Hailstorm

The weather in Colorado has changed drastically since the long weekend this month. September, with the most temperate climate, is believed to be the most beautiful month of the year. Last Sunday started off just like any other beautiful day in September with mild sunshine and a gentle breeze which easily would've put a poet at his best. We took a drive along the mountains in the late morning, ran a few errands and were on our way back home in the afternoon. The sky was turning black with huge clouds and we were sure of a downpour. Just as we rolled our car inside the garage did we hear loud thunderstorms. The intensity decreased in the next few minutes and suddenly, there was an outburst. As much as we both love watching the rains (not getting soaked, though), we ran towards the window to check our the downpour. We were taken aback at what we saw. It was raining hail-stones!! Yes, huge stones made of ice. It was a hail storm! The hail stones came down with great intensity and velocity. Boy, did it look scary. Imagine someone caught in the middle of a road, with no roof to run to, getting pelt with these ice-cold solid rocks! It would definitely seem like the Gods in heaven were punishing him for his sins! The hailstones melted away slowly and in about 15 mins, everything was clear. Nandu ran outside and collected a few of the hailstones. They looked so smooth and nice that one would'nt imagine these rocks could cause damage! Phew! That was some escape for both of us and the car!! This day was definitely not one of the so-called beautiful days of September!

Wanna go biking?

Here's just another day at the Anand household:

(Just remember, Him refers to Anand and Her refers to Preetha).

Her: The weather is beautiful outside. Lets go biking.

He pretends as if he is very engrossed in reading and never heard anything.

Her: NANDU!! Did you hear me?

Him (almost thrown off his chair): Uhh.. what was that, again?

Her: I said let's go out and get a whiff of the fresh air. Get your bike.

Him: Awww, did you say 'Bike?'. Nayy.

Her: Yeah, whats wrong with biking?

Him: I don't quite like this bike of mine. It just doesn't feel comfortable and I don't feel enthusiastic about biking anymore.

Her: Hmmm, this is just another excuse to not go biking. This is not the first time you have shown zero interest in biking.

Him: Well, I don't like this bike.

Her: Okay, are you positive that this is not the bike for you?

Him: Uhh, yeah.

Her: Okay, Since you sound pretty positive about not liking this bike, I am going to put it up on sale.

Him: By all means. Just get me a nice road bike instead of this mountain devil.

Her: Sure, but remember, after you get your road bike, you have no escape from biking! :-D

Him: Oh yeah, of course, I'm gonna be riding the devil often! :-))

So she places an ad about the bike on craigslist, describing the features of the bike, along with some pictures of it. Within the next few hours, there are a lot of email and phone inquiries about the bike. Two people, a girl and a boy want to check out the bike the same day. She fixes an appointment with both of them for 6 PM.

Exactly at 6 PM, someone rings the door bell. She answers the door. It is Mr. Interested-in-the-bike. She takes him towards the bike and he checks it out and just as starts to test-drive the bike, Miss. Interested-in-the-bike arrives with her boy friend. Mr. Interested checks out the bike and asks the boy friend of Miss Interested to check it out. The rest of the conversation is as follows:

Mr. Interested to Miss Interested: Looks like this bike is too small for him (referring to her boyfriend).

Miss Interested: Well, he has always liked smaller bikes. He is a BIG guy!

Mr. Interested: But his legs are bent while he is pedalling.

Miss Interested: He looks comfortable to me.

Her murmur(Remember, thats me): Oh Jeez! Looks like both of em like the bike!!

By then, boyfriend of Miss Interested is back witha broad smile on his face. Obviously, he is happy with the bike and he wants it.

Her: So, what do you guys think.

Mr Interested: I like the bike.

Miss Interested: I like it too!

Mr Interested: I am willing to buy it.

Miss Interested: I am willing to buy it, too.

Her: Jeez! Both of you like the bike - I really cannot decide who to give it to. Mr Interested arrived here a couple mins before Miss Interested and her boyfriend arrived, BUT it was Miss Interested who called me up first regarding the bike. It's hard to decide who to give it to!

Everyone is silent and is looking at each-other's faces.

Her: Okay, whoever is willing to pay me more than the asking price ($60) can have the bike!

Mr Interested: I am willing to pay $5 more.

Miss Interested: I am, too.

Her: Well, back to square one!

Mr Interested: Okay, I'll take it for $70.

Miss Interested: Tomorrow is my boy-friend's birthday and I really need this bike to give as a present to him. Please, I'll buy this bike.

Mr Interested: I am a student at CU and really need this bike.

Miss Interested: I can pay more than 70.

Mr Interested: So can I. How much more?

Miss Interested: I'll take it for 80.

Mr Interested: Well, I don't think I can pay so much. You can have the bike.

Miss Interested and her boyfriend are very happy with the deal!

Her: Okay, you got the bike. She collects the money and gives them the bike.

Just at that time, Anand (He) arrives.

He: Hey, so whats up.

Her: I sold your bike to so-and-s0 (Introduces the buyers to Anand).

He: Whaaaaat! You sold MY bike?!!

Her: Yes, I did. Please help them load the bike into their car.

He helps them and they leave.

He: Tsk! I thought we could go biking today!

She: Ya, rite!! %$##%^*

Dilapidated building? Wow!

It is high time we accept it. Americans are better at marketing their sight-seeing spots and natural resources when compared to Indians. I wouldn't say that Americans flaunt their products/resources. They merely believe in employing good marketing strategies. Getting audience for the Empire State Building or the Taj Mahal has never been difficult since these attractions are well known. The difference lies in the not-so-very famous places which are unheard of by most outsiders and probably locals too. It is in these small attractions that Americans have an edge over the Indians in getting better revenue. I dont see the greatness of the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, Caverns in different places in the US or the bat colony in Austin. Hey, who would think that bats were an attraction? This is where advertisement and marketing comes to play. Americans take the extra effort in creating a society for protecting the bat colonies (without which I would'nt have even cared to know anything about bats. By the way, did you know that bats were mammals?!! $*#^%). They advertise "bat-watching" in a very positive light that would make anyone curious to check out the bats fly. Every day around sunset, hundreds of people get together below the Congress bridge eagerly awaiting millions of baby bats to take off. On the way back, people learn more about bats from the Bat Conservation Society which is conveniently places near the exit. Needless to say, they donate money towards protecting the endangered species of bats. How cool is that, huh. I have seen bats colonies with hundreds of thousands of bats in South Indian temples especially in Nellai Dt. The most common reaction is that of disguist and fear. Really, how many of us Indians would think of advertising and creating revenue out of an unattractive colony of bats? Americans employ techniques which we would never have given a thought to. They are just so creative with their advertising skills by having posters about the local city's attractions in most lounges of airports. Right there, they have got hundreds of prospective visitors and thereby, creating revenue for more advertising. Its a cyclic chain of events.

Coming to India. Our land has so many attractions and sight-seeing places including ancient architecture, historic buildings and natural wonders. I am sure one cannot cover the whole of India in a lifetime! But how many of us are aware of these places? Every town in the country has atleast 10 things to do, but unfortunately, due to lack of advertising, many of us are not aware of our country's rich attractions. The tourism department of India highlights only places that people have already heard of, like Darjeeling and The Qutab Minar. India definitely has the potential to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year only if it employs good marketing techniques.

Bangalore Nostalgia!

Today, I am really feeling nostalgic about my hometown. Bangalore has always been my favorite for a lot of reasons. The city is cosmopolitan with a mix of people from all across India. The people are friendly and love outdoors. The best thing I love of all is the laid back attitude of the city. Of late, there has been a lot of pollution and growth in population. Everybody from other cities in India as well as abroad is choosing Bangalore as their home. Unfortunately, not much has been done to improve the infrastructure of the city. I am hungry for news about my hometown all the time. Not long back, I was happy to read that the Bangalore Metro Rail project has been approved with a loan sanction close to INR 7000 crore. The project is estimated to be completed by 2011. Yayy!! I am hoping that Bangalore becomes a better place for all of us... soon. :-)