The Advertisement that made me Angry...

There are so many things that are wrong with this advertisement by the Delhi Police. I have no doubt they had good intentions but the execution of the idea just made me angry. And maybe you too!

The idea is to keep young underprivileged children away from bad influences so that they do not take the road to crime.

My problem with the ad is:

·     Such generalisation - Are the children from underprivileged background only likely to take to crime? Why does not the ad display a picture of a rich, over-indulged kid with plenty of resources at his disposal and a bad group of friends? Newspapers regularly carry stories about umpteen numbers of crimes committed by rich, spoilt kids. So why this bias? Just because the rich ones are not on the streets! And what goes on in their empty huge apartments goes unchecked, so we can safely assume that they do not need to be productively occupied.

·     Where is his right to choice? – Has anyone asked the kid in the photo what his choice is? Does he want to cut onions or does he dream bigger? Does he want to study and later a vocational course? Why does the ad not suggest ‘send him to school’? Who are we to decide that they are only fit for menial jobs? Why is there no talk of him not attending school because the government is not building enough schools and ensuring free primary education for all? Just take a minute and look into his eyes. He appears very smart and determined so why should we club all these kids and think that a small time job is all what they can do. I am sure there are some who have immense potential but what they lack is opportunity.

·         What about child labour?

·         Why is it only a boy and not a girl?

And maybe it is only me but the words ‘chop a head’ and the picture of an innocent child, just do not belong together. Not even in an advertisement. Specially not in an advertisement meant for his benefit!

Why I loved Lootera?

Disclaimer: I am not a movie critic or reviewer. I cannot qualify to be one as I see few Hindi films and like even fewer. Spoilers (kind of) ahead.

I am not going to elaborate about the very believable and mature acting skills of the relatively two new lead actors, the fantastic cinematography, the haunting music, the director’s vision and nearly perfect execution of what is just a love story. You probably have read or seen that for yourself by now.

I do not know at what point I became a part of the story that was being enacted before me - the thrill and joy of being in love for the first time, the child-like happiness in spending some stolen moments with your loved one, the coy glances and gestures which spell out love, the devastation of rejection, the anger and frustration of betrayal, the deep sense of loss, the thought of revenge. And still somehow the focus throughout the movie never shifts away from love.

We have all gone through our bits of falling in love, rejection, guilt, may be even revenge. But very few of us have experienced that kind of obsession of loving someone. The mad, crazy, all-consuming love. 

The movie made me want to feel what it is to fall in love passionately, crazily and also have someone love me that way. What we usually  have is very comfortable, routine love. No waiting for years, no one who climbs a tree to stick a leaf, no dilemma of having to choose between anger and passion.  

The movie may have you yearning for this crazy kind of love. Or it may remind you of some old crazy love.

Go see it and feel it for yourself. (Tip – Best seen alone, without any distractions and nudges over sharing your popcorn)

And I Speak from Experience...

Your son or daughter has finally accepted your friend request. Now what? Here are some tips to make the most of the relationship -- without irritating your offspring.

1) Be exclusive with your likes and comments: Minimizing the likes and comments on your kid's page will make the occasional "like" feel much more special to your son or daughter. Save your likes for those really cute profile pictures instead of liking every picture that any of their friends post ever. By reducing likes, your kids won't think you are constantly lurking on their page even if you are. Stealth is definitely the name of the game when it comes to Facebook stalking. Ask your children. They know.

2) Refrain from posting on your son or daughter's wall: As much as your son or daughter probably appreciates nice memos from you, they definitely appreciate them much more in their email inbox -- and not on their wall. Hundreds of their Facebook friends can see posts on their wall so your kids probably want to save that space for interesting links and cool posts from friends as well as photographs and videos. If you choose to post on their wall, you also run the risk of embarrassing your kids on a public forum. In-boxes are private and more personal -- a much more appropriate medium for communicating with your kids.

3) Do not call your kids at work, school or college to question every single like, share or post they ever make : Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to your kids' likes and comments. Kids often like dozens of posts or more on a daily basis. Just because they like a page for the Ultra Music Festival in Miami doesn't mean they are currently headed to said music festival in Miami or suddenly obsessed with popping ecstasy at music festivals.

4) Do not friend every single one of their friends, friends' friends and friends' friends' friends: However, definitely friend their best friends that grew up swinging by your house or their best friend from college that you take out for a nice meal every time you visit your kids at college. Their close friends might be pleasantly surprised to open their Facebook page and find a friend request from their good friend's parent -- most of their other friends will be confused.

5) Do NOT friend their teachers, professors, bosses or colleagues: This is a major infringement on your kid's privacy. Just because you know all about their professors' lectures does not mean their professors necessarily know you. A Facebook page is not a fan-page, and friend requests should only be sent to those in the friend category -- nothing too shocking about that.

6) Stop yourself from flipping through your kid's inbox if they make the mistake of leaving their Facebook page open : Just because you are burning with curiosity to read all of your kid's personal messages does not mean you should open up your daughter's inbox and read every single message ever sent from her inbox. This is a big, blaring no-no and a huge violation of her privacy, the equivalent of reading your kid's diary. Journals and in-boxes alike are just not fair game. If you have questions about your children's life, communicate those questions directly as opposed to just sneaking through his or her personal messages.

7) A Facebook page is not cause for concern: If used appropriately, Facebook can be a tremendous asset to your kid's social and professional life. Facebook can strengthen connections between your kids and their friends as well as help them retain connections when they move away to college or beyond. In addition, Facebook can put to good use as a great tool for parents to communicate with their children. Kids check Facebook numerous times per day, so sending your kids an instant message on Facebook might be the best way to get a fast response.