Wednesday, October 10, 2018

#MeToo: The Story and The Scorn, Rise and Shine My Lady!




It's time that women not just stand up to their rights but believe strongly in their values, opinions and stand tall to the courage of conviction. Not only can they express freely but also embed and inculcate the same in the generations to come. Here's the story and the scorn, Rise and shine my lady!

We have seen a  slew of ripples around the #Metoo campaign that is being galvanized and electrified into an oscillated movement with many women coming up and telling the world about their ordeals.

The story started in 2017 with Harvey Weinstein scandal, where dozens of women actors spoke of their ordeals of sexual harassment or assault such as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Angelina Jolie, and Gwyneth Paltrow. They openly narrated their stories against this Hollywood Producer. Some actors such as Asia Argento came out with the #Metoo campaign for Women, to stand up and make a candid social media expression.

In a few weeks, the campaign fluttered and spanned across so quickly that the Times and New Yorker, won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting on Weinstein.

Fast forward 2018 and the story has been dynamized on social media where a woman levelled charges of sexual harassment against the comedian Utsav Chakraborty on October 4th.



Since then the outpours strong, powerful and yet loud. All thanks to social and Online media. The world stands together against such predators.

An out-turn and upshots followed; such as stepping down of HT Bureau Chief & Political Editor Prashant Jha. Industry players such as AIB has lost many prominent clients and may dissolve soon since its members were hit by charges of alleged misconduct and sexual harassment.

Many senior Journalists, Directors, and Members of the entertainment industry faced the ire on account their ghastly and gruesome behaviours against women who went through deeply personal and professional traumas.

By October 6th, a major Production House in the Entertainment Industry had been dissolved on account of allegations by a women crew member that Vikas Behl had harassed her in a hotel room on the early hours of 2015 and pretended to pass out drunk on her bed only to awaken soon after and masturbate on her.

The lady went to complain to Anurag Kashyap but as per her nothing was done.. and Vikas Behl kept harassing her and eventually she had to leave the firm.

Phantom films, Anurag Kashyap told a media house that he failed the survivor, so the company is being dissolved.

Kashyap, Behl, Vikramaditya and Madhu Mantena dissolved the production house.

This is very ironical as I have the chance to meet Vikas Behl in person at a Women’s conference back in 2016 in Delhi and he appeared to be one of the politest people, I had ever met.  I am thoroughly surprised as to how deceptive can be looks and personas.

Tanushree Datta also accused the Film Actor Nana Patekar for lewd behavior on the sets of HornOkPlease. The lady narrated her experience ten years ago and how badly she was treated on the film’s sets.



I am not ashamed to admit, I was also a part of this and a victim of #Metoo. This happened when I worked for a prestigious MNC firm and we went out on tour to a hill station for a training.

My supposed boss then tried and applied to discuss his bedroom life with his wife with me and another female colleague. We found it very inappropriate and out of the context.

I quit the firm eventually and ensured that the gentleman gets a warning from the HR Department.

Women should stand up to the courage of their conviction and affirm their rights.

In another instance in 2000, my supervisor asked me to accompany him on a trip to Mumbai which I vehemently denied. I also remember him almost pushing it to the brink and blackmailing me for my promotion. I stood tall and steadfast.

As per Shawn Burn, a psychology Professor at California Polytechnic state university in a CNBC statement says,  “sometimes sexual harassment is used to intimidate, disempower and discourage women in traditionally male-dominated occupations.”

This definitely leads us to think, if this hype is around the #Metoo campaign or a basic caveat in the manner, men look at women, the age-old Gender bias qualms in this male-dominated culture still thrive in our socio-economic cultures.

In February this year, I happened to go to the Silicon Valley for a Women Entrepreneurs summit and I distinctly remember a women participant asking a “well-known technology veteran” in a large and a prestigious gathering as to why women had to fight so hard to fit in  as against  their male counterparts inspite of being so diligent and meticulous in their work profiles. What struck me that, it was not just India, but Silicon Valley too is struggling to recognize and credit women with what they deserve, and gender bias was not new to them. My opinion was purely based on my experience in the US.

Conclusively, Is it therefore about Men “protecting their occupational territory” and refusing to acknowledge women in a fair and square manner in specific cases. This is a point to ponder.

But for those who do not even know what exactly comprises sexual harassment.

Here is  a checklist :

a) Making sexually suggestive remarks

b) Offensive remarks or jokes

c) creating a hostile work environment to sexual favours

d) Intimidating, threatening, blackmailing for sexual favours

e) Persistently asking a person out



Women should know their rights and jurisdiction and here is a detailed summary ;

Under Indian Penal Code, 1860

1. IPC Section 294-  The women should be aware that if she is harassed whilst walking on the road in public space, it is considered as sexual harassment. The accused shall be punished with the imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine or both.

2. IPC Section 354(A)-  If a woman is tortured with Physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures according to this section the offender can be imprisoned for the tenure ranging from 1-3 years or fine or both.

3. IPC Section 354(D)- A stalker can face the imprisonment from 3-5 years or with fine.

4. IPC Section 354(C)- If someone watches, captures or shares an image of a woman engaging in a private act without her consent, the offense is punishable with 1-3 years of imprisonment and fine.

5. IPC Section 503- This section deals with Criminal Intimidation. If anyone threatens women to involve in a sexual act or related to person, property or reputation, the accused can be imprisonment up to two years, fine or both.

6. IPC Section 499- Defaming any women to such an extent that it lowers the moral or intellectual character of women. The accused will be imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Under Sexual harassment of women at workplace act,2013

1. If a senior colleague demands sexual favours in exchange of work benefits, promotions or salary hike, it amounts to sexual harassment.

2. As per this act, any workplace with more than 10 employees should have an internal complaints committee.

3. If a woman makes a complaint about any act of sexual harassment, the inquiry must be completed within 90 days under this act.

Under Information Technology Act, 2000

1. Section 67 of IT Act- Posting any obscene or defamatory material on a public online portal intending to harass and defame a woman is a crime under this section. The accused can face imprisonment for two years.

It's time that women should stand up to their rights and strongly believe in their values, opinions. only a few can stand tall to the courage of conviction. Not only can you express freely, but also embed and inculcate the same values in the generations to come.

Here’s the story and the scorn, so Rise and Shine my lady ……


Written by: Deepa Sayal

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Opinion: Should 2019 be the year of renaissance for Brand Modi ?



Brand Modi has definitely carved an impeccable official record when it comes to building a Digital India. Every second region or politician and as a matter of fact individual wants to talk "Digital India"  and wants to stand up a good stead in bifurcating and benchmarking stats and counters in the Digital scorecards that may promise to catapult our economy and give it the "silver wheels " yet shiny and new. Although, many debates that many of our packaged schemes in Digital India with the "Ache Din aa Gaye " tag was nothing but the same wine in the new packaging as the predecessors?

If you hear the Congress Party, the verdict is that the Modi Regime has spelled doom for entrepreneurs and risen a breed of angry businessmen. Not just that, they have given us a completely distorted version of GST and surpassed economic freedom by policing Tax policies.

Go to small cities and the usual SMB vendor is heard complaining as the businessman or the distributor he buys from; affirms and implies GST; therefore; the price rise on commodities already increases.

The Economic growth has slowed down by 1-2 percent as per data gathered internally; blame it on demonetization. Specifically, Sectors such as textiles and leather have been marginalized due to eroding margins owing to low growth in exports.

On facts and figures, the textile export sector that happens to contribute the third largest foreign exchange business grew by only .75% in 2017 and 2018. This obviously has lost a lot in terms of jobs and livelihoods.

 Move a little further and we see, On a slightly more magnified version, that India's defense budget is nowhere near to preparedness for a War as overheads are gigantic; pensions and overheads coupled with Salaries.

So does the Modi Regime lackluster?

Let us look at some positives !! Many of us agree that BJP has catapulted into a Pan India Party with Modi being christened as a Global Brand. Our relationship with Japan has strengthened and we have also bettered our association with countries like Bangladesh. The world looks at Modi with respect and therefore India did win some brownie points when it comes to "Good governance" and Global presence.

We have initiated Projects that we only dreamt of; a good example can be bullet trains.

We can quickly recollect that FDI was a key lead runner with the Modi Brand, with approx Dollar 60 Billion this year as against Dollar 36 Billion in 2013-2014. It is a pure win-win.

We also saw many defense deals signed and India securing a rank amongst World's top five spenders in the Defence sector. This is pretty obvious considering China has a place amongst the top five across the Globe.

As per a source, India has inked 187 contracts involving Rs 2.40 lakh Crores of purchases from Indian and Foreign vendors in the last 4 years.

Rural electrification has shown indomitable progress in terms of pace and outreach albeit we still have some caveat there.

The UIDAI Project or Aadhar did see some progress and is the World's largest ID system implemented. Its implementation has significantly advanced.

The NHPS (National Health Protection Scheme) is a path breaker, offering healthcare cover up to Rs 5 lakh per family for serious illness. The scheme intends to cover 10 crore families and addresses weaker sections of society.

"Swachh" Bharat stood up to be a cleanliness drive that stood against all odds and has managed to secure a higher Brand recall. As per an internal data source, 46.36 Lakh Toilets and 306,064 community and public toilets have been constructed.

There were other star Runners like Mudra Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. In the former, loans are given to small entrepreneurs with little or no collateral to generate employment. The latter or the Jan Dhan Yojana has created over 312 million new bank accounts; the DBT or Direct Benefit Transfer has subsidized LPG for the underprivileged.

We have had many My Gov initiatives in the  Modi Regime in the form of Digitisation on the internet with initiatives such as  BHIM and Umang app, seamlessly integrating our economy and governance policies. This is commendable as bringing together all government services under one platform and digitizing them can be a herculean task.

"Make in India" is supposedly the frontrunner especially when we see China being dependable and acknowledged player across the globe in manufacturing locally for other countries. The FDI is now open in the defense manufacturing sector and we have seen initiatives such as "Rafale" deal stirring some action. So albeit a good initiative, this needs to brace upon account India's low ranking on "ease of doing business" and "non-reforms in the labor policy" sectors. Let us hope for the best though as we really appreciate the initiative

Modi Government has had some fair shares of Stars pinned up their sleeves and some obscure black holes lined up their shoulders. However, Brand Modi remains fascinating.  Be it his constant bask in the limelight corporate cultures or the Khaadi and Nehru attires that speak a volume about the legacy he has built in India and must we say the globe.



Deepa Sayal

(IndiaIncharge Newsdesk)

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Ms. Deepa Sayal (CEO ADG Online) Mentored 200+ Social Media Coordinators at Digital Marketing Workshop at CEO MP.

ADG Online’s CEO & Co-Founder Ms. Deepa Sayal was invited as the Key Speaker at one of the prestigious event – The Digital Marketing Orientation & Training Workshop, organized by Chief Electoral Officer, Madhya Pradesh. The workshop was conducted for 200+ Social Media Coordinators from 51 districts of MP, in order to train and educate them for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2018. Ms. Deepa Sayal, with her expert vision and profound knowledge in the field of Digital Marketing & Innovation, consulted these Social Media Coordinators and shared her views on how Digital Marketing can be a game changer in the Election Process of India.



Her topics of consultation included Query Response Mechanism during the Election period, Connecting districts with the mission of State’s Election Commission, utilizing the power of Digital Media for Voter Awareness, Dos & Don’ts of Social Media for MP Elections and how to connect field awareness activities with million of the audience on Digital Media.


With her esteem guidance and engaging session, Social Media Coordinators of 51 Districts had learned about new features of Digital Media, new ideas for implementation and inspiration on how they can better their mission of connecting to each MP Voter.

The session was attended by Hon’ble CEO MP, Sh. V.L. Kantha Rao along with other Electoral Officers and Guests.

The event has captured LIVE by the Media Groups of the Madhya Pradesh State and was the main attraction of the day in the state.



Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Decoding Blockchains and Bitcoins : What lies above and below ?




The world is ready for a disruptive change.

Technology can be highly disruptive. Changing pace and evolving at an impeccable pace. There have been many potential game changers over the past decade.

However, we are all set to witness perhaps a big change in the way, the world transacts, interacts and saves data.

Talk about a breakthrough technology in the Data and financial sector! Talk about Blockchain! 


Most of us see the new buzzword across the web stratosphere and the broadcast media and I am suddenly reminded of the days when the word “Cloud” hit the horizon. We are going to witness a similar frenzy cause here is yet another technological door opener.

The internet comprehends this as follows………..A blockchain is a decentralized public ledger of all cryptocurrency transactions. Or the shortest possible definition would be, clever coding on a distributed database.”

A simpler better definition ……A Blockchain is an open source distributed database to combine digital records into blocks that cannot be copied or altered, as the new blocks are added irreversibly in order to secure the flow of data or information.


Ok. now, what is a cryptographic transaction?


Let's break it down………..and put it as ……a specially knit group of codes to protect confidentiality. 

In other words, a set of data or information which cannot be altered and can only be authenticated and comprehended by the one who sent it and received it. They would have to have the unique key albeit to decode.

What primarily is to ponder that, one no longer requires a central administrator or a third party in this exchange and thus the transactions are one-to-one and secure and also cut down on the cost invariably.

Hence, a group of users wanting to share a particular data that resides on a particular block can do so through a special private key that is created according to a cryptographic algorithm.

The DLT is what this is known as or in tech terminologies or distributed ledger technology. Primarily, a chain consisting of blocks connected to each other.

If we were to do a financial transaction without the involvement of an administrator or authority, this technology stands distinguished through the nature of its non-permeability due to the shared information on blocks and cryptographic nature. 

Unleashing the Latent Potential and revolutionizing the financial World !!


The industry pandits recognize the undeniable potential for revolutionizing the way we can manage data and do business, but this indeed remains debatable.

Many streams would evolve as a consequence to this technological outburst, such as better process dynamics on contracts and agreements, they would be standardized, methodological and process oriented as they may be shared on a reference block connected to each other in proper linear, chronological order. 



Imagine the volume of data we generate when technologies such as the Internet of Things crop up and so do millions and millions of transactions, we truly need a technology that could settle trillions of real-time transactions.

This technology came into being through Bitcoins. Bitcoins is a digital coin or a cryptocurrency which transacts on the internet and this facilitation happens through the Blockchain Technology where the data remains potentially secure and ensures utmost safety.

One estimate says, there are close to 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using this cryptocurrency wallet. 

Does this mean we would someday preposition a formal goodbye to the centralized financial systems and our entire nomenclature is in for a change? I have begun to wonder. This would, however, surely revolutionize the world economy.

The valuation of Bitcoin surges by leaps and bounds. News has it, that it has risen 1850 times since 2015 and therefore highly volatile. 

In August 2017 “Bitcoin Cash” came into being to scale up the transaction capacity.

Bitcoin too has its own challenges though! To upgrade the cryptocurrency or to change the software that's used to mine and authenticate transactions, developers need more than 50 percent of the global network of miners to agree with that change as per a research. When they get that support they can create a “fork" which is nothing but a software upgrade.

Bitcoin is indeed an exciting invention but that was only made possible by Block Chain technology. Imagine how the world changes! One thing leads to another !! First, it was "data", then it was "encrypted data" and now "data on a blockchain through cryptography ". Why not?

Especially when we hear giants struggling with cyber safety!

 Did we hear recently that North Korean hackers stole a vast cache of data, including classified wartime contingency plans jointly drawn by the United States and South Korea, when they breached the computer network of the South Korean military last year? I am sure this would have been next to impossible, had it been on a blockchain. Now is this technology a win-win?

or would it survive the test of global adoption is a question to be asked especially in the financial context? Governments may find it a challenge to regulate cryptocurrencies of all kinds or legalize it. Bitcoin was intended to be originated due to its capacity to bypass centralized authority. If there is no authority, how would they exercise control over such a cryptocurrency or commodity? we haven't yet talked of acceptance altogether! 

But Bitcoin surely ….. is our showstopper !!

Whats amazing is that the world is still keen to understand what lies ahead and what lies below of this technology?

Thank you for reading...