Intelligence and intuition

A recent look into the points of caution while reviewing a statistical study led me think about something far different.

http://norvig.com/experiment-design.html

Certainly, the points of concern while looking at a statistical study stand noted, but the complicated stipulations made me think of the more pragmatic decisions that we make on a day to day basis. Or even for that matter in businesses. Sure, business intelligence makes the decisions far more informed; safe. But at some point old school intuition leads the way to, ironically, a more evolved decision.

Countless studies have shown that the power of the subconscious far exceeds the strength of the conscious. By that fact alone, we must concede to our greater intelligence, and only use numbers to support a greater human intuition that comes with experience.

Even with my work running the numbers at Infibeam.com, where we handles huge amounts of data everyday to come up with business insights, the most valuable, and actionable insights originate from a sound intuitive base. There seems to be absolutely no substitute to that.

Brands define us?

It all started as a kid for me. The first english word, at least what I thought was a word, goes back to I think when I was maybe 3 or 4. And it wasn't the B for Bat or C for Cat kind of word at all- it was BPL. BPL- the old TV brand and that almost every kid growing up in the 90's, just like me, would have seen.

A good 16 years later I ponder over the implications of growing up in an environment where a kid is more likely to be remember a brand than anything else- an emotion, feeling or event. Looking at the logo, I knew nothing of what it stood for. For a kid, just beginning to learn about the basic alphabet, it is the presentation of a brand logo that draws a recall. BPL, for a kid then, is much a word as it is a brand.

Let me place you in the period that this was happening. It was probably around 1994 - 1996- when India was fresh from the economic liberalization initiated by Dr. Manmohan Singh. There was a spurt of economic activity in the country, and for most people in the country, there was a clear shift in upward mobility during this period. Branding, as a clear value-bearing activity began emerging as well. Brands such as Bajaj, BPL, Philips, Maruti were quick to enter and consolidate in a market that was brimming with optimism and energy- much like the feeling of young love. Brands were easily trusted, and the market was looking to try out new thing just for the experience- the experience of living in a free market, where things moved, producers responded and for the first time in the century the Indian consumer, not to forget the Indian producer as well, felt independent.

So brands were on the rise, and they were equally quick in capturing my mind. Jump back to 24th of January 2010, and we find ourselves bang in the middle of a vivacious and vibrant economy. One rampant with far more brands that I saw a decade ago as a kid; not to mention the exponential growth, and reach, of mediums of mass communication. I do feel for the little 5 year old growing up today who is constantly bombarded with stimuli of colours, information, noises and glaring images of gyrating women on the television. One would think that it cannot get more 'in your face', and the you have 3D.

Nano car, Mega problems

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/business/global/10tata.html

The title of the above article could not be more scathing in its approach- the people's car that few want to buy. Catchy. Think about it- why isn't this car selling? It made news all around the world. They didn't even have to advertise that through the formal channels- it was the buzz word. Every Indian became a marketer with the pride that it potentially brought for Indian product to be a pioneer. But what went wrong is the question that we're now faced with, cause something obviously did.

Lets take the market. Its the large, bloating Indian middle class. As Ratan Tata mentioned himself- its for those who want to get off riding that scooter with 4 people in and progress to a car. Its for demographic profile that exists in all our Tier 1,2 and 3 cities. These people work the daunting blue collared jobs, sales jobs and sweat it out in the market. They have simple, hard-working lives where Bollywood forms a large part of their aspirations, but their means fall far shorter. Yet, in an invigorating and thriving Indian economy, there is a lot of optimism in this demographic. The possibility of breaking the threshold to the next social bracket is a very real dream. Going from a scooter to a car is a material manifestation of that dream. The Nano is the answer to that dream, but if only they were able to pitch it to them.

The Nano, through all their brand communication, make the car look super super cool. The futuristic look and design furthers this, and the whole PR blitz at the launch touting the Nano as the face of Indian innovation. But this doesn't appeal to their main market; this appeals to the upwardly mobile Indian. To the Indian that is proud of where the country is heading, and wants to make sure they support any venture that competes with the world at a level of innovation never before seen coming out of Indian ventures. And this works- the Nano is cool, light, environment friendly and convenient. Its like the Prius in the American market, it helps the rich make a statement.

If the Nano wants to make the most of a product that undoubtedly produced out of sheer innovation and dedication on the part of the Tata's, someone needs to tone down the 'cool' on the Nano so that it meets the market it was meant for. Simple, clean marketing. Cater to the aspiration; maybe not to the price as much anymore but make sure the brand contains the elements that the target market can identify themselves with.

Spirit Somdev

I was always sure about the fact that national sporting wins, on an international stage, influence individuals in a country in a way that no one has really been able to analyze or realize. As a kid, we all loved it when India won a close cricket game- it was pure joy for the the two subsequent minutes. But there is more to it now.

Today, Somdev Devvarman won his second Gold Medal at the on-going Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Yesterday, he won a Gold medal in the Doubles event with another young gun, Sanam Singh. (Mind you, the Indian original tennis stalwarts were away playing the World Tour Series). Now this is huge- winning golds in the Asian Games is not easy. For India, its probably the second only to the Olympics in terms of toughness. But everyone knows this- hopefully the press will give it the attention these guys completely deserve.

But my focus is on us. You. When you read this, what do you feel? At one level its a great sporting feat, but at another level there is pride. For the last 60 odd years of Independence, we have been fighting malnutrition and poverty, and surely this transpired to our athletes. There were those few gems from here and there, but there was never a fleet of young, fiery Indian athletes performing at the world stage. Somdev is a gifted player, but he is ridiculously fit. He speaks with flair, oozing confidence while retaining the humility that young players who have made it up with a lot of heart always possess. Saina Nehwal, who although had a poor showing at the Games by her own standards, is another case in point. She beats the Chinese and Koreans at a game where they have unparalleled dominance. And its not simply because of the deft touch that the Indian shooters are blessed with, or the talent the Indian hockey team in the 60's had. Its also because she is fitter than them. She is quicker, stronger. She is confident. She has financial backing, sponsors and there is a pride at being an Indian athlete now.

But I know the kind of struggle these guys must have put up to get there. In school, in college. I know for a fact that Saina used to go on a scooter for two hours sitting behind her father for practice every morning. And while it makes for a poetic and inspirational story right now, I am pretty sure there were times then when the background music just did not elevate her spirits.

Just as these guys arrive on the sporting scene internationally, at a platform which is of equals, so does the rest of India. Symbolic moments deserve far more importance than we give them- its these moments that help inspire, that help most people believe that we are equals with the rest of the world. There is a whole generation growing up, reading the newspapers, blogging, texting, networking in a world where India's burning it on the world stage like any other. In fact, sometimes the transition is so seamless that they don't realize the quiet revolution they are a part of.

When I saw Somdev stare right into the hoisted tricolour, singing the national anthem and trying hard to hold back his tears, I feel a sense of pride that far exceeds the parade of weaponry on Republic Day. Maybe its because this guy is my age; maybe because I know how hard an athlete has to train to get to that level, and then convert it to a one. But when you see a young spirited, fighting Indian shed a tear with his eyes fixed on the flag, I feel the struggle that we as a country make every single day- not only in sports, but with our people, with our poverty, our politics and our future. And for that one moment, we win.

Auroville: So close yet so far!

Auroville touts itself to be the city of the future. Such a claim, among numerous interesting points, drew a bunch of my friends and myself to Auroville in May this year.

Its not very often that you come across a community that has the audacity to claim to be the 'evolutionary playground' for the human race and yet show no signs of presumptuousness. Auroville is green- the kind that you rarely see in a human inhabited place anymore. People wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes- I thought to myself wait a minute.

Here I was looking at the future of human settlements, and there is such a strong similarity between this place and our villages. Both wear clothes that suit the climate. It seems like something so intuitive- to dress in accordance to the temperature/humidity outside. And yet, it hits me only because in the urban spaces we now live to ape the west for its attire- often in a fashion that is completely disjoint from our surroundings. Call it the British colonial hangover; call it aping globalization but in my books such a simple, intuitive, human move says a lot. Auroville-1 Rest of the India-0.

Don't let the clothes mislead you though. Auroville is no hippie landscape. Sure the people are relaxed- they are not stressed but there is excellence. Look at the architecture- innovation through simplicity. Stones- that would fight the fiery heat to keep the indoors cool. Passages for air to move; light such that it dances its way across from dawn through dusk. And this is with shelter, you may go ahead to find something similar with energy production- a solar kitchen that harness the sun's energy and converts it into steam that can be used for cooking for the community. Its the only of its kind in the world. Scientific innovation- last thing you'd expect at face value, but its a reality. in my view, however, its not even this that highlights Auroville's greatest strength. It is the way in which their strong spiritual background humanized such innovations. Take for example the water we drink- is it nurtured? What the hell does that even mean right?

Well, here's something to think about. I had always heard of the experiment that goes to prove that plants respond to the external environment. Even sound. You put one in soothing tunes, and the other to some crass metal and the latter one will wither. Similarly, some researchers in Auroville posit that water has a DNA that responds similarly. Said they, "you will never find, in nature, that water running down a natural path will have sharp or sudden turns. They are usually soft turns, especially close to the point of collection. Taking from nature, Auroville has devised a process of purification that incorporates these learnings. Really- how many water purification units would you find in the world where one stage is just meant to resonate 'Om' chants in the water. This is done at Auroville- not out of some hippie, Utopian spurt but out of a higher spiritual belief that it works. And its backed by science.

Even with the skepticism with which I approached Auroville, I came out thinking- well, if they want to live this way, and they believe in it, more power to them. It isn't as if the outside society does not give in to ridiculous beliefs. For an Aurovilian, leading a life that is stressful, load and machine like, intentionally and knowingly, is as flippant and useless a practice as chanting mantras to invigorate water. I for one am glad that there is someone questioning how we are evolving in our lifestyles and is concerned about how detached from nature we are becoming.

After all, it is a question of how do live better. No just in terms of urban planning, but more importantly in terms of shaping our life practices. If a more machine like living pattern becomes the norm, and spirituality and nature become short-change for quick fixes, than Auroville is doing a far more evolved job than any of our other Indian urban centres.

Perfect Heath

No good way to start this but talk about whats on my mind right now. Its a book on eo f my friends recently recommended me to read. No slight heads up before I mention the title- its a Deepak Chopra book. Now I know the instant turn off to spirituality, and person profiteering of Yoga and Ayurveda many people (including me) possess. But I went ahead anyways and learned something that I would not have otherwise.

He talks about perfect health alright. A stage where your body, mind and spirit are in complete equilibrium. In India, especially the one I know, maybe less than a percent possess this perfect health. He explains that the body possesses a prakriti- which consists of the 3 doshas: Vatta, Pitta and Kapha. Every human alive possesses some combination of these 3 doshas. Ayurveda believes that there is a pre-ordained balance that nature provides each human with. Therefore, each person will have different levels of the doshas. The idea is that once you know what your current levels are you are better equipped to balance it- which you must.

For instance, Vatta refers to a person who has a thin build, is erratic, has many mood swings and usually operates in cycles of energy bursts and exhaustion. Pitta refers to the type that have medium builds, have warm palms and feet, sweat a lot and have a ravenous thirst and appetite. They are also the kinds who are intelligent. Kapha refers to people who are calm and pleasing. They also have a big build. Ayurveda posits that every human, while they definitely possess all 3 doshas, are usually a combination of 2 of the above in varying levels.

Either way, the point is that there is a need for us to balance our lives. I find it intuitive that there is a certain way that we are built in accordance with our nature and environment. For those who want to call it science, genetics and evolution- it is that and for those who want to credit it to a god- to each their own. What is essential is that the way we lead our lives, and the way we are must balance themselves. If we are meant to be hot-headed, we should learn to cool down. There must be a way in which people need to spend more attention to understanding their own bodies and selves. The lacking of this has potentially grave consequences, some of which we are already beginning to see.

You see, the capitalism framework, where often the lowest cost is given precedence over customization leads to the 'one size fit all' concept. One drug for everyone dealing with a cold, one burger for an entire nation and so on. This is at dire straits with the simple fact that every human being has a different composition. One persons food patterns must never exactly match the others. And yet, we proliferate a world around us that looks towards standardization- same clothes, one kind of shampoo, soaps, mosquito repellants.

Yoga looks for balance in the human. Its essential to understands one's self before one charts out a balance with one's external environment. There is a connection to friends, family, clothes, food, lifestyle- the implications of which will never be as quantifiable as will be important. Don't wait for a scientific research on the how each variable affects which part of your life for it will never come. And even if it does, it will be too late. Look deep within and see where that imbalance lies and mend it. For we do choose to live in an external environment, in contact with other people and objects. Just like an architect would want her master piece to be in complete harmony with its surroundings, must we all look and consider if we're even close!

The beginning

This blog is going to be a collage. A collage of thoughts and memories, raging critiques on movies, society and economics interspersed with pictures of this and that. A snapshot of the social environment that we live in and grow in, if at all.