9 weeks, 36 episodes later KBC4 (for my non-Indian readers this is the 4th season of Indian version of "who wants to be a millionaire") has been a true revelation for me. I have followed all the past 3 seasons of this show but this season has been an absolutely fantastic experience. For me it's been an hour of relaxation after a long day, learning, recreation and perfect entertainment. In fact, I believe that this season the show transformed from a quiz show to an 'experience'.
For me there are some key takeaways from this show which captivated me:
Realizing you dreams
For last 10 years since the show started some millions of people (including myself) have been trying to get onto the 'hot seat' but very few have been lucky. But, people who managed to get in have persevered, getting through various stages and then finally using all their skills to get an opportunity on the 'hot seat'. Ah! the feeling there must be out of the world! However, what was enlightening and exciting was how people fared when the opportunity presented. Were they really prepared to seize the opportunity? Did the big moment get to them? Being face-to-face with a living legend like Big B can itself be nerve wracking, the array of emotions that the people went through, the decision making required (in terms of options & lifelines to choose, quit/not quit etc.)During the questions, handling the pressure situation was really a tough ask. However, people who prevailed like the person who was suffering from polio were really determined to succeed. The women who won 1 crore came from a very conservative & modest background with limited exposure to the outside world. However, she displayed amazing emotional quotient reminiscent of the kid in "Slumdog millionaire" using all her life experiences to prevail. Her performance would motivate millions of women in India to take a big step forward and do whatever it takes to realise their dreams. These are some of the awe inspiring success stories to take forward. Such people, not only, prepared well to get the opportunity but when the opportunity presented they knew how to seize it with both hands. Very few have the ability to deliver the knockout punch and how they did it on national television was a wonderful learning experience. Understanding this cycle of Preparation-->Opportunity-->Delivery is a key determinant of success.
Knowing real India
This time I believe there were more participants from tier 2/3/4 cities or villages. There were more women who reached the hot seat and the average age of participants would have been in thirties (my best guess). In general, the participants sounded very confident, some of them had big ambitions and were determined to show their capability to the world. We heard interesting anecdotes about how someone wants to create energy from husk, do deep research into fisheries to make life of fisherman better or improve the quality of education in remote corners of India. The demeanor of people was very positive. People were comfortable in front of Big B, often interrupting him to say what they wanted to say. Gone was the diffidence you could see a decade ago, no more did we see participants only from big cities. For a week or so we had few stars on the show and it started getting little boring. The personal stories of different participants were so compelling. Thankfully, better sense prevailed on the producers and they let the show run with common people.
What this season showcased was a truly confident and resurgent India. An India which is young, full of ideas, bright talented people buzzing with energy and ready to take on the world. Simply saying, we could see that India has arrived!
Big B
Yes, Big B is still a big takeaway for me from KBC4. I can write reams about one of my idols but what truly amazes me is he simply keeps getting better by the day. With every passing year my respect & love for him grows. His energy level, dedication, commitment and how he conducts himself is inspiring. The ability to make every participant comfortable and then strike a chord is exemplary. Some of his preludes and anecdotes from his experiences were some of the life lessons no book, training or management course would teach you. At 68, what more can you ask from him? His thoughts, actions, body language are in perfect sync. His performance was sublime. He took this show to a new pedestal. God bless him and let us hope & pray he continues to entertain us like this.
Taking a deeper look, every participant who has been on the show has come out a winner. Even the person who had opportunity to win 1 crore but lost is a winner. Contrary as it may sound but true it is!This show is about a life time experience, it is about experiencing the magical moments that you'll cherish forever.
From tomorrow i'm going to miss this amazing Aha experience; my hour of unwinding and bliss!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hey America – All’s well?
I’m back in US after a gap of two years and there are few things which I just could not ignore. Some tell tale signs of how US is changing in the wake of Great Depression part –II.
WALMART
Wal-Mart- the world’s largest retailer with revenues of approx $400 billion symbolizes the great consumption economy that US is. I noticed that the tagline in their advertisement has changed from “Always low prices” to “Save Money. Live Better”. Now this change did not happen overnight but I just realized it quite late. This I see as a subtle change in positioning. The emphasis on saving is a huge shift in the consumer’s mindset. The whole US economy thrives on the great American spending. However, this change surely is appropriate for the times we live in. The advertisement also gives a feel of a family shopping at Wal-Mart. This perhaps is a sign of getting emotionally connected with the consumer. Apart from the slogan change Wal-Mart seems to have picked up in the décor of the store, introduced some refreshing changes in the layout and of course, service continues to be good. Of note, is that Wal-Mart seems to have decreased the size of stock keeping units. What this implies is that a smaller size of the same merchandize is now available for purchase. I was quite interested in knowing what the impact of this change has been for Wal-Mart. From the retail surveys it does seem that the change in positioning is working for Wal-Mart. It seems the American consumer does want to save money and is buying into this tagline. Saving & America; I still can’t reconcile to this fact.
SMALL CARS
Well there was a time I could hardly find a small car in US. Now the trend for small cars in US seems to be on the upswing. Gone are the days of huge gas guzzling cars, mini vans and trucks. The average American consumer has become aware of something known as “fuel efficiency” of the car. The spiraling gas prices when the crude oil touched close to $150/barrel in 2008 made the fuel efficiency one of the most popular features to look at. If the Detroit car show is anything to go by, most car manufactures are ready to showcase more small cars in US. The big guns like Ford, Toyota & Hyundai are fighting it out in the small car segment. Even Tata’s Nano is bracing up for entry in US markets in 3 yrs time at an awesome price of $5K. Having said that, it does not mean that suddenly there’s no market for big cars but the change in consumer preferences is significant. With focus on emission cuts through federal policies the small cars are here to stay in US.
SODA
Yes, the quintessential image of an average American holding a big soda and a burger also seems to be changing. I’m amazed to see advertisements from American Health Association advocating Americans to cut down on soda consumption. They do now realize that this is one of the prime reasons for obesity in US. Though the American beverage association continues to refute these claims but the ensuing war of words is quite exciting. At least, the nation is talking about it!
There may be several other perceptible signs about the changing face of America but surely the Great Depression –II has left a huge impact on US. Sometimes I wonder that these are truly character changing signs for a nation. Are these changes permanent or will America return to its true color? I’m also little pained to see that the very essence of America is under threat. The very reasons for which it used to be a dream country don’t seem to be charming anymore. So how will US look like 20 yrs from now? Something like Europe is today – living on past laurels, flattish growth and an ageing country or are we going to see a turnaround?
Let’s see how this great nation responds!
WALMART
Wal-Mart- the world’s largest retailer with revenues of approx $400 billion symbolizes the great consumption economy that US is. I noticed that the tagline in their advertisement has changed from “Always low prices” to “Save Money. Live Better”. Now this change did not happen overnight but I just realized it quite late. This I see as a subtle change in positioning. The emphasis on saving is a huge shift in the consumer’s mindset. The whole US economy thrives on the great American spending. However, this change surely is appropriate for the times we live in. The advertisement also gives a feel of a family shopping at Wal-Mart. This perhaps is a sign of getting emotionally connected with the consumer. Apart from the slogan change Wal-Mart seems to have picked up in the décor of the store, introduced some refreshing changes in the layout and of course, service continues to be good. Of note, is that Wal-Mart seems to have decreased the size of stock keeping units. What this implies is that a smaller size of the same merchandize is now available for purchase. I was quite interested in knowing what the impact of this change has been for Wal-Mart. From the retail surveys it does seem that the change in positioning is working for Wal-Mart. It seems the American consumer does want to save money and is buying into this tagline. Saving & America; I still can’t reconcile to this fact.
SMALL CARS
Well there was a time I could hardly find a small car in US. Now the trend for small cars in US seems to be on the upswing. Gone are the days of huge gas guzzling cars, mini vans and trucks. The average American consumer has become aware of something known as “fuel efficiency” of the car. The spiraling gas prices when the crude oil touched close to $150/barrel in 2008 made the fuel efficiency one of the most popular features to look at. If the Detroit car show is anything to go by, most car manufactures are ready to showcase more small cars in US. The big guns like Ford, Toyota & Hyundai are fighting it out in the small car segment. Even Tata’s Nano is bracing up for entry in US markets in 3 yrs time at an awesome price of $5K. Having said that, it does not mean that suddenly there’s no market for big cars but the change in consumer preferences is significant. With focus on emission cuts through federal policies the small cars are here to stay in US.
SODA
Yes, the quintessential image of an average American holding a big soda and a burger also seems to be changing. I’m amazed to see advertisements from American Health Association advocating Americans to cut down on soda consumption. They do now realize that this is one of the prime reasons for obesity in US. Though the American beverage association continues to refute these claims but the ensuing war of words is quite exciting. At least, the nation is talking about it!
There may be several other perceptible signs about the changing face of America but surely the Great Depression –II has left a huge impact on US. Sometimes I wonder that these are truly character changing signs for a nation. Are these changes permanent or will America return to its true color? I’m also little pained to see that the very essence of America is under threat. The very reasons for which it used to be a dream country don’t seem to be charming anymore. So how will US look like 20 yrs from now? Something like Europe is today – living on past laurels, flattish growth and an ageing country or are we going to see a turnaround?
Let’s see how this great nation responds!
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