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“The most important part of teaching isto teach what it is to know.” -Simone Weil, 1943 This lenticular clay tablet was used to help scribes learn to write the Sumerian and Akkadian languages using the triangle-like cuneiform script. Such elementary exercises were often completed on tablets that were small and round, easily fitting into the palm of a hand. The teacher would write in the obverse side and the pupil would copy the written word. On this tablet, the name of the deity Urash was copied six times by a student , some 4,000 years ago… It’s interesting that this “learn from my example and repeat after me” modality of supervised transmission of learning has been compromised to a large extent. It was the essence of the “Guru-Shishya” parampara (master – disciple transition ) in India. (Cuneiform tablet: student exercise tabletBabylonian c. 20th–16th century BCEat The Met , 5th Avenue , NYC)

“Storytelling in Seconds: how to win in the short form era and ensure Creativity Without Compromise” I will be delivering a keynote on this vital subject at the 2nd edition of BW Marketing World Momentum Conference 2025 where industry leaders and changemakers will share valuable insights on how they are redefining the industry with their creativity, strategic thinking, and consistent actions. hashtag#BWMarketingMomentum followed by hashtag#BWTheMerits Awards 2025! At Novotel Hotel, Andheri East Mumbai On May 27, 2025 Annurag Batra | Chetan Mehra hashtag#MarketingExcellence hashtag#ModernMarketing hashtag#BWMarketingWorld hashtag#BWBusinessworld

Mario Vargas Llosa, a titan of literature whose pen carved truth into fiction and gave voice to the soul of Latin America passed away on April 13th, aged 89. Nobel laureate, fearless critic, and eternal storyteller, he challenged power and celebrated freedom. His words live on—bold, brilliant, and unyielding—etched in the hearts of readers across generations. My article in Mint OpEd page today, on what marketers and brand builders must learn from Llosa’s work hashtag#brand hashtag#literature hashtag#narrative hashtag#marketing hashtag#storytelling hashtag#llosa

“The water you touch in a river is the last ofthat which has passed and the first of thatwhich is coming.”  – Leonardo da Vinci

An educated man should know something about everything and everything about something.  – C.V. Wedgwood, 1963 (‘The Ploughing Lesson’ by François-André Vincent, 1798)

“Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art. Even more. It is the revenge of the intellect upon the world. To interpret is to impoverish, to deplete the world — in order to set up a shadow world of ‘meanings’. “ – Susan Sontag Susan Sontag’s seminal essay “Against Interpretation” was published in 1964 In this essay, she critiques the dominance of interpretation in modern culture, especially in art and literature, and calls for a more sensuous, immediate experience of artworks. Sontag argues that interpretation imposes meaning on art, diluting its impact. In classical criticism, both form and content were considered. But modern interpretation often reduces artworks to content such as symbolism, allegory and motif etc ignoring form, which for Sontag is where much of the art’s power lies. Sontag rubbishes the idea that the primary role of criticism is to explain or decode meaning. For her, it diminishes the direct experience of art. Instead, she champions attentiveness to how a work expresses itself—its style, tone, form, and surface—rather than just what it means. Feeling > Meaning hashtag#SusanSontag hashtag#Art hashtag#content hashtag#meaning hashtag#hermeneutics hashtag#aesthetics hashtag#emotionhashtag#PaulRicoeur hashtag#JürgenHabermas

We have all heard of his art, be it the hashtag#MonaLisa hashtag#TheLastSupper or the hashtag#VitruvianMan but Leonardo da Vinci was a true Renaissance genius, mastering art, science, and engineering with visionary brilliance. His curiosity knew no bounds whether dissecting human anatomy or designing futuristic machines centuries ahead of his time. Da Vinci’s legacy endures not just in masterpieces of art but in his relentless pursuit of knowledge and innovation. Thankfully , much of Leonardo’s early work was preserved and bound into sets of notebooks called codices. These are now kept in a few museums most famously at the Victoria & Albert Museum of London where they can be viewed and consulted online. These notebooks contain the written thoughts of Leonardo da Vinci on a diverse array of subjects : technology, mechanics, hydraulics, architecture and many more. Leonardo worked on loose sheets of paper which he carried about with him to record his observations. His papers were at some stage folded into booklets and later bound, possibly by the Spanish sculptor Pompeo Leoni (1533 – 1608). The five notebooks in the V&A’s collection are called the Forster Codices, after John Forster who bequeathed them to the Museum in 1876. The notebooks contain careful sketches and diagrams annotated with notes in 16th-century Italian mirror writing, which reads in reverse and from right to left The Codex Atlanticus or Atlantic Codice is another twelve-volume, bound set of drawings and writings by Leonardo. As the name indicates it has atlas-like breadth and is the largest set. It comprises 1,119 leaves dating from 1478 to 1519, the contents covering a great variety of subjects, from flight to weaponry to musical instruments and from mathematics to botany. It is currently preserved at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. hashtag#LeonardoDaVinci hashtag#Renaissancehashtag#Polymath hashtag#DaVinciArthashtag#DaVinciInventions hashtag#DaVinciSketcheshashtag#ArtHistory hashtag#Genius hashtag#Inventor hashtag#Scientist hashtag#Engineer hashtag#Anatomy hashtag#Visionary hashtag#Innovation

The real value in advertising is not in data; it’s in the idea…. A brand cannot ‘own’ data but a powerful brand always owns a big idea ! (Picture credit : Giriraj Singh Kushwaha at Ranthambore, Rajasthan)

Technology has given us more ways to shout. Technology has given us smarter ways to reach others but… has technology given us better ways to create emotion ? A brand needs clarity and consistency of meaning delivered with breathtaking spontaneity of behavior. Technology alone is not a emotional differentiator. Does food from a microwave with 6 controls taste better than that cooked on a mud stove ? hashtag#content hashtag#brand hashtag#brandvoice hashtag#editorial hashtag#consistency hashtag#attributes hashtag#distinctive hashtag#spontaneous

Happy Birthday Bono Paul David Hewson, Bono, is difficult to explain in a few opening lines. Irish musician, philanthropist, lead vocalist of the globally acclaimed rock band U2, global citizen, ambassador at large for causes. His powerful voice and socially conscious lyrics champion causes such as poverty alleviation, HIV/AIDS awareness, and debt relief in developing nations. Initiatives like the ONE Campaign and (RED) raised millions for health and social justice. Bono’s brand transcends music, symbolizing advocacy, resilience, and humanitarianism. Here is to many more years of amplifying the voices of the underprivileged and inspire global awareness. The intention is as big a deal as the achievements. “Walk on, walk onWhat you got they can’t steal itNo, they can’t even feel itWalk on, walk on….”