beyond the musical note

Yesterday i had the pleasure of listening to one of the most passionate musicians perform at Prithvi cafe.I love music and dance and have often attended many a concert, but the notes that Suhasji a master flute musician created were in a genre of their own.

Pure from the heart love for music.Under dim yellow lights of beautifully decorated lanterns at the Prithvi cafe,in a snug corner of the cafe there comes a very talented musician who plays his flute almost every day for anyone and everyone.Whats beautiful about the experience is the absolute genuineness with which he plays,its not about the fan following for the applause, its about playing because you feel like sharing something with someone,and its this puritan purpose that make Suhasji stand out from the many other musician i've come across.

I've always believed that we in advertising sit in glass cabins heads buried into the monitor when the most creative influences in society sit out in the open in the glare of the public eye.Maybe its time we step out of our cabins and into the real world where pure emotion is felt and chords that move the heart are struck.

Yesterday to me was surreal,the sound of the flute in the background as you sip on a drink and light up a smoke is an experience no band or high funda music equipment could recreate.

Thank you Suhasji for in your own unique way creating a haven for us to escape to!

See,hear,touch,feel...the 360 degree sensory delight!

Todays consumers are all about the experience...
We are innate story tellers and the wilder the experience the greater the story!!We want to try new things,explore,test personal limits and see whats possible!Whether is kayaking down the Ganges,trekking up the Himalayas,taking up kick boxing,learning to pole dance,water yoga...you name it and there are takers for something unusual today!!

The new age customer wants to break out of the shackles of monotony and drudgery!and are more willing than ever before to experiment can create unique experiences for themselves!This quest for experience could be something even as small as learning to use the new PDA.There is a longing to feel alive and to shake up a stale routine.

Theres also a deeper push to engage the sense.Life is often too scripted and it feels great to cook from scratch that Mexican dish or paint that oil painting you've been meaning to do for over a year.In the new playground experience is the currency.Its the more valuable and prized than any material belonging.

Also unusual experiences spark interesting conversations and provide a vehicle for exploring latent passions,talents and desires in the attempt of developing a stronger sense of self.

The search for unusual experience also stems from the feasibility to create your own content.So now on your trip to Egypt you can create your very own video of the pyramids and mix it with your favorite track and upload it on your blog or youtube instead of picking up a souvenier!!

Busy bodies

Dialing a number...
Its ringing...
My call is cut!

Have been noticing something for sometime now,its something that most of my friends have succumbed to and flaunt unabashed!

Call anyone today and they are always busy!!!Ask them what their plans are for the weekend and they are busy with work!!or planning the next weeks workload!!

Its like the whole of India is running on hyper drive!i really got thinking about this so called 'BUSY BEE SYNDROME' over a beer with my fiance and friends the other day when these guys started pulling each others legs about how early the other one got off work and how lazy and not focused they were to do so.Now i personally completely disagree with the whole I've put in 18 hours a days =I'm hardworking,successful and an over achiever, in fact i believe quite the polar opposite!
My funda is work hard!work fast!work efficiently!

Getting back to the point,Gen x seems to have created a new disorder to add to the never ending list that already exists!!Conversations like"I'll call you back am in a meeting","Working over time this week","Cant make it for the movie somethings come up at work!"are daily occurances in the vocabulary of Genx.

So why the devil is everyone pretending to be so freaking busy!!??!!
This Gatorade powered generation caught in a fast paced constantly changing world has created the impression that working longer means working harder.[And if you really don't have that much work you jolly well pretend you do!!]Getting off work early is associated with aimless less,lack of focus in ones career.Parents and society too are to blame for reiterating these perception.Movies,theater,ad commercials all showing the overworked individual as a successful professional makes one believe that this is the way to go.

The end result an over worked,over tired generation of youngsters with little or no social life,with work frustrations that build up often to t he point of exploding,nervous break downs and sorry to say a generation living in the shades of grey devoid of any colour in their lives!

The bendy Indian

Hinduism is marked by two very strong ideologies,the first being,the tolerance injunction ,this basically emphasizes Hinduisms willingness throughout history to negotiate other world views and accept changes without sacrificing an unchanging essential core.

The second being Hinduism's universality,which essential is the belief that for every Hindu the fundamentals of his religious beliefs are the fundamental insights of all religions.The flexible Hindu is generally urban,educated and belongs to the ever expanding middle class.He may be traditional when it comes to religious rituals, he can be a nationalist when it comes to Islamic or Christan conversion activity and a globalist who enthusiastically embraces new religion and spiritual movements.

The bendy Hindu is much more eclectic in his religious attitudes and beliefs than his more traditional counterparts and a lot lest adamant when it comes to ideological beliefs when it comes to ideological beliefs.

The new Hindu prototype is an ever evolving breed who has to deal with the ever increasing pressures of urban life,he often tweaks age of rituals and modernized them to fit his new time shifting life.So from prayers offered to the Siddhi vinayak temple online or virtual donations.

The yearly pilgrimage has also seen a revamp with transportation and accommodation facilities at pilgrimage spots improved by leaps and bounds many a time the family vacation is plannedas such touristy-spiritual locations.

Another major feature of this prototype is the welcoming of new age healing gurus.From the Sri Sri Ravi Shankars of the world to the now very many Aamas and Matas the flexible Hindu shows not aversion to welcoming them with open arms.

This often topped with a modernized yoga and meditative session or weekly sath sang are not an uncommon feature in their lives.The flexible Hindu has no problem integrating New Age practices as they don't really disrupt his existing religious practices and dont alienate him from his core beliefs.

Its not just practices like reiki, pranic healing,lama fera,tarot or feng shui but also Hindu cultural concepts-for instance,the idea of karma-that are being re imported in their Western reincarnations.

The new age flexible Hindu is an enterprising, innovative,level headed individuals not afraid of a changing world in fact pro actively contributing to a changing religious culture!

The bendy India

must clicks!

Heres the first of very many posts on interesting sites i've stumbled upon

Drum roll pleasssssssssseee!!and the first site is!
http://www.mtvindia.com/itsmy/index.php

Its the coolest thing ever!You design your very own logo,you can even put your own pic, get to give it your name,choose the colors and motifs and the best part is it is aired on Mtv!!
How cool is that!!