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- Archives: January 2008
- The State that is Bihar
Let us save our critiques for 3 more years and till then let Nitish do his job
- Happiness for Sale
Life becomes meaningful and powerful when you do things for others
- Sydney Test Preview
The Aussies look supremely confident and have named an unchanged eleven for the Sydney Test. That says it all.
- Poetry: seguing slogans of the year that was 2007
the human spirit is a gritty survivor: refusing to participate in the eternal battle between life and deathtemporal
OPINION | Culture: Men | Culture: History | Culture: Language | Culture: Children | Media: News | Culture: Society | Culture: The Writing Life | Culture: Women | Politics: Asia | Politics: Freedom | Politics: US | Politics: World | Politics: Pakistan | Politics: India | Politics: Middle East - India-Australia Sydney Test, Day 1
There are those who claim that this is some kind of strategy.
- Margazhi and Music
The Margazhi Music Season is something to be experiences atleast once in one's life...
- The Subcontinent - No Place for Debates
The Subcontinent is a living, breathing example of Mao’s axiom about power flowing out of the barrel of a gun.
- India-Australia Sydney Test - Day 2
Right now the game is evenly poised. Tomorrow will be an important day.
- Helpful Online Tools For Free
Interesting Online Tools which will help in day-to-day activities. Forget bookmarking this at your own risk!
- Hindu. Who? Part 1
The sad part is nobody knows what anyone is fighting for or against anymore.
- Short Story: Irony
And with them was this man, sitting on a grave.
- India-Australia Sydney Test, Day 3
If Day 2 was good for India, Day 3 was even better.
- Pakistan - The World's Most Dangerous Country
The presumption of enmity in the face of diversity is a dangerous trait.
- The Mumbai Outrage
The Mumbai molestation incident tells us about society's attitude to women. The molesters treated those women as objects, not human beings.
- Hindu. Who? Part 2
A child asks me if I speak Hindu. I tell him that I neither speak Hindu nor Christian.
- IIT Kharagpur Plans School for Entrepreneurship
As an idea, I reckon, it is entrepreneurial; in the sense that no one else has thought of it. But would an e-school make business
- Photo Essay: A Day at The Races
The races have also long been a fashion parade of sorts.
- The Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds Racism Controversy
What its going to come down to is the word of the Australian players against that of Harbhajan Singh.
- A Tiny Buddhist Temple in Bhopal
A photo essay on a tiny Buddhist temple in Bhopal, India
- Sydney Test - The Most Disgraceful Moment in Test Cricket
If India didn't deserve to win this match, they surely didn't deserve to lose this one either.
- Short Fiction: The Relic Hunter
Before him lay the relic. The single discovery which would mark the crowning achievement of his successful life.
- Hindu. Who? Part 3
If the "Hindu" is to be known, the entire South East Asian region has to be researched
- Sydney Test - Review
Australia had players who contributed to their cause in multiple ways. They possess more depth in their squad than India.
- Girish Bharadwaj: An Unsung Hero
Trifle makes perfection but perfection is not a trifle, these words of wisdom apply to this master artisan.
- Sydney Test -- Dignity In Loss
Sadly, the game of Cricket is throwing more questions and less answers. It is time for a retrospection.
- When Gentlemen's Agreements Don't Work
These are not national security matters, and if people are given the opportunity to understand all the evidence in question,
- The Depravity of Orkut
A rant on Orkut - bone of contention - Scrapping has killed the Art of Email (if ever, something like that existed before!)
- The Sham of Communist Autocracy in India
First, it was Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and now, Jyoti Basu. Capitalism, they say, is the way forward!
- The Ultimate Union of the Heart-Mind
Omnia vincit amor; et nos cedamus amori. Translation: Love conquers all things; let us too surrender to love.
- Thoughts on the Sydney Test
Random thoughts on the Second test match and the controversies around it.
- India-Australia Cricket Tour in Jeopardy?
"The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honour of India's cricket team and every Indian"
- Movie Review: V-DAY, Until the Violence Stops
Blind customs, war, religion have all played their part in making the women silent and accepting their "lot".
- A Tale of Three Catches: The Case Against Ricky Ponting & Mike Procter
The Sydney Test will be remembered - the Cricket, the Umpiring and Ricky Ponting. Not necessarily in that order.
- Ban Ponting, Clarke & Professionalize Cricket
Cricket is no longer a "Gentleman's game" anymore. Let us not pretend anymore.
- Satire: Bucknor & Benson
Indians stood in my way, just like Mahatma Gandhi stood in the way of Britishers.
- India vs. Australia: Cricket & Race
Something good may still emerge.
- Hindu. Who? Part 4
Global warming cannot be a reality if every plant and animal species and water, air, fire and earth are worshipped as sacred
- Pakistan - A Conundrum
Pseudo journalists and writers, afflicted with Islamophobia and those who suffer from tunnel-vision syndrome blame the army for all that ails Pakistan
- Mckinsey's Eight Business Technology Trends to Watch
I am afraid these trends are spotty at best.
- Modifications Planned to Domestic Violence Act
One can only hope that this is a genuine effort and not an exercise in futility.
- ICC Caves In: Pitch Battle Off The Pitch
The battle for cricket supremacy has shifted from the cricketing pitch to the media pitch.
- Movie Review: Juno
A topical, intelligent, sensitive and funny movie that will make you chuckle, choke and chew on its subject.
- Government Steps Back On Delhi ID Card Scheme
An impractical idea in the current scenario
- Government To Regulate Video Games in India
Does censorship really work in India or is it just a paper tiger?
- It’s No Longer OK to be a Woman & Cry!
Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life.
- The Strange Case of Bilawal Bhutto
my nightmare: awakened from the dead He will ask me 'why were you joking?'
- The Top Unsexy Male Celebrities
I’m still nursing my wounds from the online lynching I went through last time, here we go again.
- Evaluating the Reliance Power IPO
There has been a lot of hype and noise around the upcoming Reliance Power IPO but does it make sense to invest in it?
- Delhi Techie Blogs to Pay for LSE Study
Ankur, instead of slogging it out on his own, could take on board a bunch of bloggers contributing posts to his blog.
- The Tata Nano: The Second Coming or Satan's Car?
In the midst of all the hype, this much is very true: change is on the way.
- Hindu. Who? Part 5
The common element in "Hindu" or India is the fact that there IS NO COMMONALITY!
- Anil Kumble Comments on the Sydney Test
The Indians don't trust the Australian players to be honest.
- Are Call Centres Killing Young People's Ambitions
There was a time in the not too distant past when the specter of the educated unemployed in India was huge.
- Profiling John Dayal: Every Community Needs an Activist
While human rights as a whole needs champions, minority rights needs many more champions.
- The Tata Nano - Delivering on the Promise
Four years ago, when his promise was made, many people dismissed it.
- Investing in 2008 - Indian Perspective
Turbulent times ahead - Understand, manage and win through the change.
- The Forgotten Bangladeshi Genocide
When you treat your own people so cheaply, others will also treat YOU equally cheaply
- Mumbai Molestation: Better Sense Must Prevail
The moral of the story is very simple; No place is 100% safe and therefore one needs to think and act responsibly.
- Arun Gandhi on Jewish Identity and Israel
Zionism has much deeper roots than just the Holocaust.
- Leaders, Heroes and Mountains
What you do as you climb up is your achievement. What you do when you come down is your legacy.
- Reading Tintin - The Thin(?) Line
Now I will always be looking for racial tones in Tintin comics which I earlier dismissed as racial quirks.
- The Shadow of the Sydney Test
Everybody will make all the appropriate noises without meaning a single word, and when India take the field against Australia, the battle will resume.
- Does Designer Wear Make Us Feminists? Marie Claire Thinks So
The latest issue of Marie Claire had me in splits this month.
- China & India
If only they can put aside the border dispute and reduce their defense expenditures
- Italian Medieval Torture at San Leo
I recently had the pleasure of visiting San Leo which has a brilliant collection of medieval torture instruments in the castle.
- The Spirit of the Game
The few cricketers like Kumble who actually want to do something are fighting a losing battle
- Is The Guardian Seeing Pink Elephants?
It is inexcusable when a popular media form chooses to propagate cultural ignorance.Aditi Nadkarni
OPINION | Media: Journalism | Media: Magazines | Media: Internet | Media: Newspapers | Media: News | Culture: Desi | Culture: Education | Culture: Festivals | Culture: Holidays and Observances | Culture: Travel | Culture: The Writing Life | Culture: Society | Culture: Social Issues | Culture: Religion | Culture: Magazines | Politics: Censorship | Politics: Freedom | Politics: India | Politics: Religion | Politics: Peace - Is Britney Spears Converting To Islam And Moving To Pakistan?
If we are to believe rumors being aired in Pakistan Britney wants to marry Adnan, convert to Islam and end her kitty titty flashing days.
- Sri Lanka Plans Ramayana Tourism Package, Seeks India's Help
Life is hilarious, especially when skimming through a newspaper.
- Satire: Kundumabad Jindabad
With an impish twinkle in his eyes, he twirled the handlebars and poured more tea into the saucer.
- US Immigration - Stars & Stripes Lounges to Ease the Pain
This is a very good business proposition, and definitely a win-win case.
- The Battle for the Third Space
With the boundaries of home and the office shrinking, more and more people are spending time in the “third space".
- What happened to Buddhism in India?
Did Buddhism vanish from India? or did it evolve? Or was it eradicated?
- Media Watch: Pakistan's Gen. Kiani Waiting in the Wings
Politics in Pakistan resembles a hockey game played by blind and deaf players who think of themselves as nothing but visionaries.
- Pongal - An Ancient Harvest
The rural festival has become yet another urban shopping fest
- Movie Review: Raj Kumar Santoshi's Halla Bol
Seriously, what was he thinking!
- Sachin Tendulkar for Bharat Ratna?
Does Sachin Tendulkar deserve a Bharat Ratna?
- The Complete Nonsense of Religious Values
If you look through the charade of religion and values you will see that "Values" are like a pole that everyone wants to be tied
- Poetry: See What You Will
The darkness in the corner Attracts my eye;
- Protest Planned in Bangalore Against "Legal Terrorism" Against Men
Will our Protest at Bangalore stop jailing of innocent people completely?
- Islamic Banking in Malaysia - Not Entirely Islamic
The only way around this problem would be to convert the entire world's financial system to Islamic Banking.
- Right to Life: Should the HIV Test be Mandatory
Should Premarital HIV testing be made mandatory in India?
- Fiction: The Tent Maker
The Tent Maker is amused but seemingly has a hands off policy
- Fiction: The Nano Acid Test
A Gorilla in a Nano; no, she saw no reason to smile; her mother wanted her to marry the Gorilla.
- Mano a Nano - Coming Face to Face with a Nano
Why the critics of the Nano have it all wrong.
- Beyond Benazir
As a human being, she is regarded very highly, as a politician, her stints provoke mixed reactions.
- Where is Pakistan Headed?
But what is happening thereafter in Pakistan is even worse, and under the radar of most media.
- Photo Essay: Garbage Disposal in Lucknow, India
Semi-Automated Garbage Disposal in SmallTown India.
- Bowler vs Batsman
In India we worship our batsmen while the bowlers are also rans. Anil kumble, our greatest Test player, struggles for endorsement deals.
- India Defeat Australia at Perth
Just as the Indian camp went into this game with quiet determination, the Australian camp woke up today knowing that it would take a miracle
- Sania Mirza Gives Venus Williams a Fright
But Venus wasn't going to let Mirza add to India's quota of impressive wins on Saturday.
- The Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The Second most visited site in Cairo after the Giza pyramids.
- Environmentalism, Global Warming, & The Tata Nano
Why the critics of the Tata Nano are mistaken
- Photo Essay: Puppies and Mummies in Lucknow, India
whether human or canine, mums and kids are the same.
- The Future of Indian Cricket
Replacements for greats must be developed; everybody won't be as lucky as the guy that picked Sourav-Dravid for England 1996
- Cricket - It's A Long Way to the Top
Why is it that a single win can elevate the India cricket team to new heights?
- Bobby Fisher: Grand Master, Iconoclast and Legend
Like other genii he was flawed and lived life on his terms and died defiant and un-checkmated.
- Memories of Ahmedabad: A Trip to Modi-land
"It's good Modi has been re-elected," says my cousin wryly. "Christians and Muslims will be left alone for another five years."
- Poetry: Pensive Without Reason
The 'R' word is on everyone's lips
- Life's Line
I believe there is an abstract 'Line' in 'more than casual' human affinities – the line where relations go sour.
- Adversity of Advertising
Manipulation of the human mind needs to have some restrictions.
- Excerpts from "The Memoirs of a Bahu"
Fictional realities of everyday life.
- Photo Essay: A Tonga Ride in Lucknow, India
a canter through Lucknow on a tonga
- TV Review : Say Shaava Shaava To Worst Reality Show Of All
This show comes across better if slotted under the “comedy” category
- Poetry: if trees could protest
if trees could speak up and if we could listen...
- The Agony And Ecstasy Of An Empty Nest
They would much rather have less money and their children's proximity.
- Indian Stock Markets Crash - Good Time to Invest
The Indian stock markets have fallen since beginning of 2008 and especially so on 21 and 22/Jan. Is it a good time to invest?
- Original Fiction: Bend it Like Papaji
He wanted a girl who spoke in English but retained the Indian sanskars - he got Parvinder.
- Heath Ledger Found Dead
Heath's death came as a shock to most in Hollywood since he was considered to be one of the most talented young actors still in
- GARCH Models, Fat Tails, & the Behavior of Financial Markets
How unlikely can an event be before you manage it?
- Oskar Spate and the Partition of India
Oskar Spate served on the Punjab Boundary Commission and there are quite a lot of interesting points in his paper.
- Bharat Ratna for Bal Thackeray? Are You Kidding Me?
Bal Thackeray starts hallucinating in his old age.
- Photo Essay: Oh, To Be In Lucknow Eating Dosa
The making of a dosa in a hotel in Lucknow
- Hedonic Marriages in the Age of Consumerism
The IPod generation of today are the children of consumerism.
- Age-Based Reservation in Indian Politics
I wish we followed the policy of sacking politicians on age and non-performance basis.
- Movie Review: Cloverfield
Cloverfield plays on these fears, and more, rendering a fractured perspective on urban life.
- Photo Essay: A Dastarkhan in Lucknow
An epicurean and gastronomic walk down a tiny street in Lucknow
- The World of Global Conversations
If border less conversations shake off the unease that we feel about others, it can only be to the good.
- Monetary Policy - Will the Reserve Bank of India Cut Rates?
The Fed has cut 75bps on 22/Jan, before the scheduled FOMC meet on 30/Jan. What will RBI do?
- Desi Gigolos - Candy, Not Crème Brûlée
The hunters were mostly thirty-something urban women, hunting in packs.
- Book Review: The Music Room by Namita Devidayal
A musical journey of the Jaipur Gharana and its musicians
- Satire: Suicide Bomber Falls Down Stairs
I am a martyr, and I am here to claim my 72 virgins.
- Laser Questing
"What is the harm in checking out what goes on behind those closed doors?"
- What Differentiates Journalists and Bloggers - Money?
The only common thing that I can see in all these definitions is that they write for some medium with some expectation of being read.
- Book Review: Hitler's Judas
To have a really good grasp of the goings on in this novel, the readers need to have a good understanding of World War II
- Photo Essay: A Panorama of Lucknow
Some pictures from Falaknuma, Lucknow
- Book Review: Network Security Assessment
It is an exhaustive explanation for network assessment with emphasis for major technologies currently in use in the enterprise network infrastructure.
- Am I A Hypocrite?
And there I was shying away from the very thing I have been preaching.
- Benazir Bhutto - A Feminist?
Must we denounce Hilary or Benazir because of their last names? No, that would be unfair but we mustn't desist calling a spade a spade.
- Bird Flu in West Bengal
Could the Government have behaved better ?
- India-Australia - A Great Test Series
This contest may not possess the glamorous history of the Ashes, but it is clear that this has become the pre-eminent clash in the cricket
- Steve Jobs & Quentin Tarantino - The Bad Ass Boys
Violet Blue did the civilized thing of asking permission, Steve went mental anyway
- The Church in India & Health Care: Staying Relevant
If Christian institutions and churches earned recognition in the past, it was because they were relevant to their times.
- The City and State of Bombay
It was a myopic, short-sighted and political move to separate the two states.
- Chandigarh Bids for World Heritage Status
Is Chandigarh the right choice for World Heritage Status?
- Book Review: The Art of Agile Development
The book introduces another way to implement the software development life cycle.
- Islamic Finance - The Shia Perspective
Shia Islam provides a different theological way to address Islamic Finance.
- How Green is My Antilla!
Mukesh Ambani's moral bankruptcy as the Tower of Babel rises in Bombay
- Book Review: Beautiful Code
Leading Programmers Explain How They Think
- Arabic Books and Translations - True Freedom?
The number of books translated into Arabic for the past 1000 years is less than the number of books translated in Spain in ONE year.
- Ralegan Siddhi - The School That Anna Built
The unique feature about the school in Ralegan Siddhi is that it admits children who have poor academic records.
- India's Kidney Racket - More Than Mere Blood & Sweat
Kidney thieves indeed. How gullible can people be?
- An Oath of Vengeance: Blood Demands Blood
I do not mean to preach, but why have the lessons of peaceful living been forgotten?
- Photo Essay: Vegetable Shopping At Home
In the West you can call in an order: in India you can call in the vendor
- Satire: Straight Talk With Jargons
'Keep me in the loop', 'let's touch base offline' - we've all heard it. Can we do something about it?
- The Hansen Judgement - Fair and Balanced
The ICC has done well. BCCI have acted well officially, but their belligerence with the chartered jet was misplaced.
- Movie Review: Khoya Khoya Chand
In Khoya Khoya Chanda (KKC), writer-director Sudhir Mishra paints a picture of Bollywood as it was in the late 50s and 60s.Aditi Nadkarni
REVIEW | Media: Film - Actors | Media: Film - Directors | Media: Films | Media: Films - Bollywood | Media: Films - Hindi | Media: Music - Classical (Eastern) | Media: Music - Ghazals | Media: Music - Hindi | Media: Television | Media: Theatre | Culture: Films | Culture: History | Culture: Desi - Thyagabrahmam - Celebrating the Great Saint Thyagaraja
Irrespective of the seniority or popularity of musicians, every musician pays tribute to Thyagaraja by singing his Pancharathna Krithis
- Hillary Clinton's Current Obama Drama
As much as I like Obama, I don't think he has had the best "campaign strategy" advice.
- Britney Spears Admitted to UCLA Medical Center
This is the moment when we all may find ourselves repenting for badmouthing a diva who could have been another Madonna in the making.
- Maharashtra Plans Mandatory Pre-Marital HIV Testing
A multi pronged effort is the need of the hour. Education, awareness and prevention should be the route.
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