Category: SANJEEV KOTNALA

By Sanjeev Kotnala

I am not an expert as far as depression, suicidal tendencies, mental disorders and emotional imbalance. I think I do not have victims of these conditions around me. I think. I am not sure.

I personally have been near that zone a few times before I started valuing life a lot more. I am not talking about being stressed in professional or personal life.

I am emotionally sensitive to understand a bit. All it requires is sensitivity and willingness to lend help. You don’t need to be an expert to know.

Yes, Birth and death are two fixed coordinates in our lives. One we celebrate and the other we fear. And, there are moments of weakness or strength when one willingly seeks death. It does not happen instantly.

“For reasons we don’t fully understand, some people reach such depths of despair and pain that they begin to believe that they would be better off dead,” said Dr John Campo, the chair of psychiatry and behavioural health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre.

The current period is no different. In fact there are more possibilities of fleeting suicide thoughts cropping in.

FLEETING SUICIDE THOUGHTS ARE COMMON ENOUGH.

You will be surprised that ‘Fleeting suicidal thoughts and feelings’ are relatively common. People contemplate ending their lives during periods of extreme stress or emotional disbalance, financial, family, professional or personal reasons. However, very few people act on these thoughts. They are transitory and last only for a very short time. The worst part about people dying of Suicide is that it can be prevented.

INDIA SUICIDE WATCH.

As per MINT in 2018, India accounts for over 33% of the world’s annual female suicides and nearly 25% of male suicides. As per Indian National Crime Records Bureau as of 2016, male rates ranged around 14 per 100,000, while female rates decreased from 9 to 7 per 100,000 over the 13 years. UN Health agency report released in 2019 pegged India’s suicide rate at 16.5 suicides per 100,000 people. These are huge figures. Yet, India does not have a strategy and the agency to look after prevention of Suicide.

It IS NOT IMPULSIVE.

There is always a period of contemplation and re-search. The period which decides which way the pendulum could swing. It is the period when any listening and togetherness of near and dear ones could change the future path. Then there is the zone of momentary madness and action. Here too, till the last moment, there is a possibility of disengagement with the thought.

THE PRESSURE BUILDS UP.

It is like the volcano that keeps building up or the tectonic plates that are pressured against each other. Both times to time need a release of the pressure for the calmness to continue. The human body and soul work on the first principle of survival. Seeking death is not a part of SOP. So, the person sends out signals. Unfortunately, because of the taboo surrounding such thoughts, the signs are cryptic and coded. However, the messages are always there. It is different that we misread them or tend to ignore them as an aberration.

EMERGENCY AND TABOO.

Thinking or talking about ending one’s own life should be considered a psychiatric emergency. And people really going through this zone rarely speak in those terms. Most keep their intentions a secret. They know what they are thinking or trying to do is not right, however, to them, life has lost its value or death seems the only alternative worth pursuing. When this happens, think of what torture the person would have gone through.

WARNING SIGNS

Depression, Anxiety, Loss of interest, Irritability, Humiliation/Shame, uncalled for Anger and even Relief or Sudden Improvement in behaviour are strong potential signals for suicidal thoughts. However, Warning signs are not always obvious and vary from person to person.

The signs are always there. Some of the signs are; talking about Suicide, finding out how to end life, getting resources that can help end life, withdrawing from social contact, mood swings, feeling trapped or hopeless, severe remorse and self-criticism, talking about being a burden to others, increasing use of alcohol or drugs, insomnia, Panic attacks, abrupt lifestyle changes, excess philanthropy- giving away belongings or getting affairs in order, meeting people as they won’t be seen again, saying goodbye to people as if they won’t be seen again, being severely anxious or agitated.

Be warned these signs can also be demonstrated by fully committed to life person without suicidal thoughts.

So, be careful before you identify someone suicidal.

PREVENTION

Prevention is the only way out. So, if you or someone feels like this, the best way is to Get Treatment, so that the underlying cause can be treated. Establish a support network. Don’t expect the friends and family to fully understand you. But reach out, so that people who care, know what you are going through. It may be hard to talk about suicidal feelings, and your friends and family may not fully Remember, suicidal feelings are temporary. If you feel life’s not worth living anymore, remember that treatment can help you resync the perspective.

YOU CAN HELP.

If you know of someone with such tendencies, you too can help. Ask them if they are thinking about Suicide. Studies show such question and discussion does not increase the risk. Staying around and removing possible weapons of Suicide can Keep them safe. Most importantly, listen to them and make them trust you. Make them know you are there for them. Encourage them to call a qualified help. Following and being with them till after the crises is over.

Collectively these can, in many ways, reduce the risk.

HELP

Getting help or directing help to the person is important. AASRA runs a 24×7 Helpline ( +91-9820466726) for emotional crisis situations, mental illness issues, and suicidal ideation. Families undergoing trauma after Suicide of a loved one are also welcome to seek their help. They listen, and they care. At AASRA, you can get support from professionally trained and skilled volunteers. Other helpline. Jeevan Aastha Helpline :Toll Free : 1800 233 3330 . WEBSITE : http://www.jeevanaastha.com/  EMAIL : help@jeevanaastha.com. ICALL  – 022-25521111 . ( references only and no qualified judgement on their process and support is being made)

Take one step at a time and don’t act impulsively.

………….

Reference : https://bit.ly/2C0ckgi, https://wb.md/30J3sGc,  https://bit.ly/2B8YDeN, https://bit.ly/2Au1QFQ, https://bit.ly/2MVOhl5,

By Sanjeev Kotnala

Dreams are part of life, but not many have lucid dreams or the power to script dreams. Many do not remember their dreams. However, during stressed times like coronavirus crisis, having intense vivid dreams and remembering them is not new.

It is already dark. My family is approaching Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border near Dhule. I can police contingent lined standing against the barrier. Their jeep has a mounted searchlight that catches our vehicle in full focus and stops. A tall policeman approaches our car. He has a revolver on his hand, and he asks us to step out. We are not supposed to cross the inter-state border during this unlock1.0 or something like that he says. We show him a medical certificate from the doctor. Nothing impresses him. We will now be placed in-home quarantine. However, our pet, Milo Kotnala, cannot join us. The Government will take care of him. I protest. Milo is at a distance, unaware of the developments. The policeman levels his revolver and aims at Milo.

I wake up with a start. I am sweating. I look at my mobile; it is 4 O’clock. I realise it was only a dream and then it strikes me, early morning dreams come true.

I know, it was a  classic nightmare. However, it is unlike coronavirus pandemic dreams that many people are having every night. My vivid dream was purely triggered not only because of  lack of clarity about unlock 1.0 but also because of our plan to leave Mumbai for some time.

We were to begin our journey in the next hour and we still did not know what was allowed and what was not. We, a literate and socially aware family, was confused and unsure if we will be allowed to enter Madhya Pradesh or will have to turn back.

We had information from far too many sources. It came from an industrialist friend at Indore, from an ex-editor of a large newspaper group. WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, chats, internet. Some friends had friends and relatives crossing the border in last few days. They shared their own encouraging stories loaded with if, but, paruntu, lekin, and maybe. They all were painting a vague picture in my mind.

We know the government has succeeded in many fronts and have failed in some critical areas.

We see pictures that will define the memory of the pandemic. The small kid at the railway platform, trying to wake up his already dead mother. The images of home returning workers walking long distances. People are lining up for food, unsure what life holds for them. There are serpentine queues at groceries stores. The police force is hitting people who dare to step out during lockdown. The corona Warriors being chased and mobbed. People pouring onto the streets during the PM famed call for Ghanti Bajao and Diya Jaloa. They are all worrisome.

We travel 590 km driving non-stop for nine-hours. Mumbai and Indore seem so much near. It is a drive-through wonderfully maintained roads, a smooth crossing of toll barriers with Fastag and hardly much traffic. Throughout the drive, we saw sights that unsettle you and question future possibilities.

People are out on the streets. The weekly market is in full flow, business is as usual, and that is good and bad. Loaded into small trucks are jam-packed people comfortable with each other. They are walking together, having tea at the stall, selling and buying fruit and vegetables. Nothing has changed, and it seems nothing will change. Most of the people we saw, let me try putting a number to it, more than 80 per cent of them were not wearing any mask, and it seems unaware of the concept and need of social distancing.

What could be causing this lack of discipline and disrespect for government instruction? Are they not worried of the consequences? Is it the result of utter Hopelessness? Don’t they know or do they believe none can help them. ? Or, is it because they believe Covid-19 will not harm them? Maybe for them, it is merely a big city problem.

You can fight an invisible virus by breaking the chain. What you can’t fight is ill-literacy, mindset coupled with  lack of transparent and simplified communication reaching everyone. Not everyone knows. However, everyone is surrounded by information sources that can only distort the picture.

During this period of coronavirus crisis, the government should have imposed and dictated compulsory information bulletin across all mass media to relay and share updates, clarifying positions. Maybe then the whole system could have been on the same page. The Governments across the nation failed to be responsible and to the citizens across the country. In fact instructions have been more complicated and confusing.

It should not surprise us. Our is a country where 98% of people believe God has saved them. About 1.4% believe precautions like sanitising, social distancing, masking and staying at home. Merely 0.6% give credit to Covid warriors like medical fraternity and police. The above is from a research report in WhatsApp. It may be a satire and may not be a fake, but I think it is not off-target. In this nation many believe in the power of collective praying. In such a situation, the opening of religious places at this stage is highly questionable.

During our drive, we saw no police anywhere on the 590 km of highway. No one questioned me. Nowhere I was asked for special permission and the famed e-pass. I am still unsure, what is right and what is wrong.

We took precautions. Before leaving, we law-abiding citizen got the family checked at a well-known clinic. We were certified not to be suffering from any cough-cold or fever.  We sanitised our car, wore mask and decided to travel nonstop. So we travelled in our safe bubble from one state to another.

In MP, at the society gate, our temperature was checked, and the car was sanitised.

Now, look at the absurdity. The guards were sanitising only vehicles coming from other states. The cars with MP number plates were allowed to cross the gate without any check. It can only happen when they believe that the virus will not attach itself to cars from Madhya Pradesh.

Lockdown was necessary. It was like the Chakravyuh. Everyone was in a hurry to implement but not ready with a plan to come out of it. No one fully understood the space and spectrum of its impact. No one knows much about it, We are slowly tackling it as and when we become aware of the implications and situation.

Glaring errors and difference of opinion are acceptable, but why this lack of transparent clear guidelines shared in a language that common man understand and not what is meant for the bureaucratic files, that people have to interpret them.

The unconscious mind meanwhile is busy triggering dreams. They have their foundation in emotions, experiences and expectations. They are psychological bursts, and in anxiety-driven situations become nightmares. The subconscious mind is trying to bridge the gap in an uncertain environment of unaware people. It is sometimes purely based on the difference between expectation and experiences. So, we are hearing of higher incidence of parasomnia (multiple time sleep breaking ) and increased dream recall.

There are nightmares. And then there are  reaction to the unknown and uncertain during waking hours. They will be the  real drivers of consumer reaction to any offerings in the market. Smaller towns and villages may not show any slack unless cases are reported from nearby areas. But, most of us are like the deer stuck in a headlight. Loaded with inertia. Confused between essentials- needs, wants and desires.

It may sound totally out of context, but for the economy to hit recovery in urban areas, we must tackle,  the ambiguously triggered vivid nightmare and the open-eyed dreams loaded with uncertainties. The consumer must gain some degree of certainty about the family and life per se. Some brands have tried priming the market so that the consumer is able to trust the information, be aware of the reality and have confidence on their actions and choices. It is important that the  uncertainty is reduced through proactive transparent information sharing.

The art of lucid dreaming and scripting the dreams can help people to overcome coronavirus pandemic dreams. However, to correct the market demand and supply, we need more of concrete actions. Otherwise, till then Zindagi Jhandwa phir bhi Gamadawa.

By Sanjeev Kotnala

I just finished reading ‘A chapter out of my Life, Gems from the lives of ordinary people’ by Salil Agrawal on Kindle. I was in two minds to review the book or not. The reason is simple and has a history to it.

The Background

Salil and I had a conversation on this project some four years back. When we both realised that we had a similar idea. The only difference was that I always considering people across industries and Salil was looking at Pan IIM contribution.

At that time, I was working on my first novel ‘Chimera of Lansdowne; you will hate to be in her thoughts‘ which was published in 2018.

When we spoke, I was also simultaneously working on my book of sharing real-life impact episodes. Before Salil’s book got published, by Jan 2020, I had curated and published two books on similar lines book.

Life Reloaded & Reflections. My Books

Book One: ‘Life Reloaded- Impact stories’ released in 2019. It had people from various fields sharing their life impact incidents, leaving the learning to the reader’s interpretation.

Book Two: released at the annual get-together of the 1987 batch of IIM Ahmedabad at Hyderabad. Titled, ‘REFLECTIONS- it had 19 batchmates sharing 29 Impact stories from their lives.

The Difference & Similarity

My books ‘Reflections‘ and ‘Life Reloaded’ have more stories or episodes plucked from both personal and professional life. Salil’s book, ‘A chapter out of my life, Gems from the lives of ordinary people’ is more like essay and articles with clearly stated learnings. That is the difference between the two endeavours.

There is a common link too. Ankur Mithal, my batchmate from IIM Ahmedabad has contributed to both the books.

Decision to Review

Finally, I decided I must review Salil’s book. I must because it does something that I firmly believe in and endorse wholeheartedly. These are real-life narratives. They are transparently placed before the readers to learn from jagbeethi (other’s experiences) this decreasing your dependency on aap-beethi ( self-experiences ) for all your learnings.

The Review

Salil Agrawal builds an entirely good case for you to read the book.

‘There are extraordinary people, and then there are ordinary people. People like you and me. People who are accomplished in their own way and who have had interesting lives. But they are not extraordinary, they are not celebrities. Their stories do not get published even though they are very inspirational. This book brings to you a story from the Life of nineteen such wonderful people. All of them are alumni of Indian Institutes of Management. They write about an experience from their Life that made a difference to them. 

I know, it is not so easy to make such extraordinary people contribute so openly. Full credit to Salil to have persisted with his idea and finally managing to collect, curate and publish the book.

Each chapter is an experience of the author of a phase where he or she had to take some critical decision. Mostly the kind of decisions that altered their life path. Though each chapter is penned by different alumni of IIM’s, they are smooth, easy reading. And in at least a few of them you could think of similar incidents in your Life. It is different. Most of them deal with a crisis and only a few celebrations of Life. Oh, as with all IIM project, most of them finally have a happy ending.

MY CHOICE OF CHAPTERS: ‘A chapter out of my life, Gems from the lives of ordinary people’

First one is ‘The Day I Became a Man’ by Prashant Yadav. It deals with him hating to be doing Metallurgical Engineering at IIT, so much that he gave the entrance exam again. This time he was offered Electronics. At the same time, the Institute told him that in fact if he wants he could take Electrical Engineering in the second year. A dilemma for a student. Should he waste a year and take admission into first-year electronics engineering or opt-out for Electrical in the second year and thus avoid wasting a year.

The second story I loved was ‘A Slice of Paradise’ by S. Ramachandra. And this one has gratitude written all over it. It deals with experience and interaction, and I will not even give a hint.

The third life sketch that impressed me with passion and objectivity is ‘Making Others Dream’ by Sony Goyal. It is about setting Pryass an education initiative at IIM Ahmedabad and later taking it to Bhatinda with a class for Combined Entrance Test ( CAT) and what result they have.

Special Note

Oh, I shared, there is one Author ( Ankur Mithal) who features in both ‘Reflections’ and ‘A chapter out of my life, Gems from the lives of ordinary people’ by Salil Agarwal. And his chapter is ‘How I became a writer’.

I want to share an excerpt from the chapter:

‘Thus, the second question was addressed, after which came the third, and in an emotional sense the most troubling one, “What will people think? What if they do not like what I write?” The urge to be liked has been a strong one for me. To not be told off. To not be wrong. With such a mooring, how does one do new things? New things are not safe. They are risky. There can be failure. People can take offence. How does one get out of one’s comfort zone?’ 

And in fact, the whole book is about such questions and critical moments. 

The second excerpt I will share here is from the chapter ‘Pursue Dreams with Passion’ by Pramod Agarwal

‘The power of passion cannot be underestimated. But I also learnt that the power of making choices is important to pursue dreams. Learning from mistakes is critical for growth. Success does not teach one as much as the failures do, but yes, you cannot fail twice on the same thing. People play a huge role in your success. You have to take care of them for them to take care of you. Risk-taking is essential for disruptive and breakthrough moves. Mentors are God and make sure you have one who can guide you through your journey. I am forever grateful to my colleagues, my bosses and my mentors who played a huge part in fulfilling my dream. And more importantly to my family who walked miles with me in good times and in bad times, always with a smile on their face and simple words of encouragement – we are with you, you can do it’.

Go Ahead, Read Three Books

In case you have enjoyed reading . ‘Reflections- Life Re-loaded, class of ’87, IIM Ahmedabad‘; primarily professional and personal life episodes and ‘Life Re-loaded- Real Life Impact Stories‘, Which has a spectrum of people sharing their impact moments of Life. Do pick-up ‘A chapter out of my life, Gems from the lives of ordinary people’ by Salil Agarwal with life-sketches that are primarily dealing with professional Life. And if you are yet to read REFLECTIONS and LIFE RELOADED- do so.

If you like these books, I can bet you will like ‘Catalyst‘ and ‘Getting Better At Getting Better’ by N Chandramouli. These two books I recommend participant in Brand-I workshop to read.

By Sanjeev Kotnala

Every book has a story. My urge to read ‘ATOMIC HABIT; Tiny changes, Remarkable returns‘ by James Clear can be traced back to the article ‘Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds’, my IIMA batchmate Rajeev Kakar shared on LinkedIn.

Many people recommended me to read the book ‘Atomic Habits’. It was delivered in late June to at Indore. I read, one chapter at a time. After all, it is all about tiny progress leading to a final change and success.

I visited his website and was suitably impressed with James Clear, one of the experts in the field of Habit creation. James writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Time, and on CBS This Morning. He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies, and his work is used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. I subscribed to his Thursday newsletter after reading the first article full of actionable wisdom.

GOOD HABITS DELAYED RESPONSE

His book, Atomic Habits, is about how simple steps, surrounding and tiny changes can help build good habits that lead to a remarkable difference at a later stage. His focusses on making a 1 per cent change. Just a tiny change, without any high expectations. You repeat the move every day, irrespective of good or a bad day, results or no results, makes all the difference. Habit creation is about being loyal to the process rather than the outcome, and as results take a long time to materialise, it is important to not lose focus

PROFESSIONAL Vs AMATEUR

This process focus also differentiates an amateur and a professional; the consistency of efforts, habit formation, and never giving up. ‘Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way. Professionals know what is important to them and work towards it with purpose; amateurs get pulled off course by the urgencies of life’. Professionals have been using limited resources and leveraging constraints to continue working to better their benchmarks. That is the power of Habit. Tiny Changes- remarkable results. It is all about the process- which is a Habit.

HABIT

HABIT is a behaviour that has been repeated enough times to become automatic. They are simply reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment. Hence we all want to develop good habits.

ATOMIC HABITS WORKS

You want to build on a habit or break one, Atomic Habits will definitely be of help. There is no scientifically researched and proven model in the book. It is the experience and observation simplified into simple four rules of Habit formation.

Some of the sections helped me understand myself. Hopefully, my learnings from Atomic Habits will nudge me to change for the better. Sometimes, it seemed James is only better articulating what I have shared time and again with my team members. 

EXCERPTS FROM ATOMIC HABITS

‘If you keep saying something is a priority but ever act on it, then you don’t really want it. It’s time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your actions reveal your true motivations. Your actions reveal how badly you want something’.

Wanting and liking are two drivers of behaviour. If it is not desirable, you have no reason to do it. Desire and craving are what initiates behaviour. But if it is not enjoyable, you have no reason to repeat it. Pleasure and satisfaction are what sustains behaviour. Feeling motivated gets you to act. Feeling successful gets you to repeat. Desire Initiates. Pleasure sustains. 

USING QUOTED WISDOM.

James has used many well-known and some not-so-well stories of role models and successful people to bring alive the picture of consistency and being at it. He has also borrowed from various authors and intellectuals to make his point.

For example, to discuss happiness, he uses Seneca’s famous quote; ‘Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more’. At another place, there is an absolute gem of a definition of happiness. This time it is from Caed Budris; ‘Happiness is the space between one desire fulfilled and a new desire forming’.

And many times the difference between success and failure or giving up is all about boredom. In context to athletes, an elite coach shares with him; ‘At some point it comes down to who can handle the boredom of training every day, doing the same lifts over and over and over’.

When I read his statement’ Emotions drive behaviour’, I smile as the thought is in sync with my thinking. He writes, ‘Every decision is an emotional decision at some level. Whatever your logical reasons are for taking action, you only feel compelled to act on them because of emotions… This is why craving comes before the response. The feeling comes first, and then the behaviour’. 

MAKING A HABIT.

This supports James four-step model of human behaviour. And, the problem phase which is about the CUE and the CRAVING. And the solution phase about RESPONSE and REWARD. ( which also is something we talk in PARAM)

To make an action a habit, you have to make it obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. 

Behaviours are effortless when they are obvious and difficult when invisible. Behaviours are effortless when they are attractive and difficult when unattractive. Behaviours are effortless when they are easy and difficult when they are hard. And finally, behaviours are effortless when they are satisfying and difficult when unsatisfying.

Lockdown must have shown you the importance of good habits in being productive while working from home. And you would have realised the need to do some inward thinking, re-search to determine what are good and bad habits. So you may now have a set of good habits to adopt. Well, what you waiting for. Good habits help create  Brand-i.

Do read the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear. I am sure it will help your habit management. And in case you are unable to read the book, just remember the four rules of behaviour shared above and the Goldilocks rule. ‘The human experience peak motivation when working on a task that is right on the edge of their current abilities ( scientifically 4% ahead)’.

Not too hard. Not too hard. Not too easy. And that is true about Atomic Habits.

ATOMIC HABITS

by James Clear

Penguin Company

Price: Rs 699.

By Sanjeev Kotnala

I am a compulsive doodler and to me, doodling is a way to meditate. My experimentation with doodling led me to develop a unique style of ‘Doodle Signature’ and I have received very positive feedback from people who commissioned their signature art. These artworks have found their way into office cabins and living-room walls.

But that is not what I want to share today.

TREE SERIES FOR VANASHAKTI

That blog ( Doodling to Signature art) interested Meenakshi Menon, one of the founder member of Vanashakti, a Mumbai-based non-profit environmental NGO. It commissioned  a 12 Doodle Series on Trees.

Vanashakti thrust areas are forest, mangrove and wetland protection, environmental education for schools both urban and rural, livelihoods for forest-based communities and scientific investigation into local environmental degradation.

TREE DOODLE ASSIGNMENT

I initiated the assignment in  mid-June, Thank you, Meenakshi, for seeing the potential and possibilities and for  making it a reality. The assignment is now delivered, and Vanashakti informs me they plan to auction ‘Tree series doodles’ at a later stage. Anyone interested in acquiring them, please connect with Vanashakti here or write to vanashakti@gmail.com.

TREE DOODLE SERIES LEARNING

Getting the assignment was one thing, completing it quite a different task.

The first attempt looked stupid. It was neither a sketch nor a doodle.

I realised, there was a subconscious pressure and I was attempting to bring realism to make the tree’s identifiable. Lack of  large spaces were creating problem for patterns. It was not working out. It was more like paintings I used to do on my Samsung Note.

This was not the first paid doodling assignment still there was pressure in terms of desired results which was more of self-creation than client brief.

Doodle is full of mindlessness. They are a tool of focussed meditation through patterns. It is about acceptance of imperfection. It needs you to stop chasing the myth called perfection. Doodling is about fluidity and fun. And as I was doing Pen on paper, there was no scope of major  corrections at any stage.

Another attempt and the result was no different.

What should have been an activity of concentration and happiness was becoming somewhat of constraints. I discussed it with Meenakshi, and we agreed on a few guidelines.

The assignment was simplified.

I was allowed to do whatever way I wanted to doodle, but on one simple condition.  In the end, the 12 artworks should look like a series. The choice of trees and the way of representation was left entirely open to me and my interpretations.

Suddenly I was liberated.

The ideas, patterns started jumping out. Leaf by leaf the trees came to life in unique signature doodles.

OPENING TO DIVERSITY

I am an Engineer and a Management student, not a botanist. So, I had to start from the basic.

I started observing and studying trees, their structure, leaves, veins and patterns. I was  learning and understanding trees from a different perspective. I was surprised at the range of leaves we have from conical to plantation, large and small, leaves that branch out giving the impression of a circle and neem which follows a 1-3-5-7 pattern.

How was I blind to them.

It was the same space I was covering now, but the trees and leaves had a different interest for me. I was deep in conversation with the pictures of trees I shot.

Some trees gain vertical height, means they just shoot as perpendicular to mother earth as possible. Some have branches almost parallel to the ground and in case of few trees the branches point downwards.

The tree trunks have their own patterns and structures.

During my walk at Indore, I was more into observing trees.  In Mumbai, while taking Milo Kotnala for a walk, I repeatedly stopped to marvel at the trees we have. Some people thought, it was the lockdown pressure.

Before the assignment, I was blind to this beauty surrounding us.

FRESH PLANS. I am OPEN for more doodling assignments

Now, I plan to start a series on Tyres with their beautiful almost mandala type radials wheel designs. If anyone interested or knows marketing people in any of the tyre companies Apollo, Bridgestone or MRF Tyres – let me know.

The offer on Signature art is still open.

I am open to new assignments, and it could be a location, structure- that you want me to doodle- or a Shriyantra or a Mandala- let me know here. Would love is to do a full saree border if someone could help it get printed- any designer friend interested.

By Sanjeev Kotnala

It is yet another normal day in lockdown. Yet another zoom  meeting to review packaging for an oral care product. The agency was simply naive or trusting to have sent the creative before the meeting.

Babujee in his early seventies representing the client along with a pretty young talent  helping him with the technology. The sales head was there to show support to whatever Babujee said. The agency was in full force, represented by the creative duo in art and copy, the VP on the account and the client servicing supervisor who was coordinating and confirming all were in.   And finally on the client side was the consultant with his greying hair, Mr Vermajee. All called him Vermajee like all called Babujee Babujee.

Each of the faces on the tiled zoom screen had a different perspective and idea on packaging.

The central focus of debate was the picture representing the user or the target audience on the ack. In the last round, The client felt the picture was too too small to be noticed and wanted it to be enlarged. Babujee’s experienced eye’s also demanded that the circular cropping of the picture was imperfect and it must go a bit lower on the body. He had said,  ‘If no one is going to see the picture why have it at all? And if they are going to see it, then why just a mug shot’. No one could argue with that global truth.

For Babujee, every square Nano millimetre of the packaging surface was like the  Aryan bridge at marine drive.

The consultant had earlier suggested a pristine white surfaced pack with the brand name RESHUM FRESH displayed prominent. It was premium and full of trust.  The  internal research  among wives of the mid-level executives in the  manufacturing plant pointed out that was not getting the  promise, and it needed change.

Today, the new Ghinchak pack with Chamkeela touch was under discussion.

The project was old and the agency was slowly losing interest in it. No one remembered where the name Reshum Fresh was coined. Unconfirmed rumours suggested it was a derivative of Reshma who was like a fresh air in Babujee’s life.

………………………………………

Vermajee looked at his notes on iPad and remembered the last conversation.

Why have a woman in the picture?

Because we can’t show the whole family and the dog. It irritated the consultant. It looked as if Babujee was yet again questioning his Management credential along with decades of experience in multinational advertising agencies. But, then the fee he was paying, allowed Babujee the freedom to ask silliest of the questions.

But, is she going to use my product?

The consultant wanted shout and tell the agency and Babujee, definitely he is not the one who is suggesting the new packaging with the woman picture. Yet he kept quiet and decided to slowly nudge the discussion in the right direction. She is going to decide on the purchase and maybe bring at home.

What about our taste, we sure the  kids will ask for our bubble-gum chocolate flavour?

OH, but it needs to first pass her scrutiny, enter the home and then maybe the repeat purchase will happen. Which may also be controlled by the kids..

Every household may not have a kid of that age. We will be restricting the appeal?
Off course you cannot satisfy every consumer. You are trying to address a niche that is big enough. Babujee we have the milk supplement homes with this oral care product. Vermajee looked at the R&D representative and got a blank stare in return. He could not say that they have gone through this discussion many times and it’s time to move ahead. He also was trying to estimate the size of 10-15 year old kids who would nowadays like a  bubble-gum chocolate flavour oral care product.

……………………………………..

Quite early in the meeting the discussion went out of control.

We already have shortlisted a Fair model for the shoot. Said the art director.

Fair enough, but fair is the new four-letter word, we can’t have fair-skinned model any longer. Babujee was on top of the conversation.

She is a real housewife. The art director pushed.

So she is not sexy enough for men to purchase the product.
Babujee had just finished a side call with his wife.

We can have her with a kid. The agency VP interjected.

And tell the people she is already married. Aab hame advertising samhjani padegi. Aap sabko pata hai ki Model kyu hai pack mai.  Next time ensure the we see a bit more of her in the picture.

No one reacted bit every one understood.

The art director made a note for model coordinator.

If we don’t want a fair skinned model and still want wow, you know, we can have  husky Madame N Das type model. We have their portfolio ready. It was the copywriter’s chance to earn brownie points. It is also BLM time.

The consultant was quick to notice that Babujee has failed to understand. So, he, asked the agency people to pause the discussion for short time and  sent a WhatsApp message to the young talent asking her to share the message with Babujee.

The young talent leaned in and softly whispered to Babujee.

The agency would have got the message who is controlling the business.

‘Black Life Matters. Remember you daughter  Alka told you when she called from US. The riots happening there because a white policeman killed a black person- who could not breathe.’

This was perfect place for the sales head sitting next to Babujee to get in. ‘Oh but we all are brown here. Here Black or no black. no life matters. As a principle I would have a dark-skinned face on that pack. But it wo’t sell. Aap kamal kartey hai Vermajee. What Will happen.  Here light brown is fair enough in the country’. Sales head was still alive.

What will she be wearing? Babujee shifted the topic.

She will be wearing a saree, Bindi and her mangal-sutra and sindoor will be visible. As per the brief and the research, we want young married women?

The agency VP who had read the note that arrived with the zoom link some 30 minutes before the meeting interjected.

Consultant smiled, this was his turn to jump in.

But what about the women who don’t wear Mangal-sutra? What about Bindi? Are we not alienating Muslims segment? What about the unmarried young woman  and men. unmarried? Are we as a company not sensitive about the  gender equality or women empowerment? Why are you complicating?  Don’t you know BLM, Fair, Glow, Lovely, that brite and other brands? Why are we, again and again, digressing? Where is the health and immunity in this era of Covid-19? What should we do when the face is covered with mask and if you have bad breath only you know of it? Can anyone in the agency tell me  what is the  purpose of the brand?

What silly questions these people ask. The purpose is to make money what else, Babujee laughed answering.

The consultant smiled, that is always true but we  are not going to tell that to the consumers. What are we adding to life. I am surprised that in trying to be award winning, you all forget the necessary foundation, the reason of existence of this product.

His eyes surveyed tiled portraits of people in the meeting and zeroed on to the young new talent in the company. The consultant adjusted his screen and realised it adjusts only his camera. He looked up and asked, what do you think. What’s your name.

Sir, my name is Pooja and to me,it is about the FREEDOM TO BREATHE anywhere everywhere. It is about confi…

The consultant turned, yes breathe, stand tall, confidence and many more thing but at the base BREATHE, that is the purpose. So, make the elements on the packaging and make them breathe, give them space, a tender moment, a fair chance, sorry just a little bit of chance to to smile.

The consultant was sure, This was not the time to risk any controversial visual representation. God knows what people will react to and how. We as a client are not savvy enough to understand such nuances and there is no point in risk consultancy for a picture.

So, he continued. In  case the agency thinks we do need some visual I suggest we have a young representative like this young talent with Babujee on the pack. It symbolises traditional and is yet modern in its outlook. Moreover, it also has a family touch to the whole thing..

Babujee looked at the consultant with new respect and  awe. How clear  is Vermajee’s thinking. If today, he was not here, we would still be stuck at the picture. He smiled and made a mental note to thank his friend, who recommended the consultant. He also looked around and made another mental note to meet the young talent later in the evening.

…………………………………..

After the meeting, The consultant called the agency and shared a tip.

Get away from anything that can lead to controversy. Unless you want to lose the business. And let’s close this packaging next week and plan for the launch.

The packaging is never the central idea. We can research and change it anytime. But if the market or Babujee mind changes the whole media exposure and launch will go kaput. Think of the 4-minute digital disruption and maybe a press ad. If the account and life remain, changes will keep happening. Live another day and choose the battles to fight.

He addressed the art director. Don’t feel bad, we will find some modelling assignment for your girlfriend, Aai shapat. Tell her to meet me with the portfolio.

The markets are opening, and we must plan to visit Babujee.
Meeting the young talent was the unsaid agenda.
And yes Maybe call it Pooja Fresh Breathe, sorry Reshum Fresh Breathe. That way you can have a visual dominated ad with just the brand name. The kid that wins awards.