The Sonance Behind My Silence

1.        Abu Dhabi – Not Even a Glimpse! Rubbing the sleep from our weary eyes, We set out for the airport at half past twelve, An early morning flight it was, so taxing, To find our energy we had to deeply delve! It had been ages since we last went abroad, ‘Twas the first trip abroad for mom and me, But excitement had drowned away our stress, A memorable jaunt it was going to be! Within a few hours we were airborne, Relishing the pleasures of luxury travel, Sleep had been long forgotten, yes sir, As we waited for the adventure to unravel. The aircraft cut through milky skies, Crossing cities and countries as it flew, We could see the dunes below in sun-kissed sand, The sights of Abu Dhabi, as near it grew. The wait there was for merely 3 hours, Before we caught another plane to Paris, Time flew by through several security checks, It happened too fast to even steal a glance! We made a mental note for ...

     I have no idea which will be the last face I ever see and recognize, but I know for sure which was the first. It would be an understatement to say that I owe my life to her, when in fact I literally do. I wonder why it took me so long to write about her, whereas I have written before about my brother and father, albeit not being able to entirely cover what they truly mean to me. Probably that is why I haven't written about her yet, fearing that no words can possibly illustrate our relationship. But today, I am going to try. On her birthday, I'm going to tell her at what place she is in my life, and forever will be.      My earliest memory of her, which I can lucidly recollect...sorry for the interruption; coincidentally, she just called me. There's so much I want to tell her, but often I don't proceed beyond humming and asking general questions. Anyway, my earliest memory of her is from when we were at NOIDA near Delhi. Dad was transferred there for...

     Victor Khambatta is a dangerous man. More dangerous than his father, Feroze. At only 30 years of age, his demeanour is intimidating. His henchmen have instilled terror in the deepest locales of Mumbai, and extortion, kidnappings and murders run rampant in his name. Even his gangster father fears his audacious moves. But sadly, there is not one strong evidence to put him behind bars. As the city and its protectors grow more and more scared of his power, he grows mightier with every passing day. All hope seems lost, but there are still some of us who refuse to acknowledge his victory, and his clout does not faze our efforts to pin him to the ground and bring him to justice.      The year is 1995. The Anti-Crime Squad of Mumbai, even in times of corruption, and obscurity, is doing its best to ward off Khambatta's activities and foil his attempts to become the uncrowned King of organised crime in the city, which is a part of his grand plan,...

"Your son really needs to speak up!" "Why don't you join personality development classes?" "Marketing? For an introvert like you? You should take up finance." "You have a lot of great ideas, Tanuj. On paper they look superb. Just make sure you're vocal enough about them."      Didn't quite catch what I was getting at? Or may be you did. The above four verbatim comments are few of the many that have tried to deride my personality as an introvert, self-centered, a recluse, and even a laconic social outcast. Yes, that climax got a bit out of hand, but that just about covers everything that many "introverts" like me are subjected to at different points of life. This is no self-establishing, putting-my-foot-down article; just a fresh look at what the world of marketing needs in terms of personalities.      It isn't necessary that we fall into one particular personality category or type. We can be "d...

He always loved seeing her getting wet in the rain. Her rain soaked clothes would be almost see through - a certain turn on for him. As the night grew darker and the raindrops more violent, they decided to spend the night at the Green Sea Hotel overlooking the turbulent sea. The view of the room obviously did not matter, as they had no plans to look outside the window, or look at the window for that matter. The incandescent lights of the room were spoiling the mood, so he turned a few of them off. Meanwhile she went towards the washroom for a towel to dry her hair. But he did not want her to; her rain soaked hair was so exciting. He took her wrist and pulled her lightly towards him. As their bodies slapped against each other, the touch of the wet clothes felt warm on both their bodies. She looked sideways at him; not questioning what he was doing, and gave him a sly smile. He turned her towards him, and pulled her even closer. She could feel his dick becoming harder, as he slowly adj...

     I still remember that day like yesterday. The December chill had set in, and so had my long Christmas vacation. The date was December 18, 1995, and I accompanied my maternal grandparents to Dr. Vaidya’s Maternity Home, Thane. I was aware of what had happened the night before, at 9:30 pm, but I was still as excited as a 4-year-old, probably because I WAS 4 years old.      Dad was standing outside the maternity home, flashing a wide beaming smile. I walked softly towards the ward where my mom was resting, and saw a cradle next to her. I walked even slower towards the rocking cradle, careful not to disturb who lay within, my excitement level reaching its zenith. My mother smiled at me weakly, but her face exuded satisfaction and happiness. For a moment everything inside the room had disappeared, save for me and the cradle.      I was too short to see what was inside the cradle. I remember standing on my toes, peering into the crad...

     Starbucks Corporation, doing business as Starbucks Coffee, is an American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 23,187 stores in 64 countries. Their products are: roasted and handcrafted high-quality, premium priced coffees, tea, fresh food items and other beverages. They also sell coffee and tea products and license their trademarks through channels such as licensed stores, groceries etc.      Starbucks primarily operates and competes in the retail coffee and snacks store industry. The core competence of Starbucks has been its ability to effectively leverage its cornerstone product differentiation strategies by offering a premium product mix of high quality beverages and snacks. Their brand equity is built on selling the finest quality coffee and related products, and by giving each customer a unique “Starbucks Experience”, which is supreme cust...