Non-Fiction
-
#Nike, Kaepernick and the list of Indian brands that take an unpopular stand
Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” That’s a powerful statement, even without a context. Add the context to it and it’s on steroids. The context is Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. In 2016, Kaepernick knelt down during the customary US national anthem ahead of a NFL game in protest… Continue reading
-
Demonetization: One Year Later
There are events, and then there are events that get etched in your memory forever. Do you remember what you were doing when 9/11 happened? Or when the 26/11 attacks happened? One such momentous event took place on the eighth of November, 2016, or 8/11. We first got the news via a Whatsapp message from… Continue reading
-
Ten Reasons Why You Should Use Paid “Influencers”.
You read that right. I’ve crossed over to the dark side! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have seen discussion and debate on “paid” hashtags – trends that are achieved via spam-tweeting scr ipted tweets. These simulate popularity, and trick the Twitter trend algorithm into believing that the hashtag is a genuinely… Continue reading
-
Demonetization: Stories from the Street 2
Over the past few days I’ve had the opportunity to listen to people who are coping with the big 8/11 cash reset. The only point I’d like to make is that life, uh, finds a way.” You can draw any conclusion you like from the stories below. It’s a rather long post. The Parsi Chai-brun Place There… Continue reading
-
Demonetization: Stories from the Street 1
To better understand the impact of 8/11, I interviewed a few people who I had the opportunity to meet over the past few days. I’ll leave it to you to arrive at your own conclusions. The Punjabi lady nearby: Her husband and son run a chicken-tandoori-tikka shop, half-legal, and probably a Grade III outlet as… Continue reading
-
Demonetization: Switch to Cash
Counter-intuitive, right? Irrespective of your political standpoint – you may believe that the 8/11 demonetization is the best thing to happen in India after independence, or you may believe that the government considers the unbanked as collateral damage and expendable – the fact is we are in a soup not of our making. Sucking out 86% of… Continue reading
-
On the Snapdeal-Aamir Affair
Reference: https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/snapdeal-is-under-fire-because-aamir-khan-said-something-274220-2015-11-24 Using celebs to endorse your brand is often a two-way street. Brands sign on celebrities after weeks, or months, of soul-searching, staring into space, strategizing and legal and financial diligence. It’s like a marriage – you are in with the celeb for a fairly long period of time and hope that your union… Continue reading
-
A Basket Of Mangoes
When I was a child, every late summer, we would enjoy a basket of mangoes, a luxury in an otherwise austere life. This was our share from a few acres of ancestral property, after all the commercial crop was harvested and sold. Two varieties, mostl… Continue reading
-
How Much Do We Really Spend On Education? A Look At Myself.
Ever since the Right To Education (RTE) bill was passed, we’ve seen furious debate everywhere (almost everywhere: nobody cares for it outside of India, where education is easily accessible no matter how poor you are). Views are diverse, as they sh… Continue reading
-
Being Dakhni: An Intro
“So where are you from?””Err… Trivandrum. Pettah.””No. Where are you REALLY from? Where is your native place?””Trivandrum only…””Chumma. (you’re lying) Don’t show jaada (attitude) okay? Idiot.” And he walks away.When I was a kid, many new frie… Continue reading