degree copy

degreecopy lands new correspondent

2006-06-28T14:41:00.000+05:30

In case the loyal followers of degreecopy didn’t notice, there was a shortage of staff on your favourite blog. we had almost decided to shut down the blog, when we realized that the organization is bigger than its employees. Ok, we had our share of problems: our one and only correspondent went missing citing non-payment of salary, and we had problems bringing out editions. There were also times when some posts strayed from the mission statement: nothing, but the twisted truth.

But then, every great organization goes through a lean patch. We went through ours. The founder would like to thank the loyal readership base of one for having stood by the blog through its worst. That’s all for now. Go away.

the write stuff

2006-05-09T14:24:00.000+05:30

Ah, well, isn’t that why some of us spend substantial portions of our lives and internet bills on: trying to write something worthwhile on our blogs. For those who harbour hopes of writing for bread and butter, john scalzi has some good advice. Nice stuff.

Via kitabkhana.

back after a long time

2006-05-04T20:54:00.000+05:30

Been a hell of a long time since degreecopy actually put some copy on the blog. Can be blamed on varying degrees of enthusiasm, or the lack of it, to be more precise. A new job and a hectic schedule haven’t helped matters. But I really, really need to find a way to squeeze in more words here, more frequently. Discipline is a useful trait to have if one wants to be a writer. Reminds me of rk narayan, and how he’d unfailingly write a few lines every day, while working on his first book Swami and Friends. The book turned out to be a masterpiece. I find it inspiring. Now, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and put some copy on this long neglected blog!;-)

The morning after

2006-04-13T17:23:00.000+05:30

I’m not a fan of dr.rajkumar. I’ve only seen a few of his movies, way back in the pre-cable tv era. But I have lived in bangalore long enough to understand the phenomenon called raj kumar. Like his counterparts in tamil nadu and andhra pradesh, the man played to the galleries. The robin hood, the ideal son, the saint, the everyman’s hero. and, boy, did he strike gold! But unlike the mgrs and ntrs, rajkumar stayed clear of politics.

By design or default, it was a masterstroke. He probably won’t have made a good politician. He was known for his decency and simplicity, and was relatively scandal-free all through his life. These traits, together with his on-screen success, turned him into a demi-god in Karnataka.

Which is why it is sad bangalore chose to bid farewell to him the way it did.

Tomorrow morning, after the emotions have subsided, hd kumaraswamy and his cohorts will wake up and realize how badly they had assessed the ground realities.

The police will wake up and alarm bells will ring. Hopelessly ill-equipped, badly trained, and woefully short on leadership and morale, they’ll have to ask themselves a few tough questions. Assuming they care to, that is.

It would be nice if the kannada film industry wakes up, but I doubt it. They find it far easier to rip off hits from other languages. It’s not the lack of talent. It’s the lack of initiative.

The fans will wake up and travel in the same buses they tried to burn. As they desperately cling on amidst smelly armpits and paunchy old farts, the knowledge that a few among them tried to destroy even the precious little public transport they can afford, will be one hard swallow.

As for raj kumar, he’ll sleep in peace. He’s earned it, after all.

Calling for tenders

2006-02-23T12:24:00.000+05:30

Degreecopy had earlier reported on the rot that had crept into the supari system. While the scandal has hopefully led to supari firms restructuring the whole process, prospective supari clients are also doing their bit to bring in more transparency to the process.

Uttar Pradesh Minister for Haj, Mohammed Yakub Qureshi and the Hindu Personal Law Board have led by personal example, in trying to clean up the supari system, by publicly inviting tenders for the assassination of elements with a high nuisance value. “By publicly announcing their dislike for certain elements and a hefty reward for the disposal of said elements, the Minister and the Board have taken a very clear stand, “ sources in the ministry told degreecopy. They were also quick to point out the advantages of this method: firstly, it is open to all. No backward or minority status quotas will be granted to select anti-social elements. Secondly, payments will be made only on completion of the project to the satisfaction of the client, in this case the Minister and the Board. So, half-murders will not be accepted. Thirdly, it’s an all-cash deal: No hanky-panky about bounced cheques, or shares in the sahara parivar group of companies.

Aspiring goons and talented freelance professionals have welcomed the new scheme. ”It has created a level playing field for all of us. Merit and satisfaction of client should be the only criteria. I fully endorse it!”, said a Mumbai-based freelancer to degreecopy. A Bihar-based veteran toughie said that the new scheme will also eliminate discrimination against lesser-known firms. “It was demoralizing to see Mumbai-based supari firms being preferred over moffussil units like ours. I thank the minister for creating a level playing field,” said the grateful goon.

Not that the mumbai-based firms are worried about taking on the competition. “Our executives have handled similar assignments before. It is a perfect blend of youth and experience. We are not worried at all,” said a new business head of a prominent mumbai-headquartered firm.

While the actions of the Minister and the Hindu Board are certainly based on good intentions, one can only wait and watch whether the move actually raises professional and ethical standards in the much stained supari business.

Deccan Herald Theatre Festival -II

2006-02-20T11:41:00.000+05:30

on hindsight, it turns out that the weakest link of the festival was the first play. days 3, 4 and 5 saw plays presented by CFD, topcast and Art.

CFD presented Hollywood Boy meets Girl. the centre for film and drama is one of bangalore's more talented and experienced groups, and it showed on stage. the play is a comical take on hollywood in the 1930s. an insecure star, a harried studio executive and two scoundrels for writers: perfect ingredients for a rip-roaring comedy. the cast led by prakash belawadi pulled it off to perfection, and had the audience in splits all through.

top cast staged 'the theft' on saturday. it's about how a theft reveals the skeletons in the cupboard of a couple. the lies, the hypocrises, the insecurities they go through. topcast had a brilliant script on their hands. yet, one left the theatre feeling that the cast didn't go for the kill. the script provided the team ample opportunities to up their performance a notch or two. it was a decent performance, but did they let a chance go abegging? to use an anology from cricket, top cast scored a single off a juicy full toss.

the deccan herald theatre festival saved the best for the last. jagdish raja and nandini rao teamed up to perform Valley Song. it's a story about the clash between the enthusiasm of the young and the cynism of the old. well, it could also be the story of a south africa in transition, when apartheid had just been outlawed. it was a treat to watch a seasoned veteran like jagdish raja in action. however, what was equally interesting was to watch young nandini rao match her much senior partner every step of the way. it was, by far, the best play of the festival.

Deccan Herald Theatre Festival -I

2006-02-17T15:01:00.000+05:30

been on a theatre-going binge recently. the newspaper my wife works for has asked her to cover the theatre festival they're sponsoring. so she gets to review five plays over five days. all the plays are being staged at the chowdaiah hall, in bangalore, from the 15th to the 19th of feb.
while she got a pass, i had to buy a ticket to watch these plays. but, guess what, my wife very generously offered to buy the tickets for me!:-)

so as of today, we've seen two plays, and there are three more to go. on wednesday we saw theatre group Kamayaa satge Boy Gets Girl. the first thing that comes to mind about that play is its duration: a full two-and-a-half hours! it was about this girl who stumbles into a blind date, and spends the rest of the play trying to get the persistent guy out of her life. she was drained at the end of it. so was the audience, i suspect! as for me, i didn't think much of it. the problem with it was that it was an american play, being staged by desis for namma bengaluru. the call-centre american accents were jarring. it felt like i was watching a bunch of very big school kids performing at a 'parents' day'. some of the actors on stage weren't entirely comfortable playing their american characters, and it was showing.

yesterday's play, on the other hand, was refreshingly good. Gnatak performed a French play (translated into english, and discovered by sean connery, it seems!) called Art. it's about this dermatologist who buys a plain white 'painting' for two hundred grand, and how it tests his friendship with his two friends. while one of the friends absolutely hates it, the other chap, a gentle soul, tries hard to be appreciative of it. it was hilarious. but sandwiched between the side-splitting lines, was the pathos of the soft guy: his inability to actually have an opinion on anything. instead, he spends his waking hours trying to build bridges with all around him. it was a great play, and the audience was roaring with laughter all through the play. so did they lose sight of the pathos amidst the hilarity, my wife wondered. i suspect the actors themselves had the same question on their minds at the end of the play!

Today, it's Boy Meets Girl presented by Centre for Film and Drama (CFD). hope to post about it in the near future.

ps: for tickets to saturday's(18th) and sunday's(19th) plays, call 25880179, 98458 24426 or 98454 52882.
all shows start at 7:30pm, Chowdaiah Hall, Bangalore.

descent from 'commanding heights"

2006-02-10T16:15:00.000+05:30

a fine article by nandan nilekani on how the successful decision to privatise the Delhi and Mumbai airports, despite the hoo-haa by the Left-led unions, could be a pivotal moment in determining how much control the state exercises over markets.

nilekani himself was involved in a similar endeavour through the bangalore action task force (batf), a few years ago. until the comatose combo of dharam and deve gowda dismantled the task force. i believe it is much more beneficial when the government hands over infrastructure development to those who can do the job. for one, as in the case of batf, there's greater accountability, which results in greater benefits for you and me.

secondly, the man on the street no longer cares whether it's the state or a private company in charge of the job.

and that's probably because markets and consumer attitudes have changed over the past few years. take air travel, for example. unlike a few years ago, when it was considered elitist, now low cost carriers have introduced air travel to a new category of customers- the middle class. always a dangerous bunch of customers to rub the wrong way! and when such mostly middle class travellers are caught in the cross fires between the left-led unions and the government, they need an ass to kick. which, more often than not, belongs to the dillusional prakash karat.

while the go-ahead to privatise the mumbai and delhi airports is definitely a positive signal for the reforms process, it's only the beginning. i think manmohan and co. would do well to ignore the comrades on such issues and accelerate the reforms process. or join the comrades waving the red flag in front of the bull of public ire, which before long, will run them over.

Keeper of great thoughts

2006-02-09T17:31:00.000+05:30

"History will not forgive you when you appeal again inzy" and other gems from Moin, the Enlightened.
My compliments to the Sports Editor at DNA for having gotten this fountain of wisdom to write for his paper.

if ironies could kill...

2006-01-31T14:08:00.000+05:30

the man cobbles together a coalition government with a one-point agenda: keep the bjp out of power. twenty months later, his son is all set to take over as chief minister. now, guess who the son's role model is?

back again!

2006-01-30T18:05:00.000+05:30

yeah, it's been a long time! blame it on laziness. unforgiveable, i know! will certainly try to cobble together a few words out here more often. no, really!

strand book festival

2005-11-28T11:06:00.000+05:30

It was a fine way to spend a Saturday evening. The wife and I were at the annual Strand Book Festival held at the P2 hall, in Chinnaswamy cricket stadium.

The overcast skies did nothing to discourage ravenous book lovers from converging on Chinnaswamy Stadium. The crowd outside the main gates certainly had passers-by wondering if an ODI had suddenly materialized out of nowhere. The fact that it was a weekend certainly helped.

But once inside, we forgot all about the crowds, and got down to serious business. Thousands of books on topics such as fiction, classics, travel, photography, religion, sports, philosophy, gardening, architecture, cookery, art and design and lots more. The only way to do justice would be to drop in on different days, to ensure you haven't missed out on anything.

What made the festival extra special was the beautiful green backdrop. It was a smart move to open the doors to the seating area of the cricket stadium. There’s nothing quite like browsing through a book with the lush green grass of the cricket ground in front of you. It certainly proved to be quite a hit with the folks who attended the fest.

a portrait of rahul 'the wall' dravid looks down upon the the books in the photography section. the KSCA has put up portraits of all the cricketers from the state who've played test cricket for india. nice.

The festival started on the 26^th of November and will go on till the 12^th of December. Timings: 10 am to 9 pm

PS: We picked up I, Claudius by Robert Graves, The master book on Journalism and Video Night in Kathmandu by Pico Iyer.

the twenty-year-itch

2005-11-23T12:39:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, I betrayed my longtime sweetheart, the idiot box, and brought World Space home. Needless to say, there’s tension at home. The idiot box looks heartbroken, like she resents the presence of the other one on the lower tier of the TV trolley. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Bihar had just kicked Laloo in the butt, and I should’ve enjoyed the evening watching and listening to prannoy roy’s analysis on my dear telly. But here I was, getting the antenna fixed for my World Space connection.

I first met World Space sometime last year. Just in passing, you know. Didn’t think much about it, and that was that. Then, all of a sudden, a few months back, it came right back into my life, and how! Love letters everyday. That too in the national newspapers. I was shocked to see such blatant attempts at wooing me. Initially, I didn’t care. I loved my idiot box. We had been through thick and thin. Of course, we had our disagreements. Who doesn’t, tell me. But the sense of guilt is terrible when I think of the long hours spent coochie-cooing with the idiot box during summer hols and cricket matches. I’ll never forget the high when cable tv happened. Those were the best days of our romance, in hindsight.

May be it’s our version of the seven-year itch, only in our case it’s the two-decade itch. There were times I flirted with others, but nothing serious. I still have a wonderful relationship with the internet and books, but for mindless entertainment, I always went back to dear old idiot box. Which is why it was heartbreaking to see dear little idiot size up world space yesterday. Digital satellite radio. 40 channels. Pop, rock, jazz, carnatic, Hindustani, country. 24 hours of non-stop music and news. Yeah, all the right assets to seduce me.

I am sorry, idiot box. You’re still my first love, and will always be. It’s not like I’ll throw you out onto the streets, you know that. You’ll always be on the first tier of the trolley. Cheer up now, and lets reminisce about the old times with Farishta on World Space.

your good name, please?

2005-10-20T15:55:00.000+05:30

in case you are in the market for a brand new name, help is at hand. literally. Key in your name in ms word. If that bright red line appears below your name, hurrah! good old ms word has some alternatives you might be interested in.

see what i found for karthik venkat: Kathie Venal.

Martha Vodka came a close second!

Jai Arjun tried it out with a few famous names. The results were hilarious.

Phew!

2005-10-19T14:46:00.000+05:30

degreecopy scores its 100th post.

thank you, people!

protest march to iipm campus

2005-10-18T16:23:00.000+05:30

the indian blogosphere is determined not to let the iipm controversy fizzle out with a few posts on their blogs. in order to create greater awareness, bloggers in bangalore have decided to organise a peaceful protest march to the iipm campus on october 24th. this will be followed by a demonstration in front of the campus, after which the bloggers hope to address the media on the issue.

if you would like to know more about the protest march, and be a part of it, please drop by everymanscity for details.

he's been jammed!

2005-10-11T15:47:00.000+05:30

this man could soon be exposed by the collective power of the indian blog world. meet mr.arindham chaudhuri. he runs the indian institute of planning and management (you must have seen their full-page ads in the papers).

jam magazine recently carried an article about his little joint. he wasn't impressed. so he sent a bunch of hoodlums(students of iipm?) to ransack the jam office. in addition, a bunch (or is it one person with different ids?) of iipm loyalists put up filthy comments on the blog of rashmi bansal, the editor of jam.

meanwhile, gaurav sabnis provided more information about iipm. so iipm forced gaurav into a situation where he had to choose between his beliefs and his job. gaurav went with his beliefs.

word about this soon spread around the indian blogosphere, and now mr.chaudhuri's con act is being exposed, blog-after-blog, at:
desipundit, youthcurry, indian writing, india uncut, kitabkhana, dcubed, jabberwock,vantage point, suderman and many other blogs.

welcome to the show, and do spread the jam about iipm.

cricket's crackpot captain

2005-09-23T17:09:00.000+05:30

degreecopy is in possession of an email allegedly written by an aspiring cricket captain to indian cricket team coach, greg chappell. printed below is the letter in its entirety.

Dear Shri Chappell-ji,

Ref: Physically and mentally unfit Indian cricket captain

Greetings to you, sir! Myself, Mr. Kirkuchamy, aged 37 years, resident nutcase nagar, India. I am humbly applying for post of Indian cricket captain to you sir. Forgive my proudness, but please see why you should consider me for great job.

I am loving cricket for lang time. Broken many records, windows and heads also. I can do both bowling and batting. By the blessings of our Lord Shri Tendulkaranatha, I am captain of our local crackpot cricket league. I am not boasting, but my team has won the Ashes Trophy also. But I don’t know why, our medical superintendent never clapped when we proudly showed off our trophy to him. He was saying something about burnt hospital records, and scolding us for putting ashes into that gopalchamy’s bedpan as a trophy.

The worst is that he gave me solitary confinement for one week, with only watery rice for meals. But I am not discouraged. These are little, little sacrifices for great achievements, no sir?

I am also physically very unfit. Latest weight is 100 kilos (weighing machine is reliable. I checked with Nurse Stella.). A few fingers are missing due to slight misunderstanding happening with next bed neighbour. I think he has kept my fingers in plastic cover under his bed. I will try and bring them when you call me for the personal interview with you.

Please find my resume with this letter, sir. If you need any more details, you can call my medical superintendent. I will tell him in advance that you are to be calling. Please consider my case favourably, sir. Together, we will bring 2007 world cup to India, by almighty’s grace.

Yours humblefully,

Kirkuchamy

PS: Unlike ganguly, I am personally feeling shyness to remove and wave shirt in front of unknown ladies, but don’t mind for sake of nation.

supari loses sanctity

2005-09-22T15:47:00.000+05:30

In an unprecedented move, Mr. Madhur Bandharkar, director of films like Page 3 and Chandni Bar, outbid starlet Preeti Jain, leading to information being leaked about Mr. Bhandarkar being a supari recipient.

Arun Gawli and Associates, the firm that was handling Ms.Jain’s case has already sacked Nagesh Pardesi, the supari executive who botched up the assignment. The firm has already gone overdrive into damage control mode. It is carrying out an internal investigation to find out why the counter-bid offer from Mr.Bandharkar was accepted. Industry sources say Mr. Gawli has privately assured clients that corrective measures are being taken to ensure that similar incidents do not recur.

As an industry, the underworld is clearly caught on the back foot. “I thought this sort of thing is rampant in call centers of credit card companies, not in an industry like ours,” said a veteran supari specialist to degreecopy. The supari has until now been Bollywood’s most trusted nuisance-clearance device. Earlier recipients of the supari include such filmi heavyweights such as Gulshan Kumar and Mukesh Duggal. Mr. Bandharkar was the all set to be the recipient for 2005.

In what many believe to be a delightfully simple, yet brilliant move, Mr. Bhandarkar offered to counter Ms. Jain’s bid. It certainly exposed the chinks in Mr.Gawli’s business model. The firm clearly did not have a plan in place to deal with counter-bid offers. To make matters worse, there was pressure on the firm’s bottom line, as well. Which led to the supari contract being cancelled.

It will certainly be interesting to see the industry’s response to the situation. Some are already putting a plan into place where the ‘Auction’ model will come into play. Here both client and the recipient of the supari will be invited to make bids, and the highest bid will settle the issue in a straightforward manner. But many industry veterans bemoan the fact that a few black sheep are bringing the entire underworld to disrepute. “The sanctity of the supari is under threat,” lamented a highly respected don to degreecopy.

numerical consolation

2005-09-12T14:11:00.000+05:30

take heart, mumbai. actually, you've reason to feel proud of yourself. you've coped much better with the floods than new orleans did with katrina. dilip d' souza has put up some very interesting numbers on his blog, comparing the two cities:

inches of rain in new orleans due to hurricane katrina... 18
inches of rain in mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1

population of new orleans... 484,674
population of mumbai.... 12,622,500

deaths in new orleans within 48 hours of katrina...100
deaths in mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.

number of people to be evacuated in new orleans... entire city..wohh
number of people evacuated in mumbai...10,000

Cases of shooting and violence in new orleans...Countless
Cases of shooting and violence in mumbai.. NONE

Time taken for US army to reach new orleans... 48hours
Time taken for Indian army and navy to reach mumbai...12hours

status 48hours later...new orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricty
status 48hours later..mumbai is back on its feet and it's business as usual

USA...world's most developed nation
India...third world country..

Well Done Mumbaikars

happy blogday to you

2005-08-31T12:51:00.000+05:30

image: via zigzackly

On the occasion of International Blog Day, a few words from our founder:

May you all continue to find the keys to great posts.

May you be showered with countless comments.

May you be blessed with a thousand links.

May you attend countless blogger meets, and discover the typefaces and point sizes of some of the folks who dropped by your blog.

And last but not the least May: May you continue taking your daily cuppa degreecopy.

freedom jam 2005

2005-08-28T19:25:00.000+05:30

after the august 15th show got cancelled, this year's edition of the freedom jam finally happened on august 27th, at the Palace Grounds in bangalore. with over 50 bands performing across three stages, it was a treat for music lovers in the city. almost all the bands played heavy metal, with a little jazz, fusion and indian classical music thrown in.

freedom jam is bangalore's annual music festival, which provides a platform for bands to showcase their talent, while the public can attend the festival, for free. it goes without saying that it's a wonderful way to discover new talent. fourth dimension, yello, esparanto and liquid groove were some of the bands that played some good original stuff.

"Fourth Dimension" at the Freedom Jam 2005
fourth dimension played a couple of original numbers that had the crowds grooving. unfortunately for these guys, their slot was early on in the show, when the crowd was just beginning to build up.

"Premonition"

Premonition played heavy metal. they were one of so many bands that sounded so similar. the fine line between heavy metal and noise was put to the test!

Little ones from "Nadopasana" pay tribute to Purandaradasa
indian classical music found its voice at freedom jam 2005, through these little girls who sang meera bhajans, songs by purandaradasa and a few more. egged on by their teacher and proud parents, they were cheered all the way through their performance.

Good heavy metal stuff from "Yello"

bali, prakash and pravin belong to different bands. but they came together for the freedom jam as "Yello" and belted out some wonderful heavy metal stuff. much to the relief of a crowd that was tired of some of the noise dished out by the others.

Fusion numbers from "Esparanto" at the Freedom Jam 2005
subramanium, subramanium, shanmughanatha, subramanium... classical indian songs set to rock music. that was esparanto, which comprised of a dutchman, three indians and a chap from denmark. though i didn't like the 'subramanium' number, some of the instrumental stuff was pretty good.

degreecopy gets a logo

2005-08-26T15:43:00.000+05:30

degreecopy
Originally uploaded by degreecopy.

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me immense pleasure to introduce degreecopy’s very own logo! It was a fond wish of degreecopy’s founder and editor/photographer/senior correspondent/sub-editor/trainee clerk, karthik venkat that this blog must have its own logo. Today, on the auspicious occasion of Gokulashtami, our founder’s wish has been realized.
(Tears of joy flow down founder’s cheeks, even as audience breaks into applause.)

for adults only

2005-08-18T16:16:00.000+05:30

The perfectly respectable newspaper my wife works for, could soon join pornography, driving and marriage (not necessarily in that order, please to note!) in the ‘for-adults-only’ category. The Supreme Court, on the basis of a public interest litigation wants clarification from newspapers and news agencies, on whether their content is suitable for consumption by those under 18.

Hmmm…

It’s a valid question, I s’pose. What with all the gristly stories of rape, murder, terrorism, riots and ghastly photos of these incidents. Fair enough. I mean, when you can rate movies on the basis of content, the least the SC could do was to ask the newspaperwallas what they think about the idea. Going by some of the stuff found in newspapers, some would say an ‘A’ certificate would do perfectly well next to the masthead. But do stop for a moment, and think about the larger implications.

Families with members below 18 would be forced to take tough measures. For starters, hiding the newspaper the moment it arrives would become unavoidable. Of course, adults in the family would have to read the newspaper in absolute privacy (look at the brighter side: you would be urged by the wife to read the paper in the loo.). A cupboard with a brand new lock and key would be in order: to keep the collection of old newspapers out of the reach of an impressionable young mind. There is however the tricky issue of selling old newspapers to the raddiwalla. Unlike newspapers, you and I may not have the license to sell adult material in the open market. To save us the bother, some conscientious newspapers may even carry statutory warnings: please destroy newspaper after reading contents.

Now let us examine the matter from the perspective of those below the age of 18. Unsurprisingly, some will not be affected by the ban, being disinterested in matters of general interest. Even for those with selective interests-like sports and cinema- offending material will be religiously censored. youngsters will find that ever-vigilant parents have expertly cut out photographs of shapely women tennis players receiving a serve during matches. tough luck, raging hormones. but, by far, the biggest blow will be struck on nerdy teens. the types who proudly showcase their certificates won at numerous general knowledge quizzes. the future will indeed be bleak for these unfortunate youngsters.

however, even among these, hope will flicker for a brave few. if their fathers and uncles could hide and hoard Playboy magazines, by jove, why not newspapers! and so every nerd worth his name will soon begin to stash away newspapers in school bags, cricket kits and anywhere his geeky imagination might lead him to. but there will be setbacks, of course. mothers are bound to accidentally discover the accursed newspapers, and break down inconsolably, wondering where they went wrong. but, lets face facts, such stray incidents are bound to occur. we will not be discouraged. tough as it might be, we shall strive to protect our innocents from the grubby claws of newspapers.

and may god bless the soul that thought of this public interest litigation. amen.

netas @ naukri.com

2005-08-11T18:22:00.000+05:30

Turns out the software and BPO industries aren’t the only ones to suffer from high attrition rates in bangalore. If the recent headlines in newspapers are anything to go by, politicians are also sprucing up resumes and working the phones to their headhunters. Degreecopy recently spoke to leading headhunters across bangalore, concerning the high rates of job dissatisfaction among even high-profile executives of political parties.

“Unlike software companies and BPOs, political parties have turned out poor results for the past few quarters. And that has put considerable pressure on all concerned,” said a headhunter at ma-fraud. There are rumours that former deputy chief minister of Karnataka shri siddu was seen loitering around ma-fraud’s premises, after he was sacked unceremoniously last week. “We do not share information regarding our clients,” was all the placement agency had to say, when quizzed about the matter.

Siddu was among the few professional managers at the senior management level of the family concern of jd supremo deve gowda. He was seen as a major hurdle in the way of the blossoming careers of shri gowda’s children. Hence the pink slip. Even as the janta dal and congress were busy with dirty laundry in the boardroom, an interesting drama was playing out at the other end of town.

The high-profile hr head of the bjp had to rush down to bangalore for an emergency closed-door session with his regional head, Shri Yeddi. Yeddi is believed to be extremely unhappy about the inter-departmental rivalry with his colleague Shri. Ananthu, and has accused shri ananthu of trespassing departments. Yeddi had even made threatening noises about launching his own start-up, and taking a portion of the existing business, as well. While matters have been resolved for the moment, Mr.Yeddi’s courtesy visit to Siddu hasn’t gone unnoticed. Sources believe the two industry veterans discussed the possibility of a start-up venture together.

Even as these corporate wars play out in boardrooms, placement firms are deluged with resumes of countless executives, cutting across party lines. In order to cater to the sudden demand, agencies like ma-fraud have even set up special cells at holiday resorts. “Having seen how politicos rush to holiday resorts to hold their flock together, we felt it made good business sense to open a branch at the resort,” said a placement executive to degreecopy.

So even as netas dust off their resumes, headhunting firms themselves have gone on a recruitment overdrive to meet the sudden demand. giving rise to speculation that the next sunrise industry could well be their own.

aaja meri auto mein bait-ja

2005-08-09T15:12:00.000+05:30

Crowds waiting impatiently at a bus stand, even as autos letch and ogle at them. Reminds me of a scene straight out of a hindi potboiler: the poor heroine waiting for her late latif lover boy at a park or a beach, pretending to ignore the lewd remarks and stares from the scumbags going that way.

It’s amazing how auto drivers have fine-tuned this act to the level of an art form. It’s a peak hour. Everybody is at the bus stand, waiting to go to work or return home. It’s been quite some time, but the infuriating bus is yet to show up. The heroine’s character plays out amongst the crowd: “why does he come late every day? It’s sickening, standing here and waiting for him. I’m gonna wring his little neck when he shows up. Sheesh, it’s too much.”

That’s when the autos show up. the road romeos, literally. Attempting to snatch the hero’s girl in full view. if the same thing were to happen in a movie, the audience would’ve been baying for the loafer’s blood. But when an auto tries to snatch someone waiting for a bus, not an eyelid blinks in protest.

Do observe that the autos don’t actually stop at a bus stand. That’s being desperate. No, they’ll just amble by; not too fast, not too slow. Giving a vulnerable soul in the crowd enough time to get seduced and swallowed by an auto. Needless to mention, the ones who succumb are the ones who don’t have a strong relationship with their buses. They stray at the slightest temptation. The guilt that follows is terrible. Countless are the people who’ve taken an auto and sunk to the depths of guilt and sorrow, when they see their dear bus go by heartbroken, at a traffic signal.

Be strong. Wait for your bus.

classified calorific information

2005-08-05T13:07:00.000+05:30

Every once in a while I get into a generous mood, and decide to donate a few calories. Fortunately, there’s a wonderful park near where I stay, so charity begins closer to home.

Turns out there are many people in the area who are equally eager. So every morning, the park resembles one of bangalore’s choking roads. With lots of folks eager to make tax-free donations. So if you ever feel like taking a walk in Krishna Rao Park in the morning, you’re bound to stumble into one of these:

a) the long-term philanthropists. You can count every bone in their bodies, but bet your last buck that they’ll show up every morning. To give away more calories than the dollars bill gates gives to aids research.

b) the doc-told-me-so-I-come types. They’d rather lie snug in bed, on a chilly bangalore morning. The body language certainly leaves no room for misunderstanding. Two rounds, and they’re out of the place.

c) the old boys philanthropy network. They do make sizeable donations, of course, but would rather do it in the company of like-minded folks. They’re difficult to miss. If you find a swarm buzzing near you, must be them. Bribing government clerks, rahul dravid’s captaincy, a deputy cm disowned by his party, the buzz could be about anything. But it’s difficult to ignore. be warned, you will have problems overtaking them while going about your business. Sufficient experience on the roads of bangalore is needed to negotiate the swarm.

d) the virgin donors. They’ve got I-am-an-enthu-cutlet written all over their face. The misers probably showed up on a moment’s inspiration. You can recognize them by the reckless manner in which they overtake others. At other times, they will pull over to a side to stare a cricket match in session. it is not uncommon to overhear on-the-spot resolutions being made to conscientiously work out everyday. Ninety percent will not show up the next day.

e) There is also a variation of category b). these have been bullied/taunted/kicked into coming to the park. But they will not go down without a fight. If you find a grumpy/sleepy person sitting on one of the benches and staring into eternity, contemplating about a cruel, calorie-conscious world, it must be one of those.

f) the donate-now-dig-in-later types. these have a prickly conscience. so they will religiously walk around the park a few times, and then head for the neighbourhood darshini. to dig into butter dosas, and get some packed for the mrs., as well.

g)Then there’s me. Who goes there, so he can park something here on the blog. ouch, my leg hurts after all this writing!

bunch of wannabes

2005-08-02T18:27:00.000+05:30

via kiruba

image courtesy: rediff

Mumbai wanted to be Shanghai.

And you, Bangalore, what do you want to be?

apostrophe catastrophe

2005-07-28T15:40:00.000+05:30

A few weeks back, as I was returning home from work, this gem caught me with my pencils down. Brilliant, isn’t it?

Copywriters tend to marvel at such stuff, the way a diamond trader in Antwerp gently caresses little diamonds as he transfers them from one hand to another. The beauty of this piece is that it’s more than just a humble typo. Merely removing the infuriating apostrophe does not solve the problem. Here’s something Lynn Truss missed out in her wonderful book Eats, Shoots and Leaves: Behind every typo lurks a split personality.

Because when you remove the apostrophe, it reads: Cars “R” Us. The guy who runs this place thinks he’s a car.

Think about it. He could’ve said he owns the best/cheapest/reliable/efficient/cutting-edge/whatever service center in Bangalore. But he knew customers have probably heard all that before. So he said he’s a car. His sales pitch: it takes one to know one. So, he may have a split personality, but he’ll fix your car.

And hey, he’ll even groom your car for you.

Outlaw turns in-law

2005-07-25T18:40:00.000+05:30

So the reception to celebrate the wedding of dawood’s daughter with javed miandad’s son went off well, thank you very much!

There were no encounters. While an entire baraat of intelligence agencies were at the grand hyatt, the father of the bride was not to be seen. Unlike the Godfather, this one was in no mood to grant the wishes of his (uninvited) guests, on his daugher’s wedding day.

There were plenty of shoot-outs. By the voyeuristic cameras of countless news agencies, that is. After all, we were curious to see how the hoodlum celebrates his daughter’s wedding, weren't we? To know who showed up at the wedding, and who didn’t. Turns out Sunny Gavaskar received one of those dreaded invites, but made sure the tv cameras spotted him at Lord's during the Ashes test.

There were no ransom calls. Only clarifications about the dowry that papa don wanted to give his daughter. Drugs, bollywood productions, the betting syndicate and other lucrative gifts are what the groom’s family can now look forward to from their daughter-in-law.

There was bollywood music. After all, what’s a wedding without some music and dance? But there was no Shah Rukh Khan, he who dances at the weddings of the rich and famous. I’m guessing it was not an issue of the monies.

There was lots of food. For details, you might want to check out this.

There were lots of guests. July 23^rd was a bad day to order a supari. Everyone was at the reception. The same holds good for the who’s who of cricket punters. Hey, give them a break, will ya?

There were lots of fireworks during the bidayi. A couple of heads rolled when pistols went off during the celebrations. Aw, but these things happen at a don’s party, man.

There will be a honeymoon. Bin laden has invited the young couple to spend a few days in one of his caves. The don is yet to respond.

Don’t forget to pack my marijuana

2005-07-20T15:07:00.000+05:30

Prasad Bidapa has extremely caring friends. Turns out one of them might have just helped Prasad enjoy free accommodation and f&b at a Dubai jail, for carrying marijuana in his bag. Prasad claims that much before his visit to Dubai, he was at a party in Kolkata where the little pouch of pleasure was left on top of a tv set. At the end of the party, Bidapa notices this little packet lying on top of the tv. While our well-intentioned friend wanted to throw it away, he ended up taking quite a trip with it, around Bangalore and then Dubai, where the police authorities finally said stop.

Now, here’s the thing: Bidapa can’t remember exactly who dropped the damn pack into his bag. The thinking behind dropping the pack in the bag is very sound: Why waste a perfectly good pack of marijuana, after all? I mean, forget your toothbrush, your shaving kit and your damn undies, no problem. But imagine going around Dubai hoping to luck into a pack of marijuana. Quite a problem, especially if you don’t have contacts in the D-company or one of its subsidiaries.

However, Bidapa’s problems didn’t end with the Dubai police coming in the way of his marijuana trip. "My biggest hurdle was I could not follow Arabic nor understand the forms they were trying to fill. For a long time, I had no clue as to what was happening", he said. Now, if I’m caught with marijuana in my bag, I pretty much understand what the police is trying to tell me. In moments like these, sadly, the world speaks one language. Despite the language barrier, the Dubai police managed to convey a few things to the image consultant (now, be honest, at this very moment, aren’t you dying to be his client?). "In Dubai whether you are carrying one gram, 100 grams or one kilogram of drug, makes no difference, you are treated as an offender", Bidapa said. Wow, man!

But all’s well that ends well, and Prasad Bidapa is back in Bangalore and a free man. He is also grateful for the timely help rendered by his numerous friends among the high-and-mighty. "There were scores of people who supported me, I was informed that Salman was ready to talk on behalf of me…”, he said. He might be telling the truth, you know. Surely, the Mumbai police will have a tape of that conversation somewhere.

Will the real Bangalorean please stand up?

2005-07-15T21:43:00.000+05:30

It’s been close to two weeks since I moved to Bangalore. But there have been many, many moments over the past few days when I’ve felt like I haven’t moved out of Chennai. Maybe it’s because of the Tamil songs a colleague listens to at work. Maybe it’s the Anniyan hoarding I see at Urvashi Theatre on the way to work. Or may be it’s the sheer number of Tamilians one comes across in the city. The funny thing is that of the many Tamilians I know in Bangalore, very few seem to have even an elementary knowledge of Kannada. This despite having lived in the city for ages.

And that’s what makes Bangalore unique. It’s probably the only city in India where the natives account for less that 30% of the population. It’s the only city where cinema theatres screen films in as many as five languages. It’s probably the only city where a person from another state can go about his business for years, without knowing a word of the local language.

And that seems to be a matter of concern for the Kannadiga. Every Kannadiga I’ve spoken to since my return to the city has wasted no time in reminding me how very few non-Kannadigas seem to make the effort to learn the local language. Why is it such a big deal? Are they fanatics? Not by any stretch of imagination! But they are concerned that while that city has provided opportunities to the outsider, the non-Kannadigas haven’t reciprocated by ‘blending’ in. Which to a great extent means learning the local language.

But to the credit of the Kannadigas, this has never become an issue for the netas to milk votes out of. The cultured, educated Kannadiga has never let matters get out of hand. But it certainly makes me wonder whether the situation is ripe for Bangalore to discover its own Bala Saheb. That would be a sad day indeed for the city.

thanda matlab controversy

2005-07-13T13:00:00.000+05:30

cocacola
Originally uploaded by degreecopy.

Coke seems to have landed itself in yet another garma-garam mess. This snap taken by well-known chennai-based lensman sharad haksar has left coke hopping mad. Haksar, undoubtedly one of india’s finest lensman, uses hoardings in some of chennai’s prime areas to advertise his services. This time round, he got more than he bargained for.

Having shot this interesting image, Haksar approached coke for permission to put it up as a hoarding in chennai. At that point, Coke apparently had no problems. So up went the hoarding. Now, Coke has filed a defamation suit against haksar for the hoarding, and is demanding that the hoarding be brought down immediately.

I just have one question for coke: what were you guys drinking when you approved the hoarding?

As far as haksar is concerned, it’s a very smart piece of work. Great photography and yada, yada, yada. But for coke, this hoarding ka matlab nothing but controversy. Reminds one of Marie Antoinette, the lady who asked her subjects to have cakes if they couldn’t find bread and precipitated the French revolution.

Coke should’ve outright refused permission to use their name in the hoarding. Especially in a city like chennai, where fluorescent buckets line up at every roadside tap. The last thing you want to tell people in such situations is: drink my fizz water. Bah!

Get real, coca-cola.

degreecopy shifts base

2005-07-12T14:13:00.000+05:30

degreecopy will now be served bisi, bisi from bangalore! the past two weeks were spent shifting and setting up base in bengaluru. back in the city after almost four years. and feels kinda strange. like it's all familiar, yet not quite so familiar. feels very good to be back in the city of darshinis! and feels suffocated with all the traffic and pollution that has taken over the erstwhile garden city. bangalore has long since given up the ghost of garden city. but it still gives me great pleasure to drive around the lush green spaces that the city is desperately clinging onto. and god knows bangalore needs them. i am worried for the city. i hope it doesn't get swallowed by its own success.

oooh, meme-mia!

2005-06-21T22:57:00.000+05:30

ok, it was only a question of time before this happened. degreecopy has been tagged. by anand alias magnus astrum. so here goes:

Three Names I Go By :
karthik
karthik venkat
katrik

Three Screen Names :
degreecopy( light)
degreecopy(super strong)
degreecopy(bru, yuck!)

Three Physical Things You Like About Yourself:
my wife thinks it's my smile, nose and dimples
she hastens to mention, "not always, only sometimes!"
gulp!

Three Things You Don't Like About Yourself:
i sweat like it rains in cherrapunji
i tend to put on weight easily
slightly ocd-ish

Three Things That Scare Me :
to be sleepless on a sunday night. it just freaks me out!
sharing the road with autodrivers in chennai.
when the deadline arrives, and the ad hasn't!

Three Things I Want To Do Badly Right Now:
curse the man who invented tags ;-)
drink some water
read saville by david storey

Three Careers I Am Considering Right Now:
rip van winkle
sultan of brunei
no complaints about the one i already have

Three Places I Want To Go On A Vacation
Spain
Greece
Italy

Three Kiddy Names I Like :
Puttu
Kutty
you little BRAT!!

Three Things To Do Before I Die :
do some mindblowing campaigns
make money
travel the world with my wife
and oh yes, the most elusive, be happy.

Total Number Of Films I Own On Dvd/Video:
zero
zilch
shoonya

The last film I bought:
nope! never bought any.

The last film I watched:
hazaaron khwayishein aisi. watch it, it's fabulous!

Three Of Your Everyday Essentials:
my purse
my cellphone
my keys

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now
shorts
tees
and an expression of relief

phew, glad i'm done!

tigers demand non-bailable warrants

2005-06-18T23:50:00.000+05:30

while the black bucks are mourning the death of one of their community, tigers across the country came together for an emergency chintan-bhaitak, at kaziranga, to discuss the implications of the arrest of one of their community.

it is certainly an interesting situation that the tigers find themselves in. while there was unanimous condemnation of the arrest of pataudi, many believe that a non-bailable arrest warrant is just what the doctor ordered. many tigers at the bhaitak are delighted to have lucked into what appears to be a perfect solution to the problem of the huge drop in tiger population. 'a non-bailable warrant will provide all tigers with adequate protection and nourishment. needless to mention, this will encourage more tigers to go the family way,' one of the tigers told degreecopy.

for a long time now, wildlife experts have feared tigers will go the parsee way, and marry outside the community. in the recent past, most tigers have shied away from holy matrimony, in the face of bleak prospects of roti, kapda and makaan. 'it is unfair to bring children into such a cruel world filled with humans. i'd rather die a bachelor,' one elderly tiger attending the bhaitak told degreecopy.

however now, with the arrest of pataudi, there seems to be light at the end of the dark forest: the bulbs of a jail to be precise. at the end of the two-day bhaitak at kaziranga, the tiger community came up with the following demands to the ministry for wildlife:

all tigers to receive unconditional non-bailable warrants
every cub's arrest warrant will be handed over to the parents at the time of birth, and must be submitted at the nearest jail for instant accommodation and f&b
a special panel of tigers will inspect jails annually to ensure humans can't enter the high security zone
taking a leaf out of the parsee community, a special prize will be given to every tiger family that has more than three cubs. prizes include having a local politician or poacher for dinner
a tie-up with kiran bedi, to carry out yoga and personality development courses, inside the jail
annual visit to native forest, to maintain links with the homeland. with z+ security, of course

these are just a few of the demands put up by the tigers. they are, however, waiting for pataudi's opinion from within jajjhar jail, on living conditions inside the jail. based on his report, the final list of demands and recommendations will be presented to the prime-minister, said a senior tiger to degreecopy.

2005-06-17T23:26:00.000+05:30

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

degreecopy in the hindu!

2005-06-16T22:03:00.000+05:30

so here i am ...back after a much needed break at yercaud. while it felt very good to be in yercaud, it felt even better to read this! and, oh, please defffinitly make sure you read the last bit. the best has been reserved for the last!

yercaud, yere i come!

2005-06-10T20:23:00.000+05:30

yippee, i'm off on a four-day break to yercaud. four days of doing nothing, but chilling out. will be back in chennai on wednesday. till then adios, people!

laloo inclusion unconstitutional: barbie devi

2005-06-08T22:15:00.000+05:30

laloo yadav is now available at a toystore near you! yes, you can now gift your little ones a laloo doll decked up in shri laloo-ji's trademark white pyjama kurta. laloo's entry into doll-dom has proved to be a super hit with kids, and the dolls are selling like hot cakes. while that is certainly good news for laloo-ji, the doll mazdoor zangh is displeased with the way events have played out. for the first time ever, smt. barbie devi, the unquestioned diva of dollywood spoke to degreecopy in an exclusive interview

degreecopy: barbie devi, were you surprised when sri laloo was launched into dollywood?
smt barbie devi: well, considering that the elections are to take place in bihar, one can expect netas to resort to gimmicks. but yes, i was taken aback with lalooji's decision to enter dollywood.

degreecopy: he did consult you on the move. why did you advise him against it?
smt. barbie devi: see, dollywood is not child's play. all of us....superman, gi joe, he-man, we've worked our way up dollywood. it is an industry full of professionals who have decades of success behind them. we've worked our way up the toy ladder. my personal opinion is that laloo's entry will politicise the doll world.

degreecopy: what took place at the emergency meeting at doll-bhawan?
smt.barbie devi: frankly, the mnc dolls were perturbed at the turn of events. they felt it will not be a level playing field once laloo steps in. there are fears in dollywood that laloo will soon move a motion to promote desi-dolls, and sideline the mncs. he might demand reservation and subsidies on membership to the dollhousie (the exclusive doll resort).

degreecopy: but he has proved to be a hit with the kids...
smt.barbie devi: arre, what is so great about it? it's the initial hype. kids like anything new. let us wait... lets see the situation a few months down the line. besides, he has always been a hit with you media fellows. you put him on the front page and on tv. he has bribed dukaanwaalas to put him on the main shelf in their store. to give him maximum coverage. but i am confident that merit will triumph.

degreecopy: some would say dollywood has over-reacted to laloo's success...
smt. barbie devi: obviously, we are under pressure to do something about it. we owe it to our owners. gi joe will soon get a desi makeover from one of india's top fashion designers. superman will for the first time carry a lathi on his journey... so yeah, everyone is dealing with it in their own manner.

degreecopy: you were not in favour of his medical reimbursement package....
smt. barbie devi: that's utter nonsense. i will never indulge in such infantile acts. in fact, i demanded that every member of dollywood have equal rights to plastic surgery, liposuction and every other medication necessary to deal with abuse from children. dollywood is a tough industry after all.

battle of by-2

2005-06-04T21:21:00.000+05:30

"reliance empire goes by-2 over coffee!"

in what is clearly a startling development, india's biggest industrial empire may disintegrate over a strong dose of coffee. reliable sources have informed degreecopy that it all started when mukki and ani dropped into a darshini for a refreshing dose of strong, filter coffee. the health conscious ani, worried about his latest caffeine levels, suggested splitting a cup of coffee, and ordered a by-2 coffee.

mukki welcomed his brother's decision, with the intention of cutting costs. trouble erupted when the waiter showed up with two steel tumblers of strong by-2 coffees. reliable sources say ani was clearly dissatisfied with his share of by-2 coffee, and was quick to point out the discrepancy in the division of the coffee.

startled by his brother's complaint, mukki rebuked his brother for wanting a caffeine overdose on the eve of the mumbadevi mahadaud, where the younger brother was set to run with his dogs and z+ security. to which ani responded that it was a question of conscience and not caffeine. property has to be split equally, considering that the cost of rs.7 would be split equally, as well.

both brothers were quick to realise that it was a 'houston-we-have-a-problem' situation. the cousins, lawyers, accoutants and pr puppies were asked to take the next low-cost-carrier flight to bangalore to handle the unprecedented crisis in the empire's over-three-decade history. even as events were unfolding at the darshini, the stockmarket was feeling the withdrawal symptoms of the caffeine crisis.

a thorough enquiry was conducted by well-wisher kamath, ceo, i-see-oh-i-see bank. over countless hours, he personally interrogated shyamanna, the coffee-man believed to have poured the coffee into the two cups. however, altaf, the waiter, who brought the controversial by-2 coffees to the brothers, has absconded. chemical engineers from the company's petrochemicals division have been flown in to assess the exact percentage of caffeine and milk present in the two cups. the mother of the two brothers is also rushing down to the silicon city in her personal luxury bus (read previous post for details) with family guru, swami tel-ananda.

while it appears that it will still be quite some time before the by-2 caffeine crisis is amicable settled, the darshini seems to be enjoying its new found publicity, with travel agents quickly cashing on the latest must-see joint. even as sound bites are being bandied about by pr executives from both sides, research organisation, imrb, provided degreecopy with the startling results of their latest survey. consumption of by-2 coffee by some of india's most well-known corporate families has dropped drastically, with a ban on family members ordering by-2 coffee at any restaurant, worldwide. clearly, a case of once by-2ed, twice shy.

flight 12B landing

2005-05-31T22:51:00.000+05:30

it started with air deccan, soon spice jet and kingfisher followed. all with the noble endeavour of making air travel more accessible to the junta. now, allow you imagination to soar to the skies, and think of the possibilities, the pros and the cons of such radical measures. things could turn out to be very interesting up there in the sky. and down on terra firma.

should the whole low-cost-carrier thingy work out, very soon air deccan and company might start operating flights within the city limits. for starters, the prices of plane tickets will undercut those of terra firma transport services such as buses, autos and the metro rail. after all, you really can't compete against an airline that charges a buck for an air ticket. suddenly, even the most loyal bus commuters will look up to the skies for release from their transportation woes. college students, housewives, labourers, all of them will finally experience the same pleasure that oliver and wilbur wright once did.

now, if only one could leave behind the problems of terra firma transport services on the ground. but that's asking for too much. the captain and crew will frequently warn passengers about pickpockets on board. this is when they aren't showering curses on the footboard travellers, who seem to miss the great pleasure of spitting from a moving bus. then, of course, there's the problem specific to chennai, where chimpanzees from local colleges, dance on top of buses. kingfisher airlines, in particular, deals with the problem in a rather drastic manner. vijay mallya will personally cut off the legs of all scoundrels caught wriggling on top of his planes. with his newly acquired 'sword of tipu sultan'. as a sign of how commuters have kept pace with transport service providers, those who jump off moving buses will now use parachutes to get off before a scheduled stop. nevertheless, there will be a few incidents where one will find adventurous folks splashed on the ground from a passing plane. unfortunate, but hey, that's the way it is.

the only drawback with this rosy scenario is that private jets will soon cease to be rich boys' favourite toys. if the junta goes to the jet, it's time the ambanis and their ilk eject from their planes and hit the bus. big state transport buses will soon find their way into hallowed driveways. with mukesh ambani, parmeshwar godrej and kumaramangalam birla posing in front of their newest toys, with their very own customised bus tickets. even as their conductor blows his whistle, and yells: right, right! arre ambani, aaja. tera stop next hain!

burpy battles

2005-05-29T16:19:00.000+05:30

ever waited outside a popular restaurant on a weekend? it's quite an interesting experience actually. especially, if the place has glass walls and you can peek in. ever so often, a cold war brews between people on either side of the glass.

the ones on the outside arrive with glorious expectations of a fabulous saturday night dinner with the gang. even before the car has been parked, the gang takes a hard gulp... and a few smiles and hopes are swallowed. there's a crowd waiting outside that is quick to welcome our gang with a nice, juicy smirk.

other families waiting outside are assessed. our gang leader springs into action and registers himself on the waiting list. the gang puts on a brave front. appetising gossip is passed around. stale jokes are shared, and politely laughed at. all the while keeping an eye on the state of affairs inside the restaurant.

5, 10, 15 minutes pass.... not one bugger on the inside has stepped out. the gluttons seem determined to go on all night. a few piercing glares are tossed at the gluttons at the table nearest to the glass wall. the insiders are quick to digest the meat of the message: "shove it down your throat, and @#$% off!" such taunts should clearly not go unanswered, decide the folks on the inside. the gang leader inside has just burped his satisfaction with the meal. but calls for the menu card, anyway. spite the little imp, who's stuck his nose to the glass on the outside.

meanwhile, dissent is brewing among the comrades on the outside. alternatives are suggested, the growing population is cursed for screwing up a weekend, and the way to the nearest restaurant is worked out. our gang leader, oblivious to the mood among his troops, is still engaged in mortal combat with his counterpart on the inside. and then voila! the man on the inside waves his white napkin at the waiter. the family seems to have lost the hunger to fight on.

there are wild celebrations on the other side of the glass. the victors step in, they are on cloud nine, swaying to the tunes of 'we are the champions'. and take their hard-won places at the table. famished, ready to polish off anything that comes their way. and then they throw a casual glance outside. the war cry has been sounded, yet again!

boom-boom in bihar

2005-05-25T21:49:00.000+05:30

it's election time in bihar, after paswan refused to go to bed with both laloo and the nda. this makes him the undisputed no.1 on the hit list of all the political parties in bihar. but i am equally certain that all across bihar, thugs and goondas will set up fan clubs in his honour. for yet another glorious opportunity to make a killing.

clearly, these are great times for all ambitious scoundrels across the state. they had a blast during the first round. now, with the dissolution of the assembly, sunny days are back again. it is one of those rare moments when demand for goondas is greater than supply. the most qualified, the cream of the talent pool, have already been hired by the top guns. but bihar needs more. a campus recruitment drive at colleges by leading thugs cannot be ruled out. young men and women will be introduced to the wonderful opportunities available in the industry. students involved in stone throwing during local riots, man-handling lecturers, leaking exam papers and excelling in nuisance will be given preference over others.

however, it is the experienced lot who are greatly valued in the present situation. poaching of thugs and rascals from one gang by another cannot be ruled out. leading head hunters have been inundated by calls for talent from the various gangs. a hefty hike in pay packages with generous perks have been dangled in front of impressionable young rascals. apart from poaching, many gangs have also reached out to freelance thugs, like never before.

inspired by the global IT industry, some of bihar's top gangs have even outsourced work in the hope of maximising quarterly returns. while cfos of these gangs refused to quote numbers, it has been noted that a substantial number of train tickets from mumbai to laloo-land have been booked by supari start-ups.

while all the glorious opportunities made available to young scoundrels is truly commendable, it has also taken a toll on their personal lives. most thugs are at work even on weekends, leading to great strain in familial ties. doctors are kidnapped round the hour to treat gang members for blood pressure and other stress-related ailments. the hr chief of a leading gang is even considering tying up with sri sri ravi shankar's the art of living foundation. but, as industry sources point out, these are minor irritants in an industry that's going boom-boom in bihar.

watt in peace

2005-05-21T19:54:00.000+05:30

reputed wattage caterer, mr.extension chord breathed his last watt of electricity yesterday. it was a peaceful end. unlike some, he chose not to go down in a blaze of sparks. while the demise was unexpected, there was no shock or trauma inflicted on dependents like degreecopy and score-board. as a mark of respect, a prayer meeting was held, after which, gadget inc. was closed for a day.

shri chord lived a long and eventful life. much like mumbai's dabbawallas, he unfailingly delivered nutrious wattage to hungry gadgets daily. no matter what the time of day, rain or shine, chord was on the job 24/7. talking to degreecopy about chord's passing, longtime neighbour and colleague, ms.pc said, "chord was a quiet, but efficient fellow. he had all the qualities of an ideal neighbour. he will be missed," chord's dear friend, plugpoint was inconsolable: "he was my only friend. i live in the dark alley behind an almirah. no one visits, except for that godly soul. now he's gone. i feel orphaned." amidst the mourning, there are allegations that chord was overworked, and it could possibly have led to the unexpected end.

while concerned authorities didn't comment on that, they were quick to appoint a new man, mr.anchor, to chord's post. a freshman (hopefully), mr. anchor got down to business straightaway by paying a visit to shri plugpoint, assuring him of a warm, spark-free relationship at all times. later in the day, he was introduced to colleagues ms.pc and the speaker sisters. degreecopy wishes shri anchor a great future, and prays for the soul of shri chord.

hung by an asterix

2005-05-17T22:55:00.000+05:30

open a newspaper or stare at the idiot box for more than ten minutes, and you'll come across at least one ad with some promo. buy-my-soap-get-bubbles-free kind of stuff. depending on whether you are into detergents, cell phones, mutual funds or whatever that's being sold, one time or another, you've fallen for their unbelievable offers. 'why don't you just check it out, darling', your heart cooes into your ear. but then you are an old hand at this. decades of digesting the crap dished out by these ads has taught you to watch out for that cunning old fox. better known in these parts of town as the asterix.

it's the point where dream merchants end their fable, and the accountants and lawyers muscle their way in. it's amazing how much power and ammo has been pumped into this infuriating character. comparisons with mushy bhai next door won't be out of place! but that's another issue. paradise/shining clothes/ lower phone bills/ glitzy cars and what not, all of them hang by that little 6-pointsize asterix.

but what exactly does the damn thing mean? mostly, it means terms and conditions apply. but the asterix has a diversified range of irritants in its arsenal. all of which have one primary objective: to stop you from running away from a bunch of freebies. anyone who can get past the gravitational pull of the black hole called asterix truly deserves his freebie. the lucky man not to be hung by the asterix.

zzzz+ security

2005-05-15T22:51:00.000+05:30

the next time india today or outlook puts out their list of happening careers, my personal recommendation would be that of a security guard at any of the flats in chennai.

qualifications:

first things first, the young turks in this business are in their late fifties, so go figure.

no paunch, no job, saar

walk the dog and return home with the neighbour's veshti in its mouth

direct sweaty pizza delivery boys to the wrong apartment.

flirt/gossip with the maids.

demand toll money from vegetable vendors, before allowing them into the premises

and last, but definitely the clincher, sleep on the job.

interested candidates can get in touch with any of the security agencies here in chennai. and look forward to a glorious career.

ctrl+alt+del pen

2005-05-12T21:33:00.000+05:30

here's something i've thought about often, but never got down to blogging about. until horror of horrors, i saw ravi had beaten me to it!

when was the last time you actually wrote something? as in, put pen to paper. not banging away at a keyboard like maniacs overtaking a deadline from the wrong side. turns out there are quite a few who haven't done it in sometime. and massage their hands like kids from class-2 asked to write 5-times tables 10 times. this after plodding through five lines on a piece of paper.

come to think of it, it's so bloody ironical. a good deal of blood, sweat, tears and the occasional whack from a disgusted parent is invested in teaching little ones to hold the treacherous pencil, and doodle in a book. sometimes it takes hapless teachers years before they decipher what has gone into those notebooks. and then, suddenly, without warning, the poor kid is introduced to the personal computer.

he isn't slow in catching on to the benefits, however. fingers don't need to be sharpened, or leak ink. you don't have to ever refill a finger. and the best part is you can write with both hands, where previously only one was gainfully employed. in addition, there's ctrl c+ctrl v, delete and other goodies that bill gates and his good men have given us. and slowly but surely, the pen retreats into the blinding darkness of the pocket. to be retrieved only when announcing one's arrival at work, or the infuriating departure of a check. unlike rk narayan's writerly life, today it's ctrl+alt+del for the pen.

bhelpuri's narayana murthy

2005-05-10T22:43:00.000+05:30

the sunday edition(May8) of the economic times claims that after IT and BT, it's the turn of AT... aloo tikki, i mean! food and beverages is apparently the next sunrise industry. think about that, eh.

as of this very moment, maybe a young fellow has probably just opened his bhelpuri stall, after dipping generously into his wife's dowry. it's your typical story of hardwork, endless sacrifice and great talent to churn out one bhelpuri after another. at street corners, outside college gates, near chai-paani joints and countless other places. before our hero musters enough cash and courage (stupidity, if you are his mother-in-law) to open his very own hole-in-the-wall: bhelfosys, india's first incorporated bhelpuri joint.

the first few years are tough, but satisfying. by now, bhelfosys has diversified into masalapuris, paani pooris and a variety of other chats for clients. while operations are still primarily on-site, bhelfosys is on a recruitment overdrive. where else will they poach talent but from the darshinis of bangalore (read previous post)! suddenly, salaries are shooting through the roof, and special training centres are opening up all across the country, with (surprise, surprise) NIIT leading the way, yet again!

india today, outlook and various other mags put our hero on their covers! bhelfosys has now moved into its own campus outside bangalore. and the best part is bhelfosys will soon hit NASDAQ! the first indian bhelpuri joint to leave wall street slurping for more. but amidst all this, our hero hasn't forgotten his humble roots. he is quick to share stock options with his employees. stocks of free bhelpuris for hot shot performers. everyone, from his cfo to his chauffeur, is now a bhel-lionaire. and our man is a legend.

yes, people, you have been warned. the future is here, and it's called bhelfosys!

miss you, darshini

2005-05-07T14:37:00.000+05:30

it was my one true love affair before i met my wife. frankly, i have hopes of reviving it some time in the near future. unfortunately the first fling had to end when i moved to chennai in 2001. but it was delicious while it lasted. a never-ending love for the darshinis of bangalore.

for the uninitiated (you poor blighters!), darshinis are bangalore's fastfood joints devoted exclusively to south-indian food. crunchy dosas, butter dosas that melt in the mouth, piping hot and soft idlis, the straight-off-the-fire sambar, the delightful kharabath, the unforgettable strong coffee and lots of other typically south indian eats.

there are lots of darshinis peppered across bangalore. each with a different first name; like it matters! because almost all of them have a few things in common: mouth-watering food served lightning fast, very hygenic and prices that make me curse chennai. should any of the darshinis ever move to chennai, half the nincompoops in the restaurant business will be left to starve.

the best part about the darshini is that it's perfect when you want to grab a quick bite, and want to go easy on your wallet. most folks in bangalore happily stand and wolf down their grub at these hole-in-the-wall joints, rather than go to places where you can park your butt. should you ever drop by at a darshini early in the morning, don't be surprised to overhear paunchy middle-aged folks brag about how many calories have been burnt on their morning walks, even as they tuck-in a crunchy butter dosa, and get some packed for the wife!

control for five seconds, please

2005-05-04T21:55:00.000+05:30

most of us here in chennai can't control ourselves. we just have to go, you know. the urge to shoot past the traffic signal at the last five seconds, is irresistible. if you live in chennai, just look out for this phenomenon on a road near you. very rarely will you come across anyone who'll hold on until the timer above the traffic signal shows 0, followed by the green light.

it's probably one of the remnants of our school days. when the school bell would ring, and most of the kids just start jumping up and down, without even waiting for the unfortunate teacher to leave the class. that's what i'm reminded of when i see such behaviour at the traffic signal.

any unfortunate soul who decides to wait it out for the five seconds is honked out of the way by the gorillas behind him. all the while the poor fellow waits out of a highly impractical urge to follow the rules. but such people are few and far between. most of us just can't wait to zip!

palm raiders on the beach

2005-05-02T21:27:00.000+05:30

every time my wife and i go to the beasant nagar beach, there are two women who insist on reading our palm lines for us. as eager( may be even anxious!) as i am to know what tomorrow holds, i've not bitten the bait. not yet. but the two ladies in question seem to be doing a fabulous job of selling the future to the beachgoers of beasant nagar. snag one person, and a decent crowd of relatives, friends and the simply-bored will crowd around and hang onto every word uttered by the lady. the analysis will go on for about 10 minutes. with occasional giggles and loud guesses(about the mr/ms right) by friends.

unfortunately, it's not a very comfortable situation for the person whose future is being analysed at that very moment. not when perfect strangers are listening into your prospects of marriage or career advancement. but many don't seem to mind the attention. we are a very open country in these matters, afterall.

personally, what impressed me the most was the little dandiya-type of stick that the woman carries. pretty low-key as far as tools-of-the-trade go, but for some reason it seems to lend a touch of seriousness, i-mean-business kind of image to the woman. going by the response, should bejan daruwalla ever take his business into the beasant nagar beach, his future's gonna be in trouble!

physics meets market research

2005-04-30T15:28:00.000+05:30

there are many times when you realise that something you learnt about physics can be applied to, say, market research. i was reading dilip d'souza's post on heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and realised that it could be applied to advertising and market research, as well.

first things first. heisenberg's uncertainty principle states that the very act of measuring something changes the measurement. i don't know how the physicists proved this, but time and again market research proves this right.

market research is a loada crap: putting a bunch of people into a room, and interrogating them on the newest activ plus-minus shampoo. the milk-white coffee and fried-unto-cardiac-arrest samosas are certainly very helpful in revealing startling insights. in a stuffed, sweltering room, we are on our way towards the holy grail.

sometimes the participants behave like zealous saree salesmen. determined to tell you what they think you want to hear. on other occasions, there's open war between participants about whether the bloody stuff proves darwin's theory.

in short, the whole damn thing is a bloody act. asking someone to explain why she bought a product provokes the need to justify. to rationalise. not all purchases are rational. in fact, every shopping experience has a bit of irrationality to it. no shopper will ever admit to it. which is very human and perfectly understandable. market research, i think, is about measuring response under artificial conditions. more often than not, a part of the truth ends up being swallowed along with that samosa.

booker or bust

2005-04-26T20:56:00.000+05:30

recently a couple of us at work decided to start a book club. more of a contest, actually. the first to finish all the booker winning novels gets lunch at a swanky place, and the next year's booker winning..... uh, book. going by the latest tally, i'm not leading :(. but, hey, it's the spirit that matters ;-). never mind that it makes me sound like a member of the indian olympic team.

phir bhi, i think this whole 'booker or bust' thingy is good for me. for one, it'll goad me to read more books. by at least a few chaps who know how to string a sentence or two together. secondly, and hopefully, i won't spend ages on one fucking book.

so far, i have finished three books in four weeks. not bad, considering my schedule over the past few weeks. but shtill, no room for complacency here. the blind assassin by margaret atwood, in a free state by vs naipaul (someone should sue the bugger for mental harassment! anyway, that's for another post) and amsterdam by ian mcewan. amsterdam is a terrific book. ian has a flair for infusing humour into morbid subjects. and that makes this book eminently readable. i just started alan hollinghurst's the line of beauty. i haven't read much, but so far so good.

so, lets see, if it's gonna be booker or bust.

petticoats are in

2005-04-24T15:52:00.000+05:30

it's that time of the year again. when india's pg3 tailors scamper up and down a ramp at the lakhme india fashion week (lifw). with the year's latest rip offs from the fashion hotspots of the world. this time round, however, the inspiration is closer to home. the coots have ripped off petticoats! apparently, it's hit big time in new york and london. india today's latest issue claims a couple of british mags went crazy over the 'boho' look. our fashion gurus must have heaved a sigh of relief: ripping off will be a lot easier this time round.

with due apologies to the humble petticoat, i don't think even it can extract the indian fashion industry from beneath the rubbish of rags. for all the noise generated at lifw, these buggers contribute less than one percent of the apparel industry's sales. that certainly doesn't stop them from having a very good opinion of their abilities, though. prices are usually in the range of USD120. which probably explains why these guys are happy to open hole-in-the-walls outside of india. stringent child labour laws and fire safety norms means harrods and other top line stores are out. that's really sad, mr.vallaya and company.

you guys rip off. you charge exorbitant amounts for copies. you don't comply with regulations. your share of the market is pathetic. and you have the nerve to call yourselves an industry. get real, fellows.

sweat water harvesting done here

2005-04-21T22:25:00.000+05:30

i'm planning to take rain water harvesting onto a more personal level. to show how much i care for water conservation, and share my high levels of eco-sensitivity, i intend harvesting the considerable amount of my sweat into reusable water. thereby conserving a precious natural resource. while i'm not in a position to share the technical details of the desalination plant, i'm happy to say that on a personal level there is no shortage of resources.

i sweat all the time. not surprising when you live in a city like chennai. but in my case, the sweat glands function like a well-oiled machine. there are times when i feel like one of those water pumps on the road, ready to pump out sweat. except that the line of empty buckets is missing. and that led to this noble endeavour of sweat water harvesting.

it's not gross. nothing is, when you have the numbers on your side, believe me. and like a politico cobbling together a coalition, i'm confident that i'll get the numbers in no time. but that's besides the point. just imagine how much water each one of us can save in the process. i can even get one of those nice little boards that say: sweat water harvesting done here. so you can hang it around your neck like a medal of honour. or even better, we could all carry buckets of sweat-harvested water and pour it into a giant tank. just like revathi-ji/shabana-ji does in that surf commercial. aaj humne bhi do balti paani bachaya india ke liye!

wright man for the job

2005-04-18T20:59:00.000+05:30

so after five years as coach, john wright called it quits. the indian team couldn't come up with a more deplorable way to bid good-bye. lose a series 4-2, after leading 2-0. but, hey, we are like this only, ya. and wright must have figured that out by now.

he was a good man to have. i think he gave us a reality check about what it takes to do well on the international scene. the natwest series, a world cup final, the 2-1 home series against australia, a commendable draw against the aussies in australia were some of the big moments during his tenure.

in a team suffocating with superstardom, wright was happy to keep his share of wattage dim. takes a mature, dignified man to do that. and i think these very qualities helped him survive for as long as he did. wright will never be accused of demanding the team of his choice. but then, ganguly more than compensated for that.

wright leaves at a time when there's an element of self-doubt in the team. a captain who faces the double whammy of a six-match ban and a form that's playing hard to get (nagma must be pleased!). dravid seems all set to become captain. and i think he'll be the one to miss wright the most (his recommendation, after all.). these are interesting times for the indian team. a few tough questions need to be answered. i'm optimistic that the indians will come up with the wright answers. even if the man himself has moved on.

contemporary yet classic

2005-04-14T21:59:00.000+05:30

well, well, well.. guess who went in for a makeover this tamil new year's day! the hindu showed up at my doorstep in a brand new avatar. brand new layout for a brand new dose of competition.

i like the new design. the firangi brought in by nram and associates has done a pretty good job. the hindu does indeed look very classy. i like the navigational bar below the masthead. i think it's pretty cool. no rulers between different stories makes the page look better. but the business page and the international news section look a little cluttered. i also wasn't too kicked about the interstate typeface used for the main headline. it looked like the headline has been yanked in opposite directions.

the layout for metro plus also looks good. but the stories were not. i think hindu should do something about that. guys should pump up the action on that front. but on the whole, i like the new look of the hindu. the barbarians (toi), however, are yet to arrive at the gate. deccan chronicle is yesterday's news. and deserve a befitting catchline: cheap, yet crappy.

forum, phew!

2005-04-13T22:44:00.000+05:30

forum is bangalore's biggest mall. my wife is not too sure. but for now the numbers don't really matter. let me just say it's huge. hazaar shops, hazaar people and hazaar confusion. but i guess it's the sort of confusion people love. the perfect place for folks who love to blow their wallets. it's also the perfect place for people who have a z+ security ring for their wallets, but who gleefully kill time. all the biggies are there: swarowski, tommy hilfiger, united colors of benetton, the apple center, bose audio systems, among others. pvr cinemas has taken up the top two (or is it three?) tiers, and charges a bomb for the tickets. unless you want to watch a kannada flick for rs.50. not surprisingly, landmark draws the biggest crowds. i love their shop design. i think it's the best of their three stores i've been to. it's classy, got great lighting, perfect ambience and is huge.

in other words, the sheer size of forum guarantees you'll kill time effortlessly. the question is, would you actually go shopping in forum? i am not very sure about that. i noticed more people hanging outside stores, than actually pick up stuff. by my estimate not more than 10% of people who visit the giant mall actually part ways with their moolah. like i said, the z+ security ring for the wallet is firmly in place.

i'm back

2005-04-12T20:30:00.000+05:30

so, here i am. after a gap of more than two weeks. blame it on some madness at work. i was so bloody tired that my wife and i just took off to bangalore for the weekend. just get away from it all. and feeling much better for that.

juice it up!

2005-03-28T22:20:00.000+05:30

ok, this post is an endorsement by degreecopy for fruit shop. i normally don't drink fruit juices. i can't remember a single occasion in the past few years(!!) when i had one. but for the past two-three weeks, i've been downing a lot of fruit juices, courtesy fruit shop.

these guys produce the most comprehensive range of fruit juices and milk shakes. no sandwiches or burgers or any of the nick nacks. they just stick to what they do best: produce the most awesome juices and milkshakes. and the stuff is absolutely amazing. the prices are very affordable (starts at Rs.10, for the lime mint cooler) and the packaging is bloody awesome. especially, the takeaway bags.

the majority of their customers are regulars who keep dropping by every other day. it's probably the affordable prices that make such frequent visits possible. but the whole experience makes one feel like going there, time and again. if you haven't been there, check it out pronto. fruit shop has branches on greams road, in beasant nagar (near the beach), spencers and probably a few other places.

score, or else...

2005-03-25T21:10:00.000+05:30

it's exam season once again. and every other day the newspapers carry stories about students committing suicide, unable to cope with the stress of exams. it's sickening, really. the state of our education system, which gives priority to marks and percentages, above all else.

the education system is probably india's biggest scam. one that has millions of students, parents and teachers firmly in its grasp. it's absolute rubbish- the way exam results have been glorified to be the 'be all and end all' of a student's future. scoring 90% is no guarantee of a successful career, neither is scoring 60% the fast track to mediocrity.

how about aptitude and interests? why are these two parameters treated like pariahs when evaluating the capabilities of a student? one probable reason: taking these two factors into account could lead the student to making career choices that supposedly don't offer much 'scope'. that's where some parents have a problem with where their kids' interests actually lie.

screw the 'score by rote' system. making career choices should be based as much on these two factors, as on a good education (not to be confused with scoring 90%). together, they offer a better chance of professional satisfaction/success than a bloody exam.

lunch with maravan attapattu

2005-03-22T21:02:00.000+05:30

yes, people, i met atappatu today!

for some reason, rather than eat at our respective offices, my wife and i decided to go to the food court in spencers plaza for lunch. it was the typical office crowd at the food court, and as i sat down, i saw this thin bald guy. he was sitting with a lady and two other men, and ordering food. i pointed him out to my wife. is it him? are you sure? how come he's lunching in food court? the fact that the sri lankan cricketers were in chennai for muralitharan's wedding only strengthened my suspicion that this guy could indeed be attapattu.

we were pretty kicked about the whole thing, and decided to confirm it with a waiter who had just served atapattu, and was coming towards us. the guy confirmed that it was indeed atapattu.
so the moment we finished our lunch, we just walked up to his table, and took his autograph. the man was busy downing a masala dosa, but was sweet enough to sign my little notepad. i tried figuring out the letters in his name, and then realised he had signed in sinhalese. big deal, so what? it was a pleasant surprise that made me feel very good. i've never got an autograph of any cricketer. now you know why this post makes me seem like a gushing school boy!:-))

shoo, sammy, shoo

2005-03-19T00:16:00.000+05:30

after a very long time, the first page of the newspaper made for interesting reading. poor narendra bhai was denied a visa by uncle sam. the fellow was supposed to attend some chai-paani hoteliers meet in amreeka. but will now have to settle for the dhoklas at the patel joint in gandhinagar.

anyway, the reason offered was very interesting. modi did some monkey business during the godhra riots, which led to the death of countless innocents. what he did was shameful. no mistaking that. the americans deplore his role in the riots, and see no reason to open their doors to him. fair enough. the americans are well within their rights to deny anyone a visa.

i just have one question for the american embassy: can the rest of the world apply the same logic to the pea-brain from texas? for creating a ruckus in afghanistan. for opening a war theatre in iraq. for trying to take the same theatre, albeit on a smaller scale, to iran. for cheering on musharraf and the north koreans.

modi bhai screwed up in gujarat. but the empty warhead in the white house has taken his cowboy games outside the u.s. how about denying him a visa to the world?

the ghost of tehel-cam

2005-03-17T22:33:00.000+05:30

tehelka started it. now every journo looking for a sensational story plants a spycam, and watches gleefully as he reaps a sleaze story. the magazine section of today's economic times carried a story about how fading filmstar shakthi kapoor was caught on spycam with his pants down. literally. apparently the guy offered to show an aspiring actress the way to stardom via his bedroom.

there was just one problem: the role of the actress was played by a journo planted by suhaib illayasi. remember him? he's the guy who used to anchor sensational crime stories on tv a few years ago, until he landed in a spot of bother over his wife's suspicious death. after that, the guy disappeared from the scene for a while. until now, that is.

he's back, and he needs his wattage of the limelight. true blue journalism is hardwork and takes up a lot of one's time. the alternative: the tehel-cam. easy, fast and sleazy. all it takes is a scape goat. and poor shakthi, part of bollywood's sleazeball club, was the perfect bait.

what shakthi did was stupid. but what suhaib did was cheap and reflects a lazy, anything-goes journo. in tehelka's case, it was an issue of big ticket defence deals which involved india's security. but it was a controversy from which tehelka never recovered. suhaib, on the other hand, is a sleazeball journo. shame on him.

don't kill the messenger

2005-03-15T22:48:00.000+05:30

what comes to mind when you think of great ads? the usual suspects: hutch, fevicol, thanda matlab coca cola, to name a few. of the three mentioned here, hutch is struggling and coke is cutting ad spends to stem losses. fevicol seems to be the only one doing ok. but hey, fevicol is the gorilla of the adhesive market. there are lots more brands out there who've done good ads. but i'm not sure all of them are really reaping the benefits in the market. which raises a fundamental question: has their advertising failed in its duty?

i don't think so. it's really stupid to blame good/funny/interesting/even provocative advertising for the failure of the product. a good ad has done its job when you see it, walk into a store and ask for it. beyond that, a lot of other things come into play. the store may not have the product, the store may get a better margin from the competitor, the brand could be competing in terms of shelf space with lots of other stuff, you might get a bucket free with the competing brand. and, oh, by the way, here's the most common reason: it might just be a pooper of a product.

there's only one problem with a good ad: it exposes a bad product faster. if you've got fabulous ads peddling your stuff, and still haven't garnered much of the market, maybe it's time to look within. stop blaming the ads.

blood on your pizza

2005-03-08T21:55:00.000+05:30

they are the cowboys of the 21st century! they are the pizza delivery guys zipping through traffic, to meet a 39-minute deadline. it took a pizza guy for me to discover a speed machine hidden deep within the humble bajaj scooter! that's how fast these guys go. there are times when i'm just plain pissed off with these guys. the way they zip through traffic, with not an iota of concern for the other guy.

and then there are other moments. when i actually feel bad for them. today was one such day. i was waiting at a traffic signal, on my way back home from work. and this pizza guy, typically, was zooming down the road. until he stumbled into a bump on the road. and came crashing down. they were all scattered on the road: he, his flaming red pizza bag, and different parts of his scooter. a few good souls immediately rushed to help him. but our cowboy had little time for all the attention. he just scooped up everything. and... what else, zoomed. he had his job to keep, you see.

the incident gave me a different perspective of the whole pizza delivery business. i order, and the company makes tall promises about delivering the food on time. may be we should spare a thought for the guy who completes the chain. either he's a risk to himself, or to others on the road. while it's great to have piping hot food on time, it's clearly not worth spilling blood.

your city sucks

2005-03-05T21:36:00.000+05:30

in my 26 years, i've lived in two cities: 22 years in bangalore and the last four in chennai. which puts me in a very unenviable position. the chennaites still think i'm one of buggers who denied them the kaveri. and as for the bangaloreans, i'm the mannina maga (son of the soil) who ran off to kongaland.

nothing thrills a member of either gang more than telling me how the other fellow sucks. some of the gems that have come my way from the bitch queens on both sides:

ooof, the autodrivers in bangalore... buggers ride on one bum, and take you on a journey to hell.

there is no greater sign of having arrived in chennai, than the stink of the coovum.

who the fuck called bangalore a garden city? the pollution makes it a gas chamber city.

nightlife? in chennai? loada crap!

but here's the thing: this is only the reaction of those guys who've never had to jump cities. or they are simply incapable of accepting the fact that every city has its share of good and bad. if you don't like the place, don't fucking go there, man! it's as simple as that. stop whining.

this is a bloody nightmare!

2005-03-04T22:25:00.000+05:30

ok, i've got a confession to make. sometimes writing a blog is like... the most fuck all experience on earth!! here's what usually happens in such situations. i feel like blogging. so i log in, press 'new post', wait for the page to load, and... stare at the monitor. not having the slightest clue about what to write. the staring goes on. sometimes for 10-15 minutes. like i'm in shock after watching an alien whiz by on his UFO, after stopping for a refuel at balakrishna petrol bunk. i make interesting discoveries at such moments: time flies faster when you stare at a monitor in search of a subject for your next post. now, this is what happens on a good day.

on a bad day, i fill in the 'title' line, and write a few line of copy. and then..... delete the whole thing. just like that. it's the most illogical thing that i have to do, and it irritates the hell out of me. but i gotta do it. for the life of me, i don't know why. on such days, i write on two or three topics in the same post, one after another. and delete them all. all the while my bp will be rising steadily, and my temper ready to burst out. what makes the whole thing even more annoying is that the only ass to be kicked in such a situation is mine!

some big shot writer once said something to the effect that all you have to do is sit in front of a typewriter and open a vein. poof!

yup, i just opened a vein. watch me bleed, people!

press releases of india

2005-03-02T20:35:00.000+05:30

the other day, i commented on someone's blog that the times of india's pg3 culture has killed journalism. and then a wicked thought hit me: must blog about the toi.

i have only one complaint against the times. guys, stop pretending to be journos. please. i mean seriously, you do a pr guy proud. the way you dish out press release after press release. and then you have the nerve to put them under a masthead. buggers, you don't even leave the poor masthead alone. the other day, i saw lalu bhaiyya chugging on a train around it. found it difficult to choose the bigger clown between the two of you. every second story is about a product launch. diaper launch here, actress cuts the scissor for pappi aunty's weight loss clinic, cricketer signs up with paani-puri waala. that's the news from toi, on any given day.

but here's the thing: i can at least read the stuff before spitting venom. the toi's partner-in-crime, the economic times won't even give me that pleasure. try reading the front page news about the budget the day after it was presented. you had to be one determined soul to plow through the lines, first thing on a weekday. WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO YOUR READERS? why can't you guys do a simple, clean layout? so i can just read the bloody news. oh, wait a minute. i forgot.

you guys are into press releases, not journalism. sorry.

booked for life

2005-02-28T21:15:00.000+05:30

my wife and i went on a book buying spree yesterday. by spree, i mean three books: the selfish gene by richard dawkins, the motorcycle diaries by che guevara and conversations at the cathedral by margos vargas llosa. i always wanted to read the first two. the third was my wife's choice. anyway, that was the easy bit. now the guilt begins.

everytime i see the books in the cupboard, i'll feel the pressure. for some vague and absolutely idiotic reason, the more i delay reading a book, i feel i'm ducking an obligation towards the book! it's like being confronted by someone i promised a job. not that i've ever made such promises, but you get the idea. the fact is, nowadays, i think reading is a luxury, considering the time it takes. no, wait a moment. i love reading. so, i think the luxury bit is just an excuse for not making the time. yeah, that's more like it.

buying books is a new habit. i'd usually borrow them from the library. but off late, i've developed a fascination to build a collection of good books. the best part about books is that they give you pleasure for a long, long time. everytime i re-read a book, i get a different perspective. and that, i think, is the hallmark of a truly great book. the ability to present different perspectives.

i love sangeetha

2005-02-23T22:27:00.000+05:30

these are the confessions of a married man. when i'm down and depressed. sleepy and lethargic. or just a little out of sorts, sangeetha cheers me up in a jiffy.

with a stainless-steel tumbler of hot kaapi!

this afternoon, i was at sangeetha, ra puram, downing a degree coffee, when it suddenly struck me: i've never quite explained why degreecopy is inspired by sangeetha's degree coffee.

i love my stainless-steel tumbler (cups are sooo, i mean, sooooooo boring!) of hot-hot filter coffee. i don't think anything can match up to a filter coffee, when it comes to rejuvenating a ravaged soul. and three cheers to the coffee guys at sangeetha. the magic works every single time. i rarely have anything else at sangeetha. i usually go there on a weekday afternoon. plonk myself on one of their revolving stools and say the magic words to the nearest waiter: oru(one) strong degree coffee!

the decoction and the milk are never properly mixed. and that's the best part of filter coffee! when you actually pour the coffee from tumbler to the dabara (what the @#%& is it called in english?), and back again. and, ah, one more thing: always leave half the coffee in the dabara. while you leisurely savour the rest from the tumbler. that's the proper way of drinking coffee, take it from me. by the time i finish the coffee, invariably, my outlook about the world becomes a lot more pleasant. which, is truly wow, man!

and the waiter hovering nearby invariably brings the bill even before i finish my coffee. now, that is something i never understood. and even pisses me off, sometimes. what the fuck makes these guys think that a coffee signals the end of a meal or a snack. you know, one of these days, i'll return the bill and tell the bugger to walk right back in, and get me a masala dosa. aw, but, what the hell. i still love their coffee!

living to tell the tale

2005-02-20T16:13:00.000+05:30

the title is more than just about a book i just read.

i really hate it when i don't finish books that i start reading. i don't know why. i can't just throw the book and get on with life. that probably explains why i took so long to finish gabriel garcia marquez's autobiography, living to tell the tale. it's the first part of his autobiography. took me almost 45 days to finish the 533 pages, i think!

i felt like rahul dravid on a landmine of a pitch. determined to pitch a tent and plod my way to take india to a decent score. i haven't read many books in the recent past, and to determination was added a dash of guilt!

the book is all about south america, and how gabriel grew up. i just couldn't connect with what he said. i felt there were too many things to keep track of, in order to appreciate what the guy is saying. the people, the south american culture, the political upheavals- too much happening. especially, for someone who knows zilch about the continent. at one point, i just wanted to finish the book. just to prove to myself that i'll get through this ;-)!

i was finally rewarded for my perseverance, after almost 350 pages. the last bit where he describes his stinct at a newspaper was interesting. that's about it. i am just happy to have finished it!

ten to a ting tong

2005-02-17T19:43:00.000+05:30

as if to prove that i can keep my word (about being the world's best catcher of a cold), i'm down with a cold. so i took a second day off from work. but, here's the thing: you take a day off to relax. to switch off. to shut the door on the world, as you blow your nose to your heart's content. but the fucking door bell keeps going off every ten minutes. and the really irritating bit is the sheer variety of people who come in the way of a man who'd like to blow his nose in peace. the istriwalla, the maid, the courier guy, the gas cylinder guy, the grocery guy, an awful number of people, really. makes me wonder why i even bothered to take the day off.

i've half a mind to put up a sign on the door that says: achchooo, do not disturb! the next time i fall sick, i might try this out. going by my track record, that day is not too far!

i'm the world's best catcher

2005-02-09T21:06:00.000+05:30

of a cold, that is!

i can give jonty rhodes a complex. no cold ever gets past me. i dive, throw myself at it, do whatever it takes and catch a cold, come what may. colas, refrigerated food, air-conditioners, name the stuff, and i'll extract a cold out of it. and when you do it for 26 years, you eventually master the art of managing everything about a cold, except avoiding it. presenting for the first time ever, the inside story of a cold catcher.

i drink lots of water. during occasional bouts of good health, i take roughly 6 litres of water. with a cold, i can drink up an entire can!

handkerchiefs. observe a person with a nasty cold, and without a hanky. it's agonising for that poor soul! it's hell on earth! the bloody nose will run like ben johnson on steriods, and he'll have run out of wiping space on his shirt!!! never, i repeat, never hide a man's hanky when he's got a cold. he'll kill you before he goes achchoooo.

amrutanjan. this is god in a bottle, man. i have never failed to look at that bottle of amrutanjan in the bedroom with the respect that's due to the big guy up there. some of chennai's traffic cops could learn a lesson or two in the art of clearing a congestion. in how many ways do i thank thee, o mighty bottle of miracles!

pillows and posture. it takes a little experience to figure out how many pillows and the exact angle of reclination it takes to sneak in a few precious gasps of air to the lungs. feels as good as zooming past a yellow traffic signal about to turn red!

barefoot in the park by evam

2005-02-06T14:58:00.000+05:30

i saw my first play yesterday.

barefoot in the park was presented by evam, one of chennai's better know theatre groups, at the Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium in Alwarpet, Chennai. it was a nice romantic comedy. and lasted 2hrs and 45 minutes! i don't know if all plays run for that duration. but, anyway, it doesn't matter. there wasn't a single dull moment for the entire duration, and i had a great time.

i think the evam team has great potential. all the actors put up a great performance, and i must admit, i was surprised by the abilities of some of these guys. karthik of 'alaipayuthey' and 'ayuthu ezhuthu' fame was one of the actors in the play, and he came across as very charming and to quote my wife, 'very cute'.

what also worked in their favour was a very good script, that brought out the best in these guys. comedy is believed to be the toughest of all the genres of acting. the evam team made it seem effortless, and had the audience in splits all through the play. the only sore point, as far the production is concerned, was the lighting. there were a few glitches, which led to power cuts, albeit only for a few seconds.

now, if only i had a few good words for the audience. some of these guys had scant regard for punctuality. i guess most of them were employees of the sponsor royal sundaram. with their free passes, they must've thought that it entitles them to stroll in 15 minutes late. and disturb those who paid good money to watch the play. assholes!

but, anyway, that didn't stop us from having a good time yesterday. and i enjoyed my first experience at a play. good show, evam!

you could be racist!

2005-02-03T22:17:00.000+05:30

seriously, this is one incident i never thought i would be involved in.

a friend was passing through chennai, and we decided to meet up at Bike N Barrel. i thought i might as well ask for his opinion on some of my work. so i showed him my portfolio at the browsing center on the floor above BNB. work done and desperate for alcohol [blown by my ads, obviously! :-)) ] , we proceeded towards the reception, paid the clerk and left.

and then came the gunfire in american accent:

'how could you serve that customer before me?'

'i came here before them.'

'you are discriminating against me because of my white skin... '

' it isn't just racial discrimination, but sexual discrimination, as well!!'

it was a firang woman firing the clerk at the reception desk. for collecting the internet charges from me, as my friend and i walked past them. it all happened in such a smooth manner. all in a matter of five seconds. and then boom, boom, boom!

handing over money to the guy at the counter, as we walk out of a store is no big deal. all us do it. everyday. and don't give it a second thought. well, neither did the hapless clerk at the reception desk. problem is the place hosts its fair share of international guests. guess, both of us, the clerk and i, must have appreciated the fact that it's not mylapore ka murugan stores. and that pissed off that firangi missile. causing it to go boom!

aey dil, mushkil, jeena yahaan
zara hatke, zara bachke, bahut danger hain meri jaan!

wowlo!

2005-01-30T17:32:00.000+05:30

volvo double berth
Originally uploaded by degreecopy.

it's spacious. it's clean. it's comfortable as can be. believe it or not, it's a volvo!

as i had mentioned in a previous post, my wife and i made a quickie trip to bangalore on the 26th. the trip was kinda sudden, we didn't have time to book train tickets. so we just landed up at the koyambedu bus stand in chennai. and booked two tickets on the volvo 'ac-sleeper' bus to bangalore.

and the vehicle is pretty amazing! two rows of berths on either side of the aisle. on the left are two tiers of five double berths each. which adds up to a total of 20 passengers. on the right, two tiers of five single berths each. which adds up to 10. a total of 30 passengers can travel in comfort on the volvo.

each berth comes with a soft bed, blankets, 2 reading lamps, a fan, and (in case you plan to get naughty) curtains for privacy! all for 500 bucks a ticket. expensive? i think so. but if you want to travel at short notice, and do it in comfort, try a volvo.

a noisy conscience

2005-01-29T22:39:00.001+05:30

those were my wife's words. i put them up there because i felt they best described what i am going through right now. i am back from a gruelling session at work. on a saturday, which is usually a holiday. but this wasn't one of those days. all of us slogged our asses off, and yet the bloody work just didn't seem to get over. i finally managed to finish my stuff and managed to salvage what was left of the saturday.

turns out some of my colleagues are still at work. in fact, i just got a call from one of them. and this poor bugger needs a life. a bloody fucking break is what he needs. anyway, he's still there at work. and that kinda made my conscience go boom-boom-boom. why do i feel like this? i dunno. off late, no matter how much i put in, i still feel i haven't given it my all. this is very unlike me!! no seriously, suddenly i seem to have just become really dissatisfied with my efforts and attitude towards a lot of things in life. and want to change them all with the vengence tdp mlas with naxalite backgrounds are famous for! anyway, as i said, something's changed. but i think this is good. no room for complacency. fucking push, push, push the bloody limits of my abilities. and let's see what comes out of it.

turning 26, and a quick trip to bangalore

2005-01-28T22:55:00.000+05:30

i turned 26 on january 25th. it was a chance to look back on some of the things that have happened off late. some good, some bad. i see it as a learning experience. a chance to grow. work my butt off, and take nothing for granted. the good thing is i'm really kicked about doing some great work. enthu levels are higher than they were a few months ago. i guess that's because of the session we all had with mr. ramesh ramanathan, fmr national creative director, saatchi and saatchi(hey, that reminds me, i must write a post about that workshop, sometime later.).

made a lightning trip to bangalore with my wife on the 26th. it was an official visit for her, and i went along. it was fun. some interesting experiences made it a worthwhile trip. more about it in the posts to follow.

escalator excitement

2005-01-22T22:28:00.000+05:30

my wife and i go to spencer plaza every now and then. window shopping, looking out for new mags and novels at landmark , a bite at shree mithai, all part of the visit. sometimes we sit at this place near the escalators, where you can watch the crowds go up and down the escalator.

i really enjoy looking at the expressions on the faces of some of the people who are unfamiliar with the escalator. the initial hesitation. the apprehensive hop onto the first step. the awkward stance as the escalator moves. a whole plethora of emotions. and it's different for each one of these guys. the fear and apprehension are replaced by giggles and excitement. when they get off the escalator, they invariably look back at the contraption, and are like, wow, that was fun!

for some reason, i never get bored of watching these people. one reason is that i enjoy looking at crowds, but it's more than just that. it's about how people react when faced with something they haven't experienced before. but that in no way stops them from going right ahead and trying it out. and enjoy those little moments of excitement that these contraptions sometimes create.

bitten by the travel bug

2005-01-20T22:18:00.000+05:30

there's this bugger at work i am so bloody jealous of. the fellow takes off to different parts of the country at the slightest opportunity. he's just back from a five-day trip to the south of tamil nadu. he spent two days at work. and is off to karnataka for the week-end. a few years back- hell, may be even a few months back- i wouldn't have thought much of it. never travelled much in my life. never missed it. but, now, i'm not so sure. there's this urge deep inside to just get the hell out of the madness of the city. run, run like my ass is on fire. sit in some train or bus or anything that moves and go to some distant place. and become a different person for the next 48 hrs or whatever.

the only reason i never travelled much is that i am a fussy creature. worried about water, food and all that. never the right attitude for someone who wants to travel, i guess. i now realise that as a result of my fussiness, i am missing out on so much. i was talking to this guy at work about some nice places to visit in tamil nadu. and was so tempted to chuck everything and run with the wife. must do something about it. on weekends or may be even take the friday or monday off. and discover the traveller in myself!

flirting with adobe

2005-01-18T22:25:00.000+05:30

i am a copywriter by profession. the funny thing is, some of my best ideas are visual; the copy being a straightforward line. this has raised an interesting question: should i learn to work on adobe illustrator?

the idea kinda excites me. i sometimes envy the way some of these art guys sit at their comps and nurse the layout! they are in a world of their own. very quiet, focused and in total concentration. the comparison with little kids drawing with their crayons won't be out of place. only the tools are different. imacs, for example! ok, not all of them. still, they get cool toys to play with.

it's actually not a bad thing: learning adobe illustrator will also mean an addition to my skill set. i can keep working on some layouts and familiarise myself with the software.

let me be clear about this: i thoroughly enjoy ideating and writing copy. but, you know, there are times when i feel like a helpless git even as i watch my art-partner caress and cajole the mouse enroute to a great ad! ;-)

working weekend

2005-01-16T22:14:00.000+05:30

spent yesterday and today working on a campaign that has to be completed tomorrow (wow, i like this sentence!!). today, in particular, was very irritating. spent the whole day looking for images for the campaign. usual suspects for the visuals: getty and corbis. but the internet speed was so slow, i had to connect a hajaar times before finding a few decent images. was not too keen to log on again. but, kya kare, was feeling guilty that i hadn't blogged for a few days!! my wife, the sweetheart that she is, took it all very patiently!

karthik ban gaya model!

2005-01-14T11:49:00.000+05:30

an art director colleague of mine had been bugging me for the past few days to model for one of her assignments! the past few days had been really hectic with loads of other projects. so neither of us found the time to get working on this one. yesterday, we finally got down to shooting me. the best part was that the shoot came after a pretty rough meeting with a scum of client! but we put it all behind us, and had a blast. well, at last i did!!! no, wait, i think they did too. considering it's a long weekend because of pongal, i'll know how the shots came out only next monday. you know, actually, i'm quite curious to see how the whole thing has come out. a little apprehensive, as well. but what the hell, i can actually put it down on my CV: copywriter-cum-model!!

conmen of kanchi

2005-01-10T22:04:00.000+05:30

i've been wanting to write about the whole kanchi episode for some time now. but for some reason or the other, never quite got down to it. so here goes.

i just saw on ndtv 24/7 that while the senior shankaracharya has been granted bail, his junior is now counting the bars of chennai central jail.

ok, here's my take on the whole issue: i think both the guys are involved in the murder of shankararaman. raman was being a nuisance to these two guys. from all those reports in the media, i think the two godmen clearly enjoyed the good life. and the mutt, flush with funds, ensured they never lacked for luxury. the only sore point was raman screaming foul, which of course wasn't taken seriously. until raman lost his life.

now, the two acharyas are doing the rounds of courts and jails, like petty politicians. that in itself is humiliating for any decent man. leave alone a man of god. but i don't think the two shankaracharyas can claim to be men of god. they probably never were, in the first place. i don't think the courts will ever pronounce them guilty. but it doesn't really matter. the damage is done. no religion needs people like them.

aaaaaaaaachchooooooooooo.........

2005-01-09T18:10:00.000+05:30

man, this is great. i think i caught a cold from some of the guys at work. a few very hectic days at work made things only worse. feeling slightly better today. i'm supposed to be working on a campaign today, but in no mood to think about new ideas!

objectives 2005

2005-01-05T22:38:00.000+05:30

ever since the start of the new year, i've been wanting to put down a few goals/objectives i'd like to accomplish in 2005. so here's the list for 2005:

i'm gonna blog regularly this year. it's all about sitting down for 15 minutes, think of something you feel strongly about and then write about it. it boils down to plain vanilla discipline.

i'll exercise regularly this year. last year, at one really low point, i couldn't pull on a pair of pants without huffing and puffing. but i've been exercising regularly for the past few weeks. and am enjoying it. so, hey, i'll just keep at it!

i'm gonna learn to cook. i'm a foodie. but for sometime now, i've been thinking that i must learn to cook at least some of the stuff i eat. somehow, i always feel that people who cook are more accomplished in life! don't ask me to explain that!!

i'll read more. ok, i probably read more books (some were absolutely fantastic!) in 2004 than in any other year. i'll try and better that in 2005.

i'd like to travel. visit some nice, quiet places this year, with my wife. squeeze in a little time, a little money, a little planning, and i think it's possible to do some travelling without too much trouble.

financial planning. last year, i took my first tentative steps towards saving for the long run. in 2005, i hope to consolidate those efforts. and take it further. again, this comes down to discipline.

do some fabulous pieces of advertising. i was happy with some of the work i did last year. but, then, as all advertising folks know, you are only as good as your last ad. so, i'm just gonna keep at it, and give it my best!

shopping for relief

2005-01-05T21:22:00.000+05:30

my opinions here are based on the accounts of colleagues who visited a few villages affected by the tsunami26/12.

my colleagues were part of a team that took two trucks of relief material to the affected places. the relief material included clothes, blankets, rice, milk powder, toiletries, medicines etc. they spent three days with the villagers trying to distribute relief material. but, apparently, the people out there had a different idea. they were quite specific about what they wanted. ordinary soap wouldn't do for them. no sir, nothing but lux is good enough for their body care. damn, we should've done our homework. and, by the way, fellows, ordinary milk powder just wouldn't do. they want their cuppa horlicks; that's the secret of their energy. duh! how could we forget that. and we are supposed to be advertising professionals. of all of humanity, we should've understood that the brand is everything, tsunami or not. i'm so bloody disappointed with us.

don't get me wrong. as a copywriter, this is music to my ears. when people specifically ask for brand x,y or z, it's proof that advertising works. but at times like this, can the affected lot afford the luxury of brand loyalty? some of them certainly think so.

feeling soooo tired!

2005-01-03T21:37:00.000+05:30

gosh, i'm so tired. made worse by a bike that's acting up. pushed it a fair distance before spotting a mechanic. was so disgusted, i asked him to fix it real good. gonna cost me a neat packet. but what the hell, i might as well get it fixed.
it wasn't a hectic day at work actually. things were quite under control. but it's just one of those days, i guess. i haven't blogged in two days, and didn't want to lose the blogging habit. so made it a point to blog early and call it a day. so chalo, post khatam. good night.

welcome 2005!

2004-12-31T22:55:00.000+05:30

at the start of a brand new year, i wish everyone a very happy and safe 2005! may all you dreams come true.
good luck all!

salaam red cross!

2004-12-30T23:02:00.000+05:30

red cross centre
Originally uploaded by degreecopy.

my wife and i visited the red cross on wednesday to make a donation. in chennai, red cross is next to ambassador pallava on monteith road.it was a very humbling experience. from the huge piles of relief material donated by individuals to the two red cross workers quietly going about their work far from the glare and glamour of 24/7 tv channels.

relief van

2004-12-30T23:01:00.000+05:30

relief van
Originally uploaded by degreecopy.

relief materials collected by red cross set to be dispatched to the tsunami affected areas.

red cross volunteers

2004-12-30T22:58:00.000+05:30

volunteers
Originally uploaded by degreecopy.

two red cross workers attending to individuals who've come to make a donation.

more on tsunami

2004-12-28T20:51:00.000+05:30

i stumbled into a blog that's devoted exclusively to the tsunami 26/12. tsunami help (courtesy: jeff jarvis) provides information on the situation in every tsunami-affected nation, casualties, how you can volunteer, how you can reach out to a friend/relative stuck in one of these countries and lots more.
for chennai residents who'd like to help, foodworld is setting up help centres where you can donate clothes and other stuff for the victims. you can also check this site. (via: kiruba)

tsunami 26/12

2004-12-27T20:55:00.000+05:30

may the souls of over 24,000 rest in peace. may their families find the strength to see the ordeal through. my heartfelt condolences to the victims of tsunami 26/12.

check out my work

2004-12-26T20:39:00.000+05:30

bhaiyon aur baheno, you can now visit this new blog i've created exclusively for my portfolio of ads. the blog's called karthik's portfolio. i've put together select works from a diverse range of ads i've created for clients such as citibank, sony, sify, aircel, general airconditioners, council of leather exports etc. i will update this blog every time i feel a certain piece of work deserves an entry into this cool club. i've also added a link in the list of links ('on the menu') called 'my portfolio'. pleej feel free to give it a dekko!

santa's hat

2004-12-26T15:14:00.000+05:30

santa's hat,
originally uploaded by degreecopy.

this is the ad i had written about in my previous post. so, go ahead, people, head to the taj and have a blast! :-)

my hoarding on cathedral road

2004-12-23T21:01:00.000+05:30

yippee! it's my first hoarding for taj! there's a poster i did for the taj coromandel, chennai. the client has adapted it to a hoarding. the hoarding is opposite gangotri near stella maris college, on cathedral road. i took one look at it, and aw, my baby looks sooo beautiful! it's big, well-lit and really...nice. go take a look! :-)

you just can't beat a bajaj

2004-12-20T22:25:00.000+05:30

you can actually arrest one. i'm referring to avinash bajaj, ceo of bazee.com. who at this moment is enjoying the hospitality of one of delhi's jails. courtesy, a transaction carried out on the website. it all started when a delhi school kid recorded his escapades with a classmate. the fellow then sent it around to like-minded friends, one of whom was struck by a brainwave. and abracadabra, it's up on bazee.com.

so here's the question: is mr.bajaj guilty?

i think he is guilty. for the simple reason that bazee conveniently washes its hands off transactions that take place on the website. bazee's justification that it helps simplify the whole process and keeps costs down is all very well. upto a certain point. bazee's terms of use ensure there is zero accountability for the website. it is assumed that you will just follow the rules and be a good boy.

get real, fella!

bazee claims that it is simply impossible to monitor so many transactions. that's a nice way of saying that people can sell and buy whatever they fancy, just make sure bazee gets its pound of flesh.

not on, mr.bajaj.

bazee.com is a fabulous idea. but they should've imposed limits on exactly what kind of products can be bought and sold. by not doing so, bajaj allowed a bunch of idiots on hormonal overdrive to almost crush a good, solid idea. and unlike most of his customers, mr.bajaj's paying a very heavy price for the choice he made.