Best Friends *Forever (*depends)

Born in the 1980s, I have seen best of many different cultural changes. One interesting aspect that I feel has been changing silently is ‘FRIENDSHIP’.

During the 80s, I was used to seeing, friends & best friends. You had the same set of friends at school, tuition, cricket match, homework, birthday party, etc. In fact, there used to be this thing ‘tu apne group ka hai, unke saath mat ghum (you are a part of this group, don’t hang out with others)’.

Slowly came the 90s and with Indian economy opening up, many minds, pockets & attitudes also started to change. Well, friends were still friends, but one started having Tuition friends, School friends, friends with the best gadgets, video games, it became paramount how one shows his/her friendship with innumerable Archie's & Hallmark cards or cups or teddys…

Then something happened once the Millennium kicked in. The internet chat cafes took the momentum of friendships to a new level. The 3310s, 3330s, 6600s of Nokia had penetrated the lives of the young minds, with late night SMSes, MMSes. And as if this was just the tip of the iceberg the mid era of the millennia bought ORKUT to the fingertips… Friendship had now started to grow in the virtual & digital space. The Six degrees of separation theory was finally taking a concrete shape, but the test of friendship slowly started to be determined by the number of scraps, testimonials & friends in the list.

Things started to speed up & bought the new mega machine of making friends & connecting with them called Facebook. Stories of new friendships, new connections, puppy love, naughty love & all sorts of groups popped up. The gifts that friends exchanged earlier got replaced by watermelons, cows & strawberries on the farm. Facebook started to be like the hoarding where people began to display their lives, to get much-craved attention, to feel like a celebrity, to show off to their friends & wanting more. Friendship now was seen with people who react to things in my life when I put it out to display. A nice picture once uploaded if did not get likes & comments from the friends was good enough to create a rift but never show off.

Well, that was sooo 2010, now with half of the decade passing off, friendships are now defined in new ways and manner. Best Friends are now BFFs or BAE (short form of BABE, trust me I am not kidding!!!), friends in need became FWB (friends with benefits) & close friends became FUBUs (fuck buddies). Snapchats, Tinders, Instagram, FBs of the world are taking connecting, expressing, sharing & creating memories at a completely new level.

Now that where my theory begins, with the rapid change in culture & value system we should be ready to the new age of friendship & that is ‘MUTUALISM’ as in social mutualism. Let’s not be judgmental about it, but times are changing, behaviors, patterns & our perspective to feelings are changing. Earlier we just made friends & friendship was all that mattered & moving forward we shall choose them & all that will matter would be how can we both be beneficial to each other. It’s not being mean or selfish but it shall be all about ‘I don’t wanna waste my time & energy’. That brings us to an interesting question, ‘Friendship is pure feeling and friends are the relatives that we make on our own then how come it can come to this?’ well the answer has always been in front of us, the truth is we needed friends & we will need friends but what will change is the ways & reasons. Earlier our reach was limited hence we were contented with a limited group of people we interacted, we were contented with our thoughts & our perspective, this made us explore more in few set of people and that made us know each other a lot more; whereas in last 30 years, the reach is exponential & the amount of exposure to different perspectives, likings, idiosyncrasies have reached beyond borders across the globe. Now we don't invest a lot of time in one person, but we invest time in finding newer ones. Knowing someone just by the surface is more than enough.

To sum up, in few years when you ask the younger lot about who are they hanging out with their answer shall be, “No one, in particular, he/she & I like a MUTUAL genre of music so we just jam.”

Just Do (Mimic) it.... Seriously???

Nike India has finally joined the bandwagon of brands bitten by the new buzzword ‘Content creation in video format’. Before Nike it was Reebok that roped in Kangana Ranaut with #fittofight & central idea of how she fought the odds & asking people to tell their story (Such a unique concept, isn’t it?).

Coming back to Nike. It has a catchy number ‘Da Da Ding’ song, athletes like Joshna Chinappa, Shweta Hakke, Rani Rampal, Gabriella Demetriades, Ishita Malaviya, Jaie Bhadane, Naina Mansukhani, Swetha Subbiah, Jyoti Ann Burrett, Tanvie Hans and Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone & many other performers living up to the spirit of the song. To add on, it’s a very nicely shot video. (But that’s it)

I mean at a logic level the video seems a big con.

> First, how many of the athletes, in the video can even afford a Nike?  

> Second, if Nike is so passionate about Women empowerment plus sports, what kind of support have they bought on the table for these players? Where is that story?

> Lastly, if you want to create content for the Indian market, at least don’t rip it off (i mean inspired) from Under Armour. (Surprised??? See both the videos below)

Now addressing the elephant in the room, ‘Content marketing’.

I think a majority of Marketeers have a misconception about content marketing.

First of all, the key mistake is that most of the marketing teams make is that they create content which supports the brand or its products. Hence the content is created mainly because someone asked it to & not because it meets a customer need. Lastly, after creating content what is the objective? Just to trend or to add value??? Pls understand the core for any communication is Insight, with Strategy / Core thought as out layer & this helps to form the central idea of the campaign. From the central idea stems various relevant media amplifications in its nature. One of the ways of communication is Content marketing & in the core lies its relevance to its customers. Sadly, with only the online video, Nike has just created a buzz on social media that shall be forgotten in sometime.

Lets take the case of Reebok. They have a story of a celebrity – OK. So? The celebrity asks people to submit their story. Really? Guys, it’s a done & dusted idea. What worked 5 years back is already ancient. Secondly, what will you do once you collect the stories? Publish, trend, give them rewards? Was the objective only to trend & get traffic or do something more important?

Back to Nike. The theme song will trend. People will share & repost & that shall complete the media objective. But how relevant shall be the content in coming months. Was this idea confused with the term ‘Strategy’? All I hope that this is a part of big picture & not the picture itself.

Hello from the other side – Eid Mubarak yaara

My stint in South East gave me an opportunity to meet, know & mingle with people from the other side of our fence and I must say that the experience was nothing less than ‘awesome’.

Having lunches, going on drives, Urdu vs Hindi, PJs, Bollywood, Media, never ending banters were soo similar & yet unique at many levels. At one point of time all you feel is it was just the fence (mental fence) that was dividing us.  

Trust me, nothing can beat the feeling of watching an India – Pakistan cricket match with a Pakistani buddy & sing 'Mauka Mauka!!!"

They are same like us, similar ideas, enthusiasm, amazing creativity, etc.

Here are some amazing heart touching Pakistani ads about the feeling of Ramadan & Eid

The below one is the most beautiful ad & also it reminded me of a very local funny line, "Yeh kya beta? Sirf Samosa!!!"

an ad

With the month of Ramadan coming to an end & Eid round the corner, I would love to wish all my friends, “Eid Mubarak” “Selamat Hari Raya”

Google – From a noun to a verb

Nearly a decade back, as students we used to hear, “Some brands don’t advertise as they don’t need to.” One brand that was a unanimous example was GOOGLE.

However, somewhere in 2013 – 14, I saw a heart touching, slice of life story of 2 friends. To my surprise is was content created by Google to promote Google.

That made me question, why did Google advertise? Why a brand that had transitioned from a NOUN to a VERB & had maintained its market dominance for more than a decade suddenly advertise?

Well, this is what I think.

Google is a search engine. It helps you to search information; relevant information to be precise

Currently, markets are flooded with smartphones.

Smartphones support many different applications that make our life easier

Applications range from social network, games, travel booking, food ordering, yellow pages, etc.

That’s where Google’s far-sighted vision witnessed the competition.

Now if we see our mobile phone and let’s say we want to order food, our step by step process shall be:

Click on an app that delivers food à search the restaurant nearby à select menu à order

How about looking for a dance instructor?

Click on an app (eg. Urban Clap, Just Dial, etc.) à Search for the requirement à send the enquiry à receive a quote à Hooray, job done.

You see in this whole scenario, what we miss is Google’s part. Now we don’t need Google to Google all these things. To book a flight we do not Google, we use the Travel app, to know the weather we now no longer Google but we use the weather app. To search details on movies or booking tickets or to order gifts we don’t use Google, but use the apps specifically built for this. This results in Google losing its Share of Search. Earlier if we searched 10 things on Google, today we search may be nearly 7. Now that’s a loss to Google, as brands for those particular categories would not divert all their digital budgets on search but also on other digital media touch points, as the overall number of impressions & clicks go down drastically.

Since, 2014 I have noticed Google coming up with different stories / content to reinstate their relevance in a subtle manner.

Below are some of them

The below ad is a complete opposite of 'Catch them young, watch them grow.' Google capitalized on the technological gap between parents & younger generation. They targeted the large group of parents & older generation who feel that the internet is a difficult thing. These TG are not very adventurous in terms of trying new technology or systems, so how if you teach them just one simple thing 'Log on to Google' or rather go online.  

Recently they have targeted Father's day & the ease of searching details about movies & music. A nice & interesting combo

In the end, I still remember the debate we used to have as fresh grads / interns. Is Google GOD?

Well that is an interesting topic for some other time…

Happy Hero’s day

Father, Dad, Daddy, Papa, Pa, Abba, Baba, so on & so forth. Today is the day we wish the person who was / is our first hero, our first shoulder, our Santa Claus. But who exactly is a Father?

Dictionary says, ‘a MALE parent’!!!

Whereas, I say a support, a hero, a figure I look upto, someone who was the first person to teach me about giving respect, love. Someone who was the first to teach me to be me, someone who says, “I am there, go ahead try, take risk.”

There are 2 stories below and I feel its time we understand what is really to be a FATHER & thank them.

Happy Father's day to all who are the real DAD to your kid...

Lastly, i would like to sum it up with the below message

All ears to 80 years!!!

My grandfather would have been 6 years old when ‘Indian State Broadcasting’ was renamed as ‘All India Radio’ on this day 8th June, 1936, which was renamed as ‘Aakashvani’ in 1956, the year my father was born.

On this day today, AIR completes 80 years of its existence. 80 years on, with 418 stations, AIR is the world’s largest multi-lingual public network.

People born in the 80s’ like me; I think are the last urban born & bred generation who have experienced the Mr. India effect (Hero sirf sunai deta hai, dikhai nahi):)

How many of us remember this signature tune of AIR, which was composed by Walter Kaufmann, then music director of AIR in 1936? There is a nostalgia that I can faintly associate with this; Sunrise, doorbell, milkman, hot cups of tea.

I still remember the imagery where group of people used to surround the man who had a portable radio to listen the cricket commentary by Suresh Saraiya, Sanjay Banerjee Vineet Garg Prem Kumar & Prakash Wakankar

I still remember about the neighbors who used to tune their Murphy’s to listen Surjit Sen or Lotika Ratnam for their news broadcast

I still remember when the family members used to write letters to AIR expressing their views, requesting favorite songs, writing poems, couplets, etc.

I still remember the sound of, “Namaskar, Bhaiyo aur Bheno, Binaca Geetmala mein aapka swagat hai.” The legendary Ameen Sayani.

It’s between the Binaca Geetmala & Mann Ki Baat that the current generation of 80’s has grown up.
Over the years we have shifted from AIR to private radio stations to I Pods, however even now the smile that comes to my face when I hear an unexpected old song over the radio is priceless & it shall be till I turn 80


All I would want to say is Thank You AIR. #80YearsOfAIR

Thank you for the amazing music content.

Thank you for great hosts & presenters.

Thank you for reaching every nook & corner of India.

Thank you for still being consistent with the presentation & format.

Thank you for Amitabh Bachchan :)

ek SANSKAARI, POLITICALLY CORRECT joke sunau???

As a kid, I remember our jokes used to start with, “Ek Sardar tha…” (No offence to Sardars, but that was the reality). Somehow the mental imagery of Sardars gave the joke a very unique feel & imagination. This thought was shamelessly picked up & exploited by Bollywood; they created stereotypes with the typical roles & clichéd jokes.

Moving to the present I feel that the share of sardar based jokes have been restricted to Santa & Banta & overall share of Sardars in joke have reduced to mere 20% (as in 2 out of every 10 jokes might have them). In today’s age of instant messenger & internet, jokes are race neutral and majorly on celebs, politicians, husband & wife, etc. Like in case of celebs, Alia Bhat, Sonam Kapoor, Alok Nath, Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, etc. have taken the maximum space on our whatsapp. Talking about Politicians the list can start & end with RaGa (LOL, actually speaking I feel RaGa has eaten the biggest share from the S&B jokes, its like now that imaginary dude has a face).

Internet has also given a platform for new age humour like Videos & Podcasts of Chutki & Shopkeeper & various Stand up performing groups like AIB, TVF, S&G, etc. The best part about their humor is that it does not follow the old pattern of mimicry or joke telling, but instead it picks up stories around us, the eccentric behaviors and the hypocritical social behavior & put forth a humorous take on it. Their format ranges right from, “Ashleel hai yeh launda, taange tod do iski!” to “Hahaha or hmm”

If we understand the basic difference between then & now, earlier it was using an imaginary situation & super imposing on someone (celebs, politicians & Sardars), whereas now it’s using a real life like story / situation / idea & making an imaginary reaction / Point of view on it. Earlier there were limited media like stage performances, audio cassettes & word of mouth, whereas today its internet, stage shows, newer formats of stand ups & of course the viral power of internet. Earlier it was subtleness with ego massage & it came across like, “Sir aapke upar aisi line hai in this manner pls bura mat manna, change kar denge, aap ki jagah ek sardar bol denge, agar aap ko theek na lage”; whereas as now, “Bro, chill maar, its just a joke, bura mat lagana aur agar lage to mat dekh.”

However this change has not gone well with a large section of audience, I believe there are 2 key reasons:

• This change happened too soon. In a span of 20 years, the typical Indian value system has taken a 180 degree turn. The value system that we as kids have been used to or our parents & their generation was used to has not been able to accept the change. As per some sections of society there has to be a certain decorum & how it virals out. For example, if you are on a public platform that is accessible to any of my family member then your content should be such that it can be consumed by them too, as we are not able to restrict the access to information. On the other hand, there is a section of society that have a different outlook & believe that we have a choice, if I like it I shall consume it, if I don’t then I shall condone it, not everything I do in life has to be with family, I have a life outside my family too which is called ‘Personal space’. We all have the right to express ourselves, with a sense of duty that I know what kind of content should be consumed at what place & what manner.
• Second, we still have some remnants of arse lickers, hypocrites, fence sitters who will throw a match stick & gasoline on the side that makes them ‘COOL’ with a K. They are a confused bunch of people who feel that a joke can kill more people than terrorism, they think a joke can strip of a lady’s or an icon’s dignity worse than a rape, they think a joke can cause worst mental trauma than emotional abuse, discrimination in the name of color, size, race, etc. Their feeling are hurt if someone says anything on their icons, whereas the reality is they speak/do the worst unimaginable things for which that icon never stood for.

Just to put my point of view, we live in a democratic country, the average age of our population is near to 25 & yes, our values our perspective to life has changed & is changing. Adults today are different from adults of 90’s. Laughing on yourself is OK, its OK to take a joke on yourself & not take things too seriously. We all have a choice, if u don’t like it then don’t go for it, be open about your choices, use your common sense & be reasonable. There is a time & place for everything, we cannot have one solution (one kind of humor) that fits all scenario.

Lastly, with all the fanfare going about our culture & sanskriti, I would like to quote the below lines from movie Amar Prem:

  

Kuchh rit jagat kee aisi hai, har ek subah kee sham huyi

Too kaun hai, tera nam hain kya, sita bhi yaha badanam huyi

Hamko jo tane dete hai, ham khoye hain in rang raliyo me

Hamne unako bhi chhup chhup ke aate dekha in galiyo me

Yeh sach hain jhuthe bat nahee tum bolo yeh sach hain naa

the length is Short... Very Short

Below is a mixed bag collection of some short stories;

Let me correct myself; very short stories.

• “I want to be an engineer,” the topper says excitedly during the interview. The dancing shoes in his drawer know that he is lying…
• Heated argument. No replies; yet the ticks turn blue. A sob escapes; Doorbell sings a tune. A giggle hugs back.
• “Be what you want to be,” he had been taught. Ignoring the rude rook, the boisterous bishop and the narcissistic knight, the pawn took one step at a time and became the Queen
• She wore saree for the first time. He tripped.
• “He likes his milk cold, not hot.” “And he wont sleep without a lullaby” ”And…” Still a mother at heart, she hoped God was listening.
• “Just make sure you do not fall in love with a girl from another caste,” his conservative family repeatedly warned him. He finally fell in love with a man from the same caste.
• The red paan stains all over the temple walls did not bother anyone. The red stains on her skirt did
• She stepped out with her black eyeliner, blue mascara, red lipstick, peach concealer, pink blush & beige foundation is place. “Don’t you dare put any colors on my face,” she said sternly to the children who wanted to play Holi
• “Don’t worry, he is a nice man and shall be a good husband, unlike your earlier husband who left you pregnant & ran away,” Said the daughter to her worried mother who agreed to marry the second time.
• Fired from the job, the man returned home tensed & broken. He felt on the top of the world when he heard his daughter speak ‘papa’ for the first time.
• “Dad let me carry it for you,” he said taking the heavy bag from his father’s hand. The old hands felt relived, but the heart felt heavier, as his son walked him through the gates of old-age home.
• He was an evil man who lied, cheated & robbed at every step. He compensated for this by skipping meat on Tuesdays.
• He saw her sad & alone, so he walked upto her. She stared at him reluctant to share her sorrows with a complete stranger, but he persisted. An hour later, the dog finally adopted the human.
• “Promise me, you will never lie to me!” “Promise” said the husband hiding her medical reports in his bag.
• “Dare you shout at my daughter again,” said the mother angrily to the son in law. Unknown from the fact that her daughter had slapped him twice before he reacted.
• “My boss vented someone else’s anger & frustration on me for a small mistake; he insulted me, taunted me & never said sorry. Who does this kind of behavior?” complained the irritated husband to his wife. Consoling him the wife said in her mind, “You!!!”
• “You may now kiss the bride!” said the priest. He looked up, paused a little & asked, “By the way, who is the bride?”

When was the last time???

Isn’t it funny that when someone asks us, What’s new? We have a standard reply. Nothing.

That means every new day of our lives we do same things, but if we look back we suddenly realized a lot is changed. Even though we thought we did nothing new, but looking back some months, years we can see a vast change.

Yesterday, while browsing through my timeline I realized things I used to do as daily routine are no longer in my today’s list.

I asked myself, when was the last time…?

When was the last time I blogged daily?

When was the last time I read an actual book?

When was the last time I called up my friends just to say HI?

When was the last time I hugged my mom & slept with my head in her lap?

When was the last time I played with the wrinkles in my granny’s hand?

When was the last time my wife & I just looked at each other for a long time with a smile?

When was the last time I helped someone whom I shall never meet or would never have any contact?

When was the last time I planted a tree?

When was the last time I played cricket with my friends in the streets?

When was the last time I sang a song from my mouth instead of humming it in my head?

When was the last time I partied till I drop?

When was the last time I played with a dog?

When was the last time I cried all my emotions & frustrations out?

When was the last time I sorted a grudge with a friend who was once closest to me?

When was the last time I walked in the rain holding hands?
When was the last time I made a baby laugh?
When was the last time I made a sand castle?
When was the last time I made clay models?
When was the last time I drank like a fish?
When was the last time I had no inhibitions to say or do things?
When was the last time I saw people actually loving each other & not shouting it on FB?
When was the last time I laughed my heart out?

When was the last time I was happy?

and the OSCAR goes to....

On 28^th Feb, 2016 Julianne Moore announced, “And the Oscar goes to… LEONARDO DI CAPRIO!!!”

Millions of fans across the world celebrated the moment as if it was theirs. I too was no exception…

I mean, I adore this actor, he has been a wonderful actor, has delivered stellar performances, nominated 6 times over last 22 years and finally today is the day he got his due.

On the top of all this, his Oscar acceptance speech swept away all the hearts.

“Thank you all so very much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to all of you in this room. I have to congratulate the other incredible nominees this year. The Revenant was the product of the tireless efforts of an unbelievable cast and crew. First off, to my brother in this endeavor, Mr. Tom Hardy. Tom, your talent on screen can only be surpassed by your friendship off screen … thank you for creating a transcendent cinematic experience. Thank you to everybody at Fox and New Regency … my entire team. I have to thank everyone from the very onset of my career … To my parents; none of this would be possible without you. And to my friends, I love you dearly; you know who you are.

And lastly, I just want to say this: Making The Revenant was about man's relationship to the natural world. A world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow. Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this. For our children’s children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed. I thank you all for this amazing award tonight. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted. Thank you so very much.”

  

Now let’s step back & view this whole moment of 180 seconds bit by bit. Let’s understand what made this so special.

I see 2 key points:

1.       Leo finally won an award: 

       We all share the feeling of ‘we deserved, but its reserved for someone else’. May it be appraisal, approval, acclaim, etc. Leo was nominated 6 times and finally received it. It was like a moment where everyone who have always tried & delivered but never received their due; finally receiving it at that moment. 

2.       What would he say & how did Leo play: 

       Pick any Oscar Onstage Speech Transcript; it has a set pattern. If we pick up the keywords, frequency of keywords & references, they should be more or less like:

       Thank you, God, team, family, deserve, lucky, imagined, waited this moment, mention of the cause (in case), happy and the most important word ‘I’.

       When Leo headed towards stage I can bet people expected things like tears, speechlessness, a funny anecdote plus the above. And why should they not? Afterall, we all imagined ourselves as the one who is getting is due after a long time & the day I get the moment I shall pour out all the feelings stuffed inside me since ages.

       However, Leo delivered a complete opposite of it.

        If we notice the flow in the speech it starts with thanking everyone, appreciates the feeling of brotherhood, friendship, family & professional alliances. Then he directly plunges to a key cause, talks about the issue, the repercussions & how crucial it is to act soon and in the last statement a little bit about his feeling of not taking things for granted.

       

        WOW! What did just hit me? This guy did not say anything about how much he has waited for this moment & how much this award mean did to him. He broke all the rules of a standard acceptance speech, he did not say things people were actually expecting to hear and yet, why was our reaction WOW!

        

        My take is:

-          Leo received an Oscar because of the movie, which was about relationship between Man & nature. He was not there for TWOWS or any other movie. He connected the core of the movie with his speech.

-          He broke the rule of winning an Oscar & making it all about how lucky he was. Instead he used this platform to put a cause which can connect with the movie & present scenario.

-          There was no drama, no tears, just respect that he gained from the audience before the speech which said it all for him.

-          He showed the human side in the plastic world. He displayed his concerns outside the screen which made it more personal & directly from the heart.

In this bargain his Speech is one of the most viewed videos over the internet & also one of the most trended topic.