I WONDER WHY - SOME OBSERVATIONS SEEN ACROSS CITIES, PEOPLE AND LIFE IN GENERAL – PART ONE

1)While different people have different personalities and different tastes, what is it in social networking sites that it brings people of different profiles onto it and gets them hooked?
2)Are we jealous of the success of celebrities and their lifestyles that we are watching each and every step of theirs like a hawk and one mistake and we are ready to claw them and show them their place?
3)Why is it that when we are playing a sport we want to win convincingly and with a huge margin, but when we are watching a sport on TV we want it to be a thrilling and close game?
4)Why do news channels feel that we are dumb and any small news that they bring and hype will be watched with great enthusiasm?
5)Is it voyeurism because of which we enjoy reality shows, as in most of these shows, the life of a contestant comes in front of us (though lot of them may be faking it)?
6)Irrespective of the amount of planning or lack of it, whenever the launch date comes closer, why does one suddenly wish that if there was more time one could have done better?
7)Without meaning any offence, why are the saleswomen selling cosmetics not beautiful themselves? Is it that they want to ensure that women who come to buy these products, after applying or trying the product look at these saleswomen and feel beautiful?
8)Why is it that I cannot think of so many other observations that I have noticed over the years – I guess it needs to come back in Part Two of this blog

Naked Streets

I was just reading an article on ‘naked streets’, where a new concept is being tried in a few towns of Europe, where traffic signals are being kept unoperational for a few days/weeks to see whether the number of accidents actually reduces as a result of this or not.

The rationale behind this new concept is that when people themselves are responsible for moving through busy intersections rather than traffic signals, then they become more cautious and responsible, which results in higher alertness and thereby a reduction in accidents.

Europe has studied data for some towns to prove that having no traffic signals will actually lead to a reduction in accidents.

European agencies have been feeling very proud of coming up with this new concept called ‘Naked Streets’. I guess they need to come to India to realize that the concept of ‘Naked Streets’ has existed in India across its length and breadth from a metro city to a small town. Anyone who has every driven anywhere in India will vouch that naked street is not a new phenomenon and it has existed for years now.

If one were to have a bird eye view of two naked streets – one in Europe and one in India, then one would realize how easy it is to travel on these naked streets in Europe when compared to India, as naked streets in India lead to utter chaos as one is not only competing with the four-wheelers, but there are two-wheelers, three-wheelers, bicycles, cows, bulls, dogs and sometimes even trams (Refer Kolkata). It seems that Indians are born with the talent of managing chaos and weaving their way through it, seeing their ability to go through a number of naked streets regularly.

I just hope that the Indian Govt. does not make the idea of ‘Naked Concept’ as an acceptable concept by aping the success of Europe without realizing that we have lived and experienced it and though I do not know whether ‘Naked Streets’ will lead to a reduction in accidents on road or not, but what I am sure is that ‘Naked Streets’ means confusion and lots of traffic jams in India.

Swatantra Diwas – India’s Independence and My Freedom

With every Independence, my love for the country and my patriotism keeps going up. There is a lot more pride in my heart for India. In fact, I look forward to DD showing the flag hoisting ceremony at the Red Fort by the Prime Minister and try to surf various news channels to catch the mood of the year’s Independence Day celebrations across various cities. I also try to see if I can catch up on one of the patriotic movies that are being played on the various movie channels.

During childhood, Independence Day just meant like another holiday and reason to be off from school and I did not find the 15th Aug shows on TV to be very exciting. I do not know what led to the change - whether it is more hope and positivity for the country or is it the maturity of age, but the reason is not important.

Today as I write this blog, I am just trying to think of Independence beyond what we know it as. Independence meant freedom from British Raj before 1947 but after that it has meant completely different for different people at different times including me.

The other word for Independence is Freedom and one song that comes to mind is
‘I Wanna Break Free’. The reason why this song comes to mind is because post 1947, freedom has taken a different connotation and while one celebrates India’s historic Independence with great gusto, this day always gives an opportunity to sit back and ponder over what is it that one would want to break free from or what is the next level of freedom one would want to enjoy.

As a child, freedom meant a day away from school, books and homework and just play and play. As a teenager, freedom meant permission to go on a school picnic or a school trip and just have a great time. As a newly turned 18-year old, freedom meant the licence to drive freely on my own as well as the right to vote. As a young post-grad out from B-school, freedom meant an end to studies and a start to an independent career. Two years down the line, freedom meant the ability to choose the companies I would want to work for and not be dependent on a placement day.

This clearly shows that the meaning of freedom may keep changing but the joy of achieving it will always remain the same. Now, I am trying to think that what is the next freedom that I seek and maybe it will be some time before I can be ready for an answer so I think I will leave it for some other blog.

Recession can also be good for some!

Taking inspiration from Stephen Lewitt and his book ‘Freakonomics’, I would like to attempt my own take on Freakonomics and here it goes:

People have been saying that recession is bad and it impacts the entire economy and almost no-one can be saved from its impact if it continues for too long. While I completely agree with what everyone has been saying but for some companies there is a positive side to the recession and they tend to actually gain from the so-called recession.

Some clear winners are: electricity providers, DVD sellers/video parlours, chips and salted snack companies and even beverage companies.

People who have been asked to quit their jobs due to the impact of recession would obviously be spending more time at home and what that means is that they would be having lot of free time in their hands besides spending a few hours daily on trying for new jobs. So to pass time, they would either watch TV (lots of it) or go out and buy/rent a DVD for entertainment. This would mean an increase in an electricity bill as well an increase in sale of the DVD seller or the video parlour.

Now when people sitting at home are watching so much of TV/movies, chances are that they would eat something while doing that. They would also eat out of frustration and depression of not having a job. In either cases, the craving for salted food is bound to be higher and so products like chips and other salted snacks would be the options that they would desire. So even in recession, companies like these can be a bit relieved that their household sales may not go down and they may in fact see a reverse trend.

Same is the case with beverages companies and that happens to be the perfect companion to salted food and a movie experience.

So you see recession can also be an opportunity for some…. It all about looking at things from a different perspective rather than following the herd mentality where everyone says that recession is bad for them and so recession is bad for us.

Contacts

Do you have contacts? Although it sounds like a very simple question, but quite often there is more to this simple question than what is seen. What one is trying to ask is that how much clout does one have. This is a question that is asked at various points of time in one’s life in India as lot of work gets done only through ‘contacts’.

But today I will not be talking about those kind of contacts. I would like to talk about the contacts that exist on our mobile phones. Each of us has a number of contacts on our mobile phones. In fact, each and every new mobile model that comes into the market promises more and more space for your contacts. From 100 to 200 to 500 and many more.

I just wonder how many of these contacts do we really contact….. and how often? In fact, the other day I was just going through my long list of contacts as I wanted to clear out some names, with whom there will be no contact or there will be no need to contact. There were some names against which I could not place any face at all nor could I recollect who or what that person had done to be a part of my contact list. Then there were some whose name was ringing a bell in the mind, but it was difficult to recollect their significance in my life. These were the easy ones to remove from the contact list as it was clear that they were not important enough to stay in my contacts list.

The difficult part came after this. As I started scrolling from one name to the other, there were faces, past memories and moments that started coming across me. Each name had a certain story and relevance in my life. Some of these names or contacts were very important in a certain phase of my life and these were the people I used to speak to very often, but as time passed by and college, cities, jobs, and relationships changed, each contact started moving up or down in one’s hierarchy of importance. Some of the regular contacts became once in a while contacts to a need based contact to a contact who just exists on my mobile phone. But these are still contacts, whose name I do not wish to delete as I feel that someday I might call them again and relive some of those old moments.

Till then Facebook will help me keep updated on a lot of them!

Nana Papa

A very Happy Birthday to you Nana Papa. As I wish you on this blog, I miss your presence in my life. I always wanted you to see how I do in life – professionally as well as personally. After all, a large part of what I am today is thanks to you.
But, I guess that was not to be. You left us all in 2004, just a few months before my post graduation convocation ceremony. I still regret not coming for the last rites. I should have……maybe I did not have the courage….. maybe I would not have been able to face it.
You have been a great influence in my life directly as well as indirectly. You were an extremely smart and sharp businessman, a great family man, a fantastic cook and a much better human being. You have always been there for people and your assessment of things, jewellery or people has been very good.
Now, when I sit back and try to think of all the things that you have taught me….. I can think of lot of things that I learnt from you and a lot more that I could have but just did not.
It was you who taught me how to play Chaupar, Seep and Ludo. It always used to be my attempt to beat you in each of these games, but you were too good at each one of them, and I hardly got a few chances to do that. But whenever, I did that, it just made me feel that I have learned something from you.
I have also seen you play Canasta a lot with your friends, but I just never got a chance to learn that from you.
While accompanying you to the vegetable markets, I learnt from you how to pick the right size peas, the best quality tomatoes and capsicums and others, and how to negotiate prices with people. There were times, when I did not like to go to the vegetable market, but now when I think of it, without realizing, it was all a part of my learning, which helps me even today.
It was you who made me develop interest in jewellery and gem stones. The way you used to look at them and figure out what is good and what is not, made me curious to know of what lies behind these stones. To understand them better, I used to come and sit at the shop and you would tell me all the details about each stone. The more I learnt the more intrigued I used to get. At one point of time in my life, I was thinking of entering this business, but things changed over the years and I ended up in the corporate world, though my love for gem stones still remains.
It was amazing to see you play the Harmonium with such finesse. You could take out the tune of any song within minutes, and I would admire your ability to play with both your hands. Though I tried to learn a bit of it from you, I could not perfect the art. Rupal gifted me a keyboard last year on my birthday, and I practice on that these days. Hopefully, I should be able to improve in times to come, though I am able to play only with one hand. But, I am learning so that I can take this talent of yours forward.

Pav Bhaji was my favourite dish for years because of you. I have never tasted Pav Bhaji better than what you used to make. It used to be a great Sunday, when you would be in the kitchen, pounding on the vegetables and putting the masala to make the perfect bhaji. I used to look forward to those Sundays.
You loved to take care of everyone in the house and quality was never compromised on. You used to get the best of fruits, vegetables, mithai and other things in the house. I remember how happy you used to feel on getting Pink Rasgulle from Annapurna or Karachi Halwa for Goldy and me, and we used to relish it so much.
All of us were also pampered on certain Sundays with Bedmi Aaloo or Nagauri Halwa, which you used to go and get personally. You gave so much colour and characteristic to Chandni Chowk for me, that it is difficult to put it down in words like this.
I even remember the evening walks that we used to have on the terrace alongwith Mom and Nanima, and how in summers, we would throw water on the terrace floor to make the house cooler. We would also take bath in chilling cold water in the hot and humid summers of Delhi and it would be very refreshing.
Memories are coming alive in front of me, as I am putting words here. Right now, my mind takes me back to our trip to Kullu Manali and how the hot cup of tea became the best thing in the world on the chilly Rohtang Pass.
It was amazing to hear stories and incidents of your life from you as well as others. I remember about your kidnapping and how you managed your stay with the dacoits, your experience of leaving Multan, your visits to different countries across the world, your deal of the emerald glasses, your trips to Orissa and many more.
You played the biggest role in ensuring my MBA happens without any problems. You were my biggest support and you always felt that I would do well in life. It was your faith in me that drove me to do the things that I continue to do in life.
This is just a very small attempt on my part to put down the things that you have done for me. There are too many more things that you have done, but it will just not be possible to put everything down.
I so wish that you were there in some of the big moments of my life – my post graduation, my first job, my first salary, my marriage. I know Nana Papa, that although you were not there physically, you were still always there, watching me from above and guiding me, whenever I have needed it.
I miss you a lot……. I hope to live upto your dreams and make you proud.
Thank you once again for everything.

Familiarity in Unfamiliar Places

Offices, societies, apartment complexes, colleges. There are always faces that you see daily at these places, whom you never talk to. They are not your friends, colleagues, neighbours or a part of your gang so there is no interaction. They know about your existence and you know about theirs, but there is no interaction.

Life keeps going on and on, where you keep seeing them and they keep seeing you and that’s about it.

Suddenly, when you are out of your regular place, where you see that person daily, and you are at an unfamiliar place and you happen to see or bump into that same person, a smile comes on to your face and the same happens to the other person. Both acknowledge each other’s presence and sometimes even talk.

It is surprising to note that for days/months/years, one has been seeing the same person at the same place, but one does not talk, smile or interact with the other person, but when the same person is seen or met at a new or unfamiliar place, things change.

I just experienced something similar yesterday. I had gone to my regular supermarket for some household purchases, and the parking attendant happened to be a guy, who used to work as a security guard in my housing complex. On seeing me, he smiled and I also smiled. My immediate reaction was to ask him whether he has changed jobs that he is there and his reply was that this was just a weekend duty, which he was doing. This is the same guy, who is there on many days, when I bring my car back to my house, and he opens the gate for me and I park my car in my parking area. There had been no interaction with him before this, and yet when we met, we smiled and spoke to each other. After speaking to him, this thought of familiarity in unfamiliar places was playing in my mind continuously.

What is it at new or unfamiliar places that change our reaction on seeing a familiar place? Is it that we feel assured to see someone we know? Is it basic courtesy (which I am not sure, as then in that case, where was all the courtesy all this while?)

I do not have the answer and I think that is something researchers and behaviour analysts need to monitor and figure out.

Procrastination

Pro-cra-sti-na-tion - A four syllable word, writing which takes so much time - no doubt the meaning of the word is to keep putting things for tomorrow.

While I write this blog, I wonder what is it that makes people procrastinate. I have been wanting to blog regularly, but this one comes almost three months after my last blog. So coming back to my thought as to what could be the possible reason for procrastinating?

There are clearly two types of procrastinators -
1) Those who push each and every thing for a later date. They just do not want to take any initiative and will keep things hanging till the last minute

2) Those who tend to procrastinate only a few things out of all the things that they do in their daily lives

Today, I want to talk about people who come into the second category.

Let me try and put down some of the plausible reasons of procrastination for these kind of people (including me)
1) Lack of time - This is one reason that comes to mind, when there is great interest and desire to do something, but yet one is not able to do something.

2) Low committment - People need to be pushed to do things, where they do not feel committed to do something. The irony is that lot of people are not committed to the idea of committment itself, and they tend to push that as well.

3) Less passion and interest - When people do not have a very high passion and interest for something, they tend to not give it too much importance and so those things keep getting pushed to the sidelines.

4) Low on priority - In such situations, people have the interest to do something, but they feel that there are other more important, urgent or pressing concerns or things to be done, and as a result, few other things get moved to the bottom of the list.

5) Difficult to do something - Sometimes, people do not want to tackle difficult situations or problems immediately and want to put it off, till as long as possible. They tend to do all the other easier things first and they feel that, it will be better to tackle this difficult problem later, when all the other easier things are dealt with.

6) Feeling of pressure and deadlines - There are some people, who just love the feeling of deadlines closing in. When the pressure gets to them, their creative levels and energy levels go up by a great notch, and so these people will keep certain things on hold till the time, the deadline comes within breathing distance.

I think these are some of the reasons, which I could think of, which lead people to procrastinate. Some of these reasons hold good for the same person in different situations, so you may not be able to put down one single reason on a person.

I would just like to end this blog with Kabir's Doha, which I had studied in school:

Kal Kare so Aaj Kar, Aaj kare so Ab
Pal mein Parlay hoegi, Bahuri Karega Kab?