Content Factory - Recommendations of Week - October - Part I
We've a special contributor for this edition - Rudresh Dahiya! We are covering travel, books, films, podcasts and some personal learnings. Wishing you a great Navarathri week!
Hello Readers!
In this edition, I’m covering travel, book, podcast and film recommendations along with snippets explaining the content factory’s team take on these matters. Don’t forget to comment your thoughts below and like the post if you like it. Do remember all the original content links are hyperlinked to the title.
Travel Recommendations
This beautiful stretch of ocean is found when you travel from Phuket as part of the James Bond island tour. Part of this tour comprises going through a stretch of limestone caves on a canoe, exploring an artificial island created for fishermen and visiting the famous islands known for the shoot of the James Bond movie ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’. Here is a poetic interpretation combined with visuals and videos of our visit, trying to explain what the journey meant to us.
History has always been the cornerstone of my curiosity. I am of the belief that there is a lot to learn from the past and it offers a window to be efficient by not repeating the mistakes of the past. Nothing provides life to history and its actors like Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It's a perfect blend of art, science and history that leaves the audience wiser than they were. The historical description of their work, lifelike statues and sometimes even interactive experiences attached to these statues are also a gentle reminder of life's great potential.
Book Recommendations
Book 1: The Mom’s Test
Content Factory Take: This is a book I picked up as part of a recommendation from a book club for product managers. The curious title derives itself from the question that an aspiring entrepreneur might ask her mom. The book provides guidance on how to have better conversations with future customers and use that information to build better products. The core idea of the book is that whenever an entrepreneur or a product manager is interacting with a future customer, questions should always be focused on understanding the problem better and not whether the product in mind is acceptable for the future customer or not. The author recommends so because he believes that future customers often answer in the affirmative to massage the ego of the person raising the question consciously or subconsciously. Unless a future customer is willing to invest his time, energy or money into the product proposed, no compliments made by the future customer can be taken at face value.
Advice from the author on how to pitch to a future customer for an interview really caught my attention. The pitch is divided into
‘Vision’, where you state the vision of the product
‘Frame’ where you frame your request
State the ‘Weakness’ of the product as found so far
Explanation of why as a future customer the recipient of the communication is in the best position (Pedestal) to provide information on this weakness
Mention the ‘Ask’ from the future customer.
Book 2: Ini Njan Urangatte (Let me sleep now)
Content Factory Take: Mahabharata through the lens of Karna. A man disowned by his mother, insulted for his caste, denied an education by his guru, blamed for being the reason for the war, kindness is taken advantage of and finally dies in the hands of Arjuna.
Film Recommendations
Content Factory Take: A true story of grit, passion and application of mind for a higher purpose. A gang of Nepalese mountaineers from the Sherpa community set out to conquer the 14 highest peaks in the world in 7 months. The film spends just enough time on the technicalities of climbing to provide a background to the viewers but not bore them with it. It delves deep into the life of the main climber, Nimsdai Purja on what prompted them to take up this endeavour and how he made this happen. At the end of it, Arathy and I looked at each other with a sparkle in our eyes that said, ‘Chalo, Everest Base Camp?’
Thingalazhcha Nishchayam (Engagement on Monday)
Content Factory Take: Set in a village of North Kerala, capturing the innocence and social backwardness of people in the same breath, Thingalazhcha Nishchayam is a humorous take on the events transpiring across a weekend prior to the day of marriage engagement. Rightly awarded the best film of the year by Kerala State Government, it is a reflection of how superficial and fragile familial relations are. It gives a familiar feeling of families trying hard to adhere to made-up social norms and sacrificing individual interests fearing what others would think of it.
Content Factory Take: A prequel to the predator franchise. Set in medieval times among Indian tribes of north America, a young female warrior rises up to the occasion to beat the odds. What I really liked about the film is that it spents time helping the audience understand the cultural practices of the tribes. Eventually, that elevates the film to be more than a kill fest!
To know more, check out my reflections on the film with no spoilers: Medium
Panthonpatham Noorandu (19th Century)
Content Factory Take: One of the best all-time subaltern Indian period drama films. This is a refreshing break from the Indian period films, which focused on kings or individual icons from the freedom struggle. Focussed on a Dalit social reformer named Velayudha Panicker, as the title indicates it is a reflection of caste-based discrimination and social inequalities that existed in the 19th century. Realistic storytelling with stunning visuals and great casting, would be a great lesson to social wrongs that many of our ancestors have committed and why we’ve progressive legislations to undo those historic wrongs.
To know more, check out my reflections on the film with no spoilers: Medium
Podcast Recommendations
This is a special contribution from Rudresh Dahiya, a development sector practitioner and resident podcast expert!
The war in Ukraine could change everything | Yuval Noah Harari
Content Factory Take: Yuval Noah Harari explains why war in Ukraine is unlike anything before and it spreads the idea of hatred among people of two countries who had no history of conflict in the past. I personally believe there is a sense of sunk-cost fallacy at play at this moment where Russian forces now are forced to continue fighting because they’ve invested so much into war already.
The Seen and the Unseen - Ep: 293 - Womaning in India With Mahima Vashisht
Content Factory Take: Looking at the world through the eyes of the 'other' sex. Gives you chills at how often men take their privilege for granted. Mahima runs a fantastic blog link which is in the show notes. A bit uncomfortable for those who are used to thinking in silos and a must-listen for those who wish to expand their worldview.
The Seen and the Unseen - Ep: 292 - Varun Grover Is in the House
Content Factory Take: From Masaan to Sacred Games, Varun Grover has a way of connecting with people via the simple and meaningful art of writing. In the episode, you get a more chill version of him along with tons of inside peak into the brain of the artist
Content Factory Take: Are you someone who's easily offended? Well, then recommendations 3 & 4 are definitely not for you. These include bits of unfiltered views on topics ranging from Covid-19 to the Ukraine war with somewhat well-reasoned arguments that make you chuckle. Why didn’t I think of that? Oh, that’s why.
Think Fast with Varun & Suchita - Quiet Quitting, Ordering Grocery on Whatsapp & Fake Cloud Kitchen
Content Factory Take: Update your news category and ponder over the hows and whys of current issues. Jiomart is bringing shopping to you on Whatsapp to 200 different kitchens running on the same FSSAI.
What did I learn today through my human connections?
Met with this product manager through lunchclub who helped me with getting a glimpse of what the life of a product manager is like.
I learnt that the work of a product manager starts with the preparation of a product requirement document (PRD) which is fundamental to establishing the need for a certain feature or functionality through an existing product or a new one.
A PRD is broken down as follows:
What’s in store?
A reflection of the biggest Tamil release of this year - Ponniyin Selvan.
Foray in the travel and tours space. Set-up my first experience tour here at Airbnb called ‘Experience Waterfalls, Toddy, River & Caves of Piravom’.
As always love and gratitude to Arathy Jm for quality control and my friends and family for constant cheerleading!