Author: The Metrognome

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4 Mumbaikars who don’t have set top boxes

We spoke to four Mumbai men whose TV sets still don’t have set top boxes installed, for four different reasons.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The October 31 deadline for digitisation of TV is gone, and several households in Mumbai that didn’t get set top boxes or DTH connections in time, are now bearing the brunt of having blank TV screens. But not all of these houses have been remiss – some did order the set top boxes which did not arrive in time, others got the units installed but the equipment was faulty, and still others were out of the city and could not follow up with their cable operators on the issue.

We caught up with four Mumbaikars who don’t have set top boxes in their homes for four different reasons.

Jigar Doshi, 21, student, has only watched DD National all his life

It was my parents’ decision not to install cable or a set top box. The reason my sister and I were given for not making the switch to cable was so that we wouldn’t quarrel for the remote control to watch different channels. My sister always wanted to watch TV serials and I was more into sports.

Later, while we were busy pursuing higher education, we seldom had the time for anything apart from studies and projects. For the last three years, I stayed in a hostel where there was no TV. So,  cable was not needed at home.

I don’t watch TV daily, and I watch only reality shows and movies that are screened on weekends on DD1. My sister and I were always satisfied with DD1 and except for a couple of times, we never missed cable TV. It was only while awards shows and World Cup matches were aired on other channels but not on DD1 and the next day, in school, our friends had nothing else but these particular programmes to talk of, that I felt we should have had cable TV, too.

It did cross my mind sometimes that we should have more channels on our TV set, and we are now planning to get a set top box installed in a month or two. I don’t think I have missed anything by not having other channels to watch all these years, but yes, there are a certain programmes that are worth watching, both for information and entertainment.

Shivom Oza, 22, film reviewer and writer, is stunned at the channel blackout

There wasn’t a particular reason why I didn’t get a set top box installed. Whatever I’ve heard of all the ‘brands’ of set top boxes, they have been giving unsatisfactory service. Even the DTH seems to falter every time it rains. Cable actually worked fine for me till now.

I watch about two hours of TV everyday, most of which includes the English language news channels, and GECs too, once in a while.

The sole purpose of the government for introducing digitisation was to stop having two systems of transmission, ‘analog’ and ‘digital’. One of the reasons is that with cable networks, most broadcasters lose money since they don’t get to know the actual number of subscribers. So, basically, this is being done to stop discrepancy. However, are the consumers’ needs being looked after? I do not have any problem with set top boxes or direct-to-home services, but why force it on people? A blackout is completely unwarranted.

Though the October 31 deadline had been flashed all along and the warnings had been going on for quite a while, the channel blackout was still a bolt out of the blue. Blacking out everything all at one go was a bit extreme. The best solution, in my opinion, was to let a small chunk of people, who wished to stick to cable television, be. The US has this too. What about households with two-three televisions? Will they get a different set top box for every TV set? What if I get Airtel for all the television sets and it turns out sc****d up? DTH must be growing at a tremendous pace, but most people, who have been using cable-network thus far, are quite skeptical about it.

If the blackout continues and the government does not relent, what option does it leave us with but to get a set top box? I hope the cable operators protest against this order. How was Chennai given relief? Mumbai being the hub of most television content that is churned out on Indian TV, definitely has space for two kinds of transmissions, analog and digital.

Girish Mallya, 36, print and digital media professional, doesn’t have set top box because cable operator still hasn’t given it

Four years ago, I wanted to get a Tata Sky connection, and bought a dish. We tried to install it in our window, but it was the wrong direction, so we decided to fix it on the terrace. But our building management didn’t give us the permission for it, citing that individual dish installations would cause structural damage to the building.

For a year, I gave IPTV a try. But the MTNL Internet was very inconsistent in its performance. Transmission has to be smooth, especially for streaming. So that didn’t work out as well.

Personally, I don’t like my cable operator and I don’t trust a word he says. His cable services are very poor, the channel clarity is bad. I don’t watch over 30 minutes of TV a day, mostly news, but my mother watches for about four hours daily, and she was distraught on knowing that channels would be blanked out after October 31. She asked our cable operator for a set top box well before the cut-off date was up, but he didn’t deliver it till November 2. She is now travelling and will be back in 15 days. In the meantime, I really am not bothered with having a blue screen on my TV, but she will insist on the channels being restored when she’s back.

Aniruddha Pathak, 30, finance professional, didn’t get set top box out of laziness

My reason for not getting a set top box installed was pretty basic – I was too lazy. But I will get it done soon.

I watch the news on TV, but I watch sports more, and dance-related shows as well. I would say I watch about two hours of TV a day. I stay alone, so the only person facing a channel blackout is me. I don’t have any plans to get a DTH connection; I will ask the cable guy to restore my channels for me.

Not having any channels to watch has certainly freed up my time for other activities. I’ve been on the internet extensively for information and entertainment.

 

Categories
Big story

One more life lost to a leopard in Mumbai

44 km stretch of National Park is still being fenced; man-animal conflict continues with construction, hutments encroaching on forest cover.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

A little after 9.30 pm on November 2, Seeta Pange (50) stepped out of her house at Sai Bangurda at Maroshi Pada, Aarey Milk colony, to answer nature’s call. She did not return for a long while. Her worried family members then went out to look for her with torches and flashlights, and for a while, their search in the wooded area yielded nothing. Then they found her body in the bushes. Seeta had been mauled to death by a leopard.

This is the fourth case of a death arising from a leopard attack since August this year. As per a report in the Indian Express recently, ‘Attacks on humans peaked in the three years from 2002 to 2004 when 50 people were killed by leopards in Mumbai, 20 of them outside the park. There appeared to be a lull from December 2006 till last month, with no such deaths officially reported. There were reports that Sunny Soni, 5, who died in Aarey Milk Colony in May, had been attacked by a leopard but this was not officially confirmed. Beyond Mumbai, however, leopards have killed in rural Thane not only during this period but also after the latest confirmed death in Mumbai.’

The man-animal conflict at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), at the southern tip of which is the Aarey Milk colony area, has not abated since the year 2000. Leopards have been increasingly moving into human settlements as well, what with construction activities in the last decade steadily eating into the forest cover. Said Krishna Tewari, founder of the Forest and Wildlife Conservation Centre, with the green cover reducing in size, leopards strayed into areas that now house human settlements, and they were particularly prone to attack small children and people who fall in the animal’s line of vision, such as those crouching or squatting to answer nature’s call.

The SGNP has Mumbai suburbs on three sides and a Thane suburb on the fourth. There are 21 leopards in the Park area.

The solution

Barring access to animals straying into human settlements is the action plan being worked on at the moment. Forest officials say that the SGNP needs to be fully secured on all sides by a boundary wall or fence. At the moment, said an official, there is a natural boundary along at least 22 kilometres of the Park’s total 92 km periphery, hence the remaining 70 km needs to be fenced in two phases. Phase I is already underway,  with 40 km taken up under its scope of work, but the last 14 km is still in progress. Phase II has not begun yet.

Meanwhile, forest officials also put up cages at sites where leopard attacks occur. Two cages have been installed at the site where Seeta’s body was found.

 

 

 

Categories
Become

‘No egos on the set’

Prutha Rajeshirke is a shoot-at-site pro – she handles entire photo shoots and ensures that everything goes as per plan.
By The Diarist | thediarist@themetrognome.in

Prutha Rajeshirke (26) worked at Femina magazine as a photo shoot coordinator till last year, and this year she started her own production company, Madmoth Production, with a partner, Ryan Padbidri. The firm sets up every aspect of a shoot – right from sourcing the right people and space, to ensuring that the shoot goes off without a hitch.

Prutha tells us what it takes to be a production coordinator and what you should do if you want to branch out in the same profession.

Please describe your previous work experience.

I worked for 141 Sercon-BTL event company as an events executive, and with photographer Avinash Gowariker as production manager. Later, I worked at Femina magazine as a photoshoot coordinator.

What prompted you to start Madmoth Production?

I always wanted to start a production company of my own, so thought I should start at an early stage, use my years of experience and fulfil my dream. The name for the company actually occurred to my brother, and I felt it was quite apt for the way we production people flutter around from place to place to meet clients’ needs. Plus, the name is unique.

What is the size of your company?

Ever since the company was established, we two partners, Ryan and myself, handle the work. And we have a crew of 15 members, including our art director and his co-workers and makeup artist, stylists and photographers.

Did your experience at Femina help you in any way?

Yes, it definitely did. Femina is a brand in itself and it makes a lot of difference in the industry to have a name like Femina on your résumé.

Since the time you started your company in August last year, what has the response been like? How do you make your company’s presence known?

The response in the beginning was not very good, but we didn’t even expect it to be good. Any business or company takes at least a year and a half to take off. But this year has been good. Our contacts over the years have helped us get work. Ever since we’ve started, we’ve got in touch with all our contacts, sent emails notifying them about this venture, and once we’d done enough shoots under Madmoth Production’s banner, we started a Facebook page  and a Twitter account. This helps us with the needful publicity.

Which shoots do you handle?

At Madmoth, we handle editorial, commercial (brand related), beauty, jewellery and interior shoots, primarily, apart from others.

Which are the brands or projects you you’ve worked on, till date?

I’ve worked with magazines like Femina, Filmfare, OK, Cosmopolitan, Hello!, FHM, &persand, HT Brunch, Wedding Vows and Cineblitz. Some of the brands I’ve worked with include Force India, Lakmé, Jealous 21,Titan, Samsung, Asian Paints, Sparx, Sach, Jayalaxmi Silks, Cotstyle and Exten.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

To get everyone together on the particular day (of the shoot) is my biggest task. This is difficult to do, since not everyone may be free and available on the day we want to shoot, especially if it’s a celebrity. We have to work months in advance, sometimes, to get their dates, and it’s not just about getting the celebrity or the photographer, either. There are so many other people and factors involved in shoots: models, makeup artistes, hair stylists, photographers, locations, the magazine or brand…and then there are the deadlines we have to meet.

So how do you plan and execute a shoot?

You have to follow a process. First, you get the brief and the concept of the shoot from the client. Second, you organise the necessary people and the set, as per the given brief. Third, it’s all about on- shoot coordination and production, making sure everything is organised as per demand.

What do you do when a shoot does not go as planned?

If a shoot doesn’t go as planned, then we look for alternative options on the basis of the concept, if it’s a matter that concerns the production team. The job of a production person is to set everything right and get organised, so if there is any difference of opinion or a celebrity concern, for instance, then we talk it out and come to a mutual understanding.

How do you deal with egos on the set?

If at all there are any ego clashes on the set, then we make sure we don’t let our own egos come in the way of work. And we sort out the issue with professionalism, as it is nothing personal. But at the end of the day, we want the best results from our shoot. As a production team, we cannot afford to have any ego, because the responsibility on our shoulders is immense.

Why is a company such as yours needed in today’s market?

A production company is always needed in this industry, it isn’t a new concept. There are many companies which are big establishments in this field. There is always an ever-growing need for production companies, especially with increasing demand. It’s a head source for any shoots. Also, there is an increasing competition.

Which are the kinds of shoots you don’t like?

As a production team, every shoot is a challenge, as the work process is the same. Therefore, I can’t categorise shoots into likes and dislikes.

What skills and knowledge must a person possess to start a venture such as yours?

Firstly, you need to know the industry well. Have a database of contacts ready, brush up on your communication skills, and cultivate loads of patience. And most importantly, hone your organisation skills – production is all about organisation. Get production knowledge by joining an event school, and later join an event company or production house which will help you develop your production skills. Also, try and meet as many people as you can to increase the size of your database. What’s more, never think any shoot is too small.

 

Categories
Overdose

Relation ships that sail

Jatin Sharma ponders on the frailty of modern-day relationships, and says that love is the heart’s responsibility, not the mind’s.

“I am constantly in love, it’s only that my lover changes,” said Lord Byron, a poet, who was criticised constantly for his conduct in public, and termed as a Casanova in the 19th century. He was considered as a stigma on the British literary society for his flirtatious behaviour.

Who knew that come the 21st century, and most of us will find Lord Byron in us. The more you look around, the more you will see that people are happy changing their relationships like they change their clothes. And that’s because the heart has been replaced  by the mind.

I remember the old movies and I’d fall in love with the love playing out on the screen because it was so pure. Two individuals liked each other and could do anything to be with each other. It was an unspoken love – touching the girl’s hand was an achievement for the boy, their kiss would be depicted by a bee sitting on a flower, flashes of lightning always made them draw closer, albeit accidentally. They wanted to be with each other, but they always exercised caution.  That was a time when love was constant and no lover changed. Lovers died or lovers sacrificed, but love never died.

These days, love dies a natural death every day like the beggar on the street who has not been fed for days. Love has become the last priority in a relationship. Lovers are chosen with ‘fastest fingers first’ being played. And now the smarter we have become, we have also segregated love into several categories: Rebound Love, Time pass Love, Lovable for two months Love, Lovable till I stay in Mumbai Love, Love who I love because he/she is loved by others, Love that is not love but Chalta Hai Love.

‘Chalta hai’ is killing love. We are so confused and so lonely nowadays that we would like things to be chalta hai. We don’t love our lovers, we actually appoint them. Whether she is good looking, whether she dresses well, whether she is considered hot by my friends, whether she is rich, whether she is ‘happening’ – all these questions and more eclipse our very own decision to fall in love.

Plus chalta hai has made that simple kiss a simpler one. We now have such things as a ‘friendly smooch’, a ‘one-day smooch’, a ‘drunk smooch’, and others.

So it is safe to say that relationships are not a big deal anymore. We are so conveniently adding so many words to the dictionary of love, that finding the real meaning is becoming difficult in this book.

Also, we live in an age of ample options. And this realisation of ample options has just made us indecisive and egoistic. We can’t adjust nowadays. We fight and we leave each other. Earlier , if a TV didn’t work properly, people would call someone to repair it, now they just replace it. And we are just reflecting our times and not repairing our relationships, because we feel there are lot of options available. But in the midst of all the options, we forget that for once, we will have to make a choice, rather than rejoicing about all the options we still have. For once we would need to think of ‘us’ and not I. The moment we fall in love and think ‘us’, it’s sorted.

For once, we all need to understand that rather than falling in love, we have to rise in love. Not think so much about it, feel by our heart and not our mind. Because if it’s a heart’s KRA (Key Responsibility Area) to like or not like someone; your mind will make the wrong decisions most of the time.

Jatin Sharma, 26, works in the media and says he doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will become like everybody else.

Categories
Eat

A delightful new concierge service

This eating out experience comes at the click of a mouse. Plus, take away reward points for being our reader.
by Rakshit Doshi

In this digital age where we can do anything at the click of a mouse or a tap of the finger, I, as a foodie, was missing something.

Now, there are a million sites where you can get reviews and watch pictures of food joints around you, get directions, even rate them yourselves. But why was nobody doing anything about providing a concierge service for restaurants? If there are travel sites that can book entire holidays for you, there had to be a site that could help you with your dinner reservations. And I was right. In fact, these guys take it a notch higher.

Check out PoshVine.com, a unique website that not only does your bookings for you (with their partnered restaurants) but rewards you for it. I wanted to dig a little deeper, and so I happened to chat with one of the co-founders of the service, Garima Satija. So here’s the dope on this site… PoshVine is not simply a concierge service, but they have a threefold plan.

If you have a table reservation to make, PoshVine will make it for you, and throw in a little something for you and your guests at the table, complimentary of course, like a glass of wine or sangria and even an internal discount on your overall bill. Second, they design and curate culinary experiences for you, like master classes for dessert making, or wine and cheese tasting, and all this for a very reasonable price, too. Again, there is a little something (like high tea and tasting after the class) thrown in for free.

What I really found awesome was that they operate in many cities and are growing across the country. So the third advantage is, say, one was to travel from Delhi to Mumbai, he could hook up with an experience here through PoshVine.com, like the ‘Fort Bay-Area walk’ that they organise and maybe even experience the khau gallis of the city that are not otherwise known to outsiders. So one gets to know the city and its food culture, while they meet some locals as well. Cool, right? And the best thing is that the membership is, you guessed it, FREE!

Plus, you can earn reward points on each booking you do from the site: 100 points for restaurant reservations and 250 for booking ‘experiences’. In fact, Garima was gracious enough to extend some reward points just for you guys. You can earn 1,000 points just by reading this post! So follow the instructions at the bottom of this article and sign up.

I was very happy with this initiative and I am dying to try some experiences, but the service starts only from November 10. Until then, give the site a shot and become a member. It’s not costing you anything, well for the moment at least, since they plan to take away the freebies later, says Garima.

The downside, however small, is the fact that the service is not for the massy restaurants just yet. I mean, we are talking Sofitels and Tridents of the world, but you also have a Spaghetti Kitchen or an Indigo, which is not exactly five starry but for an average earner, but it’s not your weekday haunt either. But they are working on it and they will have a hundred associate restaurants by December 2012.

So here’s wishing PoshVine well and you guys a happy, fresh, new approach to a culinary experience in your city.

The Metrognome.in readers get 1,000 reward points for signing up with PoshVine till November 10. You can use these points to book a table, an experience or something even more exciting. Email us at editor@themetrognome.in to get your coupon code and avail of this special offer.

(Picture courtesy minna-minni.blogspot.com)

 

Categories
Diaries

The wedding story makers

Mumbai is gradually replacing the old mausajis who take care of details at the wedding mandap, by smart, all-involved wedding planners.
by Ritika Bhandari

Part III of the Shaadi Mubarak Diaries

When Shama and Ramith Sharma decided to get married, little did they know what lay in store for them. From booking wedding venues to deciding on a decorator, to getting the innumerable licenses for the band, instead of enjoying the memorable occasion – everything had them screaming with stress.

Had the Sharmas watched the recent Bollywood hit Band Baaja Baaraat, they would have known better and hired a wedding planner. Neha Shroff of Momente Planners says, “With today’s hectic lifestyles, it becomes difficult to plan an entire wedding. To incorporate this changing schedule in your normal lifestyle is a task. So hiring a wedding planner works as the couple and their families can then handle the details.”

Introducing a wedding planner from the first stage of the marriage preparations helps in the long run-up to D-day. While the couple relaxes, the planners wear the anxious faces as they get involved in the minute details of the wedding rigmarole. Shroff says, “With a proper budget allocation, finalising the venues and the theme and design of the wedding becomes easier. Handling the caterers, decorators, florists, entertainers, the mehndi and makeup artists to the choreographer for the Sangeet, everything is handled by the wedding planner.”

Farida Venkat of Amante Wedding Planners says, “From A to Z, a wedding planner has his hands full with the invitation designs, gifts, menu selection to trousseau suggestions. We coordinate everything from the moment the baaraat arrives till the bride’s bidaai ceremony.” It also depends on the couple to see how involved they want the wedding planners to be.

Research analyst Neerja Shah hired a wedding planner to gift herself an entire new wardrobe. “I wanted my trousseau to be unique. And the shopping part of the preparations never tired me, so I shopped with the help of the personal stylist provided by my wedding planner.” Momente Planners provide jewellery services through their sister concern ‘Utsokt’, which specialises in creating one-of-a kind varmalas.

With destination weddings being the flavour of the season, a wedding planner definitely comes in handy. But the main niggling question is the increase in budget while hiring a planner. On this, Ruchita Parelkar of SR Event Planners says, “We believe hiring a planner is a cost-effective approach for a couple. If you have dreamed of a fairytale wedding, then we come in to bring your visualisation to life. We come to couples as their friends and provide them something different.”

So what requests do planners usually get? While Farida believes that every couple is a special one and complying with their demands helps to make their dream wedding possible, Ruchita says, “We have got requests like using only white candles on the wedding ground or getting a bridal outfit which is a combination of olive green, dark maroon and white!” She remembers having to outsource invisible chains from Dubai to hold tents, as the family didn’t want a shabby tent held up by ropes.

With the hectic lifestyle that symbolises Mumbai, couples need the relaxation and breathing space provided by wedding planners. Farida says, “Every person wants to be involved in their wedding preparations and chaos. So if you share this vision with a wedding planner, they will make sure that all the elements are encapsulated and you end up enjoying the wedding.”

‘Diaries’ is a series of stories on a single issue. The ‘Shaadi Mubarak’ Diaries aim to capture the essence of the wedding season in Mumbai. Part III is the concluding part of this series.

 

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