An outstanding commentator

A sigh of relief finally prevailed over the burning land in this part of the world. An outrageous wave of heat had roasted the capital region over the past few weeks and there seemed no respite until this morning. Thunderous spells of rains and winds came about just at the time when serenity found a place in my daily affairs too. So here comes a post after a relatively longer hiatus.

Quite often in life, people recognize somebody just by virtue of the work that they do over the years. For example, when one talks of Indian music, Lata Mangeshkar is the obvious name that comes to mind. Then there are a set of individuals who kind of play a second fiddle (sometimes third, fourth or so on) and by no means, they are less important purely because their contribution is absolutely necessary for the respective fraternity. This post is also about one such individual.

Imagine watching a cricket match on TV without a good commentary. Sounds boring. It is indeed. A good commentary aids to overall experience of watching the game on TV. In today’s world, where all the review shows and commentary teams comprise of ex-cricketers or senior players, there is one individual who has never played cricket at the highest level but is synonymous with cricket commentary for about two decades and more now.

The more I see of this person, the more I get impressed. The ease with which he brings out his knowledge of the game is remarkable. His insights are wonderful as far as the strategies in any forms of the game are concerned. Be it review shows, be it TV commentary, be it a column in newspaper or be it a post-match presentation – he leaves the reader or viewer wanting for more. He is a joy to listen or read for a cricket fan like me and without doubt, many more :)

Interestingly, this person was a student of chemical engineering and went to IIM-A. Without doubt, cricket would have been in his blood for long. Rather it would be better to say that commentary would have been his passion over the years, especially after noting that he began his career as a commentator with All India Radio at the age of 19. You may read more about this person here. His’ are one of such contributions that gives life to live broadcasting of the matches as well as the media business itself at times.

Brands that never fail to impress

This blogger is not a kind of a consumer who is particular and finicky about brands. However, he does like using products which offer great satisfaction in terms of value for money and value for joy. To provide such satisfaction, it is imperative for companies to maintain the visibility of their major brands. Over a longer period of time, such brands tend to carry a value that is perhaps one step in building the brands. This post is not about brand building and brand valuation. This post is about some brands of my liking which are very important for daily life. So, here it goes:

Colgate – A tooth paste of Indian household since as long as I could remember. A product which can be associated with high quality and never ending consumer satisfaction. Now a days you may find dozens of pastes in the market but nothing beats this one.

Lux – A Unilever owned brand which again dates back to endless years. For a middle class society, Lux implied a necessary bath soap for which there can’t be any replacements. If you have Lux in your home, your guests will definitely be satisfied.

Bata – Slippers and shoes of Bata. How could one forget? In my small city, that was the only option some two decades back and the Bata shop still finds a place in almost all the cities of India – big or small. Nothing beats a product at most reasonable price and highly regarded by consumers.

Maggi – Some think that this is not a nutritious product. However, 2-minute Maggi is the most demanding and most popular noodles since ages. This constitutes sizable chunk of Nestle’s India business. Believe you me, the spice mix of Maggi is awesome!

Horlicks – A must food product for almost all the Indian household. Anyone consumes it or not, but Horlicks is a must for all infants and kids and has been relied upon by millions of consumers for long. Outstanding product synonymous for great quality and value! A big appreciation to GSK for maintaining the quality and hygiene of this product!

Coca-cola – Last but not the least. Coca-cola. Readers may think my comment about this brand is biased. Certainly not! Considered to be most valuable brand on the planet, Coca-cola continues its strong journey since 1886 and will be celebrating 125 years of its existence next week. A product which is as refreshing as it can get. The secret formula continues to be secret and you keep opening up happiness with every bottle of Coca-cola.