The 6th P

I had the opportunity of addressing a congregation of MBA students in Bby yesterday-10th Jan, as part of a panel discussion I was on regarding BRAND-INDIA..

Someone asked What is Brand India..

An expert on the panel-this is not about him-gave a very passionate speech on what he felt was brand India..
That passion swayed toward feelings stemming from what happened on 26.XI..

When I spoke I said Brand India included the slums one sees when the plane is landing in Mumbai airport, the people that dot the train tracks when the train moves into any city station in the country particularly Mumbai, the crime rates in our cities, the garbage that we see on the roads, the poop all around..who contributes to it? ..WE THE PEOPLE..
The blame lay on us I said..

Interestingly a student picked up on the poop bit that I mentioned and said if it becomes a law then people would follow..Aha.. how many laws are followed by US PEOPLE, I asked?
And of course the similarity that if we dont stop the garbage, then we will have outsiders like the ones who came on 26.XI coming and throwing all their dump on our own country, followed...

And that my friends leads me to profess and confess that post 26.XI, I have not littered anywhere, I have contributed to the bins and above all, one of the groups I am in, pledged we would not bribe anyone..and I am happy we all have stuck by it..even at the cost of waiting in queues and actually imploring a traffic cop when hauled for breaking a rule that he should take the fine and give us a receipt ! (The look on his face and the admiration on his senior's face was worth treasuring for life !)

I also discussed Brand India in theory and classified the 4 P's and added a 5th one PARTICIPATION..but again this piece is not about Marketing..

In the Q&A following the panel discussion one of the questions asked was "Which of the 5 P's" did I "think as the most important for Brand India"..I replied almost instantaneously PEOPLE! The 6th P...a discovery arising out of Jingoism? Perhaps...

This morning as I ran on Marine Drive to prepare myself for the Mumbai Marathon, I saw a seemingly well educated and bred South Mumbai lady actually picking up after their pet dog and using one of the several garbage bins that dot the Marine Drive..
This despite the fact that several months ago there was this socialite who protested heavily against this very BMC rule..
As I jogged past, I clapped my hands and said "Thank you Maam"..
On my way back she smiled, waved past and I knew India connected...

There is hope when I see this around us...lets not wait to see what the Govt does for us..let us see what we can do for the Country..I know these arent original words, but I do hope they work..

In hope we all shall live and promise that we dont die in despair...a hope is awakened as I write this, as simultaneously I am watching Somdev Devvarman playing the Tie break in the Chennai Open Tennis Tournament Final..yes an Indian in an ATP tour event and I have progressively seen the Chennai Open getting bigger year on year...

Here's to a great 2009..Together we can ....