Roadside Razors

Amid growing fascination for branded services, the traditional art of hair-cutting lives on in the lanes of Delhi.

“Apply sesame oil to control hair loss”. Trust the roadside salons to treat you with such advice and stories while you get a quick clip and snip. These hair-dressing shops are a far cry from the upmarket unisex salons. The barber’s chair is all wood with no cushion. The place is not air-conditioned; the salon does not have any walls. Rather than passion, compulsion drives these barbers who serve their loyal customers on the sidewalks of dusty streets.

Mohammad Akram has been earning his livelihood as a street barber on a busy street in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi, since he left his home in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, three years ago. He now lives in a shared rented accommodation in Abul Fazal Enclave, an unregularised colony in south Delhi. 

Being the sole earning member in his family, he has to send money every month to his wife and six children in Bijnor. He works hard to survive in the city, to help his family and clear the debts he incurred for getting his eldest daughter married. Life is tough and savings tougher.

Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan

Hairaab has been working as a street barber outside the Jamia Nagar Police Station in Okhla for the past 25 years. His ‘shop’, on a pavement of a busy street, is covered with a blue tarpaulin supported by two bamboo logs. “All my money goes to support my family. I have a wife and a son who are ill. Three of my children have died due to various diseases,” says 43-year-old Hairaab. “My son needs an operation costing 2 lakh rupees. I am saving for it. Other things don’t matter”.

With higher disposable income, upmarket unisex hairdressing salons are cashing in. The Indian hair-care industry is valued at Rs. 12,400 crore with a 33 percent increase over the last year, according to a 2013 report published by Franchise India Holdings Ltd.

Zafar Khan, a software engineer with Tata Consultancy Services, is a regular customer of an upmarket salon in New Friends Colony. “I am much more comfortable in these salons than the regular barber shops. The treatment, the ambience and the staff, everything is up to the mark. I have no problem with the price as long as the service is good,” he says.

Many Indian hair-dressers, such as Jawed Habib and Ambika Pillai, have achieved celebrity status, with a personal haircut by appointment costing anywhere between Rs. 800-1000. But away from all the Jawed Habibs and Ambika Pillais, Vinod manages his livelihood grooming the people from the lower strata of society.

Vinod charges Rs. 30 for a haircut and a shave. “My customers are mostly from the labour class, so the price has to be affordable,” says Vinod, as he trims the lock of a porter working with Delhi Jal Board, Delhi’s water supply administration. A face massage and neck exercise usually comes complimentary with a haircut.

Raj Kishor, an auto-rickshaw driver waits for his turn at Hairaab’s shop. “This place is cheap. Plus, he’s also a friend so I can pass my time here,” says Kishor on why he chooses to wait instead of going to another shop.

Pramod Kumar is a faithful customer of Shankar, a hairdresser near Modi Mill, South Delhi. Kumar works in a factory and finds it cheap and convenient to get his hair trimmed by Shankar. “I earn Rs. 200 per day. If I spend Rs. 30-40 on my grooming, what will I eat then?”

The traditional art of hair-dressing is seeing its last batch of practitioners. “It is getting difficult for me, but I am unskilled for anything else. So, I am forced to continue this job.” says, Vinod. “I am not yet married, but when I have kids I will make sure they get proper education and do decent jobs.”

With the progress of time, there is a gradual shift from blue-collar jobs to white-collar.  And the respect which comes along is an added incentive for many. “If I had been educated, I would have liked to be a banker with a stable job. My eldest daughter was doing a course of the Holy Quran, when she got married. Now I wish my eldest son to become an Imam (A man who leads the prayers in mosque),” says Akram. “It has been a tradition, but with me, it all ends here.”

The traditional art of hair-dressing is seeing its last batch of practitioners. [Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan]

AIESEC : Empowering Youth

AIESEC is not only the world’s largest youth run organization, but it is so much more. AIESEC is about taking a firm stand.It’s about realizing that “potential” isn’t a mere word. It’s a place where things are done and not just planned.
A platform where you’re allowed to start young, and lead young – that’s what AIESEC is all about. It is an experience. An experience that changes one in ways, not visible only in the short term, but also in the long term.

AIESEC has always had an international touch to it, since at its core lies exchange. Exchange empowers people by showing them the “other side” as people call it. Ultimately, one realizes the “other side” is the same as “our own side”. It brings the world together. That’s what AIESEC is about – fulfilling humankind’s potential for peace and happiness. And that has always been what we envision.

AIESEC provides its members with an integrated development experience (The AIESEC Experience) comprised of leadership opportunities, international internships and participation in a global learning environment. We do this so that we can enable young people to explore and develop their leadership potential for them to have a positive impact in society.

It would not be an exaggeration to call AIESEC in Delhi University the best local chapter in the world- we truly imbibe the AIESEC way into all our members. AIESEC in Delhi University remains the highest performing LC in the world. We have also won the “Best Local Office in India” award numerous times, with 2012 being the most recent year.

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Book Review : Neil Must Die

Rarely do you come across a book which tries, and to a great extent succeeds, in sensitively handling social taboos existent in a society. Neil Must Die (NMD), a novel by Kaberi Chatterjee, is one such brave attempt. NMD has been previously published in the United States, and is brought to the Indian bookshelves by a new publishing house, Blackbuck Publication, which is debuting with this book. 

The book has an interestingly laid out story which keeps you gripped much before the story actually starts. The acknowledgement and preface of the book explicitly inform about the presence of adult content in the novel which was enough to rouse interest (Tongue firmly in cheek). On a serious note, NMD shocks you, shakes you and presents before you an interestingly knit piece of events which moves back and forth in time and has its layout divided between different characters.

 The novel keeps up the pace nonetheless, which got disturbed by too many vernacular Bengali words with their explanations and references listed in the end. It is understood as the initial market of the book was non-Indian, and hence a detailed explanation of all the customs and rituals was required. But the to and fro mode of the story and the regular flipping through the pages exercise did take some time to wade through the book. It also lightened the intensity of the situation as I needed a break to look out the meaning of the heavy words. Though an inline explanation would have pushed up word count, it would have gone well with the narrative. Additionally, my copy of the book had many typos which dented my reading further. I hope the publishers rectify the mistakes in forthcoming editions.

Neil is a no-nonsense guy who lives in Calcutta in a joint family, with a strict father and stricter rules. His brother gets married to a happy-go-lucky girl, Tuli, who fills music in the bland environment of everyone's lives, who makes their house feel like home, and she slowly wins over everyone’s heart in the house. Even Neil’s. Tuli was prophesied after her birth that she would die soon, so she takes up risks, lives life to the fullest and happily awaits her death. Neil tries to flee away from Tuli, but there’s a bad world waiting out there for him, which overpowers him and sucks him to the core. Tuli tries to flee death as she finds greater solace of her thoughts and feelings with Neil. The Tuli-Neil romance forms the crux of the story and the developments in the plot leads to further complications and strains in familial ties which eventually shapes the question, why must Neil die?

Chatterjee has done a praise-worthy work by mixing together elements of thriller and romance with a fine dose of suspense as to which side the scale would tilt after a few pages. The author has intricately portrayed the key characters and the events which influence them. The book is a work of fiction but you find a certain sense of connect to the protagonists. The conflict plays out in your mind and you can easily relate it to epic romance sagas, where the love is sacrificed for the sake of love.

Book: Neil Must Die
Author: Kaberi Chatterjee
Publisher: Blackbuck Publications
Price: Rs. 190

The Wonder of a Woman

Today India celebrates its 67th Independence Day. The Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has probably talked the longest in the past year and made a speech about how India has progressed and would continue to grow under the UPA governance. Some clapped, some pulled their faces. Yes, India is a very balanced country. We have praises and brickbats for the same person. We have various developmental policies aimed at specific groups, and ironically these groups are one of the most under-developed sections in the society. We have grown as a nation in various aspects (largely in population) but a part of us still awaits justice. Yes, I am talking about the other half residents of this planet - Women. Largely overlooked and taken for granted, women have continued to strengthen our homes and societies to the best of their abilities. It is useless to go into the details of the women who have achieved success by their hard work and dedication. It is also useless to emphasise the need to uplift women. They are no inferior souls who need a masculine hand to reach up. They are equal homo sapiens who need respect and honour, which they rightly deserve. Lets pledge to become better citizens as we take on the patriotic mood and celebrate an extra holiday on the calendar. Lets correct ourselves first, the nation will follow.

Following is a poem, rather a plea and a hope to see the notion of equality held high in the coming days.

I call it 'The Wonder of a Woman'

Hopes are faded,
Dreams are torn.
Just because am a girl,
And yet unborn.

Plannings to kill me,
Have been for years.
They look for a boy,
Overlooking my joys, my tears.

I cry to them,
To spare me once.
Let me cherish this life,
And those lively runs.

I am a father's pride,
And a mother's hope.
I am a gorgeous bride,
And somewhere, mother to the Pope.

But now I lay down here,
Hurt, tranquil without a scream.
Few let me in this world.
For rest,  I am a broken dream.

There are striving people,
working for my betterment.
I need an equal right to be,
And pay for an early settlement.

This war between races,
Has grown so many faces.
For the question of me to grow,
People still raise there brow.

I can be so gentle
As the dew on a morning flower.
But still I am strong,
I command and symbolise power.

Give me a chance,
For unhindered growth.
Let me a hand,
For an unconditional support.

Just let this apathy be removed,
And you will discover, a world so improved.

I know this night,
is lonely and dark.
But a hope still persists,
I will walk across the moonlit park.

One day, I will come,
fighting all odds of pro-choice.
Seeing earth getting blessed,
Even He will rejoice.

- Aaqib Raza Khan

Why Disasters Become Disastrous?

Question: How a disaster in managed in India?
Answer: Disastrously.

I came across this interesting question and answer on Yahoo Answers while researching for this topic. As humorous as it may sound, it is actually a painful truth. The recent incessant rains and the resultant floods and other physical mis-happenings in the Indian state of Uttarakhand has opened a flood-gate of questions on the proper planning, prediction and management of the disaster. There have been many rounds of cross-questions, debated between the government, agencies involved in the rescue, the victims and the rest of the world watching the tragedy unfold before them, Live & Exclusive.

India recently saw one of the worst floods in the Uttarkashi region, leading to a large number of displaced population, submerged towns, deaths and a rescue and relief operation on war footing. The affected area being hilly made it even more difficult to reach out, which delayed the rescue operation which was already hampered by the bad weather. Army was called in to assist amid rising number of landslides, washed off roads and heaps of dead bodies. There were a large number of people scattered around the affected part of the state, all resigned to their fate and some retired to death.

Many of the trapped people lost their lives and some succumbed to the long march to freedom from the clutches of death. The irony played out more as a lot of people were there on religious purpose to pray for their well-being. The temple of Kedarnath still stands tall in a ghost-town which once used to bustle with chaos and sparkled with activity. As with every disaster, the politics too began to warm up. Allegedly after a delay of 2 days, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna jumped in the rescue operation pulling in disaster relief teams and organisations to clear the mess. Indian Army and Air Force were given the responsibility of fetching out people from areas who lost connectivity to the flash floods. The cloudbursts had crippled many parts of the state, but the army diligently performed its duties with nerves of steel and is still very much involved in the operations. It also lost many of its soldiers to two helicopter crashes which tried to carry on the rescue inspite of the unfavourable weather.

Disaster management is a tough job, and much more tougher in state with harsh terrains and an economy dependent on tourism. To switch the plug of funds, many organisation jumped in. Disaster management turned into a PR activity. Everyone wanted their share of limelight in the 24 hours of telecast. Politicians jumped in to show their sympathy and humanitarian side. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi offered to rebuild Kedarnath temple and some media reports carried the news of Modi rescuing 15,000 Gujaratis from the disaster. Later on, the figure was found to be hugely inflated and everyone distanced from the rashly projected PR figure. Modi persisted on his offer to develop Kedarnath temple, Bahuguna shot down his proposal saying the state is capable of doing so in it's own. The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh released Rs. 1000 crore for Uttrakhand rescue and relief program. It is still not very clear as to how much how much of it and how it will be actually implemented. Then there were some recent reports in media about two local ministers from opposite parties of Karnataka who took got into a scuffle over the issue of who would sponsor the return tickets of the victim. Both the politicians got tickets booked for the victims, but the fight delayed the flight, much to the dismay of the wearied people, desperate to go home.

Seeing the vast deficit in resources and victims to be rehabilitated there were other agents too who joined the flood relief bandwagon. Most of them, just for the heck of it, and some of them to make a heck of it. As the flood subsided, and people began moving to safer avenues there was a rise in the number of touts selling a bowl of rice for Rs. 500 and a liter of water bottle for Rs. 250. The demand and supply will always form an equation, it is always humanity which gets subtracted from it. There are also reports of looting, rape and abuse of the already unfortunate victims, which add pain to the injury. here are also many NGOs sprouting across every nook and corner of the state and in fact, all over the country, most of them motivated by political interests. The opportunists are making a killing from the disaster, and it is not limited to this disaster or this geography only. This is a practice followed in the aftermath of every large-scale disaster who leave most of these stake-holders a lot more richer afterwards, while on the other hand the victims piece together whatever is left of them and their belongings.

There have been many many incidences where the saviors have turned into the dreaded, where relief and rescue gets commercialized, and human life becomes the least of the concern. In the aftermath of a devastating tsunami in the Indian ocean, there were relief camps and large scale donation drive across the world with an aim to uplift the victim and the affected area. A few months later those involved in the relief work had bigger homes, more cars and they were leading an affluent, much to the dismay of the income tax officers. And the victims were long forgotten in the vast sea of oblivion with a meager compensation. Even after Hurricane Katrina, there were reports about the widespread looting and raping prevalent in the victims states. These are only a part of the widespread tragic occurrences and the huge figures of corruption which survive even after a disaster. There have been many pseudo-relief camps, the sole-motive behind their functioning being either political or economic mileage, and they become largely successful in their endeavors because of unsuspecting people who take them as a pillar of support in that hour of need. Instead, they turn out to be hollow panels who fall apart as soon as the serve their greed. They don't care about the structure, the system, they don't care whether it survives or just crashes into a pile of rubble. To tackle the growth of such scam groups, Department of Justice, Oregon, United States came out with certain directives which are essential to remember before lending your support to your local disaster relief camp. The points are:

Only give to established charities. Creating an efficient and effective charity overnight is nearly impossible. Make sure the charity was in existence before the disaster occurred. 

Do not respond to email requests from supposed disaster victims. Unless you know someone in the affected area, these requests are almost always scams. Also, be wary of donation requests or videos posted on social media sites by alleged victims. 

Never give out personal information via phone, text or email. Legitimate charities will be pleased to receive a contribution by check or other secure form of payment and will never request your bank account number or social security number.

Beware of requests for fast money. If you are unfamiliar with the charity, always ask for written materials and do your research before you give. No legitimate organization will insist that you donate immediately. Never send contributions by wire or overnight parcel pick-up service - these are signs of a scam. 

Look out for mysterious phone charges. If you make a donation by sending a text message, your donation will appear on your phone bill. Texting your donation to a legitimate organization is a perfectly acceptable way to help those in need. However, if strange charges other than your donation appear on your bill you may be the victim of a scam. Make sure you understand your phone bill and the signs of “cramming.”

I would like to end this with a sincere hope that we all remain safe from the sudden furious acts of nature and more so from the impromptu, inhuman acts of human. I wish for a world  with a better disaster management, a more helpful hand to support the victims, and a credible network of operations which could help in a fast restoration of normalcy to the victims. The human spirit is indomitable and it knows how to cope in extreme circumstances. Let's encourage those who take this brave step forward. 

I Too Loved This Story

Would you like to read a story where you clearly know that the main plot is based on some random man's love life? Most importantly, after knowing that the story will end on a sad note? I would not and that's why I kept avoiding 'I too had a love story' for a long, long time. I had no interest in taking up this book, the cover was uninviting, the publisher was a little known company, and most of the reviews shot down the grammar and logic of the book. Ignoring the book was bliss, until a few days back when I could no longer hold back the mystery of its success. I ordered the book online. New cover, new publisher. Same story.

'I Too Had A Love Story', is an autobiographical take by the author, Ravinder Singh, concerning his love life where he lost the girl he was intending to marry just two days before engagement. The novel tells the story through the eyes of Ravin, who meets a girl Khushi on a matrimonial website after a bet with his friends.  The two connect instantly and the relationship grows gradually to friendship and then love. It is a very unusual kind of love story. As much as I believed it to have a 'Chetan-Bhagatish' feel to it, it was very dissimilar inits feel and approach. No over-the-top sequences, no clever usage of humor, just plain language telling a simple tale. This very plain language attracted the ire of grammar nazis and literary critics. But no Shakespeare extracted tears from me. This one did.

The story, the narrative and the whole feel of the novel is very down-to-earth. Most probably, it can be an indirect impact of the author's humble background. He comes from, as he tells in the novel, a small locale called Sambhalpur in Orissa, India. He has a regular IT job, and likes hanging out with friends, boozing occasionally to give his friends some company. Khushi, on the other hand, is a modern happy-go-lucky girl also in an IT firm. She wears modern dresses, her family member have a modern outlook too, which the author clearly depicts in the various episodes and incidents involving him and Khushi's family. The love story looks all set to meet a happy conclusion with both the set of families agreeing to bond, and the couple busy in their respective preparations for the wedding. And then the girl meets with an accident and dies. With this incident the book reaches its climactic end which it hinted at the very beginning by the following words: "Not everyone in this world has a fate to cherish the fullest form of love. Some are born, just to experience the abbreviation of it"

The book won my heart with its many emotionally-drenched lines about two people in love with each other. And trust me, knowing the end does not in any way hampers the pleasure of reading the book, instead it connects you even more closely to the story. Every little happy incident makes you sad because of the unfortunate end you know the protagonists are going to face in the end. As you approach the latter part of the book, every turn of the page makes your heart skip a beat as you pray for the end to get delayed by a few more pages. You start relating to the protagonist, as they come to life with the various commonalities of ordinary life of people in a city. The pain is heightened by the fact that Ravin and Khushi live in two completely different cities, miles apart in the geography and met only two times in the whole story before she left her forever.

Not very much a fan of lovey-dovey stories, I found myself holding this book before my eyes for hours at stretch and finished it within two days. Initially I was skeptical about the book and the pace was slow, but as the story moved towards the main plot, the book became hard to put down. But I had to put it down in between. To take breaks for my heavy heart and occasionally to wipe away any drop of stray tears rolling on my cheek.

I have read Chetan Bhagat and they have touched my heart too, but surely not in this way. Here, the tragedy was the king, and I as a reader its slave, hoping, praying, crying, knowing very well that the end is near, and it is not good. The last book I remember which managed to bring out my tears was Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner' which was a long time back. That book brought me out of the illusion that books can never make you cry, and this book reaffirms that lesson. What it is, if not the power of words which moved me, like thousands of other fellow readers?

'I Too Had A Love Story' made me learn that tragedy can be pleasant to read. I also learnt to never judge a book by its cover, or language or grammar, again in the future. I loved this love story, and so will you. Take a leap of faith.

Book: I Too Had a Love Story
Author: Ravinder Singh
Publisher: Penguin
Price: Rs. 140

Interview with E-Club, Jamia University

My Interview with the Entrepreneurship Club, Jamia Millia Islamia, published in their inaugural newsletter.

Hello , Aaqib ! How are you. Your Venture and projects have been quite talked about in our Jamia Campus. So , We'll talk today about your Venture - Imagication and your Life as an Entrepreneur.

Hope you don't mind sharing your Secrets with us.

Aaqib - Of course not!

Kriti : Aaqib , tell us about what is Imagication all about and how or from where did you get the inspiration/idea to start Imagication from?

Aaqib : I would call Imagication a graphics design workshop, instead of a firm, which strives to do more than just churn out colourful computer imagery. Imagication is the art of creating magic through imagination.

The idea to start imagication was neither based on impulse nor was planned. It was a result of gradual developments in the form of work I kept experimenting with. 

Kriti : What made you decide to be a self-employed entrepreneur over a freelancer at this age?

See, there’s a thin line of difference between the two classifications you mentioned and I don’t know myself as to which one I belong more. As far as the assignments and growth are concerned, the freelancer part of me will take care of the work, and the entrepreneurial side would manage Imagication, the brand.

Kriti : Tell us about the Best logos that you've designed and for which firms/Brands?
Best is too strong a superlative which I feel too weak to use for my own work. But, there are two logos Imagication is proud to be associated with, one for MiRAAS 2013 –the annual cultural fest of Jamia and another for JMI Entrepreneurship Club. Both the initiatives provided with immense creative freedom and the logos are completely concept-driven.

Kriti What are the tools that you used to develop your client base?
In my experience, word of mouth has been the best tool which brought me some good quality of work. Social media is good for promoting your brand and getting the message across but the person-to-person network is essential to reach out to the actual potential clients.

Kriti : Just to enlighten our potential entrepreneurs , tell us about the initial struggles that you faced(any family disapproval or nagging by friends) and what did you learn from them?

I have learnt that there is no such thing as initial struggles. It continues till you are an entrepreneur. The struggle to develop new ideas, to excel, to exceed expectations, there is no end to it. But every struggle should result in some lessons.
I was not taken seriously as a designer initially, and neither paid for the work I did. Even today, most of the work is extracted from me as ‘emotional investments’. But I will soon be stopping the ‘freeware’ programme as creativity is directly proportional to time and I invest a lot in every pixel of work I produce.

Kriti :From where did you acquire the inital capital / funding needed for undertaking the functionality?
Since most of the work I do is computer-based I didn't really need any special investment as my laptop is able to process all the heavy graphics with ease. And since my father is also a graphics designer, I already had the required set of softwares saving me from any additional investments. The marketing is currently all based on word of mouth and the facebook page, but I hope to invest on publicity and expansion at a later stage.

Kriti : If you were to advise an upcoming entrepreneur who is just about to start up his venture , what would that be ?

I am no one to dole out advices yet. But observing a strand of grey hair on my head, I would like to say that entrepreneurs should start young. Youth is the phase when you can take risks, when you have whole life to steer and control the flow of events. Ideas are important, money will follow – both investments and returns. Everyone has an entrepreneur in them, and what better time to discover it than now.

The interview as published in the E-Club, JMI's Magazine, 

To keep up with Imagication designs, you can log on to the facebook page: facebook.com/imagication.creatives

Mark The Spot: The Kings are Here

What do you think four boys sitting in a room with a laptop would do? Start a theatre production company? No, right? But thats exactly how it all started. The dream which started off from a single room has created room in many hearts now.

Spotlight players is by no way 'just another theatre society', it is the freshest approach to theater taken in recent times. Guided by the motivation to revive the dying spirit of theatre in the country, Spotlight Player has arrived on scene to bring a revolution of sorts, taking one stage at a time. Spotlight Players, started with the blessings of Mr. Shakeel A. Khan, a renowned personality with an experienced finesse in theatrics, and is being helmed by Mr. Faiz Rehman, who is an excellently thorough professional with an extremely warm soul. And when you have such a team to work with, work ceases to feel like work, and gets exciting each moment. 

I still remember very clearly the first time Faiz bhai hinted me about this initiative. In his usual humbling self, he asked me to value my work and said that a 'very big assignment is coming my way, soon'. I had no clue what that meant, but it got me excited, nervous and impatient. I imagined many scenarios, different projects but a theatre production society never came to my mind. After a few more greetings, came the meeting in which the team gathered and the plan was discussed officially. The plan had something in it which made it feel like a really big project ever since I heard the very first word about it. And the way Faiz bhai explained it all, there was no clause for any doubt. I was all ears. Along with me were other fellow Spotlight Players, Shahzad Khan and Umar Khan. All of them have been a continuous source of energy brimming with a wonderful team spirit. My role was to  design publicity materials for their inaugural event

On 8th of March, 2013, Spotlight Players had their tryst with destiny. The team presented their inaugural stage performance, 'Oedipus: The King', to a packed auditorium of India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi. The play was followed by the Felicitation Ceremony of Padma Shri Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, which was a token of appreciation from the team of Spotlight Players. The audience was enthralled and the chief guests raved about the cultural evening, terming it among the best they ever attended. The play was excellently supported by some of the most talented faces of theatre I have come across in my university. Apart from Faiz bhai, the play saw interesting contributions from Kashif bhai, Shahzad Khan, Umar Khan, Abhilash Philip, Shaista Khan, Shazina Parveen, and all the other people I don't know the names of. The evening was compered by Aisha Shams and Kaif Ali Taqvi, both of them my seniors in college and really affectionate people. I wont give you a review of the performance as it would read like a paid write-up, because I have only positive things to say about my experience of the evening. 

The event ended well with a sumptuous multi-cuisine dinner at the venue. But the joy of pulling off such a big event and the immensely positive feedback satisfied most of our hunger. Yes, we were hungry. And every 'Congratulations' and 'well done' sounded like a dollop of Rosgolla or Laddoos dipped in the sweetest of sugar. A deeply satisfying moment for the team, for Shakeel Sir, for Faiz bhai.
The success of the event can also be greatly attributed to the prime sponsor of the event, DreamUny Education. Mr. Areeb Khan, CEO, DreamUny attended the event and was felicitated with a momento and bouquet. 

When I look back now, designing posters and banners for the event was one of the most challenging projects I have been ever offered. The event had two parts, one of celebration and the other a tragedy play. Mixing them both on a single canvas yet remain effective and attractive was a huge task. But then Faiz bhai made it very easy for me. He motivates you, revives your self-confidence and provides immense creative liberties. He is easily on the best persons I have got a chance to be associated with. In fact, I can go on talking about him, and his generosity but that may very well exceed the word limit Blogger imposes. I hope this is just the beginning of a really long and strong bond through life. InshaAllah.

Spotlight Players have set their best foot forward. The next leap will be coming soon. 

Posters of the event: 

The First Brush

Art is a beautiful form of expression. It is a mysteriously fascinating experience to say something without actually saying, to raise your point without getting in the face, to rise above all without pulling anyone down.

Creative outburst of emotions is an efficient way to channel your energy to do something positive, something in your control, and eventually influence a lot of grey cells.

Imagication started off as a lobby, which grew on to become a passion, with a lot of inspiration and imagination invested in the process. I remember a quote I read somewhere on the internet which said, Do what you love and you will never work a day'. This may seem like a bad advice but it is something I feel very strongly about.

Imagication is an effort to bridge the design gap I found in Jamia Millia Islamia, the university I got admitted into for my under-graduation studies. There were a lot of sign boards, posters, banners of events happening across the university, with a heavy dose of information on each of them. All that was lacking was clarity and its balance with being attractive. I felt I could do something and convinced myself to take this leap of faith.

I took up designing seriously last year only, with two designs for a college's freshers event. Since then, work started to trickle in, progressing to a downpour recently. In the past one year, I feel blessed to be associated with many excellent and creatively satisfying initiatives initiatives, both on and off-campus. I feel thankful to God, and to my parents for the continued guidance and support in all my endeavors. My father is also a graphic designer with Hindustan Times Mint, and he has been instrumental in me being what I am. I owe everything to him and with his blessings, will strive to take Imagication to the next level.

Surely, there are plans for growth and expansion. Apart from graphic design, other creative mediums I passionately pursue are content-writing and photography. These two art forms will be tapped and brought under the Imagication umbrella soon. Well these are plans and a part of a much larger dream. It's now time to wake up and work towards realization. Imagication is now the center of Universe for me.

Thank You.
Keep Praying.

Aaqib Raza Khan
Creative Director,
Imagication

P.S: If you are a social media junkie, you can checkout Imagication on facebook at: facebook.com/imagication

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola: Review [3/5]

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
Directed by: Vishal Bhardwaj
Actors: Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma, Pankaj Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Aarya Babbar
Rating: 3/5

 

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola [MKBKM] is a shock when you consider the movie in a Vishal Bhardwaj frame. But then, widening the angle will give you the man’s perspective on the issues of a small hinterland. MKBKM has been in Bollywood news ever since Bhardwaj expressed his interest in directing a comedy. And this is comedy served in his flavor, with a wacky “anti-smoking” message at the start on the lines of the one we saw in Barfi!

MKBKM has its basic plot circuited around land-mafia operations by filthy rich-politicians-bureaucrats nexus which is very rustic in its approach. Pankaj Kapoor, plays the role of Mr. Harry Mandola to perfection. Imran Khan is Matru, and above the average he usually does and Anushka  is Bijlee, who again gets her type of role of playing a chirpy, casual girl, which she indeed portrays brilliantly. Shabana Azmi plays the role of a Devi ji, a minister in the govt. of Haryana and Aarya Babbar plays her son, Baadal.

Mr. Mandola is a rich landlord of a village in Haryana that is named after him. The villagers are angry at his land acquisition plan and demand their land to be free. Matru wants to free his villagers of all their debts and protect his village from all the pressure-tactics of the banks and bureaucrats to give away the village farms at throw-away prices.  Bijlee is betrothed to Baadal and this alliance is done by Devi ji – Mr. Mandola to satisfy each other’s need of power and money. Mr. Mandola wants the minister to pass the villagers land as barren and hence he would be able to develop it as a Special Economic Zone. Ms. Devi wants the money which Mr. Mandola preserves in the shape of a huge castle, a private aircraft and airbase among other luxuriant possession. The villagers keep receiving anonymous letters to guide them through the situation, all signed ‘Mao’. Eventually it is discovered that Matru is playing Mao to save the village from the oncoming crisis. Meanwhile, Bijlee discovers her love for Matru and the plot gets a love story. The situation would have kept going messier and the movie darker if Mr. Mandola would not have been there. Mr. Mandola suffers from Dual-personality, one which he is and the other he becomes after drinking. Mr. Mandola starts to see Pink Buffalos whenever he’s not drunk, which is most probably a symbol of his constant greed and lust for more wealth and power, which will come at the cost of the villagers. And this dual-persona gives the movie its lift and a climax with an end which gets a bit predictable somehow.

MKBKM has its moments which tickle you and certain satires that make you think. Sample this: A heavily drunk Mr. Mandola takes Matru on a ‘night walk’ in his aircraft and manages to crash it. Media gathers to cover the big news of a ‘UFO crash’ and the reporters ‘sensationalize’ their voice to convey their seriousness. They interview a blind boy, who’s the sole ‘eye-witness’ of the crash in his village and the reporter asks him how the UFO looked, while the boy keeps complaining about his indigestion and a lost underwear.

Pankaj Kapoor deserves every word of the praise for the class of work he has pulled off. Clinton Cerejo-Simaab Sen’s music, Vishal Bhardwaj’s research and Gulzar’s lyrics successfully give the movie its required authenticity and compliments the pace and plot of the movie.

Overall the movie manages to do okay, sometimes feeling too long in its 2 hours 20 minutes of runtime. But then, the director’s name is Vishal!

The Empty Glass

Chapter 1

Shocked, suffocated and horrified, I woke up, breathing heavily and sweating feverishly. It was the middle of a dark, moon-less night and dry air moved the curtains of the window. I reached for the glass of water, removed the coaster that was covering it, and gulped the water down in one go. It was slowly turning to be a daily routine now.

I placed the glass back on the side table and covered it back. The bottom of the transparent, empty glass pulled every drop of water from the walls of the glass, towards itself. And the glass base again had water, enough to add more sparkle.

Chapter 2

I looked around the room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness and body adjusting to the restlessness. The whiteness of the sheets reflecting, even in the darkness informed me that everyone else was sleeping in that room. Sleeping peacefully, all seventeen of them.

All of them, a part of my family, friends and the life I have. Brought together by pure chance and probably a common luck. We all, shared a common present and were probably headed towards a near-common future. A future which has little significance, aspiration or expectation. Same for me, and same for all my fellow members of this 'Happy World- An Orphanage'

Chapter 3

Happy World has been my universe since I am aware of my existence. No one is sure about my origin as with most of my companions here. We are each others family. The orphanage management gives us name on our 'induction' day. I was named Sahil, which the authorities inform is because I was found sitting calmly in a corner of a war-torn, riot-ridden street, just like a sea-side stays calm even when there's a fierce storm surging in the sea. It absorbs all the impact of the waves, and the sides are where the sea meets peace. I don't know how I reached the street? Was I abandoned to die? Where were my parents? Where are my parents?

The questions bother me. Answers elude me. And the continued quest for my identity exhausts me, leaves me thirsty.

Chapter 4

The streets were filled with noise and shouts which the tone described to be of rage, anger and destruction. The area was divided in orange scarfs and green-bands. Swords and 'Trishuls' were at logger-heads. People were fighting in the name of God. A blood-fest was going on.

A century-old tree, which was all green till yesterday was now on fire, wilting leaves. The shady, green tree, an epitome of life, was no more than a burning carcass now.

A weak and visibly tired man was tearing down the streets, running breathlessly, clinging to him, close in the warmth of his chest was a small baby boy, his son. The man covered the three year-old boy with his arms running through the blood and gore, even after being stabbed by a sword, three times on the back.

The torn, blood-soaked clothes drained out the energy from him, but the legs were not yet ready to give up. Till a heavy stone lands on the head of the tired man, breaking his head and his speed. More blood flows, bringing him to the ground and limiting him to a crawl.

The heavily-wounded man draws himself to a silent corner of the street and holds the boy close to him, one last time. And slowly, he loses his grip, and his life.
The boy sitting in the corner, wrapped in white, unaffected by the violent street. Tumultuous events drowned the innocent cries.

I again woke up with this nightmare. And these sights became a usual case now. I don't know why. What's so familiar? Who was that man? Why was I being traumatized by these, again and again? Why, and how could I relate to it? Who was that boy?

Chapter 5

The thing with questions is that they may pile up in the form of dunes, forming a desert around you. And answers are rare, just like an oasis. You may get lost in a desert, craving for water, the thirst pulling out all the spirits to survive. But still you have to go on, that's the only chance of survival, howsoever bleak.

The thirst for identity is never-ending. The hollowness of life, when you don't know anything about your origin, when life gives you no meaning, when you shout in the dark and hear no response, when you crave for your people and get no raised hand, is incomparable, insatiable.

I have lived a long life with this feeling but then I made a pledge to myself- Not any more.
Instead of taking the usual, easy way out, that is suicide, I thought of reinventing my life. My loss of identity can be my strength also. I can turn it into my side to discover a whole new meaning to life and survival. And it wasn't a tough task.

I just lost myself in the sea of humanity, true humanity. Since being with no roots, my plant can take any direction, any shape and can grow on till the sky forms a limit. I can now identify myself with anyone living through this wonderful journey called life. Bound by no religion, belief, race or region, I can go on to see life beyond people who are unaffected by any kind of thirst. I can feel the pain of loss and joys of happiness, more dearly and more closely. I learnt to live my life, instead of just surviving through it.

I no longer have any sight disrupting my sleep, but still do keep a glass full of water by my side. It makes me happy to see it full, as it was the night before.

Lovebug For A Housefly

Will you ever shed tears for a creature as minion as a housefly? Probably not, unless of course if you are not one of those skimpily-dressed PETA activists. But recently, I cried watching the antics of a housefly. Yes, the previous statement is real, but the context belongs to a piece of fiction. I am talking about Eega (dubbed in Hindi as "Makkhi"), a movie belonging to the South Indian movie industry, Telugu cinema to be precise.

Though not very much a fan of Tollywood (as South Indian movie industry is casually referred to), I got interested in Eega after reading constant reports and reviews, most of them positive. There has been a huge buzz for Makkhi (Pun intended) and curiosity got the better of me. A week back I saw S.S Rajamouli, Eega's writer and director, nominated for the Indian of the Year 2012 award, for his contribution in the field of entertainment through this movie. That propelled my interest in this science-fiction flick which has a housefly as the protagonist. Initially I thought it to be a dead-plot, stupid in fact. But post watching the movie, I feel how stupid was I. I should stop judging the book by it's cover.

The basic plot of the movie felt interesting when I first heard about it a year ago. But to imagine a full-length movie being made on this concept seemed to be either an act of incredible confidence or incredible foolishness. I discovered the former to be true after watching the Hindi dubbed version of the movie. I enjoyed it thoroughly and loved the performance of all the actors. The movie stars Telugu film industry actors, Nani, Samantha and Sudeep in the lead roles. I haven't seem them earlier but they all suited their roles perfectly. Nani's character has a limited screen time, but he brings in chirpiness to the movie playing Samantha's love-interest. Sudeep is a multi-millionaire and plays the negative character in the flick.
Eega is an emotional love story replete with Computer Generated Imagery. It is a usual revenge drama with an unusual angle. An insect taking revenge from a human.

The high level of VFX shots involved in the production is the reason attributed to the delays this movie faced in reaching the theaters. Rajamouli is a director well-known for his masala movies. With the current South Indian fascination of the Hindi film industry, many of his films are being remade in Hindi and all of them are getting great response. Rowdy Rathore and Son of Sardaar are some examples. Rajamouli knows his audience and has packaged the contents with all the features typical to the genre and region. But still, the story gets to you like a wonderfully illustrated comic-book. The version of the movie that I saw had some dubbing-gaps, where the Hindi dialogues were missing and the original Telugu audio came to the fore, yet I never lost interest. I was continually involved with every frame to the end-credits, irrespective of the language barrier.

I don't know how much I must have been missing with all the preconceived notions or due to my knowledge insufficiency regarding other languages.

With Eega, Rajamouli has captured the imagination of millions across the globe, when all the time he was focusing on his home industry. That's one of the signs of a great work.

Do watch Eega/Makkhi - your hate for the irritating little monsters may well buzz off.

Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan (3.5/5)

JAB TAK HAI JAAN
Directed By: Yash Chopra
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Anupam Kher
Rating: 3.5/5

Yash Chopra always had a knack to define and redefine relationships, especially those of love. And his love stories have been winning hearts across generations, cultures and continents. When Yash Chopra recently left for his heavenly abode there was a wave of sadness and the wait for his last directorial venture got more uncontrollable. And finally Jab Tak Hai Jaan released on Diwali 2012 with a grand premiere, just the way Mr. Yash Chopra wanted.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (JTHJ) is a love story, which tells the complexities associated with relationships in the contemporary world of the 21st century. JTHJ is Yash Chopra's take on love in today’s time, and how it is perceived and practiced today. It is a commentary which tells about the grandness of love, the timelessness and the ever-powerful state of commitment and attachment which comes with the feeling of ‘ishq’ and how misinterpreted it has become today.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan is the story of Samar (Shahrukh Khan) who is “The man who cannot die”. The reason comes with a logic which you will understand when you watch the movie. He goes on diffusing bombs and catches attention of Akhira who is an intern with Discovery Channel. She gets her hands on the diary of Samar and discovers the story of his past. The flashback story goes to Samar in London who does odd-jobs like sweeping, shop-keeping, and singing songs in public to earn some money and survive in the big city. He meets the big city-rich girl Meera (Katrina Kaif) as he sings ‘Challa’ all around the city and they keep bumping into each other. Katrina gets engaged to an English guy and gets upset over it. There starts the friendship of Samar and Meera where give each other lessons in music and English respectively. The friendship slowly turns into love until Samar meets with an accident. Meera, being a religious lady, promises to God to forsake their relation in lieu of keeping Samar alive. Samar gets back to life. And Meera goes out. Samar feels cheated and shifts back to India joining the Indian Army. The story attracts Akhira and she plans to document the life of this man and she sees it as a successful break. During the process, she falls in love with the Army guy and then the story starts to get complex. A typical love triangle woven across two nations and generations is then explored with different degrees of love they are intertwined with. Meera returns into the life of Samar and the movie starts to reach its climax. And then it stretches.

Ever since the poster and promos of the movie came out, they all had “A Yash Chopra Romance” displayed prominently all over them. And it was much before the unfortunate demise of the legendary director. Then the movie boasted of 3 masters – Yash Chopra, Gulzar and A.R. Rahman – working to create a masterpiece. And then there was the King of Romance at the centre of these affairs. One was bound to get goose-bumps with this combo and the excitement level was hitting the roof. And that’s the problem with hype. Gulzar feels out-of-form in the lyrics and Rahman out of steam. Though some tracks like Challa, Heer and the title track along with the background score are good to ear. The pressure to succeed often gets on as a burden and that reflects on the end product. But the cinematography of this movie is superbly done. It still suits the popular belief that Yash Chopra's movies are meant to be experienced on the big screen. A big hand to Anil Mehta for all the great work with the camera.

During the production of the movie, Yash Chopra was quoted as saying that he wants to make a movie in the language of the youth, which the people of today’s time can relate to and understand. Little did we know that it meant we will end up seeing SRK locking lips and sharing bed-scenes with Katrina with such open references being made to sex and English abuses being incorporated freely. Call me a regressive soul or conservative mind, but it was too hard to digest. Not because of the scenes but particularly because of the people associated with it. Yash Chopra. Shahrukh Khan. Love-making scenes. This is a difficult equation to imagine. Or, it was.
We believed all the romances which started with a hug and ended with a peck on the cheeks. Sweet and adorable it was. But anyway it was Yash Chopra’s way of connecting with the youth which disconnected me. I can still watch a Veer-Zaara hundred times. Emraan Hashmi I rarely do.

The movie also explores some of the trademark concepts of Yash Chopra movies like the superiority of love above all other beliefs and complete-dedication to a relationship even when the wait extends to years of isolation and loneliness. In fact, so closely it follows the usually treaded path that for some moments it feels like a rehashed version of Veer-Zaara served in a modern avatar.

On the basis of performances Shahrukh Khan has essayed the role perfectly handling both the generations with ease. The young, chirpy avatar clearly reminding of Kal Ho Naa Ho’s role and the tough, mean look reminiscent of Chak De! India. Katrina does justice to her part and suits the role of a London girl which might have been the reason she was chosen for the part. Anushka Sharma is as usual playing a bubbly happy-go-lucky girl and is fits into the flick like a charm. Anupam Kher has a brief role which I suspect might have been shortened out from a longer performance in the final release. Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor too play a pivotal part and are instrumental in bringing about a new twist to the story.All the roles are evenly distributed and exceptionally performed.

The movie which has a run-time of around 3-hours seems a bit sluggish for the story. The first half has the majority of the songs and the second half is rather intense. All in all it is a good movie, watchable, a simple plot in a twisted story line and above all a welcome breeze among the trend of South-Indian action remakes. Watch it for the Kings of Romance’s last collaboration, and their finesse in doing so.

Saleskids of The Year

A couple is standing near a counter debating what to buy. Husband wishes for a camera, while the wife is adamant on getting a laptop. The verbal duel goes on till the wife threatens to cancel his Thailand trip, and subsequently the husband gives in to his wife’s demand and orders a laptop.
Seems to be a usual household banter, but it is anything but usual. The couple shown are kids who belong the transitional phase between childhood and teenage. The lady takes up mock anger with perfection and the man sports a fake moustache. The counter is of Flipkart.com, one of India’s largest online consumer goods store.

Welcome to a world that has gone smaller to appeal to a larger number of people. From the Flipkart advertisements which regularly features small kids acting as adults (which is very sweet to watch) to the Oreo advertisements, Allahabad Bank, McDonalds and to the latest commercial spot for ICICI Bank, everyone seems to be looking up the small kids. This trend of using little wonders to sell big numbers isn’t new. In fact, it has been present since the advent of advertising itself. Some little brand ambassadors who became synonymous with the brand are the Murphy Baby (from the Murphy Radio advertisement), the Dhara boy who leaves home in sadness and comes back with the offer of “Jalebi!” and the Parle-G girl who has been our companion during most of the tea-and-snack hours.

By presenting children in advertisements the brands usually want to establish a quick connection with the audience. And they are very much successful in this attempt of theirs. I have seen people flipping through channels to skip advertisement, but they pause to watch if the screen gets filled with the innocence of some kids. And personally I act similarly too.

Following is a list of recent advertisements which I enjoy watching and going by the YouTube numbers, I am sure so do many others. Check them out.

ICICI Bank Rewards Program

This is a sweet 1 minute 20 seconds tale of a little girl, who starts running as soon the school gets over, crosses a small river bridge, jumps through a broken wall and moves at a brisk pace until she sees a solitary building standing on a hill. It is a shop, from which she buys herself a toffee after much deliberation over which one to buy. She returns again the other day with a younger boy who tags along on the magical journey which will reward him with a candy. On reaching the candy shop, the girl discovers that her pocket is torn and she has lost her money. Unable to get the candies, she and the little boy get visibly upset and start to leave the shop when the shopkeeper calls and gives them both a candy, with a smile. And all this while a beautiful Kashmiri poem, “Hukus bukus telli wann che kus” rings in the background in a cute voice, apparently of a girl. The poem, which translates to ‘Who are you and who am I, and tell us who is the creator that permeates through both you and I’, was penned by Lal Ded, one of the greatest poet-saint of 14th century Kashmir. The advertisement sweetly informs about the bank’s rewards program with “Accha lagta hai, jab mile kuchh unexpected” (It feels good when you get awarded something unexpected) and the cute kids drive home the message with ease.

McDonalds

McDonalds has always been very popular with the kids and grown-ups alike. With the onset of inflation and subsequently declining number of people opting to eat-out, McDonalds brought out its Happy Price Menu. Happy Price Menus are either deals on meals or discounted meals in ‘Happy Hours’. And both the steps have been successful in keeping the restaurants crowded and demands sustained. To promote the friendly prices, McD has been regularly releasing advertisements with kids in focus. One of the advertisements which came some months back featured a little girl sitting with a boy his same age. She asks him if she is they are girlfriend-boyfriend? The boy replies in negative and reasons that girlfriends are too demanding. The girl replies that she only wants McAloo Tikki. The boy ponders for a moment, checks his pocket, then smiles and says ‘Okay then’. The next shot shows the ‘couple’ sitting cosily and the girl plants a kiss on the boy’s cheek and then the McD rhetoric “I’m lovin’ it” follows.
Another of the advertisement came around Dushhera, which shows a small boy sitting in the costume of the mythological character Raavan and laughing heartily, very loudly as he scoops through twelve desserts one by one. He is sitting with his father in a McDonalds and the happiness is both expressed through the boy and his father. McDonalds has experimented in advertisements with other adults but needless to say they have failed to make this much of an impact.

Oreo

Open Karo. Lick Karo. And Dunk karo. This is the lesson which the kids in Oreo’s commercials impart, which tells the best way to enjoy Oreo. There have been a series of Oreo advts. in which little kids impart the valuable teaching to relish Oreos it its full essence. There is this advt in particular where a sweet little girl dresses up as a lady in salwar-kurta et al and brings milk and Oreos for his dad who is just back from his office. She teaches him the ‘correct way’ of having the biscuits. And before the man could go for his last step, the girl snatches it away and eats it with a clever grin. The advertisement plays on the childish-naughtiness and through a playful description establishes the biscuit as a ‘kids-favourite’ product.

Flipkart.com

Now these advertisements have won me over completely. A series of them are out on air. And they all have children acting as adults. In the opening paragraph I have already spoken about one of the advertisements in the series. And for the rest I will be posting links, as they are much better to be seen than to be written about.
For me personally, Flipkart has ceased to be a chosen medium of online shopping as the products are usually costlier than competitive websites. But these advertorial spots keep me glued to this brand. I watch them on TV, find them on YouTube and these never fail to tickle my funny bone, or any other part of my anatomy for that matter. The way Flipkart has used children tells about how a child’s play it is to use and order from their website. And in most of their advertisements, there is an in-home Flipkart counter where the family members order the product of their choice. This setting further underlines the ease of ordering and getting the products delivered, all from your home. Flipkart has got all the chords right in this advertorial series.