Of borders and boundaries

As an Indian, “What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words India-Pakistan,” he asked me smiling.

Keeping up with my usual chatter box instinct of endless talking, I immediately replied it has always been a dream to see how Pakistan looked like! 

Raising his eyebrows, he curiously asked, “Oh really, is it?”

It might have sounded a very random answer but having heard stories of partition from my grandmother who also was a refugee, I never saw the two countries as being different. 

She lived in Sargodha and used to tell tales of cordial relationships between Hindus and Muslims back then. I still remember the glow in her eyes when she used to narrate stories of harmony, peace amongst people of different religions, the shared kitchens they had without any locking systems in houses and the descriptions of their delicious meals.

But, at the same time, growing up hearing all kinds of hate messages for each other’s country on television debates and elsewhere, I could well imagine his curiosity about my strange answer.

“For you, I think it will be ‘difficult’ to fulfil that dream considering you’re a journalist and also with kind of relationship that the two nations share now, it is only going to get tougher,” he told me.

As we (a group of friends from various nationalities) decided to have a cup of tea at a Nepali store before calling it a day, my conversations with him moved from elections, Modi and politics to how people both in India and Pakistan loved “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham” or “K3G” with him remembering the endless songs and dialogues in detail and all of us making fun of the transformation of Hrithik Roshan from a fat chubby child to a hot guy in seconds.

We even talked on how illogical I felt the ceremony at Wagah Atari border looked to me with people from both sides shouting anti national slogans often, which made them smile in agreement too.

Thinking about his question again as I write this, I would not be exaggerating if I say that one can hear loud fireworks in India if the country won a major cricket match against Pakistan just like one would hear on a festival such as Diwali. 

Sharing a cold relationship with Pakistan for ages now and growing up in India hearing all kinds of prejudices for each other, his question took me back to another conversation with Pakistani students on campus.

For the very first assignment here in September which required us talking to a foreigner and getting to know about what news they read, I encountered a group of four boys from Pakistan in university canteen. As soon as I approached them with a notebook and pen in my hand asking, “Do you read news from your home country?,” just like an excited student reporter would do on the first day, I sensed they were quite reluctant to talk to me. 

Surprised to see the reactions myself, I heard one of them whispering “Let’s get out of here.”

Waiting for their food on the cash counter, one of them was still interested in answering me more than the others, but he had to go out as he was directed by another friend to leave the place with a nodding head signal. 

“We don’t read any news, we’re very busy, sorry,” he said politely and they left the cash counter hurriedly. 

I soon found out people from different other countries like Greece and Mexico and finished the assignment within the deadline. But those looks and the strange conversation never left my mind. 

The question that always irks is do borders exist just on the maps or in the minds of people too? After all, we are people who share the same skin colour, eat almost the same kind of food, speak somewhat similar languages and fight against many common problems such as poverty, lack of education and hunger living under the same sky.

I m too naive to give a solution to the problem of the political chaos and the relationship that India and Pakistan share.

But, it is not difficult to say that if we make an effort to work together, there’s actually no border. 

It would be so ideal if the world functioned in the way we study together under the same roof tackling problems together.

Each day here brings new challenges, opportunities and life lessons and meeting new people makes me think more critically of my understanding of the world.

Meeting these strangers turned friends yesterday, I m happy to see that in a land far away from home, borders don’t hold much meaning for many. In my mind, they never did and surely never will.

And no wonder, with the new friendships and bonds, my dream of going to Pakistan looks more achievable now, isn’t it!🤞🏻😉

Hope Rides High - Budget 2015 : SMEs & entrepreneurs

After the month long pre and post ‘Republic Day’ celebrations with Mobama’s budding friendship hitting the headlines every now and then in January, February is here with its own set of expectations..

Be it every girl and boy friends’ expectations from the upcoming Valentines’ week or Delhites’ expectations from the ‘new CM to-be’ to the business men's expectations from the Union Budget; the month is certainly going to be crucial from the point of view of news and news-makers. Everyone has their own prognostications and wish-lists.

Recent utterances from both the prime minister and the finance minister have made it clear that the upcoming budget will be a marked departure from the business-as-usual version of July 2014. In terms of both its vision and how it wishes to implement, it can be said that that it is the 'showtime' for Modi government. He has made it clear that the interests of the poor cannot, and will not be, overlooked. Well! Lets just hope that he fulfills the said promises and assurances! Here are a few problems the SME sector and entrepreneurs would wish to be addressed in the Budget 2015.

In view of the SMEs:
India’s new central government, headed by Narendra Modi, has promised to make business a less traumatic process for entrepreneurs. Indian SMEs today are the undisputed power house of the economy. Not only are they generating millions of employment opportunities but are significantly contributing to our country’s industrial output. Despite its commendable contribution to the nation's economy, SME sector does not get the required support from the concerned government departments, banks, and financial institutions, which is a handicap in becoming more competitive in the national and international markets.With the start up ecosystem evolving rapidly in India, it is probably the best time for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enter the market. But, unfavorable taxation regime, high cost of starting a business and archaic laws, rules and regulations make the country indeed a hard place to set up and run a business.

SMEs are important to India because India currently has more than 48 million SMEs who contribute more than 45 per cent of India’s industrial output, 40 per cent of total exports and create 1.3 million jobs every year. Yet, SMEs continue to struggle on multiple accounts. While some are challenged by credit and finance issues, others are struggling to cope with stringent regulatory environments.

SMEs face a number of problems - absence of adequate and timely banking finance, limited capital and knowledge, non-availability of suitable technology, low production capacity, ineffective marketing strategy, identification of new markets, constraints on modernisation & expansions, non availability of highly skilled labour at affordable cost, follow up with various government agencies to resolve problems etc.

Modi has repeatedly emphasised the need for higher and sustained growth. Thus, expectations are high from the Modi government in lieu of the Budget to be unveiled on February 28, 2015. While there are lot of speculations on the expectations, one needs to wait till the end of the month for the final outcome.

Mystery of the disappearing change continues!

You would have often come across a situation in life when you have no other choice than to pay the change amount. For example: for short distances, the rickshaw pullers generally demand for “khulle do ji” (please pay the change), whenever they see a note or an amount bigger than the tenners. Similar happens while we take an auto or travel in buses. I was amazed last week to hear a private bus conductor shouting- “khulle 23 rupee ho toh hi chadhna” (Enter the bus only if you have exact 23 INR change).The Delhi Metro also makes it clear to “pay the exact change amount” while purchasing tokens for travelling.  And sometimes, though we possess the exact change amount, we still hesitate to take it out. One day while going to office from the metro station by auto, I was also asked to pay the amount in “khulla” and although I had the exact amount of change, I tried to get some change from the driver. There was no reason per say but I just wanted to see his reaction and as expected he had that ‘pissed-off-early-in-the-morning-look!’ on his face.

But this question of ‘when no one is ready to take it out, where is all the change of this country going?’ is irking in my mind from quite a long time. While I still am not able to solve this mystery of the disappearing change, I see our newly appointed Prime Minister- Shri Narendra Modi who has claimed to bring a lot of “Change” in the country through his speeches.  Initially, it all looked convincing but with the passing time it has become a matter of humour as the positive cannot be seen anywhere around. Rather than anything else, the talk of the nation is that whether India is really ready for a change?

On the one hand, we look out for development and employment opportunities, while on the other we seek for more holidays, less or no work, more salaries and so on! We act of being over-generous and kind but still doubt all the organisations and NGOs before donating money or clothes to the needy. We always question or doubt the people taking up similar initiatives that ‘will this ever reach to the ones affected’? We all discuss politics, enjoy debates during the news hours but when it comes to voting, we have our bucket full of reasons of not being able to make it. We criticise rapes and the politicians making stupid statements but do not leave opportunities of staring or making comments on girls and boys in public places. We so want a corruption-free nation but still find ways to get our work easily done through bribes. We find ways and means to avoid the long queues to submit bills and then blame the officials and departments making licenses and passports.

It is time we stop looking at Modi as the one who is going to bring change for us. Because it is certainly not a single person’s responsibility to bring that CHANGE! He has the position but it does not mean that he possesses some magic wand that will bring the desired change and completely reform the present scenario. It is neither Congress nor BJP which is to be blamed for the slow development of the country. High time we realise that the ‘Change’ is within us only; we just don’t want to believe that we have the potential to bring it. It is similar to the situation of hiding the change (coins) for no reason while paying any particular amount even when we are carrying it.

 It is time we stop playing the blame game and act as civilised citizens of the world’s greatest democracy.
Change,we have!Together we can and together we will make a difference...

IPL & Brands go hand in hand!

In the shift from test matches to one-day and then to Twenty-20 formats comprising of Indian Premier League, there has been a profound reworking of the internal biology of cricket. From being a sport to be played in a time of leisure, cricket has transformed in not just a profession and an industry, but also as an enterprise that acts as a platform for advertisers, celebrities, businesses, and even consumers. With cricket’s transformation into the politics of velocity, the game now races beyond the boundaries of sport and becomes integral to the shaping of “brand India”.

Vaishali Sharma, VP-Marketing, Sony MAX, in an interview recently said,“IPL draws people across age groups, gender and language. This year’s campaign 'Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ stems from the insight of how the passion for IPL overtakes every aspect of people’s lives.” To attract new viewers to the T-20 leagues, the broadcaster is rolling out the campaign on TV, print, radio, digital, outdoor and on-ground activities with emphasis on smaller towns and cities. The advertising and marketing managers plan creative methods so as to attract maximum viewers towards their brand and products. V Shyamal Kumar, Manager at Videocon D2H (which is a sponsor of IPL tournament) says, “The increased viewership of the tournament every year shows that we made the right choice by investing in IPL.”

 Indian Premier League has set new dimensions when it comes to the commercialization of the sport. It isn't surprising to see that IPL is seen as a boon for the advertising and marketing industry. Adv

ertisement rates for a 10-second spot on the channels are being sold for Rs.4.5-4.75 lakh this year. One can see a player walking on the field who appears more like a walking billboard instead of a cricketer. With around six sponsor logos on an average on the jerseys of the players like that of Aircel, Videocon D2H, Orbit, Usha, Quickr, etc. it would not be incorrect to compare the players with walking billboards. The game acts as a link between the player’s talent and a brand’s image. Even the established brands are using this platform for increasing their market share. The brand becomes a part of “the action” and imbibes the characteristics of the team. A hard-core sports fan is like a religious fanatic. Most brands hope that some of these fanatics cross over and move from supporting just the team to supporting its team of sponsors.

Even the commentary in the sport, the main aim of which is to inform the viewers about the minute-to-minute update of the match, sounds like advertising. For example, each six a ‘DLF maximum’, ‘Karbonn Kamaal Catches’, each critical point in the game a ‘Citi moment of success’ focusing different brands and companies. It becomes a matter of humor for the core fans of the sport who now hear commentators announcing bathroom fittings brand names in case they are taking a restroom break.The misery of the people watching matches on the television sets is heightened when the screen suddenly splits into two; sometimes loses a horizontal quarter to ads, sometimes a vertical, sometimes both along. 

 The glitzy and glamorous IPL-Indian Premier League importing the idea of privately owned franchises from a combination of soccer’s EPL (English Premier League) and the American NFL (National Football League) became a super hit when launched in the year 2008. The first season got the highest TRP ever for any cricketing event in India. Media buying agencies pronounced IPL as the biggest advertising revenue spinner for every year. It created a television-centric, cash-rich, celebrity-driven, non-national, cricket-based product that was intended to sell to the world. The trend of successful IPL seasons is continuing this year too and it is visible that social media has also jumped into the business. Not just that, a clutch of e-commerce companies such as Flipkart, Amazon and Go daddy, etc. are also seen investing heavily in the current edition of the Indian Premier League for buying on air advertising space. Media planners believe that either good or bad, there is no other property on television which can give the kind of mileage that the IPL delivers. The tournament has built so many brands over the last six years, especially mobile handset brands like Micromax and Karbonn that IPL can be considered as a free hit to advertisers.

The idea of an association between personalities from entertainment industry and business leaders taken from the football league worked wonders and helped in enhancing the brand image of IPL. It is neither just cricket nor its just entertainment, it nowadays is Cricketainment. When Bollywood and cricket met, the result was beneficial for all. The addition of entertainment-inspired glamour extended to creating theatre and spectacle at matches. Undoubtedly, it is very entertaining to see one’s favorite cricketer as well the Bollywood stars on the same platform. Superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone were seen endorsing and promoting various players and teams, which provided a lot of glamour and added value to IPL. Even the celebrities and businessmen are an important factor in the entire process of image building of the team as well as the brand. In Season 1, the total number of brands advertising in IPL was 40. In Season 2, it grew to 69 and this time it has already crossed a total of about 90!

IPL is definitely not a purely cricket oriented concept rather it can be seen as a coming together of varied professions; a package that includes the traditional building blocks of players looking for quick money, administrators, specialized coaches, along with politicians, businessmen, nutritionists, statisticians, videographers, public relations managers, film stars, physiotherapists, engineers who design analytic software, film stars who seek publicity, businesses looking for a better advertising platform, and television channels trying to improve their ratings. It is the stitching together of the best practices in the world for combining sports with entertainment.

This form of cricket, the IPL, has brought more razzmatazz and speed to the sport than had ever hitherto been imagined. But, at the same time all these advertising and marketing efforts raise the need to strike the right balance between entertainment and sport, and between drawing in crowds and maintaining the credibility and quality of the sport on offer. It’s a well known fact that the Indians’ love for cricket is inevitable. The sport is considered no less than a religion in India and despite of the innumerable controversies that grow year after year, nothing has deterred the brands from putting their money in IPL. And it’s visible that IPL and brands go hand in hand!

Of goodbyes and farewells...

Being a literature graduate, Eliot has always been a personal favorite but the real meaning of the lines read years ago became clearer when I decided to write this one. In his "Little Gidding", Eliot rightly said -

                         "What we call the beginning is often the end
                          And to make an end is to make a beginning.
                          The end is where we start from."
                                 
After ten months of training at Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in Jammu, its now time to come back to Delhi- the place which gave innumerable memories and uncontrollable laughter. But this time it is not about coming back to a place to wake up for 8:40s ,studying in literature classes or drinking endless coffees and ice-teas at LP in college. This time its about a more serious life, full of competition and deadlines, work pressures and expectations . Undoubtedly, the transition is anticipated to be big and challenging. So much so that it gave a week of sleepless nights ..thanks to the IIMC back to back examinations and no holidays or break in between the joining of job and completion of the course!
Meeting a whole new set of people,writing and working with them sounded exciting but at the same time parting with friends who were there 24*7 together in Jammu was heart-breaking. Home-coming is always awaited anxiously but the thought that there wouldn't be any going back to hostel this time was disappointing . This is not the first time I was going through this kind of parting and farewell. In fact, this had become a way of life.. packing and unpacking , changing hostels, making friends and moving on!
 But somehow this I found was the most difficult parting ever! Maybe it was because of the relationships build over time here or because of the excessive outings and time spent on exploring the city. Be it the simple Nescafe guy who was teary eyed when I said its probably the 'last coffee' here or the message from a Jammu University friend who was sad because of less time spent together due to the busy schedule at IIMC, it was difficult to accept it altogether. There were so many such people and incidents which made life happier just by their mere presence. They were like a support system which made the entire stay easier and enjoyable. The short discussions with them , their hospitality, their kindness .. the list never ends!
I guess that I found the 'connect with the city' which one of our professors talked about in the initial classes in college!
This message goes to each one of them ( if only they could read this; though I tried to convey the same in the last meet before coming)

           Goodbyes may seem forever, farewell is like the end
          But in my heart is a memory, and there you'll always be!

As time was passing and everybody around was leaving the very thought that Delhi would be another beginning of a yet new unexplored world was sinking in! The heart wanted to capture each and everything in the form of photographs, videos and what not. It was like telling oneself that no matter its going to be over , new memories would be formed very soon, after all a farewell is necessary so as to meet again! 

The unethical take of media

Breakdown of Tehelka

 Tehelka, a journal and website which has done outstanding and brave work in the past,being the first investigative magazine in India is in a state of collapse. Tarun Tejpal, the editor of Tehelka magazine who created ripples in the media world with his radical agenda of promoting journalism ‘with a difference’ stands accused of one of the gravest offence of sexually assaulting one of his young female employees in a Goa hotel elevator.  Admirers of the magazine are shocked and agitated by the ethical and moral disintegration of the organization. But the bigger question that arises here is the role of media which is trying to shape the judgments by analyzing actions of the accused.

Media’s primary aim is to inform and educate rather than passing judgments acting as the judiciary. Journalists have the responsibility to seek truth, report it and minimize harm. While journalists presently climb into a story; all together and with emotions aflame which are not just frightening but also against the ethical domains of journalism. They are forgetting that they have the great responsibility to give readers, viewers, and listeners’ accuracy and accountability of information. Be it the Aarushi Talwar double murder case where no proper evidence was found or the death sentence given to Afzal Guru.

Along with the media there is also a political angle to the same. Since Tehelka’s sting operations had exposed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s corruption and underhand dealings, the present case has provided the BJP with an opportunity to hit back. As it holds power in Goa, chances are more that the ball will turn against Tejpal.

It would be a real pity if the magazine suffered for the actions of its editor. The collapse is also an indication of unemployment of hundreds of journalists who work for Tehelka. By attacking everything about Tejpal, we could well distract attention from the actual crime for which he is accused, one heinous enough to nail him legally.

Tarun Tejpal, Editor (Tehelka magazine) who has been accused of sexually assaulting a young employee in Goa 'Think Fest'.

Spare our ears!

Each city is unique in its own ways, one just needs to connect with the culture and get going. Exploring new places, getting along with the culture of the city and analyzing everything with a journalist’s eye has become a part of my life. Travelling to places has always excited me and moving to Jammu for post graduation in IIMC had its own charm too.

Living in this city for more than two months now, I observed various sounds made by horns of vehicles. Stand at any traffic signal or road in the city and you are bound to hear unnecessary honking. Sometimes, I wonder what makes people take out all their anger on roads in the form of honking!

To delve deeper into the issue and to find a valid reason behind the same, I sit back and try to classify these sounds based on my own observations. Though, it would seem non-sensical to some, I would advise the readers to be a little patient and continue reading. You might as well identify with what I observed!

So here I begin. The first and foremost type is the standard honk which is most prevalent in the city. One can hear this type of honk almost anywhere and everywhere from streets to markets. Be it a deserted road or a stuffed market, honking is “cool” especially in the minds of youngsters. Next, is the stylish honk; which rises above the previous one. It is mostly musical or rhythmic; irritating everyone else. Possibly, the reason behind the stylish honk which I can  think of, is that, it is an outlet to show an upbeat mood or a flair for music!

And after the musical stylish honk comes the angry frustrated honk. This one is particularly longer in duration and keeps on rising with time and is normally used in beastly traffic jams. It is possibly applied to show disapproval in the drivers mind when he or she wants to make someone cry for what he or she is feeling and the effect is conveniently reproduced by pressing the horn! I wonder what is so annoying in their lives that they forget that roads are also meant for everyone else to use.

The main purpose of writing on this issue so explicitly is that the rising sound pollution due to needless honking affects health and temperament. Loud noise or continuous exposure to it can increase the irritability of a person, affect hearing ability and may even cause blood pressure to rise. It is high time for people to understand that horn is meant for emergency only. It is not a toy to play with. It is very essential to sensitize them about the impact of their act which is not just disturbing but at the same time irritating and is an inconvenience for all. And with this I conclude, dear worthy citizens spare our ears, and stop honking!

Horn is meant for emergency only. It is not a toy to play with. Spare our ears!