I’m a Social Media Entrepreneur, Professor of Digital Marketing, Author of 7 books, Podcaster and an Organic Farmer.

(Photo credit Peggy Art)

I don’t recall ever reading a book about Swami Vivekananda. Nor have I learned any of his teachings. The closest I have been to ‘him’ is to visit the Ramakrishna Math in Calcutta but that was as a tourist. So, its a bit of surprise that I now spend considerable time on YouTube listening to his talks and reading about his teachings.

So, why this transformation?

On March 27th, I’ve been invited by MGR University to give a keynote speech at a literary fest to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The Principal had such high opinion about me. She wanted me to give a motivational talk to the students. I had two choices when I received the call. To turn down the invitation citing my lack of knowledge on Swami’s teachings. Or take it up as a challenge, go beyond my comfort zone, and learn about the subject. I loved the idea of the challenge and said ‘YES’. I’m glad I did.

The scene now shifts to the airport.

The last two months has been heavy on speaking engagements. I’ve been traveling around the country speaking at corporates and conferences. I have been wanting to improve my repertoire and learn engaging stories to illustrate my points.

I decided to marry travel with reading. Here’s what I did.

Whenever I’m at an Airport, I pick up a book from the bookstore. The criteria for my book selection is that it has to be small and thin. Max around 100 pages. My goal is to finish the book before the plane lands at the destination. This habit has done wonders to my book reading habit…and my speaking skills! I always aim to include what I learned from the book into my next speech. Its worked out wonderfully. Now I look forward to more speaking opportunities for I know it also pulls up my reading.

What tips did you follow to improve your reading and speaking? Would love to hear.

I picked up a Reliance CDMA Tablet on the day of its launch recently.  I wanted to write a review then but wanted to make sure that I put in at least a week’s time using the tab before I talk about it.

I want to set the expectation right. I’m an Apple fanboy. I own two iPads (the first generation and iPad2). The reason why I picked up another Tab is because I wanted one that runs on Android to test out the apps.

In this review, I’m reviewing the Reliance Tab on its own merit and will not be comparing it with the iPad.  The Reliance Tab is available at Rs.12,999 while the closest equivalent of iPad would cost around Rs.30K.  The target segment is clearly distinct and is unfair to compare.

OK, with that out of the way, let’s dive in.

The Reliance Tab is the first CDMA tablet in the country. Coincidentally, I was among the first buyers of the CDMA phone that Reliance launched over a decade ago.

So why CDMA when Reliance already has 3G Tablets in the market? That’s because in some circles like Tamilnadu, Reliance does not have 3G licenses.

The Reliance Tablet is a 7 inch one and has a capacitive multi-touch screen with a 480X800 screen resolution.  The 512 MB is sufficient for browsing but would have gladly appreciated more power.  The MicroSD slot can hold an impressive 32GB and with the prices of MicroSDs falling drastically, makes sense to ramp it up.  Reliance throws in a 4MB 4GB card for free. (Thanks Saurabh for pointing out the mistake)

The Reliance Tab can be used as a full feature mobile phone and comes with its own wired ear phone. The voice clarity and sound is very impressive. For someone who wants to use both the phone and the Tab regularly, it would make sense to just carry the Tab but please for heaven’s sake, use the ear phone provided.  I always find people who place a tab to their ears look like a dork!

The Tab is 397 grams light and is quite handy. Its all black look with a nice silver lining on the side makes it look professional.

Reliance has integrated it own services.  It comes bundled with Internet Data plans and you get to save up-to 40% on yearly plans. The company has thrown in 2 months free subscription to BigFlix for movie viewing. It has tied up with McAfee to give one year free Mobility Antivirus.

Here’s my closing thought.  If your usage is just browsing, emails and games (which I find most Tab users predominantly use) and you are looking for a tab within budget, then I’d give the Reliance Tab a thumbs up.

Its not about how much you know. Its about how much the students learn. My sessions at Great Lakes are 3 hours straight and it can be a challenge to retain the attention of the students. A very effective method is breakdown a big subject into really small topics and let each student take ownership of a topic. Everyone focuses hard on their topic and researches deep into that alone. 20 minutes later, the class takes turns to teach others what they learned. I step in to add extra weight to certain key points by narrating real life experiences with clients or to counter argue. Its a group activity and the learning comes out much better than if a single teacher teaches those very same points for 3 hours straight. Here are pics from my session yesterday at Great Lakes. View the Album.

Last night, I invited a bunch of students to discuss a real project that I was working on to give them a look into what goes behind the mind of a client. The discussions were vibrant and amazing ideas came about. That’s the beauty of living in a campus. The luxury of spending the late night hours and the casualness of conversation outside the formal classrooms really opens up the mind. Pics from our discussion on the lawns. View the Album.

When I first heard about TED Auditions, it perfectly made sense. I have organized a few TEDx events and attended a few more and I can tell you that some speakers were so outstanding that they truly deserved the main TED stage.

TED is launching a World-Wide hunt for amazing speakers via auditions in 14 cities (Amsterdam, Bangalore, Doha, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Tunis and Vancouver). The auditions are physical events that take place between April and June.

The auditions for India have been announced and takes place on May 20th in Bangalore.

As one of the Global TEDx Ambassadors, I look forward to playing my part by spreading the word and recommending some awesome Doers (who are also excellent communicators) from India.

There are many TED supporters in India and if you are one of them, please take a moment to suggest a deserving speaker who deserves the limelight. More than TED, you would be doing that individual a big favor. Its time we collaboratively, unearthed some hidden jewels in our group.

Please note that Bangalore is the only city in India where the auditions will take place. However, the hunt for awesome speakers is Pan-India. So, no matter what city you live in, please look around your community and recommend names.

TED is looking for the following people. See if it rings a bell.

THE INVENTOR : sharing an innovation with world-changing potential

THE TEACHER : sharing valuable knowledge in a memorable way – to teenagers or adults

THE PRODIGY : young talent ready to break out

THE ARTIST : who can showcase their work in a compelling, new way (Don’t just talk about it. Show us your work!)

THE PERFORMER : music, dance, comedy, drama… or something entirely different

THE SAGE : wisdom the world needs from those who have learned it the hard way

THE ENTHUSIAST : with an infectious passion about a topic they can share

THE CHANGE-AGENT : helping shape the world’s future with work that matters

THE STORY-TELLER : vivid, original, meaningful … with a talent for connection

THE SPARK : with a powerful idea worth spreading

Learn more about TED 2013 Auditions.

I teach a 20 hours credit program on ‘Social Media Marketing’ for the MBA students at Great Lakes. Its one of the best MBA institutes in the country and rightly so.

As I began teaching, I found visible difference in the 65 students at my class at Great Lakes as compared to the other institutions I’ve taught at.

First, the students are lot more interactive and the number of people opening up to answer or ask questions is way higher than I had seen. I loved it for they perfectly fit into my collaborative and discussion based teaching method.

Second, they are not afraid to speak their mind. If they don’t like certain sections of the subject or if they find the case studies not up to the mark, they don’t hesitate letting me know during the class or walk up to me to let me know in private. That level of feedback greatly helps a teacher in tailor making the lessons to better suit the students’ needs.

Third, the percentage of attendance is astounding. I’ve had most of the students attend my classes. That may not sound like a big deal until you take into consideration that the students are nearing the end of their gruelingly packed one year course. The fatigue factor is usually high towards the end.

Over 90% of the students have got their job placements done. So, they got what they came to the campus for. Mission accomplished. Its time to “chillax”. The motivation to attend classes wanes. In other colleges, I have seen attendance drop abysmally but not here. Even on the day of Holi, with all the frenetic celebrations in the morning, most of the students landed up for my class. I was genuinely impressed.

I wondered why? Is it the compulsion of attendance? Partially true but its not like the students really care for it much. Is it that the management is very strict with the students? Nope. No sign of that.

I found out the real reason. The students came because they were interested in the subject. They opted for my course inspite of having the choice of over 50 plus elective courses available for them to pick. They weighed in on all the choices, listened to their heart and picked the electives that matched their passion and their career goals. This, in my opinion, makes the fundamental difference. That explains the high levels of engagement and their interest in learning. Infact, over half a dozen students who had chosen other subjects voluntarily sat through the sessions.

I hope our education system in schools and colleges takes a lesson out of this.

As for me, I look forward to heading back to the campus next week to take the remaining classes. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

I walk up to the KingFisher Airlines counter at Chennai Airport in order to check-in for my flight to Coimbatore. I hand over the printed sheet with the booking details. The lady at the counter takes one quick look at it and says, “Sorry sir, the flight has been cancelled”.

Cancelled, huh? I wasn’t surprised. Knowing the situation that Kingfisher Airlines is in, I was half expecting it. But I felt bad for the organizers of the ‘India Leadership Summit’ who booked the tickets 3 months in advance for me to come and speak at their event. Its highly unfair to them.

Me and my friend Vijay Anand, who is flying along with me, tell the lady in no uncertain terms that its important that we be there. The lady asks us to wait while she promises to find a solution. Half hour passes. We approach her again. She has no good answer. I begin to get annoyed and the annoyance was clearly written on my face.

I know its not her fault but too bad she’s in the firing line. She pleads for more time. I start to suspect that this is all just a time-wasting game. Just as we had given up hope and mentally thinking of taking an over-night bus to Coimbatore, the lady calls us and hands over two tickets to Coimbatore via Bangalore. Its a longer route but at least we get to fly.

The next day we return back to Chennai after the event. It was late at night and while waiting in line at the Taxi booking counter inside the Chennai airport, we see the same Kingfisher lady.

I felt a bit guilty for showing my annoyance to the lady who in the end was genuinely trying to find a solution. The least I could do is thank her. As I walk up to her, I couldn’t help notice how tired her face was. Obviously a long day of facing the ire of passengers like me. I thank her for yesterday’s tickets. She recognized us quickly. And you should have seen her smile. It wasn’t the plastic smile that airline staff usually give. I can read that from a mile. This was a genuine one.

I can tell that it certainly lifted her spirits. Strangely, do did mine. I’ll never forget her smile. It warmed my heart. I felt good.

3 seconds. That’s all it took to say thanks. And then I wondered if I did that to other people who helped me. People who do little things in our daily lives. I don’t mean a cursory thanks but a genuine, heart-felt one. The answer. Not always.

That’s exactly what Drew Dudley says we should do more of in this wonderful TEDx talk. We have all changed someone’s life — usually without even realizing it. Drew Dudley believes leadership is not a characteristic reserved for the extraordinary. In this funny talk from TEDxToronto, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the everyday act of improving each others’ lives.

Watch this video.

While I speak at many events and conferences, there are a few that I truly look forward to. The India Leadership Summit 2012 is one such event. The line up of speakers is truly amazing. Dr.Kiran Bedi (Magsaysay Award Winner, Core Member of Anna Hazare Team),  Dr.Satinath Sarangi (Leader fighting for Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims), Phanindra Sama (Founder, RedBus.in),  Sharad Sharma (Director, Movico Technologies and Ex-CEO of Yahoo! R&D ) to name a few. Some of my good friends like Rashmi Bansal (Best-selling Author), Vijay Anand (Founder, The Startup Centre), Purushotaman (Director-South, NASSCOM) are also there and look forward to catching up with them.

The event takes place at Sree Shakti Institute of Engineering and Technology in Coimbatore on 3rd March, 2012.

I was invited to moderate two panel discussions. The first is on “Passionate Leadership – The Story of Amazing Ascent by Fellow Indians” which features the following 3 inspiring individuals.  Scroll down for info on next panel.

Panel Discussion # 1

Muruganatham, Inventor of Low Cost Sanitary Napkin Machine

Mr.Muruganantham has made a powerful impact with his invention of low cost sanitary napkin making machine which won him the ‘Best Innovation National Award’ from the President of India.

He will speak on the personal journey of making the Sanitary Napking making machine. Also about Surviving versus Achieving.

Rajesh Bhat, CNN IBN Real Hero Award Winner, Rural BPO Entrepreneur

Rajesh Bhat, who is just 27 years of age, runs The Head Held High Foundation, which is turning illiterate villagers into BPO employees. “Our intention is to enable every villager, irrespective of whatever the background, caste, creed, religion to live a life of dignity with their head held high and give them an opportunity without charity,” Rajesh said. More about him here.

Rajesh Bhat will speak on his ‘Head held high movement’. What it meant to him when he won the CNN IBN Real Hero Award.

Babar Ali, World’s Youngest School Headmaster

Babar Ali is an Indian student and teacher from Murshidabad in West Bengal. He was called the “youngest headmaster in the world” by BBC in October 2009, at the age of sixteen.
Babar Ali is still a student himself, enrolled at the government-run Raj Govinda school in Berhampore, West Bengal.In the afternoons, starting at 4:00 p.m., he in turn teaches students in a school he founded in his parents´ back yard in Murshidabad. He had begun teaching at nine years of age, mostly as a game, and then decided to continue teaching other children at a larger scale.

Babar Ali will speak on the story of the hsi school, what inspired him to start the school , its challenges, and its success. He will also show a video presentation of his school.

Panel Discussion # 2

The second panel discussion that I will moderate is on the subject of “Passionate Leadership – The Story of Winning the Indian Turbulence” which has these two amazing individuals.

Anousheh Ansari, First Female Private Space Explorer

On September 18, 2006, Anousheh Ansari captured headlines around the world as the first female private space explorer. She also earned a place in history as the fourth private explorer to visit space and the first astronaut of Iranian descent. She blasted off for an eight-day expedition aboard the International Space Station as part of the Expedition 14 crew of the Soyuz TMA-9. This was the accomplishment of a lifelong dream for her. More about her here.

Anousheh Ansari will speak on The power of hope and imagination. Her experience of realizing a childhood dream of travelling to space. Stories of contributions to Space Exploration from Indians […this will act to motivate the young Indian engineers to consider space exploration as a career. ]

Madhan Karky, Computer Science Professor and Lyrics Engineer

Madhan Karky Vairamuthu is a lyricist, research associate, software engineer, and film dialogue writer. He is the son of poet and lyricist Vairamuthu. He is fast moving out of his father’s shadow by becoming an innovative lyricist. He has penned lyrics for songs in movies such as Ko, 180, Endhiran, Nanban, 7am Arivu etc. More about him here.

Madhan Karky will speak on his self-made breakthrough to the world of Movies. […the story of convincing Director Shankar to give an opportunity in Enthiran]. His tryst with Lyrics Engineering [..with atleast 2 examples of songs made through Lyric engineering]. And how he has been influenced by his famous father “Kaviperarasu” Vairamuthu.

When I was a small kid, back in our ancestral home in Sooramangalam Village in Pondicherry, we had a LP record player. Not a gramophone but a modern (then!) player. My Dad and Uncle owned Record album holders (which looked like monstrous sized photo albums) with records of English, Tamil and Hindi songs.

As we grew up and moved houses, no one knows where the record player and the LPs are. My suspicion is that they are all discarded and must be lying in garbage dumps somewhere.

When I started my antiques collection, the LP records were firmly on the ‘Must have’ list. Five years ago, when I visited Moore Market to buy books, I noticed a few shops selling these records. When I made a visit there again, I was hoping that those shops still existed. I was not to be disappointed.

I went there on a week day at 11 am (that’s the time most shops open) and spent an entire day there rummaging through the collection.

The shop you see below is just one of the shops that the owner has. He has a few more mostly used as godowns stocked with records, piled up from floor to ceiling. I was spoiled for choice.

Most of the records I picked up were old English music ones. I also picked up a lot of old tamil songs featuring Sivaji Ganesan. The MGR songs LPs were sold at a premium. The owner tells me its mostly the aged AIADMK party workers who come and pick up the MGR records. My favorites were Rajini and Kamal records.

That’s me with my collection of records at my home. It’s a sizeable collection. Now, the onus lies in me to take care of them. While I own a gramophone, these big records cannot be played on them. I need to purchase a more modern record player. That’s next on my list.

More photos from the Vinyl Records hunt.

The complete list of all the vinyl records that I own. Each individually photographed.