#144 - Notes on Advertising, Libraries and Music
Education Coffee is 2xWeekly Newsletter on People, Ideas and Culture.
In this newsletter, I share five inspiring web resources that I have curated after hours of research to ensure that you have the best education coffee in your inbox. In upcoming editions, I will focus on sharing insights, notes and realizations that I gather from people, ideas, books, films and podcasts.
1. Learning from People
Prahlad Kakkar (1950 to present) is an Indian ad film director, best known for his work on a Pepsi TV commercial with Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. He is the founder and main director of Genesis Film Productions, established in 1977. Amit Varma interviews him on this episode of the Seen and Unseen podcast. They chat about going to an army school, appreciating films and building a career in the advertising industry. He wrote a book about his journey titled, ‘Ad Man Mad Man: Unapologetically Prahlad’ (2023) Here is a brief description of this episode from the Seen and Unseen website
He learnt his craft from Shyam Benegal, became a pioneer & a legend of advertising filmmaking, learnt & taught scuba diving, started the Prithvi Cafe, and lived every moment to the full in a million different ways. Prahlad Kakar joins Amit Varma in episode 414 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his long and wondrous life.
2. Learning from Ideas and Questions
Why build #bonds through #books in the city we call home? Why don’t we have more public libraries in our largest metros in India?
#Problem - I have lived in Mumbai for 10+ years and have struggled to find an accessible and affordable public library in the city. I’ve chatted with 100+ readers in the city and they shared many of the same concerns. Here is a low tech, no cost, community focused alternative. I’ve called this initiative, Bookbond because I’ve built some of my closest bonds over conversations about my favourite books.
#Solution - I want to try to solve this problem by connecting readers in this city who are open to lending books from their private and owned book collection. I will open my own collection for members of this close knit community. I have 150+ books in my private home library that I have built over the last 10+ years by buying, curating and investing in books from stalls and stores across the city. I have added all these books to a list on Goodreads (see attached link). I have attached pictures of my books in this post. I have connected with a few readers who are open to do the same and have agreed to create the same list. I have collected links to all these private libraries on an excel sheet. Here is a link to my Home Library on Goodreads.
#Participate- We currently have 250+ books in our crowdsourced library. My target is to reach 1000 books in the next few months. It shouldn’t be too hard in a city that has 20 million people. I was encouraged to start this initiative when I came across an old couple that has 1000+ books in their home library and wanted to give away or get rid of many of these books. It is unfortunate that even in a city like Mumbai our first impulse to access a book is to buy a physical or digital copy. This limits access to ideas and stories based on your background. Let us change this by building many such book bonds over time.
#Connect - Reach out to me on Linkedin through a direct message or #comment on this post if you are a #readerinMumbai that wants to help build this #crowdsourcedlibrary. Share this post with a friend that loves reading in the city. I can share more details about how to create a digital list and the community lending/borrowing guidelines with you once we connect over Linkedin. Until then, keep reading! You can also find Bookbond on Instagram and Linkedin.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blog
writes about the history of money, ATM’s and credit cards in this post from the ‘picture this’ newsletter. My favourite quote from this edition was this tidbit about the origins of the credit card,Founder, Frank McNamara, is often attributed to the version of the credit card as we know it today after he forgot his wallet whilst at a restaurant, vowing to find a way to never let it happen again. He and his business partner, Ralph Schneider, launched the first Diners’ Club card in 1950 allowing restaurants to charge a customer’s meal to their card. Diners’ Club would send payment directly to the restaurant’s bank account, taking a small commission for each transaction and cardholders were required to pay their bill in full each month.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
The Wife (2018) by Bjorn Runge is the story of a wife that questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. It showed me that being a genius does not give you the right to walk over the emotions and needs of your loved ones. They are two separate areas of your life and deserve the same attention and respect. This film was adapted from a book by Meg Wolitzer (2003).
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
Thank you for reading this edition of #EducationCoffee. I look forward to writing weekly editions of this newsletter this year. I hope to continue to share resources that will add value to your life. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (100+ newsletters here). You can email your thoughts, feedback or recommendations to abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com. I love connecting with other writers and learners on the Internet.
Abhishek