March 30, 2011

Loyalty and love...for sport

In today’s ever-changing ‘flat’ world, people from different parts of the globe live in other parts of it. They call it ‘home’ either for the moment or forever. But are they truly displaced in their feelings as well? Where is their heart? Who will they side with if their present and past ‘homes’ are on a collision course?

‘The Cup’ will make the sub-continent its home by the end of the week. An outsider to this event will think that this is achievement in itself. Alas, the truth is far from it. The magnitude of this, is known only to the billion plus whose hearts beat to the sound of every ball played.

A billion hearts will be praying, singing, screaming and urging you on today.

Bleed Blue India, Bleed Blue.

March 9, 2011

Radio Ga Ga!

Radio in India has come a long, long way since the time I was a kid. From old Hindi songs and classical music, it moved on to 'English' songs for one hour every evening. And they even played requests and took dedications! I haven't tuned in to the radio in a really long time (ever since I moved back to India, I think) so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Bangalore has its own 24 hour 'hit' music station Radio Indigo. They have a couple of 'foreign' DJs and the music they play is a combination of rock, pop, hip hop and everything else that is considered 'hit'...at least for the moment.

But the advertisements they feature are as bad as any other station...here are a couple that I hear everyday...

"A recent survey showed that 40% of people that are heart patients are in the age of 25 - 35. Did that wake you up?" - When I first heard that, I thought it was an ad for a health club of some sort promoting the value of staying fit. Um, no...it's for health insurance! It's ok if you're not fit and have a bad lifestyle, make sure you don't get screwed on hospital bills!

A lady with a very strong American accent talks about the benefits of studying at one particular design school in the city...and ends it all by saying she's from SCOTLAND! Come on, get your 'accent' together!

Lastly, an ad featuring Bangalore's hippest French/Italian restaurant Medici! French/Italian...like Indian/Chinese? That's adaptation if you ask me.