DesiReflections

When we talk about development of a society, we should ponder over. We should ask ourselves whether it should be for welfare of masses or only for uber riches. Sadly, in the recent years, what has happened in name of development gives entirely a different image. Take for example entertainment. It is beyond doubt that despite so many options for entertainment cropped up, films are the only affordable entertainment for the masses. But what has happened, multiplexes have replaced uniplexes. Now in most of the big cities you will hardly find an uniplex and multiplexes are in the closer vicinity of home. Initially when the government permitted demolition of single screen theatres to be replaced with multiple screen theatres, it had allowed a tax holiday. That means the entire earning goes to theatre owners and exhibitors. The cost of a ticket is simply ridiculous. If a family of 4 goes to watch a movie in a multiplex, it will cost more than Rs1000 for the tickets only that too in the front ...

Gaston Legorburu is Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of Sapient Nitro. He has coauthored 'Storyscaping-stop creating ads, start creating world'. This book talks about the changing landscape of marketing. The sphere of influence of people heading marketing department has increased over time, along with the complexity of the responsibilities. As always, the customers still purchase based on the value they obtain. Therefore , the consumer need and behaviour remain critical in developing superior value proposition. However, the elements of the marketing mix used to deliver the value have become more complex, that is why the challenge of marketing have increased manifold. If we talk in Indian context, some radical changes have taken place. Every year, the Dipavali gifting used to be big business opportunity, there are many companies whose entire years' profit depended upon Dipavali sales. But this year most of them were either out of business or big dip in their sales.with arriv...

M Yesterday, I had to attend an important meeting at National College, Bandra around 10 in the morning. Normally on any Sunday early hour traffic from Lokhandwala to Bandra takes  hardly 15 to 20 minutes. For me driving gone smooth up till Arya Samanj Crossroad on Linking Road, Santacruz. Thereafter the  traffic was very bad and also saw special police bandobast and the vehicles were moving at snail pace as only one side of road was vaiable for traffic traffic movement. The half of road from Arya Samaj  Road, passing entire stretch of SV Road  and Linking Road encompassing 7.5 km was thrown opened for the people who always dream for a open and space for their family in the city of Mumbai which is not possible due to lack of planning or the earmarked open spaces have been grabbed by greedy builders with the help of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. I just forgotten my meeting and became a part of the crowd enjoying new found liberation. Seeing toddlers ferrying aro...

Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya: this name is synonym with Benaras Hindu University now popularly known as BHU. Pandit Ji had created a world class residential educational institution where most of the subjects in humanities, science and technology departments were started, he also tried to recruit the  world class  teaching staff and thus created a bench mark in learning. His vision was to create a dedicated force of young people to lead India in all the field. Pandit Ji also ensured that the character of the institution be true India, so he made a provision of picking up youth from all over the country, he also made sure that youth from untouchable class should also be given fair number of seats to bring them in the mainstream and also make them a part of new leader class for new India.This he created with his sheer guts and will power. When he started the project, he did not have any money but managed huge donations from  princely states as well as leading philanthropists t...

When I arrived first time in New York City, what I liked most was a feeling of liberation which I had never ever felt any where across the globe. For the first time I felt that I am into a crucible where all kind of races, creeds, communities are melted and prepared a unique kind of recipe. At a time when countries and Regions are becoming more rigid in terms of fanatism in the name of religion, language or culture this city is going strong on its own blend of music, drama, dance or food. For the first time, while transiting Sub Way Stations, I could learn the meaning of Underground Music, that I will talk at length nest time. But at the moment I will concentrate only on the kind of food from different continents within 5 to 10 km area called Manhattan, the heart and soul of New York City. The highlight of food is the food stalls seen on the road side every where, reminds our very own Mumbai City. Being a vegetarian I always had a fear that while travelling abroad whether I will get so...

My son's name is Icarus, which is slightly unusual for an Indian boy. People ask me the reason for selecting the one sounded just like Christian name.  On the very first thing, I want to clarify that it has no linkage with Christinity. In fact the name is found in Greek Mythology. While I was doing my Post Graduation in English Literature then I saw lot many references to the characters from Greek mythology. The stories behind these characters were having many parallels to Indian mythology. This aroused my interest further and I started going deeper, reading further. Vedic Lord Indra's fight against demon Visvarupa, who had hidden his cows in a cave, invites comparison with Greek character Herakkes' encounter with Kakos who had done the same to his cows and bulls. Icarus and his father Daedalus were first mentioned by epic writer Homer who was born on a Greek Island of Aegean Sea some time around 850 BCE. So as the legend goes Icarus  was son of Daedalus.  Daedalus was kn...

In the recently years, a new kind of political class has emerged in India, who can talk any thing below dignity, offending sensibility of people. We are in 21st century, the buz is all about being modern but such kind of politicians are not anomaly, not exception, they are inevitable in a place where politics is one profession, where being in power is being out of the decencies and dignities of a social animal. The list is long, it appears to me that it is now an age of Jitan Ram Manjhi,  Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Kalyan Banerjee, Mamta Banerjee. Gone are the days when people in opposition benches set certain bench marks, like of Prakash Veer Shastri, Firoze Gandhi, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Kriplani are not seen any more. Manjhi is presently Chief Minister of Bihar, comes from Maha Dalit community, he continues to pop up on front pages for all the right reasons from his perspective, which happens to be different from yours or mine. He alone knows what would happen to the women of...

I know many people, who do not believe facts shown or covered on TV, but they trust things in print media so strongly that they swear by it. But social media is some thing which people believe to great extant, in fact whenever one decides to buy some stuff, enjoy food, going to movie he or she definitely like to see online reviews, recommendations. In fact after android handset become affordable, majority of Indians prefer to connect to the net via phone. But of late,  the social media has become a platform for reactive, knee jerk responses supporting or declaiming lies and half truths or innocuous happenings, all of which amplify into cacophony, often it results that leaves many lives shattered. Some recent instances indicate worst fear that all is not well on social media. Let me first start with Facebook pages of political parties, these are constantly targeted by opponent  sympathisers or opponent parties war or hate mongers who keep on posting nasty, four letter foul rema...