The Eternal Optimist!

Had a discussion about the proper use of social media in office yesterday.  We talk a lot about the increasing penetration of social media but with that we also need to develop the right mindset to use these media. When you are sharing something on social, it is akin to broadcasting your views on national television. In case of something like Twitter or blog, you are broadcasting to global audience. With that in mind, and drawing upon my thoughts during the discussion, I listed some basic guidelines for sharing information on social . I call them the Rules of Sharing. Think twice before you post anything.  The world is watching. You won’t gain much by following your own friends. Follow people from different countries and cultures. Broaden your horizons.  Curate relevant information by scanning the right hashtags. Getting information is the easy part. Curating is more important.  Hashtags are a must with every status. They get you visibility.  People w...

Our magazine, The Goan in School just brought out a special issue on secret services around the world. As a part of the issue, I got a chance to interview a former officer of India's internal intelligence agency, the Intelligence Bureau. It was an interesting conversation and I couldn't resist sharing the article here.   Considering India’s strategic situation, security has been a serious concern for the country and this has called for the need of a powerful and efficient intelligence apparatus.  Today, at a time when we are fighting unconventional threats such as terrorism, it is important that the nation’s internal intelligence mechanism should be sound and capable.  Associate Director of Fomento Resources and former officer of the Intelligence Bureau Mr Suresh Kumar Nair spoke to us at length about the strengths and weaknesses of India’s primary internal intelligence agency, the IB. Our perception of the world of spies is often shaped by the TV and m...

Hi guys! We meet after a really long time, I know. I’ve been doing some aimless reading lately, picking up books that might help me design quirky characters and twisted storylines.  I have no idea what I am looking for. Just wandering through the two worlds –real and literary, hunting for people and ideas. I just read these two amazing books that triggered the urge to write something. The first book, which will stay forever in my shelf, is “ Reasons to Stay Alive ” by Matt Haig. Matt was 24. He was living in a posh villa in Ibiza, Spain, and his job was organizing parties. But he had severe depression. This book chronicles his suffering and rising from the mental illness. What I like about the book is that it combines deeply personal narrative with bits of psychological research regarding depression, and all of it is presented with dry humor. The author tells us how depressing thoughts turned his days into nightmares and states that the medicines did not seem to work at al...

Note: This story picks up the story line from the events mentioned in my book . It also serves as a continuation of the previous post titled League of Shadows *** The loud ring of the cell-phone shook me out of sleep. I blinked and rose from the bed with a start. The mid-April heat was making life unbearable. The fan revolving overhead was not helping. To top it all, my cellphone did not have a good signal in my own flat. “Hello scamster” growled the voice at the other end of the phone. It triggered lots of memories and emotions in my heart. “Did you miss us?” “You have no idea.” I whispered. I had awaited that call for a long time. Holding the handset to my ear, I walked out to the adjoining balcony. Spread beneath my gaze were the narrow streets of Sadashiv Peth, filled with smoke, noise, and chaos. Yes. A year after the events mentioned in my previous book, I was still living in Pune. After my German classes had ended two years prior, I had gone back to Goa to purs...

It’s been quite some time since I've posted anything here. It’s because I had trouble getting in the right mood to write. I am now working for a small company that is into marketing and branding. My job presently is to write content for things ranging from flyers and newsletters to websites and brochures.  The company however has some peculiarities and an air of mystery that can only be captured aptly by one nickname. The League of Shadows. The company  seems to be a loosely knit group of freelancers held together by its resourceful owner. It is actually a full-time company but the approach of its owner to work has given the company a unique character. For the sake of this blog, let’s call him Emperor Akihito . A cheerful, cherubic gentleman playing with some unconventional ideas. The company works in B2B marketing and branding.  It has a rich and diverse clientele ranging from steel rebar makers, industrial dryer manufacturers to business intelligence consu...

Not many people are fans of documentary films. To many, documentaries are those boring things that hit you with the reality and at times have a preachy tone and sad ending. I too had some of these misconceptions in mind when I appeared at the Mequinez Palace auditorium to attend the Master Class by Oscar winning documentary filmmaker  Megan Mylan and Sophy Sivaraman.  Megan Mylan, by showing us the trailers of some of her films and sharing her stories and experiences during the making of the films laid out what makes a great documentary film and a great documentary filmmaker. It is important to be an observational filmmaker first. Funding comes later, said the director. A good documentary filmmaker stays true to his own style of storytelling regardless of the consequences. It is one own choice whether to pitch a proposal to NGOs or other organizations which might lead the influence of the benefactor to creep in, or to work with a modest budget, choosing sponsors...

There are many unemployed people who have trouble telling everyone that they do not have a job.  My problem starts when I tell people what I do. I work in the mass media.   When you tell people that, your predicament is worse than an unemployed person.  “Oh, so you must be knowing the ministers and all!” people say to you with beaming faces. You smile and give an ambiguous Indian nod. The fact that you hardly leave your desk at the office is best kept to yourself. Someone needs to tell these people that not everyone in the media is a reporter. Sometimes when circumstances force you to reveal that you work as a sub-editor and thus get to decide which events to cover for the news, you become the proverbial goose that gives golden eggs. In your case, fame is the golden egg that everyone is after. Those loving relatives and friends become pirates seeking the treasures of popularity. Everyone suddenly has some talent or another that needs exposure. “My moth...