Fashion Week in India this year saw some bizarre incidents, which were adequately captured by our news-hungry media for the lecherous audience.One model lost her top, while another had a crack at the butt.What this has provided to the people is fodder for gossip.
Now the questions being debated is “Was that deliberate or sheer coincidence?”

Let me bring out my views on the subject.
I would not be judgemental about the whole issue but would try to be objective on it.
Indian fashion industry lacks media footage, and doesn’t have a local presence, forget
aboutbeing known worldwide. When one counts the cities on the fashion map, there is hardly any Indian city that figure in it. So, mayb it was just to create interest in the whole
event, to get more media coverage n create some controversies.Though this would not create a flutter with international media,as being topless is considered no big deal,going by the stuff tht channels like FTV dole out.

So, was it an attempt on the part of the designer to grab more attention to his/her
collection? Can be a possibility, considering that the responsibility of the fabric and its
being worn by the models lie more with the designer themselves.Why would someone go for such a cheap stuff that tatters by some stiff catwalk of a model.

Or was it an attempt by the model herself to get notorious? Again I’ll not rule this out, as
the career of a model spans so less a time that they wish to make the most of it.Getting
into controversies is one way of becoming famous,people will remmber ur name, and u can become recognizable, though for wrong reasons(I cud still recall model Jesse Randhawa in this context).But again this argument is dicey coz in the above cases,though one model had the guts to carry it off very well(n i appreciate her for tht), the other looked disturbed
by the incident.

Internationally,there have been numerous cases of such wardrobe malfunction which to me looked staged rather than genuine.

So, what is the verdict. 60-40. I give 60 for getting it staged, and 40 for the genuineness.
Wht say ppl?

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I was really impressed with a marketing strategy in which i found myself being caught.
It so happened tht i started following a Business Mag long time back, at tht time it came
very cheap, around 5 Rs.I always knew they r gonna raise the prices one day or the other.N so it happnd, they raised the price to 10 rs., after abt 5 yrs. of such low prices. In tht period, they hv got many readers like me. N now among them, they got some sure shot subscribers who can’t do away without it. It became like the daily newspaper, u get up in the morning n the first thing u shud come across shud b the day’s newspaper. At least for me, it goes like tht. But wht I am telling u is a familiar strategy tht many companies apply 2 attract consumers. Bait them with lower prices initially, n then when they can’t do without it, raise the prices.I found sthg diff. phenomenon happng coz of this.

Its my personal experience, but i’m pretty sure this is not restricted 2 a few ppl, n many ppl r affected by it. Actually, i’m a kinda reader who reads mags from cover to cover.There were times, when i cud afford it, but with life becoming busy, it is becoming distinct. But i still keep all those mags with me till i finish reading evrythg.So, coz of this disease, I c myself buying evry issue of the magazine whenevr i venture out on weekends. I know tht i already hv a pile of those at home, but the mag has made me so instinctive tht i go on buying it.I think this is where they hv triumphed.First getting the readers, hooking them, n then making themselves indispensable. I’m sure newspapers like TOI must hv followed a similar kinda startegy in their own times.
But wht r the resons behind it? Y am i hooked 2 it.
When i delve deeper, I found out some logic 2 back it up.Now, when one uses a product, in this case a magazine or a newspaper, he has no prior knowledge or reputation for it. He just goes ahead trying sthg new.Over the period, when he finds the quality good n better than the contemporaries,n the product is also relevant to his needs, he tends to respect tht product.N over the period of time, this respect gets converted into a bond.Like some personal relationship, one forms a relationship with the brand, n tends to identify with it.It is this definition in our subconscious tht makes us to go for it impusively.

I am sure that this phenomenon must hv been captured by marketing gurus, but it caught my eye just now. I dont know wht they call it, but i tend to call it “The Subliminal Bond”.

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Yesterday was a sad day for Indian cricket, no doubt. A day when a demi-God was brought down from the pedestal by a few unscrupolous men, and his abilities being put under scanner by others. I am talking abt yesterday’s incident at Wankhede when Tendulkar was booed on being getting out on a solitary run.This has followed a long dry spell of runs, when he has not scored a decent amount of runs.
The debates about his eventual retirement have surfaced yet again, and the shout of ‘Endulkar’ is again being heard.

So, will this mark the end of Tendulkar??
I can’t answer this question at present, but going by his performance on field, the day doesn’t seem 2 far. He looks completely ill at ease while batting these days.His footwork is nowhere, n even novice bowlers tend to scare him out. His palpable face while facing Shoaib Akhtar in Pakistan, and his lying on ground with his head down on getting bowled, are the worst pictures in the lifetime of any cricket fan. So, the fact is that his batting has suffered and he is no longer the old “Ton-dulkar”.It happens to everyone at some stage of their carreers, so it is no different for him.But then another question beckons Team-India-How long are we going to carry him along, at the cost of poor cricket.
I don’t know his personal traits to that extent, but feel that he is a person of grit and determination. But at times like this, people refuse to accept their weaknesses. They simply clinge to their position becoz of the past performances.
I feel its time Tendulkar take a decision about himself, coz Team India can’t b put 2 ransom for so long.Either somebody has to take a harsh decision on him, but I think that would be a bad end to such a great cricketer.

In my opinion, Tendulkar should understand that his days are over, and there should not be any embarassment in accepting that, as he has alreasy given so much to the country,and is undoubtedly among the all-time greats of cricket.What approach he can take is step down for a while, work hard on his shortcoming by playing domestic cricket, or mayb county.Then make a comeback for a tough series, score plethora of runs, and just when people start thinking that he has resurrected himself, he announce his decision to hang up his boots.It would be like going down fighting, and not as one on the knees.
I would like to bring the example of Pete Sampras, who after a long reign at the top in tennis, has to undergo same kind of humiliation. He took a break, came back, won a no. of Grand Slams, and just when people thot he’s back with a vengeance, he decided to retire.

I feel that would be a befitting farewell to a player of the stature of Tendulkar.
I just hope he’s thinking on my lines.

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Just a random poem I composed this morning.

I do flutter in emotions,
and become pessimistic,
I can feel my heart in motion,
and tht too erratic,
Just when i feel that my patience will snap,
Life bounces back.

Times are surely changing.

Some signs of changes in case of creatures,i did note are:

1. Sparrows have almost vanished from our env. I still remmber tht in my younger yrs. when sparrows used 2 move around in our houses.And this phenomenon is not only limited to India, its even gaining ground in Europe. Read this post, Vanishing Sparrows

2. The other day I heard crows crowing right in the middle of the night.

3. There is one rooster who lives s.where near 2 my house, n he starts his usual sounds(cock-a-doodle-do), around 12:30 in the night.I hv not followed him till morning, but he does carries on till i sleep. Its so ironic tht earlier ppl used 2 get up listening 2 his sounds, now they hv started sleeping with it.

I am still 2 find out completely reasons 4 this change in environmental conditions.But they sure point to something amiss.

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It was another weekend, and I was looking for another escape.I had plans to visit Mysore,
wht tht I have fallen in love with the place.But my frenz had other plans on their mind.So,
i was asked 2 reach Mysore by Friday night. As i had committed for a party on tht day, i cudnt go tht early.After partying hard on Friday, I had 2 get up early on Saturday 2 reach
Mysore.On reaching i came 2 know, v r heading 2 swhere, there were a few options.N it was decided tht on reaching the intersection, v’ll take the decision.So, finally me n 4 others , Aps, Suppi, Rohit n Kapil headed 2 Coorg.

The road was bumpy,n the heat was scorching.V kept going with some intermittent breaks in btw.V finally reached Coorg around afternoon. It is around 120 kms. from Mysore, and the place is named Madikeri, Coorg is the district name. Before tht place, on a diversion, you can also visit Abbey Falls. So, v headed towards it. It was steep ride up the hills. V
finally reached the falls, which already had a warning at the entrance saying “Every year
lot of unwary visitors lose their lives on the slippery rocks”. I think very few ppl read tht, forget abt heeding the advice.The place has become rotten, n ppl have made it filthy with plastic wastes. Though the falls were good, but the filth made me feel bad.V spent some time there, but ppl got enthused in btw. So, v headed up the hills 2 c the source of the falls. It was again a difficult n dangerous rock climbing exercise( i must now get used 2 it, and will definitely carry proper gear next time i venture on such trips, coz such rock climbing hv become almost regular feature of my trips).V din go much further, and came back when v were exhausted on the way up.
V then headed 2 a sunset point named “Raja Ki Seat”.It had its charm, and the crowd swelled at the time of the sunset. The setting of the sun in the far off mountains is a good scene, and one of the best attraction of Coorg.Otherwise it doesn’t had much 2 offer, or may b v din go with proper homework 2 lookout for other places.V then headed for some food n drinks, n found a dilapidated env. being referred 2 as the “best” hotel in Coorg.
After spending some time, v headed back as nobody was in the mood 2 stay back for another day.Car drives back home were good, with lots of music, drivers driving on a high, n some cacophonic sounds of some wannabe singers. The occassional stoppages had their usual charm, and one such memorable one was right in the jungles, with pitch darkness, n no sign of ne living thing nearby, even their were very few vehicles crossing.
Our wannabe singer used his throat 2 perfection, n then v cut a caper in the middle of the night n the middle of the jingle. God forbid, if v met some animal. But, neway tht was fun.
So, tht was my weekend trip 2 Coorg, full of fun, adventure n reaching out 2 new locales.

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I just found my way to this blog named BlankNoise Project. Felt like its a worthwhile effort and so shud b a part of it.It focussed on the topic Eve-Teasing, and so let me express my views on it.

So, What is Eve-Teasing?
Literally speaking it is the harassment of, or sexually aggressive behaviour towards, women or girls.It is like some unwarranted efforts to lure the female gender.But I would say, it is a very subjective term. I say this becoz of wht i hear from ppl who talk abt eve-teasing.Agreed, any unsolicited and sexually explicit act shud b termed eve-teasing. But if one includes things like staring or glaring in this purview, I wud beg 2 differ.If you would even not allow such things to happen in society, its like not allowing an outlet for feelings. As such stares and glares are unharmed, they shud b taken in tht stride. But yes, the definition of defining such glares is also subjective, n so i wud stop defending them till this point.

Now, wht are the causes of eve-teasing?
There are a no. of causes behind this.
As female gender is considered the fairer and the weaker sex,they are considered more vulnerable.Esp. in places like India, which is having a male-dominated society, it is considered a male’s fundamental right to behave in any manner with females.It is in fact a way of showing male’s superiority over females.

Also,being a suppressed lot, females generally dont always raise their voices against such harassment, which makes the males more bold in their approaches. Due to social stigma for a girl, less and less cases are reported.
Another reason is the old laws existing in India over eve-teasing.First of all, the corruption doesn’t catch the real culprits, with they being let off on mayb a small favour or money.Even if they are caught, Indian laws don’t have stringent punishments for them.There are enof loopholes to go scot-free.There have been very few convictions in such cases.
Also, lack of education is also a contributing factor to such a menace. Illiterate and uneducated people consider this as their birthright and see nothing wrong in it.They are unaware of the trauma of the girl who faces such harassment.But one wonders then what happens in the metro cities, good educational institutions etc. Incidents in such places make ppl wonder whether education contributes to controlling such a problem. But i feel it does. Good and healthy environment at school and home makes a person respect the other sex, and understand the limitations.

What do the statistics say?
Track Record of India in case of eve-teasing is horrendous. In fact, it looks like this word came into public dialogue out of this country. If one does a search on Google, most of the results pertain to India, tht means tht this issue is a growing problem for our country.
It is estimated that every 51 minutes a woman is sexually harassed in India,and every 21 minutes one woman is molested.This statistic in itself is alarming, and something needs to be done on an urgent basis to stop it.Tht is one reason tht this issue has now come into public glare and is getting attention in the form of such initiatives like BlankNoise Project.

What are the solutions to fight it?
The first and foremost solution to fighting is a change in attitude.The attitude of Indian male has to be changed if this menace has to be eradicated. A general respect for the female gender will go a long way in building a healthy society.

Otherwise, government needs to bring in stringent measures to curb this problem.People shud b given harsh sentences, and such cases shud b brought in public domain for ppl to understand and to fear doing any such thing.
I, for one, wud say, tht one of such people shud b left to public punishment where they are left to be tortured by people in public places.one such case wud go a long way in scaring the wits out of a lot of people.

So, in the end, I wud say, eve-teasing is a menace for society. It should be fought hard and an effort needs to be directed towards this direction for eradicating it from the society and making it a healthy one.
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