Month: February 2016

Family Tree in Visual Thesaurus

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment
Visual Presentation

Screen Grab of Visual Thesaurus

My wife’s Uncle settled in Canada started a family tree project. He did the painstaking work of compiling the name, details, etc of relatives, then created a large database of family members. Apart from collecting the details, he created a newsletter, and a website where he listed the details of family members.

While his effort was commendable, the presentation was not in a visually attractive way. Well, he did the task with minimal investment, so it’s understandable that it was presented in list format.

How to turn day into a visually interesting manner?

There are two things I found that could add more value to the family tree.One is about the details of people. Apart from collecting the name, age, and details of spouses, here’s something to add more value. Add a field to mention the reason of death of people who have expired. This could help in finding the probablity of carrying diseases which are genetically transmitted. For instance if the family has a history of diabetics, or eczima, or heart disorder, then there is a chance of this being inherited.

Next is visual presentation

I owe this idea to VisualThesarus. This thesaurus site has differentiated themselves in the way they have presented the information. The floating graphics and the connection of words presented in a networked way makes it easy and interesting way for people to explore the meaning, synonyms, or understand the connection between words.

Taking cue from this site, I wonder if we could build a family tree structure. If such a application exists, it would make things for people like this uncle in Canada to add data. And, when data is represented in a such a format, it will be easy for people to see the connection in the family, and increase the engagement with the application. Moreover, people will be more likely to click to explore the family network.

I hope my plan is workable!!!

Your’s Visually!

Tender Coconut Shake

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment
How often do you stop to drink tender coconut water? I take many breaks, depending on my thirst levels and the freshness of tender coconuts kept for sale. Today, was another day when I stopped at a road side tender coconut store near Domlur. Upon my order the guy look a big nut, which was tender some two weeks ago.

After drinking the sweet nectar, I handed the coconut for opening. Once it was split, it was clear that the kernel was almost as solid as a matured coconut. Wasting no time, I waved back to discard it. And he promptly he threw it along with the rest.

How to Make Shake or Juice from Tender Coconut?

When I saw him throwing the coconut to the empty pile, I hit upon this idea – what if it he used the kernel in a different way? So, here’s my plan for coconut sellers to add value to his business.

Here’s my pitch!.

1) Make and sell tender coconut shake. This means the seller should take water and inside kernel and mix it together and sell it by cup. It could be convenient for people who wan’t a quick drink. He should store the same in a themaocol box and sell the concoction in big glasses. And each class should be kept clean, preferably sealed with a

Use either a mixie if power is available or a hand based blender to mix it. Other juice can be added to make different flavors.

2) Provide home delivery

 I feel there are many buyers who would relish a fresh tender coconut water in their home. To make this happen, keep a guy who can peddle around the locality and deliver tender coconut water in a bottle or as ready to use one.

 I actually wanted a service like that for my mom who can’t go out to buy it. Such a service could be charged Rs 5 extra or you can take an additional monthly service of Rs 50 or 100..

I feel this idea would work in places such as in Trivandrum or Bangalore. Of course, the water quality should be good, and fresh.

What do you think about this idea? Will it work?

What’s Open Bangalore

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment
Start an app which will help users to locate shops and shopping centres which are open in the night.

But the question is what comes  first – app or the shops which are open after normal hours.

Just noting this idea, before it fades from my random access brain memory ( RABM). 🙂

Also, suprising to see the google results to the keyword ” all night shopping”. When is India  going to get such places? In 5 years, 10 years, or next year?

Let me say, this another Make in India project.

Why Business Has a Bad Name in Kerala?

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment
I’m a die hard supporter of small businesses. Most of the time I’m bursting with ideas, and I keep advocating this concept to people. Unfortunately, I often get negative response, which usually dampen my spirit. When I tell  people  to start a small business in Kerala, this is what I get….

blank  stares.
Don’t tell me to loose my savings
I  don’t have 50 lakhs to invest
I’m happy with my govt job

Often when I explain or talk to people and tell them to start small business, they often interpret in another way. They say I’m just money minded. Or they give me a look as if I said something horrible or have a nutty idea – keep it off me me mind of body language.

So, question is, why people tend to think of business as some kind of bourgeoisie plot. It’s like playing the villain role as a mothalali as we say in Malayalam ( owner or capitalistic). If you’ve seen old Malayalam movies where estate owner or the owner is the villain, who has all the vices, drinking, prying innocent women, leads a lavish lifestyle and exploits the workers, etc.

Probably, people have this stereotyped role in their mind and that’s why they equate business ideas as evil conspiracy.

So, what can be done? Is there way to tone down the negative  connotation associated with the name business? Can we do something?

Malayalee and Business Culture

I find  this concept too high in Trivandrum, than in places  like Bangalore or Hyderabad.One reason could be this, people are used to Govt for everything – from employment to news, etc.

Well, that’s just changing right in front  of our eyes. As we know, the power of  media is diluted every minute, and it’s people who’s doing the talking, not  just the  TV anchor . Well, it’s too early to say that it’s dead,but definitely, the clout of press has  come  down.

In one of  the  Seth Godin’s blog, I read something  like this – now individual owns T.V station ( YouTube), newspaper ( blog) or a radio station ( podcast). We’re free to be vocal about our opinion, speak directly to others and publish things that matter to us.

Isn’t this wonderful, a great privilege? But, why are we using it?

Despite all the freedom and channels  available, we’re not thinking as a publisher, we prefer to consume rather than produce media.

I hope, people in Kerala realize that business is not a bad work, nor  profit. While making money is essential for the sustenance of business, it’s important to do business b’cos you have a passion towards it and would like to make things better.

I hope you too get the point, or feel free to speak to me.

Regards,

Charles

All Night Business Centre in India

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Work culture of Indians have changed. First came the 24/7 call centre support, then the IT services which operate round-the-clock. The changes in work culture has impacted with other aspects of our life, such as our recreation, eating habits, healthcare, daily needs, etc.

But despite the all night work culture in many cities like Bangalore, there’s hardly any support services which cater to these people. For instance, a person who returns from work at 3:AM is left with no option for entertainment or dining. Many of these people go hungry to bed, or resort to some cup-o-noddle kind of food. In Bangalore, after 11:PM, only thing  that’s functioning are the are the tea sellers who sell tea and cigarettes. There are few guys who sells omelette near Domlur. Apart from these, there are no shops to enjoy a relaxed dining. What a shame!

So, what the solution for people in cities who are working in nigh shifts? From what I see, I think all the Indian cities should have one business centre or a shopping mall which should be open all night along. While there are security issues, it should be addressed by installing a very efficient monitoring system.

An all night business centre should have the following:

  • Food court with stalls serving tea to dinner options
  • Mobile repair and recharge store
  • Subway store
  • Pharama Store with essential medicines
  • Photocopy and printing services
  • Internet services
  • Waste paper collection centre
  • Sleep pods
  • Party store ( hire and sell party goodies)
  • Cobbler at night 
  • Tailoring shop for alteration to stitching new dresses
  • Video game consoles
  • Instant dry cleaning centre ( 2 hr)
  • Indoor play area ( football, TT or Caroms)
  • Pool Table
  • All Night open dental clinic ( For emergencies, denture fixing, etc)
  • Clinic with a doctor
  • ATMs, Cash Deposit Machines
  • Spa ( for body relaxation)
  • Household provision store
  • Type puncher shop
  • Car mechanic store
  • Vegetable store
  • And more…

An all night business centre will be a big blessing for all kinds of people, Just imagine that you realized that you need an urgent copy or printout at 12:PM and you can’t wait till next day morning. Or think of a lady who has run out of sanitary pad, or a person suffering from severe tooth ache, or that a person’s denture has broken. Or it could be just that you want to have a tea at 4:Am with your friends from work.

I’m not sure if such a concept is there in western countries. But, if it comes to India, it would also mean addition boost to our economy and it keeps our city alive, day and night.

What’s your opinion about it? Do we need a place which remain open in midnight? Do you think it’s a good idea to have such a place? How will you convince naysayers?

Varkala Views

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Pictures from Varkala taken during our visit in Feb 2016. We choose Varkala as part of a last minute decision and reached when the sun was setting. A wrong time to reach a touristy place and search for a budget place.

After couple of knocks at various hotels, hill top hotels, we settled at Santaclaus. Most of the places we had asked were charging 1.5 to 2k for rooms, which were beyond our daily budget.

Highlight of Varkala Trip – Places Visited

We enjoyed few places for beer, food and music. Restaurants and coffee shops visited – Temple Cafe, buttermilk at Bohemian Art Cafe, etc.

Looking forward to another visit!

How to Make Money From Vizhijam Project

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Vizhinjam Port View

 Pic source: Azim Rashid ( Flickr)
The good news at-last for Trivandrum. After, long long years of delay, deliberations and red-tape, Vizhijam harbor project is on the start mode. Finally, we see a harbor project coming to ligh with the agreement by Government of Kerala and Adani Group. While, politicians in Kerala still argue about the feasibility of the project, I hope this one will benefit in some way to the people, providing employment, and cash to this beleaguered state.

When I say beleaguered state, I mean this – just have a look at our empty coffers. The only money which flows are the money from spirits. One is the holy spirit and other the real spirit. Of course, NRI remittance to Kerala is a big blessing. .

Apart from it, the Industry wise sector contribution is not sufficient to sustain an overall development. So, let’s look for this new harbor project to see if we can make money or prosper out of it.

#1 Invest in land and property

   It’s an obvious way to make money. I’ve heard how politicians rich beaurocrats bought big tracks of land around Bangalore International airport. The moment the news of such a plan became public, moneyed guys and opportunistic fellas invested in key areas in places around yelanka, and North Bangalore. On the same lines, you too can invest in property. But, the problem for most of us is the shortage of cash. If you have some gold reserves, you can sell a portion of it and invest in land which can appreciate in few years.

#2 Research on what all business thrive around harbors

    Do your homework to know the kind of businesses that will thrive in a harbor area. For more ideas, you visit Cochin port, or other ports in India like Bombay, or Calcutta Port. These visits and your interaction with people associated with this place will get a first hand idea about it. While you are in the research mode, you can collect all the information related it it. Later you can create a booklet or make a guide for people who are hunting for business opportunities.

#3 Manpower Sourcing Agency

     When a port starts functioning there would be a need for workers, technicians, engineers etc with specialized skills. Can you start collecting data of similar profiles. It could be handy when companies look for recruits.

#4) Start a North Indian Restaurant

     I’m sure most of the workers and skilled people will come from Hindi speaking part of our country. These people will find our boiled rice, a big no. Given a choice, they would love to start have rotis and sabji kid of food. What about starting a North Indian food chain. Or a better idea could be a dabba. Get trained punjabi men and women to work for you and make hot roti, tandoor chicken, etc. What about Tandoor beef for mallus. Just an idea for beef eating mallus.

#5) Start Homestay 

     Convert your spare room or create separate hall on the terrace to make a dormitory style accommodation for people visiting Vizhijam for employment.

6) Freight Transit and Employment Opportunities

   All the container ships docking in Vizhijam harbor will require some kind of manual or technical assistance from people. From minor repairing to major maritime related work will be done in this dock. Also, the dry 7) docks will  employ thousands of laborers and technical crew.

7) Start a Logistics Course 

   I heard from a young chap that many young people are doing logistics courses in the hope of securing a job in middle-east and in Singapore. And, later I found that most of the openings abroad are for folks with experience. But, with a port coming in our city, there will be demand for people with these skill sets. If you’re already running a logistics institute then you can cash in the demand for such courses.

Here’s one such institute which came in google search – Indian Institute of Logistics

How to Capitalize on Development Projects in Your City?