‘A hole in the wall’ Indian Entrepreneurship

A greater ‘hole in the wall’ you cannot imagine. 

A small fading sign on the top saying “Cellphoon reapars” barely visible through the street vendors crowding the Juhu Market in Mumbai.

On my way to buy a new Blackberry, my innate sense of adventure (foolishness) made me stop my car and investigate.

A shop not more than 6 feet by 6 feet. Grimy and uncleaned.

‘Can you fix a Blackberry ?”

‘ Of course , show me”

” How old are you”

‘Sixteen’

Bullshit. He was no more than 10. Not handing my precious blackberry to a 10 year old in unwashed and torn T shirt and pyjamas! At least if I buy a new one, they would extract the data for me. Something I have been meaning to do for a year now.

‘What’s wrong with it ?”

‘Well, the roller track ball does not respond. It’s kind of stuck and I cannot operate it”

He grabs it from my hand and looks at it and says “You should wash your hands. Many customers have same problem. Roller ball get greasy and dirty, then no working”

Look who was telling me to wash my hands. He probably has not bathed for 10 days, I leaned out to snatch my useless blackberry back.

” You come back in one hour and I fix it’

I am not leaving all my precious data in this unwashed kid’s hands for an hour. No way.

“Who will fix it ?”

‘Big brother’

How big is ‘big brother?’

‘big …. Umm ..thirty’

Then suddenly big brother walks in. 30 ??? He is no more than 19.

‘What problem ?’ He says grabbing the phone from my greasy hand into his greasier hand. Obviously not trained in etiquette by an upmarket retail store manager.

‘Normal blackberry problem. I replace with original part now. You must wash your hand before you use this’. What is this about me washing my hands suddenly ??

19 year old big brother rummages through a dubious drawer full of junk and fishes out a spare roller ball packed in cheap cellophane wrapper. Original part ? I doubt it.

But by now I am in the lap of the real India and there is no escape as he fishes out a couple of screwdrivers and sets about opening my Blackberry.

“How long will this take ?”
”Six minutes ”

This I have to see. After spending the whole morning trying to find a Blackberry service centre and getting vague answers about sending the phone in for an assessment that might take a week, I settle down next to his grubby cramped work space. At least I am going to be able to watch all my stored data vanish i nto virtual space. People crowd around to see what’s happening. I am not breathing easy anyway. I tell myself this is an adventure and literally have to stop myself grabbing my precious Blackberry back and making a quick escape.

But in exactly six minutes this kid handed my Blackberry back. He had changed the part and cleaned and serviced the whole phone.  Taken it apart, and put it together. As I turned the phone on there was a horrific 2 minutes where the phone would not come on. I looked at him with such hostility that he stepped back.

‘you have more than thousand phone numbers ?”

‘yes’.

‘backed up ?’

‘no’

‘Must back up. I do it for you. Never open phone before backing up’

‘You tell me that now ?’

But then the phone came on and my data was still there. Everyone watching laughed and clapped. This was becoming a show. A six minute show.

I asked him how much.

‘500 rupees’ He ventured uncertainly . People around watched in glee expecting a negotiation.  high price ‘ but calmly paid him….much to the disappointment of the expectant crowd.

‘do you have an I-Phone ? Even the new ‘4′ one ?

‘no, why”

‘I break the code for you and load any ‘app’ or film you want. I give you 10 film on your memory stick on this one, and change every week for small fee’

I went home having discovered the true entrepreneurship that lies at what we call the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Some may call it piracy, which of course it is, but what can you say about two uneducated and untrained brothers aged 10 and 19 that set up a ‘hole in the wall’ shop and can fix any technology that the greatest technologists in the world can thr ow at them.

I smiled at the future of our country. If only we could learn to harness this potential…..

‘Please wash your hands before use’ were his last words to me. Now I am feeling seriously unclean….


Source - Received from a friend through email

Great saying

Great saying

"Sorrow is our constant companion. Happiness comes and goes."

Santa agrees and says,

"My wife is always with me. Her sister comes and goes!"

Baba Bulleh Shah

You have learnt so much, And read a thousand books.
Have you ever read your Self?


You have visited the mosque and the temple.
Have you ever visited your soul?

You are busy fighting Satan.
Have you ever fought your own Ill intentions?


You have reached into the skies,But you have failed to reach
What's in your heart!

 ~ Baba Bulleh Shah

Abida Parvin sings this so beautifully in Punjabi....in prose and in English also it has a powerful impact.

The Spirit of Yoga!

The Spirit of Yoga

Desiderata 
By Max Ehrmann

                       
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Road Sign Pregnancy

This is one Road Sign Pregnancy, I won't forget; brilliant (in a naughty way)!

Super Chameleon

We've always heard about a Chameleon changing colour, but have you REALLY seen one do that? It is fantastic. Only one word WOW!



Source - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMT1FLzEn9I

Calvin's Autobiography

This is a lovely short story by Kenya Starflight a fiction writer who attempted a non-Star-Wars fiction. You can guess the Star Wars fan from the pen name "Starflight". Anyway, s/he has nicely caught Calvin growing out of Hobbes phase and coming back to it in troubled times for the comfort he always knew! It's a wonderful story, will take 15/20 mins read.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2048837/1/Reminiscence

Source - Mumbai Mirror 26thAug 2010 www.5m5.in/Aug26Article

Airline with a sense of humor

Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously. Check out their new livery! WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN. Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg .  Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported: On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"                   ---o0o--- On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."                   ----o0o--- On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."                   ----o0o--- "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."                   ---o0o--- "Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."                   ---o0o--- As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone  voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"                 ---o0o--- After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."                   ---o0o--- >From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth . To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."                   ---o0o--- "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite."                   ---o0o--- Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."                   ----o0o--- "Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an  emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."                   ---o0o---  "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings.    Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."                   ---o0o--- And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"                   ---o0o--- Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The  flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."                   ---o0o--- Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"                   ---o0o--- Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing:  "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."                   ---o0o--- An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"                   ---o0o--- After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."                   ---o0o--- Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."                   ---o0o--- Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."                   ---o0o--- A plane was taking off from Durban Airport . After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.  Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from Durban to Cape Town , The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight.. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOODNESS!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier.  While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A   passenger then yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"

7 Hot Disney Princesses

Alice

Cinderella

Little Red Riding Hood

Rapunzel

Snow White

Belle

Two Old Men

 Two old men decide they are close to their last days and decide to have a last night on the town.

 

After a few drinks, they end up at the local brothel

 

The madam takes one look at the two old geezers and whispers to her manager, 'go up to the first two bedrooms and put an inflated doll in each bed.

 

These two are so old and drunk, i'm not wasting two of my girls on them. They won't know the difference.'

 

The manager does as he is told and the two old men go upstairs and take care of their business. As they are walking home the first man says,

 

'You know, i think my girl was dead!'

 

'Dead?' says his friend, 'why do you say that?'

 

'Well, she never moved or made a sound all the time i was loving her.' his friend says, 'could be worse i think mine was a witch.'

 

 'A witch ??. . Why the hell would you say that?'

 

'Well, i was making love to her, kissing her on the neck, and i gave her a little bite, then she farted and flew out the window..... Took my teeth with her!'

 

Never too old to enjoy humour and a good laugh!!

 

  

 

 

 

Shortest College Essay

You gotta Love Chinglish

Chinglish = Chinese English...you gotta love it!
This is a tribute to all the Mad Chinese translations in English.

Source - http://thechive.com/2010/08/16/its-monday-you-could-use-some-motivation-26-photos-2/

Infographic: Tallest Mountain to Deepest Ocean Trench

Here is a lovely infographic with how tall and how low humans have recorded our planets structure. Note the exact depths of the ocean is not sure yet. Very interesting read!

Infographic: Tallest Mountain to Deepest Ocean Trench
http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/infographic-tallest-mountain-to-deepest-ocean-trench-0249/

Friendship and love defined in a single photo...

Railroad Tracks - Human ingenuous stupidity

This is dedicated to not only human ingenuity but also the human stupidity! Two sides of the same coin. It is also interesting to note how "one thing leads to another" in ways that we would not understand.

Railroad tracks.

The   US  standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number.


 

Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates designed the US railroads.

 

Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.

 

Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

 

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in   England , because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

 

So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial   Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including   England ) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.

 

And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels.

 
 

Since the chariots were made for Imperial   Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever.

 

So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with this?' , you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' asses.)

Now, the twist to the story: 

 
 

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in  Utah

 

 

The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds. 

 

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass. And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important?

How large are Video Game Worlds?

Click to view larger image

Managerial Hierarchy

A real good one
I’ve never seen a flow chart describe so clearly.

 

When top level guys look down, they see only shit;
When bottom level guys look up, they see only assholes...

Two Nuns

TWO NUNS 

There were two nuns...  One of them was known as Sister Mathematical (SM),

and the other one was known as Sister Logical (SL).

It is getting dark and they are still far away from the convent.

SM: Have you noticed that a man has been following us for the past
thirty-eight and a half minutes? I wonder what he wants.

SL: It's logical. He wants to rape us.

SM: Oh, no! At this rate he will reach us in 15 minutes at the most! What
can we do?

SL: The only logical thing to do of course is to walk faster.

SM: It's not working.

SL: Of course it's not working. The man did the only logical thing. He
started to walk faster, too.

SM: So, what shall we do? At this rate he will reach us in one minute.

SL: The only logical thing we can do is split. You go that way and I'll go
this way. He cannot follow us both.

So the man decided to follow Sister Logical.


Sister Mathematical arrives at the convent and is worried about what has
happened to Sister Logical.

Then Sister Logical arrives.

SM: Sister Logical ! Thank God you are here! Tell me what happened!

SL: The only logical thing happened. The man couldn't follow us both,so he
followed me

SM: Yes, yes! But what happened then?

SL: The only logical thing happened. I started to run as fast as I could
and he started to run as fast as he could.

SM: And?

SL: The only logical thing happened. He reached me

SM: Oh, dear! What did you do? 

~

~

~

~

~

~

SL: The only logical thing to do. I lifted my dress up. 

~

~

~

~

~

SM: Oh, Sister! What did the man do?

SL: The only logical thing to do. He pulled down his pants. 

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

SM: Oh, no! What happened then?

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

SL: Isn't it logical, Sister?
A nun with her dress up can run faster than man with his pants down. 

~

~

~

~ And for those of you who thought it would be dirty, 

GOD BLESS YOU

Mumbai Train Map 2010

Click to view bigger

Durex XXL ads

Ouch!

Fallen Princesses - Dina Goldstien

Dina Goldstein  is a photographer who's done some amazing work. Her latest work is on the theme of Fallen Princesses - taking fairly tale Disney portrayal of characters and giving them a modern hilarious twist to it. You guys are gonna love it.

Check this link with explanations
http://www.divinecaroline.com/22343/88417-fallen-princesses#1

The original Fallen Princesses website
http://www.fallenprincesses.com/

Understand Inception Movie under 1 min

Guerrilla Advertising

Guerrilla Advertising is an unconventional way of performing promotional activities. Usually very funny or subtle, it’s a great way to promote a business with a low budget and generate buzz. But you’ll need lots of creativity.
Here are some great guerrilla ads examples. They are simply brilliant.
Vacuum cleaner ad:

Beer guerrilla in a bus:

Inventive mobile carrier ad:

FedEx, pointing out their speed of delivery:

McDonalds Panel:

Mini – Test your handling skills:

And in the same place (bathroom), a mini-football game:

Mr. Clean – Brilliant ad:

Casino ad in the airport:

Seafood restaurant guerrilla on the beach:

SuperGlue showing how powerful it is:

Watch brand ad in the bus (Try it here):

Durex with ribs:


Source - http://www.funnymos.com/guerrilla-advertising.html