Makeover mania

Don't rub your eyes - that IS Ekta Kapoor. India's K serial queen, famous for her 'I don't give a damn how I look' vibes. Here she is - new, improved and almost pleasant looking on the cover of the in-flight magazine of Kingfisher airlines.

See what a difference a bit of warpaint, highlights and better styling can do! Though you don't really need an expert to tell you to lose the Tirupati-Balaji-teeka (God will understand - it just doesn't go with ALL outfits!).

This new look was linked to Ekta turning 30. It was just the milestone which made her re-examine her life. Or, maybe she just caught the makeover virus in the air!

Makeover mania
Two centuries ago Hans Christian Andersen wrote his classic 'Ugly Duckling' tale and India is currently reliving that fable. Except here we don't just wake up from hibernation and turn into swans. We have an army of experts helping us do it.

It all started with Jassi's much awaited transformation from plain Jane to glam puss. A host of other telly-characters from Zee's Kareena to Sony's Pooja (Yeh meri life hai) followed - although with far less fanfare.

Now, there were makeovers happening everywhere...
NDTV Profit gave ordinary middle aged folk makeovers with the help of fashion/ make up gurus (a concept copied from similar foreign shows but nevertheless)

Social butterfly Queenie Dhody gave makeovers to readers of Midday.

Companies like L'Oreal and Vichy hold events in malls where women can walk in for a '15 minute makeover' (and hopefully go home with half a dozen of their products)

A big leap
A decade ago, if you went to a beauty parlour for shaadi ka make-up the lady there would coat you with a thick pancake of foundation and bright lipstick - regardless of your skin type/ outfit/ complexion. The effect was horrendous but was the prevailing standard.

Today, the beautician is far more skilled and client far more aware - and such disasters are hence averted! Even small girls know how to apply lipstick (though they aren't allowed to - except for special occassions).

Why bother
There are those who lament the new emphasis on looks but I think it's a good thing. I grew up believing 'looks don't really matter' - which is hogwash. They do.

I'm not saying one should be obsessed with them, but yes - taking a little extra care to be well groomed and presentable can make a big difference for two reasons:
1) People who believe they look good feel more confident and that reflects in how they deal with the world.
2) It may be an evolutionary thing but human beings are programmed to place a value on "looks".

As New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote, "... We’ve seen those studies showing that aesthetics is hard-wired in the brain - that even babies have an innate sense of beauty, choosing to gaze longer at lovelier faces."

But here's the stunner: Still, the headline in Science Times was jolting: “Ugly Children May Get Parental Short Shrift.” As Nicholas Bakalar wrote: “Canadian researchers have made a startling assertion: parents take better care of pretty children than they do ugly ones.”

She goes on to talk about the economists Daniel Hamermesh and Jeff Biddle whose study notes that being tall, slender and attractive could be worth a "beauty premium" - an extra 5 percent an hour - while there is a "plainness penalty" of 9 percent in wages (after factoring out other issues).

The crux of the matter: No one seems sure whether bosses discriminate against people because they're less attractive, or whether more attractive people develop more self-esteem and social finesse.

May as well then do what you can to be more attractive - if only for yourself! More than what a makeover does externally, it achieves internally.

How far should we go? Personally, I would draw the line at surgery (unless it's a case of birth defect/ accidental deformity etc). If what you have already can be enhanced and highlighted by using the right make-up or getting a good haircut or losing some weight sensibly - I'm all for it!

Caveat!
There can however be too much of a good thing. Dan Ondrack, a professor at the University of Toronto, believes there's a "Boopsey" effect - if women are too gorgeous, people assume they are airheads.

So, women who want to be taken seriously need to adopt the right balance. Menka Doshi at CNBC - who's suddenly lost the specs and slapped on frosted lipstick - might want to think about that ...

As Gold as it gets

Indians love to buy gold. Lots and lots of it. The younger junta would rather buy diamonds now but if and when you get married I bet you will end up buying (or receiving as a gift) one bhaari bharkam 'gold set' .

That you may keep it in the bank locked up until it's time to pass on to your own offspring is another story!

Sold on gold
In the old days, you bought gold from a trusted family sunaar or goldsmith. Not that these sunaars were actually worthy of that trust. 22 karat gold was invariably adulterated and actually only 20 or even 18 karat gold.

Over time, the smarter 'family goldsmiths' made the transition to large, opulent showrooms. And though most share the common community name 'Zaveri', each is a brand in its own right.

But rest assured you are still buying on 'trust'. Every shop promises you can return your jewellery and get full paisa waapas at the prevailing sone ka bhaav(minus 'making charges'). Take the same jewellery to another shop and the fellow will shake his head and say,"Isme to milawat hai."
Given this scenario it would seem that branded gold jewellery was 'just what the doctor ordered'. In the early 90's, Tanishq entered the market with the promise of "purity". Their initial promo invited you to bring your gold and test it at their shops - to see how much ghotala your 'trusted' jeweller is actually committing.

But you know what - despite knowing you are most likely being cheated - we continue to patronise the zaveris. Tanishq - for all its promise - remains a small corporate player in a vast unorganised market.

Why unbranded still rules
Possibly because
a) Its locations suck: In Mumbai, Tanishq has a showroom at Churchgate. And not in Zaveri bazaar or Opera house where people go to buy jewellery. That makes no sense. Wherever there is a Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri or Waman Hari Pethe - hell or highwater - I'd want Tanishq next door!

Just like wherever there's a Barista, there's a Cafe Coffee Day - so the consumer who's decided on a coffee fix can easily walk into either!

b) They don't 'sell' well: A good salesperson can make or break a sale. Jewellery showrooms, like sari emporiums, require a special breed of salesperson. One with an intimate understanding of the woman's psyche - and in many cases the husband/ mother in law in tow.

The salesperson needs to keep showing you more pieces ("dekhiye na, dekhne ka koi tax nahin") without getting upset. Ordering tea, making small talk, offering subtle positive reinforcements - going the extra distance.

I swear the last time my mom went jewellery shopping she walked out with something 50% more expensive than what she'd intended to buy. And the sales lady was at least 50% responsible for the decision.

At Tanishq, the salespeople are polite and helpful but at the end of the day, they are employees of a company. If you walk in at 7.45 and the shop closes at 8 pm. they're more in a hurry to shut shop and head home than make a sale.

Whereas the zaveri's salespeople are additionally motivated by commissions -and the difference shows.

c) Not enough variety: Although they advertise a huge range, not every showroom actually stocks all the pieces. So sometimes you just aren't satisfied on that count. Seeing 50 kinds of bangles or 100 different saris - in order to buy ONE - is actually part of the whole experience

Getting it right
But the reason I am actually writing about Tanishq is to commend them for a new initiative.
 
Finally, a company which has realised that arbit 'product placement' does absolutely nothing for the brand. Something I hope many other marketers - and especially those of youth brands - learn from and follow.

In the Shahrukh-Rani starrer Paheli, Tanishq had engineered a product placement. Rani, who played a traditional Rajasthani beendni, wore Tanishq jewellery throughout the film. But the brand received a mention only in the credits.

The strategy was to publicise the fact that Rani was wearing Tanishq through promos in other mediums - make it a talking point - and sell a 'Paheli collection' in Tanishq stores. In an interview to Businessworld,
the brand manager asserted that "ever since the publicity campaign was launched, footfalls in Tanishq stores had almost doubled".

Here was wishing the strategy to be a success and that the likes of Subhash Ghai took note. The scene in Yaadein where the mother was dying and the camera inadvertently or otherwise focused on a Coca cola keychain was one of the worst moments in Bollywood product placement history!

A good product placement is effortless, and integral to the story. Hrithik Roshan asking for Bournvita in 'Koi Mil Gaya' the first time he went to Preity's house was a great one. You're not even sure if Cadbury's paid for that (they did)

Here's to more creative answers to the product placement paheli

What's love got to do with it ?

"So, when are you having another baby?" is a question often asked to one of my colleagues. He is pestered often on this issue by his relatives and he feels free to come and discuss his personal issues in the office. So many a buddies in the office don't leave any chance to pull his leg. The reason he is told to have one more is - "children need a companion".

Looking at the Anil-Mukesh saga - and hundreds of similar sagas among lesser mortals all around us - I have to say, there is simply NO guarantee that you and your sibling are going to get along for life.

So having extra kids just to give the first one a 'friend' is, I think, not a good enough reason. Not anymore.

Zamaana badal gaya
"Things fall apart," wrote the novelist Chinua Achebe. "The centre cannot hold..." And that describes - exactly - what is happening to the whole concept of family. In India and the world over.

The "centre" was based on two principles:
a) Zaroorat - or need
b) Farz - or duty

In the caveman era, we hunted and lived in packs - it was a matter of basic needs: security, survival.

In time, religion brought in values like "Honor thy Father" (every faith has its own version - but similar in spirit).

So that was farz - or duty - which bound us to each other. Although one had to sacrifice some amount of individuality on the altar of farz, in return you gained an identity and some amount of social security (the family/ community would always be there for you).

And what about love, you might ask. Isn't love what really keeps families together? To which I must say - love is a factor. But minus farz and zaroorat it's just not sticky enough.

Hum saath saath kyun rahein?
That's a question families across India have been asking over the last couple of decades. The answer is - we don't have to.

In fact contrary to what Kyunki Saas may depict, the modern day mother-in-law is often quite clear that SHE would rather not stay with son and bahu.

Tum apni zindagi jeeyo, hum apni - I've heard more than one aunt say. In good humour on the surface, but deadly serious really!

On the other hand, some bahus (esp working women) choose to live with their in-laws reasoning it will be good for their kids. So again, that's zaroorat kicking in.

Paise ki maaya
Income levels have everything to do with it. Money can't buy you love, sang the Beatles but what's clear is it can certainly create a lot of acrimony where love once existed.

There's a general pattern to family break-ups:
a) Poor-to-Rich phase: Your extended family is an asset. You have nothing else, so your gain your wellbeing from your relationships.

b) Rich-to-Things Fall Apart phase: Brothers who once ate sukhi roti from the same thaali, lubricated by the ghee of filial love, now eat rasmalai in fine china plates.
But one starts feeling the other's plate is fancier. Or rasmalai sweeter. Spouses too play a role here ...

Now often brothers will live and work together for years, despite these feelings. But once the patriarch of the family passes away - things fall apart. Farz - or duty - is no more.

Then, comes the question of zaroorat Do we really NEED each other - or can we manage our lives/ business quite well alone, thank you?

In the Anil-Mukesh saga the feeling of zaroorat pretty much evaporated. Which is why it became impossible for them to co-exist.

c) Separate-but-Social phase: We meet, we smile - at birthdays and weddings. But - in most cases - it's never ever going to be one big happy family. Except in faded photographs.

The love and togetherness the brothers/sisters once shared living in a cramped 3 room house didn't survive the tectonic shift to a two storeyed mansion.

Things have fallen so apart that certain people don't even talk to certain other people.

Pyaar kiya to kya..
So that's the extended family bit. But even with the nuclear family, it's more often zaroorat and farz which keeps things together.

If you go in for an arranged marriage - love in any case, you hope, follows the event. Or is born out of it.

And if you have a love marriage, 5 years down the line what keeps many couples together is the joint 'projects' - your kids, your mortgage, your status in society.

And I'm not saying that is a BAD thing as long as if not love, there is at least 'like a lot' in the picture...

When we talk of commitment - what is it but farz anyways? Partly imposed by society, and partly a value we choose to commit ourselves to. While "love" at the end of the day is a zaroorat... A basic human need.

But the need for space - and individuality - is becoming more and more important. And these needs are at odds with 'love'. And a million mutinies are born everyday...

Rain ware

Indian fashion designers put out spring-summer collections and fall-winter collections. Although we barely have a 'spring' and certainly don't have a fall.

Meanwhile, the one important season that we actually do have - monsoon - gets little or no consideration.
The first day it rains you feel wonderful. The days and weeks that follow - 'icky' is more like it. Blame it on the travel conditions (a couple of heavy showers can disrupt the whole city for 2 days). The half-dug roads which turn into a sea of keechad. And the lethargy of having to get out of your house at all ...

But things would be slightly more tolerable if one had more suitable clothes - and shoes - to wear. There are tons of waterproof make up available but unless you're willing to don nylon or polyster (which neither looks nor feels good) - no such luck in clothing.

Surely some copmanies can do some R & D and produce 'monsoon-ready' fabrics that dry quickly and if someone can do that for denim, I for one would happily become a lifelong patron. But ok - maybe that kind of thing is ambitious and will take some years. What about someting as basic as shoes? Your options are orange plastic (yuck!), squelchy rubber (also yuck!!). Something that does the job (of keeping ur feet dry) AND looks good I am yet to find.

Problem is, few countries experience the kind of rains we do. In England, it rains - but more pitter-patter raindrops than kutte-billi. So we'll probably have to design products ourselves rather than copy/ adapt from elsewhere or wait for the Chinese to do it for us. Thanks to them, we have - at least ! - graduated to more colourful and interesting umbrellas and windcheaters.

The solution - for now - is keep some extra clothes and shoes in your workplace, so in case you get wet you don't spend the whole day feeling like a soggy sandwich.

From dawn to dusk II

                                                         As time passed by, light started disappearing and changed into darkness with the last hope of ray also going into oblivion, giving hope to every soul of a new dawn to come.

From dawn to dusk

We completed our hectic schedule in Madras and this was on our way back to Pondy. The skies and the sun seemed to say that they also had completed their job for the day.

The sun setting in this part of the world and going in a hurry to rise in some other part of the world. Nature's efforts to keep going and inspiring others also to keep on moving.

Day in and Day out...

Eagle soaring

The eagle with a golden head. The clouds giving a pretence of a bird soaring up in the sky. To me it looked as it was a massive eagle with the sun in the place of the head.

Beneath lay the Bay of Bengal. Though we were getting late, but stopped in between to capture this huge bird. Don't get to see this kind of a bird always.