Vive bene, spesso l'amore, di risata molto!

Boobs Without Borders

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 17:05:00 +0000

Read this damn interesting piece by Dianne Sharma-Winter.

Please Infect Me!

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:11:00 +0000

Smiling is infectious;

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling, too.

I passed around the corner and

someone saw my grin

When he smiled I realized I'd

passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile and

then I realized its worth,

A single smile, just like mine,

could travel round the earth.

So if you feel a smile begin,

don't try to contain it,

Let's start an epidemic, quick,

and get the world infected!

-- The Speaking Tree, April 11, 2010

Taala (The Lock)

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:38:00 +0000

Some times, some things affect you in a way you would have never thought of. And they occur out of sheer randomness -- out of the blue! That's exactly how I came across this beautiful poem, pasted inside a bus in Mumbai, in Sept'08. I couldn't help but jot it down. Read on.
--

ताला

आती है गौरय्या
और दरवाज़े के लटकते ताले पर
मारती है ठोर

कुत्ता आता है
खोलने की कोशिश में
ताबड़-तोड़ पटकता है पांव

दौड़ती हुई आती है गाय
और ज़ोर-ज़ोर से हंकरने लगती है

सोच नहीं पाता है डाकिया
किसको दे वह चिट्ठी
ताला
कई दिनों से लटका है यहाँ

पुरबईया और पछुआ हवा के झोंके
हिला नहीं पाते हैं ताले को
कितना भारी हो गया है
यह ताला

कितना अखरता है एक व्यक्ति का न होना

-- कुमार वीरेन्द्र

Amrut Fusion

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Amrut Fusion Single Malt whisky -- This made-in-Bangalore single malt was crowned the third finest whisky in the world by renowned British whisky writer Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible 2010, six years after it was launched at The Pot Still, a popular bar in Glasgow, Scotland, the mecca of whisky makers. It began retailing in India last month.

Single malt whisky makes up the premium end of the global whisky market, like Cognac in brandy. Single malt is distinguished as whisky made from barley and processed at a single distillery as opposed to the more mass-market, blended whiskies—such as Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal—which are a mix of different types of whiskies often made from varied grains.

Amrut moved ahead of the times in the 1980s. Unlike its peers, who turned molasses into whisky, Amrut started procuring barley from farmers in Punjab and Rajasthan, in addition to molasses. This gave it a headstart in studying barley; 20 years of trial and error followed before the first single malt whisky hit the shelves in 2004. Uniquely, Amrut Fusion combines barley grown in Punjab with imported Scottish peated barley. The two barleys are mashed, fermented with yeast, distilled in pot stills and matured in carefully chosen oak casks for four years. The two matured malts are fused in measured proportions and married for three months. Peated barley, or malted barley heated by firing peat in a kiln, gives the whisky a much desired, smoky character.

Well, I'd definitely try to lay my hands onto this spectacular Amrit, errr... Amrut. Read more about it here.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:08:00 +0000

A poem, which I like very much, courtesy M R.

--

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

-- W. H. Auden

And I blog again!

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:39:00 +0000

1.5 years! Yes, it's been one and a half years that I last blogged. Well, it's finally time to reboot again. Finally, time to let go of all the laziness, procrastination and general blaah.

Welcome again! Let's begin.

Well, too much has happened over the course of past few months. I shall try to present a quick snapshot.

An amazing 7-day trip to Mumbai, discovering the city in all its charm and grandeur.
Mumbai blasts
Got a new job -- another one of proud occasions of my life
Travel
Amritsar -- Golden Temple, Wagah border, Jallianwala Bagh, great food
Rishikesh/Haridwar -- White water rafting, other adventure sports
Lucknow -- A nawaabi experience -- food and the sights
Farewell to the togetherness of 2 years with a hope to continue for a lifetime
Joining the new job
Travel
Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Jharia, Noamundi
Finally posted to Delhi NCR -- Faridabad
Work, job, excitement
Many many ups & downs in personal life
Tata Crucible Quiz -- Winner, Regional round; National finalist
First stay at the Taj Palace Hotel, Colaba, Mumbai
Bought my first car
Travel
Kochi, Thrissur, Alleppey, Bangalore, Goa
First international trip -- Dubai

Phew! That's a very very brief summary of what all life has offered me since I last blogged and I'm sure I would have missed out many things.

My only wish is to continue this journey and I look forward to blogging more frequently and with a new zeal. Wish me luck!

P. S. -- Like the first time, this time as well, Maggi played a pivotal role in helping me blog. :)

Moby Dick on a Stick

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:56:00 +0000

Whale meat resurfaces on Iceland menus.

Diners at the upscale Lobster House restaurant in Reykjavik, Iceland can enjoy familiar appetizers such as lobster bisque or smoked eel. But the hot new starter is minke whale sashimi with wasabi crust and a shot of ginger tea on the side.

"It's traditional food made in a modern way," says chef Ulrich Jahn, who is now perfecting whale ceviche -- raw, thinly carved slices marinated in lime juice, lemon grass and garlic.

The recipes are mouthwatering to Gunnar Bergmann Jonsson, the man on a mission to introduce whale meat to a new generation of prosperous Icelanders.

After a 20-year ban on commercial whaling, Iceland in 2006 resumed limited hunting of minke whale, one of the smallest and most numerous of the main whale species. Mr. Jonsson is the sole landlubber at the country's only licensed whaling company, Hrefnuveidimenn ehf. Marketing is among his many tasks.

However, the marketing for it remains a challenge, especially to the younger generation. Iceland and Japan are among the few countries that still hunt whales amid global opposition.

Read on about this interesting story here.

TATA NEN -- Hottest start-ups

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:23:00 +0000

In its search for the most innovative start-ups in India, the National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) in association with the Tata group has launched the Tata NEN Hottest Startups awards. In a first of its kind contest, winners will be chosen through a public voting process, rather than a panel of experts. The voting begins today.

Some of the startups include Seventymm, MobiYard, oCricket, Stylus, Lucifer Lights, MobiLearnTV, Rupeetalk, The Loot.

Check out the competition site (www.hotteststartups.in) for more details. on the complete list of nominations, reviewing experts, nominee profiles, and ratings and additional entrepreneurial resources. The site is indeed a well of knowledge and creative ideas, even for the non-participants. I personally like the sections -- Knowledge bank, Bright ideas and Fun Box, among others.

Unique Story Proposition -- the new USP

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Advertising works in today's interactive world if it tells interesting stories that resonate with the viewer.

Forget the hard sell. Advertising works in today’s interactive world if it tells interesting stories that resonate with the viewer and don’t bore her even after repeated airings. Still, the ad man as a storyteller is a role rife with dichotomies: is it possible to be a friend of the viewer and also sell to her? Besides, if stories are usually equated with fiction, can they be truthful—without the hyperbole and posturings of being eco-conscious, or socially responsible?

Paul Woolmington, co-founder, Naked Communications, tells me the word storytelling does not mean ad men are creating fiction; instead, it is about how messaging evolves and builds engaging consumers.

Woolmington’s point: Today, brands stand nude in front of the consumer than ever before, requiring changes in the way we communicate. With infinite channel choices and new media, a one dimensional world of push communications has to make way for four-dimensional storytelling where the agency, or the advertiser cedes control of the message to the consumer. These stories need to be rooted in an authentic base and dialogue, but play out in a non-traditional, non-linear way. Thus, marketing moves away from being a mere hawker when consumers are an integral part of the dialogue, he says.

Ad pundits say that the story should be born from the brand’s raison d’etre. There’s a unique story (not selling) proposition (USP), which every piece of communication should cue into, they say. Pepsi’s stories, for instance, are about change. The pundits add that customers, stakeholders, employees, distributors and others should co-write the brand story and take it forward.

The brand’s story need not always be told. It’s usually experienced at each and every point of consumer contact: packaging, retail and service. Genuine product promise and innovation, not advertising, made Bodyshop an iconic brand. Its parallel in the digital world could be Google, recently voted as the most reputed company in America.

More importantly, the brand story must never appear false, or contradictory. Unilever’s Dove tells a great story of real beauty, though online talk that the ads used touch-up artists did cause some dissonance.

A classic story should be built on enduring brand values, but capable of entertaining and surprising—with twists in the tale and space for creative change. I’ve loved the ongoing brand stories of Apple, Nike, Adidas, Fevicol, Matrix, Cadbury…all high on USP.

Above all, a great story should move you enough to open your purse—after unlocking your heart.

Source: Marion Arathoon

Fight For Kisses

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:27:00 +0000

Well-o-well! You gotta check out this viral, which has climbed up in my personal favourites list. It's a commercial for Wilkinson Quattro Titanium blades, launched in 2007.

Animated brilliantly, it tells about how there's always a fight for the kisses, from the lady in the house, between her baby and her husband. You definitely gotta watch it!

Mardaangiri

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Well, as one of the takeaways from the Marketing Summit mentioned in the post below, is the newest definition of MBA -- Mard Bachao Andolan. This is a pseudo public service ad featuring Sanjay Dutt, lashing out at metrosexuals and urging the Indian men to be more 'manly'. It is actually a surrogate ad for Haywards 5000 beer.

Haywards 5000 has initiated a Mard Bachao Andolan, whose objective is to rescue Indian men from the jaws of sissy drinks, coloured hair, pomeranian dogs, salsa, cooking Thai food, etc. Good luck to them!

I won!!

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:30:00 +0000

One of my favourite quotes is:

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

My answer to that would be August 29, 2008. Today, I won a cash prize worth Rs. 10, 000/- for the first time in my life! I have won numerous prizes in quizzing and dumb charades but never a cash prize. I have won all sort of things from a fish bowl to CDs to gift vouchers to blessings but a cash prize had always eluded me somehow. It was a very weird feeling till now when I used to see people -- juniors as well as seniors, walking away with all the moolah. But thankfully, the jinx is broken now.

For those of you who care to know what did I win the prize for ... well, it was the annual Marketing Summit & National Level Paper Writing Contest at IMI, Delhi called Srijan'08. The title of my research paper was "Innovations in Sales & Distribution".

But, jinhe naaz hai voh kahan hain?

1984 in 1954

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:19:00 +0000

Check out these front and back book covers for 1984 on Amazon, posted by David Rolfe.

They are from the 1954 Signet (#S798) paperback edition, and are quite unlike the covers for any other editions that I've seen for Orwell's most well-known novel, which tend toward minimalism, with the numerical title almost always taking up the majority of the space.

In case you can't read the over-the-top text on the back cover (which manages to not mention Winston Smith, Julia, O'Brien, Room 101, Ingsoc, or Oceania), here's what it says:

Which One Will YOU Be In the Year 1984?

There won't be much choice, of course, if this book's predictions turn out to be true. But you'll probably become one of the following four types:

Proletarian--Considered inferior and kept in total ignorance, you'll be fed lies from the Ministry of Truth, eliminated upon signs of promse of ability!

Police Guard--Chosen for lack of intelligence but superior brawn, you'll be suspicious of everyone and be ready to give your life for Big Brother, the leader you've never even seen!

Party Member: Male--Face-less, mind-less, a flesh-and-blood robot with a push-button brain, you're denied love by law, taught hate by the flick of a switch!

Party Member: Female--A member of the Anti-Sex League from birth, your duty will be to smother all human emotion, and your children might not be your husband's!

Unbelievable? You'll feel differently after you've read this best-selling book of forbidden love and terror in a world many of us may live to see!

P. S. -- Note the button on the girl's shirt: 'AntiSex League.' Heh!

Source: Jason

Positioning paradox

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:35:00 +0000

This post deals with the power of simplicity in marketing and explains some important terms in marketing.

The superstars in branding are the ones who have cracked the “positioning paradox”. The positioning paradox says that in branding, the more features you show, the less you are seen. The more details you provide, the more vaguely you communicate. The more directions you give, the harder it is to be located. The higher the number, the lower the value. That’s why it’s called a paradox.

Amateurs are afraid to leave even a single feature or benefit on the table, fearing they’ll lose some corner of the market. So they say everything, and communicate nothing. It’s the “bed of nails” effect in reverse. A bed with a single nail sticking out will penetrate the second you lie down. But a thousand nails can’t penetrate anything. The pressure of each nail is completely diffused by all the others around it.

The positioning paradox is also behind many other axioms. For example, the “least number of words” principle. Generally, the shorter and crisper the expression of the core idea, the greater the impact. Messaging can be shorter and crisper when the idea is singular: ADP—the payroll company; Rolex—the luxury watch; Duracell—the longest-lasting battery, etc.

This is all common sense. But still many companies fail to realize that and deluge its audience with heavy showers of mindless 'extra' information, losing the main message they want to convey. Thus, apt is the conclusion that the simplest message wins.

Evolution of Gmail Chat

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:33:00 +0000

Well, it's always good to read about what goes inside the world's biggest facilitator amongst all the Web 2.0 companies -- the inveterate Google. So, here comes the confessions, the insider stories and usable technology ideas, straight from the horse's mouth i.e. the official Google blog. Read here to find out about the evolution of Gmail chat -- how it is a result of very obvious and simple design ideas.

The Google Saree

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Satya Paul adds a new dimension to search:

Too bad there wasn’t a kid behind wearing Yahoo boxer shorts.

[Source: Who else?]

Contract cheating

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:24:00 +0000

British students are using Indian expertise in information technology to complete their course assignments by posting them on outsourcing websites and buying the completed coursework.

Called “contract cheating” in academic circles, lecturers in computing department in universities are in a tizzy since such coursework is of high quality and difficult to detect through normal plagiarism detection software.

The students pay amounts ranging from £5 to 50 for the completed coursework that they then pass off as their own work and gain their degrees. The trend is particularly seen in IT courses, in which students need to write programmes.

Well, that's the power of outsourcing!

Read the full story here.

Method in madness

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:54:00 +0000

Well, it's been a long time that I blogged. A lot of movement has taken place and lots have happened. Writing about everything is not possible and not consequential either. So, just a few basic updates.

I'm back in Delhi, after spending 2 lovely months in Chennai -- the place where I started this blog! In between, I spent a week in Chandigarh, at home. The 2nd year of MBA at IIFT is about to start in a couple of days and the madness is about to begin again. How I wish that there were no more of studies! But anyhow, I can't help it and have to live with it.

I've moved to the new hostel and boy oh boy, it was painful to shift all my belongings to the new room and then set it up. But now it's done, almost everything's in order. The new room is far better than the room of the old hostel and is the only good part thus far. Hence worth the pain to set it up. So, I'm all geared up to face the next war! Wish me luck.

Sisters & brothers

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:06:00 +0000

I don't have a sibling. Did I miss having one? Not particularly. Being the lone child, I'm the pampered one. I got all the love & affection my parents could give. I got almost everything what was reasonable to ask for. I fared well in academics as well as in extra-curricular activities. But for long, I didn't have any body to share things which you wouldn't normally share with your parents. I had a good friend circle but still it wasn't close enough to penetrate my thoughts -- me being a typical Cancerian. I mostly tried to figure out everything by my self. Be it issues related to life, adolescence, family fights, studies, comics -- anything and everything. My parents were there for me always, all the time. And I just loved the growing up period. I used to hang out with my father for a very long time. For shopping, for a cup of coffee, even for a walk beside the lake, I went out with my dad! We shared an amazing chemistry. And mom was there to put us right back on earth when we both of us shopped too extravagantly or didn't get something to suit her tastes. That was just so much fun. So, I never really missed having a brother or a sister.

Luckily, I have a few cousins with whom I spent many of my school vacations. Out of them, I have 3 loving sisters. And I love them all. Today, the youngest one -- A, chatted with me for the first time on Google Talk. She had added me a few days ago on Orkut (with a caution though -- not to tell her mom about it). She used all the short words in vogue today and the related lingo. I kind of enjoyed it. Before this we had never really 'talked' with each other apart from the usual bro-sis talks in front of relatives -- Hi, how're you? How're studies? Exams? Work? Job theek hai na? Aur mujhe kya karna chahiye? Kuch guide karo na bhaiya... Blah.

Today, we talked something different. She asked me whether I remember her birthday or not. I quickly checked up on her Orkut profile and blurted out the date to her surprise. I later found out that she's turning 18 years next month. I was taken aback for a moment. She! My little sister has grown up to 18! Man. I calculated my age and suddenly felt old -- turning 25 years in a couple of months! Anyway, she wanted to talk. And so we did. You might have already guessed. She told me about her boyfriend on my constant query. She was hesitant first but then poured her feelings like anything. 2 boyfriends, one whom she loves, one who loves her, 1 year into it. Advice bhaiya, advice! Well, feeling happy that she could trust me for not telling about all this to her mom, I gave her some advice (actually, in these matters, no advice works and it is quite pointless but anyway). Before she could even thank me or ask some more, her mom came nearby and she quickly logged off.

I thought what would it have been to have a sister. I had previously had such long talks with my other cousin sister, another A. We'll leave this for future musings though. But something happened today. I don't know what.

Are there any alternative pronunciations?

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Well, we Indians have a way with words, even if the rest of the (western) world thinks otherwise. ;)

Sameer Mishra, a 13-year old boy of Indian origin, has won the title at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee, as reported here. He correctly spelt the word guerdon -- meaning 'something that has different language roots'.

I keenly watch this contest whenever it comes on TV. This is the story for the past several years. I also take pride in the fact that my spelling sense isn't that bad and wish (still) that something of this sort should be there in India as well. I just love this show. And what amazes me is the cornucopia of wordpower which these lads have. Every year, Indians rule the roost over there. If you have watched this show, you'll understand the part when the participants ask the judges in their heavy accents, rolling their tongues: 'Are there any a(w)lter(r)native pronunciations?' or 'May I have the language of origin please.' Then they go on to spell even the toughest words you could ever think of, with utmost ease -- A-P-P-O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A. Ha! It's damn interesting. That's what Anurag Kashyap spelt to win the 2005 contest by the way. How I wish to participate in one of these contests ...

Bhatt on AB, SRK, Aamir

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:21:00 +0000

Talent -- Mahesh Bhatt, on being asked what Emraan Hashmi had that Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan didn’t. (as reported by ToI on June 1, 2008)

Heh!

Zerostock -- Retail Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Imagine a men’s apparel store… where no stock is available! A Hyderabad-based retailer began Zerostock early this year, a concept which centralises the inventory process. This is how you shop – you go into any of their stores, try out the sample clothing on display and select one – and later, the apparel is dispatched to the customer within a specified time from their centralised warehouse.

The USP, will be in the cutting of cost of maintaining inventories for each store, of sourcing products on demand – all to keep overheads low. Cornerstone, is the brand of men’s wear they sell and the plan is to open 300 stores across the country by year end. The customer’s benefit through the prices, that will be significantly lower, without overheads and real estate costs.

Some cost cutting, eh? But will it work? Isn't shopping an impulsive decision (many times)? Would you like to wait for a shirt or a trouser you saw 1 or 2 days ago? How much of the cost saved due to zero inventory would be passed on to the consumer? All these questions need to be answered before it enters the big league. I also heard that they offer clothes in 11 sizes -- right from 29 to 46 (with odd sizes like 33/35 as well)! The concept looks good to me. Let's see if it works.

(Story source: The Hindu)

Quote of the day

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:44:00 +0000

"This system is new for all of us. Now that we have played one season in the new format, next season we will play better."

-- Sourav Ganguly, reviewing the Kolkata Knight Riders’ performance in the IPL

Heh!

Slum tourism

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sun, 25 May 2008 10:40:00 +0000

Last Sunday, The Times of India carried this very interesting piece on slum tours (Dharavi through a peephole). It came as a shocker. It raises a lot of issues about such tours and their feasibility. Is it simply tourism or voyeurism -- into poor people's lives? However, one thing is for sure. It'll give you jitters. It'll lay bare the naked truth about all the development taking place in the middle-class India. How sensible are we to the realities of life? We can't live without such people. We need them to wash our clothes, utensils, do odd jobs for us. But we don't want them on the city scape. We would like them to go, live somewhere far from the locales of the city. Howsoever far that may be or howsoever painstaking the daily travel may be, it's not our headache. Read this piece to get shocked.

Related stories:

1. Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism? (Link)

2. Slum tours: a day trip too far? (Link)

FESPACO -- the pan-African film & TV festival

noreply@blogger.com (RahulG) — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:36:00 +0000

This week, the Alliance Francaise of Madras showcased a selection of award winning African movies. FESPACO, the Pan-African film and television festival, is the biggest, regular cultural event on the African continent. FESPACO was started in 1969, and is held every two years. At the end of the festival the grand prize of the mythical Yennenga Stallion is awarded to the best film. The Alliance Francaise of Madras in association with the Indo Cine Appreciation Forum presented four of the films that have previously won this prestigious award. I could see only two of them due to my engagements elsewhere -- Ali Zaoua & Sarraounia.

Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets

It is a 2000 Moroccan crime drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch about the homeless street children, who steal, fight, even kill for the sake of survival. It has won numerous awards, including the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and 2000 Amiens International Film Festival.

Ali -- the movie's central character, Kwita, Omar and Boubker, are street children who wander the streets of Casablanca, sniffing glue. Ali is killed in a stone-fight by one of members of the rival gang, headed by deaf and dumb Dib. Now, the 3 remaining friends do whatever they can to give their friend a burial like a prince.

They even arrange for the robes of a sailor as Ali wanted to be a sailor who wanted to sail away to his fictitious island of two suns. Interspersed with rib-ticking dialogues and performances from the kids, some of whom are real life street urchins, and some thought-provoking scenes, the movie is a beautiful depiction of the street scene of Casablanca. It reminds me of the innocence found in most of the Iranian movies. However, the movie doesn't tell us what drove the kids to such a state in the first place. But it's definitely worth a watch.

Sarraounia

This 1986 film from Mauritania, by Med Hondo, is a powerful story about the historical Queen Sarraounia, a great leader of the Aznas' resistance against the French in 1899, after many other tribes had succumbed to the attack of the colonizing soldiers. It starts with an old man asking his friend to look after her daughter Sarraounia. The foster father not only looks after her, but also teaches her to use various weapons.

It reminded me of Chinua Achebe's much acclaimed novel, Things Fall Apart. The European armies invade Africa, trying to spread their empire, are faced by a determined tribe of Sarraounia. The movie was intense and slightly long. Sarraounia's role as the warrior princess could have been given more air-time. But with its beautiful traditional music and visually appealing shots, you'll not forget the movie for a long time.

The film, touted as 'the first African epic' by Le Monde, was featured at festivals in Montreal, San Francisco, Berlin, Moscow, Atlanta, and London, and won several awards at the annual African Film Festival at Ougadougou.

Other movies

The remaining two movies which I couldn't see were:

1. Tilaï (1990) from Burkina Faso, directed by Idrissa Ouédraogo

2. Guimba the Tyrant (1995) from Mali, directed by Cheick Oumar