Yet Another Point of View

President Pratibha Patil was addressing the press conference after her history-making sortie in the Sukhoi-30MKI. Without meaning any disrespect, I must say she looked real cute in that G-suit and cap. Like with her usual outfit of saree (draped over her head) and full-sleeve blouse, the suit was buttoned up to her throat. I do feel it makes her look rather uptight, though. Anyway, what she said was interesting. Forget the "it was an interesting and unique experience..." blah blah. Commenting on women in combat roles, she said that "decision was left to the experts". Given that this 74-year-old woman had just made a half-hour sortie in an Indian Air Force Fighter Jet (a combat aircraft), I wondered who was the 'expert' who had certified her eligible and why weren’t those experts allowing other women into combat roles. I believe, the IAF currently has 784 women officers working in different branches, but at present they are barred from the fighter stream. I ...

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is releasing. I am not a tween (haven’t been for ages now) yet am super-excited. Seems that’s the trend because, according to Slate , tweens’ moms are the biggest fan base lapping up the Twilight series . (I am not the mom of a tween either, but you know, technically old enough.) And according to USA Today , one in every 7 books sold in the United States in Q1 2009 was one of the four Twilight books. Anyway, I stumbled upon Stephenie Meyer’s saga when the first movie- Twilight - released last November. Incidentally, I had broken my leg and was laid up in bed, hence I had plenty of time to wallow unhealthily in loads of Internet browsing, realms of chick-lit and hours of mediocre movies and TV shows. The online media was abuzz with the Edward-Bella romance and the air was rent with the shrieks and sighs of teenage girls. I caught the Twilight flick online - a grainy version prone to buffering. Contrary to all the hype, I was left puzzled. What the heck were ...

This story is about how people do business. There is customer service and there is customer delight. And there is the yawning gap between the two. Since I toy around with all that market-speak for most of my professional work hours, I have a passable understanding of it. But it was enlightening to see them in action, in the space of a single evening. Okay, the story starts with me hurrying around Bangalore East with a largish pair of butterfly wings …yes, you read right, butterfly wings….in my hands. Don’t ask me for the backstory; suffice it to say, it’s got something to do with a kiddies fancy dress competition and my daughter wanting to be Mariposa, that Ms-Goody-Two-Shoes fairy from Barbie Land. The wings were diaphanous, purple-colored and liberally sprinkled with glitter. Where did I get them? To my utter, incredulous wonder, there is a whole shop near Ulsoor Police Station solely devoted to fancy dress costumes for kids. And he had a rack full of wings to choose from. When I pic...