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- Archives: December 2007
- Snakes and Ladders
I wonder about the rules and level of complexity of the original Indian games, which were designed for adults, rather than children
- Government Makes a Person-Specific Law
If the Supreme Court orders a reversal of the law then the Government will face a humiliating reversal.
- Where is the Muslim Outrage?
Muslim outrage at Sudan and Saudi Arabia
- poetry: grain of sand
love of moksha and pursuit of nirvana
- The Politics of Identity in Malaysia
Discrimination is indefensible, equality of opportunity a must!
- World AIDS Day - Don't Forget The Crisis
Tell my friend that AIDS is not a crisis when he gets pneumonia and almost dies - again.
- Bhopal, Union Carbide, and Dow Chemicals - The Forgotten Holocaust
In a chilly night on 3rd December, 1984 a gas leak took place and 22000 people died in Bhopal. It was as
- Mega Land Grab in Bangalore, The Silicon City
A serious allegation undermining the integrity of a joint legislature committee and its chairman is made in so casual a manner
- India v Pakistan: Kolkata Test - Day 2
Managing Harbhajan will be Kumble's biggest challenge as India look for the remaining 19 wickets.
- Laxman Deserves A Better Deal
Shouldn't Laxman be an automatic choice for the Test team?
- Amar Akbar Anthony: Fact and Fiction
A trip down memory lane.
- World AIDS Day - Some Discrepancies
On World AIDS Day, one wonders, where is World Dysentery Day?
- A Teddy Bear Named Mohammed
Do not judge everyone or everything by your standards.
- Movie Review: Lions for Lambs
The didactic nature of the film notwithstanding, it is a powerful film in many ways.
- Kolkata Test Day 3 - Battles On and Off the Pitch
The outcome of the Kolkata Test will be known by the end of play tomorrow.
- Book Review: The Unofficial LEGO MINSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide
David Perdue's book is an enthusiastic and systematic starter guide for Lego robot fans.
- Living With Roommates
Staying with a bunch of international students gives rise to some unique experiences.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt Talks About The Outrageous Bikini Shots
Jennifer Love Hewitt became one of my most liked actors.
- Modern Piracy on The High Seas
Piracy is still rampant in the world and the world needs to do much more about it.
- Open Source Hassles
There are no clear-cut winners here and it only depends on the number of people propping up either side of the divide.
- My Favorite Bollywood Hits
Bollywood films are often referred to as “musicals” by the international audience.
- Movie Review: Gauri - The Unborn
Even if you were anti-abortion, I doubt you would enjoy it.
- India vs. Australia: Rumble Down Under
Anticipating 0-4 in Australia unless weather intervenes or players spend more time practicing on bouncer-friendly pitches.
- Six Vegetables I Can Live Without
Six vegetables, one word: blechh.
- Gillian Gibbons Released, Teddy Mo' No More
The entire ruckus over Muhammad the Teddy Bear was much to do about nothing. The kids meant no harm, the teacher definitely meant no offense.
- Book Review: Head First SQL
For us South Asians, this is as close a comparison with Aamir Khan's style of delivering the goods in a honest and imaginative way.
- Star-light and Angel Song
In a world of violence and war, Christmas re-kindles hope in me.
- Book Review: Lies, Lies and More Lies
This disturbing book has the potential for further poisoning the shaky communal situation.
- Mumbai Mirror - Fogged In
A textbook case of how an ambiguously sourced article is damaging.
- Would You Choose Not to Vote?
Can we make an impact by not voting?
- Bangalore House-Owners Oppose 'Sakrama'
Giving into pressure for lowering penalties would amount to giving violators a tax break at the expense of law-abiding house-owners.
- A New Kind of Doctor
In a profession like medicine is the merit list the best indicator of who is the best kind of doctor?
- How Free is Free Speech?
I have the freedom to sing in my bathroom. I wish I had the freedom to interrupt a concert at the Metropolitan and sing. --
- Poetry: pure wine / sharaab e tahoor
lips to lips, quiver to quiver, dust to ashes, we to Him
- Poetry: How Can This Belief Yield?
A translation of the song, Yeh Honsla Kaise Ruke by Mir Ali Hussein, from the movie Dor
- Fix the President
Dear Republicans, fix the president now or else face rejection in November 2008
- Make A Difference This Christmas
Go on - make a difference for someone this Christmas!
- Remembering Babri Masjid
15 years on, I hear many opinions on what should be done.
- Musings From a Departure Lounge
Reflections on the so-called clash of civilizations with the benefits of hindsight and a glass of champagne. Alas, no coffee was to be had.
- Technology and Child Labor
Introduce technology that makes using child labor an uneconomical proposition and over time it will wither away.
- Why I Bought my Cell Phone from India!
The delight of using this phone is FAR more than the delight with which I had received our first tape recorder from the US.
- The Great Indian Bargaining Game
Travel wouldn't be half as interesting if the world was one big Walmart.
- Bangalore Test Preview - Swings and Roundabouts
Many of India's supporters will frown at this defeatist ploy, I think India would do well to go into the match with the extra batsman.
- The Secret To Losing Weight
If you carry on this regimen for ten days, I can promise you a weight loss of at least three to four kilos.
- I Learn An Old Cooking Technique
The walls of Mushtaq Bhai's kitchens are caked with soot. Every time I go there, I learn something new.
- Large Weddings and Small Marriages
We in India are having larger weddings and shorter marriages these days.
- India's Pledge of Allegiance
Expecting a commitment from every person in governance.
- Why Mom and Dad Walked out of Plaza Cinema 22 Years Ago
But they did learn one thing. That morning shows in Delhi theatres were not for the family.
- Bangalore Test, Day 1
At 5/365, India are not out of the woods by any means.
- More Lies, Part 1
A classic example of a factual inaccuracy artfully camouflaged to bolster a shaky ideological view point.
- So Long, Sanath!
Sanath Jayasurya - The original as they say, is one of a kind...
- Movie Review: The Golden Compass
As a fantasy tale, the movie is pretty good, easily understandable even if you haven't read the books.
- Misperceptions Between Muslims & non-Muslims
An apostate explains the misperceptions between Muslims and non-Muslims, having lived his life as both.
- Does Prayer Heal?
In the context of HIV and AIDS, what is the unique contribution that a community of faith can bring ?
- 'Hotmail' Sabeer Bhatia on The Idea of 'Failure'
Our business leaders are fond of summit-ing only with those who have made it big.
- Can Indians Distinguish Between Religion and Science?
They think that Science is not much different from Religion; Science and Religion are equally dogmatic;
- Bangalore Test, Day 2
So far this series has been a vindication for Dilip Vengsarkar and his masterstroke in late 2006.
- Honey
Grapes have a way of transforming crystal thoughts into foggy ones.
- A Modern Wedding
I got ready myself to wipe away a tear when the bride suddenly whipped out a mobile from I don’t know where.
- Hypocrisy and the Morally Upright
These people who are blatantly hypocritical do not see themselves as such because they are supported by a sense of moral uprightness.
- Individual Credit Scoring Models - Right Start But Much More To Do
The Credit Information Bureau of India has launched individual credit scoring models. Is it adequate and would it be successful?
- Betrayed by a Name
it is still far better to be a minority in India then practically anywhere in the neighborhood.
- Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof and Female Warriors
Why can't women have the same qualities as men and yet not be perceived to be masculine?
- Supreme Court Repeats Order On Ragging
Directs college to setup a zero tolerance policy.
- Sakrama Stayed by Karnataka High Court
The Court had quipped that it seemed that this was one case where everyone wanted the same thing.
- A Closer Look at Tandoor Cooking
In a small nondescript Delhi eatery, I saw this man making tandoori naans on a quiet afternoon.
- Supreme Court Criticizes Judicial Overreach
What do you do when the executive is inactive or wrong?
- Fiction: The Comedy of Selling the Dictionaries
He even told her that I had sold off my reference books last week for money to buy X-rated magazines;
- Bollywood's Newest Marketing Fad : Cooking Up Controversies
The aim is simple; create maximum impact with minimum time and effort.
- Poetry: The Genie Got Mugged in the Bottle
Poor Genie, they left him for dead.
- The Foundations of Community - I
A basic view on developing community spirit
- Movie Review: Varalaru - Good Actors Making Bad Choices
When will the so-called 'stars' would actually realise what amazing pull they have and use it to actually do some good?
- Euro International School Shooting - The Aftermath
They took turns, shooting a fourteen year old boy.
- Discussing Declarations
As for India, Kumble and the Australian tour, we can rest assured that Anil Kumble will not do anything reckless in Australia.
- Living A Quaint Life
Mark and Cathy are a middle class Australian couple who live in a Delhi slum with their two children.
- Canadian Muslim Father Kills Teenage Daughter
Every human should condemn this act of betraying the trust of a daughter, and certainly Muslims condemn this act.
- Club Mahindra's Timeshare Membership - Q&A
An interview with Club Mahindra's executive regarding various concerns I had related to timeshares.
- Dummy Online
With religion you can fool all of the people all of the time.
- Roma - The Invisible Desi People
An introduction in the contemporary Desi context of the Romani people, a population who emigrated from the Subcontinent a millennium ago.
- Satire: BPO Idea: Sir, I'll Sleep for You
The software boom and doom came and went, and the whole sleep business continued to flourish.
- Indian Judiciary Concedes Defeat?
The two- bench observation humbly conceded that judicial activism has reached the fifth gear and it should be pulled back.
- Poetry: indolence
what is it about us? we come charging to mourn the dead of our own making.
- The Foundations Of Community - Part II
True freedom cannot be separated from responsibility.
- Market Day, Beijing, China
It seemed odd to me then…when would I ever find time to stare at a piece of glass submerged in water?
- Movie Review: I Am Legend - Hollywood Ending
The effect of the writers' strike seems to be showing up on films made even before it began.
- Book Review: Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid
Moth Smoke is a sad novel because it so vividly exposes the fragility of man.
- Movie Review: Love in the Time of Cholera
The movie celebrates juvenile obsession and absurd metaphors.
- Emergency Rule Lifted in Pakistan
The international spotlight aside, his two strongest allies are now in the country.
- Longpi Beer Mugs, Anyone?
Indian craft continues to amaze me. Here’s a little known one - Longpi Ham, the lustrous black pottery of Manipur.
- Poetry: Tennyson's Brook & Pakistan's Crook
This is for men who treat the state constitution as disposable tissue paper.
- Is Literacy a Good Measure Of Education?
Going to school is not the same thing as getting an education.
- The Transitionist vs Transformationist Debate in Pakistan - A perspective
The ultimate goal of both approaches appears to be the same. The two camps differ in the approach.
- Zoey Gets An Impromptu Bath
I ran out into the backyard and pulled the desperate cat out of water.
- For the Love of Fries
French fries, which aren't really French, but Belgian, are scrumptious.
- A Rare School Shooting
What changed in the society that enabled these students to act and behave in a manner that was totally unexpected?
- Strangulating Freedom of Expression - Islamic Historical Perspectives
Muhammad enjoyed complete freedom in expressing his views as he liked, while killed those who criticized him.
- Don't Look Back - Profiling David Bussau
What makes David Bussau different from other providers of micro credit ?
- Poetry: doodh-patti and pakoRas
what are late Sundays / without newspapers / and steaming doodh-patti?
- Is It "Eve Teasing" If It Constitutes Assault?
You cannot make something like a look equal in seriousness to something like groping.
- Sabhnanis Convicted in Slavery Case
Long Island millionaires convicted for enslaving their Indonesian maids could face 40 years in prison
- An Impromptu Review of the Konark Dance Festival
Longwinded felicitations are the order-of-the-day at the Konark Dance Festival. Even I was compelled to join in the blather!
- Fiction: Diary of an Open-Eyed Traveler
These cute little buckets of light sparkle at the slightest variation in color, brightness, or shade.
- Moushumi Chatterjee: Straight Talk With The Actress
I always thought two people had the hottest smiles in Bollywood - Shashi Kapoor and Moushumi, and both had crooked teeth.
- India Arrive in Australia For Cricket Series
Public expectation & opinion in India range somewhere between "we're going to get hammered" and "we're going to be very competitive".
- New Movies: Sweeney Todd, Charlie Wilson's War, Taare Zameen Par & More
This Friday is D-day for a number of Bollywood and Hollywood productions
- Driving on Bangalore's Wild Roads
Instead of slowing down, they drive faster when they see a car turning or people crossing the road.
- Social Entrepreneurs - Silently Changing the World
Just who is a social entrepreneur? Allow the Ashoka Foundation, which popularized the term to explain.
- Marriage, New Age Style
Are today’s young prepared enough for marriage? Are expectations so different from those of their parents?
- Celebrate the World
If you cannot enjoy the current moment in its fullness, then it is not possible to be curious about the next moment.
- Ten Questions for Al Qaeda
A few questions for the man would would never be king.
- Short Story: Flip-flop
This script will soon be made into a movie. Though how soon is a question I keep asking myself.
- Freedom of Expression in the Technological Age
The whole concept and understanding of how “Freedom of Expression” should be expressed needs to be thought through afresh.
- Dissent and Apostasy
It's just a group of people tap dancing around a group of elephants that none of them want to acknowledge.
- Taslima Nasreen: Where Does She Go From Here?
Media exposure could also work against her; and it doesn’t always win her public sympathy.
- Ashoka: The Convert and the Missionary
Guided by the Buddhist doctrine of the sacredness of all life, Ashoka redefined the concept of empire.
- Dark and Ugly - The New Face of Advertising
Are people actually noticing this rampant parceling of dark skinned people as lesser
- Book Review: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
This novel could also be Eco's tribute to the graphic novel.
- Book Review: Sivaji Ganesan's Autobiography of an Actor
A no holds barred interview with a Tamil icon
- Easy Credit, Instant Prosperity - No Magic Wands in Modern India
The time has come for policy makers and planners to provide India’s huge population with tatkal prosperity.
- Find the Variables - RandomTrivia
The author of this post is an enthusiastic quizzer, cricket-follower and movie-watcher. Thus this post :-)
- Is it Time to Create a Formidable Hindu Lobby?
This is no chauvinist nationalism of the kind associated with Mussolini or Hitler.
- Narendra Modi & BJP Win Third Term in Gujarat, India
This victory is also critical for the BJP in the run up to national general elections.
- Exploring Bhitarkanika National Wildlife Refuge
The rivers and mangrove forests of Bhitarkanika National Wildlife Refuge, Orissa, are spectacular -- particularly at dawn.
- A Test Match at Night - Quite Absurd?!
Cricket has a 130 year old tradition and any eccentric change in the game’s original format will take away the technical nuances from the game.
- Fiction: Conspiracy Theory
Corona Light, that’s what I had drunk last night. Not one, or two, but ten—ten bottles of piss-colored, lemon-contained, five-bucks-priced, beer.
- Names of the Romani People
The Romani people, the names given by the non-Roma and contemporary issues.
- Narendra Modi and Adolf Hitler
Narendra Modi and his BJP have many similarities with Adolf Hitler and the rise of Nazis in Germany.
- India in Australia: Boxing Day Woes
The Boxing day is near and Team India looks quite prepared except for the opening pair woes and a young pace attack.
- DVD Review: RX for Survival- A Global Health Challenge
I am hopeful about the world coming together at the face of a global challenge.
- Photo Essay: Merry Christmas Wishes
I was most amazed by the buoyancy, the delicacy and the irrepressible liveliness and good spirit that rule the atmosphere.
- Reasons Why Modi Won in Gujarat
He says what he will deliver and delivers what he says.
- Poetry: waltzing snow flakes
we are flakes with grand delusions
- Retaining Names, Retaining History
Roads and Buildings that are renamed don’t really retain their rechristened names.
- Making Bribery Legal?
As the integrity levels of society decrease, the direct relationship between common good and individual good weakens.
- India vs Australia: Boxing Day Test 2007 - Day 1
The bowlers have delivered for India on Day 1. It's over to the batsmen.
- Why Foreigners Pay More For Visiting Indian Monuments?
A lot of people ask me why there are different entrance ticket prices for foreigners and Indians at Indian monuments.
- Satire: A Guide to Matrimonial Photos
Finding the humor in the search for the right bride.
- Citizens to Turn Bangalore Green
Would suggest they launch an ad campaign – ‘ A Green way to Leave the City; Leave behind a Tree’.
- Some More TV Detectives
"Detectives" series is back, with some lesser known professionals this time round.
- Religious Violence in Orissa
Shamefully this is a normal thing in India and it needs to be stopped before it escalates
- Rakhi Sawant Loses Competition and Whines
"Yeh cheating hai!" declares La Sawant. Says she wants to play bahu in Ekta Kapoor serial
- Movie Review: Taare Zameen Par - True Gems Unearthed
The concept of a child being pressurised by his parents without any clue of his suffering from dyslexia is something new to Bollywood.
- Bhutto Assassinated: Victim of Suicide Attack
At Liaquat Bagh, a garden named after assassinated first Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan, Benazir Bhutto was attacked and killed
- Analyzing Gujarat Congress Performance
One reason for Congress's defeat was the poor performance of its legislators from the previous Assembly
- Celebrating the Unknown Indian
Celebrities need to be unshackled and the unknown Indian holding things together needs to be celebrated
- The Reality Behind Reality Shows - Rakhi Sawant's Defeat
I have full faith in her ability to milk out every drop of opportunity from this defeat,
- Melbourne Test: Day 2
There is still cricket to be played in this game, and there is too much quality there for the result to be a foregone conclusion.
- Photo Essay: Christmas in Kolkata, India
The streets are lit up, and the crowds are around & about.
- Musharraf's Core Constituency
None of them asked as to what did the Army do during the last nine years.
- India-Australia Melbourne Test - Day 3
India have been well and truly beaten so far in this game.
- Benazir Bhutto: Victim of Home Grown Terror!
Pakistan is good example of what goes wrong when a nation identifies itself on the theme of ‘hatred’.
- Benazir's One Way To Pakistan
"If you believe in something, go for it, but know that when you go for it there is a price to be paid."
- Australia Defeat India in Melbourne Test
The magnitude of this defeat dictates significant changes for Sydney.
- The Left in India - A Fading Mirage
The Soviet Union crumbled way back in 1992 and for the Left front in India it took 15 more years.
- Movie Review: Taare Zameen Par
Taare Zameen Par is by far the best movie of 2007 and I can see Aamir Khan emerging as the new Spielberg of India.
- Goa's Politics and Kalidasa
No tourist should be seen in Goa post December 28th.
- Pakistan After Benazir
The coming months will be full of uncertainty. And the forces of darkness will be glowing with glee.
- Movie Review: Little Children
Two lauded performances elevate Todd Field's social satire
- Christmas in Florida
One of the best things to happen in life is to see the one of the best places on earth with the best of your
- My Experiences with Cricket Part 1
This is a review of my experiences with cricket starting from a six year old kid to a 23 year old professional.
- DVD Review: Sicko
The dysfunctional Managed care of the US leading to Universal Healthcare for all
- Small Steps for a Cleaner, More Responsible India
The Small Steps bag is designed to replace plastic carry bags with panache.
- Book Review: Exodus
Exodus is without question a historical novel told from the obvious Jewish perspective.Sandeep
REVIEW | Culture: Arts | Culture: Books | Culture: Books - Fiction | Culture: Books - Non Fiction | Culture: Desi | Culture: Essay | Culture: History | Culture: Religion | Culture: Social Issues | Culture: Society | Media: Blogs | Politics: Asia | Politics: Freedom | Politics: Governance | Politics: Immigration | Politics: Middle East | Politics: United Kingdom | Politics: War | Politics: World - Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Bharti Telecom has come up with a joint partnershp with this unethical retailing giant to open wholesale markets in India.
- Hyderabad Moves On
Just months after the bomb-blasts, the areas rocked by the blasts are as vivacious and upbeat as they were before.
- India's Real Heroes
CNN-IBN's series, Real Heroes of India, profiles inspiring people working to build their communities in diverse and interesting ways.
- The Cost of a Medical Degree
Is it an investment whose returns are well worth the initial capital?
« November, 2007 || January, 2008 »
- Snakes and Ladders
