My Favourite Podcasts

I  found a podcast- Rumble w/ Michael Moore. It is a stupendously good podcast in which Michael Moore, the filmmaker, talks about many pertinent issues. He is a critic of American imperialism and voiced his opinion about America's longest war- Afghanistan War. He handpicks his guests.  He invited Chris Hedges, a journalist, who lost his job because he criticized America's policy to invade Afghanistan. Michael is not afraid of voicing his politics. 

Another podcast that I enjoy listening to is Mihir Bose's podcast. Mihir Bose talks about many issues. Politics, sports, life, racism, and many more. He invites two other journalists in his podcast to talk about many important issues. He also discussed the Afghan situation. One of the points that he raised in that episode is that how UK's intelligentsia failed to comprehend the situation. 

There are many other podcasts I listen to but I don't miss this two for sure. 

The Spy - Netflix Originals

Yesterday, after a long time, I binge-watched Netflix's Original series - The Spy. Based on the life story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen, this series is a precursor to what is happening in the Arab world.  I like to clear it first that this is not a review of The Spy. I'm rather amused with the life that Mr. Cohen lived. I still can't fathom how seamlessly he fooled Syria's top-level officials and military personnel.

 There should not be a doubt about his grasp of linguistic. He spoke so many languages with such ease is still enviable. He was a master actor. He knew how rich live their lives. He maintained that suave for years. I later found out that his work helped Israel to win the six-day war in 1967. 

Because of his PR skills, the PM of Syria asked him to become the Defense Minister of Syria. Just imagine how good he was. He loved his country no matter what although he didn't want to return for Syria. 

Of course, the series dramatized few events, but people will remember him as one of the greatest spies in history. 

A Limerick on West Bengal Economy

First Blue, then red, and now the sky

No matter what, money says bye-bye

Education is for children to train

We are proud of our brain drain

Bengalis are predominantly money shy

I'm Joining The Stock Market

I'm planning to join the stock market. There should not be any doubt that I failed as a copywriter. I'm also not getting offers to work as a Copywriter. I should have become a creative director by now. But I'm not. However, the flow of money is necessary. So I'm planning to join the stock market. I'm gearing up to pursue a course. I'm also learning blockchain technology. I will continue this blog. But my association with advertising seems over. 

Why did the Berlin Wall fall?

The fall of the Berlin Wall was one of the most important events of the last century. It changed the course of history. There are multiple arguments and counter-arguments behind the reasons for the fall of the wall. But I think it was purely psychological. I can say this because I grew up in a Communist Bengal.

People in Bengal were more fascinated with the happenings of non-communist states. East Germans were in search of a promised land. And for them, West Germany was the land of hope. People in East Germany wanted to taste the life of a free, liberated world. Previously, many East Germans tried to escape the Iron Curtain. A few were successful, but most of them failed. 

When they broke down the wall, the east germans didn't know what was waiting for them. They were aware of it, but still, they went for the demolition. More than fed up with their communist government,  they were interested in what was happening in the western part of Germany.  

Did they want freedom? But freedom doesn't buy your dinner. You have to spend 10 hours in a factory or an office to earn your living. Weren't they aware of it? Yes, they were, but still, they went to break down the wall. Of course, German nationalism played an important role in uniting the two nations. But the primary reason- they were in search of a promised land. Aren't we all are in search of a promised land. 

For this, people migrate from one place to another. People seek something new. They want to start fresh. 

                                                              (Photo Source: Time)

Afghan Crisis & India's Partition

On 15th August 2021, Kabul fell under the hands of the Taliban. After two decades. We have seen the plight of ordinary Afghan men, women, and children to leave Afghanistan. It was hard for the rest of the world to understand what they were going through at that moment. The looming uncertainty of the ordinary Afghans was unprecedented. The entire incident took me 74 years ago - 15th August 1947, the day India gained its freedom with the cost of partition of the Indian sub-continent.

I was trying to understand what Indians felt on the morning of 15th August 1947, especially the displaced ones. They were free from British rule but lost everything. The world witnessed a mass migration on an epic scale. Did the morning of 15th August (1947) bring any hope to the displaced ones? Were they felt liberated? Many of them lived in abject poverty. The pains of partition are still present among many. 

In Afghanistan's case, it is Americans. And in India's case, it was British. Western allies don't understand third-world countries. British hastily left India and now America did this with Afghans. 

One Away From Hundred

I have a dedication problem. If I have been dedicated, then I would have blogged for 365 days. I should have found out ways to write a blog every day. 

I started this blog on 1st September 2020. On 31st August, I will reach the mark of 100 blogs. So, 1 year- 100 blogs. My next target is to write 200 blogs in a year. But I have to make sure that those blogs help people. Not a shitpost, like this. 

Kafka's Diary

I have nothing to say today. I'm suffering from writer's block. The idea of this piece is present in Kafka's diary. Nothing is original. The idea is stolen, not copied. But if you open Kafka's diary, you won't find this piece. That's the beauty. 

But the main reason I'm writing this is to achieve my target of writing 100 blog posts in a year. This blog post will touch the 98th mark. I have just two more days left to complete one year.

Radio Gaga

Last night, I was listening to the radio. More than songs, I am interested in what the radio jockeys say. The private radio channels are around two decades old. Before, it was only government channels. 

I come from a lower-middle-class family. Private radio channels opened a new door to me. The kind of shows that were airing was cool by my standards. The more conversational radio jockeying was more approachable to the new-age audience. 

I heard the first jingle, radio ads during that time. I used to listen to the radio for around 10-12 hours a day. However, one thing that caught my attention at that time is the Friday night shows. Few channels air club music on Fridays. It started that time. I was around 16-17 and had never been to a club. The mixed songs were new to me. I got hooked on it. I was unable to pay for visiting a club, but those songs helped me not to feel bad about it.

I still listen to Friday night's non-stop mix songs to get the feeling that I'm inside a club. 

Dead rockstars

During my teenage days, I used to think that all the rockstars are dead. Rock music was new to me. Rock music completely changed my outlook on life. I started smoking marijuana as those rockstars do. The theory of dead rockstars arose when my friends told me that those rockstars died either too much smoking or drinking. Later, I find out that most rockstars are alive. But I was always intrigued why my friends told me that the rockstars are dead. 

Rumor spreaders were promoting the idea that is- to be alive, you have to die multiple times. Also, dead rockstars mean that they are beyond the reach of ordinary people like me. 

Later in life, when I joined advertising, I understood what it means to be alive, you have to die multiple times. Each day is a different day in advertising. You can't predict what will happen to you in next day. The chaos leads to creativity.

Advertising should create growth hackers!

There is a problem with advertising. Currently, the idea has taken a backseat, and designing is in the front seat. Advertising nowadays is more interested in writing a quirky copy or a cool-looking design. However, advertising should solve business problems. They should help businesses to grow. But rather than solving business problems, they are busy making creatives. 

If you look at the growth hacking scene, you will see many engineers. How come engineers ended up increasing a business's growth? It should be advertising folks solving business problems and bringing profit to a business.  

The work that advertising folks are doing doesn't solve business problems. 

The time for a change has come. 

No one has hijacked the plane and advertising

A Ukrainian plane has been hijacked at Kabul airport and taken into Iran. This may aggravate the tense situation in Afghanistan considering the current scenario. But the funniest part of the news is that no one has taken the responsibility of hijacking the plane. Iran, Ukraine, Talib- all said that they haven't hijacked the plane. This has made the situation messier. 

But I'm finding an eerie similarity between advertising and this situation. In advertising agencies, when there is a mistake in work, people party to it don't like to take responsibility.  This makes things messy. The work gets stalled. 

My problem with the Blogger

Google's Blogger is an excellent platform to showcase your writing skill. It is simple and easy to navigate. I joined Blogger in September 2020 and posted around 90 blogs in this one year. I have learned many things about blogging such as watching stats, choosing themes, etc. Also, I still don't understand most of the things that are present in my blogger profile. I hope someday I will be able to figure out what they are. 

But today, I'm going to rant against Blogger. The one thing that troubles me a lot is that it is hard to get followers. If I send a blog link to someone on WhatsApp then he can't follow my blog. There is no provision of following a blogger profile on the mobile version. This makes getting followers is hard to achieve. I had WhatsApp my blog link to many but didn't get followers as there was no follow button present there. People spend a lot amount of time on their phones. So if the follow button was there, they could have followed my profile instantly. Google should understand that I can't WhatsApp a person on their laptop or desktop. 

So if Google creates a provision for mobile users to follow a blogger profile, then budding bloggers like me will get some followers. 

The Importance of Messaging

Today I went to the bank to update my passbook. I was standing in a queue when I read the notice. It was hanging on the glass in front of the person who was making changes to the passbooks. The message was- 'No passbook updations.' It was evident that the person behind the glass has completely forgotten that he needs to remove the notice as he resumed updating passbooks. 

He doesn't understand the importance of messaging. He should have removed the notice. This type of conduct is very much present in many areas that we deal with every day. The entire thing is misleading. Clear messaging is a sign of a good and well-functioning process. 

Everyone should understand the importance of advertising. If he should have removed the message then I had no doubt of approaching him. If there was a message stating 'Passbook update done here' then I had it could have saved time for both him and mine.  

The Fall Kabul & Bengali News Media

The fall of Kabul is one of the harrowing stories of 2021, but this post is not on the fall of Kabul. It is about the fall and fall of Bengali. Once one of the most vocal media in the entire country now has just become a mouthpiece of the state government. These news channels don't send reporters to Afghanistan. They depend on international news media houses. They create news in vernacular what international news media houses reported. 

The main reason behind it because of the lack of funds. Most regional news channels are depended on the advertisement of the state government. In West Bengal, due to the lack of industry, these newspaper fails to get any advertisement from companies. They are solely dependent on government ads. If they report anything against the interest of the government, then the next day they don't get advertisements from the government. So they prefer to cover national or international news. But when they cover such news, very few are dependent on their sources. 

The Problem With The Afghan Men

The fall of Kabul on 15th August caused complete lawlessness across Afghanistan. We all have seen the images or videos of how ordinary Afghans are trying to flee Afghanistan. One thing that caught my attention from that scene is the attitude of Afghan men. 

We have seen how desperately Afghan men at the airports were trying to catch an airplane. But one thing that triggered me to write about an intriguing aspect about the Afghan men. They were all trying to leave Afghanistan without women. I haven't seen a single woman at the Airport. The men at the tarmac or outside the airport were without women. This disturbed me a lot. I hope that good will prevail over bad and Afghan men will think about their women. 

Gangs of Wasseypur and Film as a mass media

A few hours ago, I saw a report by the online news channel The Print. The report says after the release of the Anurag Kashyap cult film ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, the lives of the people living in Wasseypur have changed dramatically.

Now, banks don’t give loans to the people living in Wasseypur. Swiggy, Zomato doesn’t allow cash on delivery (COD) option for the residents of Wasseypur. People living outside Wasseypur are reluctant to get married to someone from Wasseypur. 

People of Wasseypur think that this has happened because of the film. This entire thing reminded me of Russian revolutionary Lenin’s view on cinema. Lenin made his oft-quoted statement “that of all the arts the most important for us is the cinema.” He wanted to use film as a propaganda tool for the Soviet masses. And in the case of Gangs of Wasseypur, this thing has exactly happened to the people residing near Wasseypur. The film has hypnotized them. 

This is the power of film. A good film can blur the line between reality and fiction. Gangs of Wasseypur are one of them. 

At times, I take inspiration from films. My sister told me that she also takes inspiration from films to handle real-life situations. Films are no doubt a tool to reach out to the mass. The question is how to use it. As a tool to educate or to fool.

My Take on the Afghan Situation

The fall of Kabul on 15th August 2021 is going to be the most important day for the politics of the 21st century. The return of the Taliban to power proves that winning Afghanistan is next to impossible. The British tried it and failed, Soviets tried it and failed, and now after 20 years of battle- Americans have lost the battle. The question is who is going to be the next. The natural answer to that question is China. 

There should be no doubt that China’s ally Pakistan has a vested interest in Afghanistan. Taliban is Pakistan’s natural ally. Taliban in Afghanistan means stability in Pakistan’s western border. A democratic government in Afghanistan means a good relationship with India. And Pakistan doesn't want India’s presence on their Eastern and Western sides. There should not be any doubt that Pakistan has fed these Taliban fighters for the last 20 years. Pakistan will project this as natives returning to their homeland. 

The return of the Taliban will also destabilize the security in South-East Asia. Pakistan will feel safer now. Pakistan's relationship with India may deteriorate further. India should keep a vigil on what is happening in Afghanistan. 

From the international perspective, it will probably end Islamophobia. The failure of America and NATO forces to predict the fall of the Afghan government will have multiple repercussions. This may be the end of America’s dominance on world matters. And will start the era of Chinese dominance. The way America and NATO failed to stop the Taliban invasion will certainly excite the Chinese and Russian military experts. However, the most distressing part is that a new era of Asian hate will begin in the West. 

(Image source: The Economist)

 

Advertising and Underground Culture

I was watching a documentary on one of my favorite authors Akhtaruzamman Eliyas. Alongside interviewing the author, the documentary showed the street life of Dhaka. One of them was a street-side seller of C-grade literature. Along with selling juicy literature for sex-starved people, he was also selling books on women marrying women. Seeing that I realized that same-sex marriage is not a new thing. It has been presented in the culture of the marginal class. 

Today, we campaign for same-sex marriage. But our governments fail to recognize that it has been in our literature for ages. Time has come to acknowledge the underground culture and make it mainstream.

Advertising in India should embrace the underground culture and accept what is being under-represented for a long time.

The curious case of internet quotes

The internet is full of quotes. At first glance, they seem motivational and all good. However, if you dig deep, you will find out many quotes are self-contradicting. 

Like fake news, there are quotes available on the internet that are fake too. Last year, industrialist Ratan Tata debunked one of such fake quotes.  

The pressure to create more content without getting caught as plagiarised content is the main reason behind the fake quotes. A content writer picks an old quote from the internet. Then he tweaks few words of it so that he doesn't get caught in the plagiarism tool. And thus become a new quote. Finally, when he uploads it to the internet, he attributes a renowned name against the quote. 

What the suck - Commenting for better reach!

We all like to have connections on LinkedIn. We all want visitors on our profile. The way to get attraction on LinkedIn is to get active. People even hire writers to write on LinkedIn. Apart from writing a post, another way to get attention is by commenting. If you religiously comment, you are bound to get the attraction to your profile. We all know it right. 

But the funniest part is when people write 'commenting for better reach' in the comment section. It is like you have met someone and then telling him that you two have met. 

Writing 'Commenting for better reach' is a bad idea to get people's attention. It is better to write something which has some meaning. If a person has achieved something, then write a congratulatory note. There is no point in writing 'commenting for better reach'.  

A Half Baked and Funny Idea

Sound pollution is a menace in India. Many governments have made attempts to curb the problem of sound pollution. But most of them have failed. People honk without any reason. And this allows solving this problem.

Automobiles Companies can invent an apparatus which will consume more petrol if anyone honks. Because of that apparatus, the car will consume more fuel. So, people, to save petrol consumption, will honk less.

The basic logic of this idea is that the people will think twice before honking because it will cost them extra money. Only a handful of people are worried about sound pollution, but they may get agitated to know that honking will cost extra money.

The more you honk, the more you pay. 

                                              (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Deconstruction of a Video Advertisement

The ad is about how to keep you safe from online fraud. A conversation takes place between an old man and a young adult through which we get to know the product. The ad features three people- two young adults, a female and a male, and an elderly male. The good thing is that both genders are portrayed in the ad in equal proportion. The old man is dressed in formal attire, making him look educated and corporate. The woman and man are wearing casuals.

The story of the ad is that two people, one male, and one female, are trying to cheat an elderly man over the phone by asking the old man’s bank details and OTP (One Time Password). Commonly, people cheat someone over the call by asking their OTP. However, at the end of the ad, we, the viewers of the ad realize that with the help of Airtel Payments Bank, the old man fools the cheaters.

The product of the ad is Airtel Payments Bank. The product comes quite late in the advertisement. And when the product is shown, there is no presence of the characters. I think this is a good thing.

The camera focused on two sides, young female and old man, in equal proportion. The ad has mainly close-up shots. The screen has been split into two sides- one side shows the old man and the other side the cheaters. The lighting part of the ad is really interesting. There is a right blend of natural and artificial lighting. The ad has extensive use of bright colors. One thing that catches my attention is the extensive use of bright colors in the characters’ attire.

The text comes later in the advertisement. When the text appears on the screen, along with the VO, we don’t see any characters on the screen. Apart from the VO, there are 3 voices present in the advertisement. At the time of product introduction, the VO arrives. The background sound of the advertisement is new-age and peppy. The advertisement ends with the popular Airtel tune.

The product of this ad is the Airtel Payments Bank which offers an added protection to its consumers to beat online cheating.  However, Airtel Payments Bank comes only one time in the advert. It would have been better if the name arrived at least twice or thrice.

It feels good that telecommunication companies are taking cognizance of online scams. The target audience of this ad is primarily old people. The first part of the ad shows old people is vulnerable to online scams. But at the end of the ad, it shows that the old man has actually duped the scammers. The tech-savvy and knowledgeable approach of the old man saves him from getting scammed.

The ad sends the message to those people who are most vulnerable to online fraud. It is interesting to know that the ad shows that women can become an apparatus of online crime.

Online fraud needs to be confronted. Only time will tell if telecommunication companies will bring new ideas to get rid of this problem.

                                                  (Source: Airtel India/Youtube)

Surrounded By Drugs

A few years ago one of my friends was diagnosed with psychosis. The reason the psychiatrist opined was cannabis abuse. The psychiatrist prescribed him various medicines which my friend has taken for 3 straight years. He was also advised to not smoking any marijuana. He released himself from smoking and drinking. He has become a teetotaler.

3 years have gone by but he is still under the influence of medicines as prescribed by the psychiatrist. Meanwhile, he suffered from relapse twice in these 3 years. This means that he lost ‘normalcy’ twice irrespective of taking medicines. Recently, he has changed his psychiatrist with the hope of no more relapses in the future.

Let me clear on one thing that this piece is not a rant against doctors or modern medicine. My friend is fed up with surrounded by drugs every day. The psychiatrist, whom my friend is consulting currently, said that my friend is suffering from OCD, not psychosis.

This has made my friend completely puzzled. Currently, he has no other option than to trust the current psychiatrist. The only reason behind this is that he doesn’t want to go back to where he was 3 years back. The previous psychiatrist did make him well in two relapses happened also.

                                                         (Source: Flickr)

Budget-Friendly Device For Your Budget

Last Sunday I went to a grocery store with Rs. 1000 budget. The moment I entered the shop, I started doing mental accounting. That means the moment I picked up an item I started calculating the cost. After Rs. 850 I lost the interest to calculate. And understandably the final figure crossed Rs. 1000 mark. This has prompted me to find a solution to stop doing mental accounting and keep the purchase within the budget.

Attach a device to the bag which will show the price of a product when you drop it inside the bag. The more items you put in, the device will start showing the total amount of the purchase. In that way, you can always get to know how much you have spent.

The process would be really simple. Before dropping an item into the bag, you have to touch the barcode on that device. After that, the price of the product will flash on that device’s screen. Follow the same procedure for as many products you want to put inside the bag.

                                                                      (Source: Pixaby)

I’m Lazy

After one and half month gap, I started blogging but I still think I’m not yet started. The procrastination has gone to such a level that I’m sick of it. I need to break this chain of procrastination immediately. I’ve started over-sleeping. I’m sleeping around 10 hours a day. I also need to end this. I’ve few plans in mind. I need to improve my writing. I need to blog every day. I need to write 10 ideas every day.  Yes, 10 ideas every day. No matter how rubbish they are. I haven’t written short stories for a while. I need to restart the process immediately. The time starts now.

                                                   (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

I Hate Scripted Interviews

I have a total of 12 years of work experience. I’ve been to many interviews. During my initial days, I used to answer everything that the interviewer used to ask. But over the years, I’ve realized that there are some problems with the scripted interview formats. Scripted interviews limit the chance of finding the true potential of a candidate.

Let me explain how. If you’re an interviewer and ask a candidate to tell them about themselves then that person will only parrot what is written in their resume. That person will never be able to reveal their true self. However, if you interview in a friendly manner then it would be really easy for them to answer.

This way you can understand their temperament and also check their creativity. The best thing about conducting a friendly interview is that when the interviewee leaves the room you have already created an impression on them.

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Blogs Are Important

I’ve been writing blogs for the last 8 years. I’ve written various types of blogs for industries like education, marketing, technology, etc. I wrote those blogs mainly for SEO purposes. I intended to bring more traffic to the website. Those were mainly non-promotional blogs to educate readers.

Though I’ve written many blogs in my writing career but never realized the importance of blogs. Yes, it makes me sound like an idiot but it is what it is.

A week ago, I was writing a script. The script was related to travel & tourism. And believe me, I was completely dependent on blogs. The research work that I had done was heavily dependent on the blogs available on the web. I couldn’t have been able to write down the piece with the research work. I also took help from the blogs to write the script.

I couldn't write a script without the help of the blogs. I never imagined that blogs can be used to create a different writing form. We generally use blogs to get information. While writing the scripts I realized that it was the blogs that laid the foundation of my script. 

                                                     (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

                                                 

Writer’s Block

Many say that there is no such thing called ‘Writer’s Block’. They believe if you start writing things will start to work out. But now I'm realizing that writer's block is real.  I call it ‘Idea Block’.  Now, I’m completely out of ideas to run this blog. I can’t generate new ideas to write. The ideas that are popping up inside my head are not good enough to share. Some are ideas not at all.

But I have to run this blog. I can’t stop this blog. So I’ve decided to write on writer’s block. The last three blog posts that I wrote were a spin-off of news shared on LinkedIn. But I don’t want to do this type of work. I want to share my ideas; tell my perspectives.

I don’t know how to get out of this situation. I also don’t know how long it will continue. Should I travel? Have sex? Meet new people? Or just do other stuff to get out of this stupid situation. I don’t know.

Is this a result of doing repetitive work? When I started this blog in September, I had many ideas to write. But now I'm feeling things have just stopped. 

However, I’ve decided to write no matter what it is. I’ll just WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Sounds stupid but can't help.

                                                (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

We Need Citizen Scientists

I believe ‘Citizen Scientists’ are the key to progress in some challenges of our time. Scientists of our time shouldn’t think what is happening outside their labs don’t apply to them. ‘Citizen Scientists’ can bring a new perspective on issues such as climate change and pollution.

During Darwin’s era, people participated in botany and archeology.  Capturing the curiosity of the people would be the path to achieve it.

Citizen science is growing in different parts of the world. There are instances where scientists are collaborating with communities, especially in Africa.

  

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Is Kolkata Climate Proof?

The prediction is that rising temperatures combined with population growth will force 3 billion people to live in ‘unlivable’ conditions by 2070. This means more and more people will leave for ‘climate havens’. Climate havens are those cities that are sheltered from extreme weather.

Cities around the globe are developing climate action plans, meaning there will be more zero-carbon housing projects and green belts replacing asphalts. 

So my question- is Kolkata climate-proof? Does Kolkata have zero-carbon housing projects? What is the plan with green belts?

Cyclone Amphan showed how vulnerable we are. It is high time that we ordinary citizens should raise these questions so that we remain prepared.

                                              (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

No More Office

After working almost a year remotely, I can easily say that there is no need to get back to the office. I always hated traveling to and from the office. Traveling time is saved. Now companies have to give strong reasons to go back to the office. They can’t say the spaces are missing humans so you guys have to come back. Employees have the power to reject it for their health.

Yes, a people-to-people connection is necessary but that is getting done every day via Zoom or Google Meet. If there is any need for collaboration and congregation, then people can gather at the office but you certainly don’t need to meet daily. In short, there is no need for daily meetings.

Nike’s director Brittney Van Matre has suggested that companies should consider setting up outposts in unconventional locales. It may sound great but very few companies will do that. Most companies will stay away from it because of the loss they’ve suffered during the lockdown.

On the contrary, they should think of cutting the costs related to spaces.

                                                        (Source: Wikimedia Commons)