Here’s wishing all of you a very happy and prosperous new year.  I’ve been writing rather infrequently in 2009 and thats likely to continue into the first couple of months in 2010.

I’m going to be in Ahmedabad around 15-20 th Jan. If anyone wants to meetup, drop me an email.

Comments

• January 4, 2010, Rama Vadakattu commented: Happy new year Pranav
• January 5, 2010, Cyril Gupta commented: Hello Pranav, Good wishes for the year 2010! :) I've recently updated Blogvani.com again. Now we're going to introduce support for the major Indian languages one by one. I am going to launch an English blogging site like Blogvani.com soon! I've also recently launched http://codebix.com, a blog aggregator for programmers. Do send me your feedback when you get time. Cheers! Cyril
• February 20, 2010, Abhishek Goyal commented: long time!
• March 19, 2010, Murali Krishna U commented: How can get funds for my startup http://www.evhub.biz .. thank you
• March 31, 2010, RajaRancho commented: Hi, you see the other day I was chatting with some desis who have just finished their MS and are out of jobs. It seems some of these guys have taken pretty serious financial risks to live the great American dream. Now given the state of the US economy, the dream is turning into a nightmare and it's a huge problem. I have a simple idea - there is a lot of stuff to be fixed around the world. And a lot of it can happen through the web. We have a whole lot of desis who have settled down to a good life and some are even making good money, despite the recession. If these guys, desis, now rich as US citizens, dont help these desperate desi MS passouts, who else will? You could start from personal websites - yeah I know they dont need a website when they have LinkedIn, Facebook and Orkut. I know they don't need a developer/designer to install a CMS on a shared host. I know that they write code themselves. But younger desis who have staked their parents' earnings are in bad shape. Let us say that there are about 10,000 established desis. If each of them asks for a website or a program or a portal to be made by unemployed desi MS for about $2k - $5k, you're probably saving a career by giving the young desi a chance at extending his stay there. Or say the rich desis want to start a huge project here in India, which needs web integration. Or say some rich desis land a big deal or two in Europe or Latin America. They hire some of these MS-but-unemployed desis at minimum pay. That's symbiosis and that's a plae to actually help out the Indian community directly. You could start a kind-hearted VC fund called desipool (which many might find rhyming with something :-D ) where you save the asses of young MS grads. All this would not happen if American corporatocracy would actually allow some development to happen in America - like magnetic rails, clean energy, smart grids, localised but interconnected public transport systems, nuclear energy, etc. Or if they stopped patent litigation from hindering really fast advances like in China. If rich desis are not allowed to fix America, at least they should help younger desi MS grads to ensure that the huge financial risks they took do not precipitate into a complete waste of their parents' earnings. And to think that all you have to do to start with is to ask freshers to make websites for you instead of signing up on Facebook and ruining your online privacy for good. Might sound Luddite, but then Facebook is not really your friend, is it?
• April 29, 2010, Modern-Gadgets.Com commented: Great article with good stuff... keep your good work going.. Regards Boblee
• May 11, 2010, Rituraj commented: Hello, I have been reading your blogs since long time, But what happened this time, There is no post since a long time.
• July 2, 2010, invity commented: Having your own wedding website is a good idea. In the beginning owing a wedding website was something new. But now it is a necessary feature to be considered in ones wedding. As the proverb goes �Necessity is the mother of all invention� this website is created to fulfill your necessity. Now a day�s couples usually invite their friends and their so called hi-tech relatives by sending their scanned wedding invitation through e-mails. The number of people to whom you want to send the wedding invitation will go up in future as everyone is becoming internet savvy. Instead of sending your scanned invitation it would be great if you create your own wedding website and invite your friends and relatives. It will be more useful if the website not only helps you to invite but it also helps you to share information about the couple, in depth details about the various wedding ceremony and so on. All the above said features sound good. But if you think you don�t know the technicality of creating a website, there is nothing to worry about it. This Invity.com site is designed in such a way that it helps to create your own wedding website easily and have a unique web address (URL). In here creating the personal wedding website is similar to how we physically choose our wedding Invitation card. Once you enter a wedding Invitation card shop, you have variety of option to choose your wedding card designs. In a similar manner once you login into invity.com you have variety of themes that you can choose. After choosing a theme you can add all your information. The bride and groom details with their photos can be added and you can share your interesting story of how you met each other, your family details, memorable photos and so on. An important and interesting feature is that the invitees can bless the couple on the wedding website. There are so many features offered by the site that enriches your wedding website. Also you can announce everyone about your wedding website through e-mail, sent from invity.com. Invity.com helps you not only to create your website before your wedding but you can retain it after your wedding to add your wedding photos and to thank your invitees. Invity.com has tWedding is a great and unforgettable day in everyone�s life. Planning, Sharing and executing it is a Herculean task. Here we are going to review about a new website which makes this planning and sharing very easy. The review about this website is envious for the newly married couples. But it will be very useful for eagerly waiting �to be� married couples. Now I guess you are curious to know what is special about this website. It s a website which helps you to create your own wedding website as that you can invite your relatives, friends, near and dear ones. Having your own wedding website is a good idea. In the beginning owing a wedding website was something new. But now it is a necessary feature to be considered in ones wedding. As the proverb goes �Necessity is the mother of all invention� this website is created to fulfill your necessity. Now a day�s couples usually invite their friends and their so called hi-tech relatives by sending their scanned wedding invitation through e-mails. The number of people to whom you want to send the wedding invitation will go up in future as everyone is becoming internet savvy. Instead of sending your scanned invitation it would be great if you create your own wedding website and invite your friends and relatives. It will be more useful if the website not only helps you to invite but it also helps you to share information about the couple, in depth details about the various wedding ceremony and so on. All the above said features sound good. But if you think you don�t know the technicality of creating a website, there is nothing to worry about it. This Invity.com site is designed in such a way that it helps to create your own wedding website easily and have a unique web address (URL). In here creating the personal wedding website is similar to how we physically choose our wedding Invitation card. Once you enter a wedding Invitation card shop, you have variety of option to choose your wedding card designs. In a similar manner once you login into invity.com you have variety of themes that you can choose. After choosing a theme you can add all your information. The bride and groom details with their photos can be added and you can share your interesting story of how you met each other, your family details, memorable photos and so on. An important and interesting feature is that the invitees can bless the couple on the wedding website. There are so many features offered by the site that enriches your wedding website. Also you can announce everyone about your wedding website through e-mail, sent from invity.com. Invity.com helps you not only to create your website before your wedding but you can retain it after your wedding to add your wedding photos and to thank your invitees. Invity.com has tWedding is a great and unforgettable day in everyone�s life. Planning, Sharing and executing it is a Herculean task. Here we are going to review about a new website which makes this planning and sharing very easy. The review about this website is envious for the newly married couples. But it will be very useful for eagerly waiting �to be� married couples. Now I guess you are curious to know what is special about this website. It ermed your personal wedding website as wedsite. In this fast moving world Invity.com has made your pre wedding life smooth and tenermed your personal wedding website as wedsite. In this fast moving world Invity.com has made your pre wedding life smooth and tension free by inviting everyone for your wedding through e-mail and shares your wedding plan in a website. All these enriched features are provided for free in Invity.com. But if you still want additional features to make your wedding website more colorful and unique you have to become a paid member. We Indians spend a lot for our wedding and I think it�s not a great matter to spend a little for our wedding website.
• August 15, 2010, Compare Hotels commented: Happy New Year 2010.Have a good time in Ahmedabad.
• August 15, 2010, Balakrishna G commented: Invity - That's great article you have contributed to us.
• August 21, 2010, Zak Fisher commented: i do most wedding invitations on photoshop and also on MS Word~:,
• August 28, 2010, Neal commented: Patent, trademark, copyright, and corporate law resources for start-ups: http://www.pinskylaw.ca/Resources/resources.htm
• September 18, 2010, mithun commented: Hi there, Any plans of a re-launch of your website? I wanted you guys to cover CricketFresh.in. Its a no-nonsense website for cricket fans. CricketFresh finds the high-quality, spam-free news and quotes from Twitter. Cheers! Mithun
• October 6, 2010, anonymous commented: test
• October 14, 2010, Anxiety Depression  commented: our wedding invitation cards are just home made but they look great";"
• November 11, 2010, Read and Buy commented: In fast world!! everithing is going fast!
• December 9, 2010, Pawan commented: This coming new year if you are relocating to some other palce contact the best movers and packers. Seacon Movers and Packers In Bangalore
• December 9, 2010, Dhiren vyas commented: Now its time to say happy new year to 2011...few days remaining ....
• December 22, 2010, Reverse Phone Lookup Search commented: Thanks for wishing.Now its that time of year again.
• December 31, 2010, puntercalls commented: Japanese shares closed 0.75 percent higher in thin trading Monday, taking in their stride China’s weekend rate hike and with many traders expecting an end-of-year rally, brokers said. The benchmark Nikkei index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended 76.80 points higher at 10,355.99. The Topics index of all first section shares added 0.33 percent or 3.02 points to 904.68. for more details please visit to:-http://www.puntercalls.com
• January 17, 2011, Shampa commented: When I have to purchase any books, I trust only Flappin online book stores. I feel www.flapp.in is really very nice. Free shipping, low prices, endless list of books, discounts you have it all. I have ordered books so many times from them and they are quiet prompt in their delivery.
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• January 27, 2011, Asif Ahmed commented: gr8 post with gud stuff...
• January 28, 2011, surkhab commented: This is really a nice article and very motivating
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• February 16, 2011, www.MySexyDarling.Tk commented: Checkout the 50 Best Men’s and Women's Health Sex Tips here.
• February 18, 2011, kaushik commented: good one keep up...
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• February 25, 2011, Gel Bikini commented: Fantastic blog. Lots of great info for startups here.
• March 16, 2011, Anonymous1 commented: India SUCKS! I hate everything about their useless & stupid (shit) country (& their filthy & dirty people). Indians are scum, dumb morons & arrogant assholes. India (& Indians) SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS & SUCKS!
• April 12, 2011, Gas Cleaning commented: Good Name of website, Startupduniya.com. Great..
• April 12, 2011, Gas Cleaning commented: Saale itna maarunga na !! India was great.. Is great.. and Always be great...
• April 26, 2011, University Exam Result commented: wow nice your thought for new year.
• May 29, 2011, Gel Bikinis commented: This is obviously a popular blog, so many messages even though this post is almost 18 months old.
• June 7, 2011, Inmake commented: А мне понравилось!
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• August 25, 2011, Jessie Gill commented: Official Website of Gippy Grewal just check it all you guysss
• August 30, 2011, sushil commented: Dear all, There is a free seminar regarding organizing, time management & many more topics that are integral part of our professional attitude. To get benefited on 31Aug 2011. At Nehru Science Center,Worli Mumbai (TIME 6.35pm). Pls Visit :http://www.Facebook.com/LifeYessenceAcademy For details & free time mgmt test. With regards, Professional Insights.
• August 30, 2011, sushil commented: Dear all, There is a free seminar regarding organizing, time management & many more topics that are integral part of our professional attitude.You can attend it free of cost,or refer this to your friend,relative,customer. To get benefited on 31Aug 2011. At Nehru Science Center,Worli Mumbai (TIME 6.35pm). Pls Visit :http://www.Facebook.com/LifeYessenceAcademy For details & free time mgmt test. With regards, Professional Insights.
• September 10, 2011, Editor commented: Where are you man! Long time and no post.
• September 12, 2011, Chalmers commented: Hi there, fantastic blog. Is extremely good design. I just got carried out with cosmetic classes and wish to initial my personal site. Thank you for the amazing publish!
• September 30, 2011, reshu commented: Hi you are doing very good job.... all the tips provided by u are excellent and very beneficial for traders and investors..........keep posting such tips and calls :) Get Share tips today here at : http://www.sharetipstoday.com/free-trial-tips/
• September 30, 2011, Kolkata AMC & Computer Services commented: Hi, very nice blogging. Keep it up. Kolkata AMC & Computer Services
• October 22, 2011, student duniya commented: Wish Happy New Year Dude... I check Up your site its looking good.. Student Duniya
• November 5, 2011, Jessie Gill commented: very nice to do it Blackberry 9900 Bold yes men rurka kalan
• November 7, 2011, Vijaya Singh commented: happy New year
• November 12, 2011, web hosting commented: Yes wish u happy new year for all
• November 28, 2011, daniyal commented: happy new year may it brings happines
• December 6, 2011, Teja commented: Great work Pranav.. We from Wiki School Technologies Pvt Ltd., www.wikischooltechnologies.com have started a technology and education based firm with main objective is to enhance classroom experience. Any tips related to Education sector will be a great help.
• December 6, 2011, irctc pnr commented: Happy new year pranav
• December 10, 2011, GOLDENNIFTY commented: Happy new year..... great article keep up the good work
• December 14, 2011, losebellyfat commented: yes happy new year youtoo
• December 31, 2011, Arun rana commented: Very Happy new year to all readers .....
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• January 22, 2012, Mat commented: A happy and a prosperous new year from Melbourne Australia Tours.
• February 3, 2012, Noori Khan commented: Happy Happy Very Happy New Year ahead to all.......

I’m looking for some data entry work to be done — can you recommend a reliable service provider if you’ve used one ? Leave a comment or drop me an email – contact [at]startupdunia[dot]com.

Comments

• December 8, 2009, Neelabh Prabhat commented: Hi, We have started a rural BPO in collaboration with the CSR arm of Usha Martin (a billion dollar listed company) in Jharkhand near Ranchi some 5 months back. Our first batch of 20 people is ready. They have typing speeds in the range of 20-40 wpm with accuracy greater than 98%. We are also looking to expand. Currently we are looking for data entry projects. If interested, please mail me to ask any further questions. Thanks, Neelabh
• December 9, 2009, Balaji commented: Hi, We have around 2 years expertise in providing BPO Services at Chennai. We have a workforce of 25 persons with the requisite skills. We do currently work for TTk Health Services for their BPO Operations. We are one of the few to impart BPO training to the masses. Regards, Balaji.T
• December 9, 2009, Gaurav commented: Not sure how big or small of a team you are looking for - providers on oDesk always amaze me with their work.
• December 9, 2009, Ubaid Ur Rehman commented: We are a small data enry and data ware housing company in jammu and kashmir. We have a work force of 60 employee all having an experience of more than a year. We provide data entry service at a very cheap cost usual makret price. Currently we provide services to Bharti airtelin kashmir. If you are intrested or need any further details please drop a mail to me at sofi.ubaidrehman@gmail.com.
• December 9, 2009, Pranav Dharma commented: gaurav, odesk is great -- but more suited for small jobs or programming related stuff..
• December 10, 2009, Majiny commented: We are Freelance Software Providers Based at chennai, Coimbatore. We have ample experience in Data Mining and Data Entry which we mastered in Freelance projects Regards, Majiny
• February 10, 2010, Sukrat Ray commented: Dear Neelabh, Salute to great initiative taken by you. I need people who can enter restaurant menus in my database. Please let me know if you can help me out with this. Thanks & Regards Sukrat
• February 10, 2010, Sukrat Ray commented: My mail ID is sukratray@gmail.com
• February 24, 2010, RAZZAK SHEKH commented: R/SIR:- WITH GREAT RESPECT TO TALK WITH U THAT WE CAN PROVIDED THIS SERVICE TO U.WE HAVE MEN POWER. WE R NOT LEADER WE R LEGEND.WE NEVER TALK WE PERFORM .MOST U CAN TRUST AND BE RELIF. AZMAL POWER SYSYTEM RAZZAK SHEKH
• February 24, 2010, Vicky Pradhan commented: We have just completed 1st batch of data entry work in our site by a number of freelancers. Will be starting the second phase of data of entry of products by next month. Vicky Pradhan Founding Member, bharatbuy.com
• February 26, 2010, Ashwin commented: Hi Sukrat , would be interested in knowing more about your BPO and services & data entry solutions , get in touch with me at ashwin@talentoncampus.com | 9999896523 [M] Best
• February 26, 2010, Ashwin commented: Hi Balaji, would be interested in knowing more about your BPO and services & data entry solutions , get in touch with me at ashwin@talentoncampus.com | 9999896523 [M]
• March 10, 2010, Rani Alexander commented: I am interested to do the data entry jobs, please send me details about joing in this job.
• March 10, 2010, Rani Alexander commented: I am interested to do the data entry jobs, please send me details about joining in this job.
• March 22, 2010, Shiv singh commented: We are looking for good data entry projects. we have state-0f-art facilities with highly qualified data entry operators. we are basically IT solution provider. If any can have data entry project just email us on info@3stech.in or call on +91 98274-09123
• June 28, 2010, Sandy sahoo commented: Hi, I am Mr sandy sahoo from Bhubaneswar,Orissa. I have more than 15 exparienced dataentry professionals in my company. We were looking some data entry projects. Contact at sandiptis@yahoo.com 088950 86645
• July 31, 2010, Net World Best commented: If it without upfront then contact us. Thanks.
• September 4, 2010, akaash commented: Hi sandy can share your company profile may be i can help you.
• September 16, 2010, Alan Morley commented: Great post!!! Very informative and helpful to people like us. Thanks for sharing this post for everyone. I will share this link to my other friends.
• December 10, 2010, Goa commented: we can provide data entry services, please do drop a line at support@goa-ad.com with your requirements.
• December 12, 2010, Round Mirror commented: data entry jobs are rewarding too, just look for a high paying employer on the internet ".*
• January 5, 2011, Rajesh Walvekar commented: We are a Belgaum based Company. We are looking for some small sized data entry project to start with. We have 5 computers & manpower of 5 people. If anyone has such small requirements of Data entry, feel free to mail me on rajesh.walvekar@rediffmail.com
• January 18, 2011, kaustubh commented: we take data entry projects contact no 9869427126
• January 18, 2011, kaustubh commented: We take data entry projects of any volume at Blue star services ,mumbai. pls feel free to contact me at9869427126. kaustubh vishwekar
• February 4, 2011, VISHAL KUMAR commented: Our company is new in this market. After serving a lot of business reliablly. We have steped in BPO having a starting manpower of 30 employes. Anyone who needs a relible company for data entry work is requested to visit us at info@avuniversal.com.
• March 23, 2011, Parag Agrawal commented: Aapaar India is a recruitment and data entry company since last more than 11 years so please contact us for your requirements at parag@aapaar.com
• March 31, 2011, sandeep commented: Excellent goods from you, man. I've understand your stuff previous to and you are just too great. I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are stating and the way in which you say it Hobby You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is really a wonderful web site.
• May 7, 2011, Adposting commented: Yea, I think I can help you pls register to below site, at the moment of registering you will get the work to do without investment, http://www.p4parttime.com Start earning
• May 10, 2011, ashutosh commented: Check out the new marketplace to sell and buy anything. i.e wish to Buy old mobile , tv ,books,need to outsource your work etc. searching a client to sell your house, mobile,PC,need work etc. then your search ends here . just register ad post the request to sell anything and browse to buy. click the link below http://www.sellorbuy.in/ and get instant quotes. see you at sellbuy. Regards SellorBuy Team (we brings seller and buyer together)
• September 11, 2011, kuldeep commented: We are looking for some small sized data entry project to start with. We have 5 computers & manpower of 5 people. If anyone has such small requirements of Data entry, feel free to mail me on kuldeep.iyogi@gmail.com
• September 13, 2011, Amuthan commented: Best of luck for getting a good provider.
• September 18, 2011, ashish commented: hi, i need restaurant database in or around bangalore for my local website based in bangalore.please ping if some one can help to get same data collection specific to restaurnat.
• October 31, 2011, mark russel commented: We provide customized services such as data entry, scanning and indexing, form processing and content conversion services through our experienced and expert professionals. We provide services for our clients so that it’s easier for them to gain the competitive advantage. We perform both online and offline data entry services for our clients, with high quality result at reasonable rates. For more Information visit : http://dataentry.ie/
• November 4, 2011, mayank commented: hii..i wanna give job at villages...can anybody help me that how can i take reliable data entry work bcz i have seen many person did that work upto 5-6 month but they could not get money...
• November 22, 2011, Mohit commented: Hi Sir I have a team of 10 people they all have typing speed around 55 words per minute I need some data entry projects if you have the same please let me know on my mail, my id is mohit807@gmail.com regards, Mohit Kumar Chauahan
• January 16, 2012, Sheetal commented: Hi, I have 15 agents and 20 computers. We are gurgaon based company. We are looking for data entry projects to start with. Contact at sheetal@majestechsupport.com
• January 17, 2012, Vinu commented: Hello Sukrat, Softech Solutions is a Bpo client caters and has been serving government as well as private sector since more than two years. We have already done data entry similar to the one you posted. We assure you with the timely delivery and 99% quality promise. Hope to hear from you. You can mail me back your feedback on softechbpo.pln@gmail.com or call me on +91 9099200607. Have a pleasant day.
• January 25, 2012, andhragossips commented: 9artsmedia in hyd....A good company over dealing all projects..we have done so many US based projects...
• January 26, 2012, bbc world news commented: We are running a 100% reliable PTC site. It also has an mlm systems for better earning. Please mail us heading "Interested to start PTC" at lalmonilal@gmail.com

Wishing you a very Happy Diwali & for those who celebrate their new year, wish you a happy & prosperous new year as well.

• StartupDunia is one year old
• StartupDunia is 3 years old

Comments

• October 28, 2009, raj commented: Wishing you a very Happy Diwali

Yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of StartupDunia. Wow – its hard to believe its been 3 years already. Its been an amazing journey so far, of course with its share of ups and downs. Along the way, I’ve made some awesome contacts and friends and come in touch with folks whom I would have never come across otherwise.

I know that this year I’m not posting as frequently as I’d want to – I’d actually attribute that to two reasons.

1) Honestly, there isnt a whole lot of startups happening in India – doesnt matter what anyone says or how many events / b-plan competitions you have. Of course, I could always rinse and rehash tech news, but I’d prefer to post original thoughts on this blog, even if thats infrequent. I’d rather post when I have something to say rather than just posting for the sake of it.

2) There have been some ongoing transitions in my life leaving me with less time to blog

I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll sure try to post more frequently. Meanwhile, if you’re interested in writing for StartupDunia, drop me an email (if you have a blog, provide a link to your blog) including your background details (sorry – I dont make money from this blog to pay you money).

Finally, I’m grateful to my wife who’s been very understanding & supportive throughtout these 3 years – seriously, all the blogging time is time away from her – so without her support, it’d have been just impossible to do.

And of course, thanks to all of my readers and especially those of you who take the time to comment on posts.

• StartupDunia is 2 years old
• StartupDunia is one year old
• Off to India on vacation

Comments

• October 11, 2009, Indus Khaitan commented: Congrats Pranav! Would love to see you post more. Cheerio! Indus
• October 12, 2009, Ravi commented: Hi Pranav, Congratulations! 3 years is a significant milestone indeed and you deserve credit for building up one of most-followed blogs on happenings in the Indian start-up world. Looking forward to a lot more from you! Cheers, Ravi
• October 12, 2009, Rajat commented: Hi Pranav, Congratulations on the 3rd anniversary of the blog. I would love to contribute to the blog. I have been following the startup scene in U.S. for a long time and have recently sparked interest in bringing these ideas to the Indian market. I have gained tremendous insight from your blog regarding it. I would love to contribute to this blog. Please send me your email address where I can send a direct message. Thanks Rajat
• October 12, 2009, Saurav Mishra commented: Hi Pranav, Congatulations !!! Thanks for some real good insights and food for thought! Keep it coming. Have sent you a mail too. Do keep in touch. Saurav
• October 12, 2009, Jayesha Jhaveri commented: Hi Pranav, Congratulations for completing 3 years. Your messages help me keep track of the recent developments on the startup scene. Keep it up and congrats once again. Regards, Jayesha
• October 12, 2009, Aditya Kedia commented: Thanks Pranav for the excellent work you are doing. Indeed the startup scene in India has been dormant lately, however, it's good to know you are covering whatever is present. Regards, Adi
• October 12, 2009, Rohan commented: Congratulations Pranav :)
• October 12, 2009, Manish commented: Congratulations..........
• October 12, 2009, pranav commented: thanks guys !!
• October 12, 2009, Swaroop commented: Congrats! And agreed, there has not been many interesting startups worth talking about... either the hype is too early or the market is not mature yet for tech startups... or a bit of both.
• October 12, 2009, Rajat commented: Congrats.I started reading your blog around 6 months back and i am totally hooked up to your blog now.I regularly read your blog.Keep the good posts coming.
• October 14, 2009, Gopal Sharma commented: I find some of your blogs really useful. I think you have done a great job overall... It is very difficult to keep motivation level up for this long and that too while talking sense :) Great job!!!!
• October 16, 2009, Aditya commented: Hi Pranav, Congratulations, wish to see more of your posts...keep up the good work. Aditya (Perfios)
• October 16, 2009, mohit commented: congratulation dear
• October 18, 2009, Rama Vadakattu commented: Congrats Pranav.

Its been about a month since I last blogged. Even though I could have squeezed in the time to blog, I chose not to. As preposterous as it sounds, last month I decided to embark upon an experiment, wherein, I decided to forgo reading any blogs or blogging myself for a month.  I decided to forgo reading news, nyt, hacker news and techmeme as much as possible. My access to computers and Internet would be limited to what was required at work and nothing more.

So why did I, at the risk of alienating my readers, make such a drastic decision ?

Well, I needed to bring some order and focus into my life and make it less chaotic.  Before this hiatus, every free / spare moment of my time was spent reading news / blogs etc. It always seemed like a mad rush and frenzy – so little time and so many posts / news to catch up on.  What if I missed any important ones ?  I always felt stressed out for no reason. I felt compelled to blog. Not to mention that the number of distractions was slowly increasing – Twitter, FF etc. I was losing focus and suddenly priorities seemed irrelevant.

A total online burnout you can say !

While struggling to find an effective solution, I tried to read up on stuff related to increasing productivity, reducing stress, prioritizing etc. But nothing helped.  I realized that the only way out of this mess was to pull the plug and start with a clean slate. During this time off, I enjoyed doing other things that I’d stopped doing – coding, eating out, going out for movies, hanging out with friends, tennis etc. I started meditation (had been putting it off forever). For a month, I cared less about what Twitter was upto or what new startup had launched around Twitter. And I enjoyed the month just relaxing and being stress free. I also spent time contemplating on what I want to do next.

Now that the month long period is over, I’m back to blogging, but I’ve set some personal guidelines to keep things structured and hopefully I’m able to abide by these rules.  Prior to writing this post, I just hit the ‘mark all as read’ in my Google Reader and had no qualms about it (making progress already ). We’ll see how long I’m able to keep up, but I sure’ll give it my best shot.

Regular blogging should resume this week. And a big thanks to those who dropped in a note asking about my well being.

Comments

• August 3, 2009, Ganesh commented: Welcome back.... Let's see what u missed... - Twitter Documents leak - Yahoo - Microsoft Deal - Apple - Google Voice tussle - Firefox - 1 billion downloads Can't think of anything else right now...
• August 5, 2009, pranav commented: i guess twittergate was the most interesting of the lot !! thanks ganesh for filling me in :-)
• August 11, 2009, Harshal Vaidya commented: Dude I understand this sentiment completely. I am kinda into the same boat at the moment. I don't blog, but have this uncontrollable desire to keep up with the latest, and that keeps me away from lifes simple pleasures. I am restructuring too. I just have to, otherwise I'll loose this life. I wish you all the best.
• August 12, 2009, Santhanam commented: Dear Pranav, Welcome Back. Thanks for your insightful posts which many readers like me find very much enlightening. Of course, once in a while we have to restructure ourselves to be sane. I appreciate your hard work in keeping us updated on startups & technology in spite of the pressures of your full time job. Lots of thanks for that. Just came across this post : http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/08/dont_keep_up_with_social_techn.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-WEEKLY_HOTLIST-_-AUG_2009-_-HOTLIST0810 Thank You With Regards Santhanam
• September 25, 2009, vinay commented: I am sort of going in this phase where it is becoming stressful. There are 2 major culprits 1. Twitter 2. Iphone which has twitter app and facebook app. I guess before I become insane, I need to switch off everything and take a long break.

A vacation away from the usual distractions – laptop, cellphone, tv, Techmeme, Google News, Twitter, Facebook etc is great.

But settling back into work after a long vacation has become dreadful for some, nightmarish for several others.

Other than the long list of unread messages in your inboxes, you have the hajjar unread items in Google Reader, the several hundreds of Twits (depending on how many folks you follow) and countless other to-do things.

There’s no better way to recover than hitting the ‘mark all as read’ button – if you know a better alternative, do let me know.

I call it the post vacation decluttering stress disorder !!

Ah, the times we live in !!

• Back to some regular (hopefully) blogging
• Apologies on the unannounced absence
• StartupDunia is one year old

Comments

• May 13, 2009, A commented: vacationcount = vactioncount -1; while(vacationgoingon) { if ( currentday < lastdayofvacation) { enjoy........ } else { read emails, twits, news, reply emails, restart daily chores, get back to normal boring and routine life } } lead a normal routine life and spawn a wait thread for next vacation.... Hope that helps

I’ll be out on a much needed vacation next week so there’ll be very little or no blogging this next week.

Comments

• May 4, 2009, smruti commented: Actually , every business plan competition , or presentation , like power of ideas , the eureka , the intaglio , the IIPC , everywhere you go , one thing is common dont expect to be funded , if you are an innovative company , then there is a very few , or 0% chances of getting funded , because the Indian Investors , the Venture Capitalists , the Angel Investors are not the ones those who exist in Silicon Valley and those who have funded companies like Microsoft , Google etc. The good thing about this contest is they are trying to create a similar kind of ecosystem which exists in US , Europe , but until and unless as VC firms come forward to address the real issues of Indian Entrepreneurs , nothing is possible here …. I had attended a numerous business plan contests in India , for hellodoctor , one thing I got from that is some certificates , some feel good discussions, some networking but its of no use to me presently , no serious investors , investors talking about millions of dollar investment but buddy we are a start up we dont need this , the real issues what an Indian Entrepreneur is facing is not addressed , the same way you have to fignt , you have to get self funded , take calculated risk , like that One thing I will like to say that these Bplan Competition can sharpen your brains , make your business plan papers more effective , but for startup forget anything from these competitions , you have to depend on your own resources , own will , you have to fight the monsters inside your brain , and outside too … If you want to be an entrepreneur take the first calculated risk first , you are not a millionaire , you are there to make millions … If you dont have confidence on your own plan , and you are thinking If you are putting your own hard earned money then forget to get any investors .. Dr.Smrutiranjan Patanaik COO - hellodoctor24×7
• May 6, 2009, Indiancareerclub commented: Very interesting!!! good ideas for upcoming entrepreneur.
• May 10, 2009, Krishna commented: Nicely said! Indian VCs should not be mistaken with VCs in US. They are far more matured. After all, how would Indian VCs beat their mentality!:-) It is deeply ingrained! So, rightly pointed, believe in yourself and follow 3 mantras for Success: Vision + Karma + Faith (Taken clues right fom B'Gita) Any battle could be easily won! All formulaes come out of these...
• May 12, 2009, rabi gupta commented: Ya very true! We have also participated in various contests this year. Though they don't provide any direct serious funding, one thing they do is boost up your confidence and also network you to the right people. We got our mentor the same way from I2I competition (IIM, Calcutta). Offcourse one is required to have a proof of concept in terms of a demo product or so. But still, first step has to be taken by the individual, entrepreneurship is more about guts (specially in India) and more about pitching (in the West). So keep focussed and find a godfather (one person who is influential and supports your idea). Keep moving. That's what we are also doing :). Best of lk to all!!!
• May 13, 2009, pranav commented: hmm... I'm still wondering why these comments are on this seemingly unrelated post.
• May 17, 2009, Rohan commented: Prolly, the first commenter - Dr. Smruti, commented mistakenly on this post. May be she wanted to comment on some other posts. Btw what the doc has said is very true. Today, I have quit from being an "entrepreneur" - because I don't want to put in a lot of efforts and then fail as a "company". I took up entrepreneurship to make money. Not that I wasn't passionate about what I was doing - infact I was very innovative, sincere, hard-working and my software had winning edge over the competitors, but in the end, it wasn't bringing in cash. So I have finally quit that and jumped into the stocks. And yes, there is lot of money there of you how to play it(and m making it). Passion, sincerity, love-for-work, etc. is all good, only if it converts into cash. Else, there is no point in doing business. The aim of business is profit first, and then other objectives. Most of the people who talk about "social responsibility" are rich people who have already made cash, or getting somebody else's cash to spend on social activities. btw, even I am a medico:p

If you have been subscribing to my blog feed via RSS or email, you might have noticed that over the past several months, links in my feed point to the site www.feedplusplus.com. Here’s some insight into the whats and the whys.

I started Feedpluplus as a personal project in an effort to get additional analytics data on my feed subscribers. FeedBurner does a decent job at estimating the number of feed subscribers, email subscribers, reach etc. However, it does not provide any data on what links were clicked from within your feed.

So for example, this post that I did on Monday provides a link to Andrew Chen’s blog. Feedburner does not provide any data on how many people clicked on that link. Or where the links originated from. In fact there’s no other service available that will provide you that data. I started working on FeedPlusPlus in an effort to collect this data. It is mainly a url redirection service – think of it as TinyURL but for the links in your RSS feeds. So, when you click on a link from within my feed, you get forwarded to FeedPlusPlus, which redirects you to the original link. But before doing that, does the analytics bit of it.

Using FeedPlusPlus, I know that 62 people clicked on the link, of which majority originated from Bombay, Bangalore, Pune and Delhi (dont worry – no private data collected). The analytics is then sliced by different views – a daily analysis, a monthly analysis (list of all the links clicked over the last 30 days grouped together by the url), a geo-mapped view etc.

Here’s a sample screenshot for a geo mapped view for the link to Google NoticeBoard app in this post.

Many people dont like the url shortening / obfuscating services. However, this problem (collecting analytics for links within feed items) has no other solution. Javascript will not run correctly in Google Reader and several other RSS Readers.  I have used it successfully for the past few months to get amazing insight into what links people click and what links they dont. It provides me great feedback on what sort of content my readers will be interested in. The site is implemented in Django and was a great way to hone my Django skills as well.

If you are a blogger, would you find such a service useful ? If there’s interest from other bloggers, I might consider opening it up to others as well.

• StartupDunia is 3 years old
• Post Vacation Decluttering Stress Disorder
• StartupDunia is one year old

Comments

• March 18, 2009, Gaurav commented: Interesting. Did see feedplusplus URLs in the emails, but didn't realize it. Here are my 2 cents on the service: A lot depends on how will the links be inserted into an email or a post. A plugin of sort or manual addition or simply parse all links and replace them with feed++? Does the service 301 links?
• March 19, 2009, Gaurav commented: Hi, I wonder(as a fellow blog enthuisist and start up dunia follower) how do you plan to use this information? Thanks
• March 19, 2009, hitesh sahni commented: I am interested too!
• March 19, 2009, pranav commented: @gaurav I just use the info to help me guide on what content the readers do like to click on and which they dont..helps me tune and present content accordingly.
• March 19, 2009, pranav commented: @hitesh, ironing out a few bugs currently...will contact you as soon as they're squashed.
• October 15, 2011, Jessie Gill commented: Punjabi Downloads

Here’s wishing you and everyone a very happy Holi. Have fun and enjoy !!

happy holi

(photo credit bobby)

Comments

• July 27, 2011, Bell Olnick commented: I am linking this internet page from my personal internet page .

Sorry about the feed republishes — there were some syncing issues with Feedburner and while tweaking it around, got feeds republished by mistake.

Apologies !!

• Apologies about the feed republishes
• Brand reputation Management for Indian companies

Comments

• February 19, 2009, Ankur commented: You seem to have this feed republishing problem a lot.
• February 19, 2009, pranav commented: Ankur, its the 2nd time that has happened. Both times, FeedBurner was partly the cause of the problem. It has become so shitty these days. the FB bot periodically polls for new feeds. but seems that FB caches dont get updated that often. I know getting feed republishes isnt too much fun. I'll try to be even more careful next time - sorry !

Time for a quick break.

I’m taking a week off from blogging & shall return some time middle of next week.

Comments

• January 30, 2009, pradeep commented: nice post

I will be gone for later part of this year and will return some time first week of 2009. Hope you guys have fun and wish you a very happy new year. Stay safe and stay healthy !!

• A very Happy Diwali
• Happy New Year and some news catchup
• Yet another sad day for India

I’m looking for a freelance web designer for a personal project. Work will include logo + graphic design and web design as well. If you are one or know of a good designer, please drop me an email at contact[at]startupdunia.com. Please provide a link to your portfolio as well.

Note: this is not a job opening but a freelance project.

Comments

• December 16, 2008, Ravindra commented: Hello, I am Web designer having 5+ years of exp. in this field. Regards, Ravindra +91-9986791599

I’m still unable to recover from the shocking events in Mumbai.  As a means to show support and solidarity for all those who have been affected, I was wondering if we can do some type of online campaign ?

Something similar along the lines of what followed in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. I for one am eager to show my whole hearted support on my blog, my Orkut and Facebook profile.

If we have a graphic designer in the audience, probably we can have a symbolic graphic like the VTech ribbon ? Drop me a line at contact@startupdunia.com if you can design such a graphic.

I’d also like to know what you think about this idea or if you have any other suggestions.

• Startup jobs galore and looking for a SEO expert
• KamlaShow on LiveMint, Sramana’s book ‘Entrepreneur Journeys’
• Brand reputation Management for Indian companies

Comments

• November 27, 2008, Rizwan commented: I think this is necessary...but I believe this should be an online campaign aimed at beefing up security measures. Bombay is an island, with three routes to come inside and a shore which is guarded by some of the best naval and local law enforcement vessels. Terrorists getting into Bombay with AK-47's and hand grenades using the sea route and planning an operation at such a large scale is a shame on us. We are all responsible for our city's security. the online campaign should not only show support and solidarity for all those who have been affected but also help gather momentum for fighting terrorism in our city's
• November 27, 2008, Vikas commented: I'd do a campaign that calls for the Home Minister to resign. We cannot go kill our minister in broad daylight, Rang De Basanti style (sorry, I am frustrated!); but if we can a unified call for his removal across all blogs, tweets, orkut, facebook and startups - it should hopefully send a message to the government that they better act up or get lost.
• November 28, 2008, ektameinhaishakti commented: I think it is a great idea.. i know people are engrossed in discussing what went worng and what needs to be done.. but right now it is the time to show our solidarity to the forces and also make a statement that we can stand upto it.. no matter what they (terrorists) can try and however low they can go to kill and destroy.. until there a single real indian in any part of the planet, we will not be short of the spirit or the courage to rise back after every single hit. I wish there was someway to show this spirit in Mumbai.. front of the Taj.. maybe a flag.. or a pin-up on t-shirt.. maybe the reporters who have access to the area could.. since the normal public is not allowed around..
• November 28, 2008, pranav commented: i was listening to some of the speeches by vilasrao, manmahon etc. their speeches are so lackluster and pathetic. You can sense neither empathy nor anger in their voices -- in fact their speeches seemed so stoic, so devoid of emotion that i was disgusted. we need some fresh blood to lead our country -- that can stand up to the occasion and be a true leader.
• November 29, 2008, snigdha commented: pranav, I agree with you. However, can you make a list of all the things that you would want your young, dynamic leader to do? I think ( I might be wrong) you would fail because we fail to nail it right. We fail to identify and name this terrorism. Whether our secular and political righteousness prevents us from saying this I don't know (I face it myself and it has taken me great courage to even write this) but this is Islamic terrorism. This is nothing else. We as a country have failed to recognize that. France, America, UK, Australia all recognize it but it is not like they are persecuting their muslims. But to say it aloud means that one knows and one is prepared. And, India and Indians are unwilling to do it. On a business vein, I wish you should avoid these topics on your blog. This is not the right place for it.
• November 29, 2008, Gautam commented: i think for any such online initiative to be a great success it needs to be backed by the govt.. something like the army or something... Also there needs to be an offline connect of somekind which can be in the form of workshops, discussion forums etc...
• December 1, 2008, www.gftupk.org commented: stop kiling to humanity around the world.
• December 5, 2008, Hardeep Singh commented: I express my deep sense of remorse at what happened in Mumbai. These terrorists, operating on whims and fancies of some bad elements dont not recognise any relationship, brotherhood, country and humanity. We should put up brave front and say that we are stronger than them and none can kill the sprit of humanity. My condolenses the the Isrealies, who for no fault of their or anybody had the sacrfice their lives. Lets rebuild India.

Most of you must have known by now about the terrorist attacks on Mumbai earlier tonight.  Its just sad and unfortunate that such attacks continue unabated and keep terrorizing our country and citizens. 

I just hope that unlike the other recent attacks, this attack doesnt become just yet another attack that is forgotten with time. Its high time we take a stand and put an end to this insanity. 

I am just shocked by how brazen and daring this attack has been and my sympathies go out to all families that have been affected by this senseless act of horror.

• Happy New Year and some news catchup
• Online campaign to show solidarity for Mumbai blasts
• Satyam saga could spill over to other companies

Comments

• November 26, 2008, snigdha commented: yes, it is a very sad day. i have stopped thinking the romaticist notion that terrorists are misguided youth who can be reformed.
• November 27, 2008, Rama Vadakattu commented: Iam thinking on....... what a common man can do to prevent such attacks in the near future? What role should we play? HOw can we be helpful to our country in preventing such attacks ???
• November 27, 2008, Rizwan commented: Rama exactly what I proposed on the online campaign article.......am frsutrated and mighty pissed
• November 28, 2008, pranav commented: @rama, most of us (me included) have sat along the fences for too long bringing up the same questions - what can a common man do ? what role should we play ? I believe for starters, we can begin by getting rid of our stoic attitude. Bomb blasts have happened so frequently in India recently, that folks have come to accept it as a normal thing...and life just goes on. that should stop.

The economy is shaky and the credit crisis has impacted technology startups as well. Almost daily, I end up coming across yet another interview, yet another perspective on the current economic crisis and what entrepreneurs / startups need to do to survive this crisis.

Advice from experienced entrepreneurs and VC’s is great. Its invaluable.

But then how much is too much ?

Lately, it seems that everybody who is somebody, is offering the same set of advice, topped with a personal touch. Its the same set of principles, no matter which way you spin it. I say enough of it already. 

The bottom line is:

1) Conserve cash — equate this to layoffs or cutting down on non essential costs or anything that comes to mind

2) Generate revenues — try to generate revenue that will help you sustain the business

Thats it – plain and simple.

There – I’ve spared you reading through yet another survival advice.

• KamlaShow on LiveMint, Sramana’s book ‘Entrepreneur Journeys’
• Librarywala.com revenue at Rs. 63 lakhs ?
• What a Shame

I was doing some maintainence on the blog the last few days and it seems that accidently got the feeds to get re-synced. Apologies for any duplicate feed udpates you may receive in the next day or two. 

I know I have been missing in action for the past few weeks — I was hacking away at a personal project of mine. Got a working demo completed with several kinks still to be figured out. Boy !! When you get to a working demo, it gives you such a sense of accomplishment, no matter how small the coding task might have been. 

Blogging shall resume in the next few days.

In the meanwhile, feel free to check out some of the interesting startup jobs on the job board. Who said anything about a bad economy ? 51 jobs & counting, Indian startups are hiring. Check them out.

• Startup jobs galore and looking for a SEO expert
• How much is too much ?
• A very Happy Diwali

Wish all of you a very, very Happy Diwali. To those who hail from Gujjuland, wish you a happy and prosperous new year as well.

Been caught with shit @ work — regular blogging should resume soon.

• Happy New Year and some news catchup
• See you in 2009
• Apologies about the feed republishes

Comments

• October 31, 2008, Deals Ghost commented: Check this new deals and discount website and please review Regards, www.dealsghost.com

Early today morning, I was reading up on the Jet Airways mess. I’m pretty sure Indian media would have been all over this, with constant coverage of the misery and organizing ‘expert panels’ on news channels.

In case you’re oblivious to what happened, Jet Airways announced layoff for 1900 people to cust costs and align with the current economic scenario. This set in motion a frenzy, with folks protesting outside airports and such and even the political ministers weighing in on the scenario.Ultimately, Jet Airways reinstated the laid off people.

This is a load of BS and Indian hypocrisy at its best.

When the going is good, employees can freely hop on from one job to the other as they please. Now, when they get laid off, they protest and cry foul ? I guess as the Indian market is moving towards a capitalist, consumer driven economy, people need to get rid of their socialist mindset when it comes to getting laid off as well. You simply cant have the best of both worlds. Thanks Nehru, your legacy still carries on !!

• Nielsen Online and Wall Street Journal launch in India
• Satyam saga could spill over to other companies
• Happy New Year and some news catchup

Comments

• October 17, 2008, Yash commented: This was not the first and last incident. Nehru's disciples will try their best to drag India back in the 1950s. Jet in my opinion made the mistake of sacking so many people in one go. They should have laid people off in batches and over a period of time. Like how IT companies are removing excess staff under the guise of poor performance and falsified resumes etc.
• October 17, 2008, radhika commented: I am sure you wouldnt say that if one of you relative was laid off!
• October 17, 2008, pranav commented: if the relative got laid off and went protesting in front of the airport, yeah -- i would say the same. feeling sorry about getting laid off is one thing -- i feel sorry for those who get laid off -- but they've got to accept it as a part of a capitalist market. It's all a part of the package. Jet airways is after all, a private entity. If it were a govt driven company, and then these folks would have complained, that would still be ok.
• October 17, 2008, VIvek commented: I couldnt agree more.. worst was this tat jet employees approached raj thakray MNS when they wer in trouble....i bet they wer the one who would have mocked him the most when he was carryin his protest against north indians in mumbai ..
• October 17, 2008, Thennavan commented: I believe in company restructuring during times like this. One thing that does not make sense is Jet is losing $100 Million dollars every month. Cutting 1200 employees is a drop in the ocean. These people get paid 825 per flight and less fixed cost. If Jets cuts the routes then the variable also comes down. If it is right for the business then why backout at the first sign of resistance. Looks like some one in Jet came up with this as a low hanging fruit. The only way is to increase demand.... When dollar was at $120+ they were charging 3000INR per ticket as fuel charges... Now the government has cut ATF by 15%... Why don' they cut prices and increase utilization... The only one who is happy with the airline policies is Lallu as trains are running at peak capacity and he will be again a hero.... Companies like Jet Airways are setting a bad precedent in India by not thinking through while making the cuts....
• October 19, 2008, Devakishor commented: It is inevitable, the job cuts. They have reinstated but that doesn't make good business sense. People should understand that Jet Airways is a business entity and not some charity organisation. They are losing crores every day and cost reduction is the need of the hour. If they more employees on the payroll than what is needed, layoff is a must.
• October 20, 2008, Siddharth commented: Dude.... layoff is not the only way ... there are thousand other ways .... i am not sure if your "American idea" influenced mind could understand or find one such reason .. there are thousand ways not to lay off and still exist.. sorry to see such immature post ....i thought the owner here was with a sound head on his shoulders....
• October 20, 2008, pranav commented: @siddharth i couldnt help but be amused by the irony. While you call my thought as "American idea" influenced mind but you begin the comment with "Dude..." !!
• October 20, 2008, siddharth commented: Dude .... and i am happy i could amuse you ....
• October 20, 2008, siddharth commented: looks like you are really not for the topic but to take pot shots....
• October 21, 2008, ekerala commented: Pranav, I disagree partially on this. I'm not sure if this entry is an emotional outburst. Even though India follows the western world, out business and youngsters are still different from other part of the world. India is not yet a capitalist market. We still run business with more on a socialist setup. Which I think is good. At least India was able to avoid suicides and other trauma happened in the states on this economic cycle. As a country we are still growing, and as a growing countries business, we are still maturing in terms of our business practices. Give us some more time we may even avoid a collapse like Lehman or Merryl Lynch did. ps: by the way having a socialist mindset is not that bad after all, Socialist runs a business with profit in mind but dont kill the opponents to increase the profits :P
• October 22, 2008, Sudhanshu commented: Pranav, I think that the employees got their jobs back not because they were successful in crying foul but because the oil ministry agreed to give the airlines 6 months to pay back the old dues. (up from 2 months). Maybe it was just a good old blackmail and it worked like crazy. And when Mamta Banerjee can be crazy enough to drive out investments worth 80,000 crores from Bengal for just over 300 more acres of land, why can't these guys protest their sacking. Also, I don't understand that why is it that every post I read, has a comment from somebody in sutrajobs!! Sudhanshu
• November 6, 2008, chandru commented: I completely agree with your idea. When the market is doing good, the employees are hoping between company (here airlines) to company. When it is the other way they should accept the reality. But I am not sure about how Jet handled the situation. They could have given advance notice and then could have proceeded further.
• November 23, 2008, Ayushman Dash commented: I completely agree with you. Its high time politicians stayed away from corporate decision making. Its a global thing for crying out loud. Millions have lost jobs across the world. India cannot be an exception to this. My relatives have lost jobs too in other sectors. That does not mean I go out and start shouting. One needs to try out other options. I would highly suggest upgrading ones skills. This is the key to survival.

Yay !!!

Its been two years since I started StartupDunia and boy, how time flies. There have been ups and downs and some extended absences, but I’ve tried to juggle my best between my professional, personal life and blogging.

The entire blogging experience has been a wonderful journey so far. I’ve gotten a chance to interact with people and network with folks, whom I would have never gotten to chance to interact with otherwise. I’ve also made some wonderful friends along the way.

Another valuable thing that I’ve learned from blogging is the discipline and persistance that is needed to blog regularly. Just the kind of focus that you’d need if you were doing a startup.

I’d like to thank all you for reading my blog and taking the time to leave comments. Without all of you guys, StartupDunia wouldnt be where it is today. And I really mean it.

Finally, I’d also like to thank my wife for being supportive through the entire process. Part time blogging takes away time from your personal life and I’m glad she’s been very understanding about it so far. Thanks dear – I know I dont say it as often as I should.

• StartupDunia is one year old
• StartupDunia is 3 years old
• Apologies on the unannounced absence

Comments

• October 10, 2008, Reliance Insider commented: Congrats Pranav. I am regular reader of your blog from last 1.5 -2yrs. Interview of PicSquare founders was the first post I had read on your blog :-) Being in US and in the same profession, I can understand how difficult it could to take time to blog regularly. I personally like your independent and candid views on Startup's. Dude, Keep up good job.
• October 10, 2008, Rajiv Dingra commented: Congrats Pranav! I know how 2 years feel!
• October 11, 2008, Ravi commented: Awesome stuff Pranav.. its been great reading your blog. Hope you keep up the good work!
• October 11, 2008, Deepankar commented: Congratulations Pranav. It sure needs discipline.
• October 11, 2008, Praveen commented: Congrats Pranav :) Keep up the good work and thank you for all the wonderful news/info that you have providing for the last 2 years.
• October 11, 2008, Vivek Puri commented: Thanks for all the effort. I my view, India is one of the tougher places to report on cause of the quality and quantity of news to report for. But you are managing it really well.
• October 12, 2008, Balaji commented: Congrats Pranav! You did a great job so far.! I am regular reader from last 6 month .
• October 12, 2008, Nikhil commented: just two? sure seems like more. I guess we started out around the same time. Congrats, and hoping for many more years (and many more posts :) best, Nikhil
• October 12, 2008, ekerala commented: Way to go Pranav. Happy 2nd birthday :)
• October 12, 2008, pranav commented: Thanks all -- your kind words mean a lot to me. Its one of the main things that keeps me going !!
• October 12, 2008, Ajitesh commented: Congrats Pranav..you have been doing a great job!
• October 12, 2008, Vikas commented: Nice going. Keep it up. Love the new design, by the way!
• October 13, 2008, Heeren Pandya commented: Congrats Pranav, Gr8 going, keep it up. Its good reading your blogs.
• October 13, 2008, Satendra commented: Congrats! keep writing good stuff !
• October 19, 2008, Pranav Bhasin commented: Congrats Pranav. Love reading your reviews - keep it up.