Humphatt SWAAHAA !

Exorcism before my eyes 

Krishnankutty Komaram, s/o  late kelukutty Komaram, Thenjippalam komarappadiparambu Sri Bhagavathi  kshethram. The woman undergoing this is standing opposite the exorcist, outside this room under scorching sun.

“Ettathum, ettubhadichathum, elppikkapettathumaaya sarva bhooda pishachukkaleyum akattuka ! Om daaridrya dukha dahanaaya namah sivaya ! Humphatt swaaha”

The exorcist kept chanting these lines a hundred times. I was just an observer who thought (i doubt whether i still think) all this was perfect shit. I had taken pride in being an atheist and had always been hesitant in going to religious places. But still I am sure that there is no Krishna or Shiva or Hanuman or the like. Those are just mythological figures created for common man to imagine the supreme power (just like how much concentration they get through idol worshiping). But the power, I don’t understand. Perhaps it is the thing I try to understand the most. I fail terribly every time. Anyway, I think one shouldn’t be against something without knowing the A-Z about it. This thought of mine had actually triggered my curiosity to know more about our traditional beliefs. I accompanied my relatives to this strange place - it was a wonder for them that I was going to such a place. Each of us might have been born to different parents, at different times, places, situations, conditions etc. This makes us react to same situation differently. The difference is in the way our life was set. I don’t mean to say it is all fate. But just look at that beggar on the roadside, and that blind girl who pleads before you for few bucks.  Don’t these keep you thinking? This is when great people talk about mental power and will. Of course the mind has tremendous power. But at times it somehow fails to gather all this so-called ‘instinct’ power. It seems like someone or something is pulling us unconditionally and thereby dominating this mental power of ours. Renowned film Director Lal Jose said,

“Had I not gotten those ‘circumstances’, I would not have become a film director”

Yes, though I don’t believe in the blurred term ‘fate’, I do believe in circumstances which I am forced to believe (by my experiences) are preset. All of us, however fervently we believe in ‘personal-mental-power’, would have thought at some point of our life about such bottomless truths.

Having this in mind I followed my relatives to Komarappadi kshethram.

The exorcist there was talking about ‘durbhoodangal’ (demons) who are supposed to attack us as per our time of birth - influenced by various planets. Crap! Crap! I whispered to satisfy my conscience – though I was inquisitive. Fire, earth, water, air and space - the five forces of nature were used for exorcism, I noticed. It had to be effective, for I believe in the divine forces of mother earth. There were not many people there unlike normal temples. In fact it is not exactly a temple - it’s a holy enclosure maintained by the Komarappadi family. I waited for the oracle along with the others present. Among the devotees was a muslim girl (in 20s). I was eager to know more about her. Without hesitating I asked her curiously’

A peep into the ‘paid news’

“A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself” said David Mackenzie Ogilvy, the father of advertising. Today we see innumerable advertisements around us. The national advertising industry has risen so high that on an average an individual is exposed to 1,00,000 ads per day. Bus advertising, truck side ads, scooter, caravans video display vehicles, walking billboards, wrapped smart cars and taxi advertising are seen around the world. But how many of it uphold the ethics of advertising?

Mass media in the past specified a definite proportion for ads and editorial matter for a newspaper. It said  60% of a newspaper should be editorial matter and the remaining 40% may be occupied by advertisements. But as the major chunk of revenue of any newspaper or any other medium of communication is advertisements , this traditional concept of proportion has become history.

Sameer Jain, the Managing Director of the largest media organisation, Times of India publication and the early bird of the Indian media scene has set a new trend in this milieu of intense competition. He gave respectability to the advertising department and said, “Every newspaper is a brand and the brand has to be promoted through brand building”. In order to monopolize the newspaper market, he created a mother market by launching a rival newspaper ’independent’. This was the time when a newspaper advertised for itself to survive in the market.

Print media has undergone drastic changes after independence. Profit oriented money mindedness and ulterior motives prevailed.’ Indian Opinion’ under the editorship of Gandhiji had absolutely no advertisements, because during those days carrying ads itself was considered unethical. After independence, everything  became a chaos. Journalism very soon became a profession and newspaper became a product, packaged and sold to the economic élite, designed to satisfy  the needs of the advertiser first and readers second. Advertisement was then rechristened as ‘paid news’. After liberalization, when Niche` publications gained prominence, The Economic Times sold like hot cakes. The meteoric rise in circulation  resulted in the emergence of new editions in different languages.

But today, we find that media is being irritating commercialized.  Values which were given sanctity and respect by our tradition have become commodities for sale in modern advertising. The need for ethics in advertising is indispensable as we have a duty to live a good moral existence.

Ethics, for instance refers to those delegations to abstain from rape, stealing, murders, assault, slander and fraud. Ethical standards also encompass those that enjoin virtues of truthfulness, concern and faithfulness. And , ethical standards comprise values connecting to rights, such as the right to live, the right to freedom from injury and the right to privacy. Ethics also means, constant attempt of studying our own moral behavior, and determine to ensure that we and the institutions we help to form live up to principles that are rational and firmly based.

Advertisements influence the path of children very deeply. Most of the modern ads tend to mislead the youth. By contrast, an ethical ad can contribute to a good corporate reputation, heightened morale and thus boost  repeat business.Recently, India has produced many ads that promoted the sale of the product along with a meaningful social message (Idea ads are best examples). ‘Selling by any means which is unethical should not be the aim.

Therefore, the upcoming advertisers must be aware of the ethics in advertising because that is the soul of India’s cultural heritage.

*[inspired from Hari S Kartha's lecture on paid news. Written in 2008]

Thiruvambady fedbank inauguration

As part of Federal Bank’s much awaited century launch, people of Thiruvambady witnessed the grand inauguration of the respective branch by Mr Babu Kalathoor, Vice president, Thiruvambady Grama panchayath on March 10^th. The function commenced with the welcome address by Mr P K Francis, AGM, Kozhikode zone. “With the launch of this new branch, we are giving humane face to banking” he said.

Mr C P Mohandas, GM, Kozhikode zone delivered the inaugural speech in which he effectively summarized important features and services of the bank. “I am immensely proud to say that Thiruvambady is the 100^th and last branch to be inaugurated under the ‘100 new branches’ move”, he said.

The inaugural function commenced with the lighting of lamp by Mr. Babu Kalathoor, Rev.Fr. Francis Vellamackal, Mr. CP Mohandas, Mr. Francis P K, Block panchayath member Mr Bose Jacob and Vyapari vyavasayi  ekopana samithi unit president Mr JIji Thomas Illickal.

“The opening of a new bank in Thiruvambady has endorsed it as a worthy and recognized region” said Mr Babu Kalathoor. ”Thiruvambady has developed to higher level with this recognition” he added. In his speech, Mr Bose Jacob reflected the feelings of agrarian people who constitute large population of this area and asserted what they needed is kind reception at the bank.

The branch was further inaugurated formally with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Mr Babu Kalathoor.

Inauguration of the safe deposit locker and ATM was carried out by Mr Bose Jacob and Rev. Fr. Francis Vellamackal respectively. After the vote of thanks given by Branch Manager Mr Thamban Nanat, the function concluded with the national anthem.

Around 250 people participated in the function and i am glad that i can say i was one

Idea!

For Dove…

THE HUMANE FACE OF BANKING

For any idea, product or service to thrive in its market, a Unique selling proposition is inevitable. In fact it is the very face of modern marketing concept which was first introduced by Rosser Reeves, a pioneer of television advertising. So far we have come across a potpourri of creative USP ventures. To cite a few; Federal express’, ‘when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight’ – this USP became very successful because it was introduced at a time when package delivery was time-consuming. Dominos Pizza’s ‘Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it’s free – during a time when kids were starving but mom and dad were too tired to cook, M&M’s ‘The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand’ – and the like. USP’s give a product an entirely new face and thereby strong acceptance.

Recently, cutting through all this clutter, an exclusive USP, which arrested the attention of many of people, was introduced in the banking industry by the esteemed Federal bank. Its revolutionary launch of 100 new branches and ATMs across the country was looked up in awe by competitors and others. P K Francis, Asst. General Manager, Federal bank, Calicut zone, said in his welcome speech at the inaugural ceremony of the Thiruvambady branch in Kerala said,

“We are differentiating our service from the rest in the banking sector by providing it a ‘humane’ face”.

Taking in the deep-seated meaning of the word ‘humane’, the throng applauded vehemently. Humans, usually called the most highly evolved species, still have a long way to go in terms of mental highness – defined by human values. Unless humankind acquires these sui generis values, there is no point in setting them apart from chimpanzees-next-door. Where one attains human values is the peak of evolution. The very subject of ‘business ethics’ is often considered an oxymoron, like ‘cold fire’. But I insist that everyone must put in some effort to think through the unparalleled ability that business could posses if spiritual values were brought into it. Our former president Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam said,

“The stronger the spiritual wealth, the stronger will become all other forms of wealth. If you increase material wealth alone, man will be lost in luxury and worldly pleasures. Spirituality helps the human being to live happily and peacefully. Prosperity of the nation with spiritual strength is definitely the foundation for the economically developed nation.”

Further, Kalam also speaks about the fusion of science and spirituality which he believes can lead to national development. Likewise the fusion of business and spirituality can also play wonders. This is exactly what the Federal team has attempted to do with their century launch. And this venturesome attempt is undeniably a huge success. Its hidden USP, ‘humane face of banking’ symbolizes the divine blend of business and spirituality.

Federal Ashwas gold loan scheme, which was introduced with the purpose of providing credit against security of gold ornaments to distressed poor, farmers and artisans to repay their debt to informal sectors epitomizes a spirituality-laden business move. Various other noble services offered by Federal bank also show its humanitarian approach to the world of business.

According to Doug Rauch, former president, Trader Joe’s, business has several levels of interactions. The lowest he calls exploitation (or Win/Lose). This is where one seeks gain at any cost to others. The end justifies the means; values are ignored. The next level is Competition. This is where the majority of business and individuals live today. The focus is internal: on the business or self, not on the big picture. Whether an interaction is beneficial to another is not a concern. Developing the value of ‘Win/Win’, the only interactions or relationships an individual would welcome in a business environment would be mutually beneficial.

It is this ‘Win/Win’ culture where both parties gain in an atmosphere of free choice and mutual respect which leads Federal bank forward. Jeethe raho Federal !