Taking a lone walk in Elliot’s Beach (in Chennai) watching the painted sky with awe was something Reena never failed to do on any Diwali evening, and Diwali 2004 was no exception. What was exceptional and thoroughly unexpected was she living her dream for a few moments! Like any girl whose childhood’s staple diet had been Cinderella and Snow White, Reena too had been waiting for her ‘Prince Charming’. And there he was - swiftly slackening the rented horse - and Reena couldn’t avoid eye contact! Needless to say it was love at first sight for Rutvik whose jaw involuntarily dropped on seeing her with the song ‘Jabse Tere Naina’ (When our Eyes Met) haunting his head. For Reena it was a mixture of emotions as he got down from the horse with the extravagance of the firecrackers in the sky providing a heroic aura. The momentary similarity between Rutvik and ‘Prince Charming’ was so powerful that a genuine effort from him to build a conversation would have at least sealed a conditional deal. However to Reena’s dismay it was:
“In Good Old Holy Cupid’s Lake
You’re the Duck and am the Drake
Here I am with my very own proposal
Original and showing my Love Colossal
Oh just say you love me, my Lamington cake!”
“Would you please leave me for God’s sake?”
““I return the question with a spelling mistake!
Would you please LOVE me for God’s sake?
Ok! Let’s cut the crap,” let out a hand, “I am Rutvik”.
“Yes am indeed gonna cut the crap, hyphen, Rutvik!”
She kept walking without turning back but Rutvik didn’t stop trying. He managed to catch up with her in the same beach during her early morning jogs. While Reena was rubbishing every bit of his limericks in the mornings, she was having a hearty laugh about them with her friends in the evenings.
A month after their first meeting he suddenly stopped seeing her. Reena didn’t feel a thing initially but gradually felt that her mornings were beginning to miss listening to vacuous drivel. She did fear this earlier when she didn’t want to go to another place to jog or take any effort to avoid him except consistently using ineffective phrases like “Get a life!” and “Leave me Alone!” Almost a fortnight had passed since she saw him and, by that time she desperately missed her Prince Charming. Suddenly, one day he was there in the beach by the sea where she usually starts her jogging session.
“Did you miss me? Sorry if you did, I was busy with my visa documentation. I have been admitted into the Medical School of the University of Otago.”
“What! Oh good…Err…Congrats”
“Before I take leave, I have something to say and hope you don’t mind listening to it…”
Reena was almost heartbroken as she felt that he had never loved her but saw her only as a pastime. She wore no expression, expecting another stupid limerick that bids adieu to her.
“It was serendipity when I saw you for the first time. I wanted to ask your name, but as I started walking towards you I became nervous. So I came up with a limerick to hide my nerves and all this while, been using the same trick. I realized that I wasn’t getting anywhere so I used this break to gather myself and find out more about you – your name in particular. These few days have been hell without you and it now dawns on me that,” took a flower bouquet from his bag, “Reena! I love you!”
Reena was teary eyed as she nodded and accepted the bouquet with a gentle smile, “You were kidding, about Otago, weren’t you? You just wanted me to miss you all this while…”
“Ah am afraid not! Got my visa and I’ll be flying to New Zealand in two weeks by Cathay Pacific… But don’t worry that won’t make any difference… If we can fight our respective religions we can fight the distance too… and I will be back same time next year… Will you be there for my homecoming?”
“I will but only if you feed me a meaningless limerick now!”
Rutvik looked around, checked his watch, smiled and ran to stand on a raised platform near the sea. He dragged her along with him and held her hands,
“As we stand on this celestial podium
There’s a dearth of ideas in my cranium
To recover and come up with a limerick
I need the sweet taste of your Chap Stick
Now, on December 26, 2004, at 6.30 a.m.”
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Terrace Cricket
Cricket is something which has manifested itself in my life in various forms. However today, I get fondly reminded of the days when I used to play the best form of the sport - underarm cricket on the terrace in India. Thank you Sesha for giving me this idea long ago when I badly needed a topic to write about. Sorry that I could only now find the time and mood to fit it in. Terrace cricket was jointly found by Bharath Shriram and Siddharth Subha Venkat (Yours truly). Since this classic game has now been played for years together, it would probably suffice to assume that it was found by the two cousins on one of those many days when efforts to force the terrace's fresh air, to inspire them to study, miserably failed. What started off as a time-killer went on to become one of the most entertaining activities they have experienced, thoroughly eligible to find its significance in the annals of Prajwal Vijay Niwas (my home in India)!
Standards- The following are the basic rules for playing quality games on the terrace. Players should try their best to stick to these. The fact that not all terraces are the same has been considered.
1. Underarm: A few might argue that this preliminary rule of the game is a necessity only for short terraces, and might be a barrier to those who love playing cricket with proper bowling action and have huge terraces favoring that. However even on a spacious terrace underarm bowling alone will ensure the lack of needless momentum in the ball, before it reaches the batsman, thereby removing the possibility of the batsman hitting the ball outside the terrace and coming up with lame excuses like the extra pace or bounce in the delivery forcing him to hit the ball outside the terrace. Although occasionally when an extra bit of pace or bounce yields a wicket in underarm, it would be better if the batsman considers it unfortunate and gets on with the game without arguing a lot over it.
2. Runs: Running between the wickets to score the runs is strongly recommended here just to make batsman work for his runs. However the fours would be where the bulk of the runs would be scored. If a wall does exist at the terrace behind the bowling crease, sixes can be allowed but the batsmen are strongly cautioned against exerting any amount of needless power to get those sixes.
3. Wicket: Apart from getting run out and bowled, a compulsory rule is that when a batsman directly hits the ball out of the terrace he is out. In order to make batting a much tougher ordeal than just picking the slow underarm deliveries, rules such as one-pitch catches and body-touches might be useful.
a) One-pitch catches: Once the batsman hits the ball, he can either be caught directly by the fielder/bowler or after it hits the ground once. In both the cases, the batsman is out.
b) Body-touches: This is almost like an lbw decision in actual cricket. However the only difference here is that if the ball touches any part of the batsman's body before hitting the bat, the batsman is said to have had his first body-touch. Deciding on how many body-touches equal a wicket is left to the players' discretion. A unanimous decision taken by all players involved is required here.
4. Fielders: This can vary according to size of the terrace and what the players think as the best option. In a short terrace it would be better to have no more than two fielders in which case it is compulsory that both the fielders should NOT be placed on one side of the field. This is because it will be exceedingly difficult for the batsman to play with the existence of the body-touch rule and two fielders waiting to grab the ball either directly or on the first bounce. As a result it would also encourage some negative bowling of sorts from the bowler.
Conducts- The following are the basic disciplines which will lead the players to be successful. Therefore, following the following would result in the betterment of all three departments of the actual game as well- namely batting, bowling and fielding.
1. Batting- Apart from making sure that not too many balls would be lost, it would also get the batsman a lot of runs if he purely relies on timing and placement rather than power. Certain amount of footwork and the ability to read spinners off their hands would be advantageous. Concentration is another key aspect.
2. Bowling- A varied repertoire would be an advantage. Having scored and conceded a lot of boundaries in the past, I can confidently say that any ball short of a length, immaterial of its pace, is bound to go for a boundary while even the balls bowled at perfect line and length can be thrashed if they are too slow. While the former has been proved many times the latter can have exceptions especially if the bowler is bowling to a particular field and plan.
3. Fielding- Fielding is pretty much the same where reflexes and agility are of paramount significance, in fact it is a lot easier than actual cricket with the existence of the one-pitch catch rule.
It has been a while since I gibbered here and what better than writing about one of my favorite games can keep me going! As I stand before the beginning of a whole new semester with loads of anticipation and fear, here is something I share with you guys to take a walk back memory lane with a gentle smile :) :)
Standards- The following are the basic rules for playing quality games on the terrace. Players should try their best to stick to these. The fact that not all terraces are the same has been considered.
1. Underarm: A few might argue that this preliminary rule of the game is a necessity only for short terraces, and might be a barrier to those who love playing cricket with proper bowling action and have huge terraces favoring that. However even on a spacious terrace underarm bowling alone will ensure the lack of needless momentum in the ball, before it reaches the batsman, thereby removing the possibility of the batsman hitting the ball outside the terrace and coming up with lame excuses like the extra pace or bounce in the delivery forcing him to hit the ball outside the terrace. Although occasionally when an extra bit of pace or bounce yields a wicket in underarm, it would be better if the batsman considers it unfortunate and gets on with the game without arguing a lot over it.
2. Runs: Running between the wickets to score the runs is strongly recommended here just to make batsman work for his runs. However the fours would be where the bulk of the runs would be scored. If a wall does exist at the terrace behind the bowling crease, sixes can be allowed but the batsmen are strongly cautioned against exerting any amount of needless power to get those sixes.
3. Wicket: Apart from getting run out and bowled, a compulsory rule is that when a batsman directly hits the ball out of the terrace he is out. In order to make batting a much tougher ordeal than just picking the slow underarm deliveries, rules such as one-pitch catches and body-touches might be useful.
a) One-pitch catches: Once the batsman hits the ball, he can either be caught directly by the fielder/bowler or after it hits the ground once. In both the cases, the batsman is out.
b) Body-touches: This is almost like an lbw decision in actual cricket. However the only difference here is that if the ball touches any part of the batsman's body before hitting the bat, the batsman is said to have had his first body-touch. Deciding on how many body-touches equal a wicket is left to the players' discretion. A unanimous decision taken by all players involved is required here.
4. Fielders: This can vary according to size of the terrace and what the players think as the best option. In a short terrace it would be better to have no more than two fielders in which case it is compulsory that both the fielders should NOT be placed on one side of the field. This is because it will be exceedingly difficult for the batsman to play with the existence of the body-touch rule and two fielders waiting to grab the ball either directly or on the first bounce. As a result it would also encourage some negative bowling of sorts from the bowler.
Conducts- The following are the basic disciplines which will lead the players to be successful. Therefore, following the following would result in the betterment of all three departments of the actual game as well- namely batting, bowling and fielding.
1. Batting- Apart from making sure that not too many balls would be lost, it would also get the batsman a lot of runs if he purely relies on timing and placement rather than power. Certain amount of footwork and the ability to read spinners off their hands would be advantageous. Concentration is another key aspect.
2. Bowling- A varied repertoire would be an advantage. Having scored and conceded a lot of boundaries in the past, I can confidently say that any ball short of a length, immaterial of its pace, is bound to go for a boundary while even the balls bowled at perfect line and length can be thrashed if they are too slow. While the former has been proved many times the latter can have exceptions especially if the bowler is bowling to a particular field and plan.
3. Fielding- Fielding is pretty much the same where reflexes and agility are of paramount significance, in fact it is a lot easier than actual cricket with the existence of the one-pitch catch rule.
It has been a while since I gibbered here and what better than writing about one of my favorite games can keep me going! As I stand before the beginning of a whole new semester with loads of anticipation and fear, here is something I share with you guys to take a walk back memory lane with a gentle smile :) :)
Friday, May 8, 2009
Nokia's need to be 'Loved' not 'Loud'
The leadership that Nokia is enjoying was created by radically changing the industry, coupling its own successes and failures with those of the industry’s. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and have now been the market leader for quite some time. However, things are changing and drastically at that! The entry of the I-Phone has given another turn to the industry. The fact that it has also come from a huge brand is significant, because of which Nokia will have to relinquish some of its market share to yet another competitor. In this situation, there is a need for Nokia to think beyond the leadership position. It needs to get itself into the league of a love mark or so, the attainment of which will depend on the complete enhancement of all the elements of its marketing mix.
As far as the product itself is concerned, the high end products of Nokia are now relying on 3G and multimedia features – the upcoming Nokia N97 is packed with these. Basic phones with core features alone are also available. Accordingly, the prices too vary from low prices to premiums. Since Nokia is a global brand, it distributes its phones all over the world through stores selling electronics and mobile phone networks like Vodafone in New Zealand. They have also planned on setting up outlets in USA. Apart from these, the online clubs such as Club Nokia and other online franchisees are huge revenue generators for Nokia. In promotion, Nokia is into heavy advertising more than anything else.
Being the market leader has always been an advantage for Nokia, allowing it to charge a premium on its products, especially the new ones. However it is harder to maintain leadership than to attain it! Some of the operators fear that they would become too dependent on Nokia, thereby conceding a significant amount of channel power to the company. However there is not much the operators could do if the end consumers prefer Nokia over the others. But the bigger question for Nokia is whether they are really preferred over the others. They need to understand that market share information doesn’t say it all!
Nokia is one those companies which have been terribly hit by market saturation – the very reason for the inadequate development of replacement phones sales. In other words, if a person is fed up of using a Nokia N79, there are more chances for him/her to go for the I-Phone or Samsung, than for a Nokia N95. Therefore up gradation here mostly leads to switching of brands which might not be the case if the product is an Apple I-Pod (a reputed love mark). This brings us to the problem of consumers wanting to differentiate them selves by not choosing the Nokia brand.
Despite being the market leader, Nokia advertises its products much more than required. They needn't really push their products. Alternatively they can shift their focus to 'pull-strategies' such as viral campaigns by also involving the consumers to communicate. A classic example would be that of the I-Phone which went on to be the next big thing in the market due to the photos and tech-specs which got 'leaked' from the board meetings.
Taking all these into account, Nokia should be thinking whether their competitive advantage – which is their leadership position - will be sustainable in the long run or not. For it to be so, they need to cut out a fair bit of advertising, watch out for potential new entrants, existing players and also have a close eye on the changing needs of the consumers.
As far as the product itself is concerned, the high end products of Nokia are now relying on 3G and multimedia features – the upcoming Nokia N97 is packed with these. Basic phones with core features alone are also available. Accordingly, the prices too vary from low prices to premiums. Since Nokia is a global brand, it distributes its phones all over the world through stores selling electronics and mobile phone networks like Vodafone in New Zealand. They have also planned on setting up outlets in USA. Apart from these, the online clubs such as Club Nokia and other online franchisees are huge revenue generators for Nokia. In promotion, Nokia is into heavy advertising more than anything else.
Being the market leader has always been an advantage for Nokia, allowing it to charge a premium on its products, especially the new ones. However it is harder to maintain leadership than to attain it! Some of the operators fear that they would become too dependent on Nokia, thereby conceding a significant amount of channel power to the company. However there is not much the operators could do if the end consumers prefer Nokia over the others. But the bigger question for Nokia is whether they are really preferred over the others. They need to understand that market share information doesn’t say it all!
Nokia is one those companies which have been terribly hit by market saturation – the very reason for the inadequate development of replacement phones sales. In other words, if a person is fed up of using a Nokia N79, there are more chances for him/her to go for the I-Phone or Samsung, than for a Nokia N95. Therefore up gradation here mostly leads to switching of brands which might not be the case if the product is an Apple I-Pod (a reputed love mark). This brings us to the problem of consumers wanting to differentiate them selves by not choosing the Nokia brand.
Despite being the market leader, Nokia advertises its products much more than required. They needn't really push their products. Alternatively they can shift their focus to 'pull-strategies' such as viral campaigns by also involving the consumers to communicate. A classic example would be that of the I-Phone which went on to be the next big thing in the market due to the photos and tech-specs which got 'leaked' from the board meetings.
Taking all these into account, Nokia should be thinking whether their competitive advantage – which is their leadership position - will be sustainable in the long run or not. For it to be so, they need to cut out a fair bit of advertising, watch out for potential new entrants, existing players and also have a close eye on the changing needs of the consumers.
Friday, April 17, 2009
IPL 2009 - Predictions
While I am slowly but surely recovering from a terrible cold, I can already see myself getting caught by the IPL (Indian Premiere League) fever. Today would kick-start the second season of the league in South Africa and the first match is between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI). The sixty-day tournament of unlimited Twenty 20 cricket is definitely something I am looking forward to, but hoping it not to be too much of a distraction. Nevertheless I don't see myself missing any match played by CSK - the team which I support for the obvious reason of being a Chennaite. Whatever is about to follow is about where I think every team stands in the league and what I expect of them this season. Readers don't forget to vote for the poll at the end of the page.
1. Rajasthan Royals (RR) - The champions of the previous season! Despite the fact that they clinched the title only by a whisker from Chennai, it is also a fact that they throughly deserved it for playing good all-round cricket. Led and coached by Shane Warne - one of the greatest players cricket has ever seen - they made a strong statement right from their second match. Shane Watson, Yousuf Pathan, Asnodkar, Graeme Smith and Ravindra Jadeja were absolutely ruthless in their respective departments. The surprise was that even Munaf Patel looked to have taken a cue or two from his team mates. On the whole, shrewd captaincy was their forte! Since I would like to witness a different final this time I hope that they drop out in the semi-finals!
2. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - Without doubts, the highly spirited team in the league! Even an outsider would accept that CSK were the only team to have gelled so much. Here again, the captain holds the key. I believe M.S.Dhoni can build a quality team even out of the street-cricket dudes. The man thought of as the embodiment of luck by many - at times me included - was a tad unlucky to have lost the finals. However the way he formed a huddle after the defeat and the way in which he came and spoke in the presentation ceremony, showed character. The team comprises of unbelievable talents like Mathew Hayden, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Manpreet Gony, Makhaya Ntini and Muthiah Muralidharan. The recent and expensive addition to the list, Andrew Flintoff, should also be useful. The team at times struggled with consistency and bowling, and I hope they put up a better show. GOD SAVE THE KINGS!
3. Delhi Daredevils (DD) - Many believe that this is the team to beat this season. While they had to lose the local boy - Shikhar Dhawan, a wonderful talent - players like Paul Collingwood and David Warner could be useful additions. Their biggest strength is the opening combination of Sehwag and Gambhir - probably the best at present. A.B. Deviliers, Collingwood and Warner are the middle order. In the bowling department, they perhaps have the best bet. Glenn Mcgrath for medium pace and Vettori for spin. Despite having a well balanced team, they had problems in showing consistency. Many of the defeats saw the opposition taking the maximum effort only to remove the top order.
4. King's XI Punjab (KP) - Last year saw some great performances from this team. The opener Shaun Marsh was the find of the season according to me. Sreesanth walked the talk by taking most of the wickets for the team and Sangakara too chipped in at times. However the highly anticipated Yuvraj was not the match winner even in one occasion. In captaincy too he looked a little ugly at times. While this team might not have the perfect balance or many stars in the squad, tight bowling and an opening assault could yet again see them through to the semis.
5. Mumbai Indians (MI) - Had I not been from Chennai or been someone even from Bihar, I would have supported this team. One force called Sachin Tendulkar would have been the reason and that will remain MI's biggest strength - especially as an opening partner to Sanath Jayasurya. The bigger advantage would be Sachin's availability for the whole tour this time. Zaheer will add the pace and swing but still it will be hard to replace Shaun Pollock. Players like Dwayne Bravo and Jean Paul Duminy are capable of giving full value for money. The team really fell short of expectations last time but much can be attributed to Sachin's late entry and some misfortune.
6. Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) - They promised a lot initially last year but never lived up to the hype and hoola. And that hype began way before the tour even started - right from when the team was bought by filmstar Shah Rukh Khan. Many things hhave changed and the team has only gone through more shit in the form of John Buchanan and his multiple-captain theory. All that has only resulted in the sacking of Ganguly from captaincy. Despite all this, they do have their positives in the form of fast bowling sensation Ishanth Sharma, Chris Gayle, Brendon Mccullum, David Hussey and Mashrafe Mortaza. Hoping for a better performance from them this time!
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - I have got used to hating this team so much that I still feel that they will end up in the lower half of the table, despite the added presence of players like Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder. They were insulted as a test team and they proved the insults right. The captain Rahul Dravid was openly blasted in a public forum by franchise owner Vijay Mallya and probably Dravid deserved it for pedestrian captaincy. However the stature that he has reached commands the blasting to be done in private, but the liquor baron took it to the media. The team of controversies that RCB has been saw to it that they reached the seventh place and also played the role of no more than a spoiler. This time around, I personally would like to see them a spot below, though without a bias I must say that they would put up a better show this time!
8. Dccan Chargers (DC) - While I hate RCB for not proving their critics wrong, I was disappointed with DC for not justifying the expectations of their fans. Laxman is never the best choice for playing Twenty 20, let alone captaining a side. Rohit Sharma was a revelation but he too couldn't do much in taking the team to victories. According to many they were clearly the best Twenty 20 team on paper in the previous season, and they ended up last. In this season even RCB has a better team, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see DC last in the table.
Let me tell you that this is only my prediction, and it takes a lot more than having a good or bad team to win or lose matches respectively (or otherwise). Whatever the result is, it is going to be a roller-coaster ride. Hope it's not too bumpy for Chennai though!
போட்டு தாக்கு சென்னை 'CUP'எ தூக்கு!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Rajasthan Royals (RR) - The champions of the previous season! Despite the fact that they clinched the title only by a whisker from Chennai, it is also a fact that they throughly deserved it for playing good all-round cricket. Led and coached by Shane Warne - one of the greatest players cricket has ever seen - they made a strong statement right from their second match. Shane Watson, Yousuf Pathan, Asnodkar, Graeme Smith and Ravindra Jadeja were absolutely ruthless in their respective departments. The surprise was that even Munaf Patel looked to have taken a cue or two from his team mates. On the whole, shrewd captaincy was their forte! Since I would like to witness a different final this time I hope that they drop out in the semi-finals!
2. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - Without doubts, the highly spirited team in the league! Even an outsider would accept that CSK were the only team to have gelled so much. Here again, the captain holds the key. I believe M.S.Dhoni can build a quality team even out of the street-cricket dudes. The man thought of as the embodiment of luck by many - at times me included - was a tad unlucky to have lost the finals. However the way he formed a huddle after the defeat and the way in which he came and spoke in the presentation ceremony, showed character. The team comprises of unbelievable talents like Mathew Hayden, Albie Morkel, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Manpreet Gony, Makhaya Ntini and Muthiah Muralidharan. The recent and expensive addition to the list, Andrew Flintoff, should also be useful. The team at times struggled with consistency and bowling, and I hope they put up a better show. GOD SAVE THE KINGS!
3. Delhi Daredevils (DD) - Many believe that this is the team to beat this season. While they had to lose the local boy - Shikhar Dhawan, a wonderful talent - players like Paul Collingwood and David Warner could be useful additions. Their biggest strength is the opening combination of Sehwag and Gambhir - probably the best at present. A.B. Deviliers, Collingwood and Warner are the middle order. In the bowling department, they perhaps have the best bet. Glenn Mcgrath for medium pace and Vettori for spin. Despite having a well balanced team, they had problems in showing consistency. Many of the defeats saw the opposition taking the maximum effort only to remove the top order.
4. King's XI Punjab (KP) - Last year saw some great performances from this team. The opener Shaun Marsh was the find of the season according to me. Sreesanth walked the talk by taking most of the wickets for the team and Sangakara too chipped in at times. However the highly anticipated Yuvraj was not the match winner even in one occasion. In captaincy too he looked a little ugly at times. While this team might not have the perfect balance or many stars in the squad, tight bowling and an opening assault could yet again see them through to the semis.
5. Mumbai Indians (MI) - Had I not been from Chennai or been someone even from Bihar, I would have supported this team. One force called Sachin Tendulkar would have been the reason and that will remain MI's biggest strength - especially as an opening partner to Sanath Jayasurya. The bigger advantage would be Sachin's availability for the whole tour this time. Zaheer will add the pace and swing but still it will be hard to replace Shaun Pollock. Players like Dwayne Bravo and Jean Paul Duminy are capable of giving full value for money. The team really fell short of expectations last time but much can be attributed to Sachin's late entry and some misfortune.
6. Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR) - They promised a lot initially last year but never lived up to the hype and hoola. And that hype began way before the tour even started - right from when the team was bought by filmstar Shah Rukh Khan. Many things hhave changed and the team has only gone through more shit in the form of John Buchanan and his multiple-captain theory. All that has only resulted in the sacking of Ganguly from captaincy. Despite all this, they do have their positives in the form of fast bowling sensation Ishanth Sharma, Chris Gayle, Brendon Mccullum, David Hussey and Mashrafe Mortaza. Hoping for a better performance from them this time!
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - I have got used to hating this team so much that I still feel that they will end up in the lower half of the table, despite the added presence of players like Kevin Pietersen and Jesse Ryder. They were insulted as a test team and they proved the insults right. The captain Rahul Dravid was openly blasted in a public forum by franchise owner Vijay Mallya and probably Dravid deserved it for pedestrian captaincy. However the stature that he has reached commands the blasting to be done in private, but the liquor baron took it to the media. The team of controversies that RCB has been saw to it that they reached the seventh place and also played the role of no more than a spoiler. This time around, I personally would like to see them a spot below, though without a bias I must say that they would put up a better show this time!
8. Dccan Chargers (DC) - While I hate RCB for not proving their critics wrong, I was disappointed with DC for not justifying the expectations of their fans. Laxman is never the best choice for playing Twenty 20, let alone captaining a side. Rohit Sharma was a revelation but he too couldn't do much in taking the team to victories. According to many they were clearly the best Twenty 20 team on paper in the previous season, and they ended up last. In this season even RCB has a better team, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see DC last in the table.
Let me tell you that this is only my prediction, and it takes a lot more than having a good or bad team to win or lose matches respectively (or otherwise). Whatever the result is, it is going to be a roller-coaster ride. Hope it's not too bumpy for Chennai though!
போட்டு தாக்கு சென்னை 'CUP'எ தூக்கு!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Yavarum Nalam - Movie Review
Cast: Madhavan, Neetu Chandra, Saranya
Director: Vikram Kumar
Cinematography: P.C. Shriram
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
A Gripper which ends up being a Total Ripper!!!!
It is one of those movies that make you feel proud to be a patron of Indian cinema. Director Vikram Kumar has given a stunner which will linger in the minds of the audience for at least a week after watching. The last movie which created such an impact in me was Dasavatharam. The so-called flaws of these kind of movies are that there are many questions still left unanswered at the end. Be it Dasavatharam or Yavarum Nalam, minute dialogues and facial expressions constitute to the tightly penned screenplay, and hence being really alert in listening to every dialogue should answer those question marks. The director has indeed paved way for the understanding of such details as he totally grabs the undivided attention of the audience in the first half. An absolutely new concept of the influence of TV serials in Indian households does the trick.
Manohar (Madhavan) is a part of a joint family which includes his wife (Neetu Chandra), mother (Saranya), elder brother and his wife, and their kids. They move into a new flat numbered 13/B which is bought on a mortgage to be repaid in 20 years. Strange things occur in the house for which Manohar tries to find the reason. To his shock, he finds out that the happenings in a TV serial - 'Yavarum Nalam' - are also happening in his house. When things go beyond control, he is even more shocked in finding out that the serial is being telecasted only in his house. Manohar seeks the help of a friend who happens to be a police officer to engage in research about the history of the house. They also seek advice from Manohar's family doctor. The research and what the doctor says reveal a whole set of things which happened thirty years ago, providing adeqate logic and reasoning to the movie.
Yet another stunning performance from Maddy! In a time when people who have developed their acting skills attempt to become big stars by doing crap movies, here is a talented actor who has perfectly recognised where he stands in the industry. As a loving husband and as a responsible son, he has pulled off his character in the most loveable way that he alone could do. Neetu Chandra is adequate and adds oomph in the epilogue. Saranya as usual comes up with a neat performance as the hero's mother and a TV serial addict. Performances of the police inspector and the doctor are also commendable.
I have never been able to appreciate cinematography in any movie. I probably don't have that artistic eye. I even remember saying that I was unhappy with P.C. Shriram's work in Alaipayuthe as he didn't use the zoom anywhere (I was studying 5th then and said something just for the sake of making a comment). In this film however, the camera work helped me to travel along with the movie. It can be seen that right from the legendary cinematographer, everybody has enjoyed working with the script more than anything else.
What starts as a spoof on the Indian women influnced by soaps, develops into a complete chill-down-the-spine horror with plenty of turns leading into the climax. However the number of twists and turns become a little too much, especially towards the end. The effort of the screenplay witer in Vikram Kumar, to zero in on the antagonist shows, making it yet another horror flick with a difference. However, the treatment of the difference itself and the script otherwise is an absolute treat to watch. As far as Tamil cinema is concerned, the hollow space created due to the lack of a quality horror flick has been filled.
Director: Vikram Kumar
Cinematography: P.C. Shriram
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
A Gripper which ends up being a Total Ripper!!!!
It is one of those movies that make you feel proud to be a patron of Indian cinema. Director Vikram Kumar has given a stunner which will linger in the minds of the audience for at least a week after watching. The last movie which created such an impact in me was Dasavatharam. The so-called flaws of these kind of movies are that there are many questions still left unanswered at the end. Be it Dasavatharam or Yavarum Nalam, minute dialogues and facial expressions constitute to the tightly penned screenplay, and hence being really alert in listening to every dialogue should answer those question marks. The director has indeed paved way for the understanding of such details as he totally grabs the undivided attention of the audience in the first half. An absolutely new concept of the influence of TV serials in Indian households does the trick.
Manohar (Madhavan) is a part of a joint family which includes his wife (Neetu Chandra), mother (Saranya), elder brother and his wife, and their kids. They move into a new flat numbered 13/B which is bought on a mortgage to be repaid in 20 years. Strange things occur in the house for which Manohar tries to find the reason. To his shock, he finds out that the happenings in a TV serial - 'Yavarum Nalam' - are also happening in his house. When things go beyond control, he is even more shocked in finding out that the serial is being telecasted only in his house. Manohar seeks the help of a friend who happens to be a police officer to engage in research about the history of the house. They also seek advice from Manohar's family doctor. The research and what the doctor says reveal a whole set of things which happened thirty years ago, providing adeqate logic and reasoning to the movie.
Yet another stunning performance from Maddy! In a time when people who have developed their acting skills attempt to become big stars by doing crap movies, here is a talented actor who has perfectly recognised where he stands in the industry. As a loving husband and as a responsible son, he has pulled off his character in the most loveable way that he alone could do. Neetu Chandra is adequate and adds oomph in the epilogue. Saranya as usual comes up with a neat performance as the hero's mother and a TV serial addict. Performances of the police inspector and the doctor are also commendable.
I have never been able to appreciate cinematography in any movie. I probably don't have that artistic eye. I even remember saying that I was unhappy with P.C. Shriram's work in Alaipayuthe as he didn't use the zoom anywhere (I was studying 5th then and said something just for the sake of making a comment). In this film however, the camera work helped me to travel along with the movie. It can be seen that right from the legendary cinematographer, everybody has enjoyed working with the script more than anything else.
What starts as a spoof on the Indian women influnced by soaps, develops into a complete chill-down-the-spine horror with plenty of turns leading into the climax. However the number of twists and turns become a little too much, especially towards the end. The effort of the screenplay witer in Vikram Kumar, to zero in on the antagonist shows, making it yet another horror flick with a difference. However, the treatment of the difference itself and the script otherwise is an absolute treat to watch. As far as Tamil cinema is concerned, the hollow space created due to the lack of a quality horror flick has been filled.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Selling Tono
Here is my contribution to a group assignment which we are working on. It's a sales field report where we have to report what we did to sell tickets for Antony Tonnon's (likes to be called Tono) show for the Dunedin Fringe Festival. Tono is a guitarist who claims himself to be a 'generalist specialist', by which he means that he is a specialist in nothing but has a general idea of just about everything. He also calls himself a Noam Chompsky (an American linguist, philosopher) with his guitar and modern-day wit-cracks. On splitting the workload of the report, we decided that I would be writing about the aesthetics and ethical considerations of the sales plan. Also all four of us had agreed to write our parts on how went about closing the deal. It might not be a very good idea to publish it here a week before submission, but I am relying on the fact that this blog is not very famous among fellow marketing students (atleast not yet)!
Aesthetics:-
The aesthetics of our sales plan was more or less similar to last year’s “Re-Fringe Yourself” campaign but it is not because we intended to replicate or repeat it. However, it so happened that the target market that we, along with Tono, defined consisted of postgraduate students, lecturers and others who at least had a basic idea of politics, economics, history and philosophy. These people consider movies and other form of entertainments as ‘fringy’, or as a break from their long and hectic week. While the week of a lecturer might not be as tiring as that of an employee working from nine to five, the former also needs some leisure time. Hence we planned to pitch this show to them as an alternative to the obvious choice of a movie as their weekend plan. The fact that the show was happening in the weekend and the price of the ticket - similar to the price of a movie ticket - were to our advantage in doing so.
We tried to be consistent in reflecting the aesthetics throughout, thereby maintaining the spirit of the Fringe while executing the plan as well. We tried fitting in sentences like “We do need a generalist-specialist now and then to keep things going, don’t we?” If the replies were that of approval, we added “That’s exactly what the Fringe is all about!” before heading to try close the deal. These of course, are things apart from sticking to the rules such as ensuring the presence of the “Dunedin Fringe” logo in every poster and pamphlet we circulated.
Ethics:-
Ethical considerations weren’t very significant, but they did exist. Tono had given us the license to offer any deal we wanted as his focus was more on the size of his audience than the revenue. As the show was nearing, we hadn’t sold a considerable number of tickets. Some prospects were still not sure about their weekend plans even on Friday. We promised them that we would even be able to drop in at their houses to give them tickets at deals which they will not be able to avail elsewhere. The consideration was not that it was a false promise, as we were indeed willing to visit their houses to deliver the tickets at great deals. After all every seat filled from then on was gold for Tono. However we weren’t able to promise this to others, who had earlier raised objections on needing time to decide, when we proceeded to close the deal. If any of the prospects whom we initially contacted, came to know about this special treatment to prospects contacted on Friday, they might sense some partiality in our behaviour. The situation needed us to be a little more persuasive than usual because of which we had to give up a little bit of ethics. Otherwise, we were quite ethical in whatever we did.
Closing the deal (my part):-
Unfortunately we weren’t able to close many deals. The objections raised were generally related to need and time. Most of the prospects had other plans for the weekend or felt that even Friday was too early to commit anything for the weekend. However, one particular prospect had an objection related to the source – the Dunedin Fringe Festival. He claimed to be thoroughly aware about the festival but didn’t even want the look of any pamphlet associated to it. Perhaps we got the pre-call planning wrong there, and it was evident that he was even more annoyed with our cold calling. We might not have sold a lot of tickets but convinced many by giving them the time they needed to think about it. On leaving their office, we were also greeted with “Hope to see you at the Globe Theatre” at a few places. Thus we can say that we did make an incremental difference to attendance.
Aesthetics:-
The aesthetics of our sales plan was more or less similar to last year’s “Re-Fringe Yourself” campaign but it is not because we intended to replicate or repeat it. However, it so happened that the target market that we, along with Tono, defined consisted of postgraduate students, lecturers and others who at least had a basic idea of politics, economics, history and philosophy. These people consider movies and other form of entertainments as ‘fringy’, or as a break from their long and hectic week. While the week of a lecturer might not be as tiring as that of an employee working from nine to five, the former also needs some leisure time. Hence we planned to pitch this show to them as an alternative to the obvious choice of a movie as their weekend plan. The fact that the show was happening in the weekend and the price of the ticket - similar to the price of a movie ticket - were to our advantage in doing so.
We tried to be consistent in reflecting the aesthetics throughout, thereby maintaining the spirit of the Fringe while executing the plan as well. We tried fitting in sentences like “We do need a generalist-specialist now and then to keep things going, don’t we?” If the replies were that of approval, we added “That’s exactly what the Fringe is all about!” before heading to try close the deal. These of course, are things apart from sticking to the rules such as ensuring the presence of the “Dunedin Fringe” logo in every poster and pamphlet we circulated.
Ethics:-
Ethical considerations weren’t very significant, but they did exist. Tono had given us the license to offer any deal we wanted as his focus was more on the size of his audience than the revenue. As the show was nearing, we hadn’t sold a considerable number of tickets. Some prospects were still not sure about their weekend plans even on Friday. We promised them that we would even be able to drop in at their houses to give them tickets at deals which they will not be able to avail elsewhere. The consideration was not that it was a false promise, as we were indeed willing to visit their houses to deliver the tickets at great deals. After all every seat filled from then on was gold for Tono. However we weren’t able to promise this to others, who had earlier raised objections on needing time to decide, when we proceeded to close the deal. If any of the prospects whom we initially contacted, came to know about this special treatment to prospects contacted on Friday, they might sense some partiality in our behaviour. The situation needed us to be a little more persuasive than usual because of which we had to give up a little bit of ethics. Otherwise, we were quite ethical in whatever we did.
Closing the deal (my part):-
Unfortunately we weren’t able to close many deals. The objections raised were generally related to need and time. Most of the prospects had other plans for the weekend or felt that even Friday was too early to commit anything for the weekend. However, one particular prospect had an objection related to the source – the Dunedin Fringe Festival. He claimed to be thoroughly aware about the festival but didn’t even want the look of any pamphlet associated to it. Perhaps we got the pre-call planning wrong there, and it was evident that he was even more annoyed with our cold calling. We might not have sold a lot of tickets but convinced many by giving them the time they needed to think about it. On leaving their office, we were also greeted with “Hope to see you at the Globe Theatre” at a few places. Thus we can say that we did make an incremental difference to attendance.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A week in Auckland and Christchurch - Part Three
"Ladies and Gentleman! The Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni has won the toss and elected to bat"
O Sayaa.... Aye Oh...
The whole stadium erupted on hearing it. This was the influence the movie Slumdog Millionaire has had over the world - the stadium was filled with this ! A.R. Rahman was at his best in his high pitched voice, and needless to say that I was absolutely elated on hearing it. The music and the excellence of his voice started to fade slowly, as the bowling team and the umpires entered the field. When it completely stopped, in came THE MASTER! "One genius paving way for another," I thought. The crowd - including me - were shouting like mad! Sachin Tendulkar ambled across the pitch to the crease at the non-striking end!
The rest - as they say - is history! India won the match in a convincing manner but (as usual) without forgetting to concede a few hopeful moments to the opposition. As expected it was "JAI HO" all over the stadium at the end of it all. Sachin Tendulkar and A.R. Rahman were, are and will remain the best in their respective fields. Any comments, disagreements and arguements are thoroughly welcome!!!!!!!!!!!
O Sayaa.... Aye Oh...
The whole stadium erupted on hearing it. This was the influence the movie Slumdog Millionaire has had over the world - the stadium was filled with this ! A.R. Rahman was at his best in his high pitched voice, and needless to say that I was absolutely elated on hearing it. The music and the excellence of his voice started to fade slowly, as the bowling team and the umpires entered the field. When it completely stopped, in came THE MASTER! "One genius paving way for another," I thought. The crowd - including me - were shouting like mad! Sachin Tendulkar ambled across the pitch to the crease at the non-striking end!
The rest - as they say - is history! India won the match in a convincing manner but (as usual) without forgetting to concede a few hopeful moments to the opposition. As expected it was "JAI HO" all over the stadium at the end of it all. Sachin Tendulkar and A.R. Rahman were, are and will remain the best in their respective fields. Any comments, disagreements and arguements are thoroughly welcome!!!!!!!!!!!
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