Jet goes down

The trending news right now is: Jet Airways goes down. Its been on the news for a few months now, but no-one took it that seriously, I guess. Specially not the lenders. Now with billions disappeared, and thousands of jobs gone, neither the lenders nor the government has an idea of what to do next. And suddenly, everyone on the internet and on the ground is an expert. Doling out experiences and advice on how these billions can be recovered.

It reminds me of this article from years ago, when it was celebrated that Jet Airways had amassed half a million fans on Facebook. Alas, likes and fans couln't save the airline. Sort of how it is new when Indian movie trailers get millions of views and likes on youtube, and then the actual movie comes out and..tanks .

The only silver lining in all of this is that unlike Mallya, who absconded to the UK, Jet Airways founder Goyal did not just..fly away. He is still in the country and fighting it with the lenders.

This is just one more example of bad management. Companies go out of buisness all the time. Millions have and many more millions will. Employees and investors have to simply, move on.

So let's move on from this man-made disaster, and focus on more iimportant things.

Like the royal baby.

Cacophony

What a year ?! Election years have always been 'politically violent' in India. All of the top liars descend upon the masses, making up imaginary claims and promising even loftier ones in future. But lately the focus has shifted from development and progress to the nation's security and religion. And the poor citizens are receptive. It seems people would rather practise their religion , than worry about the next day's income.

This year , there is a third party in the political game. Apart from the two main contenders, the third party is the Election Commission. They too have now been affected by the virulent strain. Double standards galore. On one hand, they have been disqualifying independent candidates , but they also let major parties lie blatantly, and have failed to take action more than once.

And into this politically charged nation , comes nature's fury. Cyclone Phani ravaged parts of the country, killing some  and turning thousands homeless. Loss of life and property was minimal this time, but more details are sure to emerge.

The media is still actively churning out articles highlighting the incumbent party's multiple failures, the top two being demonitisation and GST. But this narrative is drowned by fake news running on social media. And the economy, is clearly slowing down.

We still have to wait till the end of the month to end this cacophony.

Please end. Soon.

Holiday Hangover

Oh gosh. Returning from a long holiday is really difficult. Horrible. Sucks all your energy out.

But on the bright (?) side, won't have to do to this very often. Gonna hibernate all through the winter.

Heres to the chilly weather.

Why Sri Lanka ?

Sri Lanka was a soft target.

An in-depth opinion-piece (not news) article on why Sri Lanka was probably chosen for the Easter attacks.

Marvellous Nonsense

Ill be very glad when this is over. The new Marvel movie is hitting theatres this week. Endgame. Fans are going crazy around the world. Fans are speculating non-stop. Fans are frustrated. Because fans cannot get enough tickets.

But I have never been a fan. Of these superhero movies.

For me , there is something weird seeing grown men wearing spandex and capes and cosplaying. And I am talking of the fans here. Its even worse seeing the actors playing these 'comics' on screen. Sure, they are getting paid hundreds of milllions for standing in front of green screens. But it is still weird seeing all this hype about superhero movies.

And now I see people discussing scenes and dialogues from the movies as if they were the classic movies from the fifties. Makes me puke, when I see them discuss charachter arcs and emotional vulnerabilites.

Its also amazing seeing the marvellous marketting machinery of hollywood at work. They are able to get crazy fans pay through their noses for first day tickets for these CGI-action movies, when movies with real stories, inspiring and memorable characters lie in the dust. They just don't make those kind of fun movies anymore.

Its also amazing when you realize that real superheroes don't really wear capes. I see them everyday. They were uniforms, and hats, and are always around to protect and serve.

Just get this over with. Until they think of the next superhero movie they can write up.