Tag: art

CAPTURED: BLAZES

About: This is the third in my Captured series; about capturing various stories that blazed the world. Call it Season 1, Episode 3. While actual Wild Fires engulfed Europe – especially in France and Spain, India was blazing on another level – in Transport, Space, and Sport. And a quick short story about Independent India’s first scandal. (Image Credit: Canva AI, 1 August 2026).

WILD FIRES

The month of July 2026 has gone-up in flames, with Wild Fires ignited in France and Spain getting out of control. The reason behind the French fires is accidental -with one linked to a brush-clearing machine; Spanish origins were, extreme heat, drought, dry vegetation, and winds that rapidly spread the fires. Nothing to do with the heat of Spain winning the FIFA Football World Cup 2026 or France losing to Spain in the semi-finals.

Successive, sweltering heatwaves since late May, and a very hot June in Western Europe severely dried vegetation, perhaps inviting the Fire Gods for sumptuous meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner served. The previous wet winter and spring season promoted abundant plant growth that then became ready fuel, on drying. Strong, shifting winds and low moisture accelerated the spread.

‘Rounding up the usual suspects’ of the ‘fire weather’ conditions is, human-caused climate change.

Typically, these fires become so extreme they create their own giant fire thunderstorm. A rare weather event, storms like these are formed when heat from the wildfires makes the air above the fire rise rapidly, carrying smoke, ash and water vapour high into the atmosphere. As the air rises, it cools, and the water vapour condenses into a cloud. If the fire is powerful enough and the atmosphere is unstable, that cloud can grow into the same type of cloud associated with thunderstorms.

This year’s Wild Fires were centred in southwestern France, especially Gironde near Bordeaux/Cap-Ferret and Landes; and Central Spain, west of Madrid, including Avila and related areas. The fires smoked-out over 200,000–300,000 people forcing them to evacuate, ravaged tens of thousands of hectares, and prompted European Union aid, military support, and emergency declarations.

Fires are also burning in Portugal, in the north-eastern district of Vila Real and also in Greece, on the island of Paros in the Aegean Sea and the southern town of Trifylia on the Greek mainland.

Both France and Spain are now seeing another sharp rise in temperatures, with peaks of 41 to 42 Degrees Centigrade expected in France.

In the United Kingdom, the London Fire Brigade had its busiest 24 hours of 2026 on 29 July, tackling 63 grass fires across the capital as temperatures topped 30 degrees centigrade. Control officers took over 1,300 emergency calls and crews rushed to more than 500 incidents. Almost 1,000 calls about grass fires have been made in the past week. It’s a European rage.

Investigations into the exact causes continue. Most wildfires require an initial spark-lightning is possible, but less common here than human causes, which then becomes catastrophic under the dry weather and plant fuel conditions.

The vast blazes that ripped through southwestern France burned so intensely they created a powerful, fire-generated thunderstorm. This rare phenomenon is sometimes seen in the Megafires that afflict the United States and Canada, but was unprecedented in France, until now. And it’s just one sign that Europe is entering a new fire era.

Europe has always had Wild Fires, but they are becoming increasingly frequent and extreme. Firefighters in France and Spain are currently trying to tame blazes more ferocious and more erratic than anything they have tackled before.

This follows the Europe’s record-breaking fire season last year and enduring back-to-back extreme fire seasons is becoming the norm. Experts say, “We have entered an era of fires that cannot be extinguished. These are fires that burn with the intensity of several atomic bombs.” Who needs Atom Bombs?

A BLAZING INDIA

There was a different kind of fire in normally ‘heat-friendly’ India, with a standout period in mid-to-late July 2026, during which India made spectacular advances in clean transport, private spaceflight, and women’s sports. Fuelling the tracks, burning the courts, blazing the field, and scorching the skies!These triumphs will be etched in India’s history, forever.

On 17 July 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first indigenously designed and built hydrogen-powered passenger train under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) mission. It is a 10-coach hydrogen fuel-cell based trainset powered by a 1,200 kW hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system, and currently the world’s longest of its kind. The fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate the train’s own in-house electricity, with water vapour (and heat) as the primary emission-making it a zero-carbon alternative. The system rides with a dedicated hydrogen storage, refuelling and other necessary technical systems. It is especially useful for routes that are hard to fully electrify.

The ‘hydrogen train’ ran on the about 89 km Jind–Sonipat section of the Northern Railway in Haryana, covering the route in about two hours with intermediate stops. It has a passenger carrying capacity of 2600 people and operates at a speed of 75 kmph -the top design speed being 110 kmph.

From tracks on land to the free Space above.

On 18 July 2026 Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, in its very first attempt. The mission was called Aagaman (meaning ‘arrival’ in Sanskrit) and Vikram-1 lifted off around midday Indian Standard Time and effortlessly reached the designated Low Earth Orbit- about 450km from the Earth’s surface. It then perfectly deployed technology demonstration payloads from over three customers, and Skyroot’s own satellite.

This made India only the third country (after the US and China) to successfully build a private orbital launch capability. And announced its ‘arrival’ into the commercial space business.

The name Vikram is in honour of Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s Space Programme.

Vikram-1 is mostly manufactured from carbon composites, which is five times lighter and stronger than the best rocket steel. Each stage is powered by the Kalam-series of Engines with a single Kalam-1200 engine being used for the first stage. The engines are named after India’s top Rocket Scientist and inspirational Ex-President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. The engine of the orbital vehicle, that enables orbital insertion, is 100% 3-D printed. The rocket stages are perhaps the longest monolithic carbon composite made in India, and combines with the first of the kind ultra-low-shock pneumatic separation systems. They all worked to perfection.

Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad-based startup, founded in the year 2018 by two scientists-turned-entrepreneurs Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. They asked themselves a simple question, “What if launching into space could be as accessible and routine as commercial air travel?” Skyroot was born from this vision.

A highlight of ‘team Skyroot’ is that the average age of its engineering team is 28 reflecting blazing young talent – Pretty Young Things, rooted to the ground but aiming for the skies.

Skyroot plans to increase launch frequency to one mission every month from next year onwards, while developing heavier launch vehicles and eventually, reusable rockets. And they hope, to be in the next wave of the space economy beyond satellite launches to include satellite broadband, direct-to-mobile communication and space-based computing. Elon Musk has ‘X, to the power India’, competition. Mind it!

Women’s Sports

Several high-profile successes by Indian women athletes clustered around the last weeks of July and called for a bonfire celebration.

On 19 July, India’s ace badminton player P V Sindhu won the Japan Open 2026 women’s singles title (a Super 750 event), defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in straight games. She became the first Indian shuttler to win the Japan Open crown.

Then on 26 July, in a rare moment, 18-years-old Anahat Singh hailing from Delhi, who is also the top seed, won the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships women’s singles title in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. She defeated Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 3-0 becoming the first Indian ever to win the junior world title and ending 15 unbroken years of Egyptian dominance in the event. Egypt climbs down from its pyramid top!

A day earlier, 31-years-old Manipuri Mirabai Chanu completed a hat-trick of Gold at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, claiming her third consecutive title in the women’s 48 kg weightlifting event with a record-breaking total lift of 190 kg. It was also India’s first at the ongoing Games.

Then came Sharmila Dhankar, who at age 40, won Gold in the women’s shot put with a season’s-best throw of 9.81 m, becoming India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallist in Para-Athletics. She ended a 20-year wait for a Para-Athletics medal at the Games. Her climb to fame is heart-wrenching: a trail burnt with fire.

Sharmila Dhankar grew up in a poor farming family in a drought-prone Chitrauli village, Mahendragarh District, Haryana. Her father was a small-time farmer, and her mother was visually impaired. At age 2, a high fever led to polio that permanently affected one of her legs, leaving her with a lasting physical impairment. It was an extremely difficult childhood marked by poverty and limited opportunities.

Like many girls in her region, she was married off young at 18 years. The marriage involved severe domestic abuse, including physical violence linked to dowry demands and pressure for giving birth to two daughters, rather than sons. She was beaten for hours (one episode was from 11 pm to 3 am) and thrown out of the house at night. Thereafter, reaching a peak of despair, she left her husband’s house and returned to her parents’ home clutching her daughters.

To support her family she took various jobs, including as a maid, cleaner, and security guard; she briefly worked as a bus conductor during a transport strike.

She later remarried Ajit Singh, a businessman from Rewari, who encouraged her to venture into Para-Athletics, after learning about the immense opportunities. Sharmila then began training in shot-put and discus throw. Financial pressures continued; in the year 2023, the family sold their house in Rewari to fund her training and career. Sport gave her a ‘second birth’ and she hopes to buy a home again while providing better opportunities for her daughters-who are themselves budding athletes in javelin and long jump.

Earlier in the month, the Indian women’s cricket team achieved a landmark 270-run victory over England in the one-off Test at Lord’s—the first women’s Test win for India at the historic ground. Maybe, that heat was too hot for England to handle!

India is now powered by a new Nari Sakthi, which is blazing the tracks of progress and development. Bharat knows to handle its fire.

India’s First Scandal

With Glasgow becoming a Sports Inferno hosting the Commonwealth Games, there is another sidetrack story. I digress to another topic – nothing connected with Sports- that burned well in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

India’s first High Commissioner to the United Kingdom(UK), V K Krishna Menon earned, among other degrees, a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Glasgow during his extensive higher education in the UK. And once upon a time he was the centre of Independent India’s first scandal, called the Jeep Scandal of 1948.

During the first Indo-Pakistan war, over the ownership of Jammu & Kashmir, the Indian Army found itself in urgent need of 2000 battle-ready Jeeps. India’s then High Commissioner in the UK, V K Krishna Menon bypassed standard procurement protocols to sign a ₹80 lakh contract with a small dubious, little-known firm, Anti-Mistantes, which had a capital of just £600. And India went out of the way to pay 65% of the total amount, upfront. Ultimately only 155 Jeeps were delivered and none were in usable condition. The best part is, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru shielded the fire than came upon Menon; the case was officially ‘dozed with water’ in 1955, and V K Menon was later appointed (rewarded?) as India’s Defence Minister. Strange are the ways of India’s Grand Old Party -the Indian National Congress (INC).

Today with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)- supported by the INC- firing up New Delhi’s streets, protesting ‘Exam paper leaks’ and calling for accountability, demanding (and obtaining) the resignation of India’s Education Minister, the hypocrisy is there for all to see.

After the Blaze come cooler things to capture. Tomorrow is another day.

ABOUT TAGLINES

About: Advertisement taglines, straplines-often with an attached logo- are short, memorable phrases that hope to capture a brand’s distilled essence; some becoming cultural touchstones. Many endure and linger for decades due to their simplicity, emotional resonance, aspirational tone, or clever wordplay. Others achieve massive cultural impact with strong emotional bonding or humorous recall. Here’s an exploration of some of the most iconic ones in India and the world, and also some that have gone horribly wrong. I’m not going too deep into the Agencies- with some exceptions- behind the creations, but the products they advertise. Let’s, Just Do It (credit: Nike).

Product advertisements are delightful examples of human ingenuity, and clever expression: like a juicy worm that draws a bird to swallow it whole, or perhaps pick it up and serve it as a meal to fledgling chicks; or, in these modern times, share on the ‘Bird WhatsApp Group’. Often the advertisement is better than the product itself. And we worm towards making buying decisions influenced by them in mysterious ways. Smell the coffee?

INDIA

Amul stands out with its cheeky one-liners, almost always showing a little girl dipping her paws into butter, cheese, or ice cream, with her tongue curled into the taste, and enjoying the moment. The Amul Girl is a staple mascot, since the 1960s, evoking national pride and buttery joy, and has become as epochal as the silent, watching-from-behind-the-scenes, ‘Common Man’ of the irresistible R K Laxman Cartoons.

The Amul Girl was created in 1966 by advertising executive Sylvester da Cunha and art director Eustace Fernandes as a witty, playful counterpoint to a competitor brand. Known for her red polka-dotted frock, blue hair, it was a response to rival, Polson’s more ‘proper’ butter-girl mascot. Amul’s then Chairman, Verghese Kurien wanted a mischievous child that was easy to draw, and memorable for outdoor hoardings. And he gave the creators complete slippery freedom to do mouth-watering campaigns.

Polson’s butter is no longer available in the market-disappearing in the early 1970’s- losing its monopoly to Amul. These days, Mother Dairy – ‘Like a Mother, and Happy Food, Happy People’- is one of Amul’s biggest rivals in the packaged milk and daily dairy segment.

Amul is an acronym for Anand Milk Union Limited, a cooperative society based in Anand, Gujarat, India, which has become the world’s largest milk producer through the White Revolution (Operation Flood). Amul was founded in 1946 and is the brand name used by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., (GCMMF), which is India’s largest dairy of its kind.

Its classic advertisement Amul -‘The Taste of India’ or ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’-coined on a prompt by Sylvester da Cunha’s wife, Nisha, teases us to this day. Amul’s first advertisement showed the Amul Girl kneeling in prayer, ‘Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread’, alongside the slogan, ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious’ buttered on the pack.

These days Amul comes out with frequent advertisements, on various media, to reflect the times and events. I caught a recent one, ‘Your ODYSSEY to Great Butter Ends Here. Amul in Every Homer’. It showed film director Christopher Nolan and Actor Matt Demon (dressed as Ulysses) eating a slice of buttered bread, but sadly I missed the Amul Girl-they could have ‘peneloped her’ into the scene, showing her waiting at Ithaca -loaded with tons of butter.Despite being born in 1966, the Amul Girl has not aged at all. Wonder what is the secret of her youth? Your guess is as good as mine!

Adding salt to the butter, India’s sleeping giant, the Tata Group, came up with its iodised salt brand, plainly called Tata Salt, ‘Desh Ka Namak’- declaring it, ‘The Nation’s Salt’. It was simple patriotism tied to an everyday essential.

Evolving with the milk, Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate ran the line, ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’ (Let Something Sweet Happen)- which linked chocolate to celebrations and everyday happiness. Mind the tooth!

In the days before Coca-Cola and Pepsi ‘cola-ed’ into India, Thums Up ruled with its slogan, ‘Happy Days are Here Again’. But when Coca-Cola entered (actually re-entered) India, it drank-up the brand – to counter Pepsi- and came up with the fiery slogan, ‘Taste The Thunder’ and its, ‘Aaj Kuch Toofani Akrte Hain’ (Let’s Do Something Stormy Today) kicked up many a nerve. Then, Coca-Cola swallowed success and rolled out fun and youthful punchlines such as, ‘Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola’ (Cold Means Coca-Cola). It made ‘thanda’ synonymous with refreshment.

If Coca-Cola is near, Pepsi cannot be far behind, and it yelled, ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ (The Heart Wants More) and ‘Yeh Hai Right Choice Baby’ (This is The Right Choice, Baby)- making an energetic appeal to the youth of India.

After eating butter, chocolates, tasting thunder, and doing stormy things, eventually something spills on to your clothes. India’s washing detergent King, Hindustan Unilever’s, Surf Excel spotted the ‘dirty opportunity’ and actually said, ‘Daag Achhe Hain’ (Stains Are Good): clean reverse psychology that turned messy play into positive parenting moments (the advertisement showed kids returning home to their Moms, dirty from playing). It completely transformed detergent advertising by shifting the focus from a ‘cleaning power’ to emotional storytelling and positive values. Surf Excel became an enabler allowing kids to live freely, because the brand will handle the mess afterward.

Today, Surf rules again, but once upon a time, between the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was challenged by a brand new ‘dirt-cheap’ brand called ‘Nirma’.

Surf had positioned itself as premium, a high-quality, detergent powder and a convenient alternative to traditional washing soaps. It was expensive, making it unaffordable for most middle and lower-income households. Detergent powders were still a somewhat premium category, and Surf enjoyed a near-monopoly among those who could afford it…until Nirma walked in, well actually danced in.

Karsanbhai Patel, a chemist, founded Nirma in 1969 in his backyard-all great things happen in the backyard– in Gujarat. He named it after his daughter Nirupama, who died in a tragic road accident. Karsanbhai Patel developed a phosphate-free synthetic detergent that cleaned well, without being too harsh on hands, and was affordable for the low and middle-class.

The game-changing advertisement, ‘Washing Powder Nirma’, the classic jingle that first on radio in 1975 and Television in 1982, was a real disruptor. ‘Washing Powder Nirma, Doodh Si Safedi Nirma Se Aaye… (Milk-white Brightness Comes from Nirma) featuring a joyful, dancing little girl (in a white frock) and happy housewives spilling its benefits in an upbeat, filmy style with singing and dancing-completely different from Surf’s serious, functional advertisements. It made washing clothes look fun and turned Nirma into a cultural phenomenon. The jingle became one of India’s longest-running and most memorable advertisements, creating massive brand recall and emotional connection across all income groups.

Nirma dominated through the 1990s but declined later due to competition from Surf Excel, Tide, Ariel (better technology), and changing consumer preferences toward premium products including the advent of Washing Machines. Nirma stuck too long to its low-price positioning without enough innovation – missed many dance steps.

Moving to something more solid and stain-free.

The ‘Dimag Ki Batti Jala De’ (Light up Your Brain) campaign is one of India’s most celebrated and long-running advertisement series for Mentos, launched by Perfetti Van Melle-a global leader in the confectionery and gum industry. It transformed the brand from a simple mint into a cultural symbol of clever, quick thinking and witty problem-solving. Imagine the Amul Girl quitting butter, popping a Mentos, and suddenly growing-up!

Mentos entered India in 1999 as ‘The Freshmaker’-its global positioning- focusing on refreshment. It struggled initially in a competitive market. In 2003, the Advertisement Agency, Ogilvy, Mumbai, adapted the global idea into a locally resonant, famous slogan, ‘Dimag Ki Batti Jala De’ . This shifted the focus from physical freshness to mental sharpness.

The core concept became, ‘Aam Zindagi versus Mentos Zindagi’ (Ordinary life versus Mentos life): showing the same problem solved in a dull way, versus a clever, humorous way, after popping a Mentos. A catchy jingle and a glowing lightbulb visual reinforced the brain spark idea.

In the year 2005, it ran the brilliant classroom advertisement: a student arrives late to class and as he tries to sneak in, the teaches catches him and yells, “Coming Now? Get Out”! How often we, or our friends, typically in College, have been in this situation. The student leaves defeated by ‘Aam Zindagi logic’. In the exact situation the student pops a Mentos mint, sparking a moment of genius-Mentos Zindagi logic. Instead of walking-in forward, he walks backward in the classroom. The teacher spots him and thinking he is sneaking out (this time) shouts, “Where are you going? Sit down”! It went viral, boosted sales dramatically, and gave Mentos entry into many a mouth, in India.

Then in the year 2008, evolved another stunning Mentos advertisement, based on Evolution. A monkey, which is bullied by a donkey eats Mentos, evolves through human history (hunting, fire, wheel…), and returns smarter to make the donkey pull a cart. It perfectly captured, ‘Evolution Through Smart Thinking’.

Fevicol — ‘Fevicol ka Mazboot Jod Hai, Tootega Nahi!’ (Fevicol’s Strong Bond Won’t Break) — Humorous, unbreakable glue advertisements made this a household phrase for anything solid. The sticking 1999 Fevi Kwik (instant adhesive from Pidilite-same family as Fevicol) is the most legendary.

The setting is a peaceful lakeside showing a Camping Tent. A well-dressed, Urban-looking man with a fancy fishing rod, reel, bait, etc. sits patiently for a long time, looking frustrated and tired. He hasn’t caught anything despite all his flashy equipment. He even shushes anyone making noise to avoid disturbing the fish.

A simple, local villager-in dhoti and exposed torso with a towel strung on his shoulders, looking excited and carefree-arrives, humming to himself. This irritates the urban man who asks him to stay quiet.

The villager takes a steel rod-with a round at one end, pulls out a Fevi Kwik tube, which he had tucked behind his right ear, and applies four small dots on the rod while cheerfully counting, one, two, three, four… (in the vernacular). He casually dips the rod into the water. Within seconds, the rod starts vibrating wildly. He pulls it out-and four live fish are instantly stuck to the exact spots where he applied the glue! The sophisticated Urban guy looks on in complete shock and disbelief. The villager happily walks away with his catch. Tagline (voice-over): “Chutki Mein Chipkaaye, Fevi Kwik”! (Sticks In A Snap / Sticks Instantly, Fevi Kwik!)

Other stand-out taglines are: Raymond Suiting’s, ‘The Complete Man’- defined aspirational masculinity for generations. Life Insurance Corporation’s, ‘Zindagi Ke Saath Bhi, Zindagi Ke Baad Bhi’ (During Life And After Life Too), captured security and legacy perfectly. Hero MotoCorp (formerly Hero Honda)-‘Desh Ki Dhadkan’ (The Heartbeat Of The Nation) or ‘Hum Mein Hai Hero” (There’s a Hero in Us). Airtel’s, ‘Express Yourself’ or ‘Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai (Every Friend is Necessary) actually made people rush to stay connected. But Idea Cellular, captivated with its brilliant ideas, when it said, ‘An Idea Can Change Your Life’ or ‘What an Idea Sirji’!

Once there was a vibrant airline called Kingfisher Airlines, which called itself, ‘the King of Good Times’ with its Owner claiming that he personally selected every air-hostess. And no one doubted his extensive knowledge of women.

Most of these lines succeeded due to simplicity, cultural resonance-emotions, patriotism, humour-and consistent advertisement campaigns. Many, like Surf Excel and Fevicol, became part of everyday Indian conversation. Indian advertising excelled at blending wit, heart, and relatability, in just a few words.

Now, let’s look at how the world is doing.

THE WORLD

Without doubt, Nike’s catchy and inspirational ‘Just Do It’ instantly comes to mind when thinking about a global tagline. It’s a call to overcome inertia; one of the most recognized slogans ever, symbolising Nike’s global dominance.

Let’s swoosh into the interesting story of Nike’s logo and tagline.

Nike is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes, sports apparel, and maker of sports equipment based in Oregon, the United States of America. It was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) and was founded by University of Oregon track athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman, in 1964. BRS officially became Nike, Inc., in 1971.

Nike’s iconic ‘swoosh’ (often called the tick mark) logo was designed in 1971 by a graphic design student, Carolyn Davidson. Blue Ribbon Sports was transitioning from importing Onitsuka Tiger shoes-a Japanese luxury footwear brand started in 1949- to creating its own products. Phil Knight needed a distinctive ‘stripe’ (the industry term for a shoe side logo) that suggested motion, stood out from Adidas’s three stripes, and worked on a shoe profile. Knight, who was teaching an accounting class part-time at Portland State University, had previously hired Carolyn for freelance work after overhearing she needed money for an oil painting class. He ticked her for the job. Carolyn sketched several options, drawing on tissue paper overlaid on shoe sketches. One was a curved, wing-like checkmark that evoked movement and the wings of the Greek Goddess Nike. Knight reviewed them: none were loved, but the Swoosh was chosen as the ‘least awful’ due to tight production deadlines for a new shoe in Mexico. Knight famously said: “Well, I don’t love it, but it will grow on me.”

The ‘Just Do It’ slogan was coined in 1988 by Dan Wieden of the Advertising Agency Wieden+Kennedy for Nike’s first major TV campaign. It was inspired by the last words, “Let’s do it”, of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore before his execution by a firing squad, in 1977. Wieden adapted it by killing the “Let’s” and adding ‘Just’.

Nike, the name, comes directly from Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory in war and peaceful competition. She is often depicted as a winged goddess, symbolizing triumph in battle, sports, or competitions. In Green mythology, Nike is daughter of the titan Pallas and the underworld River Goddess Styx and famously ‘ran’ as Zeus’s charioteer.

While Nike was running its shoes, Steve Jobs had just returned to Apple in 1977 and wanted to revive its declining fortunes, especially with IBM thinking it ruled the world of computers. Apple’s, ‘Think Different’ celebrating rebels and innovators, helped to revive the brand.

Art Director Craig Tanimoto created the tagline as a playful contrast to IBM’s ‘Think’ (and ThinkPad) slogan. He paired ‘Think Different’ with black-and-white portraits of visionary people like Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and others who ‘changed things’ by defying the status quo.

Apple’s current logo is the simple, bitten apple silhouette (often in monochrome, today), designed in 1977 by graphic designer Rob Janoff, of the Regis McKenna Agency. The original logo of 1976-used briefly-was a detailed, old-fashioned illustration showing Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, with a quote from William Wordsworth: “A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought… alone.” It was created by Apple’s short-lived third co-founder, Ronald Wayne.

In 1977, for Apple’s first personal computer with a colour display, Steve Jobs commissioned Rob Janoff. The goal was a friendly, approachable, colourful logo to appeal to everyday people. Janoff bought apples from a market, sketched many versions, and simplified to a clean silhouette. The bite was added purely for scale-so it wouldn’t look like a cherry or tomato when small. The logo has evolved (e.g., rainbow until 1998, then simplified), but the core bitten apple shape has remained iconic for nearly 50 years. It’s a story of practical design choices rather than deep symbolism.

Much like the Coca-Cola and Pepsi of the cola-drink world we have the Nike and Adidas in the shoe and sports apparel world.

Adidas’s, ‘Impossible is Nothing’ emphasizes overcoming limits and is inspired by Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali. It has been used for years as the brand’s defining philosophy. Adidas’s current global slogan is ‘You Got This’, introduced in 2024 as a shift from the long-running ‘Impossible is Nothing’. The new slogan focuses on overcoming pressure, building self-belief, support from others, and reclaiming the joy in sports for all kinds of athletes.

Adidas was founded in 1949 by German shoemaker Adolf (Adi) Dassler in Germany. Adolf started Adidas after splitting from his brother Rudolf (Rudi), who went on to start Puma(formerly Ruda).

Adidas is a portmanteau derived from the Adolf’s nickname ‘Adi’ added to ‘Das’ (from Dassler) to make it Adidas. He experimented with leather straps on the sides of shoes for reinforcement and stability. After testing different numbers, three stripes showed up best in photographs-key for visibility from the stands and marketing. Adi even called his company ‘The Three-Stripes Company.’ The design wasn’t entirely original: a Finnish brand called Karhu Sports had used three stripes earlier. In 1952 Adidas bought the rights from Karhu, in one of the best deals in branding history.

People often joke that Adidas stands for things like: ‘All Day I Dream About Sports’ or the more sexy, ‘All Day I Dream About Sex’.

USA, McDonald’s, “I’m Lovin’ It” shows simple, upbeat joy that refreshed the brand globally. KFC’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” was sensory and indulgent. M&M’s (USA): ‘Melts in Your Mouth, not in Your Hands’ was practical humour about mess-free chocolate.

Another scintillating tagline is South Africa’s Diamond major, De Beers, with its, ‘A Diamond is Forever’ slogan. It transformed diamonds into symbols of eternal love; one of the 20th century’s forever best ‘shines’.

Driving back to Germany, BMW’s ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ highlighted performance and driving pleasure, while Mercedes-Benz said, ‘The Best or Nothing’ positioning itself on uncompromising excellence. Audi’s ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’ (Advancement Through Technology) spelt technical superiority, kept in German for prestige. Then of course Volkswagen came up with, ‘Think Small’ — Honest humility that revolutionized car advertisements and was named the best campaign of the 20th century.

To buy big and small things we may need Credit Cards along with some cash, and Visa said, ‘Everywhere You Want to Be’ about ubiquity and convenience, while Master Card chipped-in with, ‘There Are Some Things Money Can’t Buy. For Everything Else, There’s MasterCard’, which valued priceless moments.

And finally, not to be left behind, Disneyland declared itself, ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’.

GONE WRONG: INDIA & THE WORLD

Some of the worst advertisement taglines and campaigns have backfired spectacularly due to poor taste, cultural insensitivity, bad translations, unintended double meanings, or tone-deaf messaging. These examples from India and the world often went viral for the wrong reasons, leading to bans, boycotts, sales drops, or brand damage.

Amul Macho (a popular Indian men’s inner-wear brand, and nothing to do with Amul butter) wore the slogan, “Ye Toh Dada Toing Hai”, which loosely translates to, “Wow, This Is Quite Bouncy”. In the advertisement, the phrase was used as a cheeky double-entendre to imply that the product enhances a man’s attractiveness and confidence. It featured a woman suggestively washing and stretching a man’s underwear with exaggerated ‘toing’ (repeated movement) sound effects and sensual expressions. It was widely criticised as being vulgar and objectifying, leading to bans and heavy backlash from customers.

Hindustan Unilever’s cosmetics brand, Fair & Lovely (now, Unilever’s Glow & Lovely) spent decades on promoting, ‘Fair Is Beautiful’, for success and marriage, reinforcing colourism and faced massive criticism for promoting harmful beauty standards.

Maruti Suzuki’s hatchback car, Wagon R Stingray was wheeled as ‘My Thing Everything’, which was awkward and vague and actually made no sense at all, as did, of all cars, Mahindra Verito Vibe’s (a non-sporty car) which tried a sporty, ‘Everybody Loves A Sport’. Toyota Etios called itself, ‘The Real Sedan’ – implying others are fake?

Nothing beats the Washing Machine brand Electrolux’s tagline, ‘Nothing sucks like an Electrolux’ – Intended to highlight vacuum power in the US market, but ‘sucks’ as slang for ‘terrible’ made it a punchline.The slogan highlighted powerful suction and worked as a pun in the UK market. In the US, ‘sucks’ commonly means ‘is terrible’, turning the boast into an accidental self-goal.

In China, KFC’s, “Finger-lickin’ good” was translated as, ‘Eat your fingers off’ (or similar cannibalistic phrasing). The iconic slogan became grotesque rather than appetizing. Banking giant, HSBC’s ‘Assume Nothing’, translated to ‘Do Nothing’ in multiple languages. The intended message of precision and diligence flipped into apathy. This reportedly cost the bank around $10 million to fix through rebranding.

When Ford launched its car ‘Pinto’ in Brazil, the car’s name became a running joke. ‘Pinto’ is local slang for small male genitalia. Hurriedly, Ford renamed it Corcel (horse) in that market.

Perfectionist, Mercedes-Benzalso messed-up big, in China. Initially its name was ‘Bensi’ translated roughly to, ‘Rush To Die’ or ‘Rush To Your Death’. It was quickly changed to something more positive, ‘Ben Chi’ (dashing speed).

While India is now grappling with Exam-Paper leaks, the most famous Parker Pen advertisement regarding leaks is a legendary 1980s marketing blunder. Aimed at the Mexican market, the campaign’s English slogan was, ‘It Won’t Leak In Your Pocket And Embarrass You’, but translators mistakenly used the Spanish word ‘embarazar’ (get someone pregnant/impregnate) leading to the tagline, ‘It Won’t Leak In Your Pocket And Make You Pregnant.’

In today’s tightly connected world-with social media amplifying gaffes instantly-what is emblematic or works in one place- in once culture, may not work in another. Getting into the skin of local languages and cultures is awfully important. Else, we may end-up remembering a brand and the tagline for all the wrong reasons. Here’s wishing that you, Think Different.

BETWEEN THE LINES

About: a ‘write-down’ comedy on the news of the world. Who watches stand-up comedy?

The United Kingdom is beginning to see more Prime Minister(PM) changes than the infamous English weather. Is there an umbrella for this one? The UK is fast kangaroo-leaping into Australian style politics, where it is awfully hard to remember who the Prime Minister is-or was-with slick changes that’s peculiar only to Australia. Ask the duck-billed Platypus on what’s going on. Football Field player changing -with the name-board number always remaining No. 10-has been put to shame.

British PM Keith Starmer after over two years of wretched, mangled governance decided to quit-another one bites the dust in British Politics. He lost the ball of support of his Labour Party Members of Parliament (MP) and informed team Manager, King Charles that he is resigning-cannot clearly see the goal-post, any longer. Now, the Labour Party will labour to elect a new leader and therefore PM. His likely successor is Andy Burnham-calls himself more British than English-who recently screeched into Parliament in a By-Election and was officially sworn in as Makerfield’s new MP in the House of Commons. The 56-year-old made the right noises about leading the Labour Party and an orderly transition to becoming Prime Minister. There is some history here, when Andy Burnham tells that the ‘turning point’ in his political life came in 2009, when he was booed at a football ground in the north-west of England. Now, it’s three cheers!

The joke doing the rounds is that Airbnb is sponsoring No 10. Downing as perfect for short stays. I am garnishing that: cats and dogs are allowed, at no extra charges

Meanwhile, in a gilded hall at Versailles, Paris, United States President Donald Trump signed a 14-point Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU)with Iran, to halt the ongoing war. Israel never noticed, and not known to playing world-class football, went on with business as usual, trying to kick the militant Hezbollah out of the field. They, who are sprawled all over Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz opened, closed, opened, closed, open, closed…leaving people in a tizzy and heading to the bar to open a bottle of Hormuz whiskey instead, and drink the Arabian spirits. I wonder, why should Iran bother about Lebanon when it has its own hair to keep and cover safely? Any why does the MOU not include any provisions requiring Iran to stop massaging the butts of the Hezbollah, Hamas, or the Houthis? Unalloyed support-call it bad refereeing? Show the Red Card.

India’s National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam finally got off the air on 21 June 2026-after a mid-flight scare, the previous time. And India’s Prime Minister, who had just landed from the air, smiling like a Cheshire cat, stayed off the road, parking himself in the Airport, until the Exam started. What an idea, Sirji-helping heavily stressed students reach the exam centres without a sweat. Strange are the ways of India, with the Army, Airforce, among others, called-in to protect the exam question papers. If there is still a leak, the Navy might have to sail-in to plug, provide reinforcement and do further straight shipping.

Moving on to other things, in India, everyday 1200 to 1220 people die in accidents and there is no prize for guessing the killer cause: road accidents. It’s hard to swallow, but the fact is, the price of life in India in ZERO. Remember, India invented the zero, and we cannot help ourselves living up to it- and dying for it. What, with 1.4 billion people in bumper-to-bumper life. There is a story about the high density in the West Bengal’s capital of Kolkatta such that even dogs cannot wag their tail in the usual sideways swagger; instead they are finding space vertically-up and down. Dogs too are learning. Anybody making a movie called, Planet of the Dogs?

Then there is this particular species of Homo Sapiens, which thrives on driving a BMW, an Audi, or a Mercedes-Benz on the pavements meant for the walkers and putting people on them to sleep, forever. Never knew population control can happen this way. The Gates of Heaven are always open.

The Devil is definitely lurking in the details: in the pot-holes, on the great highways and the speed-breaker infested streets; in wedding dowry; in building collapses, in construction sites, in bridge failures; in the railways, trains going berserk, and especially unmanned crossings; in high-rise building fires; animal(street dogs included)-bites; death by suicide, rape, murder…it’s an endless, ever expanding list. Once, a Google Map route took a driver to the end of an unfinished bridge, and there was no looking back.

On 22 June 2026, 15 people, mostly students, were charred to death after a fire broke out in a 3-storey building in the heart of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. A day earlier, 8 died in an Ammonia Gas leak in a Food Export company in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu. Exporting death?

Joining the blood stream, The International Labour Organization says, every year more than 8.4 Lakh people die globally from health conditions linked to the workplace. It is a dangerous world we live in. We do not need Aliens from Space to conquer us: we are our own best beasts.

I recall a cousin of mine, now permanently living in the United States and making frequent strips to India saying, “Once you step out of your house, there is no guarantee that you will return home alive”. I reckon every day is an adventure! If Christopher Columbus was living in India, he would not have been able to cross the street alive, leave alone sailing through an open sewer. Oh, Santa Maria!

Nothing beats gossip about the Film World-Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood-in India and abroad. A top headline is, Actresses getting pregnant, and showing-off that glamorous well-rounded, shining baby bump. Recently, Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu who was married to a popular Telugu actor and separated, tried again, married Raj Nidimoru-a Producer, Filmmaker Businessman, Writer- and now the home-production has been successfully rolled out. She is in the family way. Sure business works wonders and bumping into the right person definitely produces results. However, we are yet to see that magnificent bump, though the media went crazy over a tiny one, they thought they spied, when the wind was doing the only job it knows-blowing. These guys are unbelievable, in spotting curves and angles you and I just are stone and wind blind to. Hope, a full one appears soon-and the expectations are indeed Space High. Maternity leave is around the corner.

In another part of the world, across the oceans, working hard to keep Samantha company is Hollywood Actress Anne Hathaway-the Princess who kept a Diary. She is married to Actor Producer, and Jewel designer Adam Shulman and the couple probably heard Elon Musk’s clarion call to launch more babies-the American population is seriously declining-and two, they already have, not being enough, went back to production, and a third jewel is on the way. More entries in the Diary?

That’s already two bumps- that I know- to look-up to, all happening in June 2026. And this being football season, it’s raining goals everywhere! Move over Messi & Co.

The FIFA World Cup is kicking about in the United States of America, and it is a fabulous Discovery of America, and of football. Discovery Channel and the National Geographic have lost their footing. There is magic everywhere, on the American streets and on the football grounds. Probably the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi, scored a hattrick, and then in another game scored two more to become the highest goal-scorer in World Cup history. It’s time they make the goal-posts smaller?

I am riveted to watching football and chasing all the clever goals- especially those going between the legs. And between the lines, I have an eye on that speed-breaker, baby-bump. I’m sure there’s much more to come. The dice is heavily loaded.

FREEWHEELING

About: A break free commentary on events on our Planet, anchored on the news of the world. Any comments beyond the storyline, are entirely mine, without prejudice -take it or leave it. This is a run of events from 16 September to 26 September 2025: Rumblings of a Palestine State; Trump at the UN; more Tariffs on India; Leprosy concerns; and a cure for Huntington’s Disease.

Rumblings

France’s President Macron is clearly off the grid, saying, “The recognition of a Palestinian State is the best way to isolate Hamas”. Well, without anyone asking, that was what Israel did- albeit in a different way-in the year 2005. It unilaterally, and with the best intentions, wholly vacated the Gaza Strip, even going to the depth of digging up graves of buried Israelis and shifting them to mainland Israel. It left behind flourishing businesses, especially modern Green Houses, which were destroyed and parts cannibalised for making and sending rockets into Israel, in an endless cycle of violence. The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip voted for Hamas to rule them, and look what’s happened. Instead, Macron needs to be schooled-maybe even slapped on the face by his once-upon-a-time Teacher wife, to say, “Release the 48 hostages, give-up arms, show us you can peacefully co-exist alongside Israel, and we’ll think about recognising or helping you establish a peace-loving Palestine State”. Some sense does prevail in the world with countries such as Singapore, Japan, New Zealand saying exactly that. I wished India, which recognised Palestine way back in the 1980s, would re-consider and ‘de-recognise’, on similar lines. Diplomacy is a tough task; some things cannot be undone?
Some States are formed on pure love; some on unalloyed hatred.

US President Donald Trump stormed the United Nations (UN) with a commonsensical, blunt speech, after he and wife Melania Trump were almost knocked off an Escalator, which suddenly stopped working. And thanks to their great fitness levels, they stood standing. Trump used the Escalator malfunction to talk about the ineffectiveness of the UN in preventing wars. He boasted of having stopped seven wars and it being the UN’s job to stop wars, it was nowhere in sight, did not even call him to ask; only writing letters of condemnation. And not paying attention to the matter.

He flung Climate Change out of the Sky back onto Planet Earth, saying the ‘Go Green’ initiative is the biggest cheat and fake thing happening in the world: with all the noisy windmills and acres of solar panels stifling real green vegetation. Become friends with coal- fall in love with it – gas, and oil and use these resources to grow and develop. And he had a word on Immigration that each country should safeguard its borders – else they will find themselves heading to hell. What with people who have nothing to do with your culture and faith entering your country – built on the shoulders, the blood, sweat, and tears of your forefathers (wish Churchill was around – he would have imposed a 100% tariff on stealing his famous lines)? He rambled on to say, the jails of Germany, Austria, and beautiful Switzerland are filled with immigrants, who refuse to follow your rules!

The load on India cannot get heavier. Donald Trump, with his Bull-in-China-Shop attitude, imposed at $100,000 fee per H1 B Visa for ‘talent’ coming into the US, from India. That works out to about ₹89 Lakhs. Initially, it was thought that it would apply annually and to everyone, but then it was said to be a one-time fee and only for the newcomers. Better India keeps its good stuff within its borders. And why did India not think of holding its great talent pool, incubated in its superb Institutions, instead of letting them walk to America? Do we need a Trump to show us what is wrong with our systems?

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in the field of cinema, given by the Government of India and presented annually at the National Film Awards. The recipient is honoured for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry. The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000. It is named after Dadasaheb Phalke, who is regarded as the father of Indian cinema. He directed India’s first full-length feature film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in the year 1913.

This year, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee selected Malayalam Actor Mohanlal Viswanathan, 65, for the Award. Mohanlal is a legendary actor, director, and producer, who with his unmatched talent, versatility, and relentless hard work has set a golden standard in Indian film history. The Award was presented at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on 23 September 2025.

Mohanlal predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, and has also occasionally appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. He has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. The Government honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001, and Padma Bhushan in 2019, Mohanlal was named as one of ‘the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema’ by CNN.

A little known fact is, he is married to famous Tamil Actor and Filmmaker K Balaji’s daughter Suchitra. The couple have two children.

Leprosy

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) latest update, which recorded nearly 182,815 new Leprosy cases world-wide rings alarm bells. A tails-up approach is required. India reported 107,851 of these, a 59% share of the world’s new cases. 20 years earlier, the global tally stood at 451,325 and India’s share then was even more, at 81 %, with 367,143 cases.

Leprosy is a Neglected Tropical Disease, which still occurs in more than 120 countries with about 200,000 cases reported every year. As per Year 2023 data, Brazil, India, and Indonesia continue to report over 10,000 new cases, every year.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a Bacteria, Mycobacterium Leprae, which affects the skin and peripheral nerves (nerves and ganglia which lie outside the Brain and Spinal Cord – the Central Nervous System), mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and eyes. If left untreated it may cause progressive and permanent disabilities.

Transmission is via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact with untreated people having the disease. It does not spread through casual contact such as shaking hands, hugging, sharing meals or sitting next to an affected person. Leprosy is curable with Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT). And the best part is, the person stops transmitting upon initiation of treatment.

Leprosy manifests itself through skin lesions and enlargement of the peripheral nerves. Cardinal signs are, definite loss of sensation in a pale or reddish skin patch, thickened peripheral nerves with loss of sensation or weakness of muscles supplied by that nerve. And by microscopic detection of the bacilli is a slit skin smear.

India has set itself a target of year 2027 for eradication of Leprosy through The National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). The aim is to achieve zero transmission, zero disability, and zero discrimination by 2027.

Leprosy was declared a Notifiable Disease in 2025. Any disease that is required as per law to be reported to the Public Health Authorities is a Notifiable Disease. Besides Leprosy, eleven other notifiable diseases in India are: Cholera; Diphtheria; Encephalitis; Plague; Malaria; Measles; Hepatitis A, B, C, and E; Meningitis; Dengue; Tuberculosis; and AIDS.

Huntington’s Disease

One of the most devastating diseases in the world, Huntington’s Disease, has been successfully treated for the first time, marking a break-through milestone in medicine. It is a genetic disease-hence hereditary-runs through families, and is known for killing brain cells. The symptoms resemble a combination of dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neuron disease.

The disease gets its name from George Huntington, an American physician who contributed a classic, clinical description of the disease. We do not get to know about a lot many things until someone catches it by the collar and effectively pins it down by an understandable description. By George, Huntington did just that!

He described this condition in the first of only two scientific papers he ever wrote in 1872, when he was just 22, a year after receiving his medical degree from Columbia University in New York. It is said that, “In the history of medicine, there are few instances in which a disease has been more accurately, more graphically or more briefly described.”

It is a throughly wretched disease, characterised by the jerky movements of the sufferers. The first symptoms of Huntington’s disease appear in your thirties or forties, and progresses without control leading to senility and premature death within two decades of its onset.

Huntington’s Disease is because of a gene, gone rouge-one mutation in the HTT gene-which produces a protein called huntingtin. The mutation turns the gene into a ’neuron-killer’.

The huntingtin protein is one of the most complex proteins in the human body, and we have no idea what it is actually for. Somebody will hunt it down, one day!

In the United Kingdom, Huntington’s Disease Centre Professor Sarah Tabrizi spoke after the disease had been successfully treated for the first time. The Research Team said the data showed that the disease slowed by 75% in patients. The decline patients usually expected in one year would ultimately take four years after treatment, giving patients decades of a ‘good quality’ of life.

The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given within 12 to 18 hours of a delicate brain injury. It uses cutting-edge genetic medicine combining gene therapy and ‘gene silencing’ technologies. It starts with a safe virus that has been altered to contain a specially designed sequence of DNA. The virus then acts like a microscopic postman – delivering the new piece of DNA inside brain cells, where it becomes active. This leads to lower levels of mutant huntingtin in the brain. In the new treatment there’s a 50% chance that one will inherit the altered gene. The future looks bright and promising.

More healthy stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Stay watchful with Freewheeling.

FREEWHEELING

About: A break free commentary on events on our Planet, anchored on the news of the world. Any comments beyond the storyline, are entirely mine, without prejudice -take it or leave it. This is a run of events from 1 September to 15th September: the churn and restlessness in the world; Gen Z in Nepal; India pulls up its sleeves; and the passing of fashion designer Armani.

The World on a Spin

The World is definitely spinning-now it seems more on the inside-churning and in a multi-dimensional whirl!

France dived into a political crisis when its Prime Minister (PM) Francois Bayrou was defeated in a confidence vote in the National Assembly: 364 votes against to 194 for. He submitted his government’s resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who quickly decided to replace him with close ally Sebastien Lecornu. This is France’s seventh PM under Macron, and the fifth in less than two years: a pointer to the disenchantment and full-grown frustration with Macron’s second term.

Lecornu, 39, has spent the past three years as Minister of the Armed Forces focusing on France’s response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. He has now been given the task of consulting political parties, probably on a war-footing, with the aim of adopting France’s next budget.

In the United Kingdom, the British seem to have taken US Vice-President J D Vance’s words -said in jest-seriously. He joked that Britain could well become the “first truly Islamist country to get a nuclear weapon,” following the Labour Party’s election victory. And with the appointment of a Pro-Palestine rabble-rouser as Home Secretary, along with the climbing incidents of Islamic lawlessness, they are on course to achieving that status. Shabana Mahmood has been appointed new UK Home Secretary, replacing Yvette Cooper following a major Cabinet reshuffle in the Labour-led government, triggered by the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

Meanwhile, in recent times, Central London has become the stage of many protests. ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, was attended by around 110,000 people. Then there was the ‘Stand Up to Racism’ counter-protest, besides the ever-so-often, running-on-your-screens, pro-Palestine protests.

Looks like it’s back to old assassination ways in the United States of America: the guns were always there; many are finding the trigger more often than before.

Charlie Kirk, 31, a close associate of US President Donald Trump was assassinated on 10th September while on stage at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, for a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event, ‘The American Comeback Tour’. Kirk was fatally shot in the neck, around 20 minutes after the event began, in front of an audience of about 3,000 people.

Charlie was a political activist, author, and media personality. He co-founded the student organisation TPUSA in 2012, which caters to conservative youth on American university campuses and was its Executive Director. He was one of the most prominent voices of the populist MAGA movement and exemplified the growth of Christian nationalism in the Republican Party. He leaves behind two young kids and his wife Erika Kirk who pledged to keep his legacy alive.

The suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22 was arrested for the killing, turned in by his own father, to who he admitted the crime. This, after the father saw released photos of the suspect and confirmed that was it was his son. It is said that despite a good upbringing, Tyler Robinson was radicalised ‘in a fairly short amount of time’. Tyler is a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College, Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed.

On the same day, 10th September Indian origin Chandra Nagamallaiah was brutally beheaded in a Dallas Motel by an undocumented immigrant, an illegal alien from Cuba, Yordanis Cobos Martinez, in front of his wife and son. The gruesome act took place at the Downtown Suites Motel in Dallas where Chandra Nagamallaiah and Cobos-Martinez were workers. Nagamallaiah had approached Cobos-Martinez and a female colleague while they were cleaning a room, telling them not to use a broken washing machine. Cobos-Martinez became enraged as Nagamallaiah had asked the female colleague to translate what he was saying instead of addressing him directly. Cobos-Martinez left the room, pulled out a machete ‘from his person’ and launching the assault. Nagamallaiah ran through the motel’s car park screaming for help, but the suspect chased him down and struck him repeatedly.

In late August Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was killed on a train at the East/West Boulevard light rail station on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina. Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had fled her country because of the Russian invasion, was fatally stabbed. Her assailant, Decarlos Brown Jr., was arrested upon exiting the train and charged with first-degree murder. The 34-year-old Brown was arrested 14 times before the stabbing; he was convicted of breaking and entering. While on probation, he was arrested for armed robbery. And was incarcerated for more than five years in state prison

What’s happening in the United States of America?

Generation Z (Gen Z) is the generation born in the late 1990s or the early 21st century, perceived as being familiar with the use of digital technology, the internet, and social media from a very young age.

It was student and youth-led, Generation Z’s simmering churn in Sri Lanka some time ago, which spread to Bangladesh and leaders of both countries flying-out to escape the fury of the mobs. This time it was the turn of Nepal.

Nepal is in the grip of its worst political turmoils in decades after Gen Z led protests over a social media ban erupted and transformed into a nationwide uprising against corruption and entrenched political leadership. At least 70 people have been killed in clashes with security forces, which appears to have ignited latent fury. Demonstrators scorched the streets, torched the homes of senior leaders, and stormed (burnt it as well) Parliament leading to the resignation of the Prime Minister.

In events leading to the chaos, Nepal banned social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram, after they did not register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. A notice said social media giants are given a week to register with the government, starting 28th August. But none, Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X, Reddit, and LinkedIn – had submitted applications, by the deadline.

The number of Facebook users in Nepal can be put at around 13.5 million, and Instagram at around 3.6 million. Many rely on social media for their business. As the social media platforms went down in Nepal, those affected started protesting. The demonstrations against social media ban then snowballed into an anti-corruption protest.

There have been a series of corruption scams and allegations against high-ranking political leaders in Nepal, with little action taken and hardly anyone brought to book. Another factor is the ‘Nepo kids’ phenomenon. The children of political leaders flaunted their wealth and lavish lifestyles, which fuelled resentment among young people.

The turmoil appears to have subsided for the moment, with the ‘social media’ selection of former Chief Justice Mrs Sushila Karki, as interim Prime Minister. Karki took the oath of office after an agreement with protest leaders from the Gen Z movement. Nepal’s newly-appointed interim PM says she will be in the post for no longer than six months. “I did not wish for this job. It was after voices from the streets that I was compelled to accept,” Sushila Karki said, speaking for the first time since being sworn into office on Friday. She said she would hand over to the new government which will emerge after elections on 5th March, next year. Incidentally, Karki’s husband, Durga Prasad Subedi, is a Nepalese democracy fighter, author, and politician who was one of the three youth wing leaders of the Nepali Congress involved in the 1973 Royal Nepal Airlines DHC-6 hijacking. We sure have a potboiler in Nepal.

In keeping with the ‘World tempo’ the other two ‘good old wars’ have become a part of everyday life. Russia continues slamming Ukraine with gunfire, and Israel is working hard on its plan to take full control of Gaza City. Israel says it has over 40% of the city under its control.

On 8th September six people were killed on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting. In a lightening response, on 9th September, Israel make a tactical surgical strike on Hamas’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar, targeting the Hamas leadership based in the city, which was getting together for a meeting. The usual noises of violating international law, sovereignty, were made by Qatar, Saudi Arabia… and of course the decaying United Nations.

India

Thanks to US President Donal Trump’s belligerent stance on Tariffs, India began hugging the Russian Bear and kissing the Chinese Dragon to counter the draconian measures. And then, there is also no denying the ‘nudge’ to become self-reliant.

Russia has always been a friend-through thick and thin times; China is different with ‘bone-of-contention’ border issues, often drawing blood. Maybe, India’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have read the story from the Epic Mahabharata and are following through. The story is narrated by Bhishma to Yudhishthira, to illustrate the principle of forming temporary, self-interested, mutually-beneficial Alliances, during times of crisis. It goes like this.

In a large forest, there lived a Rat in a hole at the base of a Banyan Tree, while a Cat lived on the Tree. One day, the Rat ventured out of its hole only to bump into the Cat. Rats being a traditional meal for cats, the Rat, in question, sought to quickly dart away, but was stopped on its tracks by the Cat. “Let’s be friends”, said the Cat. “No” said the Rat, “how is that possible with rats being something cats always eat for dinner?” Meanwhile, a Hunter in the Forest set a trap-spreading a net under the tree-to trap birds and animals for his dinner, and the Cat got caught in it. Hearing its cries, the Rat came out of its hole. “Help Me”, cried the Cat, bite the net with your strong teeth and release me before the Hunter arrives. I promise I will not attempt to eat you”. About this time, an Owl and a Mongoose arrived on the scene and the Rat was rattled. It proposed a deal to the Cat, “Allow me to hide in your fur until the ‘clear and present danger’ passes and then I shall release you from the net”. All right, said the Cat and allowed the Rat to hide in its fur while the Owl and Mongoose went their own ways. When the Rat got out, the Cat asked it to gnaw the net and release him, as promised. “I’ll do it, said the Rat, but at a time of my choosing as you can still hunt me down for a meal. I will release you just before the Hunter arrives so that both of us have enough time to escape and we have no other motive other than saving ourselves. And you will be fully focussed on escaping without bothering to eat me”. The Rat did just that – the Hunter lost his meal. Thereafter, the Cat and the Rat went their separate ways.

India should treat China like the Rat treated the Cat. Enjoy the ‘alliance’ for mutual benefit, but be wary of China’s Dragon Fire. China cannot be trusted – at least at the Borders.

India’s Epics, especially the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are a cornucopia of knowledge- ‘the distilled essence of solutions’ to problems plaguing mankind. They are waiting to be read, understood, and applied sensibly in today’s context. Did not someone say, ‘Old is Gold’?

US President Donald Trump’s rant was typical, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together”. Thanks for your attention to the matter? He seems to have mellowed down later and began making overtures of India. No love lost?

Meanwhile, there is another Politician in India’s Tamil Nadu: the Opposition Leader Edappadi Palanisamy who is fighting to hold his Party (AIADMK) together with fragments falling off. Maybe he needs to pay attention to the cat & rat matter?

Goods & Services Tax (GST)

India’s PM promised a deluge of tax reliefs in the form of ‘Next Generation GST Reforms’ during his 15th August, Independence Day Address: seems to have worked it out beforehand. On 3rd September the GST Council met and unanimously accepted a two-tier tax structure of 5% and 18% plus a topping of 40% for ‘Sin Goods’. Many items were pushed down to the 5% slab and 18 % slabs from the previous 12% and 24% slabs respectively. There was cheers all-around and Industry had an ear-to-ear grin. Now they must pass-on the benefit to the common-man. A stellar achievement was the 18% GST on health Insurance was made ‘Nil’ on a quite vociferous demand through the year.Ouch, that hurt. I had just renewed my Health Insurance paying over 10,000 as GST!

Vice President of India

India got itself a new Vice President, C P Radhakrishnan, who took oath on 12 September. In the Vice Presidential elections he secured 452 votes for a maximum possible 437 votes of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Of the 767 votes cast votes, 15 were invalid votes and the opposition candidate secured 300 votes – of a possible 315.

ARMANI

Legendary, iconic, Italian designer Giorgio Armani, a master of style and elegance who reimagined fashion for a modern audience, died on 4 September 2025 at the ripe ‘unfashionable’ age of 91. Armani was indefatigable, driven by relentless curiosity and a deep attention to the present, and to people. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern fashion forever changing the way people think about clothes, something that most fashion designers rarely accomplish. Armani leaves behind one of the most successful business empires in fashion history. The superlatives are deadly.

Armani elevated red carpet fashion to the aura of brightness we see it today. He was the first to ban underweight models-of Body Mass Index (BMI) under 18- from the runway, after model Ana Carolina Reston starved herself to death due to anorexia nervosa, in 2006.

The Armani Fashion House diversified and expanded from fashion into an empire spanning beauty, fragrance, music, sport, and even luxury hotels, earning billions of dollars a year.

Armani revolutionised fashion in the 1970s with minimalist, deconstructed silhouettes (intentionally unfinished), embodied in his famous soft jackets and unstructured suits. He transformed masculine and feminine elegance into a contemporary, sober and sophisticated form. He loosened the restrictions of stiffer styles of suit wear, helping to make men wearing suits feel sophisticated while empowering women in formal settings such as work. In summary, he reinvented the suit: softened menswear making it more sensual and hardened womenswear.

Armani was born in Piacenza, Northern Italy, in July 1934. He was one of three children. His father worked as an accountant. His family’s comfortable middle-class lifestyle was destroyed by the war. He endured a difficult childhood, when there wasn’t very much food on the table, and his mother had a difficult time feeding the children. Going back, his earliest memory was hunger. And he recalled playing with unexploded artillery shells in the street, until one suddenly went off: which severely burnt him, and a close friend was killed.

As a young man, Armani drifted. In 1956, he began a medicine degree, but dropped out after three years, and joined the Army. Swiftly tiring of life in the military, he found a job as a window dresser at La Rinascente – a department store in Milan – where he moved swiftly through the ranks.

Soon, Armani was working for Nino Cerruti – an influential haute couture designer. Within months, Cerruti asked him to restructure the company’s approach. He also went on to design the company’s Hitman Menswear Collection. His work at Cerruti was a crucial period that shaped his future aesthetic, and was also foundational to his knowledge of fabrics. Most designers learn their trade as apprentices or at fashion school, but Armani’s education took place on the shop floor. He learned what fabrics the customers liked, and went to the textile mills to buy them. He became an expert in how cloth was constructed, and used his knowledge to perfect tailoring. While at Cerruti, Armani began to strip away the stiff, traditional Italian tailoring. He created softer, less structured suits that offered men a more modern attitude and freedom of movement.

In 1966, Armani met Sergio Galeotti, a young apprentice architect and fashion designer. Galeotti and Armani began a long personal relationship that would serve as the backbone of their future professional relationship as well. Galeotti prodded Armani to start on his own believing in his potential, and in turn making Armani believe in himself and see the bigger picture in starting his own fashion line.

Then at the age of 41, in 1975, having enough experience and self-belief, and with his partner Sergio Galeotti at his side, he launched his own label, Giorgio Armani. The story goes that Galeotti convinced Armani to sell his Volkswagen Beetle- for start-up capital, to hire staff and secure office space in Milan. They started small: their first office was so dingy that Armani took the shades off the lamps in order to see the fabrics. But their work was nothing short of a revolution in fashion.

Galeotti was the force behind the Armani machine, masterminding the business side, leading the financial sector and administrative aspects of the company.

The 1960s middle classes could not afford haute couture, but yearned for a stylish, distinctive look of their own. With his expertise in fabrics, Armani provided an answer. His fine cloths made possible a menswear range with neat, precise cuts that could be manufactured at scale. Its distinctively Italian style began to influence the way the fashionable dressed. And with more women entering the workplace, Armani spotted an opportunity. “I realised that they needed a way to dress that was equivalent to that of men,” he said. “Something that would give them dignity in their work life.”

With Armani’s elegantly tailored power suits, women were offered an alternative to the stiff and stuffy dresses their mothers had worn to work. They exuded femininity, but were a powerful statement of equality.

Armani received his breakthrough in the 1980s when Hollywood Actor Richard Gere donned Armani suits in the film ‘American Gigolo’. This propelled the brand into the global spotlight, cementing Armani as a household name. Soon, stars from Michelle Pfeiffer to John Travolta embraced his creations, making him the designer of choice for both red carpets and everyday luxury. He broadcast his collection live on the Internet, the first in the world of haute couture, on 24 January 2007.

Armani famously collaborated with model Vittoria Ceretti a prominent Italian supermodel who has frequently worked with Armani throughout her career, appearing in campaigns and wearing his designs at major events.

But Armani didn’t stop at clothes. He expanded into perfumes, eyewear, and multiple lines such as Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange, targeting different segments of the global market. His company’s revenue soared into billions, while his boutiques multiplied across continents. He also built a global hospitality business, spanning hotels, cafes, restaurants and bars, that carried the same elegance as his fashion line. The centrepiece of his hospitality business is the Armani Hotels developed in partnership with Dubai’s Emaar Properties.

As a sports fan, he designed suits for Chelsea and the England football team, and made the uniforms for Italy’s Olympic team in 2012. Working tirelessly Armani through his fashion and hospitality businesses built an empire worthy of a king.

Though Armani remained CEO and sole shareholder right until his death, in his lifetime, Armani drew up a succession plan consisting of a gradual transition of the responsibilities that he had always handled to those closest to him, such as Leo Dell’Orco, the members of his family, and the entire working team. He wanted the succession to be organic and not amount to rupture.

Beyond his family, his heirs will include his long-term collaborator and right-hand man, Pantaelo Dell’Orco, and a foundation. This foundation was established in 2016 and plays a significant role in the preservation of Armani’s legacy and is designed to protect the company. The will instructs heirs to sell a 15% stake in the Italian fashion house within 18 months and later transfer an additional stake to the same buyer between three and five years after his death, or pursue an initial public offering.

His family members, consist of his nieces, Silvana and Roberta Armani, his nephew, Andrea Camerana. Silvana worked at Armani designs, running the womenswear collections. Meanwhile, Roberta, the daughter of his late brother Sergio, has been the director of Armani’s public relations, becoming the bridge between the brand and Hollywood. Roberta orchestrated Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ wedding in an Italian castle in 2006, with Armani personally designing both the bride’s and groom’s attire. Andrea, Armani’s nephew, joined the company in 2000 and worked as both a counsellor and licensing director. He eventually became Armani’s sustainability managing director, and focuses on the brand’s policy toward the environment.

Dell’Orco, described as Armani’s right-hand man, has been involved in the company since 1977 and currently heads the men’s style office. He frequently appears by the designer’s side at various fashion shows, and events. In fact, in June 2025, when Armani missed the menswear show during Milan Fashion Week for the first time in 50 years due to an undisclosed illness, Dell’Orco took over.

Remaining independent his entire life, Armani has also stated in his will no major mergers or IPOs would be permitted until five years after his death, providing a period of stability. With this, he sought to protect his brand against potential acquisitions by other giants in the Industry.

Armani was an intensely private man. He never married or had children. And had relationships with both men and women. He had a longstanding personal relationship with Sergio Galeotti, who died of complications from AIDS in 1985. Reflecting in 2015, Armani said of Galeotti: “when I travel, I bring his photograph. There is something that remains. His spirit lingers. For sure. He lives on. I see Sergio everywhere, and I am sure he sees me. And I have hope that whatever I have done, he knows about it”. Armani described his inability to prevent Galeotti’s death as the greatest failure of his career.

In later years, Armani spent much of his time on his yacht, and loved sailing. He had been in declining health in the months leading up to his death.

More well-dressed stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Suit and boot yourself with Freewheeling.