We are Indians, we want voting rights

IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism

Subal Rai is 48 year old. A resident of Salbari chit number 37, an Indian enclave in Bangladesh, he fled to the Indian mainland. He was driven out from the village about ten years back. “We spent countless sleepless nights. Sometimes I took my children and wife to the agricultural field for a safe shelter as looting and rapes are regular occurrences in the enclaves. We had to hide our daughters and wives from the Bangladeshi miscreants. They would come and take away my crops in broad daylight, they would steal my cattle too. Then I took a decision to leave my own land and home. Those miscreants occupied my five acres of land. But the strange thing is that we are identified here as Bangladeshis or illegal migrants. Can you imagine that,” asks an aggrieved Subal.

Subal is not alone. Kanai Rai from Kajal Dighi chit, Chandmoni Rai from Kotbhajni chit, Chuni Rai from Khagrabari chit, Anarul Haque and Matiur Rahaman from Najirganj chit are among tens of thousands of Indian people who migrated from the Indian enclaves to the mainland. As per an Oxfam report, 50,000 people came to the Indian mainland after being evicted from the enclaves.

In the enclaves, most dwellers were agriculturists. After migrating to the Indian mainland, they have become daily wage earners. Thousands of such families live along the Teesta river canal in the districts of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal. Most work as stone crushers on the river bed and earn very little.

Naren Rai is 56 and from the same enclave as Subal. He left for India in 1992. He is not at all surprised by the Garati incident. “This Garati incident is nothing new. We, the people from the enclaves, very well know the situation. Can you understand how painful it is to leave one's own home and own agricultural land? The day I left, Bangladeshi miscreants torched and vandalised our houses, we spent the night hiding in the fields. After that, they started looting the houses and raping the women. We, nearly 50 families, left our land and came to the mainland. For nearly three months, we lived on the platform of the Haldibari rail station. After that, I started to work as a daily wage labourer,” he lets out in one breath.

“We want voting rights, we want recognition as Indians,” says Sukhen Buskey who migrated from the Sakati chit in 1973. Till date, he has no ration card. Like other people who migrated from the enclaves, he has his land certificate from the Cooch Behar district administration as proof but is still not considered as Indian.

“From time to time, there has been an influx of residents of Indian enclaves into the Indian mainland. We refer to them as oustees who are deprived of all rights even though they no longer live in the enclaves,” said Arindam K. Sen, chairperson of APRICRO (Association for Protection of Citizen’s Rights for Indian Chitmahal Residents and Oustees), an organisation fighting for the rights of the chitmahal people.

Sen points out the destitution the oustees face and rampant police harassment. The organisation has repeatedly appealed to the Centre and the West Bengal government to empower these people with their due rights. But they have never received anything in reply.

Professor Partha Pratim Basu, professor of international relations at Jadavpur University, sounds out the red herring. He says, “These people are the victims of international politics. India should solve this problem in its own interest. If they are recognised as forced migrants, they will have to be accorded status of refugees and extended all benefits due to them. But the fact that they cross the international border complicates the situation and clouds their status. But the Indian government will have to classify them and provide them with a rehabilitation package. We have to remember that 50,000 was the number eight years back. In case we don't take stock now, the problem might grow to a different magnitude.”

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On the road with luxury

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A traveller's delight and a desire to indulge into luxury and that too in the best way. Here is a peek into what has redefined luxury holidays that some even call a dream today!

Music to your ears
MSC Cruise
MSC Orchestra Cruises are the perfect blend of design, comfort and safety. Airy, open spaces and MSC Cruises’ signature Italian style make MSC Orchestra a stylish pioneer for future cruise ship projects and designs. On board the luxury MSC Orchestra cruise ship you will be enthralled by the wide spectrum of entertainment facilities – a rejuvenating Turkish bath, dining at the Shanghai Chinese restaurant, relaxation at the exotic animal-print Savannah Bar, sumptuous Purple Bar or one can enjoy Hollywood-style glamour in the chic Zaffiro Bar. Try your luck at the Palm Beach Casino, dance the night away in the disco and enjoy the best holiday one could ever ask for!

“The magic of backwaters”
Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kottayam, Kerala
Along the coastal lowlands and backwaters of India’s south-western state of Kerala lies the vast Vembanad Lake, connected to the Arabian Sea by a network of canals, estuaries and rivers. And at the edge of Vembanad Lake is Kumarakom, a tiny town at the edge of a lagoon, crisscrossed by narrow waterways used for navigation and irrigation. There you’ll find the Kumarakom Lake Resort, a collection of low-slung villas with red tile roofs, surrounded by palm trees, clustered around a long and winding 250-metre free-form swimming pool. You can enjoy the serenity of the waters and rekindle all the joys of the world and forget the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Spa it out
Sereno Spa at Park Hyatt Goa
Spread over 36,000 square feet, Sereno Spa at Park Hyatt Goa is a complete wellness spa destination, set in lush beachfront gardens in the idyllic region of South Goa, India. Sereno Spa Goa offers holistic massage treatments and a blend of unique therapies inspired by Ayurvedic and Yogic traditions, designed to refresh and revitalise. A serene sanctuary for the senses, the luxury Spa offers personalised body and facial treatments with spa packages and fitness programmes to promote wellness, detoxification and serenity. Sereno Spa has been awarded “World’s Number One Spa” and “Best Spa in Asian and Indian Subcontinent" by Conde Nast Traveller Reader’s Spa Awards 2006.

The “wonder” of luxury!
Oberoi Amarvillas, Agra
Spend long moments sitting on the room balcony just being awed by the view of the world's greatest monument of love. Wake up to the glorious sight of the Taj, bathed by the first rays of dawn. Watch her sparkle by day as the sun shines on her architectural perfection. Allow yourself to be swept away by her romance at dusk. Let the nights be filled with the magic of the Taj by moonlight. The richly detailed interiors are perfectly complemented by a choice of international and Indian cuisine. You will be treated like royalty at the Spa, with therapies designed to rejuvenate body and soul.Amarvilas will be exclusive and unforgettable.


For the body, mind and soul
Ananda in the Himalaya
Located in the tranquil Himalayan foothills, close to the mythological cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh, surrounded by graceful Sal forests, overlooking the peaceful Ganga as it meanders into the distance, the award winning Ananda is the spiritual pathway to be discovered through the union of body, mind and soul. It is not just a retreat that will leave you breathless with the enchantment of its surroundings, but assists in redefining lifestyles to include the well-known traditional Indian wellness regimes of Ayurveda.

Be the king of your palace
Devi Garh Palace, Udaipur
Nestled in the Aravali hills, the 18th century Devi Garh palace in the village of Delwara forms one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur. The Fort Palace is conceived as a place where the past meets the future. This all-suite luxury hotel comprises of 39 suites with an emphasis on design and detail, and the use of local marbles and semi-precious stones. The contemporary design showcased within this spectacular heritage property, complemented by personalised and intimate service, creates a new image of India for the 21st century. With private suites and spectacular spas, this palace will fulfil all dreams to live like a king!


Cocoon decor
The perfect fit for home where all dreams will come true.

Veneta Cucine
The kitchen king
This vivid collection goes beyond modernity. The wood is used as a distinctive feature in a design that incorporates the most advanced trends of a modern style. A dream kitchen for anyone and specially the ones who love to cook. The light oak becomes a distinguishing element of a design that assimilates the latest trends without losing the feel of naturalness. The ideal kitchen with lots of space, style and spectacular design will be a dream come true.

Maspar
Snuggle away to glory
Snuggle into this divinely restful bed collection and get transported back to the days where seamstresses lovingly poured over yards and yards of fine cloth, creating wonders . The vintage bed collection is a rare testimony of the past days of fine workmanship, which merges beautifully with the outstanding design sense of today. Here, the classic meets the contemporary . The superior detailing and textures recall the antique lines of 19th-century European wedding trousseaus. Slip between the sheets for a night of restful sleep.

FCML-(Bath fittings)
Bathing will never be the same again!
The luxurious bathrooms are the epitome of creative energy to present an exclusive and dynamic collection. This contemporary, state-of-the art designs are for those who enjoy good living. With European luxurious bathroom design products, elegant and contemporary Home décor products and accessories and à la mode collection of the most beautiful eco-friendly, recycled tiles, all inside one parapet, FCML can be aptly called the elixir of lifestyle products and a show-stealer.

D'Decor
Endow your house with style

Usher into your home a rich history of luxurious and elegant home furnishings by D'Decor. The collections that are celebrating life, created by the the world's third-largest mills in the home furnishing space. These creations will continue to reflect the distinction of being India's largest manufacturer and exporter of home furnishing fabrics.




Suave Nests
Home is not where you live, but where they understand you. Here's providing you with the list of 'dream homes' gracing the land of India

Royal life...
Commander's Court
If peace is the only thing on your mind, then set in the most prestigious part of Chennai, centrally located and luxuriously appointed Commander's Court by DLF is where you should take long-term rest. This oasis of serenity provides you with a life of comfort, luxury and peace. With salient features like air-conditioned apartments and duplexes, fully-integrated kitchen appliances, jacuzzi in master bathroom, and flanked by restaurants, party lawns, swimming pool, gym, spa, aerobic and yoga centre and table-tennis room, it is the place where the journey of a hassled life ends... and a life full of bliss begins.

Lavasa Hill City
Hills beckon...
If you want a hill-city between the city of dreams (Mumbai) and the aqua gateway (Goa), here comes Lavasa, a man-made hill city based on neo-urbanism. Although the whole city is like an elongated dream at your disposal, the dreamiest ones are the Goan and Mediterranean theme villas along the lakefront. Lavasa is an exclusive offering from HCC. It is a city away from a city, and has everything to sustain itself luxuriously. Starting from schools and colleges, management institutions, excellent education centres to clubs, golf-courses, spas, resorts, multi-theme parks, eco-safari and water-and adventurous sports – everything is at your doorstep. Lavasa is home to the rarest species of butterflies(Oak Leaf), birds (Tickell's Flowerpecker) and flowers (Karvy or Blue Bloom).

Kingswood Oriental
Into the woods...
Do dense woods beckon you? Then, Kingswood Oriental by Jaypee is destined for you. Grab the earliest opportunity to name one for yourself. Besides the modern amenities ranging from jacuzzi in the master bathroom to miniature gazebos in the back-garden of the house and terrace garden with top-of-the-line security system, this estate in Noida will also provide you with a very unique and oriental feel due to the use of wood and bamboo design and private lily ponds. Set on five basic pillars of life – longevity, harmony, beauty, happiness and blend, it is an exclusive community that offers unparalleled ambiance and lifestyle. Lavish homes of Kingswood are surrounded by stunning bonsai landscapes, zen garden and soothing water-bodies. Bliss! Isn't it?

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Cut-price nation: In India, a land that is forever in festival mode, discount sales are a round-the-year affair that finds takers without fail

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Another bumper sale is underway at a superstore in the friendly neighbourhood shopping mall. The offer is tempting: buy a sofa set, get a cupboard free. Enticed? Go grab the furniture before it is too late.

But hang on. In India, it is never too late. Stock clearances and factory seconds sales on garments, home décor products, electronic appliances and etc are a round-the-year affair in one of the world's fastest growing economies.

So take it easy. This "bumper sale" isn’t going away in a hurry. Even if it does, rest assured it will be back soon enough, beckoning you to make that big purchase that might not be all that essential. But why resist? A good deal is a good deal whether you need it or not.

The consumer base is impressively vast and vibrant in contemporary India. But we remain a land where the ethos of the good old village mela holds sway. When business is conducted in the informal, laid-back ambience of a rural fair, cheap isn’t necessarily bad. For the seller, the principle is pretty simple: give the buyer a bargain that he cannot refuse. It is an age-old compact that is valid to this day.

India has changed beyond recognition in the past two decades and the urge to splurge has multiplied manifold among a thriving segment of its populace. But, for an average Indian buyer, value for money is still of utmost importance. Doesn’t that explain why a discount sale never fails to catch the imagination of this country's burgeoning post-liberalisation middle class?

Sreekant Jain, a leading retailer of branded costumes in Kolkata's Burrabazar, says: "The offers run throughout the year basically in order to sell items that have remained unsold or have gone out of vogue. To accommodate the new fashion, we are compelled to sell the older ones at lower prices. But there's no denying that sales go up appreciably when we offer discounts. A 25 per cent price reduction pushes up sales by at least 35 per cent."

In the retail business arena, the average Indian consumer heartily embraces the tried and tested. Familiarity does not breed contempt here. If anything, it generates an air of comfort. So we head for big-brand outlets that give us the right prices and the right vibes.

Shopping malls are cavernous, impersonal and anonymous spaces where the consumer is by and large on his own although he is surrounded by streams of similarly meandering and gawky-eyed people. In these new temples of consumerist glitz and gloss, aspirations are sky high, and the inducements are countless.

The consumer strolls around the place, sometimes with intent, often quite aimlessly. When he finally strays into a shop that sells designer objects of desire, the products are often well beyond his budget. So, he occasionally ends up picking up stuff not because it has caught his fancy but because it turns out that he can afford it.

What probably creates an even bigger gulf between the buyer and the ‘faceless’ departmental store is that the former has to deal with constantly changing faces at the billing till. A transaction devoid of emotional connect does not lead to long-term allegiances. No wonder the retail supermarkets today go out of their way to develop relationships with their customers by handing out loyalty cards that guarantee special discounts and redeemable points every time a purchase is made.

"Discount sales target the middle class in particular. The idea is not just to attract them. We give them these benefits because we want to take them into confidence and engender in them a sense of being valued as customers," says Nadeem, proprietor of Zyclone Shop, a menswear store near the Kochi International Airport.

What comes in handy in this marketing strategy is the fact that India is a land of festivals, religious and otherwise, and an array of national celebrations. One simply needs an occasion – Diwali, Dussehra, Christmas, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Gandhi Jayanti, Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan, et al – to unleash "the biggest sale of the season".

In recent years, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and, most importantly, Valentine’s Day, among sundry other diurnal ideas borrowed from the West, have been added to that never-ending list of pretexts to woo consumers with sales that promise the earth and the moon in one go.

Bargain sales and stock clearances are certainly not peculiar to the Indian context. But in which other country of the world do retailers have the sheer diversity of valid reasons to pull out the stops and inveigle buyers with slashed prices?

In this country of a billion-plus people, not a month passes without a festival or anniversary of national significance impacting the retail scenario. Add to that the "end-of-season" sales that take place when winter and summer draw to a close, there isn’t a week when branded products aren’t up for grabs at eye-popping prices.

Says Ganpatbhai Kothari, owner of Kothari Electronics in Ahmedabad: "The festival season, a period of three to four months, is extremely crucial for us. People are on a shopping binge and in order to attract them we give them discounts that make a difference."

The festival season in India stretches for months – in Kerala it begins with Onam, in Gujarat with Navratri, in Bengal with Durga Puja, and in Maharashtra with Ganesh Chaturthi. Nowhere in India do people withdraw from their celebration mode until they have ushered in the New Year with a binge to put all other binges in the shade.

"The craze for discount sales is fuelled principally by India’s huge youth population that goes out looking for its favourite brands but often prefers to wait until the time they are available at reduced prices. Says 28-year-old Ahmedabad resident Yogendu Joshi: "I always prefer to shop during Navratri because of the benefits that are available in the festival season.

Yes, quality is important, so when big brands offer hefty discounts why shouldn’t we grab it?"

But shops that offer year-round discounts – sometimes as high as 80 per cent – often face scepticism from consumers. How do they manage to make profits? Is quality a casualty? Says Prakash Dhamija, a young sales boy at an outlet in a Delhi NCR shopping mall: "The year-round sale is our USP. We thrive on volumes. We have a steady and committed clientele. Once a consumer is convinced of the quality of our garments, he or she keeps returning."

He asserts that the low prices are indeed the biggest draw. He points to the red jacket hanging in the shop window. "Doesn’t it look good enough to be worth Rs 5000? The "50 per cent off" tag makes it a steal. When the price seems far lower than the perceived worth of a product, the equation works perfectly for both buyer and seller," adds Prakash.

The buyer’s perspective isn’t different at all. "Discount sales are a huge boon," says A.P. Sasidharan Nair, a retired school teacher in Angamaly, Kerala. "Most of my branded household appliances were brought during the Onam season sales. I purchased my refrigerator, television set and washing machine when they were on discounts."

The question to be asked is: do we ever ask our physician, interior designer or hairstylist for discounts? The answer is no. Neither do we ever walk into a builder’s site office and demand a cut in the price of a property we are planning to buy. Certain transactions are outside the purview of bargaining procedures.

Contrast that with the scene in Dilli Haat, where craftsmen from around the country sell their wares. Here, haggling over prices is the norm. So the stalls, which sell anything from decorative knick-knacks and ethnic jewellery to furniture and carpets, do not offer any discounts. They don't have to.

But do we ever approach the floor manager of a shopping mall superstore and ask for reductions? We don't. So concessions are granted without the consumers having to ask for them. It is an integral part of the business. Dangle the carrot and draw people into the store and then hope they pick up the high-priced "new arrivals" as well while they look for the bargains.

Jiban Roy, Kolkata-based market analyst, says: "We love to bargain. We cough up Rs 100 for a cup of coffee but we get into a flap if an autorickshaw guy charges us a rupee extra. It is a mindset. That is why offers from the big brands turn us on." In a price-obsessed nation, that is par for the course.


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Catch 'em young: The mantra that drives advertisers to cast a spell on children who, in turn, influence their parents' buying decisions

IIPM BBA MBA Institute: Student Notice Board

What do you call a consumer who wants to buy everything he fancies, doesn't care what it costs and is less than five feet tall? A marketer's dream? Nope… you call him a child.

In India and across the world, marketers target children as prospective buyers because their influence on a family's decisions is immense. Parents often buy things for their children and themselves at the bidding of the little ones.

So it is easy to see why burger and cola adverts are almost always aimed at children. Today's children are exceptionally receptive to advertorial suggestions. They have been exposed right since birth to colourful shop fronts and attractively packaged products displayed in shopping malls, fast-food restaurants and movie halls.

Television ads and information disseminated through the Internet, too, serve to mould a child's likes and dislikes. And when a movie star like Shah Rukh Khan or a sporting icon such as Sachin Tendulkar endorses a product, a child is sold on it instantly.
With advertisers bombarding children with messages and images day in and day out, even a two-year-old today recognises the logos and signs of prominent brands. As soon as a child begins to speak, he or she is ready to “make decisions”.

“My five-year-old daughter can recognise the McDonald's sign whenever we cross any market. We have to buy her the happy meal every time we go out or every time she sees an advertisement on television,” says Reema Dargan, a mother of two young girls.

Not only do children today have more disposable income at younger ages, but they have significant influence over family purchases. Marketing experts call it "pester power," or the "nag factor". Children have the ability to nag their parents to buy a specific product or take them to a particular restaurant. After all if your child asks you for the latest toy 37 times a day for a week, the odds are that you'll eventually give in and buy it.

Children are often used to sell products that are not even meant for children because the influence eventually pushes their parents to buy these commodities. For instance, ads for washing detergents and powders like Nirma and Surf Excel often bank upon children for impact.


These types of ads are designed to arouse the emotion of prospective customers. Using children in advertisements particularly in India, where many people can’t afford the products being promoted, is aimed at getting younger members of a family to buy those products.

It isn't just in the case of small household provisions like a toothpaste or a soap bar that children play a significant role. Even when it comes to buying capital goods such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) television or a car, parents nowadays often succumb to the exertions of their children.

Take the case of seven-year-old Darpan. When his father recently let it be known that he would be buying a Maruti Suzuki Alto, the little boy put his foot down. He told his father that he would have none of it. Eventually, Darpan's father had to settle for a more expensive car for the sake of his son.

The growing purchasing power of children represents an important element in a marketer's plans. Children not only have money of their own to spare, they also influence their parents' buying decisions. Even more important is the fact that they are the adult consumers of the future.

Parents today are willing to buy more for their children because trends such as smaller family size, dual incomes and postponing children until later in life mean that families have more disposable income. As well, guilt can play a role in spending decisions. Busy parents are unable to give enough quality time to their children, so they seek to make amends by plying the kids with material things.

Marketers have also become increasingly sophisticated these days, using research in developmental psychology to exploit the age-specific vulnerabilities of children and cast their messages in a much more powerful mould.

There is now a whole segment in the marketing industry devoted to figuring out how to sell things to children.

In order to know what makes kids tick, advertisers, with the help of well-paid researchers and psychologists, have access to in-depth knowledge about children's developmental, emotional and social needs at different ages.

Using research that analyses children's behaviour, fantasy lives, art work, and even their dreams, companies are able to craft sophisticated marketing strategies to reach young people.

For very young children up to five, who watch commercials and television programmes with equal attention, commercials aimed at this group often associate the product or brand with fun and happiness, rather than talking about actual product facts.

According to child psychologist Neeta Mehta, “Children don't develop a concept of other people's beliefs, desires and motives until they are at least six years old and it is difficult for children younger than seven or eight years old to understand that the intent of advertising is to get them to buy things. They also tend to take advertised claims about a product literally.”

Six-year-old Aatman buys everything that his favourite cartoon character Buzz Lightyear of Toy Story wears, even the wings which help him fly. Today Aatman has a wish: to be able to fly like Buzz Lightyear. He moves around the house in a Buzz Lightyear costume and the toy wings praying for his wish to get fulfilled.

Marketing aimed at teenagers focus on teens' insecurities. Teens are impressionable and the advertising of today manipulates them, controlling them by controlling their desires. They will embrace the newest trends that the advertising industry tells them they need for their own success and image. These adolescents will buy anything if it makes them look and feel "cool".

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