travails of happiness

i took train today. it was nice. i really enjoyed it. it has no correlation with the topic, but then there are times when you want to use certain words, and then you use them. Travails :) word for today.

today was one of those days when you realise, that small things in life make you happy. I went to drop off my car for service, which is quite far from home. so then I decided to take a autorikshaw back, but my friend and adviser (and also the worlds greatest car tuner for me) suggested i take the train. well, this was the first time i was taking the metropolis's extravagant Mass Rapid Transit System - which was Mass (it was a garguantian splurge of money), hardly rapid, but it was a system (well, a single drain pipe is also a system)- but this offered a very unique blend of sights, somehting which i have never seen in my life.

the first thing that struck me was the sheer size of these stations, huge- and DAMN lonely- i really wonder how on earth women go thru that place. I was spooked, and I am 6' 3", weigh close to 120Kgs, and have a few color belts in Tae Kwondo, Judo, and karate, so i say hats off to folks to like using it. There were no shady folks hanging around there, but the sheer size of the place- huge, no lights, and just outside there was so much traffic - it was the blatant imbalance of chaos between the outside and inside that throws one off.

the first few kilometers was over a highly developed and hyped peice of real-estate called the "IT Corridor" it was elevated, and it was those feelings that you get from seeing everything from above. beyond that, it was the most eclectic mix of poverty, modernity, nature and dirt all mixed into a heady concoction in order to make the 20 minute ride a very memorable one.

The journey took me through the city. I saw so much greenery. I saw many sights that I have never seen before. I guess this route gives you a different perspective on things. a view from the neighbours window. Thats what I call it. You always wonder- what does your neighbour see from their window - will it be different? what will it be? and thats what I saw today. The buildings were absymal - in a state of such shamble- but right next to these buildings were large pre-indipendece structures ,that blew ones breath away.

I think i iwll take this trip once more. Just to try and capture the sights again. Just for that reason. Once more.

Startup Central?

how friendly is society towards startups? well, its slowly dawning on me- not very. 

1. finances: if a startup needs a loan - its not available unless you have been in existance for 3 years with all audited financial information- which kinda defeats the purpose of a startup. 

2. market sentiments - well- everyone seems to be out to take you for a ride- esp if you are not doing some form of mild rocket science. thye are like- you are a startup - so what canyou possibly do. so the moral of the story is  - market whatever you do as rocket science.

3. realestate- realised that the folks in the building need to see fancy spancy crap to think that you are a worthwile company- which is annoying to say the least. Just today - i had the watchman for the office building saying that the parking is not available for us- which is very strange- because the owners have had parking slots for almost 3 years. 

guess its a matter of perspective- as to who can be walked over and who would turn around and bite you back.

being on your own

Today was a day of reckoning. we took some decisions as a company. and we are proud of them. Being on your own its nice- this feeling. At times its troubled thoughts on how one might put food on the table, but its also a sense of liberation which allows you to do anything you might want at any time and any point. explore limitless possibilities and all along be happy- simply because you are choosing to do so. 

we have grown!

we hired our second employee this week. this morning, we stumbled on a great idea- and have decided to take it forward. a bit of a digression from our current line of work - but hey- being the boss -you can dictate.

So, we need some folks - we sent out some email and now we posted an advert online. Our very first advert. 

So as things go ... incase anyone who reads this .. knows of any good folks.. do refer them to us.

decisions

when you work for an established orgnization, you assume that all bills will be covered. however, when you are on your own - you have to make sure you have enough money to make sure the bills are covered. so if you want to buy an AC for the office- hmm- thought needs to go in - to how much the bills are going to be and whether this is a necessity or an extravagance. that rule of thumb literally goes for everything that we need to purchase. getting money is the 2nd most critical thing, the first being - the balls to take off. you need money for eveyrthing- and every tom, dick and third bihari thinks that since you have a startup - you are flushed with cash. which is not the best thought since- they will jack up the prices. here- being a startup- you will be as cost conscious as possible- comparing vendors to even supply you toilet equipment, whereas most of the suppliers think- hmmm... new company... more money! :( sadly - the saga for the entrepreneur is never over. 

another golden rule-  time is money. when you decide not to work - you loose business. you can't afford to sit back with your feet in the air saying - im my own boss- i think i wont go to work today. nein - that does not work these days! :(

so a tip - think a million times before you jump in! :)

Our first office

Monday August 4th 2008

My first monday morning in office. reached at a fairly decent time (i guess 10am is decent by most standards! ) and worked on a few things, ironing out some issues, and mailed a few folks. Finally we set off to make our first purchase. it was funny, it was the first tim in my life that i bargained. and bargained hard. well, for most folks, the bargaining might have been peanuts, but for someone who doesnt bother - i was rather surprised with myself with the level of bargaining. :)

we came out of the shop with one printer and one wireless hub. our companies first office equipment. 

clap! clap! 

The Entrepreneur

Sunday 22nd June 2008- sitting in office at 4pm, wondering what the hell were we doing pushing ourselves so hard. It was Saturdays, sundays, all days 8am to 2am almost. I had always wanted to be on my own, so decided, if i can work so hard for someone, doing something for which the benifits I will never see, I must have it in me to do it for me? well, at that moment, I logged into the system, and clicked on the one button all of us stuck in the rat race always dream of clicking- "submit resignation". That being done, Startedworking with even more gusto, because i saw light at the end of the tunnel. something which i felt that wll allow me to explore the relems of life, and enjoy the joy of success. 

Thursday 31st July 2008- Was effectively my last day at the company. I went about finishing my formalities, had a small farewell party - a cake and a lovely gift voucher - most importantly, it was a gathering to say goodbye. The light at my tunnel was appearing brighter, many a times during the 1.5 months, I wondered if i had taken th right decision. If this was the case, then should i withdraw my resignation? so, here i was, at the cusp of the next big step of my life. I was finally going to be an entrepreneur. my dream and my ambition. 

Senseless websense!

I finally moved my team, which got me a different job profile, along with it, a complete drop from the ultimate position- a direct internet connection. that essentially allowed me to go anywhere and do anything and not worry about the fact that the site minder software wont be bothering me! :) But then, as they say- all good things shall pass! 

so, I changed, and lost those privileges as well. No admin access, no internet access, nothing. well, truly a second class citizen! :)

but the crux of the issue is - how useful is websense? people always find ways around systems. Like with the great ultrasurf. Websense's only nemesis - where the software seems to tunnel its way through the software to give the user unlimited access.

Them folks at work - have decided to restrict almost all sites that will allow a person to maintin their sanity. all sports sites are blocked, all entertainment sites are blocked, hell - even blogs are blocked. Little do they realise that with the heralding in of the web2.0 system - blogs are where the information is. All information - opinions are now  blogged. and if the access is not allowed- well, truly - it sucks! 

silence

its been a long time since i posted. and this is only because of the most obsolete and outdated system of total tyrannical rule that is being imposed on most companies today - websense! Its a software that serves no earthly purpose but to frustrate users on the inaccesability to the internet and several genuine sites that will help in improving one's general knowledge. For example- all "entertainment" sites are blocked- so now i dont know what little Ms. Spears is doing with her kids and if her mother is going to help them or not. Now, how can i live with myself if i dont know such information in life! Oh MY God!

This weekend was a very stressful one. I am in the process of moving house, and it appears as though mediocracy has made itself a norm in the consumer world today. First, the A/C person calls and makes me loose my cool, the slimebag who brings the A/c wants money, the guys who come and finally fix it at 10pm say that its not working, and now i have to go there on a weekday to make sure they bring the part to fx it! It sucks beyond words! :(

However, i did get to spend time with some friends, and made some new friends in the process, so as they say - you win some you loose some.

magic carpet ride

In life, someone always tells you what to do… in school - the teachers, in college the profs and finally when you break out of that your boss fills in those shoes- do this do that, dont do this, don't do that…

then you realize- you will be taken seriously, only if you get married.. and decide to get married.. NOW your wife tells you - do this, do that. buy this, don't buy that… and you fall back into the rut again! such is life.

My wife is constantly complaining on how i spend too much time on my car and I care about my car a lot. yes, on the surface someone might think that "my god, how can this guy love his car so much if there are scratches all over" but for the record- the dents and scratches are all caused by my parents and brother. In my 2 years + of driving my own cars, i have had the dubious distinction of not even scratching her even once. So, it comes back to what do I do to spend so much time on the car then? the Engine! pure engineering excellence… in a sense a philharmonic in motion.. i love the engine. with the twist of the key, the crank and the purr of motor sends a soothing smile… yes. Love at first crank!

My heart was set on a palio - i was looking for a car with a 100horses, and the palio proved just that. So when finally i said that I was going for a new car.. i scouted and got myself a good deal on a new palio. that was a year and three months ago.. my first new car…

What is it that makes this worth while? well.. lots of things.. the car, the presence and most of all.. its my baby! i care so much that my wife complains… but there are those rare moments… like this morning.. coming through the madhya kailsh traffic felt like a baseball bat had been swung a dozen times at your face..and missed all.. but you keep wondering - who's going to cut you next- him- no, her.. YIEKS! then you hit OMR… and you change through gears into overdrive (which in the palio is the 4th and 5th gears btw) and you cruise.. 60kmph… smooth… its like riding on air.

for those few moments, it makes sense spending time and money to change the filters, change oil and what ever can be done to keep the engine in pristine condition… just pure bliss… its you, the car and a magic carpet ride. a ride whre you forget everything .. just to enjoy the moment.. yes. that moment makes it worthwile!

Lifestage marketing

Lifestage marketing has been a buzz term in recent years as a method of targeting consumers and characterizing consumer behavior. More and more companies are realizing the importance of positioning products not as products, but as something that a consumer would require at a particular stage of their life. Typically, marketers categorize consumers of fast moving consumer goods and consumer durables by social class, income, age and gender. However, discovering lifestage triggers help to identify who among these is more likely to buy the product.

In lifestage marketing, consumers tend to go through four distinct phases: Transition Stage, Early Stage, Expansion Stage and Mature Stage. From a marketer's perspective, the key questions will be: “what are the target lifestage groups?” and “Within each stage, what are the purchase triggers?” When Maruti was pitching for the 800 model car, their campaign started off with spreading the message of “Reliable and trustworthy”. This was

In 1983, when the only competition was the old ambassador and the fiat, thereby the message seemed apt. The company soon realized that the M800 was the average middle income Indian's first car. The purchase decision was taken to move up from a two wheeler, to a four wheeler, and hence affordability played a big role. The main criterion for this was lifestage. The customer, a young family man, who needed to upgrade from a two wheeler to a car, with the many commitments of running a family, put off purchase because of the “cost” of the vehicle. M800's 2599 campaign that ran in early 2003 attempted to pitch the car as an “affordable” vehicle with great success.

In April 2000, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) published a report titled “Better informed consumers”. In this report, the FSA found that in 16 per cent of cases, the primary driver for the consideration of a financial services product was event/lifestage led and that it had an influence in almost a third of all cases. It was also found that consumers were unaware of what product would best meet their apparent need. This leaves a tremendous opportunity for financial service providers to help customers identify what they need at each lifestage and thus gain business.

The very essence of lifestage marketing is: “there are events or moments in people's lives that trigger particular needs or desires.” The key is to recognize these changing priorities as quickly as possible and target customers, whether existing or potential, with the relevant products. Lifestage marketing is a good way to attract attention to the product, as it relates specifically to what is happening in the customer's life. When done correctly and used in way that is consistent with the company's brand, this type of marketing should form a highly successful acquisition and retention tool. Lifestage and lifestyle are two very different things. Both allow a company to identify and target consumers. While lifestage is event based and looks at where customers are in their lives, for example divorce or about to have children, lifestyle concentrates on how they live them.

Both methods have their uses and can be effective complementary tools. Personalization

When consumers move between lifestages, they are entering unfamiliar territory. By increasing attention at these times, companies can help when it counts, thereby building strong, profitable relationships. The result is a much more personalized process which makes the consumer feel more valued and more loyal. Technology, product and organization cultural changes are necessary.

Datamonitor's report found that centralized systems are vital to understand how a customer's need changes across all products and how best to target them. Systems also require sensitive and experienced handling. Investment in technology is necessary to receive the long-term gains available from targeted marketing. The traditional product focus of financial service providers has typically fuelled a very rigid product offering to customers. This design is not considerate of customer needs and does not reflect that people's needs are constantly changing. As part of the process of becoming more customer centric, products need to evolve and become more flexible, with the ability to adapt as a customer moves from one lifestage to another. Internal cultural change is also required, to switch from a product focus towards a more customer-centric approach.

Change involves not only becoming customer centric within departments but also requires increased co-operation between them. This is vital if lifestages are to be used effectively.

In Conclusion

It is true that lifestages are becoming less predictable. However, their use can give an indication of what people are likely to want/do. The age bands where events typically

happen are becoming more elastic and cultural changes are leading to more lifestages.

People in general actively make decisions in a very short span of time. By being better equipped to predict these decision points, for example by picking up changes to

normal spending patterns, companies can increase their chance of successfully securing business. Many of these times will be when people enter new lifestages. Thus, careful

identification of these stages might prove useful. By providing support and giving valuable advice over these periods, long term, trusting relationships can be built.

- Madan Menon

PGPM Class of 2005

Reference:

1 http://www.exchange4media.com/Brandspeak/brandspeak.asp?brand_id=37

Rally certified

Now I am a certified rally driver.... its a really cool thing to say, but well, its true. I went for a two day workshop, worked my hiney through the grind, and drove a car, and realised.. its TOUGH! you always go where the car takes you. Good drivers take the care where you want to go.

I learnt a lot from the course, no names for those kind ofthings, most importantly, keep you cool... you are coming down a slope at about 60, hit some slush, and try turning... what happens???? the car goes straight... well, these are the times when you realise that you need to do things that make the car behvae in ways its not trained to behave.

All in all, it was fun. I met some great people.. and made a startling discovery... i cant drive all the way back to chennai from bangalore after a tiring day! :)

Incase you are wondering: it was a course conducted by Rally Art website at www.rallyartindia.com

Virtualization

I sat through a Virtualization session by some good folks from the Big Blue the other day. I must add, that it was quite fascinating.

I have read up a lot on virtualization, but never did quite get a hang of it. Did my first virtual run on the iBook with XP with the virtualPC. Pretty funky. So with that experience in mind, went ahead for this.

However, the good thing that came out, a) this myth of virtualization i had was shattered. and b) i became smarter.

I was nice enough to sit next to some good folks from my team, who were patient enough to explain all my little doubts.
The first session was torture, it was like in the first 15minutes of a 2 hour lecture that you start feeling sleepy, and you go ... wwwwoooooowwww... i am so screwed!
there were some chaps, who were determined to prove that cacti actually grow out of their butts, because they just went on and on and on... if only they were the enrgizer bunny - would have squashed the living daylights out of them. after I moved my place, I had company, and was less sleepy (yes, i also had 2 cups of industrial strength coffee which i think actually did the trick)

Anywyas- a lowdown on virtualization:
What is virtulization- its when several virtual environments run on a single hardware platform. Now, this helps because if you have just one system and OS running on on hardware platform, there is a LOT of underutlized hardware lying around.

§Virtualization is the process of presenting a logical grouping or (sub)set of computing resources so that they can be accessed in ways that give benefits over the original configuration. This is not restricted by the implementation, geographic location or the physical configuration of the underlying resources.

Now: in order to virtualize - you need a sort of mediator - which is the job for a program called the Hypervisor. The hypervisor essentially is the link between the hardwre layer and the OS layer. However, the best part is EACH OS believes it's got its own hardware.

Advanced versions of the hypervisor can actually break down the processor and provision an x% of the prc for one OS and y% for another. Which essentially works till you turn off one system, then 100% goes to the OS that is on.
This as brilliant applications in companies that have development and production servers in the same box. If they believe the load for the production box is going to peak, then they simply shut off the development box, and send the resources to the production box till the peak has passed.

You now have several virtualization tools like Xen, VMware etc all vying for what I would term the next big step in computing.

Basic common sense

Sometimes it is appalling on the apathy shown towards customers by large corporates. A very large computer vendor seems to have a problem with earthing.

Electrical circuits may be connected to ground (earth) for several reasons. In power circuits, a connection to ground is done for safety purposes to protect people from the effects of faulty insulation on electrically powered equipment. A connection to ground helps limit the voltage built up between power circuits and the earth, protecting circuit insulation from damage due to excessive voltage. Connections to ground may be used to limit the build-up of static electricity when handling flammable products or when repairing electronic devices. In some types of telegraph and power transmission circuits, the earth itself can be used as one conductor of the circuit, saving the cost of installing a separate run of wire as a return conductor. For measurement purposes, the Earth serves as a (reasonably) constant potential reference against which other potentials can be measured. An electrical ground system should have an appropriate current-carrying capability in order to serve as an adequate zero-voltage reference level.

The use of the term ground (or earth) is so common in electrical and electronics applications that circuits in vehicles such as ships, aircraft, and spacecraft may be spoken of having a "ground" connection without any real connection to the Earth. (from wikipedia)

So what is the solution. there are two. One, ensure that the customer does not touch the earth directly whilst operating the device, that includes wearing shoes etc, or secondly, go to the source. Ensure that there is correct earthing from the supply.

When they deny that this is a cause, and are still not doing anything, you wonder if its the right thing to do?

Read more here

Intel 'energy-efficient' claim debunked

An article in the techworld about intel's claim on green technology. Tried and tested.


By Chris Mellor, Techworld

After Intel CEO Paul Otellini bragged that Intel's Xeon chip was the most energy-efficient processor, Neal Nelson compared it to AMD's offering and found that Intel wasn't being exactly truthful.

Advertisement

Recent tests by Neal Nelson & Associates, an independent computer performance consulting firm, have reported that in 36 of the 57 cases tested, an AMD Opteron-based server delivered better power efficiency than a comparably configured Intel Xeon-based server.

The tests were performed on servers configured with 2, 4, 6 and 8 gigabytes of main memory at various transaction processing load levels. The results show that for certain configurations and at certain load levels the Intel Xeon based server was 2.4 to 11.7 percent more power efficient while in other cases, the AMD Opteron based server was 9.2 to 23.1 percent more power efficient. In addition, when the systems were idle and waiting for transactions to process, the AMD server was 30.4 to 53.1 percent more power efficient.

Power consumption while the servers are idle is particularly significant since many servers spend most of their time waiting for work. A November 16, 2006-press release from IBM quotes a report by the Robert Frances Group, which states that on average servers in datacentres are idle 80 to 85 percent of the time.

The test results also showed that:-

* Larger memory configurations deliver both higher throughput and better power efficiency
* Intel's power efficiency advantages decrease as memory size increases,
* AMD's power efficiency advantages increase as memory size increases,
* For CPU-intensive workloads, the Xeon delivers 8.0 to 14.0 percent higher peak throughput,
* For primarily I/O intensive workloads the Opteron delivers 11.3 to 19.4 percent higher peak throughput.

Neal Nelson conducted these tests in response to a statement made by Intel CEO Paul Otellini in a July 18, 2007 analyst conference call. During that call Mr Otellini referred to Intel's "lead in power efficiency." Neal Nelson decided to use his company's benchmark toolset to determine if Intel actually had a lead in power efficiency.

In a somewhat dry comment, Neal Nelson said: "It appears that Mr Otellini's statement is inconsistent with the test results."

The tests were not financed or sponsored by any company or group.

Source: http://www.techworld.com/

Corporate Brand lifecycle

http://www.brandchannel.com/papers.asp

A pretty interesting white paper by a couple of friends - exploring the corporate branding landscape.

breaking out!

there are times when you sit in front, wondering where life is heading? this weekend was packed, i did a lot, read some, relaxed, met friends and had a few meetings that direclty impact my future. but, today when i got to office, i just sat, and wondered. why? there is a lot of negativity that surrounds you. you wonder if this is good, if its required and more essentially- how it should not affect you. you need to be able to stand back, and take perspective on issues.

maybe i am crabby because i have not had my morning cuppa. but then again, there must be an underlying cause that is pushing me to this realm.

Coffee shop goes avant-garde in a silent fashion

pretty interesting when an international chain - does something like this.

New Delhi: In a unique bid, a Costa Coffee outlet in South Delhi has employed ten people who can not hear or speak. A few months ago the café chain decided to employ them on an experimental basis. Today, this silent experiment has taken off on a high note.

President & CEO, Costa Coffee, Virag Joshi says, “They are a part of the society and there’s nothing wrong in them. What we can do, maybe they can do it better”.

After being trained for forty-five days, these youngsters were eased into the daily operations of the café. They now manage the show, much on their own and with a little help from their supervisors.

But are they scared of not being able to communicate with customers?

An employee at the outlet, Arti, explains through sign language, “No, not at all. We ask customers to point to items on the menu card or we ask them to write it down."

“They are very nice. They take care of guests,” says a customer of the coffee shop. Another says, “Of course they won’t get jobs easily. They are getting jobs here so that’s good for them”.

Sometimes its good to be in IT! :)

Little would this poor junior officer have thought that the good deed he was doing by sending a DVD with information to the auditors is going to have an impact on the government, the entire country and 25Million people! WOW!

I do feel very sorry for this poor soul. Imagine the pressure. The police, intelligence sources and every possible force in england is looking for 2 discs that contain the personal, bank and social security details of 25 million people. WOW! this is the biggest loss that has happened in England, and speaking from the point of security - its any hackers / identity thief's ideal goal. 2 CDs - 25Million details. WOW!

Thast the way - that working in IT can have significant impact on small actions. Even something as small as burning 2 CDs. I must wish everyone luck here!


Brown apologises for records loss

Mr Brown said the government was working to prevent fraud

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he "profoundly regrets" the loss of 25 million child benefit records.

He told MPs he apologised for the "inconvenience" caused and said the government was working to prevent the data being used for fraud.

But Conservative leader David Cameron said the government had "failed in its first duty to protect the public".

The child benefit data on the missing discs includes names, ages, bank and address details.

'Mistakes'

During a heated prime minister's questions session, Mr Brown said: "I profoundly regret and apologise for the inconvenience and worries that have been caused to millions of families who receive child benefits.

"When mistakes happen in enforcing procedures, we have a duty to do everything we can to protect the public."

But Mr Cameron said: "They will be angry that the government has failed in its first duty to protect the public."

He added: "What people want from their prime minister on a day like this is to show some broad shoulders, be the big man and accept some responsibility."

Earlier, the Tories questioned whether Alistair Darling was "up to the job" of chancellor.

Mr Darling said he "deeply regretted" what had happened, but stressed there was no evidence of misuse of the data.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Darling said his confidence had been "shaken" by what he described as a "catastrophic" incident.

''There's no doubt in my mind there have been very, very serious breaches here.

"People are entitled to trust the government to look after information that is given to it - for child benefit or any other purposes - and that did not happen here," said the chancellor.

He said the information, which was on two CDs, should "should never, ever have left the building in which it was stored".

Mr Darling denied the problem was related to the merger of the Revenue and Customs departments and staff cuts, as claimed by staff members in e-mails to the BBC.

'Difficult'

He also hit back at claims his own position as chancellor was in doubt amid continuing difficulties with Northern Rock, which has seen its share price plunge a further 15%.

"I am not going to start running away from things when things get difficult," he told Today.

Referring to the data loss crisis, he said: "It is difficult, unwelcome in every respect, but I am determined to see it through".

Earlier, Mr Darling said banks were monitoring all 7.25 million bank accounts whose details were on the discs, which contained the personal details of all child benefit recipients in the UK.

People are being urged by both the chancellor and banks to keep a close eye on their accounts "for unusual activity".

Mr Darling said that anyone who lost money as a result of any misuse of the data would be covered for losses under the banking code.

On Tuesday the chancellor told MPs how the entire child benefit database was sent by a junior official from HMRC in Washington, Tyne and Wear, to the audit office in London through courier TNT on 18 October.

The chancellor said the official had broken the rules by downloading the data to disc and sending it by unrecorded delivery.

But he reassured those affected that police had no reason to believe the discs had found their way into the wrong hands, nor did they have any evidence of it being used for "fraudulent purposes or criminal activity."

Buck questions

Bosses at the Revenue were not told about what had happened until 8 November and Mr Darling and Prime Minister Gordon Brown learned about the situation on 10 November.

The chancellor said he had delayed an emergency statement to the Commons because banks and building societies had asked for time to prepare and make sure security procedures were in place.

The officials involved waited before informing their superiors in the hope that the discs would be found.

The Metropolitan Police is leading the search, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which oversees the HMRC, is investigating the security breach.

A TNT spokesman said that because the discs had not been sent as recorded it was not possible to verify if they had ever been posted. He added that the company would not be responsible for any losses incurred.

Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Vince Cable asked: "Where does the buck stop in this government?"

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7104945.stm

After school - keeps crime down?

A recent news article about the after-school program that teaches school kids football, and now gives them a change in their lifestyles - is quite touching, given the circumstances in todays news.

There are many after-school programs - that essentially work to keep the kids busy - and give them something to look forward to - either to learn music, or to study. Giving them a medium to express themselves- artistically or otherwise, does in turn reduce crime rates. Essentially since kids are off the streets.

Chennai: A group of young footballers from the slums of Chennai are gearing up to play football with the Manchester United team. The children from the slums of Vyasarpadi in Chennai- an area known for its extreme poverty and high crime rates - now have a chance to meet their football idols from the Manchester United team and train under them. The training schedule has been made possible due to the efforts of a local football enthusiast and the NGO CRY. A chance to meet their idols has the youngsters excited. When asked about his idol Dhileepan, one of the youngsters, says, "Ronaldo." Another youngster A Raj says Cristiano Ronaldo is his idol. The young players are practicing for the finals of the Manchester United League selections to be held from November 24-27. If selected, four of them will fly to Manchester to get trained by their heroes. And they owe this to Umapathi, an Income Tax department employee, who was also born in the slums. He is teaching the young protégés the power of dreams through football. After training them for free for the last 10 years he says he can see the difference. "The crime rate has gone down in Vyasarpadi. These kids now realise they have a chance to make it big. So they don't go loitering around and stealing. They play football instead," Umapathi, the football coach, says

And this is what a little hope can do to a human being. "We're all going to school now because in London they speak only English. So to be able to communicate, we need to know the language," one of the youngster Ramkumar, says. "We used to loiter around earlier chewing tobacco and playing with marbles. Now we come to train. We have hope now," Hridayaraj adds. And even all of them can't make it to Manchester the journey so far has surely been dream-like.