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 :)

1. Rajesh

   

2. Rajika
   

3. Amita
   

4. Manpreet
   

5. Kriti
   

6. Richa
   

If you are an entrepreneur, you might be able to relate to this slide-show. Let me know what you think :)

See results by clicking the 'continue reading' link below...

I just finished reading Inebriation by Gaurav and was reminded of my second only attempt at writing in verse - the one before this was in school, I remember. Dug this out from my blog Verbum that I used to write before I launched Blogworks.

This was June 2006. I had just quit my job and was planning to go the entrepreneur route - captures the mood :)

Good fun

It’s good fun, I tell you
On a journey,
once again.

Oh, why? you say.
Simple;
Because, I must.
Because,
you ought to stretch,
to grow taller.
Drop a few leaves,
to earn a new burst.

Trust me,
I done this before.
Go try,
I tell you. It’s good fun!

xx

Yes, I am a school boy still when it comes to writing a poem, if this can be called one :).

"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?

That Tintin is for the pretentious, is established from the word go. What else would you call a comic that expects us to know that it is pronounced "Tantan" and not Tintin? Very clever. But then, I must confess, I only read one of 'those' and that too...partly.

I am clearly an Astérix person - been one since I was 10, when Juhi gifted me a copy ;).

I have since accompanied the gang on most of their adventures and witnessed first hand:

1. Obélix knocking the nose off the Sphinx - frenzied memorabilia guys followed suit the world over.
3. Perhaps, the first democratically fought elections - 'fought' being the keyword even then.
4. Forests being knocked off to make way for 'civilization' - nothing has really changed.
5. That celebratory banquet - what a beautiful moonlit night that was....
6. Why, I even knocked off a roman or two, thanks to that magic swig of the potion.
7. Made tea mine to keep.

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.

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.

Even before I took a peek inside, I knew this was gonna be a fun group. Of course I joined, so what if I am not a Punjabi, I can still clap and know am welcome :). And that my friends led me to post this...

1. Step 1 - You've heard this before; listen to it again and tell me your interpretation of what it means. Remember I am not a Punjabi...so tell me.

   Let's keep it fun and 'clean' to make it through moderation :)

2. Step 2 - You know why they are so successful, they never lose their sense of fun and humour. Enjoy this really cool video...

   CLAP - CLAP on comments if you like it.

Peter Griffin's email probed "What type are you?"

He's just talking 'typefaces', lest you start getting other ideas: "Curious mind wants to know: what typeface do you write in? And why?"

This has now become a fun post, c'mon join the fun!

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:

1. Is it a case of dumbing down of news or dumb news? Or both?

   
   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. :)

2. Overheard a young entrepreneur joke about retiring, once he had secured funding for his new venture. We live in the times of Disposable Business - where is the customer in it ? :)

1. My best soccer kick came in a classroom (just before Mexico '86). I was in class 11 - the whole school heard the window pane shatter
2. I like imperfect noses (on women :) )
3. As a child (6 years old perhaps), I wouldn't drink water until I had ascertained that the water was 'chilled' to my satisfaction and I would do this by putting the tumbler to my cheek (emulating the little boy on the Kwality ice-cream packs/ ads, who did the same with an ice lolly). Very often, the tumbler would be returned many times before I was satisfied with the results, driving my mom and uncles mad - wouldn't dare try with my dad then :).
4. My favourite non-commercial fragrance is simple sandalwood oil - dab on a little to get your very own 'unique' signature
5. I haven't read ANY of the classics that EVERYONE is expected to read.

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.

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 :).

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!

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 :).

Shah Rukh Khan was on Radio Mirchi promoting the Don remake. "This Don is more evil," SRK promised. Even as he spoke about the how and why it came about, I was already drowned in memories of the original.

Don is such a cult movie for many among my generation - or even my dad's - "This is where we entered the cinema hall," commented my father as we watched the CD yesterday, reminding me that we had first seen the movie during a vacation in Bombay. Amitabh Bachchan, playing Vijay, was earning his daily bread as he performed 'Eee hai Bambai Nagaria'. It was an innocent movie I think. Don and his gang's badness was limited to smuggling gold and stuff - maybe kill once in a while but no narcotics and terrorist stuff the and Amitabh's portrayal of him made him a friendly character. I think Amitabh is perhaps the only actor who can play the baddie and still not be seen as bad.

The new Don promises to be much darker but I hope some of the original charm wouldn't be lost.

Am salivating, cannot wait!

Original post here.

One of my favourite stores in Delhi/ I like to call it a boutique/ is Aap ki Pasand in Darya Ganj. Located diagonally opposite Golcha Cinema, the store is a veritable treasure-house for tea lovers.

I do not claim to be a tea connoisseur but I like my cuppa and I like it different from time to time. Assam, today; tomorrow it can be earl-grey (no milk)... I can go on. Until some time ago, my meals were not complete without a nice cup, but I have had to give up that habit on account of my stomach ache that just refused to go away.

I visit the store, whenever I can - among the things I like to do whenever I just want some time with myself. Day-before was such a day. I ordered a few packs of Masala Chai (the best I have found anywhere) and settled down to indulge myself with some great tea, prepared as only a tea taster's establishment could, with the lot of TLC.

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.