Blog@GraceJunction

In my wee-wonder days of childhood, the classic debate was “Will robots replace human beings?” The person who stood “for it”, always won the debate by justifying the fact about the improved quality of life, faster production & development, maximum utilization of natural resources etc. Hearing the debate I always wondered what type of a dumb and wobbly feeling would have measured-up in the heart of the person who stood against it! 

But today it would be foolish to, not admire and be thankful for the great achievements of modern technology over the last century: advance medicines, advance energy, advance weapons, high speed communication and navigation systems. (more…)

Finally Vodafone seems to have found the nemesis for the ‘Pug”. Hutch, the ex-name of Vodafone, was known for its pug, a dog that followed its owner everywhere, conveying the ‘where ever you go, our network follows’ punchline. The pug was such a hit that Hutch couldn’t keep the pug out of any of its strategies and ads! I mean literally, whatever Hutch did, the pug followed! The pug tried to enter the Vodafone camp after Hutch was bought by Vodafone. However, Ogilvy & Mather finally seem to have come to the rescue with a new mascot(s), thus paving the way for the last and final departure of the good old pug ‘Chika’. (more…)

Hey hello Mr. Blog Reader. I am the brain of Mr.Hyde Junior! Thinking? Wondering? Trying to figure out? Leave all that hard work to me. Relax and just listen carefully to all that I have to say and things will be clear. And yes, don’t try to make an impression. It will not help. Just plainly simply listen now, period.

I am one of the most important parts of any human being’s body but when I get a wicked heart to scheme, I become the most powerful tool of the modern man! Yes I depend on the heart for oxygen, you see!

But let me tell you what I did to Mr. Hyde Junior. His mother was devout, God loving lady. Her parents brought her up in the fear of God and she slowly became a beautiful young woman in the eyes of the Creator. All the people around adored her, Miss.Wisdom as she was always called by her parents then one day went off to study at the IIM. (more…)

In 1957, a Fort Lee, (New Jersey) drive-in theater flashed the words ‘DRINK COLA COLA’ and ‘EAT POPCORN’ for 1/3000th of a second every 5 seconds throughout the movie during a 6-week run of the film Picnic. This was the brainchild of NY market researcher, James Vicary, who boasted that Coke sales in the lobby increased 58% and that popcorn sales rose 18%!

An avalanche of criticism from outraged citizens and congressmen produced more research on the subject. Known as “Subliminal Messaging“, conflicting results have come out on this and it has been argued ever since. (more…)

Dear beloved Son,

This is the first day in years that I have spent without listening to your voice. I still remember the first day I saw you besides your mother in the hospital. Oh what joy to have held you in my arms for the first time, my heart was pounding so hard just thinking that I am a proud father and the responsibility that was to follow.

You grew in my arms those first few years and you became the centre of our lives, both of us made all our plans, with ‘you’ as the priority of our lives. Probably we were overwhelmed and did not know how to react and we decided to bring you all the good things in life. We never compromised on anything that was important to you, whether it was your studies or health. We brought home the best that money could buy. (more…)

A friend of mine once took his dad for finishing some errands and to visit some friends. His dad never knew riding I suppose, but from the time he sat behind my friend’s two-wheeler, he kept on giving directions about what to do, when to change gears, when to apply brakes, whether to speed up or slow down, which road to take etc. Since it was his dad, my friend obliged and his dad’s assertions just grew stronger and stronger! At one particular point during their adventurous journey, his dad literally tore him apart for his allegedly irresponsible riding! That was it. The last straw. My friend stopped his vehicle. He asked his dad to get down. When he did, my friend quietly rode off asking him to reach home on a rickshaw!

We have had many a laughs about that incident, and poor uncle learnt a hard lesson that day. Now, by no means have I cited this incident to celebrate my friend’s decision making skills. It was not a good thing by any (Indian) standards. But I have highlighted the incident just to bring to your notice what happens when someone is victimised by back seat driving. Its really bugging when there is someone with you who gives you directions all the time. It’s as if they don’t trust your skills at all and also that they are judging distances and anticipating objects and vehicles better than you! It can be annoying. (more…)

“Vinay! Will you go out or should I kick you out?” my mother would question me. Even before you start wondering what prank I would have got into, let me clarify that it was no punishment. Rather this is what my mom would force me to do every summer when I was a kid (yes, you are right, I have grown up); go out and play.

It was an ordeal for both of us; for me to convince her to allow me some more TV time and for her to kick me out to play some outdoor games. And once out, I would be gone for hours (not that my mom regretted it).

And yet after all these years, living now in a densely populated locality in Ahmedabad one would expect some better activity across the lanes than solving confused ideas between self and one’s canine friends. But I hardly come any kid happily marching down the streets to play cricket (or any other sport for that matter), except only when there’s a power cut which again is a rarity in the city. (more…)