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Most of you do not know my uncle. T.C. Krishnankutty Menon (TCK), or to me Aniyanmaman, passed away recently.  He resided in Trichur, in God's Own Country,  a town more famous for its literary figures, jewellers, temples and Pooram. I was born there and he stayed in a house next to ours - we were all from the same family. TCK was, in a sense, a true blue Keralite. He did his schooling in Trichur followed by his graduation in Chemistry at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, quickly followed by a post-graduation through research. He joined Sri Kerala Varma College, Trichur after that, in two spells and taught there till his retirement. In-between he did drop into the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi for his Ph.D but for reasons which lie buried with him, he returned to Trichur and that's where he stayed for the rest of his life. His visits out of Kerala were few and far. A Keralite he was but parochial he was a not. In a s...

It was on November 21, 2012 when a Tamil sounding phrase started trending on Twitter - #kolaveridi. I had innumerable friends on Facebook share the link to this phrase/ sound - over 6 million shares! I thought this was a new virus which was multiplying really fast and many were getting suckered into it. Fast forward two weeks hence, more than 18 million views on You Tube from over 140 countries. This song was a rage. A frail looking man singing ' nonsense' as he called it himself, to a folksy beat! A song which had pretensions of being a Tamil song - but 90% of the lyrics were in English! On a personal note, I thought it was a  inane  English song, with absolute illogical lyrics and the only saving grace was the Koothu ( a Tamil beat/ music) beat. See and hear it for yourself  -  http://goo.gl/5mN2J The numbers speak for themselves and to get so many people interested in a song takes something. Social media and other online devices are ...

Enough has been said about the FDI in retail (in India). And my views are very clear. I also strongly believe that the Indian players can stand the might of MNCs and infact capitalize on the efficiencies which these MNCs will bring to the table. For the uninitiated, kiranas are shops that cater to the regular needs of food, grocery and also products like paan, cigarettes etc. within a locality/catchment area. There are also others like the headload and pushcart vendors. Globally, as modern trade expanded, both organised retail players and unorganised retail participants have co-existed. The Walmarts and Costcos have co existed with the mom and pop stores (in India these are  called kiranas). I do believe that there is no reason why it cannot co-exist here in India. However there are a few factors apart from systemic deficiencies which have worked in the favor of kiranas or the local store owner/vendor.  Personalized service ...

On November 24, the Union Cabinet decided to permit 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand outlets and 51% in multi-brand stores. The opposition as well as some allies of the UPA have been vehemently opposing the decision, saying it would affect the small shopkeepers (kiranas), demanding a reversal of decision. India has been known as the nation of shopkeepers, for every 1000 people there are 11 shops, and these shops include the paanwallah, sabziwallah, the barber etc. Unlike other nations which have densities of around 5 (UK and USA), the Indians are serviced far better by the neighbourhood store.  According to a study by industry body FICCI, the total retail trade in India was worth Rs 11,00,000 crore in 2003. Of the approximately 12 million retail shops, 96% occupy floor space of less than 500 sq ft. With over 120 crore consumers India is a land of opportunity, modern trade has only tapped 5% of the business. This is just a start.  The prolifera...

There was a lot of hullabaloo when the World Kannada Conference was held a few days back. I may not Kannada very well but I am proud to be from Karnataka - I actually support the RCB and also the Karnataka Ranji team over any other team considering I have stayed in many parts of India. I call Karnataka my home and actually love Mysore. Am I a less Kannadiga then anyone else? - I dont think so. Yes I agree that I have not made much efforts to learn the language like I am with Tamil and Bengali. But I don't think my state of origin or my limited knowledge of Kannada should come in the way. While efforts are being done to promote Kannada, what is being done to make Karnataka proud? I dont think anyone would be proud of the tag given now. It was known as the IT capital, The hub of knowledge workers, the most progressive state but now.....? If we need to be parochial let us also look at the development of the state, not just look at promoting the language. While I do under...

Do I like the English weather especially in November - no! Do I like the so called royalty with their weird sense of righteousnesses - no! Do I find the english comedy interesting - maybe! Do I find EPL interesting - maybe! The English at cricket - no! The history - maybe! Then why is it that I look forward to my stay at London. I cant put a finger on it. I wonder if there is a small sense of colonial hangover in me. But yes what I do like is that life is disciplined - no honks, no cut ins, polite people but then I wonder if this all this is practiced. Just a veneer. And maybe I am in a foreign land without worrying about the language and in some cases speak the local language much better than the locals. One up, I guess! Anyway I like the place and the touch of class which comes with it. And I do like to go back there again. Walking around Knightsbridge. Interacting with locals but having said that I seem to see more non english than the english themselves - quite a ...