Darshan was the one who moved things. Amongst the 3 brothers, the eldest was a financial wizard, the youngest was on ops. But Darshan bought in great insight. In 1985, when they were thinking of selling more pain balm, Darshan asked ‘Why show only elbows & ankles of old people? Why not whole back? BackContinue reading “A String of Insights”
Author Archives: Uday
When a Story Bailed Me Out
Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS) launched in end of 1997 was the first ever amnesty scheme for tax evaders. A chance to declare and pay up 30%. No questions asked and no cases. It was a big hit Early ’98 we were also getting ready for our MBA placement season, preparing for various GDContinue reading “When a Story Bailed Me Out”
Slaying the Speckled Monster
Ramesses V was a boring Pharaoh. But the skin lesions found on his mummified face made him famous : the first known case of smallpox death in 1145 BC. The ‘speckled monster’ killed humanity for centuries. Inoculation was the earliest treatment. Fresh matter from a smallpox patient was grafted into another. But it lead toContinue reading “Slaying the Speckled Monster”
‘Face the Problem, Sir’
Srinivasan sounded calm: ‘First you tell him you are sending extra 300 cases Sir. You only must tell him. Then we will face it Sir’. The month end of June ‘99 was terrible. I was the Sales officer in Tamil Nadu and was 300 cases short of target. When pressure peaks one has to relyContinue reading “‘Face the Problem, Sir’”
The Snow Queen
‘How does a powerful woman who holds back a secret from everyone feel? How can she be real & connect?’ Robert Lopez & his wife were thinking about Elsa, the character in the movie for which they were writing songs. A script inspired from ‘The Snow Queen’, a fairy tale written by Hans Christian AndersenContinue reading “The Snow Queen”
The Saree
What are you taking home for your mom’? Dasu asked. He had a cute wrinkled face and wore thick glasses but none could miss his piercing glare Mr. Dasgupta, or Dasu was my first boss at Eveready. I was just 4 months into my job and was leaving for puja hols. First home trip afterContinue reading “The Saree”
The Current Wars
‘There is $50,000 for you, if you can do it’. Edison told Tesla. He hired him in 1884 to redesign his DC generator and make it efficient. Tesla cracked it but Edison just paid him $10 extra on his $18 weekly pay. Tesla was enraged. He quit working for Edison and found an ally inContinue reading “The Current Wars”
It’s not just the Coffee
An English teacher, history professor and a fiction writer get high on coffee. And they open a store at Seattle in 1971. Selling high quality coffee beans. But they don’t want much hustle in the business and find a way to hit cruise mode. Rich coffee aroma does that. Meanwhile, a young manager they hiredContinue reading “It’s not just the Coffee”
Chicken Tax
Germans suddenly began consuming 23% more chicken in 1961. US was dumping its inexpensive chicken across Europe leading to massive price crashes. So France & Germany put tariffs on chicken imports from US leading to a 67% drop in poultry exports President Johnson was angry and retaliated by slapping a hefty 25% tax on allContinue reading “Chicken Tax”
The Ketchup Story
‘Filthy, decomposed and putrid’ were the words used for tomato ketchup in the late 19th century. Fresh tomatoes were available only for two months in the year. So large quantities of tomato pulp were stored in iron barrels through the year in dirty storage facilities letting mold, yeast, spores and deadly bacteria thrive. Boric acidContinue reading “The Ketchup Story”
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