The Indian startup ecosystem needs to address the harassment issue as a matter of urgency now. Because time's up.
Tag: India
Governance is no “Indian wedding”
When India hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the then-sports minister compared the event to an Indian wedding, saying that while preparations go on until the last minute, everything comes together on the day. I am reminded of that as I watch the stories coming out of India since the sudden demonetisation of two major currency … Continue reading Governance is no “Indian wedding”
The real story in India’s demonetisation saga
“Who benefits if we all go cashless?”, asked a friend* of mine. This is indeed the money question in India’s demonetisation saga with its moving goal posts. “I am not here for the enrichment of Visa, MasterCard etc.,” she added. Apart from convenience and fraud protection, the economic case for an individual consumer is near … Continue reading The real story in India’s demonetisation saga
Design stories from recent travels in India
This post has no photos. None that I took anyway. Because taking photos is hard, while we navigate badly designed situations. When we don't understand or care about customer experience. My flight on the world's favourite airline ran out of disembarkation and customs declaration forms for India. For now, I shall refrain from commenting on … Continue reading Design stories from recent travels in India
Four For Friday (26)
For me, this was a week full of books, reading about books, and headlines about publishing. A new publishing house, called Juggernaut Books, was launched in India with unusual fanfare. There is much promise, albeit not much detail made public yet, of revolutionising publishing using the magic of tech. The business is of interest to … Continue reading Four For Friday (26)
The design challenge called Indian traffic [2]
An earlier, admittedly ranty post documented the weirdness that is Indian traffic. Though it focused more on vehicular traffic than on pedestrians, any good traffic system design should enable peaceful co-existence of both vehicles and pedestrians. I have spent some time thinking about traffic systems since I have been able to observe traffic in several … Continue reading The design challenge called Indian traffic [2]
The design challenge called Indian traffic [1]
India's traffic problem is real. No, seriously. Indian drivers makes Italians look tame and Londoners look like novice drivers. India also has the dubious superlative distinction of having the highest number of deaths in road accidents in the world. The government of India publishes data on road accidents which will make the most hardened person's … Continue reading The design challenge called Indian traffic [1]
Luxury’s other heritage challenge
"You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation.” This well-known Patek Philippe tag line tells its customers that the brand's heritage could be part of their own as they bequeath their Patek timepieces to their future generations. (Patek Philippe's famous next-generation ad (c) Patek Philippe) One … Continue reading Luxury’s other heritage challenge
Brands and the coattails of success
"TAG Heuer congratulates its beautiful rebel - MC Mary Kom into the Semi Finals of the 2012 London Olympics. The glamorous TAG Heuer Woman shares Mary’s restless and rebellious nature. Like her, she excels at her game, knows how to win, and how to celebrate. Creative, confident, always plugged in, she never stops building on … Continue reading Brands and the coattails of success
The Power of Us
Summer in India brings not only juicy mangoes but also the prospect of frequent planned and unplanned power cuts. The euphemism "load shedding" tries to hide the fact that the grid is unable to shoulder the demand for electricity. This demand is rising with India's rapid economic growth. This economic growth also means that fewer … Continue reading The Power of Us
