Purpose – 922

P2P Lending Policy

Ha! This is as formal and official as I can get with a blog title…

You know how life works right?
You want things – you look at the money you have, if you find yourself short, you ask around for help. No, not banks. You go and ask for it from friends, family, fools et al.

I am no different.
I have often asked friends, families, fools and strangers for loans for work. And they’ve been kind enough to offer the loan and extend an infinite payback period – so that’s cool.

Plus, I’ve been on the giving side as well.
However, most of them were not for work!
I am digressing. I will come back to this.

So, when I take a loan, I track it on a document, get obsessed about it and can not get good sleep unless I’ve returned it. As we speak, I have to pay back 3 lakhs (a working capital loan that I took from a friend). Apart from this, I have some sundry payables to vendors and suppliers – these are not really loans but are regular transactions that I need for business, which is ok. Apart from these two categories, I have no debt (no EMIs etc).

I am digressing again. Coming to the point of this post.

Like I said, most times when people ask me for money, it is not for business. It is for personal spends – someone wants to get married, someone wants to fix their car, someone wants to buy an appliance, someone wants to even buy a damn house. You know, personal spends.

Of course, these are wants (not needs) and I can debate for hours to dissuade them from taking a loan to get access to these luxuries. You know, “we buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like”? That! I wish I could tell everyone this. But then, who I am to control how they live their life?

But then these are friends and acquaintances and all that and thus I feel obligated to help! Leave the obligation on the side. I really want to help. That’s the point of why I am alive! You know, my raison d’etre. To help. Enable. A billion people.

Digressing again. Coming back.

So, for some reason, most of the loans that I give out to people (and these are friends and family), they don’t come back. And it has reached this epidemic proportion that I must have given a mini-fortune away and there is no return in sight. And of course, it gets embarrassing to ask for that money after a point. And then I start avoiding meeting these friends. You know what am saying?

And more than the suffering I induce on myself from a financial loss, I feel sad. For I hate to see people around me struggle to manage their wants.

And I feel bad. To have been let down. Let down that people that I care for could not keep their promises.

And I feel bad to have lost trust and faith on the ones that did not return. Of course, these are micro-loans (3K, 10K, 50K et al) and I can live with the loss. I anyway realised long ago that money is merely an object and not the most important thing. Time is.

And the worst part? It has made more difficult for subsequent “want-ers” to borrow money from me. Once bitten twice shy. Plus, because I want to help others and all that, I feel bad (and sad and even miserable) every time someone asks for money and I have to say no.

Well, to be honest, most times I don’t have free cash flow. And the other times when I do have the cash flow, I can no longer bring myself to face disappointment again!

But… but… it’s changing now.

Thanks to my Mastermind group.

In the group, one of the ideas that we discussed was to create a small fund, call it a do-good kitty, and give money out from that fund and that fund only. If it’s empty, you don’t give the money. If it’s full, you dole it out. And every time you give loan to someone, you tell them that they are being given money from this kitty and in case they don’t return it by the promised date, they are affecting your ability to help others in need. And every time someone returns the money, you add it to back to the fund and it stays at great levels. Every time the loan is not returned, the kitty depletes. And depending on your life stage, you add to the kitty (say you get a bonus).

That’s it!

Simple idea.

But counterintuitive to how I would operate. This is one of many tangible changes in my behaviour – thanks to time spent at the Mastermind group. Thanks, guys! You MUST get one!

So, going forward, if you are going to ask for a loan from me, please do note the following.

I do NOT give loan to strangers. So, if we don’t know each other, please do NOT embarrass me by asking for a loan.
If you know me, please read this blog post (if you’ve reached this far, you have read!) Yay!
If I am able to give you a loan, please know that this is coming out from the small kitty that I have reserved for giving loans out. The Do-Good-Fund.
If I do give you a loan, please know that I would want to know a date by which you’d return it. There is no interest, of course. Do not embarrass me by offering to pay the interest.
If you are NOT sure of repaying (you don’t have the intention or you are not sure of your ability to repay), please tell me beforehand. It will not affect my decision or judgement. But it will save both of us heartburn. At least I will be mentally prepared.
If you promise to repay and you do not, please note that you are affecting my ability to help others. And to me, that ability is MORE important than anything else in life! So, please help me! Please help me help more people.
Oh and while you are at it, do read https://seths.blog/2019/05/selling-insurance-to-your-sister/

That’s about it! Good luck to all of us! May all of us live long and prosper!

Saurabh Garg

17 May 2019

PS: Been working on this draft for well over a week. Since I came back from the break, words haven’t been flowing and I can’t seem to concentrate on work at all. With this post, I hope to break the jinx.

The Daily Grind – 2729 – 130718 – On Ikigai

Its 6:43 PM and while I have a mile long list to be done, I have consciously chosen to put everything on side and write. And no, I dint have to push myself too hard for it. And yes, this is a fascinating thing. From literally no writing for almost a month to the 4th day on the trot, I am on it!

Yeah baby! This is what I was talking about yesterday when I said that once I start writing, I will be back to being a writer that cant stop!

Ok I spoke too soon. I cant seem to find the right words. Wait. I cant even find the right thoughts. I am blank. Blank like a child in a topless bar (as Navjot Singh Siddhu would often say – that man! The gift of gab he’s got!).

So while I was waiting for inspiration, I put on Netflix on another tab and I am going to watch Sacred Games. Why do I want to see it? A because the entire world is watching it and B because its at the intersection of so many things that I want to be doing with my life – entertainment, business, content, technology and so on and so forth.

The kind of things that lead to Ikigai. Read about it. It’s a fascinating subject. I recommend you start here. See the photo below.

Damn ! lost the thread at the time I was writing. I came back to this after doing a few other non-productive things.

So something really fascinating happened today at work. The kinds that move you, stir you. The kinds that Anton had when he discovered the source of the Ratatouille he had. While you are at it, do see this.

A disclaimer before that. My general rule of thumb is not to talk specifics about work but I will break the rule today.
At work, there is this intern in the client servicing team. Lets say that hes neither the brightest, nor the sharpest. And thus hes always remained under the radar. And he’d probably stay there because there is no way he can shine. I am not sure if hes slow or what. May be hes got some learning disability (a few days back someone told me that I may have some sort of ADHD – which I’ve suspected but have been far too reluctant to go and get checked).

So this guy, lets call him A, is a client servicing intern. The person he reports to, lets call her B.

Unlike A, B is pretty sorted with her work. No non-sense. On point and all that. Has expressed in as many words that A needs to pull his socks if he has to stay gainfully employed. But since neither works with me directly, I let them be.

Today when most people had left (at around 8 PM – the magic hour when teams are built. #note2self. I HAVE to write about this), B came up to me and asked me if I have 5 minutes to spare for A.

Now, typically I dont want to be interrupted when I am ~~trying to~~ ~~write~~ writing (there’s this pitch tomorrow that I can NOT lose) but when it comes to young ones, I am little flexible.

So I gave in.

B made me sit and asked A to start. I was like, what’s going to happen. I was fidgeting with my phone already and thinking of some excuse that I could make to get away from it.

And just about then A started his act.

And oh my fucking God! If there is a thing called God.
He was insane.
Brilliant.
Left me in a spell. I could not think of a thing but him while he was performing.
I could not take my eyes off him!
I was mesmerised – the way I’ve never been.
I am lost for words. On a blog. Really!

His talent, his art, all of it belongs to the people of the world – on stage, on the screen.
Not in front of a computer paddling material to clients!
He’s got a gift that needs to be showcased.
He really does.

I felt the same rush, same excitement when I first met Imtiyaz.
In Imtiyaz I saw someone who had to be on a larger platform, entertaining more people. And in A I see the same. And I am sure there are millions of people like Imtiyaz and A that need more audience. What can I do for them?

After his 5 minute performance, I started to talk to him. I had to!

Turns out he plays the guitar as well and can compose original music.
So I asked him if he could teach me and he agreed.
Yay!
But then teaching me wont help me go to a larger platform.
I need to help him find ~~work~~ audience.

So, I’ve asked him to a track for TRS. Lets see what he comes up with.

And in the end, I gave him the offer. The Offer. That I give to every deserving young person I know. That they can use me as their launchpad to do more things.

So I told him that in case he wants to put his material up on YouTube (shoot the content etc) or create a professional portfolio or something, I will support him. And then its upto his talent and luck where he reaches (in an ideal world, I dont want to let luck decide on the fate, the outcome. I have to manufacture success for my people. Need to figure out how. #note2self).

When I was with him, trying to talk to him and make him understand what I want from him, I was IN THE ZONE. The one that is increasingly hard to get into! I just need more of such days and incidents. I need to see these things through. I need to ensure that I get him where he belongs.

Just that I dont want to give him hope. I am not a great judge of talent but what I saw, I was amazed! And I am not easy to impress. So lets see what I do with him. If only I had the money. If only wishes were horses!

Coming back. Here’s a question for you.

When and what was last time you were in the zone AND you were creating something? Think and tell me.

And if that thing that you were doing then repeats often, like clockwork and has patterns, maybe that’s where your life’s purpose is. That’s where your Ikigai is.

Think about it.

And please please please do tell me.

I would love to help you.

Why?

Because ~~I want to play God~~ that’s where my Ikigai is! Like I said today…

Enable more people to do more with their lives.

More – better, larger, greater, happier, wealthier, healthier and all the other -ers. https://t.co/HCR2bjcnHU

— SG (@saurabh) July 13, 2018

Oh, and you know the best part about this entire episode?
No. The Zone is not.
Neither is discovering my Ikigai.

The best part happened when I asked him which college he went to.
He said, Wilson.

And you know what was my first thought?
That he could help me meet Sudhakar Solomon Raj – one of those people that I am DYING to meet (read this and this about him to know more about him). I first heard about him from HV (a friend who’s long ~~deserted~~ ghosted me after showing a lot of promise in the early days). And since then I’ve pestered her, tried on Facebook, wrote into him and what not. Prof has been elusive.

So, I asked A for a favour.
If any of the things that I am helping him do works out, he will help me meet Sudhakar Sir!
Yay!

They are right. Happiness does come in patches and at times when you least expect it.

Oh, the best part?
The realisation that Universe does fucking conspire to make things happen. If you want em real bad. It really does.

Time for you to make a wish. And want it bad.
And discover your Ikigai. And lemme know if I could be of any help.

PS: I wrote on the sgEchoChamber today. Yay! So yeah, a good day for writing.

Post-Bangalore post-mortem post

I am just back from Bangalore. I was there for putting up a show for a client at Excon 2017 and since its a 7-day exhibition, I thought that I will do a million things while I am in Bangalore. The top few included…

meeting friends and almost friends
making new friends
exploring the city
click some pics
work with a friend on a book
work on my next book
eat properly and get fitter

And so on and so forth.

Guess how many of these did I do?

ZERO!

And why did I do nothing while I was there? No, time is not the culprit. After 7:30 / 8 most days, I had the rest of the evening and night to myself. And the reporting time the next day was at 8. And since I was leading the tram, I could actually come in by 9. So I had 12 hours each day to do all the things that I’ve listed above. But I could not.

Here’s a list of reasons.

1. Bad planning.

For starters, I was put up in a hotel that was in the middle of nowhere (about 20 KMs away from Bangalore). And most people I had to meet were reluctant to travel all the way.

Two things from this.

A, become so good, so valuable that people are willing to go through large quantums (quantum but added an s for effect) of trouble to get a sliver of time from you.
B, Plan well. For example, when you know that you are in a city that you know is notorious for traffic, try to be at a place that is accessible.

2. Energy.

By the time I spent 12 hours at the exhibition, I was so sapped that all I could do is sleep. And snore. And then drag yourself to work the next day.

Can this be fixed? Yes. I can work on my health and ensure that if I am up, I am full of energy. Most times I am but lot of times I am not. And I need to fix it. Health HAS to be the number 1 goal #in2018.

3. Team.

I am in the process of creating a team, a set of people that are aligned to the purpose that we as a group are supposed to serve. And deliver. That of entertaining the world in such amazing manner that it inspires others.

Now, to do so, I don’t need people who work for a salary. I don’t need people that stick on a list of holidays on their whiteboards. I need marshals that are aligned to the mission. And if not aligned well to the mission, then at least a part of their personal missions has to get delivered if they work with me and others.

Right now I have a few people that I think are in the zone. I need more. Are you the kinds? Help me. I am on 9819981337 / saurabh.garg@gmail.com.

4. My working style.

I get super emotional about my work. I want everything to work with clockwork precision. I want robots that stand as long as it is required. I want machines to not overheat, to remain intact, to perform to the capacity and never burn out.

While its possible most times, I know its tough to expect this all the time. After all there is a huge element of technology and people dependence. While you take every care to ensure that things don’t go wrong (get the best crew, get the best material etc etc) there are times when you cant control things.

And when things go out of control, I get unnecessarily harsh at people. I am rude to the point that I am amazed at myself. Reminds of that experiment where they made ordinary people cruel by giving them a role of a jailer.

At this exhibition, I was the jailer and because I thought people were slacking, I fought with no less than 10 people. This included my team, my outsourced staff, other agencies that were working there and other people at random. I continue to believe that I was right in fucking their happiness but may be I was wrong. After all 10 people cant be wrong. No? Whatever it was, I know it has to change. I need to work on it or I will not reach anywhere.

The event otherwise as perfect. Apart from one time when the band was to play and the mics’ cable came out loose. Of course we checked it right before the show but if a cable has to come out, it will come out. Wish I could ensure that as well.

5. Raison d’être
So, why do we work? For love!

Why do I talk about this? At the exhibition, I repeatedly saw people work for money. And not for love. And to save money, I saw people do things that they would otherwise not do. And that’s not cool. I believe that money is important. But the mission has to be larger than just a hefty bank balance.

I am the kinds that is ok to lose money to deliver a great job. Of course for a client that gives me the freedom to do things. The idea is, we must be able to do great work and charge the money that will make us happy. And find clients that are willing to pay the kind of money we want, to allow us to do great work! Its a vicious circle but I am sure we can find an opening.

6. The silver lining

During the event, at one of the conversations that I had with the client (PV) on the side was about life purpose and all that. I realised that my life’s purpose is to entertain people and do it so well that I become an inspiration to others. And in the process, grow as a human being. And then use the money I’ve made to inspire others. Its still shorter than making a dent in the universe (like Steve) or trying to save the humanity (like Elon) but its something larger than myself. And worth chasing.

See this slide (from my companies’ creds deck).

C4E‘s masterplan

I just need to work on it.

7. Exit stage left

When the thing ended, I was out of there in 5 minutes. I did not say my good byes. I did not hang out to chill with the team. I did not want to get a group pic clicked (but I had to). I dint go out to grab a beer or something. DS tells me that its not cool. And I agree.

But the thing is, I hate to say goodbye.

And then there is post-event depression that hits you so hard that you don’t know what happened. DS said it best when he said that a minute before the show ends, you are the master and you control lives and times of the crew and the event. And right after the event is over, you are nobody. It sucks. Thing is, I get super emotional about what I do. SC says that once an event is over and you get into a flight (or a car), you move on. To the next event. Or the next thing. Like, I shouldn’t be writing this post but focusing on what will the next one be like.

And third, I feel that once I have delivered what I was supposed to deliver, I can take off and die in my misery of an event getting over. Or I can go and sleep. Or do whatever. I am no longer on the client’s clock.

***

Now it has happened. I cant undo it. But I can take lessons. And these are things that I will do – no matter what.

Figure out a minute to minute plan of my time. If not a minute by minute, an hour by hour for sure. I will start doing this from the next trip (that starts tonight).
Get anal about how and where I spend my time. And try to earn time. How do I do that? By putting in place processes that save me time. By getting people who can do things that save me time.
Try to detach emotions from work. I am not sure if I want to do this. But lets see how it happens.

In all, this trip was a clear case of setting expectations too high. Going forward, I need to lower down the expectations and then try to exceed those. Or may be not. One life. If you don’t hustle hard enough, why are you alive?

That’s about it. Until next time, over and out.

P.S.: Here are some pics from the exhibition. Do give feedback.

Gratitude – MDI, Gurgaon

~~Today~~ A few days back I met Chirag (MDI 2009). He was in office and we got talking about life and times at MDI. And I realised that everything that I have in life, good or bad, has its roots at MDI.

Wanted to make a list. Here it is.

Work.
I run C4E. We are a full-service, bespoke, corporate events management agency. When I was at MDI, I could have never predicted that I will run an events agency someday. I wanted to change the world but events? No.

Funny thing is that my first ever tryst with events happened at MDI. Back in 2005 and 2006, I was part of Imperium – the annual cultural festival at MDI. And I arranged and organised the entire thing (along with few others).

The second time I got to work on events also happened because of MDI. In 2009, after my gig with CLA and Cyntax got over, I was looking for an opportunity to do something and I wrote to the MDI alumni group. Off the people that responded, I chose to work with Suvi (at Gravity) and Suvi chose to work with me. This was a full-time job in events and I was part of the client servicing and planning teams. Since at Gravity, everyone does everything, I got immense exposure that shaped me into who I am. Plus the stint with Gravity gave me the tools to run C4E.

Writing.
It was at MDI that I first started taking writing seriously. I did have a blog before I went to MDI but it was at MDI that I started documenting my mundane life. And because at that age you really want to get really famous, I would share the link with friends and family. While most people ignored me, some of them did encourage me. And each piece of encouragement made me write more. And then it became a feedback loop. And it is yet to end.

Oh, it was at MDI when I first thought I could write a book. While I had wanted to be an author since I can remember, it was at MDI that Sandeep and I planned to write a novel inspired by our time at MDI. I think Chetan Bhagat had just written Five Point Someone. So nothing was impossible. We were young and had a lot of time on our hands. And writing was not too tough. You know what I mean?

P.S.: The inspiration and confidence to actually write the book came after Suds published his. And it was an alum from MDI that agreed to publish my first!

People.
Out of 5 people that matter to me (apart from my immediate family), at least 2 are from MDI – VG and VK. Both these are my closest confidantes and are key pillars in my support structure. Everytime I am down in dumps, I find solace in their company. Every key decision in life requires their approval. Conversations with them have shaped the way I think. There is no shame or guilt or any other negative emotion when I talk to them. I can bare my soul and share my deepest fears and darkest thoughts with them. And I wont be wrong in saying that I dont know what I’d do without them.

Apart from these two, some of my closest friends and well-wishers are friends that I made because of MDI. The list is way too long to actually fit into a blog. If you guys are reading this, thank you. All of you. Class of 2004-2006, seniors, juniors and others.

Purpose.
I am still figuring out what I want to do in life and identify a purpose for myself (I do have vague ideas that I want to create and in the process inspire others) and my raison d’etre. Thing is, the closest thing to a perfect human being — where the guys’ doing a great job, making impact, making money and living a life that inspires others — is Prof. Bakshi. And where did I meet him? At MDI!

It was Prof. Bakshi that introduced me to the ideas of Warren Buffet and the advantages of multidisciplinary thinking. It was at his BFBV classes that I realised that I dont know so many things and there are so many things that I dont know that I dont know.

Its a different story that I got a D in his course – blame it on all the financial number crunching that he expected us to do. Here’s the secret. Numbers is NOT my thing.

Any how. In the end…
So, yeah. MDI has had super influence. Of course, serendipity and random luck has had a large role to play in putting me where I am. I would’ve loved to control it. But because I can’t, I dont want to bother about it.

P.S.: What about that thing where you say you are more than what you do?

The coaching conundrum

There is this Lucky Ali movie – Sur (wiki). I havent seen it but I know of the plot (thanks to this song). Then there is THE Whiplash.

While the two movies appear different, I think there is a common theme. That of this maverick who is on the lookout of someone that could take the legacy of the maverick ahead. Of course this is not exactly that either movie stands for but let me take that as the initiating thread. Maverick. Searching for someone to lead the legacy. Someone who’s inherently talented but needs some bit of polishing. Lemme pause here for a second. Will come back.

So, the thing is, I am no maverick and I am not sure if I can help shave off the edges but I think I am pretty ok in terms of brains and capability (though I have nothing to show for it). Lemme call this Thread A.

Thread B is that out of three things that I want to do in life (by Jan 1, 2026), one is impacting a billion lives. And while impacts could be tough to quantify, I’d love if impact is so big, so huge that they are 10x better as a result of my intervention. And no, I dont mean to play no God. No, I am not chasing immortality. And no, I dont know how to go about it. But I do realise that thats what I want! And I want it bad. Bad like B-A-D.

Now I understand that I may not improve things at the 10X level for everyone. But if I could do a 10000X for some, I’d be happy. Think of Mickey Goldmill. Who worked with a nobody and made a Rocky outta him. What if I could be the Mickey Goldmill to a few? Work with them, enable them to be so good that the entire world recognizes their talent.

Of course all this assumes that I have what it takes to be the coach, a mentor, a guide, a someone that nudges you to be a better version of who you are. Or, like conventional wisdom says, you must have done better yourself and you must know what it takes to carve a raw stone into a diamond. Like Lucky Ali in Sur, like I-dont-know-his-name in Whiplash. Which I am not. So thats a problem as well. Lets call this C.

So, if I club A, B and C, one of the things that I MUST do in life is to be a mentor. A coach. And even though I may not be the best, I need to still learn and be one.

So, I try hard to be one. Everyone I meet, irrespective of their age or the place where they are at, I try and see possibilities (what makes me think that I can spot talent better than the people themselves or others in their respective lives? Nothing. Blind faith in self. Or overconfidence ;)). Some days I get lucky when I nudge some people. Those days are among the happiest days of my life. All the Serotonin that I’ve ever had in my life comes rushing into my head!

And all was hunky dory.

Till… Lol! Took me so many words, thoughts to come to the point. Sigh. Mr. Garg needs to work on brevity.

Till… some days back, someone brought something to my notice. And while I want to dismiss it, it has stayed with me and I want to vomit the feelings out and not think about them again.

She said that while I love to “interrupt” regular lives of people and nudge them to do things that I think they ought to be doing, the person on the other end may not appreciate my interruptions. And since I come across as a pushy man, they often do not have the balls to voice their rejection. And as a result, rather than helping people, I end up hurting them. Rather than shaving off the rough edges, I break the damn rock.

And that, to me, is NOT cool at all.

Agreed that I want to make people better but I dont want them to suffer. Agreed that they may not know what is best for them. Agreed that even though they have the gift, they may not want to acknowledge it and not work on it. Agreed that 80% of what you need to be world-class at something requires just 20% of time and rest is deliberate practise. And as the beholder of the talent you may not want to chase it to perfection.

But… but… I believe that the road to greatness is paved with sacrifices and practise and it is definitely starts beyond your comfort zone. And as someone who’s been gifted with talent and brains and other things, its your moral responsibility to go chase greatness. Its a debt that you owe to the Universe. You HAVE to push hard and go achieve that greatness.

Why? Because with each shot at greatness, you would create something new. You will push limits. And in the process inspire others. If my mere nudge breaks you, may be you dont have the gift that I thought you had? It is unfair that I break someone who I thought had the gift. But if in the process of discovering the next big thing, I have had to do some collateral damage, I think I am ok with it!

And no, when I say these things, I dont think of people as objects. I think of them as conduits of doing the impossible. It is people that proved that Earth wasnt flat. We discovered the fire, invented the Internet and sent a man on Moon. We will go on to do amazing things and each of these things will get initiated by us humans. And the ones that were gifted and polished their gifts.

Yeah! I think this is what defines how I look at things. I think the Whiplash guy got it right. Ignore the ego, ignore the rude behaviour and all that. Its people like him, who I think bring the best out of the ones who deserve to be the best. I wish I had someone like that to egg me on. Someone to throw a Cymbal at me!

Phew! Now that I’ve put this out there for whoever to read, I AM lighter. Thank you, Universe. And for all those who need someone to push them, nudge them, polish them, I am on septemberthe22nd AT gmail.com. Lets do this.

P.S.: Do see this. And then, read this.

What makes us different?

Someone asked me, “what makes you different? After all, an event is an event is an event!”

True that!

An event is an event is an event. But then how you go about planning that event could set you apart. How you produce it, conduct it, manage it could be the difference. How you think of events in the first place could be the difference. The devil, as they say, lies in the detail.

And detail oriented we are! Obsessive at that. To a level of being fanatical about it. Every piece we do, every event we put together, every live experience we deliver will reflect our obsession for attention to detail. We are committed to get things right. The first time. Live entertainment doesn’t leave a lot to chance anyhow.

The other bit that we work really hard on, is to deliver the message that the business wants to communicate via that event. We have a deep understanding of branding and communications business. Rajesh and I have 30+ man-years of combined experience of working with some of the most prestigious brands in the country and we apply all that we’ve learnt so far.

And we continue to learn new things. In fact, both Rajesh and I are really passionate about technology, the chase of the new new thing and applying those things while delivering brand solutions. The world as we know it, is changing fast. And how. And unless we are nimble, curious, adaptable, we would perish. Don’t believe me? Ask Darwin.

So, the three things that make us different are:

Obsessive attention to detail and impeccable delivery.
Deep understanding of brands and years of experience of working on some of the largest, most trusted brands in the country.
Passion for technology and that constant urge to try out the new new thing while we work.

We believe that if we continue to do these three thing well, the difference will eventually be evident in our work. It will take time and we in no tearing hurry.

Wait and watch!

P.S.: You can come be a part of the journey. I am at sg@c4e.in.

Originally posted here.

The Balloon Guy

Today, about an hour back (about 10:30), I was walking around Bandra with a friend. We passed a dark alley and in the corner, behind the shadows was lurking a guy who was apparently selling Balloons. He was on a bicycle and there were some balloons hanging from the front of his bike. We looked at him and like every grown up who ignores things as playful and amateur as balloons, we moved on.

However, the man starting pleading to us, in low tones. He said something to the effect that he hadnt sold a single balloon in the day and he wont be able to buy himself dinner. Being a dilliwallah, I ignored his plea and was concerned for my friends’ safety. I herded her away from that dark alley, into the bright light cast by the huge Starbucks signboard up ahead.

We found a rick for her and once I put her in a rick and was walking back, it struck me that the balloon guy must be working real hard to earn his living and it must have taken a lot of balls to be able to ask for alms. And he’s probably worked hard all his life (selling balloons cant be easy), it must be even more tough for him to beg.

Left me wondering that we crave for things like houses and cars and we fight for things like God and idols of stone but we cant find a way to help people like that balloon wala make enough to feed his family. What’s the point of it?

Of course I wont have answers to these issues that perplex the intelligentsia. But I know for sure that that it could be a great purpose in life. To be able to help others upgrade the lives they lead. And how would I do that? I dont know. But I shall find out. I have at least 33 more years to go. And I will work on increasing that as we go along.

Help me on it? Please?