In-Flight
FC 217 on Marriages had a good readership and I got some nice comments too.
Tarun Kunzru had something very interesting to say: “Is the institution of marriage, as we traditionally understand it, a little dated? Man-made customs (sanskritik) typically have a waning relevance over time. However, what nature ordained (prakriti) stands the test of time — love will exist, which is above and beyond the concept of marriage. Akal (brain power), shakal (looks), and nakkal (horoscope) are all important attributes for different people. Still, in my book, a selfless attitude and common values are greater qualities to help sustain a marriage contract.”
Krupa Murthy was eloquent when she said: “Hi Prasanna! It is delightful to go through your Sunday brew!! Your multi-angled approach to any topic reveals the time you devote, impressions, experiences and the rapport you build between you and your readers!! I can go on and on but what made me chuckle was the girl in question who asked ‘Are your parents in the hall or on the wall?’ That takes the cake!!!!! Thrilled to know you are in Bengaluru soon!!!!!!! Proximity matters.”
Karthik made some insightful comments: “Great post and pure nostalgia for most of us! The wedding nuptials you were attending were tying up knots in your mind! In an ever-changing marriage canvas, the latest trend is for couples to enter into live-in relationships and enjoy all the post-marital benefits without tying the proverbial knot. While in India marriage is inevitable before they plan to have kids, in other parts of the world it is completely alright for the couple to become parents without entering wedlock. In Botswana, it is not uncommon for couples to get married after their kids are majors! An uncut diamond has great qualities inside but it takes time to polish the rough exterior!!”
Sage wisdom from Mr. Raghupathy, who has been married for nearly 5 decades: “The sustainability of a marriage be it arranged or otherwise depends on the mutual trust between the partners to move forward on an even keel. They both should strive to arrive at an agreement on most of the issues than engage in argument at each one of those. Coz, more often than not, arguments produce heat than light and eventually bitterness increasing the emotional distance between the partners.”
Before I go any further, let me pay homage to Late Shri Ratan Tata, a great visionary and a noble soul. I had the privilege of interacting with him when I was inducted to the board of the cellular telephone company that was given the acronym Batata which stood for the three promoters viz Birla, AT&T and Tata. In due course, it became Idea Cellular and is currently Vodafone-Idea. When I went to the hallowed precincts of Bombay House, the home of the Tata empire, I met Mr. Ratan Tata briefly but that meeting is etched in my memory. He was humility personified as he warmly shook my hand and welcomed me to the board and urged me to uphold the values of governance and understand the business and its environment to be able to discharge my duties as a non-executive director. An unforgettable moment. RIP Ratan Tata, come back any which way the almighty ordains! You are sorely missed.
⭕️ Place-Holder
Dear Readers, I will be on the flight to Namma Bengaluru this weekend, and it would be challenging to post the FC as per the established schedule. However, I felt awkward to leave a gap. So, here I am, posting a placeholder.
Going back in time, we used a notebook or a scarf as a placeholder, whether it be in a stadium, classroom or a cinema hall. Later, in the airport lounge a backpack became the placeholder.
Many people disliked placeholders and called it an unauthorised reservation. They would engage in a verbal duel which sometimes ended in aggression which saw the kerchief flying. I recall a disgusting incident when a bully objected to my holding the place for a friend and he picked up the kerchief, wiped his sweaty face, threw away the kerchief and asked me to go fetch it. Impulsively I got up to object and a crony of his sidled into my seat and they laughed as I walked away without even looking at my kerchief. As I walked away, I looked back only to see the bully wiping the seat with it. That is the worst ever experience I had with a placeholder.
Placeholders are seen very often standing in the queue, whether it be for a movie or cricket match or outside consulates. For a fee, they will stand in for you and yield that place to you. This was a very common sight outside the US Consulate when it was operating from Breach Candy in South Bombay (as it was then called). The placeholder would go at around 4 am, stand in the queue and the applicant would come around 8.30 am and take his place. I confess to having done such a thing myself when I was working for a business house.
‘Badlis’ or substitutes are a kind of placeholders but they step in when the regular worker or player is either absent or is unable. This happens in many professions. A doctor running a clinic takes a vacation but can ill afford to shut the clinic and deprive care for his regular patients. Another doctor steps in for him (usually on a reciprocal basis).
There have been occasions when a fellow professional has asked me to take his place as a speaker on a panel when, due to some exigency, he could not be present. I have made a similar request to another professional colleague.
Lawyers are known to create a host of placeholders while drafting a transaction document. They create a temporary text or a symbol to indicate the place where some detail ought to be supplied later when ascertained. For example, the following template can have many placeholders:
This Deed made at Bengaluru this the [...] day of [...] 2024 By and Between Mr [...] aged [...] years, son of Mr [...] having PAN [...] residing at [...].... And so on. Of course, X is the most common placeholder for signatures.
As you will observe, placeholders are a feature of all templates and work-in-progress drafts. I recall an incident when I was drafting a document for a client and in the draft I had said “Son of Mr….”. He politely asked me to change it to ‘Son of Ms..” and put his mother's name. I complied, with admiration.
Corporate guys use placeholders frequently while preparing PowerPoint presentations. In the course of preparing a PPT, they use ‘content placeholders’ like ‘insert chart’, ‘insert table’ or ‘insert video’ and so on. They are places where data input is required.
Placeholders are very helpful guides in completing a prescribed form, an application or any other document with accuracy to avoid rejection or resubmission. In the era of protected documents, the placeholder for a password is indispensable.
Dear Readers, it is very common for someone sitting next to you to say, “Please hold my place, I will just go round the corner, be back soon.” Likewise, please let this FC be my placeholder. I will be back next week though I am unsure how jet lag plays out.
Here’s a placeholder anecdote:
During a global survey, the marketing consultant asked ‘How long do you use your toothbrush?’
Chinese: 3 months
American: 1 month
Englishman: Maybe 2 weeks.
Indian: There is no fixed time limit. Initially, we use it for brushing our teeth; then we use it for dying our hair, cleaning comb, cleaning ornaments, cleaning machine parts of our vehicles, cleaning the dirt in between two tiles in the bathroom etc. Then when there are no bristles left on the brush, we start using it for pushing drawstrings in our pajamas & petticoats!
Until next week, take care, be safe and offer to hold the place for a needy person. Ciao.
Dear Sir,
The term “placeholder” did serve its purpose — I recall how, in Mumbai, we used to place stones as placeholders in queues at ration shops, for theatre tickets, buckets in water lines, and so on. Even in cricket, the night-watchman was a kind of placeholder. But in recent times, the jargon seems to have evolved. I was recently asked to share our firm’s profile, despite being told that another firm had already been shortlisted. When I asked why, the response was that it was “just to keep in the placeholder.” Since then, I’ve grown sceptical about such requests and now ask upfront whether it’s genuinely for consideration or merely to fill a placeholder. By the way - your piece was more than a placeholder.
Nice to read. I enjoyed reading it