Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Saturday, April 02, 2011

For The Record

India has won. Fellow countrymen and women are all out on the streets. High-fiving through cars, bikes and even autos. Autos which have dozens of people in them each. Cars which had probably never used their sun roofs before. I saw a family distributing slices of cake to cars passing by. Smiling policemen only telling people to not swing from their cars' windows. Tiny kids not understanding what is happening but participating in the fun. 

Sachin had the best smile. The Vande Mataram chant was unmatchable. And the tears. Wow.

Feels good to have been witness to such history. And on an unrelated note, I will miss seeing Gauti in the Delhi jersey later this month. 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Peepli Weekend

This was a long weekend. Mostly nice. On Thursday, I got the mind-numbingly expensive knee support that the latest doctor prescribed. It is my last hope to save the surgery. It helps me walk. Almost as much as I want to. So, on Friday afternoon I set out for a shopping bonanza to test it. Not only could I walk, I could walk fast (just the way I like to), and I was on my feet for close to two hours. This injury has been one of the many humbling experiences of the recent past.
I bought things that excite me most after silver jewellery. Bags!! Yes, plural. You can consider it a lottery. Moreover, the peace that doing such things alone gives evens out the madness. Therefore the word 'bonanza'. :D
The evening had a Teej-related dinner at someone's place. Highlight of the rather annoying gathering was the fact that an absolutely unrelated oldie located far, far away from here sent me personalised blessings. Felt good.

On Saturday morning I spotted a hot-looking guy at the hospital. Perks of an injury which takes you to places visited by fit people who play sports and get injured too. :P
I got home to learn that family had booked tickets for Peepli Live. What a movie! Beautifully made, edited with precision, awesome details, and a wonderful take on the horrible situation in the country. And of course, God bless Indian Ocean! Never thought Des Mera could also take such a filmi turn.
Saturday also saw my hair looking so killer(!) that I fell in love with it all over again.

On Sunday, Independence Day, I decided to hear what that prime minister had to say to us. It had been several years since I either watched the Red Fort programme or heard anyone give speeches the way it happened in school. It was so unfortunate to listen to the uninspiring Dr. Manmohan Singh use words that were literally used by Hindi teachers back in standard 5th. I say this because the nation is also in not too different a state since 1995 (on several levels). His speech was defensive for crying out loud! It was politics, not nation-building. Previous night's Peepli was flashing in my head as I heard him go on about one yojna after the other. Nonetheless, I still celebrated independence with extended family through rest of the day. Good food, long drive, bowling, camera flashes, and some smiles. :-)

I had followed the first three seasons of Indian Idol and always thought that a singer better than the winner got left out. But justice happened in Indian Idol 5. I am glad. :)

I expect the next one to be The Freedom Weekend. Hope to tell you why.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Your Brand's Worth?

A funny conversation with a friend today led to the realisation that I have fought/argued with several companies/brands due to bad service delivered. I could recall ten of those, and here they are!

Airtel
Vodafone
HUL - Pureit
Spicejet
HSBC
Barista
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Pizza Hut
Adidas
Hair & Shanti/Madonna/Meghna - all are hair salons in Delhi

The first five were pretty severe wars.
The food/beverage places tend to mess it up a lot more anyway!
Adidas, well, once each shoe of a pair broke into two within a few months of purchase and they offered no help whatsoever!
And the rest for giving me bad haircuts on several occasions. :-|

On the other hand, some brands that have been great experiences in terms of quality of product as well as service are...

Dell
Converse
Costa Coffee
Samsung
Gati
Marks & Spencer
DTDC
Bata Power
Timex
And some doctors that I have been visiting for a long time now. :P

Tell me how often do you fight for the exorbitant service taxes and mad MRPs you pay?