After yesterday’s blog on Jet and its decline, a blog on Vistara probably becomes a natural corollary. First of all, it’s got something to do with the credentials of its promoters – Tatas and Singapore Airlines – one, the most respected business house of the country and second, the most respected international carrier. You can hardly ask for a better parentage!

However , it’s start till now has been rather sluggish. It has a restricted fleet size operating mainly on trunk routes between major cities. Therefore, it offers limited flight options. Tatas, who have long-standing experience in aviation (remember Tata Airlines, the predecessor of Air India), looked confused about going whole hog on their re-entry into the sector. There was the news of their partnering Wadias in Go Air, then their interest in Air India and recently in Jet meant somewhere they look at inorganic growth rather than systematically developing Vistara. Also, their concurrent partnership with Tony Fernandes’s Air Asia for Indian operations of Air Asia only adds to the confusion.

Notwithstanding the above, while I have been avoiding Vistara in favour of Air India and Jet for the greed of accumulating their frequent flyer points, the current state of both these airlines is forcing me to seriously look at Vistara and hence today’s return flight to Mumbai was Vistara and not Jet. Jet’s flight was delayed and expectedly served horrible meal. Here the flight was ready ahead of time with very pretty, polite and smart hostesses, spic and span aircraft, filled to the capacity, offered superb meal and in all, provided everything and more that Jet of yore offered. With Tatas and Singapore Airlines helming this, aircraft’s and inflight Service can be expected to be well maintained, losses will not dent the pocket and fleet and coverage will only grow!

Welcome to the new flying experience- welcome Vistara!

1. In a sense, Jet Airways is the longest surviving airline in the country, if Air India is discounted off. For once, Air India should have been consigned to history books a lot earlier but for the sustained Government support. After the initial euphoria of the Indian skies opening up that saw a host of upmarket and luxurious service carriers like East West, Modiluft and Damania that provided much relief to fliers, fed up with Air India ( or Indian Airlines as it’s domestic avatar was earlier known as) died down, Jet Airways provided stable and great flying experience. It brought swanky new fleet of Boeing 737 class of aircrafts , introduced world class inflight hospitality through a smart and courteous crew, maintained on time performance and served delectable cuisine. It spread its network far and wide, started international flights, took over Sahara and seemed to have everything going for it. Of course Air Deccan had introduced the concept of low cost flying to Indians, which was making flying a mass experience from a class experience. What started as a revolutionary new concept was actually capitalised by Indigo that laid down new standards of on time performance, efficient boarding and de-boarding, besides offering competitive fares. Soon Indigo was to take the crown of the biggest airline in the country by market share, though it was not apparent that it was also ringing death knell for Jet. Not that Jet did not try- it had its own variants of low cost flying options in the form of Jetlite and Jet Konnect. It started showing losses intermittently, but that was surely not a cause for concern because rising costs of ATF, airport duties and pressure of competition on fares resulted in almost all airlines reporting losses during a particular quarter. What was, however, apparent all through that Jet’s service deteriorated, food quality worsened, punctuality suffered and market share diminished. Etihad appeared to have come as a saviour, but the rescue was half hearted as Jet started faltering on payment of salaries to staff, lease rentals to lessors and ATF dues to fuel suppliers.
2. What caused the country’s best and most respected and preferred airline to rot into quagmire that it finds itself today? I am sure it’s going to be a very interesting case study, but at what cost? Can Naresh Goyal make sacrifice and step down, an action that Tatas want? Or can he cede control to Etihad? Can bankers and Government rescue the airline from doom? Can the country’s once best airline be saved from being consigned to history and becoming a case study of one of the most famous debacles?

Ludhiana is a bustling industrial town of Punjab and like all industrial towns, it’s cosmopolitan, well connected , congested and not too clean. I read sometimes ago that the the city had the distinction of having the largest number of Mercedes Benz sedans in the country ! The city has, like any other developing city in India, metamorphosed into a bigger and posher city with restaurants serving global cuisines and swanky malls and buildings. However, there is one fixture that has survived the change. It’s Prince Hostel, a preferred abode for all bachelors coming to Ludhiana either for studies or first jobs.

I was resident there for about 3 months way back in 1986. It was the time when Punjab was in the throes of terrorism and Ludhiana was as susceptible to terrorist attacks as any other city in Punjab. In such a scenario, Prince Hostel was a safe haven that also served homely food. Sunday lunch menu was special and their rajma chawal were something to die for. Paranthas in the morning and healthy two course dinner were most satisfying. However, what must be stated here is that it was a bachelors’ Hostel and not a den, as the owner ensured strict discipline. Liquor was strict no no and there was time fixed to return to your rooms, unless there was a very specific reason for returning late. The parents, guardians and spouses were thus assured of their people being safe, disciplined and being taken good care of. It was, therefore, a home away from home- affordable, clean, safe, well located, with all the basic amenities available.

The trigger for this blog was received from a respected senior, Mr Malik, who incidentally was posted in Ludhiana during that period and to whom I reported. He was the one who had suggested me to stay at Prince Hostel and due to my stay at Prince Hostel and his guardianship, my brief stay of around 3.5 months remains a memorable episode of my life. Just couple of days back, he was in Ludhiana and when he passed by Prince Hostel, he especially stopped there, clicked a picture and send the same to me. It brought back all the memories of that happy phase of my life.

Makar Sakranti heralds the entry of Sun into Capricorn. Days start becoming longer and warmer and though spring is still some distance away, the unbearable chill seems to be getting over, especially in North. It’s also a festival of harvesting celebrated in Punjab and other parts of North India as Lohri, as Pongal in South India, as Poush in Bengal and Bihu in Assam. Thus, it has special significance for farming community too. Gujarat, Rajasthan and some other parts of the country celebrate the day by flying kites and competing with each other. Colourful kites adorning the sky is s treat to watch. Special food includes gur (jaggery) and til that’s loved by one and all. It’s also celebrated as new year in some parts of the country. Punjab also has a folklore around Dullah Bhatti, a Robin Hood type of Good Samaritan and in the earlier days, children would go door to door asking for Lohri in the name of Dulla Bhatti. I still remember the paean sung by children in the honour of Dulla Bhatti that goes like:

Sunder mundriye ho!
Tera kaun vicharaa ho!
Dullah Bhatti walla ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paata ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
Bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee far ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari itt!
Sanoo de de Lohri, te teri jeeve jodi!
(Cry or howl!)
Bhaanvey ro te bhaanvey Pitt!

While the above is in chaste Punjabi not fully comprehended even by me, let me wish everyone happy Makar Sankranti in a more contemporary way, by quoting what my friend recently sent to me that says:

As Sun moves into Capricorn,

And winter starts receding;

Days start getting longer and warmer,

Farmers commence harvesting.

Makar Sakranti, Lohri, Bihu,

Or Poush as this day we call;

It may be new year for some,

But it’s happy occasion for all!

Happy makar sakranti, Bihu and Lohri to all!

What separates an icon from an also run?

My childhood spent in New Delhi of yore had very few entertaining diversions, the most sought after being visit to Connaught Place or CP as it was called. It was planned in advance and would involve almost everything- an outing, snacking, lunching, movie watching and shopping! But everything was so fixed. First Dosa, idli and vada at Madras Hotel, then softy at Standard, movie at one of either Regal, Rivoli, Plaza or Odeon, a bottle of flavoured milk at Keventers, pop corn at Empire Stores, buying cake for home from Wengers, pair of shoes from Bata and then returning home fully refreshed and satisfied. One thing common amongst all the names above was their iconic status. Madras Hotel was amongst the pioneers to introduce South Indian food to Delhiites and till its closure in early 2000s, it served consistently delicious tasty South Indian stuff. The bus terminus now known as Shivaji Park was in fact known as Madras Hotel, such was the status of this great icon. Standard has closed and so has Regal, which boasted of a very fine restaurant inside the theatre lobby that served delicious snacks. Odeon, Rivoli and Plaza have since become multiplexes (Plaza ran Sholay for more than 75 weeks). Keventers and Wengers still exist, though how many people especially go there to savour their stuff is anybody’s guess! Bata shops are there all over and hardly anyone wears Bata shoes these days ( I have myself graduated to Hush Puppies; luckily this brand is sold by Bata outlets so the continuity remains) .

The above is true for all major and old cities and I intend to pen about the icons of Mumbai and Kolkata, my current and past cities of abode respectively! Today we see new outlets coming up by dime and dozen, but they disappear at a rate faster than speed of light! I think consistency of quality, value for money, hygiene, family atmosphere, personal touch of the owners etc saw the above icons survive for decades if not a century, till market dynamics became unbearably adverse. I hope Wengers survive to cater to the taste buds of one more generation and Bata keeps on reinventing itself! Let’s hope that Nahoum’s, Badshah Roll, Srileather, Amber – all of Kolkata and Leopold’s, Ramashetty, Madras Cafe, Purnima, Amarsons, Roopkala, Kala Niketan, Cafe Britannia, Regal, Eros- all in Mumbai survive to live another day and add to their iconic status!

My friend Jayanta Chatterjee, a prolific blogger, ex- banker, travel writer, a part time actor and photographer par excellence, yesterday introduced me to the concept of VUCA world while reviewing one of my blogs that talked about the matter of luck. I instantly told him that by appreciating me to VUCA world, he gave me an idea for another blog that I am proving by writing on VUCA.

VUCA in fact is an acronym representing four distinct words – Volatile, Uncertain , Complex and Ambiguous. This also is a much better substitute for another much used word these days – Disruption! Anything that does not go as per expectation but suddenly exposes us to unexpected challenges is a disruption. We in banking sector use disruption to explain all the new and recent challenges viz. new banking licenses, small and payment banks, digitisation, automation and artificial intelligence, relevance of brick and mortar structure in the form of bank branches, UPI, wallets etc. These changes in fact are quite volatile changing the face of banking in last 3-4 years, have led to uncertainty regarding the next move, ridden with complexity and in a sense fraught with certain amount of ambiguity. The pace of volatility is only going to go up and if the last transformation took 3-4 years, the next major transformation may happen anytime, thereby causing uncertainty. The next change could consist of layers of complexity and to that extent, the scenario is quite ambiguous. And this rationale can be extended to almost any field or walk of life and VUCA fits it too a tee, much more appropriate than disruption.

Next general elections are due in May and as the date approaches and political activities gather momentum, it will not be disruption, but VUCA. Thanks to Jayantada for familiarising me with this word, which is relevant, appropriate, precise and penetrative and much more versatile than oft used disruption.

One of the topics of perpetual discussion is whether there is anything called luck or is one’s destiny in person’s own hands? In a popular Hindi movie number picturised on two iconic stars Dilip Kumar and Shammi Kapoor, there’s an argument happening between the two whether it’s all about luck ( taqdeer) or effort (tadbeer) ?

While I am a firm believer in making effort and treat luck as an overrated element of blind faith, certain events force you to reckon luck! This is true specially in case of property. Sometimes a property that you buy suddenly becomes a hot piece of real estate when it’s announced that a large commercial hub is coming in its vicinity or Metro is getting extended right up to your flat ! On the other hand, a prime property situated right in the heart of the city may have to be abandoned or substantially sacrificed should Government decide to widen the main road! When I moved to Mumbai several years ago, I was told that for train travel Andheri was the best option as large number of trains originated from there. I realised it myself that trains that went beyond Andheri were severely overcrowded and packed and boarding or getting down at a non terminus station was virtually next to impossible. But in an Andheri local, one could virtually catch a nap or finish newspaper as train would originate and terminate there at.

This year after decades of struggle of changing rented accommodations, I finally managed to have a home of my own in a place none other than Andheri. I told my wife that now I would be commuting to office only by train and not by my personal vehicle. Railways change their time table every October. This October, I was in for a rude shock rather than a pleasant surprise. Western Railways decided to shift terminal from Andheri to Goregaon and like all other stations before or after Andheri, it too has become an intermediate station ! I am back to commuting by car – spending 3-4 hours everyday on road, leaving daily newspaper unread and forgetting the luxury of travel nap! What efforts could I have made to avert this ?

On 31st December, not only the year 2018 ended, but along with it ended the life of one of the icons of Hindi Cinema, Kadar Khan (KK). A writer par excellence and a versatile actor, who could essay virtually any role, Kadar Khan breathed his last in Canada, where his son stays. Alas, the maverick actor would be buried there itself and India will be bereft of his last rites too.

A late starter in Hindi movies, Kadar Khan studied engineering and was a teacher. However, he would participate in college dramatics as an amateur actor. Newspapers inform us that Manmohan Desai invited him to complete the dialogues of his film Roti. As far as my memory goes, Kadar Khan was first seen in an important character role in Sanjeev Kumar- Shashi Kapoor starrer Mukti. With his uncommon rugged features and deep tenor voice, KK made an immediate impression. What followed Mukti and Roti were a series of movies which he wrote or acted in. A report says he wrote close to 100 movies and acted in around 400. In his hey days, producers would wait for their turn for KK to pen story, screenplay or dialogues for them. From mid 70s till late 80s, KK ruled the roost. From villainy to comedy, the man could do everything seamlessly. His teaming up with Govinda and Shakti Kapoor provided cinegoers some light relief when gory violence was the order of the day.

Towards later part of his life, KK had become a recluse and had taken to religious teaching. His health also become circumspect. And like all good things, his life also came to an end. Rare are the men of such versatility and talent, who create a special niche for themselves on their own strength.

Rest in peace KK!

2018 is gone and 2019 has arrived. Is it just change in calendar date or is there anything special about this transition from 31st December to 1st January? Actually it’s just not a simple transition but an important change! It’s time to take fresh perspective of life, the learning from the year gone by, the unfinished agenda of things that we have always wanted to pursue, the habits that we want to overcome, the virtues that we want to adopt etc! This also happens because with the change of year, all numbers concerning one’s life change – suddenly you are an year older, one year closer to superannuation, one year more of your married life, one year closer to your end age….! All this can be summed in few lines as below:

Life is too short

And there’s so much to be done;

One more year has gone

But a mint fresh one has come.

I may be older and a tad fatter

But certainly I possess more wisdom.

But unless I use this wisdom

To better something in today’s state

It will just be one more year gone by

With nothing written on a clean slate!!

This is dedicated to my old friend and a close blog follower because inspiration for this second bling on new year has come from him.

The time has come once again for us to bid adieu to an year coming to an end and welcome a mint fresh new year. For some it’s only change in calendar date, an occasion to celebrate and rejoice for some and making a firm resolution to make a fresh beginning for some. To each his own as no one can be really faulted. For many of us, 31st December is a busy quarter end warranting late sitting in office and preparing to go to work on the next day viz. 1st of January. Thus, for all such workaholics, it’s mere change in calendar date. Some of us need an excuse to party, howsoever flimsy that excuse may be! For all such people, welcoming a new year is much better than a flimsy excuse and hence partying into wee hours of the morning is a great option for them. A few of us take our lives very seriously and hence this is an occasion to reflect upon the year gone by and plan for the new year by making some firm resolutions. My experience is that most of these resolutions are thrown to winds in the very few days of the start of the new year.

Like each year, at this juncture 2019 looks to hold exciting possibilities. We expect more powerful India, strong Sensex, good monsoon, Cheaper petrol, metro rail network in major cities, general elections leading to stability of the country, cricket World Cup, stronger rupee, big Bollywood hits, celebrity gossips and what not!

Whichever category we may belong to (sleeping through the new year, celebrating or passing resolution types) and whatever be our big bets , let’s leave the baggage of burden on our minds, conscious and heart behind and nurture hopes, dreams and aspirations for a better 2019 on all counts!

Happy new year 2019 to all!