MTV launches youth insights portal MTV Play.in

In a bid to capture the attention of its target audience, MTV, the youth channel from Viacom18 stable, has launched a new website, MTVPlay.in. The channel claims that the new online destination peeks into the lives of this fickle audience, their thoughts, and even their fears.

"The website design, the lingo and grammar, even the puns signify the attitude and ambitions of the young," the channel says. It will be an open network and knowledge share platform where one can get regular SMS feeds, newsletters and youth insights by clicking on the subscribe button.

MTV India head Aditya Swamy says, "With MTV Play, we work with a diverse group of young people on a real time basis, which keeps us plugged into what's happening with an 18 year old. And we are happy to share this knowledge with partners, friends and anyone else who might be interested." The project has been co-created along with a team comprising 100+ collegians across 10+ cities in India. The youth network can share their views through closed community blogs, wall posts, and videos. The insights will be backed by extensive research by Third Eye Research Agency and MTV Insight Studio. The website is an ensemble of The 'Youth Speak', a collection of observations and expressions from Youth life.

Raring to Grow

With two-thirds of the population under 35, the world's largest democracy can afford to dream. The average Indian is expected to be only 29 years old in 2020, as against 37 in China and the United States, 45 in western Europe and 48 in Japan. The dreams are taking concrete shape; it's what the world calls a demographic dividend.

Some facts  459 million is the number of Indians between 13 and 35 333 million is the number of literate young Indians 62 per cent of the literate youth live in villages 77 per cent of literate youth are interested in films and music, 72 per cent in news and current affairs, 59 per cent in religious and spiritual topics, 35 per cent in science and technology, and 34 per cent in environmental pollution 98 minutes is the time spent by youth on TV every day, 44 minutes on magazines, 32 minutes on newspapers and 70 minutes surfing the Internet 40 per cent of the literate youth are OBCs, 27 per cent are general castes, 23 per cent are SCs and 10 per cent are STs

In India, it translates into a growing number of literate youngsters, which is both a challenge and an opportunity. India has 459 million youngsters who were born after 1975, the year INDIA TODAY came into being, and just before 1997. These youngsters, from those who have just entered their teens to those about to pass into middle agedom, constitute the people who can and do lead the nation, in business, in arts, in politics and in society. Of these, 333 million are literate, which is 73 per cent of the total youth population. This population of literate youth has grown at 2.49 per cent between 2001 and 2009 which is good news for those who read, according to the National Youth Readership Survey (NYRS-2009) by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). Television has not made a dent on newspapers as a source of information; being seen by 54 per cent as a source for entertainment and 22 per cent for news and current affairs; about 63 per cent of the youth read newspapers to gather news and information on current events; only 10 per cent read for entertainment. The Internet-accessed by only 3.7 per cent of the youth-is more of Entertainment Central than an information one-stop shop. It is used for entertainment 14 per cent of the time, for reading books 4 per cent of the time, and for searching for new book titles for 1.2 per cent of the time. It is accessed at Internet cafes in 46 per cent of the cases, at home in 23 per cent of the cases and at the workplace in 13 per cent of the cases. The interests of India's emerging leaders throw up a surprise. While 35 per cent care about science and technology, 34 per cent are concerned about environmental pollution. More expectedly, 77 per cent are interested in music and films, 72 per cent in news and current affairs, and 59 per cent in religion. "With 67 per cent of the literate youth agreeing to reservations for women in Parliament and local government, there is clearly a slow shift in attitudes in the next generation. The fact that so many were from villages and yet voiced opinions of this kind is very promising," says sociologist Dipankar Gupta.
This diversity is evident in the following pages where 35 achievers under 35 are profiled. From Mumbai's school dropout Ajjay Agarwal who began the fast-growing Maxx Mobiles as a Rs 5-lakh start-up to Krishna Mohan Reddy from Berhampur, Orissa, a selftaught dancer who started a group of mostly labourers to win the Colors reality show, India's Got Talent; from the talented, mint fresh National Award winning music composer Amit Trivedi to wrestling champion Sushil Kumar, they have shown determination, innovation and gumption to build their careers.
Many of their narratives echo what the survey shows, that there has been a general tendency on the part of the literate youth to move from rural to urban areas. Rural mobility for long has been confined to the working class but with the increase in demand for skills which require higher education, rural youth are no longer averse to moving out. This is apparent from 82 per cent of the literate youth in the villages being "matriculates or below" and only 6 per cent being graduates, driving them to look beyond the rural limits for their careers. The survey also shows that the average age of Indian youth completing their highest education level is around 15. Data shows that 76 per cent of the literate youth have not gone to college.
And more worryingly, the growth in the number of literate youngsters was more rapid in urban India at 3.15 per cent per annum than in rural at 2.11 per cent, which means that access to education inside India is still low. A clear rural-urban divide is also discernible, in that the proportion of youth with higher education attainments is relatively greater in towns than villages, and gender differences are stark. "The quality of the human resource is of paramount importance," points out Rajesh Shukla, senior fellow, NCAER, and author of the NYRS. The demographic dividend can become a liability unless the growth is made inclusive, notes Isher Judge Ahluwalia, chairperson, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. "The current GDP growth rate cannot be termed sustainable as a large chunk of society is not able to reap the benefits," she adds. This can become both an economic and social problem. Economic, because an additional 110 million youngsters are to be added to the workforce by 2020. They will need jobs, good jobs. And social, because of the diverse composition of this force-for instance, 40 per cent of the literate youth are OBCs, 62 per cent live in rural areas, and the biggest chunk, 23 per cent, is from south India.
But then the stories of struggle and of success in the following pages seem to suggest that what India's youth dividend imagines, it also implements.
This article appeared in the India Today magazine dated August 23, 2010

Youth Pulse: What makes the younger crowd flock to sales?

Stores scream ‘Sale’ all the time. What makes the younger crowd flock to sales?

The youth and sales?

There are two kinds of young buyers — the ones who look for only brands, and the ones for whom price is the key buying trigger. The former will never compromise on their core preferences and buy a product just because it’s on sale, while for the latter a discount definitely makes a difference. That said, for the second set, nothing sub-standard would go, even if it’s on sale. ‘Sale’ could also bring to mind ‘clearing of old things’, ‘low quality’ and ‘desperate measures to make us buy’.

Do I wait for it?

For the first set of buyers, a sale isn’t something they would wait for. Their purchase is more impulsive. But the second wait with anticipation for a good deal or a range of options to get their wishlist fulfilled.

Is it cool?

The youth are definitely excited when it comes to clinching the best deals as it makes great conversation with peer groups. But it gets even better if they get a great deal on an aspirational brand, and that is usually when it becomes a purchase of some importance.

How to sell a sale?

The negative values that a young customer attaches to a sale could be addressed by making it an earned privilege. For example, if a sale is packaged in a way that makes it available only for a select few, youngsters would look forward to the purchase and their concerns regarding product quality and the store’s intentions would vanish. Even if such exclusivity is notional, it would be a sure shot winner.


Methodology: A network of ‘student transmitters’ across campuses that act as insight seekers and conversation seeders. The network reaches six metro cities and connects with over 10,000 students. The network has been created by Concrea, a youth marketing & communications agency, part of the Electronic Youth Media Group.

Age Group: 18 - 22 years Want to peek into the mind of the youth? Send us your queries at brand.equity@timesgroup.com

Mangalore youth will show WEF a way to make ore export more profitable

M Raghuram
Vivek Raj, 28, a resident of Mangalore, is among the youngest CEOs of a company that has the potential to become a billion-dollar one. His achievements have been recognised by the World Economic Forum. At Summer Davos in China between September 13 and 15, Vivek will brush shoulders with captains of industry from across the world. Leading lights from Pepsi, Airbus, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, Reliance and 100 other companies will be present at the meet. Raj is also scheduled to meet the Queen of Jordon, and the CEOs of Sinosteel, world’s largest steel importer, Nestle and the Chinese prime minister.
The young entrepreneur’s business model is sure to take leaders from core sector industries across the world by surprise. He has developed a formula to add value to low-grade (45 grade) iron ore, so that it is turned into high-grade ore (65 grade) with minimum wastage. “It makes perfect economic sense. All the countries are now looking at importing high-grade magnetite ore, but that is hard to come by. The prospecting for high-grade ore takes a lot of investment and funding, but it is the best way to transform low-grade ore into high-grade ore.”
“I have a technology product called benefaction of ore. This is a process of treating crude ores and mineral products in order to separate valuable minerals from waste rock or gangue. It is the first process that most ores undergo after mining, so that a concentrated material is obtained. The primary operations are called ‘comminution’ and ‘concentration’. I am planning to set up a plant in Goa. The government of Goa has already given me the initial permission to acquire land; this will be the first ore benefaction plant in the country.”Vivek Raj further explained,“It does not make good economic sense to export raw ore. Benefaction of ore will help to create greater value for the produce, as it will be converted into high-grade ore. Crude ore is exported at Rs200 per tonne; if it is subjected to benefaction, it could be sold at Rs3,500 per tonne, which would still be at least 20% below the market rate. That would represent huge forex earnings.”
Such is this young man’s wisdom that he even has a plan for the by-product, ore slurry, which results from the benefaction. He would like to make bricks with the slurry that can be used in construction. Some costs incurred in the whole process will also be covered by the brick manufacturing process.
So how did the young man get into all this? “I come from a poor family. I started work when I was 14. After matriculation, I migrated to New Zealand with the help of a family friend. I studied for an MBA degree, and then took to export of New Zealand’s dairy produce to Sri Lanka. Later, I also started export of mining produce. Then I returned to India and set up Panama Group in Mangalore.”
But why Panama? “Was any ship ever stopped at the Panama Canal?” he asks with a sparkle in his eyes.
m_raghuram@dnaindia.net
http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_mangalore-youth-will-show-wef-a-way-to-make-ore-export-more-profitable_1436609

Nepal: Taboo-breaking radio show makes waves among youth

Nepal News, 2010-09-08

KATHMANDU: In a Kathmandu recording studio, young workers sift through piles of letters from Nepalese teenagers seeking advice on everything from unrequited love and homosexuality to drug abuse and HIV.

Two presenters in their early twenties talk animatedly into microphones as they record the latest episode of “Chatting with my Best Friend” or Saathi Sanga Manka Kura (SSMK), one of Nepal’s most listened-to radio shows.

The programme, a blend of discussion, drama and music, was launched nine years ago as part of a project funded by the UN children’s agency UNICEF to spread awareness among Nepalese teenagers about the dangers of HIV and AIDS.  Since then it has become required listening for young people across Nepal, a deeply conservative, majority-Hindu country where teenage sex and drug abuse are usually taboo subjects.

The show — the first to be produced by and for young Nepalese people — began as a half-hour slot on national radio, considered the most effective medium in a country where around a third of the population is illiterate.  Its no-holds-barred approach to sexual health quickly won it a loyal following among young people and within months, so many letters were coming in that it had to double its running time to an hour.

“Before SSMK started, there was no tradition of talking about such problems in Nepal,” said Kaustuv Pokhrel, a former presenter on the show who now works behind the scenes.

“The show was designed in such a way that it felt like your friend talking to you in a non-judgemental way. The hosts talk about anything under the sun — sexual and reproductive health, career or study concerns, family problems, whatever.”

Now, SSMK draws six million listeners a week, is the winner of several international awards, and has even featured “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Orlando Bloom, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, in one of its dramas.

Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF’s Nepal representative, said the mainstream media gave little attention to the issues facing young people before SSMK came along.

“This lack of guidance and information on issues that were important to young people left them feeling a little neglected and also increased their vulnerability to risky behaviour,” she added.

But SSMK’s willingness to tackle any subject has also brought criticism and, on one occasion, the threat of removal from the airwaves after a particularly controversial early episode about masturbation.

“We were accused of putting out vulgar content on the radio, so we invited the station managers in to see the letters we received to show we were not making it up — this really was an issue that concerned young people.

“Eventually they were persuaded, but for a while we had to send them scripts for approval. They said we couldn’t use the word ‘condom’ on the radio, for example, which was problematic.”

The format of the show has barely changed over the years — two young presenters, the “best friends” of the show’s title, discuss listeners’ problems before introducing a short drama in which solutions are found.

But the content has evolved to reflect the changing concerns of its listeners, many of whom were caught up in the civil war between Maoist guerrillas and the state that ended in 2006.

“After a couple of years we began receiving letters complaining that we were focusing on small issues when they country was in such a bad situation,” said Pokhrel.

“We had letters from young people who had joined the Maoists and were afraid to leave, and even from girls who had been raped and were too afraid to tell anyone because of the stigma.”

The letters are all read and answered, usually with a stock reply giving expert advice on the particular issue the writer is interested in, and a few are chosen to be featured on the programme.

Much of the correspondence comes from young people in rural areas of Nepal, where discrimination on caste, ethnic and gender lines is rife, and where most of the violence took place during the 10-year conflict.

The show used to receive between 1,500 and 2,000 letters a month, but Nepal has seen a dramatic increase in mobile phone usage in recent years and they are increasingly being replaced by text messaging.

Equal Access, the international non-profit organisation that makes the show, has exported the idea to other developing countries including Cambodia, Laos and most recently Yemen.

In Nepal, a new generation of young presenters who themselves listened to SSMK as teenagers have recently taken over on the show.

“I loved listening to SSMK but I never imagined I would one day be presenting it,” said SSMK host Swarnima Shrestha, 22.

“It’s hard work, and we’re under constant pressure because people take what we say so seriously. But to be able to touch even one young life feels great.”

How to build a super productive workforce in India

Manu A B in Mumbai

How many of you have wished a change in our education system?

Parul is an intelligent kid. But she dislikes going to school. Everyday she asks her mother, "Why do you send me to school? Why do I have to carry a heavy bag everyday? Why can't I learn everything at home?" And the mother does not have a satisfactory answer.

Amrita, another 8th standard student, religiously studies equations from her chemistry book every night before going to bed. She does it not out of the love for the subject but out of peer pressure to score high marks. And she dreams of a day when she will never have to touch chemistry books

There are thousands of children like them for whom the education system is a burden. "For years, students continue to learn from the same old textbooks, subjects which are of no interest to them. Instead of discovering the potential of kids, and honing their capabilities towards subjects they like, all are forced to study just to score high marks in the examinations," says a teacher who looks forward to a radical change in the education system.

"India, the 1.1-billion people nation, currently has 600 million youth below 25 years of age of which only 320 million are in schools and colleges; less than 25 per cent are employable! The youngest nation on the planet continues to be plagued with a severe job-talent mismatch," says Amit Bhatia, founder and CEO, Aspire India.

The failure of government schools in imparting good education for all and the mushrooming of thousands of incompetent private schools from the primary level to the professional level have tarnished the quality of the education system.

"We have not leveraged the power of education. Our engineers have become people who learn by rote, pass the examination and are incapable of making a difference to the society," Narayana Murthy, Infosys mentor, said on the occasion of Teacher's Day.

And none of the Indian universities figure among the top 100 universities of the world.

So where have we gone wrong?

'Youth' is the buzzword for Hiring Companies in India

Today we are living in an era where companies are hiring as well as firing a lot of people at the same time. Then what has led to this new trend where lots of older people are getting fired and younger ones are being recruited? Let us examine this issue.

The culture of business outsourcing and the increased need for companies, especially those in service sector, to establish their own call centres have favored the hiring of younger people over the older ones.

Business outsourcing effectively means that the older and the higher paid staff are relieved from their job in the company back office, and the work outsourced to other agencies, many a time in different countries, who then recruit the younger persons, generally in their early twenties to do the work.

Same is the case with call-centres. It must be admitted in this type of work migration, many a times across seamless borders, saving on staff salaries are prime consideration. This type of work is routine in nature, and does not need any specialized skills.

Thus the younger people with their greater stamina and enthusiasm fit the bill perfectly and accept the job with alacrity. Further the work does call for working in shifts, both day and night. The strenuous nature of work then makes the younger people the natural choice.

The other reason that might also be attributed to the increasing trend of recruiting younger people is the advancement in technology. Today we are living in a very dynamic world, a world where technologies changes every minute.

Old technologies and methods are becoming obsolete. In this era of fast change only young generation would be able to adjust and cope up with the newer trends and emergingtechnologies. Youngsters are more techno-savvy than their old counterparts.

This is so because they have grown in an era where the latest technologies like the computers, mobiles and the internet have made lives speedy and easy.

The corporate sector in order to earn their profits has to adapt to the new technologiesotherwise they will perish. The increasing thrust towards adoption of new technology, outsourcing, and efficacy to produce desired output has made the increased hiring of younger people imperative.