Four Eyes and Two Lenses

  "Most of your friends will leave you eventually, will get busy in their lives, and you will be on your own." I was furious when the campus mentor at the Infosys Mysore campus said these lines. I was in my early 20s and was not able to digest the fact that my friends, who were sitting beside me, with whom I just came back from celebrating my birthday party, will eventually leave me or maybe I will never be able to see them again in my life, let alone celebrate my birthday with them. It was not that I had not heard this sentence before in my life from several other people on several other occasions. I was angry with her because she was saying something that my then state of mind - which was euphoric , my then life events – which was like utopic , my then understanding of human affairs – which was naively unrealistic , did not allow me to take it inside of my conscious mind. I stood up and started walking out of the seminar hall as I could not take her words anymore, lea...

मैं आज़ाद हूँ आज ज़माने के उस बोझ से जिसने कभी मुझें चलना सिखाया आज कह रहा कदम को ठहरने मेरे जिसने कभी मुझें बोलना सिखाया आज कह रहा ज़ुबा को बांधने मेरे जिसने कभी मुझें हसना सिखाया आज कह रहा आँसुओ को पोछने मेरे बंदिशों में नहीं जीना है अब मुझें चिड़ियों की राह को तलाशना है अब मुझें ख़ुद की इज़्ज़त को बचाने ख़ुद की राह बानाने आवाज़ को बुलंद करना है अब मुझें मेरी बहनों के साथ हुईं जो इंतेहाई हिमाक़त उसका बदला लेना है अब मुझें हक़ की बात तो हुईं है कहाँ अब तो बस उसे छीनना है मुझें मेरे बालों से हुईं थीं शुरुआत ख़त्म अब उनके ख़ून से होगी ये बात क्योंकि बंदिशों में नहीं जीना है अब मुझें चिड़ियों की राह को तलाशना है अब मुझें मैं आज़ाद हूँ आज ज़माने के उस बोझ से ... The above poem was inspired by the recent event that happened in Iran. Take a look at the picture below. I feel this is the (most) strongest picture I have seen in recent times. Note: I have always thought, throughout my life, that I could never think of writing a poem let alone writing an actual one. This is my second attempt at it. If you feel ...

You know, yesterday I went on a road trip to nowhere. I woke up early in the morning to the birds chirping at my window. Freshened up, I packed all the essentials for the trip, smiling, thinking of the pleasant uncertainties lying ahead. My bike was shined & ready to glide on the highway as I tied the backpack onto the pillion seat. The first sunlight of the day rushed to caress my face as I put the throttle to roll. I had nothing planned for this trip, no destination, no stoppings, no expectations, nothing but experience, as it may come. As I hit the highway, my eyes witnessed nature doing its morning chores while bathing itself in the golden spread of the sun. Birds, up above, raced with me as they beautifully flocked together creating a mesmerizing skyscape with cotton clouds in the background. While below, moving straight, I was trying hard to confine my brain within, but couldn't hold it to spread its wings to explore the forbidden terrains of the Subconscious. When ventur...

That small shop When she was a small kid, there was a small shop by an old man near her house. She used to see him sitting in that small shop of his own every single day while going to her school. She used to buy chocolates from him while hopping back to her house. She was joyful when, sometimes, he generously gave her sweet candies for free. As time went by, she grew up and moved to different cities for studies and jobs, but whenever she used to visit her hometown she always saw him sitting in that very shop. They exchanged smiles few a times. This time when she visited her hometown, that small shop was closed for several days.

Chapter 1: Her ‘Red’ Dress She looked at herself in the mirror of her bedroom, extending her lips to the cheeks, trying to make a smile on her face before finally going out, but only to draw back the past she had tried hard to bury down for several months. Finding herself in that red dress, memories of the past came running back to her mind jolting and reminding her of the vulnerable times she went through. Meera tried hard not to ruin her makeup but could not help and started sobbing thinking of her painful past. Tears of pain rolled down her cheeks leaving behind a dark trail. ~~~

It was that evening during the December of 2021 when the bone-chilling winds were casually window-shopping every house of the town, sneaking in the small crevices, and leaving behind a shiver and a teeth chatter to prove their presence. While in the distance, an all-day hide & seek game of clouds and the sun was witnessing a closure, with a meeky sun accepting its defeat, lurking behind the clouds, and leaving for the day. With the daylight to a bare minimum for the human eyes to see anything, darkness slowly started to spread its carpet over the horizon. A flock of birds danced and formed a beautiful pattern in the grey sky while returning from their daylong excursion. It was one of those times when you crave a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket to give you some warmth in that retirement of the day. Overlooking these events getting unfolded through my window, sitting on my workstation, I was working on my project, wrapped in every woolen cloth that I could get to cover myself, with...

Recently, I received a very personal message, that also happen to be a personal anecdote, from one of my long-time long-distance friends that went something like this: " Ankit, Yesterday I traveled 3500 KM up North East of Arunachal Pradesh from the Southern part of India to attend my uncle's funeral. Dai was 65 and although he went far too soon, I somehow find comfort in knowing that he was doing what he loved most, swimming, before his heart decided to suddenly stop. Turns out, something bizarre happens when someone you know dies. For starters, you have to dance with feelings of guilt about all the things you wished you had done differently. Secondly, you get flooded with memories that you had completely forgotten about up until now, which fills you up with a sense of connection and appreciation. As my 95 years young Grandmother described her former son-in-law, Dai was a "Big Man". Standing tall at 6ft2, a lover of football, he was a big unit. My u...

I recently eavesdropped on a conversation, while traveling in a train, wherein two young gentlemen were discussing their financial & future life plans, how they would be earning as much as Jeff Bezos in the next few years riding on a 'super disruptive' idea they have for a startup, and how they would be retiring young at an age of 35. It was more like a Deja Vu for me and so I, smilingly & bendingly, continued eavesdropping on their fantasies, oops, financial & future plans. From Jeff Bezos's divorce alimony to bitching about their bosses, to mundane 9 to 5 schedule, to their 'awesome' startup idea, to leaving the job, to hiring smart 'men', and earning pool of money, their discussion explored everything a young mind could fantasize about. Listening to their exchange of thoughts, I had a constant smile on my face to the point where the woman sitting in front of me, facing towards me, started to 'adjust' herself feeling threatened by it....

While attending several marriage functions over the course of a few months, I noticed something unique. The bride cries a little more when she hugs her father or her brother during the bidayi time/ceremony. I wondered why. I came up with 3 possible reasons behind this: 1. A sense of support & care that she received in her life till then at her home is suddenly getting away (perceived notion) and she is in doubt if she could get that kind of support, care, & love, that she received from her father and brother, at her new home and from her husband. 2. Secondly, a sense of respect for her father and brother, and an uncertain aspiration/expectation to get the same qualities in her husband could be another reason behind this. 3. Thirdly, a sudden burst of the comfort zone bubble and a detachment from a familiar place & people, & the anxiety for an unfamiliar place and people could be another reason for this. P.S: I may be wrong in thinking all about this. If you think that I...

We read several articles written by businesses on the best practices to communicate to customers during an adverse situation or a pandemic. But we saw only a few businesses walking the talk, that they preached earlier, during the recent COVID-19 situation. It showed us the reality of many businesses and their character beyond the P/L statement to help humanity and literally act as humans for humans. In all of this comes a human, who is popularly known to play villain roles in Indian cinema, who is now making businesses take notes on how to share the pain of customers and convert the whole situation into a positive one just by compassion and communication. Mr. Sonu Sood needs no introduction to you as his actions, in real life, not only have given a new meaning to hope but also have shown that how a single person can bring the change. His response, by helping people in times of crisis, teaches us the very basics of business communication and personal branding that many busi...

My fascination for political marketing was rooted in 2014 when Mr. Narendra Modi came to power. It was the first time when I witnessed the real power of a brand. Back then I was not a student of marketing but always had an appreciation and aspiration to make a career in it. I always wondered about the kind of creativity one requires to come up with ideas of portraying the products, services, or anything a customer wants to buy. Fast forward to today, 6 years of Modi government and 6 years of me trying to decode his way of communicating with the masses. Although, in these years, I learned marketing basics in my MBA class but saw live examples in form of BJP's political campaigns. The importance of 5W1H ( Why, Who, What, Where, When, and How ) was clearly visible, the art of storytelling and gamification was aptly used, and the use of technology and social media was smartly leveraged. It was something out of a playbook to win masses. It was surreal to see the magic Mr. Modi had on ...

When I think of Congress I think of a party where there are several wanna-be leaders who boast their knowledge on the public platform and hope to become a leader someday. Although this is a good thing and can be pursued by anyone, what I see is that they don't care about or support what the other person is actually doing for the party, as they speak for themselves and always want to be known among the public for their thoughts and actions rather than of the party. Though, they do associate themselves with the party name but do not acknowledge or promote things done by other party members. They are focusing more on individual branding and achievements rather than collective branding and achievements. And, this is not just limited to bottom-level party members but can also be seen in the top-level party members of Congress. They like to play solo but within an umbrella of several solo players. And this has brought problems for Congress in the past and will continue in the futur...

The famous 8 PM speeches of our PM, Mr. Narendra Modi, have always excited us and put us on the edge of our seats. We are excited because he tells us a story (more like a fairytale) and we are nervous because we do not know what surprise he carries every time. His speeches although never contain any promises from his side but they certainly bring a sense of positivity for most of the citizens. He portrays citizens as national heroes who have contributed to nation-building and this portrayal provides them a sense of pride and loyalty for their nation. He requests, inspires, and motivates citizens through his speeches. Earlier in the past, we have seen how people religiously followed his requests, accepted his decisions, and believed in his actions. Our PM has created an aura around him that is so strong that many people start to justify even when he is wrong. Being a good orator, he reads the pulse of the public and comes up with a strong pitch that can sell or buy anything. ...

Recently, I happened to watch the press conference of Mr. Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Indian National Congress party, on the ongoing pandemic around the world. It was not something everyone was excited about or was waiting for him to deliver his thoughts on this topic. Although he came out, like any other opposition leader, and spoke his words out and gave suggestions to the ruling government to combat the current 'emergency-like' situation as well as to have a strategic plan to offset the economic and social repercussions that might arise due to it. We often, in the past, heard words like 'Chawkidaar chor hai' in his speeches where he tried to question every work of the ruling government. Although there is no doubt that his work compels him to ask questions to the ruling government but he was often criticized for the lack of oratory skill and for his choice of words in his speeches where he had gone blank a few times. Leaving all that aside, I ...

The most anticipated speech of the prime minister, we all have been waiting for, came at 10:00 AM today. After following every other instruction he gave earlier to the citizens of the country during the lockdown, many were excited to listen to what the prime of the country had to say on the ongoing pandemic and what decisions he had taken to tackle it. While others had anticipated an extension of the lockdown given the gradual rise of the COVID-19 cases in the country despite lockdown. Although a nearly half an hour speech of the PM gave few answers to the problems the business environment is facing due to the lockdown, he gave several pointers for the crisis communication every brand and marketer should look upon. Therefore, I have decoded his speech structure into 7 parts. People The prime minister started his speech by praising citizens for their efforts in following and respecting the lockdown. He also acknowledged the hardships people are facing due to it and felt so...