Quo Vadis?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is something that stuck with me from my MBA needs. We learnt this as part of Organizational Behaviour and how motivation revolved around people finding themselves at different level of needs and so the motivation strategies should be aligned with the level the person is in currently.  If the theory is new to you I will lay it out in simple terms. Man begins with physiological needs, physiological means basic needs to survive like air, water, food, shelter, clothes and reproduction. When a man is not having food to eat will a movie ticket that cannot be sold enthuse him? If you see the image once man achieves his need in one level, he strives to move ahead to the next level. This ascent is natural and ends at the fifth level when man achieves what is called self-actualization where he will be in nirvana and will renounce everything around him. Few achieve stage five, many are content with one of the lower levels and this is normal. What is abnorma...

You walk into a party and the person next to you smells of Hugo Boss but you like Sauvage, you actually cannot stand Boss, what will you do? Remember you do not know the person well, nor do you have any care for his well-being. It is just that you are sure that your Sauvage is always superior to his Boss. Would you then… -           Probably go and tell him have you tried Sauvage? Or why don’t you try Sauvage because of its merits? -           Probably gift him a bottle of Sauvage for an upcoming event so that he can try it for himself and see the benefits? -       Probably call people together and say everyone smell his Boss and my Sauvage and tell everyone which is better? It better be Sauvage. -           Probably go and tell him, you will not wear Boss because you think that Boss is not good and more importantly Boss offends you? -   ...

On a day when we have moved up to third place in the Global Hall of Infamy, when some experts are claiming that the virus is airborne and masks may be needed indoors, we have started Unlock 2.0 In the absence of a viable cure and the highly suspect efficiency of the upcoming vaccines that are to be launched on Independence Day the only option seems to be locking up but it is not possible as it is now about the real type of survival, the fight to put food on the table. COVID then will have to take second place only. The news in Chennai right now is that the traffic is heavy and people are back to work with a vengeance. The heart goes out to all the professionals whose professions have disappeared overnight with little chance of resuming in the old formats. Bookmyshow for instance is now trying hard to sell me tickets to so many events including some happening from people’s homes. Personally I feel we should accept the situation for what it is and with that acceptance we...

We have heard normal is boring and yet here we are after more than 90 days being locked down hoping for a normal. In all probability the new normal will not be boring but can be terrifying. What is scary is the collateral damage that this pandemic has inflicted on us. Loss of jobs, pay cuts aside, there is the loss of livelihoods of the hidden population who are invisible to the common eye. I remember the pain on the face of the iron man, (not the Marvel one) in a normal week he would be carrying a large bundle of clothes for ironing but now there are no clothes to be ironed. His smiling face could not mask the resigned acceptance of possibly hungry days ahead. This lockdown has shown us how much of our time, energy and resources we used to spend on non-essentials and how we can survive fairly well without them. This lockdown has also taught us that communication networks and devices are essentials and in many homes, one device is just not enough. India may have more mobil...

So the season of Advent has started, despite all the commercial trappings and merry making it is also a good time of preparation. Many Christian homes are painted and cleaned in time and the decorations are pulled out from the attic. The star goes up along with the tree and Christmas music starts playing regularly. The ladies get busy with the sweet preparation which used to be an event in itself, preparing the ingredients and making the sweets, storing them away in dry containers for Christmas day. As a child I remember wandering around when mum used to make murukkus, achappams, adhirasams among others sneaking in a bite or two and taking the broken pieces for snack time. The smells will be divine and then the baking will start, which will make the house smell like pastry heaven. Back then buying from stores was not even an option unlike today when a lot of the sweets are outsourced. Christmas Day usually was all about waking up early despite the late night service and taking...

There are two shops where you seldom question the bill as much as you would in normal circumstances and it now appears that you rightfully should since it is your money. The first instance is at the medical shop and the next is the jewellery shop. You would have noticed that in both shops you will have the seller making a lot of complex looking calculations before they give you the price in a piece of paper. This was quite common before the demonetization and in most mom and pop type of stores. In this post I will restrict myself to the latter the jewellery shops because they seem to be taking up a lot of newsprint space these days. So I have observed during our rare visit to the jewellery store after shortlisting the piece and observing the sticker on it the sales man promptly pulls out a paper and proceeds to furiously calculate some figures. Upon the first set he will proceed to do some more calculations while the buyer in the meanwhile will be torn between looking at the s...

Yesterday when I was waiting at the famous SRP tools junction there was a group of transgenders who were asking for alms. I usually look away as they can be a little pushy and it can be quite uncomfortable in trains but this time I saw one person who approached my car asking for alms. I picked out a 10 rupee note and gave it to the person, the person asked me for a 1 rupee coin. I was confused and said I did not have coins. The person asked the others in the group if they had a rupee to give me. I was confused even more when the person said that the rupee is for me. Thoroughly puzzled I found a coin which I handed over. This person bit the coin almost like athletes bite their medals these days and asked to see my wallet.  Then the person put the coin in my wallet and said do not spend this and walked away with a blessing that I should live well. This short interaction disturbed me: -           These people are outcasts and ...

#metoo should not have happened. It happened because finally women spoke up and yet they should not have been pushed to this. Our women have been subject to harassment of all kinds at all places and yet they soldier on. They do this because they are made of a tougher substance than the weak ones who attempt to harass them. Why do men harass women? I know that the safest excuse is the media and the movies, but movies reflect society. So without stepping into the chicken and egg conundrum let me say that children are moulded by their parents and by what they see their parents do. The other day when my father-in-law mouthed an expletive while travelling with the family it took me a lot of self-restraint not to react in the presence of my daughter but therein lies the danger. We do so many things not caring what the children in our family are seeing or hearing. Children growing up in homes where the father abuses or just disrespects the mother can never be expected to respect ...

Two is company, three is a crowd but not when you are the “crowd maker”. My walks in the Tower Park Annanagar have given me the chance to observe the many “crowd maker” who dot the park. If you are wondering who is a crowd maker (I made this up), it is that noble soul who offers his / her time and presence to make a couple not a couple. You know with the moral police breathing behind your backs some private time for couples in public places are hard to come by worse if the fear of getting caught by a family member or a relative who will ensure that a little bit of hell is unleashed in the homes of those who get caught. So there you have these noble souls who make the supreme sacrifice of saving their friends with their presence and making a twosome more than that; No! I did not mean a threesome, you dirty minds. How do you identify these crowd makers? Easy they look uncomfortable and bored sitting close but not close enough to hear but not hear the sweet nothings of the tw...

The Monday morning traffic at the signal was shaken out of its slumber by the wail of an ambulance. As the traffic made way for the ambulance I was reminded of the time when I last rode in an ambulance.  It was in the last week of May this year when I rode in an ambulance when we were moving my dad from one hospital to another twice.   Despite the difficult time that I found myself in, I could not stop watching the drivers / support staff in the ambulance. These angels of mercy deserve a lot of our appreciation and our prayers for their roles which are seldom appreciated or thanked enough. It may appear that those driving an ambulance operate from a position of strength; you know a blaring siren, traffic making way sometimes assisted by the traffic cops and most decent people leaving the way clear for the ambulance. Reality is otherwise, the ambulance drivers put their lives at stake each time they go out on the roads in the mission of saving the ones in their care. I...

If you missed out the trolling of a journalist by fans of actor Vijay simply because she commented that she did not  like a film made over 7 years ago, then take my word, you are better off not watching any more of actor Vijay’s movies. The movie in question Suraa (meaning shark) is abysmal and the general consensus among people I know is that that it is so bad that watching it will give those without a migraine one and those who have migraine the agony of watching it relief from their migraine. What makes a terrible movie? Many things but this movie will be on the heap of other similar movies made by movie makers who wanted simply to milk the star value of the actor. Another movie from back then called Pudhiya Geethai also would give similar migraine effects to those brave enough to watch it, but for now let me say that there are movies and there are bad movies and every actor has his share of bad movies and it is part of their professional life. Suraa had everyth...

There are brave people and there are brave people. It takes a particular kind of bravery to be called truly brave. It takes one kind of bravery to eve tease, rape, kill, plunder, lynch and destroy because one is in the company of many other similar brave persons It takes one kind of bravery to come into public life and hide from the same public behind several layers of security men It takes one kind of bravery to deprive the right of others because of the family background and positions held It takes one kind of bravery to do what is wrong because of the web of deceit and lies that has been spun by some for their ulterior motives It takes one kind of bravery to trample on those below oneself because of the person’s baggage of unearned but inherited privileges It takes one kind of bravery to turn a blind eye to all the wrongs that go on in one’s presence It takes one kind of bravery to stand up for what is right despite the world disagreeing It takes...

Silly Hindians, not knowing & not using are 2 different things. You don't know that many here know Hindi, you only know that we choose not to use Hindi, because it's our choice. Frankly it’s none of your business, what we wear or eat or speak. There is a lot of Hindi everywhere in Tamilnadu and often many are forced to use Hindi to communicate to the staff. If you observe closely there are many non native workers in Tamilnadu in the service industry. While many other states may have a welcoming attitude to people from other states who take up local jobs Tamilnadu has always welcomed them. Chennai or Madras has always been vaazha vaikkum Chennai, meaning it gives room for people to earn their bread in their chosen field. We still have Chinese dentists (the last few sadly) who don’t speak Mandarin here but Tamil to their patients in their clinics near Flower bazaar, Chennai. The supervisors of many service industries from shops, security service to hotels give instruc...

Body language is such a crucial part of communication which is often ignored or not given its rightful due. This post is about few body language signals that are seen on the roads of the city and their interpretations, for easy understanding some common examples are also given. The “ my way or the high way type ”: This is when you see a motorist who decides to cut in irrespective of the traffic lights, vehicles, lanes etc. This is exhibited by a simple nod of the head with an Up Down motion. You are free to interpret as you please but the common interpretation is “I am coming in and you can do what you please”. This behaviour can be understood by remembering the VIPs in their beacon lit cars and escort vehicles who just care for nothing more than their “right of passage”. The “ I see you but I don’t ” type: This typical behaviour is when a motorist blatantly rides on the wrong side whether it is a 2-wheeler or 3-wheeler or a 4-wheeler is inconsequential. These people have slig...