Bob's Banter

Research before execution!

Concept of idea with pen, paper and handdrawn lightbulb

For a few years now, Mumbai has been talking about air-conditioned local suburban trains. Everyday, as commuters sweat it out in the stuffy, humid jam-packed trains, they have been dreaming of the day when ACs will cool their journey to the city. Four million people must be having the same dream everyday. And finally the day arrived when the prototype or sample air-conditioned train made by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai arrived in the city. The showpiece train was put on the tracks and must have even started on its trial run, when some engineer must have shouted with fright, “The train is too tall, it won’t pass under that bridge!”

Yes, the train built was 4.335 metres tall, whereas the bridges were as low as 4.27 metres! Not one bridge, not two, but many of the bridges on the route!

How could they have made such a terrible mistake?

Simple; in the excitement of trying to fulfil a dream, they forgot to do their research.

Today, India is all alive with the idea of starting start-ups. Prime Minister Modi has fired the imagination of young entrepreneurs about any idea becoming a millionaire’s asset. But from what I’ve heard, more than ninety per cent of these start-ups fail. They fail because they have not spent time and a little money to research their ideas.

All of us feel any new idea is a brilliant idea.

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Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist with an estimated readership of 6 million. He also conducts a short-term writer’s course. Contact him at bobsbanter@gmail.com for more details.

Robert Clements

Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist with an estimated readership of 6 million. He also conducts a short-term writer’s course. Contact him at bobsbanter@gmail.com for more details.