Ads really do brainwash you. As an adult who enjoys their animation once in a while, its shocking to see the kind of advertising that our children are bombarded with each day. Each one is about consuming a product, and each one appeals to their sense of joy when consuming it. 

Children are naive, and the FMCG companies make full use of this characteristic of the human growth cycle. Children today are exposed to food items laden with high sugar, artificial flavours, and plenty of additives, but they are packaged in such a wonderful way that one would believe that it is the best thing a parent could give their child. 

Such is the power of advertising that now children are refusing to eat the traditional food items that so many millions of Indians each every day. I have heard stories of children simply refusing to budge from in front of a McDonald's till they are taken inside and fed. Similarly parents are now being targeted by these ads with 'solutions' to their children's fussy eating habits. She does not eat her poha or upma or other breakfast options? Replace it with a bowlful of sugar laden cereal and watch her lap it up.She's hungry after school? Whip her a quick instant noodles in only a few minutes, and watch them thank you again and again. Never mind the fact that instant noodles are cooked in palm oil and are loaded with preservatives and artificial flavouring. Ads today tell children what they should eat, and tell parents how their children can eat them better.

This evening when i switched the television on, there was an ad for a juice brand that once again, was positioning itself as a solution to a child's fussy eating. The kid was refusing to eat his papaya, and when replaced with the juice, lo and behold, the kid asks for a second helping of the juice, much to the pleasure of the mother. 

Its a very sad state of affairs. Parents are increasingly not finding the time to look after their children, and have replaced their presence with the television, and their learning with money. Now children have a lot more money to spend on food, clothing, electronics, and a host of consumer goods that I couldn't dream of owning as a child. Urban kids are growing fatter and fatter with a bigger and bigger sense of entitlement. 

#NCPee

I'm sitting here in Mumbai as the country is eagerly waiting for the rains to arrive soon. Large sections of the western part of the country are in draught like situations, and the politicians have gobbled up thousands of crores of rupees that were supposed to be for preventing and helping in precisely such a situation. 

Ajit Pawar is an illustrious Maharashtrian politician who came into power riding on the broad shoulders of his uncle, the great, the one, Mr. Sharad Pawar. Ajit Pawar is a prime accused in the 70,000 crore Maharashtra irrigation scam but he has come out of it, thanks to deft political work done by him and his uncle. The Maharashtra Government in fact, was quick to get a white paper out on the scam and he was given a clean chit. Yes, in Indian politics, thats just how easy it can be. 

So this same Ajit Pawar told a farmer that if there is no water in the dam, should he pee in it? The crowd he said it in followed it up with amused guffaws but the media soon picked this story up, perhaps mainly because it caught fire in the social media. 

Amid the calls for his punishment/resignation/whatever, dalliances are being made to bury this crass statement of his, with apologies from Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar himself and many others. As for calls for his resignation, the other great beneficiary of Sharad Pawar's political stature, his daughter Supriya Sule, has said that the media should back off because it is an internal matter of the party. Sharad Pawar has also said that he has apologized and it should be the end of the matter. In fact, Sharad took it upon himself to scold Ajit.  

Ajit well, as we found out yesterday, was filled with remorse and to punish himself, sat down on a one day farce, I mean fast. Meanwhile, the farmers and the general public in Maharashtra is seething, and rightfully so.   Twitter has certainly noticed and appreciated this noble and repentant move by Shri Ajit Pawar. 

I do hope the Maharashtra voters can see the folly of voting in such a corrupt and morally bankrupt party so frequently. I sincerely hope they are paying attention, and throw this Pawar family out of business for good. As for the billions in movable and immovable assets they are sitting on, I do hope at least some of it is salvaged.