Outlandish Musings

Social Samosa : What is Pinterest?

2012-02-17T20:30:00.000+05:30

Pinterest seeks engagement. It’s designed in such a way that every ‘pin’ ( the word for an item on the website) can be added to a classification. The ease of ‘repinning’ and organizing the ‘pin’ in three simple steps is a key factor in keeping viewers on the site. True to it’s form, users who login to Pinterest are known to spend hours on it!

Read the entire article here.

I succumbed to the gorgeousness of Pinterest and realized that it's such a fun platform that it must be written about. It was extremely difficult to write an article on Pinterest, primarily because it is a distracting place to be. But then, the kind of work some brands are doing with Pinterest is brilliant. Look at the way TIME has leveraged the visual nature of the medium!

I wish some Indian brand takes it up and does not focus on the audience, but the beauty of the medium for a change.

Social Samosa : That thing called Tumblr

2012-02-17T19:00:00.000+05:30

Think about it. The last time you updated something and saw that it was retweeted, repinned or reblogged multiple times, it gave you a high. This adrenaline has been tapped by Tumblr in a unique way. Combine stickyness of a website with great design and content gets shared. What users call ‘easy to setup’ is just great web design with minimum number of hitches in place.

Yes. I wrote about my favourite favourite platform in the world! I was more than happy writing about Tumblr and sharing it's awesomeness. The entire article is here.

Social Samosa : A date with a Food Blogger

2012-02-17T18:30:00.000+05:30

‘See, it’s like comparing a Rock On with a Dabangg. There is an audience for both the movies. People are travelling abroad and appreciating International Cuisine, but there is a large audience that still prefers the good old Salman Khan entertainer. So yes, Indians are excited about Parfait and yoghurt-based desserts but they will never let go of their jalebis. Price is also a factor at work here'

I interviewed Kalyan Karmakar of FinelyChopped for my first article for Social Samosa. The entire article can be read here.

Social Samosa and Writing

2012-02-17T15:59:00.002+05:30

So, a couple of months back, Ankita Gaba asked me if I was interested in writing for a Social Media Portal focusing on Indian Social Media Case Studies. Ankita and I go back a long way (we met at a blog camp in 2007 and hit it off instantly) and I deeply admire her knowledge about the Indian Social Media Landscape. She and her partner Aditya Gupta were starting a portal and were looking for some serious content. It was a wonderful proposition and it involved exposure to writing and studying brands and platforms that I previously made notes about ( pending blogposts!). I said yes.

A few months later I am happy that I invested time in this project and got the maximum out of it. It turned out to be a great way to research the online space and build connections.

If you are interested in how Indian agencies and brands have adopted the social space, you must visit the portal and go through the various sections. My personal favourite is this post by @gautamghosh on social media jobs in India.

Social Samosa : Social Media Essentials for the Banking Industry

2012-02-17T07:30:00.000+05:30

If you go through the Twitter streams of Indian Private banks, it reads like a customer service account — which is probably what they want to do with the medium. However, @icicibank_care could probably explore hiring, mapping customer trends with this particular account. In reality, we would love to know if banks have derived consumer insights using social media. Is product failure being measured with the number of negative tweets? Are banks taking parody accounts or hate accounts seriously? (Just try googling for ‘I hate ICICI Bank’). Social Media should not be restricted to just Facebook and Twitter. In ICICI’s case, they have a considerable number of negative reviews on Mouthshut.com.

I wrote an article on 'Social Media Essentials for the Banking industry' for Social Samosa. I think there is a lot more smart engagement that banks can do with the audience that they have on social media.

The entire article is here

Kissan and 'Call to Action'

2012-02-13T11:22:00.002+05:30

Loved this campaign by Kissan in today's Bombay Times. Such a fun way to get customers to act on something.

Thanks to @bombaylives who shared the picture on Facebook.

Twitter + TV = Magic

2011-12-14T23:29:00.001+05:30

Why aren't TV shows in India using Twitter to engage users during commercial breaks?

Just thought of this concept for TV shows. In any case there is no stopping the dearth of reality shows in India.
How about if users could tweet what a reality show contestant should do next?
I have always imagined television to be a static medium and thought that there are ways to make it interactive. Imagine the possibilities!
I would love to script the show from my living room. Not only will it be the ultimate in crowdsourcing, but it will be exciting to see how creative and crazy the Indian audience is.

I am already imagining a stream of 140 characters as a ticker that decides the fate of the script. Of course, it will work in reality shows in a real-time format, but a weekly engagement exercise on social platforms could change the way we look at things on television completely.

Walking By

2011-12-08T21:34:00.001+05:30

That thing called love
which makes your heart go
boom boom
bing bing
baam baam
blush blush beep beep
baa baa
bo bo
b...b...
..........
That thing?
Yes that
It just walked past me

(Image credit : http://pinterest.com/pin/23573598018994738/)

(I love Pinterest! After Tumblr, its my next favourite thing in the virtual world)

A world without Ads

2011-12-05T23:01:00.000+05:30

When I installed Evernote's Clearly extension for my Chrome browser, I whooped with joy (if you haven't done it yet, please go ahead and install it)

It just made me wonder about simplicity in design and minimalism in general. I recently got done with John Maeda's book 'Laws of Simplicity' where he talks about his ten laws for great design. From what I absorbed, I understood that reduction, classification and simplicity is more beautiful than clutter. Somewhere we already know this, but don't have the 'time'/'energy'/'motivation' to bring about change in our lives.

Then, like an 'aha' moment, I thought that somewhere in the future there could be a market for a world without ads. Just like we head to a spa to de-stress ourselves, we would probably pay for an ad-free life. It's a no-brainer really that for a specific target group advertising holds no trigger for conversion.

What if we could live in a world where at the touch of a button we could have a 'clearly' vision?

Would you pay for such a life? Would it reduce the number of conversations we have?

BodySurfing by Anita Shreve

2011-12-01T22:33:00.003+05:30

A long walk in the evening and I came across a board that screamed 'crazy discount' at a local bookstore. My squeals turned into a quiet sigh when I inquired and found that the book store was shutting down. Regular patrons weren't returning books and the deposit amounts weren't enough for the owners to continue the setup. Enter the 'saviour' of 'orphaned' books. (Really now, you can't blame me for picking up books at 40 bucks a piece!)

One of the lovelies that I picked up was 'Body Surfing' by Anita Shreve. It had a gorgeous cover and contrary to the popular cliche I lust after well-designed covers.

(The new baby. The green post-it reads ' Rayzyn Public Library')

The book revolves around Sydney, the protagonist, who is tutoring Julie at a fabulous beach house in Portsmouth. She is content and confused about her singlehood. While she tries to come to terms with her previous marriages falling apart, Julie's two brothers - Ben and Jeff arrive at the house to stay with the family. What follows is a series of wooing attempts, a fake kidnap call and lots of melodrama fit for a soap opera.

The novel is a series of descriptions revolving around family dinners, relationships, egos,wooing and the usual status related drama. I particularly liked some paragraphs - especially the one below- but I felt that the overall storyline is weak. There are elements of beautiful writing but hardly anything to keep me engrossed. I kept finding reasons to avoid the book.

It's as though the author has relied on descriptive writing to take us through a plot which is predictable. One thing that left me puzzled is the numerous breaks in paragraphs throughout the book. You start a day with the family and expect it to continue to the end when a new angle is inserted in a very abrupt way. A conversation between two people is spread across two paragraphs. I didn't find any particular reason for a disconnect. Maybe it's because I haven't read fiction of this kind. Have you guys come across anything like this before?

Body Surfing on Flipkart/Amazon

Tum Ho

2011-10-26T22:51:00.000+05:30

(heart clutching moment at 0:57)

Days of comforting sunshine
of lyrical wonders
tender hands that hold your face
fleeting smiles
an old nickname
clasped hands
common songs
songs that peek into your soul
interspersing words
changing words
double meanings
running recklessly
being together
with the fear of being apart

All kinds..

2011-09-24T23:04:00.002+05:30

It takes all kinds to fill this planet.

The cranky who never seem to find peace, the fussy who fiddle around with details, the laidback who live like there is no tomorrow

So many different colours, so many different experiences, so much to talk about, so much to discover. Like the fingers on our hand. Different folks. Different strokes.

Sometimes I think keeping your eyes and ears open is such a pleasant exercise. Considering life's meandering roads there is always some music or some discord at the corner.

Sajda

2011-09-18T17:21:00.000+05:30

Sajde bhi karte ho
Aur khud ko kaafir bhi kehte ho?
Itni shiddat se mohabbat ki hai
toh masjid ko imarat kyon kehte ho?
Bolo?

With or Without You

2011-09-18T17:16:00.001+05:30

'With or Without You'
and light drizzle on my face
mornings--filled with blissful lace
Travelers stuck in a mold
should pause and revel in musical gold

You know?

2011-09-04T18:34:00.001+05:30

You know that goosebumpy moment when you know something about someone else and they are trying so hard to hide it?

You know that feeling in the elevator when you look at a person and wonder how you lived life without knowing such an individual?

You know that feeling when a stranger tries to make desperate conversation and all you want them to be is their true self?

You know that feeling when you look at your circle of friends and wonder how time passed by!

I love all of those moments and more...

Life is..

2011-09-04T18:30:00.001+05:30

... eating chocolate icecream in the cutesy hole near your bed while your mom yells at you to clean your room.

Beauty in Words

2011-09-02T22:45:00.003+05:30

You are a Sunday porch I could do nothing on
and feel like everything was happening.”
— Derrick Brown, excerpt from Waltzing the Hurricane

I am gorging over contemporary poetry and Derrick Brown is my temple

Loving Neruda

2011-09-02T22:40:00.003+05:30

Perhaps not to be is to be without your being,
without your going, that cuts noon light
like a blue flower, without your passing
later through fog and stones,
without the torch you lift in your hand
that others may not see as golden,
that perhaps no one believed blossomed
the glowing origin of the rose,
without, in the end, your being, your coming
suddenly, inspiringly, to know my life,
blaze of the rose-tree, wheat of the breeze:
and it follows that I am, because you are:
it follows from ‘you are’, that I am, and we:
and, because of love, you will, I will,
We will, come to be.

How can you not be in love with Neruda? He puts the gleam in my eyes. He weaves words the way God paints colors in the afternoon sky. Some light yellow, some reds thrown in and a deep shade of orange..

Impressions

2011-08-31T10:20:00.000+05:30

In a conversation with S, I asked him about men impressing girls. He gave me a list of things that he does.

And then in my usual avatar, I wondered and pondered and thought about it.

It then struck me that the only way to impress a girl is to not impress her. Apart from the usual chivalry and manners that men put on display, the best way is to be yourself.

Because at some point in the future you would want the girl to deal with your reality right? And its not like girls don't realize that men are impressing them. We find it cute, but somewhere it needs to stop. Somewhere the core should begin.

Unless of course you just want to create an impression.

L.O.V.E. this quote

2011-08-30T06:12:00.000+05:30

There are stories within stories, whispered in the quiet of the night,shouted above the roar of the day,and played out between lovers,enemies,strangers,friends. But all, all are fragile things made of just 26 letters arranged and rearranged ~ Neil Gaiman

A moment of epiphany and countless delights. I love how the Internet springs such amazing surprises on me!

In your eyes

2011-08-28T20:29:00.000+05:30

There are pretty places in this world

Where I want to roam with you

A basket in hand, some music in the car..

I picture us like a moving frame

Pausing …resuming

I have made envelopes of feelings

Open no?

Some unfinished letters by the bedside

Soaked in midnight tears

And the reason why I wake up?

To see my reflection in your eyes

Tumbling Love

2011-08-21T14:37:00.000+05:30

I adore Tumblr!

If its possible, I could stand on the tallest building and scream out my love for those guys!

Why :

1. Its easy-peasy. Anybody with an Internet connection can setup a blog
2. So many amazing themes!
3. Every click makes me go : "why didn't I think of that!"/ "I was living without this feature?"

Even though they faced considerable flak for their redesign, the ease of posting and reblogging makes it a darling for content creators.

How ironic that I say this on a Blogger hosted blog!

On Suspicion

2011-08-17T22:32:00.001+05:30

If you are spending moments in suspicion, you are losing moments of trust. Trust that could possibly lead to new discoveries or peace. Both of which are indispensable in any relation.

Just the right dose of common sense

2011-08-03T05:27:00.000+05:30

We fight for our right to say and do whatever we wish, by telling others what they cannot say and do ~ Samir

गलियाँ

2011-07-30T23:17:00.001+05:30

Chhod aaye hain woh galiyaan
jahaan kabhi yaadein banaai thi
ab toh unki tasveer dekh kar bhi
ummeed nahi jaagti

For Harry Potter

2011-07-17T13:00:00.000+05:30

I shivered when he walked with Nagini
I clutched my seat when they travel across Gringotts
I feared for Neville's life when the bridge started crumbling. I yelled 'Run Neville Run' in the theatre...
I knew Harry would save Draco. It was the most right thing to do...
I wept when Snape said " Its always been about Lily"
I loved when Dumbledore says that things imagined are also real
I loved when Dumbledore says " Pity the living who live without love"
I cheered and whooped with joy when the Gryffindor sword mutilates Nagini
I liked that Snape was a hero in the end. However misunderstood he was
Its beautiful that Snape's tears told the story in the Pensieve
Its also beautiful that an idea in a writer's mind has created a new vocabulary and a new form of employment for people the world over...
The most beautiful thing : the applause the movie got in the end. Spontaneous, real and with so many sniffs in the background

I am glad that I lived in the generation that grew up with this phenomenon called Harry Potter. Thank you, J.K.Rowling for giving me a childhood.

Black,White and Grey

2011-06-30T16:33:00.001+05:30

So long and winding are these roads
where I have left behind stories of nostalgia
Some slippery curves
Some hard ground
Stories of ringing laughter and painful parting
Tales of cuteness and despair
And me
that soul which keeps getting shaped
like a mound of clay
Dear, Life
Send my way
lives and stories--black, white and grey...

Little Jars of Feelings

2011-06-19T21:01:00.000+05:30

I own little jars of feelings. I have decorated them with itsy-bitsy scraps of papers, scribbled drawings and crayons gone haywire. These little jars sit on the top-most shelf of my mind. I move across the city, cross roads, hail cabs, shield myself from blinding lights and skip puddles. The little jars shake and shiver and tumble across the shelf. Some kind soul comes and fills them with a smile or a desperate soul fills another jar with a tale of hope. Sometimes empty eyes in trains fill the jars with untold stories and sometimes anticipation and mush fill them with tales of romance. A musician on a platform fills them with flute notes and cries of penury. A girl in a pinafore and plaits wonders shares tales of academics and cliques.

I, the collector of these feelings, play along with life and move about. I stumble and I fall. The jars--stuck that they are to their places-- keep emptying themselves in the basket of time.

One day I will open the baskets and see what all I have missed or enjoyed. All the archives of my feelings will tell tales of laughter, hope and fear. Then, the collector of feelings will have her moment of closure.

Till then, I will keep walking. And collecting.

Image Credit

Notes from The Viral Loop

2011-06-11T21:13:00.000+05:30

On newspapers and reading them online...

"It owes its analog existence to trees that are chopped down, trucked down to a mill where they are mashed into pulp,flattened into paper and transported to printing presses. There the huge rolls of paper are sprayed with letters and numbers, photos, crossword puzzles,sudoku and drawings,cut and stacked and bound and stuffed into trucks. These bundles are dropped off at newsstands or distributed to people whose job entails flinging each copy, one at a time,house to house. Later you step onto your porch,pick up the paper,scan the headlines and realize everything in it is a day late. You've already skimmed the articles on the web,were fed email links on your PDA or cell phone, or accessed RSS feeds,watched them on CNN,heard them on the radio, or caught a glimpse of them on a news ticket atop a taxi cab. By the time you read the paper, the news has moved on and so have you. It's one thing to rely on such an intricate supply chain to manufacture a Stealth bomber. Its a complete waste of scarce and expensive materials and fuel for the dissemination of mere words and pictures on a page and it takes far too long. "

Churchgate

2011-06-03T20:44:00.006+05:30

The girl keeps running towards a very crowded station with a green umbrella that is broken at one end. Partly drenched, partly curious she looks forward to the sight she is about to see.

She has travelled a journey of forty-five minutes to meet someone. She doesn't bother about the rain, the sun or the people around. Her eyes dance with impatience, excitement and anticipation. If you were there--at that crowded station--she would be a very amusing sight. Fumbling with her umbrella, looking in all directions, gaping at trains and trying very hard to spot him. She would stare at random men with luggage and wonder.

She thinks about the coffees and the walks waiting for her in the day. She would max out every moment. Who knows where life will take her after this. How she wants to capture moments! She thinks of how days will pass in a whiff and how she will come back to this crowded station with tears in her eyes.

She would in her quiet moments relive the entire day and rethink every line in the night. Every cupcake, every coffee, every silent moment would remind her of him. But now? Now the moment is hers and hers alone. The next few days will belong to her. The endless smiling, the daily parting, the momentary goodbyes, the incessant bargaining and the feeling of home.

Then, she is brought to reality by the smile that can light a thousand dark days.

In that crowd, two people huddle together under a broken umbrella to build their share of special memories.

Yaadon ka Idiot Box

2011-05-21T22:36:00.000+05:30

Storytelling. Right from Nani's kahaaniyan to Dad's 'when I was your age' tales. From simplistic movies to transcendental stuff made of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's touch. Stories have an innate power to make us feel connected. And the world of media is full of them--inane and interesting. Each and every format is trying to outdo the other in the game of powerful story-telling.
As a commuter I clock in atleast two hours of radio per day. I am thankful for train journeys and traffic(yes, I am weird!) because I get to listen to radio. The RJs, the jingles, the song selections at different times of the day-- it fascinates me to no end. How every RJ has a niche audience and why music and moods have connections are questions I seek answers to all the time. Sometimes, creating my own set of patterns.
Off late, radio stations were focusing on realistic issues and changing their positioning from a content platform to a 'voice for the people' platform. I was annoyed. It is not like we have a dearth of reality in our day to day life, that music needs to be infused with realistic content!

Enter : 'Yaadon Ka Idiot Box' on Big 92.7 FM by Neelesh Misra
This powerful and amazing show has a happy new fan. It is such a simple way of telling interesting stories interspersed with songs that one wonders why it wasn't created before. Every one hour episode is a story with songs being played at relevant pauses. The background score and the voice is the magic of the show. Neelesh Misra keeps you spellbound and addicted to the story. It is interesting to learn and observe how pauses and voice modulation can create anticipation. Replace that with an overexcited RJ who is trying to talk to commuter about a random feeling--P.A.S.S.E!

A little bit of Googling and I discovered more about Neelesh and his background. This man wears several hats -- Deputy Editor at HT,lyricist ('Jaadoo Hai Nasha Hai' from Jism), photographer and is the creative director of the band called NINE!

I am glad that storytelling found a cool new platform to come into our lives. What better way that through the ears.

Catch the show Monday to Friday between 9 to 10 p.m. everyday.

A decision in rain

2011-05-14T22:46:00.000+05:30

A sheet of rain separated them. They could either take five steps closer and explore a new world. Or ten steps backward and remain slaves to their imaginations. They stood still under their umbrellas and waited for the other to take the first step.
Life moved past them. Like it always does. She moved away, because its better to imagine dreams that live with hurt.

Stillness and Mischief

2011-05-11T23:47:00.000+05:30

She runs around curtains
And plays with mango juice
Her father braids her hair and hopes she would sit still
"Soon, the rains will be here"
"I know! Then I will jump in puddles"
"There is mango on your clothes"
"In rains, the earth will decorate my dresses"
"Come, sit here for a story"
"Say, I can hear and play with the wind"
"You are the wind"
She runs around curtains
Stains clothes
And spends an afternoon in warmth
He wishes stillness
But revels in her four year old mischief

Why I love the Internet (Reason no : 34569012)

2011-05-02T19:23:00.000+05:30

Week of Understanding

2011-04-10T22:56:00.000+05:30

Maria always came home to share Marie Biscuits. They were a fetish we both shared. Along with a rag doll that didn't have a name. We ate nihari (beef stew, a Pakistani delicacy) and chhole(chickpeas) over weekends and discussed Eid preparations during Ramzaan. Muscat was a home where we never bothered about borders. Politics was limited to political science textbooks.
Migration and life happened. She moved to Canada and I moved to India. She pursued healthcare and is trying to work towards effective healthcare policies. I am pursuing management and hoping to market products effectively.
When India played Pakistan in the World Cup semifinals, we tracked each other's Facebook feeds. At the end of the game, I danced with jubilation and she applauded with a smile. We haven't met in over ten years. But we connected through sport and passion of twenty two players.
In a utopian world, I wish political measures were as easy flowing as music or sport.

James Shelley is celebrating A Week of Understanding. This post is for his brilliant initiative.

On Definitions

2011-04-06T23:24:00.001+05:30

So many people come up with so many definitions of love and marriage. Not realizing that it is about creating your own secret language and your own comfort zones.
So many people live and hang on to the past that defined love for them. If you think there is just one definition, aren't you restricting your experiences?

Romance could just be buying toothbrush together. Love could be leaf-eared pages in your favourite book, so that the other can read quotes.
Then what stops you from believing in the new?

On People being our biggest asset

2011-03-20T12:20:00.000+05:30

This beautiful article made my Holi a lot more colorful...

Reproducing my favourite lines :

"Lots of businesses run this way. Words like "productivity," "efficiency," and "innovation" are defined by goal posts of our own creation: number of units shipped, revenue and profit, EPS and shareholder return. But when you think of the world this way, you forget two things: first, people, and second, that the numbers themselves are not a product. Both are symptoms of a soulless approach to business: when who we are is dictated by strategy and metrics, what we make lacks humanity — in terms of both our products and services, and the cultures we cultivate "

Kaise Kahein Alvida

2011-03-19T20:53:00.000+05:30

ODing over this number from the movie Yeh Saali Zindagi. The lyrics are enthralling and the music puts me at piece.

Kaise kahein alvida, mehram
Kaise bane ajnabi, humdum
Bhool jaao jo tum, bhool jaayenge hum
Yeh junoon yeh pyaar ke lamhe nam
Kaise kahein alvida, mehram
Kaise kahein

Geso resham, labh par shabnam
Woh behakta sa dil
Woh dehekta sa tan
Bhool jaao jo tum, bhool jaayenge hum
Yeh junoon yeh pyaar ke lamhe nam
Kaise kahein alvida, mehram
Kaise kahein

Woh raatein woh sehar
Woh sukoon ke pehar
Bhool jaayenge hum bhoole kyun hum magar
Jee jaao tum, jee jaayenge hum
Yaadon ke zakhm par, zindagi marham

Kaise kahein alvida, mehram
Kaise bane ajnabi, humdum
Kaise kahein

*mehram ~ beloved saviour

Fallen Eyelash

2011-03-07T22:50:00.000+05:30

Sometimes I just want to be a fallen eyelash.I can live for a moment on your cheekbones and be the desire in your mind.

And when you let me fly away, I can be the hope in your heart.

Hidden Lines

2011-03-06T20:43:00.000+05:30

There is beauty in privacy. Some lines are meant for my eyes. Which is why one fine morning I read a draft in my inbox and smile. I view these places in my inbox as shelves with hidden toffees. Some day its lemon, some days its chocolate.

A manuscript of journeys

2011-02-21T20:10:00.000+05:30

Greasy windowpanes
Some odd fingerprints
A layer of dust
"Manu ♥ Meena" on the windscreen
Raindrops and a blurry outside
Teardrops to hide a broken inside
Stuffed toys line the back
A yellow teddy with a broken leg
God on the rearview mirror
Popcorn on the floor
A folded magazine from 2006
Papa's business cards
Mom's cassette of devotional songs
Brother's discarded CDs
A car and its windowpanes
A manuscript of journeys

Naomi Shihab Nye

2011-02-20T22:22:00.000+05:30

A poet I discovered with lots of help from Sushobhan.

San Antonio

Naomi Shihab Nye

Tonight I lingered over your name,

the delicate assembly of vowels

a voice inside my head.

You were sleeping when I arrived.

I stood by your bed

and watched the sheets rise gently.

I knew what slant of light

would make you turn over.

It was then I felt

the highways slide out of my hands.

I remembered the old men

in the west side cafe,

dealing dominoes like magical charms.

It was then I knew,

like a woman looking backward,

I could not leave you,

or find anyone I loved more.

Like perfume no?

She played

2011-02-14T23:25:00.000+05:30

She played an imaginary piano with her toes. A song long gone. A symphony which even the breeze outside refused to acknowledge. That length of hair by her side no longer waltzed to the wind outside. In the silence of the morning she heard a sparrow break into a chirp.

Being Human

2011-01-16T00:54:00.000+05:30

I've said before that it's great that you are human. Embrace it. Wisdom doesn't preclude humanity. Anymore than bravery precludes fear. ~ Samir

Emotions and Emoticons

2011-01-09T23:55:00.000+05:30

A few months back a friend commented on another friend's Facebook status. The comment was comical but it was a well disguised personal attack.

We,as a society, have come to a point where we have multiple accounts online, but have lost online etiquette. In a discussion on Tumblr, some commentators kept going back to the value of words. In the past as is today, words created meanings and ideologies.

Coming back to my friend, the comment was long forgotten but it was a personal attack nonetheless. If we are using words loosely, with no importance to meaning, how fickle are our relationships.

I see this happening in a lot of personal relationships where depiction of love and warmth is an emoticon. While the social media lover in me is going 'Yay!'(for all the buzz and social experiments) I hope we won't respond to a friend's personal tragedy with a frown. Rather with a hug and some warm words.

I keep reminding myself that these are just tools, not everything at all.

Just to leave you with something silly :)

Emotion = emote + on

Emoticon = emote + con

Our Universe

2011-01-08T22:55:00.001+05:30

I walk aimlessly in the summer of your smile
see those crossroads?
I chose the one that has stories sprinkled on its sidewalks
When the conversation turns bleak
I look at the trees
They play placid tunes.
When the sparrows have sung their songs
I will have your whispers to listen to.
Sitting by the lake
I will create ripples to entertain
while you create art with twigs
when we get bored
we will come back to concrete
and savor our parallel universe

Love of the Unknown

2011-01-05T21:48:00.000+05:30

One of those train journeys where I met Rachel, Karen and a guy called Jason Noronha.

Three girls were discussing random guys and how they found this Jason chap really cute. But they didn't want to date him because he was too popular! Enter Karen who hangs out with Jason because she wants to roam around with a good looking guy. Then Rachel who is part of this conversation and knows Jason from her Church decides to chip in with some church gossip about his elder sister. Which sort of stamps the seal of disapproval. Their primary approach was to mindlessly talk about someone and then pass judgement without knowing anything.

Over the years we (that includes me as well!) have assassinated so many characters that when someone else does it it feels weird. In retrospect every person has so many shades that it's impossible to be completely honest to every single person in our circles. That is my problem with righteous beings who consider honesty such a big deal. Who am I to expect honesty from anyone? Is it honesty if it is forced? Or if it is voluntary?

On that note do we know ourselves at all? Do our closest friends know every little detail of our lives?

I think the mystery of the unknown and the unexpected help us stay together. After all a lifetime is too short too know a person. I think that is the beauty of life.

The Social Network and the Male Ego

2010-12-14T23:41:00.000+05:30

I saw The Social Network yesterday. (And experienced a goosebumpy feeling when I logged into the Facebook after that!)
I consider myself a moderate addict. I have to check Facebook every single day. I consider it a part of my social life and I like the way human relationships, the concept of respect and reputation, of sharing and caring are changing with its dominance in our lives.
I don't for one reason believe that social and cultural websites are going to go anywhere. In fact they are here to stay. (Another fabulous social experiment on unsent letters)

However this post is not about how much I love social experiments on the web (that is going to be a tome in itself!). Its about the reasons we create social content. And in the case of Facebook it was very simply a man's ego and a girl's rejection. Did you notice how when faced with rejection, the first thing Mark does is to attack her physical appearance and her sexual escapades? In a conversation with Nitz, she remarked that the reason men seek control over women is because there is no paternity test from nature to determine fatherhood. A woman is a mother of a child because you can see that she is pregnant. What is nature's equivalent of the same for men? Do you know if there is a male equivalent of the word 'slut'?
It is no secret that the women clan are aware of that entity separate from a man-- E.G.O. It's like a personality in itself.
But as women we hope and wait for that one man who will give us the complete attention that we crave for. Just as I was thinking on these lines, Idea wrote a fabulous post on her blog about maintaining male interest.
Reproducing my favourite lines from that post :

"Compared to the average man, the average woman has a higher degree of attention coming her way from the opposite sex (sorry but that’s the way nature goes). She decides to trade in all that for one man, whose interest declines eventually. Most women do this and what’s more, do it willingly, joyfully and earnestly. So why do women put up with it?"

I keep wondering about the extent of conformity that we undergo as suckers for love. We may talk of individuality and detachment but secretly we want our loved ones to appreciate our actions, cheer for us, understand our needs and suggest the next haircut. Maybe the initial days are the ones when we undergo the maximum transformation. And for the memory bank its a fabulous, rosy picture to create.

So who are we? Just a set of sentimental fools looking to fit cozy photographs into the picture frames of life? Or level-headed individuals dying to take the mushy leap of faith ?

On excuses

2010-12-09T06:50:00.000+05:30

Our excuses are the boundaries we create for ourselves. If you have an excuse for something, that's the boundary you create for yourself.

From an old notebook...

2010-11-01T21:01:00.000+05:30

To you its a peck on the cheek. For me its a million waiting moments converging into a time freeze.

Right Now

2010-10-27T01:08:00.000+05:30

Sometimes you want to open your heart and wail like a child. Other times you wonder at your place in the universe.

Reminder : we all have our dirty dark secrets that we want to hide. We all want to be wanted, loved,attached. It's the acceptance that kills us. Sometimes we think our insecurity is bigger than us. But it's our lack of acceptance that murders our soul.

Humans have versions---revisited...

2010-10-24T23:28:00.000+05:30

I wrote this post during a time when I was dealing with people and their changing versions. When I shared this post with my friend Varsha, this was her response :

The thing is, people see you in a certain way and hence they like/dislike you. Either way, they're in their comfort zone. The moment you take a step out of that zone, they get uncomfortable. People will change. I agree with you on that. The shock is not about the change. The shock is about the change not suiting people around us.

Personally, if you ask anyone who has known me for more than a couple of years, they'll say the same thing... "OmG! U've not changed a bit! U jus look different!"

But if you ask me... I know how much I've changed, how much I've evolved as a person.

I've changed... but people don't really know tht... for them, I haven't (yet) stepped out of their comfort zone!

I agree with you on the change aspect.

"She still the same ya. Same dressing sense, same talking style." I don't ever want to be that person.

This, I don't really agree with.

It doesn't matter whether a person is the same in all these respects... as long as on a personal and emotional level, the person has evolved. (Maybe even on a spiritual level.)

And Varsha, if you are reading this, please start your own blog!

Eat these words

2010-10-24T23:15:00.000+05:30

The Internet makes me very happy. Some days it just throw stuff at me. Stuff that makes me smile.

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”

—	Christopher McCandless.

For June, from Joseph

2010-10-08T23:36:00.000+05:30

"For June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her." Some people do spend their whole lives together" ~ Anna Scott in Notting Hill

Some dialogues should be framed. This is one of them. Richard Curtis, take a bow.

Gareth Kay on being interesting

2010-10-08T19:31:00.000+05:30

This post by Gareth Kay got me thinking about interestingness and curiosity.
Some of my favourite lines from the post are reproduced here :

Bill Bernbach said this back in the the 1950s:

“The truth isn’t the truth until people believe you, and they can’t believe you if they don’t know what you’re saying, and they can’t know what you’re saying if they don’t listen to you, and they won’t listen to you if you’re not interesting, and you won’t be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly.”

(If you haven't done already, then you must start following Gareth's blog)

Smile through summer colors

2010-10-02T22:39:00.000+05:30

Yeh tumhari meri baatein
hamesha yuhi chalti rahein
(I hope,these conversations that we have last forever)

...and I hope we waltz to fancy winds
play splash when there is rain outside
clutch each other in winter
and smile through the summer colors

Falling Slowly

2010-09-30T20:23:00.000+05:30

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

From the movie 'Once'. One of my favourite songs and something that perks me up all the time.
The video is here.

What are grudges

2010-09-30T16:21:00.000+05:30

Grudges are just reminders to hate another person.

What a waste of time and energy it must be to spend time remembering old hurts. More than ignorance, a bad memory is bliss.

If Thou not...

2010-09-22T19:01:00.000+05:30

Love's Philosophy

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of Heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle -
Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high Heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea -
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?

Really. What are all those feelings worth? I love how Shelley compares nature and our desires.

The Price of Individuality

2010-09-19T15:10:00.000+05:30

Why do people let themselves or make others compromise on individuality? What do you have to celebrate then? And when two people can't celebrate each others' quirks, how are they in love at all?

Looking for Corny

2010-09-19T13:36:00.000+05:30

"I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life" ~ Iris Simpkins to Arthur Abott in The Holiday

Clasped Hands

2010-09-15T23:58:00.000+05:30

We stand in front of the cupboard
Discussing evening clothes

He hopes for something black
I play with strands of yellow
We munch on bhutta
when the weather expects us to be home
There is silly whispering
as we hold hands and walk towards the comic store
I love the language of roses
and psychedelic wallpapers
He gifts me a mix tape full of Japanese musicals
I twirl the lace curtains till they lose shape
And when I wake up
there is nowhere else I'd rather be
I am the reflection in his eyes
and the reason for his morning smile

*bhutta is an Indian word for corn on the cob

**Dedicated to two people who make old-fashioned love more believable

Quote of the Week

2010-09-15T20:14:00.000+05:30

A teacher's job is to make herself redundant ~ Prof. Amita Sehgal

What we are meant to do

2010-09-05T15:29:00.001+05:30

Rains do wonderful things to you. While I sat sipping hot soup and nursed a cold over the weekend, I kept going over and over a line that I had penned a long time back. Nature gave me company in the form of a virus and a fabulous window view.
I spoke to a music-loving friend of mine a few days back and we both agreed that all music lovers want to stand on a stage, scream out to a 60000 strong audience yelling out their name. In retrospect it was his and a lot of music lovers' nirvana.
It was then that I took stock of lives around me. And then I wrote the line that is adorning the blog heading since yesterday - " We all are artists, musicians, writers, dancers. Everything else is just a way to pay bills"
I believe this line wholeheartedly. In another discussion, a friend and I spoke about how art is the way to meditate. And in creating art we are giving back the most to the world. Whether discovered or not, creation of art is the closest thing to meditation.

Federer : Consistency is King

2010-09-03T22:51:00.000+05:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZnC6jcRQRg

This video is why I think Federer is amazing amazing amazing. Not to mention he is the King of Consistency.

SEBI asks media houses to disclose private treaties

2010-08-29T12:56:00.000+05:30

You might want to read this.
Reproducing a part of that post :

"In recent weeks, in addition to attracting imitators, BCCL’s treaties have also received growing scrutiny following a magazine article by columnist Sucheta Dalal, who cited an internal email from Rahul Joshi, the editor ofThe Economic Times, which suggests journalists at BCCL are being asked to provide editorial coverage to treaty clients in a way that enhances “the value of these companies and ToI’s (Times of India’s) investment.”

Which is why this news is important and should have come ages ago.
I am always surprised by people who read a newspaper and believe the facts in it without questioning the content or reading between the lines. It's as though the hallowed hallways of print can do no wrong.
This makes the case for bloggers and tweeters more stronger. With rise of citizen journalism and WikiLeaks we can expect more people telling us info that can inform the population. Even if we assume the worst case scenario of bloggers being bought by newspapers, I don't know how many deals a print newspaper will strike with an independent web-based journalist.
Not to mention the numerous times TOI and other papers have lifted pictures from Flickr without any form of credit or compensation.

What after 140?

2010-08-26T23:37:00.000+05:30

Image updates, Videos(see Twitvid) and personal channels.

We are already referring to Youtube video sets as channels. With video cameras and mobile journalism a living waking reality, the crowd will find its own truth, own news and own music.
Post Justin Bieber (who uploaded a video on Myspace and got noticed), its all about recognizing the audience and where they are moving. So as a content provider how much autonomy are you giving the user?

Lessons from Trent

2010-08-22T00:06:00.000+05:30

A friend and I were talking to security guard at the Westside outlet in Kala Ghoda. We ended up asking him if the store would be open on a particular day, which we thought could be a holiday.
The security guard said this with pride in his voice " When they were attacking the Taj, the store was open on all four days at the scheduled timings. There is no reason why it should be closed on any other day."
My friend and I stood still for a while and walked out quietly.
I don't know much about the internal workings of Trent Ltd. or the Tata Group, but I like the lesson I learnt.
When your internal policies are fair, just and rewarding, even your most visible employee becomes your brand ambassador.

Why unbiased opinions don't exist.

2010-08-17T09:33:00.000+05:30

This enlightening article on how we support what we already like is the subject of this post. You've been to Amazon where they suggest you to buy books based on what people have already bought? That's technology and algorithm trying to tell you what to buy based on your opinion spectrum. Rarely will technology or recommendation be given to encourage an opposite thought. And its true with all of us. Because I don't agree with communism I haven't read a single book on it and will never be recommended a book of that sort.
Reproducing a paragraph from that article (by the very amazing Pratchett no less) :

“Be careful. People like to be told what they already know. Remember that. They get uncomfortable when you tell them new things. New things…well, new things aren’t what they expect. They like to know that, say, a dog will bite a man. That is what dogs do. They don’t want to know that man bites a dog, because the world is not supposed to happen like that. In short, what people think they want is news, but what they really crave is olds…Not news but olds, telling people that what they think they already know is true.”

Terry Pratchett through the character Lord Vetinari from his novel, “The Truth: a novel of Discworld"

On Leadership

2010-08-17T09:22:00.000+05:30

I have been reading a lot about leadership in the book about J.N.Tata. On a parallel note, it amuses me that a lot of examples in my life are about how leadership should not be practiced.
Most leadership that I have observed has been about establishing territory and rules. There is very little speed in execution of ideas and considerable time is spent on rules and getting people to follow them. Post the establishment of rules and followers, execution of ideas takes place with a one track mind to impress authority or establish more authority! Even though we all read and nod our heads in agreement there is hardly any semblance of creativity in leadership today.
Look at the corporate world. After reeling under the pressures and stupidity of a few people's mistakes everyone donned the garb of austerity and expected others to follow. The first section that was impacted was imagination. The same is with smaller leadership roles. I am sure you have examples around you of a person making a mistake and then being denied a leadership role.
I am not sure that is the leadership I subscribe to and look up to.
In other news here is an organisation that gives you the freedom to quit and contribute.

Some perspective

2010-08-12T20:42:00.000+05:30

"...The Swadeshi had their own Savings' Bank and Sick Benefit Fund, a Library and a Co-operative Society and arrangements for recreation. There were schools within easy hail. The employees had their own Provident Fund and free treatment at a dispensary. A Library and Reading Room were erected. Close to 200 of the operatives with their operatives were housed by the Company and additional quarters were built for apprentices and staff. They had a crèche for infants of the female employees where a qualified man would supervise the daily care of babies. All children of workers went to school free of charge."

All this and more was offered at the Swadeshi Mills run by Mr. J.N.Tata in the early 1900s.

Interactive Menu

2010-07-27T10:39:00.001+05:30

I was eating at a Lebanese restaurant a month back, and saw a regular couple quiz the waiter about some menu items. The lady wanted to know how many pieces a certain dish had and where it was on the spice scale. Now, I love to guess backgrounds from the type of questions people ask, and I immediately put this couple in the Indian subcontinent. Their language confirmed my guess.
Traditionally we have been a cautious population. Its only now that people are taking risks with cuisines, clothes and opinions in general. And even when we go out to eat and see a movie, we want to judge how value for money ( VFM) every experience is.
I have noticed this trend among Indians to enquire about the number of pieces, spices, gravy type. There may be other nationalities who do this as well, but in International cuisine you never ask the content. Most Lebanese waiters give puzzled expressions and expect you to know your food. They even put thumbnail type pictures on the menu card to point out the item.
While eating the succulent kebabs and the tabouleh ( you thought I wouldn't tempt you?), I felt a need for interactive menu with videos and pictures. The menu could be placed on every table with nutritional information, number of pieces, history of the dish etc.
What happens to the waiter? Instead of transporting the dish from the kitchen to the table, he could be the one making the suggestions, assisting in personal tastes, taking care of individual food requirements--every table's personal CRM manager.
Like all things designer, it would be awful if such an idea is implemented in an Udipi hotel, because it would be irrelevant.

A restaurant that is already doing this. And a fast food eatery that is redefining the cycle time of fast food.

Update : Just when we thought it was far-fetched, technology proves to us that anything is possible. The NYTimes Bits blog talks about lunch as a social networking game.

Learning from Kids

2010-07-27T10:18:00.000+05:30

I foresee an education system where we will be learning from children and taking advice from them. It makes me happy and excited, but I hope that my cut-out-for-the-world-self will be able to understand the wet cement that is a child's brain.

The more I look at kids, the more I think its the way to learn. Unless, schools are going in the opposite direction.

Quote of the Week

2010-07-27T10:14:00.000+05:30

If there's one thing every single country and religion agrees upon, it is that women should be given a hard time. -- cgawker

Chetan Bhagat the Trendspotter

2010-07-13T23:16:00.000+05:30

Chetan Bhagat's books are classified as mass market. They are priced low, cater to audiences that loves to read a quick masala novel.
But have you noticed his keen sense of observation? If you look at all his books, there are audiences he is addressing to. These audiences are students who want to read something that mirrors their life, their workplace or their marital struggles. In all his books he has such keen observations about cultures and communities, I won't be surprised if the observations become part of curriculum.
That part where he talks about homes in Punjab and Chennai, is bang on. The descriptions of show items and the lack of color and trinkets in a South Indian home is stuff we all are aware of, but rarely observe. He wrote a novel on the BPO fixation when the boom was all over the place. His books on IITs and IIMs target the students and the aspirant crowd really well. Most of all his very ridiculous(If you have a brain, ignore his advice on relationships!) love advice has found a fan following amongst small city lovers who face traditional marriage struggles.
Chetan may have a fixed plot behind his books, but his observations are something all marketers must observe. Whatever his plan may be, he is writing books that can be easily converted to movies. Bollywood certainly has a dearth of original stories, so it works for him. So I may like harping on his average writing, he has done some valuable people watching for his books.

A long Distance Call

2010-07-11T19:50:00.000+05:30

After that long walk, she opened her book to find a lone dry leaf. The creaky chair in the veranda was enough to rest her wobbly legs and eager mind. After the first rains, this was her favourite spot to delve into Proust or Russell. The stories would remind her of fancy times and depression. She alternated between authors and moods.
Sometimes the books relieved her of the echoes in the mansion. And at times they relieved her of long distance calls proclaiming love and longing.

Ellen Degeneres' Audience Dance

2010-07-08T21:50:00.000+05:30

I love the fact that Ellen Degeneres makes her audience dance right in the beginning of her show. I have dreamed of having a company where the day includes a dance--possibly in the second half. I can't imagine why the corporate world would shy away from music and dance as a regular routine.
Productivity is a day to day issue and there are many creative arts that open our mind to newer possibilities. A ten minute creative routine--a video, a funny ad, a short film, reading poetry- could be ways to get the stimulus going. In the creative industry, this is essential since most ideas burn out before they reach the table.
Of course, to those who are cynical about their jobs no incentive will work.

Retailers and Bschool Discounts

2010-07-08T21:42:00.000+05:30

Why don't clothing companies give discounts during Bschool admission season?

The largest share might be with Allen Solly, but that doesn't stop it from giving a discount based on a student's admit card. It could be Indian or International B-Schools.

In fact, clothing retailers could work around the placement and admission seasons in cities which have more than ten business schools.

On Chetan Bhagat

2010-06-28T20:13:00.000+05:30

I am surprised that a large section of my friends remember Sarah Palin quotes and use them to add political referencing to their jokes. Same with Chetan Bhagat.
Basically anything Chetan Bhagat writes becomes Page 3 or trash news or front page fiasco, because people remember his goof-ups and laugh at him. Most importantly the people who remember his stories and characters. What they don't realize is that a writer wants his stories to be remembered. Chetan may be a mass writer and a good one at that, but he wants to be remembered just like any other author. By quoting his quotes or repeating his stories you are furthering his brand at no extra cost.
Similarly the English speaking society has many reading levels. Most of my friends don't read Vonnegut or Palahnuik. That doesn't make me more well-read or less well-read than them.
The gist : If you ignore an artist --dancer, writer, musician , painter or poet, that's his greatest criticism.

Reem and the Shower Head

2010-05-18T19:38:00.002+05:30

Reem sat on her burger shaped bed in a funny yoga pose. Well, atleast it looked like an asana. She was reading one of those slow and deliberate histories of a lost explorer and wanted to finish it.

She knew she had talent. She could roam the local malls in yellow polka dotted pajamas and she could talk to shower hoses. That, in the world of superpowers was a Stephenian feat. Who is Stephen? Oh well, he is a guy you all know. The one who knows all the answers in class? Yes, he is the same guy who will gloat over his grades. He will eventually excel in all spheres at school. Its just that Reem had coined a word out of him.

The bathroom door opened and her brother created the sign language equivalent of a shower. She smiled and hurried to take a bath. She wanted to complete her converstion with that loquacious shower head.
Once she entered, she played with the geyser buttons and sat down to wait till it noticed she was here. It looked unusually silent.
"umm..hello ...nearly rusted metal throwing attitude?"
"Snarky comments to the water provider? I know how to clog myself. Speaking of clogged, what's with your nose! Your brother stinks! That's why the silence. That hearing aid is affecting your earlier senses huh? "
"Snarky comments to your human friend! If metal could be tried in human courts..."
"Anyways, how is your future love interest? "
"Stephen is a...ummm friend..he just getting to the superpower level."
"There is a word in the Urban dictionary for an 'umfriend'. If you weren't 10, I would have had my doubts!"
"In any case, I need to take a bath. And speaking of senses, I am glad you don't have eyes. Hmph!"

Reem ended her bath with the customary bathroom song in a random language known to her. She hadn't named it yet, but in one of the bathroom sessions, she might discuss it with the shower hose. Or maybe with Stephen. Hopefully, after their sign language class.

She went back to singing her funny tune and reading about a lost explorer waiting to be 'found' in a notebook.

Twigs

2010-05-17T10:30:00.000+05:30

They crack
the road is easier without them
they add music to stealth
cleaners pick them
kids can chew them
these dried twigs
nature's way
of memorizing winter.

Quote of the Week

2010-05-15T20:24:00.000+05:30

The Arranged Marriage Principle: Given enough time, any two people can develop affection. Also see: Stockholm syndrome ~ NeoIndian

Notes from 'East is East'

2010-05-10T19:41:00.000+05:30

I love directors who condense many points of view into one scene. Have you seen how some directors shoot a wedding sequence and focus on each item of flamboyance, to show the money spent? A single ten second shot.Yes.A one minute shot with exclaiming guests and a host that talks about the zeroes in the cheque he signed as a measure of expense? No.

There is a scene in 'East is East' where Ella, a British mother who has her hands full with six kids is shown to be frazzled and tired with all the work she has had to do. The scene could have been done in so many ways to show her commitment to motherhood and how she has handles the wishes of her six children and her stubborn husband.
The scene is at the breakfast table. After an argument with her husband, Ella lights up and empties a packet of biscuits on a plate. She calls out six names and adds 'Breakfast's ready'.
This mother has lived a life of submission to an eccentric husband and with kids as diverse as a devout Muslim and an erotica sculptor, the breakfast seems like a chore than a duty.To me the fact that she empties a packet of biscuits and calls for breakfast, is testimony to her life of hard work and her current boredom. There can be many interpretations to that scene. But,the entire sequence screams 'fatigue'.

The Unschooling Manifesto

2010-05-06T11:58:00.000+05:30

I know that schools and classrooms are a mish-mash of psyches, backgrounds, cultures, upbringing, IQ (if we assume for a moment that intelligence is quantifiable) and behaviors. Which is why it has always intrigued me as to how a person turns out the way they do, if all of us have the same level of exposure.
I know that there is sufficient scientific evidence to justify personality and behavior, but can there be a solution to the factory like atmosphere that schools tend to follow?
In this article Dave Pollard explains the Unschooling Manifesto. How does a child that works with a mentor group that encourages student to think, make mistakes and go beyond a fixed curriculum develop in life?

I remember sitting in classrooms of educational institutions wondering where we are going wrong. We all know the problems and have a generic idea of the solutions.However, we stop when we look at the numbers. We still believe that due to the large number of uneducated people, the factory method will work.
I remember discussing and talking to people who became my informal mentors--both online and offline. I am happy to say the system doesn't kill you. Lack of mentorship or peer groups do.
You might say that inspiration is everywhere. I agree but meaningful conversation is a scarce resource.
My favourite paragraph from the article is reproduced below. (Thanks to Jinal Shah, I came across an article that is probably the best thing I have/will have read this year)

" And in the factory environment of the school, where teachers need to 'manage' thirty students or more, ethics and the politics of power is left up, from our earliest and most vulnerable years, to the bullies and other young damaged psychopaths among our peers, to teach us in their grotesquely warped way. As PS explains, it is in every way a prison system.

Unschooling, by contrast, starts with the realization that you 'own' your time, and have the opportunity and responsibility to use it in ways that are meaningful and stimulating for you. When you have this opportunity, you just naturally learn a great deal, about things you care about, things that will inevitably be useful to you in making a life and a living. Your learning environment is the whole world, and you learn what and when you want, undirected by curricula, textbooks, alarm clocks and school bells. You develop deep peer relationships around areas of common interest, once you're allowed to explore and discover what those areas of interest are. And the Internet and online gaming allow you to make those relationships anywhere in the world, to draw on the brightest experts on the planet, and to communicate powerfully with like-minded, curious people of every age, culture and ideology."

For further reading : Seth Godin raises the biggest questions about the education system in USA( applicable the world over).

A story about Gender and Toys

2010-05-04T19:26:00.000+05:30

During a discussion about cartoons on television and the collective consensus about how the Hannah Montana Series is an endless pit full of hogwash ( yes, we do this granny chat type activity once in a while), I remembered a wonderful anecdote I read in Reader's Digest.
It was about a very progressive father who tried to remove all distinction of gender from his daughter's toy set. He went out and bought cars, rail tracks, bats, balls and a pink doll. When he arranged the toys in the playroom, he kept the doll in an obscure position. The rail tracks, a formidable car with flashy lights,a motorbike was right in the center. He left his daughter near the door and waited for her reaction to this new bunch of toys. After a few minutes of observation, the child found the doll and refused to play with the other toys. The story ended on a light note, by saying that there are some things that you can try to achieve or instill, but human psychology( esp. that of a child) is difficult road map.
It just brings forth the real point-- you may have choices that are gender specific, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have the option of the other choices at all. The entire story was interesting because the father never forced her away from the doll--always keeping the different set of toys around her and letting her choose her favourite.
While on cartoons, Aishwarya has written this brilliant post on Chhota Bheem and I agree with her observations.

Why don't you cover up a bit?

2010-05-03T12:16:00.000+05:30

Why don't you cover up a bit?
How about a little from the side? Maybe from the top too.
Maybe some hair also.
Why don't you cover up your chest? When I look at other women I get excited so to prevent that in other men, why don't you cover up?
Actually let us go through scriptures for length measurements? A hat would be a good way to cover your hair, but the wind might blow some strands on your face.
Your hair is valuable, so make sure you have a tight cloth around it. Then a large frock will do. Shapes of figures result in rapes. There is a worldwide census for this argument, that had never been referenced or updated. But we must believe it. A rape is too much to handle. A cloth isn't.
Actually don't wear that goth purple cloth. Its too conspicuous. Skip embroidery altogether. Why should we be creative? It attracts attention. All this talk about aesthetics is hogwash.
Who cares about climate change and heat waves? Wear the darkest colors and cover everything. We may live in tropical regions, but we must not forget our dignity. Suffocation on earth is but a way to repent for our sins. Cover hands too. They also result in excitement.
Even legs would be better. Space suit? You think this is a joke? We are concerned about you. Don't you get it?
Actually we may seem like the orthodox types. So why don't you uncover a bit.
See? People in this land like us a lot better now. Actually a skirt won't be a problem. Its too hot anyways.
Don't worry about religion. We need to be accepted in this society.
Its ok. All girls her age dress like that. Stop being so conservative. You make me suspicious.
I feel bad for those women who are covered. Such desperate existence no? I like you in your new shorts.
Let's buy this bikini for you today. Its a beach. That's what people wear.
Of course you must participate in a beauty pageant. We are liberals. We don't have a problem with our daughter doing anything.

Women and their creative desires are collateral damage in a war to control visual pleasure. Its all about what is pleasing to the male eye. Frankly, I am tired of high end intellectual debates and conversations that center around what women must, should, should not do. I just hope women realize its a double edged sword. You are damned if you cover and damned if you don't.

Notes in Ebooks

2010-05-03T11:20:00.000+05:30

When you share a book through a library or through a book group, you can rarely add notes on the side margins. Some book owners like to keep margins clear of notes. It is impossible to accommodate notes of all the people in the book club or library.
In this scenario, I am excited about the possibilities of ebooks. When devices become readily affordable, libraries can get people to read books on them, mark or highlight passages, write notes and read notes by other people. Sometimes there is an interesting quote, or a reference or a line that can be used somewhere. It is also possible that ebook-readers will come with functionality that can hide these notes.
How will we share the ebook? Will we share the device? How can I share the ebook with notes? Will there be limits on sharing an ebook? These are the questions that require different answers. I am sure there are answers to all these questions, but with so many devices and publishers, there is bound to be a legal war.
What about websites that offer, stories and books for free reading? I am yet to come across some website that has a comments or a referencing page. So that discussions can be a part of reading. If we are reducing distance via the Internet, how about increasing the amount of group reading through websites?

Why do you want people to skip your Intros?

2010-05-02T18:18:00.001+05:30

Why do you create a site and use a skip intro button? Why not lead to a site directly and let people check out the 'Intro that you may have skipped' page? When you know that your Intro is long or may take considerable time to load, why build it as a part of the website?

Why would you get a bunch of people to speak in parrot format, pay them for that and not equip them with information? Why would you create employment that is a barrier to the 'Where's your supervisor?' question?

Who are we electing? People or their personas?

What are you buying? An expensive reading device that depreciates in value? Or an Apple share that increases in value? Which is the greater investment?

A President in Colorful Clothes

2010-05-01T11:14:00.000+05:30

Do we expect our world leaders to dress in simple colors? Would we be ok with a President who has a girlfriend? Or wears classy designers for state dinners?

Can we expect design and color to be a part of the diplomatic world? I like seeing some of the African nations wear their traditional dress in varied prints to diplomatic meetings. I'd like to see someone adopt and bring about that change. It may be too much to ask, but a bohemian with a new age dress sense is good for the eyes. Maybe for the reporting junta too!

That said, the corporate world gives a lot of importance to suiting up. I still haven't been able to understand the need for formal wear. I would do business with a CEO who wears jeans as well as someone in formal wear. The argument that formal wear indicates seriousness or responsibility is a jar full of baloney. Some arguments say, that sales is an area that requires people to dress well. Dressing neatly is different from dressing well.
So would you like to be served by a bank executive who is dressed in large prints and heels or someone in formal wear? How about if we differentiate between the polite, well researched one and the pushy, rude one?

The Yellow Raincoat

2010-04-26T22:46:00.000+05:30

A very bright young girl ran into an open ground and danced. She was wearing a yellow raincoat to protect her flowery dress from the rainwater. her shoes were peeptoes, but she was proud of the pink and white mosaic on them. She made sure she taped the part where the random scratch had created a tear in the leather.
She danced with the swaying clouds and threw the raincoat on the ground. When she finally hugged the sky and had all her moves with her, she heaved a sigh of relief and screamed--'where were you when life was a dry parchment?'

It is you,not me

2010-04-26T22:43:00.001+05:30

I can run for you
But the race will be mine
So will be the victory
You may try and create scenes
and ask me to paint them
but I will fill them with my colors
you may read this and track me down
But I have already filtered my thoughts
You may think that people don't care
But maybe they don't care enough to show
If I move on,
it will be for my sake not yours
We all move on for our sakes
Its better you move on too.

My attitude is my individuality. If you have a problem with my attitude, you have a problem with me being me.~ Ravi Kapoor

Discount sales for the Disinterested

2010-04-20T19:22:00.001+05:30

Cricket is a fever that manages to grip you, irrespective of your sport loyalties.

It is interesting to see cinemas make a statement and offer cricket matches in place of movies. What about the many housewives and girls who have to deal with evenings in front of the televisions?(the percentage of women who are least interested in cricket)
Instead of spamming with meaningless smses(at odd hours!), retail outlets could design some instant sales around the IPL fever. Maybe during semis and finals, when most matches become a boys night out in the stadium or a pub.
I am sure a lot of bored women, would love to escape to a spa, parlour or a department store during this time and gossip about the never- ending attention being showered upon the idiot box!

Who said that only cricket franchises should make money?

On Gifting

2010-04-19T17:02:00.000+05:30

Off late, I have been gift shopping with a couple of friends. The common complaint is that nobody wants to gift the usual--watches, books, clothes . A lot of them want something new and unusual. The bottom line being, anything that catches eyeballs, but isn't too heavy on the pocket.
So I decided to compile a bunch of gift ideas for all of you. Something simple, different and yet personalized.

1. Comic book

A very creative friend gifted a comic book to his girlfriend, with the story of their meetup as the comic. He got a couple of friends with good drawing skills, to create a ten page comic, telling the story of how they met for the first time, their first date etc. The comic book also had favourite photographs as pullouts. He made two copies and an online version too! Of course the girl was happy and we all were extremely jealous!
How did he do it : He was lucky enough to know the right people with the right skills. It was just a question of how to connect all the talents and the story in his mind. Most websites rarely offer you drawing and writing skills for free. If you know a friend who is a good artist and can do a portrait or someone who can create a scrapbook, its an idea worth trying out. Yes, it is time consuming, but if its someone special...

2. Coffee Table Books

A friend bought a new home recently. And instead of the usual decor items and crockery, I decided to gift a coffee table book to them. The guy loves car engines and I was lucky enough to find a fabulous book full of vintage car engine photographs. It was way better than idols, frames and show pieces. Another friend got a full grown rose plant, as opposed to seeds and soil. His explanation was that too many times plants just don't grow in a certain environment and its better to gift a grown plant, than seeds. Of course, the ubiquitous bamboo plant was the one plant with the least number of fans!

3. Iamboey Designs

You must check out these designs on this website. These is artwork that I would love to gift to somebody.

4. Loose Ends

Another store that is brilliant for kitschy and pop art related gifts is Loose Ends in Bandra,Mumbai. Tucked away in the lane opposite Shopper's Stop in Bandra, this store offers, mugs, glasses, t-shirts, book ends in random colors and forms. A friend picked up beer glasses for a beer loving friend that were in the shape of a woman's thighs! The message on them : Thunder Thighs! Its a must visit for people who love random, abstract art related presents.

5. Pillows

I know pillows are the most odd gift anyone can ever gift another person, but you can do wonders with it. This is especially for people who have a penchant for beautiful homes or stuffed toys. A pillow with a nickname, with a message or personal design( belonging to the person in question) is the new rage. Of course, you might want to check and see if a person is receptive to such an unusual gift item, else a personalized tshirt is your best bet.

If you know any ideas that I can add to this list, please do comment. Most of these ideas aren't available at one place, or on one website. Which is why it depends on how you want to personalize a gift.

And finally the one place from where you must NEVER order presents is Ferns and Petals. Usha's misery is well documented here.

Some thoughts...

2010-03-23T20:06:00.000+05:30

In the last 3 years, I have added more blogs to my feeds than newspapers. I read more blogs than newspapers. I don't read paper publications anymore, except for the Mint Lounge on Saturday. (Which says a lot about the paper's content)

I read entire novels on my cellphone. My handbag is lighter. Will I buy the Kindle? I think I will wait for more ebook reader innovation. I would like to be a one device person. Another device, another charger, another handbag for another device is too much for me to worry about.

Do I like ebooks? Yes, very much. Its doesn't have the old world charm of a paperback, but its the way forward. Will I stop browsing aisles and stop smelling old second hand books at bookstores? No. I will never step away from that luxury.

Where does the public library come into all this? I have never thought of a public library and the system of borrowing as a monetary decision. I think most people want to read recycled books than pirated books. And its a trend that should be encouraged. I look at public libraries as research centers. I am amazed that very few public libraries offer broadband! In any case public libraries are for people who want to research or browse or read on a whim. Not just students alone. So why not marry technology with a public initiative. I will retain my public library card.

Where does the magazine industry go from here? I want magazines to be digital. I want to read them on my device--ebook reader/phone/iTouch/netbook. With Issuu in picture, a lot of free magazines are going to be available. A lot of good content will be free and easy to browse. We have already see record signing amounts being paid to Justin Bieber who began his career by uploading a video to Youtube. I wont be surprised if the next Pulitzer Winner or the next J.K.Rowling begin their journey due to a blogpost or an Issuu publication. There will be no excuse for good content and the crowds will decide who they like/dislike.

I just hope my favourite publications don't miss the bus. Its about content versus platform. And with so much good quality free content I might just choose a better reading platform.

Humans have versions too

2010-03-20T17:54:00.000+05:30

Humans have versions too. Which is why what is thick as thieves, muah-muah today may be a civil Hi tomorrow. Its funny that most people are surprised or awkward about it. People will change. And why should there be so much shock about it. What's amazing about an unchanged person? "She still the same ya. Same dressing sense, same talking style." I don't ever want to be that person.
And if its principles your talking about, I don't think you can judge anybody's principles on a random meeting.

How silly would it be if all the people in little colorful benches were the same many years later? I would love to meet newer interesting versions of people around me. It keeps my personal expectation meter in check.

Johann Hari on Religious Support for Evil

2010-03-20T13:52:00.000+05:30

Johann Hari does this extensive piece for the Independent on the religious support for the evil. Its the classic argument. It may even exist around you. That boy, who works for NGOs could not be involved in money fraud. The woman who is old and sick could not be beating the maid. We let our own characterizations come in way of what is right and what is wrong.

"Here's what we are sure of. By 1962, it was becoming clear to the Vatican that a significant number of its priests were raping children. Rather than root it out, they issued a secret order called "Crimen Sollicitationis"' ordering bishops to swear the victims to secrecy and move the offending priest on to another parish. This of course meant they raped more children there, and on and on, in parish after parish. Yes, these were different times, but the Vatican knew then that what it was doing was terribly wrong: that's why it was done in the utmost secrecy.

It has emerged this week that when Ratzinger was Archbishop of Munich in the 1980s, one of his paedophile priests was "reassigned" in this way. He claims he didn't know. Yet a few years later he was put in charge of the Vatican's response to this kind of abuse and demanded every case had to be referred directly to him for 20 years. What happened on his watch, with every case going to his desk? Precisely this pattern, again and again. The BBC's Panorama studied one of many such cases. Father Tarcisio Spricigo was first accused of child abuse in 1991, in Brazil. He was moved by the Vatican four times, wrecking the lives of children at every stop. He was only caught in 2005 by the police, before he could be moved on once more. He had written in his diary about the kind of victims he sought: "Age: 7, 8, 9, 10. Social condition: Poor. Family condition: preferably a son without a father. How to attract them: guitar lessons, choir, altar boy." It happened all over the world, wherever the Catholic Church had outposts."

The entire article is here.

Writers..

2010-03-12T14:14:00.000+05:30

..are such wonderful beings. You can connect with them over a blurb, a line or a quote. You could be photographing a beautiful gate and reading the history of an architectural piece, when they will start a conversation on history. Sometimes, you exclaim at the title of a book, or smile across bookstore aisles. Sometimes a pregnant writer will talk to you about fantasy fiction and shake her head over the books dictating sermons about expecting a child. Some of them will remind you of that 'author whose name was on the tip of your tongue'. Some will secretly whisper bargains. One writer gravitated towards a magazine discount section, when he saw me with countless New Yorkers in my hand! Sometimes they frown about the dust on an old book, but smile at the colorful footnotes in the said novel. Some of them will invite you to writing clubs. Sometimes you walk into a college classroom and see that bespectacled boy, who is the silent types, holding a Chekhov. You will start with Russian novelists and end at non-fictional war tomes.
Writers are wonderful beings. And how many of them have connected with me over a line!

Validation and Comments Policy

2010-03-08T20:14:00.000+05:30

I don't have a comments policy on my blog. For a very long time, my friends debated my decision to keep comment moderation. I heeded their advice and now I don't moderate comment publishing. However, I do moderate the comments once they are published. Which means if its anonymous AND abusive, it will be deleted. If it doesn't add to the discussion--either by a viewpoint or a counter viewpoint-it will be deleted.
I will illustrate my position with this anecdote.
When Oprah Winfrey was asked why she never featured Ku Klux Klan or the Satanic Churches on her show, this is what she had to say : " By calling them on my show, I will give them validation. I will give them the validation of being on my show. I do not want to air anything that gets people to think about something clearly shouldn't exist in the first place."

I want to achieve something similar with my blog. I don't want to encourage comments that degrade people who comment on a post or people who want to find flaw for some reason. I agree that I rant. But the counter argument to the rant is not another rant, rather a logical argument. If you feel the rant is useless, don't comment. As is the case with all rants, they subside. You learn to live with something or shut something out.

Secondly, a blog is a privilege for readers. A comment/recommendation is a privilege for me. You read because I let you read. You have the choice to not read/comment. Exercise your privileges. I will exercise mine.

A country's Tag Cloud

2010-03-08T20:00:00.000+05:30

I was watching this well researched documentary about Japan. They were discussing the technological prowess of the nation and how everything in Japan is well-timed. The train timetables, flight changes and events are so well-timed that being late to an event is a sign of irresponsibility.
I was comparing that to the Indian context, where being late is a given. People are late even on the first day of their job! We have famously expanded the abbreviation IST( Indian Standard Time) to mean Indian Stretchable Time. Its a convenience and a cultural perk that we dont want to lose. We may crib about the lack of infrastructure and how reaching/doing work late is affecting our eventual processes. But we never think how much of our personal time it wastes.
For example, the Japanese citizen doesn't have to worry about trains being late or about buses being stuck in traffic due to road digging. Because he trusts the infrastructure blindly, he is able to make decisions and decide meeting times with conviction.
Contrast that with an Indian situation--example a wedding. If the wedding card says the wedding begins at 7 and ends at 11, most people will give themselves a one hour buffer and come late. Or reach early, by leaving their other social commitments early. We always have the traffic, train timings and the infrastructure excuse approach on our minds. Which is why we are never able to focus on issues important to us.(There are some of us who do take pains to observe punctuality. That we happen to leave home two hours early to reach a place in time is an infrastructure or a distance gap.)
Japan may be going through an economic crisis, but the people over their never have to worry about being beaten up for seeing a movie!
Our politics has a tag cloud of castes, religion, language, creed and crime. Which is why we may make technological advancements, but they are dependent on a quota or a long queue or an archaic law.

The more I read about governments, the more I feel they are about their tag cloud. What your politicians are constantly talking about is where your country is headed.
And if the youth is talking a different language than the politician, how do you bridge the communication gap?

Trend : Bollywood-ization

2010-03-03T14:19:00.000+05:30

A news channel conducted its annual awards function, by commemorating Indian of the Year in different fields. The usual award list saw the inclusion of 'Twitter Indian of the Year', Actor, Musician,Superstar etc. of the Year awards being given out to Bollywood celebrities. One would assume that a news channel would hand out journalism, stories or even headline of the year awards. In fact apart from a chat with the Home Minister about the rising Naxal problem, most of the awards were about Bollywood.
It is increasingly obvious that Bollywood is playing a major role in the lives of Indians and Indian trends. News Channels have Bollywood production houses as investors. Sports teams are bought by Bollywood. Politics require Bollywood celebrities for vote garnering. The silver screen has a strong Bollywood presence. No fashion event is complete without a Bollywood showstopper. Even our own sense of justice and freedom is defined by Bollywood. In the recent MNiK controversy, we took it upon ourselves to fight the 'internal enemy' by watching the movie. We discovered our sense of justice and fundamental rights when in fact the dispute was between the star and a politician. We were just collateral damage(well almost!).
In a recent discussion with a friend, we talked about how phrases from Bollywood have begun to show up in status updates, dialogues, greeting cards. Take the ubiquitious 'Aal Izz Well' or the 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist'. Its very obvious that the trend-setters and the sources of idea implementation will come from Bollywood.
I dont know if its a dangerous precedent or not. Should we be afraid that a largely spineless industry has the power to influence decisions? That creativity for the sake of profit has a share in our basic infrastructure? I like the idea that a creative industry takes charge of the way trends are thrust upon society. In its own subliminal way, Bollywood is changing not just the fashion sense, but our perception of education at times (recent examples being 'Wake up Sid'). We may not be gobblers of information, especially if it comes from a fluff movie, but a lot of individuals are.
It is important to realize the influential value of this behemoth. Both from a directorial/production house perspective and from an audience perspective.

P.Sainath offers his opinion on a similar issue.