Tamasha - a movie, from which u draw sth 4 ur own Life!

For ppl, who want to read this post to decide whether they should watch it or not - I will make it simpler here, it's a mix of fun and 'self think' movie. I loved it for the latter and hence it's a must watch from my side. If you are somebody, who likes a little bit of 'meaning drawablity' from those 2-3 hrs, then u are with me. Although there is good enough fun that also comes along.

PLOT
Now, I am not going to put spoilers here and say that plot is awesome and imtiaz has done a great job with all small details being looked at. He is a master storyteller in my books now after having seen highway, Rockstar in particular. It's not the kind of love that bollywood has been showcasing since last 50 yrs. The key idea which will hit u more than the movie - Ur life is ur story/dream/plan, u don't need approvals, appreciations from others to execute it. Somewhere down there, we start mimicking the world and lose our story where we are special, and rather than becoming a Rockstar we end up becoming a me too without a real identity.

ACT
Ranbir Kapoor is back with an award winning performance. Deepika within a small role does full justice and looks desirable.

MUSIC
Rahman does a decent job with matargashti being the most likable. However, somwhere I felt I hear sada haq in the matargashti song... Lukka chhuppi in agar tum saath ho song. That's probably because of his signature. Mohit chauhan hums lovable matargashti. And do notice amazing lyrics in this song!

FINAL TAKEAWAY
Given, everybody is in a rat race, you relate with the movie and want to become that ved who can detach himself from the race and creat his own happy ending!

Must watch. RESPECT. IMTIAZ ALI.

What u believe is what u become!

I came across this thought today...and i think have read it somewhere before also. To me seemed like a hyperbole of sorts...with impressive words sandwiched to create an awesome sentence.

However, I started thinking about it.

One-day long back in my life, I believed that I would want to be part of this exciting marketing and advertising world... Having no idea of first or third hand experience of it, being a son of an engineer turned businessman and having spent 18 odd years reading dainik bhaskars of the hinterland ( no exposure to business press).

But I think, the belief came from reading a few business magazines during CAT preparation. And I believed it..that I can.

Thoughts started zooming in on my mind..as to how exciting life would be around brands and consumer behaviour etc. Al rises and Jack trout rocked my engineering days with I reading more of marketing warfare,  positioning etc than integrated electronics!

And yes, thoughts became words..with me finding myself talking more about marketing with my engg friends than anything else.

And words became actions. Mini adverts of sorts were getting circulated by me in the class rather than focussing on telecom networks lecture. Though that was also transmitting a message in the class:-).

And, I think that belief developed a habit in me to read about this side of the world. Out of no where I was reading business press especially likes of business today with a focus on brand buzz. At infy, my focus was more on activities which lend me explore my passion and I realised I was part of the communications team making ads for hr events, participating in ad-mads and so on...which helped me ratify my belief....that the other world is calling me

And here I am today, working as a marketer for last 8 yrs. And I enjoy where I am vs a world of machines with ppl handling them to increase output, efficiency and creating newer inventions and more machines and programs. I love to think what to do with those machines to get happy consumers.

Believing is becoming. Indeed!

Law of 10000 hrs - from Sachin to Gates!

When I was small, my dad told me while making me do maths problems - " Practice makes a man perfect". I didn't bother that much and worked on problems multiple times and used to remember...however didn't find any profoundness in that statement.

Years later, I read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and got this concept of 10,000 hrs - if you spend 10,000 hours of practice on a skill, you become a master in that.

And for example, author quoted Bill Gates. Behind the fact that bill was able to build Microsoft so successfully, lies a veil of circumstances and his personal interest that made him do 10000 hrs of programming so earlier in his life.

He was staying near a university which had a mainframe computer, and had access to it in his school years. Out of his interest, he used to write a program and used to punch his cards in university. For kids his age, it was next to impossible that they were given access to a mainframe. Thus, his passion for programming + circumstances made him do 10000 hrs of programming and master it without anyone of his age  remotely can even wonder! That's the secret behind his success.

And today, when I think of this law, I draw multiple living examples.

Why Sachin Tendulkar was God of cricket? Technique, passion yes! But I think, somewhere I read that he used to play a lot in gully in his neighbourhood and because of narrow lane, only way you can score runs was straight. And that is why he did 10000 hrs of straight drive so early that he was way ahead of Kids his age. And yes, a great straight drive, does a great deal for your cricketing technique!

And yes, there are many more who grow up playing in lanes, but I think there comes the fact of passion and ignite to go single minded in a direction and make it happen.

Building a life myself with my kid,...all this makes a great sense!

Experiencing the deserts of india

Visited recently jaisalmer with family in chilling winters of delhi; and wow, the winters are pleasant contrary to the belief that deserts are chillier.

Sand dunes at sam in jaisalmer are amazing with camel safari on the dunes with my 4 yrs old. That too...the camel we rode was also 4 yrs old ;) some awesome sunset shots followed. Went to a desert camp for folk programmes, which my kid loved amidst bonfire.

Jaisalmer is also known as golden city as 80 % of houses are made of sandstone which is brown. Highlight of the city was patwa haveli which has some breath taking carvings well maintained along with collections of the trader of gold, silver and afeem.Boating at gadsisar lake was serene.

Food at wh mandir palace, trio and desert boys safari was good.

Photography paradise - haveli, mandir palace, jain temples, lake, and dunes.

Decoding Life with random perspectives

Dhund aisi gehri thi ki, Kitna bhi ujaala aaya, dhund hat hi nahin rahi thi aur mujhe sab dhundhla lag raha tha...bhagwan ko bhi bahut kosa Maine, ki Kyun?

Phir, dekha ki Mera chhashma shayad saaf nahin tha...aur saaf karte hi sab kuch theek dikhne laga mujhko...

To decode, I think we get so muddled in our lives thinking about circumstances and people that we keep missing the sunshine just what fog does...

But, at a lot many times you will realize that there is no fog, it's only your specs which aren't clean leading to poor picture of what is happening around you.

We should always remain positive and open to the world at large,  that we see the sunshine.

2015

New year is here...and we are all ready with clean slate to do the best and etch greatest memories of all times here in 2015. And to make them happen, the mind goes back to recollect what I thought I wanted to become in earlier years...

Flashback 2002, I was fresh out of engg college, subdued post 9/11, not placed by the campus process. World was very scary...going back to house without any job and after 4 yrs of a promising college! I wanted to become somebody like an mba who sets businesses up and deals with all kinds of strategies and so on...but first confidence booster was to find a job. With a 75+degree from the second best college in the state, I applied all across and after a few visits to some consultants,  I was offered a job at 5000 salary. The world came down, but mba prep became stronger. Appeared for a software company, got thru info. Was very happy. At that point of time, it was literally god sent. Desire to become an MBA was still there...

2004, posted in USA. Rogered by the GDM, global delivery model where both client and your offshore team eats into your sleeping time. Saw shawshank redemption one day, and literally walked in rain to soak in the message for my life summed up in that movie. Started on my dream for becoming that cool mba thing...came back soon. Got thru IIM. Loved it....just like the movie. On the top of the world.

2008, journey post Mba begun on a dead slow note given global economy meltdown. Got married as well. Realized a few things about life and family and the great commotion which follows post marriage in traditional joint families of hindi heartland. Made a choice and went ahead with it. Learnt all the things which I wouldn't do as a parent, as a husband and so on. Learnt all hard way...that's life, doesn't give a how to do manual as you are born :-)

2011, became a father. Wow! That special feeling is still there. Posted multi cities - kolkata and then Mumbai. What an experience. Shifting takes a toll on the entire family but develops that independent value, that fighting spirit, to meet new people and so on...

During the ups and downs of the life on the hillock, posted one number on the blog, this one, same; that 2015 would be the year where the cool mba thing should result in significant achievement. Just struck me while going back some posts on this dead blog....and just thought what if this can turn out true.

Welcome 2015. Hope u r special. And yes, you have brought me back to my beloved blog which is a good thing to begin with.

I still still... Still have a dream

Just stumbled on my own blog after years. Thought now I can blog on the run! Some nice thoughts came while browsing old posts and readers comments. Feeling...good. Smelling coffee at this hr.

Thought, I still still have more dreams to accomplish. The grand year is going to be here...2015 soon.

Wow! The blogger app is amazing. Works in a jiffy.

Book Review - Outliers

Outliers - Book by Social Behaviour expert, Malcom Gladwell; an amazing read to understand how situations add to the potential of a person to become extraordinarily successful.

The author analyses data from various walks of life on successes in different fields and builds a common thread to pull out hidden principles involved in making them a success. And at times it is astonishing!!

Eg. Whats common between Bill Gates & Beatles. Both are connected by a common principle of 10,000 Hrs of practice. Bill gates becuase of the circumstances spent 10,000 Hrs in programming during his school and college and by the time he finished school/or dropped out, he had already clocked 10,000 hrs of programming on computers in that time of mainframe computers. Situations helped him in doing that - he went to not the best college but a college where he could crack a password to a mainframe computer so that he can work on the same 24 hrs!! His house was near to college so literally he spent 24 hrs in the computer room. Becuase of the same, he was hired by a company which gave assignment to kids to do something.  - Result: he went on to become the person he is!

Same goes with Beatles. Beatles when they werent 'Beatles' were looking for work very badly; so badly that they agreed to go to a different country where they had to perform 8-10 Hrs straight & live in night clubs! And for 100 days continuosly. They did it for money and then crowd started loving them and by the time they finished the stint; they have toghether clocked 10,000 hrs of proactise which big guns take a lifetime to do. And the rest is history.

And more such hidden principles will keep you glued to the book. Eg. Most of the successful Basket Ball players were born in Jan-March. Most of the successful guys in Hockey were born in Sep-Oct in a different country? Why? Find out yourself.

And how far IQ is involved in Success? And how much 'Practical Knowledge' is additionally needed to help a 'Super IQ' guy to be a success? And what is the impact of going to 'THE BEST School' and next best school? All that and more in the book.

Current read - Ziglar on Selling & In Search of Excellence.
-nits

Current Read - Corporate Chanakya

Just grabbed recently from an Airport shop; this book is amongst many books being based on ChanakyaNiti by a revered strategist/mastermind/Kingmaker - Chanakya/Kautilya. The book is not a straight read; but a very comfortable read whenever you get time. I have been reading this during my flights.

The book is being written in such a way that it covers various topics around leader - leadership, business, power, knowledge, actions etc. And the best thing is that unlike various other authors which try to say that Indian Concepts are THE BEST and rest of the world is all bakwaas; this author says both concepts complement each other. And additionally, it also brings in examples from History & Mythology(Ramayana, Mahabharata), Indian Business (JRD, Murthy..),Global Businesses (Jack Welch..) and even movies (Troy, Gladiator..).

A very simple, light on mind, enjoyable book for people interested in management, running businesses and especially wherever there is a need of leading people..

~nits

New perspective to life - Inspiring movies!

Watched 2 english movies a few days ago after a loooong time!

Bucket List
Seven Pounds

And i can tell you that these movies have given me a fresh breath of air in life. Bucket List being a movie talking about living life to the fullest (2 near to death oldies Morgan Freeman & Jack Nicholson; go through a list of things to do before they die (including Skydiving, Car racing, Himalayas and what not). And the dialogues and chemistry is simply awesome. Its a must watch on IMDB also.

On the other hand, Seven Pounds is again another awesome Will Smith movie after Pursuit of Happiness...and wow what a finish; astounding drama unfolding into one of the greatest finishes like my best movie - Shawshank Redemption. Movie again talking about value of human life and helping ppl in trouble.

Had awesome time watching them on my laptap! Just like college days - with maggie, namkeen & Chai!!

Watch these movies and i am sure you gonna get a new perspective if you are wading thru the same job post MBA for last 4 years and are into your mid-lives :)

~nits