Rishikesh - The Gateway to the Himalayas - The Trip

Adventures at Rishikesh

Situated in the foothills of the Himalaya’s in northern India lie’s the holy site of Rishikesh which attracts millions of tourists and pilgrims every year. The Holy waters of Ganges in Rishikesh provide some with a kind of adventure that’s unimaginable. The rapids of Ganges make it one of the best places for white water river rafting in India.

To experience this adventure, we planned a short excursion to Rishikesh last weekend. We a group of 6 (which eventually came down to 5 as soon as the trip began) left Delhi on Saturday morning in a cab. Our plan was to enjoy the drive on a not-so-bad NH #58 and reach Rishikesh till evening. We had lots of time on our hand and eventually stopped at Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee and finally Haridwar.

We did have time for a dip in the holy waters of the Ganges at Har ki Pauri which is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar. Though we couldn't attend it,I heard that the evening prayer at dusk offered to Goddess Ganga at Har-Ki-Pauri is an enchanting experience for any visitor. The reflection of the golden diyas that keep floating on the river offers a beautiful view of the ghat.

Finally we reached our destination Him River Resort in Rishikesh in the evening. Surrounded by mountains from all 4 sides, the resort has unique clay cottages that are decorated in a simple but comfortable manner. While the walk to the resort was exciting and could hear the Ganges roaring, the sight of the white sands refreshed our tired souls. Once we put our bags in our cottages, all of us headed for the river. We spent some time there before moving back to our cottages for snacks followed by Bonfire, couple of games and dinner. Its soothing to lay on the white sand and rocks and view the stars in the sky with the river roaring in the background. The feeling experienced is difficult to put into words.

Though we were tired with the long journey and the already enjoyable stay in Rishikesh, we woke up fresh quite early next morning for Trekking cum sight seeing expedition. The destination was a majestic waterfall. We spent some time there before moving back to our cottages for breakfast. What was to follow was the highlight of the trip - White water rafting in the holy Ganges from Marine Drive to Nim Beach, a 24 kms stretch. We drove uphill to Marine Drive with the raft and were greeted with the instructions by our guide. Rafting in Rishikesh is a once in a lifetime experience.

When we started, there was a question hovering in my mind on how enjoyable this experience would be? I believe our guide could read my mind and immediately answered my question. He asked us to stand in the moving raft (Most of us were non-swimmers and were trying to somehow establish ourself on the moving raft). As soon as we all stood up, I could see one of my friend falling down. We couldn't control our laughter but at the same time everyone was trying to balance themselves. As we carefully and successfully balanced ourself on the moving raft, out of nowhere came the instrucution to jump into the river. This was the impetus needed to let go the fear. The life jackets helped the non-swimmers enjoy the stay in the water and we could feel the body going numb because of the cold water. Once experienced the fall in water early in the expedition, we could enjoy the rest of the rafting carefree. It is righly said that a great trainer cum guide could make a great rafting experience. The same was with us and the whole experience was amazing. We crossed around 15 rapids in our journey, some of them were Grade 4 level. Some of the rapids hit us hard and at moments felt like we were going down but somehow we balanced the raft from being toppled. We bravely tackled the Grade 3 and 4 rapids like Black Money, Three Blind Mice, Golf Course, Club House and Roller Coaster like a team and at the end of it felt like could have handled much tougher ones too. We also had an opputunity to swim in certain calmer patches of Ganges, and even body surf one of the Grade 1-2 rapids. The rafting on this 24 kms stretch took us around 3 hours to complete. At the end near Nim beach, there is a small cliff where one can try Cliff Jumping from some 30 odd feet into the cold water. It doesn't look a lot but takes the hell out of you to do it. It is also a place to enjoy some refreshment after an exhaustive rafting experience. The Maggi was amazing too. Like true rafters, we carried the raft back from the river through the sand to the vehicle which was waiting to take us back to our place.

We reached our cottage around 4 in the evening, had lunch, played a couple of games and left for Delhi late in the evening. The trip on a whole was an enchanting experience but felt that we were short of time. The adreline rush provided by the adventures here in Rishikesh is hard to resist. Next time, would atleast like to try Bunjee Jumping, Giant Swing and Flying Fox.

It is righly said that Rishikesh, better known as a pilgrim centre, is fast becoming the adventure capital of India as hordes of adrenaline junkies from around the world converge on the city. If you are looking for a short adventure filled weekend trip, then Rishikesh is a great option.

Rishikesh - The Gateway to the Himalayas

The Trip to Rishikesh

Rishikesh is a small town in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. About 30 kms from Haridwar, an important pilgrimage center in India, Rishikesh is also a holy destination for Hindus. The Char Dham Yatra ideally begins from Rishikesh.

But for adventure lovers, Rishikesh is quite famous for its white water rafting on the holy Ganges apart from many other adventurous options like rock climbing, bungee jumping, kayaking etc.

The geography of Rishikesh is what makes the place an incredible destination. Blessed with the Ganges originating from the high altitude Himalayan glaciers, serene jungles around verdant hillocks and the some of the toughest pilgrimage roots, Rishikesh is a perfect holiday destination and the trip is unquestionably incomplete without a fling with one’s adventurous streaks.

River Rafting is certainly the foremost among the various adventurous sports. The Ganges appeals to the adventure lust people to accept the challenges to dominate its wild rapids and feel the winning mirth. Each raft accommodates 6-10 people depending on the size. There are 5 major rafting stretches.

1. Brahmpuri to Nim beach - 9 kms stretch with Grade 1+ rapids. Its the easiest of all the stretches. Good for older people, family members like children who cannot do the tougher stretches or are afraid of water.

2. Shivpuri to Nim beach - 16 kms stretch with Grade 4 rapids. Good stretch with rapids like Golf Course, Club House and Roller Coaster. Rafting on this stretch takes about 2 hours.

3. Marine Drive to Nim Beach - 24 kms stretch with Grade 3/4 rapids like Black Money, Three Blind Mice etc. Rafting on this stretch takes about 3-4 hours.

4. Kaudiyala to Nim Beach - 36 kms stretch with Grade 3/4/5 rapids. Only experienced rafters should try this. Star attraction is The Wall, a Grade 5 rapid where 90% of the boats flip sending everyone into water. Rafting on this stretch takes about 7 hours.

5. Devprayag to Nim Beach - Rafting on this stretch takes about 2-3 days. Only for rafting junkies and professional rafters. You take your food, camping equipment etc with you on another raft.

While rafting the guide lets you swim in certain calmer patches of Ganges, and even body surf some of the Grade 1-2 rapids. Rafting is safe for non-swimmers as well but the deal is not to panic. You won't feel any ground beneath your feet when in water, but take the plunge and enjoy the current.

Near Nim Beach there is a small cliff where one can try Cliff Jumping from some 30 odd feet. It doesn't look a lot but takes the hell out of you to do it.

Apart from Rafting and Cliff Junping, there are other options like Kayaking, Trekking and Bungee Jumping which are great fun too.

If you are looking for a short adventure filled weekend trip, then Rishikesh is a great option. My trip to Rishikesh was great and have lots of memories to share. Below is the post with the details and more amazing pics from the trip.

The Trip to Rishikesh

Advertisements - Campaigns that struck a chord

Advertising is one of the most important factors behind the success of any product today. The quality of a product may be superb, but if it fails to create a buzz in the market in terms of visibility and desirability, it is more or less written off. However, there are times when the best of ad campaigns fall short of sending a clear and desired message to the target audience and end up being exercises in futility. These are either over ambitious, unrealistic or simply too intelligent for their own good.

But some of the products have managed to successfully create a brand of their own and have stayed connected to the people all these years through their memorable advertisements on television.

The top 10 brands in India have already been covered in Advertisements - Brands to have stayed connected in India

Here are a few campaigns for different brands that are worth recognizing.

1. Apple - Think Different	2. Tata Tea - Jaago Re
3. Public Service Film - Respect the National Anthem	4. Public Service Film - Hostel
5. Public Service Film - Celebrating Independence	6. Tata - A Century of Trust
7. Titan - Be Born Everyday	8. Indian Cancer Association - Women feel safer with men who smoke
9. Future Group - Sone ki Chidiya	10. Mastercard - Priceless
11. Limca - Refreshing	12. 7 Up - I feel Up

Advertisements - Brands to have stayed connected in India - McDonald's

Advertisements - Brands to have stayed connected in India

McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbeque restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald. In 1948 they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.

McDonald's Corporation earns revenue as an investor in properties, a franchiser of restaurants, and an operator of restaurants. Its business model is slightly different from that of most other fast-food chains. In addition to ordinary franchise fees and marketing fees, which are calculated as a percentage of sales, McDonald's may also collect rent, which may also be calculated on the basis of sales.

When McDonald's thought of entering the Indian market, there was scepticism that Indians would prefer burgers and fast food to local food offerings. Also from the earliest investments in India, Multinational Company (MNC) owners of restaurant chains have struggled to adapt to the needs of India's many markets. Some pulled out of the country after failed ventures. But this didn't stopped McDonald's from opening its first outlet in Mumbai in 1996 under McDonald's India.

The starting point for McDonald's India was to change Indian consumers' perceptions, which associated it with being 'foreign', 'American', 'not knowing what to expect' and 'discomfort with the new or different'. McDonald's wanted to position itself as 'Indian' and a promoter of 'family values and culture', as well as being 'comfortable and easy'. Simultaneously, the brand wanted to communicate that, operationally, it was committed to maintaining a quality service, cleanliness and offering value for money.

Initially, McDonald's India did not have enough reach to use mass media such as television advertising. Instead, most of its marketing effort focused on outlet design, new store openings and PR about its attempts to tailor a menu to Indian tastes. Products like McAloo Tikki burger, Veg Pizza McPuff and Chicken McGrill burger were formulated and introduced using spices favored by Indians. The menu development team has been responsible for special sauces which use local spices do not contain beef and pork. Other products do not contain eggs and are 100% vegetarian.

Customers were educated about the build of the products and extensive kitchen tours were arranged for them. They were shown how separate vegetarian and non-vegetarian platforms are used for cooking - a first in any market for McDonald's.

McDonald's launched its first TVC Stage Fright under the campaign Mcdonald's mein hai kuch baat. This attempted to establish an emotional connection between the Indian family and the brand. Over the years advertising has reinforced this positioning, supported by promotions.

In 2003, McDonald’s launched a worldwide brand campaign called i’m lovin’ it. They incorporated the i’m lovin it theme into its advertising, promos, public relations, restaurant merchandising and overall brand communications initiatives. The company's one-minute service guarantee attempted to reinforce its reputation for fast, friendly and accurate service. To kids sitting on the Ronald McDonald bench, pumping sauce from the sauce machine became brand rituals.

In 2004, McDonald's realized there was untapped potential in the youth audience who considered McDonald's expensive and mainly for children. Hence they launched the Happy Price Menu campaign with a value message for a younger audience. For the first time McDonald's India saw a surge of younger consumers and people from socio-economic class B walk into the stores.


In 2008, the Happy Price Menu campaign used characters from the Indian film industry to reiterate the theme of Yesteryear's Prices. It featured Bollywood stars from past decades and a message that prices have not risen in line with the passage of time.

In addition to the McDelivery service, a number of products were launched under the i'm lovin' it campaign.

The recent themes used by Mcdonald's for advertisements is an attempt to maintain the already established connection with the family, kids and youth.

McDonald's success in the Indian market for the past 16 years can be mainly attributted to its creative advertising campaigns which struck a chord with the people of the country in addition to its tailored menu for Indian market.

Rahul Dravid - The Wall stands Tall in the Golden Era of Indian Cricket

The game of cricket is the battle between bat and ball. It is about who loses patience first that determines the winner. Rahul Dravid was the master at staying patient for long, long periods of time. He won the battles more often. The stat that perhaps best sums up: Rahul Dravid is not the runs he made or the hundreds he notched up, but the number of balls he consumed over a Test career that spanned 16 years. In 286 Test innings, Dravid played 31,258 balls. Given that no other batsman has faced more than 29,000 deliveries, it puts into perspective the amount of hard work and sheer effort that went into scoring those 13,288 runs.

In terms of dedication to craft and working on achieving perfection, though, Dravid ranks second to none. That dedication fetched him just rewards, ensuring he scored runs in every country he played in, and finished his Test career as the second-highest run-getter, next only to Sachin Tendulkar. He is the first and only batsman to score a century in all 10 Test playing nations.
Rahul Dravid is regarded by many to be one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game. He brought stability to their batting order, which was full of stroke-makers like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. Dravid always had a simple game plan and he stuck to it. It comes back to patience: he had the patience to grind out long innings and wait for the right ball to hit. He had his specific shots that he wanted to play, and he would wait for the bowler to pitch in the area where he was comfortable playing an attacking shot. That made him very difficult to get out.

It is said that when Sachin scores a century, you jump up and pump your fist. When Dravid scores one, you sit back and let the good vibes and happy emotions wash over you in waves. Dravid wasn’t the kind of person to ask for favours. In a country obsessed with Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid has fought his way to the hearts of a billion people and earned himself such sobriquets as "Mr Dependable" and "The Wall".

There are often comparisons made between Dravid and Sachin, and in a country where Sachin is treated as a God, Dravid never got his due credit. Dravid has also been involved in 86 century partnerships with 20 different partners and has been involved in 20 century partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar – a world record.

Below stats confirm on how important a role did they play in other's illustrious career. Test cricket’s two most prolific batsmen, Tendulkar and Dravid together fashioned many of India’s famous wins with these crucial partnerships over the past one-and-a-half decade.

Rahul Dravid's top 5 partnership summary

Partner	Inns	NO	Runs	Highest	Ave	100's	50's
SR Tendulkar	143	6	6920	249	50.51	20	29
VVS Laxman	86	7	4065	376	51.45	12	14
V Sehwag	60	2	3405	410	58.70	10	11
SC Ganguly	68	6	3294	194*	53.12	10	12
G Gambhir	47	1	2530	314	55.00	7	9

Sachin Tendulkar's top 5 partnership summary

Partner	Inns	NO	Runs	Highest	Ave	100's	50's
R Dravid	143	6	6920	249	50.51	20	29
SC Ganguly	71	3	4173	281	61.36	12	16
VVS Laxman	73	4	3523	353	51.05	9	19
M Azharuddin	42	1	2385	222	58.17	9	5
V Sehwag	22	0	1520	336	69.09	4	5

India has always boasted of a strong batting line up. With Rahul Dravid calling it a day, The Wall of the Fortress has been broken down and will be interesting to see how the next generation carries the legacy left behind by this true gentleman.

Rahul Dravid - The Wall stands Tall

Rahul Dravid - popularly known as "The Wall" and "Jammy" announced his retirement today from all forms of international and first-class cricket at his home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in the presence of friends, family and media.

Dravid is regarded by many to be one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game. But as said sport and fairytales do not always go hand in hand, and for Rahul Dravid, an otherwise glorious international cricketing career did not end in a befitting manner. His retirement from international and first-class cricket today comes on the back of a disastrous tour of Australia where he was bowled six times in eight innings of the four Tests, with just one half-century, a record that was in stark contrast to the five centuries in 10 Tests in the second half of 2011.

Dravid entered the function room straight into a scrum of photographers, looking almost apologetic at having caused such a fuss. He began by reading out his statement, his voice steady as he listed the people who'd played a part in every stage of his career - coaches, selectors, trainers, physios, officials, team-mates, family, even the media. He ended with the Indian cricket fan. "The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you… My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride."

The decision to retire was not sudden, he said, the period of contemplation had lasted over a year as he assessed his game series after series. The disappointment of the Australia tour had not given him any 'eureka' moment around his decision to leave the game. "I didn't take the decision based on one series… these decisions are based on a lot of other things, it's the culmination of a lot of things. I needed to be sure I was playing the game for the right reasons. I have done that for 16 years. I have had a great run. It's not like I have woken up one morning and decided to retire. At the end of the day, I knew I had to go. I didn't feel the need to drag on any longer. I felt it was the right time for me to move on, for a next generation of cricketers to play and take the team forward ...a lot of these decisions just come to you in different ways ...I just felt the time was right. I needed to move on" he said.

On the high and lows in his long career, David said, "When you play for 16 years, you will face highs and lows. There have been many disappointments and great highs. There is a huge sense of satisfaction that I have always given it my best shot. I have left no stone unturned in trying to become the best cricketer I can become. Absolutely no regrets."

The praise he would probably cherish the most is that he was acknowledged as the ultimate team man, willing to sacrifice his own interests for the team's cause as he did in the ODIs. Although he had started out as a wicket-keeper, Dravid shunned the big gloves, but in the mid-phase of his India career, he agreed to don them again so that the team could accommodate an extra batsman. He also agreed to open the innings for the same reason. Few cared to ask the man whether he enjoyed the additional responsibilities, but the equanimity with which he discharged the duties, his reluctance to keep wickets or open the innings was not noticed.

Never a natural athlete, Dravid's immense levels of concentration and hard work got him the deserved success and respect. He is one of the last classical Test match batsmen the world has seen and a true gentleman. Resilience was his greatest virtue that more often than not extricated his team from troubled waters and earned him such sobriquets as "Mr Dependable" and "The Wall"

"This game is not about winning alone, it’s about a culture deep in your bone... Of how you play on and off the field, Of how you defend, how you appeal..."

In cricket, it is said a player is only as good as his last innings, and so much the pity that Dravid couldn't finish his career on a high, though the tour of Australia in no way diminishes his stature as one of the modern greats. This day became the perfect final image of Rahul Dravid, leaving behind only memories of an era that he dominated but never quite received the accolades he deserved. However, he lent dignity and grace to Indian cricket, something that cannot be said of many players.

"As he bids adieu to the hallowed game, Marking his feet in the Hall of Fame... One more point will strengthen his case: He excelled in dignity, exited in grace... "

Advertisements - Brands to have stayed connected in India - Amul

Advertisements - Brands to have stayed connected in India

Amul is the name of a dairy cooperative in India. Formed in 1946, it is a brand name managed by an Indian cooperative organisation, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today is jointly owned by 3.03 million milk producers in Gujarat, India.

Amul is based in Anand, Gujarat and has been a successful example of cooperative organization. Amul spurred the White Revolution in India which in turn made India the largest producer of milk and milk products in the world. Amul is the largest food brand in India and world's largest pouched milk brand. It is also the world's largest vegetarian cheese brand. Dr Verghese Kurien, former chairman of the GCMMF, was the pioneer of this White Revolution and a key person behind the success of Amul.

The success of the dairy co-operative movement spread rapidly in Gujarat. In order to combine forces and expand the market while saving on advertising and avoid a situation where milk cooperatives would compete against each other it was decided to set up an apex marketing body of dairy cooperative unions in Gujarat. Thus, in 1973, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation was established. The Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producer's Union Ltd. which had established the brand name Amul in 1955 decided to hand over the brand name to GCMMF. Impressed with the development of dairy cooperatives in Kaira District and its success, Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minister of India, in 1964 asked Dr. Kurien to replicate the Anand type dairy cooperatives all over India. Thus, the National Dairy Developed Board was formed and Operation Flood Programme was launched for replication of the Amul Model all over India.

Amul has been famous for its Ad campaigns which were designed as a series of hoardings with topical ads, relating to day-to-day issues. The campaign which started in 1970's was widely popular and earned a Guinness world record for the longest running ad campaign in the world. It was also popular for not using the celebrities in advertisement campaigns. A Day in the Life of India showcases the compilation of Amul's ads till date.

Amul products' mascot has been the very recognisable Amul baby (a chubby butter girl usually dressed in dotted dress) showing up on hoardings and product wrappers with the equally recognisable tag line Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul. The mascot was first used for Amul Butter. But in recent years in a second wave of ad campaign for Amul products, she has also been used for other products too.


Apart from this long running Ad campaign, Amul's TVC have been creative. The focus of these ads has always been to showcase the brand as one which inspires the masses and help create a stong recall. The Taste Of India as a tagline did wonders for Amul.


Amul has a wide variety of products to offer and hence the range of ad campaigns launched individually to promote each one of them. The most recognized among them is of Amul Butter with the famous tag line Utterly Butterly Delicious.


Amul tried to change the way how milk products were perceived by the youngsters in the country with its bubbly campaigns. Amul Milk along with Amul Kool helped increased the sales of milk for Amul in the country.


Amul Cheese's campaigns followed on similar lines and was a success too.


Amul launched a few more commercial ads under The Taste of India tag line to showcase the wide range of products on offer and how the brand has connected with the hearts of a billion people in this country.


The establishment of Amul is also known as White Revolution. The White Revolution of India inspired the notable Indian film-maker Shyam Benegal to base his film Manthan (1976) on it. The film itself was financed by over 5 lakh rural farmers in Gujarat who contributed Re 1 each to the film's budget. Upon its release, these same farmers went in truckloads to watch 'their' film, making it a commercial success and being chosen for the 1977 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
The popular song Mero gaam Katha parey... the title song of this national award winning film Manthan, told the story of Amul model of co-operatives.

 

Now, 35 years later, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul, has recreated the magic of Manthan with a new music video which shows Bharat catching up with India. The Manthan music video has an unique emotional appeal. The lines like khush rahe tera beta beti in the new music video shows how it is because of the efforts of a rural milk producer that nutritional requirements of a child to a urban mother is taken care off.

In all these years Amul has emerged as a leading Indian brand and was named the Most Trusted brand in the Food and Beverages sector in The Brand Trust Report, 2011. This is one of the very few brands to have had a huge impact on the society as a whole.