How to win friends?

Frankly speaking I had not read the Book by Dale Carnege, for the simple reason that these high sounding Books just fly over my head. I can neither understand nor implement all things mentioned in these books. At the end of the day, if you can not make a single friend, one's natural reaction would be to blame the Book and the methods suggested. Who am I to criticise a book of that proportions, just because I am not intelligent enough to understand those methods? So the best option is, not to step into an unknown territory and be happy. I prefer the later!

If one is keen to develop new friends, I feel one should have his 'own' methods. These are not 'verifiable', as these are neither documented for posterity, nor taught in any Management Institutes! Its just by experience, which anyway I have in plenty!

Meanwhile my son , in partnership with one of his friends, launched an online library. I was asked to take care of the Telugu section, and also get some customers. Writing abstracts of the 450 odd books was lot of fun. The task had since been completed for the existing books and all details have been uploaded. Now, the next job of finding potential customers for the venture, has brought all my experience to the fore.I travel a lot in Pune in the Bus, thanks to the Pune Municipal Corporation's very liberal scheme for Senior Citizens, I literally travel free, anywhere in the City!

I keep my eyes and ears open to identify a potential telugu reading customer. I keep a watch on anybody holding a Telugu Newspaper or a Magazine, obviously he can read Telugu,sometimes may be he is taking those for his wife or parents at home.Either way it is quite fine with me, to drive home the concept of an online library with the USP of delivering/collecting books at the doorstep! I first greet them and introduce myself.

We have around 5 Lakh Telugu speaking population in Pune thanks to the IT boom.Most of them have come thousand kilometers away from their home and it is always a welcome change to listen to somebody speaking the same language! However much we talk about Nationalism,non Regionalism etc..the language that too mothertongue is the Best bonding material.

I keep my 'Ear to the Ground' as James Hadley Chase puts it! Anybody speaking in Telugu, immediately activates my 'sensors' ! I adopt the same method as above. I have been successful in making about 50 friends in the last one and half years since I returned from Andhra. I now have to see how many of them would actually relish Telugu library. I am in Pune almost for 50 years, and except for a couple of Weekly and Monthly magazines,and two newspapers, nothing in Telugu is available here.What we have taken is a small step in cultivating the reading habits and making the site Reader friendly.

By the way none of my family members approve of my friendship making methods! They keep some distance from me and ready to 'disown' me in case some of my 'newly acquired friends' throw towel at me! The methods I am adopting are totally unconventional, but I am totally enjoying!