(SHORTS PART 2) - SMILE

12 is a nice number when you add its components 1 and 2, it leads to the next number 3. Consisting of 12 lines, (Shorts) will be original poetries, unadulterated thoughts poured out from within. Here's the 2nd one.

SMILE

On the way to the shore,

You have joys galore. 

But on your way back, 

You feel like a bore. 

Do you actually need to go a mile? 

To bring your face a beautiful smile. 

Hold the inner joy all the while, 

And never miss your beautiful smile. 

Air feels clearer if we see, 

Water feels cleaner if we see. 

Life becomes good if we live, 

And a smile becomes a gift if we give.

(SHORTS PART 1) - PAT

12 is a nice number when you add its components 1 and 2, it leads to the next number 3.
Consisting of 12 lines, (Shorts) will be original poetries, unadulterated thoughts poured out from within. Here's the 1st one.

PAT

Pictures live to speak,

When memories go weak.

But things that stay in the eyes,

We recollect without thinking twice.

 

So pat your body, it’s helping you,

Waking you up and sleeping you.

Breathing in and out for you,

Making your legs to stand you.

 

Changing a little with every morning new,

Your body becomes one with you.

Your partner in pleasure and pain,

So, pat your body once again.

When Frooti Decided To "GROW UP"!!!

The brand that asked us “Never Grow Up”, has itself grown up – at least in terms of the logo size. Yes, Frooti has revamped its logo with a bigger font written in capital letters. And one can notice this communication being showcased through hoardings and banners. Even in the hoardings, the packet is shown as being painted/coloured by a group of workmen.

Basically, Parle Agro has decided to undertake a rebranding exercise for Frooti. With summers already arrived, there was no better time for it to come to limelight. Right from its inception in 1985, Frooti has been seen as a drink for kids. The same was visible through TV ads, the packing, the logo, etc. And even today, Frooti could be the first thing many kids would ask while looking to have a mango drink. But Frooti does not want to just sell to those kids. The market for mango drinks was growing with increased popularity amongst adults. The youth who are thirsty have mango drinks and probably, the mango drink that they would have is not Frooti. This thought had led to the generation of ideas to get it rid off the “kids’ drink” tag. Their marketing team had been playing around the motive to attract adults right since they had moved to plastic bottles.

“Jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai” (What is seen is what sells). So, a new marketing campaign was to be created with new branding and a new logo. Just to have fresh thoughts without being influenced by the brand communication in the past, a foreign agency was onboarded with the task of rebranding. The new design is a work of London-based Pentagram while the campaign has been created by New York-based Sagmeister & Walsh.

The marketing team of Frooti intended to give the brand a contemporary and bold look, which can be more relatable to the youth. Full marks to the team who ideated the logo, the sales figures has seen a surge post the rebranding exercise. This only proves that packaging is a very important “P” of marketing, even as a standalone proposition.

For select pack sizes, the repackaging was launched in January and already a 60% growth in consumption has been observed with 80% boost in visibility. With the summers getting hotter, one can only hope more mango drinks being sold. So, have fun and stay chilled.

The Musical Masterpiece Called “Lootera”!!!

Music has changed paradigms over the last decades, from the melodies of 70, to the sober songs of 90s and now the humungous varieties of music in the 2000s. Bollywood got Himesh, Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar, Salim-Sulaiman, and then also someone like Amit Trivedi. The unique thing about Amit Trivedi’s music is that it is always accompanied with thought-provoking lyrics and the partner lyricist is mostly Amitabh Bhattacharya. Right from Dev D, bollywood could feel the arrival of a new music director who would explore genres by creating music that is contemporary and unique with a variety of musical instruments.

Lootera was one such musical extravaganza that added a feather to Amit Trivedi’s cap. The music was in collaboration with the Chennai String Orchestra to give a feel of the olden times. This was also a tribute by the musician to the musical maestro RD Burman. Lootera was a period film set in the 1950s and the challenge was to make it sound old yet be liked by the masses. And it sure did overcome both these challenges. All of Lootera’s songs have become my favourites.

The first song of the album is also the best song of the album. Sawar Loon comes decorated with Monali Thakur’s voice, whose previous song that I can recollect is Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si from Rajneeti. In this song, she does sound a bit like Shreya Ghoshal but provides a lot of sweetness that beautifies the song. The song does smell of innocent and playful love.

The next song begins like a story with orchestral music. The lyrics of the song Ankahee are a treat to the ears presenting a link to the past. The voice of Amitabh Bhattacharya sounds so mature that you feel swayed away with the emotions of melancholy.

Then comes the bilingual Monta Re which begins with the sound of the Tuntuna. The lyrics include Hindi as well as few Bengali words making it sound like a folk song. It is sung by two lyricists. Swanand Kirkire mainly known for his songs in Raju Hirani’s movies, lends his voice along with another lyricist-cum-singer Amitabh Bhattacharya. This is another song that takes us to the golden music era of the 50s and indeed feels like a tribute to S.D. Burman.

The song Shikayatein begins very slowly with Mohan Kannan crooning softly with backing vocals by Amitabh Bhattacharya and also a beautiful chorus that comes up later. The song picks up tempo after the initial stanzas. Call it a song of hope or a song of freedom, the background drum beats will surely make you tap your feet. Also, a part of the instrumental music of this song is used as background music in a lot of scenes across the movie.

Zinda is a soft rock song that begins with piano tunes. It has melancholic and painful lyrics. It talks about the lack of desire to live anymore. The vocals by Amit Trivedi brilliantly portray the required emotions. The song maintains composure in most parts but as the song ends, it becomes louder with more passion.

The last song is rendered in the silky voice of Shilpa Rao. Though this song belongs to Shilpa Rao, the surprise in the beginning is Amitabh Bhattacharya’s voice, which sets a perfect base for the song to develop further. The background music is beautiful with the extensive use of santoor. The song has undertones of romance and because of its melody, becomes a hummable song.

Overall, the music of Lootera is cool and calm with a mix of romance and melancholy. It finds a place in the playlist of all music lovers who like soft and melodious tracks. You will not hear it in parties or clubs, but when you are alone or want to relish some soothing music, the songs of Lootera will come to your mind. The beauty of these songs is the poetic lyrics which felt like a story being told through the song. I play these songs on loop whenever I want to listen to them. Such is the quality of the music of this masterpiece called Lootera.

EARN A PARENT!!!

A lot of things in life which we enjoy, comes to us at a price. We work for these things. We strive & nevertheless many a times still fail to achieve them. We work hard for it & we earn it. It could be admission in a school or college, getting a girlfriend or wife, or getting a job. Not to forget, this earned thing could even be a chocolate :-P While passing out from school, we want a good college. After college, we want a good job. Then, in some more years, we want a life partner. The way we run behind these things makes us feel that we were born only to accomplish these things.

All this seems fine. And our biggest support in whatever we do, are our parents. But never do we wonder that our great parents were gifted to us by God. We never worked to get them. We never strived hard so that we get good parents. But still they were, they are, & they will be with us in whatever we do. They are thrust upon us. We get them just like that. An effortless earning.

This reminds me of a very beautiful story.

An old man was sitting in the courtyard of his house along with his son who was highly educated. Suddenly a crow came onto the roof of the house. Seeing that, the father asked the son -  Son, What is this? The son replied: Its a crow. After some time, the father again asked the son: What is this? The son said: It is a crow.

After some more time, the father again asked his son & this was the third time: What is this?

The son said: Papa, so many times have I told you now that this is a crow.

After a little while the old father again asked his son the fourth time: what is this? By now, the son's tone sounded irritated & he rebuffed his father: It is a crow crow crow.

A little while later, the father again asked his son: What is this? This time the son replied to his father with anger. Oh Papa, you have been repeating the same question, although I told you so many times that it is a crow. Why aren't you understanding this?

The old man went to his room and came back with an old diary. Opening a page he asked his son to read what was written. What the son read were the following words:

'Today my little son was sitting with me in the courtyard, when a crow came there. My son asked me twenty-five times what it was and I told him twenty-five times that it was a crow and I did not at all feel irritated. I rather felt affection for my innocent child.'

The father then explained to his son the difference between a father's and a son's attitude. When you were a small kid, you asked me this question twenty-five times and I did not feel irritated in replying to the question twenty-five times and today when I asked you the same question only five times, you felt irritated & annoyed at me.

Probably, we would have understood the value of our parents more - had we earned them with our efforts & only got somebody who we are worth of.

Happiness Happens!!!

Some say you need to be caught, 

Some say you come on your own, 

For some things, I actually had fought 

But never found you, in whatever I got. 



Although, we have never met 

Of you, I never can forget. 

Trying to trace you, still I gaze 

And want you to stay, with me always. 



Friends I thought, would take me far 

Reaching me out, to where you are. 

But they reached out as NRIs 

And I had none but water in my eyes. 



I lost them and the path to you, 

Without them, everything was new. 

That makes me think on what to do 

To make me know where are you. 



Gadgets were my love, with whom I lived 

They did not shout and I was never miffed. 

They addicted me but made be shrewd, 

Taking me to you, I felt they were good. 



I stayed hooked and lazy I became, 

Health went down and sickness came. 

Going that way, I had lost my aim, 

Always trying, to play a new game. 



Realization dawned on how I am, 

Instead of my brain I used the RAM. 

I then thought of, trying something new 

For helping me to find, where are you. 



Searching for a job, I landed in a den 

A lion in the cabin would call me in 

He gave me nothing but only money, 

Which I felt, would take me to thee. 


Everything I bought and everything I got, 

But never found you in whatever I got. 

Day-by-day, I thought smart I grew 

But could not find out where are you. 



Mother nature called and out I went, 

The only place where I didn’t pay a rent. 

Enjoying the mountains and the rains, 

I Forgot of money and all the pains. 



The trees and their shade gave me joy 


The breeze touched me and I felt coy 


Sat over there after cleaning the dirt, 

And thought of the man without the shirt. 

He had found you, here on earth, 

In spite of having the entire dearth. 


That made me say, you are never to be searched, 

Not searching you, can quench our thirst. 


Since happiness is not the absence of pain, 

But training the mind to handle the pain. 

And not looking out for things to assist, 

But by loving the ones that make you exist. 


Never will I think as to where I reach 

But in my mind I will make peace. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

 By Santosh Padhi

Welcome IPL - "India Ka Tyohaar"!!!!

Oh…Who won the ICC World Cup? The same continent…..err country, which had won it 4 times in the past! But in spite of Australia having won the World Cup, the Indian team was and will always be the winner for all us Indians. They lost the Cup, but they won the hearts of millions by their astounding performances match after match. As the famous Bollywood dialogue goes - Haarkar Jeetne wale ko Baazigar Kehte hain!! For the many who were too disappointed with India’s loss in the semi finals, hey…hold on, there’s India ka Tyohaar coming up!

Just the way we enjoy fast food more than a regular meal, we relish T20 more than a one-day international or a Test Match. And this is the very excitement that IPL brings to every Television Set in India. Hence, the marketing campaign for IPL this year is not wrong in calling it as “India Ka Tyohaar”.

One might wonder if something like IPL needs to market itself as it is already being eagerly awaited with enthusiasm maybe more than that for the ICC World Cup. Even the world cup matches were hyped with the “Mauka” ads. Similarly for IPL, there is a warm-up which needs to be done in the heads of the Indian spectators before it actually begins. This is especially required because hundreds of brands will be riding on this horse called IPL. There will be too much money from sponsors that’s going to pour in for TV ads, the on-field branding, contests, the jersey kits of the players, etc….

As spectators, be ready for performances that were missing in the World Cup. Players who were either not given a chance to play for their country or even the players who got a chance but could not perform well, will look to get back into form in the IPL games. It’s not only money that motivates them to play better, the other factors that come into play are the tremendous audience support, the fast pace of the game, quick results, fast hitting, & presence of mind. They get rewarded with money & entertainment in the form of parties and we get our dose of excitement.

IPL comes at such a time of the year when it makes perfect business sense for any entertainment venture. Vacations for kids & youngsters will just begin, adding to the viewership of the games. Because of the real time performances, people prefer watching an IPL match as compared to a movie. Movie makers and multiplexes have to generally take a small hit because of IPL. No wonder even they take out time for watching IPL matches.

As far as supporting teams is concerned, people are often confused because their favourite player or players could be in a team which is different from their resident city. A lot of players get shuffled every year. Hence many people prefer sticking to their own city or the city which is closest to their residence. Going by this logic, Pune-ites might support Mumbai Indians and Odias might support Kolkata Knight Riders and so on and so forth.

If cricket is a religion in India, IPL sure deserves to be called as India’s Tyohaar that unites people across communities, economic sections, and localities.

So come 8^th April, you will have something to look forward to, for returning home from office or if possible, watch a game at office itself. Afternoons will be spent discussing winners of yesterday’s match, the key performers, and undoubtedly a few expert suggestions as to what could have been done better by the losing team.