I joined advertising in 1979 and my first exposure to the legend called Bal Mundkur was a quick visit to his wonderful home, a recce for the famous Bombay Dyeing film (I had been seconded by my first employer Rediffusion to work for a week with film maker Prahlad Kakar who was making the film for Ulka). I met Bal the man for the first time at his office in 1989. I was to be interviewed by him for a position to head Ulka South.

Bal Mundkur: The legend

Business Standard

Since its introduction in the US in 2002, Axe, the body spray and grooming brand by Unilever, has been pitched squarely at young men, with commercials depicting women getting a whiff of Axe users and then aggressively pursuing them.

She-change for Axe

Tata Motors is keen to put the small car&rsquo;s past behind.

Will Nano's brand resurrection work?

Quotas rule promotions in a &ldquo;Mandalised&rdquo; army.

All the chief's men

Sant Singh Chatwal is better known for his proximity to the rich, powerful and glamorous. But he is also a successful businessman who has built a global hospitality chain from scratch.

American Punjabi

Brad Pitt presents the curious paradox of an actor overshadowed by stardom.

Actor of many parts

Following the fatwa issued by a Muslim cleric and the complaints by Christian groups against the mass performance of Suryanamaskar by students in Madhya Pradesh this Thursday, I am wondering how long before I will be forbidden from eating bread by Hindu fundamentalists.

Yoga and intolerance

Why did Amundsen make it to the South Pole and back in 1911, while Scott died trying? The answer, say the authors of Great by Choice, reveals why some companies thrive in hard times. Another potential Jim Collins classic.

Great by planning

P D James almost manages to pull off her sequel to the Jane Austen classic.

Pride, prejudice and murder

We&rsquo;d love to have this on our roads. Our European correspondent Nick Hall drives the Swift Sport.

Swifter!

Indian collectors can now buy works by some of the best-known Western modern artists and at prices less than what they&rsquo;ve paid for some works by the Indian modern masters.

Masters within reach

Yes, the Swift and the CBR250R are the 2012 ICOTY and IMOTY!.

India's best

My Life My Style: Rajeev Samant

I currently own a Maruti Swift VXi and I have clocked 14,500 km in it in the past year-and-a-half. I would like to buy a seven or eight-seater and I have looked at the Mahindra XUV, Scorpio and Xylo, as well as the Toyota Innova. However, given the spate of launches that have just taken place by Maruti, M&amp;M and Renault, I would like to know what to do. I am not in a hurry and, if it makes sense to, I will wait. Is it worth waiting for the Maruti Ertiga or Nissan Evalia? I want to buy a value-for-money vehicle, with low maintenance costs and good mileage that can be used mainly over long 2,000 to 3,000 km drives.

Choices, choices!

Once the leading kitchen mixer-grinder brand, Sumeet had disappeared from the market, thanks to distribution problems and wrangles over succession. Its management is now attempting a comeback, but will it succeed.

Churn & Grind

The top 10 per cent of Internet users hog 90 per cent of wireless bandwidth.

Choking on broadband

From bringing out India&rsquo;s first magazine dedicated to rock music to creating a platform for original compositions through his music festivals, Amit Saigal was the face of rock music in India. Vinay Aravind traces the journey of this visionary who came to be known as &ldquo;Papa Rock&rdquo;.

The man who rocked

With the 2012 season of the Australian Open all set to begin in Melbourne on Monday, A Seshan traces the highs and lows of the tournament over the years and speculates on the possible contenders for the title this year.

Extreme tennis

With more Indie music festivals than ever before, fans are now spoilt for choice. BS Weekend picks out the five most exciting gigs that you could check out this year, including two new ones.

Festival fever

The past year saw few notable events in the Indian wine industry: no great fairs or tastings, no new state policies or rules that benefited any of the stakeholders, and certainly nothing that could be considered &ldquo;news&rdquo;. It was a singularly boring year.

The year gone by

In-film advertising is a common thing these days. Much too common. (I sometimes fall asleep in a hall even before a movie begins, in the time it takes for the list of sponsors and media partners to display.) But what happens when a brand is so big and so representative of a way of life that its very appearance in a film &mdash; however fleeting &mdash; can add layers to the narrative? I speak of Coca-colonisation, a term that has been used to link the world&rsquo;s most famous soft drink with American cultural imperialism, and sometimes, with other supposedly American qualities such as enterprise, vitality and crassness.

Coca-colonisation of cinema

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