Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Pause for a laugh

(This is nothing I wrote, just something I was sent on email. I've been giggling since...)

The inhabitants of Egypt were called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cultivated by irritation. The Egyptians built the Pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.
The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinesses, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked "Am I my brother's son?" God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Issac, stole his brother's birthmark. Jacob was a partiarch who brought up his twelve sons to be partiarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.
Pharaoh forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led them to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fougth with the Philatelists, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 500 wives and 500 porcupines.
Without the Greeks, we wouldn't have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns - Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in "The Illiad", by Homer. Homer also wrote the "Oddity", in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.
Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock.
In the Olympic Games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java. The reward to the victor was a coral wreath. The government of Athen was democratic because the people took the law into their own hands. There were no wars in Greece, as the mountains were so high that they couldn't climb over to see what their neighbors were doing. When they fought the Parisians, the Greeks were outnumbered because the Persians had more men.
Eventually, the Ramons conquered the Geeks. History call people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlic in their hair. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March killed him because they thought he was going to be made king. Nero was a cruel tyrany who would torture his poor subjects by playing the fiddle to them.
Then came the Middle Ages. King Alfred conquered the Dames, King Arthur lived in the Age of Shivery, King Harlod mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings, Joan of Arc was cannonized by George Bernard Shaw, and the victims of the Black Death grew boobs on their necks. Finally, the Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offense.
In midevil times most of the people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the time was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verse and also wrote literature. Another tale tells of William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.
The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt the value of their human being. Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull. It was the painter Donatello's interest in the female nude that made him the father of the Renaissance. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented the Bible. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper.
The government of England was a limited mockery. Henry VIII found walking difficult because he had an abbess on his knee. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When Elizabeth exposed herself before her troops, they all shouted "hurrah." Then her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo.
The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespear. Shakespear never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and errors. In one of Shakespear's famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. In another, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Writing at the same time as Shakespear was Miquel Cervantes. He wrote "Donkey Hote". The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote "Paradise Lost." Then his wife dies and he wrote "Paradise Regained."
During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe. Later the Pilgrims crossed the Ocean, and the was called the Pilgrim's Progress. When they landed at Plymouth Rock, they were greeted by Indians, who came down the hill rolling their was hoops before them. The Indian squabs carried porposies on their back. Many of the Indian heroes were killed, along with their cabooses, which proved very fatal to them. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.
One of the causes of the Revolutionary Wars was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their pacels through the post without stamps. During the War, Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and the peacocks crowing. Finally, the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis.
Delegates from the original thirteen states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had gone to Boston carrying all his clothes in his pocket and a loaf of bread under each arm. He invented electricity by rubbing cats backwards and declared "a horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.
George Washington married Matha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. Them the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.
Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. When Lincoln was President, he wore only a tall silk hat. He said, "In onion there is strength."
Abraham Lincoln write the Gettysburg address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope. He also signed the Emasculation Proclamation, and the Fourteenth Amendment gave the ex-Negroes citizenship. But the Clue Clux Clan would torcher and lynch the ex-Negroes and other innocent victims. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposedl insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.
Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltare invented electricity and also wrote a book called "Candy". Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the Autumn, when the apples are flaling off the trees.
Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian and half English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.
France was in a very serious state. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened. The Marseillaise was the theme song of the French Revolution, and it catapulted into Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars, the crowned heads of Europe were trembling in their shoes. Then the Spanish gorrilas came down from the hills and nipped at Napoleon's flanks. Napoleon became ill with bladder problems and was very tense and unrestrained. He wanted an heir to inheret his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't bear him any children.
The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. He reclining years and finally the end of her life were exemplatory of a great personality. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.
The nineteenth century was a time of many great inventions and thoughts. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick Raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Samuel Morse invented a code for telepathy. Louis Pastuer discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturailst who wrote the "Organ of the Species". Madman Curie discovered radium. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx Brothers.
The First World War, cause by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by a surf, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Freeze on the flatbread

(I know, it's been a long time since I blogged. But life has a way of overtaking you quite happily, with friends, love and laughter shooting past more mundane considerations. This was published yesterday...)

Christmas may have come and gone, and the visions of sugarplums dancing in your head – usually induced by too much plum pudding and too little sleep – must have faded by now. But the 'winter', such as we have it, is playing hide and seek in the city, even as elsewhere across the country it has stomped in and made its unpleasantly cold presence felt. (Tangent: Why don't they heat homes in the north, so that toes and nose don't get froze?) And the mind wanders along to a more local delicacy, one that is almost a staple in some parts: parathas. Sometimes spelled with a 'n' and varying in configuration and weight, depending on who makes them, filled with anything from spinach or methi to potatoes, onions, paneer, cheese, herbs and spices…even kheema or dried fruit, and eaten with raw onion, pickles, chillies or jaggery, along with a mandatory dollop of fresh white butter, parathas are heartwarming and filling, the ideal meal for a cold morning or a chilly afternoon…or evening, or whenever. Sometimes too filling and almost always on the weight-loss regimen's black list, a paratha is perfect made fresh and often even nicer when reheated crisp and munched on while you snuggle under a comforter and watch a cheesy K-soap on television.

But making the stuffed rotis can be long-winded and tedious. The roti first needs to be rolled out, using stretchy, gluten-laden dough. Then a generous measure of filling has to be placed just so in the centre and the dough folded over and rolled out again to ensure that there is a satisfying ratio of filling to dough in every bite. Then the whole thing has to be carefully cooked without it falling apart, served up hot and a tad crunchy at the edges, and consumed at a rapid pace so that it is cool enough to eat yet warm enough not to get leathery, as these are wont to do. Too much butter will make any dietician glower, but too little deprives the eater of the requisite sensory ecstasy. So it becomes a delicate balance of power between maker and eater, fat and calorie-counting, inside and outside, to eat or not to eat.

One way of beating the paratha paradox is to let someone else do the making. Stepping into that spot is a whole panoply of brands, from MTR, Al Kabeer and Pillsbury to Sumeru and Vadilal, among many others, who fill the freezer compartment of the grocery store with a range of deep frozen stuffed rotis. Most are not too spicy, ideal for the palate that cringes at the mention of a chilli, and easier than…well…pie to get ready to eat. After a little experimentation with the amount of oil or butter or ghee needed to make them crisp and delicious rather than tough and stretchy, I find them a godsend for those dinner times when you just don't want to bash into the dough and roll out the rotis. Perhaps the best of the lot is the Flaky Paratha, which has all the layers and flair of the just-made thing, and puffs up nicely on a tawa, but stays neutral enough to match anything you may want to eat it with. The Kerala Parota is also most delightful, though it does need to be eaten very quickly or else you could use it as a rubberband to hold up saggy socks! I have experimented with filled parathas – the onion, potato, methi and mooli – and have carefully navigated around the cabbage and masala for fear of enraging the god of all things mirchi.

For my next stuffed 'Indian bread' trial, I have been cautiously eyeing the masala naan, without having summed up enough of the actual nerve to pick it up and take it to the checkout. I have not yet found a non-vegetarian version, but I am sure someone somewhere has already started making them. Life is far easier these days, with almost everything that you need to make a good meal available in the chiller or freezer compartments in the ubiquitous supermarkets in every mall that dots the urban landscape. A paratha is no longer just a seasonal food, and does not need more than a few minutes to get ready for table. Now if only the family was as simple to muster up!

Monday, January 05, 2009

Resolutions in a time of recession

(It started out meaning to be a funny piece. But then, the situation took over. But it was still fun to put together....)

The year 2008 has been called an annus horribilus. It may have begun for Mumbai with the surprising and violent rise of the MNS and ended with the unexpectedly sudden terror attacks, but perhaps the shock of the global recession slowly creeping its way into India and the Indian psyche is what made the last year truly nasty for many. Even as the housing market gradually ground to a shocking low, and fuel prices sank far enough to be easily affordable again, the value of money also dipped – you now get far less bang for that hard-earned buck than was anticipated. And while inflation dropped, those who understood what was going on looked for anything that would be safe as an investment opportunity rather than the instant gratification of a soaring Sensex and a guaranteed profit from speculation. Today, people have learned to be careful and are making sure that their belts are, figuratively speaking of course, as firmly cinched as is possible. There needs to be money available for a future that, at the moment, never mind reassurances from the pundits, seems more uncertain than ever. And people are hanging on to funds, to security, to jobs – who knows where a new one will come from? – anything to be financially stable and be assured of an immediate future with no major hurdles.

Salaried folk are no less nervous than those who have always been in the upper economic echelons. Be it recruitment professionals, whose work it is to find jobs for the qualified and talented, are finding that however worthy their clients may be, it is the jobs that are no longer as easily available. Projects that were planned and known of have been pushed back to a time when there is more money, and some have been shelved completely. “Recruitment has slowed down as projects have been postponed and companies are going slow on expansion plans which has directly affected recruitment,” says Nita Joshi, partner at K&J Associates, a company known for its expertise in media placements.

It is not that there is no interest from local and international firms for what India has to offer. In fact, as Arun Katiyar, Bangalore-based content and communications consultant says, “Work-wise I have seen interest in what I do grow - because companies want to outsource as much as they can, and a consultant like me can make that happen.” But there have been some adjustments where compensation is concerned, for instance, “One company has increased my compensation, but reduced the number of days they engage me, bringing their total billing down.” The best is still wanted, but fewer people are taken on to do more, he finds, and some projects are on hold, who knows for how long. “Companies are also being forced to find the best talent and stay ahead of the curve. They have stopped work on all good-to-have projects but increased focus on quality, SLAs and innovation.”

Anurag Batra, a media-watcher and entrepreneur, chairman and editor-in-chief of the exchange4media group says that “We (at exchange4media group) haven’t been affected by the so-called ‘recession’, as our media products (exchange4media.com,IMPACT and PITCH) actually help media companies to increase their revenues. We are in a unique position of strength to help media companies grow their business in today’s time. However our real estate publication (Realty Plus) has suffered a substantial decrease in revenues.” He believes that “These times are temporary and more about sentiment, as fundamentals haven’t changed in India.” However, on a more personal level, “As an entrepreneur, it might not be the best time to raise capital for new ventures.”

For Sanjeev Nayyar, a chartered accountant who now runs his own management consulting firm, Surya Consulting, business has seen what he calls “short term hiccups. “Two major projects have got delayed or might not happen.” In one case, “the company had the cash to buy, but decided to postpone the purchase in view of the economic downturn. Another was an restructuring assignment for a smaller organization - in view of the prevailing uncertainty, the company is reluctant to invest monies at this point.” From a personal perspective, “I am not making any major financial commitments. I continue to indulge myself and my family, but with lower cost options.”

Those out of the recognisedly ‘business’ sphere are also experiencing some fallout of the worldwide situation. Ranjana Mirchandani, gallerist, has her own take on the recession. “It makes you work harder, be more resourceful, think more - because money is tight – and, believe it or not, it could even make you think positively, because you stop taking everything for granted.” For well known photographer, Samar Singh Jodha, who balances his ‘social’ work with his professional commitments, “Some of my film and corporate work has been somewhat affected by cutbacks in the current international market scenario.” Since many of his projects focus on social communication work, “I think I will have a serious crunch in my self-funded projects, the photography education/workshops that I do in South/East Asia and Southern/East Africa.” For him, the “real pressure is going to be the work I do with NGOs”.

But it is not all doom and gloom for 2009. Most of these individuals have made certain resolutions, conscious decisions that will help them and those they have responsibilities towards maintain a fairly constant standard of life and living. For her work in the field of showcasing and promoting art, Mirchandani has chosen the route of ‘no change’. She and her team will “Continue putting up great exhibitions of art – what better time than this? Buying good art in bad times has fueled our growth and development, after all!”

Nayyar has made “various resolutions. One is to focus continuously on gaining and sharing of knowledge; two is to improve the quality of delivery - convert all recommendations into reality. Three is to think out of the box and focus on actual rupee savings for the customer; and four, to live with the faith that this too will pass.” More personally speaking, “watch before you spend”. Katiyar is on the same track. He intends to “budget my own expenses better, send out my invoices and ensure timely collection of dues and, of course, make all the long term investments right now, while the market is down.” Batra looks to his work partners to add weight to his mantra: “to get more for less from every stakeholder”, be they colleagues, printers, vendors, landlords or others. All plans to launch new products will have to wait through the next quarter, but “post April I will look at launching new ventures, as this is the best time to create business.” And from the point of view of those she needs to find new projects for, Joshi has a very pragmatic plan: “to look for opportunities in unlikely spaces.”

This too, as Nayyar says, will pass. And it will be a free and far easier world to work in, with the ‘R’ word a time gone by rather than a crunch to live through.

Resolutions in a time of recession

(It started out meaning to be a funny piece. But then, the situation took over. But it was still fun to

The year 2008 has been called an annus horribilus. It may have begun for Mumbai with the surprising and violent rise of the MNS and ended with the unexpectedly sudden terror attacks, but perhaps the shock of the global recession slowly creeping its way into India and the Indian psyche is what made the last year truly nasty for many. Even as the housing market gradually ground to a shocking low, and fuel prices sank far enough to be easily affordable again, the value of money also dipped – you now get far less bang for that hard-earned buck than was anticipated. And while inflation dropped, those who understood what was going on looked for anything that would be safe as an investment opportunity rather than the instant gratification of a soaring Sensex and a guaranteed profit from speculation. Today, people have learned to be careful and are making sure that their belts are, figuratively speaking of course, as firmly cinched as is possible. There needs to be money available for a future that, at the moment, never mind reassurances from the pundits, seems more uncertain than ever. And people are hanging on to funds, to security, to jobs – who knows where a new one will come from? – anything to be financially stable and be assured of an immediate future with no major hurdles.

Salaried folk are no less nervous than those who have always been in the upper economic echelons. Be it recruitment professionals, whose work it is to find jobs for the qualified and talented, are finding that however worthy their clients may be, it is the jobs that are no longer as easily available. Projects that were planned and known of have been pushed back to a time when there is more money, and some have been shelved completely. “Recruitment has slowed down as projects have been postponed and companies are going slow on expansion plans which has directly affected recruitment,” says Nita Joshi, partner at K&J Associates, a company known for its expertise in media placements.

It is not that there is no interest from local and international firms for what India has to offer. In fact, as Arun Katiyar, Bangalore-based content and communications consultant says, “Work-wise I have seen interest in what I do grow - because companies want to outsource as much as they can, and a consultant like me can make that happen.” But there have been some adjustments where compensation is concerned, for instance, “One company has increased my compensation, but reduced the number of days they engage me, bringing their total billing down.” The best is still wanted, but fewer people are taken on to do more, he finds, and some projects are on hold, who knows for how long. “Companies are also being forced to find the best talent and stay ahead of the curve. They have stopped work on all good-to-have projects but increased focus on quality, SLAs and innovation.”

Anurag Batra, a media-watcher and entrepreneur, chairman and editor-in-chief of the exchange4media group says that “We (at exchange4media group) haven’t been affected by the so-called ‘recession’, as our media products (exchange4media.com,IMPACT and PITCH) actually help media companies to increase their revenues. We are in a unique position of strength to help media companies grow their business in today’s time. However our real estate publication (Realty Plus) has suffered a substantial decrease in revenues.” He believes that “These times are temporary and more about sentiment, as fundamentals haven’t changed in India.” However, on a more personal level, “As an entrepreneur, it might not be the best time to raise capital for new ventures.”

For Sanjeev Nayyar, a chartered accountant who now runs his own management consulting firm, Surya Consulting, business has seen what he calls “short term hiccups. “Two major projects have got delayed or might not happen.” In one case, “the company had the cash to buy, but decided to postpone the purchase in view of the economic downturn. Another was an restructuring assignment for a smaller organization - in view of the prevailing uncertainty, the company is reluctant to invest monies at this point.” From a personal perspective, “I am not making any major financial commitments. I continue to indulge myself and my family, but with lower cost options.”

Those out of the recognisedly ‘business’ sphere are also experiencing some fallout of the worldwide situation. Ranjana Mirchandani, gallerist, has her own take on the recession. “It makes you work harder, be more resourceful, think more - because money is tight – and, believe it or not, it could even make you think positively, because you stop taking everything for granted.” For well known photographer, Samar Singh Jodha, who balances his ‘social’ work with his professional commitments, “Some of my film and corporate work has been somewhat affected by cutbacks in the current international market scenario.” Since many of his projects focus on social communication work, “I think I will have a serious crunch in my self-funded projects, the photography education/workshops that I do in South/East Asia and Southern/East Africa.” For him, the “real pressure is going to be the work I do with NGOs”.

But it is not all doom and gloom for 2009. Most of these individuals have made certain resolutions, conscious decisions that will help them and those they have responsibilities towards maintain a fairly constant standard of life and living. For her work in the field of showcasing and promoting art, Mirchandani has chosen the route of ‘no change’. She and her team will “Continue putting up great exhibitions of art – what better time than this? Buying good art in bad times has fueled our growth and development, after all!”

Nayyar has made “various resolutions. One is to focus continuously on gaining and sharing of knowledge; two is to improve the quality of delivery - convert all recommendations into reality. Three is to think out of the box and focus on actual rupee savings for the customer; and four, to live with the faith that this too will pass.” More personally speaking, “watch before you spend”. Katiyar is on the same track. He intends to “budget my own expenses better, send out my invoices and ensure timely collection of dues and, of course, make all the long term investments right now, while the market is down.” Batra looks to his work partners to add weight to his mantra: “to get more for less from every stakeholder”, be they colleagues, printers, vendors, landlords or others. All plans to launch new products will have to wait through the next quarter, but “post April I will look at launching new ventures, as this is the best time to create business.” And from the point of view of those she needs to find new projects for, Joshi has a very pragmatic plan: “to look for opportunities in unlikely spaces.”

This too, as Nayyar says, will pass. And it will be a free and far easier world to work in, with the ‘R’ word a time gone by rather than a crunch to live through.