AHTMM 2018 Conference Pics

Conferences are wonderful networking opportunities with global audiences. Proved yet again. I presented a paper co-authored with Aradhya Vats, my student, on Positioning of Travel Brands.. some pics of the Conference in Bangkok, last week. The organiser is from the U.S.

A part of the gathering at the welcome dinner (above). Below, another session in progress.

I introduced myself with this pic from IIM Indore with some champions of the last batch (above).. and below, with a Nigerian (US Based), and a global Indian (Australia-based).

One pic of the presenters of a traditional Thai dance.and another of a fan of Amir Khan films from Turkey..

Lawrence of Arabia- film review (classic)

Not that the review is classic, the film is! I saw it only once before, way back in high school in the seventies, and it stuck in the mind- I think it was at the Sangeet theatre, Secunderabad- another classic that no longer exists!

Anyway, this movie shows what wonders are possible when a film-maker is uncompromising, single-mindedly focused on telling a great story. It is long by English standards, but that does not affect the viewer one bit- at least, not me. Engrossing, it could be called a film about the birth of Saudi Arabia and a few other Middle Eastern Countries, and the role played by a non-descript and maverick Lieutenant Lawrence of the British Army, in it. He brings together warring Arab tribes and puts the idea of Arabia in their heads, in the process snatching a part of the Turkish empire from the Turks.

Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif and a host of others support the strong central character played by Peter O'Toole. A visual delight for its desert panoramas, and a study in costume design and acting, it's a treat for anyone into this sort of a thing- history, in particular. And how politics of war is about the same, generation after generation. Fascinating, even on DVD.