The helpline that was not meant to be
The news of what various online reports called ‘India’s first style helpline’ by a leading online shopping store, warmed the hearts of scores of fashionistas and wannabe fashionistas, including this diarist. The reports were effusive in their praise — the ‘telephonic helpline’ promised to help customers ‘avail advice from expert stylists’ and ‘offer solutions for the right apparel choice and suitable accessories’, in addition to make-up tips. An email we received even said we can share our ‘style queries with expert stylists’. We started to look forward to days where formals didn’t mean a funereal black and work didn’t mean ‘the first piece of cloth you see in your cupboard’. So it was with the image of us sashaying down the office corridor in slow-mo, that we dialed the helpline one evening.

Pic for representation only

Alas, it was not meant to be. A bewildered lady pointed out that we have reached the customer care service and that we have to give a miss call to another number. No one said the path to being stylish ala Victoria Beckham was easy and we were determined to remain hopeful. We gave a miss call to the new number, only to be greeted by a recorded message. The one-sided conversation came to an abrupt end with the line, ‘Thank you for subscribing’. And ever since then, we have been bombarded with ‘style tips’ in the form of text messages by the service, which go something like ‘Looking truly sexy involves knowing what to bear and what to keep under wraps’. So while we wait for the real helpline to kick-start operations, its back to black at work.

Forty shades of winks
It’s telling how bloodshot eyes in the morning are commonplace — nowadays. Everyone from college-going students to professionals look like they would do anything to get a second of sleep. Perhaps only school-going kids sleep deep in the urban world. No wonder we often bump into fellow citizens who are caught napping during working hours. Well, you can’t blame them. According to science, a human body is supposed to spend one-third of a day asleep. And going by the way things are right now in the city, that number has turned elusive for most grownups. Add to this scare the growing distractions, courtesy technology. Interestingly enough, this distressing characteristic is irrespective of societal class.