Ramesh Somani, Author at Exhibit Tech

Sonu Sood : THE MODERN MESSIAH | Editor’s Note August ’20

When I heard that CES 2021 is going virtual, it took me a few days to come to terms with that as I could not stomach this piece of news. Firstly, in my mind, 2020 is not to be counted and the start of 2021 without being at CES looked like an extension of 2020. In fact, for the last 9 years, it was nothing short of a religious process to start January submerged with all the tech and meet all my friends and folks who “download” themselves in Las Vegas from all over the world and in between the casinos and the exhibition halls, the year was shaped. But this was inevitable and an expo of that scale in between the pandemic would have been catastrophic. Even if we are at the tail end or in a better situation with vaccines being produced. So just like the virtual launches that we have got used to now with the Hector Plus, Tucson, Kia Seltos, the OnePlus Nord (With its AR launch), Samsung Galaxy unpacked event and the rest, Virtual CES is something that will be painful to swallow but will be in line with the new normal.

This month, launches kept dropping from the tech and auto world and the signs that we are in the midst of a pandemic started to diminish; perhaps signs of the economy opening up. Amidst all, the OnePlus Nord virtual AR launch was something that was a spectacular treat and satisfied the nerds in us. The auto sales this month are also almost neck to neck with July 2019, at 197,523 units. This is also the first issue since lockdown when we went to a studio, had a stylist, pro lensman, hair, makeup, studio and the entire sanitization frills along with the man of the moment Sonu Sood just like we used to do pre-COVID times, nowadays called ‘BC’ (Before COVID).

I have known Sonu for 4 years now and the first time I had met him was when he walked Exhibit -tech fashion tour. I had observed how the media and photographers lap on him. Because of his affable nature, having come from ground zero and made his own niche in south and Hindi film industry, it was hardly surprising when he came forward and has now made a name for himself in the history of “The Great India Migrant Movement’. Sometimes you just need to do your bit and a movement starts. Sonu Sood is that example and when we are in the cusp of celebrating our 74th independence with 74 gadgets that have changed our lives, there can be no better person to dote our cover.

His fearlessness and the decision to go out and meet 1000s of people amidst the COVID proves a point, either he believes in his immunity – the fitness freak that he is or in karma. I think it’s a bit of both. Now as we have learnt to live with the virus, we should never unlearn that it’s only the essentials that matter in life, rest everything is a chase a mirage which engulfs our whole life.

Time To Believe in Karma | Editor’s Note June ’20

This is our second issue from home, amidst these gloomy times when suddenly every email, phone or WhatsApp starts with “How are you?” in a meaningful way. If you have never believed in God or are a staunch atheist, it’s time for you to do some good karma, just like Sonu Sood sending thousands of migrant laborers back and like a real ‘hero’ standing there in person to waive them and thankfully not contracting COVID-19 himself. This explains a few things.

He did not want us to abuse the climate and get to a point where global warming is alarming.

He did not want the rich and crony capitalist to become very powerful, almost like an oligarch, and get a feeling of invincibility. Covid-19 has come out as the greatest equalizer, it doesn’t spare anyone.

He wanted all of us to reflect and not run 9-6 with extra hours in travel, or worse, fly to another city for a 30 minute meeting, which today is just a zoom call away.

He wanted us to emphasize that only essentials matter in life, just like the stone age. Air to breathe, food grains to eat, water to drink. We can add the internet to this tech age as an essential and may be single malt every now and then too.

He wanted us to spend time with our loved ones, which we take for granted, converse with the kids and enjoy the simple pleasures.

He wanted to stop such massive urbanization and mass exodus to cities. Now the migrants have gone back and almost 50% will not return and some fine gentlemen like billionaire Sridhar Vembu of Zoho, who spearheaded a new movement with Zoho schools, has set up his corporate office in a small village 650 km off Chennai. This, after living in the sophisticated Silicon Valley for decades. He is our God or the Superpower or the almighty or the creator up there.

The fight is on, with the invincible COVID-19, with our physical neighbours at the borders, with the falling economy, joblessness and total chaos. The real winners are those who can find their real purpose in life and if the whole world starts believing in karma then the #WorldHasChanged for the better.

That was my spiritual side because I consider myself blessed to be nestled in my complex apartment along with the people who matter in life having all amenities including ice-creams and single malt delivered to my doorstep unlike many unfortunate ones who are fighting for the daily means of livelihood. During this lockdown, I held many roundtable webinars with industry heads and the conversations are laid out in pages ahead. All of them were universally and reciprocally enjoying this downtime with family while working more from home sharing some other great insights into the new world order.

Now coming to Rakul Preet Singh, the actress who I have known for a long time and seen her rise to fame with a whooping 14.1 million fans on the gram. We did this whole shoot at her home with the smartphone camera without the frills of hair, make up, lights, any ace photographers and rounded up with an interview via a video call. Her strong hesitance to shoot was soon overcome by her sportiness and some rounds of convincing.

We devised a strategy, the magazine’s in-house stylist, Simran had sourced her clothes before the lockdown which helped us tremendously and we delivered that alongside the new Moto Razr to her house to be taken in after surface quarantine of 24 hours. Since Mumbai skies decided to turn gloomy, we sent across a ring light which we use in the office for YouTube videos which was Armageddon and what you see in the cover and the pages ahead, is a result of that.

Enjoy the issue and stay safe and start believing in karma or Sonu Sood or both.

Also Read:
Unlockdown 1.0 – The 3 Cs – China, COVID & Cure!

Sushant Singh Rajput – The Curious Mind

Sushant Singh Rajput Pens Heartbreaking

I had known Sushant Singh for 5 years, used to meet him in various parties and clubs and have had a lot of drunken memories with him so much that either he has dropped me or I have dropped him home. He was successful, a versatile actor and got all the attention from everyone that one should expect. But he was a curious soul , the most technologically inclined actor I have known till now so often conversations were around what to buy , what’s new to as deep as AI , quantum science etc. He was so intrigued that he bought a telescope and stationed it in his pad and often got into star gazing. Rightfully we gave him “the most techy celeb of the year“ in 2018. But the news of him committing suicide has pulled the rug from below my feet, I can continue to rub my eyes for many days now and repeat “it’s shocking”.

Did he have a mental illness? Yes, he was in rehab recently but was doing fine, infact we were planning a shoot with him also for our cover for which he was an ardent follower but could not get him to shoot ever, either the dates were not there or we had someone else already blocked. But we knew we will shoot something very techy and kick ass whenever we do. Infact we were in conversations for him to endorse a clothing brand, and as a matter of fact he did not like attending events and doing appearances, which today celebrities makes a lot of money from. His idea of life was little different and loved his cars and bikes, and was learning computer gaming in the lockdown. Recently he bought and built a farm house away from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and often spent time there. Not only he understood algorithms and machine learning, being an engineer he often indulged in it . Did you know that he was a national level Olympiad winner in physics?

Why Suicide? I did not believe the news and I actually dialed his phone which was ringing and went answered. Only wish we could connect with departed souls but I guess technology knows its boundaries and there in no network up there. Yes, he was very inquisitive and curious about life and recently came back from rehab even after all the success which he has achieved and one of the earliest actors who transitioned from “TV” to Bollywood and became a successful hero who could ride a big-ticket Bollywood movie on his shoulders.

I am still shocked if you are with me till here than hang in and let me take a dig at this lockdown and uncertainties which are surrounding all of us and allowed more time to introspect. As they say a busy mind is a happy mind, that’s why probably god has programmed us to do the daily chores, eat, sleep and the rituals and wired us to keep aspiring for the pot of gold which is as invisible as the COVID 19 which we are fighting for. An actors life is not work from home, it’s the sets, it’s the people, lot of them today are doing script reading, training post that you are left with ample time with yourself and then if you have a curious mind like Sushant who often writes poetic, philosophical and does star gazing, what can stop his mind to stop that trigger to explore the other side of life, called afterlife. Stay sane, and rest in peace Sushant, your journey remains incomplete but whatever you have achieved in 34 years of your life is a dream for 99.99% of our population.

Here’s something for all those who are feeling low right now. Which My Colleague Aneesha Kochar has written a few days ago

If it ever crosses your mind

To leave the world behind

Know that kindness is bigger

Than any of your triggers

Know that happiness is real

And not everything is cruel

Know that you can’t yet see

All that your life can be

Know that you’re loved

Even though you’ve not been hugged

I’m here with you to start over

I’ll hear your story, I’ll be your power

I’ll help you undo all the pain

We will embrace happiness once again

But if you’ve followed your mind

And have left the world behind

Know that I’m crying

For you left without trying

Unlockdown 1.0 – The 3 Cs – China, COVID & Cure!

So, the forced party is finally over. Yes, the “party” because we all were confined to our homes and the commerce and business had stopped. It was universal so we had a sense of being together in this. The plight of migrants walking on the highways and sheer mismanagement of their home journey can bring tears to your eyes at the same time put curse words for all stakeholders responsible for this. But now the economy is slowly getting the green light, while the red and orange zones are waiting in the lurch. Finally, good sense prevailed and we now have only two zones – Containment & Non-containment. Of course, the sentiments will be down to the graveyard, moving around will be cautiously done. For me, how do we open the office without being sure if the housekeeping who comes to clean the office is not COVID positive? That’s the starting point. Then comes your office boy travelling in local transport, milkman to replenish the coffee machines and other staff members who travel publicly. Will we endanger their lives and others? How long can #WFH actually work out? An ocean of difficult questions with no easy answers.

I was trying to analyze all possible scenarios which will unfold as we open our gates considering all angles. But universally, whichever country cracks the vaccine first will be the king, just praying it’s not the Chinese. “Dua” and “dard” both from China will make the world dance to the dragon.

Scenario 1 – Idealistic

Everyone wears a mask, maintains social distance, WFH continues, offices work on 10 -30% capacity, our hospitals, and medical facilities keep pace with the no’s of COVID Cases and slowly we limp back to normal. One confirmed news break from any of the 110 pharma companies globally of a possible vaccine or cure will push the economy into full throttle. If that happens to be an Indian pharma company – Serum Institute of Adar PoonaWala, for Example [haven’t you seen him suited in news channels these days?] will really put India on a SpaceX rocket which will take us towards the “superpower” colony – just like Elon Musk has successfully sent the two NASA astronauts to ISS.

And yes, China retreats from the borders and a pact is achieved wherein there’s no more claiming of Indian land in return of no more uninstall of TikToks.

Scenario 2 – Most Likely

As we open up, our COVID cases will surge through the roof – 10 lakh, maybe 20 lakh with 2-3 % succumbing to it. We will develop herd immunity and develop antibodies and by September or October, the virus will mutate and give us a real Diwali. Yes, hospital beds will be scarce, there will be mismanagement, the political blame game will be all time high, the economy and job losses will be so deep that everyone will be willing to work at 30-50% of their income with loans and defaults rising at alarming rates. By October, we get a grip and things tread back to the new normal and most likely vaccine developments show impressive results. Meanwhile, China and India continue their dog fight. Maybe a few tanks fire cannons, sorties by fighter jets on each other, show of muscle and nothing significant.

Just like when you have those street fights “Hath Laga kar Dekh” and by July end, Indo x China Bhai Bhai T-shirts begin to sell again. TikTok uninstalls continues and Micromax, Intex, Xolo, Karbonn and other earlier versions of Vivo & Oppos of the world start relaunching their smartphones. It’s possible.

Scenario 3 – Extreme Situation:

It’s July 15, 2020 and the COVID-19 scoreboard reads 50 lakh cases in India. Lockdown 5.0 gets implemented, doctors and nurses are taking the hard decision of whom to save. China versus India intensifies its fight and Pakistan, Nepal & Russia joins the party while the rest of the world backs India to corner China. There’s tension at the border and nerves are stretched. It’s a cold war but nothing happens at the end. Deaths and infections are everywhere, our medical facilities begin to collapse and there are protests and riots everywhere.

Those who lose their loved ones because of callousness, in all likelihood will lose their sanity. It’s grim news and madness everywhere and illegal sales of guns blossom.It’s the Economy which is now to be saved because suicides and poor mental state are killing more people than COVID-19.

In all of the above scenarios, by October either we will have a vaccine announcement or we will have herd immunity. Now comes the lawlessness, going outside, walking will be dangerous snatching, kidnappings will be frequent. Joblessness and poverty will push the dragon in people to fend for themselves. Now comes the Phishing scenarios – we recently faced a situation where a concentrated effort was taken to get money transferred. My accountant – Tanaya Ghosh received a fraudulent mail from my name, [E-mail ID was different] asking her to transfer. Normally, no one will check the Email-ID, just the name but her good sense prevailed and she double-checked with me. In most businesses, CFOs and Accountants are powered to make transactions of up to a capped amount.

We have to tread the next 3-4 months with caution and sanity. I have had friends who in spite of being financially well off get panic attacks even now. Our belief in the human spirit must be reinforced that’s supreme and believe in the supernatural power above you. Maybe it’s his way of resetting the climate, so we don’t have to travel to other planets to set up shop. Are you still seeing Toronto or New York from your bedroom anywhere in India?

Also Read:
COVID-19 Could Beat All But One
Gary Shapiro Talks About How CTA Is Preparing for CES 2021

Lockdown 2.0 : The World Order has Changed – Editors’ Note

The world order has changed, forever. Things will never be the same again, at least for a long time. Those hugs and kisses, those tight handshakes, and international flights. Video meetings, virtual concerts, sanitizers, facemasks and the biggest of all LOCKDOWN which was never thought of or written about. History Repeats itself, from Spanish flu of 1919 to COVID-19 of 2019, one century ago where it unleashed havoc and took away millions of lives around the world. Meanwhile, the Ebola virus came into existence and Swine flu tested us, but our vaccine dropped faster without them earning the destructive tag of a ‘Pandemic’. Today we are sophisticated, technologically advanced but still fighting the same battle and we don’t know who and what we are fighting. Superpowers like the USA, medically advanced countries like Italy and the whole world is stuck together and fighting together without knowing what is coming next.

COVID-19 has got the pollution levels down, accidental deaths down, psychology levels down and along with it took the world economy to shambles. Is it a Bio War or an Experiment gone wrong? Or is it nature’s way of balancing? Whatever it is, it is dangerous and uncertain. So much uncertain that for next issue, whether I will be writing this piece with a percentage of the world population wiped out or rejoicing on the newfound vaccine or picking up pieces of the post COVID era is uncertain. The hardcore optimistic are bewildered at which way things will unfold, all leaders everywhere putting up brave faces and doing their best knowing deep inside that the enemy is hidden and is firing canons through droplets, like a rogue alchemist converting human beings to ticking time bombs ready to explode on each other.

Saving the economy is secondary and human lives are primary. Billionaires, millionaires and everyone in every way are generously donating and doing their best to fight the Coronavirus, and we are all equally vulnerable and at stake is the entire civilization. Staying home has become heroic, work from home is the new normal, and technology is the saviour. Imagine 1919, when the pandemic of Spanish Flu broke, no internet, no Netflix, no broadcasting news, no video call apps, no Zoom or Houseparty or WhatsApp which are all the fabric responsible for keeping us sane and connected now.

They survived, we will too and come out stronger and develop immunity against the flu and most of the materialistic things which this world has to offer. When everything is over, people will realize that life is unpredictable and living your life and making the most of it while you can go outdoors is called living. Rest is a mystery.

Porsche 911 Carrera S | Review | Beauty and the Beast

When you wake up on a Sunday and you have the red hot Porsche Carrera S waiting in the lobby all tanked up, you realise that Life is Good. I could barely finish my breakfast because Saurabh and Harman from my team were all geared up 45 mins in advance of the time we had decided to shoot. Excitement level? Checked! This normally does not happen but when you have the Porsche 911 Carrera, things change.

As we zeroed upon the drive, first we thought of hitting the Pune expressway but we realised that a car which demands a cheque value north of ₹2 crores will most likely be bought by an enthusiast living in the metro cities. For example, in Mumbai, the chances are that you are living between Andheri and Marine Drive. So, I thought why not do a reality check and experience it on the practical front rather than just taking it out on the straights?

Coming to the 911 Carrera S, it’s a 2 door meant for 2 people with two more seats at the back. Practically impossible for an adult to sit, but should be enough for an overtly active skinny 8-year old. But then again if you plan on owning a sports car and that too the ultimate 911, you will mostly have luxury Sedans and SUVs already lying in your garage. So, our backup car or the tracking car was my BMW X5 which was trailing us all the time.

Making your way inside the car, note that you do not have any back problems to slide into the almost ground touching seats, but then that’s a sports car we are talking about. So make sure that even before you earn the money, burn calories too. And as soon as you turn the ignition knob the engine cranks up whose sound can cure you of all your Mental Illness, Schizophrenia, Depression and maybe even the deadly Dengue or viral fever. The moment I took it out of my apartment complex and right over a road bump, it narrowly scraped the bottom and then I realised you have to be super careful as it hurts. If anything it’s exactly like a stone touching the Porsche 911 in your possession. But when you’re out on the roads, all you will get is everyone’s attention (envious) who have been ogling at it either directly or slyly.

Everything inside is top-notch with the usual boot in the front and the engine at the rear. Quite typical of the 911. I wanted to take a peek at the engine but sadly you cannot do that. Copyrights Issue. The overall design from the outside to inside is something which looks like a Picasso painting translated on the roads. Thus, we started driving to Mumbai’s famous, Gateway of India and I thought when you have a car like this, the seat next to you should also be occupied by a beautiful woman, so I dialled Chetna Pande’s number just to check if we can pick her up on the way and in return promised her a nice lunch at Pizza by the Bay in Marine Drive. It took me 15 seconds to convince her and she promptly said that she will be down and ready to go in 15 minutes (it’s unusual of a girl as gorgeous and beautiful as her to get ready so quickly). BUT, she made me take an oath to allow her to drive the 911 Carrera S for 5 minutes and I had to grudgingly agree. For a minute, I am thinking to myself that it’s a bad bargain.

And when we finally met, the first thing Chetna did was that she connected her phone to the Bluetooth and the Bose speakers were extremely capable of a sound blast, but she lowered the volume as the Bose speakers couldn’t compete with the sound of the twin-turbo flat-six engine’s tune. It also has Apple CarPlay, navigation system which is on point and an easy operating user interface. However, these things don’t matter because you would rather not take it to an unknown place but use it to take it out on known roads and drive and come back home and maybe book an Uber for work or take the other cars lying in your garage. As I said earlier, the 911 attracts attention, we had paparazzi shooting us at Worli Sea Link. The Carrera S was getting attention from everywhere, people from tall vogues to runners were all looking at her – I mean the car. And the moment we pulled over at Pizza by the Bay, there were 10 valets who all came running towards the car and as I stepped out, I asked, “Can any of you drive this?” The answer was obvious, “Yes, sir!” As the car stood there craving all attention. That’s the point of me saying, this is exactly why you drive the 911 and come back home or take a backup car or get an Uber because giving it to any valet is a seriously tough decision just like choosing the girl you want to marry. Well, quite literally.

Now I had to live up to my promise and so I had to hand over the keys to Chetna and this was going to be her first sports car experience. As we swapped seats and drove away, she was all smiles, but those 5 minutes were the toughest 5 minutes of my life. That’s when I understood, why cars will always be a Man’s First Love (in any case, a petrolhead’s first love). And, specifically, for me, Ladies and Gentlemen, it was the 8th generation Carrera S with a new 8-speed dual-clutch PDK gearbox with a top speed of 308 km/h that is also capable of flying to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, is a perfect example of Beauty and the Beast. Therefore, I rest my case.

Specifications:

Engine: 3.0-litre, twin-turbo, flat six

Power: 450 hp

Torque: 530 Nm

Transmission: 8-speed DCT (PDK)

2020 Jaguar XE – Review

It was the 24th December and I had already planned to go to Aamby Valley for an overnight stay when my team informed me that the all-new Jaguar XE in red colour had just made its way to our Garage. And that it was red in colour on Xmas eve, that was the closest I could have brushed with Santa. The first look of it was fresh, the slimmer LED headlights and taillights fitted very well with the larger front grille and the sculpted bonnet. Ok, it’s a facelift, and we won’t use the word again and neither compares the new XE with its previous generation. For me, it is a complete new XE which has parked itself right in between the A4, the 3 Series and maybe the A6.

t’s become a habit now to slide your phone to the wireless tray and the XE has it, although it charges slowly, it may be because of the low Amp, wish they could have been higher, but does the job. Also, the rotary knob gear selector has been replaced with the gear shifter as seen in the F-Type. I was driving it on the Pune expressway, and let me admit I had touched 180 km/h and mostly was cruising at 140. Sssh! Please don’t tell this to anyone as I don’t want this to reach the Mumbai traffic cops. At speeds like this when you are on the dynamic mode the sound of the engine seeps in easily through the windowpane, maybe the insulation is not that great, it’s a confusing engine sound which you will expect from a sportscar like the F-Type but not exactly the same engine sound, which is the disappointing part.

The pick up had a quick rush of gasoline hitting the chambers at times giving you jerks, and you could feel the charge. It was the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that I was driving with the Santa. The Touchscreen was smooth and the connected navigation with Interactive Driver Display using high-definition, graphics showing 3D maps were spot on and I particularly loved the Red graphics on the Dynamic mode. Another unimportant thing to note is that it lets you connect with your Bluetooth while on the move, and we had two connected while the other one being the Santa. It has an Ice mode, still wondering where can we drive this in India, but with rising global warming just in case, it’s future-proof.

The speakers and the sound quality is not something which will appeal to the audiophile and you will always be reminded of the engine noise even when the volume is above conversation levels. What I loved was the almost bucket seats which are rather comfortable and holds your back and the firm steering wheel and premium interiors, it also has Torque Vectoring by Braking technology which means on tight turns, it applies the brake to the inside wheel and directs more rotating force from the engine to the wheel with the most grip.

We had arrived and Santa had a smile, and jaguar has got something which will take away buyers from the 3 Series and the A4, but would you buy one? It’s a Jag!

Love it –

The design, exteriors, seats, touchscreen, and the way a streak of light passes through head and taillights every time you lock or unlock.
The pick-up, power, ride quality and the tech.

What’s not that great –

The Insulation letting the engine noise seep in.
The music system & the rather cramped rear seats, if you’re a 6 footer then the legs might have to be amputated after a long drive.

Specifications:

Jaguar XE

Engine: 2.0-litre Ingenium Turbocharged Petrol
Power: 250 hp
Torque: 365 Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Starting Price: Rs 44.98 lakh (ex-showroom)

For Comparison:

Audi A4 35 TFSI S tronic

Engine: 1.4-litre Turbocharged Petrol
Power: 150 hp
Torque: 250 Nm
Transmission: 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission
Starting Price: Rs 41.49 lakh (ex-showroom)

The Real Virus!

Did you know, Creeper was most likely the first computer virus developed in 1971, of course since then there have been many malware including Melissa, Blaster, Slammer, Nimda, Code Red, The Morris Worm, Elk Cloner and even ILOVEYOU which did not spread any love but screwed up your computers. More than 10 million computers were in ‘love’. So, as techies, we seriously thought that viruses were something which happened to computers and smartphones until the deadly coronavirus entered the scene, which has shaken the world. It has pulled the carpet in one sweep from the feet of travel, business, economy, stock market and everything with thousands suffering and many dead. We stand with China as it fights the worst of epidemics and still gripping and because we live as global citizens its cases are reported everywhere now. Also, it shows in our integrated global economy where China is the manufacturing hub, supplying components or finished goods in almost every sector is now crippling.
The rumour mills are doing its rounds with some saying it’s a bio war, its an experiment gone wrong, and the Yuhang province known to be eating all kinds
of things including bats. Yes, the flying bats. The Tech industry is going to be affected the most, with everything being manufactured there. We already saw Mobile world congress being called off, Geneva Motor Show and many such events shaking up the ribs of commerce. In India, lots of big launches had been delayed including Note 9 from Xiaomi. Things are not looking good, and no one has an answer with the global sentiments down. But nothing lasts forever and just like we have hot water springs in Iceland, water wells in scorching deserts and morning sunlight tearing apart the darkness and the COVID-19.
In China, the auto sales are down 92% and in India, the auto sales are going through its worst phases with the only good news being BBC Topgear Magazine is back in India with an Exhibit Signature on it and is standing tall on stands now.
The optimists might say, the show must go on, maybe with masks on and hands constantly dipped in sanitizers. Travel if it is necessary, and let’s make use of all the technology for communication VoIP, chat meetings and stay alert till the Corona rests in peace. Forever that is!