‘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!
Dec 1, 2008
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.
Sep 23, 2008
Good audio, bad video
It hurts to see songs really soothing to the ear, picturized in a non-imaginative way. Especially with the graphics taking over most of the background in the songs these days, it’s been long since one saw a natural picturzation of a good song.
The first one on my attack list would be the ever-refreshing – Kangalal Kaithu Sei, which was a gem of a sound track. But the bad picturization ruined it all, I will never forgive the artistes, choreographer, the director, and above all ARR for not having a peek into the video.
Now, the trailer of the Sakkarakatti (whose music I crave for, despite the very ordinary lyrics) shows another sad tale of a good music slaughtered badly in the video. The two minute clip on Youtube! (also echoing reactions from the audience) is such a sorry video again. The Chinnamma Chilakamma song in M. F. Hussain’s Meenaxi, though shot in a brothel, was picturized very aesthetically. But that is not the case of its Tamil counterpart, which looks like an 'ambulimama' song. The Taxi Taxi song, apparently re-shot to cater to the taste of the urban audience is still worse. I have no idea why there is such a sad end to these melodies. The only hope is on the picturization of Marudhaani, which should complement with the non-sensical lyrics – I hope the use of such lyrics is justified in the video.
The first one on my attack list would be the ever-refreshing – Kangalal Kaithu Sei, which was a gem of a sound track. But the bad picturization ruined it all, I will never forgive the artistes, choreographer, the director, and above all ARR for not having a peek into the video.
Now, the trailer of the Sakkarakatti (whose music I crave for, despite the very ordinary lyrics) shows another sad tale of a good music slaughtered badly in the video. The two minute clip on Youtube! (also echoing reactions from the audience) is such a sorry video again. The Chinnamma Chilakamma song in M. F. Hussain’s Meenaxi, though shot in a brothel, was picturized very aesthetically. But that is not the case of its Tamil counterpart, which looks like an 'ambulimama' song. The Taxi Taxi song, apparently re-shot to cater to the taste of the urban audience is still worse. I have no idea why there is such a sad end to these melodies. The only hope is on the picturization of Marudhaani, which should complement with the non-sensical lyrics – I hope the use of such lyrics is justified in the video.
Sep 5, 2008
Ganesha Chathurthi
Ganesha Chathurthi or Vinyaka Chathurthi or Pillayar Satthi - however you call it, is a big festival in India. Especially in the states of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra it is indeed one of the biggest festivals, with huge idols of the elephant-faced lord placed all over the city, all month long.
In the past few years in AZ, I used to go to the temple and take part in their celebration also called the 'puja'. This time round, while I was vacation in the NE, I saw a Ganesha idol in one of the grocery stores there. I though, my good old AZ must have it as well, and let me see if I can celebrate the festival. Also a friend of mine called me over for the Gauri habba - the festival of Ganesha's mother. This gave me more motivation to do it different this time.
And there I went on to do the Ganesha Chathurthi at home, inviting a lot of people. It was a good one, and I felt happy doing it! I also made prasadham (kala channa sundal, vermicelli payasam, and aam vade)
In the past few years in AZ, I used to go to the temple and take part in their celebration also called the 'puja'. This time round, while I was vacation in the NE, I saw a Ganesha idol in one of the grocery stores there. I though, my good old AZ must have it as well, and let me see if I can celebrate the festival. Also a friend of mine called me over for the Gauri habba - the festival of Ganesha's mother. This gave me more motivation to do it different this time.
And there I went on to do the Ganesha Chathurthi at home, inviting a lot of people. It was a good one, and I felt happy doing it! I also made prasadham (kala channa sundal, vermicelli payasam, and aam vade)
Sep 1, 2008
A lazy holiday definitely helps!!!
For a not-so-outdoor person like me, a holiday indoors but away from the stress makes so much of a difference. Especially if it is in a much cooler city than the good-old Tempe, it is even better. Tempe apparently had thunderstorms and hailstorms, but I don't care since I was rejuvenating under the not-so-hot and not-at-all humid weather on the other side of the country.
This lazy five day holiday with relatives did help a lot in preparing for another semester of coursework, research and teaching. Hope to have another good semester! :)
This lazy five day holiday with relatives did help a lot in preparing for another semester of coursework, research and teaching. Hope to have another good semester! :)
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