VIZAG matters - Sohan Hatangadi's Blog

Diabolical designs Published in the Times of India on 30 Nov 2014 We Indians are poor planners and designers. It must be something to do with the imprecise fuzzy way we think. Our philosophy that it is our karma to suffer for past sins and our “ parva ledhu ” (doesn't matter) attitude doesn't help either. Whatever the reason, we must conclude that we are the reigning champions of lousy design. Here are a few, of many reasons, why. BRTS The bus rapid transit system being implemented in Vizag shows amazing examples of daft design. It is logical that when passengers get off the bus they need to move safely away to the pavement on either side of the road. A good example of irrational design is the BRTS bus stand in front of the Swarna Bharati indoor stadium on Rama Talkies Road. The bus stand is barely 4 feet wide and shrinks to 2 feet or so at the exit point. A partial bus load of passengers stepping off the bus will obviously be bottle-necked at this narrow point ...

October 2014 Branding Vizag In the recent past, there has been quite some talk of branding Vizag. While branding appears to be a straight forward exercise, the fact is that it involves considerable research, strategy, creativity and long-term marketing discipline. Leave it to the professionals The tricky thing about branding is that once it has acquired a set of attributes it becomes difficult to change. For example, would you be comfortable with a soft drink called “Dettol” or a motorbike called “Colgate”?  Brands take years to build and cost a lot of money. In fact, brands constitute a large portion of the value of a company. They are zealously protected and very often the brand is more important than other assets that an organisation may have.  Branding products and services is complicated enough but branding a city is an even more difficult proposition. That is why branding must be handled by professionals with deep understanding and experience of the subject....

Times of India article on Hubbub about hubs Hello, Please click on the link above and read my article titled "The hubbub about hubs" which appeared in the Times of India today, 21 September 2014. Alternatively you can read the text document below. Do comment, I love hearing from you. ---------------------------------------------- The hubbub about hubs Salute the hub “Vizag to become an electronics hub”! Every morning we open our newspapers and our hearts leap with joy to learn that Vizag will soon be a city of yet another hub. The old “city of destiny” tag is out and “the city of hubs” is in. A hub by definition is the central part of a wheel into which the spokes are inserted. Incidentally “hubby” is a term derived from “hub” as he is generally the centre of the home and eminently suitable for piercing with spokes. Apparently any self-respecting city should be a centre, a pivot, a nucleus, a core; something around which everything rotates. A lowly spoke or rim o...

Here is a news item that appeared in today's Times of India newspaper about AP government's bauxite mining lease

Dear Friends, Please read my article "An eco disaster called bauxite mining" which appeared in the Times of India on 31st August 2014 under Waltair Musings. I am pasting the scanned article as well as the word document below. Please feel free to comment. Vizag is surrounded on three sides by the gorgeous green Eastern Ghats. City folk driving through these hills are captivated by the scenery, the cool climate and the thick deciduous forest cover fed by rain bearing monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal.  The Adivasis live here in perfect harmony with their surroundings, as they have done for thousands of years.  Many are now literate, send their kids to school, are immersed in agriculture and animal herding during the day and get a good night’s sleep after sundown. A life they do not want to exchange with any one of us. The curse of bauxite The curse of these hills is a reddish, porous, rock called “Bauxite” named after the village Les Baux in southern France where...

Hello again Please read my article that appeared in the Times of India last Sunday titled "What's your civic quotient?". I am pasting the image below as it appeared in the press, but am also pasting the word document below which you may find easier to read. Please take a moment to comment on the blog or directly to me at sohan.hatangadi@gmail.com Dodging bricks Many decades ago, on my way to school, I encountered a wall being constructed across the dirt path I took every day. On the wall was a mason, puffing a chutta (local cigar), as he laid bricks. Being a latent activist, I was upset by the obstruction and asked why the wall was being built there. He looked down on me kindly. Something in my chubby, inquiring face must have touched him. He threw a brick at me! Thanks to my quick reflexes honed by dodging assorted missiles in class, the brick missed but I learnt an important lesson. If we ask inconvenient questions, we must be adept at dodging a brick or two....

Saving Vizag's Trees Before you start reading the rest of this post please note down this number: 18004255364 This is the AP Forest Department's 24 hour Toll Free number They accept complaints regarding Tree Cutting, deforestation, wild animal trapping or mistreatment and any illegal forest and wildlife issues.  If you see a tree being cut, call this number and complain! They will get in touch with the local District Forest Officer and pursue the matter. If you have any suggestions - please leave a comment on my blog (preferred), or email me at sohan.hatangadi@gmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Banyan tree chopped down during the BRTS road project between NAD Kotha Rd. Jn. and Pendurthi W orst time in history for Vizag's trees Several newspaper reports have indicated that GVMC is inclined to cut down large trees that are unfortunate enough to be in the way of our ever widening roads. Between 2009 ...

This article appeared in The Times of India today. The original (and unedited) word document is also pasted below because its easier to read. Building a great Vizag Sohan Hatangadi Now that all the hullabaloo surrounding the separation and the elections are behind us let us get down to some really important business. First we must face the reality; Vizag will not be the capital of the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. I hate that “residuary” word, sounds like something the doctor prescribes for poor bowel movement. Many Vizagites will be sorely disappointed. And some wanting to avoid capital punishment will be secretly relieved. No need to be capital to be a great city You do not have to be the administrative capital of the state or country to be recognized as a great city. Delhi may be capital but Mumbai has got more moolah muscle. Washington DC may be the capital of the USA but San Francisco and New York win the popularity contest hands down. Canberra is the ca...

The attack on NGOs based on a mysterious report from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) which no one appears to have read, appears to be a case of intimidation sponsored by vested interests! Little bits of the "report" are being leaked into the media implying that NGOs are "anti development" and "anti national". That they get money from abroad with the intention of destroying our country!  This part about foreign funding is a sham because a respected NGOs gets funds legitimately through normal financial channels and provide full data to the government about their sources. In fact the banking formalities for NGOs is much more stringent than those imposed on business houses.  In sharp contrast several dubious corporations and politicians channel vast amounts of money into their coffers by dubious means. Isn't the mining industry getting any foreign funding? How else do you explain companies like "ANRAK" (RAK stands for  Ras Al Khaimah) - a mid...