It was since 1996 elections that I have been following the politics in India. And during the last elections I did vote and was very happy that I did that. Every citizen has a voice in the democracy which is a government by the people, for the people and of the people.
But is that the case in India - the world's largest democracy anymore? A lot of political leaders have made democracy - by money (buying votes), of money, for the money (corruption) making it more - 'BUY' the people, 'OFF' the people and 'FAR' (away from) the people.
Am sure, I am yet another mute spectator in this game, seeing money bags roll over between political parties and the leaders, religion and caste-based politics ruling the roost here. What qualification do - a tainted former Indian cricket captain and a cine actor who was in jail for the bomb-blasts have to contest the elections?
I love my country and sure want a knowledgeable leader leading it, and not a person who is in power for monetary benefit. Some day, surely, I want to make a difference to this scenario. Everyone is hoping for a change, but the change is yet to come to India. Hope it does sooner than later! This entire generation of politicians needs to go and the next generation (not hierarchical) should take up the reins.
Jai Ho India!
Feb 21, 2009
Slumdog - worth the hype?
It in fact was one of the very very over-rated movies I had ever seen. Especially with memories of India still afresh in my mind, it showed India in such bad light. India sure has its elements that were not showcased in the movie. For a lead actor who could not act for nuts, for a non-realistic quiz show host (can anyone mock at the contestant that way), and for a 1980's movie storyline of brothers seperated while young, it sure was a disasatrous package. If at all there was anything that made up for all this was the sincere portrayal of the roles by the kid actors. They were the best things about the movie :) .
And though I am really really happy for A.R.Rahman for getting an Oscar nomination, a BAFTA amongst many other awards, it honestly was not his best scores. With his best scores noticed in India itself being a great thing, I am glad he found his recognition outside the world. I personally like O - Saya and Latika's theme from the soundtrack and it sure deserves an applause. I hope to watch A.R.Rahman perform during the Oscar ceremony on TV :).
All said, Slumdog Millionaire is not an Indian movie - but just a movie based on India. I would call it 'Over-rated load of over-emphasized crap!'. Come on there are far far better movies, or may be was director Priyadarshan said - the ace director Mani Ratnam should have directed the movie and I am sure we Indians would have liked it too!
And though I am really really happy for A.R.Rahman for getting an Oscar nomination, a BAFTA amongst many other awards, it honestly was not his best scores. With his best scores noticed in India itself being a great thing, I am glad he found his recognition outside the world. I personally like O - Saya and Latika's theme from the soundtrack and it sure deserves an applause. I hope to watch A.R.Rahman perform during the Oscar ceremony on TV :).
All said, Slumdog Millionaire is not an Indian movie - but just a movie based on India. I would call it 'Over-rated load of over-emphasized crap!'. Come on there are far far better movies, or may be was director Priyadarshan said - the ace director Mani Ratnam should have directed the movie and I am sure we Indians would have liked it too!
Tour India - 2008-09
It has been so so so long since I blogged. I was on travel to India and then the busy semester took over. A lot of developments in the world ever since then.
The new year started off great for me enjoying my stay at home, eating everything I wanted except that I did not put on weight at all. With five and half weeks at my disposal, I raided every food joint possible and every cloth store possible. My shopping streak began the very first day, and went on till the end. With my sis and mom having vacation during this break, it was good fun and there was never a boring moment.
Catching up with good old friends was something I did quite a bit. I did get back to the 6th sem project days and 8th sem project days when I met my project partners. It was a memorable meet and Praneeth (one of my friends)actually did retain the 6th sem project model to gift it to Ratheesh (other of my friends). It was good fun!
Also a trip to Vizag was so memorable with me seeing the sunrise at the Bay of Bengal on two days (I did get up at 5:00 am to see that!). Also, a submarine museum that I could have never dreamed to see otherwise, was there too. We did visit Borra caves and Arakku valley (supposedly the shooting spots for most Vijay movies).
I also made a small kutti trip to visit my grandmom in Mettupalayam, and I was happy that I made one. A trip to Shirdi was on the cards, but didn't materialize thanks to my energy drain-out.
Of the many other things I made the trip, there was my dental treatment. I can now have icecream and cold stuff :), without pain in my cavity. Thanks to my frequent dates with the dentist :P.
with yet another semester into its fifth week, it sure is a hectic semester with me needing to proceed with my research quick :)
I miss India - for more reasons than one! ;)
The new year started off great for me enjoying my stay at home, eating everything I wanted except that I did not put on weight at all. With five and half weeks at my disposal, I raided every food joint possible and every cloth store possible. My shopping streak began the very first day, and went on till the end. With my sis and mom having vacation during this break, it was good fun and there was never a boring moment.
Catching up with good old friends was something I did quite a bit. I did get back to the 6th sem project days and 8th sem project days when I met my project partners. It was a memorable meet and Praneeth (one of my friends)actually did retain the 6th sem project model to gift it to Ratheesh (other of my friends). It was good fun!
Also a trip to Vizag was so memorable with me seeing the sunrise at the Bay of Bengal on two days (I did get up at 5:00 am to see that!). Also, a submarine museum that I could have never dreamed to see otherwise, was there too. We did visit Borra caves and Arakku valley (supposedly the shooting spots for most Vijay movies).
I also made a small kutti trip to visit my grandmom in Mettupalayam, and I was happy that I made one. A trip to Shirdi was on the cards, but didn't materialize thanks to my energy drain-out.
Of the many other things I made the trip, there was my dental treatment. I can now have icecream and cold stuff :), without pain in my cavity. Thanks to my frequent dates with the dentist :P.
with yet another semester into its fifth week, it sure is a hectic semester with me needing to proceed with my research quick :)
I miss India - for more reasons than one! ;)
Dec 1, 2008
Irresponsible leaders
‘How much is too much?,’ says it all! The deputy Chief minister of Maharashtra said ‘such small incidents occur’. What thoughts was the Dy CM in while he made the statement? Such an irresponsible act!
Why on earth would a chief minister take his ‘naa-layak’ (good-for-nothing) son and a filmmaker along with him during the visits to the blast affected places? Cheap publicity was adopted by the politicians this time!
As Shobaa De mentioned in the Weekend Edition in IBNLive, we shouldn’t consider the sugar-coated statements made by celebrities at the Candle Vigils etc. We should face the problem, and none of the politicians are doing it.
Should civilians take up the responsibility and fight against it? It is after all the leaders elected by us that are holding the positions. We have held them responsible for the security lapse. Why do not the leaders realize that they are representatives of the people and serve people better?
The MNS led by Raj Thackarey was no where! It was the 'North' Indian soldiers who came and helped free the city from terrorists! The so-called action heroes who bash up thousands of thugs on screen, were sleeping with a pistol beneath their pillow. Why show such an image on-screen and leave an ever-lasting impression in the people's minds?
The South Mumbai MP, Milind Deora, made both responsible and irresponsible statements about accountability. But hopefully he doesn’t seem to be a run-of-the-mill politician, and is young too! We need people like him, young and daring to lead the nation.
I want to be a part of the change, in whatever way I can!
Why on earth would a chief minister take his ‘naa-layak’ (good-for-nothing) son and a filmmaker along with him during the visits to the blast affected places? Cheap publicity was adopted by the politicians this time!
As Shobaa De mentioned in the Weekend Edition in IBNLive, we shouldn’t consider the sugar-coated statements made by celebrities at the Candle Vigils etc. We should face the problem, and none of the politicians are doing it.
Should civilians take up the responsibility and fight against it? It is after all the leaders elected by us that are holding the positions. We have held them responsible for the security lapse. Why do not the leaders realize that they are representatives of the people and serve people better?
The MNS led by Raj Thackarey was no where! It was the 'North' Indian soldiers who came and helped free the city from terrorists! The so-called action heroes who bash up thousands of thugs on screen, were sleeping with a pistol beneath their pillow. Why show such an image on-screen and leave an ever-lasting impression in the people's minds?
The South Mumbai MP, Milind Deora, made both responsible and irresponsible statements about accountability. But hopefully he doesn’t seem to be a run-of-the-mill politician, and is young too! We need people like him, young and daring to lead the nation.
I want to be a part of the change, in whatever way I can!
Mumbai burns.... yet again!
The Mumbai blasts have left an everlasting impact in the Indian mind and in the world as well. The blasts seemed so well planned that one wonders if the people behind this were given responsibility of doing good things, they would be adept at it as well. But sadly not all intelligent brains are utilized for the benefit of man-kind.
Much has been said about the lack-luster performance of the former Home minister and Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, but it indeed is a sad fact that this was a clear indicator on the negligence on part of the government, not paying heed to the intelligence reports.
While Mumbai as usual came back to near-normalcy the day following the blasts, the battle between the NSG commandoes and the terrorists raged on for close to three days. A lot of lives, including several officers from the forces were lost in the process. Mumbai, as one of my friends said, will never be the same again.
The media was quite adept in capturing the entire proceedings, while not trying cheap gimmicks. As Suhail Seth said in a discussion show on Times Now, the media worked towards a better cause this time.
One of the many incidents that touched my heart in this process was this one highlighted on IBNLive. There was this kid who with his parent was dining at one of the restaurants. He was in the restroom when the terrorists got in. The kid was rescued by one of the waiters and he ran out, to be rescued by one other kind-hearted soul who took the kid to his house. The kid was re-united with his parents later. The way the kid described the event was nothing but emotional. The rescuer Ritik said ‘I don’t know if I rescued the kid or if the kid rescued me!,’ which clearly showed his humane nature. Good to see that such people still exist in the world.
While I was on a trip to Utah, a lot of people around asked our group about the happenings in Mumbai. God only knows if they had heard of Mumbai earlier, but this surely brought Mumbai and India in the news again, but for wrong reasons!
May the souls of the departed rest in peace!
Much has been said about the lack-luster performance of the former Home minister and Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, but it indeed is a sad fact that this was a clear indicator on the negligence on part of the government, not paying heed to the intelligence reports.
While Mumbai as usual came back to near-normalcy the day following the blasts, the battle between the NSG commandoes and the terrorists raged on for close to three days. A lot of lives, including several officers from the forces were lost in the process. Mumbai, as one of my friends said, will never be the same again.
The media was quite adept in capturing the entire proceedings, while not trying cheap gimmicks. As Suhail Seth said in a discussion show on Times Now, the media worked towards a better cause this time.
One of the many incidents that touched my heart in this process was this one highlighted on IBNLive. There was this kid who with his parent was dining at one of the restaurants. He was in the restroom when the terrorists got in. The kid was rescued by one of the waiters and he ran out, to be rescued by one other kind-hearted soul who took the kid to his house. The kid was re-united with his parents later. The way the kid described the event was nothing but emotional. The rescuer Ritik said ‘I don’t know if I rescued the kid or if the kid rescued me!,’ which clearly showed his humane nature. Good to see that such people still exist in the world.
While I was on a trip to Utah, a lot of people around asked our group about the happenings in Mumbai. God only knows if they had heard of Mumbai earlier, but this surely brought Mumbai and India in the news again, but for wrong reasons!
May the souls of the departed rest in peace!
Nov 12, 2008
Kumble - A(nother) legend
A sensitive topic from me to write about this time round
It is about the retirement of the greatest leg-spinners of the world – Anil Kumble. I happened to see the finals of the Hero Cup way back in 1992 or 1993. It was then that my interest in cricket was beginning to show up. There was this one person who did exceedingly well in the then Calcutta. It was a person from my own city, my school supposedly and garnering national glory. Since then there was no looking back. If there was a reason for me to watch cricket, other than Sachin Tendulkar (then) of course, it was the strong Karnataka contingent in the Indian bowling squad. Srinath and Kumble were the two pall-bearers for the Indian bowling, later to be joined by Venkatesh Prasad. There were three others who did make a mark – Doddanarasaih Ganesh, Sunil Joshi and David Johnson, but were soon overshadowed by other bowlers.
Anil Kumble was a person that couldn’t be paralleled by, yet Shane Warne – another legendary spinner was probably the only person that he could be compared to at that time.
The two bowlers – Srinath and Kumble made me watch cricket, or in other words as in the Coca-Cola ad then – Eat cricket and Sleep cricket. The 1996 World cup in the Indian sub-continent was a showcase for them. I still remember the time I used to write captions from the ads then on my cricket bat, and stick the cricketers’ stickers on my bat. I used to think, these guys would play for India forever! How I wish it was true! I also happened to see him once for a school sports' day function. He was really polite and humble!
A 10-wkt haul is something that every bowler would dream of. But not many achieve it. This great spinner was the only one in 50 years to achieve it. His last test was at the same venue he achieved it, what a great way to wrap up an illustrious career. But the only disappointment was that he didn’t have a hat-trick. Also, I guess the BCCI pressure must have forced him to call it quits from the tests.
In lighter vein, for people who don't know him too, the Anil Kumble Circle (on MG Road near BRV) should strike a thought in their mind :)
Kumble's circket will be missed by everyone, and by one of the many fans who watched cricket solely for the competitiveness and by the people who played for the team and not for themselves.
(Incidentally, cricket these days doesn’t interest me much, after the match-fixing scandal and the neglect shown to the game by the cricketer’s after getting brand endorsements!)
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This entry is posted as a part of the Contest by BlogAdda.com
It is about the retirement of the greatest leg-spinners of the world – Anil Kumble. I happened to see the finals of the Hero Cup way back in 1992 or 1993. It was then that my interest in cricket was beginning to show up. There was this one person who did exceedingly well in the then Calcutta. It was a person from my own city, my school supposedly and garnering national glory. Since then there was no looking back. If there was a reason for me to watch cricket, other than Sachin Tendulkar (then) of course, it was the strong Karnataka contingent in the Indian bowling squad. Srinath and Kumble were the two pall-bearers for the Indian bowling, later to be joined by Venkatesh Prasad. There were three others who did make a mark – Doddanarasaih Ganesh, Sunil Joshi and David Johnson, but were soon overshadowed by other bowlers.
Anil Kumble was a person that couldn’t be paralleled by, yet Shane Warne – another legendary spinner was probably the only person that he could be compared to at that time.
The two bowlers – Srinath and Kumble made me watch cricket, or in other words as in the Coca-Cola ad then – Eat cricket and Sleep cricket. The 1996 World cup in the Indian sub-continent was a showcase for them. I still remember the time I used to write captions from the ads then on my cricket bat, and stick the cricketers’ stickers on my bat. I used to think, these guys would play for India forever! How I wish it was true! I also happened to see him once for a school sports' day function. He was really polite and humble!
A 10-wkt haul is something that every bowler would dream of. But not many achieve it. This great spinner was the only one in 50 years to achieve it. His last test was at the same venue he achieved it, what a great way to wrap up an illustrious career. But the only disappointment was that he didn’t have a hat-trick. Also, I guess the BCCI pressure must have forced him to call it quits from the tests.
In lighter vein, for people who don't know him too, the Anil Kumble Circle (on MG Road near BRV) should strike a thought in their mind :)
Kumble's circket will be missed by everyone, and by one of the many fans who watched cricket solely for the competitiveness and by the people who played for the team and not for themselves.
(Incidentally, cricket these days doesn’t interest me much, after the match-fixing scandal and the neglect shown to the game by the cricketer’s after getting brand endorsements!)
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This entry is posted as a part of the Contest by BlogAdda.com
Nov 1, 2008
Mere thoughts
While another month draws to a close, I have not found time to write a blog this month at all, thought I have had quite a few topics to write on.
It was a good Diwali, a taxing month in terms of work, good weather in Tempe (alternately hot and cold), a not-so-healthy month for me!
Another blast in Assam - I pray for their souls to rest in peace!
Will post more soon!
Happy Halloween!
Kannada rAjyOsthavadha shubhAshayagaLu
It was a good Diwali, a taxing month in terms of work, good weather in Tempe (alternately hot and cold), a not-so-healthy month for me!
Another blast in Assam - I pray for their souls to rest in peace!
Will post more soon!
Happy Halloween!
Kannada rAjyOsthavadha shubhAshayagaLu
Oct 1, 2008
Rest in peace!
As the month draws to a close, and looking back at September, it has been a sad month for India due to the bomb blasts in major cities. I sincerely pray for the blast victims and their souls to rest in peace. Also, the poor victims of the unfortunate stampede in Chamunda temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, let their souls rest in peace.
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