Advertisements!!!

              Advertisement, as Wikipedia says, is a way used to encourage or persuade an audience to continue or take a certain new action. It is basically used to promote or create awareness of a particular product. Every company invests a chunk of money to “advertise” its products!

                It is quoted: “Selling a product without Advertisement is like winking at a hot girl in pitch darkness. You know you did your job, but she didn’t notice!”

                Advertising is done using various media like papers, magazines, in a pictorial way. But the most eye-catching and the most common means is television, in an interactive audio-visual way. 

                Anyone who watches a lot of television is subjected to a lot of advertisements. A half an hour of serial slot is actually twenty minute serial and ten minute advertisement. Even in case of movies, a three hour movie is stretched to four or, in certain cases, to four and a half hours, with inclusion of advertisements.

It is because of these advertisements that we get to see; a ‘300 crore-worth’ superstar enticing us for a 1 rupee ‘oil champi’, a legend making his comeback for ceiling ‘fans’, a dancing diva judging an ‘expert’ of dish wash detergents and many such bizarre ones.

No doubt, advertisements are necessary. But how many are effectively noticed?

The main aim is that the advertisement has to catch attention. So, the funda that perhaps works is that either make a superlatively brilliant concept with perfect execution OR come up with an absolutely absurd idea with perfect execution. In both cases, the audience notices, buzz is created and product is promoted. Seriously, think about it! The only ads that we actually recollect are the brilliantly created ones or the absolutely ridiculous ones! Mediocre ones go totally unnoticed.

An illustration of a brilliant ad is “Imperial Blue”. Though they advertise something not completely in sync with the product, I find the ad highly amusing. The tagline-“Men will be men” bundled up with the superb cast, make the ads fun to watch! Another example is “Hutch” whose pug caught a plethora of attentions. Even after Hutch became “Vodafone”, the streak reached a new high. Zoozoos became a rage! The “Umeedon wali dhoop, sunshine wali aasha” coke ad is also excellent! So is the “Har ek friend zaruri hota hain” Airtel ad!

A case of a ridiculous ad is one from “Orbit chewing gums”.  Continuous consumption of these can make your teeth supply light at an intensity of a tube light. Yes, it was absurd, but you remember it, don’t you? Another example is “Bingo Mad Angles” chips where no one could decide the perfect angle wherein the chips tasted better than the other perspective angles. So it was left to “Har angle se Ummm…”! The other representations of this category are “Axe deodorants”, “Fair and Handsome cream” and “Wild stone talc for men-Aapko mardaangi ka vaasta”! ROFL!

Advertising is used to dig into your competitors and continuously prove your quality to the audience. So if a “Bournvita” has vitamin-D to absorb calcium, then a “Boost” has additional 14 nutrients with vitamin-D! If a “Complan” claims to increase your height at twice the rate, then a “Horlicks” states that it can make you taller, stronger and sharper! And this mockery extends to every line of product- detergents, electrical appliances, soaps, shampoos etc! If A gives spotless whiteness, then B gives whiteness with fragrance. If M provides excellent service, then N provides service and also reduces electricity bills! If X eliminates 6 signs of ageing, Y removes 7, and then Z gets rid of 9! Who actually goes to check the names of these “signs”? They invent a similar one, give it an appalling name and make it appear serious! Job done!

Advertisements become a huge hit when a celebrity is involved! One gets mutually associated to the other’s identity! Such ads usually cash into the celebrity’s stardom and fan-following! There are many examples. Pepsi made cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh battle with footballers like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres for a bottle of Pepsi! Footballer Thierry Henry, Tennis-great Roger Federer, Cricketer Rahul Dravid and Golf-champion Tiger Woods reveal the secret success formula that connects all of them-Gillette blades and shaving cream!

Now, such is the promotional world of advertising. Now if attention converts to purchases and what succeeds and what fails is totally secondary and under market statistics! I and you cannot comment or generalize! A huge set of conditions apply.

A friend of mine, who happens to be working in an advertising company, once, told me: “Advertising is one simple thing. The two-minute thing you see on TV and comment, it takes months to create and months to debate and months to conceive and months to broadcast.” So, seriously, let us laud the efforts of all such people! Because a majority of their work have proven to work! So, enjoy these while waiting in anticipation for your favourite serial and movie! 

Robert Downey Jr.- Iron Man Forever!

                Every person has his/her list of inspirational individuals; who is a like a role model to you, whose life you find highly influencing, whose achievements encourage you to move forward and whose actions and decisions stimulate yours!

                One of the many such individuals for me is Mr. Robert Downey Jr.! Yes, the same guy who portrays Tony Stark or rather Iron Man in the Iron Man trilogy and Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes series!

                Robert Downey Jr., born in the year 1970, is the son of Robert Downey Sr., an actor, director and producer, and Elsie, an actress. He was a star kid and he started his career as a child artist in his father’s movie at the age of five. As a teenager, he studied Performing Arts at school. Eventually, at seventeen, he dropped out of school and moved to New York alone to pursue acting as a full-time career.

                He started with theatre, then television series, later playing sidekicks in certain movies. He backed his first lead role in “The Pick-up Artist”. In 1987, he played a role of a drug-addict rich boy in “Less Than Zero”, a performance which was widely praised. This performance resulted to roles in many bigger budget movies. Eventually in 1992, he played Charlie Chaplin in “Chaplin”. He earned an Academy Award nomination for this role. His run in Hollywood extended in the 90’s with many other movies, none being note-worthy.

                From 1996 to 2001, he was arrested numerous times for drug related charges including cocaine, heroin and marijuana. In 1996, he was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine and sentenced to three years of probation. He missed his compulsory tests in 1997 and 1999 and was sentenced to prison term. The movies featuring him were shelved and cancelled. He went to several drug treatment programs unsuccessfully, explaining: “It’s like I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of gun metal.” He was released in 2000 on bail. Again in 2001, he was arrested for having cocaine in his system. As opposed to earlier, Downey pleaded to be sent to drug rehabilitation, avoiding jail time. He spent the year overcoming his addictions and helping the other offenders for the same. His movies were cancelled, rescheduled or given a new face.

                Downey attributed his drug addiction to his father who was also a drug addict. His father allowed him marijuana at the age of six!  Downey stated that drugs became the only emotional bond between him and his father: “When my dad and I used to do drugs together, it was like him expressing his love in a way only he knew.”  Drugs made him get divorced from his wife, who took custody of their only son, after about a decade of married life.

                After starting a drug-free life in 2003, he struggled with movies and television. He tried his voice in singing by releasing his own album, but it failed to garner any recognition. Till 2005, he did certain movies but none of his performances made him elevate to the level. He married the producer of his 2003 movie “Gothika”, whom he credits for helping him kick his drug and alcohol habits, in 2005.

                    

His real comeback of sorts came in 2007 when he was signed for the lead role of “Iron Man” and prepared for it. The movie released in 2008 earning over 300 million dollars. This resulted in him portraying the same character in “Iron Man 2” and recently released “Avengers”! Downey also featured in “Tropic Thunder” in 2008 which gave him an Academy Award nomination for supporting actor. In 2010, he played the suave detective Sherlock Holmes in the “Sherlock Holmes” and followed it with “Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows”. He won a Golden globe for his performance as Sherlock Holmes. His golden run in Hollywood still goes on.

                I don’t know if anyone else would find his life inspiring, but I do! For the basic reason that being administered drugs at the age of six, where practically children have no sense to categorize between wrong and right, and leading a life with drugs for a long span of life, Robert Downey Jr.’s transformation from a  troubled young actor to a flamboyant and charismatic hero now, is remarkable! After a spurt of arrests and jail term, no movies to do, failed marriage, loneliness and a rusty image at hand, he outgrew everything to rise to the higher scale!

                If you actually observe him, or rather listen to his interviews, you will find that Robert Downey Jr. is no ordinary man. He speaks like an achiever! His personality is highly attractive making him likeable as a person. The confidence he bestows in his performances, press conferences and interviews is magnificent and unparallel. His journey from the struggles of being an actor to getting known to being confined in prison cells and rooms of rehab to, eventually, the list of top actors by TIME magazine is worth a Salute!

                He provides a perfect example that life doesn’t stop after it has hit a bottom. In fact, it provides a platform to rise to higher pinnacles! He also conveys that there can always be a second innings to life, provided you decide and strive to take it up.

                “Life ain’t about how hard you hit….. It’s about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward….. How much you can take and keep moving forward…. That’s how WINNING is done!” For me, Robert Downey Jr. is an illustration of this quote.

                He once quoted: “Look, even bad years are pretty good years, I think! I think, I’ve been lucky, being my frequent appearances on Court TV have bought me to another level than just the actor guy!”  

                Robert Downey Jr., indeed, showed and continues to show the world that it is completely sane to be born insane! 

Television Time!!!

Since it is vacation time… the only source of pure entertainment for me is my Television… (Not my computer guys...What can I possibly download with MTNL wifi?).

                So the Television is 24X7 on for me. But unfortunately, I rarely get the opportunity to place my palms over the remote control.

 

So I know there’s a certain innocent Siddhi in Parichay who is in jail on charges of murder and her husband Kunal is striving to get her out… The same is happening with Priya and Ram in Badde Achhe Lagte Hain, with only the crime differing (Both Ekta kapoor serials FYI)….. Everyone’s beloved Gopi Bahu has been subjected to a face change and her husband, loves her (Omg!)…. Efforts are on to get the seedhi-saadhi, bholli-bhaali Anandi married to the handsome village collector Shiv in Balika Vadhu…. Finally Love is brewing between Arnab and Khushi in Iss Pyaar ko kya naam duu… (Why is everyone keeping serial titles over popular songs? Kya huaa tera vaada, Naa bole tum na mene kuch kahaa, Ye Rishta kya kehlata hai?). Oh Yeah, I know everything that is happening in every soap opera (God, bless me!).

                I get some hours in the afternoon… when everyone are fast asleep to watch something I want to watch comfortably. But Star World decides to broadcast Castle (stale!) and Master Chef. Yes, Master Chef is great to watch...Especially the junior series…But that’s certainly not what I want to watch in my “alone-to-watch-TV” time! Before people jump to imagine what I like to watch during that time, I would say I love to watch Big Bang Theory, Friends, Full House, or even How I met your mother is fine!

                I aimlessly scroll over Discovery, National Geographic or History channel for documentaries, interesting shows or travelogues! These are damn entertaining and informative to watch.

                I sincerely feel that the cable operator has always been unfair to me! During my exams, he would broadcast every good Bollywood and Hollywood movie to entice me. And now during vacations, Bollywood channels are full of Tollywood movies from Tamil, Telugu, etc dubbed in Hindi in the ugliest manner possible! Hollywood is offering me movies of an era, I can’t recognize!

As far as music goes, I listen to very few English songs from choosiest artists which I never seem to find when I am going through vH1, 9XO or anything… And being a bluff of Hindi music, still I am tired of seeing “Bol Bol Bol Bol Bachchan”, “Imported Kamariya”, “Aa re, Pritam pyare”, “Bihar ke Lala” etc constantly on channels! I go through these channels in the morning sometimes when they play older and better and variety of songs.

 

As evening arrives, there is one hour (minimum!) of news! And when I say news, I obviously mean news from English news channels like NDTV and Times Now (Hindi news channels are an alternative to Comedy Central anyways!). And now with the most coveted (pun intended.) post of President up for grabs, Indian political parties are back with the usual mockery, betrayal and preposterous accusations over the other. Amidst this is a person like Anna Hazare still hoping to see a Lokpal bill being passed! There’s an ACP Dhoble who has decided to eliminate the maledictions of the society by putting a full stop to Mumbai’s parties (Umm, interesting!). News Presenters like Arnab Goswami and Barkha Dutt managing debates over “breaking-news” topics wherein, even after an hour of discussion with party secretaries and eminent people, the information before and after the debate remains constant!

                Then there’s this set of cartoons and sports which starts late night or earlier depending on importance and live telecasts. The on-going Euro cup, simultaneous with Courage, the Cowardly Dog and action movies (if any!) fills up this time slot! So I experience the innocence of watching cartoons along with the toughness by seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Keanu Reeves battle it out! And also I experience strange patriotism (huh?) while watching sports! 

That’s my TV schedule! Though half of things I watch (mostly, Serials) is absolutely waste of time, I am, in some percentages, getting “entertained”.   And what I cannot disregard is that the things I watch are perhaps the most popular and most viewed ones on Television! That is the reason why they are running! So I better get going to watch how the ever-so-powerful Pratigya manages to tackle another obstacle and save her family! *embarrassed expression*

 Happy TV viewing guys! 

Chronicles of being me!!

This is on request of a special friend! :)

At times, I quiz, I wonder, I plea,

To know someone who really knows me!

My every little habit, to my every little key,

The one with whom I’m always free!

Who knows my moods, my likes, my fears,

And still, the one, will hold me near!

My every lil word, eager to hear,

For the one, whom, I would always be dear!

Who understands my every word, unknown,

Who knows the me, I haven’t shown!

Who would never keep me, in need, alone,

With whom it’s easy, to glee, to moan!

Because everyone requires that one,

With whom life is more than fun!

Who would be in my every walk, every run,

In whose presence, it is easier to learn!

At times, I quiz, I wonder, I plea,

To know someone who really knows me!

With whom, the world I will see,

And the real “Aditi”, I can truly be!

Happy Monsoons!!!!!

Boondon ke motiyon mein khulke yeh Ehsaas aya…

Waqt se Nikalke lamha dil ke paas aya…

Chooke nikla tha par dil ko na mehsus hua…

Ab jo dekha toh ye lamha dil ko raas aya..

This song from “Wake up Sid” kind of sums up my equation with the rains! Everything seems new… serene…. Everything seems magical…!

Rains hit Mumbai yesterday… and I am already in love with this weather. Especially after the horrid and scorch summer, rains are, finally, the only relief to this city! To add to this, the sheer beauty that our city exhibits during this time is indescribable and unmatchable. The texture of the sky, the fragrance of wet soil, the chilling air, and the piercing rain drops are all so heavenly! The sight of drenched kids playing football in muddy water, the race of sailing a paper boat….. Totally pleasing!

The monsoon brings the essence of Heaven to Land! Nature looks so impeccable and radiant during the rains, especially during the initial showers! Hill-tops, lakes, sea-sides… every subset of nature looks stunning and alluring. The feeling of getting drenched is something unexplainable. To add to that experience, if you have few friends, some music, hot tasty food and super-hot tea…… B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!

(P.S. For people in Love, the aura of this season is even the more romantic!)

Monsoons are something I look forward to every year. Because I love the feeling it brings!! The experience of getting drenched with your close friends…. The time you spend becomes special! Or perhaps, extra-special… only because of the rains! The peace and tranquility I attain walking the by-lanes alone….. A new kind of strength grips me….. Or perhaps it is a feeling of being “ME” that I acquire!

So people… grab your umbrellas and boots and get ready for few months of delight! Re-live the experiences that are special to you about this season….. Catch hold of your friends and go out… Enjoy! Go view the extra-ordinary facet of nature…. But make sure it’s safe (Never on high tides and flood like conditions. Safety first! ). Have some real good time!

And don’t forget to get drenched at the leastEST (note the tone) ONCE!!!!
As Shahrukh Khan exclaimed in some movie (Sorry for being cheesy!)…  “Taani-Partner… inn baarish ke boondon ko apne dil tak pohochne do!”
Let it reach your heart… Let it dissolve everything within!

Concluding, all I can say is…. HAVE A SUPER MONSOON!!!!!!!!

Amidst my path, my walk...

Amidst my path, my walk,

Tore, I am, in between.

Keeping things inside, lock,

I sit staring, unseen!

 

In the war within me,

I fail to perceive, clear.

Wanting to run free,

With nothing close, near!

 

I don’t see right in any,

My right’s gone wrong!

Me, I question, many,

And answers take long!

 

Amidst my path, my walk,

Tore, I am, in between.

Afraid to step and knock,

I stand breathless, lean!

 

 

Amidst my path, my walk,

I, then, see light seeping in.

Giving strength, to chalk,

And face things within!

 

My principles, I ground,

To find myself, in me.

Something seems found,

Something, easy to see!

 

The right’s not fully right,

To right, the wrong can turn!

I gather myself to fight,

To win, to overcome, to learn!

 

Amidst my path, my walk,

I, then see, light seeping in.

With a smile, I step to rock,

To do my best in everything!

 

 

 

That's life!

Writing after a lot of time... Practical exams were on... and very soon Theory exams will dawn it's ugly head! 

A very weird feeling kept churning around my mind.... so i thought of writing! 

I have always seen people whine about…. things they didn’t get, pinnacles they didn’t achieve and expectations that were not met! Why only people, I have done it….and might do it too. That’s the way normal people react to such situations! 

It’s a different tale how people overcome such feelings. Some keep whining, while some move on. Some get frustrated, while some gradually accept it. 

But, the purpose of my blog is not this. Rather it’s quite the contrary… 

Has anyone felt that there are certain aspects of their life that they don’t deserve to receive? And when I say certain aspects I don’t mean any problem, obstacle or unpleasant situation. I mean…… has anyone felt they don’t deserve to get happiness from certain things, don’t deserve to reach certain pinnacles, and don’t deserve to keep certain expectations? 

The intention behind my blog is not to advertise the above or give a rather negative vibe about oneself to think about! 

The point is it is too damn easy to whine about things, expect from things…. But it requires a lot of maturity to think that there are certain things that are perhaps beyond our reach…..that are perhaps not meant….that perhaps we don’t deserve now! 

To justify…ultimately what we get is what we have given….  If we haven’t given enough, how can we expect to get things? 

Is it right on our part?

Is it right to not do efforts and expect results? (P.S. excludes copying in practical exams. Codes + theory + Sadu internal + Khadus external? What are we? Descendents of Einstein?)  

Is it right to expect things when we haven’t met up with other’s expectations ourselves? 

It’s different if efforts are put and results are not obtained… The only consolation or solace to think then is that perhaps, there is another bigger result waiting! But what when that’s not the case? 

If we think about it truly, there will come up things and aspects which fill the above criteria. Appreciate things…. Whatever you have got, received, achieved, met up with…. It’s yours! Nurture it and be grateful! That’s Life!