Here are the top 10 ads that come to mind. Stuff that brings a smile types.1) Wills, Made for Each Other: This was a print ad and showed a man and a woman walking on a beach. To me this was the epitome of romance then, in the early 80s. So impressed was I that I actually cut the ad out and put it under my mattress where it lay for many years. The ad and the brand stayed alive since then.2) Amul Ads: Almost all of them - the ones on the hoardings - made me wonder how they could think of such wonderfully creative lines so consistently. Sporting events,...
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
'Barfi' is sweet - as the name goes. But not Oscar material. It is nice and good value for money and has some fine performances. 'Barfi' is Ranbir Kapoor, a deaf mute, named after the Murphy kid (needless controversy with the Murphy people but I am not sure what the controversy is about because everyone got enough publicity including the forgotten Murphy kid - where is he now?). Barfi is also a happy-go-lucky, whisky toting, heart on the sleeve chap...
Monday, 24 September 2012
Dr. Srinivasan Krishnan is one of the most affable, approachable and gentle doctors (he is my nephrologist) you can find around. He was in fact referred to me by another doctor and what I found of Dr. Krishnan put me greatly at ease. He is available, approachable and has this wonderful way of putting you at ease instantly.But recently he was diagnosed with colon cancer and is undergoing treatment. He wrote about his experiences, his thoughts on how much doctors can do so much more for patients to make them feel more at ease. I reproduce what he...
Sunday, 23 September 2012
I've been searching for a part of this song by Journey for years. This is the part towards the end where the guitarist takes off and goes off solo (you cannot miss it) and its a brilliant piece that stayed with me for some many years ever since I have heard it first. It brought much peace and focus to me in those years - in 1991 - if I remember well, when I was trying to find some direction in my life. To find sanity I would run a lot, play cricket games for MCC with utmost seriousness and listen to tons of music.I had a cassette of Journey's Greatest...
Saturday, 22 September 2012
It's not merely what you 'want' that gets it to you.It's what you want to 'do with it' that is the biggest factor in whether you will get it or not.Often we put up our wish lists with all our wants. But the key factor between wanting it and getting it is the answer to this question - what do you want to do with it once you get it? If you are excited about getting it and have a myriad plans for it, then you are highly likely to get it. Then you have...
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Starring Matt Damon 'We Bought a Zoo' is a 2011 film (based on a real story) about a family that buys a zoo and runs it commercially. Benjamin (Matt Damon) is a writer who has recently lost his wife. He has two children, one teenager son who is a rebel and prone to drawing macabre drawings after his mother's death and a six-seven year old girl Rosie. After his son is expelled from school for his continuous spate of macabre drawings and also finding...
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
This morning while walking back from the park, after struggling for over an hour to get my thoughts fixed on things that are immediate and pleasant, constructive and creative, I realised that I was totally focused on the future or the past, on things that were of no consequence. I was trying to control what I could not.And then it struck me that I am always in pursuit of something in the future.It struck me then that we could pursue, if anything,...
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
And now this book 'Beyond the Blues' written by Aakash Chopra before he wrote 'Out of the blue'. It is probably the first account of an Indian cricketer on a deep and honest level, on his innermost feelings and emotions as he goes through an entire season of domestic cricket. More important, as it comes from Aakash Chopra, who is hoping to get a recall after being dropped perhaps before his time from the Test side. Aakash was dropped from the Indian...
Monday, 17 September 2012
Watched Asghar Farhadi's brilliantly written and directed Iranian movie 'A Separation' (The Separation of Nader and Simin) and am still wondering what it is with these Irani film makers that they make such brilliant movies out of such seemingly ordinary, day-to-day themes. With almost nothing but a normal house, a normal household and its attendant problems and characters that could have been set anywhere in the world, Asghar Farhadi weaves a story...
Saturday, 15 September 2012
I had been meaning to get my hands on this book by Test cricketer-writer, Aakash Chopra ever since I first heard about it. It is the tale of Rajasthan's unlikely road to winning the Ranji Trophy in the 2010-11 season (since repeated last year). Rajasthan is Aakash's adopted state as he played for them as a professional after Delhi dropped him (I did not know that he was dropped - and how!) and it was a fairy tale all the way for the determined Aakash...
Friday, 14 September 2012
There is much activity going on in the twin cities now. Apparently there is a COP II or something like that going on (and I have no clue what it is about). I tried to find out and got bored and let it be. I heard someone say it is about biodiversity - saw an ad about a sparrow. It's apparent that people have realised that we need to live and let live - and surprisingly - there is now an awareness that there are many other species alive around us. Can you believe it? We are not the only ones here? And I guess the conference is all about that...
Thursday, 13 September 2012
The walk in the park saw us checking out some birds busy doing their own thing. I told Anjali that it appeared funny that birds seem to have a life so different - they build their nests, search for food, eat it and just go on. And the same with the animals. 'They don't have to go to school, no tv, no brushing their teeth etc,' I said trying to drive my point home.After listening to my rather impassioned argument Anjali decided to put it to rest.'But we are all so different no nanna,' she said. 'Birds will do their things, animals will do their...
'Doghi' is a Marathi movie set in rural Maharashtra and revolves around two sisters who are very close. It starts sometime when the older sister Gauri (Renuka Daftardar) is scheduled to be married and there is great festivity in the household. Relatives coming in and much talk that reveals the household's share of troubles - debts and other troubles of a farmer and so on. The sisters go to visit a temple on the advise of their elders before the groom's...
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
The general indicators of inefficiency as I see them.1) When all talk is about others improving their work and responsibility - and not about one's own.2) When there is no plan and all that there is is hot air.3) When there is no clarity of role, no concrete action - just bombastic, impractical and unviable proposals.4) When sweeping statements are made without any basis with a lot of unnecessary but popular emotion.5) When there is no logical, well thought of or reasonable discussion and only argument and anger - the idea is to obfuscate.6) When...
Monday, 10 September 2012
There is a little park that I visit every other day. It is interesting to see the goings on in the park at various times during the day.Early in the morning, even before dawn, we have the really serious walkers and yoga practitioners walking about and contorting themselves silently like ghosts. This is a time when everything is really tranquil and no one dares to even switch on their mobiles and their music players. All music is heard through...
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