An open letter to all 'thidir' movie critics

Hi,

First of all thanks for watching every single movie in the theatres and coming up with your own reviews about it. Though I do have something to tell you all about your reviews, it is because of you people many unknown artists and movies are being known worldwide. We people come to know the names of various movies and think 'oh is it released? Fine let me go and watch'. So thanks for that. 

But there are a number of things I really feel like talking about. 

1. Is it/ isn't it possible to write a review without mentioning any of the scenes or giving away the core story/ key points of the movie? When you mention the scenes you are doing more bad than good. You make the larger audience to feel "fine now that I know what is expected out of it then why bother going and watching?" 

2. Most of you reviewers are great detectives like Sherlock Holmes - agreed. You search and search and talk and rip apart each and every scene in the movie and you surely do find out from where it is copied. Great job. I like and respect your intentions of supporting and wanting new ideas as motion picture and not just the old story. But you should also know that the 90% of the viewers would NOT have done the research which you did or have NOT seen the original movie as you have. And why shouldn't those percentage (which is much higher FYI) miss a good movie just because it was taken in a different language in a different time? And also copying one (or a number of ) scene(s) from another movie(s) with permission (if there is a legal say) IF it helps the movie then why not? Remember movies are for entertainment and if you are entertained then why do you feel it is so wrong?

3. Why abuse? You may/may not like a particular actor/ director etc but who gave you the power to judge them based on their personal life? You can review their work oh yes, you have paid your 120 bucks and you have every right to. But about their looks(outside the movie), their personal habits/ real life incidents. Isn't it too much? Just think how will you fee if your manager tells you that you are not promoted because you didn't dance properly and dress appropriately when you went to your best friend's wedding? 

4. And why do you impose your likes and dislikes on others? What you post as a review is YOUR point of view. You are entitled with that freedom of speech but you CANNOT tease/abuse others for their taste. I mean come on when Anbe sivam was released i just lovedd it but it was a flop and I was shocked. Same goes with Maunam Pesiyathe. But now people say that they were awesome movies. The target population has grown up to understand it only now. Movies like 'Alaipayuthey' which appealed to me long time back feels silly to me now (yes certain parts do) and movies like 'ok kanmani' which appeals to me now will not when I have kids of my own in their teens. The very reason certain movies are categorised to different genres is because they answer only a particular target group. And the members of the group will change when they grow up. Age and maturity changes the taste and choices. Your reviews should not be biased to make those intended audience to not watch the movie. Sometimes accept it - that particular movie is NOT for you to like it. 

Respect the tastes and choices, respect others and respect/support the artists who work day and night 

make their dreams possible. They do what they do for you and me... Your words should make them to strive to become better at their work not lose hope and quit what they do. Don't touch their ego, don't make them lose hope & faith. After all they are humans too.

Please write - but write sensibly.

The Golden Girl

I wrote this for a Blogging competition at my office - Topic ->'Write a post by looking at the shared picture (below)'.

Those eyes which hold the determination & strength, that face which shows completeness even with broken life – it reminds me just one person to whom I dedicate this post to. ‘The Golden girl – P.T Usha’ who with her hard work & dedication became a household name for Indians.

ரூபாய் 250இல் தொடங்கியது நான் ஓடும் பயணம்.

பயணமாய் கருதாமல் பாய்ந்து ஓட தொடங்கினேன்,

தொடங்கியதில் இருந்து வெளிச்சங்கள் பிறந்தன,

பிறந்த மண்ணை பெருமை படுத்தி ‘ராணி’ ஆனேன், ‘பய்யோலி எக்ஸ்பிரஸ்’ என்ற பெயரும் சூடினேன்.

….

சூடிக்கொள்ள 102 பதக்கங்கள் (அதில் 33 சர்வதேச அளவில்) என்னை தேடி வந்து சேர்ந்தது,

சேர்ந்தது எல்லாம் ஓ.ம.நம்பியார் அவர்களுக்கு சமர்ப்பித்தேன்.

சமர்ப்பித்தேன்- அதனோடு ’அர்ஜுனா’, ‘பத்ம ஸ்ரீ’ விருதுகளையும் சம்பாதித்தேன்.

சம்பாதித்ததை சந்தோஷங்களாய் கொட்டி குவித்தேன் – என் வேகத்தினால்.

….

வேகத்திற்கு தடை ஒன்று வந்து நிறுத்தியது,

நிறுத்தியே வைத்தேன் அனைத்தையும் நான்கு வருடங்கள்.

….

வருடங்கள் கண் இமைப்பதற்குள் மறைந்து போக,

போகட்டும் கஷ்டங்கள் நான் தரையில் பறக்க பிறந்தவள் என்று -

என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டே ‘Hiroshima Asiad’ இல் வெள்ளி பதக்கம் வென்றேன்.

….

வென்ற ‘Sportsperson of the Century’, ‘Greatest Woman Athlete’, ‘World Trophy for Best Athlete’, ‘Adidas golden shoe’ போதும் என்று; பிறகு நினைத்தேன் வெற்றியை பகிர்ந்து கொடுக்க,

கொடுக்க தொடங்கினேன் என் ‘Usha school of Athletics’ இல் கல்வியாய்.

….

கல்வி கற்றேன் என் வெற்றி தோல்வியில் - என் வாழ்கையே என் பாடமாக

என் பாடத்தை இந்த உலக இளைஞர்கலும் வாழ – திறமை மற்றும் உழைப்பு போதும், தேவை இல்லை ரூபாய்.

….

Note 1: The format of this post is inspired from ‘Andhadhi‘ which is a unique kind of Tamil poetry constructed such that the last or ending word of each verse became the first word of the next verse. Andha(m) means “end” and ‘‘Adhi’’ means “beginning”. This was first introduced by Karaikkal Ammaiyaar. 

It is also inspired from the book ‘The Golden girl’ – The Autobiography of P.T.Usha.

Note 2: Though this post can be considered as ‘poetry’, ‘story’, ‘intellectual’ & ‘scribble’ – I prefer it to be under the category - ’Motivation’  because to me she has always been an inspiration.

Perception

A memory from my mom’s school days -

She was a young girl from a foreign land filled with expectations and dreams. Anne her name was, there she stood looking lost among the South Indian crowd in a village near Madurai. She tried hard to pronounce the place she was in but in vain. The faces around her stared at her, some tried to start a conversation but nobody understood what she wanted. She knew there would be someone to help her and she need not fear being alone in that land because her mother had said her that the only reason their country ruled India for hundreds of years was because the people were friendly even to their enemies.

But at 18, in an unknown land, nowhere to stay and no one to meet, it was hard to not feel afraid. The only reason she was there was – education, her dream to learn from the people who belong to the land known for agriculture.

A man in early 50s with a black umbrella in hand, completely whitened hair; a little hump at the back which made his 6’2 height look like 6′ walking back home on a sunny afternoon noticed Anne. That was my Grandpa. He asked her why she was looking lost at the bus stop.  

My grandpa was not a degree holder. He had completed SSLC and started working as a clerk in agriculture office. Experience made him grow in rank and he was then an agriculture officer for land inspection. As he had to travel and meet new people almost every single day and also because he started working under a British officer, his English lacked the Indian flavor.

Anna asked Grandpa that she needed a place to stay and an officer who can be her guide. My Grandpa helped her find a 1BHK house for a rent of Rs.80. As my grandma was a great cook, food was not an issue for Anne. My Grandpa took Anne with him every single day for land inspection and taught her how to find the minerals the soil had and the dieses the plants were affected with just by looking at them & touching them. This (even now) was followed in India as it reduced the soil testing & sampling costs to a greater level. Anne was fascinated by this theory; cross verified all the suggested inferences with lab data and completed her thesis.

Incident 1:

She had provided my Grandpa’s name as her guide and submitted her thesis at university of London which was accepted there. But as my Grandpa was not educated enough, in India, the research was not filed under my Grandpa’s name but was under his superior (who had completed B.Sc.) and his supervisor was given M.Sc. degree.

When my grandpa asked her how her university can accept him as her Guide, she replied “In my country knowledge matters and not the degree”.

Incident 2:

It was on that day when Anne asked that she wanted to watch a movie like any normal person. During that time there was a theatre called ‘Chandra’ where people could sit on the sand and watch the movie (16 vayathinilae). My mother took her there and photos were taken. When they were back this conversation happened.

My Grandpa: Why you wanted to go to a normal theatre? So that you can show your people that India is still poor?

Anne: No, I want to show my people that India is the only country where a person can stay happy no matter how much he earns for his living. A person in India can live alone in a house, go for a movie, buy a chocolate and have good food. The brand, size & content may differ but everyone gets to have everything. But in my country a chocolate is always 20Rs. A person should work hard to taste it or should die without having it. My country makes people steal. But yours make your people happy. I wanted my mom to know this. That is why I took pictures.

And these incidents made my Grandpa to respect knowledge without education and to see the half full glass.

Roller-coaster life

To be cherished and loved and rejoiced as the best are the moments in which we need to remember we are truly just human beings climbing one of the ladders. The happiness and support which were invisible in the nascent stage are born then because the destination is not too far. That is the moment to look up at the stars and shoot for them and hope that maybe not the star but the moon is reached. 

But we the humans as silly and stupid as we always have been, forget to raise our head high above and look at the stars rather we raise our heads high above to look at those who are below us. We feel accomplished not realizing the last few steps are the most difficult ones to cross. We look down and take the next step. We lose the focus and stubble. Those who clapped for us now clap at us. We lose and those who stood below with their heads raised up high looking beyond the horizon and walk past us. It is purely our choice and truly our mistake. But we never believe in our own mistakes. 

We try to shut the world out and create one inside the four walls. We convince ourselves that all the grapes out there are sour. The ladder waits for us for sometime but then gets rusted. We never realize any of it until one day after many unimportant days fly by when that little trigger out of pain, love, provocation, insult or despair sets the fire and blasts off every single imaginary wall that surrounded us. Some of us wither off and die. But the rest among us, we start again we start from scratch. 

We walk day and night through the excruciating path with a tenacious grip on the dream. We look forward and we look at nothing but the stars. Just when we think it is a Gordian knot to be tackled, the sword cuts it and we touch the star. And it was just in that one second in the million years - the tears roll down flooding every gate. Until finally maybe almost immediately the imaginary dams take control as it is not the end but the start of another new journey to another new destination.

Beauty in everything

To wake up early in the morning, manage to get ready, stuff something inside the mouth and run to office... Work all day past dawn and dusk and make our way back home when the Sun is bright in the other part of the world, there are so many things which happens when we take life for granted and touches our life to make us realize how beautiful life is. But we never give them a chance. I thought why not give the world a chance to prove its worth? Listen to it for a day and understand if it has the right to feel the pride? So the day next -

'The warmth of the bed-sheet, the softness of the bed, the pillow which kisses my cheeks and the other pillow which is nuzzling up with me... The rays of sun which has one million colors, fighting with my stubborn curtain and creating beautiful patterns on my wall to grasp my attention to it. Then the rays calls its friend, the wind to help it move the stubborn one and enter into my room. Filling every nook and corner and finally touching my eyes. My dear pillow saves me from the rays but Sun is a possessive guy. I do love him but he just can't stand my amity with the pillows. He is angry on the pillow, more angrier on me. And starts hurting me with its warmth. I get frustrated on this jealous guy and I seek my friend- the curtain's help and send the sun off my room. 

I get up and feel the dark messy hair, my early morning innocent face, my half opened eyes like the crescent, dry lips longing for the kiss from the most clear and pure soul- the water. My lips get what it wants and much more too. The sweet smelling colorful paste looks like the foam of deep blue sea on a pearl. I get ready and thank all those amazing human imaginations hung on the wall and given various beautiful names. 

I am still angry on that possessive sun. I have decided not to look at him and so I cover myself completely with cream and cloth. My eyes search for comfort and my feet enters the one pair which promises that. I start to office and see the love, the amazing colors, art and beauty in every single face and human creation. The golden reflection in the dark water and the swiftness with which humans cut off one of their senses (smell) while crossing the koovam. 

At office every word typed and every word spoke are in sync creating a song. I listen to it and dance with it. I start back home with darkness as the companion. Now I miss my darling new Sun whom I hated and avoided the whole day. I understand how protective and caring he had been and how silly I was. When my thoughts are torturous just like the roads which I travel by, the fleeting images of him along with the fragrance of the mud and leaves fill my nostrils and gives me the purest addiction possible. Suddenly between the shadows and branches of the body guards (trees) with whom travels the fresh friend of my guy, the wind who follows me for my protection, I see a ray of light. It is not the light with million colors with which I fell in love with. This one is silvery and sweet and is shy. This guy looks cute but is being coercively kept away by my body guards with the help of the wind. I look above myself and look into his eyes. The moon, the handsome milky white guy so far who helps me find the right route. I silently thank him but loudly say out - "you won't last for long I can't trust you enough to be with you". He is a real beauty but he is just not my type and I understand it. 

I reach home, reach for my bed and pillow to snuggle myself but in my heart I think of my sun. I say out aloud - wake me up soon and I wont be angry on you. I also tell him thanks and that I missed him. I close my eyes and join hands with human faces in my dream.'

 It was just one day among the million days spent on this Earth. I did give it a chance and thus I saw in everything - love and beauty !!!

I'm an Indian girl (for the unnamed girl)

I live in a country which is known for its cultural heritage. I love my country, I do and that is exactly why I write this. Because I'm not just an Indian but an Indian girl. 

There are many people in my country who stopped reading newspapers because it is filled with murder, burglary and rape. I was one among them, I chose to read news online to avoid such news because it pained to read them and now I feel ashamed to be one among them.

This is real India and like it or not, painful or not, ashamed or not - we need to face it, I need to because I'm a girl, a lucky one indeed because I didn't choose the wrong bus, wrong friend, wrong cab, wrong vacation  wrong house, wrong office, wrong area. But there are many other girls - my sisters who did and who are doing it and that is why there is one rape happening in my country in every 30 minutes.

I know I can't board a bus after 10.00 PM . I can't take the local train after 9.00 PM (velachery route train after 7.00 PM). I know I can't walk back home from college after 8.00 PM. I know and so I followed it and so did millions of other girls. But my question then and now is why should I follow such unwritten rules just because of those animals who are happily let loose in my country? I should not be the one who should be afraid but those who do the mistake. But will this male chauvinistic society understand what I say? I seriously doubt it because this society didn't arrest an individual for rape till 1970s. This society said 'women don't dress properly and that is the reason for rapes'. This society calls those victims as 'socially not acceptable' and create a social stigma. 

But women are fed up with those unwritten rules, so called false statements said in the name of culture and society and that is why the growth in reported cases of rape is 873% in 2012. At-least 1 in 69 rapes are being reported now. And all this is just about the rape cases. What about the sexual harassment? Those filthy words, gestures, songs, videos, pictures and actions? We live in a country where victim of rape itself is not being given a proper justice then what is the point in even talking about other sexual assaults? 

I live in a safer state and a safer city according to the statistics but it may also be true that I live in a state/city which emphasizes more on the social stigma and the reporting of the rape is too less. But whatever maybe the case it is clear that my country has people who comment amount the 'lipstick and powder', the 'painted and dented', 'dress of women', 'call for female chauvinism' etc. I don't care about these people but I do care about the fact that my country stands 3rd in the world when it comes to sex offences. 

I do care about the 16 year old tribal girl Mathura who was raped by 2 policemen but was not given justice in the court because she was 'habituated to sexual intercourse'. (Desai Kanj police station Chandrapur, Maharashta) when the supreme court has described that even if a woman is habituated to sexual intercourse should not be called as a person of lose character and should be given justice.

I do care about that 7 year old girl who was raped and had her hymen ruptured and bite marks on her body but was not given justice because the guy's organ didn't have blood marks.

I do care about Bhanwari devi who was not given justice because she was a Dalit and the guy was from a upper class and it was not possible for a upper class guy to rape a girl from lower class.

I do care about Sakira (16 years old) who was kidnapped and raped for 18 long months but was not given justice because it was 'improbable for a person who was ready to pay to go for a reluctant girl'.

I do care about the Bangladeshi girl who was raped in the Howrah bridge, the Poolan devi case (who turned as the Bandit queen to take revenge on those who gang raped her), the Kunan Poshpora incident (1991 Indian army rape around 53 women), the Shopian rape and murder case (2009, Kashmir), the Suryanalli case (40 days by 42 men,1996), Aruna Shanbung case (assault by ward boy 1973 and as a vegetable ever since), Jalgoan rape case (300-500 minor girls, 1994), Thulasa thappa case (12 year old Nepali girl kidnapped to Mumbai and repeatedly raped),Thanjam Manorama case (raped by 17 Assam rifles, Manipur), Anjana Mishra case (Orissa, 1999), Imrana case (Sexual assault by her father in law, 2005), Vachathi case (search for smuggled sandelwood and raped 18 women, 1992), The park street case, The German girl rape case (14 year old, 2008), The Bandra rape case (Spanish girl) and so on.

If the issue is on the way how girls dress up then why is 3 year, 5 year kids are raped? I live in a country where there is no law to save marital rapes, Child rapes by objects and fingers. I live in a country where the attempt to rape has punishments half of that to a rape. I live in a country where politicians are discussing on whether to have a special parliamentary session to discuss on the rape laws which gives just 7-10 years of imprisonment and offender cannot be hanged (except certain cases) when a 23 year old girl is raped by 6 people in the capital state in a moving bus. A girl who had 6 internal organs removed and struggling for her life (who if end up alive would never be able to eat or lead a normal life) was questioned twice. The girl who was so strong and who still wanted to live left us all and ended up in heaven. 

I live in the country where the president accepted the mercy plea of 7 convicted of rape and mass murder. But I also live in a country where people both men and women stand in queues with black cloth tied around their mouth silently gathering in public places asking for justice with candle in their hands. 'the candle is mightier than the log of wood'. Hope the light from the candle and fire in our hearts never die till the justice is reached. Let this not be a first page news for few months and disappears  Let us not have the usual selective amnesia and short term memory loss as we usually have.

 I'm an Indian girl and I'm waiting for the day to feel proud of it and not afraid.

Chennaites love for mosquitoes

We as Chennaites have a special bond, an affection with certain things found here around us and these form our identity, whether we like it or not. Idly, dosa, the morning coffee, dothi, beach, Koovam, Egmore, Santhome church, Parthasarathu temple, Triplicane colony life... the list goes on. And this one which needs a special mention is mosquito.

Mosquito -  an additional member in every family and the must mentioned topic in every conversation. That special bond we have with mosquitoes make us think about it every day in the evening. Our every action is connected with this. "It is 6.00 PM close all the windows" is a everyday phrase.We have become so used to these mosquitoes that when someone from abroad come here and tell us "Chennai la ore mosquitoes", we get extremely angry and even say that once they had gone abroad they forgot their land and showing off.

Though not all the varieties of mosquitoes spread diseases, some do and Chennaites, who may not know what multiple sclerosis or brain hemorrhage means but will definitely know about Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya. And yes they make fun of these diseases and even use them in our jokes.

This blood sucking species have given us a way to pass time (a stupid topic during chats to continue the chat, a game - how many mosquitoes did one kill a day; clap-clap, take the bat and play shuttle, run and catch on air) and avenge our anger (hit someone and say there was a mosquito, scold the poor mosquitoes for someone else's mistake :p )

Chennaites have gone so used to the mosquitoes and have developed an 'acceptance mentality' towards it. But why should mosquitoes even exist  Every organism is said to exist because they help in completing the life cycle and maintain the balance in the ecosystem but what balance is mosquito creating?

I tried hard to think if there is any one organism which depends entirely or partially on mosquitoes for their living- and the answer is no. Frog eat mosquitoes, some fish eat the larva of mosquito but they neither are completely nor partially depended on mosquitoes alone. I came across several research articles on the same topic and one said that there is a type of flowers/plant which needs mosquitoes for its growth and another article said that there is a type of bird in Africa which depends completely on mosquitoes for food. But then when I read more I found that there were other articles proving these theories to be false.

So why should these mosquitoes exist? Well, to us - Chennaites the very reason why mosquitoes exist is our special bond with them and thus the highest level of patience towards them. We still keep the dustbins open, koovam uncleaned, drainage uncovered because of our love for these tiny, little, sometimes harmful, blood sucking, irritating, sleep depriving mosquitoes.

Relationship status CHANGED !

It all started 3 years back when I first went for a friend;s marriage. One day away in a new place with all friends, fun and happiness, awake all night with the fear of not able to get up on time for the muhurtham and get almost killed by the marriage girl's stare. Those anxious looks we gave her when she was back to the college for studying. Those little chats, fun filled episodes, teasing and laughs and so much more. Yes it was fun to see a friend getting married. And those threatens she made while giving us the invitation could never be forgotten. But well, it was 3 yeas back.

We were given a proper hard copy invitation and invited years back. Then the informal phone call invites came into picture. "machi marriage irukku vanthu seru" and when you ask for an invitation, "enna machi namakkulla enna invitation ellam vanthuru". That bond between people made these phone call invitation acceptable and in fact much better than the formal hard-copy. But the cycle did not stop here.

Then came the time when we were invited through SMS. 750 messages per day and select all, send all option made this much easier. Yes even this was accepted. Later mails were sent - even this had made innovations involved - people taking pains to create/ design an invitation using Photoshop to websites who make money designing so called online invited till scanned copy of the actual invitation. 

Then groups created in Facebook to invite people with "please treat this as a personal invite". When this trend came, e-mails felt better "avanaathu kashtapattu namma mail id thedi oru mail panaan ya". But still we accepted even this too. The mistake was on our part. Because today when a person's relation ship status changes from 'single' or 'committed' to 'engaged' then it means we are supposed to follow that person's statuses and pictures to know when and where the marriage is and attend it without fail - (polanaalum thittu vilum enna koopta than varuviya unakku theriyatha en timeline pakkala ne)

And if we follow their timeline - our first meeting, our first drink, our first outing, engagement pics, bachelor's party, treat in #$$^ resort, with in-law family, at my huz, at her place, marriage pics, honeymoon pics,first kid pics (Thank god nadula nariya gaps irukku)... then the FB pics update slows down and then dies. Ivangala solli kutham illa. Should kill those ppl who comment "awwwwwwww sooooo cuteeeeeee', "happy for uuuuuuuuu", "muha luv u both", and all those friends with SLR and photoshop skills and also those who ask "hey upload the pics plzzzzzzzz", "waiting to c u both".

Whatever may happen we will still be part of all of this because "Namakku soru than mukkiyam". And more than that when our time comes I'm sure we'll definitely do the same.

P.S. Marakkama SLR eduthuttu vanthuru :p

Wake up call

One not so fine day when waking up from bed itself was an everyday's achievement i heard the news '2 girls were arrested for their FB status' from the almost million calls/texts I got from my friends. I had read the news somewhere else the previous day and just as always my mind wrote a story for that headline - someone suicide and by checking FB police came to know who was tied up in the case and in the end 2 girls were arrested (yes you are right i need to stop watching too many movies) and also feeling proud about technological advancement and power of social media penetration in our country, I skipped the channel without listening to what really happened because it was time for my favorite program in another channel  But the incident didn't stop there.

That very evening another friend of mine asked if it is possible to make such arrests, I gave her a big lecture explaining the benefits of social media to public sector and government. But by that night everything changed

I got around 10-15 calls from many people of which few i had lost contacts ( though they are in my FB friend's list) advising me about my FB usage. I still feel most of them called me to confirm if I was the girl and I still feel few really wished me to be so.

Wondering why? I guess my nick name would explain it better - 'like freak'. Yes that is my nick name. I belong to the category of people who just use FB to like every other person's activity. You know why I do it? Because people post statuses and comments wishing it to sound good/intelligent/noticeable. When nobody likes it they may feel bad or upset. I don't like people who I know to feel bad and thus I like whatever they do :p - I don't remember reading most of what I like too.

And with the number of calls i got, the news was surely a wake up call for me - not just the morning calls which made me leave my lovable bed or a wake up mentally to the consequences and laws of my country but also to my addiction - 'login FB -> like like like -> logout' habit. 

I don't know about the laws and I don't know anything about that incident nor do I say that it is right or wrong. But one thing I now know which is wrong is my courtesy likes. So i give up my nick name -like freak' from this second. So you needn't be freaked out about the number of times my name appears in your ticker and you definitely don't have to unsubscribe me. No more' like' torture-that is assured. :P :P

ITZ STARBUCKS!! - By a coffee Hater

One fine day i read an article saying 'Starbucks to set its foot in India . I don't even remember reading the article except for the title and i hardly knew what Starbucks was. Few weeks later there was someone mentioning about the same and also asked if it would do well in India. I didn't bother to listen to it. Then Starbucks was started in Mumbai.

That green circle and the lady within was identifiable even to a dead coffee hater just as me. And people around me making plans to go in there during their Mumbai trip didn't make me wonder about it much (eating is an excitement to me so going to a new place or talking about the same wasn't anything new) but THEN I saw an interview in YouTube.

Oh my god... Seriously... It is just a coffee. Well maybe not for any other coffee lover i guess. To them  'ITZ STARBUCKS' (ithu ellam vetti sceneu). Whatever the question maybe - 'R u ready to pay so much for it?', 'why are you here?', 'why are you waiting in a queue?' the answer is the same- 'itz Starbucks . And QUEUE??? yes you read it right. close to 2 hours spent waiting for a container ( lets call it so because it is neither a cup nor a bottle) full of coffee with a straw. And when asked what is it you are drinking, you'll definitely get a non-English answer ( romba therinja mathiri- Google la ethayo paathuttu public la peter vida vendithu ).

come on people you travel to a different city wait for 2 hours just to drink a container full of coffee with an epic name for which you pay a premium price? You have CCD next door which at-least lets you have a comfortable seat and spend as long time as you want for the same epic named coffee drink. It is just a choice but to me neither make sense but nobody has said me 'ITZ CCD' so that saves one more post by me with the title 'ITZ CCD!! - By a coffee Hater'.

I agree it is the same coffee which every high class protagonist in every English novel drank and it is the same coffee which was consumed by many Hollywood actors. I also agree it is a world in which we pre-order a communication device 2 months before, stand in long queue for hours to buy a story book which we had pre-ordered a month before and also buy gold on THAT day standing in a biggg queue even after knowing the fact that gold price had peaked that day- and we still buy because if you do so on THAT auspicious day then you get to buy a lot more (but you would have anyway ended up buying lot more for the same money if it was any other day).

I also agree to the fact that 'Starbucks' is not just a coffee and it has built a brand name and it provides an expected product in a comfortable ambiance which sinks with our culture and what these people pay in terms of time and money is an exchange for the value being delivered to them. (unmaiya othukkanum la)

But enough of facts and concepts. We can justify a communication device hype to be for its functionality, story book hype as knowledge (now don't ask me how killing a snake, a half alive human using a wooden stick or drinking blood with a bite [ no I'm not talking about mosquitoes - you need to wait for my next post for that) be knowledgeable] and gold hype as an investment. But COFFEE hype??? Don't people realize it is all lost when the liquid crosses the tongue?

And adding to everything, it is not even good for health ( now i don't want the old man's picture hanging across the wall lecturing me about this... Oh yeah that was for tea - so for now i'm spared).

So you waste a trip, 2 hours in a queue for a un-understandable almost non English named liquid which is not good for health in a container which is not good for mother earth (konjam effectuku add panathu - correct uh therila) for triple the price of what it costs to you if make the same in your own kitchen with your own hands (which you are perfectly capable of making and maybe tastes much better ) because... Just because... 'ITZ STARBUCKS'. Wowwww.

Remember THIS is what branding can do to this world. Welcome to marketing. :) :p :p Eppudi :p

God - the best marketed product

Who/What is god? Has anyone seen it/him/her? Does it have a form/figure/address/position? yet everyone follow it, trust it and believe it. How is even possible for billions of people to trust in one supreme power? Think deep and I'll try to answer it.

Millions and millions of years ago, how was our human race started? That first man and first woman, maybe the Adam and Eve were responsible for the human race to flourish. But how did they occur? Bible says it is God but science? Biologically evolution resulted in humans (Homo sapiens) and then our next question would be how was the first organism in this world created? How was the world itself was created? We do have theories about mitosis and meiosis occurring- matter and anti matter - big bang theory etc. But the truth is never known. That supreme power which helped in these creations, that power which made the natural forces (fire, land, water, wind etc) to result in the first species - was called god.

Every religion has its own story but this supreme power is always called as god by everyone. So the belief -god was the idea, a scope of marketing (then extended from being just an idea to an experience, good, people, place, event, information and also properties) was started to be marketed centuries ago by our fore fathers even before they knew the term. Our world was segmented based on religions and each segment was targeted by their own fears and beliefs and the idea 'god' was positioned in our minds as a saver, a person who wipes our sins, takes care of us, tells us what is right and wrong and even punishes us for our mistakes.

The product was then given a place - temples, mosques, churches etc were created, the product  was made available to the people in special packaging which included a face, dressing, figure - these were made to be different in different regions (marble statues in north India, black stone statues in south, statues made of gold, ISKON temple statues differently dressed to pull the youth population etc) The product was priced based on its value/benefits it gave people - an entry fee, time to wait to see the god, the routes and methods to be followed etc. Then it was promoted with stories and humans who were kind and showed empathy towards other humans were also started to be treated special. The 4 P's of marketing were satisfied. 

The product was promoted in different ways in different segments- in Hinduism anyone can follow any route which they were comfortable with but the basics what they were supposed to follow (caste norms) were defined. In Jainism all the organisms in the world were treated like god. Some religions/segments followed the pull strategy by making people fear and feel their sins and follow god else they will perish/end up in hell. while some followed the push strategy. Nowadays many churches do follow these marketing techniques explicitly to brand themselves.

When the religions emphasizes on marriages within themselves - it is to avoid the cross over of segmentation. Every product has a maturity period and then it will start declining  It is up-to the company to make it live longer or kill it. The rituals, festivals are part of promotion which helps in sustaining the 'idea' is to understand the  PLC and try to sustain it during maturity stage. Yes there are re-inventions in the customs and cultural norms and sanctions - to make the product stay in this world. 

Today when we said 'follow god' it is direct marketing. When special pages were created for marriages, community, caste, religion etc (social networking sites and other websites like http://www.god.com) it becomes online marketing. When we talk about our practices with our neighbors and friends it becomes word of mouth. When I write this, it is part of article marketing. When someone searches about her/his culture and origins it is search marketing. Every step which is taken to address the habits, culture of the religion, festival, weddings, moods and thoughts of the humans - all are directly or indirectly related to the first and best marketed 'idea' god.

Humans have used the marketing models, strategy, branding and different methods of marketing even without understanding what it means, even without having a 'Philip Kotler', 'Michael Porter' books in hand. God is said to have different attributes - omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, omnibenevolence, divine simplicity, eternal and necessary existence. And these attributes are the USP of the 'God' which is the best marketed product/idea which has succeeded in the highest market share among the homo sapiens for centuries and may continue to do so.