A Global Mindset

 What does that mean? Probably means that you could function equally well, no matter where you lived -of course, given time to adapt to local language, conditions. It's the mindset that enables you to do so.

I may choose to live in one place, but treat people from around the world as the same, like me. I don't look down on anyone that is economically or socially less fortunate, nor look up to the Rich man or a King or a Lord (or a President).

This is tough to bring about, due to many kinds of conditioning we have had. There are a few souls who have demonstrated that it's possible. J. Krishnamurti and Osho, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela come to mind. I am sure there are common citizens not as well-known as they were also, in all parts of the world. 

If we could propagate the idea that all humans are valuable and equal in practice, the world might truly be a better place. Wouldn't it?

Perceptions of Price

 Just like quality, price is a matter of perception. If anyone asks ÿou a question "Ïs this product/service good value?" It's difficult to answer it right away. Also, my answer may be different from yours.

The reason being that I have a certain value I attach to a product, based on my situation, and my view/attitude towards a product (I am loosely using the term product- could be a service, something you pay for). When hungry, a plate of food has immense value for anyone, but in other situations, each person may determine the value for himself, and be willing to pay (or not pay) a certain price as per his evaluation. Rational as well as intangible features influence this, as does peer influence or other social factors. Apart from affordability, of course.

Determining what is the perception regarding price among a set of consumers is a challenge for marketers. If done right, it leads to a profitable business; if not, may mean you have to tweak the price, or the product/itself to make it desirable or of adequate value.

Travel Experiences- 1 Thailand

I have travelled to Thailand a few times - first for Golf (my DP comes from that trip) and then for a family vacation and conferences, and found it an easy place to travel in. It is tourist-friendly right from the arrival visa, to bus and taxi transport, to cheap hotels compared with India, for the same quality. I found the food tasty too.

Cleanliness is also a virtue, and the malls in Bangkok are of high quality. So is the metro, of two types-under and overground. Pattaya and other destinations now have Indian restaurants too, in case you need them. The Golf courses are, of course, superbly maintained and customer-friendly. Some pics-

 Above- a temple in Bangkok.

 Gallivanting off Pattaya..

 The Alcazar show is completely performed by transgenders- an artist in the pic above. Below, a yummy dish we partook of.

Drishyam-Film Review

Third time lucky too. Good films are raining, it seems, at least in the halls which I frequent. This was screened at the Indore campus, and I am happy I made it there.

A brilliantly paced thriller with ordinary people being enmeshed in a whodunit with a twist. Actually more than a whodunit, it's Hitchcockian- about whether the perpetrator will be caught..and done with rare elan for an Indian movie. The last time I saw anything like it was maybe Johnny Gaddar starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and directed by Sriram Raghavan, a self-confessed James Hadley Chase aficianado.

This one is gripping throughout, and Nishikant Kamat is the director. Apparently a remake of a Malayalam film, I am sure the original must have been very good too. The setting of this one is Goa, and like in the recent Finding Fanny, the feeling it gives you is that you are a part of the local Goan lifestyle. The overhead shots of the landscape are lovely, and from the first frame to the last, you are eager to see what happens next. A rare quality in any film. Though I thought the last 7-8 minutes could have been eliminated, this may be a bow to Hindi film audiences-a part of which like such stuff. But that is a small flaw in an otherwise excellent film, which also makes you ponder about power, bringing up kids and many other things, including family values-and the value you put on your family. Everyone is perfectly cast- especially Gaitonde, and Shriya Saran and the two kids in the family of Ajay Devgan.