Monthly Archives: January 2019


Why the Renewables Industry Needs PR

Climate change is real. We have ample evidence to suggest this. It is mind-boggling though, that some people are still questioning the authenticity of climate change and backing out of climate agreements!

We live in a world where it is getting easier by the day to manufacture truth, most palatable to you, but even the manufactured truth can’t refute the hardcore scientific facts that point to climate change. It is time for action, time to shift to a sustainable way of living. And when we think sustainable, one of the foremost answers is a shift to renewable energy.

As the fossil fuel reserves rapidly dwindle and demand for fuel grows; renewable energy becomes the obvious solution. Renewable energy forms like wind, solar, hydropower etc.  cause little or no pollution and hold the key to a sustainable, energy secure future. Not to mention their longevity and availability, across the globe, unlike fossil fuels which are concentrated in certain regions, makes for a viable solution.

The renewable energy industry while in its nascent stages is growing rapidly. With India’s push towards sustainable development, renewables are now a cheaper alternative to fossil fuels. And, like any other industry starting out, it needs a case built for it. Here lies the opportunity for the communications industry.

With climate change growing worse by the minute and the push for sustainable development, there is a dire need to build awareness for and educate more and more people about the renewable industry. In addition to the most obvious, environmental benefits, renewables offer energy security and economic opportunity.

Renewable energy is being recognised as an investment opportunity that provides economic advantages, propels local economy and creates significant job opportunities. Not to mention the resultant innovation that will restructure energy markets.

As communications professionals, it is a great opportunity for us to be able to see an industry built from scratch, internalise and imbibe it, and become ambassadors for it. Only then can we work to educate others. While a niche industry right now, it offers great opportunities for the communications industry to explore perspectives, opinions, evaluate facts and help shape the future of renewables in India.


Why We Love Music In Films

“Is it a film or a musical?” My friend from New York asked me, amused as we left the movie hall after a 2 hour and 35-minute-long movie. Unlike in the west, in India we’ve rarely separated one from the other. Music and dance have always been an integral part of Bollywood, providing creative expression to our identity and sense of being. The words stay with us longer when put together in beautiful lyrics and good music.

In India, we have songs for weddings, baby showers, child birth and even death. It helps us capture the transient nature of our lives and give expression to our feelings of love, loss and joy. Music allows us to be more present and relate with our emotion completely. Our ancestors also chose the medium of music to pass on folklore and ancient wisdom down to generations. Clearly, they were well versed with human psychology and understood music’s role as a compelling form of communication.

Our first documented relationship with music dates back to 2nd century B.C when the ‘Natyashastra’ was written. The text consists of 36 chapters with a cumulative total of 6000 poetic verses describing performance arts. The Shashtra asserts that the primary goal of the performing arts, with music being key, is to transport the individual in the audience into a parallel reality, full of wonder, where they experience their consciousness in every part of their being.

Today, a number of films in Indian cinema are remembered more for songs than their storylines. Alam Ara, the first Indian film with sound and music had 7 songs dedicated to love, vengeance, separation and union. The film’s music had a spellbinding effect on its viewers with its relatable Urdu couplets, used widely among masses in pre-independence era.

Barsaat (1949), Bobby (1973), Aashiqui (1990), Komaram Puli (2010) are some of the top grossing Indian albums of all time. These films couldn’t have had a solid opening week without their music. In a time when films would reap in revenues in the excess of lakhs, Aashiqui’s music revenue topped 1.5 crores.

Music marked the various milestones at different points in the history of Indian cinema. Jatin Lalit’s Pehla Nasha defined the innocent ’90s, with Aamir Khan’s dreamy, slow-motion leap in the air amid picturesque hills, Lalit’s melody and Udit Narayan’s velvety voice. Just like the movie, there was something fresh about the soundtrack of Dil Chahta Hai (2001). It was Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy at the top of their game. Emosanal Attyachar became the new cool for the young people. The composers won a National Award for the strikingly original Dev D album (2009). Tum Hi Ho, the haunting love ballad from Aashiqui 2 (2013), turned Arijit Singh into a phenomenon that still hasn’t ended.

The allure of songs is indeed infectious and hard to resist.

While the music in Indian films is evolving in fascinating ways, it will continue to play a disproportionate role in defining and redefining Hindi cinema.