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By:

Rashmi Kulkarni

23 March 2025 at 2:58:52 pm

Making a New Normal Feel Obvious

Normal is not what’s written. Normal is what repeats. The temple bell rings at the same time every day. Not everyone prays. Not everyone even walks in. Some people don’t care at all. And yet when that bell rings, the whole neighborhood syncs. Shops open, chores move, calls pause. The bell doesn’t convince anyone. It simply creates rhythm. That’s how “normal” is built inside a legacy MSME too. Not by speeches. By repetition. Quick recap: Week 1: You inherited an equilibrium. Week 2: People...

Making a New Normal Feel Obvious

Normal is not what’s written. Normal is what repeats. The temple bell rings at the same time every day. Not everyone prays. Not everyone even walks in. Some people don’t care at all. And yet when that bell rings, the whole neighborhood syncs. Shops open, chores move, calls pause. The bell doesn’t convince anyone. It simply creates rhythm. That’s how “normal” is built inside a legacy MSME too. Not by speeches. By repetition. Quick recap: Week 1: You inherited an equilibrium. Week 2: People resist loss, not improvement. Week 3: Status quo wins when your new way is harder. Week 4 is the next problem: even when your idea is good and even when it is easy, it can still fail because people don’t move together. One team starts. Another team waits. One person follows. Another person quietly returns to the old way. So, the old normal comes back … not because your idea was wrong, but because your new normal never became normal. Which Seat? • Inherited : people expect direction, but they only shift when they see what you consistently protect. • Hired : people wait for proof “Is this just a corporate habit you’ll drop in a month?” • Promoted : people watch whether you stay consistent under pressure. Now here’s the useful idea from Thomas Schelling: a “focal point”. Don’t worry about the term. In simple words, it means: you don’t need everyone convinced. You need one clear anchor that everyone can align around. In a legacy MSME, that anchor is rarely a policy document. It’s not a rollout email. It’s a ritual. Why Rituals? These firms run on informal rules, relationships, memory, and quick calls. That flexibility keeps work moving, but it also makes change socially risky. Even supportive people hesitate because they’re thinking: “If I follow this and others don’t, I’ll look foolish.” “If I share real numbers, will I become the target?” “If I push this new flow, will I upset a senior person?” “If I do it properly, will it slow me down?” When people feel that risk, they wait. And waiting is how the status quo survives. A focal ritual breaks the waiting. It sends one clean signal: “This is real. This is how we work now.” Focal Ritual It’s a short, fixed review that repeats with the same format. For example: a weekly scoreboard review (15 minutes) a daily dispatch huddle (10 minutes) a fixed purchase-approval window (cutoff + queue) The meeting isn’t the magic. The repetition is. When it repeats without drama, it becomes believable. When it becomes believable, people start syncing to it, even the ones who were unsure. Common Mistake New leaders enter with energy and pressure: “show impact”. So they try to fix reporting, planning, quality, procurement, digitization … everything. The result is predictable. People don’t know what is truly “must follow”. So everything becomes “optional”. They do a little of each, and nothing holds. If you want change to stick, pick one focal ritual and make it sacred. Not forever. Just long enough for the bell to become the bell. Field Test Step 1 : Pick one pain area that creates daily chaos: delayed dispatch, pending purchase approvals, rework, overdue collections. Step 2 : Set the ritual: Fixed time, fixed duration (15 minutes). One scoreboard (one page, one screen). Same three questions every time: – What moved since last time? – What is stuck and why? – What decision is needed today? One owner who closes the loop (decisions + due dates). Step 3 : Protect it for 8 weeks. Don’t cancel because you’re busy. Don’t skip because a VIP came. Don’t “postpone once” because someone complained. I’ve seen a simple weekly dispatch scoreboard die this exact way. Week one was sharp. By week three, it got pushed “just this once” because someone had a client visit. Week four, it moved again for “urgent work”. After that, nobody took it seriously. The old follow-ups returned, and the leader was back to chasing people daily. The first casual cancellation tells the system: “This was a phase”. And the old normal returns fast. One Warning Don’t turn the ritual into policing. If it becomes humiliation, people will hide information. If it becomes shouting, people will stop speaking. If it becomes a lecture, people will mentally leave. Keep it calm. Keep it consistent. Keep it useful. A bell doesn’t shout. It just rings. (The author is Co-founder at PPS Consulting and a business operations advisor. She helps businesses across sectors and geographies improve execution through global best practices. She could be reached at rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz)

The Voice of the Northeast That Echoed Across India

Zubeen Garg (1972–2025)
Zubeen Garg (1972–2025)

Zubeen Garg, the iconic singer, composer, actor, and cultural ambassador of Northeast India, passed away on September 18, 2025, at the age of 52, following a tragic scuba diving accident in Singapore. The news sent shockwaves through the music world, leaving fans, colleagues, and the Assamese community in profound grief. Known as the “Heartthrob of Assam” and a multifaceted artist whose voice bridged regional folk traditions with Bollywood glamour, Garg’s untimely death marks the end of an era for Indian music. He was rushed to a hospital after sustaining injuries during the dive but succumbed while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. His passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the nation, with many remembering him as a symbol of resilience, creativity, and unyielding passion for his roots.


Born Zubeen Borthakur on November 18, 1972, in Tura, Meghalaya, to an Assamese Brahmin family, Garg’s early life was steeped in artistic influences. His father, Mohini Mohon Borthakur, was a magistrate by profession but a poet and lyricist known under the pseudonym Kapil Thakur. His mother, the late Ily Borthakur, was a talented singer, dancer, and actress who nurtured his musical inclinations from the tender age of three. Garg often credited her for his initial training, recalling how she taught him to sing before he could even speak properly. The family moved frequently due to his father’s job, exposing young Zubeen to diverse cultures across Assam and beyond. He honed his skills in tabla under Pandit Robin Banerjee for 11 years and delved into Assamese folk music with Guru Ramani Rai. Academically, he completed his matriculation at Tamulpur Higher Secondary School and began a Bachelor of Science at B. Borooah College in Guwahati but dropped out to pursue music full-time. Tragedy struck early in his personal life when his younger sister, Jongki Borthakur, an aspiring actress and singer, died in a car accident in 2002. In her memory, Garg released the poignant album Xixhu, a testament to his deep familial bonds. He married fashion designer Garima Saikia Garg in 2002, and the couple shared a quiet life away from the spotlight, with Garg openly declaring himself irreligious and free from caste constraints.


Garg’s career ignited in 1992 when he won a gold medal for his western solo performance at a youth festival, propelling him into the professional arena. That same year, he released his debut Assamese album Anamika, which quickly established him as a rising star in regional music. Albums like Xapunor Xur, Junaki Mon, Maya, and Asha followed, blending folk elements with contemporary sounds. His first bihu album, Ujan Piriti (1995), became a commercial hit, capturing the festive spirit of Assam. Eager to expand his horizons, Garg relocated to Mumbai in 1995, diving into the competitive Bollywood scene. He debuted with the Indipop album Chandni Raat and contributed to films like Gaddaar (1995), Dil Se (1998), Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), Fiza (2000), and Kaante (2002).


The turning point came in 2006 with “Ya Ali” from the Bollywood film Gangster, a haunting Sufi-rock anthem that catapulted him to national fame. The song, with its emotive lyrics and Garg’s powerful vocals, became an instant chart-topper, earning him the Best Playback Singer award at the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA). It remains one of his most enduring hits, often cited as a milestone that introduced Northeast talent to mainstream India. Building on this success, Garg delivered more Bollywood gems like “Dil Tu Hi Bataa” from Krrish 3 (2013), a romantic melody that resonated with audiences for its heartfelt delivery. In regional cinema, his Assamese tracks like “Jajabor” – a masterpiece of modern Assamese music blending wanderlust and emotion – solidified his status as a cultural icon. Critics hailed it as a timeless piece, reflecting Garg’s nomadic spirit and love for his homeland.


Garg’s repertoire extended beyond Assam and Hindi. In Bengali cinema, he enchanted listeners with “O Bondhu Re” from Premi (2005), a soul-stirring ode to friendship, and “Piya Re Piya Re” from Chirodini Tumi Je Amar (2008), which captured the essence of young love. Garg’s voice wasn’t confined to playback; he composed and directed music for films, winning the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction for Echoes of Silence in 2009 at the 55th National Film Awards.


Beyond music, Garg was a prolific actor and filmmaker. He debuted in acting with the Assamese film Tumi Mur Matho Mur (2000) and appeared in Bollywood cameos, including in Gangster and Strings (2006). His directorial venture Mission China (2017) was a blockbuster, blending action with patriotic themes, while films like Kanchanjangha (2019) showcased his storytelling prowess. Over his career, he amassed numerous accolades, including multiple Best Music Director and Best Playback Singer awards from regional bodies. In 2024, he received an honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) from the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, recognizing his contributions to arts and culture. Zubeen Garg’s death leaves a void in Indian music, but his melodies will endure, inspiring generations. He is survived by his wife, Garima, and a legion of fans who will forever hum his tunes. As one fan aptly put it, “Zubeen wasn’t just a singer; he was the soul of Assam.” Rest in peace, maestro.


(The writer is a senior journalist based in Mumbai. Views personal.)

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