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- Archives: September 2007
- Hinduism, the Buddha, and Other Musings
Here is a culture that is sophisticated and rich – my culture! my birthright! Why did no one teach me this?
- The Off-Playground Matches, Stars and ICL/BCCI Standoff
Indian cricket, like a typical Bollywood movie, has all kinds of masala associated with it.
- Vijay Mallya Bids For Spyker-Ferrari Formula 1 Team
Vijay Mallya had said that he was actively pursuing a purchase and it appears that this has come to fruition.
- Lies, Like Beauty, Depend On The Eye of the Beholder – Part I
Secularism, like beauty, depends upon the eye of the beholding country.
- Blogs, Friendship, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
... thoughts on one’s ailment “should, ideally, have remained locked inside fevered heads”.
- Delhi Teacher Destroys Future of Young Girls
It is not just the girls forced into these horrible acts who were victimized.
- Sania Mirza Loses to Anna Chakvetadze in US Open
Mirza won't be leaving New York for now - she still has her doubles matches to look forward to.
- CIA and the Indo-US Nuclear Deal
The CIA has an extensive intelligence apparatus monitoring the Indian Nuclear Program
- The Goddess as Kakini, The Crow
I learn, on a Sunday morning, that there is a divinity and grace in all living creatures.
- Traditions, Modernity and Women
Whoever said that common sense is so common among Indians?
- Play Review: Opus Prodigiosus
A string quartet, a desi and lots of drama.
- Karnataka's Political Games
If JDS goes for a second honeymoon with the Congress, its position would be worse than being a handmaid
- The Grand Old Trunk Road, Part I
What a fantastic thing the old Grand Trunk Road was, India’s oldest highway, and certainly its most historic one.
- Poetry: gaia* plows
she used to smile / at ribbing plows / but grumbles / at rumbling tractors
- Toilet Papers, India and the West - The "Western" Wo/Man's Burden?
Will the western wo/man ever keep their "western" man's burden to themselves?
- Movie Review: Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag - Bakwaas!
Somewhere in the city, I can imagine the Sippys hosting weekend long celebrations.
- Yaari, Desktopdating and Other Ill Mannered Websites
Many of the community websites are openly misusing Web Service technology to increase their member base by invading everyone's privacy.
- Terrorist Threat to UK Water Supply Overrated
If you dilute a poison, you reduce its effectiveness, and more the dilution the less effective the chemical is.
- How Specific Spiritual Vocabulary has Chained Mankind
Words, in themselves are useless. They take meaning from the underlying ideas.
- Movie Review: Dhokha
A different treatment given to a common religious terrorism issue. Daring but tad boring due to sermons.
- A Dialogue on Lies and The Campaign to Defame Hindu Nationalism
It is apparent that this attitude is ill-suited to the practical world and cries out for revision.
- Justice for Dalits After Haryana Killing
Until Dalits build up their strength and follow in the footsteps of Dr. Ambedkar, they will keep suffering under the caste stigma.
- Sania Scripts a Thrilling Doubles Upset at the US Open
Sania and her US partner Bethanie Mattek stared defeat in the face before reaching the women's doubles quarterfinals.
- Grand Trunk Road - New Corridor of Asia
The historical Grand Trunk Road could once again function as a corridor for commerce, trade and cultural exchange.
- International War Games Get Underway in The Bay of Bengal
I seriously think they should go to the place where the war games are actually happening and protest there.
- Help! Someone's Stealing My Blog Posts!
I just realised that I am now in the elite company of bloggers like Om Malik.
- Poetry: who's on top?
who discovered / the joys of love-making first? / is this a moot point / or is this speculative? and / who was on top
- Regulation of Foreign Land Ownership Proposed in South Africa
Remember that land redistribution is extra-ordinarily difficult to pull off successfully.
- Satire: From A to B - From Ash to Bachchan
The ultimate Globalized Bollywood Royalty - Beauty, charm and timing. Nepotism, nasal deja vu and Daddy Love.
- The Construction of Synthetic Terror
Can we ever see the Puppeteers or the Ringmasters above them?
- Fiction: Janki and Mansoor (Chapter 1 & 2)
Start of a mystery novel, set in Delhi. An experiment in multiple narratives.
- Home Is Where I Am
Home is a place beyond the walls of the house in which you live.
- I Can't Blow My Horn Anymore
A friend of mine tells me that Indians are the most trusting people on the planet.
- Christian Family Forced to Leave Village in Manipur
This violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom to adopt, practice and propagate religion.
- Mother Teresa For The Munnabhai Generation
A tribute on the tenth death anniversary of Mother Teresa of Kolkata
- Movie Review: LA Confidential
A very slick movie.
- Googlies: Uthappa, Ganguly, Tendulkar and Five sixes off Yuvraj - The Story of India's Thrilling Win
A mini-tribute following the great win on 5th September!
- Bombay's Local Trains
The local trains of Bombay have forever set the pace of this throbbing city
- MI5 Chief Faces Immigration Delays at Heathrow
I still fail to realize why the government is dithering while Rome is burning.
- Do You Really Mean That, Sachin?
Ironically, this is probably the secret of his success and of his continued sanity.
- Can Non-Christians Join Christian University Groups?
Discrimination has to be fought but the legal system already provides that guarantee!
- Movie Review and Story: E.T - The Extra-Terrestrial
An incredibly successful and watchable movie.
- A Tribute To Hrishikesh Mukherjee
A film with Hrishikesh Mukherjee's name ensured a new and original storyline in an industry plagued by unoriginal plots.
- Some Uncharitable Questions on Charity
Is charity a demand-led or a supply-led business?
- Living An Unconstrained Life
How would life be if you threw caution to the wind and lived by no constraints?
- The Rise Of The Mixed Breed
Is the loss of a cultural identity something to mourn or to rejoice over?
- Left Begins March to Protest Against "US Imperialism"
From airconditioned Volvo buses, SUVs, armed with cartons of Kinley (Coca-Cola) waterbottles, pro-poor comrades would rail against US imperialism.
- Do Asiatic Lions Still Roar in Gir?
Their will to survive, to search for new territory, to establish new colonies are encouraging signs.
- Will Congress tie up with Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal ?
The biggest question is, when does this play out?
- The Strange Case of Chinese Executions
Are they objecting to the execution or the fact that it's happening in public?
- Biofuels and the Law of Unintended Consequences
The market is badly out of kilter and the international food stocks are dangerously low.
- Puppy Love and Other issues of a Dog's Life
A comment on hypersensitivity on the one hand, and insensitivity to sentiments on the other
- Sting Operations, Good and Bad
What do you do when investigative journalism shows feet of clay
- Supermarket Supersavings -A Word of Caution
Billing error possibilities at supermarkets
- A Working Sunday in the City
I was looking forward to my journey to the office that day.
- Lies, Like Beauty, Depend On the Eye of the Beholder – II
An Indutva rather than Hindutva so to say, and one will see that many of the inconsistencies and incoherence dies away
- The Joys of Living in "Secular India"
A “tilak” is not exactly a headscarf and is less conspicuous than many other symbols of religious identity.
- Music Review: Britney Spears - Gimme More
The prematurely aged Britney tries to project coolness instead of clueless. Strange as it ever was.
- My Top 5 Sci-Fi Series
Top 5 Sci-Fi book series according to me, no giants counted for fairness.
- Seventh ODI - India vs. England, Lords
India's approach to the modern ODI has been patchy.
- TV Review: Chanakya, Memories of Times Past
Great serial, a must-have DVD collection
- Poetry: valediction/alwidah
we must bid adieu / to meet once again
- Salwa Judum - India's Unreported Hidden War
Have you heard about Salwa Judum, India’s hidden war in tribal dominated area of central Indian state Chhattisgarh?
- Santhi Soundarajan: Sport, Gender and Suicide in India
She didn’t step off that ledge; she was pushed off it. And everybody looked the other way
- Book Review: Longitudes and Attitudes - Thomas Friedman
You can see his feelings develop and change over the 3-4 years, before and after the 9/11 event.
- Is Ex-President Kalam a Youth Icon?
An icon is ‘someone you emulate’.
- Is Shah Rukh Khan Suffering From A Mid-Life Crisis?
This new Shah Rukh Khan all of a sudden seemed like a swan that had reverted back to being an ugly duckling in his middling
- Freedom Of Speech On The Internet
To expect an uncensored voice on a public forum of media is like eating one's cake and having it too.
- Naxal Search in Bangalore Colleges
Government agencies harass academics, looking for Naxalites in Karnataka educational institutions.
- Book Review: Becoming Jane
"You have delighted us long enough" The wit and wisdom of Jane Austen.
- Nightswimming
I do not remember whose idea it was, going to the lake at night.
- Breaking News: Soft Take-off, Hard Landing for Nawaz Sharif
In the biggest gamble of his life Nawaz Sharif headed for Pakistan. He was turned back from the Airport and is allegedly headed for Jeddah
- A Backpacker's Lament - Those Were The Days
The days of leisurely camaderie and caravan rides across much of Europe and Asia forever extinct.
- Movie Review: Darling
Suspense thriller or laugh riot?
- To the Haptic Y-Chromosome
There is an inherent aggression in boys. It needs to be channeled not stifled.
- The Monster In My Computer
The monster is grinning and advancing closer to your hard disk every moment.
- Lady with the Lotus - Sojourn in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
I must visit Sri Lanka again, this time with a digital camera so I can download Sita and make her my screen saver.
- Movie Review: Madhumati - A Great Movie With Some Wonderful Music
One of the first movies on reincarnation.
- Poetry: counting
if you get a chance / you should eavesdrop / when they talk about you / such racy language / will make you squirm /
- Ramachandra Guha and the Indian Revolutionaries
Guha tries to show that both the Left and the Right converge on violence as a means to achieving their respective political ends.
- Death in the Clouds - The Heroes of Flight 93
It was a small wave of humanity that rolled together.
- Wisdom - What Our Elders Gift us
Wisdom and its importance cannot be ever weighed on a scale. Its power is subtle and its influence nuanced.
- China, Are You With Us?
It is time somebody told the Chinese to back off from fooling around with us
- State Of Victimness
Not many victims get the support they need to reach an honest assessment of how they contributed to and fomented their own victimness
- Two Years of the International Financial Reporting Standard
There is a reason why I am talking about this anniversary and this is because this standard is going to impact every person on the
- Framing the Cricket Debate
To a lesser of greater degree, every cricket follower probably identifies with these interests.
- Some Perspectives on the Nuclear Deal
Why should be they be so nice to us?
- Pakistan Courts - Veni, Vidi, but not Vici!
The Rip Van Judges have to play on the same chessboard tomorrow with the hostile Rip Van Politicians tomorrow
- Book Review: Georgette Heyer - A Wit Par Excellence
She was one author who made me feel comfortable about my shortcomings and taught me to laugh at myself.
- Picture Essay: Arizona's September 11 Memorial
I had not been there at all, but spent about 40 minutes there today as a stop on the way to work.
- T20 - Hit and Run Cricket is Here!
Love it or hate it, Twenty20 is here to stay. The Gentleman's game is all set to evolve to it's next stage.
- What The Heart Says - Satsangs With Isaac Shapiro
Learning to focus on attention itself rather than on the thought process
- A Passion for Faloodas
A Falooda Fan recently tried converting me to the cause of faloodas. I thought he was nuts.
- Ruskin Bond - The Teller of Tales
With his simple characters and enduring charm, Ruskin Bond captures in the manner of Cartier-Bresson, images and stories that will surely outlive us.
- Breaking News: Earthquake in Indonesia - Tsunami Warning for Andaman
A 8.2 on the Richter scale earthquake struck near the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia at 6.10 pm local time.
- Movie Review: Unforgiven - A Classic Western
More of an anti-western though with all the grime.
- Vinoba Bhave – A Visionary or a Fool?
Vinoba was a communicator of Gandhian thought. Though he had not one bit of Gandhi's charisma, sincerity oozed out of him.
- Poetry: pigeons, jamil naqsh and i
Taste buds they have more than 30, and we, 9000 plus / they are not fussy eaters, we cherish fine cuisine.
- Fiction: Janki and Mansoor (Chapter 3)
All episodes are complete narratives in themselves.
- Know Your Desi English
Are they aware of this error, and basically following "While in Rome, do as the Romans do"?
- Satire: A Letter from a Spoilt Teenager
A letter from a spoilt teenager to his parents.
- The Ramayana, the Sethusamudram and Indian Archaeology
No secular Government has the prerogative to pontificate on religion unless the public good is adversely impacted.
- Politics & Corruption: How to “Fix the System”
Governance reforms are needed at both levels - to reduce opportunities, and to eliminate the incentives.
- Ayodhya Redux?
The perception of Hinduism and Hindu philosophy, Gods, symbols, and icons today is not the same as it was in 1992.Sandeep
OPINION | Culture: Desi | Culture: Essay | Culture: History | Culture: Religion | Culture: Social Issues | Culture: Society | Media: Blogs | Media: Internet | Media: News | Media: Newspapers | Media: Television | Politics: Corruption | Politics: Elections | Politics: Freedom | Politics: Governance | Politics: India | Politics: Laws | Politics: Religion | Politics: South Asia - Photo essay: The Women of Delhi
Wandering around Delhi with a camera can be rewarding.
- Sethusamudram, Moolah, and Sivaji
We not only pay taxes, we now buy shares and double pay our way into digging a canal.
- Anniversary of the V2 Missile
The first ballistic missile launch in anger.
- New Social Movements, Post-modernism, Gandhism and Ambedkarism - Part I
If the new social movements really want to serve the downtrodden they should reorient their ideology
- Things You Should Know About Big Bazaar
I will write a detailed review of other parts of this book in a separate review soon.
- Saving the Indian Soldier
The Indian Army has a hoary history with the origins of some units going back to the East India Company.
- Interview: Rahul Bajaj - Author, Bollywood Roulette: Inside the Struggle!
Rahul Bajaj: An Inside view of Bollywood and my 'brother' Shah Rukh Khan
- Is The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street Losing Her Marbles?
A Central Bank's reputation relies on a firm hand on the tiller.
- Rama Sethu: Civilization Vs. Nation State, Myth Vs. History
when a nation state decides to fight a civilization, historians and history centered institutions become the tools through which it decides to organize its fighting.
- Rahul Dravid's Resignation - A Bolt from The Blue!
It is to his credit that he has the foresight to check himself and take stock.
- Pakistani Special Services Officer Turns Suicide Bomber
I would be afraid, very afraid.
- Googlies: India's Twenty 20 Cricket Cup Win Over Pakistan
Not a match report. Not even an analysis. Yet it reads like both. Worth a grin.
- The Hidden Baggage of Blogs
The blogging world presents itself as a purged community driven by ideals and values and inclusiveness
- Rama and Rama Sethu - the Literary and Historical Evidence
What is important is to know if Adam’s Bridge/Ram Sethu is a man-made construction or not.
- Today's Ram Never Existed
The Ram of Guru Nanak and Kabir and the one in Yoga Vasistha is no more today!
- New Social Movements, Post-modernism, Gandhism and Ambedkarism - Part II
In this part we look at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's world view.
- Moser Baer's Cheap Movie CD/DVDs
Are you aware that original VCDs and DVDs can be purchased at the cost of pirated ones?
- The State of European Muslims
They want to have a nice document, with some quangos overseeing the process, nicely arranged into nice tower blocks.
- Now a Finn blogs about Bollywood
Anu H, 29, is so enamoured by the Indian film industry that her blog is choc-a-bloc with photos of several Bollywood actors.
- Silently Calling All Children
How a child can help the world
- Book Review: Isaac Asimov's Foundation
The starting point of an epic series in Science Fiction
- OJ's Controversial Book Sees The Light Of Day
OJ Simpson is well known around the word. Last year he attempted to publish a book describing how he would have murdered Nicole Brown Simpson
- Ganesh & The Globe: An Eco-Friendly Ganesh Chaturthi
finding a way to be kind to the environment while indulging in the festivities is a responsible thing to do.
- Book Review: Barbarians at the Gate
A classic book about the Financial deals of the 1980's
- Job Satisfaction: Happy Is What Happy Does
Somewhere along the line this adventurous sentiment gets replaced by adult sensibilities.Aditi Nadkarni
OPINION | Culture: Arts | Culture: Children | Culture: City Life | Culture: Desi | Culture: Education | Culture: Family | Culture: Hobbies | Culture: Personal History | Culture: Relationships | Culture: Society | Culture: Social Issues | Culture: Survey | BizTech: Entrepreneurship | BizTech: Innovation - Twenty20 - An Anti-Cricket Mishap
Is Cricket shooting itself in the foot with Twenty20?
- The Curious Case of Somalia and Belgium
This is one strand of thought for those who think about rewinding the colonial boundaries.
- North East Support Centre and Helpline Inaugurated in New Delhi
A deeper study has shown the vulnerability of a newer generation of youthful workers and students from the North East.
- Morality is a Selfish Religious Blasphemy
Mother Teresa did Good because she thought it would bring love of Jesus to her. Were her actions selfish?
- Twenty20's Impact on World Cricket
Twenty20 cricket will significantly improve the skills of cricket players
- Why Are Hindus so Offended?
Rama’s un-existence suddenly invalidates their confidence levels. It is like pulling the rug from under their feet causing them to lose balance.
- Dev Anand at 83 - Fifty-five Years of Romancing With Life
Depending on how you look at it, Dev Anand’s current film related pursuits can be ridiculed or admired.
- Poetry: where do the smiles go?
why do smile-prints wall-paper memory ville? / why do they awe and shock and...?
- Don't Underestimate The Muslim Brotherhood
Before you think that I am saying that they are gods on earth, remember that I am comparing them to frankly garbage and filth.
- Roads in Delhi are Not for Driving
A car-tree collision is a remote possibility if car owners in Delhi can learn to drive and not ‘zip’ on the road.
- Seeing Mumbai with a New Yorker
I went on a tour of the Fort district yesterday, with a young American lady. Her reactions to Mumbai were interesting.
- Religious Freedom: Can the US be our Policeman?
Every year the US State Department documents the state of religious freedom around the world.
- Memories of Chinars - Kashmiri Treasures
Our sojourn in life is much like that of boats passing on Dal Lake in the sunset.
- Fiction: Lord Rama's Viewpoint on Ramasetu
He sends his angel Mohandas Gandhi to see what was happening and report back to him.
- United Nations Adopts Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
If we are specifying group rights, what are the rights of an individual within that group?
- Love, Grief, Pain, and a Kitten
To some love comes easy.It is as easy as making an eye contact and forming bonds of eternal attachment and for others love takes time.
- Is Anurag Kashyap Bollywood’s Newest Motor Mouth?
An urgent lesson in nobility from fellow contemporaries such as Madhur Bhandarkar, Vishal Bhardawaj and Shimit Amin is highly recommended.
- Evidence of Rama's Existence
It was not until i graduated to literacy that i found a more definitive account of the Ramayana.
- Andhra Pradesh Ordinance on Reservations to Muslims Challenged
Trying to get an ordinance passed that was rejected earlier
- Book Review : Cairo - The Family Guide
If you plan to pick up only one book to sight-see in Cairo, this is THE one to choose.
- TV Review: Channel 4, Dispatches - Religious Conversions
I think that organized proselytism is very dangerous and should be banned.
- Book Review: City of Djinns
A great book describing the history of Delhi
- Understanding India's Kidney Trade
An estimated one lakh people develop End Stage Renal Disease or chronic renal failure every year.
- Perspectives on the N-Deal - Part 2
Should India Consider the offer? It's a very straight and a big YES.
- The Ram Sethu Issue: Some Racist and Xenophobic Tamils Do Not Represent all of South India
Most people in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka do not share the racist, exclusivist, supremacist and xenophobic outlook of the Dravidian "rationalists."
- Can We Make Public Toilets Free For Use?
A business model, which if implemented can not only make public toilets free for all, but also make them a profitable business.
- Poetry: idiots, idiots, everywhere
wait! i know we are all idiots - / some of the time - that'll make us tempidiots / but what of those who
- Movie Review: The Shawshank Redemption
A truly great movie
- A Conversation between Polar Opposites
A conversation between a Verbal Bully and a Passive Aggressive Individual
- Music Review: Om Shanti Om
It's not a work of unparalleled genius but it definitely has its moments
- United States on Religious Freedom in India - Big Brother Sermonizes
In all, the report is appalling for its overt, almost perverse prejudice.
- Mob Justice, Medieval Justice and Modern Justice
If we have to escape vigilante folk justice which is totally mindless, we have to reform our judicial system.
- Buying and Sourcing Spices in Egypt
Where to get your dose of masala!
- Pakistan At The Twenty20 World Cup: Adding Method To Madness
There's something about this Pakistan side and its recent performances in the Twenty20 World Cup that has really struck me.
- If You Think Education is Expensive, Try Ignorance
If the OECD countries want to compete in a knowledge economy, then they have to work very hard and improve their education systems.
- Ram Sethu: Should Religion be left out of the Domain of Science?
Religion should be the homemaker while science should be the guide.
- Hepatitis, Food and Politics: Life in Israel During a Sabbatical Year
Calling something "kosher" does not necessarily mean it's clean. Politics can kill you - even just for eating a salad.
- Koffee with Karan - Kutting Koffee Awards 2007
FYI, while selecting the recipients of Kutting Koffee Awards, I swear to Not have been partial, bribed or a sucker but only my true nasty
- Confessions Of Webaholics: Internet Addiction Exposed
Compulsive Internet use isn’t uncommon, many of us admit to it, but is it fair to label such overuse as “addiction”?
- Movie Review: Aggar
Overactive background scorer & plot-twists-writer make it a bore. Ample cleavage to shame a whore, actors-wooden to the core
- Advertisement & News Breaks On TV Channels In Pakistan
What is disconcerting is that these interruptions bring only news that is seldom newsworthy of a break...
- Zara, UK Fashion Chain, Withdraws “Swastika” HandBags
Fashion faux pas and social opprobrium
- Periyar - The Iconoclastic Reformer
whereas Dr. Ambedkar found his answers in Buddhism, Periyar felt than the answer lay in humanism
- Twenty20 Googlies: India Defeat England, Yuvraj is the Crown Prince
Six sixes off six balls: need I say more.
- Solving Karachi's Civic Problems - Elephants Never Fly
With this sort of an experience with dealing with the City Government officials I'm not even sure why I entertained the idea of filing a
- Hinduism, the Buddha, and Other Musings