2020 the year gone by

It’s 9am on a Monday morning. Your kids and their tabs are getting charged up for their online classes. Your spouse is furiously typing away on his laptop. The cooker is whistling in rhyme with the clanging of the utensils which you are washing. Sound familiar?

Well, this was 2020 for most of us. The year which will be etched in the minds of the world for years to come or rather the year which people might want to erase from their minds. The world came to a standstill as a new normal emerged.

But with great adversity, comes great learnings and opportunities to grow. As we step into the hopeful looking 2021, let’s look back to see what we have learnt from 2020.

1. Empathy:

One of the greatest virtue which 2020 has bestowed upon most of us is Empathy. Be it towards our family members, domestic helps (especially when we did our household chores!), colleagues or friends; we could step into their shoes and understand each other. We have exchanged notes of hope and encouragement with people who have been close to us. I have personally felt that my relationship with my closed ones has improved even though we could not meet physically. 

2. Gratitude:

The attitude of gratitude is considered to be the greatest but how many of us consciously practice gratitude? 2020 has changed that for us. It has taught us to be thankful for the life we have, thankful for our health, family, friends, finances, etc. The act of gratitude has made us appreciate the smaller things in life which we take for granted and 2020 has definitely taught us never to take anything for granted!

3. Self - development:

The year that has gone by has brought out the hidden talents and also the unknown ones. It was the first time I baked a cake! Similarly, people have channelized their inner artist, chef, singer, musician. Time was at easy disposal and the social media went on a tizzy showcasing Banana breads, Dalgona coffee, amazing music mashups and you name it! People have learned new skills and started their own tutorials!

For fitness freaks, there have been a plethora of home exercise videos to choose from. Online education websites made the most revenue and DIY videos were the most searched ones.

4. Importance of Mental Health : 

With so much negativity and ambiguity around, we were all susceptible to anxiety, depression, and despair. Living through such difficult times has taught us to value and give importance to mental health. We are obsessed with our physical wellbeing but mental wellbeing is equally important which 2020 has taught us. 

5. Going digital

Most of 2020 "zoom"ed through unending work calls, webinars, online classes, etc. But as the physical distance grew, we realized how much we have been disconnected from our old friends and family. Well technology did blur the distance as we all got on video calls with school & college friends, family, old acquaintances and renewed our old relationships. Online games and activities bound us together and birthdays were virtually celebrated. But that was not all! All our major festivals were celebrated online! We celebrated Durga Puja at home while watching live telecast from various Pandals. Diwali wishes were virtual and so were Rakhi and Bhai Dooj.

Well these were my top 5 takeaways from 2020. It was an extraordinary year and I hope those who have survived the year it will emerge stronger, kinder and happier! 

Into the wilderness - Tadoba

Deep inside the wilderness does peace prevail,
But not away from the treasures it unveils....

Disclaimer: This ain’t a movie review. I did go to see Tiger but not Shroff in SOTY 2.

Coming to the point....
Picture this... On a smouldering afternoon, the temperature almost nearing half a century, we step inside a forest to spot our celebs aka the almost elusive Royal Bengal Tigers! We were a perfect mix of six, set out for the adventure that lay ahead...

We had opted for 2 safaries - one in the afternoon ( supposedly evening!) and the other early morning the next day. Each gypsy has a guide allotted who carries an ugly looking tin box in which all the mobile phones are confiscated. We were blissfully unaware of this fact and unwillingly surrendered our extended body part. Only cameras were allowed which we didn’t carry.  So we made a pact with our eyes to record everything and save in our memories!
And then the gates were opened and we zoomed inside. Tadoba is a deciduous forest range and the landscape is brown. The muddy track took us deeper into the forest navigating through its peaks and troughs. On our way, we said Hi to Sambar deers, Indian Gaurs and wild boars. There were birds of different hues of blue, orange, red giving us company throughout. We spotted a cute pair of owls popping their heads out of  a tree hole and playing peek - a - boo.
I have a song for every situation and the apt song for this was “Jhalak Dikhla Jaa” (from the nose of Himess Bhai) as we were eager to spot at least one tiger.
Patience is indeed a virtue and this would probably be our unanimous takeaway. We were taken to a lake where a tiger was spotted. The gypsys were also stationed there, And the wait began..........
After waiting for almost half an hour, our guide cane up with a brilliant idea to go behind the lake...we went and waited there for another 20-25mins...waiting....waiting....getting restless...
We were just about to leave and suddenly the guide asked us to shut up! We looked at the direction he pointed and there we spotted!!!! Inside the woods, almost camouflaged but the regal walk of the royalty was unmissable. Our gypsy followed further to get a closer glimpse...The tiger was sitting facing us. After a while it walked away deeper inside....Pehle safari ka paisa vasool!
With happy hearts we kept roaming, till we spotted another elusive species - the sloth bear...Unfazed with what’s happening around, it kept sniffing and looking for something in the grass. It was massive but very cute! Super se bhi uppar we felt as we concluded the day one safari.
Cut to Day 2....early morning, 5.30am, the breeze was cool, the josh was full. We again made a pact with our eyes and set inside...
Surprise surprise! 10 mins into the safari and we spot a Tiger named W, strolling around. Initially camouflaged, it’s face started to appear clearer as it moved towards the road. W turned to look at our direction while crossing the road and slowly disappeared....our mouths and eyes wide open! The eyelids  didn’t bat a bit!!
Rest of the safari was enchanting as the nature unravelled it’s wonders... It was a liberating experience for me as I could be fully immersed in the journey devoid of any external distractions! It felt surreal and childlike....

Biggest takeaways from the trip : Be exclusive with a royal demeanour like a Tiger. Be focused and task oriented like a sloth bear!!!!!

SIMMBA....The Moral Police!!!!

"Tell me something that I don't know" quips the quirky cop Sangram Bhalerao urf Simmba, well almost throughout the movie...

"Tell me something that I don't know," says the audience after watching Rohit Shetty's predictable - as - hell latest mirch masala movie...

A product of Shivgad (again), in the voice - over of Singham (Ajay Devgan); Sangram Bhalerao has been shown as a precocious kid who realizes that power lies in the Police uniform and hence becomes one (some lessons on being focused on their goals) ☺ His path crosses with that of the Gunda Gang of Durva Ranade (Sonu Sood) who predicts that yeh ladka aage jaake dhamaka karega!

And lo and behold, his predictions come true when Simmba takes over - no surprises here - Miramar Police Station!. Kahani mein twist is that our hero is a corrupt cop who works hand in gloves into the Crimes of Ranade...Parallely he is found aankh maaring with Shagun ( Sara Ali Khan)....

Then the moral science saga begins....a rape of a muh boli behen shakes the Simmba boy's moral core and he transforms into Insaaf ka Devta...and the rest is history, of course with its dose of breaking bones, chairs and cars!

There's a quite a generous sprinkling of Marathi dialogues in the movie that goes well with the storyline. Ranveer Singh had to revise his Marathi diction which he had picked up as Bajirao....He does a super job there by mouthing ceetee worthy dialogues and one-liners.

Sara Ali Khan looks cute and that's about it. We have seen Sonu Sood in anti-hero roles so he's in an autopilot mode in the movie. Ashutosh Rana is impressive as a Head Constable who is sandwiched between honesty and family pressures.

If you are a Rohit Shetty fan and can bajao ceetee then please watch the movie in the theatres. If you are a Ranveer Singh fan, then to theatres mein dekhna banta hai since no one can play this role as convincingly as him. For the rest, the streaming partner is Zee Entertainment so wait and then watch!!!!


P.S. Wait till the end for a super surprise if watching in the theatres. If you can't wait to know, then ask "Je mala mahit nahi te mala sang"!!!

Veere...the boring!!!

Finally, after a hiatus of more than a year and a half ( the last review I did was for the very forgettable Inferno), I am back with my take on movies in my hatke style!

Veere di...is all about glamour, glitzy Delhi weddings ( they spend in crores you see) and great confusions. It's also about the men who think right but are misunderstood! And how could I forget....the movie is a branding haven, right from cab service providers to bhujias, each one has their own supporting role to play!

The movie starts with the younger versions of the 4 Veeres who celebrate their last day of school. Then life happens to each one of them and a few exotic locations across the globe later, they all gather in the Capital city for the wedding of one of the Veere.

Kareena the bride - to - be, half-heartedly accepts the proposal for becoming permanent soulmates by Sumeet Vyas ( terrific acting) on the new year's eve at Sydney's Bondi Beach. Childhood memories of warring parents make her unsure about the Shaadi thing. And to add to it, the overtly loving and loud in-laws - to - be!!!
Sonam Kapoor, an upright divorce lawyer passed out from Symbi Law school and is desperate to get hooked. Wants to date only those men who are well qualified. Quite a fair point
Swara Bhaskar, a faaarrrrrr cry from the roles that she has played so far, is a un - abla naari. She has called her 5 crore wedding to an NRI a quits and spends her time in Delhi smoking, drinking, looking hot, spewing gaalis in repeat mode.
Shikha  Talsania has a super loving, trying to learn Hindi, Firang husband, and a year old kid. She was thrown out of the house by her Tau for marrying a gora...But the gora proves the tau wrong...aau! Her's is the most relatable character amongst all.

The movie revolves around these four, relationships with their people and with each other. Chaos, drama, rona, dhona, haasna, ghumna to exotic locations for chilling ( with the bhujia!) is what the movie is all about! The supporting characters ( Vivek Mushran - remember Ilu Ilu? as Kareena's gay chacha stands out) have done more than to just lend support to the story. They are the ones who have added the punch to the story while the Veeres are drowned in the wine and whine!!!

Verdict - One-time watch. This ain't in the league of Dil Chahta Hai or even Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara so your hard drive will have space to accomodate the more deserving ones
Don't spend on the popcorn if you are watching in the theatres. If you are waiting for it to be aired on Amazon Prime or Netflix, then I applaud your decision :)

“Not” Minding the gap!

As a recruiter, I have met innumerable candidates, gone through a sea of resumes. Some resumes which stand out like a sore thumb are the one with the “GAPS” bole to break in career. This essentially means the candidate has been “unemployed” in between jobs.

So why did you leave your previous job? You have so many gaps in your resume……

Ahh, the question interviewers can’t wait to ask, the answer to which the interviewee should supposedly have and that too a strong one to convince the interviewer.  The reasons could be many. Some take a break to take care of their families, or they are battling with an illness or they have been retrenched by their previous organizations, to name a few top reasons that flit across my mind.

And there could also be reasons which are governed completely by an individual’s choice. Someone could decide to take a break to travel the world, pursue his/her own passion or to just chill and connect with oneself. The breaks are extremely personal to the individual.

Being on “that” side of the fence

I am now on a job hunting spree after moving on from my last assignment. And let me tell you, this is not the first time my resume has a “Gap”, having been off the job earlier also. And my resume is more often judged on the breaks which seem like blots in my otherwise seemingly interesting resume. Once I was being told by someone that a girl should only have breaks in her resume if there has been a “life-changing” event in her life. Curiously, I had asked, “What is the definition of a life-changing event?”. The person gingerly replied, “Lifechanging means either you are getting married or having a child”. Ahh, ok!!!! The conversation was getting interesting.

The maha curious that I am, I probed further (I was nibhaoing my recruiter dharma by asking probing questions!), “So what, if I take a break to travel or learn new skills or simply spend some good time with my family?”. The person quickly retorted, “ That you can do while working also naa”. I simply replied, “So you can manage your supposedly life-changing events”. This was for the girls. For boys, taking a break would be like a heinous crime after all they are Kamaane wala in the family. Poor boys! After all, why should girls have all the fun 😊

Quality vs. Quantity

I have always been a firm believer of quality over quantity. In fact, Aamir Khan personifies this. He does only one film a year but he leaves no stone unturned to ensure he delivers his best. His performance reflects directly on the business outcomes, in the movie parlance, the box office collections. 

Similarly, when recruiters browse through a resume with breaks (I don’t like using the term gaps), they should match the relevance of the profile and focus on the kind of impact that the candidate’s work has created when he/she was employed along with the skills which he/she has learnt while being on the job. Moreover, in the fast-evolving world, there is no fun sticking on to the same role in the same company for years, just for the sake of “Stability”.

If a candidate has purposely taken a break in his/her career, the recruiter should not look at it like a daag or a red flag (in more corporate – ish term). Instead, the recruiter or the Hiring Manager should be curious to learn how the person has utilized the break. If the break is a forced one or unexpected, there should be a certain degree of empathy since there could be a lot of emotional, mental and financial turmoil which the candidate might have faced during his separation from his/her previous organization. In that case, it is important to be sensitive towards the candidate and only focus on what he/she can bring on to the table.

There are a few skills which are not learned sitting inside the tiny office cubical. These are called “Life skills” which are learned outside of work. Some acquire these skills through their travels, through their passion or through their experience. And these skills are the ones the recruiters should be looking at as these are a direct reflection on the attitude of the candidate. Afterall, it’s the HR team that advocates the elusive “Work – Life balance”, don’t they!