Friday, September 12, 2008

The Argumentative DL victims

This is a pretty childish attempt, but anyways it took its birth when I was sitting in class trying to study....so its pretty situational...God knows why m putting it here....neways happy reading....



Sitting in d class but lost somewhere else,
Thoughts vacillating like a clock's pendulum.
Pretending to look at what is being taught,
But actually addding lines to this poem.

Teachers speak something which i never hear,
The trauma i face is getting tougher ro bear.
I used to be a first bencher few months back,
But now d search is always for a place at the rear.

The lines written here make no real sense,
Dont blame me,its d subject that made me tense.
U might feel m one of those defiant kids,
Who wants to have fun at academical expense.

This is what many people construe,
But m sorry,i've a different point of view.
For me,the spring of thoughts is a roller coaster ride,
That opens my mind and makes its gamut wide.

This line of thought may have a pitfall,
'but that's what i like' is my answer to all.
The time doesnt fly by,instead it tends to crawl,
Gosh if not in DL,I would've been having a ball.

Ahaa!!finally the attendance time is striving near,
M full of ecstasy and overwhelmed with cheer.
This is the priceless moment i've been craving for,
So with the lecture,this stupid poem also ends here.

Monday, September 1, 2008

little drops of joy

A new day started n d sun rose from horizon's palms
I woke up with an infant's smile,spreading across my arms.
Got up 4m bed,n the mirror reflected my smile,
A feel of pristine calmness occupied me that very while.

I picked up my coffee mug n stepped out to light,
A breeze of cool air passed on with a curious insight.
The look of d dew on the grass explained its plight ,
The worry that it wd soon succumb to the sun's might.

And i imagined the notion that if they had speech,
What would they convey or what might they preach?
Maybe a warm good morning or affection to each,
Or maybe to be our own self is what they wd teach.

I looked up and saw this lovely bird on the tree,
Expressing an unusual ecstacy and an uncanny spree.
It's like we spoke to each other without a single word,
And we both said something and a few things we heard.

Then i came in and got down with my mundane day,
Something i never cherished but never found another way.
Driven by compulsions of life, here i lay astray
Trying to paint life's canvas with no zest to potray.

But the thought of the dew and the breeze that flew,
The bird who always kept me waiting for something new.
These made me cherish the small rays of elation,
And taking me away 4m the moments that i should eschew.

These friends of mine expect nothing from me,
They dont want me to be someone i really can never be.
And this unusual bond connects us all in a knot,
Where we stay away from the pretentious worldly lot.

So each night when i go to bed,
I feel excited about the day to come,
Where we will all greet each other with a subtle warmth,
And a soothing smile as a token of welcome.

N the sun comes again emerging from horizon's palms,
And it always has a mate now to welcome it with open arms.
N my friends join me always to fly free this way,
And this little gesture every morning, makes my each day.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

my first tryst with poetry

When things dont work, n life becomes still,
Everything seems hazy and incomplete to you.
Its like climbing a hill which has no peak,
And like a lake that shows no reflection to view.

That's when you feel you're losing control,
And driving your life with hands tied up.
Even when you sit in a crowd of many,
Your eyes remain astray n mind is perturbed.

But does that mean that life has lost its quest,
Everything it offers is futile and not for the best.
Or is there still a glimmer of hope alive,
That can bring us in terms with life's each test.

When the chips are down,comes a guardian angel
As an opportunity or in the form of a person;
To invigorate the very purpose of life,
And derive positives from every inversion.

Life again regains it value n things seem germane,
Everything looks bucolic n there is nothing mundane.
You construe that lady luck has finally smiled on you,
And your future has tremendous happiness to contain.

But why do we wait for things to happen,
Why dont we get them done on our own.
Why dont we relish the spirit of life,
Instead of looking for a reason to lament and moan.

The answer lies within the realms of our soul,
That summarizes the question of life as a whole.
It just needs an honest introspection,
Not a dogmatic persuasion or a forced cajole.

So spread your arms and open your wings,
The journey called success has just begun.
Keep walking along the right path and direction,
N everything would lead you to your ultimate mission.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Why MBA????

why mba?
Master Of Business Administration. Well the term brings about a wide spectrum of reactions.Oops is it not something every second guy i meet, keeps blabbering about? I guess it is.Well believe it or not, MBA is the in thing folks. Its got the punch,its got the respect,its got the glamour and its got the moolah. What else can you ask for. Well the answer is pretty simple - MORE.
ok enough of the Alice's wonderland talk, lets take a reality check. What is MBA and why is there so much hullabuloo over it in the entire student community, no matter which part of the country or the world you go. Well lets take each word of this crucial abbrevation individually. Business is a worldwide phenomenon where people enter into ventures to generate revenues, employment and satisfaction to each one connected with them. So the person getting into a business has a grave responsibility on him/her. Then comes the pivotal issue of administration- well its a paragon of responsibility where a person has to take care of every facet concerned with running a business- managing people, revenues, resources, market, and create the best possible scenario to run that business.Hmmmm....that sounds even more grave. But the best and the toughest part comes with the first word in this entire term i.e. "Master". The person needs to be a master of all that is expected to run a business and making it a point that the business runs effectively.To put forth in simple terms, thats the job of an MBA. As Management Guru Peter F. Drucker put it in a brilliant way," A manager needs to be efficient as well as effective. Efficiency is doing the right things and effectiveness means getting the right things done."
So ladies and gentleman, guys and dames,its not just about some honeymoon period of your life where you'd just get in,rack your brain for a while and an angel would come in front of you with a gift box carrying a whopping salary check. If that's what has been your idea of MBA till now, i'm sorry to do this but "Good Morning, wake up folks, the dreamy Lalaland station has gone by, welcome to reality junction." The point i'm trying to make is pretty simple and candid, MBA is about cutting off your rough edges to make you a diamond who is ready to take on the world by storm. Its a huge task and involves tremendous efforts and panache, but believe me guys the perks are worth the effort.
Enough of the scary stuff, let's now look at WHY MBA??? Exactly what lies in it which makes it a much sort after and lucrative career option??
with the increase in tooth sweating competition, it has become essential for every individual to inculcate some basic elementary qualities in himself/herself to work/compete with the best of the best in the corporate sector. MBA, as a course gives you a formal training and grooming module, which creates a sense of deja vu of the real world in your minds, thus preparing you for the kind of goody goody stuff in store for you ( Like you believe that????). Well some part of it is goody goody, so relax.
There are people with different aspirations, some are looking for a secure job with challenges at work place while some take it a step ahead to venture into the danger zone of entrepreneurship. TO put up an enterprise of one's own, having a winning idea that may be revolutionary in itself, is just a beginning. To bring out that idea in the real world, pursuing that venture and aspiring to gain revenues out of it requires brilliance in business aptitude as well. Now MBA gives you a platform to understand the nitty gritties of everything in nexus of business. Thus it opens up doors of a new world of opportunities, resources,challenges and obviously tremendous satisfaction.
Another important requirement at work places is the ability to make decisions- sometimes small ones, sometimes grave ones and sometimes revolutionary ones. Thus its mandatory for a person to be well versed with the pros and cons of the status quo, the ability to deal with people of varying IQ'S, temperaments and work capabilities. Now to make a decision taking all these scenarios together is no joke. Apart from inner strength, it requires sound knowledge to appraise the decision's gravity and then to come out with the most suitable alternative. That's precisely what i meant when stressed on the term "MASTER". MBA offers you the ambience and the required ammunition to become good enough to encounter and combat the enemies. As goes in the Stallone blockbuster Rocky series," Its something for which you need THE EYE OF THE TIGER and A BURNING HEART because believe me THERE IS NO EASY WAY OUT, so once your HEART'S ON FIRE just do one thing, GO FOR IT."
Getting down to the Indian scenario, India is in a condition where it requires more employment generators as compared to employment seekers.MBA offers you the arsenal to face the indispensible cruel times of entrepreurship. thus its the managers who're actually making this society a better place to live in by generating employment, optimum utilization of resources, making people work congenially in groups, and with these small battles, they help to win wars like unemployment, poverty, corruption and make the Indian economy strengthen the momentum it has picked up.
Another important topic that MBA deals with is that in this era of globalization where the world has become a small place, it has become an additional asset for a professional to have a good understanding of the global market, the global requirements and its solutions. Thus what we're looking at in the future is it more number of Indians global in stature, but local at heart. Now how does that sound....i'm sure alluring.
So to put it in a nutshell, mba may not give you the key to every lock, but it'd make you a good enough locksmith to have more keys for different locks. So what are you waiting for, you know the door, you knpow how to get the key, and with that key how to open the locks. So dont wait anymore and just MAKE THE MOVE.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Arvind Kejriwal- a guardian angel




Voice of the unheard voices


India is a land which has given birth to many great people, legends in their own rights. There have been a rare breed of people who've proved their mettle in their respective areas of working and have touched the lives of many. We've had the likes of Bhagat Singhs, Gandhis, Nehrus, Sarabhais, Kalams, Ambanis, Premjis and the list goes on. But there are two genres of work whose heroes have been given larger than life images in our country- The Indian Film Industry and the cricket team. The likes of Bachchans, King Khans in cinema and Gavaskars, Kapil Devs, Tendulkars, Dravids and Dhonis have attained the status of demi Gods in our counntry. The pure mania that these two sectors evoke in the AAM AADMI is unparalleled and bound to only grow with time. Nothing wrong with it, people getting due recognition for the quality work they've put in is the richest dividends they can get back. This is something they deserve and have acquired with sheer hard work and dedication towards their work.
The problem comes when people refuse to look beyond these heroes. In such a big country, there are people who've made a big difference to all around them but still there names are obscure in the murky waters. Barring a few who bother to understand and appreciate the contributions of these unsung heroes, the majority of the population is still oblivious of their tremendous contribution. The picture looks more gloomy when we claim that 54% of our population is YOUNG INDIA who are ready to take on the world. But how do we expect to bring out a global change when we dont even recognize the contributions of these unsung national pictures. Its a pretty unfortunate situation and to be honest shameful on the part of us youngsters. But its never too late. We can still take the step, and i'm sure that would be the one in the right direction.
One such unsung hero is a gentleman called Arvind Kejriwal.Hearing the name for the first time????? Never mind, hope atleast now we'd be more concerned about the state of affairs around us. Well Arvind Kejriwal is a social activist and an instrumental figure in bringing about one of the biggest revolutions. He worked unceassingly to bring about greater transparency in Government's functionality and his constant efforts led to a big accomplishment- THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT. This right has actually given a lethal weapon in the hands of the AAM AADMI and has made the Government accountable to its people. Now any individual discontent with the working of the Government can ask WHAT? WHY? HOW? Is it not something we should all be proud of? I think it is. Arvind kejriwal made it a point that THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT is activated at the grass root level, because that's where corruption is at its worst form and poor illiterate people are unable to understand the malicious intent of the authorities. The result- predominant oppression, suppression of these people and the same status quo of these people over the years.
He graduated as a mechanical engineer from IIT Kharagpur in 1989, then he went about to join the prestigious civil services in the Indian Revenue Service in 1992. But what he saw there came as a rude shock to him. He was taken aback by the widely prevalent corruption and malpractices amongst the Government officials. When he came to terms to this unfortunate reality, he decided that things need to change and there has to be some ray of light somewhere to combat this darkness of mala fide activities. He started working on it and realized that the main reason for this corruption is basically accounted to the lack of transparency in the Government functionalities and policies. The Government was pretty active in framing laws but pretty lethargic when it came to implementing them. This weakness leveraged the uncanny miscreants to mould the law by their whims and fancies, as there was no stringent monitoring tool to keep track of their accountability towards their work. Arvind Kejriwal recognized the flaw and worked on ways to eradicate it. Even during his working years, he stood like a Rock Of Gibraltar between the miscreants and mischief.
He worked against the system from within the system for a while, but when he realized that his hands were tied down he made a brave decision of putting in his papers and taking the entire battle on his own shoulders. After that he went about devoting his full time to his mission work by becoming the founder of an NGO- PARIVARTAN. its a Delhi based citizens' movement trying to ensure a just, transparent, people friendly and accountable governance.
The journey to the right to information act has been an onerous one for Arvind kejriwal. But like Rome was not built in a day, his efforts took a lot of time to bear the fruits. He was a major warrior in bringing in a number of changes to increase the transparency in the Income Tax. TOgether with his colleague Aruna Roy and others, he started his vigorous campaign for the mission of his life- THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT. His vociferous efforts bore fruits in 2005 when Government passed this law in 2005. And he carried on his fight to create awareness about the RTI later on as well. This was the biggest challenge as has always been in India. So this guy made sure that people actually got what was promised to them.
His NGO has also been pivotal in the satyendra Dubey murder case and are leaving no stones unturned to get justice for the deceased's family. Thus, one point is quite clear, Arvind's life is an inspiration for the millions of young turks who dream to make it big in their lives.

He has got laurels at both national and international levels as a testimony to his spectacular work. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Emergent Leadership award in 2006 and was also awarded CNN-IBN Indian of the year for Public Services in 2006. Thus, the point i'm trying to raise is pretty straightforward. Let's now broaden our area of perception beyond the Dhonis and King Khans to understand and appreciate the contributions of such unsung heroes who've been instrumental in their contribution towards their country and their fellowmen. Let's salute these true Guardian Angels and pray that our land is bestowed by many such jewels.
Kudos to you Gentleman.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Big Three-the dusk is still as far as horizon...

march 2007:- Indian team left for cricket's biggest extravaganza THE WORLD CUP amongst all the expectations of a billion people & the hullabuloo created by the ever opportunistic media. The Indian demi Gods set asail on their voyage to cover that extra mile, which they were deprived of, in the land of Proteas in 2003.But it seemed that Lady Luck had different plans for them,and tyrannous ones for that matter.Indians were flabbergasted by the ever resellient Bangladesh in the opening encounter and could never recover from there.To the shock and dismay of the cricket fanatics back home,India was ousted in the preliminary stage itself and all hell broke loose on them.
The media,as expected, took a U-turn and used all its prowess to lambaste the Indian team.Now everything came under the scrutiny of prying eyes,let it be their
brand endorsements,discontent with the coach Greg Chappell or their public appearences,everything faced harsh opprobrium.and the scorn's lions share was faced by three GENTLEMEN,who've been stanchions of Indian cricket for more than a decade-the then indian skipper Rahul Dravid,master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and the prince of Kolkata Sourav Ganguly.
The so called experts of the game prognosticated that these three illustrious careers have arrived their dusk,and should call it a day. Be it any news channel,all you could see on the television was surveys,polls and analysis that endeavoured to put forth just one point- kick the big three out.
But,true to their nature, they stayed mellowed throughout this gruelling period and did what they've been doing stupendously for years-let their bats speak for them.
On the tour of England,India had a lot to prove.They were accountable to the hopes and aspirations of a billion people and also had to live up to their larger than life images.They did that in style and the real anchors of the victory were none other than, you know it,Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly. Their roles were even more pivotal this time around because India wasn't relying on them only for thair batting skills,but with the absence of a regular coach,they had to take up the responsibility of the path guiders to the young turks.India won the test series 1-0 and gave a tough fight in one dayers before losing out 3-4.But Indian team was on a roll throughout as it had already beaten South Africa as well to clinch a vital series.So in all,it was a successful tour for them.
The big three then made a bold and maybe a pragmatic decision of opting out of the 20-20 world cup.But as life is full of anomalies,India went on to do the unexpected-
They became the WORLD CHAMPIONS with a young side oozing with confidence and aggression.Again fortune wasn't on the big three's side and the only coveted title that was missing out of such sparkling careers,had eluded them again.And as the entire country was lost in the celebration with full fanfare,the unfortunate and silly question creeped up again-do the big three deserve their place in the side or is the squad is well off without them,as ostensible after the World Cup triumph.I state this unfortunate because all this hue and cry was made by people who had no idea about the nuances of the game.
During the 20-20 world cup,Rahul Dravid again made a decision that only he could make-after the success of English summer,when others would have cashed on the glory,he decided to step down as the skipper.But a thorough Gentleman that he is,he didn't get into the blame game and simply put it forth as what he considered as a slight dip in his form.But those who could read between the lines knew, that the reason was that he couldn't stand the status quo anymore which was taking the shape of a political arena.I mean the entire structure was a mess and the BCCI was running Indian Cricket as a school level team.They couldn't give the team a full time coach,the team manager changed after every tour,selection was getting biased,and even the brand endorsements of players was restricted.The irony of the situattion is,BCCI was more keen to counterfeit rebel league ICL with its own league IPL,instead of selecting a coach for the national team.Things couldn't have been more ludicrous. The whimsical selection commitee and the BCCI,took offence of Dravid's unexpected resignation and considered this as an obnoxious move.Now all they were looking for was, the correct oportunity to make him the scapegoat and the aussie tour of India gave just that. Dravid failed quite a few times and booooom,he was out.
All this was done to the guy called as THe Wall ,the rock of Gibraltar , Mr. Dependable , Mr.Consistent ,a real team man,most dedicated cricketer etc. All this was done to a guy who fought for Sehwag against all odds for almost six months,trusting his immaculate talent. All this was done to a guy who always performed any role offered without any comlaint and has been India's most consistent batsman in the last 5 years.All this was done to a guy whom the entire world considers as the Ideal Ambassador of cricket. But as they say, IT HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA.
But a no-nonsense guy that Dravid is,he again didn't complain and kept working hard as ever.After scoring a double century and a century in the domestic circuit,Rahul Dravid has shown clear signs of the famous cricketing phrase-FORM IS TEMPORARY,CLASS IS PERMANENT.
Meanwhile,Sachin and Sourav have been going great guns with the spectacular run feast against arch rivals Pakistan in the home series and have invigorated the fact that their respective careers are far from over,and they've got a lot more to offer to Indian cricket.But if BCCI tries to show them the door to satisfy its own whims and fancies,it would be like getting Indian cricket to get out Hit Wicket.
As a die hard cricket fan,i simply want to say nothing surpasses the pleasure of watching Tendulkar's straight drive,Ganguly's hallmark cover drive and of course Dravid's rock solid technique.They're the golden trio of Indian cricket and bring with them all the traits that make cricket really - A GENTLEMEN'S GAME.

Krishnakant


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MARKETING MARKS NEW AGE CINEMA

Cinema is a very important and indispensible part of Indian people's lives. For some, its just a source of entertainment, while for others its a reflection of our society and there are those as well for whom cinema is heaven and its actors, God's incarnation on planet earth. Barring cricket,if anything can confidently claim to bind the entire nation together in one bond,its our cinema. The laughter,sorrows,celebration,larger than life characters have become an integral aspect of our lives.Who can forget Gabbar's "kitney aadmi they" or DDLJ's "bade bade shehron me aisi chhoti chhoti baatein hoti rehti hai" or the new found national anthem "CHAK DE INDIA".Movies have been and will remain a powerful medium for people to have a roller coaster ride and to live in their dreams in tangibility within those three hours.

And such high aspirations associated with every movie makes the job of moviemakers even more difficult.The demand and supply theory every friday is accompanied with creative excellence as well,where the medium has to be utilized to the T to create an unparalleled product.But with changing times,the entire fabric of moviemaking has also undergone a mekeover.Now its not only a question of creative excellence or deep nuances of film making that make a movie successful.With whopping budgets and tooth sweating competition,movies have become brands within themselves. Those days are obsolete when a movie used to become a blockbuster by the word of mouth.Now if the producers rely only on that,they would be left with "no words in their mouth!!!!".So now its the pre friday efforts that decide the movies's fortunes rather than the post friday brilliance (although its not a sure shot formula,many've faltered miserably even after great previews). But its certainly a more safer option.

Now making a stupendous movie is just a part of the job,its also pivotal to emulate an important theory of brand shastra-bombard the brand's name in the consumer's mind.
That's why marketing in movies has gained paramount importance in the last few years.Producers are leaving no stones unturned to evoke curiosity before the movie's release and showcase their movies as a cornucopian experience.

All this starts with deciding the target audience for the movie.Strategies are formulated which would lure them to the movie theatres.This includes promotion of the movie with myriad promotions on mediums such as electronic media,print media, internet,radio(.....and if possible create controversies....road to sure shot good opening of the movie). The advertisements of the movie are in the form of promos which highlight the assets of the movie such as music,powerful dialogues.In short,the aim is to give the audience a small essence of the movie & to keep them craving for more.

But the innovative approach to marketing in movies is reinventing itself time and again.Merchandizing movies,launching exclusive movie products,association with brands,in movie advertising,and the latest trend of utilizing the idiot box by appearing on reality shows are the various avenues used in the brand promotion of the movie.With the constant modification in the marketing strategies,no producer can afford to remain oblivious of this pivotal phenomenon.

Ace director Rakesh Roshan really got the merchandize market kicking with his sci-fi alien flick " koi mil gaya " where the production house decided to introduce the alien character jaadoo's pencil boxes,stationary items and dolls.That really got along well with the kids who were the target audience for that movie,so this pre release marketing created ubiquitous curiosity and set the cash registers ringing.The same magic was recreated with his next release "KRRISH" , where krrish dolls and masks became a househeld rage.and again the movie became a blockbuster even though the critics lambasted the it.

Farhan Akhtar's DON also utilized the burgeoning mobile market with introduction of games on this platform,that again got down really well with the youth.THis once again justified marketing importance associated with movies.

But the behemoth battle was seen recently that eventually became the mother of all movie marketing battles-the battle between shahrukh khan's home production(red chillies entertainment) Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's SAAWARIYA(produced by hollywood bigwig Columbia Tristar).They utilized all possible avenues and mediums to promote their respective movies and spent staggering amounts to do only one thing- "outperform" each other and carve a niche for themselves within people's minds.While OSO kept a mind numbing RS 14 crores for brand related promotions, Saawariya had an additional advantage of the backing of one of the biggest global production houses,so they took up the challenge and set apart an amount of, hold your breath ,staggering 25 crores for brand promotion.Now that's a lot of moolah put at stake by both the movies.

While OSO collaborated with brands such as Nokia,Maybelline and Shopper's Stop for its promotion, Saawariya had Sony entertainment television and pantaloon retail as their partners.On television,stars of both movies appeared on rival musical reality shows(OSO in sa re ga ma pa and Saawariya in voice of india,OSO in nach baliye and Saawariya in jhalak dikhla ja and the list goes on...).

Thus there were fireworks all around before diwali itself and the when the movies released on nov 9th,OSO got people's admiration but Saawariya got rejected candidly due to lack of commercial value. Thus the aficionados of movies' theory came into action again- Script is the King and Audience is the God to decide the fate of the movie.

But nobody can anymore stay obscure to the ameliorating importance of marketing movies.This is quite ostensible with movies made by maverick and exceptionally talented directors such as Nagesh Kukunoor,whose movies are based on out of the box concepts and have gone down brilliantly both with critics and the audience.But still somewhere down the line,one feels that if his movies would have got the same promotion as,say a Karan Johar movie,then they would've been certain blockbusters. So envisaging all perspectives in mind,its quite clear that making a wonderful movie is the most important formula for success, but in the new age era it has become equally important that it has to be bombarded into people's mind and it should be endeavoured that the movie becomes not just a medium of entertainment for the audience,but an entire experience for them...a feel good one...so that the CINEMA-NIA continues forever in our country.

What the entire country looks out for in the future is a very famous phrase of Indian film industry - " THE SHOW MUST GO ON".

Krishnakant

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