We take our work very seriously, but being at Blogworks is fun. These caricatures make our email signatures and go on a wall in the office. Tell us what you think :)
If you are an entrepreneur, you might be able to relate to this slide-show. Let me know what you think :)
My friend Devdutt Pattnaik has written about rituals impacting beliefs.
Set in a changed context, beliefs around a ritual also change.
The act of being frisked has been frowned upon by all of us, a violation of personal space - our mind yelling "You don't trust me?". Security barricades and frisking at luxury hotels, or similar spaces, would be a complete no-no, a discourtesy, just a couple of years ago. However, in a changed context post 26/11, Mumbai (not that these were the first terrorist attacks, but the first impacting the elite), frisking, coupled with enhanced security and scanning devices, has come to be seen as an assurance - the mind giving a comforting "I think I can trust you!" signal.
This is perhaps how, over a period in time, culture is shaped.
Been reading a lot of messages in self-praise, and been thinking
Old fashioned may not be a bad thing sometimes - good 'ol modesty still has some value I think. Yes, I know Google search doesn't favour modesty, but still :)
Cheers
I loved this picture by Sankarshan on first sight. He is amongst the most wonderful people I know and what a great couple Runa and he make :).
These are the things on my mind right now:
Have a wonderful day and a great year ahead.
Cheers
Dad completes 62 today :)
Two years ago when I shared this with you, I had prayed for his good health and for his songs to continue. Life has been kind, the last couple of years have just zoomed past - lot's of travel, fun and singing has kept us all engaged.
Please continue to send you good wishes and blessings for his good heath, lots of fun travel, and lots more songs. Music is his life and dad's been learning to play the harmonium for nearly a year now. He has many 'Very Good' and 'Very Very Good' remarks from his teacher, who raves about his technical understanding - the fingers are still coming to tune.
I recorded a short rendition of the "Gayatri Mantra" that he played this morning:
However, he was more keen to sing one of his favourite oldie numbers: "Ye hawa ye raat, ye chandani" from the movie 'Sangdil', originally rendered by Talat Mahmood.
Do leave your comments and may our parents always remain in good health. Amen.
I haven't yet gotten over the frenzy of last fall - when I got married - and the wedding season is upon us again.
Weddings, are a burgeoning industry in India, with its size estimated to be Rs. 1,90,000 crores according to this story.
Interestingly, even as more and more of our youth marry for love, the Wedding ceremony, and associated celebrations, clearly continue to remain an 'arranged' affair - with the bride/ bridegroom managing to influence very little in terms of:
Most relent out of regard for respective families, or give up after early efforts to persuade family elders, frustrated at the sheer futility of it all. A few succeed (then too - mostly - not without experiencing guilt of having 'denied' their families the joy of wedding celebrations).
Societal and peer pressure on parents and family plays an important role as 'size' (big) gets associated with family status, which no one wants to compromise upon. Even if one side wants to keep it small, there is often resistance and sometimes friction.
The new urban bride too seems hugely pressured by peer behavior to follow the newly romanticized, exaggerated (and regressive) Indian bride's conduct, as celebrated in the 'Saas- Bahu' television soaps that have dominated TV screens for the last few years.
Given that family plays an integral role even for the most modern of Indian youth, the couple often end up in a role-play and heave a sigh of relief when the ceremonies are finally over.
The drama continues for someone else.
Are you getting married this year? Is your Indian wedding fat too? Or on a diet? Is austerity also the flavour of this wedding season ?
Keep writing.
I am feeling an unusual sense of loss, as this is was not just another of my possessions.
Since the time I bought it, nearly 2 years ago, besides, of course, riding it when I could, the bicycle was the subject matter of one of my most important case-studies around "impact of social media on purchase decisions" - I had spoken about it on my blog, presented the case at dozens of speaking sessions and workshops across the country; submitted it on focus groups. Participants would always be able to relate with the example.
What do I say.
Now it's gone, the learnings stay.
It's one of those Sundays - electrician fixing things; pest-control guys over for preventive termite treatment.
Surrounded by mess, as we still are, I am writing this impromptu post, sharing an interesting learning drawn from a seemingly casual interaction between the electrician, the pest control guy and me.
Our electrician, who is really our Man Friday, just got back from the village after an extended trip and has been busy fixing up a dozen things at home, since yesterday. However, since he had left an important task unfinished elsewhere, he sought my permission to return again tomorrow morning and finish the remaining work at our place. I agreed and was briefing him about pending items on my list...
He and I were trying to identify a suitable spot for my late uncle's picture on our 'family wall', when the pest control guy jumped in... suggesting a spot.
In my scheme of the things the place was totally inappropriate. He had no idea whose picture it was, he had no idea about family hierarchy or protocol. If at all, he was merely concerned with aesthetics. Needless to add, his suggestion was rejected and additionally he earned a dirty look from me.
Soon after he had left, I found myself thinking about how often 'consultants' make the same mistake.
It's oh-so-tempting to comment upon tasks/ issues, not part of the mandate, just because they are happening around. Comment, without any consideration about the background, context or ,maybe, even relevant expertise. Often the client gives a dirty look, for the advice wasn't really sought.
See results by clicking the 'continue reading' link below...
Continue reading "Fun Poll: Are you a guy, and cook? Take the poll. Girls can leave comments" »
UPDATED 11 June, 2009 - 10.25 am - Even as I decided to unpublish the post, within minutes of it being published, many had already read it. Next morning the newspapers carried an item on the front page about an alleged retaliatory attack against perpetrator of the first attack against an Indian citizen in Australia. Some people have requested me to publish the post again and I am doing so now...
The original post is below:
The recent racial attacks against Indian students in Australia had me searching for this insight that I had shared in focus group, a few months ago.
India and Indian have, for centuries, been victims of racial discrimination . When it wasn't the colour of the skin, the accent of its people gave them away. As a poor, third-world country with a large illiterate population its people suffered meekly for decades.
However, advent of satellite television; urbanization of landscape and changed demographics with a large youth population coupled with rapid economic growth that put India amongst one of the fastest growing economies in the world (even after the slow-down from which India too is impacted) have led to a new, confident Indian, which is good.
Slowing economies in the developed world, jobs lost to India and elsewhere have polarized the populace in some way, sometimes leading people to react there the way they previously may have - discriminate based on race - e.g. Outburst again Indian outsourcing (abuse that BPO employees face).
India's youth however is not prepared to take it lying down anymore - he/ she is turning brash too. Today they simply quit jobs where they face abuse, tomorrow they might turn back and respond.
Should we fear reverse racialism?
Impact
It is difficult to predict impact yet but clearly this is not a face of Indian youth known to the world:
Indians are at the receiving end again. And it only adds to my fear, and forbid were that scenario were to ever emerge, it would be truly sad.
Please note: I will be strictly moderating all comments on this post, so please stick to the subject of societal impact and do not deviate from the purpose of social studies. Thanks in advance.
I have been thinking...
We abused the financial system for years resulting in the current meltdown - they say a revival will take a year or two; we continue to abuse the Earth, another meltdown looks imminent to me - only there will be no escaping it, no revival.
It seemed like the whole world was glued to their television screens to watch the Obama inauguration. Were you too? I created a small poll to find out.
Here you go:
As I have kept an increasingly public profile, I have also become conscious about the need to segregate private, from the public.
Here are some ground rules that I follow:
Do you follow any rules yourself? Keep writing.
I am back in writing mode after a break brought by multiple commitments at home. Work continued, of course, other than a 10 day break.
We brought about some valuable additions to Pitchh.com
Expect some posts on this blog soon - am planning one on learnings, drawn over last few months, from using Twitter for a variety of clients and self.
However, to begin with, I have a question.
The sentiments has turned upside down in the last couple of months. The exuberance has given way to anxiety and concern. Are the worries real? Is there direct impact for Indian businesses? What about start-ups - are they feeling the heat? And that's really my question:
I am planning a story and might quote you.
Write to me your thoughts at rajesh dot lalwani at blogworks dot in
Keep writing.
For the last few months, we have been working closely with LiveJournal, the leading global online community blogging platform, on their India strategy and have interacted with existing members; conducted a market study; seeded lj_india as our hub to update members about latest developments and India initiatives at LiveJournal. And to launch the first India project, india_writing - a global forum which aims to bring together Indian writers, across geographies, genres and forms - we have now announced an exciting writing contest with Caferati, one of India's most vibrant literary communities.
Delighted to present to you Quick Tales - The LiveJournal - Flash Fiction Contest .
The Contest is quite simple:
The contest is open to residents of India who are members of LiveJournal's India Writing community. (If you're not a member, joining is free. Click the Create a LiveJournal Account link at the top of any LJ page.)
The theme is "Journal," and the contest is now open and your deadline is 7 September 2008.
Prizes?
And the rest of the top ten get one year paid accounts on LJ.
Each of the top 100 entries will also be highlighted on LJ's India Writing community for the world to see. (Short-listed stories may also be included in a book that LiveJournal plans to publish at a later date.)
But what's Flash Fiction!!??
It is an ancient form, but has grown hugely in popularity in these attention-deficit times, with the growth of the Internet. If standard short fiction is like a one-day international, think of the Quick Tales Flash Fiction Contest as the 20–Twenty of contemporary story-telling!”
Quick Tales and India Writing are just the first parts of Live Journal's plans for India. There's more coming your way soon. But, right now, let's win some! :)
Also, help us get the word out about the contest - by telling your friends and readers, by putting up a line or two about it on your blog or any relevant communities that you are a member of.
Cheers.
Continue reading "LiveJournal Quick Tales Flash Fiction Contest Launched." »
"Mango Shake Idhar Hai, Aapkaa Dhyaan Kidhar Hai?" teased at least two of the near identical carts I passed by yesterday, driving back from the C.A.'s office. I asked my driver to reverse the vehicle and clicked these pictures. There were four of these carts - 3 parked next to each other and 1 just a bit away - in all their kitsch glory, tempting summer hit pedestrians.
Makes me think why can't the friendly neighborhood kirana stones similarly come together under a common brand, to meet the threat posed by organised retail? Each keeps their sales and profits, but contributes to a common marketing pool and wears the same colours/ brand and sources together.
Any examples of something like this from India. In a way, Amul (or any other cooperative) is exactly that, no?
I was at our neighborhood Costa Coffee outlet the other day, having decided from work from there that afternoon. At first I didn't really notice, engrossed as I was working my presentation for the next day, but soon I had it coming out of my ears. The same music had been playing in a loop, for the last 2 hours. I requested the staff to change the CD - they were keen to, but that was one of the two CDs they possess and the other one was...well, missing in action.
It didn't have to be a Costa, it could well have easily been a Café Coffee Day or Barista. It could be any of our otherwise fancy malls or it could be any food-court. It didn't have to be 'that' day, it could be just 'any' day.
Ask the staff on why they play the same music over and over? You usually get the same reply - they have just one or two CDs allotted to them. In fact, I think everyone has pretty much the same compilation. The airlines too share a common CD, it would seem. The only difference - instead of popular 80s, they prefer western classical.
Selecting music for a public venue is not easy, having managed the task, among a hundred other marketing and promotions things I was responsible for during my days with a hospitality company. We had many different restaurants, function areas, gym and a health club - each had a unique character and the music needed to be likewise + it need constant updates. It was an interesting, but certainly a challenging task.
We are a 'musical' country, to say the least. Why then would marketers not experiment with music they play? Is it because it's nobody's baby? Marketing? Promotions? Housekeeping?
It's like someone remembers to install that funny perfume spray in the washrooms, but nobody gives a damn about the music.
Couldn't we give our customers, guests something more interesting? Could it become a differentiator?
I can understand that 'folk' or 'classical' might not have universal appeal as landing/ take-off music on a flight, but some nice fusion?
We have some great music being created in the country right now; live gigs have become weekly affairs. Why not play some more recordings from there at our coffee bar or the mall?
Or at least change that damned CD, would you?
It promises to be a year of surprises for marketers, what with concepts like mystery audits and surprise marketing making their mark, but today is not the day to talk about that. Today I hope that new year brings all of you, loads of joy and fun with each moment.
Have a great 2008.
Enjoy!
Cheers.
Rajesh
My life got taken over by this week...
Kishore had advised me to wait for it last month and just his word was enough for me to discard the probe process that I may have otherwise engaged in and last week, a few days after the phone was launched, I picked up one.
That, even though I haven't had the time to read up the user's guide, I have found enough uses and features to know that my life has changed forever, would not be a lie. That I haven't really had a need to boot-up my desktop or notebook in 2 days has been a good hint for me. This morning I was at Kishore's office and he called the phone 'revolutionary' - I know what he means.
We configured my mail account and I find that a Blackberry doesn't really serve any critical purpose, for me, that pull doesn't. I think I am doing quite nicely with my GPRS, at the moment.
Cheers.
PS: The real post I actually got online to write, coming up! :)
I have been itching to write for the last few days but have just been overwhelmed with things, professional and personal. Whenever I finally sat down to write something or the other has come up to pull me away. I intend to write a post tonight and put it up by the morning. In the interim a few thoughts I wanted to share straightaway:
Turns out we were born the same year; share half a dozen common friends; both love simplicity concepts and more. I was reminded of the day when my friend Arshiya Sethi first gifted me one of his books, that was 5-6 years ago. I have read several of his books and his writings since...a new chapter of friendship started today.
My car dealership has called me seven times, in as many days, to ask if my car is doing fine, reminding me that the service is overdue. I want to tear my hair out... within actually these same days the car has actually been in and out of their own workshop for ANOTHER replacement that my new car needs - 4th in 10 months. Nice!
I had to call the restaurant manager right at the beginning of our meal this evening, asking him to instruct his staff to leave us alone and let us eat our dinner in peace instead of hovering around and rushing us through the meal. There were 5 of his staff looking at us, even as we had this conversation. Thankfully we were left with our conversation and food after this.
Too much service is not necessarily good!
I have forever wondered why the staff at a traditional Indian restaurant (we were having a Gujarati Thali this evening) would not get a simple rule of serving a lady first. Tonight too I had to check literally each of staff that came to serve us.
The answer I realized, perhaps, lay in the patriarchal rules of the traditional family, which would follow the silent rule that the man be served first. Even if the restaurant wanted to serve the lady/ ladies first, the man/ men would perhaps take offense? What say?
You read The Long Tail ... now read The Long Tail of Pain.
Gaurav says " My new favorite idea is The Long Tail of Pain - how social media allows us to find pain anytime, anyplace, in any form."
This is craziest fun you will ever get anywhere.
Enjoy
As a marketer is never ceases to amaze me that these companies, their marketing/ communication advisors never seem to worry about the adverse impact on their brand reputation?
I have sometimes wondered if any of them ever considered using a voluntary "No tele-harassment policy", as not just a case of good brand citizenship, but as a differentiated brand promise! Is there a critical mass of consumers who would support a brand on that promise? I would have loved to try with a client in one of the key culprit segments - multinational banks (and their credit card/ insurance divisions); telecom companies; hospitality- Foolish thought? What do you think?
Too late for that to work as a differentiator, for the Do Not Call Registry has already arrived, promising relief for the harassed consumer.
"In a way it will be good for everyone," they say: Consumer gets the needed relief; tele-marketing companies might see higher conversions (particularly in urban markets) with remaining prospects; some might shift focus to semi-urban in pursuit of newer markets, but cost per call will definitely increase, owing to higher investments in connectivity and related equipment etc. Consolidation is likely.
Coming back to the calls...sometimes the predominant sentiment of 'simple' irritation can shift to a sadist and wicked desire to 'give it back!' This was an interesting one - I was initially baffled at hearing from a rather sophisticated gentleman, attempting to sell me high-end investment advisory on behalf of a rather exclusive multinational bank - based on my 'profile', he claimed - I could almost see his expression change when I asked him if based on the said 'profile' they could offer me a business loan to fund my new venture. He promised to have his colleague call back. No, I didn't wait for the call :).
Please DON'T try this at home though!! Chanced upon at a Facebook friend's profile.
Continue reading ""Sir, I have an exclusive offer for you!"" »
Walking in home after school - and later, after work - I would often be greeted to a lovely voice, more often than not singing a Hindi film oldie... I would sometimes think of it as emanating from the radio, only to realize it was dad indulging in his favorite pass-time.
Dad sang at family gatherings, office recordings, in the kitchen or any corner of the house, pretty much anywhere...most of the time. He wanted to sing professionally, only I was too embarrassed at the thought and would constantly dissuade him and push away such ambitions.
Then a couple of years ago a few setbacks had the voice slurring, lyrics forgotten and there was nothing more that I could desire than to have his songs back...
The voice is back, so are the songs and as we celebrate dad's 60th birthday today, there is nothing more that I want than good health for him, for his songs to continue and who knows a new career in singing may be around the corner. Amen.
Recorded this in the morning:
Click here to get your own player.
Thanks, all, whose support has allowed us to reach here. Eternally grateful!
Cheers.
If you love horses and equestrian sport, then I have no doubt that you will really enjoy this dressage video. If however, you haven't had an opportunity to see such action yet, then not just do I hope you like it but I do hope you fall in love too - with horses that is.
Enjoy.
Some of our younger audience might not have seen these before and I specifically urge them to comment on what they think about these ads. Do send me links to more stuff like this - maybe we can run a classic ads festival here on Blogworks!
Many of Gold Spot's initiatives were memorable stuff - The Jungle Book promotion being a case in point. Another post to talk about those, for now though, the ads:
The programme has some interesting features:
Check it out! You can download i-Fetch here!
You don't need to use the mouse, once started: Press 'Tab' to get a parallel button on the side; press 'Enter' to get one below. You can change text as you go along, add buttons, share online or through e mail or print. Neat I think.
Found it through this post by Jason Clarke of Download Squad.
We conducted the first edition of a unique ' language + customer service workshop' for one of our clients today and quite enjoyed the experience. I don't really want to miss any opportunity to talk about my experiences as a consumer, and resultant learnings as a marketer. This one's for my favourite consumer technology brand anyway. Back home just a while ago, I found this podcast via Odeo.
If you are obsessed with grammar, you might enjoy this :)
Many of these trends are led by the youth and as notebook PCs become mainstream, given the falling prices, I think the individual will seek to stand apart again...with youth leading the trend.
As against mobile handsets, where differentiated design has been as much a driver as the features, laptops have all looked the same - until now!
I learnt about this really cool feature just now from GeoGreeting via this post at Diva Marketing Blog and felt tempted to share it straightaway.Punch in your message and see every alphabet come alive as satellite image of a building, somewhere in the world. 
No buildings from India, yet, as I tested and found. For example, my 'I Love Delhi' has its 'O' from China :). (Click I love Delhi to see what happens)
St. Valentine's Day Greetings via GeoGreetings!!?? Enjoy!
BBC News is hosting a South Asia Photo Competition. Theme of the competition, which invites you and I to click pictures around us, is My Changing World. The competition is open until 31 March 2007 and selected entries can win Ipod video, digital camera etc. There are also BBC prizes every week.
Read details here and start clicking straightaway I would say! :)
UPDATE: I seem to have missed seeing this post from Nikhil who wrote about this 2 days ago on ContentSutra. Check it out.
My conversation with Kanika sometime ago (that’s her in the pic), about her Yoga workshop, made me think about distinct styles that each of my teachers use and the unique learning each of them left me with, without any of them making any obvious effort. Simple but deep.
Witnessing our discomfort, Misra ji, in his inimitable style, would urge us to “Enjoy the pain.” Partly how it was said and partly the seeming irony of that statement would invariably have us laughing, but lo, as we started to ‘enjoy’, the pain would disappear.
I was to subsequently use this learning in challenging times, as I finally brought myself to a point that I could look pain in the eye and smile at it, it would start to melt, soon disappearing. Things would actually start to sort themselves out.
I miss Mishra ji’s classes and would love to go back to them some day.
The media has been working overtime since Ms. A and Mr. A of the B Family announced their plans to marry and I am told that NDTV ran a story highlighting the enhanced brand equity/value of the 'Big' family - business of a different kind they make it sound. Since it seems to fall in the realms of M&A, they could have at least considered limiting it to just NDTV Profit. After all some of their own senior team have been voicing the case for a more responsible media. :)
It's been a while since I wrote a concerted post and though I really want to sit and write, I think that will only happen next week. Meanwhile...
Fundamentally anonymity doesn't lend itself to credibility. How much do we believe stories appearing in a rag? I think the same applies to blogs written by anonymous authors.
My chosen agenda for the year is to get 'experts' to blog - once that gathers momentum, scales are going to tilt in favour of the 'real' experts anyway. Unlike today's blogosphere (at least the India scene), barring a few real experts, everyone is claiming to be an expert on everything. There is an inherent danger in that.
I would say Ms. Dutt should start writing a blog too.
Also, unless I missed, no one on the programme spoke about impact of blogs & social media on business.
It is not for nothing that they call themselves Mavericks. Led by Cdr. Satyabrata Dam, a three member team from the Indian Navy – Vikas Kumar and Rakesh Kumar being the other two - successfully completed their ski traverse to the Geographic South Pole yesterday, making them the first team to have done so and also among those very few who have done two of the three poles. Cheers!
Let's begin with a 'tool': "You Tube for Powerpoint" - for me, the beauty of Slideshare is in its simplicity. After years of struggle to reach across presentations in PPT, Acrobat and whatever formats, this one enabled me to, by allowing me to simply 'upload and share' - simple as that. Once can also embed in your blog or share a link etc. There are that they could do better, of course, but I can see that they are working on them - they are fairly small and therefore reachable - you leave a message on their site, they bring about change.
To me, as an executive, the value of this tool even surpasses that of You Tube (not to be confused with the much larger impact that You Tube indeed has. ). It's amazing to see the different uses it is being put to. Sample this:
Dear friends, Urmila died.. and you are still holding your old woolens, blankets & shawls in your Almirah? Don't ask me who was Urmila ? Thousands of Urmilas die every year because of cold. VASTRADAAN, our nationwide movement is primarily about making this basic need of clothing a matter of concern. Go to the best development sector websites or pick up any funding agencies brochures and you will find a range of issues right from domestic violence to global warming.Unfortunately clothing is never there in this list. Thus our task is to first draw attention to this issue.As a part of VASTRADAAN, we have been highlighting winters as an annual disaster for countless people who do not have enough to cover themselves. We are motivating people for our annual campaign RAHAT-WINTERS. Please contribute as much as you can..
You see I am no bar star, and it turned out to be a bad idea to have hit the pub Sunday. It was a bad case of weekend lag when I woke up - I was going to be late - quickly showered and rushed out - there wasn't even time to stuff breakfast. R was to be collected at 10, but the gramps champ ahead of me had other plans, it seemed. He was driving at 20 miles/ hour, obviously uninterested in the Monday morning chaos around him.
R, a compulsive shopper, and otherwise a definitive catch and release (2) artiste, had decided to catch the doorbuster sale early and I was to play driver. So there I was, attempting to drive from my downtown apartment to her rather yupscale neighborhood, in what was certainly a CLM, but refusing R is not an option, really.
As R got busy Poppin' Hundies, I headed to the food court. I hadn't eaten in 15 hours and behaved like a true tryptophanatic - luckily I wearing my Thanksgiving pants. I took out the crackberry from my pocket - a guy's got to check his mail - yelled at the Ringtone DJ sitting on the table across, asking him to shut-up. There were over a hundred mails waiting a reply - trying to be a Super Mario means you pay the price - can't even have breakfast in peace anymore.
To be continued...???
So, what's come over me today? Well, a couple of months ago I discovered www.urbandictionary.com - the site is, as you can tell, a dictionary of 'slang' - created by users themselves. I get a daily word in my inbox, usually quite amusing and I find the creative usage of words quite fascinating. The piece above has just been weaved together using words from the daily pop-ins', pretty much in the same sequence as they appeared in my mail, in a reverse chronological manner. So, it’s not really a story but I will continue, if you like. Let me know.
(click pic to enlarge)
(click pic to enlarge)
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I quite like Pierce Brosnan - enjoyed him as Bond and otherwise- but yesterday, watching Casino Royale, I didn't miss him one bit: Daniel Craig fills the slot quite neatly - may I dare say, perhaps even better than Brosnan.
Bond itself is changing, like a friend put it, "He is much more real, more vulnerable. When he gets hit, he gets cuts on his face".
Anyway, it is non-stop action, stunning special effects et al, but my take-away from the movie was this chase sequence towards the beginning...
A CEO (Boman’s voice?) is addressing the shareholders meet (this is financial results time in real life too). Against all trends from a booming market, the company has made a loss, the CEO informs us, quite pleased with the achievement. But what is this (?) –shareholders are cheering him with a thunderous applause. Even as the news goes from bad to worse, the applause only gets louder.
The CEO sums up the performance by announcing that company has gone bankrupt- shareholders are overjoyed.
Even as I wonder which company is advertising its product, the voice-over reminds us “Mirchi sun-ne wale always khush!”.
Smiled all through the promo- great voice, tremendous surprise value (at least the first time you listen to it).
Mirchi at its irreverent best.
Originally posted on my blogVerbum.
Part of an ad campaign from an online matrimony site.
I found this quite funny. As compelling a reason as any, to get married. Go on, support a noble cause :).
A fabulous Diwali it turned out to be, rained briefly and the temperature has come down- mornings chilly, afternoons pleasant, evenings breezy. Delhi is the place to be in right now.
Noticed the strong fragrance in the air- evenings-Saptaparni is blooming in abundance wherever you go.
Saptaparni
(image: www.astro.caltech.edu )
Coming down the Railways Museum flyover, the Belgian Embassy & the Rose Gardens on your left, you hit my favourite round about (at the moment) at Shanti Path. Floss Silk is abundant and in full bloom. Pictures can't do justice - go visit!
Continue reading "Nature reasons to be in Delhi just now." »
Ajay and I have been discussing a proposal and he suggested we meet at Choko La,Basant Lok Complex. I haven't been to the Priya Complex in a bit and had missed out the place until now - what a discovery. Ajay informs me though that the place has been around for over a year now.
From the moment I entered the outlet, the romance was evident - rich, warm interiors, a professional touch about things that told me that I could trust their quality. My focus was clearly on the desserts and I reversed the sequence and ordered a Philadelphia Cheese Cake before my soup.
There are very few places in Delhi that can claim to do authentic cheese cake. This one clearly was - texture, flavour, sweetness - Perfect. Much better than anything I have had in the last 3 years, at least.
I also packed a few French Macaroons - Mango and Raspberry. At slightly less than Rs. 20/- a piece, these were clearly expensive and a huge let down for me, a friend and my father who tried them- excessively sweet and nothing else.
Am going back, soon and telling my foodie friends.
BTW- we also discussed the proposal :).
Magic appears to be a favourite name with Radio stations!
Ask anyone who's been to polo in Delhi- the best polo action, for some reason, happens at the far end :).
What Jaipur Polo Ground needs, is this:
or this:
Images: 1. videoprojecteddisplays.com 2. videoscreens.net
I have known it for a bit now: My next car is going to be a Scorpio!
So having made up my mind to go ahead with one, I contacted a dealer for a test-drive, to figure out if my dad could get in and out comfortably. After not keeping the appointment on a couple of occasions, the young lady from the dealership arrived one morning along with a vehicle and the driver.
I asked her if I could drive it off-road (where we stay, allows us the luxury of wide smooth roads, and yet unmetalled surfaces and fields are not far off either). She was hesitant and I didn't push.
We set-off on our little journey. The handling was super light, and the vehicle managed the curves ok- I asked my father to buckle up tight - and decided to push the peddle. As the girl listed out the 43 new features of the 'all new Scorpio' we went over a bump - not great speed, but not slow either- and the young lady, the driver went up flying. "The suspension is not good," I complained. A little baffled, and still rubbing her head, she replied, "Sir, pehle se to bahut improve kar diya hai hamne".
We zoomed around some, I made some crazy turns. Finally, mostly happy, I turned back.
I asked her if she had been on a test drive like this before. "No", she admitted.
"What did you think, I will drive a SUV at 40 kms/hr?" I asked, smiling at her in the rear view mirror.
Haven't picked up the vehicle yet, but the all new Scorpio/ with 42 new features/ it will be - the suspension needs to be still better I think :).
(polo shot image courtesy http://www.polo.co.uk/)
The Delhi Polo season typically begins late October, however, for me the countdown has alredy begun.Some polo trivia to warm you up:
2. In polo, like in any other equestrian game, horses have 'right of way'. A player crossing the line of an opponent would immediately be given a foul against, on grounds that this kind of play could be dangerous for the horse and/or the player.
(polo shot image courtesy www.polo.co.uk)
Traveling on the Delhi Metro yesterday, I was reminded of the question that keeps popping up from time-to-time - whether all Metro tracks should have been laid underground. Recently there were reports that the Metro columns across the city will be decorated with murals and colour in effort to blend them with the city. I believe some segments have already been beautified (?).
No doubt that the Metro has changed the city facade, sometimes impacting the very character of places we grew up with, so much so that they are unrecognizable. Yesterday however, I saw things from a Metro passenger's perspective, peeping out from the window...
We seem to be a city of hoarders. Bar a couple of terraces, each and every terrace enroute had unnecessary, unpleasant paraphernalia scattered around - heaps of bricks; cartons; rotting chaarpais, twisted window & door frames, tyres, rags and so on - none of this seemed in a usable condition. It just sat there, rotting and seemed like it had been there, forever! An eyesore. The couple of terraces that were clean, or better still, had some green, stood out like an oasis in a desert.
I wonder why we stack unnecessary stuff and if there could be a penalty imposed if you keep your terrace dirty? Or, I suggest that the Metro travelers unite and demand that all Metro tracks be laid underground ( :-) ), for Delhi doesn't look that green, traveling on the Metro!
Original piece and comments.
Without taking away from whatever CSE is perhaps attempting to do, I think the whole approach is biased. I cannot but laugh when the CSE says, "The fact also is that standards for pesticide residues are set based on nutrition that the food provides. We cannot compare apples with soft drinks. We cannot compare milk with soft drinks. Milk is essential and it gives us nutrition. But soft drinks are non-essential, non-nutritive. They should not have pesticides. They are unsafe, asserts CSE. No amount of scientific skullduggery can deny that. "
So, it's ok if milk is not ok? I do not agree. My belief is that Indian milk is amongst the most dangerous product going around today, nutrients or no nutrients. I am no authority on the subject but whatever I hear is scary and no one else wants to touch our milk but we consume it, and give it to our children, without much thought. Some hard measures are needed. Will they happen? Not until the consumers become more aware of their rights, and the havoc that products out there can play with our present and future health.
I WILL keep coming back to milk from here on!
Original post is here.
As a communication professional, it has been an endeavour to help corporates and brands keep their visual and text communication simple. To convince them that ‘less is more’ :)
I regularly rework my own and my colleagues copy to make it shorter by 20-25%. It can work magic.
I chanced upon this article a couple of months ago. Talks about why and how google keeps its home page simple, and more. Really one of my favourites.
Enjoy.
(What did bring a smile to my face was that the article itself is over 3000 words :) - but worth it, I promise.)
Listening to Pt. Ravi Shankar play, as I work on my computer, I am reminded of a performance that I attented recently at Sirifort - Pt. Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka in concert.
I hadn't heard Anoushka perform earlier and had so far written her off as a much hyped, pretty face, in news because of her legendary father (not that I understand Indian classical music and its intense depths and soft subtleties, but I believe that I can tell good music from bad when I hear it).
The auditorium full to capacity - it was an ICCR event. Anoushka appeared in her shiny pants, short kurta attire, lending further credence to my aforementioned opinion of her. I quickly realised how biased AGAINST looks and how unfair to genes you were born with can one be.Her fingers moved effortlessly as they matched her father's and the accompanists in their rendition. Her sitar didn't quite sound the same as Panditji's. It had a unique, young, sound to it.
There was energy in how she sat erect, held the sitar and played it, or in pointing technicians to manage the sound, she kept the rythm even as Panditji would pause momentarily to adjust his sitar. The accompanists and her father would challenge her by increasing the pace and she would join the game, much to everyone's delight.
Genes? Talent and training? Perhaps all, either ways I stand corrected and she has earned herself a new fan. I am going back next time she is in town or I am in one where she is performing!
Armed with my latest purchase 'Trees of Delhi - a field guide' by film maker turned naturalist- Pradip Krishen, I have been going out for tree walks :). Actually the book has become my permanent companion - with me as I drive around town, in office (where I promise myself to find time and read at least a page during lunch,but that never happens) and of course during the walks...
The tree journey started while I was at Habitat. My friend Arshiya Sethi would organise Tree Walks on Sundays, with Pradip himself. Fascinating it can be to discover the survival tactics that trees deploy to win over another and yet it's mutual dependence on other flora and fauna that keeps them going. And hugely satisfying it is to finally be able to tell which tree is it, that stands tall in front of you - the book is fast becoming my bible!
Last Sunday I went to Lodhi Gardens and, after some persuation, was able to convince a maali to show me around. Turned out to be fruitful visit. I was richer by knowledge on 20 + varieties and then today I drove to Defence Colony to see one of the rare samples of Sita Ashok that we have in the city.
I am hoping to pick up one of these babies someday to capture the images. Magic it will be!Meanwhile, the walks continue...
Horsing around is serious business
Unedited as 'I' wrote it :) - prefer it like this.
M.F. Hussain loves to paint them; Dr. Vijay Mallya is passionate about them; our Finance Minister doesn’t find it too ‘taxing’ to take an afternoon stroll to watch a ‘chukka’ or two. Horse aficionados all!
For thousands of years man has been fascinated by this beautiful and captivating creature- the horse. Almost divine in their perfection, horses have been considered the ultimate symbol of elegance-power-pride.
Big Monies… high stake racing.
There is a lot riding here, with on-course attendance of 2 million each year; an estimated 1000 million rupees in betting turnover; prize money in excess of Rs. 200 million each year (the highest, compared to any other spectator sport in India-the Indian Derby and the Poonawalla Breeders Multi Million alone give out prize money of 6.8 million rupees and 6 million rupees, respectively).
Although horse racing is where the big money is, one sport that retains the quintessential romance of the horse and yet is certain to get your adrenalin pumping is Polo and it is this segment that we shall try to cover in this piece.
Right place… at the right time.
As we step into another polo season (Delhi season kicks off in the 1st week of November this year), I cannot help think how much has changed for the game in the last 4-5 years. Polo has seen a revival of support and it has been extraordinary, to say the least.
It began a few years ago, when concerted efforts of the army; corporate patrons; royal families, who had worked tirelessly on promoting the game, bore fruit.
But, another phenomenon taking place at the same time, was perhaps equally responsible for the turnaround – an array of high-end domestic and multinational brands - Omega, Hyundai, ABN Amro to just name a few - that had arrived in the late 90s and the new millennium, were trying to capture the mind-space of their target audience, but were increasingly faced with a ‘clutter’.
Continue reading "Horsing around is serious business - The Financial Express (2003)" »
Looking Back (December 1997)
It was on a chilly winter morning that I was woke up to a shriek of the telephone ring. I had just returned to Delhi earlier in the morning from Chandigarh where I had gone the day before to sign up for a new assignment. Just one day at work in the new office and I knew it had been a mistake (only one among many others that I would make, in the next 24 hours).
“Well, at least I saw Chandigarh”, I had tried to reason with myself when I reached home bleary eyed at 3.00 a.m. Barely had I gone to sleep, when the phone rang. It was my father. He had called my hotel in Chandigarh, only to be told that I had already left and he was anxious to know what had happened. I told him.
“So come over!” he said, “Come to Jaipur for Christmas,” I suddenly remembered it was Christmas Eve. Promising him to come by the night train (something I hadn't tried before) and not the bus that I usually took, I went back to sleep.It was a windy, grey afternoon, as had been the case for the last several days-it had been perhaps the longest stretch without the Sun for Delhi in many years-I went to the Cantonment Railway Station, not very far from where I lived, and bought a ticket for the night train. I was to board the train from the same place at 10.00 p.m.
That evening, I started from home in time to reach the station at around 9.40 p.m. It was bitterly cold and I stood at the platform with only two other people around, one, the owner of a tea stall and the other a gentleman wearing army fatigues who was chatting with the stall owner. I went over and ordered a cup of tea. They were making some inconsequential chit-chat. I offered the man in uniform to join me for a cup and we got talking- the man, a C.R.P.F jawan was headed back home to Sikar, Rajasthan to join his family over the weekend.
For some inexplicable reason, I have found myself strongly drawn to Rajasthan time and again and I listened intently as he told me about life back home, about his fields, about the arid but beautiful terrain of his village. I absorbed the information and wanted to learn more...
When I looked at my watch again, it was almost 10 o’ clock. Unfamiliar with railway timings, I asked my companion if he knew anything about the train I was supposed to catch, and just as I was asking him, one chugged into the platform.
“Well, this is the one I need to be on,” he said picking up his bag. We shook hands and said goodbye. He was aboard in a minute. “I’ll see you in Sikar someday,” I called out as he waved at me. “Could this possibly be the train I am supposed to take too? ” I thought- a moment of doubt, I tried to shrug if off, but nevertheless walked towards the station master’s cabin.
A welcome change from outside the cabin was bustling with activity and I asked one of the assistants when the train was supposed to arrive. “Arrive?”, he looked up in disbelief. “This is the train. Run, It’s leaving now.”, he nervously offered.
I sprung into action. The train had gained speed. The C.R.P.F gentleman saw me running and waved at me yet again, obviously ignorant of my desperation to board the same train! Another person, already aboard in another compartment saw me running too, offered a helping hand and pulled me in… I was aboard and on my way-or so I thought.
I found myself inside a ‘goods’ compartment. Another man was asleep on one of the metal bunkers meant to keep luggage. “Rest awhile.”, the friendly hand advised, pushing the big metal sliding door close, before taking the other bunker. I was still trying to get used to the surroundings-it was, after all, my first time traveling in a ‘goods’ cabin.
I thanked him and dumped my bag on the floor and sat atop. “When do we reach the next stop?”, I asked him. “The next stop is Gurgaon, but it would be futile to try and get down there. It stops for just a moment,”, he informed me. “You won’t be able to board another compartment, there isn’t enough time. Rewari, is where you should get down to shift to your compartment.”, he was a nice guy.
Some time went by and I found myself hungry and looked inside my bag for something to eat. I found peanuts. Both my co-passengers were already asleep so I started to munch. “What a way to spend a Christmas Eve.”, I thought. This was merely the beginning, as I was to soon learn.
We reached Rewari and I alighted, rushed to locate my cabin but before I could, the train started to move again. Swearing under my breath, I boarded the nearest compartment. Passengers in this one were sitting, chatting among themselves,some were smoking, there was no indication that it was past midnight. I asked one of them “When do we reach Jaipur”. He looked amused and offered “Jaipur? This compartment does not go to Jaipur, it goes to Bikaner".
My heart sank “So this was not the train after all, I was right. What do I do now?" But, I had spoken…no, thought too soon. It was indeed the right train, he explained, only it segregates to become ‘two separate trains’ at another station further ahead- Loharu. One headed towards Bikaner and the remaining towards Jaipur. As ‘luck’ (?) would have it, this compartment was destined for Bikaner.
I patiently sat, my knees drawn to my chest to brace myself against the cold. After what seemed until eternity, we finally reached Loharu and I alighted once again, ran and even managed to locate my compartment. Only, it was already early morning and despite my knocking on each door (did I say ‘knocking’? I meant ‘banging’) nobody opened it for me).
Another army man, another helping hand, and I found myself in another compartment. Not mine, but a compartment. I was getting smarter, I did ask this time if this one was going to Jaipur. It was. Thanks so much!
Well, we were at the famous station where the train would be shunted, I was in a compartment that would go to Jaipur, what could go wrong now? I decided to just crash on any bench available. I did, nice cold breeze was blowing and I was shiverrring. I drifted into a fitful sleep but soon woke up again, to a sudden movement of the train, “Nothing, they are removing the compartments that would go to Bikaner.”, a voice informed me. “Good.” I thought, still half asleep.
I sensed some movement again, the train was finally moving, the process of removing the compartment had lasted long, but I thanked God, we were gaining momentum. Happiness was short lived, we came to a grinding halt again after 20 odd minutes. “Now where are we?”. We were back to where we had started. I could not believe it!! They had got us back after dismantling the Bikaner part and NOW we were ready to leave for Jaipur (Sigh!).
I woke-up hearing a steady hum of “Chai-Garam Chai”, we were at Jhunjhunu, a sleepy town in Rajasthan. It was 7.00 a.m. I finally shifted my baggage to my ticketed compartment and settled down…it had already been 9 hours since we started.
It was a bright sunny morning. I had not seen sunshine for more than twenty days and just soaking that warmth, that energy, made me feel good and I was already beginning to forget all that I had gone through not too long ago.
A while later, my eyes were shining even brighter, we were passing Sikar- I had kept my promise, albeit sooner than even I had thought myself possible- small hutments, fields on dune like land, farmers at work, flocks of cattle, peacocks, camel, deer, neelgais- a new day- my day was made!
The train made several stops, more people boarded and alighted at each, marching towards their respective places of work- traders, milkmen, policemen. Some chatted with me. They wanted to hear what was happening at ‘Dilli- the Capital. Seat of the Government’. I obliged most. I was feeling good…
We finally reached Jaipur around noon, after almost 14 hours of journey, where it used to take 6 hours by bus then (it barely takes 3 and a half hours now, by car.)It was a long journey, I could have reached sooner. But would I have this tale to tell?
Looking back, I had more fun than any other train journey or any other Christmas for that matter!
Another Memorable Day (August 1998)
Another memorable day on the road was a drive that I took to Jaipur one rainy August morning. The year, if I remember correctly was 1998. I was to reach Jaipur for some urgent work that my sister needed me there for.
I woke up to a thunderous morning, heavy rain lashed the windows of my bedroom. I quickly showered, packed something to eat and started… my watch read 7.00 a.m. The roads were empty and I managed to quickly reach the highway.
It wasn’t long before I had reached Manesar- then a 45 minutes drive from Delhi-to find vehicles lined up, until as far as the eye could see (for those familiar with NH No. 8, the construction work going on at that time, to convert it into a 4 lane expressway, had taken its toll, with frequent traffic jams and accidents. It was one such day.)
“The traffic stopped last night due to an accident and hasn’t moved an inch since,” informed a local resident. “So, what’s the best thing to do?” I queried. “Turn back, while there’s still time… before you know, there would be as much traffic behind you, as ahead.
:) Reminding myself about the 5 mins. formula - from an old email
I read about the 5 minute formula about a year ago. Every new assignment - presentation, writing, preparing for a class would leave me trying to push it to tomorrow- I would spend sleepless nights, wondering and anxious if i would be able to do it.
Then I read the 5 min thing, prompting me to just put 5 mins to a task before I close it for another day. I attempted it. It never remained 5 mins - i gave it much more, as soon as i started work. By the time the 5 mins---oops,1 hour - 2 hours were over, the task was almost done. It is the fear of unknown that is exciting and yet so daunting sometimes.
I am not saying that I have stopped pushing work to tomorrow-lol, but I know I can reach out to the 5 mins. formula when I want to.
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