Jyoti Basu

"Our doubts subsided some what. My very first election as a candidate gave me a taste of what bourgeois elections were all about. It was to baptism by fire. But all’s well that ends well. Mr. Kabir was defeated.

The 1946 elections taught me that there could be no place for ideals and honesty in such a bourgeois set-up. The end game was to win. At any cost".

Jyoti Basu (8 July 1914 – 17 January 2010)

Jyoti Basu, the name needs no introduction, 5 decades in active politics and probably the longest serving chief minister of a state anywhere in the world, was pronounced dead today due to multiple organ failure.

I heard this name first when i was in the sleepy town of Haldia, where i was born and brought up for the next 4-5 years. Jyoti Basu was the chief minister of the state then and my parents would often mention his name, few people they admired i think.

What a time to live in, Hitler's rise and soviet fall, birth of socialism in India and the freedom struggle. In a country where there were only two political camps that exercised any kind of control, the Congress and the Muslim League, where communal affiliations were the order of the day thanks to these ruling parties, Jyoti Basu was dreaming of a Communist party, a party that at the time lacked the brute force of the entrenched Congress and the political positioning of the Muslim League. A party that laid its foundations on a simple but strong ideology of uniting the masses into a class struggle, of uniting those who were a means of production in the neo imperialist society under the Raj and fighting its way to the parliament.

Over years the CPI(M) rose from being a ideological movement to a mainstream political party. To every non bengali Bengal is now synonymous with CPI(M) and Jyoti Basu.

I would just like to pay homage to this great leader.

You hate your job, your girlfriend cheated on you, you had an accident. Blame it on 3 idiots!

Yes you read that right.

God has been gracious enough to give us what we'v asking him for all these years.

A movie called 3 idiots.

No it hasn't turned back 2009 and the global recession (i have to mention it, after all i am a product of this auspicious year) .

It has given us, all indians something that our DNA predisposes us to crave and possess: Something to blame.

Yes, 3 idiots is the official punching bag.

You got up late and missed an interview. Dont worry tell your mother you watched 3 idiots last night. Madhavan inspired you to take to bathroom tile phptography and art (for those who would like details on this emerging trend and neo bourgeoisie trend, please look forward to my next post).


18 student of the famous KEM medical college in Mumbai were arrested for ragging their juniors and now face stern action by college authorities and the police alike. They have agreed to charges under Maharashtra anti ragging act. Apparently they forced some juniors to act out sexual positions with each other which led to a junior (whose father is a policeman) complaining and getting them arrested (like who else could do that?).

And please do not bother guessing who is responsible for instigating such lowly denegrating behavior? 3 idiots obviously. 'Jahan panah tohfa kubul karo!'

Thank god 'Ranchod' or 'Funsuk' whatever his name is today, did not castrate and hang the seniors upside down. These Physiotherapy seniors would have been in for some serious therapy then.

Now someone from the education board i think is going to get a special screening of '3 Idiots' to see if the allegations of the movie instigating the boys to rag is true. What a royal way to spend taxpayer's money. So is it going to be your family for the uhmmm premiere or just you and some other babus?

Thats not all, you poor citizens should be aware of how this satanic flick is leading to a spike in crimes.

A 12 year old Mumbai boy has committed suicide and now parents claim its because he watched 3 idiots twice in last few days. Yes i agree 3 hours of the movie had various ways of killing oneself, they showcased well the methodology, the timing, the paraphernalia required etc!

How can we blame movies for such instances?

Have you seen American History X? or Hostel?

Crime is committed because the criminal has in his DNA to do so, because he has grown up in such an environ and because his sense of right and wrong is warped. He lives in his own world surrounded by his own thoughts believing hard in his beliefs. How can we grown up individuals blame movies, games for everything that happens?

Every hour a woman in raped in India. Every year thousands kill themselves for failing in their studies, love life, career etc. But can we simple blame movies for everything?

Let's show only Hum saath saath hain and Hum Apke hain Kaun. Lets see if crime rate dips, if families come closer and suicides decrease.

I do understand that heavy, graphic scenes of violence, crime can affect a child's mind but how can those stupid medical college fucks say that 3 idiots inspired them? If i was the director of the movie i would want to knock the morons down.

On a lighter note, the new year has given us the perfect excuse : i watched 3 idiots.

some examples:

1) I want to name my son 'Wakao Bangdu' , because Funsuk is a big scientist and a philanthropist, sitting in Ladakh he has thousand patents to his name.

2) I want to get into bathroom tile photography( more on that later), thanks to Madhavan publishing those ugly looking books on every species known to mankind.

3) I want to become a man friday in boys hostel, see how Milimeter became Centimeter!

Contributions invited!

A River Runs Through It (1992)

'A River Runs through it' was a 1992 movie by Robert Redford that won an Oscar for Cinematography and rightly so.
I had seen this movie 3-4 years back and was touched by it. Today i decided to watch it again. Needless to say i felt the same, reminded again why i really liked it.

Its a powerful example of a simple story told simply through the eyes of someone who's a part of the story. Its strongest point is its setting. A true testament to the beauty of the American wilderness. Each of those scenes of fly fishing would make you wish you could taste, smell this place, get into the water and feel it drench your trousers slowly.

The second strong point is its cast. Craig Sheffer as the father and Brad Pitt, Tom Skeritt as the two sons. At times in the movie you can sense the strong bond every father would want to have with his kids, a bond that doesnt require hugs or kisses, a gentlemanly handshake does just as well.

Reverend Maclean is a Prebysterian minister in the small town of Montana. He has two sons, Paul (Brad Pitt) and Norman (Tom Skeritt). Their mother is a simple small town housewife who takes care of her kids and respects her husband.

the story revolves around the growing up of the kids and how Norman goes to college far away eventually landing up a job as Literature Prof in Chicago. Meanwhile younger brother Paul stays back in Montana and becomes a journalist.

The father and sons have a family ritual of fly fishing which bonds them together. in these scenes you would see the striking beauty of the American countryside, rocky rapids and full trees.

the movie is narrated by an old Norman looking back at his life.

What i really loved about this movies was its simplicity, something that ALL hindi movies lack. Maybe its just the way we are. We cannot portray emotion without hysterics, without oodles of glycerine and shrill screaming. The scene where the family loses its son is so quiet, so peaceful that the peace, the stillness strikes you and makes you feel the pain the mother is feeling. The still face of the mother and the absurd question by the father ' Which hand' is a zillion times stronger than Shahrukh khan trembling at the feet of Amitabh Bachhan. Why do we need to overact and over complicate scenes is something i will never get. The most effective dialogue is the most simple dialogue. Yet we see our actors screaming 'Bhagwan ne mere saath kyun kiya etc etc', it insults my intelligence and makes me feel like the director is telling me 'I dont think you would understand simple dialogues so here take this unbearable, mind numbing screaming'.

The best performance according to me would be Brad Pitt. Brad according to me one of the most versatile actors we have ever seen. After all can you imagine a Fight Club and a Meet Joe Black?

He portrays a deep rooted frustration, a disappointment of having stayed back in Montana after he looks at his brother's life. This has been completely downplayed in the movie but i feel is a strong part of Brad's character. Because he stays back he is supposed to be the master at fly fishing, something that their father connects to perfection. In his mind he mindlessly tries to achieve it, never knowing he actually has it. The scene where he catches the big fish on thier last trip together shows the single minded determination the young man has. He has portrayed to great perfection a young man in a small town smarter than his peers, more open than his peers.
He seems a man who is meant for bigger things, yet has accepted that Montana is his home for life. The way his character is etched out it'l make you feel like caring for him if you yourself have a younger brother. You would want to make sure you are there when he messes up with the folks at the gambling den. He is vulnerable, he is young, he is determined and he is sure of what he's doing, only he doesnt fathom what repercussions his actions would have.

So if you want to watch a light movie about life and its beauty, see how love exists in unsaid words and how bonds exist in distances please watch this one. You would appreciate the fine art of filmmaking that Redford has displayed and it would make you cherish your family a wee bit more.

Mamy Poko pants

Mamy Poko announces the entry of Unicharm, Japan a player in Baby care, Female hygiene market.

The Indian baby care market is more or less saturated with a handful well known players in the organized market. Brands like Huggies, Pampers are well entrenched brands with clear positioning.

Mamy poko has therefore had a challenging entry into the Indian baby care market and it seems they are doing well for themselves.
Yesterday i was at a retail outlet and a 20 something woman came in asking for 'Only Mamy Poko pants'. I frankly had not expected the brand to do well at all. I hadnt even thought that it would be a part of the consideration set as baby care, according to me would be a high involvement and therefore higher brand loyalty segment.

But on deeper dwelling, i feel the brand has had a sensible, well calculated launch, some of the reasons according to me are:

• The product itself is well differentiated as it targets a need that was not addressed at least in the Indian market. These diapers are different from Huggies, Pampers as they are pants with elastic bands. This means ease of usage as they don't need to be folded and stuck. Note that the brand name is Mamy Poko pants and not just Mamy Poko. The differentiator is the need solution and hence an integral part of the offering.
  
• The brand name differentiates itself in the sense that its not a English name like Huggies, Pampers. Imagine another brand of diapers called Comfort or Care etc. (You see i am not that imaginative with diaper brand names). Do you think it would be easy for such a brand to break the clutter? The first time you see the ad with the brand name it does strike you as something different, a new offering, a new brand.
• The use of the brand mascot 'Poko Jang' has all the makings of a Japanese brand. Neither Huggies not Pampers have a brand mascot. The mascot increases the association with the category. Maybe!
• Guessing that it would be at a higher price point than its competitors, it has tried to advertise heavily. Promotions have also gone hand in hand. The photo attached here was of a promotion carried out wherein mothers could send in a SMS and they would get a free diaper. This could be an effective way of introducing trials as well as raising awareness.

Interesting to see how global behemoths like Kimberley Clark and P&G are going to react to this new entrant. Gone are the days of the traditional homemade diapers which i'm sure even my mother would have used. The Indian mother has better options, more indulging and comfortable.

Just as a whacko afterthought, if the technology, material used in diapers is so efficient at absorbing moisture could be modified and used in rainwear?