Saturday 31 October 2020

An Elegy

Sreedharan, Wadakkanchery

The river he grew up with is no more. The river that swelled and swirled with the seasons is no more. Where he used to start and end his days with a refreshing dip, there are now just a few puddles. Where will he go for his pail of water for the day?

[This microtale was written for the above photograph, which made it to the finals in the Greenstorm Nature Photography Contest 2020, and was published on the Greenstorm Foundation website.] 

Friday 30 October 2020

Green Tangles


Abdul Momin, Bangladesh

This winter, River Bangali is so cold that she has turned blue and her tresses green. The chill freezes her bosom and she is so numb she can’t move. The ferryman combs his oar through her blue-green tangles, and the boat leaves a few waves in its wake.

[This microtale was written for the above photograph, which made it to the finals in the Greenstorm Nature Photography Contest 2020, and was published on the Greenstorm Foundation website.]

Tuesday 27 October 2020

Journey

Kartikeya Grover, Uttar Pradesh

Life is a journey. Travel free. You’ve an unlimited ticket with anytime access. Find your own way around. Stop awhile when your feet get sore. Wherever you reach is your destination. On the way, you’ll have companions. You don’t get to choose them. They choose you.

[This microtale was written for the above photograph, which won the third prize in the Greenstorm Nature Photography Contest 2020, and was published on the Greenstorm Foundation website.]

Monday 19 October 2020

Sand Dunes

 

Mohamed Noufal, Sharjah

As the sun rises, he leads his camel to the pastures for grazing. They leave a pair of trails across the desert. The shifting sand dunes erase their trails. They return at sunset, leaving new trails. A shepherd’s narrative is the same every day.


[This microtale was written for the above photograph, which won the second prize in the Greenstorm Nature Photography Contest 2020, and was published on the Greenstorm Foundation website.]

Friday 9 October 2020

Infinity

Rakayet Ul Karim Rakim, Bangladesh

Caught in an endless loop, he doesn’t seem to know he is fully grown. He has grown magnificent wings. He is now a handsome fly that can roam around the gardens. He can get drunk on nectar, flash his colours and find his mate. If only he knew!

[This microtale was written for the above photograph, which won the first prize in the Greenstorm Nature Photography Contest 2020, and was published on the Greenstorm Foundation website.]

Friday 2 October 2020

Mahatma - the Brand


PC: Bharati Varrier


Come October, the nation would be on a spree of events and discussions reminding the people of Gandhiji’s life and messages, and reflecting on their continued relevance. There is hardly any subject or walk of life that he had not deliberated or discoursed on, be it politics, governance, religion or business. While his concepts on the former three have been tried and tested, his thoughts and opinions on business are more relevant now than ever. “The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice.” He said this years ago when India was thinking freedom, and only freedom, not business. While Gandhiji himself was famous for his frugal living – a motto that prompted Winston Churchill to refer to him as the ‘half-naked fakir’ – he knew with great clarity how to ‘sell’ (if one might be audacious enough to use the word) his message.

Gandhiji was a brand in himself, a genuine brand. His walking stick, spectacles, spinning wheel and the coarse khadi that he draped around him are all elements of the brand icon that reflect the identity - Mahatma. The recall value of these icons is time-tested. Show a charkha and ask any Indian who it reminds them of, they would spontaneously identify it with the Mahatma. They are all (the walking stick, the spectacles, the charkha, khadi, etc.) symbols or the visual characteristics of the brand represented by him. Any mention of the Dandi March brings to the mind the Mahatma walking barefoot to Dandi for the famous Salt Satyagraha. The march in itself is a story of patriotism, non-violence, protest against injustice and, in the end, victory – a story that struck a chord with the masses, and still continues to. Today the business world is slowly waking up to the importance of storytelling in building brands.

Any Indian, if not the entire world, knows what the Mahatma stood for – truth, simplicity, and non-violence, among others – the values that decided his actions. Businesses today have realized the importance of underscoring their core values, which are constantly represented by their actions, to demonstrate the genuineness of their brands. More than ever, they know the importance of brand promise and the need to keep it, for today customers cannot be taken for a ride. They have more power and better access to right information through the social media and other platforms.

More recently, brand purpose, it’s been said, unlocks customer loyalty. A successful brand offers products or services that make their customers’ life better. It changes the world for the better. What Gandhiji offered was justice, equality, freedom and self-respect. His objective was India’s freedom, but he had a purpose that was far beyond achieving freedom. His higher purpose was to create an India where his fellow Indians would live with equal status, rights and opportunities. His higher purpose was to enable inclusive growth of his country. He worked relentlessly for the uplift of the downtrodden. He stood for India. And India stood for him.

[As published at https://indusscrolls.com/mahatma-the-brand/]