Thursday, 30 April 2020

Celebrating Life ! Rishi Kapoor 🙏

The cute next door boy is no more and they say Rishi Kapoor,67 is dead.

An ageless, chubby and happy go lucky boy will no longer be seen in public life but then, he will never grow old as well.

Some people always carry positive vibes and Rishi Kapoor was synonymous with them. Whatever was the role, you always ended up liking him. If Chocolate boy in Bobby, Sagar and Chandani was loved forever then Rauf Lala was appreciated for a talent which was never seen before.

A powerhouse of talent couldn’t deliver a hit in  ‘Aa ab laut chale..’ and we missed making of a legendary director forever.

The entertainment industry is full of characters and faces but none amongst them are a match to Kapoor lineage. The family, over the years have become an important component of our lives. If Prithviraj Kapoor was favourite of our grandfathers, then Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Ranbir have ensured that the connect is passed on to the next generations.

There are few who can live on their own terms. Recollect those days, when working in shifts was a norm, Rishi Kapoor worked only in general shift and still remained successful. When he wanted to speak out against the naming of institutions or monuments by a particular family name, he was loud and clear. His love for drinks was legendary when he expected wine shops to be opened during lockdown period.

Rishi Kapoor, will always be remembered for his enthusiasm, innocence and for speaking his mind, whatsoever was the public opinion.

The boy next door is no more a reality, but isn’t it true that there would never be any affable boy who was as good as Rishi Kapoor.

RIP is not the way we conclude Rishi Kapoor’s life.

Let’s celebrate the life of one and only ‘Rishi Kapoor’.

🙏🙏🙏

Image Courtesy: Deccan Herald

Disclaimer: The article is a personal homage to one of the most loved innocent boys of film industry Rishi Kapoor and thanks him for making us fall in love with him and life again and again.

Wednesday, 29 April 2020

Remembering Irrfan ! The other Khan 🙏

Some people have a habit of arriving quietly and make their presence felt in due course of time and when they exit, they leave without letting anyone know about it(quietly), but as the fact dawns, it’s already too late and they are missed forever.

A quiet personality called Irrfan Khan made an exit when the world is confined to home and Irrfan may not get the farewell, he truly deserved.

When the world was all about love stories, action or art films, an actor in Irrfan made his entry through content based roles. With the Khans ruling the box office, here was a khan in a complete contrast to the trio and one wondered how far the new khan had the potential to make a place for himself, rather he was ignored in a corner of living room in a medium known as idiot box(Television).

Irrfan Khan’s early TV serials made it sure that he was seen in some small but meaty roles which were worth a watch but not necessarily be remembered for a long time. Any other personality, would have lost the patience and perseverance to make a mark for himself but not Irrfan. Slowly but steadily, we started taking a note of a tremendous actor in Irrfan and after years of struggle, he established himself as an actor who was commercially successful without loosing his own identity.

After seeing someone going through a struggle for more than 20 years, one would have loved to see Irrfan bask in the glory of success and in return we would have seen some memorable performances in the future. The kind of talent Irrfan had, we might have just seen a tip of the iceberg through ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Pikoo’ and never to forget the initial days of ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’.

A life is always born with an exit date, however the humans are not aware of it and as the saying which never goes wrong, “Man proposes and God disposes” is proved once again and a promising life has come to an end.

Irrfan might have left but not before proving to the world that an actor is known for the characters he play and not by the name he carries.

RIP Irrfan !!

Image Courtesy: Newsbaba

Disclaimer: The article is a personal homage to one of the finest actor of our times Irrfan Khan ( He added extra ‘r’ in his name) for the characters he played and liveliness he bought on the screen.

Friday, 24 April 2020

The GOD, Sachin is 47 ! Happy Birthday 🙇‍♂️




God is Great !
God is Kind !
God is loved by All !
Circa 1987, the original GOD of cricket Sunil Gavaskar declared recluse and all of sudden, India felt orphaned for what matters them the most ‘Cricket’.
2 years down the line in 1989, a small boy walked on the field in hostile conditions against aggressive opponents Pakistan. Waqar Younis’s bullet speed delivery found the boy’s nose and bleeding was all over to see. The world sighed but the boy walked back composed to his crease. It was the first indication that the GOD might be reincarnated.
1993 and the boy found himself bowling the last over in HERO Cup semifinals. Miracles do happen and the boy took India to victory against South Africa. We wondered whether the GOD was for real.
Year 1998 and the youngster was going great guns against the mighty Aussies and out of nowhere appeared the ‘Desert Storm’. Sharjah weather was never so harsh but when the nature goes against a common man, only ‘The God’ can withstand the calamity. Our belief in GOD got established.
A year later, the star single handedly took against the original rivals Pakistan in Chennai but failed for 136 as India lost the game. For the first time we saw the idol in pain. Minds started thinking whether GOD is human too!
With Dada at helm and team in supreme form, it was matter of time that Shoaib Akhtar was thrown out of the boundary ropes in 2003 World Cup. But the team returned empty handed in finals and even the GOD could not break the jinx.
A completely out of form superstar scored 241* against Aussies in Sydney in 2004 proved to the world that its only GOD who can control his emotions.
A long wait and the final frontier was ultimately won over. India became World Champions for the second time after 28 years in 2011. The GOD cried and so did the followers.
100 centuries , 50k first class runs, unbeatable record is just a by product of the genius who brought people together, made them forget their religions to cheer the GOD through one common DNA called ‘Cricket’ and the GOD never disappointed.
Finally in the year 2013, after 24 years of blessing his disciples, the GOD declared that he was a MORTAL too!
The GOD of Sachin Tendulkar will always remain our favourite cricketer but the world of cricket will never be the same again.
The human of Sachin Tendulkar turns 47 today and may he blessed to rule our hearts for many more years to come.
Take a bow GOD of Cricket, ‘Sachinnn.. Sachinnnn..’
Image Courtesy: The Sportstar
Disclaimer: The blog is a personal tribute to Sachin Tendulkar and does not intend to comment or compare his contemporaries.It celebrates his birthday with like minded fans.

Sunday, 12 April 2020

Ramayana: A Management Perspective


When DD announced re-telecast of Ramayana and Mahabharata and with the new IN thing WFH, I could manage to pip in for few episodes which as a child, I had watched with a religious mind, as a war story and to learn ethics.
The re-telecast gave me an opportunity to look at these serials from a management perspective, especially Rama’s management skills.
King Rama is still revered and will always be in our hearts as an ideal son, true brother and a role model husband. However Rama also possessed excellent management skills which stand true even to date.
The first glimpse of the real prowess were realised at the time of ‘Sita-Swayamvar’. Rama did not rush towards the bow( till his guru ordered). He observed others, understood the challenge and when it mattered, won over the challenge posed.Wait for the right moment is an important aspect of management.
When Raja Dashratha, asked Rama to go to Vanvasa, without blinking his eyes Rama accepted the verdict. By no means, it’s on the lines of following the commitment given by the management to its stakeholders. A real management representative will adhere to the organisation expectations and goals.
As the time to confront Ravana was a reality, it was by all means a Big Bang opportunity. But, ShreeRam chose an agile approach to arrive at the final result. Rama first focused on team building to have King Sugreeva(and his army) on his side. Then he had his due-diligence completed through Hanumana who got a details of Lanka, in short, ‘Scope’ in today’s world. A real management person will never take up any project or an assignment without understanding the deliverables in hands.
For Ramasetu, Rama chose Nal and Neel as architects. A real manager will handover the task to a competent person rather than going to his favorite follower. Skillset is more important than favoritism.
Rama ensured that the good performers like Sugreeva, Vibhishan were rewarded for their hardwork and given their dues when the time was appropriate.
Mythology might look at Ramayana as a battle between Rama and Ravana, but when one observes Rama, it seems to be a team effort. During the journey to Lanka, Rama let his team drive the goals and when it mattered most, himself took the pole position as leader.
As the war erupted, Rama chose to lead from the front. He was visible to his team all throughout. A typical management principle tells that morale of team is high when the leader is visible.
Sita and Laxmana were true believers of Rama’s capabilities. Trusting abilities of each other is a key to success and if either of them had faltered, Ramayana might had a different story unfolded.
Ravana on his part was a warrior par excellence but did not work on his shortcomings. A leader has to know the loopholes and lacunae for the task in hand. Even after repeatedly being told to revisit his strategy, he chose his own path and failed. A good leader is one who has good listening capacity and abilities.
End of the day, a leader who works on his plan succeeds and the one who drives it on his gut feel fails. A real management will work according its plan, goals and strategy and the one which doesn’t, is bound to bite dust.
King Rama, our beloved ShreeRam has so many qualities to be imbibed but in this 21st century, probably his management skills are the most desired ones which we should try to learn.
Image Courtesy: Naiduniya
Disclaimer: The article is written from management perspective and does not look at Ramayana from religious angle.

Take a bow Japan for Tokyo Olympics and way forward for India

As the glittering ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics 2021 came to an emotional end, one can’t move ahead to Paris 2024 before bowing to Japan an...