Bala Krishnan

Using Twitter only for escalation. Views are mine!

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

Salesforce going new lows everyday

[Sridhar Vembu @svembu]

Salesforce is running an ad claiming 40% off to beat Zoho. We have watched this playbook for years where they give deep discounts to get you in, followed by aggressive escalation once you're locked-in.

Before you switch anything, ask them to show you standardised multi-year pricing. If they don't, that's your answer. Enterprise software is a con-game of "discount" bullshit by vendors like Salesforce. Buyer beware!

As for "old CRM", Salesforce is a garbage bin of acquired enterprise software companies over decades, held together with bubble gum and duct tape.

[Sridhar Vembu @svembu]

Salesforce is running an ad claiming 40% off to beat Zoho. We have watched this playbook for years where they give deep discounts to get you in, followed by aggressive escalation once you're locked-in.

Before you switch anything, ask them to show you standardised multi-year pricing. If they don't, that's your answer. Enterprise software is a con-game of "discount" bullshit by vendors like Salesforce. Buyer beware!

As for "old CRM", Salesforce is a garbage bin of acquired enterprise software companies over decades, held together with bubble gum and duct tape.

[Sridhar Vembu @svembu]

When Udayanidhi Stalin repeatedly attacks "sanathanam" in Tamil, why is there not more outrage among the highly religious Tamil Hindu population?

I believe it comes down to language.

In Tamil language, the word "sanathanam" (eternal in English) is not in regular use. Most Tamil people do not know this word and I did not know it myself as a child.

On the other hand the word "dharma" (spelled as "dharmam" or "dharumam") is common in Tamil and there is a district named Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu. There is also the word "aram" used in Tamil with the same meaning as dharma.

Interestingly, in Hindi, the word "dharam" means "religion" in general and Hinduism is "hindu dharm" or "sanatan dharam" and Christianity is "isai dharam" in Hindi.

But in Tamil usage, the word "dharmam" would effectively mean "Hindu dharam" in Hindi.

Now if Udayanidhi had attacked "dharmam" in Tamil (which effectively means Hinduism) he would be widely criticised for proclaiming adharmam.

That is why he is picking the word "sanathanam" to attack because that word is not widely known in Tamil.

With all his "sincere" effort, he is making the word known in Tamil too and he has made the already huge anti DMK vote in Tamil Nadu even bigger. The DMK has never won a majority on its own ever, because of that huge strong anti-DMK current. They established that current with their constant attacks on Hindu deities. The AIADMK never did that and they harvested the anti-DMK current well.

Now, in spite of the TVK being the new anti-DMK party and in spite of the AIADMK splitting the anti-DMK vote (see how I worked it!) and in spite of the DMK spending extraordinary amounts of cash, in spite of the DMK having a strong alliance and the TVK having no alliance, the DMK lost the election.

Udayanidhi wants to ensure the DMK would never come back. May the eternal sanatana dharma grant his wish 🙏😉

[Sridhar Vembu @svembu]

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP being in power at the centre has been used by essentially all the parties to demonize them. The DMK made "attack Modi" as their only plank. EdappadiDMK (that is the correct name) would have done the same thing if the Congress had switched over to them. In Tamil, we call this பூச்சாண்டி காட்டுதல் - like my grandmother would tell me as a kid "that tree next to the pond has a ghost that will catch you, so don't go near it" to keep me away from swimming in the pond! Modi is their favorite பூச்சாண்டி.

So when someone parrots the line "we want to keep the BJP out of Tamil Nadu", they are saying "we don't want competition for our cozy duopoly", not some deep principle. The BJP has been in alliance in AP and Pondicherry and those states are doing fine, they are making excellent progress. Yet TN is supposedly "different".

The "difference" was the BJP getting into alliance with these same parties (EDMK or DMK) that want to openly or secretly suppress them in TN.

What is the way ahead? Find good youthful passionate leadership that are willing to fight the good fight long term. Focus on building up the party from the grassroots. Ignore all the பூச்சாண்டி business. Do not align with anyone who claims "TN is different". TN is Bharat. We have to fight this subterranean separatism.

Annamalai was making progress but he needed a lot more time. He was creating a genuine political movement, he invited youth to be active in politics and he had massive engagement.

I would have volunteered for this assignment too (I love building up from zero!) but I am neck deep in tech and Bharat needs deep tech. So not in this life time. To be very clear, I will state my political views (my right to free speech) but I will not be in active politics.

I hope all our educated citizens do engage in this political debate and express their opinions, but let us all do it RESPECTFULLY.

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@actorvijay @Tambaram_Corp @arivalayam @TVKVijayHQ @CoolsarathKumar

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@actorvijay Congrats on your win. #DMK has raised property taxes in @Tambaram_Corp to Rs 16/- sq ft. It's difficult for middle class citizens to pay 24,000 for my 972 sq ft carpet area/1392 sq ft built-up area humble 2.5 BHK apartment. Kindly set a fair tax please. @arivalayam

[M.K.Stalin @mkstalin]

மக்களின் துயரை எண்ணிப் பார்த்து தீர்வு காணுங்கள்!

தேர்தலுக்கு முன்பே கணித்ததுபோல், தேர்தல் முடிந்தவுடன் #LPGPrice-ஐ உயர்த்தியிருக்கிறது ஒன்றிய பா.ஜ.க. அரசு.

உலகச் சந்தையில் கச்சா எண்ணெய் விலை குறைந்தபோது, அதன் பலனை மக்களுக்கு அளிக்கவில்லை. இப்போது #WestAsiaWar என்ற நெருக்கடியை வைத்து, மக்களின் நலனை எண்ணாமல், விலையை ஏற்றுவது சரியல்ல.

இந்த #LPGPriceHike ஏற்படுத்தும் தா��்கங்களை உணர்ந்து, இந்த விலை உயர்வை உடனடியாகத் திரும்பப் பெற வேண்டும். மக்களின் வாழ்வாதாரத்தைக் காக்க வேண்டும்.

Act with the people’s pain in mind.

As predicted, the Union BJP Government raised #LPGPrice the moment elections ended.

When global crude prices fell, the benefit was not passed on to the people. Now, using the #WestAsiaWar crisis to raise prices, without regard for public welfare, is unacceptable.

Recognise the impact this #LPGPriceHike will unleash. Reverse it immediately. Protect livelihoods.

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@SanjaiGandhi @ADMK4Us @AIADMKOfficial @EPSTamilNadu @annamalai_k @BJP4India @MohankumarBJPTN @BJP4TN

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@SanjaiGandhi Now Tambaram corportation officials are visiting our home and demanding us to pay fully. If not they will disconnect our UDG. We are ready to pay our fair share of taxes. Can someone pls help. We will be grateful

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@grok @jaikumar0431974 @KN_NEHRU @Tambaram_Corp @tambaramcorpor2 @Tambaram_Corp pls give me 25% rebate for self occupied. I will then pay my property taxes. If I go to office they are definitely asking for bribes. I can't afford to pay bribe to pay taxes.

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@jaikumar0431974 @KN_NEHRU @Tambaram_Corp @tambaramcorpor2 For a very humble (972 sq ft carpet area) and 1392 sq ft plinth area apartment, my annual property tax is Rs 22,762/- without adding fine. I am unable to afford it. Pls help. I have to sell house to pay taxes.

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@jaikumar0431974 @KN_NEHRU @Tambaram_Corp @tambaramcorpor2 @grok @SuperGrok

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@jaikumar0431974 @KN_NEHRU @Tambaram_Corp @tambaramcorpor2 @grok can you please check and say is it a fare tax for own use residential 1 unit apartment in tambaram area?

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@EurekaForbes
HOW LONG WILL YOU TAKE TO ISSUE ME REFUND? I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING UP ON EMAILS AND CALLS TO GET MY DEPOSIT BACK. MACHINE WAS TAKEN 3 WEEKS BACK. BUT NO RESOLUTION SO FAR

COMPLAINT ID: CM-201125-62479401

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@TaxBuddy1 @grok verify this

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@IndianGems_ Dmk

[Bala Krishnan @BKM97]

@elonmuskTN 8

[Sridhar Vembu @svembu]

Thank you! Most important of all, all of this has been built by people who had never seen anything like these ever built, and in fact, most of our people had never worked anywhere else.

Our first challenge is to make ourselves believe "we can do this".

Due to our tortured history, a lot of Indians, even highly educated Indians, have had the defeatist attitude "it cannot be done, definitely not in India". And the most defeatist of them become naysayers and it becomes self-fulfilling.

Escaping that mental trap is the most important part of it. Now that Zoho exists and is succeeding (slowly) in the world on its own terms, we can let go of that defeatism.

This is why I admire the Chinese people. After "100 years of national humiliation" as they see their history, they have now risen. Bharat must rise and will rise. Tech is the most critical part of it.

[Pravesh Jain @PRAVESHPARAS]

In September 2025, K. Sivakumar, former Chief Financial Officer of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)—a Maharatna public sector giant in India's oil refining and marketing—lost his only daughter, Akshaya, a 34-year-old IIM Ahmedabad graduate, to a brain hemorrhage. Devastated, Sivakumar's grief turned into a harrowing ordeal as he navigated Bengaluru's official formalities. From the ambulance driver demanding ₹5,000 to transport her body, to police at Bellandur station rudely extorting cash for the FIR and post-mortem report, crematorium staff insisting on bribes for a receipt, and BBMP officials haggling for the death certificate—corruption stalked every step. In a viral LinkedIn post (now deleted), the 64-year-old broke down, sobbing: "I had money, so I paid. What will the poor do?" He questioned the humanity of a system that preys on the vulnerable, asking if titans like Narayana Murthy could save Bengaluru from anarchy.

BPCL, his lifelong employer since 1987, offered silent condolences but no public intervention, highlighting the disconnect between corporate stature and civic rot. Two police officers were suspended amid outrage, yet this is mere optics.

Shame on this predatory bureaucracy! In a nation boasting digital India and anti-corruption crusades, officials exploit death's raw agony for petty cash, turning grief into a transaction. Police, meant to protect, bully the broken; civic bodies, funded by taxpayers, feast on despair. This isn't governance—it's vampirism, where the affluent buy passage but the poor are buried alive in red tape. Karnataka's Congress regime, wake up! Suspend more than scapegoats; dismantle this cesspool with CCTV mandates, zero-tolerance probes, and fast-track grief desks. Billionaire philanthropists, fund the fight—expose every leech. India deserves dignity in death, not this barbaric toll. If a BPCL titan weeps, imagine the silenced screams of the destitute. What was top officials of giant oil company doing at the time of his grief. He was your Ex CFO. Why for CFO, even for a clerk who after serving 35 years and after retirement, you should come to your employee rescue. Local territory manager should have provided all help. Otherwise what is the point of working for such giant oil company? System is rotten. CM of Karnataka @siddaramaiah and Dy chief minister @DKShivakumar must take stringent action against all involved in harassing this helpless gentleman. It is congress govt. @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi and @kharge must find out what has exactly happened. Why this man is crying not so much for his grief ( which obviously is major thing) but for petty corruption at every step from transporting body from hospital by ambulance to death certificate. @DILIPtheCHERIAN @bainjal @rohini_sgh @HardeepSPuri @sakshijoshii @NidhiKNDTV @sardesairajdeep

[Vinoj P Selvam @VinojBJP]

Because waiting for @arivalayam to work for the people is impossible @BJP4TamilNadu at T nagar today decided to fill up potholes across several streets which were begins death traps for motorists. We will continue the same across the neighbourhood over the next three days. @AmitShah @blsanthosh @annamalai_k