Network Marketing or technically known as MLM or Multi level marketing is not a new concept in India. It came into prominence after the advent of US direct selling company Amway. The company’s plan ensured huge return on investment to all the individuals enrolling in the scheme. The plan worked simply on a tree structure, the more the tree grows better would have been the returns. In addition to the commission (and this is a significant statement which will become important later), company also provided a huge set of products which the investor can procure and sell to earn profit. Thus the company benefitted two ways as it was getting the enrollment fee as well as instant market and advertisements for their product lines. This happened by eliminating the whole retail chain in between and the finished product came from warehouse to a number of selling agents on field. If cynicism taken out of context, this is an excellent business model to generate revenue. In the model, the company can have a foothold in market with absolutely no initial investment and will save on advertising front, supply chain management, commissions to retailer etc.
But the model itself generated opportunities for a lot of people to use it for their own interest. A lot of companies emerged, peaked and then disappeared leaving the investors in dismay. It is not that people have not earned from these companies, they have and they have earned considerably well. But not everyone had a piece of pie, a potential number of investors have also lost a fare amount of money. These companies usually operated on the philosophy of luring the investor by promising them quick money and easy money is always the best trap.
A similar company which came to existence a few years back was Gold Quest, it swept the whole nation with its tide. The company did not had any line of product, other than a minted gold coin which was provided after initial investment of around 30K INR and that’s it, the remaining model was completely MLM. A major chunk of the investor actually belonged to IT industry. The best question to gauge the credibility of the organization is what they were marketing for. As expected, one day the company went out of existence and many people lost their money. Still this is a very small aspect of a bigger picture.
Money is a very interesting concept, it is dangerous to keep money still at one place as it will lose its value, it is also dangerous to have uncontrolled flow of money. We seldom give a thought that money transfer from one place to another is not an easy thing, which is why we have ‘hawala scams’. When an investor is providing the initial investment, he is making a legal transaction of that amount from one account to other. Imagine the same scenario with half million investor. The money is now with the company at its disposal to be used in any place, might be financing terrorism, might be….
No firm other than Amway has been proven legitimate as of date. Recently another company by name Speak Asia came into existence. Still I am not sure of it being legitimate as questions have been asked about its credibility and company is in self defense mode. Though undoubtedly, this company has gone in media more than its preceding firms, still there’s always a thought until the verdict is passed.
Money is a biggest trap that exists, it is always preferred to have easy money, but whenever provided with the opportunities, we should surely think and assess it once.
As there is nothing like "Easy Money" that exists and is devoid of any sin.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
End of an Era...
By the time I am starting to write this blog, the assembly poll results are coming out and what seems is the clear washout of CPI(M) from the state of West Bengal after ruling 34 long years. It had not came as a complete surprise as for last one week the exit polls have already awarded the trophy to TMC-Congress Alliance, but was difficult for most of the CPI(M) supporters to digest for sure. Change of forces in the state seems clear as the alliance is leading on the majority of the seats.
This surely calls for the introspection on the CPI(M)’s front. A lot was speculated and considering the past track record CPI(M) leaders were rest assured of their easy victory this time around as well. This surely leaves us with a question of over confidence on the left front. Though personally I have never been a supporter of theory of communism, yet it is worth mentioning that for 34 years left has won every election very smoothly and a major impact of their ideology is visible across West Bengal. The downfall was however becoming visible and more relevant since last Parliamentary elections and the elections for local administrative bodies in Kolkata itself. But it was too late for the left to apply amends for the losses already caused.
If we have a closer look on the whole political scenario prevailing in West Bengal so as to reason out why the verdict of people changed after 34 long years of clear reign, a lot of skeletons of mistakes might come out of the left’s closet itself. It is also worth considering that Left might be winning it hands on for 34 years due to lack of substantial opposition or competition rather. But still TMC would not have emerged out as a substantial competitor if Left would not have committed certain fatal political mistakes it has in past 5 – 6 years.
One of the best examples being the stand of left on Nuke Deal, it has not affected the position of the party in West Bengal directly, but it led to the distance between Congress and CPI(M) which has been a major setback on the party’s resume. It gave a fresh opportunity to Mamta led TMC to have close ties with Congress and we are all aware that she has been the best in business in banking on opportunities. The other factor certainly has been the stern behavior of left over all the political and economical affairs of the central government. Though I am not defending the government on any front as the Indian politics is at all time low at present, still ‘We condemn’ cannot be the answer to all the questions on the governmental activities. One of the biggest factor as stated earlier has been the over confidence on the Left front and this defeat will surely send stirs to the very root of the outfit and they will have to start rebuilding and reassessing their ideology.
Change is inevitable and is the only constant thing that prevails, thus it was bound to happen at some times as the CPI(M) was working opposite to basic Laws of Motion. This election result has however made it clear for all the political outfits that they have to be on their feet to have a survival. This might happen with any party and at any time. It is high time for all the parties to sit back and reassess their agendas and present a clear, better and more rationale point of view to the voters.
This marks an end to a 34 year long era for Left’s rule in West Bengal. CPI(M) has been vocal on national front because of its strong hold in the West Bengal politics, now with this loss it will be interesting to see their stance going forward.
This surely calls for the introspection on the CPI(M)’s front. A lot was speculated and considering the past track record CPI(M) leaders were rest assured of their easy victory this time around as well. This surely leaves us with a question of over confidence on the left front. Though personally I have never been a supporter of theory of communism, yet it is worth mentioning that for 34 years left has won every election very smoothly and a major impact of their ideology is visible across West Bengal. The downfall was however becoming visible and more relevant since last Parliamentary elections and the elections for local administrative bodies in Kolkata itself. But it was too late for the left to apply amends for the losses already caused.
If we have a closer look on the whole political scenario prevailing in West Bengal so as to reason out why the verdict of people changed after 34 long years of clear reign, a lot of skeletons of mistakes might come out of the left’s closet itself. It is also worth considering that Left might be winning it hands on for 34 years due to lack of substantial opposition or competition rather. But still TMC would not have emerged out as a substantial competitor if Left would not have committed certain fatal political mistakes it has in past 5 – 6 years.
One of the best examples being the stand of left on Nuke Deal, it has not affected the position of the party in West Bengal directly, but it led to the distance between Congress and CPI(M) which has been a major setback on the party’s resume. It gave a fresh opportunity to Mamta led TMC to have close ties with Congress and we are all aware that she has been the best in business in banking on opportunities. The other factor certainly has been the stern behavior of left over all the political and economical affairs of the central government. Though I am not defending the government on any front as the Indian politics is at all time low at present, still ‘We condemn’ cannot be the answer to all the questions on the governmental activities. One of the biggest factor as stated earlier has been the over confidence on the Left front and this defeat will surely send stirs to the very root of the outfit and they will have to start rebuilding and reassessing their ideology.
Change is inevitable and is the only constant thing that prevails, thus it was bound to happen at some times as the CPI(M) was working opposite to basic Laws of Motion. This election result has however made it clear for all the political outfits that they have to be on their feet to have a survival. This might happen with any party and at any time. It is high time for all the parties to sit back and reassess their agendas and present a clear, better and more rationale point of view to the voters.
This marks an end to a 34 year long era for Left’s rule in West Bengal. CPI(M) has been vocal on national front because of its strong hold in the West Bengal politics, now with this loss it will be interesting to see their stance going forward.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The man named Ganguly
Few months back when I wrote ‘No One Picked Ganguly’, I have left a question unanswered that what will happen if any other franchise decides to play Ganguly. It happened on Monday as it was announced that Sourav Ganguly will represent Pune Warriors in the 4th installment of the greatest domestic tournament ever. As expected the NEWS went down with the mixed responses and reaction from the viewers, fans and sport enthusiasts. A lot of articles explicitly condemned the decision of Ganguly joining the Pune Warriors. A lot of Dada fans also were disappointed on the decision of joining a team that is on the verge of getting out of the tournament. Whether a good decision or bad, people will always have their reserved perception and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but let us just sit back and think on few points.
Sourav Ganguly has been one of the finest in the business be it as a captain, player, leader or a mentor. In his days Dada has been the force that changed the face of Indian cricket and a dull side depending on a single person (read Tendulkar) changed into a bunch of lions ready to pounce on its prey under the leadership of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Undoubtedly Ganguly has been the natural aggressor and motivator in the team. In the early 2000s when the team was struggling with the Match fixing allegations and poor form, a man stood with responsibility on his shoulders and a bunch of youngsters and what he delivered is a team that shown the greatest teams of world cricket then that India can fight and can fight hard. He has played exquisite innings and his records both in test and one dayers is indispensably superb. Most important fact is that Ganguly injected the right attitude in the team which was the need of the hour.
These are the facts which everyone knows, why is it required to be reiterated? It is because amidst all the controversies and bizarre comments we seldom tend to forget that he is a player at heart and a player belongs to the field and not off-screen. It is the live action what a real sportsmen crave for. For a player his past achievements, his good days, and his class with the act do not matter, it is for the fans and the analyst. For a player what matters is to be on the field one more time, to feel the vibes of the crowd when he is standing on the pitch.
Ganguly has definitely earned whatever he could have with the game and this time winning or losing do not matter. It does not matter if the team he is joining will not be qualifying further, what matters is to be feeling the same pleasure once again. When a Gladiator returns to arena for one last time he does not do it for the people viewing him sitting in the gallery, he does it for himself.
It is like Maradona playing one last dribble, Schumacher holding the wheels one last time or my personal favorite Rocky Balboa returning for one last fight. It’s the feeling no one can ever understand except the player himself coz
“It’s what they are, It’s what they do…….they ain’t know anything else……… ”
Sourav Ganguly has been one of the finest in the business be it as a captain, player, leader or a mentor. In his days Dada has been the force that changed the face of Indian cricket and a dull side depending on a single person (read Tendulkar) changed into a bunch of lions ready to pounce on its prey under the leadership of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Undoubtedly Ganguly has been the natural aggressor and motivator in the team. In the early 2000s when the team was struggling with the Match fixing allegations and poor form, a man stood with responsibility on his shoulders and a bunch of youngsters and what he delivered is a team that shown the greatest teams of world cricket then that India can fight and can fight hard. He has played exquisite innings and his records both in test and one dayers is indispensably superb. Most important fact is that Ganguly injected the right attitude in the team which was the need of the hour.
These are the facts which everyone knows, why is it required to be reiterated? It is because amidst all the controversies and bizarre comments we seldom tend to forget that he is a player at heart and a player belongs to the field and not off-screen. It is the live action what a real sportsmen crave for. For a player his past achievements, his good days, and his class with the act do not matter, it is for the fans and the analyst. For a player what matters is to be on the field one more time, to feel the vibes of the crowd when he is standing on the pitch.
Ganguly has definitely earned whatever he could have with the game and this time winning or losing do not matter. It does not matter if the team he is joining will not be qualifying further, what matters is to be feeling the same pleasure once again. When a Gladiator returns to arena for one last time he does not do it for the people viewing him sitting in the gallery, he does it for himself.
It is like Maradona playing one last dribble, Schumacher holding the wheels one last time or my personal favorite Rocky Balboa returning for one last fight. It’s the feeling no one can ever understand except the player himself coz
“It’s what they are, It’s what they do…….they ain’t know anything else……… ”
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