Innovation is misunderstood. It is not only breakthrough technology or products, it's many small things too. We see them around us every now and then. On the road, in a friend's home, or in a restaurant.
You may have heard of the Comparison of Economies using a Burger's Price in various countries.
I have a new model to compare the economies of Cities. It's called the number of Coaches on Suburban Trains. Economy Size is directly proportional to the number of coaches on your Suburban trains (metro or otherwise).
Mumbai has suburban trains (local) with 12 coaches. So does the Delhi Metro, on most lines.
Pune has 3-coach metro trains. Maybe more on suburban lines to Lonavala..
Hyderabad, likewise.
Kolkata has very few coaches on its metro trains.. maybe more on Suburban local trains to Belur and so on.
If you can do the Math, you will get an idea of the local economy. You can factor in the number of passengers using these as an additional factor in the calculation.
This is how new theories are born.. like an apple falling on your head!
Whenever we see a cockroach, the first instinct is to squat it, or run.. mostly the first. Because it can't attack you back.. at most it can fly.
But now we have a whole political party named after it. The most potent force in politics? We will have to wait and see. But the idea has caught on, apparently triggered by a remark made in a court by India's Chief Justice. He probably used a metaphor in the heat of the moment, but unwittingly gave birth to a lot of memes, cartoons and now, a whole Political Party too.
So it's probably going to lead to a re-look at Lizards, Flies, and my favourite- the Mosquito? I must go tell my friend Anopheles! We have been conversing about various things human for many years, but this- a Mosquito Political Party- is a brand new possibility!
Too much work, if I have to put it succintly. Matlab, there are no defined work hours. The buck stops with you, so everyone looks up to you for advice, guidance and operational decisions. How do I know? I have worked with promoters in the education sector.
Also, chasing payments is one part of their role- or any role- that I dislike. Of course, many of those I worked with had the reverse problem-they wouldn't pay vendors on time, until they were chased for months.
I would rather be at peace knowing that I can leave it all if I feel like it, and let the CEOs or promoters carry the burden the rest of the time.
Work-life balance is a thing, yaar.
Saw another musical show (on May 19th 2026) by a new bunch of singers, barring one- Rajabhau Tikhe, whom I had seen earlier. This was titled Main Sharabi Nahi and focussed on songs while the characters in films were drunk. Also a couple of ghazals about drinking, by Pankaj Udhas were on offer.
A couple of good songs from Haath ki Safai (Tu kya jaane wafa o bewafa) and Inteqam (Aa jaane jaan) brought back memories of those films. Sung by Sophiya Michael and Snehal Apte, which I recorded. Some pics-
We saw a sizzling musical show called Sadabahar Dharmendra yesterday (16 May 2026) at Pune. It was a great evening filled with memories of an evergreen hero who came from Punjab and won the hearts of many, including a Dream Girl. Some great songs were sung.. 4 very good singers, Ali Husain, Makarand Patankar, Swarada Godbole and Radhika Atre. Saira was the compere, and did a good job of it. Pics-
A very entertaining musical show by him and his team- Vyjayanti, Monali Dube and Elizabeth, and Shrikant Bhatt and himself. Songs from many of them were excellent. Vyju/Vyjayanti stood out. Shrikant Bhatt, 81, did well with Talat Mehmood, Saigal songs. Shola jo bhadke, Kajra mohabbat wala, aana merri jaan merri jaan Sunday ke Sunday etc. brought the house down. 3 songs from Jhumroo were sung! The ladies did Shamshad Begum songs well!
Innovation is misunderstood. It is not only breakthrough technology or products, it's many small things too. We see them around us ever...
