The Keep India Clean Campaign Experience

There are two things that have driven me to madness this year. The first one is my committee work, some of which is still left with the upcoming Lit Fest. The other one is the Keep India Clean Campaign.

It all started in October when I and my friend Abhinit decided that we should go all out to participate in a few events in the 5^th term. So we narrowed down some events based on the kind of things we were interested in. The first and the closest one to both of us was Mycampaign and this blog is about the three month long experience we had while participating in this event.

The entries that were asked were promptly sent. In the first round we sent an executive summary for the “Keep India Clean Campaign” that we had conceptualised, followed by a complete marketing plan in the second round. The results were out soon. We made it to the final 5 of My Campaign. We were going to IIM Indore!!

For the third round of My Campaign, we had to run a blog for 10 days. This round really taught us a few lessons. Firstly, we never thought how difficult it would be to post regular content on a blog. Secondly, our decision to go ahead with two members while all the other teams had three really had us making a lot of extra effort. But we did post good content. Our aim was originality and creativity. We succeeded on both fronts. As this round went along we became more and more involved with the cause. We did research. We did a signature campaign In our college. We did a broadcast on radio. And then we went to the village and met people to find out what their problems are. At the end of the blogging round we were not just satisfied with the kind of work we had done, but wiser with the experience we had just been through.

The fourth and fifth rounds were On-Campus. We went to IIM Indore in an unforgettable bus journey. The lesser said the better. Given the time constraints we had while booking the tickets though, it was something we could live with. On our entry into the campus we were greeted with huge signboards which read “Have you seen 30 judges for 5 teams?? Witness the grilling today!!” And so we got a sense of what awaited us.

We got our presentation ready. The first On Campus round was in front of 30 opinion leaders from in and around Indore. Dressed in Kurtas, we went in and started presenting. We spoke for about 15 minutes. When we were done there was pin drop silence in the room. Then suddenly the entire audience started clapping. The first thing that we heard from a judge in the Q&A round was “I don’t have a question. I just want to say that your campaign emotionally connected with me”. We answered some more questions and when we were done, we were on top of the world. Outside, we met the people from the panel who all personally congratulated us for coming up with such a campaign. Two of them belonging to NGOs said that “We do run NGOs, but not at this level!”

Next round we faced 3 judges. My experience with the first spot during presentations has generally been bad. You don’t know what to expect from the judges and the judges have not gauged the level of the competitors, so they tend to experiment on you. Although, I personally think we did better this time, one of the judges didn’t think so. We got a cold response from him. Sadly, after 5 rounds of the campaign, we had managed to convince 32 judges. But we didn’t convince the one that mattered. We came in third. I personally think we were good enough for the first spot.

But the whole experience was unbelievable. By the end of the campaign, we had shot 5 videos, more than the total videos I had shot in MICA before. We had made numerous print ads, written articles, designed a mascot, logo, created facebook and twitter pages and most importantly raised awareness about this cause among a lot of people. We were sad that we didn’t win, but the experience we gained was worth a million dollars. And no snooty judge can take that away from us.

YouTube Links for Keep India Clean Campaign!

Consolidated YouTube links for the videos:

Village Campaign

Signature Campaign in MICA:

Honk it Out!!

What's the Point -

Final Pledge Campaign

Our Campaign for IIM Indore Event- MyCampaign

Find below the social media links for a campaign that we are running. It is called the "Keep India Clean" Campaign. Do comment on it as it is an issue that concerns all of us..

Facebook Link
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-India-Clean/171835362843990
Twitter Link:
http://twitter.com/#!/keepindiaclean

Hope you like the posts..:)

Absolut Love!!

This is my Second Video- It's a short film with product placement!

Credits:
Director: Me
Story: Abhipsa Gaur
Actor: Keats Sukumar


 a.Why the product: 
Drinking is a social as well as an individual phenomenon. At times of depression or frustration some people prefer drinking alone. There are some who are very brand conscious and particular about the drinks they choose, in order to go with their position and lifestyle. The drink that fits the character on which the movie is based is Absolut Vodka. 


b.Concept of the film :
The protagonist suffers from depression despite being bestowed with all the money and affluence, etc in the world. The film shows how this man who has been deserted by the love of his life, in an extreme state of depression, has an outburst against the unfairness of it all. His tone changes from sad, to frustrated to accusatory to pleading. The final scene of the movie with the dialogue "My love for you was absolute" shows the concept of the movie as well as hints indirectly at the product being placed. 


c.Relevance of the product in the film: 
Where does a young, single, affluent professional go after his day at work when something that mattered most in his life no longer exists? In a metropolitan city in India, he might not want to go over to a friend's place as most of them are preoccupied with their personal and professional lives. He does not want to stay at home because he is sick of its monotony. An upmarket place gives him a sense of self worth in the sense that he can still afford/ has the spending power to command some things in life, while brooding/ lamenting over his miseries or troubles. A good brand of alcohol helps reaffirm that sense of self worth. It shows how even in a state of depression he is still brand conscious.


d. Inspiration: Devdas.. Primarily the story of the film was driven by logistical constraints that we face in the hostels with regards to arranging props for films.. So we(me and my sister) thought of a story, which minimizes both the number of characters and props required.

RAIT

Getting nostalgic while I'm back in Mumbai and close to my engineering college. This post goes to the place where I spent four really important years of my life!

The first time I went to RAIT was when my sister was giving her engineering entrance exam there. It was a huge college. A part of the D Y Patil empire, you got overwhelmed by how huge the place was. The campus had everything. I said to myself, "Dude, this is the kind of college you want to get into!". Call it destiny or whatever, but 3 years later when my engineering entrance time came up, I got into RAIT!

Now as I entered first year, I realised that there are three types of engineers. The first types are those who really love their machines. Second who learn to love machines while they do engineering. And third, the ones who just want to have fun and get a degree. I fit in the second category. In fact, most of my friends did. I really didn't know about the first category till I met Ishminder Singh Dhanjal, a.k.a. Changa!! The first time I met him, he got started about some C Program that he had developed and how hacking Windows 95 was his favourite activity. I was taken aback and to be frank, i thought he was really weird. Through my 4 years at RAIT, he was my teammate in most of the Robotics events I participated in and one of my dearest friends. Another one of my friends to be poached by Uncle Sam, hopefully he will get his wiring fixed there!

Some of my other weird friends included Jitin 'Oh, I'm going to the church again" Jacob, Abhishek "We're just friends" Dubey, Jayant "Results aa gaye!!" Gholap and Atul "My dog is a Wolf!!" Jadhav.

College life was good! I didnt know half the stuff that was going on, yet there was too much to keep one occupied and happy. There were two cultural fests, the smaller one was called Akarshan. I still remember how beautiful the scrap paper looked when it was showered down from the staircases of the four floors to the stage on the ground floor. At first I was amazed at how something so simple could look so beautiful. We got used to it later, but it still looked almost as good in our last year, probably more since it was the last time that we were going to see it!

The mega-fest was called Horizons. It was a huge thing. One of the biggest in Mumbai. In some ways, the identity of RAIT. I could write a whole blog about the fest. But there are some things that I really have to mention. The Jal Concert in the second year was one such thing. I still remember how we broke the barricades that held us back on the bands request and ran right up to the stage as we witnessed one of the best concerts ever. The crowd, the noise, the madness, and the dust in the air (yeah, that too!) as we listened to them play one great song after another. The best part was I fell in love with songs I heard there for the first time("Teri yaad!! Sigh!"). Other concerts from Strings, DJ Aqeel and the fashion shows, etc were really good too. Four amazing fests in four years, truly!

So what did we do when we were not attending fests and 'studying'? We watched cricket! Live! One of our professors informed us in the first year about a new International Cricket Stadium that was going to come on campus. Of course, I didn't believe it! It stood before us a year later. With imported grass from South Africa and some of the most lavish VIP rooms, I was amazed to see this 'thing' inside my college!! Holy Wow!! We watched I dont know how many matches there. One of the benefits of being a student at RAIT- passes were never an issue. I missed out on the IPL matches held there though. Pity! But it was due to the stadium really that I found another person to really respect- Vijay Patil. Our Director and one of the sharpest young people in India today.

The last two years of my college life were spent for MBA preperation and Placements. First came the placements. I got through Infosys first. A huge company to work for and the package was decent too. One of the interviews where you just know you are through when you walk in. I chatted for about 15 mins with a really sweet HR recruiter about Puzzles, Jodha Akhbar and its cultural implications(believe it!!). Next day while I'm with a doctor getting eye drops for Conjunctivitis, I got the message that I had landed with my first job offer!! Always a proud moment!!

Another offer I landed up with was with the Indian Navy, the defence! It is easily the best interview I have ever given. I was literally fighting with an experienced defence person and strangely, both of us were enjoying it. Two of his subordinates seemed to be enjoying it as well from the smiles on their faces. I was really proud to be invited to join the defence services! I missed this opportunity though as a side effect of having a barely higher eye power than what the eligibility criteria specified.

Finally I gave my MICA interview and got through a college which in a very strange way was nothing like my home, but felt exactly like it! Another place where I said the same words "Dude, this is the kind of college you want to get into!". And another placed where I would eventually go to!! I guess some things in life are just meant to happen!

My first ad film

This was the TVC me and Abhijith Shetty (Bapu), from MICA, came up with for the client Hungama.com. Consider the fact that this was our debut. 

Thanks to:

Me(!) : Story , editing and acting

Bapu: Direction, camera work, hair, makeup and costume

Ashish Sharma, Rohit Goyal and Neelu : Cast

Annamalai and anubhav nanda: Technical expertise

Charu Chopra/GK/Aaron : Location

Taaze: For the CD's

Mani : Cassettes

Aparna : Micavaani props

Abhinit: For your undying moral support

रेल यात्रा – एक अनुभव

रेल से यात्रा करना अक्सर आनन्ददायक अनुभव होता है। रास्ते में खेतों, पहाड़ों और झरनों जैसे अलग-अलग दृश्यों को निहारने, और कुछ न कुछ मनोरम दृश्य देखने का अवसर आह्लादित करता है।

रास्ते में  रेलगाड़ी के रुकने पर कुछ स्वादिष्ट खाने के लिए उतरना, खाते-खाते उसी में मग्न हो जाना, और फिर भागते हुए वापस आना, इससे पहले कि ट्रेन छूट जाए, यह अनुभव हमेशा ही रोमांचक लगता है।

हालांकि जबसे मुझे याद है, ट्रेन के खाने का स्वाद ज़्यादा बदला नहीं है, लेकिन यात्रा में आपकी दिलचस्पी बनाए रखने के लिए, बिस्कुट, सॉफ्ट ड्रिंक और मिठाइयों, आदि के साथ आने वाले विक्रेताओं की लगातार चहल पहल बनी रहती है, जो यात्रियों को व्यस्त रखने में सहायक होती है।

यात्राओं को अक्सर वह लोग यादगार बनाते हैं , जिनके साथ आप यात्रा करते हैं। यह बात रेल के मामले में भी सत्य है। यात्रा के दौरान देर रात तक बात करने वालों से लेकर भोजन के अनेक डब्बे साथ लेकर चलने वाले परिवारों तक, कॉलेज और स्कूलों के शोर करने वाले बच्चों से लेकर, ज़ोर के खर्राटे लेने वाले यात्रियों तक, सबका अपना अपना समाज शास्त्र होता है। बस !आपको कभी पता नहीं होता कि आपके नसीब में यात्रा के दौरान  कौन सा सहयात्री मिलेगा।

जब मैं रेल का सफर करता हूँ, खिड़की से बाहर के दृश्यों को देखना और कुछ नया खा-पीकर, आराम की नींद का सेवन करना पसंद करता हूँ। हाँ, कई बार ऐसा भी समय आता है, जब बाकी चीजों से ऊबकर मैं ट्रेन में मेरे सहयात्रियों के साथ कुछ बातचीत शुरू कर लेता हूँ।

एक बार मैं अहमदाबाद से मुंबई तक की रेल यात्रा कर रहा था, और मैंने इस तरह की बातचीत शुरू करने के बारे में सोचा। मेरी बगल में बैठा व्यक्ति एक बुद्धिमान और आत्मविश्वास से भरा सज्जन लग रहा था। फोन पर उनकी बातचीत को सुनकर, मैंने अंदाजा लगाया कि वह एक गुजराती है, जो शायद एक व्यावसायिक यात्रा पर है।

मैंने उसके साथ छुटपुट बातचीत शुरू की और पाया कि मैं सही था। वह कपड़े के क्षेत्र में काम करने वाला एक व्यापारी था। यह जानते हुए कि गुजरात की वस्त्रों के लिए भारत के प्राथमिक केंद्रों में गिनती होती है, मैंने सोचा कि इस विषय पर उनसे कुछ ज्ञान हासिल करना सही होगा। जैसा कि मेरा अनुमान था, इस विषय पर उसने जो ज्ञान की गहराई साझा की, उसने मुझे पूरी तरह से उसका प्रशंसक बना दिया।

यह व्यक्ति, जैसा कि मुझे बातचीत में थोड़ी देर बाद पता चला, कपडों की मशीनों का सप्लायर था। उसने अपने द्वारा बेची गयी प्रत्येक मशीन की कीमत औसतन दस लाख रुपये बताई। उसने मुझे हाल ही में ऐसी कई मशीनों के लिए ऑर्डर पाने की सूचना भी दी। वह एक पारिवारिक व्यवसाय का मालिक था, जिसे उसे 5 साल पहले सौंप दिया गया था, और उसका व्यवसाय बहुत अच्छा चल रहा था।

इसके बाद उसने वस्त्रों के लिए प्रसिद्ध विभिन्न देशों- मिस्र, भारत और पाकिस्तान, और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय निर्यात को प्रभावित करने वाले कारण, आदि के बारे में जानकारी देनी शुरू की। उसने व्यापार में भारत की प्रगति और गुजरात और महाराष्ट्र के योगदान के बारे में मुझे गर्व से बताया और  इस बात पर भी प्रकाश डाला कि कैसे भारत के सूती वस्त्रों की गुणवत्ता अन्य देशों के वस्त्रों से श्रेष्ठ है।  कपड़ा बनाने में शामिल विभिन्न प्रक्रियाओं - कताई, बुनाई, छपाई और परिष्करण, के बारे में जानकारी देते हुए

उसने मुझे वस्त्रों के लिए प्रसिद्ध विभिन्न कंपनियों और क्षेत्र में गुजराती कंपनियों की सफलता के बारे में बताया । यह भी बताया कि कैसे बेड-शीट में विशेषज्ञता वाली कंपनियां टी शर्ट्स की तुलना में बहुत छोटी हैं। उसने कहा, "आपके घर में हो सकता है मात्र 2 ही बेड-शीट हों, लेकिन 20 से अधिक टी शर्ट्स ज़रूर होंगी"। संयोग से मेरी अलमारी के बारे में उसके यह आंकड़े बिलकुल सही थे।

इसी दरम्यान हमारी बातचीत में दो और गुजराती सज्जन जुड़ गए। आश्चर्य की बात यह थी कि वे भी वस्त्रों के क्षेत्र में ही काम करते थे! जल्द ही एक मिनी फोकस्ड समूहचर्चा सी शुरू हो गयी जिसका संचालन मैं कर रहा था।

मेरे साथ एक ही प्रदेश के इन तीन अतिउत्साहित लोगों ने फिर भारत के विभिन्न अग्रणी टेक्सटाइल हाउस, व्यवसाय में अपनी काबलियत को कैसे पेश करना, आदि पर गहन बातें बताईं।  भारत के सबसे मूल्यवान क्षेत्रों में से एक होने के बावजूद, कपड़ा उद्योग किस तरह आज भी एक पारिवारिक क्षेत्र है, इस बारे में उनकी बातें चालू रहीं।

हम शीघ्र ही चर्चा के अन्य विषयों की ओर बढ़े। इससे पहले कि मैं सोच पाता कि वस्त्रों के अलावा इन्हें किस चीज़ में दिलचस्पी हो सकती है, उन्होने रियल एस्टेट पर बातचीत शुरू कर दी! यह तीनों सज्जन संपत्ति खरीदने और बेचने में पेशेवर थे, जैसे वे शेयर को खरीद या बेच रहे हों। उनके लिए घर या दूकान खरीदने का एकमात्र उद्देश्य उपयोग करना नहीं, बल्कि बेहतर दाम में बेचना था।

अगला विषय? खाना!

उन्होंने शहर के विभिन्न कोनों में लोकप्रिय खाने की दुकानों के बारे में चर्चा की। कुछ प्रसिद्ध स्थान जिनके बाहर विशाल कतारें होती हैं, उनकी विशेषताएं और कैसे यह दुकानें लाखों की बिक्री करती हैं ,इस बारे में विस्तार से बताया!

अधिकांश आंकड़े बहुत ही सटीकता के साथ बताए गए थे। मुझे जल्द ही पता चला, कि तीनों में से कोई भी ज़्यादा पढ़ा हुआ नहीं किया था, पर उन्हे अपने बच्चों पर बहुत गर्व था जो शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में इनके सपनों को पूरा कर रहे थे। इसके बावजूद भी व्यवसाय क्षेत्र में इनकी समझ को देख यह तो पता चल गया, कि भले ही उनके पास एमबीए न हो, पुश्तैनी संपत्ति और विशाल स्थापित व्यवसायों के होने के सौभाग्य ने उनको ऐसा अनुभव दे दिया था जो शायद ही कोई एमबीए की डिग्री  दे सके।

बातचीत जल्द ही परिवारों और सामाजिक मुद्दों की ओर बढ़ने लगी। बिस्तर की ओर बढ़ने का मेरा लिए यह सही इशारा था। मेरे सो जाने के बाद भी उनकी बातें ज़ोर शोर से चालू रहीं और मैंने ऐसा महसूस किया, कि अगर आप थके हुए हैं और एक ऐसी यात्रा पर हैं जहाँ आप एक अच्छी रात की नींद लेना चाहते हैं, तो व्यवसायियों के समूह से उनके व्यवसाय के बारे में चर्चा शुरू करने से पहले ज़रूर भलीभाँति सोच लें!!