Shikhar Nigam's Blog, page 4
March 30, 2015
5 Brands That I'm Actually Loyal To
As per the latest stats from 2014, companies in India spent nearly Rs. 386 Billion in advertising
(Source)
. An introductory marketing class will tell you that the main purpose of advertising is not to create brand loyalty (it's more to create brand awareness), but brand loyalty is what they are looking for in the end. But, how many of us are actually loyal to any brand? Sure, there are the Apple fanboys and the Google supporters etc. but in a normal-day life, how many brands am I really loyal to?
1. Maggi
I've had the occasional flirtatious affairs with Top-Ramen, and Wai Wai but in the end I do always seem to return to Maggi - at least for the noodles. The soup segment - not so much.
2. Google
Android, Chrome, Drive is the trifecta of services that keeps you beholden to the Google environment. I shifted from Firefox about 4 years ago, when Google started their offline Drive sync, and browser-settings sync, and sure I've had the occasional trouble finding the right plugins (or extensions) but it still can't make me abandon Google. At least not until Google Drive becomes replaceable.
3. Indigo
This is the go-to and often the only LCC option that I book. Even before Spicejet was having its financial troubles, this was it for me. Will remain so.
4. Amazon
This is a relatively newer shift of mine. I've been a huge fan of the Kindle but the total embrace of the e-commerce part of Amazon to supercede my rapidly diminishing love for Flipkart has been a fairly recent phenomena perpetuated by one bungle after another by Flipkart and their often shady T&C changes. For quite some time now, I've become an Amazon exclusive.
5. Dettol
For bathing soaps and for handwash. Need I say more?
The peculiar thing here though is that I don't use their antiseptic. I prefer Savlon. It stings less.
That's a fairly short list and trust me I spent quite some time thinking about this. Despite the big budgets of various companies, in actual effects of brand loyalty on me, they're coming up quite short.
1. MaggiI've had the occasional flirtatious affairs with Top-Ramen, and Wai Wai but in the end I do always seem to return to Maggi - at least for the noodles. The soup segment - not so much.
2. Google
Android, Chrome, Drive is the trifecta of services that keeps you beholden to the Google environment. I shifted from Firefox about 4 years ago, when Google started their offline Drive sync, and browser-settings sync, and sure I've had the occasional trouble finding the right plugins (or extensions) but it still can't make me abandon Google. At least not until Google Drive becomes replaceable.
3. IndigoThis is the go-to and often the only LCC option that I book. Even before Spicejet was having its financial troubles, this was it for me. Will remain so.
4. Amazon
This is a relatively newer shift of mine. I've been a huge fan of the Kindle but the total embrace of the e-commerce part of Amazon to supercede my rapidly diminishing love for Flipkart has been a fairly recent phenomena perpetuated by one bungle after another by Flipkart and their often shady T&C changes. For quite some time now, I've become an Amazon exclusive.
5. Dettol
For bathing soaps and for handwash. Need I say more?
The peculiar thing here though is that I don't use their antiseptic. I prefer Savlon. It stings less.
That's a fairly short list and trust me I spent quite some time thinking about this. Despite the big budgets of various companies, in actual effects of brand loyalty on me, they're coming up quite short.
March 29, 2015
The Summoning Circle
There is a famous trope of witches casting a summoning spell on a spirit using three (sometimes more) articles very dear to the spirit in question - which got me thinking, if one day my spirit continues to linger on to haunt a certain somebody, and perchance a witch wanted to summon what three items would she use? I don't wear any jewellery, so this is going to be tough.Obviously, my one and only item actually would be the Internet, but since the items have to be tangible, I'm going to have to go with the following.
Item 1: A page from the Hitchhiker's Guide To The GalaxyThis is my favourite book. It's damned hilarious and philosophical. (Read about the impact this book has had on me, here.) A page from this book would summon me anywhere.
Item 2: A Playing CardPreferably, the Queen of Hearts. Besides the obvious metaphor, which I'm definitely leaving upto your more salacious imaginations (and you can also read a lot into why I haven't chosen the King of Diamonds instead), a playing card holds a much more important significance for me. One of my earliest memories of TV is watching David Blaine. And then commandeering from my father all of the magic tricks he had bought at fetes. I still have a shoe-box full of them somewhere. And then, I really got into magic. Street-magic. I'm a student of it, an ardent fan of its intricacies and all of what magic teaches us about life.
Item 3: A The Thumb-ringThe first girl to ever completely and utterly break my heart while at the same time pretty much not knowing that I existed during her ugly duckling to swan transformation phase (I'd liked her since the ugly duckling phase, don't judge me) had adopted a new habit of wearing a thumbring. In those days, I did harbour a fantasy of being close to that thumbring. And seeing as that I don't own, wear or will like wearing jewellery, and you do need one to finish this trope completely, I nominate this to be my final item. This also gives the troika of my items to be fairly unachievable and therefore a worthy quest for the hero to embrace. I do sincerely hope, though, that my spirit doesn't linger around.
March 27, 2015
Un conejo y una tortuga
Uno día, un conejo y una tortuga decidíeron participar en una carrera y descubrir quién era más rapido. Ellos empiezaron al mismo tiempo y el conejo corrió muy rapido y lluegó mucho antes que la tortuga. Entonces, decidió descansar por unos minutos antes de terminar la carrera. Mientras tanto, la tortuga corría lenta pero constantemente. Ella pasó al conejo que estaba descando y no sabía que la tortuga se había pasado. Finalmente, cuando el conejo despertó, ya la tortuga había ganado la carrera.
March 24, 2015
3 More Laws That Need To Be Abolished Soon
With the recent strikedown of Section 66A (a much reviled and incongruous law that had been mismanaged since its inception) by the Supreme Court of India as being unconstitutional, the keyboard warriors rejoiced in utter euphoria. (The real heroes though were among others, MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Shreya Singhal, mouthshut.com, Taslima Nasrin etc., Source). However, there are still a number of laws in the country that need to see the same fate as Section 66A pretty soon if we wish to carry forward the ideas and ethics of a free and open society based on equality.
1. Section 295A - The Blasphemy Laws of IndiaThese laws provide for fine or imprisonment for people who with their written or spoken works deliberately and maliciously outrage the religious feelings of any Indian citizen. First consider the weakest argument against these laws - the company we keep; Pakistan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh - none of which are exactly the poster boys for a secular nation that India strives to be in its Preamble.
The second argument, the more cogent one, of course is regarding the freedom of speech. There is a huge difference between causing violence and inciting hatred and questioning the intents or even logic of religious people. As per these laws, the latter, a simple point-by-point logical argument or debate against religion that irks a citizen is punishable by law. And as an atheist, one is not afforded similar consideration - that one's non-religious sentiments might also be hurt.
And if you think that this doesn't happen, then you would do well to read up on this case, where Sanal Edamaruku faces jail for revealing 'tears' trickling down a Mumbai church statue came from clogged drainage pipes.
2. Section 377 - The Unnatural Sex Laws of IndiaWhat two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes should be none of our business - especially when it comes to sex - something considered so intimate and yet taboo in India that people refrain from talking about it candidly and yet feel completely comfortable in dictating the preferences of others. And you would think that scientific research into the simple facts that gay sex is abundant in nature and is therefore not "against the order of nature" , this law would have bit the bullet but moral policing obviously knows no bounds.
3. Section 497 - The Adultery Laws of IndiaThis another one of those laws in which moral arguments roost, but those can be argued for and against ad nauseam. The real contention herein is that according to this law, it is only the husband that can be charged with 'adultery' - the consenting woman in the non-marital relationship is guilt-free as it were - which is not only unfair but open to abuse. Of course, since most of India still lives under strict patriarchal norms, you could argue the urgency of an amendment to this law, but as long as the scope for misuse exists, it needs to be changed. Moreover, being convicted of adultery opens you upto five years of imprisonment. Whilst adultery should be and is perfectly sound grounds for a divorce, five years of imprisonment for a consenting relationship between two adults (albeit in deceit) seems kind of harsh.
1. Section 295A - The Blasphemy Laws of IndiaThese laws provide for fine or imprisonment for people who with their written or spoken works deliberately and maliciously outrage the religious feelings of any Indian citizen. First consider the weakest argument against these laws - the company we keep; Pakistan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh - none of which are exactly the poster boys for a secular nation that India strives to be in its Preamble.
The second argument, the more cogent one, of course is regarding the freedom of speech. There is a huge difference between causing violence and inciting hatred and questioning the intents or even logic of religious people. As per these laws, the latter, a simple point-by-point logical argument or debate against religion that irks a citizen is punishable by law. And as an atheist, one is not afforded similar consideration - that one's non-religious sentiments might also be hurt.
And if you think that this doesn't happen, then you would do well to read up on this case, where Sanal Edamaruku faces jail for revealing 'tears' trickling down a Mumbai church statue came from clogged drainage pipes.
2. Section 377 - The Unnatural Sex Laws of IndiaWhat two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes should be none of our business - especially when it comes to sex - something considered so intimate and yet taboo in India that people refrain from talking about it candidly and yet feel completely comfortable in dictating the preferences of others. And you would think that scientific research into the simple facts that gay sex is abundant in nature and is therefore not "against the order of nature" , this law would have bit the bullet but moral policing obviously knows no bounds.
3. Section 497 - The Adultery Laws of IndiaThis another one of those laws in which moral arguments roost, but those can be argued for and against ad nauseam. The real contention herein is that according to this law, it is only the husband that can be charged with 'adultery' - the consenting woman in the non-marital relationship is guilt-free as it were - which is not only unfair but open to abuse. Of course, since most of India still lives under strict patriarchal norms, you could argue the urgency of an amendment to this law, but as long as the scope for misuse exists, it needs to be changed. Moreover, being convicted of adultery opens you upto five years of imprisonment. Whilst adultery should be and is perfectly sound grounds for a divorce, five years of imprisonment for a consenting relationship between two adults (albeit in deceit) seems kind of harsh.
March 23, 2015
If your mind was a room, how would it be?
The way I would want my mind to look like is something I have already explored in one of my stories. It would be a huge room with a high ceiling - a library - closed on three sides with walls and the fourth side would be an entire glass wall that overlooks a huge grassy field. The library itself would be on the second floor and would overlook the grassy expanse. Inside the library itself, the temperature is cool. The floor is wooden. There is soft lighting, glazed wooden furniture everywhere for you to lounge in. I don't think there would be any ambient music because it is a library. And of course, there'd be stacks and stacks and stacks of books of every colours, shape, size, genre and narration style. And I'd just sit there and do nothing but devour one book after another.
March 19, 2015
La Escena
En esta escena hay un caballo y una casa. El caballo es negro y muy grande. Una mujer monta el caballo. En la casa hay un hombre. Él cocina algo en la cocina. Luego el hombre acaba de cocinar, sale de la casa y dice a la mujer : "la comida está lista".
Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner
Spanking Shakespeare by Jake WiznerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This YA coming-of-age novel has its moments but mostly few and clustered towards the start of the book. There is no life-changing climax or build-up and so, the entire story feels somewhat of a letdown. The plot is of course entirely formulaic but it is a quick, breezy not unlikable read.
There was one paragraph, however, that resonated deeply with me. Just like the protagonist in the novel, I wish to be a writer. In fact, sometimes, I think that if I were slightly better at it, it would be the saving grace in an otherwise perceptibly dull array of personality or skills. And that is why as the writer puts it, "I’m convinced that if I ever do get a girl to go out with me, it will be because of my writing."
Other favourite quotes:
I do think about it. I think about it every day as I sit next to Celeste in class. I think about it every night as I lie in bed committing mass spermicide.
But how? I wanted to ask. What did you say? What did she say back?
(Talking about how his best friend got a girlfriend)
View all my reviews
March 16, 2015
March 13, 2015
Smiling For The Camera
I don't photograph well. That is not a statement made in vain or vanity in order to cover up any physical deficits of beauty that do not translate to the digital medium. It is the plain simple truth. And after much analysis by poring over scores of awkward and embarrassing photos on Facebook, I think I have pinpointed the problem. It's the smile. My smile, rather.
I don't know how to smile on command. I mean I can do it for a split second maybe. But, with my friend going, "Ready? Ready?" - I think I'll be too late with my forced, god-awful, crooked-teeth smile, that I start a bit early. And then I feel like an idiot. I mean why do I have my teeth bared? My cheeks aren't supposed to be scrunched up. I probably look creepy. Shit my nose is itching. So, I have to stop with the pretend smile. And the flash goes off. That is if the flash goes off. Most of time, nowadays, no flash goes off and everyone's taking multiple photos. You would think that that would be my saving grace - that in at least one of the numerous photos that are automatically clicked, one would present me in a non-monstrous or non-high look, but alas, such is the magnitude of my face's photo-phobia that I don't get a good one even out of ten successive photos. Once, I had to get some passport photos clicked at a professional studio. The guy taking the photo was frustrated pretty quickly. Such experiences abound in the life of a non-photogenic person. I have made my peace with it.
Smilling For The Camera
I don't photograph well. That is not a statement made in vain or vanity in order to cover up any physical deficits of beauty that do not translate to the digital medium. It is the plain simple truth. And after much analysis by poring over scores of awkward and embarrassing photos on Facebook, I think I have pinpointed the problem. It's the smile. My smile, rather.
I don't know how to smile on command. I mean I can do it for a split second maybe. But, with my friend going, "Ready? Ready?" - I think I'll be too late with my forced, god-awful, crooked-teeth smile, that I start a bit early. And then I feel like an idiot. I mean why do I have my teeth bared? My cheeks aren't supposed to be scrunched up. I probably look creepy. Shit my nose is itching. So, I have to stop with the pretend smile. And the flash goes off. That is if the flash goes off. Most of time, nowadays, no flash goes off and everyone's taking multiple photos. You would think that that would be my saving grace - that in at least one of the numerous photos that are automatically clicked, one would present me in a non-monstrous or non-high look, but alas, such is the magnitude of my face's photo-phobia that I don't get a good one even out of ten successive photos. Once, I had to get some passport photos clicked at a professional studio. The guy taking the photo was frustrated pretty quickly. Such experiences abound in the life of a non-photogenic person. I have made my peace with it.
