Wow! Three thumping cheers to my teen readers for such an overwhelming response to last week’s column. Friends, I am overjoyed by your honest wit and homespun wisdom. Guess what? Every once in a while I am going to hand over this column to all you guys. I’ll just sit back and publish your replies, and help spread your vibrant thoughts to the rest of the fraternity.

To start with, Lithika Bhalla, a teenager, gives a spirited reply to all those suffering from brand obsession.
She says, “Become independent and buy whatever you want. Parents have given you the best they can afford, so don’t blame them or complain.” She goes on to add that she has an old Chinese handset whose headphones and charger don’t work properly. Yet, she is happy with it. She knows that once she clears her exams within a few years, she can afford anything she or her parents want. Those are forceful and honest words Lithika. I am sure it will inspire a whole lot of young people.
Nandini Raman takes a different view. She says it’s important for parents to “hand hold and treat their teen children with love and unconditional support” first. She says, “If there is no parental relationship in place from the very beginning, it can’t just surface from nowhere, forget about it appearing now in these turbulent teenage years!”
Parents, are you listening? Nandini is right. You need to develop a relationship of trust, love and unconditional support with your teenage child. It can’t appear all of a sudden, so you need to foster that early on.
That love is a medicine that will certainly help a child suffering from brand obsession. It will create a gentle understanding that since dad can’t afford it, pushing him to buy a costly branded gadget will hurt him. And since you love your parents, you will never think of hurting them in any way.
Good advice, yes, but still who is going to answer for the peer pressure at the college cafeteria? Kids are obsessed with brands mainly because others are toting them and their rating in the crowd will suffer if they don’t also have it.
Noureen Rajani says: “Pledge your dreams and imaginations to your real goals and stop ‘making a bakra’ of your dad for all your luxuries.” Strong words Noureen. I am sure you will make your dad very proud one day.
Harsh, another teen, says, “You see your friend wearing the best branded shirt, you just take out your old faded shirt and carry it off with attitude.” Great idea. Use attitude against peer pressure.
Finally Vinay Temburnikar caps it neatly. He says, “Kick the brand obsession. You be the brand.” Hey that’s fantastic. Yes, as individuals we are all unique brands.
When we start focusing on branding ourselves, all our obsessions with phones, jeans, bikes and handbags fade. When people feel the force of our personalities come shining through, it doesn’t matter which phone you carry, which jeans you wear, which bike you ride.
To the many others who have written to me, I say this: I am out of space. Sorry I can’t publish your answers, but I am going to acknowledge your replies personally. Keep up the spirited response. It’s simply great to know that you have such good thoughts and are so eager to share them with me.
Now friends, I am going to throw a fresh challenge at you. This is a question vexing a whole lot of readers. How can we know when we meet someone if he/she is “The One?” When do we know if the love is genuine? How can we figure out if the love isn’t genuine?
I have avoided this topic for many weeks simply because it’s very tough going. In the meantime, figure out what your heart is telling you on this most enthralling topic. What is that hidden enigmatic part of your being that suddenly rises with certainty?

The writer is a film director