Camera for an intelligent dreamer!
There was a time when photography was seeped in a complex universe that the uninitiated was afraid to step into. Then came a phase when despite the complexities remaining the same, people dared to get into photography because the cameras had suddenly become affordable. The digital camera era demolished whatever boundaries there were left and...
The real fiction of good mentors
Where did this word ‘mentor’ come from? In the 8th century BC, the Greek writer Homer wrote an epic poem describing Odysseus’s adventures during his 10-year voyage home after the Trojan War. While he was gone, he entrusted the care and education of his beloved son, Telemachus, to his faithful friend Mentor. Almost three thousand...
Stand out. Review of ‘Personal branding for Dummies’
Susan Chritton helpfully informs us that ‘success stories inevitably involve people who stand out from the crowd’ and that ‘no one is going to manage your personal brand except you.’ Combining the two we know that a well understood and well managed personal brand is what success is all about. Obviously then, ‘taking charge of...
GRAND entry can be smart as well
What is a grand entry all about? Fanfare, joyous moods, perceived advantages, interactive advantages, scope to move ahead, possibilities, favourable moments, and an accent on ascent are all in one way or the other associated with a GRAND entry. Well, almost all of them are there with the new smartphone that Samsung has just introduced:...
On Book Reviews
You’ll be reading my book reviews in this column week after week… and as I sat pondering on which book to review for you first, I said to myself, ‘Hey, let me begin by defining what a book review is and how best to write one.’ The decision was made in less than a minute...
The distance dream
I woke up late that day and as I slowly walked into the study, I found my wife totally immersed in the day’s newspaper. ‘Anything interesting?’ I asked. ‘Not if you aren’t interested in scams and murders and rapes,’ she answered and then added, ‘but there is one small piece of news which is making...
Just a death
She is dead. The incredible fact is that even before she died, she managed to infuse life into a lot of men and matters. Well in this case, when I say men, I mean women too. Now that she is dead, will we let it pass by as just a death? Just another death? Passing...
Biting bits and bytes
The digital age is here and will stay. It is quite possible that very soon we will start having the effigies and idols of our Gods and Goddesses too with both the traditional instruments of learning and their new-age version. Just image Lord Ganesha with one of her hands holding the palm-leaf scriptures hard-bound with...
The fine art of photocopying
I really did not know that there was artistry involved in photocopying until I met ManMohan Singh. No, not our honourable Prime Minister, this guy is a delivery boy working with a photocopier somewhere in the North Campus of Delhi University. I saw him struggling near the lift in our block of flats, with a...
A party called ELECTIONS
No, I’m not talking of the national or state assembly elections. I am not talking about the forthcoming 2014 elections too. I am talking about the university elections in India… and why they tend to be lacking a direction. The only focus that is ever visible in a student election is a convergence to creating...
Defending smartphones is easy
Does a new smartphone in your hands really signify that you are one with a great tech lifestyle? I’m asking this question because wherever I go I find people holding their mobile phone as if it were something that could take them a notch or two beyond all the other ‘lesser mortals’! Let us go...
What’s the matter with you, teacher ji?
The first thing that I noticed this Teacher’s Day on 05th September was updates literally tumbling out of my Facebook page… no they were not meant for me. They were all by teachers themselves and said the same thing. A great number of them said: “If you can read this, thank a teacher!” The entire...
