People (including me) often use this platform to complain about brands. It's only fair that I also share a positive experience I had recently. I had to cancel a trip a few days back due to medical emergency at home. It was a serious matter, we had to get multiple tests done and then schedule a surgery immediately. I knew the flight tickets were non-refundable but I asked @airindia if they would consider, since it was not an ordinary case. Honestly speaking, I wasn't expecting much. The rules in terms of ticket cancellations are quite clear. But they asked me for a few documents, just to assess that the case was genuine! And Air India offered me a full refund. A couple of their executives also called me and wished the patient quick recovery. I really appreciate it. They didn't have to, but they made that extra effort. And I believe it is this soft human touch that separates our Indian brands from many others in the world. Thank you, Air India.

Sanjay Raut had no idea his own party will split in half and Eknath Shinde would end their political careers, but he knows who is right and who is wrong in Albania. 🤡

The French police must learn to respect the democratic right of students and ordinary citizens to protest against their government. A democracy is not merely about holding elections, but also about allowing dissent, listening to opposing voices and protecting the right to peaceful assembly. Using violence against students and protesters is unacceptable and only weakens the democratic spirit. The French authorities must remember that liberty, equality and fraternity are not just slogans to be invoked when convenient, but values that must be upheld even when citizens challenge those in power. 🙂

It is better to err on the side of caution and shut down an entire goddamn area with force than to preach gyaan about freedom and liberty and have your capital turn into Paris with rioting and violence when we have 1 cop for every 830 people

.@FRANCE24 TV: “India has come to standstill with protests.” Meanwhile, France right now:

Within one week, we have gone from everyone in the government trying to explain SIR to everyone in the opposition trying to explain what they mean by regime change. 😂

Abhijeet Dipke and Arvind Kejriwal are trying to convince the aam janta that the Government is against the Tiranga. The guys who did the surgical strikes. The guys who have put the Indus treaty in abeyance. The guys who keep buying Russian oil despite international pressure. Arey bhai - bad roads, broken civic infra, E20, local corruption, lack of jobs, there are so many issues out there. Unka toh main plank hi nationalism hai. And you will convince people they are anti-Tiranga? Ok. Good luck to you.

If you’d asked me 3 years ago who would portray Bhagwan Ram if Indian cinema were to make a Ramayana film, I couldn’t have given you a name. But if you’d asked me 3 years ago who could play Sita Maa, I would have given you a name in a heartbeat. Sai Pallavi. For me, it is the biggest no-brainer casting choice in the entire film. And I’ve been quite surprised by the criticism of this choice. If you’ve watched any of Sai’s Tamil or Malayalam films, you’d know she has a charismatic presence on screen. Her face has an innocence that this character demands. I’m sorry, but a lot of the criticism over her ‘beauty’ is rooted in an inferiority complex. People saying she’s not ‘fair’ or ‘beautiful’ enough have a problem with the fact that she’s ‘Indian-looking’. Just a gori-chitti actress doesn’t cut it. This is not a Baywatch casting. The actor also has to bring the depth and emotionality that the character demands. Sai is beautiful and charming. And more importantly, a terrific actor. I have no doubt she’s going to prove all the sceptics wrong. I wish her and the team behind #Ramayana the best.

Real life, baby

What we are seeing right now is an attempt to mainstream the 'idea' of a regime change. Little by little, every day. No one is advocating violence openly. Everyone is legally correct and morally ambiguous. Neha Bora wears a One Piece t-shirt to the protest, which was the symbol of the Gen-Z protests in Nepal, that stormed government buildings. But haha it's just a shirt, why would you make more of it? Don't overreact. She also claims she is inspired from the revolution in Bangladesh. No mentions of the Hindu massacres or houses of politicians being burnt. Her inspiration could just be the 'spirit of change', why would you assume more? Students all over the world just want better lives, duh! Dhruv Rathee is only appealing to the conscience of the Army and Cops to do 'the right thing'. What is wrong about that? Shouldn't they do the right thing instead of 'following orders'? Orders can be wrong, you know. Prashant Bhusan is clearly saying he wants a regime change. But it could also be through elections. Why would you assume it would be a violent overthrow? Did he say that? Everyday you hear some or the other politician dog-whistle that the 'faisla' will happen on the 'streets' now. What faisla, they don't elaborate. What do they mean by streets? Violence? Or just pressure groups? Not clear. The CEC is now being called 'Gyanu' in pop-culture. It's the Pappu-fication of a constitutional figure so people don't take him as seriously anymore. The CJI is politely (and impolitely) being called a 'sellout' or 'compromised' by different people to different degrees. International media and reels have already joined the bandwagon of 130 million deleted voters. International audiences are being told that the Indian government has gone unhinged and there are 'big protests' against the government. This is the setting of a stage. To normalize the idea of a regime change, which is not through the ballot box. Everything and everyone is compromised. Are you just going to sit and watch, or do something about it? Get angry now. When the time is right, we will get to the 'doing' stage.

Bangladesh GenZ fought against Religious fundamentalism? When did that happen? Last I checked a lot of Bangladeshi Hindus were targeted and killed during the protests Bangladesh GenZ youth fought for voting rights& democracy? I missed that too, can someone fill me in? What news portals were you following that i missed? Bangladesh protests as an inspiration to GenZ in India? Indeed delusional.

I do not say this lightly. Quality wise, this is right up there with the best in the world. The scale of the VFX, the direction, the sound design, the voiceover. #Ramayana piped.video/watch?v=Fz3BM4Kg…

Every Tom, Dick and Harry talks about “rights” these days. But nobody talks about the right of poor and middle class people to conduct business and earn their living. Why should their shop be shut? Why should the road to their business be blocked? Why should the market they operate in suffer business losses because of other people? What about their “rights”? Not everyone in the country is a freeloader like those who are at protests every other day. People have actual jobs to go to, and earn their living. It’s about time the courts stand up for their “rights” as well.

Masterclass in how to spread disinformation on Instagram ft. @fayedsouza 27/08 - @sabahvir reports there is a height-related problem with Metro Line 7A viaduct due to airport funnel zone. If AAI and MMRDA don't find a common ground, it "MIGHT" require reconstruction worth INR 250 crore. 27/08 - I post the below tweet, explaining how the issue is actually very minor and a fix is rather easy to find. Engineering is bound have teething issues in every project. 01/09 - @fayedsouza without any source, legal work order or expert input declares that an entire 1km long section "WILL BE" demolished for reconstruction. News spreads like wildfire, and her followers go insane, wondering how many schools could've been built in 250 crores, and how PM Cares Fund will be used to rectify the non-existent error (typical room temp IQ cohort). 14/10 - @sabahvir follows-up, and confirms reconstruction NOT required. AAI x MIAL x MMRDA repeat exactly what I suggested earlier. How much money wasted? INR 0. (Link: indianexpress.com/article/ci…) But the psychological damage is already done within the minds of the hyper-ventilating youth. Folks like @TheBanat pickup precisely such rotten breadcrumbs to make up a comedy sketch and further amplify, without ever having the correct context. Do you know what's worse? @fayedsouza will neither post the follow-up about NO RECONSTRUCTION, nor will she ever apologize for the initial false reporting to begin with. An entire HIT JOB against a Metro project in Mumbai successfully completed. One one side you have on-ground newspaper reporters doing all the tough work to collate, dig around, and inform. And on the other side we have these social media champagne charlatans who cannot even copy-paste headlines properly. Even more sad to see @nikhilkamathcio back such evil, crooked, compromised dimaagi-naxals who are actively waging an information war against the country. [LINK TO FAYE'S POST IN CASE YOU WANT TO SEE HOW RETARDED THE COMMENTS ARE - instagram.com/p/DcvO2mnjGqB/… ]

More power to everyone talking about this undeclared emergency through tweets, reels, TV interviews, podcasts, op-eds, press conferences, public rallies & comedy bits. May this emergency continue to give everyone the freedom to talk about how there is no freedom to talk. 💪

Every marketing campaign is anchored in a core thought. And that thought is explored through various ideas and communication channels. Remember ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’? The idea was that Narendra Modi is a hateful and divisive figure. So Rahul Gandhi needs to be the opposite of that. And that is what will attract the masses to him. At the time, every photo, video and interaction was meant to communicate that. Rahul laughing with children in a college canteen. Rahul having a casual chat with farmers in the fields. Rahul having fun with a truck driver. An interview with Kamiya Jani talking about food. A chat with Samdish Bhatia. A fun piece with Kunal Vijaykar. Lots of photos of him smiling, laughing and coming across as the guy next door. Marketing campaigns are judged on the results they produce. Congress couldn't come to power in 2024. Subsequently, it got hammered in multiple state elections. CUT TO 2026. Congress saw CJP gaining traction. It studied what worked for CJP: irreverence, memes, foul language and audacity. Rahul gets a new makeover. It's a 180-degree pivot from Mohabbat Ki Dukaan. The new Rahul is combative. Rahul is now a fighter. He calls people by their first names. He calls the PM Mogambo. He is ready for a Shiv Tandav. He will push people. He will fight the cops. He is ready to lead crowds and take the system head-on. It's a new identity - one of many over the past few years. But who really is Rahul? Is he the mohabbat guy or this new, combative figure? Or neither? I say this as someone who works in marketing. Marketing can only elevate a good product. No amount of marketing can save a bad product. Is it a marketing problem or a product problem?

Oh no! I thought SpaceX and its Starlink division were private entities controlled operationally by Elon Musk! I thought they were independent of the US government! What am I missing? Please enlighten me!

बहुत दिनों बाद अख़बार में ट्वीट आया है। 😁

the only moat left is the love of the game

Adult friendships are basically like… I’m alive. I love you. Life is beating my ass. Talk soon.