The owner of the Amity group of educational institutes - Ashok Kumar Chauhan - is wanted by Interpol for financial frauds committed in Germany many years ago, reports Tehelka.
Wonder why such a major story - which appeared in the magazine in 2005 - did not hit any other newspaper. Could the fact that Amity is a MAJOR advertiser in both print and electronic media be one of the reasons?
Incidentally, Amity tried - but failed - to 'buy out' Tehelka in more ways than one.
"First the Chauhans tried to stop the story through subtle offers of advertisement support, then made several phone calls and sent several Amity representatives to Tehelka saying they would like to keep copies of Tehelka on their campuses. That having failed, they offered to bear the costs of stopping the printing press. When even this did not work, they tried to buy as many copies at traffic signals and from distributors.
Deepak Sehgal, proprietor of Central News Agency (CNA) which supplied the newspaper to retailers stated that demand for the Jun 11 issue suddenly shot up in the market."
Apparently, the Delhi Police and the CBI had been sitting on an Interpol 'red corner notice' against Chauhan for years. The Ministry of External Affairs has also failed to act on an extradition request.
Tehelka implied that this may be due to the fact that 'sons and daughters of VIPS study in these institutions - and he has links in both the BJP and the Congress'.
'We nurture talent', goes the Amity promise... Maybe evading arrest from banks whom you owe millions of dollars to is one of them.
Ashok Kumar Chauhan and Arun Kumar Chauhan, directors of Amity International committed frauds in Germany, US and the Netherlands. They run Law schools and Journalism schools. Perhaps, they teach the art of fraud in these schools.
Why should it surprise anyone? Amity is a advertiser in both print and electronic media and money can buy any media house be it Indian Express or NDTV or others.
Whenever there is conflict between Money and Truth, these media houses prefer the former and discard the latter. Amity bought as many copies of Tehelka as it could to stop people from knowing the truth about its crime.
As is well known the Amity is always in the media with its advertisments claiming to be the first and largest private university in India. Institutions like Amity are teaching courses in Mass Communication.
This is contrary to the University Grants Commission Act, 1956. Its Section 23 reads: 'Prohibition of the use of the word "University" in certain cases.No institution, whether a corporate body or not, other than a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act shall be entitled to have the word "University" associated with its name in any manner whatsoever.'
Amity was setup by Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Chairman of the worldwide AKC Group of Companies who went to Germany over four decades ago and established a great business empire and became one of the greatest NRI’s of Europe.
AKC Group of Companies has Industrial Organisations like Technicom-Chemie India Limited, Bacfo Pharmaceuticals India Limited, Kunstocom India Limited, CHABRO-CHEMIE India Limited besides Amity group of educational institutions.
Amity runs courses in Communication such as Master of Advertising & Marketing Management, Master of Journalism & Communication, Master of Mass Communication, Master of Television & Film Production at its Amity School of Communication, Noida, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow.
According to the arrest warrant issued against the owners of Amity by the German judicial authorities, the Chauhan brothers fooled credit institutions and banks.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs that time E. Ahmed, in a written reply dated May 12, 2005 to an unstarred question asked by Rajya Sabha mp RK Anand, confirmed: “…valid warrants of arrest issued by German judicial authorities against Shri Ashok Kumar Chauhan and Arun Kumar Chauhan, directors of Amity International, Ghaziabad, UP, exist and the Interpol has issued Red Corner Notices Nos. 453/1990 and 459/1998 at the request of Interpol Wiesbaden… The Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany in India has requested for legal assistance in serving documents/extradition of Ashok Kumar Chauhan and Arun Kumar Chauhan.”
The minister also stated: “As per Article 6 of the extradition treaty between the Republic of India and the Federal Republic of Germany, neither of the contracting states shall be bound to extradite its own nationals. However, as per the same article, criminal prosecution may be effected in India. Therefore, the ministry of home affairs, which is the nodal ministry in such matters has been requested to proceed in accordance with law.”
For the complete Tehelka story "Schooled in Deceit" (June 11, 2005) visit http://tehelka.com/story_main12.asp?filename=ts061105Schooled_in.asp
Business Today's B-School Ranking Year 2005 lists AMITY, Symbiosis have given better ranks than some IIM's.
In a development which exposes media houses like India Today Group and Outlook, directors of all IIMs (Ahmedabad, Banglore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Kozikode) have decided not to participate in ranking exercises carried out by various media outfits in India, in view of questionable methodology adopted in these surveys.
Amity Business School was ranked number 1 post 1990 private B-School in India by The Outlook Magazine.
Given the fact that the national dailies had been coopted by the Chauhans of Amity, did the Home Minister show the spine to initiate action against Amity owners? Did Prasar Bharati and Information & Broadcasting Minister show courage to ensure that the truth about Amity was highlighted?
Wouldn't it not have been appropriate for Union Human Resource Development Ministry to take over the functioning of Amity group of educational institutions in public interest in the light of the revelations in the Parliament and Tehelka?.
In the backdrop of Supreme Court's order on private university (February 11, 2005) as result of Prof. Yashpal's petition in the apex court, it would have been better if UGC had taken over Amity in public interest as a sensible measure.
P.S: This reminds one of how even magazines like TIME conferred Young Asian Hero status to Gautam Goswami for his "exemplary work" in flood, failing to take note of his role in multi-crore flood-relief scam.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Kya School Hain Hum !
Admissions for children at school these days - First day at school or last day of childhood ? The parents have a heart heavier than the new, big schoolbags as they see their kids off at the bus stop. Playschool, nursery, kindergarten - those are mere preparation for separation. Class One is the rough, rigorous, Real Thing.
Twenty odd workbooks, textbooks, notebooks. Parents sit covering them in regulation brown paper, although they have become a lot more colourful and child-friendly than the schoolbooks they remember. Still... the books seem like way too many, especially to carry back and forth.
Not long ago, CBSE asked the 6000 schools across the country following its syllabus to reduce the school bag burden. "Schools should also not set any homework for students of classes I and II," CBSE Director (Academics) G Subramanian said in a circular.
Some schools are making provisions for lockers. Most aren't. What's most frustrating is what parents feel on such issues You may be a 'consumer' of education, paying a pretty hefty fee, but the general attitude of schools is 'take it or leave it.'
No doubt the school cannot satisfy every pushy parent but the more fundamental issue is about balance of power. That lies squarely with the educators. I wonder whether it's partly to compensate for the fact that teachers - even principals - are one of the lowest-paid professionals in society.
There are times when I swear I can hear the teacher thinking, "Hey, Doctor/ Manager/ IAS officer... idhar sab ek samaan. Here, you gotta dance to my tunes."
I'm sure children will learn to live with the system - like I did. And millions of other kids have. But is the objective of schooling to merely survive, or to thrive? Wish someone had the answers... or at least started asking the question!
Twenty odd workbooks, textbooks, notebooks. Parents sit covering them in regulation brown paper, although they have become a lot more colourful and child-friendly than the schoolbooks they remember. Still... the books seem like way too many, especially to carry back and forth.
Not long ago, CBSE asked the 6000 schools across the country following its syllabus to reduce the school bag burden. "Schools should also not set any homework for students of classes I and II," CBSE Director (Academics) G Subramanian said in a circular.
Some schools are making provisions for lockers. Most aren't. What's most frustrating is what parents feel on such issues You may be a 'consumer' of education, paying a pretty hefty fee, but the general attitude of schools is 'take it or leave it.'
No doubt the school cannot satisfy every pushy parent but the more fundamental issue is about balance of power. That lies squarely with the educators. I wonder whether it's partly to compensate for the fact that teachers - even principals - are one of the lowest-paid professionals in society.
There are times when I swear I can hear the teacher thinking, "Hey, Doctor/ Manager/ IAS officer... idhar sab ek samaan. Here, you gotta dance to my tunes."
I'm sure children will learn to live with the system - like I did. And millions of other kids have. But is the objective of schooling to merely survive, or to thrive? Wish someone had the answers... or at least started asking the question!
Smoking mana hai
There's a huge debate going on about the proposed ban on smoking on-screen in Bollywood films. While I agree there is a freedom of choice issue involved, one has to also realise that tobacco marketers have methodically used films to circumvent the ban on advertising tobacco through practically all other mediums.
When all other promotional avenues dry up, there remains a potent 'P' in the tobacco company's arsenal: the People factor. Who is smoking - and how cool that person is perceived to be - is the Invisible Salesman still in operation. Smoking in movies has been linked to adolescents trying their first cigarette, according to a new study by a team from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School. As a 1989 Philip Morris marketing plan noted: "We believe that most of the strong, positive images for cigarettes and smoking are created by cinema and television."
There is documented evidence of the company paying to get Marlboros placed in Superman II and a host of other popular Hollywood films. When the US Congress threatened to make product placement illegal, the tobacco industry pleaded 'self regulation' and pay-offs officially stopped. But placements didn't. In fact, 82 per cent of the top 10 grossing PG-13 films each week in theatres from May 2002 to May 2003 included tobacco.
A World Health Organization (WHO) study of tobacco exposure in Bollywood films conducted last year revealed similarly shocking figures. The research, conducted by Ambika Srivastava, president, Strategic Mediawork, concluded that 76 per cent of top-rated Hindi films portray smoking as 'the cool thing to do'. It's not just villains and vamps who smoke: today, 50 per cent of tobacco incidents are depicted by the 'good' characters. And increasingly, smoking is being used to demonstrate an assertive and independent mindset.
Documentation of money changing hands in India is unavailable, but 2002's Quentin Tarantino-inspired Kaante certainly merits investigation. "Collar ko thoda sa oopar chadha ke, cigarette ke dhuaein ka chhalla bana ke..." goes a song from the film, which became far more popular than the film itself. Noting these guerilla tactics, the WHO decided to focus on the entertainment, films and sports industries on World No Tobacco Day in 2004.
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who has smoked in both good guy and bad guy roles, decided to 'kick the habit' onscreen and appeared in a series of anti-smoking ad films last year. However, Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Sunjay Dutt are all chain smokers, and it is a known fact that the actor/director who smokes at home is more likely to smoke in public and light up in movies.
So yes, you can debate the issue to death but ... there may be a case for the on-screen ban. It's more easily enforcable than trying to restrict sale of cigarettes near schools and colleges (who's to check that anyways!!)
Bottomline: Directors and actors will just have to get more creative. A stick in hand won's be a code-prop to signify gangster or vamp.
When all other promotional avenues dry up, there remains a potent 'P' in the tobacco company's arsenal: the People factor. Who is smoking - and how cool that person is perceived to be - is the Invisible Salesman still in operation. Smoking in movies has been linked to adolescents trying their first cigarette, according to a new study by a team from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School. As a 1989 Philip Morris marketing plan noted: "We believe that most of the strong, positive images for cigarettes and smoking are created by cinema and television."
There is documented evidence of the company paying to get Marlboros placed in Superman II and a host of other popular Hollywood films. When the US Congress threatened to make product placement illegal, the tobacco industry pleaded 'self regulation' and pay-offs officially stopped. But placements didn't. In fact, 82 per cent of the top 10 grossing PG-13 films each week in theatres from May 2002 to May 2003 included tobacco.
A World Health Organization (WHO) study of tobacco exposure in Bollywood films conducted last year revealed similarly shocking figures. The research, conducted by Ambika Srivastava, president, Strategic Mediawork, concluded that 76 per cent of top-rated Hindi films portray smoking as 'the cool thing to do'. It's not just villains and vamps who smoke: today, 50 per cent of tobacco incidents are depicted by the 'good' characters. And increasingly, smoking is being used to demonstrate an assertive and independent mindset.
Documentation of money changing hands in India is unavailable, but 2002's Quentin Tarantino-inspired Kaante certainly merits investigation. "Collar ko thoda sa oopar chadha ke, cigarette ke dhuaein ka chhalla bana ke..." goes a song from the film, which became far more popular than the film itself. Noting these guerilla tactics, the WHO decided to focus on the entertainment, films and sports industries on World No Tobacco Day in 2004.
Actor Vivek Oberoi, who has smoked in both good guy and bad guy roles, decided to 'kick the habit' onscreen and appeared in a series of anti-smoking ad films last year. However, Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Sunjay Dutt are all chain smokers, and it is a known fact that the actor/director who smokes at home is more likely to smoke in public and light up in movies.
So yes, you can debate the issue to death but ... there may be a case for the on-screen ban. It's more easily enforcable than trying to restrict sale of cigarettes near schools and colleges (who's to check that anyways!!)
Bottomline: Directors and actors will just have to get more creative. A stick in hand won's be a code-prop to signify gangster or vamp.
A Novel Pastime
A new Crossword bookshop is coming up on Rue de Montosrier here in Pondy. Ain't that wonderful?? Like the advent of multiplexes brought with it the 'multiplex movie' phenomenon, could the spread of chains like Crossword be ushering in a 'bookplex' too?
Certainly the kinds of books being written in English for Indians has undergone a sea change. The 80s and 90s saw the Salman Rushdie-Arundhati Roy variety off books which were based on India but written for the international audience - with a spillover Indian readership.
Today, you have a new generation of books and authors with no literary pretensions. They're just good time pass reads about people, places and things the urban Indians can connect with. And surprise! many are written by B school graduates.
By day, they are investment bankers and brand managers. By night, they toil away at their keyboards, tapping into their own experiences to spin out slice-of-life stories that appeal to 'People Like Us'.
IIM Ahmedabad graduate Chetan Bhagat relived his IIT days in Five Point Someone with the same being converted into 3 idiots now, with some changes here and there. Swati Kaushal's stints at Nestle and Nokia provided rich fodder for Piece Of Cake, a light-hearted tale set in corporate India. And that was just the beginning. 2005 saw the launch of Mediocre But Arrogant, a story of love and life in the fictitious Management Institute of Jamshedpur (MIJ).
Bottomline: MBAs turning to writing is actually not that surprising because many Indian B-school graduates are simply exceptionally bright individuals who followed the easiest path available to them. Anyone who's been on an elite B school campus will vouch for the many potentially great singers, writers and film makers lost to the world of business.
Or then again - as these novelists prove - maybe not.
Certainly the kinds of books being written in English for Indians has undergone a sea change. The 80s and 90s saw the Salman Rushdie-Arundhati Roy variety off books which were based on India but written for the international audience - with a spillover Indian readership.
Today, you have a new generation of books and authors with no literary pretensions. They're just good time pass reads about people, places and things the urban Indians can connect with. And surprise! many are written by B school graduates.
By day, they are investment bankers and brand managers. By night, they toil away at their keyboards, tapping into their own experiences to spin out slice-of-life stories that appeal to 'People Like Us'.
IIM Ahmedabad graduate Chetan Bhagat relived his IIT days in Five Point Someone with the same being converted into 3 idiots now, with some changes here and there. Swati Kaushal's stints at Nestle and Nokia provided rich fodder for Piece Of Cake, a light-hearted tale set in corporate India. And that was just the beginning. 2005 saw the launch of Mediocre But Arrogant, a story of love and life in the fictitious Management Institute of Jamshedpur (MIJ).
Bottomline: MBAs turning to writing is actually not that surprising because many Indian B-school graduates are simply exceptionally bright individuals who followed the easiest path available to them. Anyone who's been on an elite B school campus will vouch for the many potentially great singers, writers and film makers lost to the world of business.
Or then again - as these novelists prove - maybe not.
Go Spice !
I liked Spicejet. True, this is based on a single Madras-Ahmedabad flight experience but here's why:
a) The flight departed on time and reached on the dot, too. This was an achievement because the other 'budget' airlines were - on enquiry - late.
Yes, much as I commend Capt. Gopinath for being the first to give every Indian the chance to fly.
b) Spicejet is a cheap airline but the way it's packaged - it doesn't feel like a cheapie one. So for example, they give you refreshments worth about 10 bucks on board instead of asking you to buy the same (a small packet of chips, water and toffees).The air hostesses are a little more glamorous and smile a little more - like they do on Jet Airways.
Even the Spicejet logo is far more bright and cheerful. I also liked the fact that they let you select a seat of your choice at the time of booking online.
Small Things matter
Now you might say phooey - punctuality is one thing, who cares about the other factors. Well, you may think you do not. But at some level, you do get influenced. And so, while price will remain THE most important criteria given that both Spice and Deccan are offering you relatively cheap tickets, you may check availability on Spice first.
Air Deccan is going for an IPO - so hopefully they should be able to improve its service. For one, they need to lease better aircrafts ... the ATRs they fly are really scary and make too much noise!! (as per what i've heard). I know none have fallen out of the sky yet but surely long distance flights have enough demand to merit a regular sized jet.
Bottomline: Budget airlines are changing the way India travels. I know my last trip happened only because there was a good deal available. "Impulse" buying has moved beyond picking up a cute t-shirt :)
Well as they say, the more the merrier - "Let There Be Flight". And please, God, let there also be bigger and better AIRPORTS!
a) The flight departed on time and reached on the dot, too. This was an achievement because the other 'budget' airlines were - on enquiry - late.
Yes, much as I commend Capt. Gopinath for being the first to give every Indian the chance to fly.
b) Spicejet is a cheap airline but the way it's packaged - it doesn't feel like a cheapie one. So for example, they give you refreshments worth about 10 bucks on board instead of asking you to buy the same (a small packet of chips, water and toffees).The air hostesses are a little more glamorous and smile a little more - like they do on Jet Airways.
Even the Spicejet logo is far more bright and cheerful. I also liked the fact that they let you select a seat of your choice at the time of booking online.
Small Things matter
Now you might say phooey - punctuality is one thing, who cares about the other factors. Well, you may think you do not. But at some level, you do get influenced. And so, while price will remain THE most important criteria given that both Spice and Deccan are offering you relatively cheap tickets, you may check availability on Spice first.
Air Deccan is going for an IPO - so hopefully they should be able to improve its service. For one, they need to lease better aircrafts ... the ATRs they fly are really scary and make too much noise!! (as per what i've heard). I know none have fallen out of the sky yet but surely long distance flights have enough demand to merit a regular sized jet.
Bottomline: Budget airlines are changing the way India travels. I know my last trip happened only because there was a good deal available. "Impulse" buying has moved beyond picking up a cute t-shirt :)
Well as they say, the more the merrier - "Let There Be Flight". And please, God, let there also be bigger and better AIRPORTS!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Ghar ka khaana zindabad
A Bong friend recently dragged me to have lunch at an eatery here in Aurobindo Street called 'Jubilee'. The chief attraction here is that the food served is 'just like what we once had at home'.
So, in a fancy setting we had 'home food', at less than homely prices. With each mouthful my friend was going over the moon, while I was wondering - as I chewed on rice with banana flower ki sabzi - whether there were any leftovers in my fridge.
OK - it wasn't THAT bad but really, I wouldn't have wanted to pay 500 bucks for a meal like that. Because I am not from Calcutta and it did not bring back any fond memories.
But it set me thinking... The wheel has turned full circle.
When we were kids, going to a restaurant was the ultimate treat. It happened only a couple of times an year - on birthdays and anniversaries or even guests coming from outside. (In fact, we waited for such Bhagwaan's to come) and we'd usually visit only Nataraj or Neelam or for that matter if the the Devtas or Devis were that great, we would move to Shilpi which was an open air restaurant or may be sometimes Park View. But those were days you looked forward to.
But the tide turned when we moved out of the circumference of mom's cooking - and started living on our own. Cut to the present. After years of trial and error I have (at last) learnt to take care of the daily 'paapi pet ka sawaal'. I carry a dabba to office, and usually eat at home.
Of course we still do eat out a couple of times a week to:
a) Catch up with friends over a meal.
b) Try out some new place/ kind of food - for the experience.
Home economics
I think 'ghar ka khaana' will be the Next Big Luxury for many of us. As two-income families mushroom the question is - will they survive on ready-to-eat/ junk food/ Udipi meals?
Pondy has always had enterprising ladies who send lunch and even dinner dabbas with home-cooked food. But I think the next step is actually a chain of take-aways, located in office complexes/ malls from where you can pick up home-cooked mix n match meals.
So you could pick up 6 chapatis, 100 gms alu-tamatar ki sabzi and 100 gms moong ki daal + some dahi on your way home - enough for a couple.
The smart thing would be to have - the way dabba ladies do - a variety of cuisine. ie Gujarati, Punjabi, south Indian - more styles depending on demand.
Someone will of course have to study how to make on a mass scale food that tastes just like ghar ka. While no two moms cook alike, there is a generally accepted spectrum in which home food falls.
The menu would be more 'pedestrian' - tindi, turai, alu-gobi, tuar daal. Even if there's paneer - it would be home-style and not swathed in heavy gravies and spices like restaurants normally serve.
I read somewhere that Food Bazaar has started something similar on an experimental basis all over India, but haven't had a chance to visit. If anyone has - and can vouch for taste/ hygiene do lemme know!
I think custom has been dying a slow death in most walks of life ever since mankind got Henry Forded...and all ghars are not blessed with this aura of ghar ka khana.... some ghars .. they avoid khana :)and best are the mothers / wives who know how to plan their menu... so that their charges... keep asking for more... forever
Reminds me of this little place tucked away in one of the busy by-lanes in Madras which serves food in small take-away-friendly portions. I think it is called The Spicy and is purely geared towards office deliveries, serving (almost) homemade Gujarati stuff like theplas and khichdi with kadhi, etc. Even those who wanted to 'eat-in' were served in the same Styrofoam boxes.
Talking of pay-by-weight, there is a Saravana Bhavan also which has got a buffet-by-weight concept ('don't load your plate and then waste, we'll charge you for refills only by weight, thank you'). OK, if economy is the criteria then you are better off doing the unlimited meals in the ground-floor dining hall at the other Saravana Bhavans.
So, in a fancy setting we had 'home food', at less than homely prices. With each mouthful my friend was going over the moon, while I was wondering - as I chewed on rice with banana flower ki sabzi - whether there were any leftovers in my fridge.
OK - it wasn't THAT bad but really, I wouldn't have wanted to pay 500 bucks for a meal like that. Because I am not from Calcutta and it did not bring back any fond memories.
But it set me thinking... The wheel has turned full circle.
When we were kids, going to a restaurant was the ultimate treat. It happened only a couple of times an year - on birthdays and anniversaries or even guests coming from outside. (In fact, we waited for such Bhagwaan's to come) and we'd usually visit only Nataraj or Neelam or for that matter if the the Devtas or Devis were that great, we would move to Shilpi which was an open air restaurant or may be sometimes Park View. But those were days you looked forward to.
But the tide turned when we moved out of the circumference of mom's cooking - and started living on our own. Cut to the present. After years of trial and error I have (at last) learnt to take care of the daily 'paapi pet ka sawaal'. I carry a dabba to office, and usually eat at home.
Of course we still do eat out a couple of times a week to:
a) Catch up with friends over a meal.
b) Try out some new place/ kind of food - for the experience.
Home economics
I think 'ghar ka khaana' will be the Next Big Luxury for many of us. As two-income families mushroom the question is - will they survive on ready-to-eat/ junk food/ Udipi meals?
Pondy has always had enterprising ladies who send lunch and even dinner dabbas with home-cooked food. But I think the next step is actually a chain of take-aways, located in office complexes/ malls from where you can pick up home-cooked mix n match meals.
So you could pick up 6 chapatis, 100 gms alu-tamatar ki sabzi and 100 gms moong ki daal + some dahi on your way home - enough for a couple.
The smart thing would be to have - the way dabba ladies do - a variety of cuisine. ie Gujarati, Punjabi, south Indian - more styles depending on demand.
Someone will of course have to study how to make on a mass scale food that tastes just like ghar ka. While no two moms cook alike, there is a generally accepted spectrum in which home food falls.
The menu would be more 'pedestrian' - tindi, turai, alu-gobi, tuar daal. Even if there's paneer - it would be home-style and not swathed in heavy gravies and spices like restaurants normally serve.
I read somewhere that Food Bazaar has started something similar on an experimental basis all over India, but haven't had a chance to visit. If anyone has - and can vouch for taste/ hygiene do lemme know!
I think custom has been dying a slow death in most walks of life ever since mankind got Henry Forded...and all ghars are not blessed with this aura of ghar ka khana.... some ghars .. they avoid khana :)and best are the mothers / wives who know how to plan their menu... so that their charges... keep asking for more... forever
Reminds me of this little place tucked away in one of the busy by-lanes in Madras which serves food in small take-away-friendly portions. I think it is called The Spicy and is purely geared towards office deliveries, serving (almost) homemade Gujarati stuff like theplas and khichdi with kadhi, etc. Even those who wanted to 'eat-in' were served in the same Styrofoam boxes.
Talking of pay-by-weight, there is a Saravana Bhavan also which has got a buffet-by-weight concept ('don't load your plate and then waste, we'll charge you for refills only by weight, thank you'). OK, if economy is the criteria then you are better off doing the unlimited meals in the ground-floor dining hall at the other Saravana Bhavans.
Ad world mein DHOOM....
Last night I saw year 2004's megahit Dhoom. What struck me was :"If only Yashraj films had reflected on what they did right with Dhoom - and done the same with Bunty aur Babli".
Dhoom was hyped as a boys n bikes film and lived upto that promise. It was cops vs robbers story where we weren't given much time to think. No background info on WHY John Abraham is a bad guy or why Abhishek is a good one. Bas, they are what they are - you just sit back and enjoy the high speed chase sequences. And for the comic element there was Uday Chopra.
Another smart thing was the using just a few really good songs and repeating them several times through the film. The same would've worked wonders for Bunty aur Babli.
Ad-ding it all up
But what this post is really about is John Abraham. In the year since Dhoom's release this guy's stars have really started shining brightly. He was, in fact, the reason the girls went to see the film (Abhishek bhi hai, par is picture mein John pretty much overshadows him). Casting him was a very good idea - he fit the role to a 'T'.
Now, John is the new hot favourite for product endorsements. He was endorsed for :
a) Wrangler jeans
b) Titan Fastrack eye gear
c) Yamaha bikes
All the products are good fits with his image and personality. Especially Yamaha - because the ad he features in is promising the 'next revolution' in biking . John adds source credibility as a guy with a passion for bikes even off-screen.
Now one just hopes he does not go and sign up a dozen more commercials and ruin it all. Being an ex-advertising guy (he was a media planner with Enterprise advertising before ramp modelling and films beckoned) I think John has the right fundas on how to manage his personal positioning. And I hope that good sense prevails over greed.
Really, seeing Prerna (of Kasautii fame) in a B grade commercial for P P Design Estate or Salman Khan plugging Dollar Club banians you have to wonder... Surely certain kinds of endorsements end up costing you more in image terms than they earn you in cash!
Dhoom was hyped as a boys n bikes film and lived upto that promise. It was cops vs robbers story where we weren't given much time to think. No background info on WHY John Abraham is a bad guy or why Abhishek is a good one. Bas, they are what they are - you just sit back and enjoy the high speed chase sequences. And for the comic element there was Uday Chopra.
Another smart thing was the using just a few really good songs and repeating them several times through the film. The same would've worked wonders for Bunty aur Babli.
Ad-ding it all up
But what this post is really about is John Abraham. In the year since Dhoom's release this guy's stars have really started shining brightly. He was, in fact, the reason the girls went to see the film (Abhishek bhi hai, par is picture mein John pretty much overshadows him). Casting him was a very good idea - he fit the role to a 'T'.
Now, John is the new hot favourite for product endorsements. He was endorsed for :
a) Wrangler jeans
b) Titan Fastrack eye gear
c) Yamaha bikes
All the products are good fits with his image and personality. Especially Yamaha - because the ad he features in is promising the 'next revolution' in biking . John adds source credibility as a guy with a passion for bikes even off-screen.
Now one just hopes he does not go and sign up a dozen more commercials and ruin it all. Being an ex-advertising guy (he was a media planner with Enterprise advertising before ramp modelling and films beckoned) I think John has the right fundas on how to manage his personal positioning. And I hope that good sense prevails over greed.
Really, seeing Prerna (of Kasautii fame) in a B grade commercial for P P Design Estate or Salman Khan plugging Dollar Club banians you have to wonder... Surely certain kinds of endorsements end up costing you more in image terms than they earn you in cash!
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