Photograph- Hindi Film Review

I have finally found an Indian director who makes films like the Iranians do. Ritesh Batra, whose Lunch Box is a favourite. He comes back to Hindi films with another exquisite offering. It is everything that a Hindi potboiler is not. It is meaningful, short on melodrama, and conveys things through what is not spoken.

If only more films were this good! Nawazuddin Siddiqui (also a favourite), and Sanya Malhotra and the lady who plays his Dadi (Farrukh Jaffer), have acted brilliantly, under his direction. Almost every scene is full of layered meaning, and the words are few, but convey a lot.

The Campa Cola angle, the ghost, the maid-servant, the taxi driver from U.P. are all important cogs in the wheel of the story, and the open ending is becoming a hallmark of Ritesh's films- another thing that Hindi film directors usually can't handle! Power to his ilk.

Smart Cities- A Seminar at Reva

I was part of an interesting seminar at Reva University last week. Smart Cities was the theme. Some pics from the event and the venue. The university is a private university in Bangalore. It has some unique architecture, a staircase that is floating, or rather supported from the top rather than the base.

 Some nice exteriors too. Below, with my ex-colleague Shinu Abhi, who works there and is a Corporate Trainer for New Age programs in AI, Analytics, Cybersecurity, Deep Learning etc.

My Students Over The Years

Students Over the Years- Part (2019 Edition)

Part 1

Sanjana Rao Yarram

She was awesome as Lady Bracknell in the staging of The Importance of Being Earnest, and off the stage too. Wanted to be in H.R., but a twist of fate saw her in a marketing job. She calls Hyderabad her home- good for her.

Bhuvneet Raheja

One of a gang of three who enjoyed themselves thoroughly in my Advertising course (or in spite of it) at Indore. Came back suited and booted (and cheerful as ever) to visit the campus, and has been through a couple of job changes since. From Lucknow, where I once worked.

Abhinav Kamal

The only film director I know personally. Started directing films while he was a student at IMT Nagpur, and did a decent job. Now into a variety of projects, has been assistant director of Stree, 2018’s big hit. He was also a digital marketer in between, and started Ten Motion Arts.

Part 2

Sreeram Ramakrishnan

One of those who turned into an author post-MBA from IMT Nagpur. Kalyug, his debut novel, is a great political thriller written in the Ludlum style. He also dabbles in some jobs, while indulging in this passion, writing. We caught up in Bangalore a couple of times, with his wife Gowri, also an ex-student.

Pallavi Sharma

I didn’t know I had a twin (my Mom did not tell me- Facebook did) until I met her and her hubby at Bangalore. She is from Bhopal, as a lot of my pals seem to be..or at least from M.P. I can think of Shafique, Animesh Jain, Tosha Dubey, Ayushi, and a few others. We first had a biryani, and then she made a fantastic meal at home for me and my wife. Thanks to her, I also met Vrinda Khanna and family at Delhi.

Sapna Patni

A smart student, she Joined Mondelez (Cadbury of yore) after her MBA from Indore. Had some entrepreneurial ambitions along the way, too. I have always wondered about this surname- what will the (future) husband call her? Sapna, or just Patni?

Swathika Selvam

We discovered (through a facebook picture) that her grandfather and I had worked together at KIAMS, Harihar (disregard the age reference- I am young). We had connected earlier on a Google Online Marketing Challenge where she was in the winning team, and that was a rocking IIM Indore team. She also dabbled in the Pi Shop, a student-run retail store.

Part 3

Shruti Suman

She was in my Digital Marketing course at Indore, and a member of the Media/communications team of students too. I later discovered that she grew up in a mining town like me, though in a different part of India. Would have succeeded Indra Nooyi, had she stuck around at Pepsi.

Ruminder Kaur

One of the long line of Kaurs who proved my Kaur competence-that I could make friends with them all – Barleen, Harshdeep, Jasmine, Jasleen, and Harnam being some of the others. We continue to have tete-a-tetes on social media.

Aradhya Vats

A self-proclaimed nerd, she was good enough to do a project with me that turned into a conference paper-BEFORE she had done any formal marketing course. Continues to be a good student, and I am quite sure, will turn into a successful manager.

Siri Adi

Her dad makes great coffee. Really! She is a bubbly Market-researcher (my profession at one time), currently, in Mumbai. I still have to make it to her place for a home-cooked breakfast to go with that coffee, sometime-there’s an open invitation. We also share some Telugu talk, at times.

Part 4

Shraddha Nigdikar

This one I have had cook for me. I like such students. Her Mom and Dad were also present, and it was fun talking about Bhopal, where they are all from. A PR and marketing whiz earlier, she has also dabbled in behavioural training. She teaches me how to take selfies, in her spare time.

Abha Kulkarni

We first met at her wedding! It was through Facebook that we made first contact, as she had been a student at IMT Nagpur. Got to meet her parents too, and her husband. We again met (Tosha was also there) at Spice Klub in Mumbai. Very articulate, and one of the few people I know who has been To Iceland! But she was cool before that too.

Shatakshi Tripathi

Another case of Facebook first! Eventually, this translated into a meeting and a trip to her place in Bangalore, but a Mutual Admiration Society happened before that. She also is into Digital Marketing, which helped, and so did her offer to write a case for my book. Now her Mom is also a facebook friend!

Meghana Joshi

One of the few MBAs I know who has stuck around in one job for many years. A place-commie from her IMT Nagpur batch, she also attended a Seminar on Thought Leadership that I had offered there. Organised a get-together with her classmates Vikas and Varun in The Good Wife at BKC. When I asked her why this place was called The Good wife, she quipped, “Because the good husband does not exist.” Amen! Or should it be Ah! Men?

Part 5

Urvasi Anand

The God Indra is not the only one who counts Urvashi (along with Rambha, and Menaka in his case) among his friends. I do too, on earth-maybe because there’s a bit of Indra in my name. A pleasure to meet this highly intelligent girl, thanks to Tosha (my party-organiser-in-chief), again. They both work pretty close to one another in Mumbai. A common interest in travel is a great conversation-starter, always. We all had a drink called Black Beauty that evening, proving a point!

Garima and Aditi

Golfer-students are always special, and therefore they are mentioned together, though they live in different countries now. I met Aditi in Ghaziabad briefly, and have met Garima a couple of times, and we continue conversations on fb. Lucky to meet Dwipa (Garima’s older sister) who was also a student at IMT, in a recent alum meet.

Dheeraj Mohan

A Kirloskar student, we connected a couple of times in Chennai, after many years of online banter when I was there on work trips. His enthusiasm and sense of humour are both infectious, undimmed by the responsibilities of marriage. I like that!

Anam Nuhi

Another Lucknow girl, and an Indore alum. Working in an unusual place (in Haryana), in a job mostly done by men, she is up to the task. A great chatterbox in the right company (my family and me), as I discovered recently when she visited Indore.

Part 6

Nikita Kumar

An exceptionally cool student from Kolkata (unlike someone we know!), who I met in Pune and Hyderabad during her work stints (once with Ritika, her colleague and friend), and bonded with. She is now happy and married (these two are not mutually exclusive, contrary to popular perception).

Akshat Surana

We caught up unexpectedly, at an alumni meet of IMT Nagpur held in Mumbai. It was nice to meet for real, after the facebook encounters. He was on his way to a flight back to Ahmedabad, and we ended up chatting for over an hour at the party- photographic evidence exists, thanks to Divya Pragati and her camera.

Sampark Sachdeva

Made sampark (contact) again at Mumbai, after having seen him at Kolkata a few years ago when he worked there-his smile remains exactly the same! We both remembered the earlier alum meet fondly, and enjoyed this one too.

Swapna Gurijala Reddy

She was sweet enough to invite me home in Singapore, and her husband joined in too, along with Vidya TC (I had been to her place in Mumbai when her daughter Sloka was new to the world). We relived the good old days from Kirloskar Institute, where she and Vidya were my students- and survived.

Part 7 

Anupriya Pandit

She is likely to protest (a common feature of those who are from Meerut, I think), but I was saving the best for the last. She is into marketing, and we met a couple of times earlier at Bangalore, when she happened to visit us (Jayasimha and me) in Indore. Relax-o, Anupriya, is my only advice to her- she works for the brand, you see.

Bharath Shenoy

We met for filter kaapi after long (after IFIM B School). His work involves a lot of travel, but he takes time off to indulge himself in some good photography and some song and dance along with his wife.

Smita Mohan

We worked for IMT together, she in Dubai and I, in Nagpur. But we go back a long way, to Kirloskar Institute, where she tells me she got an A in my course. No wonder she is so nice to me now, and we keep talking about meeting rather than actually doing so- one more of my nice Mallu friends!

Part 8

Shreyashi Chakraborty

We met when she was doing her FPM at IIM Calcutta, and she remains in touch after becoming a prof. in OB/HR at XLRI now. One of our bright and beautiful alums from IMT Nagpur. Had an encounter with the Big C, but just emerged smiling and stronger! Her good friend Radha works at Indore now.

Pragya Singh

She asserted that she does not want to ever marry, in our first meeting, over a kahwa. Well, I have absolutely no problem, maybe we’ll meet more often, if she does not have family commitments. I liked the attitude, and hope that her leaving Pune is not permanent.

Divya Singh

My guest faculty in Digital Marketing at the Mumbai campus, she has been cycling- so much that she started an agency called Cyclitics! After living in New Mumbai, found an even newer city to move to-Pune. Contributed a Case to my edited book. I discovered (yesterday) that she plays the guitar too- will hear it one day, I am sure.

Part 9

Bhawana Sahay

Actually, we did meet briefly at a Hyderabad theatre (Newton was the film), but it feels like I know her much more than that meeting.. maybe because she is a multiple winner of my Nice DP award, or maybe coz we are fellow Hyderabadis- kisku maloom?

Achint Aurora

A bold girl who does not pull her punches! From batch 1 of Kirloskar Institute, she had a tendency to skip her breakfast those days. We met in Bangalore a couple of years ago, but then she moved. So I have to search some more.. in the Northerly direction.

Aishwarya Omprakash

Well, you can’t go wrong with a name like that. This bright and chirpy girl has an equally beautiful daughter, and is married to a nice guy who is also from PES. Battling some ups and downs, they both remain unfazed.

Siddhartha Agarwal

A true-blue Kolkattan, who studied at Harihar. We first re-connected at an airport (Delhi?) where he was along with his wife. Then we met in Kolkata, where he showed me around and we picked up some cake from a specialty shop. Now busy with his kids.

Aishwarya Iyer

A bright student from IMT Nagpur (Iyers do tend to be- I am married to one and I should know), I remember meeting her at an alumni meet in Mumbai. After which, she got married and chose foreign shores. But I count myself lucky at knowing two Aishwaryas- no, three! Aishwarya Saraswat also! (There’s actually another one I know on fb- Aiswarya, but she’s not been my student-not sure how we met online).

Part 10

Shweta Sinha

One with a lovely voice, she took me to my first Vietnamese food joint- before I went to Vietnam and had Pho and Egg Coffee, I mean- and we had a long chat about advertising. Titan was then about to launch its saree range, if I remember correctly. She also does gigs at Bangalore and elsewhere.

Shruti Sharma

This one is a lovely singer, like Shweta Sinha. Has a two-girl band online that belts out some good songs. Earlier, I had heard her alone on Soundcloud, and liked her voice-still do.

Pradyumna Mohanty

Praddy, the guy who shot well with a camera, like Harshad Lunavat and Vivek Anant- his pics of Twinkle Jain were superb- (and the gals, Bhagyashree Agarwal and Sinha Anuja), elected to go abroad and pretty much live there. Occasionally, I see his camerawork though.  Was caught napping (by another camera) in his own Convocation at Nagpur.

Satchi Sahay/Shivangi Goel/Ayushi Aggarwal

All these were instances where an academic collaboration worked and translated into a conference presentation. They were all students of IIM Indore that I have lost touch with, as of now, (except online, maybe).

Arvind Joshi

The dancing dude (he teaches Salsa) from my Bangalore days (now in Pune), we met accidentally outside Pagdandi. Pragya Singh was in attendance too. Naturally, a passerby was asked to do the honours of clicking us in a threesome!

Part 11 (last one for now)

And..those who are remembered, but are mostly online now (or in some cases, have moved away to Instagram, maybe).. Yamini Shah, Dhawal Mankar, Pooja Talapatra, Aishani Verma, Anshita Abhishek Chetty (and her twins), Anjali Iyer, Shefali Dixit, Pavan Tarawade, Kedar Muley, Abdullah Ahmed, Akanksha Garg, Madhulika Gaur (we did meet in Bangalore a few years ago), Aditi Chawla Vaidya, Ishan Joshi, Nishka Rathi, Ronak Chandak, Aditi Prasad (ad girl?), Grafila Jain (the most unique first name yet), Swati Sinha, Monika Gharmalkar, Anushka Mishra, Anusha Mahendrakar, Pulkit More, Devank Kumar, Kritika Gupta, Abhilasha Jas, the Akash Gupta from IMT (known as Prof.), Sanchita Mathur, Supriya Jain, Shuchi Bhatnagar, Arshi Narang, Kaavish Kidwai, Laura Shah (the Austrian who speaks Hindi with me), Tamros Mondal, Damini Singh, Chittaranjan Paladhi, Nidhi Trivedi, Rutuja Kagwade, Neha Jha, Monika Ghosh, Raghavansharma Padmanabha (a shuttler of substance), Ratnashree Tripathi, Ram Ramchander, Avik Gugalia, Tanaya Kar Chaturvedi (globe-trotter and contender for the Miss photogenic award), Roopsha Chatterjee, Roshni Chhabra, Murtaza Kuwarawala, Nidhi Sharma Chanana, Nidhi Shukla, ...

Zahabiah Ahmed, Dhaarna Shandilya, Bhavana Daga (or Lady Daga-not to be confused with Gaga), Upasana Kharad, Urmi Patel, Chithra Krishna, Deepti Joshi Deshpande, Harshdeep Kaur, Jasleen Kaur Pandher (and her photographer friend who clicks her pics), Sonia Arora Luthra, Shilpa Arora, Kanika Bhatia, Phalguni Banerjee Basu, Aashish and Anusha Mamidanna, Pooja Daniel, Anthony Palathingal, Sharmistha Singh, Rashmi Manchanda, Deepa, Ranjana, Arundhati Singh, Zin Rupam Verma, Anchal Sharma, Nandini Saxena, Singh Pushpinder, Piyush Kukreja, Ishita Thapar, Meha Kapoor (now Ishq Meha, an RJ), Vidushi Gandhi, Meet Sabharwal, Shrishail, Oormila Ram, Ameet Savant, Divya Sharmaa, Praveen Kotta, Priyadarshi Matruprasad, Kallol Sarkar, Pushpak Sengupta, Preeti Gailot, Sowmyashree Gonibeedu, Eeshita Ghosh, Sudeep Jain, Roshan Kanth, Saptarshi Dasgupta, PVR (Prabhuvardhan Reddy), Meghana Khadilkar, Harshad Sachani (we met in Nagpur by chance, where I lived once), Sindhuja Gantayet, Chandana Kuruganty, Surbhi Vishwakarma, Ishita Modi, Vijaya Srivastava (I can recognise that pout anywhere!), Rohit Srivastav, Kanika Mhendiratta (who’s offered to be my photographer), Chaitra Hegde, Roopashree Narayan, Yogita, Divya Sisodiya (some great pics she keeps posting though)..

Amar Photo Studio- A Play With Substance

This is a very inventive play (in Marathi) that I saw yesterday. Proof? Here it is, clicked by Amey Wagh, a key actor, at the end of it. We are at the left end, first row. I am second from left.

Did I say inventive? I will say it again. It had elements of the classics (V. Shantaram appears as a character, making one of his films), mid-70s ( a character played by Parna Pethe dances to the song Mehbooba, Mehbooba, from Sholay), and today's selfie-obsessed generation that is trying to define love in the time of breakups.

Brilliantly cast and directed, it's a must-watch in my view. Nipun Dharmadhikari, the director, proves he is nipun with many things- the time travel, the representative characters from each age group, and the handling of the story and the dialogues, were all of a level that was impressive. Participative elements, with the heroine and hero both coming into the aisle and pulling in audiences, aded zing to the proceeding. The humour is ROFL.

Amey Wagh, and some others too, played multiple characters, not easy to do in quick succession. Hats off!

Indian Brands

India, in spite of worshipping Coke, Domino's, and Cannes (yes, we can), has some remarkable brands of its own. MNCs have not been able to displace them for years.

AMUL is one such brand. Seemingly ubiquitous, because its butter is everywhere, and so is its milk. It is also a cooperative, and its history therefore is unique.

Fevicol, another brand that uses humour to advertise itself (like Amul), is a great Indian brand in its category (sticking things together)

Symphony air coolers is the top-of-the-mind national brand, known early on for its distinctive design.

Asian Paints, for its decorative paints, remains the leading brand for decades.

IPL, though not exactly unique, is a sports brand with a huge following, and international cricket players want to be a part of it.

Among the recently launched ones, Carvaan, a music player from Saregama, has made waves.

Suicides are Just not Worth It

I recently learnt of a very tragic case, in which an entrepreneur committed suicide, after killing his wife before doing so. Most likely, a case of depression brought on by a business failure. Farmers whose crops fail, and students who don't "do well" are regularly found killing themselves in India.

Whatever the reason, I think suicide is not an answer. It may seem like there is no solution to our immediate problems, but braving it out is possible. Even a person in a German concentration camp survived unimaginable horrors, and wrote about it- Man's Search for Meaning was the book.

Maybe we need to be more social. I think as a society, we must learn to listen, and talk. Share our problems at least with people around us, if not professional counselors. At least with people in the immediate circle, we must be as open as possible, and ask for help/give such help, before it is too late. Life is valuable. It is simply not worth committing suicide for any reason!

The Autorickshaw-Wonder Transport

Bajaj Auto has survived on a unique product, in addition to its two-wheelers. Autorickshaw, is what it is called in India, and it is a soft-topped three-wheeler that is ubiquitous on our roads. Also known as a tuk-tuk in some other countries, in a similar form. You can see one on the left, in this pic.

This is a unique vehicle, that runs as a cheaper taxi (than the four-wheeled ones). Its uniqueness is in the fact that it is able to negotiate the twists and turns of Indian roads easily, and go into the bylanes of any town without blinking. It runs on petrol, LPG or CNG, though larger variants use diesel and are not as elegant.

We in India have grown up using the autorickshaw to go everywhere, if buses were not available. It can also fit in a large amount of luggage, so going to and from the railway station is a cinch. The driver of this contraption is also unique, and can improve your negotiation skills. He is a born trainer of these skills in some cities, and can change your mood based on his nod or refusal to take you places.

All in all, we can't do without this auto!

A Wedding in the Family

December 2018, I got a chance to play the Father of the Bride, again! Once before, at a Church wedding in Jamshedpur, I gave away the bride to a friend from Bhubaneswar. This time, it was in Sangli at a traditional Maharastrian wedding of a daughter of our extended family. An emotional moment for all of us, and fun too, as the pictures below depict. And since the couple live in Pune now, we are not sad either!

 DDLJ (top).. and dressing up (below). Shrirang and Shweta.

 Mehendi laga ke rakhna. (above), and serious stuff, involving both parents of both sides (below).

 Solemnity with some fun thrown in (above), and stage presence (below)

 Wedding finery, and not just for the bride..above and below.

 Traditonal feeding- a promise of sorts to continue? (above)
Le jayenge, le jayenge, dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge.. and she doesn't seem to mind at all. (below)

Book Review- The Shooting Star

This is a travel book written by a solo woman backpacker from India. That itself makes it unique. And it is. It describes an urge many of us might have had to chuck it all, and just travel around the world..or, go on a world cruise, as a post-retirement dream. The fact is, Shivya Nath is doing the former, after chucking her job and convincing (!!) her parents that this is OK.

Her descriptions of people and places as far as South and Central America, and some from our own country (tribal Orissa, Rann of Kutch) are fascinating, because mostly, she avoids the routine and goes and finds a place in the heart of the people she meets. One that I liked the best was her experience of living with a cacao-growing family, and getting addicted to unadulterated (with sugar and milk) chocolate! A volcanic crater lake (a pic is included) which she walked around reminded me of a visit to Lonar, a lake formed by a meteorite crater. Her take on veganism as a cause is heartfelt, though not many of us can take to it easily-no cheese pizza is hard to imagine, right?

A must-read for any traveller (even an armchair one), this is one book that'll stay with me for a while. She also has a travel blog called The Shooting Star.

Ani..Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar- Marathi Film Review

I am currently a fan of Marathi films, and for good reason. Their quality exceeds whatever else is on offer, by miles. I had missed this biopic of a great stage actor that Marathi Theatre had witnessed, and made up by watching the film on TV.

Excellent casting, direction and acting elevate this film to one of the most engrossing dramas based on real-life characters. Subodh Bhave pulls off the main character with panache. The doyen of Marathi cinema, Bhalji Pendharkar, Sulochana, an early actress, and Dr. Shriram Lagoo appear as some of the characters along with stage writer Vasant Kanetkar and producer Prabhakar Panshikar (played well by Prasad Oak).

Though I missed many of these real-life people and their plays when staged originally, the movie gives you a glimpse of Marathi theatre in its prime. And Kashinath Ghanekar was one of its prime movers, is what this film also reminds us. Before Rajesh Khanna became a superstar, he was one, style and all, according to a dialogue in the film.

Certainly a well-made film, even if you know nothing about the subject.

Cyclone Fani- A Job Well Done

The government doing a great job? It showed us what can happen when all the wings of government work together with focus. Of course, we have seen it before in our Space program or Nuclear Program, or even Weather Satellites Development (which is one reason why this disaster was managed so well).

This could easily have been a Killer cyclone with thousands of deaths, but timely evacuation and provision of services to the evacuated people (like shelters), turned it into just another storm, weathered well.

When I lived in the U.S., there was Hurricane Hugo which hit the South Carolina coast, and the damage was extensive. We heard stories from affected people, and they were bad- late 80s sometime.

I am glad an Indian State has made such progress in managing crises created by natural forces. May the Force be with us, for greater good of our citizens.

Making Predictions

My top ten predictions

1. Kim will continue to sport a funny haircut.

2. Kings and Queens will continue to thrive. Long live monarchy!

3. Kejriwal will continue to wear mufflers, but whether e will get rid of his cough, is too tough to call.

4.  Gun laws will remain what they are in the U.S., regardless of shootings in the country, and over-zealous actions by stupid countries like New Zealand.

5. Vada pav will continue as the State Dish of Maharashtra, along with Misal-pav.

6. Meetings will continue to waste hours, while generating Minutes, arround the world, particularly the corporate world.

7. Baldness will not have a cure, ever. Nor the common cold.

8. Men will be men (thanks, Imperial Blue, for pointing it out).

9. Selfies will become the leading cause of death- people jealous of others' abilities to take good selfies will kill themselves.

10. Student of the Year will continue till its 10th sequel, beating the Superman and Spiderman franchises.

Leading Professionals

There is an expectation from leaders in many situations, that they will do a lot of leading-in other words, micro-manage their subordinates' work from A to Z. In an academic institution though (and perhaps in other places which are full of professionals who have entered the profession with a will to do well), less is more. The major difference between an academic job and many others is that people here resent being told what to do and how to do it. Most are here for the autonomy to decide what they want to spend time on, and how to do it too. Mentorship for young faculty who want it is an exception to this.

To quote a former IIT director, your best bet is to hire the best people (faculty) you can, and leave them alone, and hope they will perform. This may be the best way to nurture the crazy set of autonomy-loving professionals.

Of course, this does not work with the non-teaching staff, who may need directions AND control. So, it is horses for courses, depending on the kind of subordinates you have. Contingency theory of leadership, anyone?

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.

Administration Versus Leadership

I have deliberately not used the word Management, because I am not talking of MBAs alone, but more generally, about spheres that affect more people than the corporates.

Administration can be the routine activities, and more to do with implementation of rules that were framed by someone else. For instance, the Municipal administration mainly has to do with implementing rules and duties already assigned to the department. Few new things, maybe once in a while, like building a new flyover.

Leaders may be distinguished (if they are at all) by some creative ideas that they are able to come up with for the non-routine, which may benefit a lot of people. Many leaders give us hope, but few live up to it. In our political landscape, maybe three or four have solved problems of masses creatively, though many may have contributed in bits and pieces. TN Seshan, E Sreedharan (Metro Man), Verghese Kurien, and a few other bureaucrats from within the system were leaders who did this by probably going beyond their brief. The Metro has the potential to solve public transport problems if designed well- I have now travelled by Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore metros and can vouch for this.

I had the fortune to live in Andhra Pradesh when Chandrababu Naidu came up with a computerised service for citizens to pay their bills in one place. It was called eSeva, and was later (much later) copied by other states. Before this, people spent huge amounts of time in lines to pay their own utility bills.

The latest example of good leadership is the way the Orissa Cyclone called Fani has been handled, with able leadership directing the various administrative wings in saving at least a few thousand lives. It involved coordination among different administrative bodies/wings, making it all the more remarkable.

I am pretty sure that we can keep up a flurry of such innovations to ease the life of a common man, if we give enough thought to it. That would make for smart cities and villages, and much more. Maybe a citizen scrutiny and rating system may work, and get people to participate more in governance too.

The Tashkent Files- Film Review

A very well-made film in a genre that Hindi films usually do not even attempt. It has elements of The Odessa File starring Jon Voight that I saw many years ago, and elements of Twelve Angry Men remade as Ek Ruka Hua Faisla, about a jury debating whether a defendant is guilty or not. Here, the subject is the shadowy circumstances around the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's former Prime Minister, that happened at Tashkent.

Though the end abruptly points fingers at a political personality, making it look as though it is a propaganda film in the times of a general election, that does not take away the fact that it is gripping from the word Go. You can discount the last five minutes if you don't like those. Throughout the film, though, the entire political class is blamed for whatever the main argument is- a citizen's right to be informed about the goings-on in a democracy. The Cold War and the dirty tricks of CIA and KGB also come out starkly.

Shweta Basu Prasad excels in her role of an intrepid journalist, and is supported ably by a good supporting cast- Mithun Chakrabarty and Naseeruddin Shah being the major ones, and Pankaj Tripathi, Pallavi Joshi and Mandira Bedi among the others.

I liked it as a film, in spite of a possible propagandist angle, as mentioned earlier.