With all the negative publicity the Bengaluru International Airport was getting from my morning newspapers and other not so reliable sources of information, I went to the airport thinking it would be a disaster. I half expected all of us to do a long jump from the aerobridge into the plane! So I went to the airport with a feeling of fear...coz I Can't Jump!
But much to my surprise, the airport was actually not bad at all! There was a loooongish queue in the morning when we had to leave. But we did leave in comfort. The sports bar was not a disaster as I had thought it would be. The return was even better. I was out of the immigration in 10 minutes and did wait a little bit for the suitcase to come out of the baggage carousal. When I stepped out, I chose the BMTC bus service instead of the flood-light robbers call as Taxi that charge an arm and a leg to get out of the parking lot! I did not choose the Volvo but the normal bus. Am ashamed to say that this was my first ever Bus trip in Bangalore. The time of the day was 5:30 AM in the morning. The bus actually left on time! And the driver and conductor were most accommodating. They actually dropped me in a non-scheduled bus stop as it was closer to home!
Not a bad experience for some one coming out of an international trip. Can things be better in terms of signages, user-friendliness etc? Sure they can! But I could say that for Heathrow terminal 5 as well!
For once I do not want to whine about the airport, coz it ain't so bad! I think good things need to be appreciated and hence this very straight write-up. And all those whiners, get out of the car and take the bus to BIAL. It rocks!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Boosted Egos and Busted Products
I am yet to recover from the shock and the ego rip er..trip that Kamal had in his Magnum Bogus! I have poured it out to a certain extent in my other blog (my own ego trip :-)). But in one of those undisturbed moments of reflection (you really do not want me to describe where that was...I will drop subtle clues), I was wondering what pushes a man to peddle crap as story and feel smug about it. Clearly I could not flush the damn movie out of my mind.
It was about 8 pm in the night, after dinner. The whole tamil play gang had gathered in a room to finalize on a play. There was a kernel of an idea for a play. We had run out of tamil scripts to do and had to perform our own stories. So in all earnest this team built the idea into a play. Then we tore it apart...ripped it literally. We wanted to see whether the play will stand our criticism. These were about 15 minds sitting and beating this idea to pieces. At the end of 2 hours we realized that the play as we had thought of it was actually not too sound. The team then went on to work and fixed it. 2 hours later we had a robust play. This play was good for the 21 year olds who thought of it and the 17 to 21 year olds who would watch it. We performed the play to as good a review a college audience can give us...a standing ovation! And it was accomplished for a budget of Rs 1500 only.
Granted this happened 16 years ago. Granted the 20 somethings have really not done much in theatre or movies since that time. However, I think the underlying point is that there is a process to idea generation. There is honesty in the team to ensure that whatever gets out of these discussion is a good product.
The discussion for this movie must have been on similar lines. But I guess the team that discussed it were so full of it that they really could not smell their own fart! Kamal actually had the guts to give himself a 9 out of 10 for the story teller. He felt that he is probably one of the best in the business. If that is the truth, I pity the business.
Isn't it true that more often than not when you let your ego take the better of you and think whatever you do people will lap it up irrespective of the quality, it has ended in a disaster! Met this company folks recently that thought they had an awesome product and lo and behold! When they took it to the market, no one bought it. Because, the people out there did not need it! And we had just forgotten to factor them in the whole design process.
I think in any of these individual driven companies or ideas, you need good counselors as mirrors or little pins if you will. Just to poke your inflated ego a little bit so that you are grounded and don'treally don't fly away!
It was about 8 pm in the night, after dinner. The whole tamil play gang had gathered in a room to finalize on a play. There was a kernel of an idea for a play. We had run out of tamil scripts to do and had to perform our own stories. So in all earnest this team built the idea into a play. Then we tore it apart...ripped it literally. We wanted to see whether the play will stand our criticism. These were about 15 minds sitting and beating this idea to pieces. At the end of 2 hours we realized that the play as we had thought of it was actually not too sound. The team then went on to work and fixed it. 2 hours later we had a robust play. This play was good for the 21 year olds who thought of it and the 17 to 21 year olds who would watch it. We performed the play to as good a review a college audience can give us...a standing ovation! And it was accomplished for a budget of Rs 1500 only.
Granted this happened 16 years ago. Granted the 20 somethings have really not done much in theatre or movies since that time. However, I think the underlying point is that there is a process to idea generation. There is honesty in the team to ensure that whatever gets out of these discussion is a good product.
The discussion for this movie must have been on similar lines. But I guess the team that discussed it were so full of it that they really could not smell their own fart! Kamal actually had the guts to give himself a 9 out of 10 for the story teller. He felt that he is probably one of the best in the business. If that is the truth, I pity the business.
Isn't it true that more often than not when you let your ego take the better of you and think whatever you do people will lap it up irrespective of the quality, it has ended in a disaster! Met this company folks recently that thought they had an awesome product and lo and behold! When they took it to the market, no one bought it. Because, the people out there did not need it! And we had just forgotten to factor them in the whole design process.
I think in any of these individual driven companies or ideas, you need good counselors as mirrors or little pins if you will. Just to poke your inflated ego a little bit so that you are grounded and don'treally don't fly away!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Dosaavatharam - Musing on Paper Dosai
The other day I was in Saravana Bhavan, Vellore and I had ordered Butter Paper Masala. The waiter came back with a very long face and said that they did not have Butter Paper Masala. My heart sank faster than Tashan in the box office! But then he very apologetically said that they only had Ghee Paper Masala Dosai. I pondered. Thought about it for....well....a ......full.... quarter second and made the compromise! I told him that I will have the dosai!
I open with this incident just to let the rare one or two fellow jobless entities who read this blog, that I mean business when it comes to having paper dosai. It has to be just perfect. Over the last few years I have made it my duty to go to various places in the world (Continents of Australia, Africa and Antarctica excluded) and gone to very many Indian restaurants to sample the local cuisine (South Indian of course!). And invariably, I look at the menu and search for it. Then I see it out of the corner of my eye. I see it going to some other lucky guy or family of four (on some super diet for sure). I look at the waiter and say the same lines as Robert Redford's mom said in Harry Met Sally, "I want whatever they are having!". Just to clarify to the evil mind reading it, No Meg Ryan and no 'other' scene :-(
The key components to enjoy the dosai are the chutney(s) and sambar. The masala plays a key part in the middle. The dosai to the uninitiated has to be papery through out....no soggy business. And the dough should not be too sour.
Here is my quick review on Paper Dosai globally
1. Shanthi Sagar - CMH Road, Bangalore - They have it in the menu...but when I ordered it...where is it?
2. Kamadhenu - Trinity Circle, Bangalore - One of the better ones in Bangalore. But sadly the restaurant is no more
3. New Krishna Bhavan, Malleswaram, Bangalore - Not bad at all
4. Adigas, Malleswaram, Bangalore - ???
5. Saravana Bhavan, Bay Area, US of A - Why small size paper?
6. Kamath, Panjim - Size okay, sour dough, and they have no clue about making Chutney
7. Sagar, London, UK - Big Dosa, Okay Dough, Sambar sucks and Chutney was sucking louder.
8. Unnamed restaurant, Chatiram Bus stand, Tiruchirarpalli - HuUUUUge Dosa, watery sambar, liquid chutney
9. Saravana Bhavan, Vellore/Ashok Nagar/T. Nagar - Good stuff...getting there
10. Saravana Bhavan, Vadapalani - Heaven!!!
PS: These are restaurants where I have been too in the last 3-4 years. This clearly does not include the dosais in Detroit and Chicago or Sangeetha group in Chennai. Just thought I would mention it so that I don't see people hurling half boiled potatoes at me! And let me know if you think there is a better dosa waiting to be discovered.
I open with this incident just to let the rare one or two fellow jobless entities who read this blog, that I mean business when it comes to having paper dosai. It has to be just perfect. Over the last few years I have made it my duty to go to various places in the world (Continents of Australia, Africa and Antarctica excluded) and gone to very many Indian restaurants to sample the local cuisine (South Indian of course!). And invariably, I look at the menu and search for it. Then I see it out of the corner of my eye. I see it going to some other lucky guy or family of four (on some super diet for sure). I look at the waiter and say the same lines as Robert Redford's mom said in Harry Met Sally, "I want whatever they are having!". Just to clarify to the evil mind reading it, No Meg Ryan and no 'other' scene :-(
The key components to enjoy the dosai are the chutney(s) and sambar. The masala plays a key part in the middle. The dosai to the uninitiated has to be papery through out....no soggy business. And the dough should not be too sour.
Here is my quick review on Paper Dosai globally
1. Shanthi Sagar - CMH Road, Bangalore - They have it in the menu...but when I ordered it...where is it?
2. Kamadhenu - Trinity Circle, Bangalore - One of the better ones in Bangalore. But sadly the restaurant is no more
3. New Krishna Bhavan, Malleswaram, Bangalore - Not bad at all
4. Adigas, Malleswaram, Bangalore - ???
5. Saravana Bhavan, Bay Area, US of A - Why small size paper?
6. Kamath, Panjim - Size okay, sour dough, and they have no clue about making Chutney
7. Sagar, London, UK - Big Dosa, Okay Dough, Sambar sucks and Chutney was sucking louder.
8. Unnamed restaurant, Chatiram Bus stand, Tiruchirarpalli - HuUUUUge Dosa, watery sambar, liquid chutney
9. Saravana Bhavan, Vellore/Ashok Nagar/T. Nagar - Good stuff...getting there
10. Saravana Bhavan, Vadapalani - Heaven!!!
PS: These are restaurants where I have been too in the last 3-4 years. This clearly does not include the dosais in Detroit and Chicago or Sangeetha group in Chennai. Just thought I would mention it so that I don't see people hurling half boiled potatoes at me! And let me know if you think there is a better dosa waiting to be discovered.
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