Hello there,
Good weekend? Or did you work like me?
I don’t have concepts like weekdays or weekends. I worked slightly more on the weekend because I was killing time earlier in the week.
During my long breaks, I also finished seven episodes of Tehran - an Israeli espionage thriller television series streaming on Apple TV(thanks to my brother for buying it).
Have you watched Fauda or The Spy on Netflix?
Tehran is in the same lines as a female protagonist Tamar Rabinyan. Played by the superb Niv Sultan whose born in Iran but raised in Israel, is a Mossad agent and computer hacker, sent on a mission to the Iranian capital, assigned to disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor.
It is a slow burn.
You won’t feel enough is happening but then suddenly you are left with a craving for the next episode. The bad news is that the 8th episode comes on Friday.
Music plays a pivotal role in a web series or with any form of content. IMO good music just takes the content a few notches up. Israeli musician Mark Eliyahu has done the same with Tehran.
Meanwhile, I started listening to Mark’s music on Spotify. I could hardly connect and I reverted to my playlist.
These days I am loving Homecoming from Nish - the sensational British singer of Bangladeshi descent. The song has the UK and Bangla flavors.
And then there is Nakhre by Jay Sean and Rishi Rich. Both have collaborated after 5 years and it is already creating waves in the BBC Asian Radio weekly charts.
My playlist is Punjabi, Bengali, Desi, 90’s Bollywood, Pakistani Sufi, Tibetian sounds, techno, and lounge music. My playlists are also highly dominated by my moods. I don’t listen to music while I am running or sleeping otherwise I am always plugged in.
Once in a while, I will check out new music. But I always fall back to my playlists to be on repeat.
According to studies on average, a human stops listening to new music after the age of 30. Maybe one of the reasons why remixes are still so much alive. Okay, some are terrible.
Gustav Söderström, chief R&D officer at Spotify thinks that you can predict the age of the listener by scanning her playlists. Initially, I was like WTF?? But if anyone sees my playlist it will be very easy to tell that I am old and I am the 90’s guy who was born at the beginning of 80. Okay to be precise the year is 1978. I am sure you already know this?
Gustav in conversation with a16z general partner Connie Chan and editor in chief Sonal Chokshi - cover the past, present, and future of audio - going high level into the big trends and also dipping down into the trenches.
So what’s on your playlist?
P.S. I have enabled the comments. I should not stop your voice or opinion after all I want to be a good listener too :)
Now that I have done enough of weekend talks let me get down to the business.
While having my morning breakfast of Pesarattu and green chilly with garlic chutney, I started watching “The Trial of Chicago 7.” From the minute it started I connected with it. I already feel that this going to be an amazing courtroom drama movie by Netflix.
The movie reminded me of the 2011 Anna Hazare Movement or India Against Corruption Movement. After independence, this was by far the biggest grass-root level mass movement.
Once compared to the second Gandhi, Anna Hazare sitting on a hunger strike aimed to alleviate corruption in the Indian government through the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
The corruption remains untouched but the movement became the stepping stone of many into active politics.
The common man was once again left in the corner as a big joke.
Long before independence, the great revolutionary Shaheed Bhagat Singh had predicted that India might gain independence but the cost will be heavy. He was concerned with larger problems that the Indian society has been battling from the era of Indus Valley Civilisation.
In the essay, Dharmvar Fasad Te unha de ilaj (The Religion wise Riots and their Solutions) published in the June 1927 issue of Kirti, Bhagat writes about the inhuman riots between the Hindus and Muslims in 1924 in Kohat.
“If religion is separated from politics, then we can all come together in politics even if we belong to different religions.”
The book The Bhagat Singh Reader, edited by Chaman Lal reveals the man, the thinker, the Marxist, and the idealist.
India became independent but after paying a heavy cost. Post-independence we all know how the caste, untouchability, and religion divide has kept on increasing.
#IndiaWithoutDiscrimination
Meet Mahender Kumar Roushan. A Dalit born in Mamrejpur, a village in Vaishali district in Bihar. Being a Dailt was not at all easy, he was ridiculed and faced hurdles at every stage of his life. Still, he completed his studies and launched his organisation “Dalit Mukti Mission”.
Oxfam India recognizes the work of Mahendra and considers him as one of those few Dalits who managed to tide over barriers of caste discrimination and inequalities to make a mark for themselves. He is also one of the Anti-Discrimination Warriors of the Oxfam India’s latest movement to end discrimination in the country.
Rihana Mansoori a representative of the Muslim women fighting for their rights talks about how women are considered secondary in society. In her fluent Hindi, she highlights that the problem becomes worse if the woman is a Dalit or belongs to a Muslim community.
The campaign video which is a collection of snapshots powered by hard-hitting lines states that the virus has evolved into something deadly. It resides in our mind and it has become the virus of discrimination.
The video ends by asking people to join the movement by making a pledge or showing support by registering a missed call.
Thoughts on the campaign
The campaign website talks about the campaign, how people can join the movement, and the stories that are empowering this movement. A classic campaign template that is simple and effective.
Taking a pledge
This is a simple data entry form where you give your personal details and hit enter. Once the website process your data you are shown a “Thank You” page which asks you to share the campaign among your friends and family. And make your voice count.
I wonder what good does a pledge campaign offers? Other than collecting data and creating some form of engagement. As I see it is armchair activism that India is a champion.
The missed call activity is also in similar lines. You dial the given number, it rings and disconnects. Later you get an automated message from the organization thanking your missed call effort and showing support. Sounds like we are living in 2015.
Additionally, Oxfam India has sent an automated Thank You email for my effort. The email shares how Oxfam is working to remove discrimination from India. The email promises to keep me posted about all the work the organization is doing to remove discrimination from the country. The next few weeks will tell me the story.
Can the email be tweaked?
Let’s start from the email id which it came from - friendsofoxfam@oxfamindia.org The email is signed by the Oxfam India CEO, can we have an email id made with his name for such communications. It adds the layer of being more personal.
When you are inserting social media links in the email then you can easily remove the social icons from the bottom of the email. It is redundant.
Pitch your “Strike a Pose” selfie idea. (I talk about this in the next paragraph)
Finally, why not include one of the campaign videos in the email that highlights how people are making an impact on the ground
Other than asking for a donation, Oxfam India has asked to share the campaign and spread the word. It has also asked to “Strike a Pose”. The website says: “Post a self-photograph in the pose of an Anti-Discrimination Warrior with your arms crossed in front of your chest on your social media handles. Don’t forget to tag us! Use #IndiaWithoutDiscrimination in your posts.”
In other words, post a selfie with your arms crossed. Maybe some selfie examples on the website would be a great addition.
Additionally, on social media, it has been highlighting the cause along with creatives and data to get the word out. The below tweet is one such example.
Can the donation page be tweaked?
Oxfam India has a build a donation page that is asking for monthly donations while having one-time donations too.
No need for the “Donate Now” button on the header, when you already have it in the form. Even the hero image has a Donate button. Simplification will help.
The visual has a copy, before the donation form, there is a copy highlighting the campaign and the donation form has a copy again. Get rid of the second copy it is redundant.
Do you need the challenges section in the donation form? If yes then can we put a blog link.
Things you should know can be transformed into the FAQ link and the donation page could be simplified.
Your campaign page already has all the details don’t repeat them and confuse the donor on the donation page.
Why do have a live chat pop-up feature on the donation page? Your website might require things that are not required on the donation page.
And do you really need all that data from a donor before she makes the payment?
Discrimination is layered and embedded in our DNA.
Don’t we offer the house help tea or water in a separate glass or mug? The recent rape case in Hathras is a chilling and live example of how discrimination survives in our country even in 2020.
And it is everywhere.
Nonetheless, we can complain about it or take action to make a difference. Oxfam India is making a difference with its latest campaign by enabling the local warriors.
That’s all for today.
Are you having Monday Blues? King Kohli has something to cheer you up.
I so love the Internet.
Peace be with you,
Prasant.