Bigest brand of the decade

 

Q. What is the biggest brand of the decade?

A. Covid 19

Why?

1. It is a perfect case study of strategic marketing.

2. World economy was in kind of a rut in latter half of the decade. 

3.Opportunity out of the blue - Covid 19

4. First come the viral videos from a iron curtain country. 

5. People start talking. People get inquisitive. Experts discuss. Time frames are propogated of infection on world media.

6. Manufacturing overhauls. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon. 

7. Antiviral clothes, antiviral food, anviral medicines, antiviral tableware, antiviral beds, antiviral rugs, antiviral anything but sense.

8. Vaccine run begins. Vaccine shortages occur. Brand skyrockets.

9. Version 2 of virus. Aaaah. 

10  Gets still better. Today papers hint about all mutants coming together supervariant.

11. Way to go covid 19

12. Meanwhile, people now take antiviral tours, take part in anti viral ceremonies, go about life and sagging economies start looking up.

Why Covid is good for kochi?

 Kochi, the beautiful city where I live has many unique features and attracts thousands for domestic and foreign tourists each year. However, with the advent of Covid 19, the scene has changed a bit. Ant the torism industry is hit.

But actually, Covid 19 hs been a blessing in disguise to many. Why? Well, it robs you of the sense to smell and that means that the stench from rotting overflown bins, smoke from burnt plastic waste, pollution from vehicles

(now with not so pure fuel- pure one is too precious), blocked canals with untreated waste DOESN'T BOTHER  anymore.

Isn't that a blessing?

Earthquake Earthquake

I get into these episodes of scientific exploration armchair style. And presently, my studies and research is gathered around earthquakes.

So, I delve through sites and books giving me some information of Mother Earth's  shudders and tremors. Interesting stuff. And being just like an armchair scientist, I yap about my discoveries to anyone whether they are interested or not.

So last Christmas holidays, when I went home, I started off to my dad. He braved for 15 minutes then finally asked me to listen for a change.

He was in Uzbekistan for a Indo soviet tech exchange programme. They were invited to a wedding. The Uzbeks are crazy about Hindi film music and happily the whole team and Uzbeks danced to the bollywood tunes. One wrong step and down went dad. he sprained his ankle.

The Russian interpreter cum guide took him a hospital and he was nicely bandaged and advised rest.So the team was trying to be as helpfu. Dad being lazy, acted much pain. Coffee, food and drinks were brought to bedside. What fun!

Two days later, he was being crooned on . all gang had surrounded him when it started. The table shook a little. the mug fell off. Pause. again it started to tremble. Someone yelled , it is a quake.

Dad was the first person out of the building. He literally flew over a buddy, ran down the steps and made to the clearing before anyone. Others followed, laughing. Some gave him friendly jabs calling him the lazy actor.

So, if an earthquake happens, all else doesn't matters. Find way to open space if you can in shortest time.

Importance of Red

Scene 1: Apartment Day celebrations. Couple of men are drunk till their noses are RED
Scene 2: The music is on but the songs aren't being started by the orchestra. RED with anger, one flings a spoon at the videographer.
Scene 3: The Secy. blushes RED and tries to remove fellow from scene.
Scene 4: Fellow's wife is now RED hot with temper
Scene 5: She troops off with friends. Fellow comes back and hits Secy whose nose bleeds RED.
Scene 6: Secy. shows RED signal causes prog to stop
Scene 7: Public is RED with anger, demands restart.
Scene 8: RED changes to green , prog restarts and ends with dance and fun.
Scene 9: Next day, many see the day as a RED letter day and demand resignations.
Scene 10: BotheRED, the pres. calls for an open forum.
Scene 10: Committee does a RED tape on the issue
Scene 11: Some stop paying dues. Their status underlined in RED
Scene 12: 6 months on, their facilities are withdrawn. RED with anger, they blockade gates and gherao
Scene 13: Case is filed and now to their chagrin, the finances regarding cases are in RED for all concerned.


Lesson: No wonder, Statutory warnings are in RED

Shh...Don't talk about it

It was bright day. There was a kitty party at a friend's. That meant"No Coooking". Yippee. The theme for the day was white. So I fished out a white salwar kameez from the big dump in the wardrobe and started brushing my hair. The TV was on and was enjoying the live telecast of Asian Games. Suddenly it struck. A shooting pain in the .....you know where. Again and again the spasms took the breath out of me. Though we all say the sentence each time someone is unpleasant, I knew for first time how bad it can get.

Tears rolled down without even crying. The pain was excruciating. I called my friends to let them know that I would not be able join them for the party. Immediately, they wanted to know the reason. Now how do you tell another person that you have a pain ....you know where. I said" tummyache". They said they are coming over to enquire. I could not stop them. So I gathered my courage to spell it out. They came with medicine, one of them being a doc's wife. I have pain around the openings , I said. Openings...what openings, the engineer's wife wanted to know. Thankfully the other understood. She was a Gastro's daughter too.

The pain was unbearable now. So I called hubby and he came over. My friends were there. I lost shame in pain. I burst out "My *&# is paining". Poor guy. He turned the deepest red. I could not stand straight. They helped me to the lift. On ground floor, the caretaker wanted to know what the problem was. Before I blurted out anything, poor hubby said "backache". At the hospital, the first attendant was a male. Hubby had gone to park the car. So this time over he was lucky not to hear it. They gave me an injection, ran me through tests including a scan and found nothing significant. But the pain killer helped. And I learnt the meaning of the oft used phrase.

Whose MOM

"Whose MOM is it?" This is the all important question in political circles of New Delhi. Wondering what I'm talking about. It's about the one of the most significant achievements of India's space history. The launch of Mangalyan and its reaching the red planet Mars in the maiden attempt. MOM has too many Dads now. Manmohanji, Modi Ji, yehji, wohji, sabhiji want to be part of the success. ISRO's scientists don't matter at all. The poor men and women who had sleepless nights working out he atronomical calculations and planning are nobodies!!. The TV channels are cashing on with debates between the jingoistic spokespersons for parties at prime time. I think not even one channel took the trouble to introduce the core team for the mission. They just interviewed one or two and went tothe politicos who promised more masala, more ad revenue.

The evening show was sickening. Uncle Sam's vehicle is also on Mars orbit. Modi is in USA. Most probably the planets foresee a great future for the nations. But, please remember to honour those scientists with something worthwhile.

God save the snakes in God's Own country

Kerala teethers. No known medicine can save the state. People who used to drink once a while have become dipsomaniacs. Poor Malayali has no will to live. Live for what with a virtual prohibition in place. Come 12th September, the state's innumerable Bars will fade into history. Booze will only be available in 5 star hotels.

The folkore songs will disappear as there will be no singers. It is a cultural blockade. Only one thing is sure. Bootlegging will be the order of the day. Mahe will have tourist influx. The sun , sand and surf will regain its natural splendour with no tourists to pollute.

The snakes in the state will be overworked. People will queue up for a nice sting. God save the snakes in God's Own country.