LiveStrong

I'll be honest. Video shooting people from various walks of life and capturing moments that highlight their interest level of being associated with a brand is quite a task. While Day-1 of shooting the branding video, had excitement at its' peak, the second day was filled with challenges of a different variety. The aim behind shooting this video, as mentioned earlier was to cover all aspects of the Tata Technologies brand and showcase it to the external world. Day -2 involved shooting at one of Tata Technologies' campuses housed within a sprawling IT park at Hinjawadi, Pune. I'm sure it sounds easy, but boy, were we in for some massive challenges. Multiple security checks, camera equipment scans, high level security cameras hovering around; basically all the elements that could entangle anyone under multiple protocols and procedures. Thanks to some swift thinking last evening, the hassles involved were minimized through e-mails and some telephone calls. Now, wh...

A video and a brand go hand-in-hand. In times like ours, a brand plays on recall value and that's where a video comes in handy. You and me would generally associate a video with the FMCG industry or any product that we can look and feel at. The service industry does come with its' fare share of challenges and enlightening niche engineering services through a video requires the culmination of multiple ideas into a bundle of joy that resonates among every soul associated with the organization. With the view of bringing out the inherent talent and the innovative work that an organization like Tata Technologies involves itself with, a few visionary teams came up with a bright idea of shooting a video that could open to the world about what Tata Technologies possesses and can do to make a difference in the lives of many people that it touches through its services. Make no qualms, that, this is no mean task. Arranging people who have the drive and passion to talk in front of t...

As alpha males (that's what it is called, right?), we tend to always live with a view that whatever decisions we take, will be understood and accepted by people with whom we have amiable relationships. While at certain instances, a male friend might always succumb to certain whims and fancies, thanks to the nature of friendship one maintains. I've always found the woman's perspective a little hard to digest in the beginning, yet on a larger scale it does actually make a lot of sense. Men have always lived to believe that the 'decision making' process belongs to them and whatever they come up with will make sense. The woman's perspective has been always appreciated, yet seldom taken serious. I really do not have to dig for examples to show how and why this happens, considering that I currently live in a country, where a lot of women sacrifice their lives and careers (voluntarily or involuntarily) to become full time mothers (absolutely, nothing wrong here!...

Ego in itself is a dangerous word. It shapes up into self-centralism and is detrimental to any person's life. Add the word 'Male' before that and you have a recipe for world disaster (well, almost) right in front of you. Women activists, liberalists and social change groups will be breathing down one's neck, whenever and wherever they get the slightest sniff of it. I understand the Male Ego has developed through centuries of considering males as the only breadwinners of a family. Thanks to evolution, women have a say in all family matters and their opinions are counted in the 21st century. Once every couple of years, the topic of  Male vs Female crops up. Well, mostly Male dominance vs Female sensitivities. Some men take this topic seriously, like it is a matter of life and death, while some live in the present and go with the flow. I would like to assume that I belong to the latter, considering the fact that a lot of my professional endeavors are judged and rati...

Smartphones are contagious. They really get one involved so much; that you forget the real world. I have stayed clear of smartphones for close to 2 years, yet a month ago, returned to the bandwagon and I admit, haven't been able to find time for myself, ever since. Being constantly connected has its' perils and caveats. Caveats, in terms of not devoting a good amount of time at work and perils like, always knowing what people are up to online (Remember, stalking?). I have always enjoyed connecting with people online. The medium of the internet acts as an apt barrier which allows individuals to get connected, without really having to know him/her very well (Though I feel, this trend is changing as we speak.) For someone like me, who feels his abilities are a reflection of himself, yet tries to always keep a low profile, come what may, the Professional Social Media acts as a splendid opportunity to polish my skills online. Something close to my heart, these days are review...

It's always been a dream to find and make good friends. Genuine people are hard to find, yet in a world of cut-throat competition, it is pleasantly surprising to find a pal who makes shares the same vision and zest for life. I consider myself lucky to have met a sweet lady who's opinions are worldly and possesses no inhibitions about people. It culminates from the fact that she has seen the world and doesn't make or keep any particular opinion about any individual. Allowing people to live the way they want, without imposing any particular principle on them is relatively new for me, though I have always allowed people to live their life on their own terms, Everyone enjoys trying to impose their values and cultural ethics on others. This is a sort of 'brain-washing' that does lead to some issues down the line. My new friend mentions about learning from every moment of life and staying calm during adversities. She claims that being patient rather than docil...

It's been a while since I posted a blog of substantial content value. Time has been a constraint (cliche!), yet I do promise myself to find time to do so regularly (yawn!). Being in a dynamic field like Marketing and finding yourself around a team, dominated by women can be challenging and at the same time, a great learning experience. The women in my team bring a different perspective to everything they approach and it does help me in refining my 'male' thought process, though I have been ridiculed by a lot of my 'male' friends about my choices and 'not-so-hunky' behaviour. I have enjoyed and respected being among women, who I consider are greater teachers, philosophers, guides, acquaintances and mentors. Yet, there are times when opinions may vary. One opinion, I have always had is that women forget the 99 times a man has been nice to them and keep hovering around that one moment, when he loses his cool and always find the apt opportunity to constant ...