Different #Facebook #Friends

Humans are completely weird set of social animals. They are always looking out for company. They love to have fun, and they love to be loved.

The social animal in humans is such that they will always find their comfortable company in whichever situation they are in. This will start right from the time they are born. So be it the kindergarten friends, school friends, garden friends to the friends whom you interact with when you’re grown – the office friends, gym friends, train friends, friends of friends and finally the Facebook friends.

Did you know that Facebook friends can also be classified into different headers?

Check these out, and let me know if you have a similar type of friend on Facebook!

Enthusiastic Friends – These are friends who are overtly enthusiastic, and will update every thing

Self-obsessed Friends – Yes, they are self-obssessed as well as selfie obsessed. They will upload a pic of theirs on a daily basis.

Socially Active Friends – These are the friends who will get a 100 likes for any little post. These are friends of whom you are secretly jealous because they are so famous that everyone likes their posts!

Sasural wale Friends – Whom you’ve had to add because ‘unko kharab lagega’. Be careful, this is the lot who is probably judging your every post!

Faithful Friends – These are a unique set of friends who will ‘like’ every post of yours, irrespective of whether they really like it or not and understand it or not.

#HashtagFriends – A completely different set of friends, who will have #HashtagsThatDontMakeAnySenseButAreStillThere and many such multiple hashtags, because they are so cool!

Photographer Friends – That friend who managed to get an SLR camera, and decided that he is a good photographer. This self-proclaimed photographer friend will obviously have their signature on every picture. After all it’s their talent and the picture belongs to them!

Opinionated Friends – They will have their point of view on every topic – be it Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Sonam Gupta, Trump, earthquake, Shobha De, Valentines Day, Mahashivratri, Paytm, robots, planets… the list is endless!

Quiet Friends – No matter what you post, they will have no reaction. Sometimes you wonder why they are on Facebook if they don’t want to react ever! You would have thought of unfriending them many times, but not done so as ‘kaun jaane kab kaam aa jaye’
 

Why am I a #bafelubatetu #boiledpotatoes fan?

Emperor Babur got this magic vegetable to India. You don't know how much I thank him on a daily basis. Had I got his picture, I would have kept it in the temple at my home. Had I been there during his reign, I would have thanked him personally for getting potatoes from Turkey to India - it would have been a long, hectic, tiresome, bum-breaking journey. I say bum-breaking because I doubt he would have walked all this way, he was surely riding his horse - but then that's another story.

I have never come across any person who does not like potatoes. Rather I know many who love potatoes. And why not?! Potatoes make food delicious and eatable. Imagine the kadva methi ki bhaaji. As soon as the potato enters this bhaaji, it enhances the bhaji and we are able to stand the methi part of it. Hence in a way potato acts as an agent who will ensure we eat healthy.

Everything good would have the potato. Like chaat, Dosa, pav bhaaji, wada pav, sandwich, finger chips, burgers, etc. Now stop thinking of dishes which don't have the potato. Believe me, the dishes that don't have the potato are just plain unlucky. And am sure secretly they are modifying their recipe to accommodate this loved vegetable.

Potato tastes good in gravy as well as sookha. The aalu bhaaji, dum aalu, bateta nu shaak are all favourites.

Kids love potatoes - that is one vegetable which you wont need to coax your child into eating. They will happily relish it and even compliment you for making it.

When you go to shop vegetables, you waste a lot of time in selecting the right veggie. But potatoes are simple. All that is needed is for you to tell the bhaiya "Ek kilo aalu dena" and he will just give it to you. That is because all potatoes are good potatoes. There is no discrimination between them.

Potatoes can be eaten in many ways. Boiled, pan fried, deep fried, with skin, without skin, mashed, chopped, eaten whole and more. There are a hundred things you can make with the potato. See how simple the potato makes our life!

After all this, all I can say is that we have a lot to learn from the potato. Be it its simplicity, friendly nature, its versatility, its love for all, its humbleness etc. Hence be like a potato. But don't mistake it for being a couch potato! Share this to mark you love for the potato <3

The handsome villain – Danny Denzongpa #bollywood #moviebuff

If you are the 80’s kid, you might have hated this handsome man because he was a villain perpetually, getting killed in the end. And when you would talk of him now, you would still mention how handsome and fit he is, and how versatile he’s been through his career. He’s no more just a villain to you.

He's fitted well in the bell bottoms, military pants and the cravat clad blazer too. He looked good with hair as well as without hair. He looked good with chashma as well as without it. With beard as well as without. Tell me, who else has been able to carry off all these flawlessly?! 

His piercing eyes emote everything that reaches our heart - be it hatred, love, patriotism or friendship.

That’s the way we 80’s kids see Danny Denzongpa. Looking down our memory lane, there are some of well-known roles that we remember off hand – Bakhtawar of Hum, Kancha Cheena of Agneepath, Khuda Baksh of Khuda Gawah, Abrush of Pukar and his recent role in Baby. Here is a look at this man whom we have hated and loved together!

Agneepath – Kancha Cheena 

Krantiveer – Chatur Singh

Khuda Gawah – Khuda Baksh

Hum – Bakhtawar

Ghaatak – Kaatya

Chinagate - Major Ranjir Singh Gurung

Pukar – Abrush

16 December – Vir Vijay Singh

Jai Ho – Home Minister Dashrat Singh 

Bang Bang! – Omar Zafar

Baby – Feroz Ali Khan

Obviously he's much more than just these. But then, this is what he is to us - the 80's kid :) 

Indian TV serials in a nutshell

Believe it or not, our TV serials are addictive. We ridicule them, criticise them, make fun of them, but we certainly cannot avoid them. This saas-bahu drama has become a part of our house in some way or the other. No wonder the protagonist is generally the lady.

Our TV serials have also kept us updated with the latest trends - be it Romola's bindi, Komolika's blouse pattern or Anandi's dazzling jewellery design and lehnga. 

This year, the stories saw a rise in superstitions, black magic and kaali shakti. Maybe the writers were out of ideas. Social media went bizarre when Simar became a housefly. And more when we read about a king-kong monkey falling in love with Thapki! Following this, even Aradhya got hypnotised and started acting as if usmein aatma ghus gayi.

When you closely study the story of the TV serials, you realise that there is a trend. A formula to increase the TRPs. While it may work for one serial, not necessarily it’ll work for all. But whatever the case, it enough to create curiosity, drama, masala and sansani! Here are some stereotypical formulae which obviously you are aware of. I am just helping you remember and relive them :)

1. Eavesdropping

Almost every episode of every TV serial has this. Basically the characters have no other work apart from eavesdropping and formulating a plan in their mind which is so loud that we are able to hear it!

2. God exists

Oh come on! We are Indians and we love God. We do not have this concept of being an atheist. The nastik in India is always the villain. And our serials portray the same. And it doesn’t stop at a Hey Bhagwan. It becomes more specific with a Mata-rani ki aagya, or a Jai shri Krishna or a Ganpati bappa morya or a Devi maa ki kripa. 

3. Culture specifics

Why do I know that a Jai shri Krishna is a greeting in Gujarat and a Khammaghani in Rajasthan or that Punjabis love their lassi? Well, not just because I am one of it, but also because it’s all over the TV! The Punjabis, Marwadis and Gujaratis rule the TV world. And Bengalis, UP-ites and Maharashtrians are following closely. It’s a good way to know the rich and diverse culture of India.

4. Rebirth

The protagonist or her husband dies. There have been cases where such instances have created heart breaks and outrages. And then on public demand, they have a rebirth. Could also be that God blesses the family with a child who looks the same. Or could be that the protagonist didn’t die after all.

5. Plastic surgery

When the actor decides that bohot ho gaya I want a raise in pay, the producers decide it’s time for their character to have a plastic surgery. This obviously adds drama, a new plot in the same mundane family and a new face. All enough to catch the viewers’ attention, right?

6. Generation leap

There is no more masala that could be added to the current set of characters. They needed to grow. And new ones needed to get added so that there are more rifts, problems and koot-neetees (for those who didn’t get that, it means conspiracies).

7. Memory loss

Character: Mein kaha hu? Tum kaun ho?

Doctor: Mujhe bade dukh ke saath bolna pad raha hai ki inki yaad-dash kho gayi hai. :(

When this happens, all the characters will suddenly wear sober pastel colours and discard their bright reds and pinks. But don’t be very sad. The memory comes back in most of the cases and the villain is put behind bars and the family is back together. 

8. Marriages & rituals

There will always be a marriage which took an eternity to happen after all the ups and downs. The celebrations will have to include all the rituals and a family dance where the vamp is staring at them with the expression of 'what the shit is happening, I will never let them be happy'. The marriage itself would stretch to at least a week till the phera are completed. The TV serial marriages are important to know the latest shaadi trends this season.

9. Extra marital affair

Bachpan ka pyaar or sister-in-law pe nazar… Extra marital affairs are becoming quite common nowadays. This chhupa pyaar will obviously cause damage. And the abla naari will still forgive her husband. After all, she’s the sanskari bahu naa!

10. Villain’ pashyataap

The villain or vamp gets a hriday-parivartan. And in all that, she wants to do something good for the protagonist. In doing so, she will go through pain, meet with an accident, turn herself to the police, or simply say I’m sorry, mujhe maaf kardo! In the end, the good always prevails over evil.

Mind it, all these are stereotypes and there would be a little plus or minus in the scenarios. However, all these will exist to make that TV serial a hit. We hate them and love them at the same time. Let ZEE STAR add COLOR to our SONY LIFE OK (Let the star add colour to our simple life okay).

When we watch the Indian TV serials, we feel that they lack in story. But whatever it is, the Simar, Anandi, Gopi, Swara, Tulsi, Ram Kapoor, Mr. Bajaj, Mihir and others, are all characters which very close to the Indian heart. Jaise bhi hai, apne hai :D

Life of BAI #SumanKaku #Stories

She’s the woman who would pray daily for people to have babies!

It was the last day of June 2016 and as per routine Suman kaku (our malishwali bai) had come to give malish and bath to our 4 month old daughter. We generally have conversations on how to raise the baby and stuff like that. But today was a different - she told us 'her' story.

Suman kaku is a nav-vari clad self-made woman. She got married at the age of 13 to her atya’s son. She is from Mangaon and child marriage was not an uncommon affair there. By the time she was 20, she had 3 children!

As a newly married girl, when she entered her village, she had to remove her chappals, hold them in her hand and walk barefoot. This was a norm among the newly-wed brides. It was arrogance of the bride if she walked in the village with her chappals on.

She also had to have the pallu of her saree over her head all the time. If her father-in-law or mother-in-law were around, she had to pull her pallu down and cover her face. With this, she would be giving respect to her in-laws. This practice exists in India, especially among the Marwadis, Gujaratis, North Indians and other sections of the society. In local Gujarati language, it is called as ‘laaj’, which in a way means to give respect. But Suman kaku was a little ahead of times and refused to have her pallu over her head. Her reason being it was inconvenient to carry the pallu over her head!

Suman bai got her first period at the age of 14 after which she had gone to her mother’s place. And for 4 months she didn’t get her period again. When she suddenly began to realise that her tummy was looking bigger, is when her mother told her that she was probably expecting! At the age of 14 she got her first period and her first child.

Her husband died at a young age. She’s 55 right now, stays in Dharavi and goes many houses to do malish of the new born and new moms. Her entire childhood was spent in playing. She never attended any school. Despite all this, she manages to read the bus numbers, has a Rs. 3,000 kitty (also called Beecee) and has an active bank account. She’s an independent woman who makes a decent living, earning Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 depending on the season of baby deliveries.

Where do people go to pee when they travel? #Traveler #RoadTrip #TravelTips #IncredibleIndia

Many people are scared of road trips. And the reason is that it becomes frustrating to relieve themselves in the midst of nowhere. In India, we do not have well maintained, hygienic road side loos. The ones we come across are so filthy that it’s difficult to step in them, let alone breathe! Maybe it’s a good idea to start a business of installing loos alongside the highways and charging a nominal fee for its usage – but well that might get addressed in the next blog!

Coming back to our topic, while it’s simpler for the men folk, the ladies face a tough time in finding the right place to relieve themselves. However, be it the man or the lady, most of them would refuse to enter the public toilets. Then the question is, where to pee?

Food stops – On the highway there are various restaurants which will pass by. But we will wait till we find that decent looking restaurant which might have a decent toilet for the emergency. Here too, the Indian commode is preferred where one can squat and finish off rather than placing their bum on the seat of the English commode where a million other bums would have left their mark!

Forest – When we enter the forest regions, it becomes simpler. Just find that perfect bush along the road, go behind it, ensure its safe enough to not get bitten by bugs, and then relieve yourself.

Banks of the river – This one’s a common one, and it gives a splendid view of the river too. All you have to search for is that rock behind which you can squat comfortably to relieve yourself while enjoying the river flow alongside! By the way, in case you get other urges and need water, the river water will be readily available. And if you have forgotten to get your soap or sanitizer, rub your hands in the soil to clean them off. It might not be the best way, but it will suffice till you find your soap!

Road – Obviously this might get embarrassing. But if it’s the need of the hour, here is a way out. Give some dupattas / shawls / towels to your co-travellers, make them form a circle holding these at the edges so as to make a room wall, and relieve yourself in between this. To avoid complete embarrassment, please ask your co-travellers to face the other side so they don’t see you in a vulnerable position *wink*!

There are instances where we consciously or sub-consciously decide to refrain from going to the loo. We also avoid intake of water for the fear that we will have to pee at a dirty, filthy, unhygienic place. Please don’t let this happen to you. Staying hydrated is far more important than anything else. With the above ideas, you will be able to comfortably enjoy your pee.

In case there is a situation where you have had lots of water, but still you do not get the urge to relieve yourself, there are ways out:

Piss – You need to make soft pissssss pissssss noises. This will help you get your pee.

Rub stones – Strangely, when you rub stones, the action and the sound help in getting the urge to pee! You don’t need big sized stones. The regular pebbles and stones which you find on the road will do the needful.

Talk about pee – Its completely psychological. When a person starts talking about peeing, the entire group will get an urge to relieve themselves.

Hope all these nuske help. Relieving yourself is an important natural activity, so don’t go on a control spree. And don’t be scared of road trips. Have a fun-filled journey.

Print medium will not lose the battle #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #MediaMix

Digital is the third largest medium in India after Television and OOH says Zenith’s Media Consumption Forecasts report (Source: afaqs).

The media mix for most of the companies have seen rejig. Print is getting replaced by the digital media. And there are various reasons for it – its cost effective, catches audience at the right time at the right place (remember this is what our very own Philip Kotler also said about effective communication), gives relevant information, it’s a fun and young medium and hence there is a lot to innovate and explore. Digital has also provided a platform for many a talent to start their shop – be it the e-tailers, bankers, writers (bloggers as we call them), cottage industries, and educational institutions… the list is endless. Even the original print houses have got their digital versions. It’s true, this medium is growing by leaps and bounds and cannot be ignored in this age. It is estimated that this year, the ad spends on digital will grow by 15.5%, hence making digital the fastest growing medium (Source: Live Mint ).

However, digital media has some drawbacks – technology intimidates a lot of people, it strains eyes, many do not know how to use the digital platform. That’s why a national campaign needs a complete 360 degree media mix. While television tops this media mix, print medium cannot be ignored. Especially because it reaches to the people who are the decision makers and have the spending power.

Reading newspapers, magazines is an addiction. It’s a routine. It’s old school. Whether you read it with your morning cup of chai or when you are on the pot discharging the previous days worries (*wink*) or when you are travelling in the train.

Print medium is old school. It gives a sense of sophistication. When one is reading a newspaper, it gives a perception that that individual might be intellectual. However, when one is reading the same news on the mobile phone, it gives an impression that the person is a playing game or is a geek.

While a lot of digital content is becoming regional, it’s not very popular still. Nothing can replace the regional newspapers. It is often said that the consumer loyalty to a regional language newspaper is a lot more than the English newspaper.

Many avid readers have migrated to e-books, kindle and online books. This might be convenient, easy to carry, cost effective and stylish. But then again, there is a wide audience who is still a fan of the hard copy, who has a collection of books, and a book shelf in their home.

Hence in this digital age, where every person is connected to information, I still see that print medium is not going to go off the stands. Irony stands that this itself is a blog and not an article written in some newspaper or magazine!