Darkest Nights

“I would like a refill”, she said without looking up. “I’m sorry Ma’am but we’re closed for today”, the middle-aged waiter told her nervously. She looked up at the waiter and stared with helpless eyes. Then quietly stood up, took her coat off the chair and slowly walked out of the bar. Her feet felt weak, her head dizzy. The gush of cold wind hit her face the moment she stepped out. She stood there still feeling the wind tear her skin wishing to lose all her senses and just give up. Why couldn’t she have the easy way out for once? She looked up. The stars that once gave her company had vanished. All she could see was a dark, dense sky.

It was midnight. The streets were asleep. The silence that was once insanely beautiful was screaming at her tonight. “What is it that you want? You had better tell me now. I don’t want this drama every day.” His words kept echoing in her head. She never had an answer to that question. Even today, she is looking for an answer. She wanted him. But she could not say it. 

Tired, she started walking into the dead of the night. Her hands were cold, her lips dry. Timidly she wiped her tongue on the dry lips to comfort them. But who would comfort her? All she wanted was a shoulder to cry on but all she got were opinions and warnings to be careful the next time.

Next time? Was there ever going to be a next time? This wasn’t some movie. There was no guarantee that the ending would be a happy one. The people who were once her BFFs were now strangers. She could never decipher their talks or their presence. Were they there for her or not? Too many questions but no one to answer them.

Standing outside her apartment, staring at the door, she wished if someone from inside would open the door and embrace her. She was dreaming of course. Letting out a vulnerable sigh, she unlocked the door and walked in. The cleanliness and order of things disturbed her. She liked mess. Apparently, nothing she liked was with her now. Dropping the coat on the floor, she walked up to the windowsill and sat there staring into the dark silent night.

She knew she had lost it all. That it would never be the same again. Those gone days were just memories now. Memories she wished to forget. They made her miserable. A part of her had died when he left. He was the one who had given her a reason to live, to smile, to believe that she was also one of the lucky ones. Today those smiles make her heart ache. How could she be so stupid? She felt ugly.

How can one person affect her so much that every time she remembered him the pain became unbearable? She longed to see him. She wanted him to look at her and smile like nothing had ever happened. But she was expecting a lot. And it was these expectations that were the cause of her agony.

The sudden loud ring of her phone startled her. She hadn’t noticed she was crying. Gently wiping the tears off her eyes, she got up to answer the phone.

“Hello”

“Hey! I hope I didn’t disturb you. Were you asleep?”

“No. It’s okay. What’s up?”

“Umm… I was wondering if you could come a little early tomorrow so that we can have a rehearsal before the final presentation.”

“Yeah sure. No problem.”

“Great. See you tomorrow then. Bye.”

“Bye.”

It was quiet again. She stared at the phone debating whether to call him or not. She didn’t want to sound desperate even though she was. The tears had made their way back to her eyes. She knew it was just her. He wasn’t thinking about her. Hell! He would be busy talking to some other girl. Feeling like a fool, she went to the bed and cuddled herself in a blanket. She was tired. Listlessly she closed her eyes letting the last tear make its way down her cheek.  

What Has Happened Is A Black Farce - Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie dominated the Jaipur Literature Festival. His book, The Satanic Verses has been in news since it was released. The book did not go down well with the Muslim Community. As a result of which, there were protests and the book was burned and banned. During the Jaipur Literature Festival, the author was persuaded to stay away and not attend the festival. 

In India, art is given top notch importance. We Indians are known for our love and respect for art. Since the ancient Mughal period, and even long before that era, art has been an eminent part of the Indian society. That art, then, could be anything - be it architecture, paintings or literature.

Bearing this in mind, it is a matter of great shame that we, as Indians, who are the biggest democracy in the world, who value the freedom of speech and expression and who admire art, supported the bigots of Salman Rushdie and his book The Satanic Verses.

Iran's religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie for his book The Satanic Verses because according to him, it hurt the sentiments of Muslims and was an insult to Islam. Ayatollah Khomeini, the man who was castigated for human rights violations of Iranians, can never understand the importance of freedom of speech.

The book got the publicity it needed and became a bestseller. The Ayatollah sure knew how to sell books.

Freedom of expression is the cornerstone, the bedrock of any democratic society. Such protests and violent acts are an assault to the liberty. This is not an attack on a particular individual or a specific piece of work. But it is indeed and attack on the artistic intellectual scholarly freedom. An individual, who is bestowed with the freedom of expression, thus has that freedom to express his opinions. He has the freedom to offer his full vision to the world through his work.

Talking about the freedom of expression, people have the right to express their displeasure. They have the right to demonstrate but they do not have the right to disrupt peace and stability. They can make their protests but they should be clear and peaceful. Because those who burn books will then burn people.

The Salman Rushdie issue, then, is not about the book that seemed to offend certain sections of society; it is not even about India, the failed state. This is about the opportunism that imbues politics in the country today. The fundamental commonness is that politicians see in such developments as opportunities to polarize Hindu and Muslim votes and gain one or other vote-bank.

Because if that was not the case, then why didn’t these leaders raise their voice when M.F.Hussain was in exile? Why did they let him breathe his last in a foreign land? Where was the respect of art then?

During a discussion, my father was of the opinion that why do these artists have to play with the sentiments of people? Why don’t they believe in creating art that pleases everyone?

However, I cease to agree with him. This is gamble of literature. Is it fair to have censorship on thought? Because if you do so, then in my opinion, you are a fool. Censorship of thoughts is the death of art.

India culturally is in a much worse state than it was 30 years ago. It is becoming intolerant of artists and creativity. And I blame the people sitting at the top for this. India, as a country values art and freedom. It’s the leaders that are putting the nation to shame.

If this continues, India might cease to be a free country.

Ten Things 2011 Taught Me

Ten things 2011 taught me –

1. Love your work the most. It will always be faithful to you.
2. There is a huge difference between your mind governing your thoughts and your thoughts governing your mind. The former is healthy, the latter destructive.
3. Believing is essential. You fail the moment you lose faith.
4. Nothing is more powerful than self-confidence. It is the strongest weapon you can ever possess.
5. The basic idea of life is To Experience. By the time you turn into ashes, you would have experienced all the adjectives that the world uses to define ‘life’.
6. No dreams, no reality.
7. Destruction of borrowed dreams has a way of hurting more than those your own.
8. Our first and last love is…Self-love.
9. One powerful idea is all it takes. That one original thought.
10. It is good to be confused provided it drives you nuts until you have cleared it out.

So this was it for 2011.

Dear 2012,

Prove the Mayans wrong, please.

Sincerely,

Me.

Chilly Mornings

It was a warm winter afternoon and my mom had cooked her best Murgh Masala. It is on very rare occasions that she actually takes the pain to make something like this. Therefore, there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to relish it. It was right in front of me staring at me in a seductive way. With love in my eyes, I looked back at it. Mom hates it when I eat without washing my hands. And that was exactly what I did. She came storming out of the room to give me a dose of cleanliness habits. However, to my surprise instead of words she yelped something that was irritating and sounded something like tring… tring…!

Just then, I opened my eyes and reality dawned upon me. Murgh Masala, my eternal love was no longer in front of me. Instead, there was an eerie looking alarm clock staring at me coldly as if in a way challenging me to break it into tiny pieces. For once, I did consider the thought. After all, it had deprived me of my right to relish the one dish I love the most. But that was too unrealistic for a option. Shutting that damn thing up was a much better option.  Slowly I took out my hand from the blanket to accomplish the very goal. But the moment I took my hand out of the warm blanket I felt the chilling cold air on my hand and instantly pulled it back inside the blanket.

For the next 20 seconds I thought of two hundred excuses to why I should not attend the lecture. Nothing helped. I did not have a choice. But the thought of stepping out of the blanket was scary. It is inhuman how teachers expect us to attend college early morning. I say there should be a law against this. But then again, I say a lot of things. Anyway gathering all my courage, I somehow managed to take one hand out of the blanket. It was tough. It was heart wrenching. But I had to do it. It was now or never. Determined I shoved the blanket off in one go.

In an instant the cold breeze directed itself towards me and chilled me to the core of my being. But I was firm. There was no looking back. I had to get ready. Slowly I stood up and walked to the bathroom. The tap inside was staring at me with an evil grin. At that moment it was the lion and I was the lamb. Gathering all my courage I walked up to it and opened it. The water, which was apparently coming directly from the Arctic Ocean, shred right through my skin. I closed my eyes preparing myself for the next 20 painful minutes of my day.

Now this has become sort of a daily routine. Nobody understands. It is a bad bad world, you see. But you know the one thing that is really refreshing and that charges me like nothing else is the hot cup of tea that my mom gives me when I am ready. And after that cup of tea I am ready to start off the day and meet my stupid friends in college.

The Much Hyped 'Love'

Often people ask me “Do you even have any feelings?” Because according to them I am that sarcastic person who hates everything and everybody. This BTW is not true. (Not to forget the question is wrongly framed). I am after all a normal human being with thankfully no psychological disabilities. I feel, I sense, I observe. The only difference is I prefer not to exaggerate.

Love is not that big a deal, really. It's just sensationalized, romanticized and commercialized. It is after all just a simple feeling. It is not that dramatic as they show in the movies. What they show in the movies is the exaggerated version, which is so perhaps to highlight the factor or the moment. However, it is amusing how the 21^st century’s fast, intelligent and forward generation is swathed away with the idea of falling in love. How they try to implement the reel life situations in real life and are then heartbroken when the consequences fail their expectations.

Moreover, the young girls out there need to understand this – “Fairy Tales Don’t Exist”. There isn’t going to be any prince charming. There won’t be any romantic songs. Real life is not reel life. If the guy who you like doesn’t like you back, leave it. Don’t fret and for heaven’s sake don’t try to find solace in those creepy heartbreak songs. Understand this – there is a lot more to life. Love is just a part of life and not the other way round. It is sad how everyone follows a standard line of thought when apparently ‘heartbroken’. There is forwarding of some horribly cheesy SMSs, liking of weird Facebook pages, status updates and tweets that practically don’t make any sense.

This is where parents come in. If there is good amount of understanding and the BFF kind of relationship then a lot of that drama can be avoided. I feel so. I haven’t experienced any of it but I share a bond with my mother where I can tell her almost anything. And that is a relief because for one I know that she will understand.

It is amusing how very few Indian parents are actually talking about this with their children. Most of them shy away from it considering it a social evil. Perhaps they are worried about the extreme consequences. Which I think will not happen if the trust factor is maintained. Parents need to understand and adapt to the changing scenarios. Otherwise, their fears might just become reality mocking them.

Friends are equally important but nobody can replace the two pillars of our lives. They are who they are and by no means can their presence be neglected. In addition, I have managed to compile 450 odd words up there that qualifies for a new post.

I think I really need to work on my beginnings and endings. Don’t you think?       

Marketing Simplified!

Only a genius can come up with something so insightful and interesting. Whoever came up with this must have had a tough time studying marketing or must have loved it dearly. A friend sent this to me as an e-mail.  Sharing it with you all. Enjoy!

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I’m very rich. Marry me.”
That is Direct Marketing.

You are at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and says, “He is a very rich man. Marry him.”
That is Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day you call her and say, “Hi! I’m very rich. Marry me.”
That is Telemarketing.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie. You walk up to her and pour her a drink.
You open the door for her. Pick up her bag after she drops it.
Offer her a ride home and then say, “By the way, I am very rich. Will you marry me?”
That is Public Relation.

You are at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, “You are very rich…”
That is Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I’m very rich. Marry me!”
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.
That is Customer Feedback.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I’m very rich. Marry me!”
She introduces you to her husband.
That is Demand and Supply Gap.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I’m very rich. Marry me!”
She turns her face towards you ----------- She is your wife.
That is Competition Eating into your Market Share.

P.S. – This will be very helpful to all the Marketing Beginners. :)

Ra.One, Marketing and Hysteria

Marketing is that one technique that can either make you or destroy you! Ra.One can be a very good example for the same. The movie was what it was. Some may call it a complete dud while the SRK fanatics still drool. But what made the movie work for me is its marketing. Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t seen the movie yet but I very clearly saw all the intense and well planned marketing Eros International, Red Chillies and SRK had been doing so far.

They key factor ensuring a movie’s success is marketing and Ra.One took very good care of that. Their marketing tie-up went up to almost 50 crores which included approximately 15 crores for online production. The movie changed the face of marketing in India and created new records for Bollywood.

Looks like King Khan just didn’t want anything to go wrong this time. And nothing really went wrong except that Ra.One did not please the critics and the audience (here, I am referring to the audience who likes good cinema and not SRK fanatics).

It’s safe to say that SRK shouldn’t try these experiments especially now that his “awe-inspiring” career graph is not pointing upwards. At this time, he has only two safe options. He should either take a grand retirement or just stick to movies like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho, K3G, etc. that’s where people actually like him. Anything beyond that fails miserably.

Also, the kind of audience that watches Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan is a tad different. Since everyone is comparing Ra.One with Bodyguard, why should I stay behind? The point is Salman Khan is the hero of the masses. But when we talk about the Badshah, the audience that watches him is a bit on the upper side. You will not see SRK become play the role of a Bodyguard in any film. That is something Salman does and is appreciated for it. But when we talk about Shahrukh, his audience is different and has expectations. Which proves why the audience was disappointed with Ra.One. We all like the romantic Shahrukh. But the superhero Sharukh, not so much.

Coming back to the marketing aspect, the hotch-potch entertainment by King Khan is a huge marketing success. The 5-day weekend collection is anticipated to be around a hundred crore, as rivalled to Bodyguard’s 82 crore.

But one should not miss the wood for the trees. It is not the geeky tale or Akon’s Chammak Challo item numbers or the Shahrukh magic that made the movie. It is all that and much more. The selling is the secret of its success.

The two-year project had a marketing window of 10 months starting January 2011, wherein the release of the music, the gaming and merchandise, and Shah Rukh’s road shows followed a detailed time-table. For gaming, the producers tied up with Sony. Similarly, they had a tie-up with YouTube for promoting trailers. And if that’s not enough then they teamed up up with as many as 25 brands ranging from Videocon, Western Union and Star TV to Cinthol and Gitanjali Gems.

Seven months before its release, SRK kicked off the promotions with a 10-second trailer during the World Cup semi-final match between India and Australia, while Ra.One's first look was revealed by the star on his Twitter page on January 2011 along with an ad in a leading daily.

According to brand whizzes, the marketing blitzkrieg for Ra.One is a classic case of integrating a film into every aspect of people's lives. For instance, be it clothing, automobiles, games, sports, merchandising, there will be a part of the film involved.