Sandokan, by the second half of the 19th century, was a young Indian prince diminished of his title and kingdom by British imperialists. To avenge this disastrous turn of events, he made constant attacks on the British forces, in his new avatar as the captain of a den of pirates. Although Sandokan is a character...
Last Tuesday, the pulpit was shared by two speakers from different walks of life, but both seemed to have tread a path that only passion can help us navigate. The speakers were Pooja Dhingra and Zoru Bathena. The latter is the BMC’s biggest nightmare, and the former a young entrepreneur who introduced a Parisian culinary...
Ambi Parameswaran has spent over thirty years in advertising, a fact confirmed by his enlightening account of the industry in a short thirty minutes. A career spanning so many years has obviously given him a chance to reminisce, and us the pleasure of understanding his perspective on the changing trends. A lot of what he shared...
“Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me,” was a line lent to us by the great American poet, Robert Frost. However, in the context of Bharat Dabholkar’s experiences in advertising, this quote makes for the perfect adman’s prayer. Not just because it is short, concise, and...
Dr. Shubha, the Chief Scientist and Head of Airport Instrumentation at the National Aerospace Laboratories, amazed the Rotarians with her impressive list of achievements last Tuesday. Not only does she have dozens of patents and copyrights in her name, she has also received the 2016 Bushwick Award for Outstanding contribution to Science and Technology and...
Once again, last Tuesday’s speaker needed no introduction. However, to satisfy the curiosity of those wondering how she didn’t slip into obscurity like most actresses of her generation, a little must be said about Tanuja Mukherjee’s new avatar. Yes, she’s featured less on page three, but stills gets ample coverage for her work as a...
Rotarians were eager to listen to Keki Mistry, the Managing Director of HDFC Ltd, share his thoughts on Corporate Governance, and even more eager to get him to answer their questions. Even after the meeting was adjourned, many queries remained unanswered, but the speaker was able to lend us his perspective on India Inc., a...
In hearing Rtn. Shailesh Haribhakti’s analysis of the 2018 Budget, there were only two instances when laughter prevailed. The first instance was when he was introduced by a fellow rotarian: “Shailesh Haribhakti needs no introduction!” This, the speaker acknowledged as “the most memorable introduction.” And the second uproar was heard when the lights were dimmed...
All of us, at some point in time, have been guests of Mr. Kushroo Santook by lending our patronage to the arts at the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA). Last Tuesday, we had the privilege of welcoming him as our guest. In the time he spent with us, he was able to give us...
Last Tuesday, the chairman of Godrej Group, Mr. Adi Godrej was awarded the Pravinchandra Varjivan Gandhi Award for excellence in public life. He was also given the “gift of trees,” after he delivered a very optimistic post-award speech about how we can sow the seeds for a better Indian economy. “It is a proud moment for...
Dr. Shernaz B. Elavia, last Tuesday’s speaker, believes that stress is nothing but an illness, and it can be avoided altogether if we learn to “manage our emotions.” For those grappling with their emotions, she says, “I have certain rules, which I call dictums.” These are the same rules that have been followed by her...
At the end of the District Governor’s speech, President Ramesh Narayan said, “His informality, his rigid approach to - one thing only - being on time, and the fact that he has been able to dispense with the frills and fuss, make him an extraordinary man.” As you well know, District Governor Prafull J. Sharma, or...