Breaking the ennui…..

Indira Nooyi’s ascenscion to the top spot in Pepsico gives me a lot of confidence. Not to be perceived as a sexist remark, but her career graph from a college in Chennai to IIMC and then to Yale to ABB, Motorola and then Pepsi sounds like an amazing journey of spirit, hardwork & the courage to claw right through a system that is traditionally considered a male bastion.

To entrust such a high powered role to a woman speaks more of her talent & character rather than corporate america’s submission to diversity & inclusion policies alone.

It gives me confidence and a wierd kind of drive, if Indra Nooyi can break the ennui in corporate boardrooms, why should I not even try … ?? The very thought is sometimes sobering … Will I come unstuck from this corner… Time will tell….

The portkey…

If you are a fan of Harry Potter and his adventures in Hogwarts, then you could enjoy a vicarious experience by travelling in Mumbai…

Imagine holding onto a dirty shoe or a broken cup and getting transported to the place you desire … A similar experience happened to me .. Here I was (unstucking myself from the corner) at Andheri station boarding a suburban train to Dadar.. the interesting part of traveling in a mumbai suburban train is that you dont need to worry about getting into the train or out of it ..it just happens …

All you have to do is to catch hold of one of the many portkeys tagged to the cielings and gently whisper the name of the destination .. swoosh… in a matter of minutes you get there .. dont worry about missing the spot or getting off early.. the portkey and the whisper takes of care it perfectly…magical eh ? no brooms no wands ! just your portkey ..

if you dont get a portkey immediately…dont worry..unlike the miserly ministry of magic, the mst authorities have been slightly more benevolent in providing more portkeys.. but keep whispering though …

Landing using a portkey might be slightly rough.. so dont be upset when you dont exactly land on your feet when you let go of this portkey..mebbe you might end up getting a scar on your forehead.. but hey! you are the one who wanted the experience !

If living in Hogwarts and fighting the dragons is wizardry, then travelling in MST is nothing short of magic and witchcraft, that mumbai muggles do day in and day out !

Of books and soaps …

Here I am, stuck in the corner! this time at a very comfy, well organized bookshop. Why am I stuck in the corner ? Firstly there is a dainty coffee shop in the corner of the bookshop and secondly because I dont know what book to buy .. :(

This could be very discomforting to an ignoramus like me…. especially when the ”literrati” give me a sneer when I just finger all the books in the shelves and quietly replace them, ruffled by the price on the end cover…

Well I am not so naive as I think I am. I definitely do not want the thrillers ! nor I am very keen on buying a 1000 page pillow that rambles on world war torture mechanisms or other crime stories… science fiction – I utterly dislike … I mean what can you say after you a read a book that says 49 is the source of all things in the universe .. heresy !

Now that I have shrunk the laundry list, I followed the next search methodology – fonts !! is it a good print with a legible fonts, a neat binding and an equally good review at the end – in the reverse sequence so to say…something is amiss…

I wish there was much more that a bookstore can do than just put a neat display like Fox bookstores (once again You’ve Got Mail!) . Mebbe the user experience I desire is much more than a strong coffee in the corner of the shop.

I seek books in which the words are pithy, the characters are intriguing and  storyline leaves a lasting memory long after I finish reading the book. This intellectual subjectivity of the customer is what makes selling books very interesting and intimidating at the same time.

Mebbe 75 years of stardom or a distinct white blue packaging on a well labelled shelf is good enough for soaps. It is time bookshops moved away from mere planograming to understanding customer intimacy towards books.

Till that time, they can make up for their revenues by selling piping hot colombian coffee to their customers who are stuck in the corner !!

 

first words …

Stuck in the corner ! – Bean bag to the right , my travel suitcase on the left , myself staring at a HBO flick ! Thats precisely how my room mate found me when he wandered in style and told me about wordpress.  Luckily didnt have to move my ass much to get started !

hey .. life is simple .. you can do so much while just getting stuck in the corner ….

On the other hand, it sounds so much like the Meg Ryan’s bookstore “Shop Around the Corner” (vaguely remember!) in You’ve Got Mail ! …  Hope it gets as interesting as I blog more !