Author

Kanupriya

“The Complete Persopolis” & “Marrying Anita”

September 8, 2009
Thankfully in last few weeks I have actually managed to catch up on some of the long pending readings. Though read quite a few but I think mention-worthy ones are only two – “Persepolis” for I liked it & “Marrying Anita” for I didn’t like it! And considering the reviews and hype, both these books have been there on my reading list for long now.

The Complete Persepolis, Author – Marjane Satrapi:

I simply loved this book. I had watched the movie earlier so, was aware of the story but still went ahead reading it mainly because of my love for caricatures and illustrations. And the book lived totally up to my expectations. Persepolis is an autobiography of Marjane told in a very unique way. It is the story of Marjane’s unforgettable childhood and her constrained life during Islamic Revolution in Iran; of her teenage and high school years in Austria, her dejected life followed by a comeback to Iran; of the contradictions between private and public life of people in Iran due to political influences and societal pressure; of self acceptance and denial of her own life, love, marriage, divorce and finally her self-imposed exile from her own country which she once loved a lot. Before Persepolis, I had very little idea about political conditions of Iran and its repressive environment, this book has given me a different perspective altogether about Iran and its people. In fact lots of incidences esp. the treatment of Iranian women sometimes made me think of British Raj, India before independence and suppressed lives of Indian women for ages, you suddenly find so many things relatable there. What is more beautiful about this book is the way it has dealt with such a serious topic, can you imagine a comic book on as heavy theme as this? Trust me, it’s captivating from start to end and graphics make the reading more interesting so much so that a person like me returned to certain sections just to glance at the visuals again. Kudos to Ms. Satrapi for such a great work and undoubtedly she is a great storyteller! A must read for all and highly recommended book from my side.

Marrying Anita, Author – Anita Jain:

Marrying Anita is a memoir of Anita a 30+ single NRI woman settled in US who travels to India in search of a husband. It starts with Anita’s observations on American dating system vis-a-vis Indian one and her analysis somehow makes her conclude that it would be easier for her to find herself a groom in a more conservative environment like India as against US. Thus starts her year long expedition to Delhi with one focused agenda on plate – MARRIAGE. Well, what in start seems to be an interesting journey actually ends up looking like a desperate excursion. Yeah, desperation is the apt word to explain Anita’s state, now what will you call relationship of a single woman with approx 10 guys in 12 months in a city like Delhi? And at the end none of them were successful. Page after page I kept on waiting for something different to happen but actually it was nothing more than a diary with a monotonous tone and dragging content. Forget about US, somehow description of life in Delhi too never seemed to be relatable. The theme was interesting but then the presentation was too drab, beyond few pages you almost could sense the direction of each chapter. Overall an average read with nothing much to look forward to.

And I was cribbing about…

August 25, 2009
Last weekend was sort of sickness special weekend for me – high fever with bad cold & severe body ache. Now personally speaking I think cold coupled with running or blocked nose is one of the most lethal combinations to have. To add to that, every other person was giving me advice on getting a swine flu test done. And most importantly her highness i.e., madam maid was on unannounced leave for past 3 days. Resultantly I was at my IRRITABLE best! Ready to shout even at the drop of a word! All I wanted to do was sleep silently but all I actually did was cribbing…

Somehow I managed to get a girl through a neighbor to do cleaning etc of my home but she quoted an abnormally high rate for a day’s work. Initially I got irritated on her quoted rate but then considering my health and knowing that any other maid would also try to extract money in this situation, I thought it better to get the work done by her. While she was mopping the floor of my bedroom, I observed her coughing badly. On enquiring and touching her forehead I realized even she was having high fever. I asked, “why are you working with water and that too at extra houses, go home & take rest?” She slowly replied, “karne do didi, extra paisa ka jaroorat hai. Mera 3 saal ka beta hai aur bimar hai, uske liye dava lena hai.” One look at her face and I felt she was not faking it; she looked genuinely in need of money. Not sure if my observations were right but I handed her the money and asked her to leave. And here I was cribbing about my fever…

In the afternoon, apartment manager sent two young boys to paint our balcony. Resting on my bed near window, I was keenly observing those kids painting the balcony so enthusiastically. One holding the ladder while the other climbing on it and brushing the ceiling. Suddenly we saw one of them jumping outside the balcony to paint the external panel, he was almost hanging in air with just one rope around his waist and the other end of rope in hands of the other boy. Immediately me and my husband went out and asked them not to do it like this to which the boy replied this was the only way to do it. I again insisted, “mat karo aise, kahi gir gaye tum toh, agar aise paint karna hai toh koi zaroorat nahi hai bahar paint karne ki.” The kid gave a hearty laugh, “kaise girenge didi, usne pakad rakha hai na rassi ko, aap bekaar ka tension le rahe ho, hum yeh roz karte hai, yahi kaam hai mera”. Worried I asked again, “tumko dar nahi lagta and tumhare kamar mein dard nahi hota hai”, he replied with a bright smile, “hota hai thoda bahut, lekin chalta hai”. Once they left after finishing the painting successfully, me and my husband were discussing the meager money versus high risk and pain which those kids must be getting! And here I was cribbing about my body ache…

Evening it was raining and I stood in my balcony with a cup of tea. Generally I enjoy such lovely weather but maybe because of fever and cold somehow I didn’t like the chill and rains that day. Suddenly I saw 3 poor kids drenched in rain running in the opposite ground after something, it was actually a big plastic sheet which was floating in air; wind must have blown it from somewhere else. The moment it came down they jumped, snatched and brought it down on the ground. Once they had that big plastic in their hands, all of them stood in a row. The ones on the outermost corners held the sheet like a hood on their heads and the middle one raised his hand to keep it high. Three of them started walking together with their hands up holding the sheet straight, though already wet but still struggling to save themselves from rain through that temporary plastic shelter. And here I was cribbing about rain & cold…

Not sure if it was my silence or thoughtful mood which made me observed all this but while I observed it just set me to think more…

Kaminey: MaFt & NiFe watch :)

August 16, 2009
Mujhe toh movie maft lagi & Shahid ekdam jhakkaf! Aur ab jake samajh mein aaya ki yeh finema wale “Now Fowing” kyun likh rahe the har jagah :). Well, I’m not much of action flicks fan but for a change I actually liked some gang-war movie. After Omkara Vishal Bharadwaj has created his magic yet again with Kaminey! Now people like Farhan Akhtar or Vishal Bharadwaj really leave me amazed, how can one person excel in so many fields? Vishal not only is a great music composer but he is equally wonderful as director, producer, singer as well as writer! You need to watch Kaminey as well as listen to the song Kaminey to experience it on your own.

If I describe the story, it will sound clichéd. Twin brothers (Shahid Kapoor) Charlie & Guddu, one good & one bad, poor ailing father, financial crunch in the family, bad became bad in need of money, good hates the bad one, has a girl friend Sweety (Priyanka Chopra), cool songs like Aaja aaja dil nichode & Raat ke dhai baje and some X number of different gangs in the story to create those twists n turns and dhishoom dhadam! But still I liked it simply because of its intelligent direction. Such a stereotype story but presented in such a clever way that it leaves you hooked on to your seat from start to end. At the end you definitely feel it once – oh that’s all about it, I mean a judwaa bhai saga is all it is about, but then when you think about how engrossed you were into the movie, you definitely feel it was a paisa vasool. Sometimes even typical stuffs can be presented in an atypical way! Shahid was awesome or rather awefome ;), this has to be one of his best performances till date; though Priyanka had a very small role but still lived up to it wonderfully. Surprise package was Bhope Bhau (Amol Gupte), he was really outstanding in his performance. I loved his character so much, even other dadas be it Taji or Bangali babus, all have done a good job.

Overall I loved the movie and would definitely recommend it to all. Go for it for the smart direction of Vishal Bharadwaj, that “fortcut & chota fortcut” funda of Shahid or for that cute dialogue of him where he speaks, “main फ ko फ bolta hoon” :).

Other details of the movie:

  • Duration of the movie: 2 hours 30 mins
  • Best to watch it with: Spouse, friends, family but it has some scenes and dialogues which are not meant for kids.
  • Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Amol Gupte, Tenzing Nima
  • Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
  • My Rating: 3.5 / 5 (Very Good)

Swine Flu: Helpline & some quick details

August 11, 2009

Since morning it was the third incident, first I read in TOI about few swine flu cases in Bangalore, then an old neighbor called to check if I know of any helpline number for Bangalore as her kid was having fever along with cold and then a very close friend rang asking me to surf internet immediately to find out some test center near her locality, her daughter who is studying in a Montessori school was sneezing and school administration had called my friend requesting to take her daughter back home. Now when I heard about this friend’s daughter, it immediately sent some panic waves within me. Though I had read that sneezing is not the key symptom for swine flu & it can happen due to any other reason like allergy, weather change etc. but then when you hear it happening with a kid who is such a close acquaintance, you suddenly become conscious of everything. You don’t feel like taking a chance even if the symptoms are remotely associated to something as grave as swine flu!

I’ve been reading and listening about swine flu for past so many days but never before I realized the urgency to know more about it as today. I immediately surfed internet only to realize that test centers are not available in all localities, there are only few designated hospitals which are conducting tests as well as providing treatment to the patients, looking for a helpline number was also not that quick! After passing on the relevant details to my friend and that neighbor, I started to read more on internet; while there are lots of information and news (read panic news) available but it took me some time to come out with information which can be relevant to people who are looking for help in a jiffy. Here are some info which I have culled out from internet & I think can be useful to those looking out for quick help:

  • Symptoms: Swine flu symptoms are similar to the symptoms of regular flu and include fever of over 100.4°F, fatigue, lack of appetite, and cold. Some people with swine flu have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. You can read more about it here.
  • Though it can infect anybody but kids and pregnant women are more prone to this virus.
  • Relevant websites: Though lots of websites are available but I found the following two websites to be most comprehensive ones, you can get to know almost everything at one place.

http://www.swinefluindia.com/ AND

http://www.in.com/swineflu/

  • Helpline number for Bangalore: Govt of Karnataka’s helpline number for swine flu is 91-80-26631923 and the address for test center is:
    SDS & Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases(Govt. of Karnataka), Hosur Road, Bangalore – 560 029
    You can look for helpline numbers of your respective city from any of the two links above.
  • This disease is highly contagious and one of the most infectious ones. So take appropriate precautions, avoid sending your kids to schools, travelling to infected areas and if you must travel use the facemask to reduce the risk.

Though take appropriate precaution but most importantly, don’t panic unnecessarily. Not every running nose or fever is swine flu. These can be symptoms of general flu as well!

*If you know of any more websites or information related to swine flu which you think can be useful to all, do send it as comments, I will include it in this post with due credit so that it can reach the relevant audience.

Update: Just updating some details which someone has left as comment on my post.
List of govt hospitals for test and curing of the SWINE FLU (H1N1 virus)

Bangalore
1) Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest DiseasesNear NIMHANS, Hombegowda NagarBangalore-560029+91-80-26632634+91-80-26631923http://rgicd.com/
2) Victoria Hospital Fort RoadKalasipalyamBangalore-560002080 26703294

Karnataka health and family welfare department on Friday, Aug 7 identified six private hospitals, which would now quarantine Swine Flu cases and treat them. They are listend below:
3) Mallya HospitalVittal Mallya RdBengaluru080 22277979Emergency: 080 22242325
4) Vaidehi hospital#82, K.R. Puram HobliWhite FieldBangalore -560066080-28413381/ 080-28413382/ 080-28413383Emergency: 080 41259032
5) Ambedkar Medical Institute and HospitalKadugondanahalliBangalore-560045080 25463442‎
6) St Johns HospitalSarjapur Main Road, Bangalore- 560034080 25532037
7) Manipal Hospital Airport RoadBangalore- 560017080 2502 4444 080 2502 3344Fax:+ 91 80 2526 6757
8) Mallige Nursing Home Mariappa Road, SiddapurJayanagar Bangalore – 560011080 26565678

Update as on 13th August’09: After reading my post, many people are sending me more information to be included in this post which can be useful to others. Thanks to al of them. I’m posting here the ones which I think can be relevant to this post:

Thanks Neha for the following information!

GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZED HOSPITALS FOR TREATMENT OF SWINE FLU:

Chennai
1.) King Institute of Preventive Medicine (24/7 Service)
Guindy, Chennai – 32
(044) 22501520, 22501521 & 22501522

2.) Communicable Diseases Hospital
Thondiarpet, Chennai
(044) 25912686/87/88, 9444459543

3.) Government General Hospital
Opp. Central Railway Station, Chennai – 03
(044) 25305000, 25305723, 25305721, 25330300

Pune
1.) Naidu Hospital
Nr Le’Meridian, Raja Bahadur Mill, GPO, Pune – 01
(020) 26058243

Kolkata
1.) ID Hospital
57,Beliaghata, Beliaghata Road, Kolkata – 10‎
(033) 23701252

Coimbatore
1.) Government General Hospital
Near Railway Station,
(0422) 2301393, 2301394, 2301395, 2301396
Trichy Road, Coimbatore – 18

Hyderabad
1.) Govt. General and Chest Diseases Hospital,
Erragadda, Hyderabad
(040) 23814939

Mumbai
1.) Kasturba Gandhi Hospital
Near Chinchpokli Railway Station,Opp. Arthur Road, Chinchpokli, Mumbai
(022) 23083901, 23092458, 23004512

2.) M T Agarwal Hospital
Dr. R P Road, Mulund (W), Opposite ESIS Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai
022-25605729, 25605730

3.) Rajawadi Hospital
Rajawadi Road, Ghatkoper (East), Mumbai
022-25094151/ 25094153/ 25094150/ 25094149

4.) Bhabha Hospital
Waterfield Road, R. K. patkar Marg, Bandra(West), mumbai
022-26422775/ 26429828/ 26406787

5.) Bhabha Hospital
Belgrami Road, Kurla (West), Mumbai
022- 26500144/26500241

6.) Bhagwati Hospital
Tulsibaug, S. V.Road, Boriwali (West), Mumbai
022-28932461/ 28932462/ 28932463

7.) S K Patil Hospital
Daftary Road, Malad (East), Mumbai
022-28899447/ 028894381

8.) Cooper Hospital
Irla Juhu Link road, Vile Parle (West) Mumbai
022-26207254/ 22605892/ 22605897

9.) V N Desai Hospital
V. desai Road, Santacruz (West), Mumbai

10.) Shatabdi Hospital
Waman Tukaram Pat Marg, Govandi (East), Mumbai
022-25564069/ 27662933

11.) Mahatma Phule Hospital
Kannamwar Nagar, Vikhroli (East), mumbai
022-25782253/ 25782283

12.) J J Hospital
Off. J.J Road, Byculla, Behind Byculla Police Station, Mumbai
022-23735555/23739031

Kochi
1.) Government Medical College
Gandhi Nagar P O, Kottayam – 08
(0481) 2597311,2597312

2.) Government Medical College
Vandanam P O, Allapuzha – 05
(0477) 2282015

3.) Taluk Hospital
Railway Station Road, Alwaye, Ernakulam
(0484) 2624040 Sathyajit – 09847840051

4.) Taluk Hospital
Perumbavoor PO, Ernakulam 542
(0484) 2523138 Vipin – 09447305200

Delhi
1.) All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
Ansari Nagar, Aurobindo Marg Ring Road, New Delhi – 29
(011) 26594404, 26861698 Prof. R C Deka – 9868397464

2.) National Institute for Communicable Diseases
22, Sham Nath Marg,
(011) 23971272/060/344/524/449/326
New Delhi – 54

3.) Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
Kharak Singh Marg,
(011) 23741640, 23741649, 23741639
New Delhi – 01
Dr. N K Chaturvedi – 9811101704

4.) Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute
University Enclave, New Delhi- 07
(011) 27667102, 27667441, 27667667, 27666182

& thanks Nitin for shraing the following information:

Scientific Prevention of Swine Flue using Household Products

1. Inhale Clove Oil (Lavang) For 1 Second.

2. Chew 1 Clove In a Day

3. Eat Raw Garlic (Lasun), Onion, Ginger (Aale) (1 to 5gm)

4. Drink Hot Milk With 2gm of Turmeric

5. Consume Plenty Of Vit C Fruits-Lemon/ Avala

6. Eat 8 to 6 leaves of Tulsi empty Stomach Twice a day

7. Burn Camphor oil in your room, office a slight camphor oil all the time which keeps different airbone diseases away .

Love Aaj Kal: Kal was better than Aaj!

August 7, 2009

Well, too many things to blog about again but sigh for I am not getting time to be regular on blogs. Reasons are many actually, but those deserve a separate post, as of now lemme stick to the movies & books which I read recently. But before that would like to share one of my articles which came on pluggdin today, check out: Twitter getting Twilmy: An opportunity for brands? @ http://www.pluggd.in/bollywood-celebrities-on-twitter-what-indian-brands-can-learn-from-twilmy-tweets-297/

Watched Love Aaj Kal last weekend and since then have been planning to do a post on it but…anyways coming down to this movie, I think I have a very confused reaction towards it. I liked it and I didn’t like it. Now the confusion is which reaction is the dominant one? I think the later one; I found it to be just an ok type movie, maybe a one-time watch for those who love light Bollywood flicks. I very much like Bollywood movies but this was just another movie for me which has nothing special to be shared except for the way it has been made, that was definitely new. Some parts were enjoyable like Veer Singh’s (Young Rishi Kapoor played by Saif Ali Khan) love story with Harleen Kaur (a brazillian model Giselle Monteiro) but other aspects of the movie were really big disappointments esp. Deepika Padukone; she looked gorgeous, absolutely ravishing but her acting was pathetic! It was as good as an exotic looking dish but salt missing in it! This has to be one of her most plastic performances ever. Even very powerful scenes were lifeless because of her expressionless expressions. Saif Ali Khan was good but I found him better in his sardar old generation role, in fact overall also I found the “Kal Love” to be better than the “Aaj Love” in the movie. Music was great but the most promoted song was not a part of the movie, it was at the end as a part of concluding casting. Surprise package was definitely Neetu Kapoor, ah I love the grace of that lady so much that her presence (even though it was hardly for a minute or two) just gave a lift to that movie. She looked as fabulous as ever. So, in case you’ve not watched this movie till now, go for it for that slight glimpse of Neetu Kapoor or for the sweet love story of Veer & Harleen. That part is definitely worth a watch!

Is there really any helpline available for women in India?

July 28, 2009
Last week I got a call from a close family member who lives in a relatively middle sized town up north, getting a call from her at that odd hour was definitely bit surprising. But after picking up the phone, came to know the urgency. Her neighbor was in deep trouble and desperately seeking some official help, it was yet another case of domestic violence which she has been going through for years now but that night things had crossed their limits. She tried to contact local police station but apparently the husband being rich & influential had managed things in his favor. My relative asked me if I know of any such helpline or can I find one from internet and send her the numbers else that lady might not be even alive till next morning. Both me & N started to google such numbers frantically and within few minutes we were able to get many links and pages on women related helpline as well as NGOs against domestic violence like this, this, this & this. Quickly we called back & passed on all the numbers to the concerned person, only to get a call back in 15 minutes saying none of the numbers were being picked up including the Govt. 1091 one! We wondered as some of the numbers had “24×7 helpline” prefixed to them but still no response! That lady was crying on other side of the phone & we were left with no other option than to say some sympathetic words to her. But still there was this faint hope that maybe next morning she might be able to get through at least few of them.

Next day I spoke to this relative asking if her neighbor got any help, she responded back in a sad “no”; in fact the lady was beaten badly by her husband that night and went through hell lot of physical torture. Now some relatives had come to sort out the matter and asked neighbors to not interfere in husband-wife relationship with the same clichéd logic – doosre ke ghar mein aaplog mat boliye, pati-patni ka maamla hai, aapas mein suljha lenge. Phew, when relatives interfere we know how much the decision would be in favor of that lady :(.

But the fact that none of the numbers were reachable / contactable left me totally amazed. Out of curiosity I myself started to check out on some numbers, dialed many including 1091 to see the response & well despite repeated rings nobody picked the phone at all. Dismayed I spoke to few of my friends asking if they know of any number which a woman can call in India in case of any such urgency and nobody knew of even one responsible number at all. I also read lots of coverages on women related helpline in different states, NGOs, online initiatives like “Bell Bajao” etc but what left me surprised was the actual execution of all these initiatives and on ground presence of such bodies. Out of all these I definitely found “Bell Bajao” website & wiki page to be bit helpful but then aren’t those info actually limited to internet savvy women who can surf internet & read them online? What about those women who are not online, who are not from metro cities & are not educated enough to write mails etc to NGOs? Now this was a case of domestic violence, how about instances of stalking, theft, rapes etc.? Can help arrive at the moment of need? Is there really any authentic helpline for women? I’ve no answer…In case you know of any such number or have got help from concerned authorities in times of need, do share your experiences along with contact details of such helping authorities. If I get some details, I would definitely like to compile such list & pass it onto all the women I know.

Back with “Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince”

July 20, 2009
Well, I’ve been off from blogging scene for last 2 weeks now. Wondering which one could have been the larger reason for the same – hectic work, my intention to be off laptop after work hours till late night, writing some long work related documents thereby lesser intent to write personal posts or a combination of all these? I think larger one is definitely me not being on laptop for long at nights these days but I think I’m enjoying it like this as of now. At least I’m able to trade off that time with gym or walk. Now that I’m back I have too many things to share but lemme stick to only one topic for this post & that has to be of course HARRY POTTER :-).

Yes, yes I watched it on Saturday itself, though missed initial few minutes of it (thanks to horrible Bangalore traffic on weekends)!!! And I am the kind of person who has to watch a movie from absolute START i.e., from that censor board certificate to Chopra or Mehra presents…so one can understand the frustration of missing the beginning of a movie like Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince! Grrrrr…###…!!!…but few minutes into the movie & my anger simply vanished as I got completely engrossed in it. As any other HP movie, it was fun & captivating. Lord Voldermort, the Death Eaters wreck havoc in London and danger is hovering over Hogwarts too. In Hogwarts, during a potion making class, Harry comes across an old copy of book belonging to ‘Half Blood-Prince’. From there starts a perilous journey of Harry along with old Dumbledore leading to different twist & turns and finally a dark end. Of course I’m not going to give you all details of the movie in the interest of those who have not watched it till now. Anyways, Harry Potter movies are review-proof I think, whatever be the feedback or critic rating you have to read the book or watch the movie to experience it on your own. Movie was good but well it was less of fantasy & more of drama this time. Ron & Hermione were more interested in their love lives than the problems surrounding Hogwarts and their acting somehow seemed to be very plastic, others surely were damn good. Despite being a good movie, I somehow felt that there was something amiss and this definitely did not qualify as “my most favorite Harry Potter movie” for sure. A darker shade with an end which leaves you wanting for more, this movie overall is surely a must-watch for all Potter lovers and one-time watch for others. After all you need to see the movie at least once which has broken all records of midnight BO collection 🙂
Other details of the movie:
  • Duration of the movie: 2 hours 40 mins
  • Best to watch it with: Anyone, but a better treat with kids.
  • Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gombon, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Jim Broadbint
  • Director: David Yates
  • My Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)

So much to watch on television now!

July 6, 2009
I’ve been spending some considerable amount of time on television these days, 1 hour daily is definitely considerable as per my standards. Reason – prime one being my motive to avoid working on laptop till late night esp. after office hours due to health reasons, secondary being the intent to get involved in other activities beyond internet / work & third the most important being the fresh & interesting content on Indian Television now. For me television has never been an engagement medium at all, it’s long that I have watched anything with continual interest on television, thanks to the soaps showing bahus working in kitchen with kanjeevaram or bridal chiffon sarees, their 10kg gold jewelry clad look or 1 feet long bindi adorned faces, somehow like many other today’s generation Indian women even I could not relate to those ever conspiring saas-bahu serials at all. Trust me, the kind of strategies & conspiracies they make in those soaps, I’m sure such women (if at all they exist in real world) can make very good diplomats or high commission planner in Indian Embassy. To add to that the frustration of at least 1 million (or is it more?) reality shows running on each channel every day where people are either singing or dancing or bitching AND crying. By the word AND before CRYING I definitely mean that crying is an inclusive & not mutually exclusive activity in any reality show. Now whether you are dancing or singing or playing a game, you HAVE to cry, else your participation is not deemed fit enough for the winning candidature. Sigh!!!

A lethal combination of such “mera pati mera devta hai” soaps & “mujhe meri maa ke liye jeetna hai” reality shows was force strong enough to put me off television for quite some time now. I did watch few new concepts here & there like Ballika Vadhu on Colors but even there, I lost my interest because of its dragging content. So, of late even if I used to sit in front of television it was either with a book or with my laptop in hand. But some 10 days back, a cute girl “Antara” managed to grab my attention finally on Zee so much so that her innocent looking face made me put that book down & watch the serial intently till the end. The end of that episode made me curious enough to wait for its next episode & lo’ now I’ve been watching “Aapki Antara” continuously for last week & a half. I must say it’s a damn nice serial which Zee is telecasting these days at 8:30 pm. Not only this, there are many new programs on each channel now which in terms of presentation and content are far cry as compared to their old counterparts. There is Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya hi Kijo on Zee, Bhaskar Bharti, Ladies Special & Entertainment ke liye kuch bhi karega on Sony and many others on channels like NDTV Imagine, Colors etc; surprisingly none of these are having the typecast indian saas, bahus or patis.

Thank god, finally Indian Television Industry has accepted the change in Indian Consumer’s taste! I had written about Sony re-branding on my marketing chit-chat blog earlier but well, in terms of content I think not only Sony rather the overall television industry has gone for a major facelift. I think soap producers have finally understood that today’s consumers prefer to watch a “Rock On” as against “Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi” or a “Dostana” as against “Yuvraaj”. Like many other things, Indian consumer has undergone a change in their television viewing habit too and hence television producers need to keep up with times if they want to capture today’s generation. As of now I’m loving this change & I just hope they keep on innovating to sustain this change in the long run too :-).

It’s time for me to end this post & catch up on entertainment ke liye kuch bhi karega now 🙂

Updates from Marketing Chit-Chat: 1st June – 30th June’09

July 6, 2009
Posted these on Marketing Chit-Chat last month, would love to see your comment there:
  • Facebook URLs – Good for personal branding: Which one sounds better? http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=123456&ref=profile (dummy id) or http://www.facebook.com/kanupriyasindhu? Clearly 2nd one, isn’t it? Read More…
  • Re-branding of Sony Television: I got the chance to catch up on television tonight after almost 3-4 weeks & when I saw the complete video “ghar aayi hai khushi” today I realized that it’s a promo video of Sony channel itself. Read More…
  • It’s makeover time for Videocon: Saw an interesting cute green colored animation ad yesterday on one of the news channels, they were showing some birds & the reason for my increased curiosity along with resistance to switch channel during that break was the fact that those birds were somewhat resembling twitter bird . But that ad actually had nothing to do with twitter & to my surprise it ended to be of none other than the traditional consumer durable giant (or shall I say erstwhile giant) Videocon. The clipping ended with a message – change is happiness. Seeing such a major brand makeover from sturdy steel colored V to a fluid green colored V was indeed a happy change. Read More…