Dear Readers

Thinking Cap is NOT DEAD. The next update will come next year.

Till then have a cup of coffee and enjoy the previous articles!!!!

Regards

999

What an Idea Sirjii!!

According to a famous saying, “an idea is like a fart. It can strike you and surprise you anytime. So forcefully thinking upon it is of no use”.

Sorry Dude, according to a modern theory, this crap is not possible if you are in the business of advertising. This infamous business thrives heavily on ideas generated on fingertips. You just can’t wait for an idea but have to actually produce it.

Just look at the situation. A Copywriter** is given the most dreadful of the problems by his agency and then he’s expected to come up with path breaking solutions. His situation is like that he’s kicked into a sea without a life-jacket. Or he’s left into a jungle which is only full of hungry carnivores. By default, every time this creature is expected to escape the narrow death. That is, he has to come up with an idea.

The Question is, is generating rapid ideas really possible? If yes then how? How come a copywriter (who proclaims himself as the next writing sensation) can gift this world idea after ideas???## Where the hell his big ideas or I shall say frequent farts comes from??


Does it come from observing other exceptional advertisements? But that only leaves him in awe that “how can someone be that creative”? Or does he derive it by just approaching the King of Problem Solving i.e. “Baba Google”? Or by falling into the trap of having a ginger tea or tobacco or utterly butterly delicious chocolates assuming that it might kick start the jammed engines of his brain?

What if his all sophisticated methods fail? Does he leave everything and hit a bar or a pub or any damn place where booze is available? Or does he find some inspiration in Shakira’s shaking and lying hips, or to the tunes of RD Burman, or watching Rajnikant wearing a lungi and beating 35 henchmen in one go. Random Stuff, you know!!!

As per my experience, after being exposed to so much, our poor fellow might come up with something. But his desire for that “Big Idea” leaves him unconvinced.

He asks stupid questions from his roommates, family, friends even neighbours and his maid to find his consumer insight. He flips newspaper, traces history, play scrabble and what not. Sometimes he goes for a walk, or just gaze at the sky or a tubelight, writes random stuff then tear it all, then write again and tear again. This nonsense goes for a while. Watching porn is always an option. His indulgence in sex is an indication that he’s going through a creative block.

Now you all wanna know that whether this jackass has finally hit the bull’s-eye or is he still lurking around? The irony is that many Copywriters get the best idea when the campaign is over. Even our guy hasn’t come up with the big idea and might come up after the marketing campaign which is to be presented in next 48 hours.

Now this is what happens:

He reaches office the next day without his big idea. He has tried all his formulas but he hasn’t reached the answer. Though he has some not so unique ideas to present and he has definitely not lost the hope. So he is just involved in daily chores like chatting, printing, coffee, peeing and flirting. And when he has nothing to do, the thunderbolt strikes him. He freezes for a moment because he has got the criminal i.e. the idea. The idea that was absconding till now is with him. So like a fart it just hits him. It was approved or not is another story.

The question is whether by stressing too much you’ll get the idea or you need to work it out??? In our boy’s case he worked hard but he has to wait for “The Golden Moment”. As they say “Soch kahi bhi aa sakti hai”.

The quote like “An idea can change your life” is too exaggerated for a common man but for a copywriter An Idea actually does so. His entire way of living is chained around that realisation and enlightenment of what we all say “The big Idea”!!!

** Copywriter is a person employed to write advertising or publicity copy:

 

Feel free to Comment!!!

The article was written for a competition!!!

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"Dream India"

The Rising Star

"This is a fictional Story and has no relation to Reality"

Performing in Spain’s Imperial auditorium is every performer’s dream. The 200 year old auditorium has been the witness of some of the world’s finest performances when it comes to dance, music and theatre.

So how big the occasion will be for Amna Siddiqui? The girl from Karachi, Pakistan, who from the age of eight has been giving dance performances not only competing in national and international events but also representing Asia and the eastern world at many places. For 20 years she has been dreaming about this occasion even from her wide open eyes. After winning Russia’s St. Petersburg Dance Competition” and Italy’s “Benjamin 2 Steps” she had her eyes on the ultimate win. And that is Spain’s “Footloose International Event”. She almost reached that stage 5 years back but was forced to wait more when she broke her ankle in the semifinals.

Advised by the physicians not to participate in dance anymore, she refused to adhere. She decided to give her one last shot. After 5 years of shedding sweat & blood too, and going through that extra pain she is again knocking the doors of her biggest dream. The dream which only she can see. She is standing on that very thin line between her biggest desire and reality. If she wins today she will be the most aged lady to do so in this event’s 150 year old history.

Dancing on Beethoven’s Symphony and dressed as an angry & vengeance full queen she is portraying the rarest seen images of the woman. The image when woman attains the avatar of destruction, when she is alone but dangerous. When she survived on her own and she is her own ruler.  

Let’s sink in Amna’s performance and let’s live this dream with her.   

 999

Feel free to Comment!!!

The story was written when the author saw a photograph in a magazine!!!

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Sons of the Soil

“The Actor in the Negative role”

Our great Indian family is like a movie in which everybody has a fixed role & fixed dialogs. In which someone is rich while someone is poor. Some is bad and some is good. Its rich history and present story is nothing less than a gossip magazine. Alike the famous James Bond everyone keeps their eyes and ears open in anticipation of something big. Like a common man the good guyz always sit in the corner and repent on their life. Like politicians and villains the bad guys always had the last laugh. Every one competes to show off heavily in the family functions.

In this huge Starcast there is one actor on whom the spotlight is because his critical role influences the entire story. He is dangerous, he is naughty, and above all he is a sort of criminal. He possesses nuclear power; he can hold anybody’s collar. The truth is that he enjoys and misuses his uncontrolled authority. He is none other than the “Jamaai Raja”

Whether you are the Great Khali or the Bheem, a tycoon or an oxford return, a celebrity or the head of the family you are always option less and have to obey to your dwarf size “Jeeja”. This reminds me of my bulky college friend who use to miss several lectures because his great Jijaaji---a return from Kanpur was residing at his home.

I never understood who gave this jackass such supreme powers. I mean he too is scolded by his parents like others, beaten by his wife and he too fears loss in the business. So why he behaves as if he is the Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh when he reaches his Sasural and demands not only the family’s attention but entire locality’s.

When a father comes to know that this summer his daughter will be accompanied by her “poor--half”, he is alarmed. As if, the auditors are coming to inspect the account books. A cleanliness drive is ordered, new utensils are taken out, and dishes which even poor Gharwaalas don’t get to eat are prepared. Even children of the house are taught manners and also English. The brother in laws gets ready for the boss and his annual trip. After the last minute preparations, everybody is at toes. Facilities which Jeeja gets are world-class and it is ensured that everything is served to him first as if he is the Lord Ganesha and deserves the “Bhog”.

The 5.5 feet inch Jeeja with 25 feet inch ego makes comment on everything. He behaves as a newborn where everybody should always accompany him or else the 2 weeks long trip will be cut short to 7 days. The family takes a deep breath only after the extravagant Jeeja trip is over. The family head announces that “the commonwealth is successfully over—time to look over the debts and huge unnecessary investments made”.

Leaving the sarcasm and satire, the question is why Jeeja is “The Jeeja” in our society. Why he becomes “The Godfather” at his in laws though he might be an unsuccessful bank clerk throughout his life. Ironically it is a vicious cycle. In this man dominated Indian society, the men carved out for them a niche avatar. An avatar to enjoy worldly pleasures, live a royal life and forget about their failures for some time when they are at their In-Laws by behaving as the undisputed king. So any man whether successful or contrary gets into his Jeeja avatar to relive a life he always dreamt of. So when these disturbed animals become a Jeeja, they pour their frustration over their Saala (brother in law). And that Saala pour that frustration over his Saala (brother in law). And the Saala cycle keeps paddling.

In all it is this evil spirit of Jeeja which should be blamed for the downside of women. He should always be parceled to hell for the injuries caused to the status of women. Who doesn’t desire a girl child but the scary thought of marrying your doll to a rascal Jeeja doesn’t go down well with many. And the thought of capitulating to his unending and unwanted demands terrify even the bravest of souls but above all, the thought of tolerating that Jeeja and his idiosyncrasies for your entire life can even force Mahatma Gandhi to violence.

Sadly, a Jeeja is like an outsider who sits at the top of the ladder of a family and regulates the thread of all puppets.

Post Script: Teach your Jeeja a lesson. Marry your girl to an educated and down to earth man. Teach her self-respects. Above all never ever give in to his demands. Let’s eliminate this never required avatar of “Jeeja”.   

999

  

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My 1st Short Film