Perspectives and perceptions

Like a relationship with a person, we form relationships with places as well... I'm on the brink of ending a relationship with a place I have come to call my home... Though I've only spent half the number of years in this place as compared to my earlier home, I have begun to identify myself with this space... In spite of my repeated murmurings about how this place is a house whereas Takshila (my home in Andheri) is home, it is now when I'm leaving from here that I realise how attached I have grown to this place... It's not only about the physical space that I have here, but more about the memories that are associated with the comforts of the space that hit home. Because we had so much space, we were able to do so much more! Host our huge family for amazing dinners, host endless night-outs with friends, dance away to glory, choose different corners and spaces within the house to relax, define and decorate spaces for ourselves, spend time at the thousand-odd eateries, the...

How many times in the day do you call up a service provide only to routed through the IVR? How does that make you feel? The agonizing wait for a human to come online... Today, everything requires to be automated to make it cost-effective for the providers. Be it your telecom service providers, your banks, your take-away, your computer / IT related issues, everything is routed through an IVR, and as a last resort, you are guided to the Customer Service Executive / Phone Banking Officers who shall be "happy to help you". Yes, at times, it helps to have an automated system because it ensures that no matter who picks up the call, you're serviced the same. For example, if I want the number of an office / a restaurant and I call up JustDial.com, I don't care WHO picks up my call, because I get the number smsed to me just the same! However, when I call up Barclays or any bank regarding a query, I have to patiently explain the entire case history, background, service request ...

Well, elections are barely a month away and the political fever is catching up everywhere. I'm 21, going to be 22 this year. I've been eligible to vote for almost 4 years now and I will vote this year. Pavratti, the campaign manager of the Jaago Re (Tata Tea) campaign, had come to SIMC (Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Lavale Campus, Pune). He is an alumnus of the institute. He spoke at length about how the campaign has aimed to make a difference to the scenario of the youth voting. He actually proved to us (students) mathematically, how we CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE! The probability, the numbers, everything is in our favour. If only we decide we want to make that difference. The website created is really amazing. jaagore.com just click on it and you'll know why. It enables you as a first-time voter to understand the process and download and fill forms. If you are an existing voter but have some changes, links are available in the downloads sections too....

It's amusing to note that people search for Mumbai Sex Aishwarya... while Raj Thackeray is forgotten in public memory... :)

Reading a book filled with some amazing images, I fight back tears, Hunched up in a corner, subtly caressing those pages, I mildly shiver, Imagining the life that she must've led, Reading about the crusades that she fought against the press, I wonder how the fairy tale must've unfolded, For all we say is the train that trailed... Born a Spencer, died the Princess Diana, Having lived her life on her own terms, Touching patients, kids, and lives, She gladdened many-a-heart, So many memories captured and treasured, That we stay in awe of her, So many people whose lives she touched, Remember and cherish the beauty in her, The world saw what they had wanted to see, A family saga, with moments of glee, Few saw her for who she really was, A warm-hearted, loving, caring woman, With a passion to swim and dance, She not only brought attention to the plight of many, She called for changes in the lives of many, Fighting for causes of landmines and HIV/AIDS, She was a symbol of hope till he...

Why is it that we only like or appreciate movies that tell a depressing tale or are extremely lively? We have begun to conform to some norms for films and we expect every film to be better than the last. Delhi-6, I felt was a beautifully made movie especially in terms of the rendition of some scenes and some shots. The story is quite simple with a lot of characters. Waheeda Rehman wants to back to her city, Delhi from New York to die peacefully. Her son refuses to come back, and hence her grandson, Abhishek Bachchan decides to bring her back and stay with her. Once here, he is immediately absorbed into the daily brouhaha (organised chaos) of a local city. Rishi Kapoor plays a character of Baig Uncle, Om Puri, Suchitra Phatak, and others are neighbours. Divya Dutta essayed her role of a sweeper very beautifully! The usual Hindu-Muslim angle is also brought in with seamless accuracy. Sonam Kapoor though a leading character doesn't have much of a role, her aim is to become an Indian I...

Choices “Left Turn or Right Turn?!” Oh! Gosh! I just can’t make up my mind! Maybe it’s left, or no, hang on, it’s not…” Choice One word that makes all the difference in the world, Right from the time we are born, to the moment we breathe our last breath, we are making choices, some conscious and most unconscious. We make choices regarding the friends we have our lunch with, the friends with whom we sit in a lecture, the people we choose to work with, the loved ones we choose to live with, the doctor we choose to treat us, the banker we choose to bank with, the book we choose to read, the movie we choose to see and so on and so forth. So what’s new? We all do this, day in and day out. The point is, why and how do we choose. Typically, every person has their own rationale behind their choices. The rationale could be different for some circumstances and it could be the same for all. Most would agree, and rightly so, that those whose rationale is different for different circumstances are “...