Maine hi India mein Disco Laya!!!!

Don’t we all come to a point in life when we cannot remember any incident, movie, song or news completely? It comes back to us in snatches like a melody played in Vividh Bharathi some five households away and we are able to hear only the high notes!!

Speaking of Melodies(!!!!)…I keep seeing Bappi Lahiri on TV these days. My mom is a fan of his comments and his Bongliness. She keeps Saying that he is very Bhadro (eeks.. with all those chains, does’nt he get choked!!) and my missus freaks out on his mannerisms and comments for all the wrong reasons (the amajhing accent..main hi Disco India mein laya..Oneek you are tha naambaar oane..types). Well, the poor guy is a hopeless case on TV and is a prime candidate for situational comedy but he has had a brilliant run in Indian movie industry!! I started to find out how much I could remember of him from my childhood and youth. After all the guy made us trip over the Disco beats all those years back, didn’t he!

Disco Dancer comes first. I begin with “I am a Disco Dancer”. A pulsating number that made all of us do the Mithun foot tapping trick and the trademark pelvic shove at all possible places including my school assembly once when I heard it in a distant loudspeaker in Chandrapur. The number had a continuous disco beat but Bappida had done some amazing things with Vijay Benedict’s vocals. I went orgasmic with “Aao mere saath nacho – gao!!”. Mithun had done this like a stage performance in the movie and the song was apt as it was one strong appeal for guys to Disco. The drums rolled and the Sax made new sounds that had not been heard in Indian movies before that. A crescendo never seen before!!
Next in Line is “Auvva..Auvva…koi yahan aha naache naache”. This is the song that actually I took fancy to when I heard the tracks the first time. It had an oomph that only an Usha Uthup could put across. The gruff vocals and those smooth transitions from top to base. Effortless! I should mention here that a guy called B Hiremath who suspiciously sounded like Bappida himself did the male riffs here and what Disco. Priceless! Only, it translated onto screen through Karan Razdan (?) and Kim (??), two complete non entities in Indian cinema and with two great left legs. B Subhash was completely intent on making money only through Mithun’s antics. Now, you see what was Bappida’s contribution to that super hit!
After this was Kishore Kumar’s crazy “Ae o ah..ah o aha…Zara mudke dikha aankhen”..if you do come across the song again, mark the “Tere Liye!!” that he does in five different ways. Yes, Bappida did a classical touch in a total Disco gaana! KK had a fantastic take on the Disco dhoom that was happening then. When asked why he sang such songs that was beneath his capabilities, he said, “Tum khilaoge mujhe…Ghar le jaake!!”. The interviewer had just shut up after that.
Jimmy Jimmy aa ja..was a refrain that had its roots in some English ditty that I am unsure of but what the hell…here was a pure Indian melody just given a Disco face. Imagine, it had a sad version too. Bappida’s genius was in getting Parvati Khan to go as full throat as she could go and drawing those breaths from her to make it sensuous for the listeners. Wow!!
Yaad aa raha hai….was again sung by Hiremath and some very good lyrics pervaded the number. I don’t remember all of it but it was enjoyable to the core. Bappida excelled here and with a voice that never made any other significant contribution to Indian cinema.
Last but not the least were “Goron ki na kalon ki” and “Krishnaa..dharti pe aaja tu”. Goron..was sung by Suresh Wadkar and Usha Mangeshkar. There is an amazing bongo riff in this otherwise normal Indian road song that went turrr…turrrrr. I remember that I used to sit in the last bench of my class and try to do this on my writing table with my fingers tapping the rhythm. “Krishnaa…” was sung by Nandu Bhende. I had a hard time finding out his name when I first heard the song. The violins were used very imaginatively in this song. Hear it and you would know what I am talking about and it had Bappida doing something new ‘Pathos Disco’. That’s something I have invented now, as there was no classification of this ‘Mithun in distress’ number.

Disco Dancer heralded the arrival of B. Subhash as the Disco producer of India. Kasam paida karne wale ki and Dance Dance were to follow. Tarzan came even later.

I should follow this up with a write up on the other tracks of B Subhash, Mithun and Bappida mentioned above. Save it for another day!!!

A Poem - My Friend Venky wrote!!!!

This poem is indeed a true reflect of how anyone with a heart feels when you lose love and get in back in different forms…
Love indeed is a mirage… Love is a contradiction to oneself... yet the unsinkable truth holds that love is forever... As with very sunrise, we never know what the tide has in store for us... so love and live life to the fullest… it will never deprive you of what you really deserve... with time!!!
Unknown to the myths of heart aches…
Welcome one and all
A game you must play
lest you look with a wider moral.

Rules put up by both players
But one with knack shall slay
It’s all but a mere game
A game of wit and dare.

Never known reality
To strike as lightning unwelcome
Yet to watch the game go on
As days goes by & by.

Bleeding heart is timeless
None wiser than before
If only the heart would not succumb
To all the bruise deepened

Time heals... true to the word
Not sparing the ugly scars
Without indeed none have know
What it is to grieve.

Yet the new day dawns…
Washing away the tide
Behold the new rays
All that life’s to spare again!

I saw "RGV ki Aag"the film yesterday with the wife in a Pune multiplex. The hall was 40% full (a 400 seater). My wife had already called up friends in Mumbai and got the news that it was bad. She wanted to see Dhokha. But my RGV success anxiety made me chose this film. When we queued up for the tickets we could see that people were ignoring Aag and plumping for Dhokha and Heyy Babyy. I put it to RGV fatigue. 1 good movie and all of them would again fall in line for true blue RGV movie again.Then, the movie started. I could actually see that here was a completely off kilt script going in no direction except run down every original Sholay situation. Nisha Kothari was so awful and poorly characterised that she was actually fumbling and the editors could not do anything with her large screen presence. Ajay and Prashant did not have even one single memorable line. Forget, the original sholay…this did not get upto TLV Prasad levels..then poor Mohanlal had a characterisation that could not evoke any sympathy, honour or a sense of belonging!Sushmita was plain disinterested. I think she had smelt long back that she had been hard done by the director.Into this muddle came in AB. Now, It was very apparent that AB wanted to rule the frames from the time he came into the picture. But, with all the problems in the characterizations..he was plain stupid..one minute he was groaning..next he was giggling…suddenly he was roaring..then he was limping…then he was striding across the screen…HERE IS WHERE I FOUND THAT THE MEGALOMANIAC WAS NOT ONE BUT “TWO” - RGV AND BIG B.What do you do when you have two people intent on destroying a movie for themselves and their whims!AB is at such a point where is starting to go overboard in his portrayals if he is not guided well as he is like that guy who says “I know it all and I can do it all”. Also that he had done pretty much everything over all these years, so he wanted to get kinky and quirky..and How!!!RGV let him be and constructed the rest of the movie around his antics…imagine the thing with Urmila in the car!! So bloody unnecessary and tasteless!Also, just as I feared…any remake of Sholay needed a big budget..and I know RGV has tight budgets these days..so he did what he could..put the whole set up in some rundown factory lot…and that looked..in spite of some ajeebogareeb cam angles..no that does not make good frames..sorry..the lack of budget came through totally..even the Ooty - Mithunda movies have better finishes!!!!Probably, the first time…i had no good word for a RGV movie..I feared it..seeing the poster and how all the other decent actors were elbowed aside by Urmila’s boobs and AB’s smirk!!If RGV has such an ache for Urmi..he should sort out his issues, get back with her, stop that Nisha business…and at least try to make another decent prequel, sequel or anything of Satya!!! Because only she lived at the end of it!!!! Probably, that would be much more palatable…Now, all of you..be forewarned about Sarkar Raj…the two megalos are at work there too…thsi time I shall take it easy and catch the movie if I hear at least ONE guy here speak of it in decent terms!!!Imagine..to get over, I had to see “Bawarchi” midnight on to smile through and regain my faith in the movies!!

New Life, is it?

August 25th 2007
The bomb blast happened at Lumbini Garden in Hyderabad. I was there..I mean there..and had a narrow escape..however one might put it..it was narrow for me..I did value my bones and flesh before..I do more so now.
So, what did I learn then??
That life is short and we shall have to make the most of it..a la Anand??
Or ponder, pray, get religious and ask for Moksh or some such fangle??

Hey, I just remembered..a poem (if you don't mind please)

Ah! I look upwards..
Was life so difficult,
before, when I was younger,
Supple legs running,
Up the Nilgiris..
Not a care..Not a Care.

Naah..it was not,
I do remember,
for evil was there then too,
But I gave a hoot,
Gavaskar was bigger,
A issue for me and friends,
For Amritraj ruled,
Our consciences all times.

No fear or tremor,
Except Balan Sir,
When he pinched,
And my skin inflamed,
Except Ma's shouts,
When I emptied,
The Biscuit container..
Ten at a time.

Time passed and,
We got more robust,
Rode Cycles in 40* heat,
Chandrapur roads perspired,
But cared little,
"Laila O Laila"
On our Lips;
And Hair over the ears.

No fear as I entered,
My youth, my golden years,
Proposals and disposals,
took them all in stride,
Studied when I could,
Played all the more,
Heeded Dad's advice,
But was on my own.

Today, I stand aged,
I have my strings,
That are pulled taut,
To my family dear,
But why am I fearing,
Of destiny's will,
Of the Unknown beyond,
Will Never Know.

A state of Mind,
Is that it..Just,
That can be shaken,
And Purity regained,
Ah! I shall try,
Surely, No harm in that

If that is a bad poem..I shall not try my hand at it...anyways Ciao!!!!

10 things that I would like to do...

I constantly read about people who have given up the rat race to do something that they have ached to do over the years as a profession or as a hobby. I also do feel now that I should pursue my other interests to their logical end before it is too late. So, here we go...ten things that I would like to do:
1. Write my novel..in fact become a writer!
2. Make my own leisure or multi utility destination (well...I don't have the money now...but maybe...)
3. Travel the world...not the luxorious way..but the budget way
4. Make films...write films...
5. Be a Corporate coach for Business Strategies
6. Own a Library cum Restaurant on the foothills of Himalayas (In Dehra Dun maybe)
7. Make a log cabin away from the boxes of the cities!!
8. Become a professional massuer..I am rather good at it...
9. Read more and more and more.....
10. Learn Architecture

Oh..the wish list seems to be pretty eclectic. But, is definitely achievable..only if I am able to do some nifty time management and get down to planning my day creatively and stick to that plan religiously.

What say guys!!

La la land diary!

Two articles that appeared in Maharashtra Herald in the last month - written by moi!!!

I don’t drive my car! I have a very trustworthy person to do the honors, my wife! And no, I am not joking, as she will not take to it kindly in public, being my driver!! Oh, Why, because I am mortally afraid of speed, heights and all other assorted body heaving and mass disturbing things in life. My family decided to, please note that I had nothing to do with this catastrophic decision, go to an Amusement Park while we were in Bangalore on a short but hugely money-guzzling trip. They went willingly and I grumpily and grudgingly. Hello, I am not talking about the expenses that I rightly thought were obscene but I knew that now I had a whole day of tackling, dodging and dribbling with fright of all mortal kinds!
The gates of the Park were still closed when we arrived there. I happily pronounced that probably the park has shut down because of low attendance or some such likely thing. I got evil glares from the young and not so young in my group immediately. I clammed up. The gates opened. The Ticket windows opened too. I was unfortunate to stand in and around that line and suffered my first roller coaster then and there. I have not seen a more healthy pack of vultures since then! I careened towards the counter on borrowed legs and found myself confronting a very colourful counterperson. I had not counted the people in my group. I looked around helplessly only to find my little one all of eight ready with an answer. The magic figure of nine was shouted out. The tickets were in my hand in a jiffy. I was shooed to the nearest entrance by very overzealous Black Cat security cops with all the swish. Vroom, I was into La – La land.
My group immediately became a sickeningly childish bunch of Neanderthals, yelling, roaring, eyes glistening, arms waving and furiously gesticulating at me to join them at some nearest contraption that waved its arms about frantically in glee while some poor unfortunate souls were trapped in the buckets attached to its arms. That was a very angry piece of human invention. I must have done the fastest dash to the nearest seating canopy and found solace with seventy year olds grinning maniacally at my photo finish to the chair. My group was already in queue to get on to the angry arm waver. The wifey waved at me to join her. I waved her on. She is my better half. So, there was no sense in endangering the worser half. If anything had to happen, the worser half could carry on like Hydra, amoeba or some other such creature!
The angry arm waver again started with my group in various buckets. They guttural shrieks terrified me if not the very people who were emitting those shrieks. I did not know how humans could be so terrified and yet so thrilled. I was spilling my guts out seeing the spectacle! The ride ended. My goofy group came back and shriekingly related the stunts once more. They were frothing at their mouths in excitement. I said that we give it a little break and was hollered at, GIVE US A BREAK, MAN!
Next they sat in a contraption where they were just dropped from thirty feet. God, I nearly got a qualified seizure seeing those gravity struck faces. My kidneys were in my mouth. I had to gulp them back. But the children came back dizzyingly happy. Wifey was already gravitating towards a giant wheel going in all directions. Now, I had tried a wheelie while in college with my Kinetic Honda and had landed about ten feet behind my own bike. So, anything to do with wheels was definitely out!
Wheelie boy started and the group went ga-ga. I went guhh-guhh. My muscles were stricken with fright, I was lock jawed just seeing the wheelie boy do the act. It was eternity before the wheel thing stopped. The group came down delirious. My first reaction was to try and take their temperatures, CT scans and other medical health reminders. The group only felt that it was time to move me into action. They chose a simple train ride through a lot of tunnels, valleys and caves. I thought that this would be easy and got on with the Neanderthals. The train started. It suddenly turned right at a fast clip. My breakfast banana started bobbing in my esophagus. We entered a tunnel and the train went into a dive. My teeth and my bile started a war in my mouth. My eyeballs wanted to break shackles of their sockets. The dive eased only for us to turn lurchingly left. Now, the banana, bile, tongue and teeth were fighting for space in the mouth. I could vaguely hear an announcement that the first stage of the train ride was getting over and people uneasy within could get down here. I was out of the train in a flash. The Neanderthals were oblivious. I stumbled out of the platform onto the nearest bench and motioned for the Park staff. They arrived fast sensing disaster. I do not particularly remember what happened after that. But yes, I could hear wifey cursing my senility, age, sex, height, sloth, condition and culture in no particular order as I had deprived her of some Jurassic thrills in La-la land as she had abstained from further entertainment to take care of me. Poor she!
Anyway, the group proceeded to have a great day, irrespective of their tortured elder. I thanked all the gods for keeping me alive that day.
Who knew that one day I had to be running a similar establishment here in Pune!!!

Malls for Voyuers!!!

We are a nation of voyeurs. We love to watch, period. It could be a monkey dancing to the tune of his master, it could be a poor rickshaw driver getting beaten up by a passer by, it could be a man scratching his armpit or it could even be ‘Tulsi’ on TV getting worked upon by one of her great grandchildren!
Malls have come up everywhere and I and my group of Neanderthals have lately been very supple in making our way to one of this hotspots in the city to see and rejoice! Now, you may ask me that malls are for buying, splurging, getting stoned on fashion or some such hip and happening thing. God! How outdated can you be!!
Malls are for checking out, seeing others at play, gazing at celestial beings on earth. Malls are for getting the grand idea of how much we are missing in our daily buns, I mean the slurpy ‘maska’. You guys have still not got it. Let me tell you of my last and lasting experience at one of our leading malls here in Pune.
The Neanderthals and I decided that we should hit this mall at a very strategic timing on a very sunny and sticky Sunday. The car was brought out. As usual, the wifey was driving. The rest had decked themselves up in the ‘loose and let loose’ fashions that are prevalent these days. So, they daintily crammed themselves at the back of the hatchback. We negotiated the mall going crowds on the roads. It looked like everyone was rushing to the nearest mall to take the serious fix of ‘shoppers’ toxin’ and the high that it gave along with the Pav Bhajis, SPDPs, Papri chats, Samosas, Dosas and chutneys that were being doled out at all traffic intersections as if the country was just going to war with Bangladesh and we were like camels stocking adequate rations within our body during the food famines that were to follow during wartime! Needless to say, the traffic was unmoving, what with all the rations being piled onto soft stomach linings!!
We reached our ‘Imposing mall’ only two seconds after one hour later than when we had decided upon when we left home. That was perfectly acceptable. The Neanderthals had, by the way, decided on their agenda in the car itself. The ideal route was always through the bargain sections of the various showrooms. I understood the need for a neat little scramble when the mind and body is fit and willing. So, I gave into this very obvious proposal.
So, we headed towards a very nicely placed fashion store that had 50% discount emblazoned on its 8 inch glass door. The smiles of the Neanderthals were seen to be believed. We waded in. Legs and torsos competed for strategic spaces and everybody was browsing and checking out the choices of the others. The were a lot of people fighting their way to subtly placed Trial rooms and announcing their outfits to the approval or dismay of all the others in the place. In fact, a few women had very strategically placed themselves near the trial rooms and were rushing towards the origins of every approved dress, not worrying about their colors, cut, look and feel. The game was to try the clothes on offer. Of course! The good ones did not have any discounts attached to them and so had to be discarded very unwillingly. The men in the meanwhile had parked themselves near the women racks and were checking out the aisles rather then the racks! It was like the “shaadi.com” franchise had opened right there. A lot of informal checking out was being done, sometimes rudely interrupted by their spouses or lady friends who wanted them to comment on some fashions that they did not have any idea of.
The Neanderthals invaded my sight seeing with some obviously naughty choices. I desisted from commenting. So, they themselves found suitable faults and returned those discount rags to their bins. The idea was to look, not buy. Buying was for the rich, the Bollywood strains of mankind, the Dubai returned. We do not fall in that category; so, we shifted location and now were in a music and book shop that was crowded to the gills because of a Season sale.
The hip and happening suburbia was here looking, clucking, gossiping, laughing and generally disregarding all the rules that a nice bookshop would have. We again banged our way in. I stood perplexed as to which way to go and for what? I could always come back on a weekday for a favorite book avoiding this BO nirvana. But the Neanderthals had managed to set themselves near DVD stalls that promised “Bheja Fry” at unheard prices. Mine was already getting fried for free because of the din. But, as I looked around I could see many groups of watchers avidly ogling away. A group of programmers were checking out a group of Art girls across the aisle. A couple of History middle-aged men were peering over their unopened books at some very fetching twenty somethings near the Fiction racks. And so it continued. I desperately looked out for the Neanderthals. The wifey had settled herself with a Good Housekeeping magazine near the bargain rack and was oblivious to the bargaining stares. I did some muscling and reached her completely hot and bothered. But before I could mumble anything, there started a shouting match near the door. We turned to see that an old citizen who was similarly bothered like me was admonishing a very blond haired specimen who apparently had passed a highly charitable comment on some PYT in there. The crowd left all the readings, browsings, meanderings and other doings to concentrate on the verbal lashings. Good time all around at the blond’s expense!
We banged our way out. Still no Buy!!
The Food Court was nearby. We had to refuel for the rest of the extravaganza coming along. So, we selected a very dirty table and sat down hoping that somebody would take the trouble to clear it. I motioned wifey to order. She, naturally, ordered all the fries, sauces, chutneys and grease that was on offer. Now, we had to serve ourselves. So, while I jostled at the counter, the Neanderthals got back to watching. Yes, that was that people were doing apart from gorging away at grease unlimited. I made a dozen trips to the food counters and somewhere along the way lost all appetite for the gooey stuff. So, amid the ruins of a bad meal I sat and watched my folks go gluttony. When tired of them, I watched the others. The papas, mammas, betas, bablus, pinkys, bhabhis, uncles, annas, bablis and sweetys clamoring for divided attentions.
I saw forlorn shop owners who probably did not get any sale in this entire din. I saw a gift shop shut early for lack of patrons. I saw the caustic look of the shampoo counter girl who had only given away samples but no sale to speak of. I understood the real meaning of a Mall Experience! Just that “ EXPERIENCE”
Thankfully, I look after an ‘experiential place’ and thrive on people arriving to feel the joint.

My tryst with Equity people

I have been meeting a series of Private Equity Investors and getting them to be interested in our landmark 300 acre project in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, India. I have encountered an interesting observation.

The world is again interested in our lands (read Real Estate). Not for purposes mentioned in our History textbooks, but for pure Investment benefits in a large way. And hat enthusiasm!!
One guy happily told me that if I were to show him the modules of Business Revenue, he would happily invest all the way and stay invested, not seaarch for exit routes at the earliest!

On one hand, this excites me as this is ,going to be good for our business and on the other hand it makes me apprehensive as one does not really know what these guys are going to do!!

Of course, at the end of the day I shall have to respect their strategies.

Trip to Goa!!!

The family and I went on a short trip to Goa. We drove down with a colleague and his family from Pune. The drive in itself was quite interesting with some beautiful scenes to take in on the way. Also, we had the first taste of monsoon as we drove, a sight in itself.
We checked into Ramada. The Hotel was a disppointment for me, as the food and some services were insipid to say the least. But, in a trip of two days one could overlook such trivialities as there was a lot to catch up with.
We met Arvind, now in Ramada, then in CDG (95 - 00), and doing well for himself. Also met Sujeet Kumar at Marriott. He was a nice meet up. Narsimh Mallya was also there and it was a nice thing to meet him too.
We then went to CDG too and enjoyed it, even though we came to know that all the oldies are missing. Only, Rajesh and Manjula were the ones surviving!!
I came to know many sad things about our seniors in the Hospitality business there. Many had turned corrupt. Some had had messy divorces and some others were plainly not doing well.
Well, not everything is rosy in life!
We came back the day before. I still have the vision of the beautiful Goa that I visited this time, all decked up for the international visitors. Wish all the other states also feel the same things about their towns.

Superstars!!!????

I was reading the news of how Dav Whatmore was shunted out of the Coach selection because he was too 'keen' on the role. I do not get this. Anybody who wants to do well in life would be too 'keen' for the job. A certain Mr. Gavaskar always was during his playing days and kicked up a huge fuss everytime he was ignored during team meetings. I remember him roundly criticizing everyone in his columns those days.
Anyway, I have huge suspicions about Gavaskar these days. He has an agenda. That is clear. He also has an axe to grind with many an ex - cricketer. He is in the centre of every unsavory controversy surrounding Indian Cricket over the years. We still don't know where unaccounted bucks were in his locker in Bombay Gymkhana. There is a certain smell with him that is unpalatable. Just as it is with Amitabh Bachchan.
AB, I remember, was pretty mean during an ICICI conference in Bombay years back wanting his appearance money before showing up in front of the delegates, and when ICICI could not provide the bucks as he was already the Brand Ambassador, he headed home.
Now, on a bigger stage, he and his money friends have forgotten their manners, modesty and civility sharpening their personal axes to grind.
AB, in his defence, always says that the industry did not come to his aid when he was down and out in the 90s after the debacle of ABCL. But I ask, does anybody ever come to anybody's aid without reason.
AB had treated the industry people shabbily during his heydays and had to face the repurcussions. It is again happening with the shaadi tamasha that he has gone and done. No other lead actor wants to work with him or his family.
RGV worked with him and now has a situation where no other actor is signing up with RGV.
Superstars with sell by dates have this problem! Remember Kaka!!!!!!

passion for cinema - Anurag Kashyap's Blog

Reading Anurag Kashyap's posts in "Passion for cinema" blog today. Actually, studying that man's intellect, desires, motivations, likes, dislikes and whims. At long last, here is a man other than RGV, his cronies, Imtiaz Ali, Sanjay Khanduri, Rajesh Bellary, Sourabh Shukla AND A FEW OTHERS, who is looking to take Indian Cinema on another route.

To think that, he has not been able to release his major works, Paanch and Gulaal, uptil now.

The man is a genius. I can vouch for that as I have seen Satya, Yuva, Water and the other films that he has written. I also own the DVD of Black Friday and that is compulsary screening on my player every Saturday night.

I am going to look at the cult artist's career very closely. I know he shall make a big mark on the celluloid of this country.

Cheers to AK and his NO SMOKING!!

My Novel Effort

I am now on my my umpteenth try at writing my first big novel. The way I have been going about it has not been very funny. I know that this stop - start method would take me nowhere but yet, as I keep telling my dear friends, I shall over come - my sloth, inertia and all the blistering mind barnacles, to actually put fingers to keyboard!!!
But why do we always take snippets of our own life and pass them off as highlights of the novel. Also, is that why most of the first novels are the ones that come out best and the following ones are usually less than best!
I have decided that I shall take snippets from my own adventures but make novels, not over a lifespan but on 'phases' that have been quite interesting.
Some may say that "kya yaar..apna..dukh dard baant raha hai kya" but no...i assure that it shall be quite interestin...even thrilling in some goddamn parts...
Ok Ok...I shall not trumpet anymore...watch out for some highlights here!

People I Emulate

I would like to take the opportunity of this Valentine’s Day to thank a few people who have been instrumental in my growth as a person in this lifetime.

My Dad – He has been the cornerstone of my development as a person. He taught me honesty, loyalty, the power of knowledge, the positive attitude, the ability to laugh, reading, writing, music, cinema, theatre, focus, method and above all love and affection for other people. He was a people man!!

My Mother – She has been my vigil teaching me tidiness, the eye for detail, value of time, the need to study hard, healthy living and all above – the ability to keep working towards a goal. She has great resolutions in life that is tough to emulate!

My Brother, Shuddhasheel – He is 6 years younger and went through the first part of life doing what he did best, being the good younger brother. But then he transformed and how!! Today, he is a Corporate Trainer and a very good one at that. He has taught me a lot. The Power of Self, Determination, Clear-headed focus, Follow through in a work process, diligence, innovative thinking and team building. He taught me the essence of acceptance.

Vijay Dewan, presently MD of The Park Group – He does not remember me. I do not expect him to. The last time he saw was in 1994. But he has left an indelible stamp on my growth as a person. He taught me the beauty of Systems, Procedures and Continuous Development at work. He was far ahead of his times in thought processes. He taught me, indirectly – as I did not dare ever sit down with him, I was a measly Supervisor when he was a VP, the value of class, design, value to customer, posture management, eye for detail, work competence and zeal or passion for excellence. That sure was incredible!!

My Father – in – law – I learnt the art of simplicity, humility and honesty from this remarkably down to earth person who rose up the ladder in Tea Industry only through uncomplicated hard work. I have not seen another person like him!

Jeffrey Shabong – If a combo of knowledge, quest for excellence, hard work, smart work and curiosity can carry a person far…here was one example and I just had to emulate this person. It also helped that he has been my brother – in – law for sometime now.

Sujith Gopinath – An unassuming guy with tons of aptitude towards planning. Whew! I sure learned the goodness of planning from this colleague of mine. Absolute method to counter all madness and emerge victorious!!

Rakesh Upadhyay – A master in the Culinary world and my room mate in college, I still try to keep up to his simple adage in life, ‘Be the best in what you do’. He has lived unto it. He has been a hard act to follow.

Vijay Thombre – A creative thinker who provoked me to new levels of creativity in my profession. People like him have the ability to ignite the minds around them and that has occurred with me too. It is a pity I cannot work with him continuously.

Kiran, My Spouse – Last and arguably the one who has influenced my life most. She has a host of qualities I have emulated – Listening ability, clear and concise thought process, uncluttered mind and unfettered decision-making, thoughtful spending, budgeting, target orientation, target achievement (you should just ask her company), logic usage (in all situations), tidiness, eye for taste, planning, practicality, emotional leadership (she gets her teams to do anything…and I mean anything!!), friendliness and above all the capacity to be unruffled. Oh! I have conquered my temper just watching and emulating her!!

These people are men and women that I have lived and worked with. I shall quote the Kotlers, Welches, Dr. inghs, Gandhis of the world to cover myself in adjusted glory.

Triple Aces!!

In the ongoing scenario between Aishwarya, Abhishek and AB, I smell a huge marketing story. For one, they have mastered the art of staying in public view over the years.

AB has been doing it for years together and his very modest approach towards the media has nobody fooled these days about his inordinate need for publicity. Also, his stance that he had been down in the dumps after the ABCL debacle and that Mr. Amar Singh managed to save him from the edge is old hat and does not have many takers too. Of course, it goes without saying that he is one of our foremost actors in the cinema business even now.

Aishwarya has precisely two hits, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, and even here the contributions from her co-actors mattered most along with the canvas and direction. In fact, most of the movies that have starred her have flopped because of her bad acting. Also, she has never been good with the warmth on screen and comes across as pretty cold…Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2, Josh, Bride and Prejudice, etc. are ready samples that come to mind. But, she has remained very nicely in the public eye with the right acts, poses, interviews, moves, premiere appearances, utterances and that giggly laugh. She should brand that laugh now!! I smell a marketing guru’s coaching here and if she has done it herself, then Abhishek shall do well by making her his manager for the oncoming future.

Abhishek has come a long way in the recent past and has been picking up the best commercials for hefty prices right through 2006 to secure his earning potential. This had not happened before and has certainly been helped by his cinematic successes in Bollywood. But, essentially it is good Marketing at its zenith!
They all have a need to promote their brands or be their ambassadors at all times but weaving their personal world with their brands and thereby moving to another plane in Marketing, Waah!!!

Chillax the mind!!

Am I very idealistic when I call for the right kind of efforts at the right time and preferably every time from people?

I see Kiran (my wife) at her workplace, not obsessed with all the above but yet getting the right kind of responses from her people effortlessly, is that because she is of the fairer sex. Her being my wife, I can safely say that the sex does not matter. Actually, it never matters at all in any situation.

It is all about how much control we are able to achieve between our mind space and our environment, people and controlling factors.

I, after seeing my wife, have started to learn these small nuances of enjoying what I do without being obsessive. She calls me senile for what I am and that is a term I do not want linked to myself.

So, I am trying the path of Chillax!!

Movies - 2006

Friends, it was a great year for Indian movies. Movies did well at the box office and there were some gems. I would like to put them up here as I feel is best.

Dor – This is for the thought process of the director. The sweep of the film truly left me a little breathless. Nagesh has not worked with a rural canvas (a little of Iqbal notwithstanding) before. But the modern sensibility of the hinterland woman was exceptionally brought to screen. Bravo!
Omkara – A story needs to be told only in this manner. Gripping, with all the right colours, props and dialogues in place. The acting was of a high grade and there was no compromise on sensibility. Shakespeare himself would have been really impressed. Note the first scene, Saif and Dobriyal; and the climax, fitting props to great story telling!!
Khosla ka Ghosla – Boman, Boman and Boman!!! Just Amazing with Pravin Dabas and Ranveer Sheroy throwing in their weight too!
Lago Raho… - Just for the Chutzpah of the lead pair and the funky storyline, all the crowds that day in the plex came out with a smile!! That says a lot for Hirani’s scrpt and direction!
Gangster – Shiny’s restraint in some scenes were just superb. Anurag is a nice director and actually it was hard to find fault in the movie. Pritam put up some great numbers…typical Bollywood but good!!
Rang de… - Caps off the list….great team…wonderful camera work. The lead team were suited to the roles like purring Rolls in motion. Surprises – Siddharth Narayan – this man is sure to go places…and Sharman Joshi, if he handles his career well, he could do a great deal of nice work!
That’s it…yeah..I could have added Krissh, Pyar ke side effects, Taxi No. 9211, etc. but this was a good list..I feel so!

Fail to plan, Plan to fail

It is absolutely essential to understand India to understand Indian Cricket. Yesterday, half way through the Indian Innings, I found that the communication between the two batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh had ceased. There was no reason really. Just……..

Immediately, my antennae had propped up and I knew there was a wicket for the Englishmen here. An over later Harmison got Sachin out. You’d ask me how I figured that out. Simple….check out the calm before the mayhem in any household, mohalla, office, city or wherever that you would see a group of Indians…..

We simply are not used to living on the edge and fall into a comfort zone after a little while or some modest success and that is not really good for the body or the soul.

We invite trouble by not preparing for eventualities. We do not have back up plans. We just fail to realize that the opposition has a better plan in place.

We go through the motions and are thoroughly surprised with bad results…c’mon!!!!!

'Great Job Done!' pat

'GREAT JOB DONE!!' is something that I like to tell my people even when the going is not too great. Yes, it sometimes sounds downright funny but telling ' I love you' to your mate is also funny most of the time. If the lover gets this big compliment without doing much most of the time, then why would I refrain from complimenting my colleagues during tough times. Actually, it is something that we do not do even when our lives depend on it. Complimenting does not come easily to humans. Notice dogs, they are grateful for small gestures that we do towards them. Humans need these gestures far more often than dogs!!

KK manages facilities at our workplace. KK comes from MP and is a MSc in Botany. KK deserves more recognition than he gets as he is from a semi-rural background and he has made it to some extent in the rat race. But he is the butt of all jokes in the office. I compliment him more than the others, but he has not been able to be completely self confident and even after doing a good day's work does not feel good about himself. There are a million KKs in this country who deserve better gestures than they recieve at work, work that is not so much in the eye but needs to be done by someone and properly at that.

I live for the KKs. I strive to get them their place in the sun. In fact, I like the low profiles as they consistently deliver more for each buck!!!

EQ for life bettered!!

I am back to blogging again. I desisted from clobbering my keyboard all these months as I felt that I had nothing to contribute to the blogosphere. I plodded my way through life and tried to give my self esteem a new high by succeeding at work. A job change on the way did its best to get things right for me. Ah!! looks like I am succeeding at last at what I thought what was only for dreams.

Actually, I am running an organization that I had decided should not be run by typical management rules and by the book. I decided that I had to invest in my EQ (Emotional Quotient) to get things done here as I am now heading a very young group of boys and girls who can move earth with the right pats and gurgles. I explained to everyone in the team that work is fun and life needs to be full of fun. The only serious fun was the bottomlines at the end of the month and that would be absolutely right if the fun quotient at work was in place. Fun has been a major contributor to EQ through the ages and I am seeing these aspects being taken up by HR managers all over India in some format or the other.

Coming from the staid old Hotel Industry with a stiff upper lip, it was difficult for me to do this in the beginning. I had never related fun with work. The advent of the sunrise industries in India like the IT, ITES and Entertainment Industries in India rapidly changed my beliefs and psyche. Here I was with all the experience in guiding Hospitality companies to profits and I did not even have the first idea as to how I could start to provide a better life to my colleagues.

Quite a daunting thought it was! I joined a leading corporate in Eastern India headquartered in Kolkata last year to try out my ideas and see whether they were workable. Of course, Indian corporates still do have a bureaucracy that is difficult to tackle. I also had my difficult times during the whole of last year but my colleagues had begun to understand what I was babbling about. The teams started to appreciate what was being done. The winds of change was on the anvil.

Then, I had an opportunity to join this new upstart Leisure company in Pune and head its Operations and marketing. Bingo! I had the field to myself and I let go of my IQ and selected my teams on the basis of EQ. During the first month with them on board, I told stories, shared experiences, gave in to their silly demands, made nice friends, talked visions, understood their views, listened to each and every member for all his worth. Today, they are pulling off one of the most amazing success I have seen in my entire work life and I did not have to do much except exhort them to prove themselves.

I now truly believe that man searches for recognition and esteem. When provided a medium, he is bound to succeed beyond his dreams.

I know now that we do need management mumbo jumbo to succeed all the while. Old fashioned hand holding is as or more great!!!!

Conquering Laziness

Is laziness a state of mind?? I don't have an answer to this question. But, I have been trying to tell my mind that being lazy is something that bloody brain tells me to be, otherwise I am perfectly able to complete mundane tasks such as getting up at 5.30 AM in the morning, doing my exercises, doing up the house, take my daughter to the school bus stop, doing the washing, getting to office in time, finishing my In tray, getting all those Communications done, making my action plans for the teams to follow up on, getting meeting over with and follow up...... phew!!

I do not manage to do even half of these successfully. Pretty much to do with my limbs and their inertia?! Did Dale Carnegie ever write something on How to influence your mind and limbs....or Darwin do something on Surviving being lazy!!!

Just this morning the missus told me to do the dishes as she was running late and I had to grope through the dense fog in my brain, at last managed to keep the newspaper down to get up and do the dishes. Just a question here;why is it so difficult to keep the newspaper down?

Why am I not able to move myself away from even a India - Zimbabwe cricket match, where only I seem to be bothered about the outcome other than those sundry bookies in Mumbai and Delhi? It is appalling the way I sit in front of the living room TV with the smelly feet, dishevelled hair, grimy shirt(blame it on Kolkata's smog) and my shoes beside me like a long lost pet. But I cannot take myself away from the TV for a minute. I don't enjoy soaps, so my missus saves a potentially crazed situation by wrenching the Remote out of my hands for her favorite 9 PM show. I immediately conquer all my laziness to go and change. I fear her more than God. God is not around, she is!!

Laziness in all encompassing, it is aawesome, has great strength as I am 73 kgs in all and I never seem to get up in time to do things or do that much needed exercise!! Keeps me down, you see...

I have entered that phase in life where I have to choose between a dynamic, organised and healthy/wealthy life with doting wife and a beautiful daughter or my slovenly, pessimistic, bone creaker, short tempered, droopy eyed life. I am trying to be the former but the latter is playing kabbadi with me!!