The Kauntest Story
I credit myself with coining this word ‘kauntest’ while working in the new-media division of SONY Entertainment Television. Around that time, ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ on STAR Plus had already redefined the world of entertainment. There were plenty of spoofs being made on the format of the show and it was also inspiring copywriters in any and every context. In fact, my colleague Lovnish and I had even devised – “Kya Aap Ek Arab Jeetna Chahtey Hain?” – where the first prize would be an Arab (as in a person from Arabia) and not 100 Crores. In any case, that never made it beyond a few laughs that it evoked whenever we told someone about it!The name ‘kauntest’ in a way dictated the nature of the contest. It had to do with identifying people – ‘kaun’ (who?). Therefore kauntest = a test of being able to identify – who? And for that I was ‘inspired’ by the mix ‘n match faces contest that I remembered having seen in some Hindi film magazine while waiting at my barber’s for my 10 Rupee hair cut!
Within no time of our launching this contest on our website, others started doing the same. The most notable being Indiatimes.com, which launched a pathetic version of the same, called, if I remember correctly – ‘Whacky faces contest” – ugghh!! Indiafm.com also started its “Eye-dentify” contest, which it has diligently been running for the last couple of years.
I applied for the domain name at net4domains.com and dispatched a demand-draft to them as well. However, a few days later, they wrote to me saying that while my DD was in-transit, the domain had already been booked by someone else. It was almost like I had been robbed!
www.kauntest.com took you to a page freely hosted by NameZero.com (under a scheme where NameZero would have a permanent frame for themselves, while in another frame your site would open). There was an e-mail address on the page. I wrote to that e-mail address. What follows is my pursuit of a dream that had been broken even before it had taken off!
Read on…
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi,
Very recently you took up the domain name kauntest.com, through NameZero. In fact 4 days before you took the domain, I too had applied for the same domain with a local domain name agent in Delhi, however the draft delayed in post by a few days.
I wanted to enquire from you as to what you have in mind for this domain?
Since you have taken it though NameZero, I assume you are not going to put it into any serious use.
Please let me know, if you are SERIOUSLY interested in doing anything with the domain, or have just parked it.
Regards
Rahul Razdan
***********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 09:55:34 +0530
right,
i have taken the name through namezero.
i plan to transfer the domain on my name.
im not sure of the future plans for this domain.
are you interested in this domain?
i might be putting up a website there.
***********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi
Thanks for replying.
Yes I do really want this domain name as I have already done some work in this regard. Well actually I am the creator of this contest on setindia.com and I had planned to develop this independent site kauntest.com on my own.
However now I am in a fix and would like to know from you if you would be interested in giving it up?
Thanks
Regards
- Rahul Razdan
***********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 20:07:33 +0530
i do understand your problem rahul.
its all about who gets first in getting the names.
i have similar plans about the domain.
its all about business .
i too had missed on similar names before.i had to buy the names from the owner.
thats the way it works rahul!
i wouldnt mind transfering the domain to you.
i would like you to talk business.
where are you from?
which city?
*********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi
Yeah..you are right..it is indeed first come first get..!!
I am living in Bombay..
I could talk business with you – but honestly it comes with all its limitations…some of them personal and others geographical.
Where are you based?
- rahul
**********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 09:37:35 +0530
great, im from mumbai too.
whats the company you want the domain for rahul.?
give me your contact number so i can get back to you. we cannot talk business writing emails.
***********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi
I do not want name for any company, but for myself, independently.
My number is 98*******
*********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 13:15:28 +0530
ok rahul.
before giving you a call,ill need to know something.
it will be better if you can quote your price for the domain.
im sure you must have decided on the cost of the domain.
whats your offer?
**********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
hi
my mobile has gone down, so we can’t get to talk atleast till monday.
but very honestly, I think my upper limit for this is Two Thousand rupees.
Let me again make it clear, I am not doing it as a corporate venture but as a personal interest initiative.
Regards
- rahul
**********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 17:10:42 +0530
rahul,
im glad you are talking business now.
but your offer doesnt make sense at all.
transfering the domain to your name is going to cost me 1000 Rs itself.
how do you expect me to sell it to you for 2000 Rs. I know you need this name rahul…so do I and Many Others Too.
Your Price is far too less than my expectaions.
think about it rahul and write to me.
give me an offer i cannot refuse.
***********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
hi sohail,
what I quoted is the amount I can afford. Very honestly, I am NOT talking hardcore business, coz my survival is not dependent on it.
What one has to pay to NameZero is $15 which as per today’s exchange rates is less than Rs 700, so what I am offering you is almost three times that offer.
In any case what you have spent on it is NOTHING. If you had bought the domain name by paying some money from your pocket, it would have conveyed the impression that you were serious about the whole issue. The way I see it – any amount that you make on it is pure profit, so I would rather you settle for it.
Ok, at best what I could offer is that, I pay you the Rs.2K, and then you give me the username and password for NameZero and I myself buy it from them, thus saving you that money (and the hassle of payments etc.) as well.
I know, it feels bad, if a ‘perceived jackpot’ does not turn out to be as big. But I will leave you with certain points to ponder -
i.) I am not a corporate company
ii.) I have a steady job so my bread and butter is well assured, and it is not that my future depends on getting this domain.
iii.) Everything in this world IS NOT a business oportunity.
iv.) I could even offer you an acknowledgement on the site (till eternity!!), as a person who has graciously contributed to the making of this site a reality.
v.) You might just be killing somebody’s dream.
Just think about it.
Regards
- rahul
*********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 18:12:09 +0530
lets keep the final rate at 4000.
thats my final offer rahul.
nothing less.not 2k not 3k
ill call u and we can complete the deal.
*********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi
Haven’t heard from you.
definitely, be finalising the deal with you.
Regards
- rahul
*********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2000 00:33:50 +0530
what happened ..u never replied?
**********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi
Was terribly busy..
Ok…now we can get on with the deal..
You can call me on 98******** anytime after 6:00pm.
Regards
- rahul
*********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2000 10:43:52 +0530
right rahul,
i shall be calling u after 6 then.
the 5 grand deal is agreed then.i shall be giving you the user name and password for the domain.
the rest is your problem rahul.
i really dont have the time to go and issue a draft.
you will have to compromise on this.
**********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
Hi,
Please try to inspire trust in the people you are trying to “business” with, rather than make them doubt.
No I do not want this deal if you are going to be unprofessional about it.
Pretty evident that since you will not be getting the domain released, it is I who will have to bear that expense. And instead of giving me a discount on this, you have very subtly tried to up the price to 5k.See let me repeat once again, I am not THAT desperate to get this domain.
So now that, you are just giving me the user name and password, it is unattractive for me to pay anything more than the 3.5 grand. Ok. And I think the only way to actually implement this is, for the 2 of us to go to a cyber cafe, and sit and change the password together. We can change the password to a common password. The I pay you up. And then I alone change
the pasword again.
Lemme know if its fine by you.
-rahul
*********
From: sohail
To: Rahul Razdan
Subject: Re: kauntest.com Domain Name
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2000 20:57:49 +0530
fine
when do you want me to call you up.
where do u stay rahul.
im at mahim.
its going to be cash payment right?
looking forward to meeting you.
thanks
*********
Rahul Razdan wrote:
I am at Andheri, You could call me tomorrow after 6:00pm. and we could fix up a meeting for Saturday.
Yes the payment is going to be cash.
Ok.
See you soon
- rahul
*********
fine then i shall be calling you on your cell.
bye
sohail
*********
He never called.
Over time I assume he lost interest.
I patiently waited for his tenure to expire.
However, at the end of one year – NameZero auto-renewed the domain in its own name for another year.
Ouch!
I waited another year, and then came the day when this domain was liberated. To avoid a repeat of the fiasco of postal payments, I requested my friend Chiranjeev to book the domain for me immediately. He obliged by making the payment with his credit card. So, I was finally the proud owner of kauntest.com!
But with my work consuming most of my mental and physical space, it was taking me an awful amount of time to get down to doing anything on this site. And then one day. My tenure expired too!
Another S.O.S to Chiranjeev and I was bailed out yet again – Phew!
And here we are now. A dream fulfilled for me, finally. Thank you so much for your time spent in reading this saga.
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