Bazaar

I really had an amazing experience of this diwali festival. My friends were coming to police ground, Thane to pick me up from Mumbai Solapur highway to drive down to home town Ahemdabad. Till Thane station I traveled by Mumbai local (one more chapter), after reaching there I asked for the Police ground but every time a new answer, its our culture, we never let you go empty hand, no matter what you take or ask for. Finally someone suggested to have a walk till that ground because it was a festival time so crazy rush.

A typical local Indian market scene, hawkers covering half of road, our holly, arrogant, mythological mums and dads (whom Sashi Tharoor also respect these days) asking for democracy just in middle of everything, shopkeepers shouting for customers, women shouting for her choices and then for negotiating, grabbing her cute, frustrated, blank faced, surprised, confused little ones, who just questioning their existence and few meters ahead a mango but a brave man giving his best to avoid this all. In between all this from some where you will heard a sweet, though high pitch laughs of gang of girls, no matter how humid and suffocating the place could, they will have some excuse to laugh at! Girls and Dalai Lama they always motivates me to smile no matter in which state you are! Getting all the lusty eye balls from every possible angles. One of them was wearing a long t shirt and just at her bums the one word answer was written, HOPE! Must say, a functionally well designed t shirt! Just above all this was political threats of democracy in form of bow and arrows targeting the manoos, tigers on hunt of bhaiyas, clocks clicking for BCCI, raising finger (index but equivalent to middle one), a palm about to slap, a lotus who wrote us about partition, then felt the same and many other hoardings of just released new age satyagrahi with gold in contrast. It was a state assembly election time also. To walk their was almost like playing snake and ladders and cherry on top was when a player weighs 50 kilos with bags on either side of his shoulders.

Yatra

Just came from Diwali vacation. One of my best trip to my home town Ahemdabad, all thanks to my friends Ajmal and Vipin who motivated and forced me explore my own town. They both were my honorary guest from Kerela, my classmates in MIT. I been to Kerela last year, they entertained and planned my trip really well. My first trip with friends, I always prefer to have an unplanned trips and no one known around me to have burden of liabilities. I just drop in where ever I wish to or dare to! Its good to make new friends, seeing new faces, sharing moments with someone whom you just met and then involving as we came there for them only, then parting off as we will meet again. It really feels great! I remember most of time rather all of the time my those special friends were of my father's age and surprisingly they shared such talks which were generally not shared with a youth, and that also me! They have talked about family, children, marriages (lessons to remember) , societies, beliefs, cultures, sins, regrets, happiness, wish lists, wives (interesting ones) and many such personal things which no one would share with a stranger, especially if he is too young and have creative assets like me.

Last time it was a cop in civil dress from Thane, native place Satara, my ex room mate's home town too! And that's how friendship started. The cop has very simple, soft and disciplined look (very rare to be witnessed), he just got a holiday after over a month because of election and now already had the orders for the upcoming festivals' security arrangements. He shared his complains, kids, village, city, system and then line of fate. A very soft spoken person with roughest hand. One of those special friends!

Cheers n happy diwali!

Phorun Foreign Policy

Was following a post in response to Rahul Gandhi’s comment, don’t fuss over Pak, doesn’t deserve half the attention it gets.... I do not agree to the comments made by him. Those who have little to lose in fight are generally considered the most unpredictable and thus a major threat. I don’t have an enough background of Pakistan and China disputed territories but war from any of state will surely took us many years back. We just struggled through a global economic recession and battling once more will neither help us nor them.

China for surely is an upcoming respectful, powerful country with great and sharp policies which no other country has but even India has proven many things. In these last six decades we raised from nowhere. Today we provide international markets with great availability of man power under democracy which is not a funny business. Yes corruption is surely a curse but that’s parcel of democracy. I doubt any democracy is possible without its pros and cons. Freedom comes with great responsibility but only to Spiderman not to mango people! That's why there is only one spider man with no vote rights and ration card.

I would rather call it competition (Indo-China) than war but surely we are threat to each other, threat of overtaking one another but not destroying one another. It’s not a school fight that one can remain untouched and the other gets bashed completely. If a super power like US can regret on their wars then anyone could. And surely US will not keep cool on dollars’ loosing charm, they will have their plans too. May be the one we discussing, let us fight (Ind-Chn) or let us make fight so that they win! Any fight in which you are not involved is always good for you, if nothing than at least you will get a good name with one noble peace award!

I read some days back about threat on communist system of China on their next term. An Indian ex EA expert has a view that they may use the war “situation” to gain the power. Tibet is already troubling them internally and internationally. They can’t afford to lose their allies with other countries after disturbing a great market like India. The global economy will get disturbed, dramatically. Some people even trying to relate it with 2012 theory, I doubt.

Just read an interesting respond to a post on same issue, says Chanakya said that we should acquire territories of weak neighbors and develop friendship with strong neighbors if acquisition isn't likely. Otherwise, there will remain instability with the neighbor. In the old days, kings used to achieve marry someone from the other side, thus prevent being attacked - by becoming relatives instead of enemies. In the modern days, and in democracy, that is not possible. However, we should have an alternative to marriage - something which gives sufficient incentive to the other countries to not want to be aggressive. It could be trade relations, raw materials and resources, or cooperation in research, etc. China depends a lot on the US as a consumer of its goods. Maybe India should make China similarly dependent on us.

Random questions

I get confuse with terms like green design, design thinking, experience design etc. Are they fads of design world or do they really differs from just design? If so then what is design?

Do we serve people or consumers? Whom do we prioritize people or their environment? Do we construct products or we design experience? Do we design experiences or do we design consequences?
Why today human sciences have more importance than technologies? Are we simplifying market, and then society, people and reaching then life ultimately.

Many such questions which I need to understand and then to look for their answers. I believe such answers will come with experiences rather than inquiries. If a same design could have two opinions then does that mean the core of design differs as per the eyes!

I got a new perspective on business after having the golden words of Micheal Wolff which were, if people are still hungry, below poverty line, still struggling for their basics, then we still lack in our business.

The definition of business is always profit but guess the problem is with the definition of profit.

UPA vs NDA

Was trying to follow Omar Abdullah on google, got many of interviews, speeches (especially parliament’s 3min speech on N Deal), posts, party’s website and many links. I just remembered yesterday’s comment by Mr. Sashi Tharoor’s on the role of twitter in tomorrow’s politics. Today's generation is very well aware of communication medias and its vehicles so social sites like facebook, twitter and many other going to change the tomorrow’s political campaign. I believe good for khadi n mango people, at least no traffic because of any yatras and possibly no more scary larger than corruption size posters and flexes of bailed criminals!

I think pixels going to take over the next election over the dots! I will stand for United Pixel Alliances because the Non-reliable Dot Alliances are always tricky! The orange and red before the prints look very fresh and gloomy but after print it just turn into corrupted, violent, over dark colours!

Mera Bharat mahan.

As perPerception

This topic interested me when I read a story on newspaper about a father who raped his daughter for several years, then the story headed to history of such cases in India, some critics on judiciary system of our nation and finally to compare different rape (raped by relatives) laws in different countries. I remember few films, talk shows, debates and reality shows which say sexual abuse by relative is very common in few societies. In few part of our land it’s not even considered to be a punishable offence. But not only here, in many part of other countries and cultures it is not considered as a punishable offence. And most of time the girls are minor. Still society or family remains quiet.

The discussion triggered me to know, what is culture? But before the word culture there is another word which could be main culprit, called perception. How do we perceive a crime differs from situation to situation. A society with different culture will perceive it as a different scenario, in fact sometime the same group of people (or society) can take the same instance in two different approaches. For example some countries do not allow capital punishment to their citizens under any circumstances but while few countries do allow that like India. Because different societies perceive the same situation in a different ways.

I can easily relate this to my personal experience, like most of my friends, who are 7-8 years elder to me, are still not allowed to be out till late night while most of my entries to my house is in wee hours! (thanks dad, okay, sorry dad.) Another example is of my few friends who sit with their dad sometimes for drink while I would not prefer for the same, not even with my elder brothers. Though my family would not mind but still I will be not comfortable. Isn’t it a difference of perception? I guess same with society and its culture.

Sometimes our actions are so habitual that we don’t even give a second thought to it while a next person would not dare to do so, depending on our perception. For example, I hate pumpkin, but I hardly know how it tastes. Even before tasting it my perception claims it has to be bad so it is bad. Though it’s really bad! We are so rigid or accustomed to our beliefs that sometimes we even overruled the reality or the right deed!

It really surprise me sometime how things are related!

About me!

One of the most difficult answer to give while seems the most simplest. I still don’t know what is I? If I say it’s the name then there are seven accounts in facebook of my name, and obviously of same race, caste, religion, nationality, surprisingly few of them even have same colour and profession too.

It’s easy to look for things which are at distance but if you put something very close to your eyes it will be hard to look at. Guess same with us if someone asks us about our friends and our surroundings it will be easy for us to explain but if an interviewer ask tell me something about you? We generally start with a.. hmm..

To put it in simple words, my name is Kunal Maithani, a graphic designer by profession, economically and nationally Indian and gadhwali (pahadi) by heart and height, short and salty. I have done my graduation in Psychology from L. D. Arts, Gujarat University, Ahemdabad, an advance diploma from a film institute, AAFT, Noida, then post graduate diploma in visual communication from Institute of Design, Pune. Now I am in IIT, Bombay (IIT still write it Bombay, not Mumbai so I’m not to be blamed, a lesson from Karan Johar!) doing my diploma project, making a design manual for signage system of my MAER’s MIT Rajbaug campus, Pune, India.

Remember one quote from some guy! "Identity is such a crucial affair that one shouldn't rush into it."

Rest of it you and me will learn with time about me! So till then, cheers.

Note: I’m single!