Arun Rajagopal

Bharathapuzha or Nila is the second longest river in Kerala. Bharathapuzha means River (Puzha) of Bharathamba (Goddess mother of Bharath – India).

The allusion behind the name is that the river feeds people like their own mother – (the water is pure and can be used for drinking, irrigation or other purposes).

Bharathapuzha originates in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and flows west through the three districts of Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram and finally meets the Arabian Sea at Ponnani.

Nila is very close to hearts of the people of Kerala, owing to its historical and cultural significance. Many of Kerala’s greatest creative geniuses such as Kunchan Nambiar (a satirical poet and founder of the Ottamthullal art form), Malayalam writers M. T. Vasudevan Nair, M.Govindan, V. K. N. and O. V. Vijayan have been inspired by her beauty.

Kerala Kalamandalam, a major learning center for Indian performing arts is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy on the banks of Nila. The famous Ayurveda treatment centre of Kottakkal is adjacent to the Nila. It is also home to several famous Hindu temples as well. Legend goes that those cremated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha achieve salvation.

A train journey over the Bharathapuzha is a very nostalgic experience for Keralites. Many times I’ve seen travelers gaze out of the windows admiring the river that embodies the soul and spirit of North Kerala. It is not uncommon to hear travelers give impromptu lectures about the history of the river and berate the recent man-made ecological problems that have led to its drying up.

The river flows to its fullest only during the monsoon season in the last few years, and this year Kerala has had a particularly bad monsoon and you can see the river much dried up.

The British laid the current railway track parallel to the course of the river from Parli in Palakkad through Shoranur (a major railway junction in North Kerala) and up to Tirunnavaya (the last station on the line). The railway line is thus an inseparable part of the contemporary history of Nila.

I recently went on a rail-fanning trip to Bharathapuzha. It has been one of my greatest wishes to visit the banks of the river and check out the trains gliding over the majestic rail bridges over the Nila, ever since I was a kid.

Highlights of the trip included up and down rides on the Bharathapuzha railway bridges on the Ernakulam-Shoranur Passenger and Shoranur-Trivandrum Venad Express (check out video), a dip in the river beneath the bridges where I had oodles of fun waving out to passengers in the trains, a visit to a local toddy shop and finally some action packed rail-fanning at Shoranur Junction and Bharathapuzha (check out the videos of the diesel and electric action).

Needless to say, with the sun playing hide-and-seek, intermittent showers and constant rail action, the atmosphere was simply enticing. Indeed, one of my best rail-fanning journeys ever!

Enjoy the videos!

Here are a few pics from a journey over Bharathapuzha in December 2006.

Express trains on the Bharathapuzha Railway Bridge

Freight train (push-pull) action at Shoranur Junction

Parasuram Express at Shoranur Junction

WDM3D action at Shoranur Junction

WAP4 action at Shoranur Junction

The WAP-4 hauled 2644 Hazrat Nizamuddin - Trivandrum Swarna Jayanti Express on a magnificent curve between Gwalior and Sandalpur on 1 February 2008. It was a burning hot day and I had an affable railway worker from Gwalior to give me company in the deserted coach. Enjoy the ride!

Candles, originally uploaded by [ changó ].

Noah Brier’s Brandtags is a very interesting project (hat tip to Tangerine Toad) that not only lets you tell the world what you think of a brand but also learn what others tag the brand as (quite useful if you are in advertising).

It’s one of those addictive fun apps to power your day, like FreeRice. I said “OK” to UPS, “Understanding” to Toyota (understanding in two planes – understanding the community – Toyota has strong CSR initiatives in Oman & understanding the consumer – Toyota globally innovates and brings out different vehicles targeted at different audiences) and “Uhm awesome” to JetBlue (the uhm coming in after reading a Yahoo! Story on a JetBlue passenger forced to ride in an airline loo).

My suggestions to Noah: Can we have region-specific Brandtags? For example, I’d like to know what consumers think of regional airlines in the Middle East… The IPL cricket teams in India and so on. And may be, a lot of merchandise on the concept of brand tags? Also, I think a cool-tool on the home page which tells you what brands are featured… that one needs to be nimble & smart as the no. of brands will keep exponentially growing in time.

David Armano talks about ‘microinteractions and direct engagement in 2.0 world‘ while Harker Research tells us that microinteractions are best captured by radio.

Every second spent in viewing Apple’s PC & Mac ads is a thoroughly interesting experience. These ads are so creative, funny & entertaining that it’s hard to pick a favourite – but I’ll go for “Pep Rally“. Click here to view all 30 plus of them.

Mack Collier discusses the evolution of social media tools & technologies from 2005 to the future. He says that soc media apps that facilitate connections leading to relationships will be successful.

Bloggers on the Power 150 blog-ranking index tell us what technology marketers should be paying most attention to in 2008. Video, micro-blogging and search marketing get the biggest shout-outs.

Launching Your Startup - PR and Social Media Strategies. A very informative podcast series featuring Neil Vineberg, Matt Dickman, CK, Jyri Engeström and Adam Metz.

JetBlue’s been creating a little buzz on the Web with Happy Jetting. Tangerine Toad suggested a few ways they could improve their web experience. I flew them in April and found their service, in-flight entertainment and even their ads appealing. Today, Yahoo had a story in its home-page that kind of undoes all the great work.

In the wake of the recent Dove Real Beauty ad retouching controversy, Ad Age’s Jonah Bloom talks about how Dove & Ogilvy have a long way to go to be recognized as true WOM proponents.

Dubai cabbie shows the world that honesty is still the best policy.

Astronaut Dr. Scott Parazynski says how risks and success go hand in hand.

Is it time for me to consider Sauvignon Blanc over Chardonnay?

Again, an interesting NYT read on the fascinating mind of a wine drinker.

Yummy clip of Mr. Beanbastic

Is it time to phase out the creative function? Joseph Jaffe believes that the “traditional specialist” is out and “the creative generalist” is in. A great brief for those looking for a kick in the pants in ad biz.

Interesting findings from ArabianBusiness.com Travel Survey 2008

• Gulf residents are among world’s most traveled – 4 out of 5 travel to at least 2 countries in a year
• Saudi Arabian residents are the Gulf’s most frequent global travelers, 4.65% of visit 21 or more countries in a year; Omanis most likely to travel to between two and five countries
• Saudis spend the most on travel
• Kuwaitis spend most on their vacations
• Emirates is the most preferred airline
• Culture, sightseeing and comfort for the family are the most important facets of a vacation for Gulf travelers
• People in Qatar take the longest holidays UAE-ites vacation for the shortest period
• Almost three quarters of frequent flyers are unwilling to pay extra for airlines using greener fuels
• Business travellers are key to airline profitability

My latest campaign at Wunderman Oman is one of the most exciting projects I have ever worked on. It has been exciting, hectic (explains the blogging hiatus) and a great learning curve.

After all, it’s not every day that you get to work on the rebranding of a country’s national airline.

Particularly gratifying for me is that I have worked on this brand for the last 3 years, across 2 agencies. It gives you a great high to watch an airline take off in new colors, especially when you have played a role in its ‘vibrant, new journey’.

Welcome to the new wings of Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman.

The rebranding exercise became essential as Oman Air has changed its focus from being a leading regional airline to a competitive global player.

The airline is currently expanding its wings with an ambitious fleet expansion programme and launch of new destinations (9 cities in 2007).

Our campaign delved into the psyche of Oman as a traditionally friendly and hospitable nation to create the message that as ambassadors of the nation, Oman Air brings élan, friendliness and warmth to flying.

The revitalized brand identity features the Oman Air logo as a contemporary rendition of Frankincense smoke. Frankincense is one of the most evocative expressions of Oman’s vibrant heritage and culture.

Those familiar with Arabian history will know the significant role frankincense has played in Oman’s history. Today, burning incense is an inseparable part of Omani life and is indicative of the country’s enduring traditions of hospitality.

A high-profile corporate branding and aircraft livery unveiling event (with laser show and the works) was held yesterday at the Shangri-La’s Barr-Al Jissah Resort and Spa, Muscat. The ‘New Wings of Oman’ press campaign was launched across Oman today.

TV spots unveiling the new look of Oman Air will roll out across the Middle East this week. Communications across diverse media – print, outdoor and digital will follow.

Here’s the print campaign & logo rationale of ‘The New Wings of Oman’…

Teasers 1, 2,3:

Launch Ad - Double Spread:

Logo Rationale Book (Giveaway in a wooden box of frankincense):

Watch this space for more news on ‘The New Wings of Oman’ campaign.

Update: TBWA/Zeenah, a leading agency in Muscat designed the new logo and livery of Oman Air, while Wunderman Oman developed brand communications for other media through ‘The New Wings of Oman’ campaign. Hat tip to Ivan Sidzhakov at TBWA/Zeenah, who worked on the new logo.

Here are 2 mash-ups of my rail-fanning adventures across India in 2006 & 2007.

Highlights:

• Mangalore bound Parasuram Express bleating its horn at Valapattanam
• Speeding through a Mumbai local station
• Trainspotting at Varanasi
• Konkan Jan Shatabdi at Divankhavati
• Overtaking a MG train at Kollam outer
• WCAM/WAG banker freight action on the ghats at Igatpuri
• Mumbai bound Ratnagiri Superfast Express entering Jalgaon
• Cucumber seller at Jalgaon
• High-speed rail action / crossings in the Kollam-Kayankulam stretch and Kannur
• Footplating on the WAP4
• RORO train on Konkan Railways
• Double-headed WDM2 freight action after Madgaon
• Friendly railway staff on Konkan Railway
• Kerala Express spotted at Aluva and Kollam outer

The background score in this video is from Androsphynx & TechnoDaftpunk, but I have also preserved the original sound from the clipss so that you can hear the train beats and the loco horns.

The background score of this video is a song from the Tamil movie Aran. No train beats, just rail action!

Hope you enjoy them!

The WAP4 is one of my favorite electric locos. (Well, I’ve an internal tussle going on for the favorite spot between the WDM2 and the WAP4, but that can wait later).

Here’s a video of my first ever footplate* ride on a WAP4 in Kerala in 2007. The ride was awesome as we cruised along lush greenery. Check out the assistant loco pilot call out the signals. Creating this video required some deft editing skills, especially since I didn’t want to show the loco drivers. Windows Movie Maker rocks. Enjoy the ride.

Footplating
To ride in the cab of a locomotive, from the old term footplate from steam days, referring to the horizontal surface projecting from the locomotive frame, on which the loco cab was constructed. Although diesels and electrics do not have a footplate like that, the terminology persists.
Source: http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-jargon.html

Menara Kuala Lumpur or KL Tower is the 4th tallest telecom tower in the world with a height of 421m. Here are a few snaps from my recent visit to KL Tower on a steamy, overcast morning. From the observation deck on the tower, you can get fabulous views of Kuala Lumpur’s sprawling skyline. And of course, the Petronas Twin Towers.

I love this pic from my recent trip to Kuala Lumpur. This is taken at the gates of the Sultan’s Palace, Kuala Lumpur. Bus loads of tourists come here and pose with the sentry on duty at the gates and snap themselves up. The horse sifts around while the soldier mounting him has to sit still, without batting an eyelid.

The usually restless horsey took a liking for me - may be it was the red shirt - so he went on to give me a ’rub-down’ while I posed for my pic. I kind of freaked out, but tried not to show. I kind of looked through the corners of my eyes to see what he was up to and then later when I got the snap, I saw even the soldier was looking through the corners of his eyes to see what his horse was up to!

Great snap, great memory, pure horseplay!

Hey, I’m back home after my week-long getaway to the Far East. 7 days in Thailand and Malaysia. It was not the average run-of-the-mill package tour trip. It was such a different kind of a holiday. Not the one you go and come back all recharged and firing on all cylinders.

It was such a hectic, tiring, strenuous trip - but that’s the way I planned it. And it was so much fun. All the exhaustion, the illness, the jet lag and constant running around was all worth it. I will blog more about my travel adventures in the days to come. But summing up the trip, here are the real gems from the holiday -

1. Meeting some amazing people on the road and being a part of their experiences. Cyril, Paola, Than, Muant, Risto, Anna Marie, Catherine, Lidwina, George and so many other people whose names I don’t know but faces I will remember forever.
2. Train ride on the Langkawi Express (Kuala Lumpur-Butterworth-Hat Yai) to Pedang Besar and back.
3. Visiting the Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower and all those amazing places in Kuala Lumpur.
4. Meeting Russell, my new pet ‘monkey’. Thank you Cyril & Paola for getting me him.
5. Boat ride on the Chao Phraya river. And meeting an adorable boat conductor who thought I was ‘handsome’.
6. Bag-shopping at China Town, Kuala Lumpur.
7. Slosh-dancing it out with over a dozen gurls at a Phuket pub.
8. Catching 8 flights in 7 days and snapping up skyscapes - my new hobby.
9. Getting my hands on a replica of the Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix 2007 trophy at Royal Selangor, the factory that makes them at Kuala Lumpur.
10. Patong Beach, Phuket.
11. Lying on a platform bench on the deserted railway station at Pedang Besar while watching it rain for over 3 hours.
12. The flu, fever, infections in eyes and ears. I earned my visit to the Government Hospital at Lat Krabang. I love my OP card from Thailand’s Ministry of Health. The whole hospital experience was fun!
13. Cab rides in the night through Bangkok amidst the lashing downpour.
13. All the rides on the monorail, BTS, shuttle, blue line, green line - anything and everything that runs on rails, both at Bangkok and KL.
14. Oh yeah, the Aquaria at KLCC. Those sharks really mean business.
15. Ummm, the shopping!

It’s such a beautiful world out there!