would be seen in the higher management positions

·          World would see more number of women billionaires

·          Women like Kathryn Bigelow would become a norm on the film industry rather than an exception

·         Almost every sphere would see more women participation and excellence

·         When you’d be about to start a new day of your work, thinking about your dreams, you would have a woman in each sphere to guide your dream and be the role model.

Yes, the story of Marissa Mayer would be the story of many young girls who would dream, innovate and achieve in the future. They would be smart, stylish, business-savvy, and representative of diverse array of background and interests. Yes, they would achieve because society would let them do so. The social norms would not hold them so stringently and they would lead a life lot more liberally for their own and the society’s progress. Yes, the world would see many successful women. Yes, the gender agenda that is gaining momentum today would have an impact in changing lives of lot of young girls out there who have the aspirations to make it big. Yes, few of them have made it big in past and many of them would make it bigger and better with their hardwork in the future. Yes, the world would see these role models who would prove that it is possible to be family oriented, ambitious and successful all while being a well-dressed and well-spoken woman. The glass ceiling would be completely broken and women would live in a much free, emancipated world.

Yes, these changes instill the hope as the gender agenda gains momentum but we need to be vigilant as to what still needs a change. Now what is required is to go beyond meeting women’s basic needs to amplifying their voices as right-holders. The plight of women needs special attention in developing or under-developed countries, in lower castes, among the economically weaker sections. The policy changes to ensure education rights, work, healthcare facilities and the ones that lead to empowerment need to be implemented. They need to be empowered to decision making levels where they can voice their opinion and bring about the change. There’s a need for some changes in the corporate policies to make organizations’ environment more suitable for women. A survey of professional women shows there is a major barrier that is preventing women’s movement in their ladder of career growth. Inclusion of flexible working hours, safe transport facilities, medical benefits, compensatory leaves, maternity benefits are central to the idea of empowering women. All this needs to be done as she is going to be instrumental in defining development and real change in the times to come. Keeping the ground realities and such evidences in mind, global development goals should be framed to ensure that success comes to women. This will let them show their hidden potentials and prove to the world that yes, they are meant to shine and they would shine.

So, yes as the gender agenda gains momentum, more and more women grow up to fulfill their dreams, actions at each one’s individual level, will empower them more and give wings to their dreams. I wish to close this by re-iterating the statement with which I opened:

“Women always had ambition – but the opportunity has blossomed slowly,

Now is the time to use this opportunity to make women rise completely.”

Knowing the world!

It's 4 in the morning and I am "not-at-all" sleepy. It's actually quite normal since I'm comparatively free these days and I have time all to myself. As expected, it feels great to be at your leisure and while away time. It is just fantastic!

Btw, the purpose of this post was not to tell you all this. The purpose is to portray the real-emotional self of this so quoted "ambitious" blogger, who is trying to figure out what's with this world? Why does it seem so shallow at times? Where is the gap?

Sometimes I feel I should re-name this blog to "the poet/the writter-dikshabajaj.blogspot.com". Anyway, I guess I should leave apart all this and actually come to the point.

So, as you all see the title- "Knowing the world", what comes to your mind? Well, I don't know! How did you expect me to? There can be no telepathy here! Anyway, what comes to my(read with a drawl) mind is - a lot of stuff. I've been living in a hostel, out of my comfortable cocoon(my home sweet home) for a long time now(it's been an year) and have got a good amount of understanding(I'd like to believe) about the world around. So there are a lot of aspects I wish to share.

First one that comes to my mind is the fact that "Everyone is good at heart." Trust me and skip the paragraph or read on if you need the logic. So you are reading, fine! Let me go on then. Everyone is good - Even the person who calls you a bitch/even the person who wishes bad about you/even the one who's "termed as" terrorist. The person who bitched about you was just frustrated and wanted to let go off her anger and you were the target. "That is it!". She doesn't consider you a bitch, she doesn't hate you, she just hasn't spent time with you/discovered you are great at heart and hence you are the target of her anger. The person who wishes bad about you. She is just passing through a trough in the curve of her life and thus is being insecure. She's being jealous, let her be. DONOT revert back with a similar attitude. DONOT freak out. It doesn't mean she's bad. She is just being immature. She lacks understanding of life, you hold on to yours. The person "termed as" terrorist. You have no clue what circumstances he had. You have no clue what made him bad. This brings me to my second point: Stop judging!

"Stop judging" people when you don't know(understand) them. Stop judging people, when they act weird. Stop judging people, when they don't understand you. Stop judging people by little-little incidents. These incidents are not important, don't make them important. If are making them important then you lack the vision to make a judgement, So, stop blaming others for that.

"Everybody is a unique creation of God" and has(without a doubt) got some really unique talent. So, this brings out the next point. "Stop being jealous", rather find out yours. You fail at doing that? Alright don't freak out, it's human! But learn to conquer! Not others but your thoughts! That is more important.

"Learn to stay the way you are, stop being someone else" You're made unique, you have a choice stay unique/ be a commoner. What do you want? Now come on, nobody wants to be a commoner, I know. So learn!

"Love yourself" Why? The answer is really simple. If you can not love yourself, how can somebody else? Let the busy person in your life walk away(infact leave her) as you have so many who love you with all they have, so why not think of them rather than wasting time giving importance to the extras? Dance when you want! Live "your" own special self! Shout! Speak a lot! Those who don't like don't understand you and ones who understand(the closed ones) would never dislike. Speak wrong words, wrong English at times but don't care because you know where you were incorrect and let the other one have fun out of nothing. Be stupid! Be a kid! No matter what it takes, just be yourself.

Alright, enough of lessons for now. I told you right at the top, skip the paragraphs, just read the headings but you read the entire thing, right? I so knew! :P Never mind, with my articles it happens, It's really not your fault. :D I hope you got it, I'm about sign off, so take care, stay happy because you know what You are "THE BEST" (if you believe you are :P ) Adios! See you soon! :)




RELATED:
‎'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.

So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you. Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so…… ‘Love the people who treat you right. Forgive the ones who don’t.’

Some wonderful stuff!

Steve Jobs' Convocation Speech (Stanford)

Delivered 12 June 2005, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

Thank you.

I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college, and this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today, I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, "We've got an unexpected baby boy; Do you want him?" They said, "Of course." My biological mother found out later that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would go to college. This was the start in my life.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life.

So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out okay. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting. It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned coke bottles for the five cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at

the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.

Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the "Mac" would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them.

If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college.But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later.Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the wellworn path, and that will make all the difference.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz¹ and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a two billion dollar company with over 4000 employees. We'd just released our finest creation the Macintosh a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. And so at 30, I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down --that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me: I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT; another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, and I retuned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together. I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometime life sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking and --don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for "prepare to die."It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes. I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and, thankfully, I'm fine now. This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die.

Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It's Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it's quite true. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalogue, which was one of the "bibles" of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with

his poetic touch. This was in the late 60s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic, overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words:

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

It was their farewell message as they signed off.

Stay

Hungry.

Stay

Foolish.

And I've always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin a new, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry.

Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

and this-

Chetan Bhagat’s speech at Symbiosis

Following is the speech by Chetan Bhagat given at the orientation programme for the new batch of MBA students at Symbiosis, Pune.

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember – if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

Disappointment’ s cousin is Frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life – friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness – this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is Isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying – I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You.

Chetan Bhagat