The Hindu Business Line : Tuesday Terror

Mumbai was rocked by a series of blasts that left people dead, injured, defiant and angry. This time around (after 1993, and the Gateway of India blasts), one could see a distinct change in the tone of Mumbaikars. Sure, they rose as one and helped people but the reaction was also one of anger towards those who are supposed to protect them. After 1993, Trikayaa (yes, it was called that then) came out with an inspired outdoor campaign entitled `Salaam Mumbai,' funded by the Gujarat Ambuja group. This time ... we're waiting for someone in the industry to respond.

The good news is we haven't heard of any industry losses at this stage.

AAAI President

Srinivasan Swamy of R. K. Swamy BBDO will be completing his two-year term as President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in a couple of days. The hard-working Swamy did his bit to improve the revenues of the airline industry by making the Chennai to Mumbai shuttle as assiduously as most Mumbaikars catch the Thane to VT "super-fast."

You've got to hand it to him, he came in as probably one of the very few non-Mumbai Presidents of the AAAI and really made it a point to make Mumbai his second home. It, of course, helps he has a place he can call home in Mumbai, but AAAI watchers say that he was present, and on time, at every meeting, whether it was an Executive Committee meeting of the Association, a joint AAAI-INS committee meeting or a joint AAAI-IBF committee meeting over the last two years. If you throw in some meetings in Mumbai for the Diamond Jubilee Seminars, and the Goa Fest, he could be easily called a Non-Resident Chennaiite. And that's more than what you could say about some of the other Mumbai-based office bearers of the Association.

Swamy's record

Being President, AAAI in its Diamond Jubilee year couldn't have been easy. Yet it must be said to Swamy's credit that he pulled off two pretty impressive seminars, and despite all the completely avoidable bad blood that was spilt over the awards imbroglio (Abby vs Triple A), he managed to hold a well-attended awards function in Goa. Now, I know I can hear some loud sniggers about the quality of the Goa Fest, and I know that were some pretty big hiccups, but it was the first of its kind, guys, and those who have witnessed Abby awards shows many years ago would remember it wasn't always so slick or glamorous.

By the way, please do not think we are talking about Mr Swamy in the past tense.

The elections are in a couple of days and something tells us that despite another nomination for the post of the president (looks like the days of consensus are over), Mr Swamy might be in for a hat-trick. They tell us it will be a first.

Media merger

Speaking of deadly media buying clout, Shashi Sinha will soon be snapping at the ankles of Group M. With Lodestar merging with Universal McCann, Mr Sinha will be a considerable force to reckon with. I don't envy the poor media sellers. All these mergers and bigger entities only mean more good- natured (?) arm-twisting for them.

In this mad media race, what has happened to Carat? It was among the first, if not the first, media independent to set up shop in India. The AAAI went into a mad tizzy at that time trying to keep Carat out, but Meenakshi Madhvani was not to be denied. Then came the infamous AOR (Agency of Record) rule from the AAAI and the floodgates were officially opened. Meenakshi, of course, parted ways with Carat and Carat evolved into its present avatar, but Shripad who took over the reins has now quit Carat and one of our little feathery friends tells us he is shopping around for an accredited agency through which to start routing releases. Looks like an old, small agency run by two brothers was approached and they quickly went into valuation mode. You would expect that from a chartered accountant.

Looks like there will be another shake-up at Carat.

Protect the girl child

Newspapers have used precious newsprint telling us the names of the eleventeen film festivals where a film created by Lowe for an NGO called Ankur Asmita has been showcased. The film apparently shows jubilation over the birth of a girl child and ends up by showing the place to be a brothel. A voice-over says, "Who says the birth of a girl child is not celebrated in our country?"

We are sure this film was meant to change attitudes in our country, and not to win awards abroad. Sorry we missed seeing this film. Will our readers please write in and tell us if they have seen it? This invitation is not open to members of the Lowe and Ankur Asmita family, nor to the audiences of international film festivals.

Victoria

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