By Jaisurya Das
And Mukesh said, Let India talk!
Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome back. This week, I examine yet another revolution on the anvil; The Ambani Jio Missile as I affectionately term it. As always, he (read Reliance) has the capability to pull the rug under the competition’s feet. One press conference addressed by them can signal the death knell for enterprises built over time and effort
Sheer money power or whatever the intelligentsia call it, the fact remains that these guys are capable of earth shattering moves. I remember buying the Rs 500 handset decades ago and joined the mass mobile dream that they flogged. Say what you must, but that handset and offer changed the way this country connected. Every player benefited from this move and India grow to become one of the largest mobile markets of the world. Today, several hundred enterprises ride on this mobile dream. A dream that at that point was called destructive.
And now, they’re back with this lifetime offer of free calls for all Jio customers. Typically brash and yet highly consumer-driven, the Ambanis will remain the most innovative of them all. It’s a different matter that their customer service may do little to remedy your problem but that hardly matters. For now you get what you want at rates that seem ludicrous.
This is big news because it’s India with her staggering population numbers. High speed data and free voice isn’t really earth-shattering and is in fact, quite the practice in telecom mature countries. It’s just the humungous volumes that Reliance goes after that is pathbreaking. This is disruption of the highest order. The kind that will find its way to marketing case studies of the finest universities.
Yet, it’s far too early to predict the winner at the end of this unfolding battle though personally I believe that boardroom histrionics aren’t going to save the competition from losing substantial volumes.
My advice to them would be to walk into the arena only if they have matched muscle..If not, sit back and revisit the prayer book. It may just be sensible.
Well either way, it’s time I get on with my knitting… here are our Delhi, Chandigarh, and Chennai readers’ questions for the week. As always, Dear MxM gives you the wheat without the chaff!
Read on…
Sir, I work with a television news channel whose editor is a megalomaniac but is very popular and successful. I am stressed every day at work thanks to his highness, but I also know that times are the same nowadays…. There are similar demigods everywhere.  Plus the channel is the numero uno. So, should I just grin and bear it or should I just quit, move on and have a more peaceful work life?
You absolutely need to grin, laugh or whatever but bear it all the same!
It’s important to understand that at this stage of your career, this megalomaniac could be a major catalyst in building your foundation..
Megalomaniacs are a plenty be it television, politics, business etc but not all of them are successful. Here you have a numero uno channel with the numero uno megalomaniac in place. Get your pound of flesh in learning and then think of a happy relaxed life.
You ought to be insane to desire a comfortable life in these early years of your career. Comfort kills. And more so when its work.
Stop cribbing, bask in his or her glory and make well-calculated moves to build your portfolio. You won’t regret I promise!
I quit my job as a sales head of leading channel 15 years back when my son came along. Now that my son has got into college, I find myself at a loose end. Please help. What should I do? People who were interns when I was around are now sales directors.
Does this really matter, young lady? As long as you have craft and good work, corporate hierarchies mean nothing…
What you however need to keep in check is your ego! This is probably what the issue is. You ought to be thrilled that the interns and others who worked with you are doing so well. This is a proud moment and not a moment to wallow in self pity.
So bury that ego and go out there and do your magic. Am sure you’re good at leading sales teams and your absence wouldn’t have changed that one bit.
Stay confident and have faith in your craft.
More power to you!
One of my friends wants to leave a popular news portal because a senior colleague there plagiarised and the person was allowed to go scotfree even after he was exposed. I told my friend that he shouldn’t be so idealistic and told him that there is a lot of mediocrity everywhere and he cant make a difference by being aboveboard.
I don’t agree with you one bit on this.
Mediocrity and its manifestations like plagiarism are not things you have to make do with. Yes, there are several journalists who plagiarise and rampantly too. The online world has made life easier for them.
Some of us need a thesaurus when we’re stuck for the apt word, others use an entire para instead! Unfortunately it’s such a difficult thing to curate such copy and they end up slipping by, allowing rampant breach of copyright.
I have personally dealt with such cases at work and with family where one had to deal with plagiarism of the highest order. I recollect once how a collection of poems my mother authored that was almost entirely plagiarised. Unfortunately, Indian Copyright and IPR laws are weak and these fiends get away with nothing short of murder.
My advice to your friend would be to start looking around for a better media house to work for. If this is the quality of people there, it’s highly unlikely that he will get a career worth its salt. There are several media firms with great journalists who foster an environment that is conducive to great work; More importantly work that is devoid of disgusting practices such.
I wish him well.
Can you help reach this message to the government: can we have a nutritionist and dietician on board at my newspaper? We just don’t get the time to visit these specialists but I realise that we are killing ourselves by not paying attention to our intake.
How about a cardiologist and a diabetologist as well ? Wonders will never cease will they…!
While I do agree that a large cross-section of media professionals are laden with lifestyle diseases, I am of the firm opinion that this due to the lack of exercise and irregular eating habits more than nutrition..
Why aren’t people like you spending any time on healthy living practices? Your exposure to content is high and there’s loads of information readily available. You cant expect to be spoon fed by your company or by specialists running around advising you by the minute.
The favourite excuse of not having any time to take care of your own life is just being stupid more than anything else. Devoid of good health your formidable work and busy schedule mean nothing and can be wiped clean overnight.
And moreover, even if the company did have dieticians etc what gives you the impression that their advise would followed ? If regimen was part of your life, then the problem wouldn’t exist in the first place.
So get your act together my friend. Take stock of your life. Start with a through health check up at one of the leading labs or hospitals. This is the right way to start working on your health. Once you have figured all those creaks and kinks in your body, you can set about consulting all these specialists that you desire!
An annual health check-up is essential once you have crossed the age of 35. Lifestyle can be tailored basis these results and in most cases minor modifications in your routine and diet will be remedy enough..
I wish you a long and healthy life bereft of medical intervention of any kind!
On that healthy note, I wish all our readers a lovely and auspicious season, resplendent with mouth-watering delicacies and festivity!
Ladies and Gentleman, it’s time to say Sayonara for the week and hit the streets to witness the wonderful Ganesh festival in all its splendour… So till the next week then, take good care of yourselves and keep writing in.
In case you have forgotten, mail editor@mxmindia.com mentioning ‘Dear MxM’ and your ‘City’ in the subject line and you can be sure we will feature your question soon enough..
Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable.
For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in. He is also Contributing Editor of MxM India.
The views expressed in this column are his own.