An ode to the canvas of life :D

Mr. Partha Sinha BBH, Mumbai

2009-11-07T00:31:00.000-08:00

In engaging discussion, Mr. Partha ( BBH Advertising Mumbai) highlighted that the recession has brought the marketing fraternity on their toes. It has made them question the holy cows and cliches that we have adopted in the past. Recession is the time to re-invent, become more agile and lithe.

Some important pointers to keep in mind:

1)Avoid the closed eye maharaja syndrome - Indian airlines was very proud of its "Maharaja" who never opened his eyes in all the 360 deg communication in its illustrious career...!

Well, it shows...! :/

2) Sridevi syndrome: Value for money syndrome. (Actress sridevi over emotes in all her movies, to deliver value for money). Over doing things and in your face advertising doesn't work.

3)Consumer doesn't think "switchgear"

Understanding wht is relevant to the consumers is important. Believing that the consumers are savvy, educated, well informed and judicious makes you deliver better value.

4) Geetha from Gorakpur syndrome: Every time a new approach or radical strategy is proposed, people have this inherent tendency to to reflect whether Githa from gorakhpur can understand it, without actually questioning the tenet whether every communication or strategy is targeted at Gita frm gorakhpur. Instead of building your communication on the lines of LCM build it on HCF.

Had fun attending this session!

In the name of the father

2009-10-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

In the Name of the father

Director: Jim Sheridan

Gerry a small time thief from Belfast arrives in London to make his fortune. But he gets pulled up by the London police who believe that he is a part of the IRA that was responsible for bombing a pub that left 5 people dead. He is innocent but the police frame the evidence against him. They round up his friends and family. Six of them are framed for the crime that they didn’t commit and are imprisoned.

This movie emphasizes on the stereotypes that exist in our minds about some cultures and people. Because he was Irish and came from an impoverished land and because IRA was indulging in activities that irked the British, they were more than glad to frame an Irish man for the crime without delving into the fact. It also emphasises the effect of hegemony. The suppressed have no voice and they are totally helpless. After a while we see that the lack of empathy ont he part of the police when they find out who the real bomber was. They don’t bother to rectify their mistake or admit it. They prefer to let 6 innocent people spend their lives in prison for a crime that they have not committed.

The movie brings together the father (Guieseppe) and son together in a prison cell. Gerry has never connected with his father and he feels that throughout his life that his father never appreciated anything that he did. He feels neglected and deprived of affection. With time they slowly understand each other and learn to accept each other. Gerry sees that his father is a compassionate and an optimistic man. Guieseppe begins to understand his son and the bond between them strengthens. They lose all hope of making it out of the jail and feel condemned to their cruel destiny until a social worker takes up their cause and fights for their justice. It also tells us how injustice can take away innocent lives. Every time we look at a criminal we associate negative connotations with him, without hearing the facts – another case of stereotype.

The behaviour of the crowd in the courtroom is interesting as well. In the beginning without even knowing the truth they scream that the 6 of them should be hanged, but then when the social worker finds out that they are innocent they scream slogans against the government and the police.

It tells us about the civilian conditions that persisted in Ireland and their rebellion against the more powerful and well equipped British, about innocent people who lost their lives in this struggle and makes their voices heard through the protagonists. In this case Gerry was finally freed but there were thousands of Gerrys’ and Guieseppes’ who lost the battle of life for crimes that they haven’t committed.

Two women

2009-10-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Two Women

Director –Tahmineh Milani

Tahmineh Milani – “I try to show our society, what is going on in women's heads, what are their hopes, what they want and love.”

Two women

The movie “Two women” is a critique on marginalization and systematic subordination of women.

She enunciates what Virginia Woolf spoke about in her book “Three Gunieas” which says that sexual difference for her is not laid down by ‘nature’ but is shaped by the society and the experiences that a woman goes through and the opportunities that is available to her. The identity of a woman is shaped by cultural differences in a society that is dominated by men.

The power relations that exist between men and women are also explored here. The two faces of power relations are shown and contrasted. Roya’s marriage where there is an equal footing is shown as a happy marriage where there is scope for self-expression, sharing of ideas and companionship where as Faristeh’s marriage where the husband is shown as domineering, egoistic, hierarchically oriented and power-hungry and faristeh is expected to be nurturing, child-bearing and domestically inclined is full of grief and neither of them derive happiness from this equation.

The movie also shows highlights another aspect called “representation”. Women are portrayed to be meek, extremely dutiful, conservative, intellectually inferior, dependent and helpless. In this movie Tehminah critiques this kind of representation by showing the lives of two women. Here Farishteh, an ambitious, bright woman is caught up in the maze of systematic oppression where she is forced to give up her education and into a marriage with a man she does not love where she is constantly reminded of her “position” as a woman. He scorns at her idea of “equal companionship”, suspects her of infidelity, confines her to the house, restricts her movements and interactions with the outside world and isolates her from everything that she holds dear. In contrast, Roya a spirited woman who imbibes the lessons of freedom, liberty and education from Farishteh is a successful civil engineer, a woman in a male dominated profession. Roya has a relationship based on companionship and equality with her husband. She enjoys a good rapport with her husband who supports her and her vision. These contrasts bring forth the fact that when the society that is so male dominated oppresses women it leaves them unsure, insecure , disillusioned and helpless whereas when it encourages them women appear to be strong, decisive, confident and more than capable of taking on any kind of challenge posed. It is a transformation from poverty, derision to intellectual freedom and liberty from unreal/enforced loyalties. This contrast shows hope in the light of despair.

Here Tehminah also explores the “patriarchal basis of life” where men shape the structure of the society.

Level One

As a growing girl Farishtesh is oppressed by the father who believes that education is wasted on women and does not take pride in the fact that his daughter has not only earned her right to education by working and paying back her fees and more but also has excelled in her academics. When she is stalked by a man, who threatens her and traumatises her mentally, instead of being supportive he blames it on her “womanhood” and what shame she has brought to him. When she gets involved in an accident trying to escape her stalker he seems devastated by the fact that his stature in the society has been “tainted” by her though he knows the fact that it wasn’t her fault.

Level Two

She is then forced to marry a man whom she doesn’t love. Though the man promises that he would encourage her to study when the universities open up, he brow-beats her into accepting the fact that she is now a mother of two kids and her “loyalties’ lies to her family and nothing else matters. He mocks at her desire to study and yells at her in front of her kids and tries to demean her status in the family. He curbs her right of self-expression, isolates her from the outside world, treats her like his property and her spirit suffers the consequences of these oppression. She is left helpless and lost. The suffering of the human spirit is portrayed in her helplessness caught in this ridiculous labyrinth of enforced loyalties, social stigmas and complete male domination.

Level Three

The society that allows for these heinous acts lays out its traps to marginalise and trivialise her sufferings. When she approaches the court for a divorce, the judge refuses to accept “verbal and mental torture” that she has been subjected to by her husband as a strong ground for divorce and dismisses her plea without due consideration.

Culture and here Islamic culture also imposes rules on women like dress code, sings the praises of the male child, doesn’t attach importance to women’s education and imposes double-standards is also a level of oppression.

But then there is hope that comes through both farishteh and Roya. Faristeh’s spirit might have been bound and curbed by all the atrocities but her desire to learn and educate herself is never lost. Even when she is in a state of despair she looks towards educating herself to raise her two kids on her own and seeks to liberate herself from her sufferings through education. She never gives up reading and even points that fact to her husband that no one can stop her from acquiring the knowledge that she craves for. Roya’s character signifies hope that if the various levels of oppression can be overcome then life can be so much more beautiful for women.

Other insights:

1) There is also a reference to the Iranian revolution. The universities were being shut down and the women’s rights were curbed. The students -men and women alike suffered as a consequence.

2) Censorship in Iran is the limiting or suppressing of the publishing, dissemination, and viewing of certain information in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The majority of such censorship is implemented or mandated by the Iranian government.

Censored content often includes information that relates to women's rights, freedom of speech, democracy, pornography, certain news sources, certain religious content, and many websites.

Aam Sutra...!

2009-10-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

Aam Sutra

Summer of 1989 was a special summer like all other summers in our young lives. The parched land on fire coupled with the radiation from the hills, the tourists that gathered there like a swarm of bees, the open gutter in front of the temple and routine twelve hour power cuts did not succeed in crushing our enthusiasm to visit our grandparents who lived in Tirupati. Every summer my mother and her sisters paid a visit to paati and thaatha and we needed no invitation to tag along. Those summers were definitely the best days of our life.

My earliest memories of mangoes can be traced back to this summer. The house that my grandparents lived in, was made out of rosewood and my great grandfather bought it from a ‘Deewaan family’ that could trace its lineage to the times of Krishnadevaraya. The living area in the ground floor was left untouched and the subsequent generations had built the first floor in which my grandparents lived. It had a hall, two huge rooms and a spacious kitchen and it opened out into a ‘pekadai ’, a terrace garden.

The dinner under the star studded sky was the highlight of the day. Paati pampered us by indulging in our gastronomic fantasies. She is a fabulous cook and an even better raconteur. My cousins and I sat in a large circle and paati took her place in the centre. The first course was never the boring sambahar rice that we had back at our homes. Giggling at inane jokes, counting the buses that looked like golden stars in backdrop of the dark hills, looking for the resident ghost in the adjoining ‘bugga madam’ , the store house and listening to paati’s stories transformed dinner time into a magical world. Thaatha had a role to play in this as well. While paati sat in the centre, embarking on glorious tales of valour and pride, he did what he was best at. He mixed rice and ‘avaakai’ with a generous dash of ghee in a big bowl. Of course, it was a dish tad too spicy for little kids, but it was precisely this factor that made eating avakaai sadam a pleasurable experience.

My paternal grandparents did their bit to make our summers memorable as well. Thaatha loved mangoes. Every summer evening, we went along with him to the market to buy mangoes. Every inch of the make-shift market place behind an old SBI branch was filled with mangoes- raw green ones, plump golden ones, yellowish green ones and ripe orange ones. Thaatha revelled in the art of mango picking and bargaining. He was never satisfied till he found the right fruit. He always told us that firm, plump mangoes that give away to slight pressure are the best ones for immediate consumption, that never buy green mangoes under the illusion that it might ripen (sometimes they don’t), that the perfumed Rasapuris are a very tempting but they can be deceiving- they are either sweet and delicious or simply unpalatable and to avoid those with bruised or shrivelled skin. We filled our colourful jholas with mangoes that thaatha chose and sprinted home to claim our share. My mother was an expert ‘mango milk-shake maker’. She always tempted my cousin who wasn’t fond of mangoes with cold mango milkshake that tasted like ambrosia. The backyard that had a little garden was ear-marked as a mango eating zone. The pleasure that you get when you squeeze ripe succulent mangoes, with the juice squirting on your chin and clothes is unparallel to any dining experience.

Mangoes made their presence felt all through my childhood. My paati walked 3.5 kms everyday to deliver my lunch to school. I have vivid memories of having lunch on a stone bench around a mango tree. My friend and I gulped down a spoonful of rice and raced to the next mango tree and then came back for the next. We did this day-after-day for five years. We ate rasam rice with paapad, curd rice with pickle and a burger-like snack under this tree. The mango tree was our ‘adda’ at school. We spent hours under its shade studying for exams, taking reprieve from the hot sun and playing hide and seek. All the classes that were held under the mango tree were our favourite classes. I remember the bulbuls club that flourished under the mango tree. We spent early summer days reserving our mangoes and earned our right to aim at those mangoes when they were ripe. I always associate a feeling of “mango-ness” with sunny, carefree summer days coupled with an exhilarating feeling of being alive in the moment.

The monsoon season wasn’t without its share of mango charms. I took a school-auto to school every day. Surprisingly, I travelled for twelve years by the same auto and took the same route to school. I had my very own special window seat and got preferential treatment from the auto-uncle. He introduced us to the delights of ‘thothaapuri mavina hannu’, a variety of raw mango, popular in Karnataka. Every time he was late, he caught us playing in the rain on the playground, the poor man yelled his lungs off that it was an irresponsible act and so on, while we all hung our heads in shame. At the end of his stern lecture he always gave us goodies to eat. Cut thothapuris with salt and chilli powder always cheered us up.

In the summer of 1995, we decided that we were all grown up and our mothers had conned us into going to coming to Tirupati every year. This year we decided that we would gather at ‘kothhavalasa’, about forty kilometres from Vishakapattanam. It was our first experience of a village life. We had never been to a village before. We were extremely excited that we had landed in a place far away from civilization. The place lived up to our expectations and more. My Chitappa, my mother’s younger sister’s husband, headed the steel plant at Kothavalasa and he was looked upon as an important official, and more revered than the local panchayat head. The villagers decided to give us a rousing welcome by hosting a dance party. We wore our pretty clothes and carried handbags and sat on the front row expectantly to see some tribal dance. I’d like to clarify here that in 1995 we thought that villagers were synonymous with semi-tribals and hence our expectations were on those lines.

The dais was a wooden platform and it had no roof. The whole area was lit with hurricane lamps. This was the first night in our young lives we were up so late. The villagers came in and sat on the ground, we occupied the plastic chairs that were in place for us. The excitement, the heat, and the carnival atmosphere proved to be a heady combination. Just as people settled down they served us a special dish in a cup made out of leaves sewn together. The dish had whole thaati nungu (date palm) and Ratnagiri mangoes drenched with coconut water.

All of a sudden music blared from the speakers that seemed to be everywhere. The harsh jarring noise broke the queer silence of the hot, sweaty night. Half naked women sparingly covered in skimpy gold garments made out of sequins, danced to the record of some Telugu songs that we did not recognise. They were joined by merry men who carried a bottle of toddy, while our parents sat in stunned silence. We had never seen anything quite like this before. My cousin and I started dancing on the ground and the next thing I remember is that we were dragged home by our moms and uncles who were embarrassed about the whole affair. It was quite a night.

In Hindu mythology the mango tree occupies a special position. Its prominence in Hindu mythology and religious observance leaves no doubt as to its antiquity, while its economic importance in ancient times is suggested by one of the Sanskrit names, Aam, which has an alternative meaning of provisions or victuals.

Dymock, Warden, and Hooper (Pharmacographia Indica) give the following resume of its position in the intellectual life of the Hindus:

"The mango, in Sanskrit Amra, Chuta and Sahakara, is said to be a transformation of Prajapati (lord of creatures), an epithet in the Veda originally applied to Savitri, Soma, Tvashtri, Hirangagarbha, Indra, and Agni, but afterwards the name of a separate god presiding over procreation. (Manu. xii, 121.) In more recent hymns and Brahmanas Prajapati is identified with the universe.

"The tree provides one of the pancha-pallava or aggregate of five sprigs used in Hindu ceremonial, and its flowers are used in Shiva worship on the Shivaratri. It is also a favorite of the Indian poets. The flower is invoked in the sixth act of Sakuntala as one of the five arrows of Kamadeva. In the travels of the Buddhist pilgrims Fah-hien and Sung-yun (translated by Beal) a mango grove (Amravana) is mentioned which was presented by Amradarika to Buddha in order that he might use it as a place of repose. This Amradarika, a kind of Buddhic Magdalen, was the daughter of the mango tree. In the Indian story of Surya Bai) the daughter of the sun is represented as persecuted by a sorceress, to escape from whom she became a golden Lotus. The king fell in love with the flower, which was then burnt by the sorceress. From its ashes grew a mango tree, and the king fell in love first with its flower, and then with its fruit; when ripe the fruit fell to the ground, and from it emerged the daughter of the sun (Surya Bai), who was recognized by the prince as his long lost wife."

The entrances of ceremonial halls are always lined with ‘thoranas’ made from mango leaves and the sacrificial oil that is poured into the yagas and yagnas are poured with the aid of mango leaves. So, mango tree finds its relevance in our social lives through these rituals. In the past, pickle making was quite a social activity. It gave the women folk a reason to mingle. Neighbours, friends and relatives got together, brought their ingredients and made a variety of pickles while exchanging their stories and their wisdom. They never compromised on the ingredients. The ingredients that go into pickle making are very specific and of the highest quality. This ensures that the end product is tasty and lasts longer and also provides a great pleasure in being finicky about fine details that they go into making the pickles. The women folk are always proud of their pickle recipes and they have their own secret ingredients or stringent procedures that make it their signature preparation. The different mango pickle preparations include maavadu (tiny, tender green mango preparation) - just the aroma of this pickle preparation can make one long for curd rice and pickle and make you homesick (this applies to the die heart curd rice and pickle fans of course), aavakai, manga thokku (made out of grated raw mangoes), sweet mango pickle (raw mangoes cut into small pieces and pickled with jaggery) etc.

As I one grows up, the taste buds not only mature but also become very discerning and demanding. The mundane fails to please you and no ordinary food appeals to your heightened senses. I’ve always been partial to my paati’s mango preparations. They never fail to delight me. This special mango sambhar dish that she makes with small, ripe mangoes beats all the sambhar recipes hands down. Small ripe mangoes, coriander powder, curry leaves, turmeric, hing and jaggery make this sambhar a spicy, unbeatable concoction. This is served with plain white rice and paapadams.

Just the thought of food can stir up a gamut of mixed emotions. The associations with food are aplenty. It takes you on a vivid, giddy journey down the memory lane and heightens your senses. Food is replete with meanings far beyond the actual act of eating. Food encodes experiences that involve people, your surroundings, situations, circumstances and strengthens the notions that ‘we are what we eat and we are where we eat’. The act of cooking and eating is an intricate part of all our lives. I have always had more than just a fascination for mangoes. It reminds me of those sunny summer school holidays, of my grandparents, of the sweltering summer heat, of the sense of easy camaraderie with my cousins and most importantly laughter, joy and peace.

Is this right or wrong? To know this just BLINK!

2009-06-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

I have decided to consciously explore books and topics unfamiliar, uninteresting and abstract. Everyday I will spend sometime reading 50 pages of abstruse data (well, that's how I perceive it) and try to make sense and make notes as well so that I can carry the thought process consciously through different walks of my life.

To kick off this trend is a book by Malcolm Gladwell called "Blink" that teaches you all about intuition and how you be trained to be intuitive.

Lessons from the book so far:
1)To start with I know what kouros are - They are^[1] over-life-sized^[2] dolomitic marble statues in the form of a late archaic Greek kouro

2)There are two ways of making a decision:
a) A careful logical deduction where you process and collate data to arrive at a conclusion.
b)Adaptive consciousness- At a sub-conscious level to take a call on how to proceed

3)Decisions made on the spur of the moment effortlessly can be as good as decisions that have been taken after quite some deliberation and caution.

4)When our rapid congnitive abilities go awry for some reason, they are always for a same set of specific reasons

5)Lessons for couples:
What do your reactions do you fall under?
Defensiveness
stonewalling
criticism
Contempt
The most dangerous among these is CONTEMPT

6)What are your dominant traits?
Extrovert
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Openness to new experiences

7)You don't sue a doctor whom you like!!

8)How well we think and act are a lot more susceptible to outside influence than we think.

9)When people say that they have a nose for it... They actually mean it. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex that lies just behind the nose has a huge role to play in decision making.

10)Warren harding error is a big NO NO.
People say that appearances don't matter. But of course they do. You size up a person within seconds of meeting him/her. If you want to get your point through then be well groomed. It's more likely that the person on the receiving end will be more receptive to your thought than otherwise. I am not saying that if a person is badly turned out his voice will not be heard but it will take longer because he has to pull down the mental barrier that has formed in the receivers head about him. It requires time. But time is not something that you always get...!
The other side of the coin is, be mentally alert to signs when you are sizing up people based on their appearances. The joke might just be on you.

When hell unfolds.....!

2009-04-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

All you want to do when you grow up is get grounded... Well, in a nice way. You look for some semblance of stability. Life is full of experiences. Some good, some bad and then some mad. You look for peace in your relationships with people. I've always hate it when people bicker. I hate squabbles, quarrels and things of that sort. When you see a dead person at your hand's reach, it hits you how transient life is. There is nothing there. Why is there this power struggle for money, status and education? I don't understand it! When you think you've found your peace with a person life laughs in your face and throws up upheavals that you can never imagine. I've loved families which are close knit. Where is a lot of love and laughter. I feel secure there. Happy even. I just hope I get to live in one such place. I don't think I'd survive anywhere else.
I can only hope for the best...! Gosh! One never knows or understands what life dishes out!

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Zindagi ke safar mein...!

2009-04-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar Jaate Hain Jo Makaam
Vo Phir Nahin Aate, Vo Phir Nahin Aate
Phool Khilte Hain, Log Milte Hain
Phool Khilte Hain, Log Milte Hain Magar
Patjhad Mein Jo Phool Murjha Jaate Hain
Vo Baharon Ke Aane Se Khilte Nahin
Kuchh Log Ik Roz Jo Bichhad Jaate Hain
Vo Hazaron Ke Aane Se Milte Nahin
Umra Bhar Chahe Koi Pukaara Kare Unka Naam
Vo Phir Nahin Aate, Vo Phir Nahin AateZindagi Ke Safar Mein...
Aankh Dhokha Hai, Kya Bharosa Hai
Aankh Dhokha Hai, Kya Bharosa Hai Suno
Doston Shaq Dosti Ka Dushman Hai
Apne Dil Mein Ise Ghar Banane Na Do
Kal Tadapna Pade Yaad Mein Jinki
Rok Lo Rooth Kar Unko Jaane Na Do
Baad Mein Pyaar Ke Chahe Bhejo Hazaron Salaam
Vo Phir Nahin Aate, Vo Phir Nahin AateZindagi Ke Safar Mein...
Subah Aati Hai, Shaam Jaati Hai Subah Aati Hai, Shaam Jaati Hai Yunhi
Vaqt Chalta Hi Rehta Hai Rukta Nahin
Ek Pal Mein Ye Aage Nikal Jaata Hai
Aadmi Theek Se Dekh Paata Nahin
Aur Pardey Pe Manzar Badal Jaata Hai
Ek Baar Chale Jaate Hain Jo Din-Raat Subah-O-Shaam
Vo Phir Nahin Aate, Vo Phir Nahin Aate
Zindagi Ke Safar Mein..

In the pursuit of an organic way of life...! Navadarshanam

2009-04-09T02:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.navadarshanam.org/mission.html

Everyone goes through life in the pursuit of a better life, a better career and happiness. I'd love to live in a rustic place where I grow my own food and where I can live close to nature. I love the idea of a gentle afternoon breeze carrying a hint of jasmine and paarijaata. It's a simple life. But it's definitely my kinda cool, grand life ...!

Twilight: When you live forever what do you live for?

2009-04-08T03:28:00.000-07:00

Twilight is a 2008 American romantic-fantasy film directed by Catherine Hardwicke and based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. The film stars Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, a teenage girl who falls in love with vampire Edward Cullen, portrayed by Robert Pattinson

My view: I've never watched a vampire movie before or a freaky movie. But the idea of romancing a handsome vampire is interesting indeed.

Advantages of a vampire falling in love with you:

The guy never sleeps - Sooooo he has plenty of time for everything

The guy has super natural powers- He can protect you and you can come to no harm under his vigilance (Sort of a being loved by a super hero feel )

He can climb the tallest mountains and show you the world like you have never seen it before.

He's been there done that - He is never lost. A wise hulk? ;)
He shields you from the evil world - Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuh
You can always be yourself with him - He knows nothing about other "human" life. so he is always interested in you. Keeps discovering new things about you and you don't even have to do much. You always fascinate him.
Disadvantages of a vampire being in love with you:
He's cold blooded and can never "warm" you up literally!
He can be the slayer and you can be the slayed- Hunger pangs bring out the worst in ordinary men. I shudder to think what they might bring out of vampires.
He doesn't smile too often.
Cooking for him isn't fun at all!

"WHEN YOU LIVE FORVER WHAT DO YOU LIVE FOR?" This is an interesting question isn't it?

When you live forever you don't have to care about money, shelter, food, academics, brilliance, one-upping, rat race and all the other madness that governs a "normal life".

When you live forever the only thing that matters is love and companionship. This is all that matters. Amidst all the rat race and madness this what one relaly longs for.

PS: To all the lonely hearts out there, your time to find that "someone" is NOW!

The battle of egos, religions, tempers, family feuds, verbal gymnastics - Choose to stay away

2009-04-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

You have the choice to say that you deserve better.

As per the 1969 act, in section “49-O” that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election officer that he doesn’t want to vote anyone!

If in a ward a candidate wins say by 100 votes and he has more than 100 49 O's his name then his candidature is cancelled, there is a re-polling and he is not allowed to contest in that poll.

This is the chance to truly be democratic. Stand up for your rights. Draw your swords against manipulative politicians who are upto no good. BE HEARD. MAKE A DIFFENCE. VOTE!

Invent, innovate- Now is the time to look INwards!

2009-04-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

Recession, pay cuts, lay offs, ‘The Great Depression (revisited)”, economic crisis - This list goes on and on. There is a lot of negativity in the atmosphere. How does one deal with it? Losing a job and a livelihood is traumatic. I have never believed in glorifying poverty or turbulent times. There is absolutely no consolation. There are no alternatives. I came across this phrase called “Children of Recession”. These children re-use tea bags, take the bus, don’t think big, don’t go out of the way to do anything different or radical. There is a whole generation out there which is dormant and reactive. A streak of helplessness runs through them which is infectious. There is a nasty sting of negativity.
All said and done how do we deal with this?

There is just one mantra. RE-INVENT, INNOVATE, INVENT POSSIBILITIES

TALL ASK YOU SAY? Not really!

A period of success puts you in control. But what it also does is that it stops you from innovating. One stops looking for newer, different and smarter way to do things because the current solutions are working perfectly fine. Our mental frame is fixed. We don’t look beyond this and we don’t look around it.

It’s time to look around you, take a moment and think of the stereotypes that we are stuck into. A limited budget forces one to be innovative within the constraints. Innovation and re-invention is the only way to deal with this. Now it’s up to you to go figure. It’s up to you to take up the stance to re-invent and think out of the box. This is your savior.

The solution lies in looking INwards. That's where you'll find the answers.

If you want something that you’ve never had you have to do something that you never did. (I flicked this line from Abhi’s board) :D

Money, money ,money...!

2009-04-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/03/demand-for-money.html

Earth Hour - Viral marketing for a cause!

2009-03-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

Earth Hour: 28th March 2009 - Following the green dream!
Facts (Courtesy Wiki) :Earth Hour is a global event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. Earth hour was conceived by WWF and the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, when 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all non-essential lights. Following Sydney's lead, many other cities around the world adopted the event in 2008.

Viral marketing: Viral marketing describes any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message to others, creating the potential for exponential growth in the message's exposure and influence.

Earth hour was definitely a viral campaign with a purpose. Several countries across the world and several individuals with "earth consciousness" made an earnest effort to create awareness and also acknowledge the fact that earth needs your help to survive and a cumulative effort is essential for this objective to be fulfilled.

Taking this forward

2009-03-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

I guess I've told you whatever is necessary about myself at this point in time. From now on my posts will be relevant to marketing, advertising trends, travel, brands, food and books.

How my career turned out... The story so far

2009-03-30T03:32:00.001-07:00

My first job was with an IT major. An engineering degree in electrical and electronics doesn't exactly put you in top gear for a career as a software engineer. After a rather rosy honeymoon in far away lands during my induction program, the harsh realities of the job did me in. Roped in as a programmer I did not exhibit either voluntary or forced interest in my job. I remember the long days that seemed longer because of my clueless existence. The job weighed on my mind like a ton of bricks. I wasn't going anywhere with the job and it wasn't getting me anywhere either. So after several long coffee breaks, a few brave attempts to salvage lost pride and long uneventful journeys to my workplace, I parted company with my first job.

A long period of disllusionment with the world and self doubt followed. The halo around my life had now disappeared. I doubted my abilities. Infact I didn't know what they were. I groped in darkness for a while. A few tears, laments, confusion and advice followed.

After a long period of tormenting idleness the door of hope creaked and opened slightly to let a ray of sunlight into my life. I landed another job in an advertising agency. It wasn't a merry ride. People smoking into my face and an unruly studio coupled with the fact that I was an outsider with no insight whatsoever about the industry wasn't a very encouragind beginning.

I handled it. I handled it badly.

I kept looking for options to move out. I landed my third job with another advertising firm. Soothing balm. I could breathe a little. I took some time to understand, adjust and look at the industry. It gave me some breathing space, induced a wee bit of confidence in myself.

Fast fwd mode ------> Groaned, whined, took my GMATand failed miserably after a lot of preparation -------> Plunged into great depression-------> Had my family and friends for support---->Took it up again --->scored well --------> Right now am headed to MICA!

My bucket list -Things I wanna do before I kick that BLUE bucket!

2009-03-30T03:19:00.000-07:00

1) Pick up my writing skills
2)Plant 100 trees
3)Raise 3 dogs
4)Trek to 150 places
5)Go on a week long holiday to an isolated island
6)Perform in a theatre
7)Figure as a valuable player in a team sport
8)Read a book every week
9)Learn one new fact a day
10)Adopt a "Don't worry be happy" policy!

Sholay - Ramesh Sippy

2009-03-30T02:13:00.000-07:00

This movie definitely had spunk. Why did Sholay work?
* It connected with the 70's audience (duuuuuuh... obviously) - It had everything that the 70's Indian audience looked for in a movie. Story, masala, sizzling heroines, tempered violence ...!
*The actors: The choice of the cast was really good. Sanjeev Kapoor as Thakur and Amjadh Khan as Gabbar stole the show with their ability to get into the skin of the character.
*Revenge, friendship, sacrifice, loyalty and the eventual victory of good over evil are themes that never fail to tug ones heart. These themes were portrayed authentically in the movie.
*The dialogues and the dialogue delivery were exemplary. For example:
"Kitne aadmi the"
"Tera kya hoga kaliya"
"Itnaa sannata kyun hain bhai"
"Jo Darr gaya samjho mar gaya"
*Jai and Veeru add dashes of humor, friendship, love, romance and sacrifice to the movie. There is a whole gamut of emotions to explore.
*The dialogues, posters, story, characters and the songs formed a source of great viral marketing (I've never watched this movie before but I've heard the dialogues and the songs a number of times. It's always in the back of my mind.)
*The movie also advocates social messages such as widow re-marriage, hindu-muslim unity and so on.

Thanda funda

2009-03-30T01:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some ways to beat the heat.
1) Wear light cotton clothes
2)Step out for a 5:30 - 6:30 am walk. Catch the freshness in the air
3)Drink some watermelon juice
4) Have a light breakfast (Preferably fruits and cream)
5)Start out earlier than usual to work and beat the late morning heat
6)Drink plenty of water while at work
7)Take scheduled breaks to relax in some cool part of the building
8)Wash your face with cold water
9)Take a cold water bath before you go to bed
10)Dip cucumber pieces in cold water and place them over your eyes before you go to bed
11)Schedule strenuous activities during the cooler part of the day

Why I blog

2009-03-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

This is my first post. Everyone starts blogging for a reason. My reason is simple. I spotted a single strand of silver hair on my head. You might say that's no reason to start blogging and rightly so! But it just reminded me of my bucket list that keeps growing by the minute and writing a blog that people can relate to, ranked quite high on the list. Thus my journey as a blogger begins.... once again...!