Just a Bachelor Boy

After watching movies like Delhi Belly and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara I could not resist harking back to my carefree bachelor days.

As unattached males, my friends and I had a two track mind. Girls and evenings out. All other responsibilities were blanked out. Today, the confidence of age allows me to carry on an unfettered conversation with members of the fairer sex. However, in my teens and later I was rather tongue-tied when asked to speak to a girl.

As Joint Secretary of the students’ union at my engineering college in Surathkal I had the pleasant (my erroneous presumption) of escorting a bus load of girls back to Mangalore after our inter-collegiate cultural fest. Apart from the driver I was the only male occupant of the vehicle. Ragging is a mild word to describe what I underwent during that 20 km journey. My classmates envied my luck. Pride did not allow me to correct that mistaken view.

Later in Mysore I had this gang that behaved like heroes but turned in to zeroes in front of damsels. My friend’s sister had these attractive classmates whom we all eyed. Sadly, none of us had the guts to approach them directly. Using subterfuge, we mooted the idea of a table tennis match and Antakshari as an ice breaker. Unfortunately, one of the girls was a university player and we ended up with egg on our face. We also realized that girls are more clued on to film songs than boys.

After college I joined a leading advertising agency in Bangalore. As luck would have it our office was bang opposite Mount Carmel college on Palace Road. I soon discovered that the students sat on the compound wall of the college during lunch time and harangued passersby. Around this time the movie ‘Bobby’ was released. I persuaded my father to buy me a yellow Rajdoot motorcycle just like the one Rishi Kapoor rode in the film. By this time I used to smoke cigarillos and then graduated to a stylish pipe.

Every afternoon I would vroom up and down Palace Road with a pipe in my mouth and sporting Ray Ban Aviators. The college students would shout out ‘Bobby’ whenever I passed by. One day I saw a friend coming from the opposite direction and I shouted out ‘Hi’ to him. Unfortunately when I opened my mouth the pipe fell off and was smashed to smithereens on the road. The next one week I took a side road unable to face the laughter of the girls.

Evenings would generally be spent at Koshy’s on Brigade Road. That was also the only place where one could get an eclectic combination of vada sambar and beer, while listening to music on the jukebox.

Today, sitting on my La-Z-Boy I recalled the words of Mary Hopkins’ hit song, “Those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end….”

Those were the days...

As each generation grows up there is always a curiosity to know something about the past in the family’s history. An enthralling journey down memory lane is the tales about one’s ancestor, preferably where the skeletons tumbled out of the cupboard. As my growing up years were in Delhi most of the stories about our family were based on what my parents told us rather than hearing them from grandparents or other family elders living in the erstwhile Mysore state.

My paternal great grandfather had been bestowed an “Inam” village by the then Maharaja of Mysore. This entitled him to collect an annual tax from the inhabitants. Many years later my father would travel all the way from Delhi to the village for this ritual. Those days the main train to the South was the Grand Trunk Express powered by a steam engine. My father would prepare for the soot filled journey by buying a new pair of khaki shorts and a khaki Sola hat. He would be received at the village station with a lot of pomp and fanfare. However, at the crunch time he would be told why the tax would not be paid that year because of drought, and other supposedly natural or man-made calamities. His trips would end up being expensive as he would also have carried gifts for the village elders. The Government’s repealing of “Inam” villages deprived my brothers and me from enjoying this privilege.

My grand uncle was universally popular amongst the young at all family functions. No one knew his real age but with his walrus moustache he always looked as he was nearing his century. He regaled us with stories of a bygone era. He was addicted to snuff and always carried a small steel snuff box along with a rather “aromatic” white-turned-brown handkerchief. It was mesmerizing to watch his ritual each time it was time for him to have a ‘fix’. One of my uncles once managed to sneak out that box and replaced the snuff with coffee powder. We were all mortified at the suffering we put the old man through. Being a great sport he forgave us pretty soon.

After marriage the portfolio of tales grew .My wife’s maternal grandfather served in the Postal Department in Madras Presidency. During the First World War he volunteered for military service. He endured a long and tough journey for a posting in Mesopotamia (the modern day Iraq).One of his supposed skills was in cooking. There are several versions on what vegetarian fare he actually dished out to the other soldiers. But we were told that there was universal appreciation in the trenches for his ‘Paal Payasam’ which he made with condensed milk to celebrate the Armstice.

I wonder, in the decades to come, what anecdotal activities of mine would interest my grandchildren to narrate to their friends. I shudder to think!

Packaged Sojourn

 With the advent of summer vacations in a couple of months, travel operators have gone on an overdrive with their big advertisements enticing us with jaunts to exotic places.

Actually, packaged tours are quite convenient if one does not want to go through the hassle of making multiple bookings and also look for discounts.But, many a times there is a big gap between what they advertise and what is actually provided on the ground. As a family we have gone on several packaged tours and generally we have had a good time, though with a few hiccups.

As is the norm for Indian travelers,  my first packaged tour was to Singapore and Malaysia. We had a young tour guide who was a former air hostess. Somehow, she used to get airsick during all our flights. We used to wonder how she ever managed in her profession. The mystery was solved when we found that she was in the family way and was wracked with bouts of morning sickness. We spent the rest of the trip mollycoddling her. But the whole trip was quite enjoyable as it was the first foreign trip for most of us.

My wife and I took a trip to Europe through a well-known tour operator. It taught us that one must check carefully all that is promised in the brochure. Ask for the details when they say: ‘Day 1-Arrival Paris. City tour, including the Eiffel Tower’. Your flight will land around 7 am. Hotel check-in is at 2 pm. So the city tour starts right from the airport in your tired and bedraggled condition. You are driven around the city till it is time to register at the hotel, which generally would be on the outskirts. You are too pooped to do anything afterwards. To compound that, you have to carry your own baggage to your room unless you are staying in a five-star hotel.

Our first day in Switzerland was a disaster. The guide forgot to inform the Pakistani restaurant about the dinner to be delivered to our Lucerne hotel. When the food arrived four hours later, the caterer left behind the crockery and the cutlery. So we begged the hotel for some plates. The manager was reluctant but later agreed on condition that we ourselves wash the plates after dinner. Luckily, he did not insist on that. But it was a pleasant surprise when at the top of Mount Titlis we found a sign in Hindi that read ‘Welcome to Indian citizens’.

But group tours are also a great way of making friends. On our Europe sojourn we became friends with a young couple. They had some blue-blood flowing through them but were otherwise pretty friendly. The girl turned out to be the daughter of a former chief minister who is somewhat of a blabbermouth in the Grand Old Party now sitting in the opposition. Invariably there will always be a ‘Late Latif’ in all groups. We had this doctor from Jaipur who would drive us up the wall by being the last to board the bus. Towards the end of the tour even his family had got fed up.

Overseas travel is one area where Indians still command respect. After all we are the ones who still spend a lot of money on shopping.

Why your child needs Allrounder Academy

 Genesis 

Allrounder Academy has been set up by S V L Narayan to mentor and train children between 10-16 years to become successful beyond the classroom.It is his belief that academics have to be supplemented by all round knowledge and confidence to face a highly competitive environment.

One of the fundamental obligations of any society is to prepare its adolescents and young adults to lead productive and prosperous lives as adults. This means preparing all young people with a solid enough foundation of literacy, numeracy, and thinking skills for responsible citizenship, career development, and lifelong learning.

In a recent survey under the title “Are They Ready for the Future” ,it was observed that “Far too many young people are inadequately prepared to be successful in the era of tough competition.” The report concluded that more than half were “deficient” in such skills as oral and written communication, critical thinking and objectivity. The implication of this report is that a focus on academic readiness alone does not equip young people with all of the skills and abilities they will need in their life, or to successfully complete the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

A report on Child Trends, which compared research on the competencies required for college readiness,workplace readiness and healthy youth development found that high personal expectations, self-management, critical thinking, and academic achievement are viewed as highly important for success in all three areas. In addition the report added that decision making, listening skills, integrity, and creativity are all considered vital for facing the challenges of the future competitive environment.

 These findings strongly suggest that a more holistic approach to education—one that aims to equip young adults with a broader range of skills—is more likely to produce youth who will succeed in the 21st century.Some critics complain that a focus on “soft skills” will only further dilute rigour. In our view, both hard and soft skills are essential for success in this competitive environment.


Making a case for all-round education

A member of the central examination board argues today, that many schools are letting their pupils down by pumping them with grades-improving academic work at the expense of other activities like drama, debates and sports.

So high is the pressure for grades that many children are not even allowed to read a book for the sheer pleasure of reading. It is understandable that schools – and parents – want their pupils to pass with flying colours so that they can join elite institutions. However, the Member makes a fundamental point – that education is not all about passing exams.

While reproducing well-rehearsed answers can persuade examiners to give a candidate high marks, it may not compensate for all the missed benefits that would come from co-curricular activities. Debating, for instance stimulates the mind, promotes critical thinking and develops children’s confidence. So, it is easy for the school system to raise excellent scholars who lack the social and life skills necessary to navigate their way through life.

But most importantly, he argues that schools should not see this as a matter of ‘either or’. Academic excellence and co-curricular activities are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In fact, one of the skills that would result from engaging children in non-classroom activities would be organisation and time management – skills that, to many highly successful people, seem to be second nature.


The “Beyond Classrooms” course will comprise three sections:


Creative Writing:

Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information. Writing of any sort is hard, but rewarding work – one will gain a huge amount of satisfaction from a finished piece. Being creative can also be difficult and challenging at times, but immensely fun.

Students will undergo practical exercises covering various topics including article writing,blogs,essay,travelogue.

Public Speaking:

Public speaking is speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. In public speaking, as in any form of communication, there are basic elements, often expressed as "who is saying what to whom utilizing what medium with what effects?

The purpose of public speaking can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a story. A good orator should be able to change the emotions of their listener, not just inform them.

The fear of public speaking is called glossophobia (or, informally, "stage fright"). It is believed to be the single most common phobia — affecting as much as 75% of the population. Many people have stage fright. They are fearful of speaking to a crowd of people. They are frightened of all the attention that would be on them and hence they are not comfortable with the aspect of public speaking.

An effective public speaking training course would help people allay those fears effectively. This is one of the most important components of any such course. Once the fear factor is minimized, children can effectively give a speech without faltering or losing faith in their abilities.

The syllabus includes:Debate,extempore speech,group discussion,book reading.


General Knowledge:

Can be defined as information on many different subjects that you collect gradually, from reading, or through media, etc., rather than detailed information on subjects that you have studied formally.It is also a test of knowledge, especially as a competition between individuals or teams as a form of entertainment.

Training will be given on subjects across a wide domain.Quick response to questions will be an added feature.Students will also be taught to conduct quizzes.


Course Duration The curriculum will encompass two-hour sessions covering eight sessions in a month(16 hours).Students will progress to upgraded courses every quarter.

Tailor-made courses will be offered to institutions.Students will earn a Certificate of Proficiency at the end of the course.

For 15 students and more per session the course can be conducted at your premises

The courses are conducted presently in Bangalore only

About S V L Narayan

SVL is an Independent Marketing Strategy & Brand Management Consultant based in Bangalore.He has a degree in mechanical engineering and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers.His professional experience encompassed a panoramic perspective of strategic business processes across industries- Information Technology, FMCG, Automotive, and Industrial products.
S V L brings to the academy his rich experience in the corporate field and his success in various extra-curricular activities.He is also a regular contributor to various publications.He will be supported by various domain specialists as required.

His blogsite: http://svlnarayansmeanderings.blogspot.in/



What the logo represents




The Allrounder Academy logo is represented by a graphical tree.The trunk represents the support and nurturing provided by the Academy.As the tree grows the boughs provide the variety and direction of growth.Eventually the stars represent freedom of thought and self confidence to face the vast space of life.


For more details email: mentor@allrounderacademy.org

Around the world, in Norfolk

Taking advantage of the long bank holiday weekend, my family decided to drive to Norfolk for a short vacation. The destination was finalised based on the fact that it was just a little over two hours drive from London and thus manageable for baby Shantanu.

When my son told his colleagues about the Norfolk trip they all laughed and said no one goes to Norfolk for a holiday. They were wrong. As we got on to the motorway, it looked as if everyone in London was heading to Norfolk. The journey finally took over three hours.

We had booked rooms over the internet. We decided on the Waverly Hotel at Great Yarmouth as it sounded very British. When we checked in  we found it was owned by a Verma family from Delhi who ran the Golden Dragon chain of Chinese restaurants in the capital region. The whole family was there to receive us. The front office assistant was from, where else, but Kerala. He had studied nursing but ended up in this hotel.

Great Yarmouth is basically a seaside holiday town with hordes of eating places and pubs. Everything is within walking distance. What caught my eye were the quirky signboards.

Rather tempting to note that a philanthropic machine was dishing out cash. But as you would have guessed, it was only an ATM machine that did not charge a bank commission.

Some years back management gurus talked about corporate diversification but this one sure went a long way off from its core competency. I did not want to eat sweets that smelt of leather. Nor wear shoes that were sticky !

If the weather got you down then one could always cheer up by going to the joke shop.

Imagine a Turkish kebab restaurant whose business was going down.The owner decided to cut his losses by combining the best of Pizza Hut, McDonald's and KFC.

There are times when one wants to go up in life. There is no point in being at the bottom of the pecking order. The owner of this Tandoori joint, presumably from Jullundur, via Southall has obviously read somewhere that class is important. His cousin from London would have told him about the Savoy hotel. Class now meets mass in Great Yarmouth.

The Chinese are not only good at cloning iPhones but even that hallowed British all-weather meal. Fish & chips.

In Bangalore I normally have my haircut at Popular 3 Saloon. At Great Yarmouth this saloon offered cut and trimmed potatoes with a choice of sauces.

I am sure there would be a lot of people who would object to a gambling joint being named Mecca.

The journey back to London was a repeat of the outward journey as every Londoner was returning home on the Monday. This time it took us almost four hours. Shantanu, though was pretty well behaved and slept through.

A short halt at one of the Services had a pleasant surprise in store for me. I got hot filter coffee (yes, that was the wording on the menu) at Starbucks. A perfect ending to a fun weekend.