Probably Paresh Rawal speaks Bhojpuri.....(with a very Bihari accent).
Monday, November 22, 2010
Bhojpuri ?
Probably Paresh Rawal speaks Bhojpuri.....(with a very Bihari accent).
Khaali bhor dopaharon mein
In India, every city, every town, every gali, koocha, mohalla has some new experience to offer. And that's how I found watching my first (and most likely last!) Bhojpuri film: 'Daroga babu, I love you'.
Actually, it was fate that dragged me in. I was merely watching a cover picture of this movie at a DVD rental - which was quite fascinating in itself. I mean where would you find a movie which mentions credits for nirdeshan (direction), sangeet (music) and 'maar dhaad' (I guess they mean action sequences but note the literal meaning!)
Anyhow, the shop owner noticed me and struck up a conversation. "Accha, aap North se hain?" He too had a brother in Baddi-Himachal Pradesh working in a chemical company.
Then, he said, "Lijiye na, dekhiye...". And I found myself walking down with the movie.
The movie started. An old lady was shown praying to a tulsi plant - asking for God to give her son a good naukri. Enter son: Maa hamka naukri mil gavat (subtitle: I have got a job!).
A few push ups and running races later, son acquires a vardi. Camera focuses on his badge and then cap and then he puts on the most important accessory: a pair of dark glasses.
Next scene: The villain is introduced. A man with a 'Mangal Pandey' moustache sticks a stainless steel sword into some random villager's stomach. Bright red 'blood' drips from the instrument which appears to be longer than the line at the Food Bazaar check out counter on a Sunday.
Next scene: heroine is introduced. Daroga babu alights from a bus, only to collide with the girl on a scooter. The usual pleasantries are exchanged. Girl calls him 'goonda, badmaash - dekh kar nahin chal sakte kya?" Hero is already naming their children.
Cut: Daroga babu enters the police station. Here, he has two bumbling assistants called 'Loncha' and 'Kharoncha'. A nubile nymphet arrives at the police station to deliver lunch to her bapu. The real purpose of her existence is to bung in an item number.
I couldn't help but wonder, "In the India of 2010, how could such pea-brained, predictable, poorly made films have a market?"
Bhojpuri on a roll
Well, they do - and a big one. Trade analysts say , "Most Bhojpuri films are made in small budgets, usually Rs 20-30 lakh, and they fetch Rs 1-2 crore."Several of these films are grossing 10 times their production costs. A good film can even make a profit of Rs 10-12 crore..."
The hero of this film, I learned, was one 'Manoj'. In 2005, Manoj, a struggling singer, debuted in a sex comedy Sasura Bada Paisewala. The film ran for more than 50 weeks in Varanasi and Kanpur in UP and for 25 weeks elsewhere. Sasura... made with a modest budget of Rs 30 lakh, grossed a stupendous Rs 15 crore. Manoj’s other films such as 'Daroga Babu I Love You' then went on to do a business of Rs 4 crore and 'Bandhan Tutey Na' has already made Rs 3 crore.
Now Manoj would never ever make it as a Hindi film hero. He is just too ugly. But that, I guess is part of his charm. He is the kind of guy your taxi driver in Mumbai or factory worker in Ludhiana could look at and say, "This could be me".
The women, in contrast, can be called 'pretty'. At least they have no spare rolls of fat jiggling around. And they use 'Fair and Lovely'. So the ugly hero gets the soni kudi. Excellent form of escapism.
The world depicted in 'Daroga babu' is completely alien to you and me. Which is why it probably appeals to the target audience. In a world where everything is in flux, maybe the 'formula film' offers comfort to migrant Bihari labourers who appear to be the primary target audience.
This was bound to happen with Bollywood totally losing its touch with the Hindi heartland and instead catering to the multiplex-going city slickers.
Who really cares about 3 friends who go to Goa in a Mercedes and "break up", like girlie men, on some trivial issue? Not someone who has spent the whole day walking in knee-deep dung in a cowshack."
Fine - but this is what I don't get. Manoj recently declared,"Gone are double-meaning dialogues, lack of a coherent storyline and poor technical quality. The films are slicker...".
Er, if this is slick, I wonder what Bhojpuri films used to be like earlier! The point however is that 'upgrading' too much Bhojpuri films makes no sense. As actor Ravi Kishen puts it, "Bhojpuri cinema is like home-cooked food".
If the sets and actors and locales improve too much - will it be any different from their 5 star cousins - the Bollywood film industry? Except for the language, that is. And Bhojpuri is really more like a dialect of Hindi, rather than a complete bhasha in itself.
And once costs go up - with actors dancing in Switzerland instead of random maidans and mountains - will it remain as profitable a proposition?
Bhojpuri vs Mainstream
A recent BBC article noted that Bhojpuri films are beating Bollywood releases in the Hindi heartland. "Both (Daroga Babu and Sasura Bada...) did more business in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh than the A-list Bollywood releases".
Sure. But the fact is in small towns, there is no 'family crowd' at the dilapidated, paan stained, A/C-less theatres. Where stall tickets sell at an amazing 10 bucks and balcony for a princely 15.
So the potential theatre audience for mainstream Bollywood in small towns was quite limited. Here, 'decent' people watch movies on CDs or wait for the cable wallah to show them.
There is a market for a better theatre with pricier tickets. And perhaps it's quite right. If the girls at NIIT wish to see a Bollywood flick, they'll have to do it in bigger towns....
I think it comes down to the audience. Who are you and me to decide about the calibre/level of these films? In rural areas, watching a film in a theatre is 'once-a-year' kinda phenomenon. People actually forego their meals to watch a film. You can not give them artistically designed fims filled with esoteric logic and ask them to enjoy it. They want all the 'masala' in a 3 hour film, dialogues that they can understand and characters they can identify with; however loud it may be. SO its a pure demand and supply equation.
Well, I guess one day when Bollywood gets more corporatised, we may probably see a 'Portfolio Manager' of a studio house 'spreading his risk' across various genres which may include Bhojpuri movies, sleazy sex comedies, and art house productions?
Reminds me 'Bottom of the Pyramid' theory by C.K.Prahalad... Just goes on to show how we are good at making things with good value. It isn't sheer luck that these gross & get 5-6 crores.
Films like Daroga babu are a great value business models with a big market to be catered to. We can indeed export these to places like Pakistan and Afghanistan (and host of 3rd world nations) where Bollywood sells hot. Great going 'Bhojiwood'...we hope to see u on top.
Meanwhile, Bhojpuri films with evil zamindars, daroga babus and gaon ki goris continue to be a great business proposition. And a reminder that all is not candyfloss and Chopragloss in this, our wide and varied country called India.
Actually, it was fate that dragged me in. I was merely watching a cover picture of this movie at a DVD rental - which was quite fascinating in itself. I mean where would you find a movie which mentions credits for nirdeshan (direction), sangeet (music) and 'maar dhaad' (I guess they mean action sequences but note the literal meaning!)
Anyhow, the shop owner noticed me and struck up a conversation. "Accha, aap North se hain?" He too had a brother in Baddi-Himachal Pradesh working in a chemical company.
Then, he said, "Lijiye na, dekhiye...". And I found myself walking down with the movie.
The movie started. An old lady was shown praying to a tulsi plant - asking for God to give her son a good naukri. Enter son: Maa hamka naukri mil gavat (subtitle: I have got a job!).
A few push ups and running races later, son acquires a vardi. Camera focuses on his badge and then cap and then he puts on the most important accessory: a pair of dark glasses.
Next scene: The villain is introduced. A man with a 'Mangal Pandey' moustache sticks a stainless steel sword into some random villager's stomach. Bright red 'blood' drips from the instrument which appears to be longer than the line at the Food Bazaar check out counter on a Sunday.
Next scene: heroine is introduced. Daroga babu alights from a bus, only to collide with the girl on a scooter. The usual pleasantries are exchanged. Girl calls him 'goonda, badmaash - dekh kar nahin chal sakte kya?" Hero is already naming their children.
Cut: Daroga babu enters the police station. Here, he has two bumbling assistants called 'Loncha' and 'Kharoncha'. A nubile nymphet arrives at the police station to deliver lunch to her bapu. The real purpose of her existence is to bung in an item number.
I couldn't help but wonder, "In the India of 2010, how could such pea-brained, predictable, poorly made films have a market?"
Bhojpuri on a roll
Well, they do - and a big one. Trade analysts say , "Most Bhojpuri films are made in small budgets, usually Rs 20-30 lakh, and they fetch Rs 1-2 crore."Several of these films are grossing 10 times their production costs. A good film can even make a profit of Rs 10-12 crore..."
The hero of this film, I learned, was one 'Manoj'. In 2005, Manoj, a struggling singer, debuted in a sex comedy Sasura Bada Paisewala. The film ran for more than 50 weeks in Varanasi and Kanpur in UP and for 25 weeks elsewhere. Sasura... made with a modest budget of Rs 30 lakh, grossed a stupendous Rs 15 crore. Manoj’s other films such as 'Daroga Babu I Love You' then went on to do a business of Rs 4 crore and 'Bandhan Tutey Na' has already made Rs 3 crore.
Now Manoj would never ever make it as a Hindi film hero. He is just too ugly. But that, I guess is part of his charm. He is the kind of guy your taxi driver in Mumbai or factory worker in Ludhiana could look at and say, "This could be me".
The women, in contrast, can be called 'pretty'. At least they have no spare rolls of fat jiggling around. And they use 'Fair and Lovely'. So the ugly hero gets the soni kudi. Excellent form of escapism.
The world depicted in 'Daroga babu' is completely alien to you and me. Which is why it probably appeals to the target audience. In a world where everything is in flux, maybe the 'formula film' offers comfort to migrant Bihari labourers who appear to be the primary target audience.
This was bound to happen with Bollywood totally losing its touch with the Hindi heartland and instead catering to the multiplex-going city slickers.
Who really cares about 3 friends who go to Goa in a Mercedes and "break up", like girlie men, on some trivial issue? Not someone who has spent the whole day walking in knee-deep dung in a cowshack."
Fine - but this is what I don't get. Manoj recently declared,"Gone are double-meaning dialogues, lack of a coherent storyline and poor technical quality. The films are slicker...".
Er, if this is slick, I wonder what Bhojpuri films used to be like earlier! The point however is that 'upgrading' too much Bhojpuri films makes no sense. As actor Ravi Kishen puts it, "Bhojpuri cinema is like home-cooked food".
If the sets and actors and locales improve too much - will it be any different from their 5 star cousins - the Bollywood film industry? Except for the language, that is. And Bhojpuri is really more like a dialect of Hindi, rather than a complete bhasha in itself.
And once costs go up - with actors dancing in Switzerland instead of random maidans and mountains - will it remain as profitable a proposition?
Bhojpuri vs Mainstream
A recent BBC article noted that Bhojpuri films are beating Bollywood releases in the Hindi heartland. "Both (Daroga Babu and Sasura Bada...) did more business in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh than the A-list Bollywood releases".
Sure. But the fact is in small towns, there is no 'family crowd' at the dilapidated, paan stained, A/C-less theatres. Where stall tickets sell at an amazing 10 bucks and balcony for a princely 15.
So the potential theatre audience for mainstream Bollywood in small towns was quite limited. Here, 'decent' people watch movies on CDs or wait for the cable wallah to show them.
There is a market for a better theatre with pricier tickets. And perhaps it's quite right. If the girls at NIIT wish to see a Bollywood flick, they'll have to do it in bigger towns....
I think it comes down to the audience. Who are you and me to decide about the calibre/level of these films? In rural areas, watching a film in a theatre is 'once-a-year' kinda phenomenon. People actually forego their meals to watch a film. You can not give them artistically designed fims filled with esoteric logic and ask them to enjoy it. They want all the 'masala' in a 3 hour film, dialogues that they can understand and characters they can identify with; however loud it may be. SO its a pure demand and supply equation.
Well, I guess one day when Bollywood gets more corporatised, we may probably see a 'Portfolio Manager' of a studio house 'spreading his risk' across various genres which may include Bhojpuri movies, sleazy sex comedies, and art house productions?
Reminds me 'Bottom of the Pyramid' theory by C.K.Prahalad... Just goes on to show how we are good at making things with good value. It isn't sheer luck that these gross & get 5-6 crores.
Films like Daroga babu are a great value business models with a big market to be catered to. We can indeed export these to places like Pakistan and Afghanistan (and host of 3rd world nations) where Bollywood sells hot. Great going 'Bhojiwood'...we hope to see u on top.
Meanwhile, Bhojpuri films with evil zamindars, daroga babus and gaon ki goris continue to be a great business proposition. And a reminder that all is not candyfloss and Chopragloss in this, our wide and varied country called India.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Swear word mil gaya
We hold these truths to be self evident: That all words are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights among which is the right to life — to simply exist free of harassment; liberty — the right to be seen and spoken freely and used whenever deemed desirable. And happiness — the special joy that comes when they happen to say best what is in one's heart.
- The Bawdy Manifesto
Why do people swear? Most people start because it makes them feel cool and grown up to use 'forbidden' language. But in time, these words become a sort of short-code to express certain emotions - anger, frustration, amazement.
Swear words are extremely 'all-purpose' and can usually be moulded to fit into any mood or situation. As Bawdy Manifesto believes, "Few other words have their force, directness, or clarity of meaning".
While all cultures and languages have these words, some use them more freely. And the use of swear words in art forms like music and movies remains a contentious issue.
Hollywood uses swear words - so does the music industry, especially with the advent of rap and hip-hop. Parental concerns are addressed by rating films using expletives PG-13 or R. And albums with the 'parental advisory - explicit lyrics' sticker.
Gaali gaali mein shor hai...
No new information so far - so why write about it now? Well, two reasons. As film makers seek to make movies which reflect 'youth culture' how do they get around this problem? You want dialogues which embody how people actually speak but if you do that, the censors will go bleep bleep bleep!
The scriptwriters of Rang de Basanti solved this problem by getting creative. They coined entirely new phrases like 'Teri maa ki aankh' and 'Behn de takey' to convey the actual swear words... And it was pretty amusing and effective I must say!
On the other hand the song 'Sutta na Mila' by Pakistani band Zeest - a campus cult - actually uses MCs and BCs and gets away with it because it's been 'released' only as an MP3. XLRI band Bodhitree's song GMD (G**** mein Danda) also spread from PC to PC.
Whether you like it or not, it is a trend to take note of. Swearing (verbal Diarrhea) is a habit like bed-wetting or nose-picking. Evolved ones grow out of it. The lesser humans die with it. Every now & then while driving you see well dressed, elderly people in high-end model cars cutting lanes like an ill behaved professional driver or a ill-bred young person. These are examples of people who never grow out of their bad habits. It is mostly a function of pedigree. We have all been through collage using swearwords. Some feel embarrassed at the memory (function of pedigree) & some condone it as youthful exuberance (again function of pedigree). And Indian culture, education & society do not help in this toilet training.
I do not like these songs, because they are remarkably poor in musical or entertainment values. What they do represent however, is a remarkable paucity of content, especially in music and movies, that the Indian college going student can relate to. Does not mean that we have an entire generation using swear words, but profanity is a part of youth, and the brashness that comes with it. To some, such language comes naurally. Some pick it up the way one picks up a mother tongue.
The choicest of the swear words are always meant for best friends.I mean I can't remember any day when friends will meet together in a simple desi way and say "namaskar" to each other. I remeber having competitions between batches and also have a swear antakshari.
Swearing is a part and parcel of our daily lives. We hear it on the road, on the bus, in the campus etc. Then why do not we hear it in films. Directors show crap in their sleazy films and they become fricking hits. So why not use swear words in songs as it is indicative of the society we live in.If you go by the words and use it literally then probably you will draw unwanted attention and censorship (in movies).
But if you happen to say it as any other word in your day to day life, then I don't see it the wrong way. Well let me put it this way, you are fresh out of college and you love those 4 and 5 lettered words and they are used in your langauge quite frequently but with time,one matures and you don't use those. I think it comes down to the fact that there's a time and place for everything, and if you're with college buddies, *especially* if they're Punjabi, swearing is as much a part of ettiquete as is a well pressed shirt for a job interview.
For those interested in the "psychology" of swearing, read Broca's Brain by Carl Sagan, which offers an interesting viewpoint on why we swear. Swear words and acne ridden teens, you cannot seperate the two, Can you imagine an ID Rock without 'Start the Fuckin' Music'? Not that I am pro-fanity ;) In many ways a band wants to stand out and what better way than to stir up a controversy?
Swear words are definitely an essential part of language, and regarding the 'quality of the lyrics' argument, low-brow songs exist in every generation, and even they are generally necessary (as necessary as something of this sort can be). They provide a compliment to the 'quality' songs, after all.
Beyond the literal
Personally, I'm not into swear words - or smoking - but I quite like these songs for the spirit they represent. The words, I think, simply add an extra 'underground' appeal. Part of the overall package.
As lyricist and lead vocalist Skip of Zeest says, " I created this satirical, comical, slang song just for fun, but I always wanted to compose a song that could reflect my life story and that of other optimistic losers too. The song is so popular only because every average “tapori bachcha” can relate to it".
Here's to more songs by unknown, talented bands, outside the realm of ishq vishq pyaar vyaar. Songs with or without swear words that junta can relate to!
- The Bawdy Manifesto
Why do people swear? Most people start because it makes them feel cool and grown up to use 'forbidden' language. But in time, these words become a sort of short-code to express certain emotions - anger, frustration, amazement.
Swear words are extremely 'all-purpose' and can usually be moulded to fit into any mood or situation. As Bawdy Manifesto believes, "Few other words have their force, directness, or clarity of meaning".
While all cultures and languages have these words, some use them more freely. And the use of swear words in art forms like music and movies remains a contentious issue.
Hollywood uses swear words - so does the music industry, especially with the advent of rap and hip-hop. Parental concerns are addressed by rating films using expletives PG-13 or R. And albums with the 'parental advisory - explicit lyrics' sticker.
Gaali gaali mein shor hai...
No new information so far - so why write about it now? Well, two reasons. As film makers seek to make movies which reflect 'youth culture' how do they get around this problem? You want dialogues which embody how people actually speak but if you do that, the censors will go bleep bleep bleep!
The scriptwriters of Rang de Basanti solved this problem by getting creative. They coined entirely new phrases like 'Teri maa ki aankh' and 'Behn de takey' to convey the actual swear words... And it was pretty amusing and effective I must say!
On the other hand the song 'Sutta na Mila' by Pakistani band Zeest - a campus cult - actually uses MCs and BCs and gets away with it because it's been 'released' only as an MP3. XLRI band Bodhitree's song GMD (G**** mein Danda) also spread from PC to PC.
Whether you like it or not, it is a trend to take note of. Swearing (verbal Diarrhea) is a habit like bed-wetting or nose-picking. Evolved ones grow out of it. The lesser humans die with it. Every now & then while driving you see well dressed, elderly people in high-end model cars cutting lanes like an ill behaved professional driver or a ill-bred young person. These are examples of people who never grow out of their bad habits. It is mostly a function of pedigree. We have all been through collage using swearwords. Some feel embarrassed at the memory (function of pedigree) & some condone it as youthful exuberance (again function of pedigree). And Indian culture, education & society do not help in this toilet training.
I do not like these songs, because they are remarkably poor in musical or entertainment values. What they do represent however, is a remarkable paucity of content, especially in music and movies, that the Indian college going student can relate to. Does not mean that we have an entire generation using swear words, but profanity is a part of youth, and the brashness that comes with it. To some, such language comes naurally. Some pick it up the way one picks up a mother tongue.
The choicest of the swear words are always meant for best friends.I mean I can't remember any day when friends will meet together in a simple desi way and say "namaskar" to each other. I remeber having competitions between batches and also have a swear antakshari.
Swearing is a part and parcel of our daily lives. We hear it on the road, on the bus, in the campus etc. Then why do not we hear it in films. Directors show crap in their sleazy films and they become fricking hits. So why not use swear words in songs as it is indicative of the society we live in.If you go by the words and use it literally then probably you will draw unwanted attention and censorship (in movies).
But if you happen to say it as any other word in your day to day life, then I don't see it the wrong way. Well let me put it this way, you are fresh out of college and you love those 4 and 5 lettered words and they are used in your langauge quite frequently but with time,one matures and you don't use those. I think it comes down to the fact that there's a time and place for everything, and if you're with college buddies, *especially* if they're Punjabi, swearing is as much a part of ettiquete as is a well pressed shirt for a job interview.
For those interested in the "psychology" of swearing, read Broca's Brain by Carl Sagan, which offers an interesting viewpoint on why we swear. Swear words and acne ridden teens, you cannot seperate the two, Can you imagine an ID Rock without 'Start the Fuckin' Music'? Not that I am pro-fanity ;) In many ways a band wants to stand out and what better way than to stir up a controversy?
Swear words are definitely an essential part of language, and regarding the 'quality of the lyrics' argument, low-brow songs exist in every generation, and even they are generally necessary (as necessary as something of this sort can be). They provide a compliment to the 'quality' songs, after all.
Beyond the literal
Personally, I'm not into swear words - or smoking - but I quite like these songs for the spirit they represent. The words, I think, simply add an extra 'underground' appeal. Part of the overall package.
As lyricist and lead vocalist Skip of Zeest says, " I created this satirical, comical, slang song just for fun, but I always wanted to compose a song that could reflect my life story and that of other optimistic losers too. The song is so popular only because every average “tapori bachcha” can relate to it".
Here's to more songs by unknown, talented bands, outside the realm of ishq vishq pyaar vyaar. Songs with or without swear words that junta can relate to!
The other side of IIMs?
I came across this good article on what ails the IIMs. I agree whole-heartedly about students being disinterested in the second year, lack of research, infrastructure in some of the old IIMs being bad etc, but here are my add-ons to the article.
National demand of 20,000 IIM students per year:
I agree that 1,500 is a paltry number when it comes to number of pass-outs every year. But I really don’t think a 20,000 count is where we want to head. Looking at the industry recruitment trends, there is sure some room for say 2500 more, but I feel it would be a disaster to increase the number any point beyond. For one, there are other good B-schools that chip-in in the gap. Two, with that kind of a massive number, there would just be too much of difference within the IIMs. In other words, there would be a huge quality difference between the top IIM students and the bottom ones, which isn’t really good for anyone. Remember, the numero uno reason why IIMs, in general, are considered good is because of the quality of intake. If numbers swell and intake goes down in quality, it is something to worry about. And salaries are something you can’t ignore. You really wouldn’t want to pass out from an IIM only to know that some of the non-IIT Engineering pass-outs earn more than you.
About International ranking:
The other issue that comes often is how IIMs are never among the top-50 B-schools in the world. Those surveys are biased alright, but am I the only person to think that these international surveys are heavily biased against non-US B-schools? Does everyone really agree that 55 out of the top-100 B-schools are in US? Is education throughout the rest of the world that bad?
Here’s one more: 15% of the overall weightage is given to salary upon graduation, which is always measured in dollar terms. Someone go and tell them there is something called Purchase Parity adjustment and Cost-of-Living adjustment. In other words, Indian salaries don’t stand a chance when converted to dollar for rankings, but is more than enough for a king-size life in India. This 15% alone could be the deciding factor.
My point is: IIMs don’t stand a chance in these surveys even if they deserve it.
Student diversity
Agreed that 70% of IIMs are engineers, but I wouldn’t call it staid, particularly in the Indian context where Engineering is given so much of importance. It’s not that talented people from all streams are not given a chance and only engineers are pulled in. Most of the good guys go to engineering. I agree that IIMs can't stand a chance in international rankings due to the huge weightage to salary factor. another argument is that IIMs are not comparable to foreign B schools because IIMs basically impart entry-level management education to freshers. But even if you keep that aside, there is too much ailing the IIMs to score in other areas. But you would generally agree that a LOT needs to be corrected in the IIMs to even consider calling them global level. Yes, things will gradually improve and mature over time. Or maybe competition from US B schools post FDI in higher education will be that one-tight-slap to get HRD ministry to put their act together.
As for the statement that 'most of the good guys go to engineering', i think we are wise enough to see how blanket and generalising that sounds. Do consider that CAT is too superloaded on quant-skills for non-engineering applicants to show their abilities. We suck at networking and people management. We Indians can quantify things and crunch numbers like Gods but we totally suck at looking people in the eye and not speaking utter globe while trying to sell them something. No amount of MBA classes can repair that, only the real world can. So i wouldn't confuse good number crunching aptitude with good managerial/leadership aptitude.
National demand of 20,000 IIM students per year:
I agree that 1,500 is a paltry number when it comes to number of pass-outs every year. But I really don’t think a 20,000 count is where we want to head. Looking at the industry recruitment trends, there is sure some room for say 2500 more, but I feel it would be a disaster to increase the number any point beyond. For one, there are other good B-schools that chip-in in the gap. Two, with that kind of a massive number, there would just be too much of difference within the IIMs. In other words, there would be a huge quality difference between the top IIM students and the bottom ones, which isn’t really good for anyone. Remember, the numero uno reason why IIMs, in general, are considered good is because of the quality of intake. If numbers swell and intake goes down in quality, it is something to worry about. And salaries are something you can’t ignore. You really wouldn’t want to pass out from an IIM only to know that some of the non-IIT Engineering pass-outs earn more than you.
About International ranking:
The other issue that comes often is how IIMs are never among the top-50 B-schools in the world. Those surveys are biased alright, but am I the only person to think that these international surveys are heavily biased against non-US B-schools? Does everyone really agree that 55 out of the top-100 B-schools are in US? Is education throughout the rest of the world that bad?
Here’s one more: 15% of the overall weightage is given to salary upon graduation, which is always measured in dollar terms. Someone go and tell them there is something called Purchase Parity adjustment and Cost-of-Living adjustment. In other words, Indian salaries don’t stand a chance when converted to dollar for rankings, but is more than enough for a king-size life in India. This 15% alone could be the deciding factor.
My point is: IIMs don’t stand a chance in these surveys even if they deserve it.
Student diversity
Agreed that 70% of IIMs are engineers, but I wouldn’t call it staid, particularly in the Indian context where Engineering is given so much of importance. It’s not that talented people from all streams are not given a chance and only engineers are pulled in. Most of the good guys go to engineering. I agree that IIMs can't stand a chance in international rankings due to the huge weightage to salary factor. another argument is that IIMs are not comparable to foreign B schools because IIMs basically impart entry-level management education to freshers. But even if you keep that aside, there is too much ailing the IIMs to score in other areas. But you would generally agree that a LOT needs to be corrected in the IIMs to even consider calling them global level. Yes, things will gradually improve and mature over time. Or maybe competition from US B schools post FDI in higher education will be that one-tight-slap to get HRD ministry to put their act together.
As for the statement that 'most of the good guys go to engineering', i think we are wise enough to see how blanket and generalising that sounds. Do consider that CAT is too superloaded on quant-skills for non-engineering applicants to show their abilities. We suck at networking and people management. We Indians can quantify things and crunch numbers like Gods but we totally suck at looking people in the eye and not speaking utter globe while trying to sell them something. No amount of MBA classes can repair that, only the real world can. So i wouldn't confuse good number crunching aptitude with good managerial/leadership aptitude.
Should IIMs go 'global' - 2
The war for 'talent'
If the IIM's wish to scale intake of students, they need additional teaching talent. And that is an extremely scarce resource...
Can IIM professors be ‘world class’ on Third World pay scales? Mukesh Ambani certainly does not think so. At a recent Board of Governors meeting he asked the institute to 'prepare the ground for compensating faculty adequately in line with other leading global business schools.'
Because, at current pay scales, an IIM professor with 20 years experience gets paid far less than what a 24 year old earns as starting salary on passing out of the institute.
As IIM Calcutta’s Prof. Anup Sinha bluntly puts it, “In India, you are either very passionate about teaching, or probably you didn't land up the job you wanted so you decide to hang around teaching in a b-school… teaching is not very financially rewarding.”
Of course, academics is not the most lucrative career option anywhere in the world. But the disparity between IIM payscales and corporate ones is so high that it definitely turns off those inclined towards the profession at entry stag. And erodes the self esteem of those who, despite it all, choose to go the academic way. Certainly not the best of HR policies!
Kellogg Dean Dipak Jain believes that the promotion system in Indian institutes need changes. " Every professor gets the same compensation as the other. Incentive system must change if these institutes have to be on global scene."
The other issue is that too much emphasis is laid on being a 'career academic'. Most IIM profs would not have significant corporate experience before doing their PhDs. In a practitioner led 'science' this is a disadvantage.
What's more, IIMs are simply not open to the idea of mid-career shifters. People who may have spent say 15-20 years in the industry and now wish to shift out of corporate life and into academics full time. Yes, there are 'visiting professors' with such backgrounds but to join full time a PhD is a minimum qualifying criteria.
And there is definitely a 'we need to protect our turf' mindset because of which this is unlikely to change. Although as J. Philip, Director XIME points out: In the first wave of Directors and senior Professors at IIMs, one would notice a good number of non-Ph.Ds, starting with K.T. Chandy and Hiten Bhaya of IIM-C, Ravi Mathai of IIM-A, N.S. Ramaswamy of IIM-B, Professors Nitish De and Iswar Dayal of IIM-C, and many others...."
Attracting international students
This brings me to the last and crucial ingredient required for a top quality institute: top quality students.
The 'global brand name' the IIMs have today rests to a large extent on the laurels of its graduates. In this, the selection and filtration process has played a crucial role. There are those who argue that inputs at the campus 'hardly matter' given the fact that this is the creme de la creme of the student population.
But I for one am not so cynical. The 'exposure' combined with 'opportunities' is what produces the X factor.
One of the only drawbacks of studying in an IIM is the lack of diversity in the student population.
A huge number of IITians and engineers, sprinkling of C A s and BComs and a tiny number of ‘others’. Any top 20 B school in the US would, in contrast, attract a far more heterogeneous and multicultural population.
Well, student exchange programs at IIMs have led to a significant ‘foreign student’ presence on campus in recent years. But would any of these students consider joining for the entire 2 year program? Probably not. Unless IIMs move up significantly in Global Business School rankings. And there - is another BIG anomaly.
Foreign rankings - far from perfect.
As detractors gleefully point out from time to time, IIMs feature 'nowhere' in the world B school rankings. For example, IIM Ahmedabad was the only Indian B school to feature in the top 100 of the Economist Intelligence Unit rankings.
Shameful, you say? Well dig a little deeper and here's what you find. If B school rankings conducted by Indian magazines are flawed - this is no better!
The Economist arrives at its rankings by studying 4 broad parameters:
1) open new career opportunities and/or career advancement (35%)
2) personal development and educational experience (35%)
3) to increase salary (20%)
4) potential to network (10%).
Each parameter has sub-parameters:
eg Open new career opportunities (33% overall weightage) is comprised of:
Diversity of recruiters (25%)
Number in jobs three months after graduation (25%)
Jobs found through the careers service (25%)
Student assessment (25%)
If you compare the ranking of IIM A (ranked 69) with Stanford (ranked 4), IMD Lausanne (ranked 5) and surprise! IESE Business School - University of Navarra, Barcelona (ranked 1) there are some shockers.
IIM A scores the HIGHEST possible rank 1 out of 100 on some criteria ('opens new career opportunities') and the LOWEST possible rank 100 out of 100 on other criteria (student quality and diversity).
As only 1% of IIM students are 'international' a low rank in 'diversity' is understandable. But quality? The applicant to places ratio at 532: 1 is the highest among all colleges! However, one component of student quality is 'average GMAT score' - which is not applicable to IIMs.
This, if guessed, means we score a zero in an area which counts for 12.5% of the "Personal Development and Educational Experience" parameter which has an overall weightage of 35 out of 100. Which is like leaving one 4 mark question in a paper of 100 marks for no fault of your own...
Then the Economist (which of all publications should know better!) uses a dollar scale to compute the 'increase in salary' parameter where again IIM A ranks a miserable 100th out of 100. Wouldn't use of purchasing power parity make far more sense?
With more global placements, exchange programs and even foreign languages being taught on campus (that is a criteria!), the IIM A rank should see a significant jump. But it will take time as the EIU methodology takes a weighted average of 2005 (50%), 2004 (30%) and 2003 (20%) data to provide a rounded picture of the school.
In the meanwhile, IIMs need to swallow their egos and do some lobbying with the Economist and other ranking agencies to correct these anomalies.And also look within to see where they can effect changes and thus improve their ranking (the alumni networking parameter for example).
These efforts should not be seen as 'beneath our dignity'. Rankings greatly affect the perception of how 'global' our institutions are. We must accept that and learn to play the game.
If that results in an IIM making it to the 'top 25', we will find both internal and external validation without having to physically go anywhere!
Making India the hub
The bottom line is, just because there is 'demand' from UAE, Sri Lanka, Mauritius or even Singapore to set up IIMs, does not mean we actually need to do so.... The mountain need not go to Mahomet.
In the interest of promoting diversity, IIMs can have a quota for international students other than NRIs (say 10%) and charge them higher rates (like state univs in the US do). But care must be taken to ensure they meet a minimum GMAT score and other stringent qualifying criteria.
The trick is to attract a big enough pool of applicants so you are able to pick up the cream. And for this a large scale communication and branding exercise would be required.
And yes, IIM B does need to worry about whether the Singapore foray will add to its aura or dilute it... If it does not have the resources to invest in a proper campus, it should take care to state upfront that it is planning a 'contact center' for its e-learning courses. Because the word 'campus' conjures quite a different image.
b
Let's also maintain a perspective on the earning potential of this exercise. According to TOI "IIM B's Singapore dream is expected to fetch the institute surplus revenues of Rs 2.5 crore over the coming years — funds that could be used to open more IIMs in India".
That kind of money is hardly sufficient to think of setting up new campuses but certainly can be employed to spruce up the existing ones to 'global' standards.
The red brick buildings at IIM A for example still look extremely photogenic. But take a closer look at the hostels and many of those 30 year old structures are in fact in bad shape. Especially when you compare the old campus with the shiny new one that's come on the other side of the connecting tunnel.
The point is that 'IIMs going global' is a case study in itself. Hope many ideas and approaches are used - simultaneously - so that the IIMs move forward and take their rightful place under the global sun!
If the IIM's wish to scale intake of students, they need additional teaching talent. And that is an extremely scarce resource...
Can IIM professors be ‘world class’ on Third World pay scales? Mukesh Ambani certainly does not think so. At a recent Board of Governors meeting he asked the institute to 'prepare the ground for compensating faculty adequately in line with other leading global business schools.'
Because, at current pay scales, an IIM professor with 20 years experience gets paid far less than what a 24 year old earns as starting salary on passing out of the institute.
As IIM Calcutta’s Prof. Anup Sinha bluntly puts it, “In India, you are either very passionate about teaching, or probably you didn't land up the job you wanted so you decide to hang around teaching in a b-school… teaching is not very financially rewarding.”
Of course, academics is not the most lucrative career option anywhere in the world. But the disparity between IIM payscales and corporate ones is so high that it definitely turns off those inclined towards the profession at entry stag. And erodes the self esteem of those who, despite it all, choose to go the academic way. Certainly not the best of HR policies!
Kellogg Dean Dipak Jain believes that the promotion system in Indian institutes need changes. " Every professor gets the same compensation as the other. Incentive system must change if these institutes have to be on global scene."
The other issue is that too much emphasis is laid on being a 'career academic'. Most IIM profs would not have significant corporate experience before doing their PhDs. In a practitioner led 'science' this is a disadvantage.
What's more, IIMs are simply not open to the idea of mid-career shifters. People who may have spent say 15-20 years in the industry and now wish to shift out of corporate life and into academics full time. Yes, there are 'visiting professors' with such backgrounds but to join full time a PhD is a minimum qualifying criteria.
And there is definitely a 'we need to protect our turf' mindset because of which this is unlikely to change. Although as J. Philip, Director XIME points out: In the first wave of Directors and senior Professors at IIMs, one would notice a good number of non-Ph.Ds, starting with K.T. Chandy and Hiten Bhaya of IIM-C, Ravi Mathai of IIM-A, N.S. Ramaswamy of IIM-B, Professors Nitish De and Iswar Dayal of IIM-C, and many others...."
Attracting international students
This brings me to the last and crucial ingredient required for a top quality institute: top quality students.
The 'global brand name' the IIMs have today rests to a large extent on the laurels of its graduates. In this, the selection and filtration process has played a crucial role. There are those who argue that inputs at the campus 'hardly matter' given the fact that this is the creme de la creme of the student population.
But I for one am not so cynical. The 'exposure' combined with 'opportunities' is what produces the X factor.
One of the only drawbacks of studying in an IIM is the lack of diversity in the student population.
A huge number of IITians and engineers, sprinkling of C A s and BComs and a tiny number of ‘others’. Any top 20 B school in the US would, in contrast, attract a far more heterogeneous and multicultural population.
Well, student exchange programs at IIMs have led to a significant ‘foreign student’ presence on campus in recent years. But would any of these students consider joining for the entire 2 year program? Probably not. Unless IIMs move up significantly in Global Business School rankings. And there - is another BIG anomaly.
Foreign rankings - far from perfect.
As detractors gleefully point out from time to time, IIMs feature 'nowhere' in the world B school rankings. For example, IIM Ahmedabad was the only Indian B school to feature in the top 100 of the Economist Intelligence Unit rankings.
Shameful, you say? Well dig a little deeper and here's what you find. If B school rankings conducted by Indian magazines are flawed - this is no better!
The Economist arrives at its rankings by studying 4 broad parameters:
1) open new career opportunities and/or career advancement (35%)
2) personal development and educational experience (35%)
3) to increase salary (20%)
4) potential to network (10%).
Each parameter has sub-parameters:
eg Open new career opportunities (33% overall weightage) is comprised of:
Diversity of recruiters (25%)
Number in jobs three months after graduation (25%)
Jobs found through the careers service (25%)
Student assessment (25%)
If you compare the ranking of IIM A (ranked 69) with Stanford (ranked 4), IMD Lausanne (ranked 5) and surprise! IESE Business School - University of Navarra, Barcelona (ranked 1) there are some shockers.
IIM A scores the HIGHEST possible rank 1 out of 100 on some criteria ('opens new career opportunities') and the LOWEST possible rank 100 out of 100 on other criteria (student quality and diversity).
As only 1% of IIM students are 'international' a low rank in 'diversity' is understandable. But quality? The applicant to places ratio at 532: 1 is the highest among all colleges! However, one component of student quality is 'average GMAT score' - which is not applicable to IIMs.
This, if guessed, means we score a zero in an area which counts for 12.5% of the "Personal Development and Educational Experience" parameter which has an overall weightage of 35 out of 100. Which is like leaving one 4 mark question in a paper of 100 marks for no fault of your own...
Then the Economist (which of all publications should know better!) uses a dollar scale to compute the 'increase in salary' parameter where again IIM A ranks a miserable 100th out of 100. Wouldn't use of purchasing power parity make far more sense?
With more global placements, exchange programs and even foreign languages being taught on campus (that is a criteria!), the IIM A rank should see a significant jump. But it will take time as the EIU methodology takes a weighted average of 2005 (50%), 2004 (30%) and 2003 (20%) data to provide a rounded picture of the school.
In the meanwhile, IIMs need to swallow their egos and do some lobbying with the Economist and other ranking agencies to correct these anomalies.And also look within to see where they can effect changes and thus improve their ranking (the alumni networking parameter for example).
These efforts should not be seen as 'beneath our dignity'. Rankings greatly affect the perception of how 'global' our institutions are. We must accept that and learn to play the game.
If that results in an IIM making it to the 'top 25', we will find both internal and external validation without having to physically go anywhere!
Making India the hub
The bottom line is, just because there is 'demand' from UAE, Sri Lanka, Mauritius or even Singapore to set up IIMs, does not mean we actually need to do so.... The mountain need not go to Mahomet.
In the interest of promoting diversity, IIMs can have a quota for international students other than NRIs (say 10%) and charge them higher rates (like state univs in the US do). But care must be taken to ensure they meet a minimum GMAT score and other stringent qualifying criteria.
The trick is to attract a big enough pool of applicants so you are able to pick up the cream. And for this a large scale communication and branding exercise would be required.
And yes, IIM B does need to worry about whether the Singapore foray will add to its aura or dilute it... If it does not have the resources to invest in a proper campus, it should take care to state upfront that it is planning a 'contact center' for its e-learning courses. Because the word 'campus' conjures quite a different image.
b
Let's also maintain a perspective on the earning potential of this exercise. According to TOI "IIM B's Singapore dream is expected to fetch the institute surplus revenues of Rs 2.5 crore over the coming years — funds that could be used to open more IIMs in India".
That kind of money is hardly sufficient to think of setting up new campuses but certainly can be employed to spruce up the existing ones to 'global' standards.
The red brick buildings at IIM A for example still look extremely photogenic. But take a closer look at the hostels and many of those 30 year old structures are in fact in bad shape. Especially when you compare the old campus with the shiny new one that's come on the other side of the connecting tunnel.
The point is that 'IIMs going global' is a case study in itself. Hope many ideas and approaches are used - simultaneously - so that the IIMs move forward and take their rightful place under the global sun!
Should the IIMs go ‘global’? - 1
IIM B Global Plans get Green Signal
Words mean different things to different people. Take the term 'global'. If you were on an IIM campus and a student commented the lecture he just attended was 'global', it would hardly be a compliment to the professor.
Global, in IIM lingo, is shorthand for general gas. And that is what appears to be dominating the current debate on whether IIMs should – ironically- go ‘global’. There is the IIMs-owe-it-to-India camp vs the India-owes-it-to-IIMs camp. But, leaving ideology aside, does globalising make sense?
Yes and no. IIMs must become players on the global stage. Whether they need to physically step out of India to do that is the question that needs to be asked.
‘Global’ campuses
Let’s start with the IIM Bangalore proposal to ‘set up shop’ in Singapore which is how this debate sparked off in the first place.
First of all, is it viable for the IIMs to set up full-fledged physical campuses abroad? I don't think so. When INSEAD entered Singapore it had committed to spend $35.5 million (60 million Singapore dollars) to set up a campus which would rival its 2.9 hectare campus in Fontainebleau. The campus was to be built in 4 phases - and will be fully completed only by 2016.
To be seen as 'world class' an IIM B satellite campus would have to do match INSEAD. Was that what they had planned? Not at all. The foray abroad is meant to be a revenue earning opportunity, not a drain on the resources of the mother brand. Way back in July 2005 www.bridgesingapore.com reported:
Now IIM-B - the business school in India's Silicon Valley of Bangalore - hopes to export its strength in business strategy and finance by offering an online EMBA programme, targeted, at its Singapore campus.
The initiative will be hosted at Bhavan's Indian International School, with the institute sharing its lecture halls, seminar and conference rooms, library and computer centre.
"The EMBA course modules would be taught online, with nearly all the faculty members, in terms of teaching staff, working out of our Indian campus," said Prakash Apte, director of IIM-Bangalore. "But we're also looking at hiring locally-based faculty members depending on demand," he added.
Such a strategy certainly makes sense but more from a ‘business’ point of view than as an institution. Dr Apte admitted that, “Although we're reaching out to the entire region, a large proportion of the students are likely to come from the Indians living and working around the region.”
The added attraction: the IIMB course is expected to cost less than those offered other foreign players in Singapore.
And that, I think is the problem. As long as IIMs continue to be seen as a value-for-money MBA education mainly by Indians – whether based in the country or overseas – IIMs will never be truly ‘global’ players.
Thought leadership
"If you look at the global environment now, India is fast becoming an economic powerhouse. There is a great interest in the knowledge of the Indian economy, in Indian companies and the peculiarities of the Indian market. And this is what we can provide better than Chicago GSB or INSEAD. Fundamentally, this is where our strong value-proposition lies."
That statement by Dr Prakash Apte summed up the opportunity for the IIMs. Suddenly the spotlight is on India. We are being seen as the Next Big Market for everything from automobiles to apartment complexes. Multinationals are dying to understand what makes India ticks. Can IIMs be the ones to enlighten them?
Take outsourcing, for example. Since India is at the forefront of this business revolution, logically, an IIM professor should have seized the opportunity to become an internationally renowned expert on the subject. It hasn’t happened – for two reasons.
Much of the research at IIMs is lacking in contemporary relevance. Some of it is also lacking in academic rigour.
Secondly, even the research output which is worthy of recognition rarely creates the desired impact. That’s because while they may teach the subject, IIM professors are loath to ‘market’ themselves or their work.
It’s a chicken and egg problem. As one IIM professor put it, "If I were to propound a management theory based on karmayoga, it would have religious connotations. If the same idea of being ‘committed to the effort, not the accomplishment’ was propounded by a professor from Harvard it might well be seen as pathbreaking."
So yes, IIMs lack in source credibility as ‘thinktanks’– hence their research is not taken seriously. But it would take just 2-3 outstanding individuals to break this perception. Of course, they would necessarily have to be not just brilliant academics but persuasive communicators and networkers as well.
Easy to advise, of course...
There are other important issues... Such as attracting quality faculty and a diverse student body. More on those and other challenges, in my next post.
Words mean different things to different people. Take the term 'global'. If you were on an IIM campus and a student commented the lecture he just attended was 'global', it would hardly be a compliment to the professor.
Global, in IIM lingo, is shorthand for general gas. And that is what appears to be dominating the current debate on whether IIMs should – ironically- go ‘global’. There is the IIMs-owe-it-to-India camp vs the India-owes-it-to-IIMs camp. But, leaving ideology aside, does globalising make sense?
Yes and no. IIMs must become players on the global stage. Whether they need to physically step out of India to do that is the question that needs to be asked.
‘Global’ campuses
Let’s start with the IIM Bangalore proposal to ‘set up shop’ in Singapore which is how this debate sparked off in the first place.
First of all, is it viable for the IIMs to set up full-fledged physical campuses abroad? I don't think so. When INSEAD entered Singapore it had committed to spend $35.5 million (60 million Singapore dollars) to set up a campus which would rival its 2.9 hectare campus in Fontainebleau. The campus was to be built in 4 phases - and will be fully completed only by 2016.
To be seen as 'world class' an IIM B satellite campus would have to do match INSEAD. Was that what they had planned? Not at all. The foray abroad is meant to be a revenue earning opportunity, not a drain on the resources of the mother brand. Way back in July 2005 www.bridgesingapore.com reported:
Now IIM-B - the business school in India's Silicon Valley of Bangalore - hopes to export its strength in business strategy and finance by offering an online EMBA programme, targeted, at its Singapore campus.
The initiative will be hosted at Bhavan's Indian International School, with the institute sharing its lecture halls, seminar and conference rooms, library and computer centre.
"The EMBA course modules would be taught online, with nearly all the faculty members, in terms of teaching staff, working out of our Indian campus," said Prakash Apte, director of IIM-Bangalore. "But we're also looking at hiring locally-based faculty members depending on demand," he added.
Such a strategy certainly makes sense but more from a ‘business’ point of view than as an institution. Dr Apte admitted that, “Although we're reaching out to the entire region, a large proportion of the students are likely to come from the Indians living and working around the region.”
The added attraction: the IIMB course is expected to cost less than those offered other foreign players in Singapore.
And that, I think is the problem. As long as IIMs continue to be seen as a value-for-money MBA education mainly by Indians – whether based in the country or overseas – IIMs will never be truly ‘global’ players.
Thought leadership
"If you look at the global environment now, India is fast becoming an economic powerhouse. There is a great interest in the knowledge of the Indian economy, in Indian companies and the peculiarities of the Indian market. And this is what we can provide better than Chicago GSB or INSEAD. Fundamentally, this is where our strong value-proposition lies."
That statement by Dr Prakash Apte summed up the opportunity for the IIMs. Suddenly the spotlight is on India. We are being seen as the Next Big Market for everything from automobiles to apartment complexes. Multinationals are dying to understand what makes India ticks. Can IIMs be the ones to enlighten them?
Take outsourcing, for example. Since India is at the forefront of this business revolution, logically, an IIM professor should have seized the opportunity to become an internationally renowned expert on the subject. It hasn’t happened – for two reasons.
Much of the research at IIMs is lacking in contemporary relevance. Some of it is also lacking in academic rigour.
Secondly, even the research output which is worthy of recognition rarely creates the desired impact. That’s because while they may teach the subject, IIM professors are loath to ‘market’ themselves or their work.
It’s a chicken and egg problem. As one IIM professor put it, "If I were to propound a management theory based on karmayoga, it would have religious connotations. If the same idea of being ‘committed to the effort, not the accomplishment’ was propounded by a professor from Harvard it might well be seen as pathbreaking."
So yes, IIMs lack in source credibility as ‘thinktanks’– hence their research is not taken seriously. But it would take just 2-3 outstanding individuals to break this perception. Of course, they would necessarily have to be not just brilliant academics but persuasive communicators and networkers as well.
Easy to advise, of course...
There are other important issues... Such as attracting quality faculty and a diverse student body. More on those and other challenges, in my next post.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Kaun nahin banega crorepati
Don't mourn the loss of your favourite game show, said the channel. Don't mourn the loss of hopes and dreams. Don't blame your bad luck either - you never had a fair chance of making it to the "Hot Seat" anyways.
Dial mein kuch kaala?
The India TV story, backed up with impressive amount of documentation, painted a pretty bleak picture of the selection process for India's most popular game show.
The gist of the expose: KBC gets 25 lakh calls per episode, so the odds of making it to final 10 twice are next to zero. Yet, it happened five times. And though the rules bar BSNL and MTNL employees, at least nine took part..
To elaborate: 25 lakh (2.5 million) viewers vied for a place on every episode of KBC2. To qualify required a small amount of grey matter and large doses of luck.
Step 1: Call in or sms (via MTNL, BSNL or Airtel) and answer one simple question. Charges - Rs 2.40 on BSNL/ MTNL or Rs 6 on the Airtel network.
Step 2: Of those who answer correctly the computer 'randomly' selects 500 callers who are then asked to reply to 2 more questions.
Step 3 : This was followed by round 3 where a lucky 100 people must answer 3 more questions.
Step 4: Of those who clear this hurdle, the computer generates a list of 10 'final' participants who get a chance to compete for the Hot Seat.
So yes, anyone making it to the 'final 10' twice defies all laws of probability.. And yet, India TV had pictorial evidence to prove it.
The BSNL tangle
And the second time on Sept 12, 2005 in episode 15. This time he won Rs 20,000.
On the face of it, there had been a huge mess up. Rule no 1 of the 31 listed states:
Competition.
Lines of this kind drafted by the 'legal department' are a standard part of all competitions. Wonder whether the auditor was given a specfic LIST of companies whose employees were persona non grata.
As per official statistics, 7.5 crores of the 10 crore calls received were through BSNL.
BSNL happens to have more than 3.5 lakh employees... Wonder whether they get free calls from home and office. If so, they probably did just that in their 'spare time' (which is never lacking in a PSU!).
That would be simple 'misuse' of faclities. More worrying was possible manipulation of the system. After all offficals such as Shri R L Dubey, Director (Planning), BSNL stated on record that calls made from PCOs, office board lines and any other telephone lines (other than BSNL/ MTNL) would not be considered valid entries.
For both image and profit reasons, BSNL needed to provide some answers. In July 2005 BSNL had already raked in over Rs 4 crore or 32 lakh per day by routing KBC2's tele-voting calls from across the country.
Any breach of trust would surely affect future revenues of this nature!
More questions
And what was Star TV doing? Whatever the angle at BSNL, at the end of the day the organisers were to blame for actually allowing BSNL employees to appear on KBC. You can't shrug off 9 such instances as an 'oversight'.
"Shaayad Star TV ko yeh jaankaari maloom nahin thi... ," suggested India TV's Rajat Sharma. Then he adds, "Magar unki website par har participant ke details maujood hain. Woh kahaan ka rehne waala hai... kahaan kaam karta hai etc etc"
As regards the same person appearing twice on air, Rule no 17 states: Contestants could make it only once to the Fastest Finger First round for any Show in a Schedule.
So the channel defended itself by saying that those who made it to the final 10 twice were not picked in the *same* shooting schedule. It appeared fishy...
Especially because to ensure 'fair representation' the rules further stipulated a quota for women (2 out of 10 in every episode at least). There was a regional quota as well to ensure participants were drawn from throughout the country.
Under those circumstances the chances of making it twice in the final 10 appeared all the more remote!
Auditor, where art thou?
The FAQ section on the KBC 2 website contains the following query:
There are touts and so called influential people who claim they can get me an entry directly into the show. How true is this?
Answer: There is only one way to get on to KBC 2 - by qualifying through the phone lines, as described in the rules. There is no question of bypassing this process, and contacts have no role to play at all in gaining entry into the contest. It is a fair process, closely monitored by independent auditors.
Well, these independent auditors were the venerable KPMG . What exactly was their job defintion? Who set up the systems to execute the selection process? Who oversaw its functioning??
Since KBC was a franchise of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' it should have been following the same selection process. Has the Mother Brand faced any such issues??
It is still unclear who was ultimately responsible for the selection of contestants. Was it Star TV or producers Synergy Communications (owned by Siddhartha Basu)? Or was the task outsourced to a third party??
As Amitabhji would have said sahi option ko 'lock kiya jaaye'...
Why it mattered
You might say, it was just a gameshow - why get so worked up? The truth was it was far more than that. Combine the lure of winning one crore with that of interacting with India's biggest Bollywood actor and you have 'the Dream of a Lifetime'.
At one level it was luck - but once you made it to the Hot Seat, it was all about your soojh boojh. Your General knowledge, of course. But also your ability to handle pressure, your presence of mind.
Unlike the other game shows, on KBC2 anyone who won a few lakhs really 'earned' it. KBC2 was perceived to be a merit based game show where luck played only a facilitating role - not a decisive one.
Coupled with the grace and gravity of its host Amitabh Bachchan, KBC2 was synomymous with the 'high standards' that every Indian wished to see in public life.
If those standards were in fact diluted, it felt like a betrayal of faith. A loss of innocence. A lack of decency.
Mild aftershock... so far
Although the rotten eggs may have been few in number (and none of them won significant amounts on the show), the fact that they did make it on air is not just egg but fully cooked omlette on Star TV's face. Naturally, India TV had been trying to gain as much mileage as possible.
This included its trademark rabble rousing anchoring. "Dekhiye kis tarah Star TV ne hazaaron laakhon darshakon ke jazbaaton ke saath khilwaad kiya. Chaliye aapko Patna le chalte hain... "
In Patna a 'member of the public' appeared to be reading a speech from a paper (written down for him by whom?) expressing his shock and anger. Junta accosted on the roads of Mumbai were a little more natural and convincing. The channel claims messages from 'lakhs' of viewers were pouring in...
But the story has not had a major impact... Being an India TV expose, no rival TV channel covered it.
Midday had featured the story on page 1 but again, most folks missed it, as Mid-day was more of an office/ commuting paper than home delivery.
It remained to be seen whether media took up the story or keep mum. As the show was now officially 'over' in any case, they chose not to antagonise Star TV.
Every dog has his day
India TV is one those those channels most of us never tune into, just taking in nano-second darshan of it as we surf by. I for one made several efforts to consign it to the nether regions of my 100 channel television. But the Cable Guy seemed to believe every underdog deserves a chance and keeps fiddling with the order.
He may be right.
Every channel can come up with something to hold the viewer's attention. And every viewer can come up with something to draw the channel's attention.
This story was first brought to India TV's notice by a KBC crazed viewer based in Udaipur who had notes and details of every episode ever telecasted. From which contestant spent how many minutes on air to what suit Amitabh Bachchan was wearing on a particular day.
KBC mein chahe number na aaye, citizen reporter ki haisiyat mein ab aapka bhi number as sakta hai. Some consolation huh!
Uhm..can't say that i was too shocked to find such a revelation but you do expect a certain level of integrity and transparency when a show of such magnitude is being screened. Plus it had the added bonus of being associated with Big B who for some reason instills a false sense of security (in relation to credibilty) in us!
Another thing, did anyone else feel that shows with celebs are rigged...rigged as in ..somewhat pre-planned..I don't know about the new ones but the old ones where I saw SRK etc, was just too obvious. They made it to 1crore or a sum just below that...and they conveniently donated it all to charity!
The story was certainly mind-blowing and shocking. Even after the 4 steps mentioned, lakhs of people stood no chance of making there, when such fishy things were happening.the photographs are a indication that people were being fooled.
Well it was a very sad ending to a game show that inspired millions of Indians. I myself was a big fan of KBC but alas...now the crediblity of all other Game shows on idiot box is also in question.
But a big applause to Big B who quit the show when he realized what was going on.
Honestly, this might be true, but did it really matter. Sure, the BSNL and MTNL guys can rig the phone-ins, and they might have did that, Star should have acknowledged the problem and fixed it. Or maybe they got a better 'revenue sharing' model in exchange for letting random people in on the show. Too many 'kaun'spiracy theories out there.
Do I think most game shows are fixed? Yes.
Does that fact let me not sleep at night? Nope.
And Bluffmaster, I think this won't do jack to the image of the Big B. You see, for me, a person determined to corrupt the sense of democracy in India clinging to power is more impoartant than some game show.
This is a fraud on a monumental scale. Previously guys like Siddharta Basu were looked upon as incorruptible but even idols have feets of clay !!
How can these fellows stay silent (if they were unaware). Couldn't Siddhartha easily spot a repeater contestant. Couldn't he have vetted the contestant properly.
This is akin to the major QUIZ SCANDAL which rocked America in the 1950's.
Probably higher standards wouldn't appeal to the Indian populace. Leave aside degrees, what would be the GK level of an average indian? Its all hiphop stuff, publicity, fame, and marketing that played the game. Don't know how can 'quality control' be asked for in such a show with such audience!
Give us four options or four hundred, we'd still vote for a clean, untainted KBC!
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