The teenager in my house.

I wasn’t very thrilled to see her for the first time. My husband had meant it as a surprise, but she rather turned out to be a shock! I wasn’t sure I was ready for the responsibility.

But win my heart, she did!

Her tiny, kohl-lined eyes and the “all I need is love” look were difficult to resist. And no matter how much I resolved to be stern with her, I was always the one who would give in to her demands. So partly, I am responsible. 

That she was headstrong was clear as early as 40 days, when she turned away from her Cerelac diet (recommended by her doctor, of course) until I mixed some liver gravy in it. But as she grew up, her actions revealed more of her mischievous personality. At six months, she tried to trick us into giving her a treat without really doing her bio-business, for which we were training her. She sat in her posture, did nothing and then came running to us to ask for her due treat!

Before we realised, she abandoned her bed and started sleeping beside me on my pillow! Within a year she was used to the air conditioning, mangoes and human food indulgence a few times a month!

She is 15 months old now. Last week, as my in-laws were travelling, we got their pug to stay with us. We were delighted at the idea of Zora getting a playmate! Whiskey, the pug is more mature, at age 10. She follows her routine without demanding much from anyone. She also likes to relish her meals, unlike Zora who gobbles everything in a few minutes and starts jumping to indicate her walk-time. 

So Zora doesn't pile on to Whiskey’s food after hurriedly finishing her own, we decided to feed Whiskey first and held on to Zora tightly. She wasn’t very thrilled at the idea of smelling food she could not reach. She struggled violently for some time, but later seemed to settle for her fate, with a very upset-looking face (yes you could make that out).

We didn't enjoy this either, so the moment Whiskey was done (which was about 10 minutes later), we re-filled the bowl for Zora. We expected a violent attack by her on her favourite chicken crumbs. She didn’t. She walked up to the bowl, looked at her food, then stared at Whiskey with accusing eyes. Without touching her food, she walked a whole circle to come back to me. She looked at me with a challenging stare, took her position right between my legs and peeed!

“How dare you let someone else into my space?”

“This is my house, my bowl, my food, my time with you!”

“No one else gets priority over me.”

Believe me, in those 18 seconds when she stared at me while peeing between my feet, I could read all this in her big, livid eyes.

"Liver or nothing!"

"My house, my bed."

Misinterpreting Empowerment.

I am a woman and I think the Women’s Day ‘Dance to my Tunes’ campaign by Godrej was offensive. 

Of course, who wouldn’t like people dancing to your tunes, especially when they are people deemed in the socio-cultural rulebook to do just the opposite!

But that’s the whole point.

Imagine the same app being designed for the men folk; it would have been received with an outrage from feminists, social activists, media, critiques and even our current and aspiring leaders (who have suddenly woken up to the need for women empowerment).

The problem is, we are living in a highly skewed society, where the only way to counter a problem is to do the exact opposite.

The opposite of a patriarchal society is a matriarchal one. But that is not the solution. It is another problem in itself.

The solution to a patriarchal system is an equal society that does not get overly excited, or upset and starts judging women who stay out of home for more hours than the men in the family or men who do the laundry and take care of the kids.

I recently wrote about how more brands are using the power of social advertising, something I have been vouching for, for long. And I appreciate the effort to connect a lifestyle brand with women empowerment in a fun way. But tilting the balance to the other side is only going to heighten the effects of objectification and sexism that advertising is increasingly being accused of.

The time has come!

Sorry blog.

After starting on my own, I've insensitively abandoned you, and unfortunately ignored my first love – writing.

I have been pulled back to the keyboard (and thankfully so) after a delightful shift of the style and quality of advertising that I have been noticing around me lately.

A couple of years ago, something flickered in my mind, and I thought I’ll explore it a little further. So I sat down to write about it.

Time for a Social Break walked around the possibility of moving away from the typical ‘I am better’ style of advertising, towards a more cause-oriented one that can leave a greater, more lasting and meaningful impact in the minds and hearts of the audience.

While brands like TATA Tea and !dea have been using this strategy for quite some time, others like Google, Hero, Nestle and Coke are beginning to adopt this strategy now.

GOOGLE’s first video commercial in India

is a perfect blend of strong emotions and a message of friendship & unity across borders.

Nestle’s umbrella ad

Sends out the message of ‘adopting a child’.

Coca Cola’s new campaign

hints on the importance of educating the girl.

Hero HF Delux Commercial

Awakens people on making an unbiased choice at the elections.

TATA TEA’s Jaago Re,

couple of years back

TATA TEA’s Jaago Re,

2013

!DEA’s save paper

two years ago

!DEA’s  ‘ullu mat banao’ campaign

2014

Not surprisingly, the one brand that has been doing this for over 5 decades without losing its impact, charm or freshness is

In the first season,

18: 01: 2012

Haunted 3G

I recently moved to Dubai. One of the first things that people do when they move to Dubai is buy some really cool gadgets, things that they had only been hearing, reading and watching videos about, till date.

My husband bought a Mac, a Nikon, and a Bose. I just looked around: grey, white and black boxes, and a bunch of figures to describe them. I am what you may tag as ‘technologically challenged’. Gizmos are to me, what poetry is to Stephen Hawking.

“May I help you ma’am?”

Yeah, can you please show me the way to a garden? I thought.

“Yeah, can you please show me the way to the Apple counter?” I asked, instead. I loved their TVC, but not for its rational contents:

‘If you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone’, it said and left me wondering, “Wow, what a way to say – me, best!”

And so, I just repeated a name from the last commercial that left an echo in my mind.

“You want an iPhone?” I heard a voice from behind. The voice of a five year old, who has just robbed a toy store.

I turned around to look at the happy man holding the Mac, Nikon, and Bose bags.

“I don’t know, baby.” I replied, and started following the store assistant.

“Take one. You’ll love it!”

“Why?” I asked. Yes, I did ask.

“Why? It’s an Apple!” His face looked like I had just asked what two and two summed up to.

And this was another thing I could never understand. The adjectives in this part of the mall were either the non-decipherable - 3G, 640 x 960 P, 512 MB something-something or simply, ‘Apple’.

I maintained the ‘why’ expression, so he gave another try.

“It’s a phone, a library and a music player in one.”

“Oh. Nice!” I said, and he giggled.

So, now I had my iPhone, loaded with my favourite music - my best friend when my husband was touring.

One day, when I got bored of my house, I decided to take a stroll at the lakes below my building. I plugged in the new earphones and set my playlist on shuffle.

“Tum itna jo muskara rahe ho…” I hummed along as I walked towards the staircase that took me to the lakes.

“Tum itna jo… kehi deep jale kehi dil…” something happened. The song changed, suddenly. I stopped, pulled the iPhone out of my pocked and checked. Yep, it had jumped a few songs. I dismissed it as my incompetency to handle the new appliance. I might have tapped on something while walking. So, I resumed my walk.

The phone was new, and so was the experience to walk along the lakes. The next day, at around the same time in the evening, I went down. Today, I felt like listening to soft rock…

“You took me right, out of the blue… tu jaha, jaha rahega, mera saaya...” It changed again! Exactly where it had changed yesterday - at the stairs that led me to the lakes. I froze, looked around. The beautiful palm trees that dotted the Lakes Walk looked creepy in their shadows across the glass buildings. And they appeared to be swinging completely in synchrony with the song. I dismissed the thought again, though not so convincingly this time, and walked on.

By the time I was back from the walk I had forgotten all about it. And the next day when I did remember it, I was convinced that it was just a play of my mind.

Today, again I started for the walk. The thought was there, but wasn’t really bothering me, till the time I stepped out of my building. I was purposely listening to a mindless, peppy number.

“Munni badnaam hui darling… Gumnaam hai koi…” It happened. Right where it had happened before - on the stairway. This wasn’t funny. But what was it? I looked around. The same tall shadows danced on a tune that only I could hear.

I thought for a moment. This was too much of a coincidence. If I was pressing a key by mistake, how can I be doing so again and again at the same precise point? What is it on this staircase?

I had laughed with my friends while watching Exorcist. But this was beginning to scare me.

I looked around, again. People went by their normal lives. No one seemed to be affected by any supernatural force. I didn’t feel like going any further. But I didn’t feel like going back home either. I was alone at home. There was still one more day to go before my husband returned. And I was scared to be alone.

I decided to continue, put on another peppy number and try to forget, just as the other two days. I was sure it wouldn’t happen beside the lakes, but only at the staircase. I changed the song and started walking. But the thought never left my mind this time.

I returned home after a short walk and watched a few comic videos before sleeping. The next day I decided to visit a friend, rather than spend the evening alone.

Hubby returned early next morning and the first thing I wanted to tell him was this. But I waited. I knew he would only laugh, but I still wanted to give him enough time to settle down.

“I gotta tell you something.” I said, as soon as I saw comfort on his face.

“What happened, baby?” He must have known from the way my voice sounded that it was serious.

I narrated the incidents, and told him my fears. He stared at me for a while, then asked for my iPhone.

He played around with a few touches and gave it back to me. “It won’t haunt you any more.” He declared.

“What was haunting? How did you…? What did you…?”

“Shhhhh. You had your Shake Control turned on your phone. Every time you climbed down the stairs, it shook in your pocket and changed the song. I’ve turned it off now.”

“Oh.”

I HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE

THAT I AM A GOOD COPYWRITER. I do not have my hair dyed in streaks. I do not wear orange spectacles. I do not even accessorise myself from top to bottom. I do not have body piercing. Oh, wait! I do. But it’s just pierced ears. I guess that doesn’t really qualify. I do not smoke. I do not like tea. Or coffee. I am not an insomniac. I can’t keep a goatee, no matter how much I try. I listen to comprehensible music. I socialise. I make friends with engineers and doctors. I send flowers to my mother on Mothers Day. My sister likes to talk to me. My building’s watchman recognises me. Even the morning one. I do not carry my toiletries in my bag all the time. I eat my meals on time. I talk sense most of the time.

BUT I AM HELPLESS.

The bug gave me the disease, without its symptoms. And so here I am doing what I am best at. Writing to sell. Only this time the product is a little tricky. It’s me. And even though it has everything that your agency needs – a brain that ideates, and does it well, good writing skills, command over the language, understanding of the subject and the target audience, experience, qualifications, and an impressive portfolio – it still needs to prove itself to you. So let’s take the usual route. The one that every advertisement takes. By telling its customer where the wonderful product came from.

If I were a cosmetic cream, I would have come from the purest species of the Aloe Vera or a rare herb found somewhere in the Himalayas. But I am just a human, coming from an ordinary middle-class household, where television occupies an important position in the family, especially during meal times. So, here I was, watching my favourite daily soap, dreading that the great suspense that is building around the protagonist will be broken anytime by an untimely commercial break.

It was then, in between great suspense and irritation, that I first saw it. The Fevicol TVC. The one that went “pakde rehna… chhorna nehi”. Hilarious! I laughed. I clapped. And I forgot all about my daily soap. That was the day I had told my mother, “Ma, when I grow up, I’ll make ads.” She had laughed.

It was only in my first year, college, that I learnt who a copywriter is. That year itself, I took up a summer job in a local ad agency. Just to get the feel of it. And before I knew it, I was hired by the best design studio in the city, even before I completed my final year exams.

My mother doesn’t laugh anymore. She just smiles, when she sees my ad in the newspaper or drives past a hoarding I worked on. Because she knows I am good. And the fact that you just read this whole chunk of copy in full proves just that.

PS: Written for one of my interviewers, while job-hunting.

Time for a Social Break!

Aren't you tired of the bombardment of brands in between your favourite movies and programmes? Aren't you sick of newspapers yapping about their products, services and features, instead of telling you about the government's new policies?

How many times did you have Kit Kat when you wanted to take a break? How many times did you tell the shopkeeper to get you ONLY Pepsi and nothing else, because your favourite star drinks it too! Don't you feel like hiding your face in your mom's dupatta when Shahrukh tells you that 'navratna tel' is thanda thanda cool cool? Gawd! I do!

Advertising is my bread and butter.

And whatever I just said is really not taking my career graph anywhere. But the truth it, we watch ads, "wow" them and forget them. We may love to discuss, recite or narrate the good ones, but hello! I've never bought a happy dent in my life!

So what really are ads doing there? BASICALLY, just reminding us of a name. A name that hopes to get implanted in our minds (or hearts) when given a choice, we recall it.

So instead of going round and round a product and boasting of its 'unique' features (generally possessed by all competitors), can they not just say something more meaningful? Something bigger, something that will ACTUALLY make a difference to our lives? Will that not look like a genuine effort to give us something we need?

And when such an effort is made by a name, a brand, as we put it, will this effort not have a greater impact in our heads and hearts? And guess what, here, the LAST thing that companies will need to worry about is their 'image'.

We've got the power!

Ads are powerful, in the sense that they've got the power of money and ideas. And there was a time when they used to make a lot of difference to people's lives. But not anymore! Now they are repetitive, not in their presentation, but in their messages. Before an ad begins, we know that we'll basically be asked to shell out money to buy a product we may not need.

Why not use this power for a greater cause? Channel it in a way that's for the betterment of the people. Something that this world (ok, too dramatic but maybe at least our country) really needs!

Go social!

Till date social ads have been made either under a government order or to win the race at an awards night! Of course, of course, there have been some genuine efforts made by companies to address some problems... but when was SOME enough in this big-bad world?

After listening to or watching one or two great ads or glancing at a few brilliant hoarding, no one's gained the sense to wear the helmet.

Remember the hypodermic needle theory?

Inject the messages in the hearts and veins of the people! Apply your brilliant minds in gripping the people so strongly that they actually feel the guilt and picture the consequence, every time they throw a wrapper on the road.

Get serious!

Every social message has a TG. Ever observed their demographics? Ever studied their psychology? Ever thought BEYOND a brilliant idea? Ever thought whether it will really work? Has they ever worked? Why? Why not? Maybe because they have never been taken seriously enough!

Ads have always been irritating.

Good or bad, they have always intruded in our leisure time! But good ads still leave their imprints behind. People still remember their messages. And in this case, the audience will have a greater reason to follow your suggestions or their favourite personality's recommendations because you are NOT asking for their money. You're asking for their discretion and sensibility. And that is one thing in which everyone's willing to prove they're superior.

Entertainment is the best way of educating.

The youth will get cool not by flashing their latest cell phones, but by NOT using them while driving. Mom's will take care of their kids not by feeding them "calcium-rich-biscuits" but by talking to them about AIDS. And this can all be said with a short entertaining script. A lesson goes down best when the student is not quite aware of the act of teaching.

But where is the brand?

Right behind the message! Give enough time and space to the promoter. Big and long enough to be associated with that message. And bang! The advertisement's job it's done! You're famous and you're a bunch of honest messages! The more effective your message, the bigger your image in the audience's mind! If someone's benefited from your message, even outside your product's TG he'll come back to you, when he needs you!

Caged balconies

Driveways squeezing through rows of robotic structures
Structures overambitious, leaping up the sky to compete with the stars of nature
Air, overburdened with the responsibility to save humanity with all its creations
People made insignificant, merely by their numbers
And their emotions imprisoned in the caged balconies of a free land

The music of thoughts

I love the sound of keys tapping on my keyboard, as they define the hazy gush of thoughts flying across my brain.

I love the orchestra of letters seated on the keys, ever-ready to turn my imagination into a beautiful rhythm of words.

I love the ballet of my fingers as they dance across the keyboard to the music of my thoughts and the rhythm of imagination.

I love the medley of words that give birth to a melodious song composed by the orchestra of letters on my keyboard.

I thank the blinking cursor that nods in approval, every time I bring to life a new melody of thoughts.

9 Good Things About Saas-Bahu Soaps

1. You do not need to be regular. The story would not have moved ahead much even if you miss a few weeks in between. Go on, enjoy a month long adventure trip in Ladakh and come some back to catch your favourite soap right where you left it!

2. You don’t need to stick to one. All soaps narrate the same story. So, you can switch your serial everyday without missing out on an important twist in the tale!

3. They show women empowerment. Daily soaps truly follow Doordarshan guidelines. They insist that women are supreme and have all the power to build or break a family. Its corollary automatically holds true: Men don’t have any role in the family except giving reaction shots and nodding heads behind bitchy wives.

4. They teach you the DON’Ts of fashion. The female actors in the soaps demonstrate how excess of anything can be so bad for you by overdressing and looking outrageously ugly in a thick layer of makeup. So, you know exactly what to avoid while dressing up.

5. They carry your family culture forward. Your grand daughter will also follow the same daily soap that you do. The soaps last long enough. Isn’t that a great thing to share with your grandchildren?

6. It’s easy to recall names of new soaps. They all sound very similar to the existing ones and have the same initials.

7. They play our favourite Hindi songs… everyday! The soaps manage to create the same situation everyday and play the latest number in the background. So, you get to hear your favourite song without taking the pain of putting on your mp3 player.

8. They bring hopes to ugly faces. All Saas-Bahu serials demonstrate the miracles of plastic surgery. The actor’s face looks drastically different after a treatment. So, the principle can, as well, be applied to women who think they are ugly and want to change the way they look.

9. They give you confidence… by making you feel intelligent. The way the characters handle the simplest of situations (and end up complicating matters by not opening their mouth at the right time), you feel so evolved in comparison!

But as they say, nothing is perfect in this world. Even the ever-so-popular Saas-Bahu soaps have a small, yet unavoidable negative side:

They are all giving unfair competition to shows like the Great Indian Laughter Challenge.

Think about it. What makes you laugh more?

The American Spirit Of Mumbai

Like every other average Indian who is reasonably affected by ideas sold by the Indian films and television industry, Mumbai was my dream city! Even before deciding the profession I wanted to be in, I had decided to park my dreams here.

19 October 2007. Eight thirty five in the evening, my flight landed in my dream city. This wasn’t the first time I was stepping into this city. I have my relatives in every corner of the country and Mumbai is no exception. But this time I had landed here for my dream – to work and settle down here!

Mumbai is one of the most professional and hardworking cities I have ever been to. And its people, the most open-minded I’ve ever met!

“Hi! I am Megha.” Either from the lost look on your face or from the Hindi words you use, the people immediately come to know that you are not from Mumbai and you will be asked your Gaon’s name.

“Gaon?”

Jaipur is a gaon, Bhopal is a gaon, Lukhnow is a gaon, Thiruvanananthipuram is a gaon, even Chandigarh is a gaon! I wonder what they think of actual villages as… nomadic settlements? The only city that they faintly recognise as a city is Delhi. Perhaps compelled by Delhi's virtue of being the national capital.

“Jaipur? Oh! The desert state?”

Rajasthan is the state. Jaipur is a city! The capital city.

It’s difficult to make people understand that cities and deserts can co-exist in a state. That you don’t step into a desert as soon as you enter Rajasthan. That Rajasthanis have modes of transportation other than the ship of the desert. That it rains in Rajasthan. That Jaisalmer has civilisation too. That every corner of Jaipur is not dipped in pink colour. That the colour is not baby pink.

That other cities (gaons if you like it that way) can be at least half as developed as Mumbai! That terms like pollution, population, traffic jams, expansions, SEZs, shopping malls, multi-story, boyfriends, girlfriends, dating, IT companies and advertising agencies are not Mumbai’s exclusive property.

A few days ago I got this SMS from my friend:

“The UN conducted a world-wide survey. The question was: "Please state your honest opinion on how to solve food shortage in the rest of the world." As expected, the survey was a huge flop:

People in Africa didn't know what "food" is.
Eastern Europe didn't know what "honest" means.
Western Europe didn't know the word "shortage."
The Chinese didn't know what an "opinion" is.
The Middle East asked what "solution" means.
And Americans didn’t know what "the rest of the world" is.

Oh! Why does it sound so familiar?

Every Job Is Lovable

I am a copywriter, working in one of the top 10 agencies in India, working on some of the best brands in the country, earning enough to live a good life and go shopping at least once every month in a city which has the highest cost of living in India.

I am a copywriter. Something that I had decided for my life, the day my amateur mind began to understand the adventurous world of Advertising. Yet, I never leave any chance to crib and curse my job, my company, my clients, my boss, even my choice of profession!

This weekend, like all other weekends, I was cribbing about everything around me, to my boyfriend. He had taken me out for dinner, so that we could continue cribbing till late in the night. While we were into deep discussion about how our company rips us apart everyday, a soft, warm, male voice disrupted our conversation.

“Good evening Ma’am, Good evening Sir. What would you like to have?”

I looked up to see a middle-aged man flashing a very warm smile at us.

My boyfriend ordered a Chinese starter and a drink for himself.

After taking our order he went straight to the table diagonally opposite to ours. Due to its position, I got a perfect view of this table that seated a family of four, a couple and their two kids. I had noticed that the younger girl had oddly wrapped her mother’s thin, white, chiffon dupatta around her. I noticed it more, because coming from a small town, I was not used to seeing many ladies roaming about without their dupattas in place.

I had also noticed that the man who had taken our order was limping a bit, but it looked like a natural limp, and not caused by a recent mishap. Upon reaching the table, he bent down so that his face was at the level of the younger girl and said something to which the little girl nodded. He looked up, then again said something to which she nodded again.

He got up, giving a little support to his left knee with his hand and went behind the dining area to push down a few switches.

Then he walked back to their table and asked loud enough for me to hear “Is it ok now?” The girl nodded again and removed the dupatta.

When we finished the starter, the man came to us again, obviously to ask what we would like to have for the main course. But instead of the usual question, this he what he asked:

“Where would you like to go from Shanghai Sir? Or do you wish to explore the rest of China?”

My boyfriend looked up from the menu and smiled. Genuinely. He ordered a tandoori dish.

“Very well sir. Back to India?”

“Ha ha. Yes. Back to our home land!” My boyfriend chuckled.

We did not crib anymore. We were smiling and wondering what keeps a waiter in a mediocre restaurant at Thane so joyful and in love with his job!

We had finished the dinner and it was taking some time for the cheque to arrive. When we asked, this is what the man said, “Sorry Sir, I guess its taking some time to fly back from Shanghai.”

“…then maybe we’ll come back later when the flight arrives!” I replied immediately.

“Sure Ma’am, I’ll look forward to both of you coming here again!”

I just couldn’t restrain myself from asking, “What makes your work so exciting in this restaurant?”

He said, “I share my passion with all mothers in India. Only they do it for their kids and loved ones, and I love doing it for everyone! I love feeding people!”