Unkempt hair is a sign of an unkempt mind. First impressions count beta! Grooming is critical, be it in a man or woman,” I advised my shaggy-haired son, on the eve of his internship interview. “Ya Ma, chill madi (courtesy his Bengaluru college) I will take care.”
Take care he did as I woke up the next morning to a clean-shaven, formally dre-ssed, pony-tailed… Pony-tailed! Kartik. “Well Ma you only said grooming was critical for men and women. So the ponytail that works for you, works for me too.” I watched agape as he sauntered off whistling merrily.
I had been outsmarted by this young upstart. Cheeky singles are not only a reality in the new format of cricket, but also the norm of the new kids on the block. Satya vachan, is what I can imagine you exclaiming as you nod in agreement.

The ubiquitous upstarts: Agility of wit and the confidence of a good life are the mark of this young upstart. Like the constantly evolving Intel chip, before you were finished with the Keep it simple Siddy— Ranbir Kapoor, his big brotherly advice about the wonderful game of cricket is swept aside. The next generation avid footballer and Pepsi drinker is here and he counteracts, by telling Ranbir, football khelo kaam aayega.
This time round it is not Papa but the spunky pappu as well as his enchanting sister (who loves playing little mummy) who are the experts when it comes to the dunk and dip way to enjoying Oreos cookies. It is also the devilish youngster who smirks smartly as he pulls away the popcorn bowl and admonishes Dad, Papa so jao kal office jana hai. Summer vacations and IPL are advantage pappu when it comes to April.
And if you think the protagonist is the urban yuppie and what you saw in Delhi Belly and Pyar ka Punchnama are symbolic of this breed; the gyan is that the genesis is much younger and almost pint-sized. The transformed lan-dscape in Chillar Party, Stanley ka Dabba, FlipKart and even the old world Allahabad Bank are clear signals that it is time to Change the Game…

Outwitted and outsmarted: As the rules of the game change, so do the roles. A case in point are the dejected old Blackberry boys as they croon — how it used to be just us — an exclusive club that used to chat with just us… And now they are the Blackberry boys — who do so much more like setting their status, dating and sending pictures on the move. The men in black and formals are no longer the flavour of the day. The once-upon-a-time young wannabe is yesterday’s news as he is left far behind by the multi-tasking, casually attired innovator. In fact I can almost hear in the background, Neeraj’s couplet: Aur hum khare khare bahar dekhate rahe, Karwan guzar gaya, Gubar dekhate rahe.
For these young game-changers it is a natural way of life. The Sprite series is a perfect example of this. It is the smart aleck who steals the show from the hunky guitarist as he admiringly says, waah kya bajata hai yaar, is pe to dance hona chaihiye, and jives with the pretty girls as the guitarist is reduced to the background score. He is also the one who gets the pretty girl pinioned on his bike as the guy in the swanky car is left playing the Good Samaritan to the old lady at the bus stop. A swig on his Sprite and smart mantras are what he lives by. Rasta clear hai?
Born to double-income parents and living in a progressive new India, the young hum main hai hero is cool, confident and clairvoyant as he foresees a better tomorrow. Even as he loses everything, from his clothes to his wallet to his watch and his bags and is licking his wounds — tent ke bahar touliya bandh ke on a beach in Goa — he laments about his woes to his Airtel buddy. It only takes `65 by Airtel money transfer and Voila! he instantly bounces back as he sits back and says Raju kuch pila yaar.
So judge sahib, what is the verdict? Nonchalant or manipulating? Blasé or badmash? Silencer, aflatoon or pyara pappu of Pepsodent?
Well the answer my friend lies in the eyes and ears of the beholder. And at the end of the day — love him or hate him, you cannot ignore him as you need to walk, talk and sing like him. The reason is simply because he is the newly crowned prince of the marketplace and as the most active and experimenting consumer he is hailed by the marketeer and Moms like me alike!

The writer is professor marketing, IMI, Delhi