Initial Impressions- Sri Lanka

Went for a family (destination) wedding to Sri Lanka and stayed in Negombo beach. First impressions-

It is expensive compared to many similar Indian destinations. Particularly, entry fees for foreigners are high in many sight-seeing spots. Some may be worth the price, some not.

The people are nice and friendly. Mostly, laid-back. The cleanliness is a lesson to us. They also obey traffic signals.

The women wear sarees, but in a slightly different way.

The towns resemble Kerala in colour of store-fronts, and appams are available everywhere. The greenery is similar too.

So are lunch buffets with prices varying from 250 Sri-Lankan Rupees to 500 or more. Lots of women entrepreneurs in this business.

Tea, gemstones, cashews are some specialities.

It would take a week to see all the sights. We did a couple, along with the wedding.

E-visas are very easy to get online.

Hair and There

I am propagating a new theory about people and hair-styles.

My theory is that -

People with straight hair are simple and untwisted human beings.

Those with curls want to be different, like their tattoed counterparts.

Women with short hair are more career-minded and professional.

Those with long hair (women) are dedicated and persevere in their chosen task, whatever may be the effort.

Those with fancy hair styles (men and women) are unpredictable, could be be fun, or dangerous, depending on your perspective.

Balding gentlemen are mostly gentle, because they are conscious that their best hair days are behind them.

Pleats in hair (women) indicate they are comple(a)te women, and not afraid to do what they like.

Funky hair styles and tattoes are a heady mix..rocking? May be.

Anopheles and Trump- 2017

Anopheles was always perceptive about goings-on in the human world, though she was a mosquito, and I enjoyed my conversations with her. We had become friends ever since we had debated the merits of her tribe biting humans, a few years ago (she convinced me it wasn't such a big deal).

She was looking serious this time when she asked, "Who's this Trump character? And what's he known for?"

I am a follower of Gandhiji's maxim to speak the truth, so I replied, "He's known for groping, and running businesses into bankruptcy. And building walls between man and man."

She was aghast. "And he got elected to a high office?"
So I spoke what I thought was the truth again. "Women don't really count. We mostly treat them as an accessory in a man's life. Tell me, how is it in mosquito-land?"

She was thoughtful. "We don't discriminate among males and females. Everyone has equal rights and opportunities. All adults have to earn their own blood. Kids are brought up by both parents participating equally. There are no crimes against female mosquitoes, like you humans seem to have, if your news channels are to be believed." That stunned (Trumped?) me. One, she was even more aware than I had imagined, and two, they were a more advanced civilization than ours- on this count at least.

I muttered something about our race having lost the race, ..or something to that effect, and bid her goodnight- we had a gentle(wo)manly pact that she wouldn't bite, if I talked to her.

Lucknow Diary

Had a chance to go to Lucknow to speak at a conference recently. I was pleasantly surprised to find several people whom I had never met but was aware of. Rama Bijapurkar, who has worked in advertising and marketing research (like me) was a co-speaker. Prof. Mirza Saiyadein, whom I had heard of, but never met, retired prof from IIM Ahmedabad. And then, many faculty who had some links to IIM Lucknow, where I had worked before, 2001 through 2003. That's where my first book got published (Marketing Research, First edition)-  I am fairly bookish.

Lucknow has grown from being a small, under-developed capital, to a decent-sized city, and has good roads-at least ones I travelled on were good. Did not get a chance to go Ganjing at Hazratganj, but saw a branch of CMS, the school where my daughters went for a couple of years. I still remember the kababs with a melt-in-your mouth texture that we had eaten there.

Made famous by its tehzeeb (don't think it can be translated-just look it up), and the famous 'pehle aap', it remains a beacon in a state which has always performed below its potential, and remains plagued by many negatives-perceived or otherwise.

Wisdom on a Tee

Tee shirts can carry a message across faster than a lot of fat philosophical tomes, or boring lectures on the subject-or any subject. A smartly designed set of words or a picture is all it takes. For instance, Sula (the wine maker) has a few that promote wine- Drink some wine, become a Winestein, with a pic of the great man. There's one going around on fb right now, a Mexican/Spanish woman wearing one that says-Relax, GRingo, I'm legal, referring to Trump's immigration policy.

A lot of things that need saying can be said easily on a tee-shirt without offending anyone (oh, that's so easy to do on some media). I just found something that fits me to a T- "You can't scare me-I have two daughters."

Just got one the other day that says "Rajni inside" -obviously, in Chennai. Makes me feel like a superstar. Got to wear it more often.

Selfienomics- Book Review

If you take this book seriously, you may not like it that much. If you don't, chances are you will like it a lot. Because it is written in a folksy (facebookish) style with plenty of hashtags and humour. There is an underlying seriousness, though. It aims at improving you. If you are like 99% people (or is it 99.98, like the CAT cutoffs) who believe firmly that they will not improve (# Hum Nahi Sudhrenge), then that is effort wasted (# Gaya tel lene).

But it is definitely worth reading. He even takes off on IIMs and other holy cows, after saying how we Indians don't like anybody criticising our icons. Some of his jokes are ROFL type, and will keep you going through the boring parts- there are a few, like advice on how much water to drink a day and why (haven't we been through this somewhere?).

There is also a panacea for many of India's ills- a better justice system, which works fast and well, and online where possible. The solution may sound naive (after all, he did not take the offer from IIM Bangalore), but the point is well-taken, that many of our systems of governance and citizen services are archaic.

Another point well-taken is about our responsibilities to society, and to ourselves, being neglected in the blind pursuit of the "family's good" (# Mere paas maa hai).  His advice on personal branding is good, and the reason why I bought the book in the first place. Create a first opinion, rather than just a first impression. Because people take time to form an opinion, but stick to it after they form one. Don't waste money on branded clothes, but dress well. ("If you want to know how, look at gay people-they have been in the closet longer than most"- jokes like these abound in the book). Remember things about people who you want to know better, if necessary by digging up info on the net, and using it to make conversation (# Stalking-the good side).

Generally, quotes from lots of people (like 'Patriotism is loyalty to a piece of real estate'- be a global patriot instead) also make this readable. (#Go Read it)

Drama Queen-Suchitra Krishnamoorthi's Book-A Review

Remember the cute heroine of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a Shah Rukh film? That's her. Remember Shekhar Kapur married her? And then they divorced? That's her too.She also did her share of pop albums.

Drama Queen takes off a few years after the divorce, and is a rollicking, no-holds-barred look at her life, including her fantasies about killing er girlfriends, Ram Gopal Verma, and her mom in a big blaze, among other things. Written in a completely different style, its novelty may not appeal to everyone. You either will like it or hate it. I did like it, after I got used to her style. Also, I had a soft corner for her because she is Telugu (and I grew up in Gulti-land- not because she is cute).

Her outings with her shrink get a largish, hysterical coverage, and is antithetical to what you may expect after seeing Dear Zindagi where Shah Rukh played a likeable shrink. Her dogs also get lots of cverage, but surprisingly, her mom gets a lot more than her daughter- and it's not reverential, exactly.

All in all, a new-gen storytelling style, and I liked her girlfriend's attempts to do her good by buying her a ..well, I won't give it away.