There are two important rituals associated with kiddie birthday parties
a) handing over the gift at the start of the party
b) demanding the return gift at the end of the party
Teaching a six year old to say 'thank you' instead of grabbing the gift from outstretched hands is quite a task. Selecting an appropriate return gift is equally bothersome.
More so if you're in south Bombay, of course, where the gifts are designed more to impress the moms than the birthday child's friends. So you not only have to have jugglers/ magicians/ clowns-on-hire but also 'unique' return presents. Such as handmade caps with the names of all 40 kids invited to the party embroidered on them.
Why 40? Because every child in the birthday boy/ girl's class - along with respective maids/ mothers - must be on the guest list. Never mind the chaos!
Cake n chips
Things were a lot more 'normal' in my part of town. Good old middle class. We believed in the ekdum regular return gifts such as pencil boxes and lunch boxes.
Magar as years passed by the friendly shopkeeper, whipped out something new: 'Beyblades'.
So who or what is a Beyblade? Well, it's just a fancy name for one of the most ancient toys known to mankind: the spinning top. The Beyblade comes with a 'rip cord' which allows you to launch it at a phenomenal speed as well.
I remember playing with something similar when we were kids. Of course, it's a lot more 'exciting' in this new avatar - and backed by a TV series as well. Cartoon Network India has authorised Funskool to retail 'beyblades' based on the show's characters. Priced between Rs 149-349, 100,000 units have already flown off the shelves...
But generally the stuff you get in the market is not the 'real' beyblade - they are all Chinese rip-offs costing 30 bucks. But they work pretty well.
There are actually a large number of variations - even in the 'official' beyblade series - with names like 'Wolborg', 'Dranzer' and 'Dragoon Fighter'. Successful kid fads are always collectibles. That keeps interest alive - and the cash registers ringing.
Collect All
The most recent such craze was, of course, Pokemon cards. But I remember children including myself collecting similar cards for racing cars, and cricketers. And when I was really tiny I had an impressive collection of little animals which came free with Cibaca/ Binaca toothpaste...
The right collectible can hugely drive kiddie product sales. At my mausiji's wedding I recall we were the baraatis who ordered Gold Spot after Gold Spot. The drink lay untouched while we kids fought over the Jungle Book 'crown caps'!
Aside: Some of us even fantasised how nice it would be to work as a waiter ... Uske paas kitne crown caps hote honge!
Coming back to beyblades - one of the potato chip companies is already on the bandwagon. They have a little top you can assemble out of 4 cardboard pieces with excellent spinning capability.
If they're smart, the cornflakes, soft drinks and chocolate companies will soon follow!
Yeah those things are the craze everywhere. Dumb things kids use to irritate old grannies with. On the other hand, old grannies are irritated with almost anything dumb kids play with.
I remember, during my schooldays. I kept getting GK books as my birthday presents. The parents of all my friends thought they would mould my dysfunctional intelligence. Dumb people. The closest thing I ever got to a good present was a chess set, which was both here and there.
In return it served me right if i gave them cheap stationary (a scale with a load of useless holes, two pencils and a rubber) as their return gifts.
Bottomline: Kids aren't inherently couch potatos or mouse potatos. They do enjoy physical sport/ activity. The challenge is to re-package all the classic children's games and sports in a manner that appears modern and cool.
It's all about capturing their imagination. Both Harry Potter - which revived interest in books, and Beyblades - which have made a rage out of the simple spinning top - prove that!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tere mere beach mein
It seemed like a surefire way to catapult this beach into the ranks of Bali and Waikiki: a 10% discount for anyone in a bikini.
The scheme was cooked up in 2003 when South Korean officials were looking for a way to attract tourists to a stretch of sand on the western coast of the country. So they renamed it Byeonsan "Bikini" Beach.
Alas! A name change + discount offer was not enough to change attitudes. Barely 10% of beach goers are estimated to have opted for bikinis - and even that number was probably on the inflated side.
So why don't Korean women patronise bikinis? Broadly I would think the same set of reasons that Indian women don't -
a) They feel self-conscious esp. if their bodies are less than perfect
b) They have no interest in getting tanned - fair skin, after all rules in Asia.
c) Add to that possibly the lech factor - don't know about Korea but in India even wearing a one piece swimsuit attracts gawkers. Goa mein bhi!
Itsy bitsy teeny weenie - no thanks
I think it's all about 'safety in numbers'. The standard 'beachwear' for women in India is a hiked up nylon sari or salwar kameez. The more Westernised junta will roll up their jeans or perhaps wade into the water in shorts.
So the tiny minority which does don Speedo automatically attracts eyeballs.
Now as far as feeling awkward in a swimsuit goes - that is a very real problem. But again, it's more about cultural context and not just a body image issue.
Even perfectly endowed Indian women would feel uncomfortable wearing a bikni in public. In our culture it's akin to being 'nanga'.
Are all bikini wearers in phoren countries perfect 10s? Looking at the
the Baywatch beach you might think so but hey - those washboard abs are on hire.
On real beaches in Florida or even Goa you will see plenty of old, freckled and less-than-shapely ladies soaking in the sun in their one or two piece swimmies.
They don't care what anyone thinks! Sun and sand is meant to be enjoyed in this clothing - so why be inhibited and spoil one's fun?
Which is exactly the attitude of Indian men at the beach. Paunchy, extra-hairy, stick-thin - the Indian guy has no qualms about stripping down to his Rupa underwear.
Yes, sadly you see plenty of those on public beaches - along with guys in proper swimming trunks. Doesn't make for a pretty sight but hey - one must admit this is an area where the bhaarat putras are not lacking in confidence!
They don't even bother to suck in their stomachs while sauntering by...
Hope floats
There is however an interesting new development - Indian women are finally embracing a uniquely desi version of the swimming costume: Nylon tights with oversize nylon tees.
Visit Esselworld's Water Kingdom - where 'swimming costume' is compulsory to enter the water - and you'll see women short, fat, young and old all togged out in this somewhat strange but socially acceptable adaptation of the swimsuit.
The tights come in ankle and knee length versions; the most popular colour is navy blue.
The suits are available on hire but I'm wondering why doesn't some smart company market the concept? Nike or Adidas could actually sell such costumes - and make a success of it.
This in turn might encourage more Indian women to actually take up swimming instead of the standard sight you see at all but the most upscale holiday resorts: women watching their husbands and kids splashing around in the pool from a safe distance.
The west never got to where it is now in a jiffy. There was a time, if you need reminding, when nothing short of ankle length skirts were permitted at Wimbledon. The reason there has been relatively less clamour in the west about women's clothing becoming skimpier is that the process has taken place over the course of decades. For over a century now, women have been wearing successively fewer clothes - the current "norm" being the lower than low neck.
Contrast that to Bharat where in less than 15 years, western wear has become ubiquitous (atleast in the Metros).
A decade ago, a jean-wearing lass would have been "ogled" at (your term, not mine). Today the jean is so commonplace that it takes more than a jean (or rather, less than a jean) to attract attention.
The human mind has a problem accepting changes even if the change were positive. The pace at which our society is transforming right now is certain to cause pressures and tensions that only the next generation will be rid of.
Even that would be a big enough revolution... Bikinis? Now that will take another hundred years! Unless some secret ingredient is added to our morning milk which mutates the ogle-ogle gene in mankind.
Ashton Kutcher being voted American President sounds rather more plausible...
The scheme was cooked up in 2003 when South Korean officials were looking for a way to attract tourists to a stretch of sand on the western coast of the country. So they renamed it Byeonsan "Bikini" Beach.
Alas! A name change + discount offer was not enough to change attitudes. Barely 10% of beach goers are estimated to have opted for bikinis - and even that number was probably on the inflated side.
So why don't Korean women patronise bikinis? Broadly I would think the same set of reasons that Indian women don't -
a) They feel self-conscious esp. if their bodies are less than perfect
b) They have no interest in getting tanned - fair skin, after all rules in Asia.
c) Add to that possibly the lech factor - don't know about Korea but in India even wearing a one piece swimsuit attracts gawkers. Goa mein bhi!
Itsy bitsy teeny weenie - no thanks
I think it's all about 'safety in numbers'. The standard 'beachwear' for women in India is a hiked up nylon sari or salwar kameez. The more Westernised junta will roll up their jeans or perhaps wade into the water in shorts.
So the tiny minority which does don Speedo automatically attracts eyeballs.
Now as far as feeling awkward in a swimsuit goes - that is a very real problem. But again, it's more about cultural context and not just a body image issue.
Even perfectly endowed Indian women would feel uncomfortable wearing a bikni in public. In our culture it's akin to being 'nanga'.
Are all bikini wearers in phoren countries perfect 10s? Looking at the
the Baywatch beach you might think so but hey - those washboard abs are on hire.
On real beaches in Florida or even Goa you will see plenty of old, freckled and less-than-shapely ladies soaking in the sun in their one or two piece swimmies.
They don't care what anyone thinks! Sun and sand is meant to be enjoyed in this clothing - so why be inhibited and spoil one's fun?
Which is exactly the attitude of Indian men at the beach. Paunchy, extra-hairy, stick-thin - the Indian guy has no qualms about stripping down to his Rupa underwear.
Yes, sadly you see plenty of those on public beaches - along with guys in proper swimming trunks. Doesn't make for a pretty sight but hey - one must admit this is an area where the bhaarat putras are not lacking in confidence!
They don't even bother to suck in their stomachs while sauntering by...
Hope floats
There is however an interesting new development - Indian women are finally embracing a uniquely desi version of the swimming costume: Nylon tights with oversize nylon tees.
Visit Esselworld's Water Kingdom - where 'swimming costume' is compulsory to enter the water - and you'll see women short, fat, young and old all togged out in this somewhat strange but socially acceptable adaptation of the swimsuit.
The tights come in ankle and knee length versions; the most popular colour is navy blue.
The suits are available on hire but I'm wondering why doesn't some smart company market the concept? Nike or Adidas could actually sell such costumes - and make a success of it.
This in turn might encourage more Indian women to actually take up swimming instead of the standard sight you see at all but the most upscale holiday resorts: women watching their husbands and kids splashing around in the pool from a safe distance.
The west never got to where it is now in a jiffy. There was a time, if you need reminding, when nothing short of ankle length skirts were permitted at Wimbledon. The reason there has been relatively less clamour in the west about women's clothing becoming skimpier is that the process has taken place over the course of decades. For over a century now, women have been wearing successively fewer clothes - the current "norm" being the lower than low neck.
Contrast that to Bharat where in less than 15 years, western wear has become ubiquitous (atleast in the Metros).
A decade ago, a jean-wearing lass would have been "ogled" at (your term, not mine). Today the jean is so commonplace that it takes more than a jean (or rather, less than a jean) to attract attention.
The human mind has a problem accepting changes even if the change were positive. The pace at which our society is transforming right now is certain to cause pressures and tensions that only the next generation will be rid of.
Even that would be a big enough revolution... Bikinis? Now that will take another hundred years! Unless some secret ingredient is added to our morning milk which mutates the ogle-ogle gene in mankind.
Ashton Kutcher being voted American President sounds rather more plausible...
The God of All Things
Long before early morning walks in salwar kameez and Reeboks became socially acceptable, the only excuse bahus had to get some fresh air and 'darshan' of the outside world was to say,"Maaji, main zara mandir ho kar aa rahi hoon".
You could even dress up a bit for the occassion - and get away with it.
What's more, given the number of festivals and fasting days on the Hindu calendar, there was always some God or Godess who would need to be paid a personal visit.
I am here depicting the image of the world famous Akshardham. The grand Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar - now better known as the temple once held hostage by terrorists.
You can't really forget that - given the elaborate, airport-style security at the gate. If yor mobile phone has a camera, even that will have to be surrendered outside.
Kotler would be proud
However the trouble is worth it. It's truly an impressive complex. The gardens are immaculate and lush green. Not a piece of kachra to be seen anywhere. And the temple building itself is grand - by any standard.
Of course, once you are inside the temple you're slightly disoriented. There are no Ram-Sita/ Krishna/ Durga statues. Or the standard shiv-lingam. It is after all a 'Swaminarayan' temple, so you have a giant golden (or is it pure gold?) statue of Swaminarayan maharaj.
No explanation of any kind is given about him. To learn about his claim to sainthood there is of course the 'exhibition hall'. Here, there are giant tableaus of key scenes from the Ramayan, Mahabharat, Upanishads et al. Some of the exhibits are mechanised in "It's a Small World" style.
Welcome to Spiritual Disneyland.
The ultimate objective, of course, is to build the Swaminarayan brand. To associate this relatively growing spiritual name with the old and established names in the religious supermarket.
An education is given about the life and times of Swaminarayan. Now whether or not you leave the hall accepting the fact that Swaminarayan is an avatar of God is debatable. But the idea of planting the seed of that thought in this manner is quite brilliant.
Peth + Pooja
What's more, the Akdhardham complex is now a full-fledged 'entertainment' centre. There are amusement park style rides - including a water slide. And a very clean, cheap and cheerful food court offering everything from paranthas to "nuddles". (their spelling, not mine).
In an era of multiplexes and malls, Akshardham is also working hard to retain its place as destination families choose to go to on a Saturday evening. And I think in that objective it has certainly succeeded!
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