Morons I Have Met

 Someone said I should write a book about them, and maybe I will, some day. But here's a preview on a couple.

I once had a one-hour meeting with a superior based in another city, about why our Diesel Generator expenses (on fuel) were high compared to his! We tried explaining (my admin was with me) that we were located in a rural area outside the municipal limits and therefore power cuts were rampant in the area. But after an hour or so, he wasn't convinced. He wanted to look at Power Cut announcements for our city, by the local Electricity board to verify our claims! 

But this may not be the worst of all the M's I have seen on the planet.. just wait for more. 

Studio UnGap

 This is a digital/social media marketing company that specialises in Instagram and LinkedIn as platforms or media. Stories/reels are their forte. Met with Natasha Kothari, the founder, recently at their office. We are writing up their story as a Case Study. Her lieutenants Riddhi and Vanita were also there for a long chat about how they grew as a company, and as a team which is physically dispersed across the country, but 30-strong. We spoke about their successes at getting and keeping clients, through sheer dint of hard work. More in the case study, which will be available for anyone to use in a classroom.

A pic to commemorate the meeting- 

Natasha also visited Prestige University Indore later for a guest lecture on Entrepreneurship. A couple of pics from her visit

Armchair Travel to Portugal and Spain

Armchair anything is easier than the real thing. Travel, infinitely cheaper. But someone has to travel. Never mind who does, if you wish to partake of the benefits, you can, by listening to their stories. I sometimes tell stories, but this is about listening. And pics. From Portugal and Spain.

My Grandparents

Talking about storytelling, the other day, I was reminded of my grandparents. Both were good storytellers- my maternal grandparents. My grandmom told us many stories, among which were classics like The Count of Monte Cristo- years later, I visited Chateau D' If, near Marseilles, where the story is set. My grandfather we heard less often but he had a favourite animal story about a rabbit who poses as a fierce animal from inside a cave, and scares a lion away!

 My grandmother (Radha Oak), above.

 My grandfather (Madhav Ramchandra Oak), above and left top, in the photo below. He was a professor of Philosophy, and worked at Jaipur and Amalner (where Mr. Premji's family had started).

My grandmother was also highly creative, and came up with a poem/verse to celebrate many family events- such as the birth of a child (she had many kids, and grandkids), or a marriage. She also published a collection of these, in small, multiple volumes titled The Inner Voice (Antariche Bol, in Marathi).

Ruskin Bond- A Nice Man to Know

I happened to watch an interview with the man on national TV the other day. I was really impressed. I am not easily impressed by people (usually celebrities) most of whom I find faking things, looking to promote themselves or their immediate work (normally films).

Self-effacing must be his second name. I confess I have not read any of his work, and may do so now, because of my interest in him as a person. Loveable is a term that comes to mind. He has a gentle humour which comes through in this interview. A couple of observations he made were really heart-warming. A couple of his young readers told him that he should put more action in his stories.-that they are slow-moving.

He is also the writer of ghost stories, apparently. He wrote the story that was converted into Saat Khoon Maaf, about a wife serially murdering seven husbands- so he is not as innocent as he looks. He confessed he had a few more ways of killing them he had thought about but did not use in the story!

On living in India, he said it is far more interesting than Europe, which is a bit monotonous. An astute observation, one that I agree with, even regarding the U.S.