They say that when the going gets tough, the tough gets going! Well keeping in mind the financial state of the globe when the recession shocker hit hard, this phrase should be re-coined as ‘when the going gets tough the tough gets going..WRONG’!
All the ‘I want to buy’ has turned to ‘I wish I could’!
All the ‘honey I’m back’ has turned to ‘honey, they’ve asked me not to come back’
What happens to all our plans and dreams then?!
My wish list for 2009 was all about ‘four’:
1) Four new wheels (with a new car on it)
2) Four sets of four new walls (with new furniture in it)
But soon I realized that today, all needs have priority numbers and they don’t come easy!
This is when I remembered history lessons from school, which spoke of how our human race has adapted and made the best of every Ice age & Stone Age that threatened our livelihood.
Over the years, the quest for more and the drive to get there didn’t change but what did, were choices. This is where we introduced the term ‘adjustment’!
Living in this urban jungle made me realize that I could adjust with 2 new wheels instead of the four planned, as long as I got to where I was heading. I could adjust with just 4 new walls instead of the 16 planned so I still have enough money to live in it!
The latter is of utmost importance today, Trust me!
Here are some stats I found online (courtesy Makaan.com) on the trend of online property searches.
Increasing preference for affordable housing in Chandigarh
-> Upto INR 30 lacs segment most in demand in Chandigarh.
-> 58% property seekers prefer homes below INR 30 lacs
-> 50% property seekers prefer homes upto INR 20 lacs
Home loan rate of 9% looks comfortable feels Chandigarh seekers
-> 62% of seekers were comfortable at a home loan rate of 9%
-> 9% wanted the rates to be between 7-8%
Increasing preference for affordable housing in Mumbai
-> Upto INR 30 lacs segment most in demand in Mumbai
-> 76% property seekers prefer homes below INR 50 lacs
-> 59% property seekers prefer homes upto INR 30 lacs
Home loan rate of 9% looks comfortable feels Mumbai seekers
-> 56% of seekers were comfortable at a home loan rate of 9%
-> 8% wanted the rates to be between 7-8%
Increasing preference for affordable housing in Hyderabad
-> Upto INR 20 lacs segment most in demand in Hyderabad
-> 77% property seekers prefer homes below INR 40 lacs
-> 46% property seekers prefer homes upto INR 20 lacs
Home loan rate of 9% looks comfortable feels Hyderabad seekers
-> 60% of seekers were comfortable at a home loan rate of 9%
-> 10% wanted the rates to be between 7-8%
Also, You might want to take a look at an article on Indian Brand Equity Foundation, for some interesting insights on real estate & properties in India
Keeping in mind all of the above, the important thing I have learnt through such necessity in adversity is that human evolution never stopped. Change is indeed constant!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Rural India Goes Online !
India has witnessed continuous growth in Internet adoption in certain sections of society predominant patterns exist mostly in urban areas. These Internet users have started utilizing this technology as an interactive medium. Such users utilize Internet not merely for information search or communication but also for leisure activities. Different online applications like entertainment –gaming, movies and music as well as user-generated content on the web has made Internet a virtual world. Over the web, users are interacting, learning and building relationships.
Rural part of the country, however, has just started to recognize the importance of this technology. Various technological developments are in the offing. These technologies are expected to play a vital role in enabling improved adoption of the Internet across different geographies.
The emerging technologies include WiMAX, 3G and WiBro, which promise to provide last mile connectivity and new access points as PDAs and kiosks.
Approximately 70% of household resides in rural part of the country. Literacy rate has been increasing over the years and has reached up to 65%. Interestingly, English-speaking population in Rural India is only 63 Million, which is 17% of the total literate population. Of this population, nearly 15.1 Million are computer-literate. Of which, 5.5 Million have used the Internet in the past. With nearly 0.6% of penetration in the total population, there are 3.3 Million Active Internet users. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), GOI initiatives, community service centers and CSR activities by private companies have played a significant role in ensuring this penetration. Considering such high levels of literacy rate coupled with relatively low English-speaking population, it is imperative to provide need-based applications in vernacular content to ensure high adoption of the Internet.
With 250 Million urban population in India, 82% of them are literate and of these, only 31% are English-speaking. However, out of 77 Million (38% of 205 Million), 84% are PC-literate. This indicates that PC literacy and usage are highly associated with English-speaking ability. As urban Internet penetration reaches a saturated level there is a need for innovative information delivery, which could ensure increase in time spent on the Internet. User generated content such as blogs, TLC (Trying out, links and communities) could help in increasing time spent over the Internet (i.e. conversion of light users to heavy Internet users). Other need based applications like E-commerce could help in pushing Internet non-users towards adopting this medium.128 Million of the Urban population is left behind due to non-familiarity with English, which forms the potential target segment for usage of vernacular content on the web.
36% growth in PC owners has been witnessed over the last year. This could be due to fall in PC prices and increase in the awareness of benefits in using a PC. Cyber cafes have been the main access points of Internet over the years. Office is becoming more popular point of access, which is not a healthy sign for growth of Internet Industry in India. Interestingly, there is an increase in the Internet access from School/Colleges. Reasons for this could be introduction of computer education and permission to access the Internet form computer laboratory.
Online communication like Email and Chat are the main purposes of accessing the Internet followed by information search with the increase in the usage of the
Internet, E-Commerce applications like online bill payment, online ticket booking
etc. are gaining more popularity online entertainment is another
Key driver for the growth of the Internet in India with sticky applications like
“Online gaming & Music/video” downloads “India Gaming Summit”, recently organized in the year 2008, has witnessed the launch of ‘Gaming revolution’ in India and laid a
foundation for developing gaming ecosystem in India.
(Courtesy: I-Cube 2008 Report by IAMAI)
Rural part of the country, however, has just started to recognize the importance of this technology. Various technological developments are in the offing. These technologies are expected to play a vital role in enabling improved adoption of the Internet across different geographies.
The emerging technologies include WiMAX, 3G and WiBro, which promise to provide last mile connectivity and new access points as PDAs and kiosks.
Approximately 70% of household resides in rural part of the country. Literacy rate has been increasing over the years and has reached up to 65%. Interestingly, English-speaking population in Rural India is only 63 Million, which is 17% of the total literate population. Of this population, nearly 15.1 Million are computer-literate. Of which, 5.5 Million have used the Internet in the past. With nearly 0.6% of penetration in the total population, there are 3.3 Million Active Internet users. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), GOI initiatives, community service centers and CSR activities by private companies have played a significant role in ensuring this penetration. Considering such high levels of literacy rate coupled with relatively low English-speaking population, it is imperative to provide need-based applications in vernacular content to ensure high adoption of the Internet.
With 250 Million urban population in India, 82% of them are literate and of these, only 31% are English-speaking. However, out of 77 Million (38% of 205 Million), 84% are PC-literate. This indicates that PC literacy and usage are highly associated with English-speaking ability. As urban Internet penetration reaches a saturated level there is a need for innovative information delivery, which could ensure increase in time spent on the Internet. User generated content such as blogs, TLC (Trying out, links and communities) could help in increasing time spent over the Internet (i.e. conversion of light users to heavy Internet users). Other need based applications like E-commerce could help in pushing Internet non-users towards adopting this medium.128 Million of the Urban population is left behind due to non-familiarity with English, which forms the potential target segment for usage of vernacular content on the web.
36% growth in PC owners has been witnessed over the last year. This could be due to fall in PC prices and increase in the awareness of benefits in using a PC. Cyber cafes have been the main access points of Internet over the years. Office is becoming more popular point of access, which is not a healthy sign for growth of Internet Industry in India. Interestingly, there is an increase in the Internet access from School/Colleges. Reasons for this could be introduction of computer education and permission to access the Internet form computer laboratory.
Online communication like Email and Chat are the main purposes of accessing the Internet followed by information search with the increase in the usage of the
Internet, E-Commerce applications like online bill payment, online ticket booking
etc. are gaining more popularity online entertainment is another
Key driver for the growth of the Internet in India with sticky applications like
“Online gaming & Music/video” downloads “India Gaming Summit”, recently organized in the year 2008, has witnessed the launch of ‘Gaming revolution’ in India and laid a
foundation for developing gaming ecosystem in India.
(Courtesy: I-Cube 2008 Report by IAMAI)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
An Indian Bride for a Slump-Dog Millionaire ?!
When the world was busy ranting about how India & China are the next economic superpowers, I don’t think any of us had ever imagined that 2008 would spell out doom to all the self-pampering we were planning to indulge into, without a cautious blink!
Dream cars have run out of fuel and dream homes suddenly look better in dreams only.
In all this chaos & panic in the country. Suddenly being employed has become a bigger reason to smile than a 6-figure salary. Everyone apart from a few lucky professions like law, teaching & matrimony, get up each morning hoping they come back home still employed. It’s like a battle to support yourself. In such a scenario what happens to ‘marriage’? Does a marriage suddenly seem like more of a responsibility than bliss? Does this US triggered crisis call upon us to stay single till the dust settles?
In India, Marriage is larger than life itself! It’s a bright and colorful moment, which is spun for two hearts by a million more. It is this enthusiastic involvement of everybody from family & friends to the caterer & decorator that gives the occasion its effervescent flavor. What is a sacred bond between two people is clearly also a lucrative industry for a lot of dependent families. So how has this recession affected the matrimonial industry, choices and marriages itself?
I saw a lot of information from matrimonial sites floating in cyberspace, but it’s an interesting report by Shaadi.com that caught my eye. It stated:
- India has over 49 millions users logged onto the Internet.
- The current size of the organized online matrimonial business stands at Rs 140 crore (roughly around …crazy amount in dollars!!! )
- The search for a life partner has not seen a slump. People are looking at either postponing their wedding or keeping it low key. There has been a 17% rise in searches & 10.5% rise in registrations in the month of October.
- Contrary to popular belief, Search for professionals from volatile industries like IT & Telecom, Finance and Investment Banking has increased by 10%, 5% and 8% respectively.
- The number of grooms looking for working women professionals as their spouses has shot up by almost 15%.
- NRIs comprise 30% of Shaadi.com’s member base. With promising careers in a still secure Indian economy, not many Indian women are looking to move abroad after marriage.
- The online matrimonial industry, with over 48% users into matrimonial searches, is expected to reach 20.8 million registrations by 2010-2011 and will safely stay unfazed by the current turmoil.
Money or no money, the one thing that clearly & thankfully stands out here is that that emotional attachment & companionship are definitely recession proof and will never run out of style!
Dream cars have run out of fuel and dream homes suddenly look better in dreams only.
In all this chaos & panic in the country. Suddenly being employed has become a bigger reason to smile than a 6-figure salary. Everyone apart from a few lucky professions like law, teaching & matrimony, get up each morning hoping they come back home still employed. It’s like a battle to support yourself. In such a scenario what happens to ‘marriage’? Does a marriage suddenly seem like more of a responsibility than bliss? Does this US triggered crisis call upon us to stay single till the dust settles?
In India, Marriage is larger than life itself! It’s a bright and colorful moment, which is spun for two hearts by a million more. It is this enthusiastic involvement of everybody from family & friends to the caterer & decorator that gives the occasion its effervescent flavor. What is a sacred bond between two people is clearly also a lucrative industry for a lot of dependent families. So how has this recession affected the matrimonial industry, choices and marriages itself?
I saw a lot of information from matrimonial sites floating in cyberspace, but it’s an interesting report by Shaadi.com that caught my eye. It stated:
- India has over 49 millions users logged onto the Internet.
- The current size of the organized online matrimonial business stands at Rs 140 crore (roughly around …crazy amount in dollars!!! )
- The search for a life partner has not seen a slump. People are looking at either postponing their wedding or keeping it low key. There has been a 17% rise in searches & 10.5% rise in registrations in the month of October.
- Contrary to popular belief, Search for professionals from volatile industries like IT & Telecom, Finance and Investment Banking has increased by 10%, 5% and 8% respectively.
- The number of grooms looking for working women professionals as their spouses has shot up by almost 15%.
- NRIs comprise 30% of Shaadi.com’s member base. With promising careers in a still secure Indian economy, not many Indian women are looking to move abroad after marriage.
- The online matrimonial industry, with over 48% users into matrimonial searches, is expected to reach 20.8 million registrations by 2010-2011 and will safely stay unfazed by the current turmoil.
Money or no money, the one thing that clearly & thankfully stands out here is that that emotional attachment & companionship are definitely recession proof and will never run out of style!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
From Obama to Shaadi.com
If someone had told me back in 2006 that an African-American would not just become the next US president but also an icon before he even entered office, I would have probably shunned the possibility. But with optimum utilization of the Internet and social media platforms available today, Obama has today transformed himself into a reason for hope to the global community. The ‘Blackberry President’, as he is popularly known, made all 3 presidential debates look like reality shows, where the whole world was left glued to their television sets!
Thinking of it, reality TV has become every nation’s favourite pass time. Right from ‘American Idol’ to ‘So you think you can dance’ to UK’s ‘Big Brother’, India’s ‘ Big Boss’ & MTV’s ‘Roadies’! Reality TV has changed the way the world watches the small screen.
I’ve always wondered how complicated it must be to enroll in these reality shows till I read something online earlier this week. A leading matrimonial site (Shhh!!.. www.shaadi.com !) has tied up with the King of 'Saas Bahu' shows to come out with a brand new reality show on matrimony! Sounds exciting to me! Although if I remember, there was a similar one in early 2001 which didn’t do as well, but then again, like Obama, who knew that reality shows would be such a rage today?! So back to this new show. I received a press release on the 19th and it mentioned the following (think this will be handy to enthusiasts)
Thinking of it, reality TV has become every nation’s favourite pass time. Right from ‘American Idol’ to ‘So you think you can dance’ to UK’s ‘Big Brother’, India’s ‘ Big Boss’ & MTV’s ‘Roadies’! Reality TV has changed the way the world watches the small screen.
I’ve always wondered how complicated it must be to enroll in these reality shows till I read something online earlier this week. A leading matrimonial site (Shhh!!.. www.shaadi.com !) has tied up with the King of 'Saas Bahu' shows to come out with a brand new reality show on matrimony! Sounds exciting to me! Although if I remember, there was a similar one in early 2001 which didn’t do as well, but then again, like Obama, who knew that reality shows would be such a rage today?! So back to this new show. I received a press release on the 19th and it mentioned the following (think this will be handy to enthusiasts)
- Shaadi.com announced its tie-up with Star Plus for its new show that will go on air soon.
- This show will focus on marriage, and will cover the journey of participants right from the in initial meeting, selection, discussion and drama, culminating into a Big Fat Indian Wedding.
- To register for the show, eligible participants can log onto www.shaadi.com and fill in a simple form online.
- Registrations will be open from 15th to 30th January 2009.
- The show is open to all eligible single male and female Indian residents, who can speak fluent Hindi and are aged between 22 to 25 (for females) and 22 to 30 (for males).
- In case of queries, participants can also call on 98335 74223 open from 10.00 AM – 6.00 PM.
Interesting stuff huh?! Well we’ll all know as soon as the show is launched. Meanwhile, those interested, you know what to do next!
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