Pics from Goa Trip - 4

Pics from Goa Trip - 3

Pics from Goa Trip - 2

Pics from Goa Trip - 1

Does Not Make Sense

Living a nomadic life these days. Moved from Pune to Hyderabad in a car filled with personal belongings. A new job lhas led me to this new city. The plan was to find a place to stay within a week. But things did not go as per plan.

Spent the first one week in a hotel - meeting brokers, checking out potential places to stay. Found a place and almost finalizedit. Later, came to know about some not-so-good things about the place, landlord and caretaker. 

Found another place but it was going to be available only after a month. Checked out of the hotel, filled the car with my stuff and shifted to a friend's house Spent two weeks there. Not the best two weeks though. I felt welcomed and felt at home there. The family treated me really well. But coming back from office everyday and finding them play with their kids was difficult. It used to make me miss my daughter immensely. And I suffered from severe bouts of depression. 

Then spent a week with my family - holidaying in Goa. That was a relief and something I thoroughly enjoyed.

After returning, I loaded my stuff again in my car and shifted to a hotel. Will spend a week in the hote,l and then will pack my stuff again and move to the place I have picked. That place is not a house or home. It is just a room in a flat. So since past month and may be for a long time, my world has been limited to single rooms and my car. That is a nomadic life, isn't it?

These days I question myself - is staying like this really worth it? I am away from my parents, wife and most importantly my daughter. Yes, it is an interesting opportunity that excites me and so far, I like the people I have met. But staying away from family, not having anyone to talk to after office hours makes me a little depressed. Financially also, it does not make too much sense (right now). I have to take care of expenses of two full fledged households in two different cities.

Till I reunite with my family, nothing is going to make sense.

King of Good Times!!!

Dear Romeo Alpha Mike

Dear Romeo Alpha Mike,

I recently left Foxtrot and Sierra after spending over 7.5 years. I thoroughly enjoyed my stint there - except the last few months. It is indeed going through some turbulence and require several changes. Honestly, I was excited about your vision - even though your first mail sent massive shock waves!!! :) 

I felt that you would be able to do the much needed course correction. Naturally, I was surprised and shocked when I heard about your exit. Based on my interactions with stakeholders (though the sample is neither statistically significant nor representative),  I can say that they had high expectations from you and they felt confused later on. Your blogs/articles suggest that things were not handled in a professional manner. 

I wish the organization could benefit from your vision and leadership. And I wish you all the best!! 

Regards, 

Alpha Kilo

Flirting For Benefits

There is this company that I know pretty well. I know several people who have worked over there or are currently employed with the company. It is a global company with offices in several countries (more than 40) across the globe. Though it has a decent name in the industry it operates in, I have heard there are several internal issues. Some people have all the power and they are running the company as a family run business. Well, that is not the reason why I wrote this blog.

I have heard that some key people in the management are known to flirt with women and they shower certain women employees with benefits. These benefits include promotions, increments, opportunities to travel abroad and so on. I have also heard that some women employees have had a unbelievably fast growth trajectory. There is a particular female in the India office; as per some of the people in senior leadership, she has slept her way to an important position in the organization. All this is widely discussed - I am surprised that it neither bothers those people in the top management nor those women employees!! It is extremely unethical and for an old school person like me, it is absolutely disgusting. Well, that is ALSO not the reason why I wrote this blog.

I came to know that one woman employee - who is widely believed to have benefited from these practices - recently acknowledged it. Apparently, she told 2 other employees that it is the fastest way to grow in the company. As per her, the management is full of old lustful men and one can get several benefits by flirting with them or giving them 'some freedom'!!! One of the other female employees - who was part of the conversation - acknowledged it and called her boss a disgusting pervert. For some reason, this brought a smile on my face. I am certainly not under any kind of delusion that it would change such men - at least in that company. May be I smiled because more people came to know about the disgusting practices. May be I smiled because at least these women know what they are doing. May be I smiled because no matter what these men think of themselves, most employees think of them as old, sleazy, lustful, perverted men. And this is the reason why I wrote this blog!!!

Fire in the Sky!!!

Closed Chapter; Now A New One

Ended a long chapter of my life. The journey was mostly enjoyable. Nothing special but for the most part, it was fulfilling. Made some poor decisions. Or may be I am being hard on myself. Lets just say that I went against my own principles on one occasion. It was not a stupid mistake. Like always, choices were there and neither were absolutely clear. I chose to play it 'safe'. Did not know the pitfalls. Things started taking a bad turn. Its all behind me now. Chose to move on.

The new chapter should be interesting as well as challenging. Have mixed feelings about it. But I am determined to do whatever it takes. Lets see. 

Posing Birds!!

Happy Birthday Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC (posthumous)

Today is the birth anniversary of Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Param Vir Chakra (posthumous). He is the only PVC recipient from the Indian Air Force.

During a surprise attack by Pakistan, the Indian pilots in Srinagar were ordered to take shelter but Sekhon managed to take off in his Gnat. He single-handedly chased away a strike force comprising four F-86F Sabres of Pakistani Air Force's 26 Squadron (Black Spiders). "I am behind two Sabres. I won't let the bastards get away". Sekhon achieved his objective as the enemy aircrafts fled from the scene of the battle without pressing home their attack against the town and the airfield however, Sekhon was killed in the process.

Pakistan Defence website describes him as "His was a commendable effort indeed, as he had kept the field single-handedly to the very end" and "Some enemies are also respectable"!!!

I salute this true hero!!

Super 30: Movie Review

Though I am impressed with the story of the real life teacher Anand Kumar, his work and his achievements, somehow I did not feel like watching the movie made on his life. However, one lazy afternoon, with nothing else to do - I ended up watching the movie.

'Super 30', starring superstar Hrithik Roshan and directed by Vikas Bahl (Queen, Me Too) is a movie on the life of Anand Kumar - a teacher and mathematician. Anand came from a family with lesser means but he had high dreams and potential. He qualified for Cambridge but could not go as he and his family could not arrange the required funds. He did not give up his passion for mathematics but the family had to resort to make and sell Papads (wafers; thin, crisp discs) to make ends meet. He later went on to become a successful and much sought-after teacher in a private coaching center meant for helping kids prepare and qualify for Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). He later gave all that up to start free coaching for poor students. His institute has been successful and he has received several awards & accolades in India as well as at global level.

Super 30 is a good movie BUT is not an honest movie. The movie has good performance, fast-paced narrative, happy ending. However, somewhere the makers decided to make it a bollywood formula film instead of a biopic of an actual hero.

Several events have been dramatized but that is okay. After all, it is not a documentary and commercial cinema requires dramatization for entertainment purposes. However, several incidents have been overly dramatized and several facts have been ignored/omitted. I am not sure how Anand Kumar feels about it but I felt - by doing that - the movie undermines his 'actual' struggle. 

I believe that Anand encountered several challenges but he found ways to overcome them. By exaggerating his challenges, I feel the movie - unintentionally - gives a message that his challenges were not 'challenging enough' and needed exaggeration. For example (and if I am not mistaken), Anand started a for-profit coaching center in order to fund his not-for-profit coaching center. Nothing wrong with that and it was a smart move. By omitting the fact about the for-profit coaching center, the makers probably tried to exaggerate his struggles and I firmly believe that was not required.

And there is a rather lengthy scene at the end where students apply what they have learnt for fighting off local goons. It was so much dramatized/exaggerated that it became impossible to digest. And someone who does not know Anand Kumar may not be able to resist questioning the rest of the story.

This is a good movie which could have been much better and much more honest.

As far as Hrithik is concerned, before watching the movie and from the trailers, I felt that his image and looks would come in the way of delivering a powerful performance. I was worried (not really, I do not care that much about Hrithik and movies) that he would not look believable. I was pleasantly surprised as he has not allowed his image to come in the way. He has turned in a great performance and looks believable.

Overall, I do recommend the movie. At least 80% of the movie is real and that is a story that people must know about. 

Roshni and I.....Everyday!!!

Broom the Groom-ing Plan

Heard that MS Dhoni would be 'grooming' Pant till Pant settles down. 

What does that mean?

While all these are speculations, it suggests that Dhoni would be 'skipping' India's tour of West Indies. However, later he would be part of the team but would not be in playing XI!!! That way he would mentor Rishabh Pant. 

My take on this:

Teams did not need such mentoring when Bradman, Sachin, Lara, Sobers, Richards, Gavaskar, Dravid, Ponting, Warne, Gilchrist, Kumble, Akram etc retired. Are they suggesting that MS Dhoni is the greatest ever and his exit would create such a massive vacuum that Indian team would find it difficult to play unless they see MSD at least in the dressing room?!!? And what about the player would could have been in the squad but would not be there because one slot was reserved for MSD. Who would mentor/groom that player?

This is complete bull shit!!! He is past his prime and should make way for someone who can make it to the next WC. Period!!!

2 Amazing Matches....2 Winners and No Losers

Watched two amazing matches yesterday. 1. ICC Cricket World Cup Finals between hosts England and New Zealand and 2. Wimbledon Men's Singles Final between World #1 Novak Djokovic and the all time greatest - legendary Roger Federer.

Both matches involved edge of the seat action and in both it was difficult to differentiate between the two sides/men.

New Zealand scored 241 and then - thanks to a last over overthrow drama - England also ended up with 241. In the super over, England scored 15 and New Zealand also scored 15!!! Yet, England won because the hit more boundaries in the regular innings. That is a bizarre rule but it was decided before the World Cup. I think no one objected as no one could have imagined that the scenario would actually play out!!!

I believe New Zealand was unlucky. The overthrow punched holes in their plans and later the rule to decide the winner on the basis of boundaries also went against them. It is also being said that the overthrows should have costed them 5 runs instead of 6. Not sure about that but if it is true then they have another reason to feel bad.

In the other match, Federer clearly looked like the better player. Djokovic looked nervous and was not his usual self. Yet, he hung in there and won the important points. It was a matter of who keeps nerves in control and who is fit enough to win the longest Wimbledon Finals ever!!! 

I was cheering for Federer and New Zealand and I was tad unhappy after both matches. England and Djokovic are the winners but New Zealand and Federer are definitely not losers!!!

Unfollowed the accounts of ICC and ESPNCricinfo. Will follow them back after a month. Cannot stand the dhol and shahnai of someone else's wedding.

Article 15: Does the director believe in it?

Recently watched the much talked about movie 'Article 15'. For the uninitiated, Article 15 of the constitution of India says 'Article 15 (1) and (2) prohibit the state from discriminating any citizen on ground of any religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them'.

The movie discusses the important topic of caste discrimination, which is rampant and is a major social evil in India. The plot is 'based' on a true incident but has been tweaked to suit the views of the maker. The movie has great actors and they have delivered powerful performances. Overall, the movie is interesting and I did not feel bored at any point of time.

However, such movies make you think. That per se is not an issue. Every movie on a real issue should make you think. But this one also makes you think about the intentions and motives. There is a background to it as well. I have watched the previous movie ('Mulk') of the director and have also watched several interviews. He seems to have certain views against the major religion in India and takes a consulting-like approach to narrate or weave the story. He develops hypotheses and then creates a narrative to prove that hypotheses. 

I really liked his previous film - Mulk. It talks about targeting Muslims and thinking that every Muslim is a terrorist. That is incorrect and it must be said. The film did show an Islamic terrorist but the director spent only few minutes on that. The rest of the movie showed how the family of the terrorist was targeted, asked to move to Pakistan etc. I would not say that it does not happen. I also agree (and firmly believe) that every Muslim is not a terrorist and that it should not even be discussed. However, the fact also is that >90% of the terrorists follow or claim to follow Islam (the reason I say "claim to follow" is because I firmly believe that most Islamic terrorists (and their handlers and religious leaders) do not even understand Islam). But it is a fact that over 90% terrorists are Muslims. Will the film-maker make a movie on that? No. Because then he would be scared of his life. 

These days when the critics appreciate a movie, I start doubting the movie and the intentions. These days it has become fashionable to talk against Hindu religion. Any movie which shows Hinduism or a certain political party in bad-light gets good reviews from critics. Take for example the movie 'Mukkabaaz'. It is a good movie about a boxer of lower caste fighting against the system for his career and love. However, there are two scenes in the movie that I found questionable. In one scene, the goons target the boxer and his coach by falsely accusing them for consuming beef. While I agree that there is an actual case which got a lot of attention from media, pseudo-seculars, so-called liberals and of course political parties. However, there is no case where someone from Hindu religion was targeted in such a manner. The goons could have targeted the boxer and coach in many different ways but the maker (another guy who seems to hate Hindu religion and was quite vocal about the case) chose this as it could  have given the movie free publicity. There is another scene in which the protagonist unnecessarily and repeatedly says "Bharat Maata ki Jai" while bashing the villain - who is a prominent local politician - in front of the cops. While the intentions were not absolutely clear but may be the film-maker tried to show that you can get away with anything by saying that. This in my opinion was a cheap tactic to garner free publicity for an otherwise good movie.

Article 15 also primarily bashes the Hindu religion or upper caste Hindus. I am not at all denying that in several parts of India, such caste-based discrimination is rampant. However, caste based discrimination is not specific to a religion. Have you not heard about the term 'Dalit-Muslims'? Although Islam does not recognize any castes, Muslim communities in South Asia (especially India) apply a system of social stratification. It is developed as a result of ethnic segregation between the foreign conquerors and the local converts. Why was that not correctly portrayed in the movie? Because it would not fit the hypotheses? 

It is important to make socially-relevant movies but it is equally (if not more) important to ensure that it is portrayed in a non-biased way. Else it would only stem (or rather further escalate) communal tensions. Such movies also suggest (or at least fails to suggest otherwise) that majority of upper-caste Hindus think like this. It is as wrong as thinking that majority of Muslim are terrorists. That goes against the very intention behind Article 15.

Trust???

When he put down his papers, the HR told him that the company would hold to 1.5 months salary, "as per company policy". When pointed that the policy is for 1 month, the HR representative asked to "trust the company". 

You are holding on to salary, you have held back variable component, you have blocked sites like Gmail, LinkedIn etc., you have blocked USB drives and you are asking about trust!!!???!!! Hilarious!!!

Should Indian Captain for Limited Overs Cricket Change?

Read a news article that there is a rift in the Indian cricket team and two camps have emerged - one with Kohli and Shastri and the other led by Rohit Sharma. The article mentioned that some team members are not happy and they desire a change in leadership. While I believe that (a) the story is work of fiction and (b) one bad match should not result in stripping Kohli of captaincy, I also think that handing Sharma the captaincy in shorter format is not a bad option. My reasons are (a) dependence on Dhoni for DRS (b) lack of flexibility and willingness to try new players/combinations and (c) slight biasedness towards certain players (d) failure to build a strong middle order and (e) failure to realize that some players no longer are fit for the team. I still like Kohli as a Captain and batsman but it would not hurt to try something new. However, I do not think selectors would do it.

Ananya's World of Peppa Pig

Ananya draws and draws well! Touchwood!

Back in my childhood days, I used to be good at drawing. I stopped as I used to be mocked and bullied by someone who was not good. I wish I could go back and change that. I would do whatever I can to ensure that Ananya keeps and hones her drawing skills and imagination.

Pune in Monsoon

This city and the touristy places near by turn heavenly during monsoons. We look forward to the rains which ushers greenery, long drives, kande pakode, tapri waali chai and lots of happy moments!!!

Frost and Sullivan Days

Excited about India A tour to West Indies

India A is touring West Indies and am excited about the series. Indian team failed to win the WC 2019 and it has been acknowledged that the team requires changes. Finally, people are realizing the need of a 'solid' batsman at number 4. Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill (not quite a number 4 though), Hanuma Vihari are part of the India A squad and would try to put their best foot forward. I hope we get some answers from the tour.

In my opinion, India should have a selection policy that the best player of such series (India A tours) would get selected for the Indian team. That would create a healthy competition and would motivate the youngsters to do well. Performance at the domestic level and on such tours must count for something. 

Dhoni: WC 2019 and Retirement

Though the Cricket World Cup 2019 has not ended, the euphoria is over for Indian fans. We were the best team in the league stage and unlike previous WC campaigns, this time we were equipped with the best bowling arsenal.

Bumrah is the world's best limited overs bowler right now. Shami had a great WC even though he did not get too many games. The miserly Bhuvi was good in patches but overall he could have done much better. Hardik Pandya bowled smartly and used the conditions really well. The two wrist spinners went in with a lot of promise. However, both could not really set the stage on fire. Having said that, the bowlers did well through out the world cup.

That does not mean that the batting was weak. Our top order got plenty of runs - especially the flamboyant Rohit Sharma and the ever dependable Virat Kohli. Shikhar Dhawan had a good start but sadly his campaign ended abruptly due to injury. We cannot say that Rahul was good but he did okay in the absence of Dhawan.

If batting and bowling were both okay (fielding was great and we were in fact a better fielding side than most others) then why did we did not win?

Now, with the immense super-powers of hindsight, a lot can be said. However, I will stick to what I have been saying since last couple of years. We faltered in our preparation and when we failed to realize that Dhoni is no longer the same.

I can actually feel some raised eyebrows, some guns coming out of their holsters!!! Some may argue politely (others may start a rabid rant) that we did not have a better option than Dhoni. My question is how do you know? You did not try another option adequately. Actually, let me take another approach in justifying my stance and explain why do I think that Dhoni should not have been there.

Firstly, we went in with a weak middle-order because we kept trying to accommodate Dhoni in the playing XI. There were some good options available. Pandey was given several games but in a lot of those games, his batting position was shuffled. Pandey is a good batsman and is a top order batsman. He takes time to settle in but when he does, he usually plays a good knock. He is not the right candidate to come in the slog overs and start belting the ball around. But he was asked to do that in several matches and was later dropped. This happened because the management was trying Dhoni at 4 or 5. Rahane met similar fate. A promising batsmen like Shreyas Iyer was never given an opportunity. My point is that while trying to fit Dhoni at number 4, we made other batsmen suffer and later we dropped them.

But did Dhoni bat at 4 or 5. No he did not!!! That highlights my first argument but also brings me to the second point. Why did he not bat at 4? If Dhoni was included in the playing XI, his recent style of play suggests that he was most suited to bat at number 4 position. You cannot come and knock the ball around for singles in the slog overs. It costed us the game against England. Moreover, Dhoni managed to put totals that we could defend only because of our strong bowling attack. This shuffling and lack of clarity on his position made our game plan look extremely random and ad hoc.

My third point is regarding wicket-keeping. Dhoni - without any doubt - is the best keeper for spin bowling. He is quick and he also gives a lot of suggestions to the bowlers. But overall, is he as effective as he used to be? Some stats that I looked at (a week ago), suggested that Dhoni gave away most runs in byes. In the semi-finals against New Zealand, he dropped a difficult chance against Ross Taylor. Taylor was 32 at that time and was struggling. After getting a life, Taylor went on to add another 40 runs. May be that could have changed the result. We would never know. I agree that the chance was  difficult but in semi-finals, you have to grab the half-chances. Something that Guptill did when he sent Dhoni and Indian team packing with a direct hit. Not only the WCs, even before that - in IPL and in the matches against Australia and New Zealand, Dhoni did not do anything special with the gloves. Now, it can be questioned that how do we know that someone else - Karthik or Pant - would have faired better. We do not know but if we had started testing Pant 2 years back, he surely could have done well. And Pant brings a balance to the side.

Next argument that a lot of people come up with is that Dhoni is a specialist when it comes to DRS reviews. I would just point that he proved to be wrong on 3 occasions during the WC 2019.

Another point that Dhoni fans make is that Dhoni actually makes all the decisions and Kohli is only a pseudo captain, who cannot operate without Dhoni. Firstly, Kohli-led Indian team has become the top test side so there is no question of his dependency on Dhoni. Secondly, if Dhoni was making all the calls, why are his fans now blaming Kohli for 'sending' Dhoni at number 7 position in the semi-final match against New Zealand in World Cup 2019? Basically, they are saying that if the decision is right, Dhoni must have made it but if it is wrong, its because of Kohli!!! Such flawed and absurd logic!!!

Another point that I would like to put forward is that Dhoni seems to have become slow or his ability to judge a run has probably gone down. He was run-out during the IPL 2019 finals and was again run out in the WC 2019 semi-finals. Age, may be?

Also, Dhoni's ability to plan spin seems to have taken a hit. He was stumped in the match against Afghanistan and got a life or two in the match against West Indies.

To sum up, I would say that Dhoni had not done anything special in the last two years to command a position in the side. The selectors and the management seem to have gone with reputation. Once, several years back, he played a great innings in a WC final but does that mean that you would walk into the side 8 years later without doing anything special? If we had to go with reputation then Yuvi should have played the 2015 WC. As mentioned above, Dhoni fans argue his valuable inputs and credit Dhoni for wickets taken by spinners because he told them what to do. Do they give credit to Sachin for Dhoni's innings in WC 2011 final? After all, it was Sachin who suggested that Dhoni should bat before Yuvi.

Some people are saying that Dhoni should not retire as he mentors the young players and should continue to do that. So if Dhoni continues to keep wickets, how will that help Pant in gaining experience and maturity as a wicket-keeper? If Dhoni bats at 6 or 7, how is that helping a young batsman - who could have batted at that spot - learn anything?

Every good thing comes to an end and must come to an end. Dhoni is definitely one of the best players India has produced. However, he is no longer the player he used to be and that is okay. It happens with everyone. We must look beyond him and give a good run to players who can make it to the next WC side. Dhoni preached through press conference and his indirectly produced biopic that the players who are no longer suitable should make way for new players. While I have always maintained that legends should get a farewell but Dhoni changed that. Several legends did not get a proper send-off under him. Why should the stance be any different for him? He will not play the next WC and must hang his boots. He would always be respected and would be missed but it is time for him, us and Indian cricket to move on.

Willys Shots

Well Played New Zealand!! Now go and win the WC 2019. Show the world that Kiwis can fly!!

Biker Billi!!!

Self4Society

Amma

Its a pic of Amma (my grandma) that I clicked in 2005 or 2006. Now, my youngest Bua has used it on the back of a book on Amma's work. Not sure about the nature of the book but it should have poetry. Amma's writings had deep meaning and she was really good with words. Am happy that the pic is a small part of the book. 

Ma-Papa

King of Clay!!!

We Vote for Good Future, We Vote for India, We Vote for Modi

Corporate Lessons from 'Titanic'

Situation - There is this company, which is not in a very healthy state. Most of the senior leadership acknowledges that without significant efforts and infusion of capital, the company would be in "big trouble". Employees are worried.

Advise to employees from someone in the Senior Management (lets call this person 'Victor Victor') -

1. Titanic (i.e., the Company) has hit an iceberg. It cannot be fixed by people (i.e., employees) on board
2. There are few options available to passengers and crew members (i.e., employees)
3. Option 1: Wait for someone knowledgeable and resourceful (i.e., investor) to come and fix the ship
4. Option 2: Wait for a big ship (i.e., a large firm in the same domain) and rescue (i.e., hire) you
5. Option 3: Wait for a small boat (i.e., a small firm in the same domain) and rescue (i.e., hire) you
6. Option 4: You have the option of jumping in the water (i.e., leave without a job or leave for a company that does not do justice to your experience, profile etc.). Don't jump in water!!!

Great analogy and all very good suggestions from 'Victor Victor'.

But don't forget.....the ship is still sinking!!! 

Don't wait for too long. Find that threshold beyond which jumping in water and trying to stay afloat is a better option. Else the ship would sink and will take you down with it.

When employees no longer trust their management

Employees leave organizations for various reasons. It could be for better compensation, better opportunities, lack of recognition, personal reasons, for not getting along with an individual/team etc. 

For a good/valuable employee, organizations can make changes to ensure that the employee reconsiders the decision.

However, if employee is leaving because "they have lost faith in the immediately as well as top management", it is worrisome. And if several employees leave for the same reason and others are looking for a job, it requires immediate action. 

Trouble is who will take those actions and who would try and convince the employees....the very same people who the employees no longer trust?

40th Marriage Anniversary of Parents

An interview with 'Global Fleet' in early 2018

An interview with 'Global Fleet' in early 2018

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Today we’re talking to Mr. Animesh Kumar. He’s the Associate Director for Automotive Consulting at Frost & Sullivan. We’re catching Animesh during his travels through South-East Asia, where he’s been visiting OEM’s and mobility suppliers in Malaysia and Thailand. Nevertheless, he has kindly made some time for GlobalFleet to answer questions about the automotive industry, mobility and the future of fleet management.

GF: The south-east Asian markets are all benefiting from a decent GDP growth, show increasing consumer confidence & are selling more and more cars. Although the number of cars per capita is still relatively low, we do see that most of the Asian capitals are heavily congested. More cars will mean more congestion. Do you think there’s a limit to the number of additional cars that can be sold in the south-east Asian market?

AK: In my opinion, though some countries have a high motorization rate - for example Malaysia - the cars per capita is not evenly divided among cities and regions. There are more cars in the bigger cities but there is still a large potential in smaller cities and towns. The larger cities, though are getting congested, do not have robust public transport infrastructure and hence there is a heavy dependence on personal cars.

Analysts have been talking about market saturation point but such analysis remains limited to certain cities and are not for any particular country or for the entire ASEAN region. The reason being, there is still a high potential in ASEAN but for tapping those opportunities, more markets have to open up and affordability in smaller markets will increase.

GF: Frost & Sullivan is rather uniquely positioned in its research on the South-East Asian automotive market. What type of customers are interested in the data & what do they do with it?

AK: Yes, you are right. We have a strong positioning across the world but are uniquely placed in the ASEAN region. Our research is highly rated amongst the stakeholders, which include automakers, policy makers, auto component companies, auto-finance and motor insurance companies, e-hailing companies, leasing companies, land transport authorities and so on.

Since we cover a broad range of topics like market specifics, policies and regulations, new technologies, best practices, mobility solutions, future outlook etc, there is something for every segment of clients. Our research, insights and recommendations are used for formulating short/medium/long term strategies.

GF: Why is your research important for the Asian Fleet Manager?

AK: Broadly, in our research, we talk about the future of mobility. We discuss that cars would cease to be products and would become a service and when that happens, EVERYONE will have to adapt. This will impact customer decision making, plans of the OEMs, usage of vehicles, vehicle segments and so on. A Fleet Manager needs to be on top of such trends.

At present, we are working on a research which talks about the impact of the growth of e-hailing as well as improvement of public transport infrastructure on OEM’s. Once such trends start to impact OEM’s, it would also have an impact on the decisions-making of Fleet Managers. We also track regulations like CO2 emissions, end of life vehicle policies, taxes and each regulation impacts the customers. Fleet Managers - in order to device better strategies - need to be on top of such insights.

GF: In your opinion, is there a real mobility offering in South-East Asia or is it just Grab and Uber?

AK: I would like to start by saying that e-hailing is just one component of smart mobility. For countries to have truly smart mobility solutions, they need to go beyond personal cars, taxis and e-hailing. For best results, e-hailing should be the option only for the first and last mile connectivity. Customers should be able to use multi-modal transportation in order to reach their destination in a fast and inexpensive manner. And it should be better for the environment and also solve problems that most large cities across the world are encountering - congestion and parking.

As far as e-hailing is concerned, Grab is certainly the market leader across the ASEAN region. It is either the market leader or at 2nd position in most markets. If we look at the e-hailing landscape in ASEAN, the two players who compete across all e-hailing markets (e-hailing is not available in every market) are Grab and Uber. But then there are local players. A good example is Indonesia - the biggest e-hailing market in ASEAN - where the local player 'Go-Jek' is the market leader.

There are smaller local players in each market. It must also be noted that e-hailing is also compelling traditional taxi operators to innovate and improve. They are joining hands with e-hailing companies and in some cases, they are adopting technologies to counter the growth of e-hailing. We already know that several companies are considering entering the ASEAN e-hailing market and the ecosystem is likely to be very different in long term.

GF: How can Frost & Sullivan’s data and research bring value to a corporate customer?

AK: Frost and Sullivan works with every stakeholder in the mobility space. We have the experience of working with OEMs, auto leasing companies, e-hailing companies, taxi operators as well as car rental companies and we know the strengths and limitations of each player.

We also do customer studies, especially for fleet owners who are conscious of the complexity of the ASEAN market. Our understanding of the mobility ecosystem has already contributed many times to the design of successful corporate strategies. We can help a corporate customer select the optimal solution for their requirements. We notice however that Fleet Managers rely essentially on the information provided to them by OEM’s and Leasing Companies. Although extremely valuable, there’s much more to strategy design than looking at today’s available solutions; the fleet ecosystem is changing, and the Fleet Manager needs to make future-proof decisions.

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