Creative Pursuits

 I always liked photography, as my parents introduced me to it. I have many memorable pics taken from places around the world. Some good, some that could have been better, but great memories usually.

Writing I got introduced to in college magazines as an occasional writer. I am proud of a piece I wrote about 100% attendance- a rule at IIM Bangalore. I titled it- "Of Godliness and 100% Attendance." A satirical piece, of course. It evolved into writing a lot for the wall magazine and Year Book, and later, books of two kinds. Technical, as in Marketing related, and an autobiography- self-published, unlike Chetan Bhagat's books. And of course, this blog..

I like punning too, and PJs. Many are spontaneous, and related to the conversation going on. I also ask questions on Facebook that test the creativity of friends, drawing them into answering the (sometimes silly) questions. My 'engagement' score is pretty high, I am sure.

A combo of all these is good for being social, at least on social media. 

Engagement of Prarthana Nargundkar

 Daughter no. 1, Prarthana, got engaged on August 16th, 2025 at Pune. To Prathamesh Gadkari, who also lives in Pune's Kothrud area.

Only parents, and a couple of more people were present, as per the wishes of the couple. I was of course, one of the parents.. 

Pooja joins in..

Smoking hot couple! 

Parents +Parents

Lunch to celebrate.

With Prathamesh's sister in law, Louise- she's Swedish.

Mehendi laga ke rakhna..

Singing.. 

Candid shots, and posed ones.

Engaging With People

 In digital marketing, one of the objectives is increasing engagement on various media. But suppose you want to do it in your life, how do you go about it? Well, I don't want to sound like Dale Carnegie 2.0, but many of the same principles would apply, I suppose. I am probably reiterating what others have said before, but from experience.

It's easier to engage with many people at once on social media, because it's faster. To develop a relationship with 5 people would have taken years -10? -without social media, whereas here, you can do it with 50 people in 3, maybe 5 years. Of course, you still need to listen, remember things about the other person, and use your own strengths (quirks, if unique to you) to engage. The results can be amazing. I speak from experience.

It's not about you, but the other person. Find out what they are good at, ask questions, give them a chance to look good (not literally, but to express themselves), and applaud when they do. That tip alone was worth a million, but I will let it pass. I have already sold my Ferrari, and am fine with my Maruti...

Engaging With People- DP Awards

Engaging with people on social media and real life may have some similarities. You have to think like an advertiser who fights the clutter, particularly on social media where there are a zillion distractions, and you have to cut through them.

An experiment that I started a couple of years ago, was to select Nice DPs from among my Facebook friends- note, these are not called the Best DP Awards-just Nice DP Awards. There is a difference. You can have a nice DP without it being the best on any one parameter. Of course, my judgement is what counts, as in any list, but many of my nice friends from around the world have been winners.

I am asked often by some friends when I meet them in person, what the criteria are for my selection. I don't have any specific criteria, but just an overall impression- sometimes it's the look, the location, the quality of the smile, or the humour inherent in the pic, or just creativity that grabs attention. So there's no formula to it, you gotta just keep trying out different things.

It's been a great success (52nd edition running), and though trawling through 3000 DPs is not exactly easy once every 3-4 weeks, I enjoy the process of looking at what people are up to, in terms of presenting themselves.