The traditional hang-out beverage is passe, new-age energy drinks have taken over for a generation constantly on the go. Move over tea and coffee, Red Bull and Tzinga are here, says one camp. Give us our good ol’ cuppa says the other.
Which side of the beverage divide are you on? Tell t2@abp.in
Energy Drinks
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Eyes wide open: We’ve all tried coffee or tea during exams at school but they never seem to work, no matter how many cups we guzzle. One can of Red Bull and you are ready to stretch your night hours, for work or play, by at least a couple of hours. “Two Red Bull cans and I am set for the whole night, whether it is to study or for night-shoots,” said Gautami Hazra of St. Xavier’s College.
No-hassle drink: You are dozing off and need a wake-me-up. But imagine boiling water and then waiting for the tea to brew, or the vile taste of instant coffee! With energy drinks, all you have to do is walk up to the fridge. “When you want a drink in the middle of the night making tea or coffee can be quite a hassle. Energy drinks are a ready-made deal. Just pop open a can!” said Syamantakshobhan Basu of Jadavpur University.
Adda zone: A can of chilled energy drink is now easily available, perfect for the parar morer adda in summer. Most cafes now sell energy drinks along with regular brews and are almost always cheaper than cold coffees. “During summer I often order Red Bull at cafes instead of coffee. It’s refreshing and works better than coffee,” said Ruby Singh of Asutosh College.
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Wings on feet: No matter how much you love the old-school beverage, it is hardly an option when you are partying. You can’t possibly mix vodka or rum in a cup of tea or coffee! But Red Bull-vodka is a popular party guzzler for GenY. “It gives you the energy to do crazy things, like dancing till the wee hours, but it can get you really drunk, so you need to be careful about your intake,” warned Atreyee Chatterjee of Jadavpur University.
Power to sports: Tea and coffee are of no use when it comes to any kind of sports, especially if you are looking for a burst of energy, say match maniacs. Also, Red Bull is cold and quenches your thirst as well. “Nothing like a can of Red Bull or Tzinga during the halftime of an intense football game to get a burst of energy, more so than regular Glucon-D,” said Sarodik Ghosal, who is awaiting his ISC results.
Tea and coffee
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Health hurrah: We doubt any energy drink can claim health benefits (!), unlike tea, well at least green and white tea. “Green tea has antioxidants so it is great for health. You can also take the used tea bag and put on your face as a pack. You can’t do that with an energy drink!” said Poulomi Paul of Symbiosis Law School.
Cost effective: A can of Red Bull costs Rs 95, Tzinga Rs 20 but your cha/coffee at the canteen or para more at its highest is only Rs 10. No wonder by the end of the month all those energy-drink lovers are sipping on their bhanr of chai. “Milanda’s canteen serves iced tea, cold chocolate and cold coffee. All three put together costs less than a can of Red Bull,” said Cinibali Banerjee of Jadavpur University.
Easy to get: No matter how tiny and ill-stocked your canteen is, it’ll have tea and coffee. The regular variety is also available at every roadside stall, unlike energy drinks, for which you need to walk into a well-stocked shop or departmental store. “Some places I hang out at might not keep energy drinks but the good thing with chai is that it is sold everywhere,” said Shirsho Dasgupta, who is awaiting his ISC results.
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Variety is the spice: Tea and coffee need not be just hot, black or with milk. Not just many flavours, there are many forms too — cold coffee, cafe mocha, iced tea, cafe latte, caramel coffee, masala chai, green tea, cappuccino, Decaf...the list goes on. Energy drinks are, well, energy drinks, there’s really not much to choose from.
“I’d choose the Hazelnut Cappuccino at Barista or the Masala Chai at Tea Junction over a can of bubble gum-tasting Red Bull any day,” said Shrestha Saha of Presidency University.
St. Xavier’s talks entrepreneurship, in association with The Telegraph
St. Xavier’s College, in association, with The Telegraph, hosted the third leg of Inertia 2013, a two-day international marketing summit titled The Global Entrepreneur organised by the department of management (commerce), on April 12 and 13.
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| Partha Chatterjee and Felix Raj light the lamp |
The event was inaugurated by state commerce and industries minister Partha Chatterjee along with college principal Father Felix Raj, vice-principal Father Dominic Savio, US consul-general in Calcutta Dean Thompson, development commissioner SEZ (eastern India) Sanjeev Nandwani, BCom (morning) dean Swapan Banerjee and event convener Tridib Sengupta.
“You are the corporate leaders of tomorrow. In today’s highly competitive climate, the geographical boundaries of trade and commerce have vanished. No trade can flourish individually and business leaders have to learn from each other,” said the minister at the inauguration.
Chatterjee added that in the present volatile global economy, marketing strategies needed to be based on new parameters with business ethics and corporate social responsibility being the new buzzwords.
“The state will greatly benefit from such brainstorming sessions. There are huge opportunities for entrepreneurs in the state. Only, information does not reach all. Look at the websites and enrol yourselves at the enrolment bank,” urged the Trinamul minister.
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| Dean Thompson addresses the students |
A panel discussion on “the DNA of Intrapreneurship — revisiting corporate experiences” had speakers like Mike German, Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, Sanjeev Nandwani, Ambarish Dasgupta, head of management, consulting, KPMG, India, C.P. Singh, associate dean, Praxis Business School, Rachel Sunden, deputy director, American Center, and Nihar Ghosh, senior vice president, HR, RPG Group, discussing the essence of Intrapreneurship.
“Entrepreneurship is about solving a problem, not about starting a company,” is how Sunden described entrepreneurship. Dasgupta shared his experiences as a consultant with KPMG and listed finance, government risks and regulations as some of the challenges that entrepreneurs need to be ready to face.
An interactive session with filmmaker Onir on “entrepreneurial evolution of Indian filmmaking — issues and concerns” saw the director recounting the financial hurdles he faced while filming My Brother... Nikhil. With I Am, he experimented with crowd funding only to receive a letter from Sebi saying that crowd funding is illegal in India. He felt that India needed a separate chain to produce films made by independent film-makers. When asked whether creative licence being compromised in India bothers him, Onir said: “In India anybody can file a PIL, creative freedom is hugely compromised and such censuring of the mind is dangerous.”
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| Onir at Inertia |
“Who owns your brand — the customer or the corporation?” saw speakers Jahan Mehta of Selvel Group, Shamim E. Haque, professor BRAC Business School, Bangladesh, Rajesh Sen of ITC Welcome Group, Ankit Khare, professor, XIM Jabalpur, Varun Bajaj, a BCom (morning) student of St. Xavier’s debating whether the life of a brand depends on the consumer and whether a product comes before the brand.
The highlight of the two-day event, however, were some games that tested marketing skills.
Best Manager had participants working as brand managers in the first round and talent managers in the second, trying to secure sponsors for their unruly clients, before going on to face a panel of judges. The human resource and public relations event had contestants interview prospective superheroes who wished to be part of The Avengers team!
