Tag: Dr Bhaskar Das

It’s a topic which a lot of have been discussing over the last week, and we thought it would be good to take the views of our Wizard with Words. So here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 11 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Isn’t it unfortunate that the social media mob is able to get brands like Byju’s to put a hold on Shah Rukh Khan starring in its ads?

A. That’s the nature of the media, Sir. In an age of collective individualism, everyone has their own narrative and the right to express their opinion. One can’t be judgmental about it as none of us has the complete picture. In the age of earned media, brands are perpetually under public scrutiny and the outcome might not always favour an organisation’s brand safety protocols. Marketing/ Business  world is replete with such episodes of consumer backlash. The all-pervasiveness of social media has only accentuated its virality and frequency of occurrences. It is well nigh impossible to anticipate it.

Yes, we do ask questions around festivals and special occasions. #Just. Perhaps also because his responses are always very philosophical, pertinent and perfect. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 8 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Durga Puja is coming up next week. The goddess is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars. Your prayers to Ma Durga for A&M

A. You know how to force me to stretch my imagination for every festival and its metaphorical relevance to the A&M industry. It’s actually easy to conceive: ya devi savobhuyeshu Vidya rupeno sanghasthitha, namassthothoi , namassthothoi nama namaha. The Goddess Durga is worshipped with many mantras and Slokas. But this one sloka appeals to me a lot as the prayer appeals to the Goddess to impart cognitive strength to the devotee. At the core of everything, it’s the education that contributes to collective prosperity.

It’s the beginning of the all-important festive quarter of the year, and we thought it appropriate to post this question to our Wizard with Words. Without further ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 7 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Adspends for the festive season have more or less been locked. So how have they been this year?

A. There is a definite upward trend in consumer sentiments and actual business growth, albeit at different pace for different industry sectors. As growth is an inescapable imperative of every business, innovation has become the driving mantra for all organisations to circumnavigate challenges posed by the pandemic. During the initial days of Covid, most of the businesses were under-prepared to combat the joint attack on life and livelihood. That prompted innovative thinking led by digital transformation of business processes wherever applicable and corporate India is all set to bounce back.

A straightforward question and a straightforward answer. Now please don’t expect a provocative tease from us every day. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 6 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. If Air=India does indeed get sold to the Tatas, as a guru and keen watcher of brands, do you think it should be rebranded Tata Airlines?

A. That’s an easy name. I prefer a philosophy that might have guided Vistara (my assumption of course). Air-India needs new energy, new commitment and new optimism to take it to new heights. An inspirational philosophy in the name can make the airlines soar high. Tata name conjures TRUST and inspiration, of course. But for a new chapter, a new inspiring name can do magic.

So we thought we would provoke him, but he gave us an answer that was very propah. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 5 edition of Das ka Dum.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. On Oct 2, Mumbai Doordarshan turned 49. Your view on the role of DDK Mumbai in the growth of television TV software. How do you think should this be celebrated, if at all?

A. In one word: significant. The viewer experience generated by DD in the early 1980s, got further accelerated post the arrival of satellite TV in the 90s. Both in terms of quantity and quality, the content evolved in sync with technological progress and the quality of content writers. The contribution of Zee, Star and subsequently Sony and Viacom have been enormous. The progress is getting further accelerated with the increased activities in the OTT industry. Hence there is enough reason to celebrate the current trajectory of growth of TV software industry.

It’s an answer which only our Wizard with Words can give. It was obviously meant to make light of a very serious issue. Meanwhile, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 4 edition of Das ka Dum.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Just asking with context to nothing: If one gets funding from a variety of investors, and if the largest investor wants to throw the owner out, should one be surprised?

A. it’s a very theoretical question. It’s not about giving a deterministic answer (yes or no)  to a corporate governance issue, apart from other pertinent issues. It depends on the context and many other issues to which I don’t have any visibility. I am by nature not an armchair analyst to comment on subjects where data paucity is a dominant constraint.

A soft Friday question today, but our Wizard with Words thinks we must change our way of thinking. Perhaps. Meanwhile, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 1 edition of Das ka Dum.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q.Mahatma Gandhi said: Work is Worship. Isn’t it ironic then that his birth anniversary every year is a national holiday?

A. This is a cliche. I have been hearing about this for eons. I am confident the quote was mentioned in a context. Secondly, who says that one doesn’t work on a holiday. Please check with any unicorn or soonicorn, you would find that they don’t wait for holidays. Instead, they work towards an outcome and treat work as worship and don’t wait for holidays. It’s true for legacy companies too. Hence, don’t link a national holiday as an indication of apathy to work. That’s a very industrial age thinking. Soching badlo

The question is self-explanatory. And the answer, well… read it for yourself. Presenting Dr Bhaskar Das in the September 30 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. There was news that a leading advertising network made monies by bribing government executives. But should it really surprise us? Isn’t taking care of commercial considerations par for the course?

A. I must remind you that we are living in the midst of a post-truth world where information gets manufactured without any accountability to prove its veracity. Has your statement been conclusively established? An alleged allegation when combined with imaginary market rumblings, it could give rise to questions like the ones you raised. I can’t comment on speculations. Let truth come out first, then we can discuss your questions more authentically.

So you know who and what we are referring to. Obviously, this is a rumour and it has been declined, and there are undercurrents of fear, but then we needed to ask. After all, a newspaper network is not like, say, an FMCG major or an airport, especially when it is happening on the near-eve of crucial state elections. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the September 29 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. How do you react to rumours that a big business group is gobbling up a reputed news network, even though the money could do it a world of good?

A. Commenting on a market rumour is fraught with danger. As a journalist yourself, I hope you would be able to empathise. So let me be clinical in my answer: an enterprise finds an opportunity to expand its business portfolio. So, what’s the problem? It would contribute to wealth creation for various stakeholders. Secondly, how do we assume that good work would be sacrificed at the altar of business expansion? Let’s remain positive about both continuing to do business and good work. They needn’t be anathema to each other.

This was meant to provoke, but if there’s one person who doesn’t get that – ever – is our Wizard with Words. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the September 28 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. You referred to Lakshmi and Saraswati in your vote of thanks at the IAA Awards last week. What according to you is more important for an event: the knowledge driving it or the money that makes it happen?

A. It’s not “Either” “Or” binary quest. The truth lies in “And”. Saraswati and Laxmi always operate symbiotically. When the Goddesses  are viewed in a mutually exclusive way, then only the desired strategic outcomes  go awry.

We are huge supporters of measurement of media consumption. For a sector like print, and in the methodology followed until now, conducting the IRS would’ve been difficult in the pandemic but now that the sector says that happy days are getting back, perhaps it’s time to ensure IRS is back soonest. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das today’s question and here’s his response in the September 27 edition of Das ka Dum. Here goes…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Now that life is getting back to normal, it’s time MRUC gets the IRS back on track, right?

A. We can’t really say conclusively that life has come back to normal. We are still in between Covid waves. The ensuing festive season would be a real test. Besides, acceleration of vaccination would help mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Be that as it may, I am sure MRUC would also be keen to get IRS back on track. But field work would still be challenging. Otherwise, the rationality of any data for any media planning and buying decision cannot be overestimated. I presume both the publishers and advertisers would be equally keen but one can’t gloss over the risk associated with any intensive field work.

It was meant to provoke, and he hit it back, right out of the park. Without much ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das with his response in the September 24 edition of Das ka Dum. Here goes…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Most of the people one meets these days say they’ve stopped watching news on TV. Are we meeting the wrong set of people or is this disillusionment with nightly news for real?

A. Sweeping conclusion, Sirs. What is your sample size? What was the sampling methodology followed like stratified random sampling or purposive? May be the latter. Otherwise how come news spikes happen? Please respect people’s choices and discretions but don’t thrust on the universe of a category. The very fact that this question is asked, there is curiosity or opinion about news.

At a philosophical level, don’t forget that few names have survived oblivion. But in time, oblivion will have them all. (Of oblivion that is waiting for us sooner or later).  And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. It is difficult to answer when there is no question. Hence took shelter under philosophy.