Musing Monsoon

The perils of adventures

2008-10-02T13:57:00.004-05:00

One should not be adventurous....
I think we need to take greater care.

These were the words of Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit, on the death of television journalist Soumya Vishwanathan. While she also did express sorrow, instead of using this as an opportunity to crack down on the pathetic law and order situation in the Capital, she merely admitted that Delhi was indeed an unsafe city.

Which again reminds me of the maxim I recently came across -

Governments are funny things.
They're designed by geniuses to be run by fools.

India embodies this better than any other nation I can think of.

Accepting the inevitable

2008-06-12T11:17:00.004-05:00

Just so we're clear about this, let's go over it one more time.

Some communities in India have suffered injustice
We, collectively, all feel very bad for those communities that have suffered injustice
Government (we) even goes (waay) out of line to ensure that members of those communities are provided with education in an effort ostensibly to uplift them

But that wasn't enough? Now what do people want?

Apparently, to stay in school even when you're basically flunking out!

Wasn't it expected that when students, who are academically inferior on average that the rest of their class, would be thrust on a level playing field competing with the very best, they would be whipped silly? Did one actually expect the bulk of the SC/ST students, who found themselves all of a sudden in the IITs and premier engineering and medical colleges, to suddenly discover hidden talent? Is a strong grasp of the fundamentals of science and math an innate genetic ability or for the most part does it take years of revising the basics, slowly creating a robust educational base while incrementally adding to it every year.

So if some of these SC/ST students are asked to leave by their respective institutes for not being able to maintain the minimum acceptable academic level, it's bloody unfortunate, but tough!

But no, only in India, can someone as senior as the Director of IIT Delhi, Prof. Surendra Prasad be summoned, by the SC/ST Commission, following a complaint lodged with them which alleged that -

The IIT administration had deliberately handpicked the students from SC/ST communities to throw them out of the institute... [IE]

When will pushy parents learn?

New Heights of Suspicion

2008-06-12T11:13:00.002-05:00

...when a country in its zeal to imprison, ends up incarcerating its own innocent citizens. Read more.

Pakistani authorities had mistakenly jailed two of its nationals for a decade, suspecting them to be "Indians", a visiting Indian judicial delegation found on Thursday. [IE]

Of Vacation and women.... WTF!!!

2008-05-21T10:49:00.006-05:00

Even while I was reading this article I knew that it would make it to the WTF series on India Uncut, and sure enough as soon as Amit's blog popped open, it was there, not WTF but in the 'where your taxes go' series. It is quite exasperating to actually write up a blog entry for something like this, so I shall merely quote from the IBNLive article and let you form your own conclusions!

The government admits that judges combine foreign tours with holidays while going for seminars... They do this at the taxpayers' expense.

YK Sabarhwal, former CJ of India, attended a 11 day conference, but the duration of his drip was 22 days taking him to Baltimore, Atlanta and Orlanda. Okay.. so maybe the guy wanted to see Disney World?

Former CJ G B Pattnaik called for Government to take action. "The Government must not take pay for judges' private trips. If they are paying they are spineless" he said.

Hmmm.. the UPA government .. spineless? Come on !

But this is not even the best part. The true WTF statement comes from Union Law Minister HR Bhardwaj.

He [Union Minster] though said that they were doing nothing wrong. "They also need comfort, they also need to go out. Why they should be deprived of it? How can you deprive the wife? You are a woman. You should understand" Bhardwaj told CNN IBN's correspondent.

This coming from our law minster... may the heavens help us. I am now recalling all the lawyer jokes and all the politician jokes I have heard in the past. But Bhardwaj is going to instrumental in creating a new genre of lawyer-politician jokes. I am surprised to see that Sabarhwal did not include Vegas in his itinerary. If he works so hard and needs the comfort, I would strongly recommend the beautiful women and exquisite lap dances one can get in the many Gentleman's Clubs in Vegas. I am sure a similar arrangement can be made for the wives!

What? Don't blame me for being bad... You are a woman. You should understand !!

Shameful

2008-05-20T14:41:00.004-05:00

Being non-committal on Germany's offer to divulge the names of individuals with illegal wealth stocked away in Lichtenstein, is strike 4575968 against the UPA Government. Given our aspirations as a global power, we need to start taking our own internal policies seriously before we can expect others to take note of us. Transparency and accountability are of utmost importance and if government believes that top ranking bureaucrats and prominent industrialists will be compromised by such data, then that is possibly the best news I have heard in a long time.

This is an excellent offer on a silver platter as it goes beyond mere information sharing. It allows for us to establish a dialogue with the Germans and improve our bilateral relationship.

TAKE THE OFFER STUPID!

On KPS Gill

2008-04-25T09:59:00.004-05:00

I admit that, apart from the plethora of news briefings, I have made no detailed inquiries into the failings of Indian hockey. I am aware that IHF President KPS Gill is taking the heat for not just the recent debacle but also for our consistent lack-luster performance. However I must admit, that I do find the man to be fairly intriguing.

I believe in giving the devil his dues and while I have heard scathing criticisms of him (last night someone likened him to Mugabe) I must say that the man does have balls. I remember last month, watching an NDTV interview of him; he sat at ease, defiant of all his critics, pooh-poohing their criticisms and eloquently defending his policies (or lack of).

"Let younger people first become sports ministers before such suggestions are given. I don't think age has anything to do with managing sports."

"Let not sports ministers talk of accountability or responsibility. Most of them don't know anything about sports and have never done anything for hockey. In the past five years, have you seen these ministers doing anything?"

"What have these government bodies done for us? Where have they ever provided us with the funds or the facilities? They call it the national game, and do nothing for it..." [IE]

I do not know how the current fiasco will end. Intuitively I think it is best for a new man to be in charge with a new set of ideas. But the quality and competitiveness of Indian sports has fallen to abysmal levels and we need drastic efforts to resuscitate the entire sporting community. How we will do so, is yet to be seen. I'm not too sure about KPS Gill, but from the brief spell that the other Gill has had with the Sports Ministry and the statements he has been issuing, I don't have high hopes.

I desperately hope I am proven wrong.

Wrong on so many levels

2008-04-25T08:51:00.006-05:00

I suppose 9:45 AM is still fairly early in the morning. It's a bright sunny morning outside as I head into work. I settle down on my laptop and get on to IBNLive, my daily dose of news, and am confronted by the following headline -

Sharief may quit K'taka as grandson denied ticket [IBNLive]

Intrigued I click on it and read the entire article. This whole story is wrong on so many levels.

1. The headline itself.

We have a senior member of the Congress party, a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), who is now threatening to leave the party just because his grandson was denied a ticket. Isn't this blatant nepotism?

Perhaps, he could have made a case that his grandson was best suited to lead because of his impeccable credentials. Maybe he should had said that the Congress Committee was conspiring against him and his family. He could have placed the burden upon the party to publicly list all of the candidates it was fielding in Karnataka in the upcoming elections, along with their credentials, and not just reason why they are better suited than Sharief's grandson, but also also lend transparency to the entire process of candidate selection. If Rahul Gandhi really means what he says, then perhaps it is time for him to act on those same words and prove that they are not merely hollow rhetoric and actually start instituting reforms, albeit minor, in the Congress party.

But no. What does Sharief do? He throws a tantrum and starts flailing his arms about and starts crying like a 4 year old kid in Toys-R-Us when denied a toy by his parents.

2.

Sources close to him are now saying that he is considering joining the NCP or even the BSP.

If that immaturity wasn't bad enough, he then threatens to join parties that are ideologically poles apart from the party he is aligned with.

3.

Rattled by the sudden turn of events — which may adversely effect the Congress' chances of winning in the state — party leaders, including General Secretary Digvijay Singh, rushed to Shairef's residence to urge him not to take any hasty decisions.

?????

4.

However, despite the cajoling and urging, Congress sources say this is a 'blackmailing' tactic by the veteran leader to get another' ticket for a family member.

Wait. Did I read that correctly ... 'another ticket' ? If the Congress sources are willing to call a spade a spade, then why indulge and cajole such despicable individuals as was done by Congress leadership, noted in point 3 above?

5.

And then in a concluding paragraph, IBNLive pays homage to Sharief's tremendous contributions to both the Congress party and our nation.

Sharief, the Chairman of the party's Election Manifesto Committee, was instrumental in drafting the manifesto that promised colour TV sets and rice at Rs 2 per kg to the poor.

Yes, the genius idea of the free TVs and the cheap rice. What is with the TV anyway? Anyway, one member of his family in our political arena is bad enough. Let us not lower the collective competence of our political apparatus by including such able leaders. Just ask him to leave.

Dyanstic politics, sycophancy, nepotism. The Congress party and the people of Karnataka should set an example and just tell him to do everyone a favor and run off and cry by himself in a corner. Indulging such individuals is a danger not only to democracy but also to basic decency.

The case against SMS'ing

2008-04-23T13:18:00.004-05:00

It can get you stabbed!

I got this link off of India Uncut and I have to say it is definitely the most surreal story I have heard in quite some time.

A couple going through a divorce are understandably upset at each other. The husband then decides to send an angry message to his wife. Bad Mistake. When she receives it and reads it she is appalled at that message referring vaguely to an orgy. What actually transpired was the following. The wife's phone was incapable of supporting a particular Turkish letter, and had converted the word that included that letter, into another one, similar in spelling but completely different in meaning.

Needless to say, much violence ensued, following which, what could have been an amicable separation ended up in murder and suicide.

If there is anything remotely funny about this story, then it will have to be the conclusion of the article carrying this story -

Apparently it's not the first incident of this kind caused by the damned dot on top of the letter i. The local press has pointed out that the faulty localization of cellphones in Turkey is causing "serious problems" when it comes to certain "delicate words" in Turkish, and they are calling to enhance localization of technology to avoid these mistakes. Alternatively, the press could ask for banning knives from the homes of demonstrably stupid people! [ Emphasis Mine]

Moral of the Story : Don't SMS, just call. Though I know the average Indian cell-phone user will never heed my advice.

A Woman's Wrath

2008-04-23T11:19:00.003-05:00

Here's a tip for all those brave souls who, for some reason, decided to tie the knot. When your wife cooks you a good meal, regardless of how it tastes, smile and appreciate it. Else...

You just might be hacked to death! Yikes!

A woman in Jharkhand hacked her husband to death, in front of her four children, ostensibly because he complained that her dinner was stale! Apparently both were inebriated. Her confession was made while she was still drunk, but after she recovered she denied ever committing the act.

I can think of all the stupid things I've done when drunk. In fact often times, the morning after a party is just as fun, when we view the videos shot, and talk about who did what. Imagine waking up and being told that you brutally hacked your significant other. Now, that'll give you a hangover!

Tamper Proof?

2008-04-23T11:02:00.003-05:00

On reading about the recent threat of a strike by the Auto Rickshaw Union in Mumbai, I was surprised at the confidence expressed by the Government on their new apparently "tamper proof" electronic machines. Now, I am not advocating that we don't switch from the regular meters to an electronic meters, but I am curious about the costs associated with doing so and whether a pilot test has been run on a few auto-rickshaws and data collected and studied. Will the electronic meters be able to withstand the assault of the monsoons?

How can any such device be tamper proof? NYC Taxi Inspectors have been struggling with this problem for decades, and the more sophisticated the meters, the more sophisticated the methods for tampering them. If past experience is anything to go by, this move should be quite interesting.

In NYC, a taxi driver had connected his radio microphone, used to receive updates from dispatch, to his meter. The result - Every time he pressed the talk button, an electronic pulse was generated in the meter, making it "jump" and increasing the fare incrementally.

I just love technology!

Giving due credit

2008-04-16T21:40:00.002-05:00

I have often lamented endlessly about the lack of quality and service and of the mediocre standards of our national carrier, Air India, but in all fairness I was quite touched when I read this article.

A Punjabi labourer, Joginder Pal died in Cyprus and his family lacked the funds to transport his body back home for performing the last rites. The Indian Embassy sent out an email to local Indians to donate money for the transportation costs. On receiving this news, Air India stepped in and offered to transport the body from Doha or Bahrain, where they fly from, to Delhi or Chandigarh, for free of cost.

One must applaud Air India for playing the good Samaritan.

Shubho Noboborsho

2008-04-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR ... Shubho Noboborsho.

Political Zombies

2008-04-14T12:30:00.004-05:00

So Rahul Gandhi is being touted as possibly the next Prime Ministerial candidate of the Congress Party. I'm quite ambivalent about this news headline but while reading through this article, one quote struck out as an example of how devoid of individuality our politics really is.

Arjun Singh while arguing for Rahul Gandhi's abilities to lead the nation said -

These are my individual views... It is up to the UPA to decide. I have no view. Whatever is the party view, is my view

Well, he just stated his individual views and then immediately annulled them by stating that he had no views. Then he goes on to state that despite not having views, he will mindlessly accept whatever the party view is.

This is how Indian politics works. You kiss up to the top leadership and hope to be rewarded for your sycophant nature. If Sonia Gandhi says jump...you must ask... how high?

Changes in governance

2008-04-14T12:12:00.003-05:00

Elitist white-man organizations have always been exceedingly hypocritical when dealing with developing nations. They pay lip service to the idea of equality especially between the developed and the developing world but have historically ignored the voice of the latter.

The IMF, despite being an international body, has always had a European Managing Director and has often come under tremendous criticism from economists who disagree with it's policies. But it is also the first major international organization that is attempting to reform it's governance and provide India with a larger share.

On April 28th a reform package will be voted on, that if agreed upon, will push India's position up to 11 on the 184 member country list, by increasing its quota share to 2.44% from 1.92% and its vote share to 2.34% from 1.88%.

One can hope that the World Bank, UN Bodies and other large international organization will begin the much needed reforms in their governance to provide the developing world, especially its powerhouses - India and China, a larger say.

Salaries for clerks

2008-04-13T13:49:00.005-05:00

I am well aware that of late salaries have been sky-rocketing in India. Especially with the burgeoning IT sector hiring from colleges in tier II and tier III cities, students believe that salaries of 2 Lakhs onwards are well within their reach. But apparently, Chaggan Bjujbal believes that is too low. According to him -

Today, even a peon earns Rs. 3 lakhs annually

I have friends with excellent academic records, who graduated with degrees in engineering, and are now earning a paltry salary of Rs. 2-4 lakhs. I think they should consider a career change!

I wonder whose peon he is referring to anyway.

On Cricket

2008-04-09T18:41:00.004-05:00

Let's for once leave aside accusations of impropriety or the Acorn's accusation that the Congress is using the Election Commission for its partisan ends. But there is something quite unsettling when one listens to MS Gill. He states -

"All other sports in this country are suffering because of cricket and I'll try to do something to set it right"

I just don't understand these sweeping conclusions. The inability of most of our sports to raise their standards is indeed unfortunate but it is overly simplistic to sweep away all the complex reasons that are responsible for it and to blame one sport, which merely happens to the same sport we are arguably most visibly successful at.

"..television has changed the face of cricket, bringing in huge riches, which had an adverse effect on the game"

So he intends to solve India's sporting woes by tackling the evil, that is Indian Cricket. Joy!

Yes, it is quite obvious that television has indeed brought tremendous wealth to the Indian Cricket and to Indian cricketers. The BCCI is definitely the richest sporting body in India and one of the richest in the world. MS Gill is not the first but the latest in the deluge of cricket pundits who have been outraged at the ludicrous sums of money, that has now been associated with cricket, doubly so after the IPL auctions.

Cricket is, I will argue, the only sport in the country where a sportsman has any chance of making a decent livelihood if he is able to perform at a certain level. (I use the masculine gender deliberately) And the present lot of uber-rich cricketers do owe a great deal of their success to television and the liberalization of networks.

But what is the logic driving the argument that success, glamor and money in cricket is solely responsible for holding back the development of other sports?

My brief experience with Indian Athletics:

I too, as a child, had dreams of being a sportsman for India, representing my country and winning Olympic medals. Those dreams were crushed quite early with my parents, perhaps rightly, forcing me to choose academics over other extra-curriculars. I still persisted somewhat, and competed at local levels. After my 12th board exams, in the summer of 2002, in response to an advertisement in the Times of India, I showed up at Priyadarshani Park and after a few trials, I was selected to represent Bombay City District for the Shot Put at the State level for National trials. I was ecstatic and began to harbor dreams of national glory - Yes, I am a bit of a day-dreamer.

The state competitions were to be held at the Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune. My experiences there over the three days were an eye-opener into the reality of sports and sportsmen in India. While the stadium itself, at the outset, was quite impressive, a closer look revealed a completely different picture. The stands were dirty and were missing seats but worst of all was the athlete's dorms. The bathrooms were unhygenic, water supply erratic and the rooms very ill-maintained, where I was to stay with the other athlete's from Bombay. I was the new-comer, the others however were trained and seasoned in both sports and expectations of sporting infrastructure - social and physical. There were no facilities for drinking water and no food available, even though the competition was underway. We used to walk a kilometer down the road every evening, cross a national highway on foot in pitch darkness, and reach a dhaba that served roti with the special vegetable for the day. I bought and drank bottled water on all three day. The others well...

The conversations I had with the other athletes were also illuminating. For a 16 year old naive kid, surrounded by 25+ year olds, I was in for a surprise. I had absolutely no idea how dismal and pathetic the condition of sports in the country was. I did question from time to time, our inability to produce medals at international meets, but as most other kids, I just forgot about it and moved on to something else. But here in Balewadi, Pune and in my interactions with real athletes who competed at state and national levels, I saw and learnt exactly how deep-rooted the problem really was.

I think it is quite silly to simply blame cricket.

I know everyone seems to hate comparisons between Indian and China, but at times these comparisons are not only required but greatly informative. In 1992, the China Regulations of Physical Education and Student Athletics mandated that physical education was to be provided to all students at all grades in every school. Now, that sounds familiar. As far as I know, most public and private schools in India also have one or two Physical Training/Physical Education periods a week. However in China, the educational system has a physical education exam that needed to be satisfactorily completed before the student was promoted to then next grade.

All we did in school, when the PT period started was run out of class and depending on what sport was in vogue, played it. The lucky 20-30 or so got to play football or basketball, while the girls were content with playing throw-ball or gossiping under the trees. Not once, in all the years I spent in school, was I ever taught a sport, or its rules. The whole point of PT periods were to take a break from the constant rote learning that bored us all. My school had one PT instructor, who as far as I remember, didn't even know the rules of the games.

Now I agree that my school is not representative of all schools in India. But having grown up in middle class Mumbai with friends who went to other schools and from all my anecdotal evidence, I will venture a bold generalization at this point, and claim that this scenario is true of most schools in India, barring perhaps the handful of ultra-prestigious ones.

All athletes develop their athletic abilities, only if they are first lucky enough to discover it and then if they are keen on pursuing it and have sufficient backing both from their parents and schools. In a system where there is tremendous pressure from standard I to perform academically, it is indeed very difficult to convince parents to allow their students to spare the precious few after-school hours and spend them in training instead of in tuitions. The tremendous competition for a handful of seats in professional colleges perhaps makes this a warranted fear.

If we are to develop sports, the very first step and I would think obvious step is to catch kids young and train them. Sports education needs to be made a serious subject in schools. Great Bong mentioned that he had to learn a sport and its rules and would be tested on his knowledge for the board exams. Now maybe the system is different in West Bengal, I honestly don't know, but I seriously doubt that our education system promotes sports seriously at all.

There needs to be physical examinations and students have to be incentivized to pursue sports not out of choice but perhaps compulsion, as an "additional subject", albeit soft, kinda like the few years I had GK in middle school. Apart from that, the government needs to stop being needlessly biased towards cricket and cricketers and treat every single sport equally. We need to stop spending tax-payers money on providing only cricketers with land, apartments and monetary awards. I don't think it's entirely wrong to spend tax players money on rewarding sportsmen, but the rewards needs to be uniform across all sports.

Additionally everything comes down to an individuals choice. How many of us really watch hockey? How many of us watch badminton or table-tennis, or track&field or national football? The more viewers a sport gets, the more ready advertisers will be to flock to that sport and put their money in it. I don't think there is anything more complicated to this story than basic economics.

Shah Rukh Khan's movie had kids in my colony getting their parents to buy them hockey sticks and are now playing hockey every evening in the grounds, for over a year now. I believe there is hope. Let's get our priorities right and for once solve the cause of these ills that plague our systems instead of covering up the symptoms with band-aids.

Inadequate Institutions

2008-04-07T10:28:00.004-05:00

The Delhi Consumer Commission has recently appealed to the UGC and the HRD to shut down educational institutions that are run from residential premises sans UGC recognition. Now, while I strongly believe that standards need to be maintained and the government and other watchbodies like the DCC need to bring to light some deplorable institutes that dupe students out of thousands and provide them below par education, I am not sure exactly which institutions the DCCs report refers to.

Would "private coaching classes" be forced to shut down? Would unrecognized primary schools that run out of residential premises and rented rooms be forced to shut down? I strongly advise everyone to peruse through this paper, publised by James Tooley and Pauline Dixon, titled - Private Schools Serving the Poor. The findings are quite startling. I feel it is counter-intuitive to think of unrecognized private schools that operate out of rented rooms to in fact completely out-perform government schools in every single criteria. Now, I am not advocating that government schools be entirely shut down and these other schools be given a free reign, but maybe these findings will help shed light on what the real problem is. Maybe, just for once we need to fight the cause and not the symptoms.

I strongly believe that standards need to be maintained and students deserve the very best. It is by investing generously in our educational institutions, that we can hope to extricate ourselves from this quagmire of poverty and uneven development. So let us first start by examining the state of our government schools and then focus on the private schools. If fly-by-night private schools are out to fleece the students of money, then exactly what do government schools do? These schools might be free for the primary students who attend them, but I am paying for it. The Rs. 34,000 crores or so that the government proudly announces as educational outlays are coming out of the pockets of every single taxpayer, and the government is indeed accountable for how that money is being spent and lakhs of tax payers are indeed being fleeced. So where is the accountability that these commissions angrily demand? Where are the standards? I ask the same questions... over and over again.

So I propose that we first start taking a look at our dysfunctional educational system, deplorable government schools and pathetic literacy rate before we start pointing fingers at "greedy" capitalists who are purportedly the bane of the system. Let us first demand that the schools and educational institutions that the government has set up, meet and beat the high standards that we expect of them, before we begin to look at other institutions. For ever IIT you show me, I will show you a thousand government primary schools.

Let the witch hunt begin!

Bureaucratic Blues

2008-04-03T19:28:00.003-05:00

Ah ! This is exactly what we needed. Another fantastically efficient and erudite panel to sweep all our housing worries away. It was just a few months ago, that my parents and I were looking to buy a house in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. The prices had shot up dramatically in just a year, from about Rs. 3000/sq foot to about Rs 4000/sq foot. Buildings, for which construction had not even started, were completely sold out. Eventually we were forced to look in Kolkata where the prices were still cheaper for luxury high rises than they were in Mumbai.

But now, the problem of sky-high prices and housing shortage will disappear overnight with the creation of a Housing Regulator. I have a great feeling about this!

The cost of education

2008-04-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

Much has been made of the recent hike in fees by the IIMs. The fees for IIM Ahmedabad has shot up from Rs. 5 lakhs to 11.5 lakhs for the 2 year PGP course. Other IIMs have also followed suit and raised their tuition fees for the 2 year course in management studies. As expected, Arjun Singh has voiced concern and met with the chairmen of the premier management institutions. Following the meeting, Vijaypat Singhania , chairman of IIM-A told media folks that there was no question of a review of the fee hike.

Thankfully.

Why the fees of the IIMs for so long was so heavily subsidized is beyond me. As Atanu, pointed out on his blog numerous times, that while investment in primary education yields positive rewards for the country, investment in higher education yields rewards for the individual. Which lends support to the argument that primary education should be subsidized to educate as large a percentage of the population as possible, but individuals should have to bear the full cost of their higher education. Ofcourse the government can incentivize a quest for higher education, by providing low-interest loans. I don't see why most banks will not follow suit. There is quite a large market of students who are interested in higher education but are unable to afford it. Providing such students with assistance in the form of low-interest loans is a win-win situation for all concerned.

So, the fees for IIM-A has gone up by about 6 lakhs. Please tell me what is so scandalous in an individual taking a loan of the same amount or more. The average starting salary for domestic placements is about 11 lakhs or so conservatively. Even if the individual makes meagre monthly payments for 5 years he will rid himself of the loan. Aren't the rewards of a post IIM job sufficient for an individual to help himself to such a loan?

If there is a robust, transparent and student friendly credit institution, bolstered by a strong scholarship system, I don't see why fees for premier higher institutes in our country need to be heavily subsidized.

Also, it is heartening to see the IITs follow suit.

The Great Tantric Challenge!

2008-04-02T10:27:00.005-05:00

I've never watched India TV before. But if they keep up these shows I might just start watching it more often. I first heard about this segment on India Uncut where I got the YouTube links. A rationalist challenges a self-professed maha tantric! Watch on ...

And it continues...

Until the tantric is able to prove.... well.....nothing. Come on..did you really expect anything else?

Hillarious! Just one comment.... why exactly is this "Breaking News"?

What's in a name?

2008-04-02T09:56:00.002-05:00

Coming up with a name for a new-born baby must be quite a hard task. It's hard to come up with a nice name also keeping in mind the ridiculous nick-names that will inevitably follow. Heck.. often times a name can provide quite some ammunition on the play-ground and cause some serious emotional damage. But I guess, Malaysia has taken all of that into consideration and after consulting with various religious bodies has taken a decision to outlaw "unsuitable" names. Sigh!

No animals, insects, colors or numbers. All right, so let's say I accept those restrictions, what I can't understand, and what is exceedingly frustrating, is the restriction on naming ones child after Japanese cars! Come on.. Which child wouldn't want to be called a Lexus or a Civic.

Woti (Sexual Intercourse) is another banned name in Malaysia. I can think of some quite interesting names in India that would certainly raise eyebrows elsewhere. :)

Dare I be cynical?

2008-03-27T13:15:00.004-05:00

This is almost like a dream come true. One the one hand I am tempted to be cynical and dismiss this report and its proposals as merely another one of hundreds of reports that are prepared every year which are ignored, forgotten and gather dust over time in some bureaucrats office. But since the suggestions made by the Administrative Reforms Commission are exactly the same as those I have been articulating for quite some time now, I am choosing to be optimistic.

If they (bureaucrats) fail to deliver, they will be shipped out to make way for outsiders who can join the civil service at senior positions.

... the ARC has suggested a leadership cadre — Senior Executive Service (SES) — to be created where officers are selected from among other services such as police, customs and income tax as well as from the private sector.

And to ensure that “young people infused with a sense of idealism and public service” constitute the bulk of bureaucracy, the ARC suggests that the maximum age for writing civil service entrance examination be lowered to 25 years from 30 years for general candidates with writing attempts reduced to three from four

Now, I'm not entirely sure if I completely agree with the last suggestion, but I do believe that it's quite necessary to beak out the feudal system that dictates the civil services and encourage talented, ambitious, passionate and idealistic individuals to contribute at all levels.

The New Consequences of Inebriation

2007-09-25T08:58:00.000-05:00

The women of a village in Central Maharashtra have been authorized by the panchayat to create an anti-tipple brigade. Tired of their husbands alcoholism and the fact that over 50% of the village men were alcoholics, the women submitted a petition to the village panchayat in an effort to save their families.

Forget alcohol rehab or AA meetings, this is definitely the way to go. I can imagine a group of self-righteous uptight moralistic individuals forming a brigade, with the motto: we-will-thrash-you-till-you're-sober. Of course there is no dearth of individuals who will enjoy beating others, especially when the law allows them to do so.

I suppose one should also be alerted to the fact that the Sarpanch was a woman. I wonder how disinterested she was while giving the go ahead.

Does anyone find this entire incident disturbing at all?

It's all about washing your hands!

2007-09-22T17:21:00.001-05:00

I remember reading an excerpt from an essay as a case study in school, on the deleterious effects of doctors not washing their hands during routine patient examination and in doing so, spreading infectious diseases across wards. The Freakonomics blog has linked to the 1859 autobiographical essay by Ignaz Semmelweis titled - The Etiology Concept, And Prophylaxis Of Childbed Fever.

None of us knew that we were causing the numerous deaths

- Ignaz Semmelweis

It is frightful to imagine someone having to bear the guilt of unknowingly causing so many deaths.

A Letter to Osama

2007-09-22T16:17:00.001-05:00

Earlier in this blog I had posted excerpts from the letter written by Osama bin laden to the American people. After the death of millions of innocent individuals and a religion whose identity is in severe crisis, Sheikh Salman b. Fahd al-Oadah, denounced the instigation and actions of the fundamentalist Bin Laden, live on NBC last week. His letter, titled A Ramadan Letter to Osama bin Laden has been reproduced below. According to the Middle East Blog on TIME.com, the Sheikh is a Saudi preacher and leader of an Sahwa Islamiya, a movement of politicized Wahabis. Though the muslim community has been severely criticized for not condemning bin Laden and fundamentalist Muslims more vocally, this letter might galvanize moderate Muslims to further distance themselves from the deluded and the murderous.

I have reproduced the letter below, which can also be viewed from the hyperlink above.

Brother Osama:

How much blood has been spilled? How many innocent children, women, and old people have been killed, maimed, and expelled from their homes in the name of “al-Qaeda”?

Are you happy to meet Allah with this heavy burden on your shoulders? It is a weighty burden indeed – at least hundreds of thousands of innocent people, if not millions.

How could you wish for that? – after knowing that Allah’s Messenger said: “Whoever as much as kills a sparrow in vain will find it crying before Allah on the Day of Judgment: ‘My Lord! That person killed me in vain. He did not kill me for needful sustenance.”

This religion of ours comes to defense of the life of a sparrow. It can never accept the murder of innocent people, regardless of what supposed justification is given for it.

Didn’t you read where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “One of the prophets once sat under a tree and was bitten by an ant. Because of this, he burnt the ant’s nest. Thereupon, Allah inspired to him: ‘Why not only the one ant?’ ” [Sahîh Muslim]

Allah revealed to that prophet: “What? Just because one ant had bitten you, you have set fire to an entire nation that extols Allah’s glory!” [Sahîh Muslim (2241)]

If this is the case for a nest of ants, consider how much worse it must be to visit harm upon human beings.

Who is responsible for all of those young Muslim, who are still in the bloom of their youth, with all the zeal of their age, who have strayed down a path they have no idea where it is headed?

The image of Islam today is tarnished. People around the world are saying how Islam teaches that those who do not accept it must be killed. They are also saying that the adherents of Salafi teachings kill Muslims who do not share their views.

However, the reality of Islam is that our Prophet (peace be upon him) did not kill the treacherous hypocrites in his midst, even though Allah had revealed to him who they were and informed him that they were destined for the deepest depths of Hell. Why did he stay his hand? He gave the following reason: “I will not have people saying that Muhammad kills his companions.”

Brother Osama, what happened on September 11 – crimes that we have condemned vociferously since that very day – was the murder of a few thousand people, possible a little less than three thousand. This is the number that dies in the airplanes as well as in the towers. By contrast, Muslim preachers – who remain unknown and unsung – have succeeded in guiding hundreds of thousands of people to Islam, people who have ever since been guided by the light of faith and whose hearts are filled with the love of Allah. Isn’t the difference between one who kills and one who guides obvious?

Our Lord tells us: “Whosoever kills a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the Earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the lives of all mankind.” [Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 32]

Guiding one soul to knowledge and faith is a momentous achievement. It is what will earn us great blessings.

Brother Osama, what is to be gained from the destruction of entire nations – which is what we are witnessing in Afghanistan and Iraq – seeing them torn them with plague and famine? What is to be gained from undermining their stability and every hope of a normal life? Three million refugees are packing into Syria and Jordan alone, not to mention those who are fleeing to the East and the West.

The nightmare of civil war which now reigns supreme in Afghanistan and Iraq brings no joy to the Muslims. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard about a man named Harb (meaning “war” in Arabic), he promptly changed his name to something else, because the Prophet hated war.

Allah says: “Fighting is prescribed for you, though you detest it.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 216]

War is something hateful that must only be resorted to under the most dire and compelling of circumstances when no other way is found.

Who stands to benefit from turning a country like Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, or Saudi Arabia – or any other country for that matter – into a battlefield where no one feels safe? Is the goal to obstruct the government? Is that, then, the solution for anything?

Is this the plan – even if it is achieved by marching over the corpses of hundreds of thousands of people – police, soldiers, and civilians, even the common Muslims? Are their deaths to be shrugged off, saying: “They will be resurrected in the Hereafter based on the state of their hearts.”

Indeed, all of those who are slain will be resurrected based on the state of their hearts. The question we must ask ourselves, however, is in what state are we going to be resurrected? How are we going to find ourselves when we meet our Lord? How will it be for someone who has all those countless deaths weighing down upon him, whether he wants to own up to them or not?

The concern for conveying Islam’s message to humanity is one that can influence others and convince them. This is a far greater and far weightier concern than that of using brute force and violence to bend others to one’s will. “Allah sent His Messenger (peace be upon him) as a guide for humanity, not as a tax collector.” as `Umar b. `Abd al-`Azîz used to say.

Who is responsible – brother Osama – for promoting the culture of excommunication which has torn families asunder and has led to sons calling their fathers infidels? Who is responsible for fostering a culture of violence and murder that has led to people to shed the blood of their relatives in cold blood, rather than nurturing the spirit of love and tranquility that a Muslim family is supposed to have?

Who is responsible for the young men who leave their mothers crying; who abandon their wives; whose small children wake up every day asking when daddy is coming home? What answer can be given, when that father may very well be dead, or missing with no one knowing of his fate?

Who is responsible for Western governments pursuing every charitable project in the world, so that the orphans, the poor, and the needy throughout the globe are deprived of food, education, and other essential needs? Who is responsible – brother Osama – for filling the prisons of the Muslim world with our youth, a situation which will only breed more extremism, violence, and murder in our societies?

Muhammad (peace be upon him) – my source of guidance as well as yours – is what he came with not enough for you? He was sent as a mercy for all humanity. Allah says: “And We sent you merely as a mercy for all humanity.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 107]

The word “mercy” is not to be found in the lexicon of war. Where is the mercy in murdering people? Where is the mercy in bombing places? Where is the mercy in making people and places into targets? Where is the mercy in turning many Muslim countries into battlefields?

The Prophet (peace be upon him) brought all of Arabia under his sway without a single slaughter, despite all of the battles that were waged against him. The number of people who were killed during the twenty-three years of his mission were less than two hundred people. The Muslims who were killed during that time by their enemies were many times in excess of that number.

What do a hundred people in Algeria, or double that number in Lebanon, or likewise in Saudi Arabia hope to achieve by carrying out acts of violence – or as they say, suicide attacks? These acts are futile.

Let us say – purely hypothetically – that these people manage to take power somewhere in the world. What then? What can people who have no life experience hope to achieve in the sphere of good governance? People who have no knowledge of Islamic law to support them and no understanding of domestic and foreign relations?

Is Islam only about guns and ammunition? Have your means become the ends themselves?

That ideology that so many young people have embraced in many parts of the world, is it revelation from Allah that cannot be questioned or reconsidered? Or is it merely a product of human effort that is subject to error and to being corrected?

Many of your brethren in Egypt, Algeria and elsewhere have come to see the end of the road for that ideology. They realize how destructive and dangerous it is. They have also found the courage to proclaim in their writings and on the air that they were mistaken and that the path they had been on was the path of error. They admit that it cannot lead to anything good. They have sought Allah’s forgiveness for what has passed and have expressed their sincere regrets for what they had done.

Those with brave hearts need just as much to have courageous minds.

Do you not hear the voices of the pious scholars, those who worship Allah day and night and are truly heedful of Allah – don’t you hear them crying out with the very same words that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used when Khâlid b. al-Walîd, the commander-in-chief of his army, acted in error: “O Allah! I plead my innocence to You from what Khâlid has done.”

These same words still echo after 1400 years in the cries of the scholars of Islam: “O Allah! I plead my innocence to You from what Osama is doing, and from those who affiliate themselves to his name or work under his banner.”

Life, Osama, should not be a single lesson. We must face numerous lessons throughout our lives, and these lessons are of a great variety.

I am no different than that of a lot of other people who are concerned with Muslim affairs. My heart pains me when I think of the number of young people who had so much potential – who would have made such great and original contributions to society, who had so much to offer that was constructive and positive – who have been turned into living bombs.

Here is the vital question that you need to ask yourself and that others have the right to demand and answer for: What have all these long years of suffering, tragedy, tears, and sacrifice actually achieved?

I ask Allah to bring everyone together upon the truth and right guidance. I pray that he guides us all to what pleases Him.

Sreesanth's eyes !

2007-09-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

Wow. Just got back from my friend's place after watching India beat Australia in the semi finals of the Cricket 20/20 World Cup. What a game !!! Just when I thought that the match was slipping away, India held strong and Australia were found wanting in the dying overs.

And what was with Sreesanth's eyes? That guy was glaring at Hayden and Gilchrist right from the very first ball. Reminded me of Zaheer in the World Cup just before he got embarrassingly clobbered. Sreesanth however, not only bowled a fantastic four overs but also picked up Gilchrist early on and then took out Hayden. An event that definitely turned the match in our favor. Pumped fists, huge eyes and smacking the ground repeatedly while celebrating his dismissal of Hayden, if only he keeps it up in the finals as well.

Monday morning is going to be amazing. An India vs Pakistan final. This is one game you will not want to miss!

Hey Ram !

2007-09-12T23:56:00.000-05:00

I will get to the question of the existence of Shri Ram shortly, but first, while agonizing about Google falling in my eyes on the issue of its cooperation with the Mumbai Police, I had completely forgotten just how much I was in love with Google Earth. Even if we leave aside the fact that someday I hope to be able to bring out my closeted voyeuristic tendencies and spy through some pretty girls bedroom window, the news articles today led me to search for and view the Adam's Bridge AKA Ram Setu. Lo and Behold -

View Larger Map

Pardon my ignorance, but I had absolutely no idea that you could actually see a "bridge" between India and Sri Lanka. I was under the impression that the bridge was just a mythological/literary one. But the civil engineering wonder, a monumental construction completed by the industrious Vanara Sena is clearly visible, albeit under water. It is also interesting to note, (and I quote the ASI here) -

“the Adam’s Bridge formation can be classified as a series of shoals or a series of barrier islands, both of which are naturally occurring formations caused by tidal action and sedimentation.”

It is truly remarkable !

Now, the more interesting part. While the Center has submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that mythological texts, while being great literary works, cannot be treated as historical record, L K Advani has asked Manmohan Singh to withdraw it as, ".. it might hurt the sentiments of Hindus and questions the faith of millions." Also, BJP Spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said that this government was mounting a "crude effort" to insult Hindus and was questioning the very existence of Ram and Sita.

So here is the real deal. About 2400 years ago a great poet wrote a classic, that broke through all the charts at the time. It gave literature a whole new dimension, influenced all subsequent Sanskrit poetry, art and culture and became one of the texts that the Hindus take great pride in. But seriously, what is with this need for taking, what is undoubtedly a great literary classic in every sense of the term, and trying to move it from the fiction section into the nonfiction section?

Why can't we appreciate great works of fiction for what they are? Great works of fiction!

Encore

2007-09-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

Yay!

John Stewart has agreed to host the 2008 Oscars !

Ban the Community !!!

2007-09-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

Every so often, I get a message in my Orkut inbox from some patriotic Indian who thinks it is his calling to get every one of his Orkut friends to join him in attempting to ban some community or the other than he finds insulting to his religion or his country. I have visited quite a few of these communities and am often bemused by what I read. Pakistanis creating India-centric hate groups and hurling abuses at Indians and the latter retaliating back by creating their own communities and doing the same. Hindus creating Islamic hate groups and vice-versa, and of course abusive language punctuating the statements. But I fail to understand what these vigilantes hope to achieve.

Not that I am even sure that Orkut does block/ban communities when a certain number of individuals complain, but even if it does, the founders of these groups will just create more groups. And if everyone were to complain about everything that they found insulting or derogatory... then where do we draw the line? Slowly we will slip into a situation where everything is banned and everything is deemed inappropriate.

The freedom of speech should be the freedom to insult!

Beware of what you do, say or even think. I just came across a news report while perusing India Uncut, of a Bangalore based Computer Engineer being arrested for allegedly uploading blasphemous matter about the great Shivaji, on Orkut. Here is what I can't wrap my mind around ...

"....After Pune police pointed out the aberration on part of Laxman to Google office, the matter which he posted on the website on October 29 last using his PC at home, was removed"

and..

"The cyber cell of city police, investigating the crime for the last ten months on a complaint registered by BJP workers here last November, zeroed in on the IT professional Laxman Kailas K and arrested him in Bangalore yesterday, police said."

Now granted that I have not read the uploaded content because Google has removed it, I still find it infuriating, that the freedom of speech is virtually non-existent in our country. What is the "aberration" on the part of the accused, Laxman Kailas K? Just because all Maharashtrians deify Shivaji and I am sure lots of other Indians respect him, does Laxman not have the right to disparage him, if he so chooses? Is he not allowed to express a different opinion? An insulting one even?

Second, it is frustrating to see the tax payers money being spent on something as inane as this. For 10 months a bunch of computer savvy pandus, were spending night and day, working overtime even, to crack a case that was most definitely a grave threat to our security, morality and everything else our beloved khakee clad individuals swore to protect.

What if far from being a Saint, I find Mother Teresa a hoax and a dangerous woman who probably endangered more lives than she saved? What if I chose to disparage Bal Thackeray or any other one of our infallible leaders? Sigh... These are very trying times.

God seeks restoration of power

2007-03-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

Ha ! What do the atheists have to say about this?

God apparently is back.

Hey, in my opinion, he's got pretty good timing too. I mean seriously, look at the state of the world right now.

Standing Tall

2006-08-25T23:58:00.000-05:00

Good thing I'm 6'2''.

In a recent paper published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, two scientists from Princeton University, allege that taller men are usually smarter than shorter ones.

A copy of their paper is available at this link.

No more Pizza !

2006-08-24T14:50:00.000-05:00

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine........ sorry kiddo, no pizza's for dinner tonight !

That's right, pluto ain't a planet no more !

Delhi - Most Loved City

2006-08-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

So, Delhi is apparently the most loved city. But as far as I am concerned, for the rest of my life .... Aamchi Mumbai mahaan.

Aurat hone ki sazaa !

2006-08-23T22:44:00.000-05:00

I want to hear a feminist respond to this news article.

A woman in a little town in NY was fired from the Church from her teaching job ... (guess why ??)... for being a woman ! Mary Lambart had been teaching in that church for the past 54 years.

I guess it took them that long to really understand what the Bible was trying to say about womens role in society.

Huh ?

2006-08-23T02:05:00.000-05:00

Our erudite politicians, ladies and gentlemen. The following statement was made in the Lok Sabha.

Vande Mataram is our national song. It is written by Rabindranath Tagore.
- Mamata Banerjee

After being corrected ...

It does not matter who has written it. We do not look into who has written the National Anthem, National Song or "Saare Jahaan Se Achchha". We all love the songs.

Bugspray in my chai ??

2006-08-23T01:39:00.000-05:00

Arjun Swarup provides an excellent article and links to a very lucid comparison/study by Kishore Asthana of the cola drinks with other more banal Indian food articles.

These numbers not only took me by surprise, but completely blew me away! Even if we ignore the inaccuracies of the CSE report -

1 egg has the same pesticide content as 163 bottles of cola
2 apples have the same pesticide content as 1274 bottles of cola

Now, if those numbers don't make the protesters simmer down and start scratching their heads, I don't know what will!

Much ado about nothing

2006-08-20T23:38:00.000-05:00

This article by Gurcharan Das gives us a different perspective on the issue of pesticide levels in colas in India. I think we really have messed up priorities. If we really want to address issues, there are so many other problems plaguing our nation that require addressing urgently.

Quote

2006-07-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

Today's Quote :

"I cannot watch 200 people die. It's not what my politics is about."

And this coming from none other than our very own, Narendra Modi. I have nothing more to say.

A Letter to the American People

2006-07-16T00:08:00.000-05:00

I had never come across this before, and for the first time I actually read the letter allegedly written by Osama Bin Laden, directed to the American people. It goes on to explain why "they" are fighting and what they want from America.

Interestingly, it does clearly mention Kashmir and as one of their demands, exhorts America to deny support to the Indian Govt. on the issue.

The world this week

2006-07-15T03:29:00.000-05:00

I am amazed at how international politics works. So, what has been happening in the Middle-East this week ? On Wednesday, the Hizbullah guerillas raided the Israel border, took a couple of Israeli soldiers hostage and in the attack, killed eight others. Israel then proceeded to unleash hell upon Lebanon, with the Hizbullah holding their own in this battle. While the efforts to retrieve their soldiers is highly commendable, though the means questionable, what really caught my attention was the comments of our beloved Mr. Bush and the American government's stand on the issue.

The Seattle Times has quoted Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary, as stating that, Bush, "believes that the Israelis have the right to protect themselves, and that in doing so they should limit as much as possible so-called collateral damage, not only to facilities but also to human lives". Chirac and Putin on the other hand are pretty disturbed with the turn of events and are demanding the violence stop.

But Israel is not just content with removing Lebanon from future world maps. They have gone on to give Syria an ultimatum of 72 hours to get the Hizbullah to stop activities on Israeli borders or face dire consequences.

Now we all know what Israel will do, if Syria acts defiant. Bomb the hell out of them as well !

And what does the US have to say about this? Simply this - "The US cannot rule out the possibility of an Israeli strike in Syria". oooh... wouldn't the US just love it, if Israel would take care of that little problem for them. Remove the thorns, and the middle east is almost taken care of!

Now, what anguishes me is that despite the fact that the Lebanese Prime Minister has appealled for a cease-fire, and despite the fact that Lebanon was not responsible for the capture of the Israeli soldiers, the Security Council took no action on Lebanon's request. Wow... what a surprise!

Now, let us take this little incident and try and draw some up some scenarios for our very own subcontinent and if anyone can shed light on the following, kindly do so.

Forget about kidnapping, but when 15 BSF soldiers bodies were handed back to the Indian Government by the BDR Commanders, they were found to be mutilated beyond recognition. And what do we do ? We simply lodge a protest! There is no doubt that the LeT and other terrorist outfits operate out of Pakistan and we are convinced that the ISI is also involved. So, if we too, inspired by Israel started bombing the shit out of Bangladesh or terrorist camps in NWFP, how do you think the world would react to us ?

Would Bush, be smiling, while asking us to keep civillian casualty to a minimum? If Pakistan went running to the UN, would they shrug their shoulders and look away?

Perhaps, the fact that India and Pakistan are nuclear would definitely catch the entire world's attention. But, even if trigger happy Pakistan, with their attack first policy, did decide to launch a nuke, it would mean disaster for India and eventual annihilation for pakistan, and consequently further loss for India. So, somehow I don't think a nuclear war is something either party will seriously consider.

But why can't India have a show of force? Why can't we remind these terrorist outfits that they are dealing with a country that will not cower down to mindless and barbaric acts? Why can't we prove a point to the world and to ourselves, that we will not sit back and bear the torture that terrorism has unlesashed upon us for so many decades? Why can't we really prioritize clamping down on these organizations, local and across the borders and simply obliterate them?

Disillusionment

2006-07-15T01:51:00.000-05:00

In 2004, when Manmohan Singh was made Prime Minister of our great country, I was filled with pride. I was arguing all over, with anyone who would care, that a visionary like him could truly transform our nation. I was overjoyed at how lucky we were, that the man who salvaged our nation in '91 was back, about a decade later, to thrust us forward into an era of reform, modernization and tremendous growth. I expected great things from a man I greatly admired and respected. I was naive ofcourse, lulled into believing that a man as educated and academically focussed as him, could make for a strong leader. Not only are his ideas being thwarted by his allies, but he has once again failed to impress, lead or inspire the citizens of this country, when they needed him most.

And when the nation suddenly was faced with a crisis, when we needed a leader to guide us and to instil in us the belief that we would uproot, crush and anhilliate terrorism in our nation, when we needed a leader who would not simply offer us his hollow rhetoric but a solution, or atleast an action, a resolve, we were let down by our leaders again.

I am an ordinary citizen of this country. I fail to understand the complexities of the situation. So either educate me about what exactly is being done or take some action !

I am tired of listening to the exact same emotion-devoid words. I am tired of simply standing while continually being barraged by these terrorist outfits who have plagued the country. I am tired of hearing how shocked the polticians all are. I am tired of us continually warning Pakistan and Bangladesh. I am tired of the BSF personnel who are killed incessantly by these rogues, becoming just a number, a statistic. I am tired of our apparent inability to react. I am tired at the world expressing shock and grief and offering their condolences but no real support. I am tired from having to defend an entire religion because of a complex group of a few cold-hearted killers. I am tired at trying to figure out how as a solitary nation, we can defeat this global terrorist network. I am tired at attempting to be politically correct about the world or more specifically, Pakistan and Kashmir.

I am tired and perhaps I am incoherent and illogical, but I am emotionally and mentally exhausted.

We sit patiently while terrorists continually provoke us, massacre us, destroy our property and disrupt our peaceful existance. When the US had its first taste of terrorism, they marshalled up forces from all over the globe to join their battle, as if it were some new evil, they had suddenly accidentally discovered. They talk of how they are committed to tackling terrorism internationally, and how member countries should work together to put an end to it. We have been fighting the same war as the Americans, for over half a century now, and yet why do we continue to fight this battle alone?

Update 1 : PM exhorts the G8 to take action

Update 2 : PM calls off the Peace talks with Pakistan and directly accusses Pakistan. Perhaps from the myopic viewpoint I currently possess, I see this as a good thing. What use is it to carry on these futile discussions with a leadership, that has proven themselves to be irresponsible, conniving and not trustworthy. I swear, if Bush makes a statement about how such acts of terror, should not prevent dialogue between India and Pakistan, I will ram a fork into my eye !!!

Enough

2006-07-15T01:24:00.000-05:00

Hindu demagogues, islamic radicalists, Taliban, Al-Queda, Bin-Laden, Jihad, Communal tension, religous riots, vandalism, Pundit ejections, kashmir, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, ISI, London, Madrid, NYC, WTC, Death ....

I am exhausted and I have adopted the literal meaning of the following line. If the chaos, uncertainty, fear and terror in the world today is all carried out (even by a minority of misled, selfish fundamentalits) in the name of god, then -

"God is Dead" - Freidrich Nietzsche

Sazaa

2006-07-15T00:52:00.000-05:00

So while this news article made my day yesterday, the irony of the situation, after reading this article, had me laughing hard.

So, am I to infer that basically, Pakistan wants to give us evidence that their nation is the headquarters for all the terrorist groups that were allegedly involved in these attacks? They want to admit that the ISI is sponsoring and supporting terrorism on Indian soil?

I can imagine, like in a '80's movie, Musharraf standing in front of the CBI Chief and Manmohan Singh, staring at his shoes, shuffling uncomfortably, with both hands in front of him, saying - "Mujhe apsoos hai mere kiye hue par. Mujhe apne gunaoon ka sazaa milna chahiye. hathkadiyan pehna do!"

Of rape and the fairer sex

2006-07-15T00:21:00.000-05:00

Apparently on July 13th, the Supreme Court, our apex judicial body, upheld that a woman could not be prosecuted on charges of rape. The appellant, Priya Patel was charged with rape along with her husband Bhanupratap Patel under section 376(2)(g) of the Indian Penal Code.

Now, section 376(2) - which is a subsection under section 376(punishment for rape), lists certain instances where the crime committed is considered to be far graver. In this case, (g) is gang-rape. Now the definition of rape as described by Section 375 is as follows -

A man is said to commit "rape" who, except in the case hereinafter excepted, has sexual intercourse with a woman under circumstances falling under any of the six following descriptions:-

First- Against her will.

Secondly,- Without her consent.

Thirdly- With her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested in fear of death or of hurt.

Fourthly- With her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband, and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married.

Fifthly - With her consent, when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent.

Sixthly - With or without her consent, when she is under sixteen years of age.

Explanation- Penetration is sufficient to constitute the sexual intercourse necessary to the offence of rape.

Exception- Sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.]

What is most interesting here, is the fact that this section starts with the line .. "a man is... ". Not "whoever..", but directly implies that only men with a lack of control over their erect peckers are capable of committing rape. So, yes, going by this definition, what the Supreme Court stated was correct.

Now, the fact is that most rape cases that occur or atleast those that are recorded have female victims. Ofcourse, it is very easy to imagine a stronger, male predator, attacking and taking advantage of physically weaker women, who are unable to defend themselves. But is it really impossible, for females to rape men ?

What about sex with minors ? In this case, consent is inconsequential, I presume. Shouldn't that constitute as rape? I wasn't sure if an unconscious male could be stimulated enough to cause him to be an unknowing and thus unconsenting participant in sexual intercourse. But if it is possible then that should also be considered rape.

What I want to know, is how can the law, simply assume that these incidents will never happen, and make a statement like - "A woman cannot be said to have an intention to commit rape ... ". when, however rare, these are the ones that should really be identified and prevented, especially the abuse of minors. That too in India, a society where the abused pile up their skeletons, lock them up and throw away the key for most, if not all of their lives.

A query on dates

2006-07-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

I have a question. While it was inevitable that post 9/11, all terrorist acts, across the world, would be remembered by their date of occurrence, shouldn't CNN-IBN and NDTV, be calling this dark day - 11/7 ? The last I remember, that was how I used to write dates in India. DD/MM/YY, not MM/DD/YY. It might seem highly trivial and a waste of time to think about the above, and I agree with you, but I gues I'm just very disturbed with everything.

Homosexuality Revisited

2006-06-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

I came across this link on Ruchira Paul's blog. It's an article from Scientific American that states that the chances of a man being gay is possibly influenced by birth order and number of male biological siblings older than him.

The findings, reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by Anthony Bogaert of Brock University, lend credence to the theory that it's not the social or rearing factors that influence a man's sexual orientation, but rather prenatal mechanisms that begin in the womb.

Superman Returns

2006-06-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

So, despite it being smack in the middle of the week, my roomate and I, caught the A train to the AMC on 34th street on Tuesday night to watch the 10 PM show of Superman Returns. I have to admit, I was pretty excited. I first saw the trailer about a year ago, when it first released either on Apple trailers or some other site and I have been eagerly waiting for this movie ever since. I mean it's Superman !!!

Also, interestingly enough, I noticed Kal Penn's name featuring in the cast.

Allright, so as expected all the screens showing the movie were sold out and the lines to enter the hall were insanely long, with people lining up over an hour before the movie even started. Also as expected, every second person was wearing a blue and red superman shirt, but what really got me, was the handful of people who were actually wearing full superman outfits. Complete, to the red exterior underwear. I must admit, I was wearing my superman shirt as well, but it was black and silver. I like to believe it is cooler than the red and blue, but that is debatable.

Eventually the trailers came on, one of them being the Spidey 3 trailer ..... so gooooood. Now I have to wait another freakin' year ! Did I mention recently I almost managed to get into one of the scenes during the shooting of Spidey 3. Well, thats for another post.

Before I begin, a caveat. I have only seen the first Superman, out of the previous 4 (reminder : head over to blockbuster and pick them up tonight). Additionally, Superman has never been one of my favorite super hero's. I mean, I liked him, but I never worshipped him. I have my favorites.

So back to the post. To me, watching Superman Returns, was like watching Brazil play this worldcup, good, but kinda unsatisfying. I'm sure most of you will go out, watch it and absolutely adore it. But I don't know.... I liked it, but it did leave me craving for more.

Superman Returns starts off in a world sans Superman for over five years now. The world seems to have forgotten him and Lois Lane has won a pulitzer for her article - "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman" (a Pulitzer ?? the girl can't even spell....maybe she used MS Word Spell Check). Additionally, Lex is out of jail and plotting away to glory with Kal Penn as one of his sidekicks.

Our beloved hero's entry is quite literally with a bang. He crash lands into the Kent's farm (again ??). You would have imagined, he would have learnt to fly his space-craft by now. Seriously Clark, weren't you paying attention to Jor-El's lessons ?

Mother unites with adopted son and all is well. Heck, Clark even manages to get his old job back, but realizes that his lady love is now engaged and is a mommy. Superman's comeback though, was pretty impressive. A thrilling scene where a space shuttle fails to seperate from it's launchpad 777 aircraft, with both going out of control, and the passengers (well only Lois, because she didn't fasten her seatbelt in time) flying around the cabin, brings our hero in blue and red to the rescue.

Bradon, though he does possess an uncanny resemblance to Christopher Reeves and a fairly enviable physique, was quite boring. The story itself was pretty shaky and the movie didn't flow too well. But two people really stood out - Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey

Kevin was absolutely fabulous as Superman's nemesis. I have my doubts about Brandon, but Spacey was perfect !!! His brilliance in exhibiting his delusional fantasies of omnipotence and the smooth dialogues were delightful !

And Bryan Singer is simply amazing. With The Usual Suspects, X1 and X2 on his resume, I had no doubt that this movie would be good. But what was unusual, was that for the first time, this movie focussed more on the emotional undertones than anything else. It wasn't just about Superman preventing Lex from succeeding in his dastardly plan of killing off "billions not millions" just to venture into real-estate, but Singer spent too much time studying and focussing in on the emotional aspects of each character. And that's what put me off slightly. The chemistry between Clark and Lois was very ordinary. I definitely preferred what Lex and Kitty shared. Too much time was spent on the romantic angle, and that prevented the story from flowing smothly. Now, it is true, that the subtle romance between Superman and Lois Lane is pivotal to the story, but in this case, I didn't see any sparks flying anywhere.

On the bright side, a lot of time was clearly spent studying the physics of flight. And that shows, as the special effects definitely impress. I really believed I could fly. A titanic-like scene, continents being created and consequently moved, bullets bouncing off our man's eye, the way his hair and cloak responded to the wind and speed - fantastic.

On a different note, I never understood why one could never figure out that Clark was Superman. Even in this movie, a few contemplate the possibility but then disregard it. Lois Lane's son seems to be the only sharp one who seems to have figured it out. Oh and yes, speaking of the little munchkin, he definitely surprises in more ways than one.

So here is my final take on it. A really great superhero flick, a little disappointing for me personally, but definitely a must watch. The story could definitely have been more convincing and a few more thrilling rescues could have been thrown in. And for goodness sake, they could have given Kal a word or two to say before killing him off (oops)!! The dialogues were witty and chuckle inducing and they even managed to get the whole "It's a bird...no, it's a plane, no..it's ..." routine in there. I give it a thumbs up.

I want to go watch it again in IMAX. That should be an experience.

Oh and yes, did I mention there is definitely a sequel in the works !

Krrish kaun ?

2006-06-24T22:38:00.000-05:00

Move aside Krrish. We don't need no Superman. Forget reel life, 'cause we have enough real life individuals who kick ass.

Back Home !

2006-05-15T13:58:00.000-05:00

I'm finally back home. I will never be able to describe the feeling of satisfaction that overcame me as my British Airways airplane touched down on the runway of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The oppressive heat of May, the humidity, the crazy traffic, the pollution, the chaos...... I LOVE IT!!

I have just 2 weeks and I know how fast the days are going to whiz by, and yet again I will be on my way back to the airport, to catch my flight to NY. But until then I am going to savor this city and just let it soak in.

I can't wait for the day when I board my flight at JFK with a one-way ticket. A few more years perhaps, but it will happen. I just know it!

Lucky - No time for bollywood !

2006-04-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

This year hasn't seen any great releases from bollywood, yet, apart from Rang De Basanti. Deepa Mehta's Water was really good, but I'm not sure if that can be classified as a Bollywood movie. Hollywood on the other hand has had a fantastic few months. First I saw Inside Man, followed by the brilliant V for Vendetta, Ice Age 2, Thank You for Not Smoking and today I managed to catch Lucky Number Slevin. It was absolutely fantastic !!

I'm not sure when it releases in India, but be sure to watch it whenever it does. Maybe if I have the time I'll write a review on it, though I never do a very good job anyway.

But a movie that stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis simply cannot disappoint. The dialogues though far-fetched for the story are simply brilliant and the movie itself is stylish and fun !

Birthday Boy

2006-04-25T07:35:00.000-05:00

Here's wishing a Happy Birthday to my favorite actor, Al Pacino, who turns 66 today.

Alfred James Pacino started his career in theater and hit instant stardom with his oscar nominated role in the Godfather(1972). He has been nominated for an oscar numerous times, for Serpico(1973), Godfather II(1974), Dog Day Afternoon(1975), (damn ! three years in a row) ...And Justice For All (1979), Glengarry Glen Rose(1992),Heat(1995) and The Insider(1999). He won an oscar for his brilliant portrayal of a blind war veteran looking to fulfill his final wishes in life in one of my favorite movies, Scent of a Woman(1992).

Al Pacino is definitely one of the most brilliant and celebrated actors Hollywood has produced. He doesn't have any intention of stopping making movies and after watching him recently in the Recruit and Merchant of Venice, I definitely can't wait to watch him on the screen soon.

Morality

2006-04-15T13:48:00.000-05:00

I have had several discussions with my friend Saurabh, recently, on the topic of morality and after he posed a series of questions on his latest post, I finally decided to blog about my views on the topic.

First of all, I would like to mention, right away, that I posess a slightly skewed sense of morality. Let's just say, that somewhere in the recent past, I got tired of simply accepting what was "supposedly" right and wrong, without asking why. Since then, whenever I undertake any endeavor, or look at certain incidents, I try and break out of the shackles of this societally imposed doctrine and objectively try to analyze it.

Right or Wrong. Black or White. Since birth, ever action we indulge in for the remainder of our existance, can be fit into this dichotomy. I never understood morality. I mean, how does one define right ? How does one define wrong ? Being honest is good. Lying is wrong. Stealing, rape, murder etc. is wrong. But why ? I have struggled for years to try and understand the fundamental truth behind these words....right and wrong, as you can tell, I have never read or studied philosophy, so if you have any recommendations, they would be much appreciated.

I guess my confusion stemmed from the fact that religion was never a part of my household. I mean, sure, my mom did her 5 min prayer in the evening, but religion was never discussed. I never went to any temples, never learnt about the geeta or anything of that sort. I am now an agnostic, simply because I have so many questions that I can't find answers to and I am not willing to take a leap of faith...yet.

Let us take a simple question. " Why shouldn't I walk into Walmart, buy a gun and go shoot some innocent 5 year old ?"

Because it is wrong.

But WHY? What is right and wrong? Why should I subscribe to what has been societally instituted as right or wrong? How does one define right or wrong?

Everyone, myself included, tends to think in this way simply because that thought process has been ingrained in us since childhood. We are made to accept, without question, what is right and wrong, without any clarification on why it is so. Now, the whole shooting a kid example is a little too drastic, I agree. And I sincerely hope you don't take me to be a sick homicidal maniac.

But, here is why I think I should not shoot a random kid. Not because it's wrong, but because if everyone just went out, bought a gun, and started gunning down every other person on the street dispassionately, then society as we know it, would not exist. Because, to advance and to develop, we need to live together and co-exist as best we can. And if I want mankind to advance, if I want to enjoy developments in technology, be entertained by cinema, I must accept some minimum sacrifices of, my absolute freedom to do whatever I want to, in order to do so.

A long time ago, when Abrahamic religions first gained popularity, the prophets understood this as well. I am sure they were all learned individuals who wanted peace, prosperity etc. And in order for human beings then, to accept some compromise on their freedom, they needed some sort of incentive to conform. The concept of heaven and hell, that by straying off the path of righteousness would lead one straight to hell. Religion preached how humans should act and how they should live and used the fear of god to encourage the masses to follow. People worshiped god and thus followed whatever He dictated.

There is clearly a very strong tie between religion and morality and I quote tennyson -

1887 TENNYSON in Mem. (1897) II. 337 Evil must come upon us headlong, if morality tries to get on without religion.

And perhaps there was sufficient reason to introduce a moral code to sustain the fabric of society. After all, the morality of an action depends on its forseeable consequences, and those were the consequences that the thinkers of the time could forsee. But the fact is that society has evolved over several millenia and has become infinitely more complex. So shouldn't morality evolve as well.

Going back to the reason I decided to blog quite ineloquently (and I apologize for my incoherence....someday I shall be able to write as well as Greatbong or argue as logically as the Cartel) about morality was to respond to the questions Saurabh had raised in his post.

Pre-Marital Sex being the first one. Why is pre-marital sex considered immoral? Well, I am not too sure, but I would like to argue that in India we have mostly had a patriarchial society. Perhaps the males felt it necessary for their wives to be virgins and that need made its way into custom and got appended to the ever-growing moral code. Secondly, A lot of the girls say that they wait more so out of choice than because it's expected from them. Because they want to share something of that magnitude with someone they truly love, that it is more than just physical pleasure. That they want to emotionally connect with someone while experiencing that bliss and believe that the one person they can trust, be secure with and love will be their husband. Fair enough.

But then again, you have girls who just don't want to have sex before marriage, without reason, because they believe it to be wrong, because that was what they were taught. Now personally, I don't like it when decisions are made without reason, but then again, who the hell am I to question their decision ? I am quite sure that despite all my talk, I make decisions that are illogical and without reason. Additionally, it's not just girls. While most guys would love to get laid given the opportunity, there are others who choose not to.

Chosing not to have sex is fine. But I don't see how there is a right or a wrong to it.

Second was prostitution. Is paying for sex wrong ? Is it immoral ? As Saurabh mentioned, if someone asked him if he would pay for sex, his immediate answer would be a resounding no. But why is paying for sex immoral ? What is really wrong with paying for sex ?

The most common argument against prostitution is that people who indulge in it, expoit the women in question. How would one define exploitation. The woman wants money, the man wants sex. She offers him sex for money, a service rendered, which he pays for. Anything wrong with that? The most basic of instincts is survival (I think I heard that in a trailer) and people will do anything to survive. It is very easy to sit in front of a computer and vociferously condemn exploitation. What about cycle rickshaws? How is sitting in a cycle rickshaw any different from having sex with a prostitute. In both cases you are physically exploiting someone. In the second case, just because you need to get somewhere, an old man huffs and puffs, cycles away, drags the rickshaw up slopes and beats his body up, because that is the only way he can feed himself and support his family. Just because it is more commonly accepted, doesn't necessarily make it right and prostitution wrong? And I don't even want to get started with the hand rickshaws in Kolkata. The government started phasing them out in the middle of last year. I haven't been to Kolkata in over 3 years, so I don't know how effective they phasing out has been, and more importantly what new occupation those 10,000 or so rickshaw pullers have now adopted. I refuse to accept exploitation as an argument against indulging in prostitution. What about Chinese sweatshops ? You wear Nike products to look cool and then talk about exploitation? What about the conditions of workers in China ?

Now, if I meet someone at a bar, hit it off, come home and have sex, that's fine. So whats wrong if I pay for that sex.

I, personally, would not indulge in prostitution because of the indirect consequences the trade has, and not because it is supposedly morally wrong. Most of the prostitutes, one would find in red-light districts in major cities were forced into the trade and it is that human trafficking that I am against. I refuse to condone an act, that I know will lead to minor girls being sold off to pimps and women being conned into marriage and eventually ending up in brothels. However, if a girl from a well-to-do family, choses to indulge in prostitution out of free will, to make an extra buck so that she can buy that new Nokia cellphone or keep up with the latest fashion trends, then I see nothing wrong with that. It is entirely her choice and if someone does sleep with her, the sex is consensual and there is no exploitation.

Additionally, if you believe that women of the second category do not exist, you are being very naive. Compared to the number of prostitutes in brothels the latter are a minority, but in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, their numbers are growing. There are a lot of girls, who succumb to pressure to possess the latest and the coolest and find this the easiest and fastest way to make money.

Right and Wrong... Good and Evil. I don't know, maybe its just me. But an argument like, cheating is wrong and so I will not engage in it, is simply not good enough. You need to have some sort of logic to back up your convictions. When it comes to religion, both reason and logic fail. So if a religious adherent choses to follow their holy book and adopt a moral code from it, then, I suppose, it's acceptable. After all, the only reason society has sustained itself, is because of religion.

Anyway, I'm not sure if my incoherent ramblings above have made any point at all. But I would definitely appreciate someone more intellectually competent and logical to comment. On any issue, there are numerous angles and it's only possible to make an informed, objective analysis when one can see all those angles.

But the bottomline is this. Society today is plagued with complex issues, that need to be debated and discussed and not just accepted without question.

Aamir Khan's effigy burnt !

2006-04-15T10:46:00.000-05:00

It is not very often that celebrities speak their mind on contentious issues and stand by what they believe in. Most choose to remain silent and only speak to the masses through the medium of cinema. And that's why I respect celebrities who also don the role of ordinary citizens, lend support and speak their mind. In this case, Aamir Khan merely visited the protesters of NBA and the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, listened to their grievances and agreed with their demands. And it's not the first time Aamir Khan has spoken out. You can read his interview to Tehekla as well, here.

Dams need to be built, but if the government usurps the farmers lands then they need to be compensated and in this case also rehabilitated. All the political parties are in support of the construction of the dam, but Aamir Khan never said that the dam should not be built. What then do these party workers hope to achieve by burning his effigy or stopping movie theaters from screening his movies?

Justice Finally !

2006-04-12T07:19:00.000-05:00

This reinstates my faith in our justice system.

http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=8143&section_id=3

Not the Salman Khan case.

Justice Finally ?

2006-04-10T06:20:00.000-05:00

In a nation where murderers and rapists go unpunished, and sometimes in fact cozily nest in the upper echelon of the government, Chief Judicial Magistrate Brijendra Kumar Jain, I suppose, fed up with the ineffectiveness of the Indian Judiciary decided to put things right, by sentencing Salman Khan, to 5 years rigorous imprisonment for killing two chinkaras. He had already been sentenced for 1 years imprisonment for killing two black bucks.

Now clearly I have no idea how the Indian judiciary works, and I don't know if this is a good decision or not. But there are certain aspects about this sentence that deeply troubles me.

What if this hadn't been Salman Khan? What if it were some local villager who just wanted to taste some deer meat instead of chicken on saturday night? First of all, none of these media channels would consider that news worthy. Consequently, in the absence of all that media coverage, would the same harsh sentence have been announced to that non-celebrity?

But no, Salman Khan, the heathen, the vile evil individual is finally being punished for his crimes. Everyone will now breathe a sigh of relief. The Bollywood bad-boy who thought he could get away with anything, has finally been shown that no-one is above the law.

It is disturbing when the media or possessing a celebrity status can actually alter the sentence against you. Clearly, Salman Khan is paying the price for being Salman Khan!

Killing the deers might have been a crime, but this sentence is not justified. Not in our system.

And one of the comments on the webpage following the article caught my eye. It said, perhaps if Jessica Lal and Meher Bhargava had been deers, they would have secured justice in our system.

Something is terribly wrong.

[Afterthought] Had Salman Khan been found guilty of drunk driving and been punished with 7 - 12 years or so imprisonment, for the other case, I would have hailed the verdict. But 5 years for killing deers ? It's not that I don't care about the endangered fauna of our country, but let's be real here.

[Afterthought 2] After further discussions with my friends, I realize my argument might be misconstrued. I am not implying that just because high-profile, seemingly open and shut cases have not been resolved in over 10 years, that this case should be side tracked. No, every crime, not matter how small should be dealt with swiftly but the punishment should be commensurate to the crime. Just because a street urchin is caught pickpocketting, he shouldn't have his hands cut off.

Additionally, I do think the indian wildlife preserves can benefit far more, by recieving a hefty "endowment" of several crores (2, 5, 10, 15.. ???) from Salman Khan, who anyway demands a paycheck of several crores for his movies, and he should be forced to use his celebrity status to raise funds, or better the state of our wildlife preserves. And no, this is not him simply buying his way out of trouble. These are just possible solutions. I'm not against imprisonment either, since the animals in question were endangered, but it is the 5 years rigorous imprisonment that I am against. And the fact that clearly, justice is not blind in our system, but in this case biased against the celebrity bad boy. It is consistency that I ask for. If even a poor villager from some obscure village in Rajasthan was also awarded punishment of 5 years for killing a chinkara, perhaps I might think otherwise. But given the state of things, I feel this punishment is unfair.

More Zeroes anyone ?

2006-04-05T09:14:00.000-05:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1479412.cms

Nefarious Wardrobe acquitted - Again

2006-04-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

Once again that dastardly Wardrobe has been acquitted of all charges. How it manages to continually evade prosecution is beyond me ! Must have quite an amazing legal defence team.

Now, I have all the respect for our honorable Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. R R Patil and his zealous efforts to protect us from such a travesty of our morality and I have to tell you, I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out that it was not some chota mota cop investigating this shameless act, but Mumbai Police Comissioner A N Roy and his crew. And I must quote GreatBong here -

A brilliant use of our policeforce’s time and taxpayer’s money as roomfulls of hyperventilating men shall watch and rewatch (in super slow motion) the offending video clips late into the night and try desperately to find hidden clues, exercising the mythical “kanoon ka lamba haath”. (long arm of the law) for the good of the people.

But I do believe that there might be more to the story than what has been reported so far. Why, despite all the problems plaguing the state of Maharashtra, would he chose to ardently go after the relatively obscure societal evil, Wardrobe Malfunction (WM)? I mean, (pure speculation), could it just be that R R Patil is jealous of WM. After all, a simple google search will produce 806,000 results for WM as opposed to a mere 189,000 for the DCM.

Now, having been inspired by Rajdeep Sardesai's CNN-IBN, I shall now proceed to don the role of a Citizen Journalist.

Ha ! Those of you who think that WM is a low-life and chota crook are gravely mistaken. Let me proceed to give you a little background on WM's past. WM is actually the illegitimate progeny of Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson born during the half-time show of the 38th Superbowl, all the way back in Feb '04. Suggestive dance moves, two gorgeous individuals - come on now, don't blush ! We all know what happened next.

In fact Justin used his amazing originality in coming up with the name. Perhaps if R R Patil had been the governer of Jacksonville, Florida, the dynamic duo would have been behind bars, where they belong! Hmph.

Now interestingly, "wardrobe malfunction" was also named by the Global Language Moniter as "Hollywood's Top Phrase for Impact on the English language". Damn..what a way to start off one's career - in Hollywood, rubbing shoulders with the biggies. WM had the most impact on the English Language in its very first year of creation!

In the US, the Federal Communications Commission levied heavy taxes on Viacom. Thankfully, we don't need an entire federal commission. Who needs all that extra beauracracy when we have our very own moral brigade ! This time it was Social Activist, President of the Stree Aadhar Kendra and deputy leader of the Shiv Sena, Neelam Gorhe. She was reported as stating -

... two incidents of 'flesh flash' owing to defective designer wear had taken place during fashion week, and alleged that these were not accidents, as claimed by the models and fashion designers, but stage-managed incidents. She went on to allege that three more such incidents had been slated to take place, but did not. She also said offences against the organisers should be registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Down with the conspirators !! Hang them All !!!

Again, as a Citizen Journalist and swearing by my guru Rajdeep Sardesai, I shall leave no stones unturned. Which brings to me to my next point - the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. I quickly perused through my favorite web-site and after a quick search for the word "obscene" I came across a very lucid section 294. It goes as follows -

¹⁴¹[294. Obscene acts and songs

Whoever, to the annoyance of others-

(a) does any obscene act in any public place, or

(b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place,

shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine, or with both.]

Ummm.... Ok. Is it just me, or is that as vague as it gets ?

Now, I'm definitely not a student of jursiprudence and perhaps there is a more detailed definition of what is obscene and what is not in our great country. Well there better be. Or god knows, the next time I'm walking down a street whistling, "teri chunari sexy lagti ve" while listening to my Ipod, I get slapped by two girls (who I was obviously looking at for longer than 2.345 nanoseconds), have my picture taken and flashed across the internet for being a lecherous thug, get accosted by all of her brothers who magically materialize in the crowd, get arrested under section 294 and 268 of the IPC and get imprisoned for three months.

[Afterthought: ]
Somehow I don't think Rajdeep is going to be offering me a job at CNN-IBN anytime soon.

INSIDE MAN - Fresh, Witty and Novel

2006-03-26T16:43:00.000-05:00

Quite often after someone finishes explaining the proof of a complicated equation to me ('cause I'm obviously too stupid to actually understand it myself) I'm filled with this sense of awe at its sheer ingenuity. Sometimes the simplicty and the subtle touches are just brilliant, and at the end of it all, as I let the concept sink in, I sit back with a feeling of tremendous satisfaction.

As the credits rolled up on the screen at the end of 'Inside Man' and the lights gradually came back on, I sat there feeling very content.

Anyway, earlier in the day a bunch of us decided to hit Crossgates, the mall in Albany, and watch a movie. We were torn between V for Vendetta and Inside Man. Ultimately we split up into two groups and I, definitely impressed by Clive Owen in the preview, decided to watch the latter.

While the previews were being screened, before the start of the movie, a very pleasant and very indian, music started playing and at first I thought they were going to show the trailer of Deepa Mehta's Water, but no, I was mistaken. The Inside Man started with a remixed version of none other than .... Chaiyya Chaiyya !! Sung by Sukwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi, it was definitely a catchy and a very unexpected start to the movie.

The Inside Man, Spike Lee's newest release stars the brilliant Denzel Washington and a very smooth Clive Owen. The movie grips you from the very beginning, with the camera focussing on Own, who sitting down, staring straight at the camera, says - "My name is Dalton Russel. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself."

Its a bank heist. Well apparently so... but what the hell is going on? Dalton Russel and his gang, disguised as painters, very quickly take over this small branch of Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take the 40 odd hostages downstairs. They are all then forced to strip and wear painter overalls, identical to the robbers. That way, the cops cannot discern the bad guys from the good. As usual, the very first demand made is that of a bus to safely transport them and the hostages to the airport where a jet should be made available. (Not again !) Everyone is surprised at this cliched and hollywood-ish demand. The references to previously made famous movies induces chuckles as Willem Dafoe, Captain NYPD, exasperated at the demand, talks about how even in Munich, the terrorists didnt get a jet and Detective Frazier (Denzel) retorts - "Come on....You've seen Dog Day Afternoon, You know how it ends !" ... or well something along those lines.

Also intertwined in this story is an aged Board Chairman of the Bank, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) who obviously has a dark secret, to protect which he procures the services of an enigmatic, amoral but suave Madeline White (Jodie Foster). The Mayor of NYC at one point even compliments her by calling her a '... magnificent cunt'.

Well its definitely a bank heist, with exciting twists, but I repeat my question - What the hell is going on?

Dalton Russel is the only one who knows. Throughout the movie, he's more than just a step ahead of Frazier and the rest, and pulls off a brilliant plan. He even flummoxes the over confident Foster who enters the bank, after pulling some strings with the mayor, to negotiate with Russel for Arthur Case. Russel is intelligent, smooth and eerily calm.

What I loved most about the movie, apart from the brilliant performances, was the intelligent screenplay. It is dramatic, thrilling and exciting and it will definitely keep you captivated till the very end, when all is revealed.

It's witty as well. There is a scene where Frazier asks for more time and Dalton agrees provided he can answer a riddle. Watching the detectives and cops argue over the riddle was hillarious.

Waris Ahluwahlia is also really good. Spike Lee uses him to help demonstrate the banal nature of bigotry that is more than prevalent in America, post 9/11. After Ahluwalia is freed by Owen, and he steps out of the bank all tied up, the cops rush to his rescue, but when they take off his mask and see his turban, their guns automatically get trained on him. They back off warily, calling him an Arab. Despite his vociferous protests, they rip off his turban and physically harass him. The next scene, when Dafoe and Denzel are very apologetic about the treatment Waris faced earlier, is also quite funny, as Dafoe tries to cover up the incident and Denzel makes references to how easy it must be for him to get a cab.

Anyway, I absolutely loved this movie and strongly recommend you all to watch it. The last movie that I was this excited about was probably Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage. I can assure you, regardless of whatever tiny kinks you might find in the story,there is absolutely no way you will be disappointed.

World's Youngest CEO

2006-03-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

At age 14, Suhas Gopinath founded his own IT company, Globals Inc. and became the world's youngest CEO. Now after 6 years, his company is worth well over a 100 million dollars. Sounds like an overachieving kid raised in Silicon Valley?

Well, you're partly correct; India's Silicon Valley. Suhas hails from Bangalore and is probably the only CEO who is studying in an Engineering College and is still living with his parents. It's a really inspiring story of the endless possibilities in our country.

CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent Laura Logan reports.

Note : View the videos on the right of the screen

ABC on India Shining

2006-03-25T04:59:00.000-05:00

Got this from the Secular - Right India Blog. An ABC video on the miracle, that is India. Makes one proud to be desi !

Absolutely Ridiculous !

2006-03-25T04:39:00.000-05:00

While I normally refrain from commenting on issues I don't have sufficient information about, this is absolutely ridiculous !

I came across this article while perusing India Uncut and had to place a link to it on my blog. I refuse to personally pass judgement on any case when I really don't know what happened. Especially in a system like ours, its hard to really extract the truth. But if this is the defence Abhishek is standing behind, then I'm really quite speechless.

NOISE - blank no more !

2006-03-24T02:11:00.000-05:00

It is an unfortunate fact about our society and legal system that issues are brought to the notice of the authorities only when the junta publicly declares its anguish. The power of the fourth estate is evident in our system and it is deplorable that is needs to come to that.

Noise effects action. And in the case of the Blank Noise Project, action that is long overdue.

A lot has been said about the Blank Noise Project for over a year now and I would just like to to state that though I am slightly skeptical of the approach, I greatly respect the creation of this forum. I am aware that a very small percentage of the women who are sexually harrassed, actually frequent the blogsphere. But I feel that it is definitely a good place to start and it is indeed heartening to see that the effort has been extended beyond just the blogging community. Once again, on a different note, though I share the same reservations on militant feminism as GreatBong and Vulturo, I am glad that noise is being made.

During the past few months I have been reading a lot of posts by tormented women from all over the world and I guess, as a guy, one has a very different reaction. Most guys from the cities are to a large extent oblivious if not about the harrassment itself, atleast about its shockingly banal nature. I grew up in a fairly protected middle class home in Mumbai. I was the only child and so this issue was never raised in my house. I first started using the public transport system when I was 13, thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the first seat on top in double decker busses or standing next to the exits on the local trains. I loved my city to death.

I was 14 years old. It was a Sunday and I was attending IIT classes. It was the break between two marathon lecture sessions. She was my best friend and was sitting next to me. We were generally talking and I told her how I didn't understand why she had performed so dismally in the half yearly examinations, conducted a few months earlier. In response, she narrated to me her harrowing experience, one that had traumatized her for several months and for the first time I realized my beloved city had a dark side. I was a young, naive, 14 year old.

In the local trains, while travelling to IIT classes, for several reasons, often the girls would travel with us in the general compartments. As guys, we did everything we could to "protect" them. But still when the train pulled up to the platform and began slowing down, as the deluge of bodies disembarking clashed physically with the masses getting on and after we disentangled ourselves from the melee, one of the girls would invariably be livid and would mouth obscenities at no one person (it would be impossible to point out one person in that crowd) but at the situation in general.

At first, I felt very sad that my friends had to experience such harrasment. The more I learnt about it, the more anguished I grew. I couldn't wait to catch someone red-handed and give him a thrashing and a piece of my mind. I felt disgusted at my inability to discern these individuals. I walked with, stood with, perhaps talked to or even smiled at them and I had no idea.

Since then, over the next few years, until I left Mumbai, every single one of my female friends had narrated a story, which in many ways was similar to the one I had first heard, perhaps with a different settings. BEST buses, local trains, dark deserted alleys, crowded bustling streets...everywhere. It wasn't long before the ugly truth dawned upon me that this wasn't an isolated incident, this wasn't even something that most women faced but something that every single girl or woman faces continually. I am deeply saddened to say that I am still searching for that one exception.

This is most definitely a problem. A huge one. But simply making noise isn't enough. Lots of people have asked for and suggested more focussed solutions and I would like to offer one as well.

Every single story I heard from my friends and read from the posts had a common theme. Shock, disbelief, embarrassment and silence. Most had their first experience when they were fairly young, often in pre-teenage years and most couldn't approach their parents and talk about it. They chose instead to shut down and tried to hide it beneath what soon become layers of insecurities. They all felt that this was an isolated case, that perhaps it was their fault.

I feel it's of paramount importance to address this. A forum like Blank Noise helps individuals realize that there are others out there. That they are not alone. That they can reach out and talk to or share with others, their experiences. But again, if limited to just the blog world, its impact will still be a small dent at best. The best way to stop this is to empower women, to give them the courage to immediately express outrage and dismay. To speak out, instead of cowering away. I know, the first reaction to this, is that it is easier said than done. I completely agree, but it's also true, in most cases when confronted, the assailant got frightened and backed down.

Besides, by stopping someone from groping or pinching you today, who knows, perhaps you might stop then from committing a far more serious sexual crime tomorrow. And if I am permitted one cliche - Nip the problem in the bud. By acting against certain forms of eve-teasing, perhaps we are preventing far more serious offenses, if only to a much smaller extent.

Now, please don't misinterpret my words. I don't use the term "empower" condescendingly at all. Anyway, the only way to provide women with that confidence is increased awareness at an early age. Agreed, that most girls around 9 or 10 years of age will not truly comprehend the gravity of the issue, but its definitely where one needs to start.

I know it is hard for parents to often talk about these issues and even when confronted, rarely act as pillars of support and thus I strongly feel that this issue needs to be raised in every single school, indisputably, a child's second home. While most is at home, I feel a lot of what we learn, about life, morality and Indian values is learnt at school, either in the classrooms or on the playgrounds. We need to exploit this as a huge resource and attempt to target all students between, say, the 5th and 10th standards. I used to have a waste of a class, in school, called "Value Education". This could be one of the topics raised there. If not teachers themselves, then more qualified individuals, adherents of the Blank Noise Project or NGO's should visit schools annually and talk about harrassment and increase awareness. Girls need to learn that they will at sometime in the future be exposed to this, and this is how they need to react. It is most certainly not their fault that they were harrassed, but if they choose to stay quiet, it will definitely be partly their fault when others get harrassed. They need to be taught that such reprehensible incidents are commonplace and that they need to speak out - LOUDLY !

Perhaps if they expect it, they can react to it better.

I don't know. Maybe this is just an unfeasible idea from a 20 year old. Perhaps I still am as naive as I was when I heard my first story, 6 years ago. But this is how I feel a difference can be made. This is my solution, which is obviously only a start, but one that I feel is in the right direction.

The battle continues : Religion vs. Science

2006-03-23T20:19:00.000-05:00

Was there ever an era in the past when dinosaurs ruled the earth?

Yes. Ofcourse !

But wait.... how can you be so sure ? Were you actually there ?

It is evangelist Ken Ham's goal in life to convince all the people in America and eventually the world, I would assume, that the real answers lie in the Genesis and not some hogwash theory called evolution. Science is a ridiculous orthodoxy and Ham is arming those who support him with "Christian Patriot Missiles" to take on the vile scientists. He insists that the Bible be taken literally, that God created the universe and all creatures in roughly six 24 hr days, roughly 6000 years ago.

This article from the LA Times, tells all.

Mildly amusing, you say ? What is appalling is that approximately 59 % of Americans surveyed believe creationism over evolution and that what is written in the Bible's Book of Revelation will come to pass. And when you have the President of the United States of America, the great leader of the free world, claiming that he attacked Afghanistan and Iraq at the behest of God, should we be slightly worried ?

Rape under duress

2006-03-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

X points a gun to my head, hands me a knife and tells me to stab another person, Y, until Y dies. X tells me if I refuse, X will shoot my brains out and then proceed to shoot Y.

So Y is pretty much screwed. Now, If I disobey X and refuse to stab Y, I die and so does Y. If I obey X, I believe I can get away with killing Y, since I was acting under duress.

But what about rape ?

This article from the Sydney Morning Herald narrates a story of exactly that and this post on Unreal City, argues that point.

It makes for quite an interesting read.

Update : India's first gay club

2006-03-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

Here's an article I read today morning on the CNN-IBN webpage about India's first gay club that has been officialy registered in Chennai.

http://www.ibnlive.com/article.php?id=7103&section_id=3#

Awareness is the only cure for the parochialism that plagues our society. Just as people have learnt to accept other religions and ethnicities, I can only hope that they too will come to accept the differences that exist globally in sexual orientation. Just as the Blank Noise Project is trying to get women to speak out about their harrowing experiences and is attempting to create outrage among us all (for unfortunately that is the only way people take notice) there needs to be more outrage/awareness on the issues that plague the homosexual community in India. It is only when the general masses stop shunning them and accept the difference, that we can finally put an end to their harrasment.

The TATA legacy

2006-03-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

The first half hour of todays Charlie Rose interview on PBS was with Ratan Tata, Chairman of TATA Sons. This was one interview I was very eager to watch especially because I've always had the greatest respect for Ratan Tata, ever since I had the honour of interviewing him during my 11th standard. He seemed to possess an aura of distinction, integrity, character and humility that completely floored me, a young naive 15 year old. Not only did he take the time to actually meet with a bunch of kids and answer their immature questions but he also took notes when he asked us what we as the future of this country felt about certain issues. Throughout the course of your life you have the honour of meeting certain individuals who will inspire you, whose words you will lap up and whose success you will forever attempt to emulate. For me, it definitely was Ratan Tata. In modern India, he is definitely my hero along with his uncle, JRD Tata.

Tata seems to make everything and do everything. From steel, cement, telecommunications, tea, chemicals and the entrepreneurial driven start of Air India ... the list is endless. The diversity of businesses is just mind boggling.

The Tata name has always been an integral part of my life. My father is a scientist at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, at the very tip of South Mumbai, surrounded by the naval base on all sides. TIFR, established in 1945, a result of the vision of its founder Homi Bhabha, JRD Tata and Nehru, soon became a cradle for scientific pursuits and was not just limited to science but was dedicated to delivering the benefits of such research to the Indian people. Having grown up in this research institute, as a kid, I was automatically loyal to the TATA name. But with time as my naiveness wore off, the more I read and learnt about JRD Tata and Ratan Tata the more I idolized them.

During the centenary year of JRD Tata's birth, I read an article about him in a newsletter of the TIFR Alumni Association titled : J.R.D. - The Eternal Icon. The author borrowed a few of his lines from an article written by JRD himself, which really moved me. He wrote -

(In Tatas) we have retained the fire of idealism and in its glow we have come to recognize that no wealth or power can be more valuable than our dignity; no loss of profit can be more critical than the loss of our credibility; no skills or qualifications can substitute the integrity of our character.

I have always been in awe of these words and have sworn by them. I have always wondered, how a family can zealously practice and preach values that are so severely lacking elsewhere among other global businesses? The word Tata itself is tantamount to excellence, integrity and community focus. The wealth that the Tata group has created for itself is but an insignificant fraction of the amount by which they have enriched the nation. And as JRD himself said -

The cycle is now complete; what came from the people has gone back to the people many times over.

His commitment to perfection, as he said it himself, "trifles make for perfection for perfection is not a trifle", reflected in the products and services of the Tata group and the contributions of his group to the nation earned him the Bharat Ratna. It is said of him - "He touched power, but remain untouched by it"

And Ratan Tata is no less worthy of adulation than his philanthrophic, charismatic and respected uncle. He took over an empire and transformed it into an efficient organization ready to face the 21st century. His stress on technology resulted in his greatest success, the emergence of Tata Consultany Services, now the flagship of the Tata Group. Again, despite record losses, Rata Tata's faith in technology resulted in the new Indica, a smashing success and Tata Motors was listed in the New York Stock Exchange. His business acumen won him the FORBES' Asia Businessman of the Year in 2005 and in my opinion, even more importantly, in December of that same year, he was awarded "Quality of Life Award" at the United Nations in NY for exemplary corporate philanthrophy. Business leaders the world over swear by his business integrity and social responsibility.

Newsweek reported - "...a family conglomorate that has gone professional without losing a distinct set of old-school values"

I will always be humbled by and attempt to incorporate the values which the Tata Group embodies. As the last phase of my school life comes to an end and I enter the professional workforce I can only hope to lead through strength of character and affection and follow in the footsteps of these great individuals.

Fear Expunged

2006-03-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you read quotations that really move you. A line or a phrase that you can really relate to and take inspiration from. Words are sometimes sufficient to better people or instill courage in them. I've heard one quotation used frequently in several movies and speeches but never quite knew its origin. A few minutes on google and I found it. I find this quote to be very inspiring.

The following paragraph is taken from the book, A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson. It was also quoted by Nelson Mandela in 1994 during his inaugaral speech as the first democratically elected President of South Africa.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous ?

Actually who are you not to be ?

You are a child of god. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were all born to make manifest the glory of god that is within us. It's not just in some of us; It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automaticaly liberates others.

Believe in yourself and in your abilities. You are a gift to this world. A light to dispel all darkness and show others the way. And with the passing of time, I believe that by being true to yourself and by trusting your values and intrinsic greatness, your incandescence will affect all whose lives you touch, for the better. That is what I believe and perhaps someday you will share my belief.

Homosexuality in India

2006-02-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

Approximately 13.5 million men in India are supposed to be homosexual. Now I could be entirely off on this number as I am not entirely sure how accurate my source is. But its an intelligent estimate nonetheless. Additionally, I'm not sure if thats a large or small number.

I'm always amazed when journalists question individuals on TV about gay activism, (and these are usually college youth mind you, much like me) and they state categorically that they have lots of friends who are gay and are very much comfortable with their homosexuality. Then immediately, as if to clear any confusion, they emphasize that they themselves are straight, but that they are cool being around homosexuals.

Hmm....I've been in Mumbai for about 15 years, before shipping myself off to a sparsely populated town in freezing upstate NY, and I have never had a gay friend. Well, one, and he too came out of the close after joining a fraternity in his second year. Now, it could be because I'm not as gregarious as I thought I was, but it always struck me as strange that all of those guys on TV knew so many gay people and I didn't know a single one. It wasn't that I felt left out or anything...don't misunderstand me, it was just a phenomenon I didn't understand since very few of those 13.5 million people have come out of their closets because its obviously not very easy being gay in India.

Despite having been raised in a fairly liberal environment, surrounded by highly educated individuals, I still felt claustrophobic, not being able to freely talk and discuss rather sensitive topics. I can't even relate to what it must feel like actually being gay in a society that condemns homosexuality and decrees homosexual acts as illegal. To have to hide something as cardinal as ones own sexual orientation is a frightening thought but to subdue it, force oneself to marry one from the opposite gender and procreate is unfathomable. Yet it is what often happens.

The threat of social ostracization would be sufficient to keep anyone locked up in his or her closet, pretend to lead a normal life and die guilty with that secret. And now add to that the possible continous harrasment both through extortion and physical humiliation by anyone who stumbled across this secret and the threat of imprisonment by the police under Section 377 of the IPC. Now in India the rich can still buy themselves safety, but what about the rest ? They are driven underground.

But ignoring all of that, at a far more basic level, I want to know why homosexuality is so taboo in India ?

In the land of the kamasutra one would imagine that sex and consequently sexual orientation would be a rather mundane topic rather than a highly controversial one. Why do hindu activists burn posters of Fire which is based on lesbianism ? Is homosexuality an alien phenomenon to us Indians ? Is it so distant from our culture that it is shunned as the topic which must not be talked about ?

The kamasutra, an instruction manual on the art of love, as ancient as it is internationally famous, has a section on male homosexual intimacy. It also concedes that female homosexual acts do occur but does not condone them. The manusmriti also discusses female homosexuality in great detail and severely chastises it. But then again manu thought of women fairly lowly, as an asset for man, like land and cattle and also preached the caste system. Also in Yashodara's Jayamangala (as stated in Wikipedia) there are descriptions of same sex marriages. Though these marriages are not religious they are societally accepted. In addition, texts such as the "narada smriti" forbade homosexuals from marrying women, quite in contrast to what occurs in modern times. (This link also provides an insight on the issue)

The only claim I am making is that homosexuality existed as is documented by these texts.

Additionally, there exists evidence that apart from males and females a third gender existed in those times, and homosexuals must have formed a fairly large part of it. Even the upanishads and the puranas refer to this third gender.

What about all of the gods and their constantly changing genders. Even Krishna, Brahma and Vishnu among numerous others have done so.

Khajuraho was built by thousands of artisans at a time when temples like it were being built all over, for close to a century. Kings and wealthy merchants were among the patrons of these religious institutions. Yet the walls depict exquisite carvings of wild orgies, among all - men, women, gods and animals. The fact that such a beautiful temple was built adorned by these sculptures is proof of the liberal culture that existed at the time.

So despite homosexuality being an indisputable part of our culture why do we refuse to accept it? Why do we let puritanical british laws still restrict us? Why do hindu organizations protest homosexuality as being anti-hindu, when it is evident that hinduism itself is perhaps the only religion that in no way condemns it?

I have no answers to these questions and would appreciate any enlightenment.

Personally, I can only say that it is a crime to stifle something as innocent and beautiful as love regardless of gender. Homosexuality exists and with time a lot more individuals will muster the courage to openly embrace their sexuality. Section 377 needs to be amended to allow consenting gay couples to be rid of the fear of harrasment.

India's beauty and strength lies in its pluralism, in ethnicity, religion, language, culture and I believe also in sexual orientation.

Section 377

2006-02-27T20:24:00.000-05:00

Recently, after having watched My Brother Nikhil, ( for the 3rd time, I am such a huge fan of Juhi Chawla) I was talking to a friend about homosexuality in India and gay rights. Following that discussion I decided to peruse any relevant information available. I have to say, Section 377 of the IPC makes for quite an interesting read. It states -

Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse (defined as penetration) against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable for fine.

What does this overtly ambiguous statement imply ?

The act of sodomy is illegal.

No two homosexual males can indulge in sex, from the previous point

Even married heterosexual couples can be found guilty and fined or imprisoned

But I'm still confused and I would be grateful if anyone better versed in the jurisprudence would enlighten me on the following.

Is sex between married heterosexuals illegal if it is for pleasure instead of procreation ?

I guess this strongly ties to understanding exactly what - "...against the order of nature" means. Now I'm not a student of biology or animal behavior, but from what I do know, in the animal kingdom, mating occurs for the sole purpose of procreation. Hence, my confusion.

Wouldn't that also mean that condoms should be illegal? I mean, if sex occurs only for the purpose of procreation, then we shouldn't need condoms in our society.

Is cunnilingus or fellatio also illegal ?

I've never seen animals perform oral sex on the discovery channel. Maybe I spent too much time watching Cartoon Network instead of Animal Kingdom or DC.

But seriously....

I believe that this provision exists in the Indian Penal Code to ensure that male rape and child abuse is prevented. Clearly, there is no indication that the government condemns being homosexual but it most definitely does condemn homosexual acts.

Now I am sure that most of our laws are "CTRL C .... CTRL V" from the British constitution. But while this law has been repealed where it originated it still exists in our legal system. Why ? It is obvious that this law is from a puritanical time when pleasure was condemned. But why hasn't it been repealed yet ?

Even when a petition was filed in 2003, the National Democratic Alliance government responded stating that -

it was tool that could be used by the government to interfere in the private sphere in "the interest of public safety and protection of health and morals".

Brinda Karat, who was then general secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), wrote a letter to Arun Jaitley, the then Minister for Law and Justice, objecting to the arguments advanced by the government justifying the continuation of Section 377. In the letter she said that AIDWA maintained that the government did not have the locus standi to interfere in the private sexual activity of two consenting adults, regardless of its interpretation of what was natural or unnatural sexual behaviour. She pointed out that if one were to accept the government's standpoint, then many existing pieces of legislation concerning women's rights and Dalit rights would not have been enacted since there are many sections of society that consider wife-beating or dowry taking to be consistent with "tradition and culture", just as they consider untouchability to be the "natural order" of society. Addressing the government's argument that Section 377 needs to be retained because it is also used to deal with cases of child sexual abuse and is therefore necessary, Brinda Karat said that there was nothing to prevent the government from enacting a comprehensive law against child sexual abuse, which should include a clause that criminalised non-consensual same-sex relations.

Exactly. Child abuse and male rape are serious issues, but it is possible to enact a law against it specifically. There is no need for a vague law that is more than often abused and used to harass gay couples.

I think its about time the government withdraw itself from my bedroom, regardless of whether I'm gay or straight.

India Rising

2006-02-26T17:14:00.000-05:00

Recently came across this article by Fareed Zakaria. An excellent piece on India, its future, its resplendent economic growth and the change in foreign policy that comes along with it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11571348/site/newsweek/

Mahatma

2006-02-21T17:36:00.000-05:00

Recently I read Gaurav's post on Bhagat Singh's Satyagraha. I definitely agree with him. Gandhiji is by far one of the most attacked figures in the Indian freedom movement. I indeed admire Gandhi and his contributions and yes, once again, to admire him does not mean I accept or appreciate all of his ideals and convictions.

Despite being an electrical engineering student I take quite a few courses in the humanities, simply because I can. Especially after the excruciatingly rigid system I recently passed out of back home. One such course last semester, was Literature of India. It was quite incorrectly named, because though we did discuss the Vedas and Upanisads, I felt the course was more like a crash-course on Indian philosophy. That the course was being taught by a white professor who knew far more about India or its history and philosophy that me was definitely appealing. They guy had a PhD in Indian philosophy. Now, thats intense !

Anyway, I digress.

My final paper for the class was titled - "A criticism of the mahatma". In writing that paper I had read a lot of books and referred to several websites and I'll quote a few sections from those readings in this post that were an eye-opener for me. Alas, I have lost the page of references from where I did my research so I am unable to link all of the paragraphs below to the right sources. Here are the few that I do have. Some are news articles and some are amateur essays.

________________________________________________________________

That Gandhi was an advocate for peace is indisputable. That Gandhi influenced millions of individuals across all geographical barriers, political boundaries, languages and religions is indisputable. That Gandhi inspired leaders of all genres across the globe with his philosophy and vision of global peace is indisputable. That Gandhi was influential in removing the exclusivity of the freedom struggle away from the bourgeoisies and making millions of Indians a part of it is also indisputable.

View on Machines :

Gandhi however held certain beliefs which were far from beneficial for society and societal progress. No man is perfect, nor are his ideals. However a critical examination of Gandhi was never encouraged. He has always held a larger than life legacy and in doing so has obscured many fine revolutionaries of the freedom struggle. But most disturbing is the fact that his philosophy, tactics and vision for the country were never scrutinized. It is my belief that his legacy and greatness is not done justice if as a leader he is not scrutinized. One cannot merely overlook flaws but instead must understand and accept them. It is only then that we can truly understand his philosophy and still hold on to the beliefs that are relevant in today’s society. There have been great admirers of Gandhi who have accepted neither his principled nonviolence nor his conception of the economic-technological order. Even Jawaharlal Nehru, had this to say about his own attitude to the man he so much respected in general:

“For him progress and civilization consist not in the multiplication of wants, of higher standards of living, but "in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants, which promises real happiness." . . . . Personally I dislike the praise of poverty and suffering. . . . Nor do I appreciate the ascetic life as a social ideal. . . . This desire to get away from the mind of man to primitive conditions where mind does not count, seems to me quite incomprehensible.”

Nehru, from the statements above, may be said to epitomize the many critics of Gandhi's conceptions of economy and technology, which include most liberals and socialists.

George Orwell who, like Gandhi, never won the Noble Prize, in his very insightful essay on the Mahatma offered among several compliments, this one criticism -

“…failed to see the need of heavy machinery, industry….and his medievalist ideologies was not viable at all in a backward, starving and over-populated country that lacked infrastructure, food and was under the clutches of an imperialist power that plundered its resources for around 200 years.”

Even Tagore, who is thought to have conferred the tile of “Mahatma” onto Gandhi, criticized him for rejecting machinery with all its possibilities for alleviating the hardships from the common man.

Gandhi however replied by saying –

“I do want growth, I do want self-determination, I do want freedom, but I want all these for the soul. I doubt if the steel age is an advance upon the flint age. I am indifferent. It is the evolution of the soul to which the intellect and all our faculties have to be devoted. Does economic progress clash with real progress? By economic progress, I take it, we mean material advancement without limit and by real progress we mean moral progress which again is the same thing as progress of the permanent element within us. People are put under a spell by complex technology, even when it deprives them of work. What I object to is the craze for machinery. . . . Men go on "saving labor" till thousands are without work and thrown on the streets to die of starvation. I want to save time and labor, not for a fraction of mankind, but for all. . . . Today machinery helps a few ride on the backs of millions.”

Politics :

Personally I was always resentful of Gandhi backing Nehru when the choice of the state units at the time was Patel. And despite having no nominations he eventually went on to become Prime Minister, solely because of a recommendation from the working committee at Gandhi's behest. And ofcourse there can be tremendously long debates on the partition and Gandhi's role in it.

Championing the British Empire :

There were several occassions early on in England and South Africa where Gandhi expressed delight in the civility and greatness of the British Empire. Also during WWI he supported Indians joining and fighting for the British.

Self Sufficiency :

Atanu Dey's post and the subsequent comments on the post were quite enlightening.

Icon of Peace :

Gandhi was first a patriot and then a universal apostle of peace. Perhaps that is the reason the despite being nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize he never won it. There have been constant criticisms on whether Gandhi's ideals were primarily Indian or whether he intended them for the entire world. Potentially racist remarks made by him in addition to neglecting the plight of the Africans in South Africa whose conditions were far worse than the Indians had raised suspicion on his real intentions.

Methodology :

A lot of freedom fighters were frustrated after Gandhi suspended the Civil Resistance in Chauri Chaura in 1922 after the death of a few policemen. Thousands of congressmen were also unhappy and this disillusionment led to the formation of the Swaraj Party. However Gandhi actually believed that "India was not ready for independence". Personally, I'm not too sure it was right to impose his beliefs on the entire nation. But again, maybe I haven't thoroughly understood the situation. When Jinnah proclaimed that the time was right for Indians to strike, Gandhi retorted, that an "eye for an eye would leave the world blind". (This is from Attenborough's movie - Gandhi). But the question is - Would millions of Indians rather be blind and free than live to witness the chains of bondage enslave them ? From whatever I have read, it just seems that Gandhiji was adamant that he was right, and even resorted to fasting until death until his demands were met.

Now if Bhagat Singh or Gandhi died while fasting in jail, the British would have to deal with an enraged nation, but to actually prevent the actions of other Indians fighting for freedom in their own ways, just seems wrong. Is it right to force one's belief onto a majority and blackmail them into conforming.

I hope my words don't come across as acerbic, but I've never been convinced about his methodology.

_______________________________________________________________

Hopefully if I find any relevant information I shall include it as well as the links above. I guess this was the one reason I was joined the blogging community; Reading blogs and comments, arguments and counter arguments, was quite an effective way for someone like me, to gain an understanding of things I had previously no idea about.

To prevent any needless bashing from gandhi loyalists, I wish to emphasize that I too am one of you. Its just that, I believe, all individuals have flaws in their ideologies and to truly understand their greatness it is important to dissect their philosophy in its entirety and understand it wholly. By asking provocative questions, I guess we can attain truth at the most fundamental level, and isn't that what Gandhiji would have wanted?

Resume switch!

2006-02-16T17:21:00.000-05:00

Preparing for interviews used to be exhausting work. Staying up late the night before...memorizing stock prices and the previous quarter financial statement...well not quite...but you get the picture. Generally a quick review through the "About Us" link usually gives one sufficient material to talk about in relating ones innate values with those of the company.

A few weeks after deciding to reject my earlier GE offer, I was glad to recieve numerous interview calls from several consulting and financial firms. Well, I know an interview is far from actually landing that wonderfully thick packet in the mail, but still, its defn a step in the right direction.

Today morning was my first interview of the season with UBS and I was up till 2 last night (well truthfully I only started preparing around 12), looking over the job description in detail and reviewing the company. Unlike several other companies they had a fairly good page on interviewing tips and several humerous anecdotes, as well as, do's and don'ts...which were quite practical and not the generic cliched maxims heard at the usual career counselling seminars.

One story was about how an MBA student accidently spilled red wine on his interviewer during an informal dinner and how he handled the situation fairly well. Instead of panicking he apologized sincerely and laughed about his unfortunate clumsiness. ... interesting read.

So I walk in today fairly well prepared and feeling confident...which is good, I mean, its only my first interview this season.

First shock - two inteviwers squeezed into the tiny interview cabins at our career development center. Damn.... didn't expect to be double-teamed on my first interview. Besides I've never had more than one interviewer in the past.

Allright...its cool...I can handle it. The usual smile, handshake and introductions. A sincere and composed demeanor while looking excited about the interview. Well its not all as superficial as it sounds. I guess once I'm in the room, and for the most part I'm quite excited about the interview.

The interview started with the usual brief about how it would be a behavioral interview and they would be taking notes while asking me questions mostly foccused on my past experiences....yeah yeah.... I've heard it every single time, somehow it still doesn't make me any fonder of behavioral interviews.

Then the interviewer sitting across from me tells me - " Hope you're in the right company, cause I don't think we can do much about helping you get into Microsoft." and hands me my resume.

My eyes glance at my objective and it reads

" ...seeking summer internship as a project manager at Microsoft...."

Yikes ! How the hell could this happen ??

I mean I know my MS resume was up on the CDC website as was my resume for UBS. I'm usually careful about these things...checking, double checking...sometimes to the extent of paranoia. Could it be the system or was it just me clicking on the wrong link when I submitted my resume....... Who cares ?? ... SHIT... Time to Panick!

But even with all of these discordant thoughts at the back of my mind and my heart jumping around....somehow I did impress myself.... I just glanced at it nonchalantly and with a smile handed it back. Shrugged my shoulders... sincerely apologized for whatever reason the switch was caused, with another smile assured them that I was here for the UBS interview and not MS and just sat back composed..waiting for the interview to start.

Prob not the ideal way to go about it....but defn better than stammering and staying nervous for the rest of the interview. And it worked out... cause they asked fairly detailed hardcore behavioural questions and I was pretty satisfied with my answers. All honest and detailed, (didn't have to make up a manically depressed or over dominating team member), concise and well summed up, in my opinion at least.

I'll wait for the final verdict, when I find out if I get selected for the On-Site call in a week. But that was defn an experience !

Got Space ?

2006-01-11T16:23:00.000-05:00

Earlier this semester, just like most other nights, I was chilling in the on-campus apartment of my friends from freshman year. Ryan and the other Mech Engg inhabitants of the apt, were finishing up some assignment on the dining table. I was just sprawled out on the sofa staring at the ceiling, procrastinating as usual. Feeling bored, I made my way to the table, stood behind Ryan and leaned over trying to make sense of the graphs on his laptop screen.

Ryan looked over, clearly uncomfortable and said - "dude...do you mind? You're kinda in my space! "

I backed off immediately, smiling though, as a flashback hit me of my experiences travelling in those grossly overcrowded locals fighting rush-hour traffic every evening, making my way to IIT Classes.

I can't imagine trying to count how many poor souls used to be packed (still are...everyday) in that compartment. I usually prefered standing by the door over being cramped up in the seat at the back of the compartment, in a three seater which invariably had 5 people on it. Even worse was the battle out of the train. Getting up from the seat, one station before the destination, somehow clinging on and literally dragging myself out, through the ocean of bodies.

No, I definitely preferred standing by the door. The cool evening breeze used to rush in and really make a horrendous journey extremely bearable. Well, to be completely honest, it also helped that the breeze cleared the compartment of the smell of sweat and other eclectic stenches.

There was a system in place, that was very very quickly learnt. The junta from the right half would not get off till Kurla, and even if Houdini got stuck with them, there was no way in hell he would be able to get himself out. One just needed to sit tight, watch ones station pass by, get off at Kurla and take a train back. I loved it!

What also helped the commute was the fact that I'm 6'2'' and thus, a head taller than most people around the door. You must have heard that joke, done to death, where a tall guy asks a shorter guy - "Howz the weather down there ?"

Believe me..in the local train, the weather down there was a force not to be recokned with.

One of my friends, who unfortunately possessed a slightly diminutive stature got stuck below the herd, at the average armpit level. Yikes...it sure paid to be tall!

Hundreds of bodies huddled together. There was often no need to even hold the handle on top, the forces exerted by the bodies around me, cancelled out the pseudo forces exerted because of the trains acceleration. Often, when I got tired of one position and lifted my foot up, to stretch it a bit, there was no floor-space left to put it back down. In those few seconds, there had been an instantaneous rearrangement of feet orientation.

Personal Space ?

Oh how I wanted to tell Ryan not to talk about personal space with someone who grew up in Mumbai. The concept is non-existant. I thrive and feed off of crowds. My monthly pilgrimage, from this desolate village in upstate NY to NYC, is a clear indication of that fact.

Lol....I wish Ryan could travel in that local train and then talk to me about personal space. That thought kept me chuckling most of the night. I can't imagine how scarred most of my firang friends would be if they had to undertake the ordeal which for so many mumbaikars is a daily routine.

Can't wait to get back and jump in a local train or BEST bus again!

Poetry 101 - Spring

2006-01-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

Cold air rushes into my lungs
And I gasp…..
The wind is crisp and cool and
it strokes my hair,
caresses my skin

Our shadows gently graze the leaves
Moving stealthily over rough bark
As we watch the flowers blossom
Scraping out of the buds,
Painting away the dullness
Like a kiss of color
Diffuses to bring forth life

Your head feels heavy on my chest
with every breath I take
Your black hair
smooth as it sweeps across my face…

Light trickles down through the branches..
Each droplet falling from the sun
Barely reaching the dark undergrowth
Where we lay
Soft and wet foliage beneath us
An infinite expanse above

Contented…I slowly drift away
Into your austere beauty
your fingers stroking my cheeks and
your breath warm as you whisper

The wind picks up again
I shiver….not from the cold
but from the warmth

Poetry 101 - Pantoum

2006-01-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

I had held her one last time
Couldn’t help but feel lost and sad
Never again would she be mine
But I had given it all I had

Couldn’t help but feel lost and sad
How could she have a change of heart ?
But I had given it all I had
Till the end…from the very start

How could she have a change of heart ?
After all the love and all the care
Till the end…from the very start
My life with her I tried to share

After all the love and all the care
There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her
My life with her I tried to share
What more did I have to offer

There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her
Twice a year catch the flight
What more did I have to offer
Call and message day and night

Twice a year catch the flight
I see her face when I sleep
Call and message day and night
The wounds remain raw and deep

I see her face when I sleep
Taunting my commitment, yet
The wounds remain raw and deep
I fear I may never forget

Taunting my commitment, yet
I believe that time shall heal
I fear I may never forget
This pain that I so strongly feel

I believe that time shall heal
The leaves have fallen and grown back
This pain that I so strongly feel
My life now on a different track

The leaves have fallen and grown back
slowly I forget the hurt and pain
My life now on a different track
This heart shall love once again

Poetry 101 - Ways of Looking

2006-01-09T21:02:00.000-05:00

I

It was teachers’ day
Draping the black sari for school
Dotted with tiny golden flowers
And a lavish border of gold thread

II

The house was filled with a smell of pancakes
The perfect wake up alarm
Expertly poured and flipped
Delicious, golden brown, perfect

III

Tears flow down the cheeks
Eyes now beginning to redden
Why does she cry
When it was I who had to face her wrath?

IV

Once again I forget to do,
What she had asked in the morning
That look of sadness,
Being taken for granted
I feel like dying

V

She sits sweating and tired,
All neatly nailed to the wall
Mere 5th grade athletic medals,
They clink against each other
Swaying in the wind
As she proudly watches

VI

She treasures every work of poetry
Rewrites them neatly in her spiral red book
As if they were lost works
Of Shakespeare or Keats
But they are only my stupid childish poems

VII

She sits alone waiting for a letter
Everyday checking her account
Everyday disappointed
Swallows her sorrow in the hope
That I succeed in life

VIII

Her voice trembles as she says goodbye
She looks at me intently
as if to capture the image
till I return to her again

Poetry 101 - Villanelle

2006-01-09T20:38:00.000-05:00

Will tomorrow differ from today ?

No matter how long we pretend

The indifference is here to stay

The world's a stage and your roles you play

but once the act comes to an end

Will tomorrow differ from today ?

Empty words are all you say

Shattered faith cannot be mend

The indifference is here to stay

Relations left in disarray

Distrust and contempt together blend

Will tomorrow differ from today ?

You give them wings to fly away

What message do you intend to send

The indifference is here to stay ?

While inevitably you betray

For an explanation, a ear I lend

Will tomorrow differ from today

The indifference is here to stay

Poetry 101 - Confession

2006-01-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

THEY’RE ALL LYING !

When they tell you that a paper-cut is the worst cut

Because they’ve never had to splice the two halves of a cut heart

THEY’RE ALL LYING!

When they tell you that it’s alright to cry

The face in the mirror is unfamiliar, eyes bloodshot, hair messy

A three day old stubble and a creased forehead

Was this the way I always looked ?

And what’s that incessant buzz in my head ?

Argh ! I squeeze my eyes shut…..gulp down….it just refuses to leave.

THEY’RE ALL LYING!

When they say she was not the one!

The smell of her hair is still fresh in my mind

A mix of perfume, shampoo, flowers and austerity

Her shoulder length thick black uncooperative hair,

That she kept pushing behind her ear

The scar just beneath those large black eyes,

From when she fell years ago

THEY’RE ALL LYING!

When they say that time will heal

Not days, not months but years have gone by

And I am still wounded and bloody

Look at me!

Can’t you see these gashes?

Can’t you see these tears?

My face streaked with war-paint

My face streaked with lines of salt

THEY’RE ALL LYING!

When they say I will be fine

I am a fallen soldier, a soldier of the side that lost

I am a recuperating patient, weak and unsteady

I will eventually walk again,

But I will never lose this limp.

Poetry 101 - Li Ch’ing Chao Imitation

2006-01-09T20:20:00.000-05:00

The gentle breeze has died down

A hint of salt drifts from beyond

My eyes open

In front of me an expanse incomprehensible

An expanse I know so well

My pupils dilate to the dimming light

A liner ? Just a silhouette against the red

The breeze picks up again

I shiver

Not from the cold, but from the warmth

A vine for every time I swung on one

A hundred, no, maybe a million

Years ago, they could support my weight

And now, they still can.

A cacophony of bird calls,

A hundred, no, maybe a million

Pearl drops of sap? maybe tears

Spiral down the vines

Tears of joy, I hope,

For I know mine are

The heavens cry

The ominous rumblings that used to scare

Now make me smile

Narrow roads turn into swollen rivers

Washing away the dust, the smog

The leaves glisten and sparkle

Like the stars I grew up under

Like my eyes when it was time for football

One more game in the mud and rain ?

Some more beautiful shayari's

2005-12-30T01:45:00.000-05:00

My Latest faves .. all plagiarized from various sites on the internet. If these belong to you....please feel free to take credit for them:

**************************************************************************
Apko dekhkar yeh nigah jhuk jayegi
Khamoshi ab har baat keh jayegi
Padh lijiye in aankhon mei apni dosti ko
Apki kasam saari qayamat wahin ruk jayegi

Cigarette jalai thi unki yaad bhulane ke liye...
Cigarette jalai thi unki yaad bhulane ke liye...
par yeh dhuan bhi unki tasveer banati hai!!

Mein sochta hoon ki yeh dhuan kahan se ata hai..
Mein sochta hoon ki yeh dhuan kahan se ata hai..
Kambaqt yeh dhuan bhi toh is dil se aata hai!!

Mat pucho humse koi baat
Ki jindgi khud ek sawaal banke reh gayi hai
Dard itna hai humare seene mein
Ki khushi ek khayal banke reh gayai hai....

Jab Dava Na Mili, To Dard Ko Hi Dava Bana Liya,
Jab Pani Na Mila, To Aansuon Se Hi Pyas Bujha Liya
Phool Na Mile To, Kanton Se Hi Dil Behla Liya
aur Jab woh nahin mili to Sharab Ko Hi Saathi Bana Liya,

Roshni chand se hoti hai..Sitaroo se nahi......
Muhabbat ek se hoti hai hazaraoo see nahi!!!!

Koi ankhon se baat kar leta hai
Koi ankhon se mulaqat kar leta hai
Badha mushqil hota hai jawaab dena
Jab koi chup reh kar sawal kar leta hai....

I just love these.... someday perhaps I shall produce some as good as these too.... sighs hopefully !

My humble attempt

2005-11-18T03:17:00.000-05:00

This is my humble first attempt -

Dil – e- Dard to ye saha nahin jaata
Nazar milne par utara nahin jaata
Kehne ke liye thi hazaroon baatein
Par milne ke baad kuch kaha nahin jaata

Khali hai botal, sharab pee nahin jaati
Is Tanhai mein zindagi jee nahin jaati
Ain khuda, tere pass aana chahte hain hum
Par buzdil, khud-khushi bhi ki nahin jaati

Lovely Poetry

2005-11-18T03:09:00.000-05:00

Off late I have been reading a lot of shayari's. I've posted below a few of the ones that I really enjoyed. Beautiful poems...simply beautiful. I especially love the ones where you can really feel the emotions flowing through the words. Just amazing -

Mat pucho humse koi baat
Ki jindgi khud ek sawaal banke reh gayi hai
Dard itna hai humare seene mein
Ki khushi ek khayal banke reh gayai hai....

SHAYRI - E - ISHQ

ishq hai kya tum jaantey nahin
ishq kartey ho par maantey nahin

ratoon ko neendein aati nahin
din ko qaraar aati nahin
hota hai kyon tum jaantey nahin
ishq kartey ho par maantey nahin

dil bhi dharakta ishq mein tera
hoton pey nami si ishq key teri
samajhtey sub kuch par sochtey nahin
ishq kartey ho par maantey nahin

bantey sanvartey ho aakhir kyon
maathey pey bindiya tum sajatey ho kyon
kyon kartey ho yeh jaantey nahin
ishq tum kartey ho par maantey nahin.

KISI KO MOHABBAT KI SACHAAI MAAR DALEGI
KISI KO MOHABBAT KI GEHRAAI MAAR DALEGI
KAR KE MOHABBAT KOI NAHI BACHEGAA
JO BACH GAYAA USE TANHAAII MAAR DALEGI

A little comedy ??

Log ishq karte hai bade shor ke saath.
Humne bhi kiya bade zor ke saath.
Magar ab karenge thoda gaur ke saath.
Kyonki kal usko dekha Kisi aur ke saath.

Ai khuda tu ishq na karna,
warna khoob pachtayega,
hum to markar tere paas aayenge,
tu kahan jayega........!

To smoke or not to smoke ?

2005-10-31T02:18:00.000-05:00

What is it about a song with explicit lyrics, mediocre vocals and simple chords that causes it to spread like wildfire amongst "mindfucked" students across the country, and since I write this from the US, now across the world. BC Sutta by Zeest, has something inexplicable that we can all relate to. I don't know what causes me to feel good, calm or relieved when I yell out a passionate BC or MC whenever excessive frustration or depression sets in. But it does...it feels good. It feels damn good. And its not even the language. I sent my turkish friend this song and he now listens to it 73 times everyday. He had me translate it and now sings the lyrics with the song. I don't know...maybe frustration, depression and having your brains fried....is just so common with students that no political border can keep them apart. Songs like these helps to allievate all tension, atleast momentarily and atleast for me, it brings a smile to my face. Especially the last chorus.....what can I say ? Damn...it feels good!

Home

2005-10-16T03:04:00.000-05:00

*sigh* ... Home !

Musing Monsoon

The perils of adventures

Accepting the inevitable

New Heights of Suspicion

Of Vacation and women.... WTF!!!

Shameful

On KPS Gill

Wrong on so many levels

The case against SMS'ing

A Woman's Wrath

Tamper Proof?

Giving due credit

Shubho Noboborsho

Political Zombies

Changes in governance

Salaries for clerks

On Cricket

Inadequate Institutions

Bureaucratic Blues

The cost of education

The Great Tantric Challenge!

What's in a name?

Dare I be cynical?

The New Consequences of Inebriation

It's all about washing your hands!

A Letter to Osama

Sreesanth's eyes !

Hey Ram !

Encore

Ban the Community !!!

God seeks restoration of power

Standing Tall

No more Pizza !

Delhi - Most Loved City

Aurat hone ki sazaa !

Huh ?

Bugspray in my chai ??

Much ado about nothing

Quote

A Letter to the American People

The world this week

Disillusionment

Enough

Sazaa

Of rape and the fairer sex

A man is said to commit "rape" who, except in the case hereinafter excepted, has sexual intercourse with a woman under circumstances falling under any of the six following descriptions:-

A query on dates

Homosexuality Revisited

Superman Returns

Krrish kaun ?

Back Home !

Lucky - No time for bollywood !

Birthday Boy

Morality

Aamir Khan's effigy burnt !

Justice Finally !

Justice Finally ?

More Zeroes anyone ?

Nefarious Wardrobe acquitted - Again

141[294. Obscene acts and songs

INSIDE MAN - Fresh, Witty and Novel

World's Youngest CEO

ABC on India Shining

Absolutely Ridiculous !

NOISE - blank no more !

The battle continues : Religion vs. Science

Rape under duress

Update : India's first gay club

The TATA legacy

Fear Expunged

Homosexuality in India

Section 377

India Rising

Mahatma

Resume switch!

Got Space ?

Poetry 101 - Spring

Poetry 101 - Pantoum

Poetry 101 - Ways of Looking

Poetry 101 - Villanelle

¹⁴¹[294. Obscene acts and songs