30th January

Yes we all know that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on that day.

But we live in busy times and details sometimes slip from our cluttered mind.

Yesterday I completely forgot about the day.

I came home from switched on the TV and saw, as expected, the news covering the story.

As I sat there watching TV, my subconscious pricked me, reminded me, goaded me, yes Mahatma Gandhi was killed on this day, but dude there is a much bigger, titanic scale tragedy which happened on this day.

I tried to clear the fog and then I remembered it was also Sudip and Anu’s wedding anniversary.

Congratulations Anu and my heartfelt sympathies are with you Sudip.

Prince and his horse

Once upon a time, prince was riding through a deep jungle on his horse.

Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop

After a long time of galloping the horse turned to the prince and said “Prince, I am thirsty, can we take a break for water?”

They saw a stream of fresh water.

Prince rode the horse to the stream and got down so that horse could drink water.

Horse immediately trotted towards the stream and drinking water greedily…

Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp,

Prince thought while the horse is drinking water he can eat his food. He started eating his food.

Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.

Horse came back and saw prince eating his food and he thought he should also eat his food.

Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp, Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.

Prince finished his food and went to the stream to drink some water.

Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp, Slurp, slurp

Prince and horse actually overate, so they decided to sleep for some time…

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

They woke after couple of hours and decided to start on their journey again…

Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, …………………………………………….……………..

I looked down on my angel, smiled and quietly put her in her bed.

Sweet dreams, darling.

Barbie Dolls

Picking up another contentious issue to discuss which has been much debated topic with my wife.

The issue that I plan to put forth is my point of view about bringing up a girl child and would very conveniently ignore the counterview expressed by my wife.

The genesis of this debate started from a general observation/comment by me that parents make a big mistake to doll up their little young daughters – Armani clothes and Gucci shoes.

You can see today little girls as young as two-three sashaying in their designer clothes with parents adoring these little models with starry eyes – my daughter prettiest.

I believe this supposedly indulgent innocuous action by parents puts a much disadvantaged female child at an even weaker position.

Such actions reinforce, propagate and establish the very stereotypes women are trying to fight at that young age itself.

A child’s mind is open to suggestions and how she will view herself will be established at that very age.

“You need to look beautiful” is the worst suggestion that a parents can give to their daughters.

I have nothing against people dressing up their kids smartly, what is an issue is the unnatural degree of emphasis on this dumb activity. This simple suggestion becomes a singular focus as they grow up.

Imagine the strength of this vicious cycle, girls as they grow up have other girls as friends who have been trained themselves to consider this as a vital life defining activity, and looking more beautiful than the peer group becomes a singular focus of achievement.

What right do women have to criticize the advertisers and marketers parading beautiful women and building typecasts when that is what they need and talk about the maximum.

Keep a hand on your heart and say this is not true.

It bleeds my heart to see young girls preening themselves in front of the mirror – wasted life, wasted opportunity.

Before the world defines their position in the society, women themselves become slaves of this image. It takes away so much of their energy, attention, focus, capability.

If you ask me it is bloody unfortunate.

Why?
We all know that men look at women as objects and if women also look themselves as objects (beauty a primary focus) that must indulge the male eye, it’s doom written all over – twice.

Before women scream from the rooftops about their rights, I believe they need to look inwards about the role they play themselves as mothers, sisters, friends, colleagues in shaping the stereotype.

Power of suggestion.

Only you can decide whether your daughter will have an ambition to be another Sushmita Sen or a Marie Curie.

p.s: before any "tare jameen par" flag bearer start taking about the tragedy of putting pressure on kids for achievement, let me clarify, this topic is not about degree of achievement (irrelevant point) but about shaping destiny.

Please read this book

A short story by Ernest Hemingway

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Hail Master

A long forgotten experience was remembered in the most unlikely circumstances.

It goes back to days when I was a student (and still had ambitions of being educated and before I decided to stay illiterate by shifting to management from science) we had a gentleman called Prof Deb (his Bengali roots are not unimportant but definitely incidental to this story) as one of the teachers.

Prof. Deb was an acknowledged genius world-wide in his chosen field of Physical Chemistry (theoretical Chemistry) with expertise in some abstruse dense field of quantum chemistry.

But even with his awe-inspiring stature, he probably was the most humble and accessible teacher I have ever studied under (and there were other towering personalities in our college - he was the BIGGEST - but none as approachable ).

Anyone could go up to him and ask the stupidest, dumbest, most basic question and he would explain patiently the query till the student was satisfied. Howsoever busy he could be, no student would ever get rebuffed.

I am probably unable to explain what a stalwart he was. And the questions which he answered probably were a waste of his time and an insult to his intellect and time.

Enough ambling, coming back to the story.

So one day I was having a discussion about him with another professor and I happened to mention to him that I find it so surprising the fact Prof. Deb is so very humble.

Prof. Laltu said something which probably I should not have forgotten but would remember for the rest of my life.

He said “The branch that bears fruit hangs low.”

Diamonds, gold and a little silver – Part 1

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall
Who is the most beautiful of them all?”
Of course, you my lady.

Every fashion, beauty, cosmetic brand has been giving this answer to the consumer since eternity.

Actually all these brands go a step further – they promise beauty. No ordinary beauty - transcendent beauty.

Is anything wrong with this?

No, not at all.

To be noticed, to be attractive, to stand out is the reason we dress up, invest in gold, diamonds, designer clothes and other fashion products.

Colored hair, torn jeans, ear-rings, bald look nothing but renditions of the same need.

All these are in a way are substitutes for success – I’m better than you. I’m special.

Humans are driven in their effort to be exceptional, brilliant, extraordinary.

The leader of the pack - Everyone wants to be special.

These products primarily address this innate need of the humans and beauty is an expression of this need.

Beauty makes you special. Makes you more than what you are or in a human logic shows your true worth – bow you minions to my glowing personality.

Now if you translate this logic into communication for say a jewelry brand, we will find advertising with beautiful women, products proclaiming their uniqueness, intricate designs.

To a detour here, unique is also an expression of beauty. Only unique will make you stand apart from the herd.

In creative expression terms all communication for beauty and jewelry brand stems from – all eyes upon you (person or the product).

But hey, here is my question, if such brands are addressing this special need, can communication for all these brands be clone of each other?

Another no will not be out of order here.

But that is all what we see… beautiful women, focus on designs, drawing attention to uniqueness –in various creative ways but always in the same form.

Now if a new jewelry brand has to enter this industry, how should it convey its differentiator?

Conventional wisdom will take the new brand to the same playing space. It will create footprints in a field already made dirty by many.

Is there a way in which the brand can differentiate itself without breaking away from the core reason for existence?

For this let’s move back and re-look at what is happening there.

Most of the brands have looked at beauty in a uni-dimensional way and focused on the softer aspects of the term - Mushiness, softness, love, longing, yearning.

But enter the deep recesses of your soul, the need does not stem from these feelings.
The true DNA of beauty is based on a baser human – DOMINATION.

DOMINATION
POWER
CONTROL
LUST

Beauty must give you CONTROL. Control over the emotions of others.

A new truth.

A new reality.

To be continued…..

The Game of the Name

There are four people, named Anand Roy, Rajiv Dutta, Nitin Bakshi and Sandeep Reddy.

Now Anand would be called Andy, Rajiv will become Dutta,, Nitin would stay Nitin and Sandeep Reddy may acquire a random name like Comet.

We have seen such things happen all the time around us.

There are two interesting things to mull over-

1. How do people give such names and the internal logic behind the game– e.g Roy is short enough but Anand will be Andy or why/how for some names we prefer surnames and in others first names?

2. And why even when these people change friends, cities, schools, jobs, they end up with the same name… andy, comet, and so & so forth?

Any thoughts.

Social Trends 1: The changing “Father – Child” relationship

One social change which probably will find resonance with lots of people with or around young kids is the changed ‘father-child’ dynamics.

Today we find fathers spending more time with their kids and being concerned about their upbringing on a day to day basis.

This is a phenomenon of the recent years, as earlier, at least during my growing up years (and as corroborated by others in my social group) fathers were less involved with their kids and largely limited their roles to the providers of the family. This is not to take away the huge influence they had as role models and custodians of the family values.

The question that begs to be answered is what brought this change?

One can hazard multiple guesses for the same.

One acceptable theory could emanate from the recent trend of ‘metro-sexual’ behavior expected from the men. The society is creating an extraneous pressure and defining acceptable behavior. This in turn gets internalized by men at a micro-level leading to changed behavior and attitude towards certain facets of life. After all what is ‘metro-sexual’ but to exhibit certain female traits (with family as the fulcrum of this definition).

We can approach this from another direction - the nuclear family and working moms. In this case it is not a question of intent but of compulsion. If this was true, there is no change in the desired attitude but the manifestation can be seen in behavior. But this assumption will be bear out on all the parameters.

But in my opinion the reason for the same is different. And there has not been in any change in the attitude. Fathers of the previous years and the fathers today have a similar psychological make-up, what has changed are the social dynamics. And the change we are experiencing today has a direct correlation with the social pressures and expectations.
The fathers measure their success (as a parent) with the success of their children. They largely limit their role to ensuring that the kids are able to realize their potential in the outside world. Twenty-thirty years back (maybe much less) it meant ensuring that they are able to provide the best facilities and amenities. And this would ensure success. The competition probably was much less severe and the definition of success - the bar – was pegged much lower. Doctor, engineer, government official.

Today the parameters of success have changed. And the parents of today find themselves struggling in the new world. The face the ignominy of the unknown every day. Uncertain future. Missed Megabucks. They crave success which was fiefdom of the only the born rich for themselves. But for the majority the opportunity probably is already missed (lack of training, talent, ambition, fear).

To ensure the success of the kids (mega success or the new acceptable benchmarks and standards of success) fathers no longer can play passive roles. They need to actively train their children for the success that they missed.

The responsibility that fathers always believed has remained unmoved only the manifestation & expression has changed.

Why Mountian Dew will never do well in India

My views on the current position of Mountain Dew in the category.

Let’s first look at the current TG profile.

At the face it is youth which is further filtered basis the attitude. When addressing the youth the common platform that is taken is “different” but the Mountain Dew youth is the “on the edge different”. If one had to take a typical example if the normal “different youth” would be bunking the class to showcase his freedom, the Mountain Dew youth would be having fun while staying in the class. Everything about him would be an expression of a strong individuality and self-expression, would read Chuck Palanuik rather than Shantaram, would have seen “Old Boy” rather than “Zinda”. Unknown/ Obscure is more exciting than the popular/ known.

The issues

According to me the product faces three issues-

1. A non-cola normally is a substitute drink and not the primary choice. So a category which per se is not very large (in comparative terms), we have a product which is a sub-set of the category and targeted at a segment which in itself is an extremely smaller sub-set of the total market.

2. If one looks at the category the consumer makes a choice over something – I prefer this over that – “Identifiable enemies”. Pepsi vs Coke, Mirinda vs Fanta. So at a product level the “identifiable enemy” should be “Sprite” but for Mountain Dew the enemy is basis the attitudinal point of reference – “Thums Up. So the question that arises – Is it a good anti-point of reference? Maybe not. Thums Up is able to deliver on the attitude basis a very different taste in the category – strong/masculine – and automatically gets clubbed in the parent segment of colas. Though the communication of Mountain Dew has been able to capture the consumer attitude it has not given any clear cues on the product difference.

3. The third key issue is occasion/location of consumption. The non-colas have defined very clear occasion/location situation. Limca/Sprite for thirst, Mirinda/Fanta for taste. “Mountain Dew” the name suggests freshness and the communication cues outdoor but the extreme nature of the communication does not make that easy link with either as the attitude overshadows both. And this leads no reminder for consumption.

The way forward

We will go ahead with the assumption that we are not looking at re-positioning the brand. And the opportunities need to be identified within the existing realities.


Youth – This segment is the high consumption segment, so largely the most attractive segment. If we can make with the Mountain Dew a everyday part of the repertoire of CSD there can be a potential for growth.

a) Associate location/occasion with attitude rather than a physical rendition.

b) Activity seekers – The most visible trend today is the need to be associated with “activity” away from the sedentary fun. People are no longer looking at normal regular modes of enjoyment they are rather seeking something new, something exciting. One can plug in the product with everyday possible but unique activities.

c) Cross-category cues – Maybe I’m going berserk here – direct association with certain brands in similar domain (in attitude or uniqueness) can be used for creating that unique identity of Mountain Dew user. Nike wearers Just Do the Dew.

Overall it is critical that the attitude is owned and rendered into a form which would act is a reminder for consumption.

A very happy new year in Pondicherry (ECR)

MCP

Read very interesting trivia yesterday...

Practically in all species females live longer than the males.

That reminded me of a joke about married men-

"Why do married men die before their wives?"

"Because they want to."

Why Harbhajan cannot be racist?

Oh, Indians probably would be the most discriminating people in the world. But the discrimination that Indians indulge in is very different from what is perceived or assumed as discrimination world over.

We can discriminate over anything - language, color, caste, religion, looks, social status – and everything.

But you would say that is same the world over. So why is Harbhajan not a racist?

Simple, our taunts and comments are blunt and straight forward. We do not have the subtleties to insinuate or have vague innuendos to convey our bigotry.

South Indian – madrasi
Black – Kalu

And so and so forth.

And I don’t think Bhajji given his education level and his assumed intelligence (QED) would have any clue about the aborigines of Australia and monkey being a slur for racism.

He probably could have called him a monkey (though I would assume that the repertoire of Bhajji to be more colorful and impactful and given a reason he would prefer to use the right adjective than a sissy Monkey) and he would have meant just that monkey. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The ban on Bhajji just proves that Australian team is a bunch of chutiyas (translation so that is no ambiguity… Motherfuckers) and the match refree a gandu (asshole) and BCCI by continuing the tour , the biggest hijras (eunuchs).

I would recommend for the next match Indian opens the bowling with Dravid and batting with RP Singh.

And Left arm bowlers to bowl with right hand and the right hand batsmen to bat left hand.

Play this mockery of a tour in the same spirit.

After all it’s a gentleman’s game.

The world's most popular billionaire

He has business which is spread across the length and breadth of the globe.

You see him often making appearances on TV, gracing the covers of the glossiest magazines and you also see with equal frequency giving comfort to the underprivileged in the farthest, remotest, neglected corners of the world.

Both rich and poor call him a personal friend with confidence.

Equally comfortable in the rich mansion of Vienna and under the grimy roof of Dharavi.

He can share a drink in the swankiest club or in the dingiest hut.

Secular, non-discriminating, friendly, warm, racially non-prejudiced. Color, caste, creed have no meaning for him.

His name is Cola…Coca Cola.

Beauty

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder but I hope there are universal standards for ugly.

Buying Books

Hushed silence, tentative hands, unsaid promise, cozy quilt, warm tea, the crowded solitude of reading a book.

Bookstores can mean so much when you go to choose your new lover for the next two weeks and hopefully a fond memory for a life time.

For me where I buy my books is as important as the book.

Lots of people rave about this bookstore or that bookstore which has a great collection or books which are littered all across that it is impossible to select a book and so and so forth.

Books are anything but products, they are bought but are definitely not commercial.

The best bookstore in the world is a library. Not only can you feel the respect for the books over there but the silence that pervades over is an integral to the reverence you must feel for the books and the pleasure you feel looking at people quietly sitting, delving, imbibing, travelling, creating, the universe hidden in those little drops of black and white ink.

An ideal bookstore must create the ambience of a library. It must make buying a silent, personal, respectful selection process. As soon as bookstores neglect this basic tenet they lose the respect of the book lover.

Business will not come from the greed of selling but participating in the joy of selection. A reader who finds his new lover and rather than scream at the top of his voice rushes with a deep breath of satisfaction quietly quickly towards the payment counter should mean more to this business.

“Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book.” ~Christopher Morley

It is so sad to find bookstores selling toys to movie CDs to other rubbish along with the books.

Choose your book well but choose your bookstore better.

Remember a bookstore that chooses to sell only books is not only displaying tremendous courage by limiting itself to a shrinking business & respect for the books but also showing respect for you as a reader (& not as a buyer).