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- Archives: January 2007
- Reality, Pop Culture And Art
(Art)allows us to be carried away from reality without having to surrender our grasp on it
- Movie Review: Where Eagles Dare
Book and movie review for "Where Eagles Dare".
- Rahmania!
Rahman's popularity can be attributed to his alchemist's ability to take what we already know and transmute it into something rich and strange.
- The Unsung Sub-editors in Newspapers
Reporters/correspondents corner all the glory, get invited to booze parties, the press tours while the sub wallows in obscurity.
- Satire: The Neighbourhood
It's a big responsibility protecting one's right to do as one pleases.
- To Buy Or Not To Buy?
Consumerism has finally gone mad...
- Culturama 2006: Desicritics Ponder Culture
A few of the things that held our attention for the requisite 15 minutes in 2006.
- A Suggestion for Ending the Israel/Palestine Conflict
Israel: intent on ousting Hamas, dividing the PA and playing for time, blind to an achievable dream.
- Let Us Praise Dysfunctional Indian Judiciary, 1860.
Indian Penal Code 1860 has no restructuring or reforms in last 146 years. "Indian Criminal Justice system has totally collapsed" says Justice Malimath.
- Demystifying CAS and DTH: A Consumers Guide
Confused by CAS and DTH? Forced to choose? A consumers guide through the marketing minefield of CAS, DishTV and TataSky.
- Left Wing Extremism in India
Left Wing Extremism is showing signs of growth particularly in states where the government has limited control over law and order.
- India's North East - Continuing Violence
The North Eastern states of India have shown rise in violence and anarchy over the recent past.
- No Need For Anger
I'll settle for being pissed off about made to get pissed off.
- Exhibition Review: Chola Bronzes at the Royal Academy, London
This is art at its peak!
- Sexing Up the Sati Savitri and Other Holy Heroes of Indian Lore
So Virgin wants to make the Ramayana the next Lord of the Rings? Unfortunately, there's something very rotten in the state of Ayodhya.
- Terrorism in India - An Uneven Status
India, like other democratic states in the world is battling terrorism in many parts and varied dimensions.
- Marriages: What Makes Them Tick
I am one of those who have been silenced by the suffering masses shackled in loveless relationships.
- The Noida Killings - How Much More Is Enough?
When did our constitution get hijacked by hidden agendas and why did we just sit and watch it happen?
- Life Goes On
It is the same sun, rising over the same horizon, ushering in the same day.
- Interview: Author Guy Gavriel Kay
...one of the few authors whose work I can read over and over again with as much enjoyment, if not more, as the first time.
- Interview: A Man With A Vision - Anurag Kashyap (Part 1)
A man with a big mouth and not afraid to use it.
- Indians With Biblical Roots
India has had resident Jewish communities for almost two millennia.
- Indo-Pak Relations: Fear of the Unknown
Anand, a regular at the IPFC community of orkut analyses one possible way to end the Indo-Pak enmity.
- TV Review: Celebrity Big Brother - The Desi In The Big Brother House
Celebrity Big Brother is like the last chance saloon for the so-called celebs before they hit Obscureville.
- Barkha Dutt on the Freedom of Speech
Barkha Dutt roots for selective freedom of speech.
- India's Scorching Economic Growth
Is the Indian economy really overheating? What are its future prospects?
- A Road for Professor Papiya Ghosh
Papiya passed away unfortunately believing that Bihar held a lot of promise.
- Kashmir: Some Trends
Kashmir has seen much turmoil and there is more hope ahead with a tapering of socio political tension and development in many spheres
- The Gulf Between the Bat and the Pad
Just what the hell is wrong with Indian batting line-up in the world?
- Music Review: Canciones De Las Brigadas Internacionales
A wonderful tribute to men who have been ignored for too long.
- Investing In Our Morrows
A personal reflection on how attitudes towards social and economic change over the years.
- poetry: love orphan/ish'q yateem
an iconoclastic take on an abused four letter word
- Poetry: Train to Gwalior
When you have touched the time on a face / That just stood for / You so long / Gwalior looms again into sight.
- Music Review: Bye Bye Sonny Sonny Boy Williamson, Eric Clapton, Eric Burdon, and Jimmy Page
Bye Bye Sonny is a great addition to any music collection.
- Indian Aviation in 2007 - The Prospects
What’s the bottom line going to be in 2007 for the average Indian flyer, investor, and pilot?
- Book Review: Morituri by Yasmina Khadra
A well-written and exciting novel I can easily recommend to those who like a lot of grit in their mysteries.
- With a Grain of Salt: J'Accuse the British Mandarins and Politics of Corruption
So can anybody explain why are we ready to accept bribery, look like total prats and lie through our teeth for British Aerospace?
- Investing in Indian Real Estate - Part I
Is Indian property market a bubble? How can we invest?
- Saraswati, An Unschooled Middle-class Mother, A Vanishing Breed
The God that makes woman has, presumably, run out of DNA that went into the making of the likes of Saraswati.
- Mumbai's Porn Films: Ganda Hai Par Dhanda Hai Ye
The workings of the Desi porn industry.
- Movie Review: Children of Men
Another near-future film with the world wracked by war and terrorism and women end up infertile, until a miracle occurs. Bleak but thought provoking.
- The Nithari Killings - Child Cannibalism in India
Mohinder's Man Friday, Surendra, confessed to having killed 17 persons and eating their vital organs.
- On Big and Small Things: Bangladesh From A Continent Away
Reconciling global pessimism and local optimism
- Music Review: Jefferson Airplane High Flying Bird: Live At The Monterey Festival
"a perfect example of what the world is coming to"
- Book Review: Double Blank, Yasmina Khadra
A vivid portrait of a country struggling to stay away from the madness that has affected so many other nations.
- Movie Review: Children of Men
A magnificent film to start off the Award Season with; technically superb and artistically marvelous.
- Book Review: Endless Rain by Meena Arora Nayak
In Endless Rain, Meena Arora Nayak captures the story of the unrest in Kashmir and how different people cope with it.
- Will PR 2.0 Become A Reality In India In 2007?
It's time now for Indian PR professionals to gear up fast in providing PR 2.0 services.
- India Lose the Test Series in South Africa
India succumbed again thanks to its indifferent batting, throwing away a 1-0 lead in a 3 test series.
- Book Review: Not On The Level Michael V. Maddaloni
Not On The Level is an engrossing coming-of-age story of a first-generation Italian American.
- The Nithari Killings - The True Culprit Is Not The Pedophile
A group of people from Nithari had been invited and they sat on one side, away from the rest, the invisible divide sticking out like
- Short Story: The Mornings
"I'm the woman who doesn't talk much, minds her own business at work and gets back home as soon as she can."
- Music Review: Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Classics For Pleasure
How many other idiot Westerners do you know that would dare review a disc of Classical Indian Music on a site like Desicritics?
- Book Review: Hitchhiker, Vinod George Joseph
Hitchhiker offers its readers not only a peek into the life of an untouchable, but also talks about the hurdles encountered.
- Indian Cricket: A Fan Continues to Believe...
Another overseas loss for India. But it shall not shake the foundation of my support. I hope!
- India and China: Were They Ever Equal?
India and China are often talked in the same breath. How equal were they in history?
- Police Reform In India - Political Opposition Starts Emerging
Supreme Court order on police reform being opposed by politicians - due to loss of influence?
- A Memorable Experience.
The railway platforms reflects life with its plethora of amazing shades.
- Bollywood Masala of the Year 2006
Round-Up of all that happened in Bollywood Duniya in Year 2006.
- Sexual Practices in Nature
Nature has all kinds of sexual practices and our notion of normal sex is just one of them
- Book Review: CSS - The Definitive Guide
Though not "definitive" it is certainly a great book for anyone, right from experienced users to complete novices.
- Mental Health in India and The State of Our Minds
Mental Health in India needs a lot of attention and resources to shake the state out of its state of apathetic lethargy.
- New Delhi Municipal Corporation Officials Punished
Hauling up the chiefs of municipal corporations - and making them pay for negligence
- Satire: Do Not Say Anything Negative About Us – We Are Indians
We are Indians. We don't like to be criticized. We don't need to learn anything from you.
- Bollywood: Taran Adarsh - A Dependable Critic, In His Own Way
As long as Adarsh does not upgrade his taste, I know how to filter trash and get to the gems.
- Bollywood: First Woh Lamhe, Now Sushmita Sen Is Parveen Babi?
There is a big difference between sacking your entourage, which may have been sponging off your finances and being totally loco as Parveen had become.
- Book Review: Autumn Of The Phantoms Yasmina Khadra
Reading these books make our Homeland Security and colour codes sound like the games of children playing at fighting terrorists.
- Sibu Soren:The Cardinal's Friend
The response of the Catholic Church to the conviction of Sibu Soren is intriguing.
- Entrepreneurship as a Competitive Advantage
Immigrants do not simply go to America and create enterprise. Rather, many go to America because they can create enterprise.
- Book Review: In The Name Of God Yasmina Khadra
You see it's not that hard to become a terrorist, in fact it might just be harder not to.
- Music Review: Chicago Blues Festival Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, & Little Walter
I know that I wouldn't want to be the one asked to decide between the two duos as to which was better.
- Where Are Our Nurses?
A lot needs to be done to correct professional imbalances and reduce the gap in the pecking order between doctors and nurses.
- Handy Tips for Financial Planning
Getting rich is in your hands, nobody else's . Get Rich Or Die Trying.
- Hollywood, Bollywood and Kollywood in the Last Three Decades
Movies of a particular era shape the thinking, style & culture of that era.
- Fr. Theo Mathias- The Jesuit
He taught me to revisit the past , look at it through heaven’s eyes and see God’s hand in every twist and turn.
- Interview: Author Christopher Moore
He doesn't appear to bite, or at least he doesn't leave marks or unsightly blemishes
- My New Year Resolve: Stay Unruffled At Nasty Comments
How does one give a positive spin to 'f---r u' type mail?
- Beg Your Pardon, But Your English Is Showing: Language Problems in Aviation
If something is "broken" does it mean it has split in half and needs to be glued together?
- Unstoppable Iran: Is Military Action The Answer?
Military action may be the only way to stop Iran from achieving weapons grade enrichment, but is it really worth it?
- Music Review: Expressin' The Blues & A Living Past Various Artists
A Living Past and Expressin' The Blues are simply reminders that this music is worth listening to, no matter when it was written.
- Mazha Swamy (Rain Saint)
For us he was a character from the story book and that, I believe, was the main reason for our curiosity about him.
- Kabhie Kabhie - 30 Years On - Part I
The one Bollywood movie that everyone knows the songs to celebrates it's 30th anniversary this year - 'Kabhie Kabhie', a look back.
- Not So Excited About the Apple iPhone - A Critical Mass of Idiots
It is this critical mass of idiots that Apple wants to target.
- Travel: Visiting The Sun Temple at Konark
Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man.
- Mariya : The Dalit Christian Woman
"No one practices untouchability when it comes to sex."
- Deconstructing Narmada: Large Dams in Energy Policy
A case for large dams must be based on a stronger argument than that our neighbor is doing it.
- Junkyard Groove: The Meteoric Rise of an Indian Rock Band
JYG has the potential to jump into the big league and succeed at the international level.
- President Bush's Impending Announcement on Iraq: A Premptive Analysis
His ignorance of common sense, his ignorance of ground realities, his ignorance of geo-politics is of imbecilic proportions.
- The End of War as We Know It: Facing The Unconventional Threat That Is Islamic Terrorism
Islamic extremist terrorism is a new threat requiring a new approach.
- Book Review: Yasmina Khadra Wolf Dreams
A terrorist is a person who takes the path of least resistance when it comes to living
- Book Series Review: MythAdventures by Robert Asprin
This is to Fantasy genre as Govinda movies are to Bollywood.
- Poetry: All Hat And No Cattle
Cowboy Justice wins every battle.
- Music Review: Follow Your Heart's Desire, Pura Fe
Follow Your Heart's Desire will be an experience you'll not soon forget.
- Fact Or Corporate Folklore? CEO Sarin Has 'Dignity' Clause In His Contract
Gracelessness was the standard operating procedure for some companies.
- The Holy Grail of Giant Pharma
The battle between the consumer and the drug industry is far from over.
- Music Review: John Dee Holeman & The Waifs Band
It will make you feel that all is right with the world.
- Singur: The Emperors Have No Clothes
It is high time that the Marxists and The Hindu come out with facts on Singur.
- DVD Review: Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu (Tamil; 2006)
Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu is really two films: a taut detective story (and) a crude, lurid crapfest of a movie...
- Nursery Rhymes and Morbidity
How rhymes of yore (and gore) become nursery rhymes...
- Supreme Court Strikes Down The Ninth Schedule
The Supreme Court overturns the last refuge for bad laws. Now what will the government do about its populist laws ?
- Music Review: I See You (Vishal-Shekhar)
I initially set out to write a straight music review ... but soon realized that was not the way to approach this little slice of
- Book Review: You Suck Christopher Moore
Be prepared to laugh yourself silly, but expect to have to pay a price as well – thinking and reflecting on occasion.
- Wikipedia - Happy Birthday To You
Despite its inherent flaws, Wikipedia remains one of the great phenomena of the Internet as it enters its seventh year.
- Travel Essay: Las Vegas - Party All Night Long
A must-visit place for the sheer experience of it.
- Music Review: Gospel Train Bishop Dready Manning
...being a preacher didn't mean he had to stop playing the blues
- The Art of Parenting - Reckless Endangerment of Children
This is the state of my country and I am upset about it.
- The PSLV Launch: Why India Needs More Such Achievements
If the nation can generate hope, desire and ambition in it's youth, the price we pay for these launches is worth it!
- Nostalgia, What Is It?
Recollecting the past is not a return, but an opening in which traces stretch into the present.
- Movie Review: Guru (Hindi; 2007)
Guru is the story of Gurukant Desai, a villager from Idhar, Gujarat ... determined to succeed in bijness at all costs...
- Do the Right Thing Tony Blair: Time to Bail Out
Labour needs to push Blair overboard soon to have any chance in the May elections.
- The Quiet Crisis In America - Unlikely Heroes
...quiet crisis in America
- Urban Roofscapes: A Living, Breathing Habitat
Urban rooftops have the potential to contribute to the cityscape in a sustainable way, but have been vastly under utilised.
- Music Review: Drink House To Church House: Songs & Stories From The Roots Of America Vol. I & II - Various Artists
...oral histories of the Southern United States from before the turn of the nineteenth century until the present day.
- Cartoon: ULFA Back With A Bang
Violence by the ULFA in Assam continues unabated.
- Movie Review: The Painted Veil (2007)
A would-be tale of revenge turned love story didn't gain enough traction as a great romance for me.
- DVD Review: Ronnie Hawkins: Still Alive And Kickin'
"If more people were like Ronnie Hawkins, the world would be a lot better place to live in"
- From Galacticos to Galaxy, F1 In India And The Australian Open
A recap at the happenings in Soccer, Formula 1 and Tennis over the last week.
- John Abraham - Putting The Coolie Back In Cool
Calendar boy and habitual hair flopper John Abraham has come out against the hegemony of cool in a High Hinglish interview .
- Abhishek-n-Aishwarya Engaged: Breaking News (Not)
What's so "breaking" about this?
- Cartoon: Nithari Serial Lethargy
Supreme court finally comments on the Nithari massacre.
- Book Review: Next, Michael Crichton
Review of Michael Crichton's latest novel, "Next."
- Boycott Against Israeli Apartheid
Publicising a peaceful way to bring Israel into line.
- Pictorial Essay: The Smell of Morning at Lalbagh
Each tree in Lalbagh has a story to tell, with its roots deep in centuries of Indian history.
- "It's A Day On, And Not A Day Off ": Martin Luther King Day and Gandhi Jayanti
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?"~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Book Review: Don Marquis The Annotated Archy And Mehitabel
who would have heard of (Don Marquis) today if it werent for archy and mehitabel
- Poetry: Book Review: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
This book is a modern-day publishing phenomenon. An amazing miracle.
- Book Review: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Full of interesting information, but no convincing common thread.
- Cartoon: Non-Resident Indians - Not So Happy New Year
Non-Resident Indians are concerned about Indian safety.
- What is Breaking News? Ash and Abhishek Getting Engaged?
The media has gone overboard while covering the high-profile engagement. What more could be in store?
- Why Do You Watch Soap Operas?
What compels you to stare, night after night, at all the glittering hokum that has been deliberately put together for you?
- Remaking Advertisements - Reviving Familiar Elements In Communication
When it comes to advertising, 'putting old wine in a new bottle' may not be such a bad idea.
- Fiction: Mumtaz
Time had moved on as much as the markers lied. He knew and still he could not look that way.
- Canadian Politics: The Dark Side Of Quebec Nationalism
...the concept of equality has been lost and been replaced with the notion of separate and better.
- poetry: phoenix's quill
a tale written with phoenix's quill can be so fickle
- The Devil Wears Prada: A Blog-to-Movie Story
This new literary genre holds out enticing possibilities. Bloggers, particularly failed authors, need not look for a publisher; nor worry about rejection slips.
- The Channel 4 Celebrity Big Brother Showdown: Shilpa, You Need To Step It Up
It's a bitch fight, not a case of racism.
- Islam: The Greatest Colonizer Of All Time
A careful analysis will conclude that Islam was the greatest colonial power of all time and the most egotistical ideology.
- Music Review: State Of Grace, The Holmes Brothers
In this day and age all of us could use a little grace.
- A Powerful Voice: An Interview with Ilan Pape
Painting a worrying picture and offering ways to alleviate the Palestinians plight.
- Cartoon: Do Hazaar Bigha Zameen
After a week of protests in Nandigram, WB Chief Minister Buddhadeb admitted the Haldia Development Authority had issued a notice on land acquisition.
- Support Dream A Dream
It s not what we do, but how much love we put into doing it.
- Poetry: Snow
It's snowing in Columbus. And what a sight it is.
- Interview: Junkyard Groove
This Indian rock band is making waves on the international circuit with its unique brand of music.
- Shilpa Shetty and Racism in India
Before accusing others of racism, we should take a closer look inwards
- Reminiscing About Mother
Thinking about my mother is painful not only because I miss her but because I was a lousy son.
- Celebrity Big Brother: Kya Scene Hai!
This issue is seriously getting out of hand, with House of Commons entering the picture for some strange reason.
- Camille Paglia - A Cat Among The Pigeons
Paglia’s bete noire is the orthodox feminist establishment, which she attacks with a gusto.
- Urban Jungle: Mumbai's Birds - There's Always Someone Smarter Than You
A lesson in big-city smarts from the Mumbai house crow
- The Hype That Is Shane Warne
He hasn't performed against the Indian team. Every time he has come down to India, his bowling figures have been set back considerably.
- Ruminations on the Destiny of the People of Israel
The Pakhtun are going to have to get to know their brothers, the Jews. G-d, indeed, has a sense of humor.
- Shilpa in Celebrity Big Brother - Colour Me Brown
It doesn't matter what people may think - if they choose to verbalise their bigotry, then it counts as racism.
- Generalisation Is Almost As Bad As Racism
South Africa protests against Hershelle Gibbs' two-match ban for alleged racist comments.
- Voting For Talent
Does voting from viewers help bring out the best talent? Or is it about something else?
- The First Association of Professional Chess Players Rapid Chess Tournament
Despite the absence of the three top most players the quality of play from the rest of the participants was excellent.
- When Camp Became "The Camps"
The lights of the oncoming cars...could have been the search lights in a camp, or the flashlights of campers...
- Swami and Friends
The story of India can never be complete without the mention of the town of Malgudi and the daily strips of 'You said it'.
- What Price Humanity?
Isn't this what being human is all about - lending a hand to someone in need?
- poetry: dean was not the monk who went up in flames in saigon
he had an angel like smile playing on his face / his mother came over and said 'my dean is free now.'
- Airline Stock Manipulated?
Is investing in Aviation crazy? Think twice, look for hard facts and rely less on emotion.
- Where's My Freedom To Choose?
Our politicians need to get rid of their 'holier than thou' attitude. The ban on AXN is unreasonable.
- Tesla Back In Popular Imagination
Nikola Tesla is everywhere - movies, books, blogs, you name it. Eccentric, inventor, genius, far ahead of his time, scientist, mystic.
- Poetry: Of the Saints and the Wicked...
What distinguishes a saint from the other kind - as per Goswami Tulsidas.
- The Age Of The Individual: The Loss Of The Tribe
We live in the age of the individual and all feel a little lost and lonely for it.
- The Fallen WTC Tower and Islam: Any Connection?
The fallen WTC towers of New York is not at all alien to Islam. Instead, it's an integral part of Islam’s iconoclastic legacy.
- Columnist Art Buchwald: Dead, On His Own Terms
I had my suspicions as to why Buchwald went to the hospice in the first place. So that he could do a book on his
- Satire: An Indian Wish List for 2007
What does 2007 have in store for us? Heaven knows, but here's a wish list.
- The Placements Racket - Why Blame the B-Schools Alone?
Are B-schools and Engineering Colleges mere placement agencies?
- The Media's Message - Is Anyone Listening
The Shilpa story brings to my mind many questions about the reality we live in
- Turtlerama
What's Vishnu doing in a Shiva temple?
- Snippets of a Conversation with Anees Jung
Part of me feels connected with the literary tradition in India, a member of the sisterhood of Indian writers.
- "OMG, What Should I Wear?" - Women Travelling On Business
Personal observations on 'appropriate' dressing in Mumbai, Dubai and London
- John McCain Can Do No Wrong
US Presidential hopeful John McCain, the darling of the mainstream media, who gloss over his conservative record and portray him as "moderate".
- Book Review: Our Holocaust Amir Gutfreund
...people born well after the war are in some ways survivors of the holocaust as much as those who lived through the camps.
- Book Review: Nemesis-The Last Days of The American Republic - Chalmers Johnson
An exceedingly well researched book into the current pitfalls for the expansion of the American reach across the planet.
- Shilpa Shetty and Racism - 'No Big Deal' For Some
Is racism acceptable as long as it is targeted at a Bollywood actress and not a, say, IT professional?
- Democratic Race for Nomination in 2008 Heats Up.
Hillary Clinton's official announcement today marks the beginning of 2008 presidential race.
- Movie Review - Pan's Labyrinth
Two stories not immediately inextricably linked and neither meaty enough to justify the expectations based on the stunning visual stylings.
- The She(I)tty Times of India
Anand Srinivasan uses the Sunday Times to show the lack of variety in media discussion simply for popularity ratings.
- Singapore’s Seletar Airport
It's time to look East, take some inspiration from tiny but dynamic Singapore at least in Aviation terms
- Book Review: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit: Jeanette Winterson RM
A seminal work in gay and lesbian literature, Jeanette Winterson's breakthrough novel explores questions of sexuality and identity against a religious backdrop.
- Cartoon: Racism- The Goody The Bad & The Ugly
I guess we should ensure we don't tolerate racism in any shape, size or form. Your views welcome.
- Book Review: The Genizah At The House Of Shepher Tamar Yellin
...even the smallest (choice) can make a huge difference in the way our world turns out.
- Reality, Pop Culture And Art