nascent

Hostage to Advertisement, "Brands" etc

2011-08-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Its meant to be an observation with audience without any specialised educational insights, as is the writer of the piece.
Hypothesis being that its a blatant abuse of extrapolated advertising budgets that is suffocating & throttling competition in a free economy. The

purpose is far from making an informed decision. Rather associating products with non-consequential ends. To drive home the point, lets pick the

buzzword "HAPPINESS". A rough estimate as to how many products have alligned themselves to it instead of any focus whatsoever on products' merit(if

any)

* Coke - Open happiness - Product hardly has any 'merit' except it being vaccinated to us since early years ....now the focus is festivals,

Celebrities etc.

* Cadbury Celebration - Again, regardless of festival, they claim a proprietry inclusive claim even when traditional cerermonies had 'sweets'(no

dearth of varieties of them in our country). SO now rakhi to be worth with a pack of chocolates! Outrageous! We slowly would be having them as

desserts in marraiges or may be as offerings to dieties on religios performances.
Perhaps the MAIN REASON is to break free from image of pesticides found in BOTH of aforementioned. SO now they know, the FOCUS has to shift from

product's merit!

* Dominos' - Deliver happiness. Its surprisingly in a land of parathas,poha, idly, vada etc & a zillion assortment of healthy fastfoods we have to

rely on some bread with generous cheese!!

No doubt, the paltry nibu-pani has taken shape of beveraged drinks(which logically can be far from 'fresh')

Other similar inncuous buzzwords would be freshness("Limca"), Courage("Mountain dew")etc...Strange, how these associations work like charm.

Retail therapy is again misleading(placebo??) - Malls being nothing more than a packed store chains are now held as a place to hang-out. Yes, we

have 'AC' but thats not a priviledge, rather a necessity if you look hard at a dense pack of ppl in a building with no open space(read some kind of

space perhaps green where people can walk)and without a WINDOW !!

Earlier we had shops of "XYZ & sons", but that XYZ had been in a business for sometime & knew well enough about their products & thereby could

lend some discerning insight to their clientele(if so inclined). But now, we have Malls, with bunch of English-speaking 19year old who hardly know

more than the releases that Friday on IMAX or something. Well, its not there fault, its the demand that drives the supply(theoretical). Perhaps, we

encourage such practice for sake of convenience. That perhaps, saves us when we ask in an accent for a particular brand with hardly any knowledge of

product, since out audience(the salesperson) is as naive.

No suprise this illetaracy has put the Firms in an advatageous position. We watch an entire soap each day hardly noticing there were products

only from 1 particular firm !! especially over regional channel. Lets see how many of us are aware of this -

Dettol, Mortien, Lizol, Airwick, Saridon etcc...

All seemingly different genre belong to just 1 firm - Reckitt Benser. Its not any particular firm who does so, pick any of them, HLL,ITC etc. After

all its perfectly legal & legitimate and moreso economical !

Please NOTE its not a blame or malignant practice....its just a reflection how this keeps our imagination to hostage.

The point is STEP BACK and think what you feed to your senses. And if you are lead into a decision making. Be cognizant of the choices & merit

each one warrant eg. a popular(MNC) clothes brand over say the ageless charms of Raymond, Vimal etc. The Open Economy has no doubt
benefitted us in setting standards in quality, customer servise etc but its efficacy props on our decision which shudn't get bedazzled with all the glitterati.

Childhood...

2011-08-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well,of-late i had done some reading and been more observant as to see for myself how the manner of childhood does indeed effect the traits, as the personal evolves.
Its common knowledge as to how keen observers the children are, but as subtle or candid their acknowledgement in child's behavior be, its very incomprehensible. At least, I find it so, and have had some of my friends point it out to me. I believe this incapacity being equally predominant in my other male-friends too. Perhaps that does reinforce in a manner how deterministically important a role of mother is. That is too say, statically speaking, fairer sex seems to be more cognizant in recognizing such patterns in kid's expression.
A successful career is often not what i consider as the best finished goods. A wholesome character would be more like it. As i have observed, a brilliant mother grooms there kids to be more suitable so than perhaps similarly endowed father. Just a hypothesis it all is i must note here

Certain case studies :
* A bitter tongue perhaps may be just a representation of insecurity & could be traced down to childhood. Perhaps may be if such insecurity gives way when a good friend(s) fills up that lacuna or may perhaps a loving spouse, either ways such instrument could bring out that golden soul.

*Money matters - frugality could be traced squeezed pocket money; Could also be a contrarian reflection too i.e. condescension towards money situations could warrant a spendthrift public portrayal.

*Level of ease with socializing, predominantly with fairer sex -- This could be a possibility if a person has been to some strict catholic, boys school etc. They see the other sex after a prolonged period of non-exposure. Such events could result in perhaps marrying the first girl you befriend (not they cudn't still be the happiest of couples!!). Or may be people meeting from cross-disciplines i.e arts students meeting a science one - resultant allurement could be an outcome of appreciation for an altogether different perspective of most trivial things.

Kids need a lot of time with there parents. I do NOT think going out to eat, or some movie is an all-encompassing-answer to that. Its more of that time they enrich themselves with your sheer presence. That may even not involve a conversation. Perhaps the way you read, the manner in which you arrange everyday articles - books, utensils etc.

Also, kids should have that little bit of special feeling to themselves that they bask in unconditional affection of there parents but should feel at a centrestage of a spotlight so that, well, they can behave like kids, throwing such worldly cautions to the wind as to the manner they dress, play etc.

At times i wonder, if its better to have two kids- a boy & a girl. Yes, population concerns overwhelm us. But this trivial idea seemed so much important when i saw asking his sis to hold up the kite while he was at strings:))

Its not meant to be an advisory of any sort. It just a perspective to grooming up which seems like no task as to be taken in a stride. And thus, responsibility warranting a lot of self-discipline.

All in days work

2010-05-05T02:54:00.000-07:00

I cudn't find a befitting title about just the daily events i happen to 'observe' sometimes or other...

My guitar gently weeps:
The other i was walking past this bus stand (right over a road, bizare seemingly but not where i reside nowadays). Amidst the noises accompanying such traffic bottlenecks was this kind-of-not-so-young guy who was sitting below the tree at the stand & playing flute. The music/melody was just 'seeping' through to be perceived so distinctly as if purifying all the cacophony of human activities n soothing/healing all of the self-inflicted bruises. Thinking of it, reminds me of contrasts with concerts where 'artist' command such decorum before there recitals. Does one have to reach out to quench ourselves in time its seems a bustling century. An African dictator once said, among all the sounds human voice is most distinct as it may be heard from miles away even if it just a whimper....

Potpourri:
I prefer public conveyance if there is a smarter way around with availing them ;)
I feel its a gr8 way to meet so many of the same race whilst maintaining a safe-distance;).
The other day, this not-so-young guy boards a local train having his shirt quite visibly torn just below his left shoulder. After about 15m i take a seat quite near to him & happen to c him all occupied in talk with 2 youngster. These youngster address him as "kaku"(so very adorable of this same place to prefer more intimate titles than Uncle-Aunt).After a while when these two youngsters de-board at there respective station after an animated chit-chat, this aforementioned guy of 60'ish age, doesnt deboards his chain of thoughts with his earlier companions, instead continues d same, addressing me likewise! I can not understand him with his lilt with his mother-tongue which i hardly comprehend(Bangla). I maintain a pleasant demeanour(read sheepish-smile) since he is speaking with the same eternally-hapi countenance(which i not-so-surprisingly have seen as yet only in not-so-rich) which seemingly has weathered in a lot of sun n rains, i dont wish to interrupt. I felt it was so difficult to say tht i cudnt make nothing of what he said to me....

Tom-Boy:
This is a borrowed observation(Curtsy: U kno, if u shud)
This lady operates a cigarette shop next to a party office, which is usually thronged with men. I once exchanged a line or two with her while doing miscellaneous purchases. The way she talks, the way she carries herself, the animated conversation, the sparkling glow in the eyes...its all embodies the attitude i believe defines for me the tom-boyish character, contrary to the misnomer usually people attach on irrelevant traits. Oh yes, she wears salwaar suit without draping a duppatta. I guess, its all about the way u carry urself. The company is immaterial then...

The brighter side of Power-Cuts

2009-10-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

With just the moonlight illuminating the surroundings its at least soothing to the eyes, if for a change that is. Sometimes it takes an imposed pause to think about stuff in general that has more-or-less the same effect as perhaps meditation of sorts. Rather, what else it actually is.

An abstract opening like this should herald metaphysical musings but we had had other plans for quite some time now :)

Like darts shooting haywire, fleeting ideas come-n-go.. Once instant i am walking & somehow inhale smell of flowers. In the darkness i can't c any flower whatsoever to whom i could ascribe it to. As i further walk along the road, getting into the tendency of inhaling deep & try to discern, it smells similar to that of Tyre being burnt. Instant repugnance wasn't the reflex response...somewhat to my surprise...may be it was faint, may be cos more overpowering was it a reminder of such things of 'past'...

Then after awhile as i take break from continuous stroll to feel the grass underneath my feet, which again was after a long time & thus usurped the realization of it re-occurrence after quite a long interval. It was queer to think how somebody could explain another as to how it felt like walking on a moist grass in moonlight would be like...trivia doesn't sound so easy to me!

It was interesting to watch how dark the mango leaves looked compared to others in moonlight. Even during daytime, while brushing teeth in the courtyard as i glance over the heap of dried leaves, i notice the difference amongst the yellow mass. Some are almost amber red, some have just the central vein green,...perhaps each having an entity of its own, in its own right. A somewhat green twig amongst that mass feels so out of place, a pre-mature outcast, fallen from grace quite before it was destined to...somehow renders a gloomy feeling to the setting.

Oh yes, i do see shadows having forms similar to mine, walking the terrace or the doorway at time. At times, they are looking at me too, i feel. But further it doesn't raise any curiosity within & thus, i get my focus back to what my mind finds more 'animated'.

29 Sep '09

2009-09-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Without much hue-n-cry as to how long it has been since i last visited d blogsphere since the content matter entails reference to another similar long-overdued visit...

Have returned to my hometown after about 8-10 months(yeah, lost d count!) Mostly pleasant changes...relativly speakin, ofcors.
Though, I have had dust allergy for about 2 days, i found d roads in much better shape herein. Weather is gud, perhaps more to do with d festive season.

The topography of my kichen-garden(well, a lot larger than it usually connotes)has groomed into more natural 'disarray' which looks quite nice. The mango tree starts to look like a tree now, earlier it was an aspiring though promising candidate. Another, forms a canopy just at d main entrance. Papaya trees have sprung up. One inside the courtyard itself, surrounded at bottom by tulsi. The courtyard now offers shade of neem tree even in broad daylight. Its thicker now n it feels wonderful to lie underneath even during noon since the situation of power-cuts hasn't improved much.

Its Dussera today. Many relatives n friends dropped in, surprisingly. Some reminded of childhood memories of us having a nuthg-les-than-royal view of a popular field whr Ravan was burnt. How I wished I cud go thr once again, jst to remind myself than those memories actually happened!

Last visit was from one of muh-bole-bhaiyya(Past Landlords' son who is more than a family since like evr) visited with 2 of his kids n two of his tenants(yes, still its a small town with old 'values' usurping mysteriously). When i held his about-n-year old son, it felt strangely good. How small, tender he was! Somehow since nuclear families r breaking into more focused households r we not losing such pleasure. Thinking of it, its like a void of a particular generation. Comes as no surprise when earlier in the day, a relative of mine was so spell bound c'in gushing water in Manali. Also, in the morning when i was brushing beneath the neem try it felt so amazing to watch how water drenched the soil. It was soil, i hadnt looked properly since i dont kno when!

As is usual, it takes a couple of days to get 'conditioned' to home, again...get along freely to be able to have a meaningful conversation with ppl we have left behind in lives.

Yes, it is no longer same w/o many things changed, even for better. Almost all frenz hav moved. I din have like a time-of-my-life with them but yes my idea of home isnt complete w/o them. The colony looks more organised with new brick fences but alas! I cudnt even steal a glimse of pani-ki-tanki(water tank) where we used to play cos of aforementioned ornaments. No familiar faces, no familiar trees(jamun wala :).But yes, it more sophisticated, hygenic, secure neighbourhood. ......So say many.

14 Nov '08

2008-11-14T03:40:00.000-08:00

Its been a long break as usual from my blogin-space. Newaz beginin without ne ceremonies...
Wud begin wid d travelogue which has been pendin so long as I find it difcult to recall stuf to mention herein.

Trip : To xyz--MongPong??--Siliguri
People : 2 families & 2 Stags(includin ur's truly;)
Mode : train
Finally, a welcome change in d mode f transport i most prefer. Decent train(name:TRAIN) nun-d-les except for it halted for more than a bit usual at most unexpectd station but d scenary, weather made up for it...ohh! & d company as well :).
We descended at ALPHA station and took a Sumo to Wildlife Resort(XYZ km @ Rs. TAKA in 30 min). The resort was awsum : well furnished rooms at the bank of a stream with jungles elbowing just across it. Oh yes! rains feel diffrnt in jungles.
The next day, we took a trip to varios "observation points" in the morning. The first observation point was a huge success in terms we clicked the most damgerous animal habitatin the cities who didnt loose thr festiv picnic spirit evn in heart of 'nature'. The next one was a huge disappointment as we got a glimse of rhinos, peacocks, bison etc...roaming about d 'salt pits' & all d aforementioned species 'lost thr thunder' to accomodate observing way differnt lifestyle.
We roamed about amidst abundant tea estates, thick forests....i had a nice time sittin atop d jeep...:)
This is when we reached this place plagued by #$%^&*.

Anywaz, thrupon we moved to MongPong. Again, very nice resort-kinda-thingy. Another, advantage of all d aforemtnioned account was tht we cud c very little of tht dangerous species I hav refered to earlier.
But as all sweet things r get most plagued the most...so it was ....some idiots(names concealed so tht doz pests dont get another round f publicity) called-up a bandh. We were so imbued into our little quaint world tht by d time we came to kno f all dis, all d tourist had moved to Siliguri, jst on d brink f area removed frm this demonstration of sorts.

Thus, again findin hotel ,rather trying to find one, was an uphill task in tht rainy nite. Tho the two strong(married) men did thr best wid my moral support ;)...we ended up treckin our way to a guest house just 'outside' siliguri. We never r done wid adventure in our lives, it somehow or d othr 'drips' its way in.

Well, just dawned upon me as to make d followin two heads to make it more coherent to recall.
My 'firsts'

jungle rains...drenchin...awsum
playin ludo...
eatin parwals...lots f it
came to realiz its quite interstin to b aboard wid families on d trip(well! took sum time to phrase dis 1 : )

All in all, met one of the most amazin ppl who r quite remarkable, in thr own right, as a couple. Wish ppl hav such luck in one lifetime. Newaz, i did hav a streak f it to hav spend time wid 'm.

16 Sep 2008

2008-09-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

cudnt find an apt title for this thingy....pennin down stuff after a long time...
jaihok, festive season is abt to begin in the following week...puja shopin is in full swing since perhaps the beginin of Sep' itself....
Hav had enuf f Calcutta pooja last yr...now luking forward to runnin away:)
Not tht its got ne thing to do wid puja but....

Anyways, today is Vishwa Karma puja -- Conveyance is a prob for doz who r accustomed to public transport...on the greener side....thr is less f traffic conjestion arnd.

Wut else...made a very gud friend...around a zillion yrs yonger to me,R is the name. Wont b able to make it home dis Dussera on account f a promise i made to attend her theater during tht time...

Hmm...i guess i will write another account f my trip to MOngPOng & arnd Jalpaiguri...all abt the 'bandh', being drenched & puffing in the wild, havin perhaps my longest dinners n lunches wid R amongst others , wild-wild-wild, playing ludo!!, & yes lots f 'parwals' ...perhaps some memories to cherish a lifetime....i guess, before it slips my mind....a thanx to Suv who made me agree for d trip...(not cos he reads dis crap at times:P)...more f his better-than-mortally blessed life & truly deservingly so also....

closing punchline :
"...y do ppl hav d same flavored ice-cream all along or rather is thr a need to buy d resto just to hav gud food...."

Random Musing.

2008-03-25T01:40:00.001-07:00

Assortment of thots of evrythg in general yet nuthg in particular...

Smile,Happiness, Mirth:
thr r dez ppl wid dis contageous smile!! i guess, evryone has similar effects in varying magnitude tho.
mirth...hmmm....again, d closest i hav come to such kinda observation was wid kids...a narration of sorts:
During one of daz i used to running arnd all d time...was stuck at a Rly Xing whilst plying...kinda outskirts of LKO...world seemed to rushing....evrybdy...despising d travel to d fullest...pollution, horns blowing etc etc....except a kid girl...sittin happily on a hand-pulled ricksha(one used to carry sand/cement stuff)...havin a mango wich c was cherishing wid utmost delight...in tht setting...little knowin abt hazards, ambition, ego...n tht was mirth.

Expression , Eyes:
i have often felt d incapacity of words for expression which i realized to my dismay isnt co related to dexterity with vocab.
The only 'honest' rendition i find in d way eyes communicate. Also, i trust non-verbal cues. Its not in countenance, rather d transition from one set of quivers to other.
Which i gues is d reasn , while driving i dont look for indicators from upfront vehicle rather look at the driver & u shal kno his designs. It din fail me as yet !

Hmm...lets jump context now.:)
Truth :
I find it as an over hyped phenomenon. Ppl may hav reasns to alter it...i believe in cause. An escapist approach, mite b...

Understanding:
Again, i fail to appreciate it on multiple accounts. First n foremost u dont draw reasns esp wid things tht reali matter...how can u quantify d smell of a perfume, the hue of sky, d stars glittering at nite, d way somebody special changes ur perspective f d day gone haywaire...On second thot even if i cud i wudnt wish to...talk about un conditional affection...i dont do deals.

Finance:
besides bikin, d only thing i hav an inherent aptitude for(Disclaimer: d views expressed r entirely personal & r yet to b cross examined...heck the latter doesnt matter in d least...l0lz). I dont beleive in long-term investment, sacrificing present comforts for a greater cause at a later stage. A generic concept tht is not limited to just d aforementioned domain. My take: In long term we r all dead.
The only way to resist temptation is to yeild to it. Live in d moment. Who knows one mite not get a chance to c next.
On over way to grave, lets have a gud time meanwhile.

Rain:
i m fond of it! Just look up towards d sky. Feel it on ur face. N i thn realize my 'form'.

Love:
Controvertial ;) I wont evn try to encapsulate it in words coz it wud b perhaps d most futile endeavor. I guess it is in some form when:

just dont feel as d weathr is parthetic, sunlight is scorching, its filthy al arnd....u jst c d person u r enamored wid. Nothing more.
2 ppl holding hands n thr is dis luk in d eyes...of strength, of weakness, of ecstacy, of fear... wen nuthing seems to matter....nuthg....a medley!...& of wut a kind!

i give up...it a gross injustise to representation...go find fr urself !!...

About each of the aforementioned, i jst dig in to find 'm arnd....perhaps at times u may borrow for urself frm others'

...to b continued

That thing u do...

2008-02-22T04:37:00.000-08:00

Recently, i had spent a lot of time pondering as wut wer d stuffs i usd to like doin alon. But had a tuf time jotting it all down amidst the blues. So tht memory doesnt fail me at crucial time i decided to jot them down apriori. Here goes d list :

Walkin/Bikin in d rain(kurkure wont hurt !).
star watchin
riverside in moonlight
Insignia.
Readin novel
Cold-drink/"Kulfi" if its cold(no errata herein)
Drivin along a riverside or rustic settin.
Cookin.
Hmm....if thrs a reali-2 gud play goin.

...if evrythg fails...thinkin abt a certain moment tht nvr fails to lure me to life...

I ideally shud NOT do dez things wen i m down:

Shopping (GKB fiasco! :P )
Talk with ppl except amongst my 'coterie' !
Smoke more than 2 sticks.

Fotolog vs tavelogue

2008-02-18T01:39:00.001-08:00

here's a link to my pics during various travels undertaken during the previous year.
They include trip to Mandermuni, Mayapur. All d related info r accopanied along with the foto's so do chk 'm out at ur own leisure time.

At Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/76881091@N00

At Picassa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/siddhartha.shankar

Regards
~Urs Truly

Weekender: Babu Ghat, Millenium Park &....

2008-02-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

Date: 15-17 Feb'08

hey!
Finally! went to babu ghat. Nice setting all in all. Can go thr once in a while esp. b4 dusk falls(as its a well known couple spot too :)
Took E1 bus frm 8B bus stand, Jadavpur which too us all the way. Then, about a 1 km's walk towards the Interstate Bus Depot to finally reach d place. The place offered a nice view of both Howrah Bridge.
Then,walked along the same direction towards Princep Ghat, which looked more congenial n rustic. & took d famour Circular Train, which runs along Ganges & offer excellent view meanwhile, to reach B.B.D. Baag(called bee--baa--di baag).
Then, went upto Millenium Park. The park is huuuge!...nice setting again(i soo like d lampshades). Worth goin!!

On way back went to Academy of Fine Arts & watched d famous play Phateru(Have yet to watch Wimble twinkle). The plays' message to d best f my undrstanding(Disclaimer: Since m stil in d process f learnin bangla!) was "anti-establishment". The words used therin were by no means modest. It used props like Godhra incident( extremism), R.N.Tagore(famous poets), etc to bring out d lietmotif.

Ohh! i almost missed. Listened to ChandraBindu on Friday at JU, Arts' fest.

Times u shudnt b away frm Kolkata

2008-02-15T02:06:00.000-08:00

well some of 'm are :

Durgapuja:
Oct 6-9 : Saptami thru Dashmi
A must b...esp since Saptami

It is followed by Kali Puju being held in a weeks time. Then followed by Lakshi("Lakki") Puja.
Finally it concludes with
Saraswati Puja or the Bengali Valentine's Day : Feb11

Also, on 24Jan there is a mela at Shanti Niketan. Quite famous!!. Even holi out thr is almost equally famous but former rulez all d way.

Sprinfest of JU(Engg Faculty) is in arnd March1-7.
Arts Faculty thou celebrates arnd Feb15

Imp dates thus r :
Oct 6-9 : DPuja
24Jan : Shanti Niketan
Feb11 : S. Puja
Feb15 : JU(Arts Faculty)
March1-7 : JU(Engg Faculty)