The Other Side of Life

I am old enough to clearly remember the days when TV was not the all consuming entertainment entity that it is today. There were exactly two channels on TV - very creatively named DD1 and DD2. If you were not watching News, Krishi Darshan or Surabhi on DD1, it meant you had succumbed to the lure of entertainment on DD2.  By entertainment, I refer to the 2 weekly comedy shows by Sri Adhikari Brothers. Conversations in school on Wednesdays never failed to mention Sriman Srimati. (It just occurred to me, that as of today, the actors who played Sriman and Srimati are no more. Just made me feel a little older).  There was also Rangoli, the weekly show that exposed us to the big bad world of Bollywood songs. If "indecent" songs like Choli Ke Peeche were played, we were promptly sent out of the room to bring water or to set the table. Few smart people managed to record the good songs for viewing later. My grandparents were quite progressive in that sense. They would record ...

My grandmother is quite the storyteller. She often regales us with stories from her childhood. My favorite is the one about earrings.  It seems, my grandfather had lovingly gifted her a pair of earrings, which were, undoubtedly, very pretty and she loved them. She wore them everyday. For five years. Then, she got bored. But this was way before humanity became a victim of materialism. So, my grandfather told her, in as many words, that because the rings were still in good condition and not broken, there didn't seem to be any good reason to buy new ones. My grandmother, being *MY* grandmother, of course wanted new earrings. She tried all ways to convince him, to no avail. And then, opportunity presented itself. She had to travel by the train to their village. Just after she had boarded the train, when she was sitting on the window seat, clutching her bag, saying her goodbyes, my grandfather whispered ominously to her from the platform where he was standing, "Don't ...

I recently attended a meet-up on Sharing Economy Business Models where some really good people from startups in the sharing economy space were discussing about the evolution of this concept in India.  The worst answer I heard that day, from a pretty respectable company rep, was, "In India, from when we are kids, our parents tell us to share things with others. I was the elder sibling, so I had to share everything with my younger brother. This attitude is the reason why sharing economy will succeed in India." Ohk. Right words, wrong concept, huh? My Mom told me not to talk to strangers. Now, I stay at a random person's place I picked on Airbnb, when I go to Europe. Looks like the Indian parents' advise is working against sharing economy, isn't it? I got the feeling that by using jargon, we sometimes undermine the good work we are doing. Sure, sharing economy. But why? Let's break this down. I work at a farm equipment rental company called ...