Tom Hiddleston and Shakespeare's Coriolanus

I am not much into plays and can at max boast of having watched Zangoora thrice and a small scale student led Comedy play once. That's all!

But then I wouldn't miss a chance to watch Tom Hiddleston on stage now, would I? National Theater UK is broadcasting it's most popular plays on YouTube. They are free for all to view for a week. I came to know that Coriolanus would be one of them and I managed to catch up the play online late night on Wednesday.

I don't know much about plays; nor have I read the original Coriolanus (I've only read a summary). So, this is not really a review. But, there are a few things that I liked which I would love to explain. First and foremost, I had expected a play being shown on National Theater to be grand in terms of sets, costumes, props etc. After all, National Theater is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. It is actually known as the National Theatre of Great Britain or the Royal National Theater. But Coriolanus had none of that. The stage too was fairly small in size. The lighting was dark (and very apt for the play); the costumes were all in the shades of browns, greys and black and looked nothing like Roman and were probably the individual personal belongings of the actors; and the only props/furniture used were basic wooden chairs and a ladder. In fact, the space was so ingeniously used that the small stage looked big enough for all characters to fit in. Not just that, the lead starcast and all the well-known actors were moving around the props themselves (well, all except Tom Hiddleston).

I read somewhere that the written play describes the war in fair detail. Here in stage production, although the play very smartly tackled the part where Caius Martius single-handedly conquered the city of Corioli (thus earning the name Coriolanus); but it does away with the elaborate war scenes which for some people might have been a dampener. This ensured a smaller cast too. Also, a smaller cast meant that even the plebiscite uprising was just shown as indistinct chatter. Now, as I mentioned, I have not read the original play, so I didn't miss these things in the first place. But, I was impressed with the way a lot of symbolism was used here. Caius Martius climbing a ladder as he entered Corioli was a sign of him rising to the challenge even while all others held back. Torn red ballots signifying people's shattered trust in him. The graffiti-sprayed walls demanding: "Grain at our own price." signify discontent of the Roman people. Coriolanus first kneels in obeisance to his mother and later watches her bend a suppliant knee to him; which to me signified a change of tide.

Coming to the actors, I obviously watched the play for Tom Hiddleston who I have loved since The Night Manager and whose love for Shakespeare is just so well-known. He makes a fine Coriolanus. Whether Coriolanus was a "tragic hero" or not is in itself debatable, but Tom Hiddleston brings out the nuances of a character who is raised to be a patriotic hero amply guided by his mother's hero worshiping. He, at the same time, detests the plebiscites and the common people because they contribute nothing to the war (another symbol of one's pride and allegiance towards one's nation) and still demand grains as their right. He also feels cheated because despite heeding to his unwilling attempts to appease the people, he is banished. I particularly loved him in the climax where he cries after listening to his mother pleading him not to destroy Rome. I could actually see tears run down his face... Like really flow down and him having to wipe his nose to stop them. It was a long act and it's not like in the middle of the scene he went backstage to apply glycerin or anything; so they have got to be real tears. It's mind-blowing how an actor can do that at will. Not just that, Tom Hiddleston was hanging upside down being tied to a chain on one foot. I think that's also not something that is easy to do on a stage in front of a live audience.

Among other actors, I enjoyed the performances of Mark Gatiss as Menenius, the "humorous patrician" and Deborah Findlay as Volumnia, Coriolanus' mother.

And last but not least, I write this only because a friend asked me to confirm this... Tom Hiddleston does go topless and under a shower on live stage. It wasn't very much sensual (he was supposed to be injured and in pain), but he did. 

The 90s songs

Image source: Google search

Two days ago, I made my second playlist on Amazon music. This one mostly consists of all those 90s English songs that I so used to love during my teenage. I have been listening to them since then and I have mixed thoughts about them.

• Some I wonder now how I could be so stupid to love something as bad as that. Bad and sometimes dumb!! I can’t stand a few of those songs any more. An example could be Britney Spears suddenly sounding hoarse and her voice so harsh now. The songs simply seem to be missing any melody.
• Most songs are still enjoyable though more of bubblegum pop and if I wouldn’t be driving while listening, I probably would even groove a bit to them. All the Backstreet Boys and Westlife they remind me of the sweet moments and how they used to be all pure fun. All of us girls in school were just all into it.
• Some are pure rock and party songs and remind me of our school Christmas Parties. They take me back to how we would tire ourselves out that one day in school dancing to these songs. If it’s “We will rock you”, we will all shout and scream and move to the beat. But dare the DJ play something that wasn’t welcome. Boos and shaking hands telling him that this is not acceptable is all he would get.
• Some songs were our school assembly favourites and are just pretty big on reminding me of those days when we would skip studies and practice all day for the assembly. The fights, the non-stop chatters and the friendships. And then we would all croon “Heal the world”, “We are the world” and “Seasons in the Sun”.
• Last but not least, some are still pure romance and just simply touch my heart even today. How does one even get over Celine Dion’s “Because you loved me”, Bryan Adam’s “Everything I do” and Ronan Keating’s “Words”.

I have been away from English music for years… Even decades. And now I sometimes listen to (actually more like forced to listen to) the songs chosen by my daughter. Some are nice but most don’t stand a chance in front of these melodies.

Simple Joys of Life

Simple things bring joy to our everyday life. A piece of chocolate shared with you by your child is the sweetest. The smell of petrichor in the morning after a rain soaked night is the most uplifting. A combo of a book and a blanket is unbeatable in winters. A cup of coffee and meaningless chatter with your colleague during fifteen minutes stolen from your working hours are the highlight of your day. Finding a Rs. 500 banknote in your jeans pocket which had been completely forgotten since the last time you wore it makes you suddenly feel rich. Making a brief eye contact with someone of the opposite sex, even a stranger, in a way that seems to communicate a subtle curiosity at the other end makes you feel the most attractive person on the earth. Blazing through the yellow light you glance in your rear-view to see all the cars behind you stopping at the red light suddenly makes you feel victorious. Seeing a friend trip and stumble around momentarily before regaining his/her footing, then swiftly attempting to play it off like nothing happened can be the most hilarious sight if the moment is right. Finding a parking lot right in front of the store you want to visit makes you believe that it’s your lucky day. Spreading out on fresh clean bed-sheets makes you feel relaxed all of a sudden. Reminiscing about old times with your closest friends makes you feel like a child all over again. Receiving an unexpected compliment can suddenly make your day a whole lot better. Finishing up something that had kept you busy for days feels like a sense of accomplishment. And then nothing ever beats hearing the right song at the right moment. It simply lifts your spirits immediately.

Simple joys of life… Sometimes we need to take time out and appreciate them too.

And the men we SHOULDN'T love!

In continuation with the list of romantic literary heroes that I shared the day before, I also want to list down a few which feature time and again in the articles about most loved male protagonists in literature but which for some reason are NOT my favourites. But to maintain parity with the previous article, I would stick to the most loved characters written by female authors: 

1. Howard Roark – The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Without any reference to the debate surrounding hypocrisy in Ayn Rand’s writing, Howard Roark from The Fountainhead, her most famous and most loved character, is an amalgamation of contrasts. To call him polarizing is the understatement of the century. Most people credit him with having a boatload of artistic talent, but he could be as much of a sinister dirtbag as he could be an enigmatic charmer. Roark is fiercely independent. He believes in the merit of his revolutionary designs and has the courage to stand for them in the face of an antagonistic society. He is presented as the author's version of an ideal man. Roark is the antithesis of contemporary belief that an individual is molded by social forces. He is not the product of his upbringing, his economic class, his family, his religious training, or his social background. He is a product of the choices he has made. Roark is an example of free will — the theory that an individual has the power, by virtue of the choices he makes, to control the outcome of his own life. A man's thinking and values are not controlled by God or the fates or society or any external factor — but solely by his own choice. Others (like Keating) may choose to submit, but Roark will not. He is his own man. And all this sounds so foolishly attractive when he is portrayed as the perfect man – strong, bold, and confident and someone with a very high sense of integrity. But one cannot deny that Roark is a selfish man. He is true to his values, to his convictions, to his thinking, to his mind, to his self – and only to himself. He is an individualist and someone essentially born into the role of explosives-wielding freethinker. But even if all this is acceptable, there is one big flaw in his character that will never allow me to succumb to his charms. He forcibly enters Dominique’s room and rapes her. Whatever way it was projected in the book, at the end of the day, he is a RAPIST. Period. 

2. Mr. Rochester – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 

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Mr. Rochester in “Jane Eyre” is a stern-featured, heavy-browed, craggy-faced, rude, abrupt, horny man always on the edge of violence who likes to order people around and keeps his wife locked in the attic. In fact, he is a character closest to the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast” and yet he is far worse than the Beast. Unlike Beast, who had a soft heart inside, Mr. Rochester is a typical Byronic hero, moody, arrogant, cynical and jaded, and like all Byronic heros he is attracted by Jane's innocence, her chastity. But he is also clinically mad, a manic depressive, living in an unreal world, understandably perhaps, he cannot deal with the reality of his own situation. It is undeniable that he seduces and seeks to deceive Jane by effectively making Jane his mistress. He is the opposite of Jane. She is easily deceived because she is incredibly naïve and innocent, and alone, she has no one to turn to for advice, Mrs Fairfax herself admits to finding Rochester an enigma and so would offer little help. He is the first of the opposite sex, unmarried (as Jane believes) to look on Jane kindly, to smile, to talk to her as an equal (when in fact Rochester knows full well that he is taking advantage of her position and character, abusing his position as her employee). In fact in today’s terms he is grooming Jane for sexual conquest. Byronic heroes are sexual predators, 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. Particularly, chaste, married, or otherwise 'unavailable', women are regarded as a challenge, as legitimate targets to be seduced and then left. 

3. Henry DeTamble – The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

In various passages in “The Times Traveler's Wife”, Henry explains that the inevitable cause of his time travels is stress. He has zero tolerance for stress. And, boy, Henry is stressed out by a lot: by watching TV, by loud noises, by blinding lights, by drinking too much, by getting married, by having kids, by conflict… He only relaxes during sex. So the big question here is, are Henry’s disappearing acts actually a male conspiracy to have an excuse to leave marital responsibilities behind and just go out womanizing, drinking, getting high, causing trouble – living the bachelor life. Because that's pretty much what Henry does with his time away from Clare. Also interesting is that right after he meets Clare in the present – unmarried, no children, and no responsibilities – Clare remarks to Henry that he hasn't been traveling much which is kind of suspicious. And then there's the whole "I need more sex to stay in the present" thing. So maybe “The Times” is right. Maybe Henry is just a big flake. A coward who can't handle life and so keeps slipping through its cracks. What an unreliable jerk! 

4. Heathcliff – Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Forget most of the romantic nonsense you have heard about Heathcliff from “Wuthering Heights”. Sure he's in love with Catherine, and you can't question his loyalty, but he has a serious mean streak. To put it bluntly: he acts like a sociopath. Traditionally, romance novel heroes appear dangerous, brooding, and cold at first, only later to emerge as fiercely devoted and loving. One hundred years before Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights, the notion that “a reformed rake makes the best husband” was already a cliché of romantic literature, and romance novels center around the same cliché to this day. However, Heathcliff does not reform, and his malevolence proves so great and long-lasting that it cannot be adequately explained even as a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar, etc. As he himself points out, his abuse of Isabella is purely sadistic, as he amuses himself by seeing how much abuse she can take and still come cringing back for more. Heathcliff can be a real beast, which comes across through his numerous threats, violent acts, and symbolic association with that unruly pack of dogs. A powerful, fierce, and often cruel man, Heathcliff often falls back on violence as a means of expression, both of love and hate. Having been abused by Hindley for most of his childhood, Heathcliff is the classic victim-turned-perpetrator. His rage is tied to the revenge he so passionately seeks, but he also undertakes small "extracurricular" acts of violence, like hanging Isabella Linton's dog. These lines in the book pretty much sum up his attitude: "I have no pity! I have no pity! The more the worms writhe, the more I yearn to crush out their entrails! It is a moral teething; and I grind with greater energy in proportion to the increase of pain."

And to think of it, these disdainful characters were also written by women and despite their serious flaws are also unequivocally loved by women across the world even to this day. If only women knew their own worth better!

The Men We Love!

I was recently reading an article online where the writer had shared how some of the literary male protagonists had ruined her romantic life because they are “Oh, so perfect!” The article was fun and so I googled more on the topic where favourite male characters from novels were shared. There were some names that were appearing more commonly as against others. A prime example was Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy from the Pride and Prejudice who was not only part of every single list but was almost always occupying the No. 1 spot. And then there were others who appeared more than often. Here when I listed them down, there was a very interesting observation that cropped up. But, first let me share the ones that I am talking about:

1. Mr. Darcy – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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The quintessential and undoubtedly most loved male character ever from a novel is Mr. Darcy from the “Pride and Prejudice”. Mr. Darcy exhibits all the good and bad qualities of the ideal English aristocrat — snobbish and arrogant, he is also completely honest and sure of himself. Initially described as someone vain and too proud for our dear Elizabeth Bennet, he backs off when she rejects him and yet is mature and good-natured enough to help her out where he can without any expectations in return. When Elizabeth flatly turns down his marriage proposal and tells him that it was ungentlemanly, Darcy is startled into realizing just how arrogant and assuming he had been. He accepts his folly and goes all out to correct what he had done wrong. Darcy's humbling makes him more sensitive to what other people feel. If he wins our dear Lizzy’s heart in the process, it’s all too obvious. The fact that he is extremely handsome and rich is just icing on the cake.

2. Captain Wentworth – Persuasion by Jane Austen

Much on the lines of Mr. Darcy, Jane Austen also wrote the character of the good-looking Captain Wentworth in “Persuasion”. Although he could never reach the desirability quotient of Mr. Darcy, he wasn’t much behind either, heralding very similar qualities as Mr. Darcy. Again, choosing to walk away when rejected by Anne and yet holding an undying love for her in his heart for years; he doesn’t impose himself or his feelings on her unless he himself is sure of her own feelings. In fact, he felt responsible for Louisa's condition, having pursued her to make Anne jealous and would have taken her as his wife. However, when Louisa turned her affections to James Benwick, he let her go without making it an ego issue. Eventually, getting similar undying love from Anne could only have been the best reward possible.

3. Atticus Finch – To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee 

Bold, heroic, noble, honourable, confident and optimistic, Atticus Finch from “To kill a mockingbird” is a vision of idealised masculinity. He is a true role model in every sense of the word. A man holding forth a fight for justice against all odds; and yet a very even-keeled type of guy who does not get too worked up about stressful situations. He is not affected by what other people say or think. He is consistent and rooted in his beliefs. A man of great wisdom and character; he is a good single parent too trying to fill his kids with a sense of righteousness.

4. Gilbert Blythe – Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Gilbert Blythe from “Anne of Green Gables” is literally literature’s most beloved boy-next-door. He lets Anne be Anne, a wonderful mess of imagination, goof-ups, temper, drive, and dreams – and Gilbert loves all of that about her. He never tries to make her something she isn’t. Also, he doesn’t let obstacles throw him and he pursues excellence. He works hard for what he has and isn’t showy about his successes. And boy! Is he patient? He fell in love with Anne long before the thought ever occurred to her that he could. And he waited. And waited. He waited until Anne herself was ready and all this while without even being imposing. Like all romantic male protagonists, he loved Anne and they both supported each other throughout the series. All the while, Gilbert was never threatened when Anne succeeded. He was secure in who he was and happily rejoiced in Anne’s success even if he was the one who had lost out to her.

5. Rhett Butler – Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

On the surface, Rhett Butler from “Gone with the Wind” is a textbook example of the charming rogue. His dark, good looks and supposedly wild behavior are the source of considerable gossip among the ladies. However, he is loved not for his Casanova image but for his undaunting love for Scarlett. Rhett has no dearth of physical courage which can be seen in the fact that he starts off the war as a blockade runner (which takes some courage, even if he insists it doesn't), but at the siege of Atlanta he decides to go off and join the army. Moreover, he helps Scarlett escape from Atlanta during the siege and after he murders a black man, he faces his sentence of death by hanging with seeming equanimity. And yet some call Rhett a coward because he's afraid to tell his own wife that he loves her. Rhett's afraid of Scarlett; deathly afraid, shamefully afraid. Even though he declares his love for her when he is about to leave Scarlett to go into the army and perhaps die, she misunderstands him because he had never really expressed his sentiments till then. He just lets her be herself and gave her all the space she needed while remaining by her side as the anchor she may hook herself on. He is also an excellent father to Bonnie; never once entangled by the gender roles in the said period and taking upon himself the parental duties as he must. The one flaw that holds out as a sore eye is Rhett Butler putting the blame of every flaw in him (his act of indifference or his sleeping with Belle) on Scarlett and he eventually comes across as someone willing to cheat on her and lie to her and treat her as a punching bag for his own insecurities. A bit of put downer there. 

Having listed down the most loved male characters across the world in the English novels, there is one thing noteworthy about the list… One common factor that runs across all these characters is the trait that they are utterly and unwittingly feminist in their conduct. They do not impose on the women they love; give them space to be themselves; and support them in their pursuits. Is it a surprise? Well, not if you see the reason why. 

ALL THESE CHARACTERS WERE CREATED AND WRITTEN BY WOMEN.

Seven things we can learn from children

Today is Children's Day in India. I have been seeing everyone sharing happy messages of their childhood since morning and it makes me wonder how come we lost all that charm all too soon. I think back and wonder how our childhood was all about innocence and playfulness; about joy and freedom. And yet it all eludes us now as grown ups. So, I grabbed a pen and paper and quickly jotted down what I would like to bring back from my childhood.

I made a list - a list of seven things we adults can learn from children. Here we go:

1. Be happy without reason

Children do not really need any reason to be happy. Just a smile can trigger off a laughathon. Just a touch of the finger-tip can set in a rally of tickling game. A funny scene in a movie can lead to raptures that continue well after the movie is over. A witty comment, a joke is enough to brighten the atmosphere. They don't plan their happiness. They don't think, "I'll be happy when this happens." They just are happy.

2. Forgive and forget

The kids don't keep grudges. They fight, they make-up, and they move on. No kid will remind you weeks later that you fought with me that day and this is what you had said. They won't tell you, "Oh! You hurt me when you did this." They simply get over it. And that is the reason they sleep peacefully.

3. Get over guilt

They make mistakes - as all humans do. They feel sorry too - as all humans do. But just as they don't linger on grudges, they don't linger on guilt either. They move on. They apologise and when the apology is accepted, they forget all about the incident itself. And guess what, they sometimes make the same mistakes again. But at least by harbouring no guilt, they keep the innocence alive.

4. Live in the moment

The children don't dwell in the past. They don't worry about their future. All they are concerned with is their present. They feel the feeling they are having that moment - be it joy, or sorrow, or anxiety, whatever. They just go with the flow! They just have a buoyant free spirit that is not bound by the shackles of past failures and future uncertainties. 

5. Wonder

I have quoted this earlier on numerous occasions and I will quote this again: There are no seven wonders in the eyes of a child; there are seven million. They find something exciting and beautiful in everything they see. The gorging fat caterpillar in the garden gets them all excited. Sitting in a train is an experience to cherish. A yard full of dandelions may seem like weeds to an adult; but to a child, it is a field of beautiful yellow flowers through which he/she can make thousand wishes. A paper boat on water is as wondrous as the huge ship in the sea.

6. Believe in magic

When was the last time you believed that Santa would grant your wish? When was the last time you believed that a four leaved clover will bring you good luck? When we were kids, we would see a pair of sparrows and earnestly believed that we await 'joy' that day. And then we would single out all happy instances during an otherwise normal day and attribute it to the two birds. Simply because we believed in the power of those birds. We believed in fairies and we believed in angels. We believed in magic and we believed in prayer. And all in all, these beliefs made our lives beautiful.

7. Fool around sometimes

Children have the most amazing ability to be carefree and merry. They allow themselves the freedom to appear like a fool. They can jump on the bed or splash into a puddle or even strip down to nothing and run through the neighbourhood without a care in the world. They don't try to be so darn perfect all of the time. And they don't worry about what the onlookers will think or say. Any other person's opinion does not matter as long as they are having fun.

I think sometimes we adults need to revisit our childhood and 'reboot our systems to these default settings' to enjoy life. How about doing it today? How about doing it every year on Children's Day? Let's bring back our inner children out every year this day and enjoy life once again.

Image source: Google image search

New Year New Pact - Update

So the new pacts for 2016 are finally decided for me. I am taking up two:‪#‎100extraordinarywomen‬ where I would like to find out and share stories of 100 ordinary women who did extraordinary things and ‪#‎12bookstoread‬ where I would like to read at least 12 books in a year and review them WITHOUT any spoilers. Both these posts would also be shared by me on my blog (sub-blogs created for the same).

As for the 3rd idea ‪#‎12randomactsofkindness‬, I think I would do it none the less and would rather try making it a way of life instead of a one year pact.

Now, the first one does not seem very difficult to me but I loved the idea so picked it up. Considering my schedule, the second one looks slightly challenging and therefore I picked that up. One for the soul and the other for the mind. Let's go!

New Year New Pact!

The year 2015 has been an exceptional year. I took up a pact and I'm thrilled to have completed it. It was simple act of doing something that I already did albeit slightly less frequently and yet I could not have imagined what it would lead me to. It turned out to be a milestone year as it introduced me to friends far and wide and we suddenly became part of each other's life. It also led me to think how small challenges we take up for ourselves lead us to something nice and sweet that we may cherish for a long time to come.

So, I've decided to take a new pact for the coming year and though I'm not yet decided on one, I have a few ideas and am inviting more from all friends. #NewYearNewPact

Here are a couple of my ideas and please feel free to add yours:

1. 100 stories of exemplary lives of ordinary women (We can call it ‪#‎100extraordinarywomen‬ - This one is my favourite. Next year, I would like to find out and share stories of 100 ordinary women who did extraordinary things. They could be anyone in India or abroad. This is my favourite because IF more people join me in this pact, imagine the number of stories we would end up knowing and sharing, even if some are repetitions. Gosh! I've even started on a list of probable names in my head.)

2. 12 books in my To-Read list (We can call this ‪#‎12bookstoread‬ - I have been becoming lax in picking up the books and reading them. So, with this pact, I would like to read at least 12 books in a year and review them WITHOUT any spoilers. Now, considering my schedule, 12 is a big number for me (I don't want to count the children's books I read with my daughter) but others who want to join in this pact can read more.)

3. 12 random acts of kindness (We can call this ‪#‎12randomactsofkindness‬ - It's good to do something nice for unsuspecting people unexpectedly. We can try and do such thing at least once a month - howsoever big or small - and share with others. Now, sharing your act of kindness, is it too vain or would it encourage others to follow suit?)

My saree story: How I got on the saree bandwagon?

I have decided to participate in the ‪#‎100sareepact‬ where one should wear saree at least 100 times in 2015. I had read about it in The Brunch by HT this Sunday. This is an initiative by two women, Ally Matthan and Anju Maudgal Kadam, and is an attempt to bring back the saree in mainstream. I do wear a saree to office at times (more frequently in Summers than in Winters) and I can remember at least 8 instances when I have worn a saree in 2015. So, I have started today with number nine.

To be honest, I am a bit excited about this. It's been long since I have actually participated in something that I love doing anyway but something that becomes a social craze suddenly (does it sound like a vain craving for social acceptance?). So, I am also eager to share my saree story here i.e. how I actually got on the saree bandwagon.

As a kid, I often saw my mother wearing a saree off and on, mostly on special days like a festival, anniversary or a family function but also often on routine summer days. She looked beautiful - slim, petite and very elegant. That's how I started loving sarees. Just like all girls, I was excited about 12th standard Teacher's Day Role Play in school and the school farewell, both of which mandated sarees in my school. Both these sarees were chosen with a lot of care and deliberation mostly because I could not decide between the lovely sarees in my mom's collection. Then studies and job happened and sarees took a back seat. Even when I got married, I only bought a few designer sarees which were restricted to only formal occasions.

Only in 2010 when I joined a very vibrant and well-known MNC in the financial sector where my female boss wore beautiful and colourful silk, cotton silk and tussar silk sarees (I think so but I am usually clueless about the kinds of sarees and their textures) did the saree bug started tickling me again. Two years later, I got into another role, relatively senior, in another department and I decided even before shifting that I will start wearing sarees right at the outset itself (mostly starting suddenly involves many stares and questions about "aaj koi special day hai?" and that invoked a bit of hesitation). And I did start wearing them usually once a week basis at least in summers. I must say it helped me a lot. My new role also involved me taking risk management trainings for all Finance staff including some very senior management team members and donning a saree on those occasions made me look and feel confident. I think a saree automatically brings grace to a female, transforming her from a girl into a lady. One usually wears it with at least a little bit of heels, and with a saree one automatically tends to walk tall with back straight. All in all, it spells grace and it spells confidence. I have since switched roles and jobs and I continue to wear sarees to work off and on. I am not as slim and as petite as my mom, so I restrict myself to georgette and chiffon sarees but I also have a few silks and a favourite art silk saree that I wear often.

Here's a peek into my #9/100. (Please ignore the black box which I used for privacy purposes). It's a long way to go as I see people posting their 30th or so picture but I am just too excited to be part of this.

Movie Metaphors: Did you even understand these?

We all love Hindi movies! Call it Bollywood or call it Indian Cinema, but it has reigned our hearts ever since we remember. We have laughed with it and we have cried with it. We have seen it senseless (say, David Dhawan's movies) and we have learned philosophy of life from it (say, Raju Hirani's movies). Sometimes we have dismissed it as too heavy (say, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epics) and at times we have carried them on in our dreams (say, Yash Chopra's romantic sagas). But, more often than not, people use them only to escape from reality. Finding bloopers is passe and fun (like when someone notices the mobile towers behind a dancing Sonam Kapoor in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and questions how they sprung up in the bygone era depicted in the movie), but normal people do not analyse the finer nuances and dialogues which may have a deeper meaning.

How am I reminded of this? Well, we were discussing 'Queen' that day (I loved it and have already written my review of the movie in an earlier post) when my friend recalled the scene where Kangana Ranaut who plays Rani is asked by her new friends in Amsterdam where she comes from and she answers "Rajouri" as against "India" or "Delhi". To my friend, it was a simple funny scene with a funny dialogue since how is the world supposed to know about "Rajouri Garden", but she didn't realize that this one word answer tells us something about the character.

So, today I want to list down a few metaphors used in some of the films, which were never understood by some of my friends:

1. Queen: Obviously, I would first explain what I mentioned above. So, when Rani answers that she comes from "Rajouri" as against "India" or "Delhi", it highlights the small world she has lived in so far. She has never gone, in person as well as in thought, beyond "Rajouri Garden". It is her world, her personal comfort cocoon or a shell. It was only during her trip that she has stepped out, both out of her world as well as out of her comfort zone. She is now learning to survive in the open and must first realize that for most people her world does not even exist.

2. Queen / English Vinglish: Another such instance in 'Queen' is where she makes a "French Toast" and the French guy tells her that there's nothing really French about it. There's a similar scene in 'English Vinglish' where Sridevi or Shashi tells her French friend to eat "French Fries" and he tells her that they don't originate from France. This highlights how little we people know about the things we often take for granted. Everybody in India refers to "French Toast", "French Fries", "Chinese Noodles", and so on and we continue to believe that they originated there. Similarly, we don't challenge anything that has been carried on for generations, be it political dynasties ruling over us or our impressions about the education system in India.

3. Mission Kashmir: When this movie was released, I could often hear people commenting why Preity Zinta, who plays Sufiya Parvez therein, did that movie. Now Preity at that time was competing for the top slot in the film industry and was known to undertake really meaty roles, so maybe that prompted people to ask that question. But, to be fair to Preity and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (the director of the film), I do not think that it was a non-consequential role despite the small screen time. Now, if we refer to Kareena Kapoor's role in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (K3G), that was inconsequential and only existed to provide some eye candy and provide a song and dance opportunity to Hrithik Roshan in an era where you couldn't dare to take Hrithik in a movie and not include a few dance numbers. But, Preity in Mission Kashmir signified the kind of life and opportunities that Altaf (played superbly by Hrithik again) would have had, had he not ventured into the darkness of terrorism. Surprisingly, no-one ever questioned Kareena taking up K3G, but everyone seemed to mind Preity taking up Mission Kashmir.

4. Black / Guzaarish / Saawariya: Colour references in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movies are his trademark style. So, if he uses the bright radiance of reds, greens, gold in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Devdas' and 'Ram Leela', people love it; but when he sticks to shades of Black, Grey and Blue in 'Black', 'Guzaarish', and 'Saawariya', respectively, he is severely criticized for being too dull. But, I like his idea of sticking to a colour to signify the theme of the movie. While the reds, greens, gold in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Devdas' and 'Ram Leela' signify the flamboyance and rich cultural heritage of Gujarat and Bengal which served as the backdrop of the respective films; there are deeper meanings in the colours used in 'Black', 'Guzaarish', and 'Saawariya'. Black (both the name and the colour backdrop) signified the darkness and the deep hole in the world of a blind, deaf and mute girl. Grey's in Guzaarish signified the dullness and the mundaneness in the life of the quadriplegic Ethan Mascarenhas and his helper and caretaker for years Sophia. If you remember, Sophia did wear Reds as part of her clothes, the lip colour and the rose in her hair; which again signified that she is the only one in Ethan's life who brought him hope or motivation to carry on. Lastly, the blue shades of 'Saawariya' not only added to the fact that the entire film moved in moonlit nights, but also the character's state of mind where both the protagonists were going through heartbreaks.

5. Hum saath saath hain: There was nothing modern about this modern day Ramayan except that it was set in a traditional typical household and not in the medieval era. The thought process of the characters and their grooming (ask Karisma who wears lehengas in daily wear in a fairly modern household) was definitely traditional, bordering on orthodox. But, the names of the six protagonists were very symbolic of the characters they played. Mohnish Bahl was called Vivek which means 'wisdom' and he was supposed to be the eldest and the wisest son. Tabu, the eldest daughter-in-law, played Sadhana which means 'to practice something as a discipline' and she was continuously practicing being a traditional dutiful wife, daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. Next son in line and his ladylove were Salman Khan and Sonali Bendre who played Prem and Preeti respectively, both names meaning 'love' and they both loved each other and the brothers and the sister-in-laws and big Indian family endlessly and selflessly. Saif Ali Khan played Vinod which means 'happy' or 'joyful' and he was the happy-go-lucky youngest son who kept the atmosphere alive with his goofing around irrespective of the tensions gripping the family. Finally, Karisma Kapoor played Sapna, Vinod's ladylove, meaning 'dream' and her only task in the film was to keep Vinod amused and help in his goofing around and Vinod obviously dreamt a lot about her. Oh yes! How can I forget the mother played by Reema Lagoo who was called Mamta, meaning 'motherly love'.

I am sure there would be many more and these are just the ones that immediately came to my mind. But my point is that often people tend to overlook them.

Seven complicated facts about women

Seven complicated facts about women:


1.       They believe in saving.

2.       They believe in saving, but buy expensive clothes.

3.       They buy expensive clothes, but never have anything to wear.

4.       They never have anything to wear, but are always dressed beautifully.

5.       They are always dressed beautifully, but are never satisfied.

6.       They are never satisfied, but still expect men to compliment them.

7.       They expect men to compliment them, but don't believe them if they do.

Extremely complicated!!

Good girls are still real!

A friend of mine once told me that 'good girls' are hard to come by  anymore and that I just might be 'the last Good Girl' in the world. I actually tend to disagree with him. On the contrary, I feel that good girls get dismissed even when they are ever present. They are simply looked past because they are the ones that you know are good for you but you don't really want them. They are the ones whom you think you're too good for or even sometimes whom you think are just too good for you. But the fact remains that even though the 'Good Girls' still exist and are very much real, there are no takers for them.

You may ask what are the characteristics of a good girl. The most common response is that the characteristics of a good girl are that they do not go partying or clubbing, don't booze, are saintly virgins and follow all the rules laid down by their parents (read no late nights, no going out with guys, etc.). I personally feel that these restrictive definitions are very orthodox and incorrect and do not actually describe what 'Good Girls' are supposed to be like.

The real characteristics of 'Good Girls' are as follows:

1. She is realistic.
She doesn't live in a fantasy world full of daydreams and fantasies. She understands that the real world is not fair to everyone so she plays by the rules and although might take chances once in a while, she plays safe with full understanding of the repercussions and doesn't concede into depression if the things do not turn her way.

2. She has a heart.
What I mean is, she has a good heart. At the base of it all, the good girl cares more about things than she lets on. She wants to save the world and the least she expects from a guy is to help her do it. It is not her that needs to be saved. She is the front-runners to stand up for ideals and ethics and morals and is rarely seen to have dual standards. She is helpful to all and sundry, even going all out of the way to do so at times, and is generally someone you can rely on.

3. She is strong.
Guys often feel that the good girls are a vulnerable lot. Ironically, they are not and contrarily, they are quite strong. Whatever be the situation, the good girl will not fall to pieces and would instead pick up the pieces and rebuild her life. She will build a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at her.

4. She values relationships.
The good girl puts others - family and friends and people who care for her - before herself. She will fight not only for her own self-respect but equally for the respect of these people. She lives by her principles and will never let her people down.

5. She won't break your heart.
Because she values relationships, chances are, it's the good girl who will be the one to stand by you and fight your battles shoulder to shoulder with you, loyal till the end. Chances are, she will be the one left behind when you decide to move on. And, chances are, she'll be the one with the broken heart. But in true spirit of a 'Good Girl', she will put it behind her and move on to the next battle.

So, give the good girl a chance, guys... They might be the best thing that could happen to you.

Happily Single!!

When I was younger, thinner and less cynical, it was easy to be a romantic fool. So, I would be lost in imaginary worlds of love, happiness and bliss at the drop of a hat (or the reading of all those useless meaningless quotes and one-liners that are nowadays re-emerged in a new avatar as pins and relatable posts and what-not). Who wouldn't love me? I was amazing back then! But the longer I continue to pile on years, kilos and - am I allowed to say - experience and wisdom, I realize that I am happier being single and that there IS a way to be happy and be alone. So here's how it has worked for me:

1) Love.
Believe in it. Find it wherever you can. In your family, in your friends, in religion, in the things that make you up. If you start to understand what Love is, in the biggest sense of the word, then you will find that you are never really alone and that if it is in your life, in any form, you can't be unhappy. Everywhere you turn around, there it is: love embracing you in a huge bear hug.

2) Have faith.
Have some faith that you're good enough for you. If you keep whining and build-up a belief that a you need a man who will come along one day, see you, believe in you enough, love you and save you, remember that it doesn't work that way. Men are just too human to be all of that. They too need to be saved once in a while and having too much expectation can only hurt. On the contrary, believe in yourself and embrace and celebrate the fact that you don't need a man in your life to survive. Don't wait for a 'knight in a shining armour'. Remember, a knight in a shining armour is a man who has not had his metal truly tested.

3) Like what you do.
It's simple. If you're sitting in an office or any other workplace or even your home hating every hour that goes by in a job / situation you can't stand, evidently you'll be wishing twice as hard for someone to whisk you away to something, anything else to preoccupy yourself with. Find something you're good at, do it well, and you'll find it hard not to be satisfied.

4) Go places.
See the world. There's so much of it anyway. The more people you meet, the more amazing adventures you go on, the more stories you will tell. Witnessing how hard or wonderful it is the way others live will teach you that finding one true life partner may not be the answer to all things and that soulmates come in many shapes and sizes. Interact with people. Human race is far more complex than the limited number of people around you. Knowing more people will only build up your confidence to identify the people you can get along with and the others that you might keep an arm's length with.

5) Fun, fun, fun.
Above all, the real secret to being happy and single? Have a ton of FUN - whatever your definition of fun may be. Enjoy your life as it is. Spend time with family. Go out and chill with friends. Do anything and everything you want to do. Create a bucket list and tick off as many things as you can. Don't regret, don't hesitate, go forth and enjoy yourself...Laugh. Whatever situation you may find yourself in, whatever heartbreak, get over it, laugh it off...if you're dancing your way through, someone just might dance with you.

Five things you SHOULDN'T do before you turn 30!

Teenage and Twenties – these are the coveted years in anybody’s life – time to live carefree, time to rebel!! And during the revelry, we sometimes end up with burden that we carry in our thirties which we are not very proud of or are happy about. I can actually imagine some of these things right now.

So, the next time a person in his / her thirties tells you that “I wouldn’t like to go back to my teens”, don’t dismiss him / her as a case of “sour grapes”. He / she just might be one of those persons who actually believe that the teens and the twenties was not the best time of their lives and that they may have actually done some stupid things which if asked to do in the present, they would certainly do differently.

And if you may ask what some of those things may be, then I am probably in one of those moods today to list some of them down:

1. That embarrassing email address you made long ago: What was it really? therealhulk@whatever.com,thecharmingprincess@whatever.com, therealstupidcupid@whatever.com or was it missloveable@whatever.com. To be honest, many of us had made really stupid email addresses when we were teenagers. Most of them may just be a result of not being able to manage our real full name as email addresses and may often be a combination of certain clichéd teenage words and slangs with our full or nick names. Nevertheless, they can be really embarrassing and most people in their thirties would not normally be continuing to use the same.

2. The permanent tattoo you so try to cover up now: Okay, now what was your first tattoo? Che Guevara’s face? “Peace” written in Chinese script? “Love” with the infinity symbol? No matter what it was, you probably wouldn’t get the same tattoo now when you are past your twenties. The fact that they are permanent doesn’t really help. So you try your best to cover it up using clothes and make-up. So, the next time your kid brother / sister or your daughter / son asks you if it’s okay to get a tattoo, you should advise them to get one when they reach their thirties and know where their ideologies lie.

3. The school / college slam book entries at the time of farewell: Your school / college slam books are really lying in the farthest corner of your store room. Isn’t it? And you secretly hope that all your friend’s slam books are being treated similarly where you have filled pages and pages of stupid useless stuff most of which seems really embarrassing now if you read it again. So, it’s best that those slam books never really resurface to remind you what a romantic fool you were.

4. The dozens of piercings that leave a mark: When I was a teenager, piercings were really trendy. Although our school authorities really tried to keep a check on those (like no piercings near the eyebrows, etc. were allowed), people still managed to get away with quite a few undetected ones (e.g. navel piercings?). Over years, having tackled with unintentional injuries to the body caused by entangled clothes and having applied ointments to bruises and swellings, some people I know have actually left the piercings on their own to reseal while others continue to deal with the same with subdued fervour.

5. Those mushy collections of recorded videos and books: Not much unlike the slam books stashed away, there may be quite a few collections of mushy books and videos that you may not be using any more and more so do not feel much proud of. Having studied in an all-girls school, I have seen quite a few Mills & Boons exchange hands and have known boys maintaining the same for magazines (read Playboy and sometimes even Filmfare) and videos. Same goes for the posters put up on your walls which have since been taken off or disposed permanently. While at that time you would have doled out a major chunk of your pocket money or your parent’s hard-earned cash on those and they would have been considered your prized collections, some may even have been trashed by now while others may be lying in a corner having not seen sunlight for years.

Well, to be fair, I should say that all these have also served a purpose in your life which probably was right for that age, however, it’s relative permanence in our lives and the understanding now of how far and better we have evolved since then does lead us to some embarrassment. Today, if you were to make an email address, get a tattoo or start a book collection, I am sure your choices would be much different.

Of the Euthanasia ki Guzaarish and the Gypsy Prince Zangoora

After the extremely hectic last week of November, I decided to return to my blog with two magical experiences. Two things I managed to catch up in one week, which in itself is saying a lot, include the most inspiring movie of the decade if not the century, Guzaarish and the Broadway style Bollywood musical, Zangoora. Poles apart and yet both of them are an experience of a lifetime.

There are no words to describe Guzaarish. That Bhansali’s magic weaves a heart-warming story, is not something new I am going to say here. Every film review says that. That it’s Bhansali’s best work, paralleled only by Black if at all, is also not something new I can tell you about the film. So how best should I describe Guzaarish? I think it is best to say that when you see Guzaarish, deep inside you feel the power to counter any difficulty in life. You realize that just when you feel you cannot go on, the spirit inside you whispers in your ear to take one further step, one at a time. And most of all, you learn that it’s possible to be happy in adversities. It’s a serious subject, but the movie is far from serious. Every moment in the film is magical; right from the flashback scenes of Hrithik’s heydays as a magician to his silent love story with Aishwarya. As happy as it is sentimental; the film is a lesson on life. It teaches you not to be bogged down by the difficulties in your life; just like Ethan (the protagonist played brilliantly by Hrithik) who did not sob over his lost abilities and his fickled fame. It teaches you not to take things on face value; as from seeing jolly and effervescent Ethan it is hard to guess how deep the suffering lies. It teaches you that all relationships are not based on give and take; as Sophia could hardly expect something in return from Ethan – nothing actually apart from a silent love. I cried. I cried my heart out for Ethan, when his mother supports his case for Euthanasia in front of the judge. I cried when his mother dies and he smiles and sings a song for her with tears rolling down his eyes: “And I say to myself, what a beautiful world”. I was especially touched when he locks away the public prosecutor on the pretext of a magic trick to make him realize what he has been feeling for 14 years, when the prosecutor got chocked in 60 seconds.

The performances were natural and effortless; which considering the complexities of the characters played by the lead cast of Hrithik and Aishwarya defines their versatility and potential as seasoned actors. Just as you enjoy the sweet bickering between Ethan and Sophia, it is evident that these are their best performances ever. Aishwarya looks gorgeous than ever, and Hrithik, well, what might be said of him. If any actor has matched up to what Amitabh Bachchhan had achieved with Black, it can only be Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish. Hrithik has paralleled Big B’s artistic vigour, screen presence and art, if not surpassed it. And, the dear readers might agree that Black had in fact set new standards in performance. People tell me Guzaarish has been a commercial disaster. I tell them that it is our audience’s misfortune that they do not have the ability to appreciate the cinematic art in its best form ever.

Now, coming to Zangoora, the Bollywood musical playing at the Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon. It is an experience of a lifetime (obviously you don’t expect to shell out that kind of money again to see something I have already seen). It is supposed to be like Broadway musical shows they have in the West. Now, I cannot comment on that having never seen one in my life before. But, whether or not it matches up to the Broadway musicals, Zangoora is as typical Indian in soul as any show can be. It is clichéd and predictive with a story hackneyed as many times as the typical 70s and 80s bollywood movies have been made. The traitor friend, the lost son who grows up oblivious to his real identity under the sugary sweet surrogate mother’s love, two girls in love with the same guy who happens to be a darling of everyone, a rich girl and a poor boy love story eventually turning out to be a rich boy and a poor girl’s story instead, everyone breaking into a dance at the ring of a note, you imagine and the typical bollywood masala is there served on a platter. Now, the day I saw Zangoora, neither Hussain Kuwajerwala nor Gauhar Khan were performing and the less said about Kashmira Irani the better; so I would restrain from talking about the performances of the lead cast; but the substitute actors were good in their own right. Nitin Goyal who took Hussain’s place was okay, The girl who took Gauhar’s place to play Lachhi (have forgotten her name) danced very well. Kashmira can neither boast of acting nor dancing but her talent lies in performing in the air with the harness in place, something which Nitin missed in terms of elegance.

But, the presentation was amazing. From Nitin and Kashmira entering on harnesses from over the crowds, to stage setup with the use of multiple screens giving a 3D like layered impact to projection of images, to the choice of songs and dance moves; everything was praiseworthy. The best part was Nitin performing the magician act. We have not been able to guess how he could pass the hoollop through the girl supposedly lying down in the air. Even the finale was great, I guess, playing the only original song in the show (which incidentally has music by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy) and every performer dancing on stage and stairs and aisles making the audience also rise and do a jig. The Kingdom of Dreams staff, not the performers on stage, was completing the ambience by whistling at strategic scenes like when Nitin / Hussain tears off his shirt and throws it off in the audience showing off a neat six-pack abs. Overall an amazing show, a must watch.

Of Coach Carter and Kites!!

This weekend was one of the most hectic weekends ever. But the best point was that I was still able to catch up on two movies I had not seen earlier. The first of the two, the Samuel L. Jackson starrer 2005 film Coach Carter, was an excellent movie. The film is supposedly based on a true story about a Basketball Coach, Ken Carter (Jackson in an amazingly endearing performance), who believes that there is life beyond Basketball for the boys on his team and forces them to sign contracts to achieve a 2.3 / C+ in their studies as a pre-condition to continue on the team. And then when some of them fall short on their goals, he locks out the entire so-far undefeated team from practice and tournaments amid widespread protests and media cry. The boys finally forced to meet their scores make it to the State championship but lose in the opening game. Nevertheless, they do excel in their lives, go to Colleges, earn Scholarships and make respectable Careers.

So much for the synopsis; but, the movie was a time well spent. Not only was it a technically well-made movie with a taut screenplay and near-perfect performances from everyone, I personally liked it because it did, in some way, resonate my viewpoints on education and career. No matter whether you excel in sports, arts or any other area, education is very important. It instills in you a sense of discipline, security and confidence, even though you may not choose to earn a living out of it. The mode with which a person earns one's living is a personal choice and one may choose the path that gives us maximum satisfaction. Satisfaction is important for happiness and one must enjoy and feel passionate about what one does. But, basic education is important and that should not be rejected. And that was what Ken Carter ensured for his team-members.

Coming to Kites, I had heard a lot of negative reviews from people who had watched the same on movie theatres. Personally, I saw it on TV and I found it 'okay' for a TV viewing although I wonder whether a movie that looks 'okay' on TV would look 'bad' on the big screen. If one momentarily forgets the costs involved in the big screen viewing, the effect of a big screen and modern sound systems in movie theatres is such that they make mediocre movies look good. The cinematography is enhanced and the sound systems echo the minutest of the chords. This should generally make a good viewing. But, watching a movie in Theatres involves so high costs nowadays that if people say the movie is not good, they usually only mean that it's not worth the ticket price. For a cheaper price tag, it just might as well been fine. This was for movies in general but Kites is a rather special case in point. For starters, it's not a conventional Hindi movie. In fact, to publicize it as International Version and Hindi Version was a wrong strategy as the so-called Hindi Version hardly has any Hindi dialogues and the only thing Hindi about it is the subtitles. This film should have been publicized as an "International film in Spanish-English with Hindi sub-titles". In that case, it should ideally have worked with a niche audience.

For a brief synopsis, the film is a modern-day rehash of 'Ek duje ke liye' where the male and female protagonists do not speak each other's language and yet fall in love and fight it out to be together. However, the drama of 'Ek duje ke liye' has here been replaced by a thrilling action and fast-paced car chases by including the gangsters in the plot. People say there is no story. There is actually, only it's an old, stale and 100-times-retold one. The screenplay is above-average as it keeps one glued to the screen, not to mention that you just cannot take your eyes off the screen for two more absolutely genuine reasons: (1) Hrithik's chiseled Greek-god looks hold your gaze; and (2) how do you intend to understand the film without READING the sub-titles of the Spanish dialogues which happen to make at least 40-50% of the whole speaking time of the characters. Even Barbara Mori's English is most of the time illegible. The cinematography is top-notch. Watch the breath-taking landscape in the climax scene where Hrithik stands atop a cliff and cries out in pain. Last but not least, the performances were neat with Hrithik excelling in a difficult role. He is undoubtedly the best actor in Industry today and is milestones ahead of all his contemporaries in business. The guy is amazing. He dances like a dream, makes you smile and laugh in the lighter scenes and is so essentially believable in the emotional scenes that the audiences' heart goes out to him. The scene where he tries to send Barbara off with his friend on the pretext of taking her to a hospital is impeccably unforgettable. The look in his eyes, the pain, and the despair – it speaks volumes about what a great actor he is. Even Barbara is good. She complements Hrithik in every scene she shares space with him. Unfortunately, her speech is not clear, even in English and this girl may not find a place in Bollywood in future. Nevertheless, she is refreshingly in form here. The baddie, Nick Brown as Tony Grover, is as menacing as can be and is a fine performer himself. One thing I did not understand is why Kangana Ranaut did this miniscule role. She hardly had 4 scenes and 2 dialogues and is altogether ignored after her beau elopes with her Mexican bhabhi-to-be. Nobody cares to show what the desperately-in-love girl goes through while her brother is chasing all over to kill her boyfriend and his fiancée.

All in all, an entertaining weekend with the heart-warming Coach Carter and the not-SO-disappointing Kites.

What you're thinking, lady?

I came across this very funny commercial. For all you ladies who can sportingly laugh at your own gender:

The diagram demonstrates the THOUGHTS in a female and male brain during the simple question: "Shall we go for a party?"

Who is tomorrow's competitor?

I received a mail today. Although it was long enough to justify the need to put it away for reading later when free, when I did read it, it made sense. So I decided to post it here for others to read.

Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?

Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones.

Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sonys and Canons are taking note.

Try this. Who is the biggest in music business in India? You think it is HMV Sa-Re-Ga-Ma? Sorry. The answer is Airtel. By selling caller tunes (that play for 30 seconds) Airtel makes more than what music companies make by selling music albums (that run for hours).

Incidentally Airtel is not in music business. It is the mobile service provider with the largest subscriber base in India. That sort of competitor is difficult to detect, even more difficult to beat (by the time you have identified him he has already gone past you). But if you imagine that Nokia and Bharti (Airtel's parent) are breathing easy you can't be farther from truth.

Nokia confessed that they all but missed the smartphone bus. They admit that Apple's Iphone and Google's Android can make life difficult in future. But you never thought Google was a mobile company, did you? If these illustrations mean anything, there is a bigger game unfolding. It is not so much about mobile or music or camera or emails?

The "Mahabharat" (the great Indian epic battle) is about "what is tomorrow's personal digital device"? Will it be a souped up mobile or a palmtop with a telephone? All these are little wars that add up to that big battle. Hiding behind all these wars is a gem of a question - "who is my competitor?"

Once in a while, to intrigue my students I toss a question at them. It says "What Apple did to Sony, Sony did to Kodak, explain?" The smart ones get the answer almost immediately. Sony defined its market as audio (music from the walkman). They never expected an IT company like Apple to encroach into their audio domain. Come to think of it, is it really surprising? Apple as a computer maker has both audio and video capabilities. So what made Sony think he won't compete on pure audio? "Elementary Watson". So also Kodak defined its business as film cameras, Sony defines its businesses as "digital."

In digital camera the two markets perfectly meshed. Kodak was torn between going digital and sacrificing money on camera film or staying with films and getting left behind in digital technology. Left undecided it lost in both.

It had to. It did not ask the question "who is my competitor for tomorrow?" The same was true for IBM whose mainframe revenue prevented it from seeing the PC. The same was true of Bill Gates who declared "internet is a fad!" and then turned around to bundle the browser with windows to bury Netscape. The point is not who is today's competitor. Today's competitor is obvious. Tomorrow's is not.

In 2008, who was the toughest competitor to British Airways in India? Singapore airlines? Better still, Indian airlines? Maybe, but there are better answers. There are competitors that can hurt all these airlines and others not mentioned. The answer is videoconferencing and telepresence services of HP and Cisco. Travel dropped due to recession. Senior IT executives in India and abroad were compelled by their head quarters to use videoconferencing to shrink travel budget. So much so, that the mad scramble for American visas from Indian techies was nowhere in sight in 2008. (India has a quota of something like 65,000 visas to the U.S. They were going a-begging. Blame it on recession!). So far so good. But to think that the airlines will be back in business post recession is something I would not bet on. In short term yes. In long term a resounding no. Remember, if there is one place where Newton's law of gravity is applicable besides physics it is in electronic hardware. Between 1977 and 1991 the prices of the now dead VCR (parent of Blue-Ray disc player) crashed to one-third of its original level in India. PC's price dropped from hundreds of thousands of rupees to tens of thousands. If this trend repeats then telepresence prices will also crash. Imagine the fate of airlines then. As it is not many are making money. Then it will surely be RIP!

India has two passions. Films and cricket. The two markets were distinctly different. So were the icons. The cricket gods were Sachin and Sehwag. The filmi gods were the Khans (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and the other Khans who followed suit). That was, when cricket was fundamentally test cricket or at best 50 over cricket. Then came IPL and the two markets collapsed into one. IPL brought cricket down to 20 overs. Suddenly an IPL match was reduced to the length of a 3 hour movie. Cricket became film's competitor. On the eve of IPL matches movie halls ran empty. Desperate multiplex owners requisitioned the rights for screening IPL matches at movie halls to hang on to the audience. If IPL were to become the mainstay of cricket, as it is likely to be, films have to sequence their releases so as not clash with IPL matches. As far as the audience is concerned both are what in India are called 3 hour "tamasha" (entertainment). Cricket season might push films out of the market.

Look at the products that vanished from India in the last 20 years. When did you last see a black and white movie? When did you last use a fountain pen? When did you last type on a typewriter? The answer for all the above is "I don't remember!" For some time there was a mild substitute for the typewriter called electronic typewriter that had limited memory. Then came the computer and mowed them all. Today most technologically challenged guys like me use the computer as an upgraded typewriter. Typewriters per se are nowhere to be seen.

One last illustration. 20 years back what were Indians using to wake them up in the morning? The answer is "alarm clock." The alarm clock was a monster made of mechanical springs. It had to be physically keyed every day to keep it running. It made so much noise by way of alarm, that it woke you up and the rest of the colony. Then came quartz clocks which were sleeker. They were much more gentle though still quaintly called "alarms." What do we use today for waking up in the morning? Cellphone! An entire industry of clocks disappeared without warning thanks to cell phones. Big watch companies like Titan were the losers. You never know in which bush your competitor is hiding!

On a lighter vein, who are the competitors for authors? Joke spewing machines? (Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, himself a Pole, tagged a Polish joke telling machine to a telephone much to the mirth of Silicon Valley). Or will the competition be story telling robots? Future is scary! The boss of an IT company once said something interesting about the animal called competition. He said "Have breakfast .or.. be breakfast"! That sums it up rather neatly.

Did you know: Pigs on Wall Street

I found some interesting trivia about (guess what?) PIGS. Hope you enjoy this one.

In the old days, sea captains kept pigs on board because they believed, should they be shipwrecked, pigs always swam toward the nearest shore.

The pig is rated the fourth most intelligent animal. Pigs are part of the order 'artidactyla' (even toed, hoofed animals). There are more than 180 species of pigs, found on every continent except Antarctica. They come in just about any size and color, have an average lifespan of 20 years and litters from 2 to 12 piglets.

Pigs are often thought to be dirty, but actually keep themselves cleaner than most pets. They are seen laying in mud because they do not have sweat glands and constantly need water or mud to cool off.

Uncle Sam

“During the War of 1812, a New York pork packer named Uncle Sam Wilson shipped a boatload of several hundred barrels of pork to U.S. troops. Each barrel was stamped ‘U.S.‘ On the docks, it quickly became bantered about that the ‘U.S.’ stood for ‘Uncle Sam,’ whose large pork shipment looked to be enough to feed the entire army. Thus did ‘Uncle Sam’ come to represent the US Government itself.” Thus according to the US National Pork Producers Council.

Big Business

Pork is big business: it is the world’s most widely-eaten meat. It therefore is rather apt that pigs are responsible for the naming of one of the world’s leading financial centres. To stop free-roaming pigs rampaging through their grain fields, Manhattan Island residents built a long wall on the northern edge of what is now Lower Manhattan. The street that came to board the wall was named… Wall Street.

Some other Trivia

Domestication of pigs took place in China around 7500 BC. China still is the largest producer of pigs.

In Denmark, there are twice as many pigs as people.

Pigs are mentioned twice in the Bible. Sheep are mentioned 45 times, and goats 88 times.

Boys vs. Men and Girls vs. Women

I read this somewhere on the internet. This makes a fun read. Hope you enjoy this:



Boys vs. Men



1. Boys will drop a pick up line on you and grin at their own cleverness. A man can flirt without showing off.

2. Boys like fart jokes and everything about them. Men like the jokes too, but they don't feel the need to act them out for you.

3. Boys hold onto fantasy women ideas and hold torches without ever being able to ask the person out. A man knows that everyone is flawed and will ask her out anyway.

4. Boys take rejection as a personal attack. A man realizes that he isn't going to be attractive to everyone and that she may just not be in a place to be dating.

5. Boys try to take what isn't theirs to have. A man works to have what he values.

6. Boys yell, argue, and fight. A man is calm and walks away from trouble when he can.

7. Boys hit. Men hold.

8. Boys say hurtful things to denigrate and diminish others. A man builds others up and is quick to compliment.

9. Boys bitch and moan about problems. A man prays and asks for help when he needs it.

10. Boys hold their pride or rep in the highest regard. A man knows that having a good name is worth more than gold.

11. Boys take the easy road out of any trouble. A man faces the consequences of his actions and does the right thing.

12. Boys cheat. A man knows that a good woman is the greatest of blessings from God in this life and puts her before him.

13. Boys run from trouble. A man handles his responsibilities.

14. Boys look for you to take care of them. A man looks for you to take care of each other.

15. Boys can't maintain eye contact. A man can look into your eyes and let you know how attractive you are without a word.

16. Boys look for hot chicks. A man knows that every woman is beautiful in her own way.

17. Boys have to top your story with a better one of their own. A man asks you questions and lets you be the center of attention.

18. Boys are all about “me”. Men are all about “you”.

19. Boys go to the game, or play X-Box when their kids come over for the weekend. A man helps with homework and plays Candyland.

20. Boys boast. Men deliver.



Girls vs. Women



1. Girls ask how they look every five minutes. Women are confident enough to know they look good and smart enough to know if it truly matters.

2. Girls are needy and clingy. Women are independent and have interests outside of you.

3. Girls freak out if you don’t return a phone call. Women are rational and realize that things happen and life is unpredictable. And if you’re truly just not returning her calls, she knows you’re not worth her time.

4. Girls dress provocatively to gain attention. Women can be sexy no matter what they’re wearing.

5. Girls need to have every guy like them, even if they don’t like him. Women know that they aren’t everyone’s type.

6. Girls get their friends to find out if you like them. Women just ask.

7. If you piss them off, girls blog about it and tell all their friends. Women decide whether it’s really worth being pissed over and if it is, they talk to you about it.

8. Girls look to blame everyone but themselves for their shortcomings. Women own up to their mistakes and work to fix them.

9. Girls gossip and speak badly of other girls behind their backs in order to make themselves look good. Women don’t feel threatened by other women and can even sincerely agree when you compliment another woman.

10. Girls are catty and throw each other under a bus to get a guy. Women stand back a minute and know that if you choose the dumb bimbo over her, you aren’t as smart as you look.

11. Girls expect you to read their minds. Women are upfront and honest.

12. Girls take rejection as an insult and plot to make you jealous. Again, women realize that they aren’t everyone’s type and that it’s not a personal attack.

13. Girls bring up your past mistakes in arguments, even the ones you’ve apologized for. Women deal with the problem at hand and know to let things go.

14. Girls create drama and demand that they are the center of attention. Women realize that life has enough drama of its own and they cherish the "boring" moments.

15. Girls are in constant need of rescuing. Women can discern when it's time for them to be the hero.

16. Girls get drunk and use it as an excuse to act like a ho. Women know that a true man will love her for herself, not because she's easy.

17. Girls avoid confrontation and have no backbone or opinions of their own. Women have their own views and convictions and hold strongly to them, even in the midst of adversity.

18. Girls justify it when a boy treats them like sh*t. Women let them know exactly what "no" means.

19. Girls won't accept help from others, refuse to listen to their friends and family, and stubbornly take the path they know is doomed. A woman surrounds herself with wise people whom she can trust and she heeds their advice.

20. Girls compare you to other men. A woman appreciates each man for his unique qualities and characteristics.