Waiting...

Every moment a struggle 

A Struggle for distraction

Distraction is what I miss 

Missing a moment of company

Company of thoughts

Thoughts are so thoughtless 

Thoughtless is this time

Time is so long, apart

Apart is not a length

Length is to which I will go

Go to be with you..

Why did Google make an Ad for India?

One of the companies which has created quite a buzz in recent months by their ad is Google. 3 weeks back Google came out with its “Reunion Ad” which has received more than 1 Cr views as of today on YouTube alone. While the ad in itself is superbly done, in terms of building the emotional connect with consumers, highlighting Google's primary and sort of overarching brand promise - Search, what often people asked was 'why'. Why should Google make an ad, when it owns 97% market share of Search, in India? That too a three and half minute long ad.

One simple answer will be 'Mobile'.
Let's look at few statistics to begin with.

Key conclusions from looking at these trends are:

•       Mobile is driving the internet proliferation in India and globally

•       Smartphones and Tablets are directly eating into PC/ Laptop market, by providing easy internet access and low to mid end data handling and computing capability.

•       Indian consumers are ready to pay for content on Mobile. 300 Cr (Indian paid app market size) is the highest Indian consumers have ever paid for digital content consumption. Hence a clear shift in preference of platform for media consumption.

Google, like many other market leaders of respective categories, is trying to drive one thing above all- penetration of the category, in this case Internet Usage. Almost 90%+ revenue for Google comes from online ad, and hence the second challenge- how to make the users come to Google for all ‘searches’. This is the part which gets tricky when it comes to mobile. In mobile, unlike PC/Laptop, we needn’t access internet only via internet explorer, there are apps (short for ‘application’) which cater to our specialized needs/ interests. With the plethora of apps, such as FB, Twitter, flipkart, bookmyshow, NDTV, Pulse, cricinfo, Zomato and many more, it is limiting the need to use mobile browser. In the long run, Google stands to lose a substantial chunk of mobile internet traffic due to reduced use of google apps or browser. Google’s answer to this is – Google Now. To borrow directly from its definition online - it’s an intelligent personal assistant developed by Google, which is available within the Google Search mobile application for Android and iOS operating system. Google Now is your one stop destination for weather updates, restaurant bookings, flight schedules, traffic updates on your frequently used routes, score updates of your favorite team and so many other things. The idea is to keep the user on Google Search app as much as possible, and provide all the information in a cohesive manner.

So now coming to the ad itself, it has two key deliverables – 1. Establish an instant emotional connect with a large section of the Indian population (what better than partition of India as a topic), 2. showcase the use of Google desktop search and mobile app in day to day life. They have put special emphasis on really setting the context so that nothing seems forced, and hence the length of the ad. You can see the ad online (YouTube) or in Cinemas, since these are only two mediums which support such lengthy ads. Interestingly there are 4 more ads already on Google India channel on YouTube, which takes the story forward and highlights different usage occasions – sports update, translation, online shopping and cooking recipe. These are however shorter edits and are more likely to be seen in TV or Cinema in coming days.

Whether Google is successful in tapping the mobile users, will be keenly watched by many in days to come, however it does leave back clear learnings for – i) Market leaders, in terms of reading changing consumer trends and providing better products/ services to meet them, and ii) importance of developing genuine emotional connect in ad.

[Data Source: India’s Mobile Internet, Report by Avendus]

Some Days

Sun light is a little lighter, 

And the time ticks a little slower.

There is a pace in the steps 

And no distance seems further.

Music plays quite the type,

Traffic stops just about right.

Days are more hopeful,

But nights are too soon.

You feel more alive,

For there is so much to live.

I wish I could save some days for you,

For the most days that are not.

To the Hero worth Worshipping - Sachin!

Much has been said about Sachin as he retires today from all forms of international cricket, and sure much will be said in days to come. The challenge often during such emotional outburst of national scale is that whatever you say has been said by somebody else. Its like the description of "God" as per various religions; amidst all the diversity, there is a definite thread of commonality. Well let me also join the club and try to pay my tribute to the "God" of Cricket (which might just be the biggest religion, world wide). 

What is so different about Sachin's batting?

Everything. Let me explain. 

Every time "little master" walked to pitch and took guard, its like seeing a bottle of raw aggression walking down, ready to burst open anytime; but when he does- those strokes are just pure art. Its just amazing how a classical punch from back foot have so much accuracy in timing and power that the ball races to the boundary, leaving behind a shell shocked bowler. It takes an amazing amount of audacity to cut a ball over the square for a six; and immense control to just take a single off the next ball which merited it. One match with South Africa specially comes to mind, in which Sachin had hit a square cut, and Johnty Rhodes retracted his hand and let the ball go. To hit a square cut on one of the fastest pitches, off one of the fastest bowlers at that time is simply outstanding; but for Johnty to retract his hand and let the ball pass; that got to be something else all together. And there are just so many of such moments in his legacy of 24 years. One thing which always has been common throughout is that- "rush". The "rush" you feel , when you race your car at 100-120 kmph over the sea link; even if it is for only 20 seconds, it just washes away all the frustration you had felt for last 30 mins stuck in traffic. His shots had that magical cure about them. It could delight any about any soul on this planet.

He was a great player but not a match winner?

If I had a dime for every time I heard it I would have had a bungalow in Bandra by now. So let me not get into stats which show, how off his 17 centuries while chasing, 14 were match winners.... etc.. etc.. Let me just ask you couple of questions :
Who do you think they (opposition) studied the most in dressing room?
Why does every bowler, on dismissing Sachin, gives an expression as if he has just won the Miss Universe Crown? 
And if you were to bet your life savings, on an indian side chasing a total, will you feel safer knowing Sachin is still not out? 
And last one: Name just one player, anyone, in any sport, who has done it over 24 years?
I think, you know the answer. 
Sports, like sales, often tends to be very result  oriented.17 times out in 90s doesn't add to a single century. Losing a match when you just needed 16 runs to win and had 4 wickets in hand is still a loss. What often gets missed out is that he was the reason, why we had a fighting chance in the first place. 
If you still disagree, just answer this : how many times have you switched off the TV when Sachin got out, had a smoke (optional if outside bengal) , swore under your breath and muttered - "ab sala cricket dekhna hi chod dunga !!"

There are many more players like Anand, Paes, etc. why him? 

India- Pak match, in any series, ( and I am commenting here purely basis public expectation and focus on that match) has only 1 acceptable answer - Victory. If you fail to perform, it doesn't matter if you brought the 1st World Cup to the country, please be ready to have the gates of your home decorated with 'gobar'. There is no other sport (including elections) which is under so much public scrutiny and which can instantly generate so much public hatred. It takes a herculean effort to play even "Ludo" with hopes of 1 billion people resting on your shoulders, let alone face bowlers throwing ball at 100 mph under flood lights, and 40,000 people chanting your name. I mean no disrespect to any of the greats like Anand or Paes or any other sports person for that matter, but the weight which Sachin has carried for so many years is frankly incomparable. Your professional - personal life, every second of your life and the lives of your immediate family becomes front page material. To have an image which Sachin has had is well unparalleled in the world of sports (including politics).

And there have been so many more questions- like why didn't he speak up when match fixing cases were found, why did he ask for Indian Govt to waive off the taxes over the car gifted by Ferrari, why did he have to join Rajya Sabha, why did he get Bharat Ratna, and the most often asked- Why didn't he retire any sooner? 
What I feel is the tragedy of leading the life of Sachin is that just about anyone, with any talent or no talent, with any amount of contribution to his own family (let alone the country), feel that it's his birth right to challenge and question and allege basis any half baked theory he has. Without having any proof or knowing what the other person has to say, we have opinion about his life and what he should have done. 

Life of a critique is so much simpler !

Why am I rambling off about all this? Today it really doesn't matter. 

Why did I start writing all this in the first place? 

For the last couple of days, I have been thinking of putting up something about Sachin , but just couldn't put words to my feelings. Whenever I think of Sachin a vague memory comes to my mind- me and Amit (my childhood friend) watching an ODI at his place. Its afternoon and Sachin is in the crease decimating one bowler after another. We were only celebrating in between deliveries;as soon as the bowler starts with his run up, we will be back in our exact position, lest Sachin gets out. I have prayed for his century more than I ever did for marks, fought with friends who have thought of Sachin as anyone less than "God", always hoped for miracles during 3rd umpire decisions, believed in him no matter what, in short I behaved plain stupid (much like people in queue outside Rajnikanth's movie theatre). Today as he walks out of that field that last link with my childhood years snap, and probably that's why this day matters so much. 

I can't thank him enough for the range of emotions he introduced me to or say enough how this sport will not be the same again, at least for me. I wish him many more inspiring years ahead, and I really hope someday I get to tell him in person- Thank You ! 

The Red Medal

Lightning rips open the heart of the sky and rain falls like dark blood on the deserted streets… A lonely figure walks on nonchalantly, in a trance… in a blurry of visions and memories… in an illusion of fate!! Rain seems like hot bullets fired from the rifle, searing through his senses… blinding him…burdening him with those memories he longed to forget…

He opened a bottle of Jack Daniels, and poured himself a large peg of scotch, his sole companion for the night. Partly because of his training as a NSG commando and partly because of all the time he spent on his various missions he was more comfortable with darkness than the day light… Day light leaves no room for cover; he was out in open … exposed! He stood there at the verandah of the hotel room overlooking the sea. Out in front he could see some distant lights in the sea, but he wasn’t sure what they were because of the distance. The tempest raged with all its might, as if showing off how powerful it was. He switched off the lights and sat out there in darkness, watching the city scuttling away in the storm like those little bastards he gunned down from the chopper during his missions.

“…Major Avasthi led the team in this mission…and thanks to his and his team’s valor today we have slain one of the most wanted terrorist of the last two decades…Abu Hamaz! They hunted him down in his own lair at an undisclosed location on the western borders. Of a team of seven, three lost their lives and three were seriously wounded. We lament on the loss of the three brave….” And the flashes of light! Major Avasthi stood there, tensed, nervous, alert, depressed.... Journalist and camera men surrounded him and his team mates… “How do you feel Major Avasthi being hailed as the hero of the nation?”… “Major Avasthi…Are you going to retire after this?”… “Major Avasthi… Are you going to act in the next movie by Ram Gopal Verma based on your mission? Are you considering any brands to endorse?”… “Major Avasthi…Do you believe Abu Hamaz deserved to die? Do you think…?”

He checked his gears as they approached the drop point… he was ready! “All right boys… keep your eyes open… stick to the plan… don’t shoot each other… by the way a bottle of Jack Daniels to whoever kills that son of a bitch”… they clapped their hands together…gave out a medieval war cry and sat back as the pilot started a countdown before they were clear to jump...

They had lost their cover… the guard over the post wasn’t dead completely and rang the alarm… From a distance Avasthi and his men could see the flurry of activities inside the house… they didn’t have much time… there were at least 20 well trained assassins in the house…bravo team called in first…they needed back up from alpha and Charlie… they were going in! Avasthi knew it was a suicidal move…but then … it was war… It was madness!

Sounds of automatic rifles filled the night… bravo was down… and Charlie was just managing to hold up against the guys from the roof…he needed to move in.. he needed to move in real fast…

There was a deadly silence across that deserted field…you could very barely make out the humming of choppers at 10000 feets… there was one last room in front of Avasthi…there was 1 door and few bullets between Abu Hamaz and his death… the intelligence had been right about Abu Hamaz, but it was wrong about the number of dogs he had kept to guard him…and it had already cost him 2 men…may be more… he took out the pin of the grenade and with one swift movement pushed the door and threw it inside…. the flash grenade blinded everyone inside…there was a white light and lot of smoke… Avasthi charged in with Lieutenant Singh…firing…cursing…

Just after the press conference, Minister of defense invited him and his team to a dinner he had throw at his place in their honor. He told them how much he revered their courage, their sacrifice to this country and how this young generation needed to take lessons from him and his men... they should be the role model s of new India- fearless, strong and keepers of peace! In truth, he just wanted few snaps clicked with them, so that he can appear on the front page of next day’s newspaper. Elections were just round the corner, publicity never hurts…good publicity…well that’s God sent! He moved around the party like a zombie, smiling at everyone, posing for snaps, drinking to his friends who had lost their lives… drinking to their fate and a life or whatever was left of it… even answering some of the stupid question of various guests- were you scared? How did you feel when you killed him..?... How did he feel?

He changed the magazine of the rifle. He couldn’t believe that he was really there… the most wanted…feared terrorist was in the next room, with probably a dozen of other terrorists, with their Kalashnikovs trained at the very door he was going to push in…death was inevitable…this was a failed mission…he came so close…but!

Lieutenant Karan was breathing heavily next to him… they looked at each other…they recognized the fear in each other’s eye…and then he smiled! Their lives didn’t matter if they can’t kill him today… their death will not save Abu Hamaz today…his team mates are not going to die in vain…it will probably kill him…but he wasn’t afraid…

In the white flash they rolled in two grenades…blinded by the light terrorist fired at random… they didn’t see the two hand grenades which were thrown in. It was like a orchestra at work…just when the rifles had reached a crescendo, the two bombs went off in sync…and a second later two INSAS rifles joined the choir from the door…

Avasthi didn’t miss…he was born for this… for this day… to avenge the man for his guilt… to punish him…to kill him!

The boy was standing in the corner…his mother at his feet holding a Kalashnikov,bleeding to death….Abu Hamaz, dead on the other corner…couple of other … here and there…the boy was scared…but he didn’t cry…he was looking at him in the eye… he was memorizing the face he would hunt down when he was old enough…he wasn’t crying he was laughing…mocking …. Avasthi shot him in the head!

The boy lay on the ground; his cheeks were wet with tears…his last words were, in broken English, - please don’t kill me!

He filled another drink! Rain hadn’t stopped for last 3 hours… it’s all been so silent except for the rain…like that night on their way back…the silence was unbroken except for the sound of the chopper blades. The boy’s face kept coming back to him…his tear soaked face…those alive eyes. He took out his medal and held it out in his hand…that glistening silver medal looked so beautiful. There was another glimmer of metal in the rain…of the berretta in his other hand…and a final shot!

But when all this is over…wars won…heroes returned…villains newly found…who cares for those medals…those medals soaked in blood! 

Of Darkness and Liberation

A dark night… a lonely road… a fast car… and a shot of madness in his head…. He drove! In the short sighted visibility of the car head lights, he rested his faith and luck…anything beyond was darkness and unknown… anything beyond was approaching him at 120 kmph speed but he didn’t know if it was an open road or wall of stone… but he drove!

It was a dark night… no stars in the sky…a lonely moon giving shapes and forms to the expanding darkness that surrounded him. He was scared. He shot furtive glances towards those shapes… he didn’t know what they were and he didn’t know what to expect….There was a constant sound… a snarl… a giggle… a playful demeanor….someone was there …someone watching him…. Someone toying with him and his fate… a much mightier force …and he was his object of play for that night. He was scared!

A pair of brilliant balls of fire fast approached him from the opposite direction…some company at last! Starved of any company... unconsciously he drove towards them…positioning himself almost on the collision course. As if even the brief moment for which that truck will pass right next to him he will feel some level of companionship… which he will store…savor for the rest of the journey. As the those pair of lights came nearer, he realized that that they were just too bright for him to handle… he couldn’t be on his own anymore… he lost his view of the road… he lost control...he was going for a head on collision…and for all those long micro seconds … he knew.. but he couldn’t move…he had accepted that collision as a collateral for that companionship…. He had given up!

 Truck swerved at the last second… sparing his life! And for those seconds … and many more following them, blinded as he sat...he was lost in his dreams. He dreamt of himself as a child… his parents… his friends… his home… of the mango tree in the courtyard…and the fields beyond … and the hills and river beyond them all… he felt so small…. He felt so much at home… he was at peace! Another car honked and whizzed past him… he was awake!

A soul burdened with failures… expectations un-met… promises un- kept…and all those things it hadn’t come to terms with… felt too heavy for him to carry…but then in that instant… in that sudden flash of light …when he thought he was dying he met another him… the unburdened him… where he wasn’t the centre of the world… when he had hopes and dreams bigger than those hills beyond… when his mind was as open as those huge fields… when his life was more than an appraisal report... when he was alive!

A hint of light filled up the sky… a warm glow of a distant hope… and suddenly the darkness surrounding him was washed with muted colors… revealing their identity...he wasn't scared anymore! He could see, on his right, the river now… beautiful pristine blue… it twisted and turned playfully around the bends… jumping with joy and energy...and he felt.. his life wasn’t such a waste after all… he wasn’t so lonely after all… there was more to him than he has made out to be….than what people expect of him. There was so much more to do... there are so many dreams to chase... there were so many more lives to live and then in that instant... he was liberated! 

D' Shining....

This is a tale of a certain young gentleman, unlikely of his age, who revelled in his wisdom and charm, while his hairs rebelled having to stay so close to the absolute source of “sheer awesomeness” (next only to the great Kung Fu Panda). Tales of his exploits are travelled far and wide, and has amazed from stud-most to dud-most. For the sake of your safety and mine, we will here after refer to him as ‘The D’ (people have turned blind-reading, deaf-hearing, dumb-saying his name, apart from other awesome-active reactions)

These were the times, when The D after having left the hallowed portals of XLRI, had joined a certain extremely well reputed FMCG company of US origin [US economic crisis was a caused when The D walked into Walls Street during one of his afternoon extra-body time travels… and the financial markets collapsed by coming so close to him]. These were the days when he wasn’t the magnificent…the ultimate…‘The D’...he was just an ordinary…nice…kind hearted…sweet… ‘D’. He hadn’t come in terms with entirety of awesomeness in him, and was in the process of self discovery like the time travel. On a Wednesday, when D decided to give his laptop for platform up-gradation, and having stayed till 10 pm on the last 2 days, decided to take an early leave from office, at 4 pm. So D bid his colleagues goodbye, while their hearts burned, he embraced the warmth of the sun on his face. There was a certain change in the surroundings… he knew…but couldn’t see.

As he reached Grant Road Station, he met a certain ASM of Mumbai Metro, who was quite taken aback by our hero’s early departure…but the most benevolent D explained- “Arre, laptop to ISD ko dediya upgrade karne ko…abhi bina laptop ke main kaam kaise karunga [an evil grin, sheepishly ran across his face, hoping not to disturb the rest of the face]…so leaving early…..”. D noticed the certain change in the faces of people standing nearby, but engulfed by the joy of leaving early, he paid no heed to them and continued in the his flow…till he turned his head and saw him….new MD of his company was standing right next to him!!!!!

D was torn apart in the flurry of emotions…sorrow… pain…regret…distress…. “How could I do it..?” he asked himself…and like the dying Neo in The Matrix, he refused to believe that he has been shot- point blank! And just when it seemed all hope were lost…hearts nearly broken (…Trinity about to kiss)…D entered a barber shop- he decided to free his hairs of the mortal bondage forever… he decided to get a clean shave… on his head! And when he emerged … the world for a second had 2 suns…one in sky…one in Mulund! People fell down on their knees…guarding their eyes from D’s awesome-emitting new look… he was unveiled…he was reborn…he became… ‘The D’

Several cases of blinded by awesomeness have been reported since in Mumbai… those were the times when ‘The D’ was distracted for nano’eth of nano second. Valentine’s Day have been renamed as ‘I wanna be with The D’ by girls…and ‘We seek your permission to hate you The D’ by certain underground guy’s group. There are other changes underway…but while that happens our very own ‘The D’ still chills out in that company (humble isn’t he)… while the company has issued special ray-ban glasses and awesome-resistant suits to all its employees.

We would have liked to conclude this blog…but as per special guidelines issued by Supreme Court… like ‘The D’…his tales are never to be concluded…they just stop when ‘The D’ wants it to….

Sometimes, I wonder....

Sometimes, often on a sunny day, a bunch of clouds comes and blocks out the sun, even if only for a while…and the world around you changes! Sometimes this change causes a certain relief… you wipe off the sweat take a deep breath, let the breeze fall flat on your face…enjoy the those small moments of calmness and even if for few moments feel relieved from your day to day headaches. But sometimes it’s different. Its like waking up from a dream and realising that things are changing…have changed…and you are left with a sinking feeling in your stomach which you might have felt before the exams you were not prepared for. There is so much left to do!

The day Saurav retired was one such occasion! (Now am sure you were expecting something little deeper than this…but bear with me!) In our day to day job, we often lose the time, in the sense we don’t realise how time has gone by…that’s why engineering college just seems like a matter of yesterday…school in Kolkata…last week…Patna….last month maybe! And then one of these days you realise ….its been a long time since!

The T.V. at my home in Patna was 11 months younger to me. Those times colour T.Vs had just been launched in Patna, and my dad got a brand new Telerama Colour T.V. And that is why a lot of my early childhood memories consist of … Karamchand, Vikram aur betal, Football world Cup ’90 (for me it used to be yellow vs stripes and not Brazil vs Argentina), Wimbledon….etc. My conscious entry to the world of sports that is by the time I had started playing cricket etc and started understanding the game, kind of coincided with the entry of Sachin and Kambli. Being a left handed batsman myself my favourite was Kambli while my best friend, Amit’s (yeah…back then it was a rule to have best friends!) who was right handed, Sachin! In a matter of a year or two, I changed loyalties however. Let me give you a slight bit of insight about Bengali mentality- education is a must! ...higher the better…it doesn’t matter if you are the king of the world…but if you are a college drop out…too bad, lad!…you aren’t good enough. So Kumble and Sreenath in a way chastised cricket as a sport in my family… they were engineers after all!

I have never really been a die hard fan of anyone, ever… I mean, it’s not that unless its Amir Khan’s movie, I won’t watch a Bollywood movie…but cricket somehow condensed to a single entity- Sachin! The way he demolished bowlers was nothing less than watching Stallone taking on a Vietnamese platoon on his own in Rambo-II. I remember, those days if anyone asked me a synonym of devil, I would have said- Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis…’cause somehow they bowled those perfect out-swinging good length deliveries, or those in-swinging Yorkers, which used to catch my hero off-guard, and would stop him from another century or India from another win. People can talk about team game and all but back then Sachin carried the fate of the team, except on those odd days when someone else stood up and took the lead.

Then came a left handed batsman, who at least on the off-side “was next only to God!”… Saurav Ganguly. Of course being a bong myself, I have more than one reason of being extremely proud of him, but the reason I was really proud of him was…he was the only batsman in the last decade and half, who was a worthy companion of Sachin on the pitch...who even in all the brilliance of the little genius had his own aura…who made the bowlers soon realise that Sachin was not their only worry…in some cases much worse! I had never before seen a pace bowler of the stature of Shaun Pollock being so rudely mocked at…when he stepped out nearly half way down the pitch and hit him for a six over long on…or for that matter any spinner worth his name, in similar disdain, over mid-wicket.

Together and individually, they have crushed several bowling attacks, given several bowlers nightmares (quite literally)… raised sand storm on the field (Sharjah Cup, Finals)… mocked British hypocrisy right in their holy grail of cricket (Lords, Natwest Series Finals)…while I enjoyed every moment of it...tried to emulate them on field (don’t even compare…it’s a sin!)…prayed for them (more than I ever did for my IIT entrance exam)…sat on my couch in same position for hours at end, because that was lucky for them…jumped around with that pure exaltation of having achieved something amazing…as if their success was my own!

And now I will see them no more on field…through the time, I had kind of taken their presence for granted…how much ever we criticised their form, performance…age…I hadn’t prepared myself for their final departure. Ganguly’s retirement, as I said, was a harsh wake up call…a sure sign of the departure of my childhood heroes…of a change I have seen happen over the years but never really accepted… of a realisation that –“Dude! You are no more a college going student…you are no more safe from the worldly headaches…there are no more safe havens…You are on your own…Are you really up to it?”… I don’t have any pre-rehearsed answer for this…but so far things look nice…kind of promising…We won the first two matches against England…We should win this series…things are good for now…may be this will last a little more… by the time get used to the change…to the absence of my heroes!

Life is full of tough choices!

Since, probably the beginning of human race (ahem!)…there has been A “to be and not to be” kind of issue which has kept the best of minds of this race of Homo-Sapiens… (Read B-school grads) wondering…. Sales or marketing!!??? I don’t claim to be an exception. So after I got placed in this extremely well reputed FMCG company (don’t ask how I managed it…), I spent several sleepless nights pondering over this issue, without much help.

Finally I joined the company and started with my sales stint. It was, well as bad as its oft rumored…but as it turned out…its awesome in several ways, which are not so often spoken about. But more of that later…. So you see my dilemma here… I went through my sales stint not hating it…in fact… I daresay liking it! Next ... it was marketing stint’s turn… and well as expected…actually somewhat unexpected too… it started with a bang…here are some of the excerpts…judge for yourself…

Day 1: Catching up on gossips and rumors (and they say…oohh! We have so much work…yeah rite!!!)…. Suddenly a someone said from the corner, “do you know who was seen roaming around…hand in hand during the regional meet?”
Our eyes shone in the sheer anticipation of the news… we waited with bated breath, and we all asked in unison, “WHO?”
“D..M..”
“With WHOM?”
“His boss” … and don’t get ideas here… he is a guy… but on second thoughts why not!
And there it began… and finally we concluded that D..M..’s relentless pursuit of a suitable girl and resulted in what we call in marketing terms – “exploring newer territories”

Day 2:
Like some hot shot brand managers, on whom the future of the company depended, we jumped on various company products, dissecting it… analyzing it…strategizing while we kept on with this exercise. However there was this one category of products, which we (expect P..R..) are/were mostly ignorant about- sanitary napkins, which received most of our attention…but we were not to be bogged down by challenges…we are the future of the nation (ahem…ahem)..
4:30 pm (same day): P..R.. tries to explain lesser mortals like us, certain attributes of the product in question….
S..G..: Goes on to explain …with original insights….and tops it up with a finishing line- “P..R.., I know more than you…”
P..R..: “Am not sure, that should be taken as a compliment by you”

Day ….(well I don’t remember the count now):
We were out taking the ‘n’th coffee break, when we heard….
“He has got engaged!”
“WHO?”
“Arre… D..M..’s….”
“Really…true”… (loud “aawwwss”)
“Poor D..M..!...Who is going to break the news to him??”
Good question!!.. so we all go together!

We find D..M.. in his seat, happily checking out movie ticket booking sites, humming songs…and very tactfully (with wide grins… and other facial expressions enhancing the same…) we break the news to him…. And there it started again…
“You know what … HE is getting engaged…”
“Ya well…”
“Dude…do something…”
“Do what?”
“You know… do SOMETHING….”
“Like WHAT??”

D..M.. was visibly agitated by now…and we were more than amused ….I meant concerned…(ahem)… when finally someone drew the conclusion… “better luck next time mate!!”

So you see my dilemma here… will you hate me for liking marketing …or sales…. I am just a mere mortal…still grappling with THE fundamental question of our life- Sales or Marketing???

And the stars shone...

Stars shone brightly against the dark sky… shimmered a little…and in case you took a closer look…smiled at you too. Rajarshi smiled back as he took another drag of his cigarette. There was a gentle cool breeze blowing across his face…it must have rained somewhere close, he could almost smell the moist soil. All he wanted to do was lie there and let the stars carry on their little un-coordinated dance across the screen…but something was irritating him…someone close… “aah! Those fuckers”, he sighed and turned his attention towards Salil and Malcom, other two occupants of the 4ft by 4ft space floating at 80 ft above ground level of that 9 storey high telephone tower. They had started with a 2 quarters of White Mischief, which had proved quite inadequate for the occasion. Malcom, most resourceful of the three got them 2 more quarters of Imperial Blue and may be a third too; but Rajarshi didn’t remember. After the booze ran out, suddenly Rajarshi wanted some fresh air and so three of them climbed up this telephone tower which was recently put up in their college campus. It was almost 2 am, and if anybody had caught them there, then they would have had a fairly painful hangover, but then Rajarshi wanted some fresh air, so there they were. “The day I saw that collage, I knew it was over. Bloody! Someone looks at those snaps he would be wondering if she ever spoke to me in school or not…forget that we might be going around! And on top of it all her big principles…ideals…bull crap! She didn’t….” Malcom went on while Salil patiently listened and tried drawing parallels from his current seemingly ending affair with Aparna. Rajarshi went back to stars, he had heard Malcom’s break up story some 10 times already and 11 if you count the two times he had left them half finished. Break up stories and link up stories are the two most spoken about topic in engineering college where the skewed sex ratio, makes the young student lose his interest in studies linearly and their interest in women and wine (sometimes in unison…but mostly complimentary..) rise exponentially.

Rajarshi didn’t have any such stories to tell. He belonged to a typical Bengali family. Dad worked in Allahabad Bank, mother a house wife. They lived in Alipore, in the bungalow provided by the bank. Learnt tabla for five years and then one fine day gave up, primarily because he realized he never enjoyed it. Played football in rainy season, cricket in all other seasons; everyday, but never wanted to take up sports as profession. He had to be an engineer since his father couldn't become one, preferably from a college his mama (mother’s brother), whom she idolized, passed out from. Life was simple and he was doing it pretty well, there was no such thing as adventure till he joined his engineering college…not really…till he met the other two.

Malcom D’Costa, son of civil engineer, who worked for West Bengal government. Studied in missionary schools all across West Bengal but mostly in Kolkata; grew up to have more of Bengali-Hindu friends than Catholic. His first girl friend was Marian, who was catholic too…but that was class 8. His first serious girl friend was Riya Mukherjee, whom he met during coaching classes in Class 11. Malcom had lived life at his own terms, primarily because he came from a family where they respected private space and independence, but when he met Riya, his life took a U-turn. Riya’s dad was an author and also an active CPI (M) member while her mother was staunch Hindu brahmin’s daughter. She had grown up in a strange world of confusion- of communism, capitalism,religion… godliness and godlessness. When Malcom first met Riya she seemed like a strange tangled up puzzle and as he untangled her, he was enchanted by the person that she was. Malcom had never thought he was capable of passion and love unless it was Manchester United someone was speaking of, but he soon realized he was wrong. It was during second year of engineering college when he realized that the puzzle he had been deciphering has now gripped his entire life. Instead of curing Riya he had injected the poison in his own system and made it far worse. He was no philosopher to think of life and its meaning…but he knew he needed to break free.

Salil was the quite unlike of the rest two. His dad had carried on family business, which of course he never wanted to join. He had a natural love for science, numbers and a knack for arts. Without much training, except what was given in by primary school art teacher, he was pretty good at drawing and fine arts. When he joined engineering college, he soon became quite famous for his talent. In third year he became the Secretary of College Magazine Club. He had a high school sweetheart too, like Malcom- Aparna. However his case was much different. There was no intellectual mis-match like what happened in case of Malcom, it was far much simpler. One sided love!...well mostly. He had bunked school for her, bunked tuition for her…very nearly bunked engineering entrance exam for her…but she could never love back that much. Salil had kept their relationship going and one day when he let go…it snapped. May be she wanted to come back, as Salil often thought…may be she needed more time…may be… He never spoke to her again, so he never knew.

As the morning sun gained a little more altitude, the air above highway started shimmering and gave the road up ahead that familiar wet look. As the truck raced on, Malcom got up sat on the side of the truck looking back at the best four years of their life. Four years in which he saw so many things… Union strikes… Class bunking…. Riverside dates…random trips to nearby places… fests…tournaments...gang wars… hostel parties…guys crying after drinking… guys crying when its time to leave…but they didn’t. They left with a bang… cracking bombs… on a rented truck…at 4 am in the morning… half stoned…carefully registering the minute details of those faces…of that place which gave them more than just a degree…much more! It was 9 am when they reached Maidan, Kolkata. They unloaded their stuff from the trucks…no tears…no “will miss you…” because Malcom knew they would never be out of touch…Never!

“Hey man! Wass up? How long you been here?” asked Malcom as he took his seat beside Salil in Some Place Else.

“Not too long man…just ordered a beer… I knew you fuckers would be late! Where is our man Rajarshi? Late to his own party?”

It was Rajarshi’s graduation…or rather post graduation party. He had just finished his MBA and got a job in a mid-sized financial institution based out of Mumbai. Rajarshi reached good 40 minutes late.

“Wass up dude? You are already acting like a busy manager even before joining work”, grinned Malcom, as he took a sip of vodka. Rajarshi knew better than to object. He knew that any comment he makes will meet Malcom’s sharp sarcasm without much effect. So save himself from answering he gulped down his drink and looked sheepishly towards Salil for some support. So as the band prepared its kit and did sound checks, they exchanged their stories with same enthusiasm…just like old times. It was classical rock night. Some local band played one cover after another… and just when they started with ‘comfortably numb’…Rajarshi needed some air. So they went to Maidan and sat right in the middle of it.

Through the orange haze of street light lit smoke which hung over the city, few stars could still be seen…they still shimmered…but they didn’t smile any more. Rajarshi had noticed this for quite sometime…they didn’t smile anymore.

“What the fuck is this life for, anyways?” Rajarshi asked suddenly getting up.

“What do you mean?” Salil asked.

“I mean…what is the use of anything? This degree…work…money… any god damn thing?”

“These things individually don’t matter but together in the bigger picture they form the means to the end… to our goal in life”

“What is your goal in life?” asked Malcom, by now fairly interested in the turn of conversation. Though he wasn’t drunk enough, but he knew that when let on, Salil and Rajarshi broke in to these pseudo-intellectual conversations, especially after drinking, which gave him ample things to take their case on, when they were sober.

“I want to be happy in life”, said Salil.

“And what do you think will make you happy?” Rajarshi asked.

“There are no such quantifiable parameters to measure that I am happy or to tell what will make me happy. It’s just an intrinsic feeling man…may be success will make me happy…may be when I become a billionaire I will be happy…May be if I get a job like yours…or be a ranker like you… I will be happy…”,Salil said grinning.

“I bet you won’t be…I know because I am not! Trust me I am not… All this hype about MBA…and rank …fin job…everything is bull crap man!...I slogged my ass for two years…nothing like the life we had in engineering college…and what do I end up with?..Some job in some Indian fin- company…while those fuckers with half my score ended up getting double my salary…big MNC brands…why? Well some needed better pedigree…which might be anything from a better school to graduating college…others didn’t find enough diversity in me. Are these idiots recruiting to make me play beach volley for them? Do things like dedication, persistence mean nothing today? Everyone wants a fucking all rounder…what about a fucking specialist?”

“Hey dude! Chill…I mean…it’s just your first job and you haven’t even joined…isn’t it too early to comment…”

“No man! … My career is fucked… it’s gone! There is nothing much left to it…By the time I make my first switch, my batch-mates will be heading some divisions and all…. It’s all gone….Its all gone! ...”

Salil’s flight landed at 3 pm at Mumbai International Airport, but by the time he could come out after all the custom checks it was already 5 pm. Rajarshi was waiting for over an hour now. “Serves him right…asshole always used to make us wait”, thought Salil. He was glad to finally meet Rajarshi after such a long time. Last time they met was nearly 2 years back in Kolkata after he had just passed out. Recently he had heard about the global recession and seen all this financial behemoths crumble to ground…he had been worried about Rajarshi, but never really dared to ask. Over the years they had fallen apart. Not really, but there was a definite gap. Salil worked for a software company and had been going on-site fairly frequently. Malcom too had been busy with his work. He was working for an automobile major and was now in Germany living his dream. Though they kept in touch, Rajarshi had kind of disappeared from the Radar. Salil was quite surprised when suddenly he got a mail from Rajarshi and when Rajarshi heard that he will be visiting Mumbai on his way back to Hyderabad; it was Rajarshi who suggested that they catch a drink in between his connecting flights. “Anyways they don’t serve alcohol in domestic flights”, Rajarshi had said in his old persuasive manner. To be honest he was quite nervous about meeting Rajarshi…their last meeting kept coming back to him…he had completely broken down…he was a very different Rajarshi!

The man who waived across the rails was his old ‘mate’, “ I am really catching this ‘mate’ shit of Australia”, Salil thought.

“Dude there isn’t much time; lets hit the road…lets go get some drink… Traffic will be killer…today is Diwali here remember...” It was around 7:30 pm, they had a fair bit to drink, but more than that Salil caught up with most of what he missed of Rajarshi’s life. He was hurt and shocked when he heard that Rajarshi’s had been nearly out of work for last 3 months and without pay for last 1 month. Hurt because he never told them and shocked because he looked so much better than he last saw him. As if it had done him more good than bad. His company suffered substantial losses during US sub-prime crisis and was on the verge of being shut down. However now there are chances of it being taken over by some bigger Indian bank and most of the old employees were hanging by that chance rather than asking for severance packages. As the waiter got the bill, Salil asked, “So what are you doing these days? Looking for a job… I have friends in IT companies…”

Rajarshi smiled, “Playing session drummer for this band who are pretty big in this part of India”

“What!” Salil was more than shocked this time.

Rajarshi burst out laughing, “Don’t worry dude, the scene is not so bad… and I have more than enough in bank…its just I am keeping myself busy with these things. It’s like the sauce in the sizzler, to spice up my life while my career gets sorted. My five years of tabla lessons finally didn’t go all in vain. Last year I befriended these people who wanted to start their own band but didn’t have any drummer. Out of curiosity I gave it a shot and to my surprise I found I had a knack for it. So I started playing as session drummer for them in their concerts during my time offs. Now I just play a little more regularly, that’s it!...and frankly I am enjoying it a lot. It feels awesome to find that your life not a mere uni-dimensional pursuit of uni-dimensional dream”

“Speaking of uni-dimensional dreams…I am seeing Aparna again!” and then he waited for Rajarshi to abuse him, which he didn’t but he was visibly surprised.

“But I thought you had enough last time…”

“Yeah…true…and then somehow we met on a flight to Australia… You know …as fate would have it types!...” Salil said, choosing his words carefully… he earlier had a session with Malcom, where he was decorated with ‘chosen compliments’, luckily some of which were German and he didn’t understand them. “I know it’s foolish… I know I shouldn’t have done it… I mean I know all that what you guys would say…but you ever had those questions bother you- Was there a chance? Did I give my best? Was she the one? ... Is there any chance? And worse of them all- Will I be any happier with anyone else? I tried … but I didn’t get any answer to it. I had never heard her side of it… I never really figured what was in her mind… and she has been through hell in last couple of years….and I wasn’t there… No one was… Not that I am to be blamed… but I don’t know…May be I should have been there. Its not that everything will be OK this time and it will work out just fine… In all probability, No! It won’t work out… but so what… what am I so afraid of? Of failing …getting hurt again…right? But I am not afraid anymore… I can’t have those questions trouble me day and night… I need to take this chance and see if it was worth it or not? ... I got to let go of my fears and believe”

“Hmm! Yeah and just in case you fall… we are here for you with a bottle of Signature in hand to drown you sorrow… just a phone call away… Anyways lets hurry up, your flight is leaving in one and half hours” said Rajarshi grinning finally.

As they walked out in smoke filled marine drive, Diwali celebration was in full blast. The road was lined with hundreds of people watching brilliant fireworks all across the sky. There was an amazing order in the sheer randomness of the fireworks…it seemed like zillions of stars dancing all across the sky…changing colours…hiding…dodging… changing shapes and then with one bright flash of light plunge into darkness…till the next one comes… They kept on walking along the pavement, breathing in all the energy…all the hope …all the light… when suddenly Salil turned to Rajarshi and said-“Fuck the flight man…lets go get drunk!”