For enslaved is the man, whose soul hath crushed.

Two centuries of oppression notwithstanding, when India arose to freedom on the stroke of the midnight hour, oh boy, was it a jubilant feeling!  Leaving past struggles behind, rising towards a new tomorrow, with a never-back-down-ever-again motto, India seemed raring to go.

Or so we thought.

Over the years, what has genuinely gone wrong with India’s a self-sufficient-tomorrow’s strategy? Our struggle to independence is undoubtedly a phenomenal story in history, having been penned down by greats like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhagat Singh and the likes. But must we credit the country’s spite of today, to the crazy cocktail of ideologies that happened in the past?

After India attained independence and the constitution was framed, honest ideas went into bringing about temporary laws that would help restore balance in the Indian society riddled with class, caste and state issues.  But over the years, political opportunism has ensured that outdated laws have stayed and thrived to give mileage to one’s precious vote bank. A country that began its journey on honest grounds of democratic freedom and respect for individuals has spiralled into an uncontrolled growth of mess. Corruption, fanaticism, and complete intolerance of each other has overshadowed all the supposed pride that Indians ever possessed.

And the question is, in the true essence, are we really independent?

An independent state is one where every individual has the right to freedom, to be able to express his views (without bordering on hatred, of course) and to live his life, within the confines of state laws. But in India, where the laws themselves are structured for appeasement of certain sections and individuals are not allowed, even lawfully, to acknowledge their own ideals, where fanaticism is tolerated but the arts are not, something seems to be morally wrong.

For a country which has had a long fruitful association with love, with the arts and with a colourful culture, has become, along the way, a complete misunderstanding of ideals, and scriptures.

While we continue to survive on the back of sectional bias, understanding of core issues has been abandoned.

What about the promise we made to ourselves to have an educated and liberal India? A country that would bring to fore the immense talent, and invest wealth on progress. Isn’t it a little sad that even after 65 years of independence, we are still focussing on issues of caste and religion? In a world that is slowly beckoning a liberal structure, we are still being ostracised for being different. And in a country whose constitution prides itself for respecting numerous views and morals, people not conforming to the general norms are looked down upon.

Illiteracy, poverty, and a messy capitalist structure is plaguing the country’s very roots. The poor are continuously victimised by the growing pressures of inflation, while the rich are those that are in power. Ironically, the poor man’s servant, the leader, who was to serve his being, is the one sitting on a high pedestal and watching the tamasha happen.

Let me come back to the same question- What is independence? If you ask me today, this moment, I shall say that an independent country is that, where each individual has a right to his life, to be able to live along the terms he wants to, without directly affecting any other being.  A classless society, where there is no dearth of equal opportunities, and an economical structure, where the money gained is spent upon oneself with complete transparency. Where there is no restriction for someone who wishes to not conform to one’s ideals. That is an independent country, and until then, I chose not to dwell in the erstwhile culture long lost and misunderstood.

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It can be said for countries all over the world, that each one has its particular moral standing on this globe. While America is the land of free thinkers, France signifies liberation of inhibitions and Afghanistan, well, for everything oppressed. India, since forever, has been the country which has prided itself for being the custodian of its supposed moral traditions.

The global understanding of India is that of a motherland that respects femininity to the point of worship; one that upholds its cultures and the system of family and society supersedes personal needs. But somewhere down the line, this image is slowly diminishing to make way for a greater preceding truth, that of being stuck up in its times. They say that time is a constant change. And with time, the society is forever going through a constant spiral of changes. While India was a country of inhibitions and closed door hypocrisy, recent times have seen a spring in individuals wanting to be rid of the shackles of societal norms.

And what are the societal norms? In a country like India, where local impression has a higher standing, individual lifestyles and preferences have forever been the subject of judgement and scrutiny. And if, God forbid, someone were to resort to an unconventional style, they are labeled rebels and branded unfit.  While every Indian must respect his origins and what prompted the country’s morals, the country too must respect someone who chooses not to abide by the cliché. Moral policing is an offshoot of exactly that that is one of the major issues of Indian society, standoffishness.

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A society is formed thus because of acceptance and that alone; where people with different choices come together to exist in harmony. As adults, one should be allowed to choose the kind of lifestyle they want to live. It must be understood that it is important to respect social introvertedness as well as that quality to be out there unabashed. Indian society has never been void of youngsters wanting to have a good time, but throughout its history, such youngsters have been termed immoral. Even if they were to be judged, is it not important to let them be, and respect their privacy.

In the recent past, we have noticed certain political outfits reacting violently to the urban lifestyle of clubbing. These hooligans, hiding behind the carefully structured mask of guardians of India’s perceived morality have often been disrupting parties and lashing out at youngsters, propelling violence. The most recent incident involving a naive Mangalorean political party, Hindu Jagrana Vedike, making way to a private party at a resort, reveals some shocking situations. Images released, on purpose of course, show these supposed custodians reacting more violently to women than to men. This may also bring to mind the RSS clubbing incident that happened in Mangalore a couple of years back when women were beaten up in clubs. It also brings to light the need to cause violence as such to come into the national political limelight.

It is high time we realise that one must not set morals and fixed behavioural patterns for the society. And even if these are set, they cannot be imposed on others. Most importantly, one must stop measuring a society by the supposed waywardness of the women involved. India needs to release itself from the shackles of cultural oppression and move on to an independence of greater good – where an individual is respected and that alone. With the recent, and hopefully over, Vasant Dhoble tirades, it must also be realised that India must do away with age old laws that are not in tandem with today’s times. Politicians must aim their work towards the betterment of the state and working for the oppressed, not enjoying oppressing others.

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For a country which prides itself on respect, it is high time this respect it meted out to each other.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are of the author alone and not necessarily endorsed by the publisher, its partners, or its parent organisation.

Every month, dozens of ad campaigns are launched. Some are good, some are outright bad and some are forgotten even before they are remembered! But there are a few that are beyond good – these are extraordinary as they strike a chord with the viewer; they simple yet not stupid and all-in-all, they deliver the message perfectly well. Here are four ad campaigns that, according to us, have clicked.

1. The Taste of Amul

If a brand’s value is to be judged by the ease with which it can be recalled, then Amul’s marketing campaign wins hands down.
With its clever use of topical events, Amul’s utterly butterly campaign—it has the distinction of entering the Guinness World Records as the longest running campaign—has won the brand several accolades.
Playing the role of a social observer, its weekly comments have tickled India’s funny bone since 1967, when Sylvester Da Cunha’s irrepressible Amul girl first had her say.

2. Campaigning like Tata:

Nearly everybody fell in love with the Jaago Re campaign of Tata Tea. The campaign showed simple aspects of our daily life, highlighted how we have forgotten our basic duties as citizens of India, and urged the audience to ‘wake up’. These set of ads stood out in the crowd and mostly focused on the functional aspect of tea. By picking up issues so close to the average consumer’s average day, Tata Tea was able to connect with the audience, and by bringing in an emotional angle to the whole experience of tea, the campaign was hugely successful. Major benefits of this brand extension include leveraging the existing brand’s equity to gain trust, cost saving and continuing on a trusted formula (in terms of brand elements).

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3. Negative publicity:

Television advertising is generally a thirty second audio visual clipping telling us the features and advantages of a particular product. Since the time span of an advertisement is so less, the advertisement should always be exciting, interesting and get the point through immediately. If we marry the concept that advertisements are always time bound and that human psychology is always attracted to controversy, we get the perfect form of advertising – controversial advertising. For example, the Amul Macho ads, with their obvious sexual overtures, were able to create quite a stir. Though they were eventually banned, but the brand was able to create awareness and separate itself from the competition.

4. Coz, dirt can be your best friend!

Who hasn’t seen the utterly cute Surf Excel ads? This campaign by Surf Excel is one of its longest running and one that has clicked with the audiences. In all ads of this campaign, the children are urged to get dirty and messy if it helps to achieve something good – like a smile on a loved ones face. This particular brother-sister ad is one of our favourites, is it yours?

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Acclaimed Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once exclaimed that “Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.”

This seems to be the case with Indian politics. There are too many fools in multiple positions of power, and their foolhardy has corrupted not just power, but everything in its wake. India has always lacked in inspiring, well-informed and genuinely concerned leaders, ones who could display the potential to rise above shallow games of political opportunism and media-attention; but it has in excess, groups of corrupt and power-hungry politicians.

The ‘scam-period’, when various instances of money fraud like the CWG scam, the 2G scam and the Adarsh scam came to fore, is what comes to my mind now. What were these instances if not abuse of power and breeding of corruption? For a country that was reeling under the burden of mis-governance, these scams proved to be the final blow. People were angry and their discontentment was showing. Measures had to be taken to right the wrong, but who could possibly unify this country of ONE BILLION?

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Anna Hazare, a war soldier and a past recipient of various environmental awards, acclaimed for having repaired his broken village stood up to be the national crusader against everything wrong with this country – corruption, corrupt politicians, poor governance and so on. With credible and respectable people like Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal forming the core of the Anna Team and a plausible  workforce comprising of lawyers and IAS officials, Anna’s Army was raring to go.

Anna Hazare, the Leader

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Senior citizens gave their approval to Anna; housewives left their homes and kitchens to be a part of Anna Mania. The blue collar worker finally felt there was a leader that spoke his language and he willingly gave the cause his precious time and valued money. And the youth? Who can forget those pictures where the youth thronged the roads and public maidans and shouted anti-corruption slogans? They took over blogs/twitter/facebook proclaiming their support for Anna, discussing the Lokpal with as much fervour as they would discuss their college fest.

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The crowds turn out in LARGE numbers to support Anna

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The Youth unite in the fight against corruption

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But all this was a year ago. Where does the movement stand now? Where are the protestors now? Has Team Anna lost its sheen? Honestly, do we, the youth, care about the cat and mouse game that Anna and the government seem to be indulging in lately?

At Anna’s fast campaign at Jantar Mantar (in Jul 2012) where have the crowds gone?

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Che Guevara, the great Marxist revolutionary, is counted as one of the most exceptional youth leaders the world has seen. For Che was a man of action, and not just words. While Team Anna has tried, exceptionally hard, to lambast the government for its inaction against corruption, to abuse the media for being critical of its actions and basically, to disregard anyone who is not a part of their movement, sadly, all they have done is speak. Although their initial fiery speeches of a citizen revolt were counted as inspiring and revolutionary, the country is in a dire need of doers, as speakers we have many. While Team Anna has busied itself in enemy counting, the country has moved on, and so have the criminals.

A revolt or a political movement when staged, must be backed by proper understanding and maturity. While the Anna Army have been squabbling within itself and with the government, the country is sitting back and watching the tamasha unfold. The layman, who once was willing to fight the world with Anna for a better tomorrow, is feeling lost yet again. The hope that was so craftily created, now lays lifeless. It now seems as a lost battle.

Rift in Anna’s Army? Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan in a media interaction at New Delhi

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What is the future for Anna and his team? Will the movement meet its rightful end? There as much questions as there are complications.

But the ONE question that must be answered is: Will YOU, the youth, get together and re-ignite the fire and fight for a better India??

Do tell.

To begin with, if you wish to be a travel writer then you must love to travel. You must travel with your eyes and ears open and sensitize yourself to all that is beautiful.

The first rule to travel writing is writing straight from the heart; no exaggeration.  One should write as one sees. Sights, sounds, feelings, emotions – all should be expressed succinctly to make the reader visualize the experience the writer has had.

As a travel writer one gets to interact with local cultures, to explore their realities, and to see how it is to be someone else. All this makes for great matter that can be written about. Also, one must read a lot so as to be able to express oneself freely.  Nothing exists in a vacuum, and you can’t write good travel articles unless you read good travel articles. When sitting to write an article, definitely study history books and guidebooks—but don’t overlook literary travel narratives. Pay attention to technique as much as content.

In travel writing, highlighting the various attractions of a particular place is of paramount importance. The first thing that attracts a person to a place is all that it has to offer. This could be in terms of its scenic beauty, adventure sports opportunities and so on. Therefore, include in your travelogue all the experiences that the place offers and thus lure maximum number of visitors to it.

Once you have done your job of enticing the reader to visit the place, you must provide adequate information regarding the ways and means of reaching that destination. You could give the information regarding airlines, trains, local travel, cost of travel or any other detail that you deem necessary.

Once a person reaches her/his destination then she/he may have trouble locating good and decent hotels. So, you could help your readers by naming a few good accommodation options that span budgets.

You can also try to include some eccentric tourist attractions. These tourist attractions could be anything from a visit to the local winery or a trip to purchase elusive items sold at the local market.

People like to know the background and culture of a place they are planning to visit. It gives them a distinctive idea of what to expect from that place. It also helps them in their choice of clothes, accessories, etc. So give them this extra yet necessary piece of information.

Lastly mention some dos and don’ts so that a person does not fall prey to cultural mistakes. Say a person is planning to visit the Middle East, then she/he should wear decent clothes and not indulge in PDA. Again people should avoid asking for beef in a Hindu country like India or pork in a Muslim country. Hence, knowing the dos and don’ts of a particular place makes a person a smart traveller.

Travel writing always benefits from a good knowledge of the region or culture. Even if you don’t use specific information in your article, research can help you write about a place or culture with confidence. Once you’ve arrived in the country, read the local English-language newspaper for details, quirks, and tid-bits.

If you are writing for friends or a weblog, you probably know your audience already. But if you’re writing for magazines, newspapers, or web sites, make sure you’re familiar with the publication and its needs. Never approach an editor with an unclear or inappropriate story. Our advice to you is that you must target small non-paying markets first to build up a body of work.

Whatever you do, remember that travel—not travel writing—should be your priority. Always keep travelling and experiencing new parts of the planet. Even if you never get a single story published, you’ll most likely discover that you have fallen in love with the world and this will make your life richer in a way you never thought was possible.

Research has revealed that the media is responsible for influencing a major part of our daily life. Media has the power to call for a change in the attitudes and beliefs of the common man. The persuasive nature of the content presented in the media influences the thoughts and behavioural pattern of the general public. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that media has a direct impact on the lifestyle and nature of society.

While most countries have gifted their citizens the freedom of speech and expression, some countries try to counter the abuse of this right by a select few by restricting the way in which this speech and expression are received. Basically, while you’re allowed to say anything you want and do whatever your heart desires (as long as it is within the legal framework), you may not be free to listen or to appreciate someone else’s speech or action (one that is deemed to be volatile or anti-social by a government body or the society). This is the whole crux of censorship; censoring or banning content (and its reception) that is deemed volatile, harmful to society and counter-productive.

But who decides what is volatile, counter-productive or harmful to national security/society? How is content to be classified as worthy of censoring or not?

It is governmental bodies and unwritten-yet-widely-followed-societal-norms that decide what needs to be censored or not. For example, most countries call for complete censorship of pornographic material. If aired on TV, or available on other easily accessible forms of media, this form of content can corrupt children and create havoc in the society. Similarly, violence and violent content, content that can hurt religious sentiments too demand complete censorship.

Also, the amount of censorship or the cut-off level which defines what to show and what not to show differs from country to country. One of the most common ways of media censorship is by enforcing age-limits. This means that people below a certain pre-determined age cannot view or be exposed to a certain form on content.

However, it is not so simple and easy to define what can be censored and when and how. Many burning questions demand immediate answers. How much freedom is good? What needs to censored and why? What’s the point of your right to speak if there is no one to listen to what you are saying? Doesn’t the very concept of censorship clash with the idea of democracy? If we allow censorhip, then what is the difference between democracy and dictatorship?

We all know and agree that media has brought about a major transformation in the way the masses think. Media has given them an excellent platform to present themselves before the world and to contribute in their own way to the changing world scenario. It is responsible for shrinking the world further.I think, media censorship is all about degree; about how much to show and how much to hide. I’d like to end by saying that if used properly, censorship serves as a valuable tool; if not then our right to creative freedom is at stake.

The immense progress in the fields on technology and communications has affected the way consumers’ process information, favouring rapid and efficient information exchange and interactivity. People are now favouring internet advertising which draws them into the feel and vibe of the brand them, rather than the ‘one-way’ advertising done via television, newspapers, magazines that simply informs and doesn’t give the consumer a chance to participate or engage with the brand. Keeping this trend in mind, one has seen the emergence and increasing importance of Viral Advertising.

What is viral advertising?

Technically speaking, viral marketing and / or advertising refers to marketing techniques that make use of social networks to bring about an increase in brand awareness, via a self-replicating viral process (something similar to the self-replication of a bacterial virus).

Many times, viral advertising refers to an offline process where the brand message spreads by word-of-mouth (from one consumer to the next). Such W-O-M (word-of-mouth) campaigns run on the principle of basic human nature i.e. a person will tell Three people about a service of product he likes and about Eleven people about a service or product he does not.  Therefore, if a consumer takes to a brand he will talk good about it and this positive spread of message (viral) will immensely help the brand in the long run. As opposed to, if he critics the brand, then his negative outburst will deter future customers from engaging with the brand, thus harming the brand.

Viral advertising types and examples

There is a common misconception that viral advertising is can be executed only on internet. But the truth is that many companies prefer offline viral advertising because of its high reach and low operating costs. So, viral advertising includes the online and offline activities performed by marketers in order to make the message viral and generate sufficient ‘buzz’ or ‘W-O-M’ for the brand.

Flash games, images, text messages, funny video clips, songs and advergames are the various tools that comprise of a viral campaign.

Examples of successful viral campaigns are:

• The “whassup?” viral ad from Budweiser
• Trojan condoms’ 2004 ‘Sex Olympics’ campaign
• Kolaveri Di – 3

Popularity and Cost Effectiveness

Viral advertising is personal and even though it is from an identified sponsor, it does not mean the companies pay for its distribution. Most of the classical viral ads circulating online start off as ads paid for by the sponsor brand, launched either on their own platform (company webpage or social media profile) or on social media websites such as YouTube. Consumers get the page link from there or copy the entire ad and forward it through e-mail or by posting it on a blog, webpage, and social media profile. In this ‘no cost’ manner, the word spreads and the brand emerges the ultimate winner. Thanks to social media platforms, it is becoming very easy for brands to simply get the word out and gather a large following.

Future of Viral advertising

In the Internet era, viral advertising presents itself as a huge opportunity, especially for companies who want low cost advertising solution. Moreover, viral ads can also be used for products that do not have the benefit of the “wow” factor. Create a funny video, a great song or a super game around the brand and it is sure to generate buzz. The biggest advantage of viral advertising is that it’s under the control of the consumers. And since, consumer is the king, and he likes viral advertising, it is here to stay.