Beggary at Traffic Junctions – A Reflection

If you’ve ever waited at a busy traffic signal in any Indian city, you’ve probably witnessed the familiar sight: beggars swarming cars, tapping on windows, extending hands, and sometimes selling trivial items. They hunt in pairs, sometimes in larger teams, aiming to extract money in the precious 30 or 40 seconds before the light turns green. It’s a perfectly timed act of desperation and strategy, an organized dance of need and guilt.

What I find particularly irritating is not just their persistence, but the fact that some motorists, in their generosity, unknowingly extend the wait time for everyone behind them. A few seconds of alms-giving often lead to a ripple effect of delay, while the traffic builds up and tempers flare. Yet, police officers stand seemingly indifferent, oblivious to the mounting congestion and the plight of impatient motorists.

What’s striking is how organized this street-level operation appears. Each member of the team has a role:

• The youngest of the gang usually carries a cloth or a wipe, rushing to your windshield before you can protest, swiping it with a theatrical flair. You didn’t ask for it, but by the end of it, you feel a peculiar sense of obligation to pay for the effort.
• The oldest member, typically a frail man with a stick, ambles up to your window, attempting to sell earbuds, pens, or other trivial items. His tired eyes and worn-out appearance tug at your heartstrings.
• A female member carries a young child, cradling them while she pleads for money, ostensibly to feed the infant. The sight of a child, hungry and helpless, is a powerful nudge to open your wallet.
• The male member, more assertive, sells balloons or glass sun shields, often approaching with a sales pitch that is hard to ignore in the few moments you have.

It’s a choreographed act, a well-rehearsed routine designed to extract sympathy - and ultimately, money - in mere seconds. But what fuels this response? Why do we feel compelled to give, even when we know it might be part of a larger racket?

The Psychology of Guilt and Enabling

This behavior at traffic signals mirrors something deeper in our psychology. As described in research, financial enablers often suffer from guilt over their own financial stability. They may feel undeserving of their own success and become duty-bound to “help” those who are visibly struggling, even if the struggle is part of an organized act. The same way a financially stable friend or relative may bail out someone who is irresponsible with money, we find ourselves handing out cash at traffic signals, not out of pure generosity, but out of guilt and the desire to relieve our discomfort.

These enablers often discount the role of effort and attribute the misfortune of others solely to bad luck. It’s easier to give a few rupees and feel like a savior than to question the system that perpetuates this cycle. Interestingly, many of these enablers are not big donors to public causes; their generosity is restricted to these close, immediate circles where they can visibly witness their “help” being accepted.

Money, after all, offers power, control, prestige, social acceptance, and approval. Some even hide their own financial strains to continue offering support - whether to beggars at a signal or to irresponsible friends and family. This behavior, while seemingly charitable, can also demotivate, undermine, and perpetuate dependence.

The Broader Social Reflection

If we extend this analogy to our social circles, the pattern becomes clearer. Why does a relative or friend, who is better off financially, continually bail out someone who is financially reckless? Research indicates that the giver often suffers from a kind of “money disorder.” They feel an obligation, rooted in guilt or misplaced loyalty, to step in and save someone from their own financial irresponsibility. And just like at the traffic signal, this behavior only enables the cycle to continue.

The beggary at traffic junctions is more than just a minor inconvenience—it’s a window into our collective psyche. It’s a reflection of how guilt, misplaced compassion, and the need for social acceptance drive us to enable patterns of dependency, both on the streets and in our personal lives.

Perhaps the next time you’re at that signal, instead of giving in to guilt, you might think twice about what you’re really enabling.

Jevons Paradox vs. Moore’s Law: Why We Always Underestimate Technology's Future

Why Jevons Paradox and Moore’s Law Prove We’re Always Underestimating Technology

There’s something hilarious about looking back at past predictions about technology. The one that always gets me? That infamous (possibly misattributed) Bill Gates quote: "No one will ever need more than 64K of memory." Oh, Bill. How adorable. Today, I have individual memes that take up more storage than that.

But this isn’t just about Gates and his 64K moment - this is a broader pattern. Humans, despite all our brilliance, are spectacularly bad at predicting how much of a good thing we’ll use once it becomes more efficient. Enter: Jevons Paradox.

Jevons Paradox: The "Oh, We’ll Just Use More of It" Effect

Back in the 19th century, a British economist, William Stanley Jevons, noticed something weird. As steam engines became more efficient at burning coal, people didn’t use less coal. They used more. The cheaper and more efficient something becomes, the more people lean into it.

Fast forward to today, and AI is proving Jevons right again. The cost of AI models is dropping, their intelligence is skyrocketing, and guess what? Instead of slowing down, we’re cramming AI into every possible application. From writing our emails to generating cat pictures, we just keep using more AI.

Moore’s Law: The "Tech Gets Faster, and We Want Even More" Effect

Now, let's talk about Moore’s Law. In 1965, Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors on a chip would double every couple of years, making computers exponentially faster and cheaper. He was right - for decades.

This is why your phone today is more powerful than the computer that sent astronauts to the moon. And yet, somehow, it still feels sluggish when you have 37 Chrome tabs open. Why? Because every time computing power increases, we find new, more demanding applications. We’re like kids who get a bigger toy box and immediately demand even bigger toys.

Jevons vs. Moore: The Ultimate Tech Showdown

Jevons Paradox and Moore’s Law are basically two sides of the same coin:

• Moore’s Law predicts that technology will keep getting exponentially better.
• Jevons Paradox predicts that as it does, we’ll use even more of it than we ever thought we would.

The result? A never-ending cycle where efficiency fuels demand, and demand fuels even more advancements. It’s why “no one needs more than 64K” turned into “no one needs more than GPT-5” which will, inevitably, turn into “no one needs more than GPT-10” before we all start casually chatting with AI versions of ourselves in the metaverse.

The Lesson: Never Underestimate Our Ability to Want More

So, what can we learn from all this? First, any time someone says, “We’ll never need more than [X],” get ready to laugh at them in about a decade. Second, AI and computing aren’t slowing down—they’re accelerating. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that efficiency doesn’t reduce demand. It makes us want way more of the thing.

Which brings me to the final question: how long before we start saying, “Nobody will ever need more than AI that can run the entire world economy in real time”?

I’d give it about five years. Maybe less if Moore and Jevons have anything to say about it.

Dip, Dip, Dip and It's Ready to Sip: A Nostalgic Look at Vintage Advertising Magic

Exploring the Time Capsule of Vintage Advertisement

Delving into the past through old advertisements is not merely about nostalgia, curiosity, and amusement; it is about traveling through time. The joy of discovering a different set of aesthetics can be both thrilling and surprising. As we flip through old newspapers, encountering various advertisements, we find ourselves laughing, smiling, gawking, or shaking our heads all at once. These ads not only show us how advertising has evolved but also reflect the trends, needs, and preferences of our parents' and grandparents' generations, thus shaping our culture.

Unlike the static narratives of many history books, these advertisements still jump off the page with undeniable magic, now even more enchanting since they've been dislodged from their original contexts. They offer a democratic and realistic dive into learning about history through the lens of everyday life.

Controversy in Creativity: The Taj Mahal Tea Ad Case

One notable example of such nostalgic advertising is the campaign for Taj Mahal tea bags, which became iconic with its catchy jingle: "Dip, dip, dip. And some sugar. And it's ready to sip. If you want it stronger, dip a little longer, dip dip dip." Despite its popularity, the jingle faced its share of controversies in the 1990s. The lyrics were scrutinized for perceived sexual undertones, stirring debates about the appropriateness of marketing messages and the thin line between creativity and sensitivity in advertising. This controversy itself reflects the social dynamics of the era, illustrating how advertisements can serve as a mirror to societal values and conflicts at the time.

Thus, these glimpses into the advertising world not only entertain us but also enrich our understanding of cultural shifts and the power of media in shaping societal norms. This makes vintage advertisements a treasure trove of cultural insights and a vivid chronicle of the past.

An Indian Summer in Germany

Mr Wolfgang Hoeltgen who was featured earlier in this blog is a tireless campaigner of German - India relations. His indefatigable spirit takes him across the country, and which has become an annual pilgrimage for sometime now, spreading GIBC mantra of catalyzing business exchange between the 2 countries especially the region of Niedersachsen. This is despite the almost fatal car crash incident he was involved on the Pune - Mumbai highway last year (some  bone chilling snaps of the accident). Apart from the shock & trauma of the accident he also underwent an ordeal with the Hospital which not only treated but also fleeced him to the hilt.

Yet none of these stops him coming to India year after year. I caught up with him this time around in Bangalore and we spent some time together.  This years sojourn also had its share of unfortunate event, he had just lost his wallet in the Taj Vivanta where he was staying and along with it some considerable amount of cash. I offered him some financial help but he politely turned it down. It later turned out that the International ATM card that he was carrying was of no use in India. Weirdly enough none of the multinational Pvt Bank ATMs (we tried 2-3 bank ATMS) were able to transact & dispense the cash. Yet though somehow he managed to chug along with his journey without seeking any help. 

Event Logo

Beginning this year I will represent GIBC Hannover impulse as Strategic partner representing Bangalore region. Hopefully I wish to translate this into mutually fruitful Business exchange. This year also marks an eventful milestone in the History between the 2 countries i.e., 60 years of  diplomatic relations and to commemorate that GIBC is bringing an Indian summer to Germany . For 4 full days the spotlight will be on India at the famous Hannover fair called India days Hannover packed with various events. I have coined it an ‘Achtung Indie’ event for the sheer novelty of its theme & significance. This event has something for everyone; Industry captains, Entrepreneurs, Students, Academicians, Cultural enthusiasts and think-tanks all alike.

The Sky (Lab) is Falling

A Fiery Summer: Skylab Hysteria in 1979

In the summer of 1979, a kind of hysteria gripped my neighborhood. For an unassuming 8-year-old like me, it felt like the end of the world. The dramatic, apocalyptic thoughts conjured up were reminiscent of the 2012 doomsday predictions. As a member of a small, motley crew of youngsters, I was particularly impressionable.

For days, our group buzzed with excitement and fear about something called 'Skylab' - a massive monster up in space that was supposedly about to come crashing down to Earth in a fiery ball. The catch? Skylab could potentially fall in India, with my hometown of Belgaum being a prime target.

The hysteria was likely fueled by the fact that, until the final hours, nobody (including the Americans) had a clue where Skylab would eventually fall. Its orbital path included some of the world's most populous areas: the U.S., much of Europe, India, and China.

The 77-ton behemoth did come crashing down, but due to a miscalculation, it landed in Western Australia instead of South Africa. The size of this space station - about nine stories tall - had fueled all kinds of wild stories. This was a period with no 24-hour live television or internet streaming. Word of mouth, or rumor in this case, was a powerful tool. Our group made me believe it was time to pray and say our goodbyes.

It's now estimated that the chances of getting hit by debris weighing up to 90 kg from a falling space satellite are 250,000 times more unlikely than winning the lottery. Yet, back then, it seemed like a real and imminent threat.

As I read about a similar event in the newspaper today - a 6-tonne NASA satellite falling to Earth with an unknown destination - I can't help but chuckle at how it’s now considered a non-event. Perhaps the world is much noisier and more turbulent now, and amidst this deluge of information, an event like this doesn't evoke the same kind of awe and wild imagination as it did in the summer of 1979.

Trudge

A fine Victorian era poet and his soulful lines left an abiding impact in me as I sat reading some of his poetry on a lazy weekend. One of it particularly made sense of my situation 

We cannot kindle when we will

The fire in which the heart resides;

The spirit bloweth and is still,

In mystery our soul abides.

But tasks in hours of insight will’d

Can be through hours of gloom fulfill’d

                                                  -Mathew Arnold

(It is difficult for man to have inspiration at his beck and call. Tasks proposed when inspired shall have to be carried out patiently even when inspiration has passed away  and weariness has prevailed upon man)

A case of the missing National pride.

Sometime back a humor mail went around on the subject what would happen if IPL was nationalized, it implied the possible horrors of ‘govmint control’ on this format of the game. Joke? certainly not, looking at the way the commonwealth games are being organized in the country. Yesterday all hell broke loose on TV News channels with the Foot Bridge collapsing near the Nehru stadium. Worse was the comment made by Mike Hooper, the CWG official about the filth around the Games Village. Amidst this clamor & the inanities (especially the replies by concerned officials) one thing I find woefully missing – NATIONAL PRIDE. Where the Hell is it ? Not a sign of it anywhere .

On Aug 24 National Geographic aired an episode on Mega Bridges Week that I watched with great Interest. The ‘Millau Bridge’ was a colossal engineering effort meant to shorten the route connecting Paris to the Mediterranean by about 60 miles. Watching this serial was a lesson in ‘National Pride’; what it takes to make a country truly great and remarkable. The care & sensitivity in choosing the bridge design , the precise engineering skills applied to building it, the innovativeness shown in facing challenges (they end up inventing tools to meets its unique construction challenges), the commitment to meeting deadlines and the finesse with which they finally complete the Job.

The crowning moment comes when the two ends of the bridge finally inch towards one another at a height of about 343 meters from the ground (higher than the Eiffel tower). With the precision of a Swiss Watch the 2 ends meet while the French National Flag furls symbolically at this very point while the French President hovers above in a Helicopter to witness the moment. The commitment is awe inspiring but underneath the whole effort one can see the undercurrent of national pride and zeal. Seeing the French national flag at the precise meeting point reminded me about the 9/11 incident in the United states. At the ground zero (where the twin towers had collapsed in a rubble) & the damaged portion of the Pentagon building , the US flag was hoisted with great pride & determination. ‘Down but not Out’ the signal went indicating the zeal to rebuild it because national pride was at stake.

An ounce full of this fervor among all of us can help us tide over this mess called CWG.

The Millau bridge

A Kulfi & the Mast Kalandar act

Kulfi – the creamy essence of a slow cooked milk that comes in assorted flavours is one of my favourite for a dessert whenever I am in Delhi. And the ones that come in sticks (as opposed to the one in Matka) always bring me the memories of Mainu’s irresistible Kulfis (the vendor who was regular outside St.Mary’s school in Belgaum). So recently when we decided to check in for some desserts at Mast Kalandar on Wifi’s birthday outing I was in for a jolt.

Located near the traffic junction of the Kormanagala indoor stadium, this was my first visit to this joint and going by the instore branding & visual display’s I was quite convinced that this must be an authentic north indian joint. We had already finished dinner at the Forum Mall food court and going by the impression of its North Indian authenticity I ordered for some Kulfi & Rabdees. In Delhi I have tasted some authentic & mind blowing Kulfi’s at some of the Kiosks dotting the upmarkets Malls in Delhi & Gurgaon. A visit to the original Kuremal Mahavir Prasad Kulfiwale in Chawri Bazaar Delhi-6 has not materialized though.

Coming to this Mast Kalandar kulfi we were in for a surprise when it came in the form of a ravishing Badam milk in a matka. After 2 sips I was convinced something was amiss & summoned the restaurant manager. “Excuse me, I think we ordered for a Kulfi, is this is how you make Kulfi” I said as I took a spoonful and poured back into the Matka. The guy apologized saying there may be some problem with the freezer. He hurriedly took back the small pot and made a ‘Mast Kalandar’ act. He disappeared into the Kitchen never to appear again. A while later a waiter came back with the replacement pot but the poor thing was frozen rock hard in the cryogenic blast it had gone through. The absence of the manager made us realize that his freezer was vacillating between 2 extremes and he was quite embarrassed to face us. We quietly had it parceled and dipped into it almost an hour later in the confines of our house.

T20, Caribbean, and Dhoni & Co’s Swansong

The Caribbean world T20 world cup campaign ending in a whimper , the Indian cricket team will be back in India soon doing what it does best – brand endorsements and commercials! So when someone asked the Indian cricketers the reason for the debacle, each of them answered in their own characteristic style (I suspect much of it had to do with their endorsement scripts)

M S Dhoni – See.... I told my guys to keep cool (like Orient PSPO fans) but they lost it at crucial times, what can I do? i also tried telling my opposition bowlers “Eh! Yemm Yesss Dhooooni from Chennaiii. All you fast bowlers, I have the bat, do you have the ball... Mind it!” but they dint mind knocking off my bails.

Yuvarj Singh – People said I was not fit and in shape but thats crap....you see I take ‘Revital’ every day and do the treadmill, if you don’t believe me ? you can check my advts!

Ravindra Jadeja – Everybody believed that my form & performance had sunk but the captain had faith in me & we all sank together....because we all believe ‘My Pepsi My way’.....

Yusuf Pathan – I did not hear the captains call for the catch (crucial dropped catch of Chris Gayle in the west Indies match that tanked India) b’coz i said to myself ‘Suno dil ki Awaz’(listen to your heart – Vodafone pre paid calling card)

Coach Gary Kirsten – I gave them plenty of ‘Boost’ in the dressing room but there was no energy (after the IPL)

And finally with all the cricket over, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s teammates wonder if they can organize a trip at short notice. Dhoni manages all the information on Aircel, and they’re set. Suresh Raina wonders if he’s made it to the team. Aircel again comes to the rescue; Dhoni finds out he has and he will be leading the team to Zimbabwe . The Advt tag line: It’s time to move on (for Dhoni).

Moping Redux

How are fat girls and mopeds alike? They're both fun to ride until your friends find out. So goes a college joke but on a serious note the joys of moped riding ( or what I call Moping) on congested city riding dawned upon me in recent years and it was more by chance than design.

A decade or so back, I had sold my one & only two wheeler; a veritable Hero Honda CD 100 (in pic below) and had switched over to a car since . That Bike had been steadfast with me through my college days & early job period. A staid & steady Japanese bike of 1985 make it was among those types which were initially assembled in India. This bike took enough beating under my driving so much so that it had to suffer one major heart transplant (i mean engine reboring) during its tenure.

But about 11 years back I replaced it with a Indica V2 to take up my commuting needs & followed it up with Santro Xing in 2003. Thereafter my driving routine changed , and I resigned myself to the dull & drab driving of city car commuting. Then one day this happened, I had to go somewhere & the car was at the service centre. So invariably I turned my sight on this lean machine. At first sight it did not please me, a small fragile frame & hoi polloi looks put me off but the commuting majboori of the moment made me to ignore all that & give it a try. And lo! behold before I could try more expletives, the moped was revving smartly through bangalore’s congested roads.


Einsteins theory on the relative motion of bodies struck me hard when I realized my relatively better new found acceleration . Commuting through the dense Bangalore traffic like a hot knife wading through the butter, it made driving a breeze and I reached my destination much faster . So life suddenly seemed to be on the faster lane, relatively speaking that is .

This TVS Super was a bike that Laxmi fondly brought to Bangalore after it had dutifully served her in the hill town of Manipal. I guess the bike may not have exerted much there , for the distance between her house (a staff quarter allocated to her father who also taught there) to her alma mater, the MIT (Manipal Institute of Technology) where she later taught must have barely been 150 meters. I fondly named it Laxmi’s dhanno , inspired by Basanti’s mount in Sholay.

And Dhanno found its true calling on the bustling roads of Bangalore. Not only could it could zig zag its way through unruly traffic with remarkably agility, parking was an added convenience and real bonus. This was a minor pleasure in itself. Now I could thumb a finger at all those rogue motorists who gave me a nightmare in the car. And of course the bike could squeeze through the tightest of openings in parking lots as also those dense standing traffic awaiting the green light nirvana. It brought down the commuting time on my designated routes by almost 50% - no scientific tests but simple funda, this 2 wheeler of a widget could simply wriggle its way through traffic , either standing or slow moving , so much so that it always ended up at the front of the traffic signal or near about . This gave a lot of leeway in bringing down the commuting times as the queuing length decreased & the frontal traffic dint slow one down.

So every time I venture out with this machine and take a look at the ever increasing traffic on Bangalore’s congested roads , I may be subconsciously murmuring ‘Chal meri Dhanno’ .

Kangaroo Sausage Vs Vada Pav

After Shiv Sena threatened violence against Australian cricketers in India , the Australian PM Kevin Rudd (KR) who was fed up with all the Indian media hype & hoopla and the headache it had created decided to do some back room diplomacy. So he called Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray (UT) to discuss the matter , here it goes...

KR: Hey Mate, howdya doin?

UT: (in Marathi) Me bindaas aahe, ani tu ( I am OK you?)

KR: Hey maan I don’t understand you, can you speak English?

KR: In Maharashtra only Marathi, understand?

KR: But hey...I am calling you from Canberra Australia....and its important?

UT: Asa Kaay... Okay ...saang...i mean speak.

KR: why are you folks threatening our cricketers? They haven’t done anything to Indians over here.

UT: All you Australians the same....you people are thrashing Indians day in & out and we can’t keep quite

KR: Dont sell me that bloke, if I were to point, you guys are doing a similar thing with your own countrymen, I mean North Indians in Mumbai

UT: But we don’t trash them black & blue like you guys, we only slap them for not speaking Marathi & occasionally beat them up when they come to write our railway exams. But you guys do it because you are white...

KR: (interrupts irritatedly) Let me get to the duck’s gut on this one mate, we’ve some dingos out here in the back alleys out to flog the dags , if it turns out be some iffy Indian students that doesn’t mean all Australians are racist.

UT: Your cricketers are no better than your thugs; they behave like one on the field. You remember the last 2 series ?

KR: Hey we like our bangers on the field too.... even if it happens to be joey’s like Harbhajan & Sreesanth , if you guys got the donk have a go at us maan , fair & square on the field.

UT: Teechayla....arrre aamchi Marathi manoos Sachin does that regularly with your guys but we do it our style , we dig up pitches. ....ani haanh i forgot to tell you, next time you come to Mumbai better learn Marathi otherwise no cab driver will take you for a ride.

Kevin was exasperated & banged the phone down, Uddhav was exalted that he had stolen the thunder from down under; otherwise Raj Thackeray would have outdone him to that too.

Bringing a Insurance Company to its knees; the consumer court way

From CF

The consumer may be termed as the king by lip-servicing companies but its our Consumer courts that are really the custodians of consumer rights. Consumer rights wouldn’t have evolved much nor errant companies bought to book quickly hadn’t consumer courts been so active on this front. They are the silent sentinels & among the unsung heroes of our system, a system that has to be credited for providing faster justice on issues touching the life of normal citizens. I am saying this borne out of my experience recently when I had to haul Royal Sundaram (a Health Insurance Co) to the Consumer dispute redressal forum and make them pay up for my Insurance claim which they had declined on flimsy grounds (Case # 1122/2009 filed before the Hon 2 Additional district consumer dispute redressal forum, Bangalore urban district)

In my case it was the oft repeated instance when the claim of insurance made by the insured, the insurance company manipulates that your claim is in violation of the insurance policy or your claim is not maintainable as it comes within the purview of Exclusion clause of the policy. Royal Sundaram went on a misadventure and made an effort to repudiate my claim due to misinterpretation of its ambiguous and vague Terms & Conditions embedded in the insurance policy. That they ended up settling my claims with a penalty as mandated by the Consumer forum with severe indictment was a lesson that could detest them in future.

While dismissing the plea made by Royal Sundaram , the Hon consumer court observed “The opposite party could have fairly & rightly accepted the claim and paid the amount soon after receipt of the claim from the complainant. A very legal and genuine claim of the complainant has been unnecessarily repudiated by the opposite party. The opposite party should change its attitude towards the customers”.

Mine may have been one of the 40,000 cases that were filed in these forums up to 2009 but with 35 state consumer disputes redressal commissions and 610 district consumer forums in the country, am sure every one of it is being heard diligently and being disposed off in the shortest possible time. A consumer only has to have the belief in the system and the necessary perseverance. The Insurance company hired a lawyer to fight the case & I pleaded on my own without one; it took about 7 months and about 5 hearings for settlement .

Wishing all my readers a Happy & Prosperous New Year!

Pin it up...

A few months back I was taking my regular haircut at my favourite barber shop on Brigade Road. I usually prefer the staid & elderly Mr.Dasappa whom I call ‘Headmaster’ among the bunch of croppers there , even it means waiting for abt an hour for my turn. He carries out the task as some master Gardner , carefully picking up small clumps of hair and cropping them with finesse. Usually hair cutting becomes a byproduct under his tutelage, its the nice & soothing experience that one gets that brings me to him.

So the last time around I had a big & burly gentleman sitting next to me and during the course of our hair cut session we got into a conversation. It turned out that he was a Major in the Army and had just returned from a posting in the North. He spoke of the heroism of our men in Uniform & how they operated in trying circumstances. He said “You know we are fighting a ‘faceless enemy ’ (one amongst the crowd) and usually when we (the army) retaliate we face the flak for violating Human rights or being cruel to the public. Collateral damages are a part of the exercise but nobody understands this , we are the aggressors because we are in Uniform . They get all the sympathy because they are civilians. It dosent matter who started this mess” he quipped with a sigh.

These thoughts echoed in me as I went through a similar experience in the Apartment where I stay recently. The only difference being that there was no insurgency here but the watchman who was supposed to be the guardian ended up being a culprit in an incident where my Car was damaged . I don’t know what the motives were , but this guy tried to force open the petrol tank lid with pieces of stick & plastic when I was out of town for about a week. Circumstantial evidence, a bit of inquiring around & finally the confession of his fellow partner watchman helped me identify this culprit over the next 10 days. Initially I tried talking him out to get the confession (reason) & see whether he was repentant but he chose to remain adamant & in denial mode. Finally after about 2 weeks of warning I decided that this was a matter best left to the Police to decide. This guy continued to work in the appt & I dint want to risk any further incident. At the beginning of this month, returning from work one evening I saw this guy on ‘duty’ in the apartment. I went to him, gently held his hand & asked him to sit in the car saying that I was taking him to the police station. The fellow pretended to oblige initially, after coming towards the car he made a U turn and dashed in dramatic fashion to a flat on the first floor screaming as if a violent mob was behind his back. The heat of the moment took over me and I chased to grab him by the scruff of his neck & drag him to the police station as I had decided to. In the ensuing melee, this guy's shirt got torn as he clung to a door handle & I tried to drag him.

This incident left me as the aggressor and more sinned than the sinner. Worse, the guy who patronized this watchman and under whose cover he wanted to hide took up a strident position subsequently. He started writing lengthy mails questioning the incident , addressing all the association members and taking some moral high ground of being ‘just & humane’ . When I wrote back to cut the crap & bring the guy to the station which I reckoned as an appropriate forum, this vigilante member backed off meekly with the tail behind his legs.

He nonetheless made an effort to pin it up . Whether he got a medal on his chest or a kick on his back dint matter in the end.

Picturesque phrase

A picture may speak a thousand words but the converse is also true ; a few words could paint an entire picture on the canvas of mind’s imagination. here’s my list;

Daybreak gift-wrapping the foothills

A shiny dewdrop clinging to a blade of grass, glistening in the morning brightness.

An eagle perching on a shaft of air

Clouds leaning on mountain tops to rest

Whispering music of the ripening wheat sheaves in the field

Boats in the bay, sitting patiently on their reflections to the fading crimson light

Shining stars pinned to the soft canopy of the night

Gentle sound of crackling timber in the camp-lit fire

I wonder why...

Taare Zameen Par (TZP) a Hindi movie based on the story of a 10-year old dyslexic boy takes viewers on the journey to a world of amazing possibilities achieved by encouraging an young mind. While TZP may have inspired many constituencies, it profoundly impacted audiences on a kind of sensitization that is required to understand and encourage the world of small children and their imaginations. 

As they say creativity doesn't come with a boxed set of instructions. By nature,creativity is unleashed by stepping outside the normal thought patterns to connect to a new idea or new way of saying or writing something. And it’s not just limited to children with normal abilities as the film clearly depicts. It is very important to encourage children develop imagination and here’s a piece of information I gathered on some of its amazing benefits


• Imagination helps school-age children solve problems by helping them think through different outcomes to various situations and role playing ways to cope with difficult or new circumstances.

• Imagination allows children to practice real-life skills. From shopping at a pretend grocery store to assigning roles and dialogue to dolls or puppets, children's pretend play helps them practice and apply new learning and better understand how those skills are used in the real world.

• Imagination encourages a rich vocabulary. Telling and hearing real or made-up stories, reading books and pretend play help children learn and retain new words.

• Imagination helps children grow up to be adults who are creative thinkers. Adults who were imaginative children often become problem solvers, innovators and creative thinkers.

My 4 year old son lives in his own world of imagination which reflects in many of his sketches. So apart from his computer & TV games he spends a good part of his free time sketching drawings and playing with his favorite car toys. I have put together a collection of his sketches on strange creatures that somehow come alive in his world or let’s say ‘Echo in his grey Hills’. Looks like some strange alien planet to me but interesting nonetheless



"You see things and you say Why? But I dream things that never were and I say, why not?" - George Bernhard Shaw

#50, 1 Year and ...

....the blabber continues. Well that’s how I intend to describe my blogging adventure of the past 1 year. In a nutshell that is. Coincidentally I am into the 50th article on this occasion and it has been one happy twitter on various topics. The upsides have been many, 20 odd dedicated readers, many a good reviews but by far the most effective & meaningful one has been in reaching out to many of my friends & acquaintances who otherwise would have relegated me to the dustbins of their memory – ‘Out of sight , out of mind’ as the adage goes. Given that the mindactive decay is very rapid in this information explosion age, blogging has helped me keep connected with them.

Come to think of it, in many ways this has been an exercise where I have been trying to connect with the surrounding and sounding out my reaction. Obviously the risks & downsides have been there, I could be sounding goofy at times or sometimes the reader may have got the impression that I had indulged in an exercise of deprecation, unwarranted opinion making or scoring brownie points. But that’s the risk part that is always involved in doing something and taking the Bouquets & Brickbats in equal measure was my call.

Many have asked me about the title to the blog and I have been explaining thus; The way I look at experience is a cumulative sum of everything that crosses your path which most of the time hits you like a waft of air - perceptions, interactions, situations , circumstances etc and each has its own story to tell; it only requires a kind of sensitization to receive it & interpret to explain it in one’s perspective. All this happens in the deep recesses of the mind which in many ways acts like the vast labyrinth of mindscape akin to Grey Hills. And fluttering through these recesses are the thoughts that echo incessantly. Some humming by while others creating a big twang. (sounds esoteric eh?)

This Blog has been an attempt to interpret all these thoughts which I believe may interest the readers. I have consciously moved away from restricting to any one single topic or theme because I am not espousing any cause or interest. If I did, I believe, might have brought in the fatigue & disinterest in me more than my readers. Many thanks for all your support & encouragement.

From Nano to Jaguar: the mindspace paradox

Yesterday when the TATA’s announced bringing the Jaguars & Land Rovers to Indian roads, what struck me was their price tags , the former at a whopping 96 Lakhs! One aspect of Jaguar’s positioning & its pricing has been a novelty by itself, something that Indians are not familiar with. The novelty part being its attempted audaciousness in occupying the Indian consumer mind space, which has largely been so far ill defined for such high luxury products, thanks to our socialist mindset of the past 50 years . The difficulty I was grappling with in my mind was making some sense of the price as a result of this dilemma, where it is hard to figure out how to place a value on something in relative isolation. This is a problem that I often face when doing some window shopping in a high street shop or an upmarket shopping Mall. Is it the Indian ethos that has always been steeped in frugality or the socialist model and its left- of- the- center policies of this country that has firmly put a psychological lid on the mindset for such material luxuries? In my previous article I mentioned about the fact that a whole generation grew up on a steady diet of Fiats & Ambassadors – thanks largely to the Nehruvian -Mahalanobis model where the state decided on the limited choices we made; like we usually wore Binny textiles, drank Campa Cola and drove around in a Premier Padmini. Even watching some dull & drab documentary from I&B ministry in Cinema Halls was mandatory before the actual Movie screening. Even though we traveled a fair distance from that past maybe the hangovers are still there.

The quirkiness of this whole episode is that the same company (i.e, TATA) anchored the Indian mindset to the possibility of a Rs 1 Lakh car very recently. Can the Co , by any stretch of imagination bring about a sense of price relativity (inferring the value of product from the prices of similar offerings)& yet differentiate its offering in the Indian consumer mindset? The answer to that I may get when I get to see the Nano & Jaguar sharing the same showroom space.

Witty IM's-2

I mentioned abt Clyde’isms in the prev article, his IM one liners have been the toast of Gmail . Here goes the second list with my attempts to unriddle them.

• Alarm Clock: Device that wakes you up just in time to go back to sleep.
You asked the Alarm to watch & wake you, isn’t it?
• I'm wearing black until they make something darker.
Mind has blacked out.
• Recession - I've lowered my expectations to the point where they've already been met.
Wait until it gets worse
• Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.
Uncommonly common eh?
• Philosophy is life's dry-nurse, who can take care of us - but not suckle us.
No wonder drives many to Psychiatry ward.
• He who laughs last didn't get it.
Or maybe he is faster than you think. He is already laughing at your next joke.
• Everybody wants to go to heaven; but nobody wants to die.
Resistance to Change
• Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery
Which Cell has he been confined to?
• Maybe this world is another planet's hell!
As though it was not enough here.
• Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students!
Moral: In the long run we are all dead
• Sex on television can't hurt you unless you fall off.
Ignorance can be stressful
• Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun.
Atleast something is free, even if it’s a joy ride
• A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
Reminds me of Tele-Marketing!
• R u thinking what I'm thinking that I think that Ur thinking I'm thinking, because if u think that I think what I think I'm thinking then we've got a problem?
I thought as much
• Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
Hmmm Uhh
• It's always darkest before it turns absolutely pitch black.
No clue
• By the time you read this, you’ve already read it.
Is it disclaimer or statutory warning?
• If you are going through hell, keep going.
Johnny Walker is hopping
• If a man who cannot count finds a shit load of cash, is he lucky?
Could be, if he has a cash counting machine.
• If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it !!!
Or don’t get caught in the Act.
• Every new beginning is some beginning's end.
Well it certainly is the end of this piece.

Clyde'isms: Synchronizing Humor One Status at a Time

Clyde'isms: Daily Dose of Humor

Ever stumbled upon Clyde’isms? It’s just my friend and former colleague, Clyde Alweyn, turning the mundane world of Gmail statuses into a playground of wit and humor. Every day, Clyde drops a one-liner in his status that could give any 'Quotable Quote' a run for its money. Here’s a taste of Clyde’s brain teasers and my attempts to keep up:

1. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

   Absolutely, but only if they're aiming for the ‘Best Group Performance’ award in dramatics!

2. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.

   Honestly, isn’t ‘con’science just our internal parent, grounding us while the rest of us wants to party?

3. Is reading in the bathroom considered multi-tasking?

   More like multi-relaxing. Efficiency at its finest!

4. Why is abbreviation such a long word?

   It’s the word’s way of compensating for all the shortening it will do in its lifetime.

5. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane and going the wrong way.

   Or maybe you’re just a trendsetter going against the tide!

6. What's the speed of dark?

   It’s just one step behind the speed of light, forever playing cosmic catch-up.

7. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

   It’s the universe’s way of saying you’re too stubborn to die easily!

8. We were born naked, wet and hungry. Then things got worse.

   Welcome to life, where the only guarantees are taxes and more laundry.

9. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

   Why bother with stock markets when origami can do the trick?

10. Breaking News: The Bermuda Triangle got tired of warm weather. It moved to Finland.

    Has anyone checked on Santa?

11. Santa Claus is missing.

    Must be on a tropical vacation—after all, even Santa needs a break from the cold!

12. Mix up: Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

    Tragedy at its darkest—definitely not the plot twist you’d want in your life story.

13. Some days you are the bug, some days you are the windshield.

    Just roll with it. Tomorrow you might just be the windshield wiper.

14. Laughing stock: cattle with a sense of humor.

    Guess they heard the one about the chicken crossing the road.

15. When you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

    Because who needs extra mental baggage?

16. How do you tell when you run out of invisible ink?

    When you start questioning your sanity while writing.

17. For Sale: Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain.

    Bargain of the day: slightly flawed parachutes, mystery stains included.

18. Error, no keyboard. Press F1 to continue.

    Because F1 is the universal ‘Help, I’m stuck in tech irony’ key.

19. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

    Also known as the ‘Why am I not still sleeping?’ phase.

20. Two rules to success in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know.

    The second? Well, if I told you, I’d have to—just kidding, I don’t even know the second rule!

21. Atheism - A non-prophet organization.

    Their meetings are probably less about foretelling and more about forethinking.

22. The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another.

    Because who doesn’t like a good plot twist?

23. To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.

    So let’s all agree to embrace our awkward, quirky selves.

24. Would there be this eternal seeking if the found existed?

    Isn’t that just another way of saying, ‘It’s about the journey, not the destination’?

So there you have it—part one of Clyde’s comedic wisdom paired with my unsolicited punditry. Want more Clyde’isms? Drop a line, and let’s keep the laughs rolling!

Heuristics & Economic turmoil

The economic turmoil has led to all kinds of finger pointing at Institutions/ bodies, CEOs/Leaders & even bashing of nations opening up the Poor/Rich divide. Greed, deviant economic behavior, regulatory blindsight are some of the common lexicons that came to be associated with this phenomena. But none less fascinating was a recent explanation which traces it to biological origins of human behavior. It says “It boils down to something called heuristics in decision making or the cognitive short cuts that human brains takes in a given scenarios.Social proof heuristics explains this;in an uncertain situation it is hard wired into our brains to look around to see what others are doing & blindly follow what they do”. Another one says "Our brains don't make decisions by defining objectives,assessing options and coming up with the best solution.Instead we're wired to look for patterns that link the immediate solution to past experience. Further the brain attaches emotional tags to thoughts & experiences which can subvert objective decision making & lead us astray".
Sigh.