Author: veeskitchen

Posted in Economic

Great Going!

Posted on by veeskitchen

how one brand captured the lion’s share in the leggings market in India and became a household name in a remarkably shorter time…

management lessons in shop floor space savings and bright low cost investment business ideas from Go Colors.

One of the most promising starts in recent times, smart entrepreneurship with high yields on low cost investments could be the GO COLORS chain of legging shops that have sprung up in every nook and corner of the city and perhaps entire India. Starting like a typical kirana shop abutting the street corners, not a square inch over the size of a walk-in closet, Go colors boldly sold the lycra stretch pants (leggings) exclusively to go with kurtis, limiting their scope (initially) to mere leggings which was a courageous move that at that point of time could have been considered foolish. There were established brand names doing good business that majorly sold kurtis when Go colors made a modest entry in the sector. Matching the pants was the natural corollary for retailers, so the shopper felt no need to step out of the air-conditioned environs to pair a matching pant/legging to go with the top/kameez. Leggings thus were an add-on and never an entity by themselves, at least until Go colors gave them their due. Leggings market in India also was new and limited in volume mostly because, harem pants, baggies, jeggings, culottes etc., were yet to make a splash if not a proper beginning in the country where mostly the favoured trouser for womenfolk was the unimaginative and simple stringed shalwar. The bigger the better it got, with the Patialas remaining top pick uncontested, complementing too very well the short kurtis. We Indian ladies would not even adapt easily to the elastic waistbands. Traditional Indian clothes continue(d) to be the preferred formal attire. So why should anyone want to open a shop that sold only the leggings that were a curious mix of the east and the west. They went well with the kurtis. They went well with short tops. But then lycras are lycras, aren’t they. One conjured up images of fitness routines with leggings. To connect them to traditional clothing was out-of-box thinking if not vulgar. The boundary was breached but market stayed unexplored. In summers, why would girls want to wear the spandex tights over cool ballooning shalwars. To go for the close intimate fit for outdoor wear, the pair of leggings needed to be real good. Go Colors captured the market with quality fabric, desired length (like ankle length rather than mostly gatherings that was one weak point with brands like Biba or Twin birds), neat finish, thinner strength of material that made it more stretchable, lasting elastic and neutral colours even if pricing was at par with ruling brands. As one of their earliest patrons, what made me go for them was their stretch quality, durability and chic shape and fit. Ankle length suited petite me and the elastic waist band held fast without twisting back or rolling down. Machine washes were fine and the fabric fit exactly into your body contour. To me this is what made Go colors get a sizeable share in the market pie in a hitherto unexplored line of business. From the shelves of mall outlets and retailers as an innocuous ‘also ran’ brand (as I first discovered them years back), the chain took baby steps opening up closet-sized nooks from ceiling to floor pigeonhole display racks neatly and nicely stacked with convenient sizes xs, s, m, l, xl, xxl, xxxl etc. Both gatherings (like churidhar) and ankle lengths were available but the ankle lengths were a massive hit. Even today mostly of the Go color outlets operate out of walk-in closet size nooks only. The trial rooms may be a 1×1 square foot space. Go colors are now simply everywhere: a cubicle in the center of a busy market to open stall in the lookout gallery down the corridor of a posh shopping mall. Curiously the brand is not sold any more by other retailers making it available only in the brand outlets. This single move to me makes Go colors an exclusive club. Only very lately Go colors have expanded floor space wise as slightly larger showrooms surface in shopping districts, strictly catering to ladies bottoms segment. A big risk by the venturer but the gamble paid off in my opinion. Today, Go colors is here to stay and a label to reckon with when it comes to ladies pants. The brand outlets have mushroomed in dozens. Whether they are the chain or franchisees – I have no idea. Whatever, the market share of Go colors has been steadily climbing, as is clearly evident. From leggings, they have now cautiously diversified into jeggings, nightwear, culottes, three fourths, seven by eights and even denims but the bottomline stays the same (pun intended)! There are then the elasticated shalwars and straight pants. The colour range includes sheers and shimmers. For anything and everything to pair with your kurta or kurti – the single brand that comes to your mind these days is GO COLORS. The rules are unlaid: you don’t have to sell designer brands or lacy lingerie or plush accessories to carve a niche in women’s retail. You can do just what Go Colors did, restrict yourselves to a specialized service and excel in the limited scope. Wherever I go now, I try to look for a street or thoroughfare without Go colors! I spotted the brand in Thrissur. In Tirupathi. In Kumbakonam. Where not? In a world where increasingly perfection is deplored to be a weakness, Go colors is living proof as to how perfection is key to success.

Posted in Women & Family

MTP of a Cleft fetus.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Had an interesting and educative discussion on women’s health today with a very young and bright gynecologist related to me. Things came to settle as expected around MTP that none of us women can miss. Recently a fetus that was 30 weeks (5 months) was medically terminated (legally) for cleft lip and palate (one complete side) by the parents. Three back to back surgeries could have reportedly corrected the disfiguration. But the would-be parents being medicos themselves were aware of the far reaching consequences of anomalies in fetus. They opted for MTP when there was still time when the ultrasound scan and other reports came in. It was a long and hard decision. By the way, the baby was a girl (revealed to the parents for medical reasons). The ethics of the matter is worth introspecting. I am precisely pro-choice for this matter. In an era when bulimia is getting rather too common among teens and girls are selling their precious eggs for a silicon implant, why blame the parents for MTP. Birthday and wedding anniversary gifts for the middle-aged women nowadays come in the form of dermal fillers and liposuction packages. How can women obsessed with their body or beauty routine have a moral right to talk about pro-life. Period. The parents were thinking about the emotional and psychological fallout of the girl baby in her teens, if allowed to live. Its worth admitting that an overwhelming majority of parents would have retained the baby opting for the corrective surgery. Such a sad day.

Posted in Food For Soul

Vallalar: first saint in recorded world history to merge with the Jyothi.

Posted on by veeskitchen
i don’t own this image. from Facebook.

வள்ளலார்

அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதிஅருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி

தனிப்பெரும்கருணை அருட்பெருஞ்ஜோதி

The Abrahamics speak of saints and prophets and god’s sons. Hindu Dharma has its fair share of enlightened men. But the merging of the saint Vallalar who lived in the nineteenth century with the Jyothi has gone down in history – to be recorded to posterity, with proper evidence, during British Raj in India. So that puts Vallalar in an entirely different league.

For Chennaiites, Vallalar is a well known saint. We in the city have two ‘Kaval deivams’ – or the protecting deities, as we say: one is Vallalar and the other is Paamban swamigal. I have heard of Vallalar story but reading it once again yesterday penned by a friend moved me totally. We refer to Vallalaar as ‘Arut perunjothi, thaniperum karunai’ in Thamizh always. Vallalaar born as Ramalingam Pillai later known as Ramalinga Adigalar, was known for his religious discourses and ‘samathuvam’ or equality in worship and humanitarian service, which were considered progressive in his times. One fine day, Vallalar asked his disciples to lock him up in a windowless room and throw away the keys and never open it. The room had no opening to anywhere. After months the police opened the bolted room to observe that Vallalaar had disappeared without a trace like a camphor dissolves in thin air. The British recorded the evidence to posterity so that makes Vallalar the first human in history to have merged with the collective conscience in recorded history. Never has this materialized with anyone in the last 2000 years and never has this feat been repeated by any of the saints including by the line of Achcharyas that India has produced or by the Catholics or the Islamists. Many Hindu saints have united with the Jyothi as we grew up learning, but Vallalaar became the first in history to have left irrefutable evidence to humanity with his merger with the Higher conscience, witnessed by locals.

We do have Pamban swamigal and Ramalinga adigal (Vallalar) in our street temple. Even when the archaka installed them in our limited Prahara, I was wondering whether our small worshiping place was getting crowded. Ours is significant because it is a Siddha peetam really with the siddha Nadamuni having had his jeeva samadhi (buried alive for Moksha) in the precincts over which the Shiva Linga (the presiding deity Kambahareshwara) was established. If you take the ancient south Indian temples, most have Siddha peeta or Siddha jeeva samadhis for base over which the Shiva Lingas were installed which lend the temples very powerful aura and strongest vibrations. Even Tirumala – Tirupathi temple was supposedly raised over Siddha peetas. So even if our temple is not popular or is very poor without funds (that we refused to hand over to Tamil Nad govt), we the street people restored it after a century of neglect and we have been ever since trying to manage it with local collections. Try to imagine the Siddha meditating here in my street under the peepal tree with the anthill growing over him and him attaining moksha, some two hundred years ago. India is basically such a holy land. War is the last option for Hindus.

I wanted to write this down originally in Thamizh. I shall try to back it up with Tamil version. This is for now.

My faith in saints (called Sants in Hindu Dharma) who are born Sants is always greater than in those who are ‘cultivated’ by mutts, etc who become ‘gurus’. To me faith is intertwined with service to humanity and there can never be a delink between the two. The rationality and secularism of Vallalaar were unprecedented for his times.

I am posting a link to my friend’s original write-up:

https://vijayabharatham.org/vallalar-2/embed/#?secret=ht9P6KGJb0

Om Namasivaya! Blessed day. Today is the last Thai Shukravaar, very auspicious day for us. Lalitha Sahasranama Diya Puja at home that I perform every tuesday and friday for 20-30 years now. Followed it up with a recitation of Soundarya Lahari. Jaggery Pongal homecooked offered to Mundagakkanni Amman in Mylapore before dashing for a closeup darshan of none other than Karpahambal at Kapaleeshwara temple. Rounded off the day with a sneak peak at Valleeswara from the street as well as at Renuka Parameshwari. Bliss.

Wishing all peace and happiness. Rise over pettiness and lowly existence to noble heights. Evolve.

Posted in Mylapore Musings

In loving memory of Vani Jayaram

Posted on by veeskitchen

She was our proud alumna, schoolmate of my mother and my chithi (batchmate?), our school SPL in her days when her full name was Kalaivani. She was a star student who topped her class. She got all India popular with her rendition of ‘bolere papi hara’ in Guddi when she lent her voice to Jaya Baduri Bachchan. Recalling our batch’s 25th reunion some years back when she was our chief guest. She sang the song for us girls. Unforgettable. Om Shanthi. Madam, every time I would pass through your street, your house in Alwarpet, I would think of you with a smile on my face. Huge respects. Beautiful voice, subtle sweet soul, a life lived in dignity and grace. Old timer, rare.

I think I have a group photo of us girls with her. Will dig for it.

Posted in Food For Soul

Reckoning Senility.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Although I have a long day today (even as a housewife) I feel compelled to blog this first thing this morning.

I unlock my doors when I have my first cuppa for my househelp to enter without knocking. By 7 am today I was wondering whether I should be going for a second coffee even as I was scrolling my phone. I heard my outer pair of double doors open first and was surprised because, there was time yet for my parttime help to arrive. Then the inner single door opened and an old Kerala woman in kasavu sari in her eighties stepped into my living. Seeing me on the couch, confused her and finally realization dawned on her. Then she apologized and left saying, she mistook my doors for the ground floor grills leading to carpark and entrance to our apartments. Her brother had passed away early this week. In this grand old age, apparently she had boarded the train to pay a visit to the bereaved family. I said it was okay but it hit me right then, what old age can do to you. There is no way one can mistake my double doors for an exit to the street. In a single moment I understood what it is about senility that is bothersome. But it is remarkable that the lady has traveled upto Chennai (in all probability with a companion). Physically she seems to be in a far better shape given her age. My guess is that, she wanted to take a walk as she could not be going to temple too soon given the loss in the family. That she is independent enough in the city or wants to be, seems promising. But senility can be really scary. The octogenarian’s confusion for a minute saddened me. She wore that bewildered look as if she was lost. There was even a hint of fear in those eyes that I did not miss. She composed herself quickly which means, her mind is still sharp. New environs and unsteady feet may have unsettled her. Brave of her to venture out and explore the place.

I do have older women in family. Much sharper! As we age, mental health may seem to take predominance over physical health. We can manage every single ailment or disease with medication or surgery. What must be preserved is our mental capacity from becoming casualty to dementia or Alzheimer’s. Working the brain is of even more importance over physical workouts. Exercising the memory power assumes far greater significance. Its a gift to die knowing that your time has come.

Posted in Food For Soul

The Charvakas.

Posted on by veeskitchen

The nine schools of Indian or Hindu philosophy are:

Samkya, Nyaya, Yoga, Vaisheshika, Purva Mimamsa, Vedantha (the Vedic school branching off into Advaita etc), Charvaka, Buddha, Jaina. The nine schools contain sub=schools within themselves.

Of the nine, Charvaka makes for interesting study. Charvakans deny everything that is not tangible and therefore for them, there are no five elements or Pancha bhoothas. They recognize only four and discount the sky because the sky cannot be felt by any of their sensory organs. Osho and similar preachers and their followers must belong to the school of Charvaka philosophy where physical pleasure overrides everything else. Bodily satisfaction, momentary satiation mean more to them, and their mortal body is their prime focus. This type of men and women live for physical gratification and hence they have addictions taking to the bottle generally. Sex addiction and substance abuse are widely prevalent among them. They justify their preoccupations just the way they argue that there are only four natural elements earth, water, air and fire but never the sky that they cannot touch and feel. The charvakas have no respect for boundaries and have no walls defining their boundaries either. Its free for all for them. Since the charvakas consider themselves beyond answering the questions on morality, they do not believe in Karma. Charvakas in short are Bhogis. Their entire lives get devoted to fulfillment of their physical cravings. For charvakas, not just morality, even ethics are an issue. Not always clean hands for them. They will not hesitate to grease palms if they have to move matters and they won’t mind if someone greases their palm to get things going.

So for Charvakas, nothing is sacred, nothing is sacrosanct and nothing is too personal or private. Typically, Karpu does not therefore apply to them. In colloquial terms, we call charvakas, loose characters (with loose morals and ethics). Interestingly, the charvakas can charm their way into your heart with fakeness. Charvakas may also be non believers. Needless to say the Charvakas sell their soul that they are not borne with, without a second thought.

Charvakas may exhibit the Rajas guna typically, being materialistic. Charvakas do not bother about collateral damages either in their pursuit of their physical pleasures. Supremely selfish.

How brilliantly Indian/Hindu philosophies study the human species for their weaknesses and strengths.

Posted in Pictures Desi

Review: The Elephant Whisperers

Posted on by veeskitchen

Edited: March 13, 2023. Extremely pleased to note that the documentary has won an Oscar today. The two women creators of the film Karthiki Gonsalves and Guneeth Monga have made India proud.

*** *** *** *** ***

Watched this heartwarming documentary in OTT platform this evening. Surprised to see that its based in Mudumalai Tiger Sanctuary, right in Tamil Nadu, India. Mudumalai has an impressive population of Indian wildlife ranging from tigers and elephants to exotic birds in rich bio diversity. Been here but spotted the pachyderms in the shoulder areas adjoining the reserve forests over the protected sanctuary. Mudumalai meets Periyar Tiger reserve and Parambikulam tiger reserve of Kerala over the western ghats and driving to either side from one of the two could prove lucky for wildlife spotting – that I have fortunately done but unfortunately missed any worthwhile wildlife spotting. In fact, even the Bannerghatta reserve in Karnataka adjoins the three wildlife sanctuaries from south over the ghats. Makes for an interesting geographical territory.

Even if captive elephants bother me, I am not blind to the role of the mahouts in our society, especially Hindu, where the elephants are culturally cared for, accorded the divine status. We are raised to revere elephant like god. Most ancient and well funded Hindu temples in the south own elephants. Kerala temples typically own dozens each. Mahouts therefore become indispensable with their rare elephant rearing acumen garnered over generations. Pictures have been made earlier on the bonhomie that the mahouts share with their pet elephants. Elephants exhibit humanlike emotions as they are generally social creatures that live in complex societies comprising interesting family trees. Elephants also akin to the blue whales that roam the oceans, transmit low frequency vibrations and their broadcast can be heard over a distance of hundreds of miles – that makes the two species most intelligent almost at par with the homosapiens on earth. So that’s why, an orphan elephant calf can be a heart wrenching sight to some of us. Even if man=elephant conflicts are on rise in India, our tribals still enjoy holistic relationships with wildlife especially the elephants. Their communication channels are unique and they build bonds that are familylike.

Forest department is now doing a good job rehabilitating lost or orphaned elephant calves after rescuing them when they may be accidentally left behind or willfully abandoned by their herds. Its not easy to return the calves used to human presence to where and who with they belong. This is a tremendous feat and I am heartened to see Bomman and Belle doing just that with Belle becoming first woman in Tamil Nadu history to successfully rear two infant elephant calves and returning them to the wild. Tribals in India live in close contact with our wild life. They share a delicate balance in nature that has to be maintained at any cost so that both the parties stand to lose nothing. Increased encroachments are a threat to wildlife and forest reserves whereas wild animals foraging for food in the villages poses grave dangers to human settlements along elephant corridors. Its a big challenge that has to be acknowledged and tackled with careful study.

Hopefully documentaries such as these win global awards raising awareness. When I watch young female elephants in our temples such as Thirukadaiyur, Thirunallar, Kumbakonam etc., an indescribable ache clutches my heart and I end up question myself, if this is the point of elephant rescue missions. The degree of domestication of wild elephants has never been this acute as more and more of the gentle giants are captured and tamed for religious purposes in India. Mercifully, the circuses employing wild life ended long back in India.

The documentary is a feast to eyes bringing to our view some parts of the Mudumalai reserve that may not be accessible to public. The glimpse into tribal life is also appreciated. Serene and peaceful life in the woods, in the lap of nature, in the company of wild life. What more can one ask for. What a gifted life and what a rich lifestyle. The infant elephant calves Raghu and Ammu’s home among the Nilgiris that they shared with the tribal couple is a far cry from today’s mad and crazy materialistic world. May their tribe increase and may India forever be blessed with rich flora and fauna that are the most precious gifts from Mother Earth.

Mahouts in India are increasingly viewed as cruel men. A handful of them could be so. Most however look upon the elephants under their care like their own children. India is again a rare country where one’s occupation being an elephant mahout is considered normal and regular!

Fortunate to have visited a couple of forest reserves in the south. Blessed to have spotted wild elephants although never within wildlife sanctuaries but always along the shoulder belt. It shows, what we define as elephant corridors are man made. Elephants do not oblige the geographic lines drawn by man and forest department. As the forest cover shrinks in India, the wild elephants are more and more spotted along human settlements.

Thoughtful picture that did not go around a temple mahout. For a change, the plot of the story was on a mahout working with forest department stationed within the range of forest reserves. To make a film like this and to focus on wild elephants of India, you have to have a different heart. I see you, director!

Posted in Environment

What do the electric cars teach you.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Our family friend in south east Asia who is now a proud owner of an electric BMW revealed how the bonnet is EMPTY in the luxury sedan. Not a single mechanical fitting or oil tanks or exhaust. The bonnet doubles up as boot and there is enormous space saved. No smoke, no pollution. No noise. Just a 20 minute charge every night when you plug the charger into the power socket in your carpark. There are enough charging stations around the country for you to go on long drives without a headache. The electrical vehicles are here to stay.

The first time I saw an electric car was in Italy where every single two seater miniscule car (if you can call it that) was electric and there were charging points in every street. I could see quite a few of these automobiles plugged in for recharging. Entire Europe already seemed to have gone green with no pollution. Only the aviation industry functioned on fossil fuel. India too has signed the Climate change agreement and will be opting for green energy entirely by 2030. It will be a great cost cutter to the third world nation whose sizeable chunk of export bill is for oil and gas. Power shifts can take place after the phased smooth sailing into green energy when oil will lose steam in the world market. Middle eastern countries are already factoring in the inevitability and working on that. Aviation industry and shipping will be the last to exit fossil fuels. LPG or natural gas will continue to be in demand for a century or two before technology takes over.

But I would like to underscore here a different dimension that emerges with the electric cars. Tesla is not just a trend. Tesla is pathbreaking. What does the electric car teach you with the empty bonnet without the coils of tubes running around, with no radiator. Can you imagine your SUV without its fuel tank. When the extra fittings go, you save a lot on space and costs. It means, technology gets that much outpaced at a very short interval. The days of the petrol cars are almost over and we are in the last leg of fossil fuel use for automobiles in the world. This spells chaos if not disaster for the traditional automobile industry that has to gear up for a tectonic shift in the technology and industry. I can foresee the mechanical automobile sheds throughout India downing their shutters already. The electric vehicles will render the automobile engineers redundant. Electrical engineers will have their momentary spot under the sun. Electrical engineering will make a comeback, but core engineering never goes out of season. A good percentage of mechanical engineers will be out of job as well. World will adapt because we have grown out of VCRs, CDs, floppy discs etc., right in our own time. Autocad sent home the draftsmen packing. There will be a major upheaval of not just the Indian economy but of the whole global economy as the world will gradually make a conscious choice and move to green energy.

For me, the takeaway from electric cars is that, nothing is indispensable and none is too great. It takes not much for someone or something to replace you in no time and you go down the lane of the oblivion. I have been living in and out of India for a quarter century now. I have met dozens of nationalities in my life, i have been with every single race, language and culture people that you can imagine. Success no more impresses me as one after another our friends drive down in their BMW or Audi like the three wheeled auto that is popular in our Chennai roads. Success is multi faceted acquired in multiple hierarchies in diverse fields of occupation from banking to engineering to art and literature. I may not have rubbed shoulders with successful people but I am in their shadows all the time as I see how men and women excel in their accomplishments, each of which is a laurel and story worth writing about. I am in admiration of fellow Indians who have left no stoned unturned to make not only a successful life for themselves, but to contribute towards goodwill for India at the same time. Nothing nowadays impacts me: success, money, brands, glamour or glitz. You name it, I have seen it all. I am never part of that. I am in the sidelines watching and clapping hands. I have seen some greatest works of art and quite a few pieces of marvelous engineering. I guess I have traveled a bit and been exposed to all extremes. Just this week I was in -19, 09 and 9 c in mere three days. This is my life. There are the five star health centers and seven star hotels. There are these nubile nymphs and the tall brooding handsome men in all their sophistication who go about in chauffered limos. There are cruises that can take you to the high seas and there are shows and events where socializing and partying wild are the order of the day. But I know the superficiality of all that around me and where I must focus. What I do look for is that elusive strength of character that marks the real men and sets them apart. I am touched by humility in men in the face of huge success, I am drawn by elegancy and grace of someone’s persona. The aura of a good and successful man has the magnetic appeal that you know a decent man when you see one. Invariably these men know their vulnerability in the order of worldly things. They are aware that they are but a tiny speck, a spot in the galaxy of universes and nothing at all matters. Understatement always scores a quiet point.

The displacement of the fossil fuel and the ushering in of the green era is a reminder to humanity how change is inevitable and we are all helpless in the face of changing tides. Change brings with it growth as we outgrow some phases. I keep wondering whether India can live up to her word. But I guess we can, because the world wrote off India during the pandemic. We ended up mass producing the corona vaccine and supplying the poorer nations the life saving shots for free. India is thus an enigma that can surprise the onlookers. Hybrids are already in the Indian streets and I have been in hybrids in the US. I am looking forward to owning electric car in Chennai someday soon.

Posted in Pictures Foreign

Avatar 2 : The Way Of Water

Posted on by veeskitchen

May I be blessed with the avatar of Navi in my next janam. So ‘janam’ is the word for rebirth. Reincarnation or avatar is a term reserved for Hindu gods not for lesser mortals. We say Krishnaavatar (Krishna + avatar), Ramaavatar (Rama + avatar), both Ram and Krishna being avatars of Lord Maha Vishnu who took ten avatars from aquatic avatar to human form evolving from amphibian to terrestrial life form with every avatar. And Hindu gods are curiously blue coloured mostly (Ram and Krishna specifically). If you study Hindu philosophy you don’t have to know of Darwin. But its okay James Cameroon. I am a huge huge fan of yours and Avatar will stay the best picture I ever watched in my life because the Navi people connect closely with my soul bonded by the Tsahaylu! Perhaps I have watched Avatar one a hundred and one times? There is even a demo of the Pranayama this time with the breathe-in breath-out exercise. Great service for Sanskrit, Hindu beliefs and Yoga if you ask me. It hurt to see the Navi move over to the water world but then why must adaptability and migration be the prerogative of the homo sapien. Way of water throws light on the whale sharks’ ancestors which is another dimension to Avatar2. Loss of Sully’s eldest is tragic. One reason I could not watch ‘My name is Khan’ is that. I switched off the tv when the kid dies. As a mother even in screen I cannot digest that kind of loss. But then I know, being cast into the next avatar is uncomplicated and smooth seamless process and even natural for the Navi. Too many avatars loitering there from their previous janams! Its only when I see so many avatars on their feet that I regret the title Avatar which is reserved for the immortal creators of the universe. But then when the humans defeat death and recreate life, don’t they become immortals. Mortality is no more the question and probably the word ‘avatar’ is justified. Otherwise I enjoyed the flick at a mall here in Doha in 2D (only) and not in 4D thoroughly. Mindblowing animation. Breathtaking waters in contrast to the forest scene of Avatar 1. Sky people must be made to pay! Soon they may be returning for Avatar 3 so far as I know! The next gen of Navi already looking promising. Jake Sully looks leaner and calmer and more balanced. In another 100-200 years if Avatar is going to be reality as the human race goes to hunt for living space in the galaxies, I won’t be surprised. Strongly recommended for all Avatar addicts.

Posted in world cup FIFA 2022 doha

Mic Off.

Posted on by veeskitchen
the picture that stole our heart: fearless citizen and a great leader

Did you notice something about the awards ceremony in World Cup FIFA Football 2022 that concluded this sunday, the 18th December at Lusail Iconoic Stadium, Doha? Two heads of State who handed in the trophy and medals and awards – of Qatar and France – were given no lengthy introductions. No ‘chamchas’ or sidekicks or so-called cronies by their sides to chaperone them except for skeletal security and secretaries and handful of officials. Neither of the two statesmen took to the podium to deliver a boring lecture, especially the host. What an opportunity to brag in front of the entire world and for a good reason. Who could have resisted the temptation. I was gearing up for a smatter or two minimum . I am really stunned as it sinks in how simple the entire awards ceremony was except for some brilliant fireworks lighting up the sky. Contrast this to similar scene in India. Our netas could have grabbed the mic never letting it go for next one hour ‘educating’ us public from our glorious past to current Kashmir problem and China tension. In between would get thrown in tidbits of their own political success stories . The victory lap would be promptly hijacked by Bollywood stars and bureaucrats and corporate heads besides. Every viable stage opportunity is also good for self aggrandizement for our celebrities and page 3 socialites and political bigwigs to gain a political mileage or free publicity that would come in handy, like during next election campaign. The corporate sponsors would be the next in line to snatch the mic not content with hogging the limelight, sharing the stage, rubbing shoulders with the real heroes the sportsmen, having nothing to do with the sporting event otherwise. This we have been watching in Cricket world cup events and even in IPL. The stage is sometimes overcrowded that you fear if it would give away. Even a five hundred dollar worth cheque in mega size would be co-presented by corporate heads and political ministers with the sponsor names announced every time to make sure none in the audience ever forgot anything. For years I remembered the bank chairmen and Pepsi Coke directors. What an irresistible photo op. To resist cashing in on such a mega bumper global sporting event such as FIFA cup turning off the mic, shirking attention, is remarkable and real statesmanship. It underscores also how these gentlemen are not trying to steal the thunder from the heroes of the evening, leaving the spotlight to be on the winners, the players because it is really their day. The sponsors and corporates belonged where they must: in the commercial hoardings. Maturity is all about this: letting someone have theirs. The evening belonged with the football teams and it was a well earnt trophy that deserved the unwavering attention of the entire stadium. No distractions from any quarter to share the spoils with the winners and runners up. We can all take a cue out of the awards ceremony. This is a major takeaway for me: to become the invisible wallflower and disappear when we must, and let others exalt in their moment of glory. I am sick of the parasites who are in the habit of feeding and thriving on borrowed or stolen moments of glories and success stories of others as we see in India.