Past is my future

Happyness, a weird abstract feeling that we all seek in our future.I might not have a future, but I have the past. I will live with you there in the past Pops. Right there is my happyness.

On Mute

First she left.

Then there were words, and then it seemed even the words have left, 

Now that's what's left- me and my muted thoughts.

See you in another life, when we are both bunnies

"Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around"

I wish it was true. Maybe thats what separates fiction from reality..bitter truth.

Lets Resign

 Dear blog,

It might sound wrong and utterly disgusting and controversial and all the bad things one can come up with, but I have started wondering where are all those mass shooters, why cant they do it where I live. I ll be done, and with me, all the issues will come to an end.

An end to a useless life is better than dragging it on, something like chess, once you know beyond hope that you will lose, you resign. I wonder why that option doesn't exist in real life.

No point

 I think I have reached a stage where even death doesn't seem to be a permanent solution. Do you understand what and to which extent you have to mess your life up to feel that way? I could tell you, but then I will have to kill you.

Indifference

 I don't hate the fact that someone whose eyes were always full of love for me would never talk to me again, what I hate is that she would never has those lovely eyes for me again, not even in her thoughts, all that would remain is indifference. Devastating.

Relativity at work

Everything looks so distant. It seems I was home ages ago, it seems I left Turkey ages ago, it seems I have been in this new places for ages. I wonder why.

Addiction is a B#%@$

It is towards the end of the day when I am too weak to hold my guard, the loneliness creeps in.

As a smoker I can say that trying not to be lonely or trying to accept the loneliness takes more effort than trying to not smoke. Its an addiction, my fingers take me to people I want to talk to, but I cannot and it is tough to control. 

Every day I feel as if its a new day, habit refuses to build, every day I wake up with the same fresh wound, with no healing at sight.

People say when going gets tough, tough gets going, and I am trying every single day, waiting for that day when I am over this addiction.

The only thing I can do is take it one day at a time.

swirling thought

What do you lose when you lose? I think everytime a little bit of life is what you really lose with every loss.

Incoherent thoughts of a sleepless night

The kind of things I have done, life seems like a series of mistakes. Some beautiful memories are associated with those mistakes, making everything bittersweet. More bitter than sweet I must say and I wonder, was it all worth it? Would I live the way I have so far and commit the same mistakes if I had another chance at life. I have gone through the pivotal moments of my life and I can say except for that one mistake, I would make all the mistakes I made. Is that what regret is, that one mistake you wish you could take back? I think so, if thats not regret, I dont know what is a regret.

Anyhow, as people say, I must move on on the path that I have chosen and face the music. And what? Should I make more mistakes? At this point I am too tired and full of remorse, I dont think I want to make even one more mistake. Wish there was a time machine and I could correct just one mistake, and I would have been so happy, I bet I could give my life for it. Wishes don't come true. 

What can I do, all thats left is waiting and wishing.

Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Awareness

So I was randomly selected for a drug swab test at the airport, I know that its not a person who is selecting people and judging them based on their race, color, nationality and age, and that its done by an algorithm (AI) which in turn learns to select people randomly based on the past data which has been fed in it for the AI to learn what kind of people were searched in the past and have higher probability of using/smugging drugs. I do understand that.


What if that past data being fed in AI itself is baised because past data does include searches done by humans who were in some or all ways baised. What if the past bais continues to seep into our present.


Some people would say, but hey the past data contains the profile of people who were caught, and maybe AI is doing the right thing. Well lets look at it this way, if in the past you checked 5 women for every 100 men, then naturally more men will be caught, simply because the sample size is significantly bigger. Maybe had they checked more females, they would have caught more females, but that didn't happen and now our dear AI thinks well women are not high risk based on the past data, why should i check them more now! I would continue to pay more attention to males.


This logic can be applied for gender, age, color, nationality or anything that you might think of. If you never looked in a particular direction, how would you find anything there.


Its a vicious cycle. AI learns to be biased, quite unconsciously, based on the previous data, then all the actions it takes, based on that baised past data, are also fed into the AI for it to continue learning, which kind of further cements that bias in the algorithm.


Artificial Intelligence is not really intelligence, its just imitating behaviours to increase the probability of success in whatever that algorithm was built for, based on the data fed into it. 


It is critical that we understand that AI, no matter how good, is not at all aware. AI isnt aware how racial profiling was wrong or that we as humans want to change it now. AI isnt aware of apartheid or colonialism or any of the social issues which we has human race have faced and have tried to correct. AI lacks that insight. AI has no sense of wrong or right, or compassion, its just a monkey which imitates whatever you do, only faster and very accurately. It makes us more efficient and accurate but it doesnt make us more correct.


While it is good that AI in several areas has been quite useful, and I am not writing this article to blame anyone or the AI for the bias existing in the system, I believe the next version of Artificial Intelligence would be Artificial Awareness something which would be able to, unlike humans, think rationally and will be able to distinguish between good and bad, would be aware of the history, would take into consideration the collective intellect of humans before it makes a decision. I know it sounds impossible, but then whatever humans have achieved at some point looked impossible. Someday it will become a reality and oh boy that would be something!

Turkish touch to a Tibetian custom

In Tibet, when someone is going, he is offered a cup of Yak butter tea, but that tea is not to drink, instead it lies there untouched waiting for the reunion of the dear ones. I first saw it in a movie, then researched a bit and it is indeed an old tradition.

Today is my last day in Istanbul, which I knew had to come some day or the other. I always imagined I would have one last beer at Harp with my pepper. Neither Harp is open, nor my pepper is with me. So I opened a beer, took a sip, held it to Harp and my Pepper and left it at Harp's gate, hoping for a reunion someday. 

You were sorely missed Pops!

It might seem like a stupid thing to do, but given all terrible and dumb things I have done in life, this seemed pretty normal.

Why so Hectic?

 Last couple of months have been stressful, full of bad moments and at the same time sad moments. Nowadays I am busy in making arrangements for my travel and next destination. Its so hectic that I don't even have time to think back on the time spent in Istanbul. The city I love, and the city which loved me back.

Sometimes, I think one should have some time to at least say a proper good bye. Alas, thats not the luxury I will have as I leave my beloved city.

Where to?

 Every time when I come back home, I see my little more older parents, ageing house and feel that heavy musty smell, as if its a place where even time gets old. And then comes a time when I need to leave and every time I leave home, it feels as if a little bit of me dies. 

Do you know how important Pepper is?

I love pepper, it has a zing, is edgy and makes my tongue tingle. I loved my Pepper too, pretty much for same reasons, she was unique, had her unique edges and her eyes were the biggest mines of love, love for me. Given how stupid I am, I did something horrible, more horrible than what Voldemort did and now my Pepper is gone. I have no pepper, life is bland and reeks of regret. I deserve it, especially because she didn't deserve any of what she got. Puccu Hububu Pops!

Jesuis Humaine - I Am Human

#JesuisCharlie My Ass. Please pardon my French (ironical, isn’t it), but I have had it enough. 84 school children died in Pakistan few days ago, I guess I missed the #Jesuisl'enfant tweets, freedom of life was never discussed defended so vehemently then. Nothing is an attack on humanity unless it happens in European or American continent is it? A bomb attack in UK is seen as a threat on the whole world, while in India cross border firing killing few people every day is seen as a local issue. Four damn cartoonists and eight others died and a nationwide manhunt ensured the two shooters die as well. Those shooters believed they avenged Allah and Mohammad, and French police believed they avenged humanity I am assuming. What is the difference, both took the same route of revenge? And to cover up the bitter truth, some self-declared prophets of “Freedom of Speech” applied their filthy emotionally masturbated verbal cum on the whole issue.

What exactly is freedom of speech? To say what I wish to say? To not pay heed to the faiths and beliefs of people? It’s a right, every human being’s right. The rights are very mysterious in nature, a human being is believed to have them right from the time of birth. Some pro-life fanatics have even adorned unborn fetus with the same rights. It tells us, how seriously we take it. While I don’t take such creative stupidity very seriously, I fail to understand how no one talks about the responsibilities which come with the fundamental rights as part of the package. For example, if we look at “Right to live”, and add the accountability and responsibility to it, the statement would be “Right to live without damaging, destroying and snatching away right to live of others”. Where is the responsibility towards society in mocking a religion? Calling people living in your country outsiders in an era of globalization? Islam was narrow minded, the so called ‘developed’ people of Europe, where is your broad thinking?

Freedom of speech makes no sense to me if it is not constructive for the society. Mockery of beliefs, faith and religion cannot be part of it. I understand fun, I understand satire but I do not understand mockery. The whole purpose behind coining the term “Freedom of Speech” is lost when the medium is used for anything other than constructive development of society. What was Charlie and his team doing? Pointing at the stupidities of Islam everyday will only make the Islamic people more defensive towards their beliefs, restricting growth of Islam as a whole. I understand if you tell me Islam as a religion has issues, but is there a single religion which is complete in the truest sense. Terrorists are assumed to be muslims, but ask yourself is that true? From ancient times, in the name of Jesus, crusaders massacred men women and children, shan't they be counted as terrorists? Hindus and muslims killed each other during so many riots in past years, both competed for the throne of barbarism, aren’t they both terrorists? Why this special attention on a particular sect? An attention which they never asked for, an attention which is helping them in no way. It is in midst of all this, we are celebrating Freedom of Speech? By doing what? Exaggerating every single stupidity which exists in Islam?

I do not know your father, I hope he is your idol, you believe in him, you have faith in his decisions and actions and way of life. Well, all that is fine but you know what “Fuck your Father”. Would you support this freedom of speech? How is it helping the society by mocking a particular sect, religion? Who will choose what Freedom of Speech is? It’s our responsibility to choose wisely and choose correctly. Have we chosen correctly?

If you think about it, freedom of speech can also be seen as refined form of “Freedom to Express”. Well Charlie thought of expressing via Cartoons, few fanatics chose to express through Guns. Both of them were merely expressing, choice of tool differed. Would you accept that? Don’t pounce upon me with “But killing is wrong?” I don’t deny that, but since when mocking a soul became correct?

Charlie died, before death he was just a cartoonist running a magazine which had weak following. After death he is the symbol of freedom of speech. So ironical I find our way of treating other humans. Exaggerated martyrs are made out of corpses. I read somewhere that this month Charlie’s magazine might sell over 10 Million copies, on an ordinary day it would have sold few thousand at its best, and right there we gave them a free hand to make mockery of society again and with new rigor. Nothing hurts until you are the facing it. Islam might not mean anything to most of the people, but does that allow us to assume it does not mean anything to anyone? For some people, it’s the only way of life. The one precious life which they have, they have put faith in Islam and are following it religiously, adapting the good parts and bad parts. Forgiving the bad parts on account of so many good thing it preaches. They did not give us the right to judge them on account of their faith.

Judge a man for what he has done, not for what he believes, wears or preaches, it’s a personal choice until it starts being a pain to others. What happened to Charlie was wrong, but not on account of what Charlie was spreading. It was wrong because his life was taken without his consent. Can’t we leave the matter to this and stop blaming a whole sect for it? Are our maturity levels so low that we cannot distinguish an act committed by few individuals and an act committed by a whole sect?

I say fuck those who assassinated and fuck Charlie. Both are part of the same stupidity over which we ignore to consider the society. Social norms have become extinct, everything is about being individual, being unique, so much that we turned our back to our own ecosystem, the society. And no, by society I do not mean Facebook or Twitter. Stop covering everything with hash-tags, it rips apart the joys and sorrows of life, making them exactly what they are over internet. “Trending Topics”. While we put up show to fight for humanity we strangle it with our own moral beliefs and actions.

Don’t look for my religion, for I have none. Don’t look for my identity, for its not important. Look at the purpose, and look within yourself. Break the shackles of age old beliefs and words in fashion. Let’s just be what we really are. Humans.

Where Am I?

Most of you think that I am stoned ,but alas I am not. These are few of the questions which suddenly appear whenever I am reading anything related to Space, Galaxy, Stars, Planets, Big Bang Theory, String Theory, M Theory and don’t know what all.

Imagine a theory, I will take the most popular one, Big Bang Theory. It talks about the beginning of something. Something which created all the galaxies; that too billions of them. And then it talks about expansion and how it took for someone like me to be writing this article. I am not really convinced by it. Don’t worry, I will not go into mathematical theories. But, imagine this, at some point something exploded somewhere. This simple beginning of Big Bang Theory itself is so perplexing. I keep asking myself. What exploded and where? What is space? Is it the real infinite or it has boundaries too? How big it has to be for containing eleven billion galaxies which are spaced out so well that in near future and within our limited scope of knowledge and view, no two galaxies seem to be colliding with each other. And amidst all this, all these incidents happening at a very short time on a very huge timeline, I exist, counting seconds, minutes, hours and years, trying to make sense of almost seventy years of my life.

For billions of years, these planets and stars haven’t been able to make any particular sense to me. I mean I just know that they exist. But I really never understood their importance. For me, they just exist. They are floating in time, and with them I am too. Giving them company for a very short span, yet trying to make myself of some importance, value. What am I? Probably a tiny dot of diameter not more than one nanometre on this timeline, may be even less. On occasions like these, I lose faith in life. Not that I develop any kind of suicidal tendencies, but I find every action as worthless, every inactive second looks as good as an active one.

Where am I? Why am I here? Just to live? To get entangled in the trivial issues of my small life like jobs, families, friends, alcohol, weed? I think it got a little more smaller than I intended and the reader might argue that there were people like Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dalai Lama, Hitler (well he did do something, good or bad will be discussed some other day) and so many others, they really achieved something big. I ask you really? Is that your definition of big? Doesn’t it depend from where are you seeing all this? Imagine a star, lets a Pole Star watching all this, do you think its still big? Isn’t it a joke for Pole Star, wouldn’t he see this as trivial matters of few billion people on earth? We talk so passionately of humanity; it’s amazing to notice the same humanity was non-existent some two thousand years ago and yet we ignore the earth, literally rape it, digging it deeper and deeper everyday, raping it through every hole we can create either its beneath out feet for resources or holes in our atmosphere which we created. We.

I am not saying it’s a good thing or bad thing to treat the earth the way we do. Maybe its plain necessity for our existence. My question is – Does it even matter? Look at the beginning of all this. It’s a vague explosion of something somewhere. The way this story starts might not be one of the best starts of any great story, or may be it is, but it sure makes every incident after it completely immaterial.

We are may be one line of a book which is not even complete. Without us, the book would never be what it is, but without the book, what are we if not just intangible forms of some form. I always travel from a place to a place, but this journey started somewhere and will end, may not end at all. Where are these boundaries defined? Does space has boundaries, are there more spaces floating together in one large space? Are there galaxies of spaces too? I wish I knew where am I? What’s my real address? But I don’t. I just continue to float, sometimes without even realizing that I am, entangled in my wishes, relations, fears, joys and sorrows. Amidst this meaningless life, what can really be so meaningful to wish for that one could call it truly worth it? A happy life, a satisfied death?

I don’t know, and this time I wouldn’t say I don’t care. I do care. I do care to know my purpose, my role, because the way I see it, it’s a lot easier to do something when you know what exactly is that something.

So here am I, more confused than ever over my own existence, mulling over the worthlessness of life. I don’t know if it can happen or not, but I guess it would really be worth it, truly worth it if I could be there when we float so far that we finally touch the boundary of our space with a joint in my hand. It would be one hell of a scene I guess. My roomie says he cant really promise touching the boundary part, but joint he has and he wouldn’t mind sharing! I say that's a good purpose to give up blabbering here!

All Hail the King?

I am 28 years old, and I have never voted.

When I was in school, teachers spent exhaustive number of hours on the unfolding history of mankind in front of us. It involved study of our ancestors (apes), several civilizations’ rise and fall, several kings across the globe, several revolutions, wars, birth of communism and democracy.

I will admit, to me as a student, anarchy look old school, communism and its different forms looked just and democracy empowering. I will say these perceptions were more result of how the facts were presented by the biased teachers and/or course structure which we were forced to go through (I say forced, because it was done without my consent and no other alternatives were presented.)

Without diverting from the topic, today, I wonder if these different types of governments are actually different from each other, or just different forms of the same entity. Let’s try to see what the difference is by asking a basic question, and exploring the meaning behind it. For the same reason, I would go one by one to the most popular forms of governments, Monarchy, Communism, Democracy (Republic).

Monarchy 

A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual.

Definition seems quite simple, but it raises some more questions. I will raise the questions and answer them to the best of my knowledge, conscience and common sense.

Q Does that mean, that particular individual did all the work? 

A No, certainly not, he chooses members who form a part of his council and represent him in every matter of public interest.

Q How are these members chosen?

A Citizens out of the general public who the individual deemed fit for the position were chosen. It by no means indicate that the members are the best of the lot, actually capable of dispensing their duties with utmost honesty, nor does it mean members possess the best knowledge or experience in their field of expertise. They are simply chosen by the individual based on his knowledge, experience, thoughts, perceptions, visions and missions.

Q Were all decisions were taken by the individual?

A No, the purpose of having council was to find a group of individuals who can share his vision and give their opinions. Occasionally some individuals would lose faith in their councils and which would result in some illogical bad decisions by that individual, but under normal circumstances individual seek opinion from the council and ruled accordingly.

Q Was there a judicial system under monarchy?

A Yes, there always was a judicial system even in monarchy, there is certain influence of the individual on some facets of it based on his own vision and interests. But most of the cases are handled by the judicial structure.

Any number of questions would not be enough to paint the true picture of Monarchy or any form of governance. But I have asked the three basic questions, first demands description of the system, second  and third ask by whom and how the public is ruled and the last pertains to if there is anyone to save the basic rights of citizens or not.

Maybe if we post the same questions with respect to other forms of governance, we will be able to see if indeed they are different or same in the end.

Communism

Communism is a socioeconomic system structured upon common ownership of the means of production and characterized by the absence of social classes, money, and the state; as well as a social, political and economic ideology and movement that aims to establish this social order.

Q Does that mean, that particular individual did all the work? 

A In this case, this question stands invalid, as by definition a single party rules the country, but it doesn’t mean they do not have a leader amongst themselves.

Q How are these members chosen?

A Party is a group of citizens who as a group find themselves fit to run the country. Again this does not mean they are best of the lot, this does not mean they have the supreme knowledge or experience. They run the country as a group because the group (with leader’s having maximum weightage) thinks that the member is capable of his position.

Q Are all decisions are taken by the party?

A In this case, the single party sets a vision for the country, and every law is made in order to protect the vision. What is a communist vision? The vision is “To establish socioeconomic system structured upon common ownership of the means of production and characterized by the absence of social classes, money, and the state”. But in the nutshell the decision at the top are taken by the party members.

Q Is there a judicial system under communism?

A Yes, there always was a judicial system even in communism, there is certain influence of the party on some facets of it based on its own vision and interests. But most of the cases are handled by the judicial structure which executes the laws defined and updated by the party members.

Do you also feel that communism felt like monarchy, except for the fact that in communism politically speaking that “individual” is missing. One can argue that that communism abolishes class system, everybody is equal. I suggest read “Animal Farm – by Geroge Orwell”. If not then look at the countries like Cuba, Burma, Korea and China (capitalist communists), you will see class is unavoidable in these countries, class exists. So what is the difference? In opinion, nothing.

Democracy

It is a form of government in which all eligible citizens are meant to participate equally – either directly or, through elected representatives, indirectly – in the proposal, development and establishment of the laws by which their society is run.

Q Does that mean, that particular individual did all the work? 

A In this case, this question stands invalid, as by definition public chooses the group of selected citizens who rule or govern the nation. So in a nutshell, a group governs the nation. I know, you must be think but this group is chosen by the people. Yes and no I say, but for now just stay with me. Let’s go to the next question.

Q How are these members chosen?

A As per the definition members are chosen by the public. But are these selected ones really selected by the public? I say no, when the money for election campaigns pour in from big companies, it’s not the public which really chooses the “selected ones”. Winston Churchill once said “When I hear the definition of democracy from an uneducated man, I am forced to believe democracy is a weapon of destruction more than a tool of development.” We all know Mr. Churchill had a habit of aggrandizing almost everything. But is he wrong? Do we not know how the elections happen? How the votes are banked based on caste, religion and money? Do we forget who wins in the end? It’s always the industrialists, who want a particular environment in the nation for them to flourish and they create the environment at their whim. Even if for a moment I agree that members are chosen by us, can we say we choose the best? Isn’t our selection based on personal perceptions, thoughts and interests? Otherwise how can you justify selection or even existence of so many corrupt politicians? They did not magically appeared on the screen of national politics, we selected. I say, we do not choose anyone, we live under the illusion that we choose. And we are happy to live under this illusion, why? Because spending an hour dreaming about the powers we possess, is better than being awake fully knowing the self-worthlessness.

Q Are all decisions are taken by the members?

A Yes, again just like monarchy and communism, decisions are taken by these members. Are these decisions purely in the interest of the general public? Well no, not all. This system is also crippled by the same diseases as Monarchy and communism.

Q Is there a judicial system under democracy?

A Yes, there always was a judicial system in democracy, there is certain influence of the members on some facets of it based on its own vision and interests. But most of the cases are handled by the judicial structure which executes the laws defined and updated by the party members.

Do you see how similar this system is when broken down into further questions? Democracy, is just a fancy new term to show the change, whether there is really any change or not, who determines that? I say every system is just the same. Each run on essentially the same components, it’s just a matter which word you really wish to use.

How do you argue which one is better? Or different? We live in a world where USA (Republic) wages war on almost daily basis, China (Communism) is a super power, and India (Democracy) is struggling beneath the burden of 1.6 billion entangled views. Few years ago, this was not true, nor will it be true in future. Because it doesn’t really matter what form of government is ruling the nation, the nations were run by the few, the elite ones, and it will always be true.

If mean monarchy is pure scotch, cunning communism is “on the rocks” and dear democracy is a “cocktail”, what do you prefer?

I am 28 year old, I have never voted, nor do I intend to do so in future.

From Womb To Grave

I find myself sitting in the train and the city seems to be running away from me, melancholy seeps into my bones like several pin pricks, I don’t know why such sadness covers me every time I leave the city, is it because my parents still live there, my beautiful lover longs for me and I no more have the company of my genuine friends? I think it’s all of this and then a lot more, it is also because I left those known roads where I used to roam as if I owned them; I was the king of the city at least for myself. To say my own I had only these things and strings of attachment, and here I am going away from them. With each rhythmic beat of train, my heart skips a beat, and I can’t do anything except for inching towards another city.

Funny thing is that I am heading to yet another city in search of good friends and good times. In some ways I will find what I am looking for. The old city will be missed lesser and lesser with time. I will get used to the new city, I may start to own few roads here as well, who knows one day I may feel like the king of the city again. The cycle would continue, and I’ll keep running in the circle, chasing my own tail.

The way I see it, this won’t get me anywhere. No matter how many cities I change, how many miles I travel, I will still be where I was. The pretentious ‘change’ would keep coming and going and still all will be the same. Suddenly ‘change’ looks like that clever guy who always manages to fool you every time. But not this time friend, let me just figure it out once and for all.

It doesn’t matter if my grave is two miles or two thousand miles away from the place of my birth, in the end my grave would be there. So in the end it’s all about the journey isn’t it? A journey from a womb to a grave. Then why do sages preach  us to relinquish all desires and kill any kind of attachment with the relations and almost every color of life? Its like someone asked you to pretend to be colorblind even when nature added so many beautiful colors for you to devour.

So what am I going to do? I think I’ll live for a change, I’ll live my heart out. I will go through every moment of joy and sorrow with a ferocious intensity to feel absorb it in the best possible way and with a hope that next moment will be better than the previous one, after all you don’t want to miss anything during this journey.

I will fully accept the fact that this was always a one way road, and with the last breath left inside me, I will know that I completed the journey in the best possible way, and that’s when I will truly rest in peace completely satisfied with my journey. It will be hell of a journey from womb to grave, but right now they are serving dinner in the train. It’s time to drown myself in the worldly pleasures of life..mmmmmm…smells good!

Nokia - A Strategic Goof Up?

Once someone told me there is nothing as a failed entrepreneur, because till the time an entrepreneur succeeds, all his failures are nothing but part of his efforts. Similarily when I see Nokia, I do not see it as a goof up, but a failure. Was there anything wrong with Nokia, yes, there was, and many things went wrong for them, some were expected, others were not so expected.

Nokia, which started as a pulp, rubber and cable manufacturing company, was the leading manufacturer of mobile devices till 2007. Their mobile phones were known for their reliability and the company who sensed the consumer’s needs quickly. It offered a wide range of mobile devices with a wholesome experience in music, video, imaging, gaming and a lot more to its consumers.

There were two markets, high end and low end mobile devices market. Till 2007 Nokia was dominating High End Market with its N-Series phones, while it gave several products in Low End Market to serve all the market segments. Now to see how from being a market leader how Nokia became a market struggler, these two markets need to be discussed in detail, and the incidents which happened in these markets.

Low End Mobile Devices

Even before any smartphone appeared in the market, it was this market segment which was responsible for major part of Nokia’s profits. The reason behind it is not hard to guess, Nokia evolved with the evolving telecommunication industry, there were rarely any competitors in the market. As a responsible company Nokia should have seen the threats of the future. It was not hard to see even at that time that as the telecommunication industry would grow more and more players would enter the market.

The biggest mistake was to completely ignore the biggest threat, China. Almost whole world is flooded with Chinese products, and sooner or later, appearance of Chinese phones in every market, especially in under-developed and developing markets was not hard to guess. These two factors, just like the shark’s jaw took the chopped off a major chunk of Nokia’s market share.

The problems for Nokia didn’t stop here, to make matters worse, Chinese market was not even organized. Since Chinese companies always came up with ‘look alike’ mobile phones, their R&D for mobile phones was negligible, and coupled with Chinese efficient operations, the mobile phones became at a very low cost, which made it tougher for Nokia to compete at cost.

Nokia failed at many fronts; first of all it could not make barriers for new entrants in the mobile phone markets, and secondly it did not add sufficient value added services in the phones to avoid competition from such low priced, low quality mobile phones. Can it be called a goof up of its own kind, yes, to some extent, but more than that I would blame the short sightedness and complacent attitude of the senior managers of Nokia. This market today is still dominated by Nokia, but its market share is the reminiscence of its glorious past.

High End Mobile Devices

This is the part which has acted like the last nail in Nokia’s coffin. The future for mobile phones was guessed almost by every mobile device manufacturer, and everybody made their own attempts to be the first one and the best one in the future. Apple launched iPhone, while Samsung came with Galaxy. Nokia also came up with its own smartphones; they were somewhat like a low budgeted movie which failed without making any buzz.

The “summer – cottage culture” of Nokia  lacked innovation and Entrepreneurial spirit. Every summer since 2007 while  Apple Inc. shipped a new iPhone, Nokia  managers vacationed at their lake cottages in Finland. This shows and tells many things about the company, being careless and complacent are few of the characters, but even more importantly it shows Nokia has no real leader when the time demands them.

The problem with Nokia was not that the phones were not good enough, they still were of high quality, but the problem was they did not understand the market and its competitors. The battle had advanced to another era, while Nokia insisted to fight in the traditional ways. The new CEO of Nokia, chose following words to describe Nokia’s mistake and the market –

Stephen Elop

“The battle of devices has now become a war of ecosystems, where ecosystems include not only the hardware and software of the device, but developers, applications, ecommerce, advertising, search, social applications, location-based services, unified communications and many other things. Our competitors aren't taking our market share with devices; they are taking our market share with an entire ecosystem. This means we're going to have to decide how we either build, catalyse or join an ecosystem.”

But can we really call it a goof up, I don’t see it as a goof up because Nokia took the necessary steps in the direction which they thought is the current one. It is a mistake, but certainly not a goof up. The Symbian operating system couldn’t sustain itself, it was certainly a bold gamble, but not a goof up. As an afterthought one may say that taking such gambles is not a good idea for a company which is struggling to survive.

These two failure has costed Nokia dearly, while for 2012, the operating losses are at a billion dollar, one fifth of the Nokia’s staff has been shown the exit gate. The new CEO Stephen Elop has taken up the toughest job in his career. As he said “Nokia was standing on a burning platform”, he actually summarized the whole problem, the competition was tough, and competitors were way ahead. Nokia indeed looks like a lost cause as of now. But the real question is “Do you really think so?” I don’t.

The way I see it, Nokia is going through the necessary changes it had to go through. As we all know with ten years of successful run, Nokia had become lethargic, lazy and complacent, it just needs to restructure itself, bring some good values in the system and shed some flab to be the lean auick and agile company which is a necessity in today’s world.

There are many steps which indicate that Nokia is on road to recovery, like collaboration with Microsoft, for using Windows mobile platform. As I see it, it is a clever deal not just because Windows is better than Symbian, but also because it allows risk mitigation. The failure and cost of failure will be shared by both Microsoft and Nokia, and not by Nokia alone as earlier was the case with Symbian. Restructuring will also help in breaking the vices which had covered the original values for long.

Why do I think Nokia is still alive, a late started by all means, but not a hopeless cause. I would like to believe that Nokia is the late bloomers, and it would be what it was, mobile devices leader. I do not want to believe Nokia will ever be out of the game because I have my own memories with Nokia, and I have seen it ever since I started using mobile devices. Nokia fans are still hoping the best for the company, but even if Nokia fails, I think they will be missed dearly by their lovers.