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I was reading Harvard Business School Working Knowledge Newsletter. It states that Jeana H. Frost, Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely are taking an academic look at online dating and how it can be improved. They have created virtual dates. Using virtual dates the couple can communicate in real time. Couples can use colors, words and images while chatting. The virtual date will give a clearer idea of the person and it would be easy for online users to decide whether to take the relationship any further or not. The objective behind creation of virtual date is to eliminate the current dating sites’ shortcomings. The researcher Jeana H. Frost states “The current model is artificial and static, and far removed from everyday social interaction.â€?

The trios’ research findings say, when people actually meet face to face, their expectations just bite the dust. When a couple is conversing online, the chemistry seems to be perfect. Right questions are asked and more than perfect answers are given. One can have a faultless relationship in a cyber world. By using virtual dates, people would be able to filter non interesting dates easily.

Here, my idea is not to write about technological implications of this research on relationships. I wonder, how fervently one human being wants to connect with another. The urge, not to stay lonely is incredibly strong. No denying the fact that man is a social animal. And good dating sites are minting money exploiting this human emotion. But does every human want to be understood and be connected to another soul? Do we really want a soul-mate? Or our first priority is social acceptability? Can we flaunt our mate in front of other or not? For exhibiting the mates, they have to be presentable, financially flourishing with a social standing and have everything that is “in thing.� So when we come across with online date in three dimensions, which emotion is dominating us? Our own or social acceptability?

This snap was forwarded to me by ‘This Girl’s Life’. She writes:
This is actually an on-the-ceiling poster in the smoking room at an IT firm in Mumbai, India.

Some more facts about this ad:
This ad was prepared by Everest Brand Solutions, in Mumbai, India. It’s called “Cemetery.” And this ad was awarded a bronze lion for ‘Outdoor’ in Cannes in 2006.

I have just seen a good advertisement following the AIDA Model.

This ad copy attracts attention by providing a black and white snap of a little girl. Magazine is specifically designed for men. It mainly contains gadget section, politics, grooming, what’s in what’s not and interviews of prominent personalities. Not to forget, there is no dearth of hot and sexy girls on cover as well as inside . The attention of potential customer is immediately drawn towards the little girl and the black and white page because rest of the magazine is quite colorful. Next thing is, the girl is not your usual parent decorated designer little girl we usually see in ads. She is smiling, but one can immediately sense, something is amiss.

The next step of ADIA Model is catching the interest of potential buyer.
This is done by their caption. It goes like this:

“This is 3 year old Shreya.
her parents abandoned her and
vanished. If you turn the page,
you will do the same.

These lines certainly fuel the desire to know more. Now they have advertised in one full paragraph about the actual condition of the little girl and how one can help. When they put the name of leading business house Mahindra and Mahindra as a trustee, you feel assured.

The last and most important element of AIDA model, talks about inducing customer into action. Certainly when this ad copy talks about sending a photograph and regular academic report of the child to the sponsor, it probably cross all the hurdles of a wavering mindset.

I often wonder, how come NGOs create such successful ad copies?

Whenever I read these kind of articles, I remember Gandhian economics. He always emphasized on the optimum use of local resources. This way he wanted to stop the migration from villages to cities. When I read and listen that Gandhian model is outdated in the era of global economy, I want to write innumerable posts citing example from all over the globe how this model is a resounding success.
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Read this wonderful story about a ethnic Tibetian community making Yak cheese in China with the help of US dairy experts so that they don’t have to migrate to cities to look for work.

Everyone involved in the project is confident that there is a market for local cheese that can be blended into Chinese and Tibetan dishes.

Despite the factory’s modest setting, there is a strong emphasis on hygiene and keeping the milk clean.

“If you’ve got a good product, you will have a market. But you’ve got to ensure good sanitation,” said Marie So, CEO of Ventures in Development.

The cheese makers plan to install electric stoves, when the power is finally on. This would double their capacity, currently 20 kilos a day.
They are also investigating yak fibre as a secondary cash product, hoping that where there’s a wool, there’s a way.

I was reading this post. Believing in “customer is always right”, can be quite frustrating. But research into consumer behavior states that the average satisfied customer conveys to three people about his experience but the average dissatisfied customer grumbles to eleven other people.So the bad mouthing of products or services are unaffordable for any company.

Tackling a disgruntled customer can be strenuous. But it can be safely concluded if a customer is complaining, the good thing is he is already a proactive person and believes in your customer service. If he / she has the passion to get angry, then with reasonable effort, he / she can be converted into company’s advocate. So its an opportunity in disguise.

I was reading Good enough . It prompted me to write, what prompts manufacturers to add many useless features to a product, which a normal user probably won’t even explore in the product’s life time. Is it desperation to score over competitors? Or is it the mind of an expert psychiatrist at work who is exploiting the “feel goodâ€? factor of the potential buyer? Potential buyer can boasts to the family and friends, “Look at my appliance. It’s different!â€? Or is it the fault of the research wing Who can’t gauge the mind of an average consumer? Feature adding just works at the initial stage. Potential customer is attracted to buy, but afterwards he gripes about it to many.

Harvard Business Review Working Knowledge says, “If you are a manager in a consumer products company, our research presents you with a dilemma. Adding features improves the initial attractiveness of a product but ultimately decreases customers’ satisfaction with it. So, what should you do? If you give people what they want, they will suffer for it later, and that has three follow-on effects.â€?

“Finally, frustrated product owners . . . will spread the word of their dissatisfaction. This appears to be the case with BMW, whose 7 Series cars feature the complicated iDrive system, which offers about 700 capabilities requiring multifunction displays and multistep operations—even for functions that formerly required the twist of a knob or the flick of a switch. BMW included instruction sheets in the glove compartment because it is almost impossible to give the car to a valet parker without an impromptu lecture. According to industry news reports, sales of the 7 Series in the United States in the first half of 2005 were down about 10 percent relative to the same period in 2004. Past studies have established the power of positive word of mouth and the much greater prevalence of its negative form—and most of those studies were conducted before the Internet gave every dissatisfied party a global sphere of influence.”

I find the same apprehension in this post.
Finally what a product manager should do to keep consumers’ dissatisfaction at bay? Well that needs another post.

I often snigger at various advertisements. Very few advertisements are successful in achieving their objectives. At the basic level, it is taught, if you are creating an ad, try to follow the AIDA Model. It goes something like this (for the un-initiated):

• A – Attracting attention
• I – Interest
• D – Desire
• A – Action

Let me throw light on these topics in detail.

Your Advertisement Should Attract Attention

The advertiser or copywriter has to catch the attention of the potential customer. It can be achieved by contrasting colors, movement, dramatization, celebrities, location anything.

Your Advertisement Should Generate Interest

Merely catching the attention of future buyer is not enough. The advertisement is such that it must build up would-be customers’ interest. The copywriter has a very tough job ahead here. Some like sentiments, some humor, some facts and figures. The ad should be right on target.

Your Advertisement Should Create Desire

This is the one of the basic purposes of advertising. The copywriter should be a brilliant mass psychiatrist. He must be aware of the buying motives of the future customer. He has to cross the fear factor and certain reservations of the purchasers. On serious prompting, people are prone to buy the products or services.

Your Advertisement Should Trigger Action

This is behavior stage, the ultimate goal of the advertising copy. A copywriter should prepare the advertisement in such manner that customer is compelled to buy the product or services.

It’s not always the rule to prepare the advertising copy on exact AIDA Model. This model only suggests the desired qualities in an advertising copy.

I come across some of the advertisements which follow AIDA model to the hilt. I will discuss this in my next post.

I have written about a couple seeking mercy killing for their gravely ill son. This post somehow was side tracked from its real intention. But I tried in a very small way to do something for this ailing boy. And many of you supported me fully. Raghuveer even trusted me, a faceless and intangible stranger, so much that he transferred money from his account to my own, suggesting me that I should send the cheque. He was skeptical about India’s postal system. I did as he suggested. But even after good 20 days, the money was intact in my bank account. I was distraught and phoned Mr. Ashok Kumar, just to make sure whether he received the cheque or not. He informed me,�Madam aap logon ki duvayen aur aashirvaad kaam nahi aya.� That child breathed his last on 13th August.

Well, beyond a point everyone is helpless. I don’t believe in God, otherwise, I would have drawn some consolation in prayers and mediation. But this luxury is unavailable to me. But I learn one thing, there are always people, who are ready to do their bit. Its just that you have to ask for a helping hand. They are ready to hold hands and trust a stranger. Due to them, this planet is worth living.

I was unwrapping a shirt. It was like solving a complex maze with so many metal and plastic pins inserted at every nook and corner along with tissue paper, a thin sponge and hard board. I was thoroughly annoyed after being out for shopping. How shopping distresses people is beyond my comprehension. Or I think the salespersons in my area are from another planet, who convert shopping into a nightmare. And then, coming home and unpacking is a big deal for me. But unwrapping those packets makes me wonder that all this can’t be accomplished by machines. You need two hands to pack a shirt like this. And those two hands must take a salary back home. And that salary may be used for tuition fee for a child or an extra meal for the family or may it be that money ends up in a bank in the form of a fixed deposit for a safe future or … I consciously avoid thinking that the money may end up at a desi sharab ka theka and later the two hands may beat up a wife …

I have read an interesting true story here.
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His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog! He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.” “No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.

“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I’ll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.” And that he did.

Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like nobody’s watching.
Sing like nobody’s listening.
Live like it’s Heaven on Earth.
==================================

I got this story from Travel tales from India. This is called having fun or having a wild time. I think for having fun the requirements are good health and that wild adventurous streak. Here Maverick is writing about his craziest train journey. He and his gang played volleyball in the wagon of a goods train. Keeping their company was a reluctant old women who cursed these guys in audible voice. You can get a feel of their fun by glancing at this picture.

Newspapers and TV channels have been amply covering the deluge of Mumbai. Saw this charming image in the Asian Age. This little girl — if it is perceptible in the image I took with my digital camera — has made a boat of empty cold-drink bottles. Quite an innovation I’d say!

A boy,still in his teens,has read my post, “Freedom of Expression & Choice.” He has written a post “Thinking“. Kurt Cobain’s blog is just one post old. He read comments on my post. He was very upset with all the rationality and the feel of real world was quite upsetting for him. His post reflects the simplicity and passion of a teen, unspoilt by cynicism.I wish him all the best in life.
Here is his post:

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I was one day coming back from Noida, way back to my home. In the way i was supposed to change a bus. I was walking upto the bus stop, in the way i saw a lady begging. I used to ignore those beggers whom i suppose that they can earn their money but instead they are begging, but not this lady. She was not a pretty site to see, without one leg. Her clothes were really dirty and torn. She was constantly giving me vibes of her helplessness and pity. I kept on walking and at the same time staring at her. I was unable to move my eyes from her. I don’t know what she was mumbling but surely she was asking for money. Some people ignored her like she’s a piece of shit. But she did’nt mind that i guess from her geusture. I turned around and walked upto her. I saw her begging pot, there were hardly 10 to 20 bucks in her pot, all in 1 or 2. I looked up at her in her eyes, her eyes were telling me that this lady wants money more than anyone else on this planet.

I reached my pocket there were about 575 bucks but i took out a lame 20 bucks and I dropped that piece of money in her pot. I can’t believe that she reached out to touch my feet for those 20 bucks. I felt so guilty. Folks! do we ever think spending 20 bucks!! and this ordinary 20 rupees bill meant so much to her. I was in tears. I fealt so miserable. There’s so much poverty in our country, and people say that it’s my money and i’ll spent it the way i want. I also used to do the same with my pocket money, but now i feel so bad about it. I wish I could have not wasted those money in buying some fancy clothes just to impress some bimbo, Instead done somethig productive. Wasting money on clothes or on junk food is so fucking sad when you see people around you starving and moving in clothes torn from here and there, with an inch of dirt on them. How you people close your eyes when you move. You people will easily spend money in Barista or Mcdonalds but if a rickshaw waala will ask you 5 or 10 buck more than normal then you people will be ready to fight with him. I’ll suggest you to go to Jama Masjid, I’m sure it’ll be an eye opener for you people. I’ve seen a real india there. I had smelt stink in the shape of poverty. I just want you to think about the children on the street selling newspaper, before you burn your money in some lousy place. Wearing nice clohtes, eating in some hi-fi food chain never defines a person. I’m closing this blog here, but i’ll write more.

P.S. :- This is for those who say that it’s my money and i’ll spend it the way i want. In a nutshell for metropolitan rats!!

I had posted about a couple, writing to the Indian President seeking mercy killing for their son, Vijay Kumar. Their son has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia.

Doctors at CMC Vellore and Tata Motors Hospital, where Vijay is admitted, have prescribed a bone marrow transplant – the cost of which is around Rs 12 lakh, way beyond Ashok’s means.

I am pleasantly surprised that so many of you have expressed concern and want to help this child. Raghuveer’s comment compelled me into action
=======================
More importantly, in this case, if you can find the hospital the kid is in, maybe all of us can sign a petition or write/email the doctors to waive/reduce the fees for this kid? And if you can please find out the status of donations and e-mail me, I will try to pool in money from my friends. Since we have spent hours discussing banalities, we can justifiably spend more time raising money.
=======================

Shivam Vij, Mridula, Satya and Rahul Shukla helped me finding necessary information.And with their help I tracked down NDTV’s Kolkata correspondent Monideepa Banerjie’s mail, who had broken this story. She replied to my mail pretty soon. And with her help, I found out the necessary information:

Vijay’s father Ashok Kumar’s cell no. – 9334629441
If you want, you can send the cheque or draft at any of the three given addresses.
=============
His Bank: State Bank of India
Account No: 10590922630

Bank Address:
State Bank Of India
Telco Campus
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
831004
====================
His Address
Mr. Ashok Kumar
Jemco Bus Stand
Mahanand Nagar
Telco Works
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
831004
====================
You can contribute here too.

Donations to help Vijay can be made by way of a cheque or DD drawn in favour of the “District Collector, Jamshedpur”.

The cheque or DD, with a covering letter specifying that the donation is for Vijay, should be posted to the following address:

Dr N M Kulkarni,
District Collector,
East Singhbhum District,
Deputy Commissioner’s office,
Bishtupur, near Blood Bank,
Jamshedpur 831001

But remember, its not just money. You can spread the word by giving a little space at your blog for this boy.

They have wrote about this issue on their blogs

1. Tarun
2. Ritu
3. Prancer
4. Amrit

5. Mridula
6. Manish
7. This Girl’s Life

She shows me these pics

and I see that people have a heart to leave their footprints ( in the form of litter ) to such serene, beautiful places.

When she treks, there too she picks up as much garbage as she can and then burns it. You can see the picture.

She always admonishes me for using plastic bags. She, often tells the shopkeeper to hand us down the things in our bare hands, if I have forgotten the grocery bag. Almost always she makes sure that I have a bag, if we went out to get the vegetables.

She is participating in a contest held by Ok Tata Bye Bye. I wish that she wins, and won’t forget to do her bit for the environment.

• I had written a post about a couple seeking mercy killing for his 12 year-old terminally ill son, because parents don’t have enough money for the treatment. I get an encouraging response from Himanshu:

• Hi, somehow I landed up on ur blog while searching in goggle.
  I must say it looks so Pro…
  U have expressed ur thought and views very neatly in this blog..
  I am linking u on my blog so that techie guyz can know watz is happening apart from SDLC in this world.
  And thankz for the address, I’ll b making a contribution towards treatment of Vijay.

Himanshu, thank you so much for everything.

But I received these comments too.

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• DesiPundit » Archives » Who is real needy? Says:
  June 2nd, 2006 at 3:10 pm

[…] Alka Dwivedi questions Amitabh’s decision to donate money to the Balaji temple when they are other worthy causes (she mentions one) [hat tip: Mridula]. Personally, I have found such questions troubling because it infringes on the individual’s right to handle his wealth. […]

• confused Says:
  June 2nd, 2006 at 8:39 pm

Alka,

Its not a question of who needs it more bu a question of whom Amitabh wants to give it to.

Sorry, I don’t think anyone has the right to question what do I do with my own

money.

====================================

Can any argument be presented in isolation? Can we lift any sentence from any country’s literature or constitution and apply it as such in entirely different environment? I think, even when multinationals come to India they mold their products and ads according to Indian circumstances and reality. When we use these words , freedom of expression, freedom of choice, sometimes we tend to go overboard. I was listening to a talk show where one person was advocating freedom to use drugs. When it was explained to him how drug addicts end up helping terrorism ultimately, that fellow was not listening. I remember a similar case where one was defending his right to smoke. But what about our right to have a clean environment? He has nothing to say to that.

When I was reading those comments and was very much tempted to figure out how to make a table in wordpress and give statistics about India and USA or any other progressive country.

What is their poverty line and what is ours? It is estimated that India’s progress lags behind 250 years

than that of USA. If each and every Indian have to attain theirs’ living standard and consumption level we have to wait (work hard for)250 years. We all know the infrastructure, medical support system, unemployment benefits, people living on welfare, old age benefits, Social Security, Life expectancy , infant mortality rate…in USA.

Then I stumbled upon this,

“How “Poor are America’s Poor.â€? It states some interesting facts :

* 38 percent of the persons whom the Census Bureau identifies as "poor" own their own homes with a median value of $39,200.

* 62 percent of "poor" households own a car; 14 percent own two or more cars.

* Nearly half of all "poor" households have air-conditioning; 31 percent have microwave ovens.

* Nationwide, some 22,000 "poor" households have heated swimming pools or Jacuzzis.

In the light of such glaring contrasts, can we conveniently say things like “Its his money, he can spend it the way he wants.� Can we comfortably make statement like these commentators? Does we have a support system like USA? Therefore when we try to follow individualism like developed countries, it sounds odd.

What Amitabh’s PR was doing? That news was beamed all day and night long on NDTV. He might have earned a lifetime goodwill of that family, instead he had chosen to waste that HUGE amount of money to a jeweler. ( No wonder rich are becoming richer.) That too when Amitabh is admired and respected around the world by most of the Indians. THAT amount of money have changed the fortune of a villege. Generations could have been lifted to another living standard by that amount of money.

It might sound old fashioned but we have forgotten community feeling and a sense of responsibility towards less fortunates. I am not saying that we should give up all the fun and turn into philanthropists. But once in a while we can do something for our people. It necessarily shouldn’t be in the form of money. Even if Amitabh might have come out and asked people to donate money for Vijay, it would have been collected in days. Even Bill Gates is going to devote all his time to charity, and that to third world countries. Why should he be feeling responsible for third world countries while we are BUSY BEING MORE AMERICANS THAN AMERICANS THEMSELVES.

Here is update on “Orissa kids’ NASA dream thwarted”

Ullas Mishra, is one of the kids winning the competition. Here is his mail at CNN-ABN web-site :

The Orissa government has come forward to sponsor us. But it would be a real help if someone from the US can help us in getting us hotels booked and assisting us if possible when we are able to go to to the US. I believe we have Indians in California who can come forward. Thank you.

All is well that ends well. 🙂

I hate writing personal stuff on my blog.
But this time I am too outraged to care. Somehow I managed to finish my daily chores at 2:00 AM in the morning (don’t ask how THAT late). And wanted to catch up with news. What I heard was this :

Couple seeks mercy killing for ailing son

Monday, May 29, 2006 (Jamshedpur):

A couple in Jamshedpur has written to President APJ Abdul Kalam asking for help or his permission to let their son die. Ashok and Sushila Kumar have been battling to keep their 12-year-old terminally ill son Vijay alive for the last four months. Vijay, who has been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, has been ill since February and is in hospital since March.

“The doctor says he needs a bone marrow transplant but we cannot afford it. We cannot give him the treatment he needs. I did not have an option. That is why I took this decision to write to the President to ask him to ensure treatment or give permission for mercy killing,” said Ashok Kumar, Vijay’s father.

Doctors at CMC Vellore and Tata Motors Hospital, where Vijay is admitted, have prescribed a bone marrow transplant – the cost of which is around Rs 12 lakh, way beyond Ashok’s means.

The TV reporter was also flashing an address in case if anyone wants to help. OK! People don’t watch TV with a notebook and pen. So I missed the address till I retrieve a pen and paper. I had to wait for the next bulletin to repeat the news. This time the newsreader was speaking so fast that my fingers couldn’t put up with the words. And the address on the screen was for such a short time. It was advised to me to get the address at NDTV’s website. I got the news item but not the address. So we dished out the digital camera and in the next bulletin I managed to photographed the address. Which is here for you, if any of you are interested. The draft or cheque should be addressed to the “District Collector.â€? And at the back of the cheque or draft, Vijay Kumar’s name should be written.

Dr. N. M. Kulkarni
District Collector, East Singhbhoomi District
Office of Deputy Commissioner
Bishtupur, Near Blood Bank
Jamshed Pur – 831001

I was engaged in all this till 4:00 AM in the morning knowing that my donation will make a very small difference for the treatment of Vijay. And here I heard this news, next day.

Bachchan to offer gift to Lord Balaji ( worth Rs 7.5 to 9 crore)

He said that he would make a spare set of the existing two sheaths and then sent his jewelers. I have also learned that they are preparing two kavachams, which should be worth Rs 7.5 to 9 crore depending on the number of stones, said A P V N Sharma, Executive Officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

I am still wondering who needs this money more, Vijay or Lord of the Seven Hills in Tirumala, who can look after this universe.

They could be working at NASA, but they have no money

I am copy pasting this post from Amrit’s blog. Please spread the message as much as you can.

Here is Amrit’s article.

==================================================

I’ve been reading this news about 4 students in Rourkela winning a NASA competition for a few days. They needed to conceptualize a model of an outer-space settlement that could accommodate 10,000 people. These students bagged the second price. There were more than 200 entries from more than 90 schools from all over the world and the students of the Ispat English Medium School run by the Rourkela Steel Plant, were awarded the prize for their project titled ‘Eden’. The NASA has invited these young students to go there and conduct further research. Sadly, up till now, no funds are forthcoming for their trip to NASA.

Although they have applied to various places, including the office of the Orissa chief minister, they haven’t received a response yet. It will be tragic if they cannot go due to lack of funds. They need I think around Rs. 5,00,000 (approximately $11,000). If you think you can help in anyway, please get in touch with the school mentioned above, or spread this piece of information through email or your blog.

Ashish has written a post, It’s summer so it must be road rage. As far as I know only he can argue why Indians don’t need more number of psychiatrists because they make good use of their vehicle’s horns!! 🙂
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The bad news is that Natasha Mitchell, reporting for ABC news has reported that India has only 3500 psychiatrists; that is something like one psychiatrist to every three million of us Indians. In comparison the US has something like one psychiatrist to a few thousand.

The good news is that the burgeoning middle class now owns 80 million motorized vehicles and at the last count almost all of them had a functional horn. Our friend Natasha need not be alarmed at the lack of mental health alternatives in the country, we have 80 million horns and pounding all of those should lead to a copious catharsis and consequently well rounded individuals.

The average commuter on a day honks 20 times; From the crickety tweet of the Bajaj scooter to the brain curdling staccato of the pressure horn on your friendly neighborhood blue line. So that would amount to 1.6 billion honks a day or about 500 billion honks a year. Now that is quite something.

Honks is one thing, but road rage that seems to transform bovine looking middle aged gentlemen into Gabbar Singh on steroids is quite another. The honks and the road rage define the problem as one of competence, essentially saying that people don’t know how to drive and are basically stupid and need to be told as much and as loud as possible. Now this may be true in parts, given the way driving tests are conducted and the licenses procured but there is also another element. There seems to be a basic design/requirements flaw in the way we model/design and implement transportation systems.

Back in the early 90’s we were doing a course on transportation planning in IIT Delhi. Now in one of the labs we were supposed to compute the volume of traffic at the Hauz Khas crossing near IIT gate. The volume of traffic would have been an input to modeling a transportation system or its components (say a round about or a merge lane). The way to compute the volume of traffic is rather simplistic, at least for that lab students man different corners of an intersection and then simply count the number of vehicles over a period of time and come up with the volume defined in vehicles/hour. You could do it at different times to factor in rush
hours and lean periods but essentially at the end of the day someone would need to stand and count the number of vehicles.

Now the problem as I see it today is that we counted only the cars, that’s correct only the cars. If you take a cross section of traffic on any road, there are at least a dozen types of vehicles and we are not even talking about the extremes of vehicle types that can be found while crossing Bhangel in NOIDA. There is the scooter, the bus, the truck, the auto, the cycle, the curiously titled private carrier which actually is the lifeline for small merchants, it is easy to see a tractor, some indigenously crafted vehicles that is called rather appropriately “jugad” in western U.P. and of course the pedestrians. There will be the RTV the rural transport vehicle and a whole bunch of others.

In short the requirements analysis of the phase missed out on all except a few use-cases and we know what that means, chaos during implementing the project and customers screaming after the implementations. Now you know why we honk it is the primordial scream of a dissatisfied customer. Ideally it should be directed towards the folks who failed to read the usecases.

Dr Geetam Tiwari is a professor at IIT Delhi for the center of transport studies. She has been publishing a number of research papers and has been on the media NDTV did a short story on her that deals with this issue. Essentially, she says that our transport systems are unsustainable the most important elements of traffic are pedestrians, the cycle and the non motorized rickshaws and our models of transport systems are rather blindly copied from developed nations who have a much more uniform traffic pattern and do not factor-in all the other use-cases.

Obviously the solution to this problem is a well near impossible one. one cannot just do away with all the roads and then build again, you’d need some political will apart from technological challenges to fit all these disparate vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) into a serene smooth traffic flow.

But that is another story- what we could do when that hand moves towards the horn or you get the itch to mouth some of the choicest remember the guy you are screaming at was probably not at the requirement analysis committee when they were designing this road.