Human Might

The wind blowing at my face,
I want to see, yet I can't;

Beautiful flowers, colourful birds,
Beauty of the woods, lush green trees.
Yellow sun, clear blue sky,
Bardwisikhla marching in March.

Calmness of the breeze,
Sound of the pouring rain;
An old house beside the tree,
Butterflies in the garden.

The wind blowing at my face,
And I don't want, yet see;

Concrete jungle, dark clouds,
Smog on the roads, dust in the trees;
Murder in the skies,
Open dustbin and flies.

Clear day, rainy night,
Hunger and food fight;
Jam-packed roads, beggars on the street,
Use and abuse of Human Might!

By Jeshal (Gunajit Brahma)

Where is God?

In the sweetness of the flowers’ hue,
In the chillness of the morning dew,
In the toughness of the hills
And energy of the windmills,
In the blue of the oceans
And the forests’ magic potions,
In the roughness of the high seas
And stillness of peace,
In the smile of the child
And roar of the wild,
In the coarseness of the sea sand
And life on land,
God is everywhere,
Bold, Alive and Bare!!!

By Shilpa Shri

Mother

Grief-stricken through night and day
On the shore like a dead bird I lay
The voice stuck like an arrow in the bark
The song no more sings the lark.

I miss you, I miss you, I miss you,
This is what I chant,
Just one wish I ask of you,
“Lord, Will you grant?”

Come, Hold my hand,
Walk me to your Land,
There, among the Angels, She lives, like a Dame,
Mother! After that day, Life has never been the same.

By Shilpa Shri

INDIAN – The World in a Word

We receive countless “please-forward-otherwise-you-will-have-bad-luck-for-seven-years” mails nearly everyday. But sometimes, we also receive mails that we are not likely to forget in a hurry. One such mail I received a long time back had a photograph that I have given below. While the photograph is self-explanatory, I can’t help penning down a few thoughts about it.

I don’t know where this place is or who took this photograph. I just know that when I looked at it, I felt stunned, euphoric, intrigued, and proud, all in the same moment.

I wonder who wrote that board. And I realize that it’s just another Indian. Who else would find one common thread of unity hidden behind seemingly unrelated words?

To me, being an Indian means so many feelings rolled into one complex, inexpressible, and strong emotion. It’s so electric, sometimes it shakes me. And I find most people around me reacting to patriotism just as strongly, sometimes even more.

As India celebrates its 61st anniversary, I find myself wondering what India would look like if she were a living, normal person like one of us. Would she appear as a woman in a white saree with a crown on her head and a trident spear in her hand? Or would she appear in chains like the freedom-fighters used to portray her in the pre-independence years – dejected, defeated, and waiting? Or would she just look like a proud, happy mother who has just witnessed her child taking its first steps?

Two hundred years is a long time. It is not easy to shrug off the chains that bound us for such a long time. Sixty years, however, is a remarkably short time for the amazing feats we have accomplished! And yet, it is not just scintillating achievements that make an Indian uniquely different. When I try to see beyond the stoic face of today’s Indian professional who carries a smart phone in one hand and a laptop in the other, I find a complex individual sculpted by years of tradition, hard work, conflict, struggle, and persistence. I see a human being who recognizes freedom of the mind and spirit as top priority, who despises unfairness, and reaches out to help someone less fortunate. I find a spirit that loves laughing and expressing; a person who has worked really hard to be successful and takes pride in achievements. I see strong emotions, easy expressions, and great patience. I see righteous anger against biases of all kinds, whether it be based on gender or religion or caste. I see stress, tension, declining health, and pressures unimagined 50 years ago. I also see a lot of faith, trust, and sincerity and the dogged determination to change things for the better.

That is the Indian I see in each of us – the personality I can identify with. Just such a one as you and me – discovered that an Indian is not just a Hindu, or a Muslim or a Sikh, but the complex whole of all religions, traditions, and cultures melted and fused together to form the rarest of personalities.

“India is like a palimpsest upon which layer upon layer of thought and reverie has been inscribed and no succeeding layer could completely erase what was previously inscribed” – wrote Jawaharlal Nehru in The Discovery of India. Indeed, India’s personality is multifaceted as a diamond, reflecting myriads of lights and colors in startling ways. India is a melting pot of numerous cultures. This is the one land where mighty warriors came to conquer and were conquered themselves.

Refreshingly humorous, deeply understanding, infinitely expressive, thoughtful, kind, generous, and wise beyond the collective age of humanity – that’s what I see India as. And, the Indian of today carries all that within.

By A Geeta

Telecom Service Provider Advertising - Comes of Age

How many students can a single teacher educate? ....Woh to "Kabka" ho gaya!
I have been following the Airtel "Kabka" ads with a great deal of interest - I think its a super idea for a campaign, and excellently executed - strikes a real chord with atleast the modern/ urban couple --- strangely, a 7 year old child I know also really likes it. I think this is a good mix of functional benefits conveyed to an audience along with building a warm fuzzy emotional feel to the brand -- also the campaign ensures that diverse features are explained thru different ads.

Similarly, the new Idea Education campaign is just brilliant - this is another brand that has been experimenting/ and so far was only I think marginally successful at establishing the theme/ "idea" behind the brand - but this campaign is bang on. Not only that, it has been utilizing multi media - I actually saw it also via my yahoo messenger icon - and, judging by the very positive reactions on the interactive/ blog like microsite, its going to be a huge hit.

Interestingly, both these successful executions take very different marketing angles - one is very focussed on the feature set; the other is focussed on the larger/ "building market" objective - they both also as a result showcase a widely divergent target audience. They both do use celebrities - bollywood ecelebrities at that.

Having said that, they are both exceedingly enjoyable and memorable campaigns - kudos to the marketing and agency teams!

Mass Media and Its Responsibilities

The extent of reach which Mass Media commands in this digital age is truly amazing and serves as an eye opener; both in terms of viewership and the ability to influence a person’s thinking. But why do I get the feeling that Mass Media is misusing this power, misleading people, creating unnecessary hype to increase circulation numbers? With absolute power comes great responsibility. Mass Media has acquired absolute power, but lacks in the responsibility department.

Let me explain, using an example, why I have this grouse against Mass Media.

By “Mass Media” I am referring to the most common form of news outlet, the newspaper, which includes both print and online versions. Recently the G8 summit in Japan had concluded, with pledges on the food and oil crises and climate change among other things.

As usual, the summit received its usual share of media coverage. But a few publications such as The Daily Mail and The Washington Times had a completely different take on the proceedings. Food crisis was one of the major issues that was addressed at the summit. But these two publications took it upon themselves to bring it to public notice that the leaders and the dignitaries gorged upon an 18-course banquet which they had apparently found hard to swallow.

The headline from The Daily Mail screamed “Summit that's Hard to Swallow – World Leaders Enjoy 18-Course Banquet as They Discuss How to Solve Global Food Crisis.” The article carried pictures of the leaders enjoying the extravagant banquet, the menu and a picture of a malnourished group of people as a contrast. The article, written by James Chapman lambasts the G8 summit members for treating themselves to a lavish banquet while urging the world to stop wasting food and combat rising prices and a global shortage of provisions. The sarcasm was pretty obvious as you will be able to perceive from the following quotes from the article:

“The world leaders sat down to an 18-course gastronomic extravaganza at a G8 summit in Japan, which is focusing on the food crisis.”

“G8 leaders discussing the world food crisis in Japan raise their glasses ahead of an 18-course dinner.”

Dominic Nutt, of the charity Save the Children is quoted saying, “It is deeply hypocritical that they should be lavishing course after course on world leaders when there is a food crisis and millions cannot afford a decent meal. If the G8 wants to betray the hopes of a generation of children, it is going the right way about it. The food crisis is an emergency and the G8 must treat it as that.”

Here are some excerpts from The Washington Times article:

“Lentil soup and a crust of bread as the first, second and third course at a recent G8 summit in Japan might at least have conveyed the impression the leaders of the world's principal industrialized nations were focused on a fast-unfolding food shortage engulfing the entire planet.”

“Instead, the convivial summiteers feasted on a six-course lunch at a five-star lakeside hotel on the island of Hokkaido, followed that evening by an eight-course heartburning dinner, from Kyoto beef shabu-shabu, to dicey fatty tuna, to clams floating in Shiso, to broiled prawns in Tosazu, to salt-grilled rockfish, to milk-fed baby lamb to G8 ‘Fantasy Desert,’ all washed down by wine and champagne vintages from all over the world. To then make global food security a top priority was a tad Pecksniffian.”

“Year in and year out, the G8 meet in a bucolic setting pleasing on the eyes that tends to act as a soporific on the part of the brain that allows summiteers to anticipate global crises.”

“In Japan last month, the Eight Big Ones agreed to reconvene in 2009 on the Mediterranean island La Maddalena, nestled in the Straits of Bonifacio between Corsica and Northern Sardinia, one of the last untouched beautiful spots in the world. But they could save their taxpayers a bundle by canceling their reservations now and videoconferencing instead – twice a year.”

My grouse is – why focus on trivial issues such as the food that was consumed and the location of the G8 summit? Why not focus on the critical issues such as food and oil crisis, climate change and so on? With the reach that these publications have, they can put it to good use by spreading awareness on these issues. But instead, they chose to focus on the menu and the food which the leaders consumed, and gripe about the exotic locations in which the G8 summit would be held in future.

What did they expect? The world leaders would assemble in a dingy hall and hammer out a solution to the crises that are afflicting the world, munching on plain bread. C’mon. It’s a three day summit where the Head’s of Nation’s assemble. Is Japan to blame for treating them to a “royal banquet?” I believe Japan just upheld its tradition by showcasing its culture and generosity by playing a perfect host to the G8 Summit.

Am I wrong in saying that these publications could have done better? Is my grouse unjustified? Am I biased? Are my views shortsighted?

Sources: The Washington Times, The Daily Mail

By Rakesh Reddy R.

The days that changed my life…

It was like any other day when I woke up and looked at the watch. I knew that from then on my life was going to be different and tedious too. My memories flooded back to those days when I used to lazily lie down on my bed happy with the fact that my exams were over and I had a huge break to relax my lazy bones and live life the way I wanted. But MBA had taken its toll on me and was to shape my life till the end. I enrolled myself into one of the companies named EmPower Research Knowledge Services (P) Ltd.; I smirked at the fact that I, who did not have any power, was expected to empower it and vice versa. I got dressed in my best formal clothes – the myriad of advices poured in from professors, parents and many renowned individuals (all the characters I had come across while reading books of tycoons and the success mantras to be a professional) had convinced me that the first impression would be the last impression. I was not thinking of days, but yes of two months of gruelling effort that I would have to put into a project that would be scrutinised; to me it looked like a litmus test that I had to pass. From then on it was serious countdown and showtime.

On the D-day, I went and reported at the right time. I was welcomed in a way that no book had taught me, no tycoons had defined much about, nothing that my close ones had revealed to me – “The power of smile”. It felt so nice and I struck up a conversation with the Senior HR Manager of the organisation. She inquired about my arrival and also gave me a warm handshake and again a warm smile saying “Welcome, you’re officially on board madam”. I smiled. This was indeed something that made me feel more comfortable. From then on there was no turning back as I met another bubbly character, the HR Executive of Empower who made me feel at home. She took me all around the office and helped me whenever I was in need, in spite of her work load. I was not treated as an intern, but as another employee who was there to make a career of her own. I was always treated with sincerity and courtesy. The employees were addressed by their first names and given the due respect that any individual deserved. I forgot the last time I participated in a Rangoli competition. It was great fun and there was never a point of time when I was treated differently. The result was that I worked more passionately and enjoyed what I did. I never felt that I was working, but felt that I was conducting a certain study and at the same time enhancing my knowledge. Each day after I went home from work I felt more rejuvenated and would eagerly wait for the next day so that I could feel better doing something different from what I had done before. Because it was not just work, it was like meeting my friends and learning something new from them each day. It was a wonderful experience when I personally met all the Directors of each department. My mind set changed totally when I discovered what professionalism meant to them – being simple in their gestures and high in their thinking. What made the difference was their outlook and attachment towards each employee of the organisation.

It has been an eye opener for me – understanding the fact that work life is something that has different perspectives. It changed the way I saw things and also made me understand the importance of seeing life from a different angle. It was a dress rehearsal for my actual work life. It made me understand what I should be expecting from the work area and how I should enhance my skills in order to reach my goals. I enjoyed what I did and was positive throughout. I certainly think I was blessed for getting the chance to work for such an organisation which gave me a feel of the real-life work culture in such a way that it made me smile.

By Sanghamitra Dhar