Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Srinagar is where the shikaras and houseboats wait for the tourists to return...

The city changes its hues with different seasons, each having its extravagant charm and splendour. Be it the vast, frozen Dal Lake in the pristine white winter, or the blossoming irises in Nishat bagh in the colorful spring, or the honey-dewed orchards and rippling lakes in the pleasant summer, the scenery will leave you spell-bound from the very first step out of your hotel, especially in the golden autumn when the crisp Chinar leaves carpet your way. Painters, photographers, poets will find inspiration for new creations around the year every step of the way!

Migratory birds and a variety of wildlife are also a major draw to this enchanting land. The Hangul stag, the endangered species of red deer, is particularly famous and is found in the Dachigham National Park. The Park is also where other animals typical to the state such as musk deer, black or brown bear, leopards and migratory birds are found.

A tourist in Srinagar will be spoilt for choice when it comes to picking up keepsakes. Shops filled with an awesome array of handicrafts – from silk or wool carpets with Persian designs, to intricately carved walnut wood and paper machie items – are found lining the streets. The wide variety of the craft-items ensures there’s something to suit every pocket.

The architecture of the city is a mix of old and new buildings; there are houses with sloping roofs, minarets of mosques rise into the skies while narrow streets are characteristic of the city. Lal-chowk is the commercial centre of the city and is located in the heart of the city.

The attire of the people here is simple and conservative. As Islam is the religion followed by the majority, most of the women wear burkhas and hijabs. On the other hand, the cuisine is rich and elaborate. Enough to whet anyone’s appetite, Wazawan is the ultimate in Kashmiri hospitality. This royal cuisine of Kashmir has been influenced by Iranian, Afghani and Central Asian styles of cooking, yet it’s unique and its preparation is considered no less than an art in the eyes of the Kashmiris. Non-vegetarian dishes dominate this extravagant 36-course meal.

As one watches the sun set from a house boat anchored on the Dal Lake, one can’t help but wonder why a heaven like this has had to endure such hellish years. Not a place you’ll forget easily, Srinagar is one place that will stay with you not just in photo albums, but also in the deepest confines of your heart.



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Friday, August 24, 2012

The peculiarities of the industry and the company’s future plans

Managing Director, Godrej Nature’s Basket, talks to b&e’s angshuman paul about the peculiarities of the industry and the company’s future plans
 
B&E: How does Nature’s Basket plan to leverage from the other businesses of Godrej group?
MK: We are leveraging from various other FMCG businesses. We would be selling all our food products in the stores. However, we are yet to implement other way of leveraging. We are planning to share our retail presence or even buy retail properties together.

B&E: Frankly, do you think the Indian market is prepared for a concept like gourmet retailing?
MK: There’s a huge demand for exotic foods, especially things like dried herbs, wines, which you get only abroad or is imported into the country. This is what creates the base for gourmet retailing. Even last year, irrespective of the global slowdown, the Indian economy registered healthy growth numbers. The metro lifestyle is witnessing a change; there is a growing liking for good food and this is what makes us feel that there is a market for gourmet retailing – if not in the mass level, then in the niche category.

B&E: What are your investment plans; have you reached the break-even point as of now?
MK: We don’t believe in announcing investment figures – we invest wherever we find it’s necessary. At this time, it’s too early to comment on if whether we have reached the break-even point or not; but I should mention that we have been growing at a rate of 80% and segments like assortment retailing, wine & bear retailing have been doing phenomenally well with significant contributions towards our turnover.

B&E: It’s said that to shine in the retail industry, it’s crucial to have a sturdy base of logistics. You have paid heed to this – but how much?
MK: I think and we strongly believe that you should not open a retail store if you don’t have a logistics plan for that particular retail store. We deal with 400 importers as most of our products come from overseas; and then we have our own storage procedures ensuring the quality of the goods and its freshness are maintained.

B&E: Food Bazaar and Spencer respectively from the Future Group, and even RPG are focusing a lot on creating inhouse brands. Will you follow suit?
MK: No, not as of now. Like I said before, we don’t believe in doing things just because other players are doing it. We rolled out an inhouse brand in organic mangoes at a time when no other players were offering the same.



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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

COMPUTING: TABLET WARS

While its utility is still questionable, Apple’s iPad has unleashed a new, internecine battle on the tablet front, which will involve both device manufacturers and OS providers

Starting off with Sony, it’s planning to develop a device that would primarily be an e-book reader and is expected to debut the same by the end of the year. Microsoft too is rumoured to be giving shape to a tablet called Courier, which is expected to be a dual 7-inch (or so) screen with multi-touch feature, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. Google is also expected to be playing a formidable role in the tablet wars with Android at the fore front. The open source software that is getting regular updates has already made waves (NPD claims it to be the second most used operating system, even ahead of the iPhone OS) with plenty of applications to cater to the emerging needs of the consumers. It’s expected to be the first choice for tablet computing, given its love for Flash and multitasking abilities. As a matter of fact, MSI and Asus had showcased tablet powered by Android earlier at the CES and are open to the idea of having an Android-based offering in the near future. Google is also rumoured to be working on its own tablet. Given the kind of success Google Nexus One has got, this one could surely get iPad panting! Similarly, HP’s White-hot Slate arriving with WebOS on “Smartphones and Tablets” will be only used in touch kind of devices. Michael Souers, S&P Equity Research, comments to B&E, “Apple is competing against itself. As I-pad is proving to be a great success, it could take away the major market share from its competitors, especially in the E-book segment.”

These may be distant dreams, but there are a few products that are already trying to make the most of the iPad frenzy by offering more packed devices at more enticing price tag. One of these is being offered by a German company Neofonie and it was been innovatively called WePad. The spec sheet for the same reads out to be 11.6-inch screen, 1.66GHz processor, front-facing camera, 2 USB ports, SIM slot, MicroSD slot, Flash, Adobe AIR, and ability to use all open eBook standards; in short all the things that the Apple iPad was criticised for not providing. It’s also noteworthy that this Android-based tablet is priced at €449, while iPhone is priced at €499. This indicates that the war is already on and with newer options being added in the market, and there is going to be some form of price correction. Interestingly, all this competition would also heat up the OS space with a brawl between iPhone, Android & Windows. For us, that means more innovation, better, sleeker gadgets and the price tags getting sweeter.


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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Open the Ex files!

Innumerable marketers are selling ‘happiness for tomorrow’ but ‘love market’ offers memories of the past...

If one defines the term ‘market’ in its simplest form, it would be called an arrangement where goods or services can be exchanged by people. But the intent of the content in this article isn’t to describe the terms in economics’ glossary or the forces affecting them, but to talk about the business of love. In fact, what would be better than to begin with the ‘Love Market’ of Vietnam that is held on every lunar March 27 that falls sometime in May? Called the Khau Vai Love Market, the market is about 100 years old among different ethnic tribes such as the Dao, H’mong and Tai in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam. However, the popular ‘form of love’ sought in this market isn’t the ‘new love’ but the ‘old flames’ doused by circumstances or recklessly quashed by kinfolk. Legends tell the tale of a boy and a girl from two different tribes who fell in love with each other but were not able to marry due to the differences between the tribes. To avoid bloodshed and maintain peace, the two decided to part ways but meet every year on that day, March 27th of the lunar calendar. The place where they used to meet was Khau Vai, which today has become the love market festival centre for former lovers and it features food and drinks, musical performances and even folk games. In fact, the tradition has gladly turned out in a way that both husband and wife together leave to look for their respective former lovers. In case only one spouse wants to visit the market, she can do so without feeling guilty while the other one stays at home without feeling jealous!

While the online dating business, which is worth a billion dollars per annum (competing with pornography), gives the opportunity to seek new love every day, the world is divided into two factions when it comes to concluding if ex-lovers should be good friends.


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