Sainagakishore Srikantham

The Next Generation

2012-02-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

Most of my school and college buddies (male or female) are married. Many of those have kids already, some are on-the-way, some are at the planning stage. My friends' next generation, is here. I'm delighted for all of you out there. And if I can ever find a girl I like, I'll join the club too. 'The one' that I liked, did not like me back. Let's not open that door!

I like kids. I don't love them, but I like 'em. Especially if they are old enough to talk and not cry all the time. Its fun being around a kid. And I'm sure most of my friends who are now parents, would agree with me. But, I'm not that optimistic about my friends' reaction to the point I'm trying to make in this post. Even though you do not agree with me, I want to you to read it completely.

Some of the kids of the next generation among my group of friends are US born i.e. they are American citizens. Having said that, since I have more friends in India, majority of them are Indian citizens. There are few who were born in India, but no longer live in India. They are growing up here in the US, in Australia, in Singapore, in Malaysia, the UK etc. What is interesting is, my friends are trying to raise them in an "Indian" household. They show these kids videos on YouTube, feed them roti and dal, give them unfiltered drinking water, in an attempt to keep them "Indian". The question I'm raising is, is it the way to go about?

When you move to a different country, you are in a different World. A World that you are not used to, but are adjusting into. And it is a stupid idea to try to recreate and live in the old World you left behind. Most of you might not agree with me, but that's okay, I expect that. People say 'change is good', but nobody likes things changing. One the same lines, someone said, everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

The point I'm trying to make here is, these kids who are the next generation, should have a choice. They should be the ones deciding what they want to do, and how they want to live their life. We all remember how much we disliked our parents for trying to push their ideas down our throat. Wouldn't it be the same case for your kids? Some of you might say your kids will turn out to be ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis). I beg to differ. If you give your kids the chance to make their own decisions, to make their own choices, they are anything but confused. What have you and I gained from our parents telling us that we are vegetarians, that we are Hindus / Muslims? Not much I would say. And, is it advisable to push the poisonous ideas of religion, caste and creed into the minds of the young? If your kid comes home after having beef for lunch, would you scold him/her? Tell him/her that being Hindus we shouldn't be eating beef? What if he or she asks the question, why?

As parents, you are the sole authority as far as upbringing of your child is concerned. I am nobody. I'm just an uncle. But unlike other uncles, I wouldn't beat my niece to death because I saw her at the movie theatre with some kid. What you want for your kid, is your choice. I can only hope, you've made the right one.

Comments here on the blog, or on Facebook are welcome.

A Doomed Society

2012-01-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

A society which curbs free speech is set to implode. A society which discriminates against its own people is destined to fail. An intolerant society is doomed for sure. Indian society has become so intolerant, that it disgusts me to my core when I hear someone say "India is the world's largest democracy". Shut the fuck up I feel like saying to the person. Look-up the definition of democracy and the one of the most basic things guaranteed in it is 'free speech'. A right to say your mind without being afraid of the consequences. In India these days, it doesn't hold true. And so, I claim, India is no longer a democracy.

Sir Salman Rushdie who was supposed to visit the country and participate in a literary meet in Jaipur, couldn't do so because radical Islamists, goons and the government, all shook hands and became equal partners in what could be described as a stain on the country. Mr. Rushdie's book 'The Satanic Verses' which was banned back in 1989 was the reason for the Muslims of the country to get angry and protest. Again, I am not saying that protesting is not their right, of course they can do that, but non-violently. Some of the leaders threaten violence and the Police and the government do nothing. Oh I forgot, it is India after all. A country where the law-abiding-citizen is the one who is crushed and taken advantage of, expecting thugs to be arrested is being naive.

Of course this is not the first time that this has happened. Similar instances of curbing free speech have happened before. A book about Shivaji was banned. And so was about Mr. Gandhi. People who seek a ban on a book should be asked why they are seeking a ban and should be made to read the book completely first. Banning books is the wrong approach. Every person has the right to information and he or she can make up his or her own mind about a particular book or topic. If the book is banned, the government is taking away the chance to learn something new, the chance to develop an opinion. Of course, who am I kidding, the Indian government isn't that smart. And it will never be till it is run by illiterates and dynasties.

Religious sentiments are a big deal in India. To avoid hurting the sentiments of any community, the government will take utmost care in things it does, even if it means it is cracking down on the whole definition of democracy itself. Like for instance, the government is willing to take the extreme step of banning Facebook and Google entirely because these sites aren't doing enough to take down inflammatory content. Some one please point out what is inflammatory and capable of inciting violence. And by the way, I have not heard of any communal riots because of a post on Facebook or an image in Google image search. Again, it brings us to the point I'm trying to make, why so intolerant? Some image which might offend someone, might be funny to someone else. A country which boasts of Mr. Gandhi being the 'father of the nation' has forgotten his teachings of tolerance and patience completely. A recent gag on The Tonight Show has now sparked anger among the Sikh community. The Golden Temple in Amritsar was shown as Mitt Romney's summer home and the Sikhs are angry about it. Really? Don't you get that it was a joke!

And by the way, did I tell you that I am reading The Satanic Verses?

How Google has begun to cheat

2012-01-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

If you want to push your products -- read Google Plus -- down users' throat, being the number one search engine helps. Google keeps making several changes to its search algorithm and we as users never really get to know if something has been changed; unless you are like me who keeps an eye on Google. Anyway, the most recent change Google made to its search product is visible to the user. You may have noticed a new icon shown besides the search results on the right hand side. A new icon? So? Well this new icon is not really a simple thing. By default, Google is now going to search and show you "personal" results instead of the normal "web" results you and I are used to. For example, if you want to search for flight tickets, instead of bringing up Expedia, Kayak and Travelocity to the top of the list, Google would bring up useless results about your friend(s) buying some tickets, or discussing flight tickets with someone else.

If you want to see the "web" results, you can very well click the 'globe' side of the icon. But trust me when I say this, its going to get very irritating after let's say ten searches. So, how do you get your old Google back? Read on for the answer.

A recent article on Gizmodo explained the same thing I am talking about here. But, Gizmodo took the extra step and asked all of us to change our default search engine to Bing. Being a Google addict, I can't do that. And so here I present the solution to get the old Google back like I had promised.

Step 1: Hit Google's webpage

Step 2: Search for something

Step 3: Click the 'preferences' icon at the top right hand corner

Step 4: Click 'Search Settings', wait for the page to open

Step 5: Check the radio button besides the text "Do not use personal results"

Step 6: Enjoy your good old search engine

Share this post with your friends and make their life a little easier. Let's be loyal to Google!

Are we sharing everything on Facebook?

2012-01-08T18:17:00.000-08:00

"Just bought a new bike". 4 people like this. "Having dinner with my family". 2 people like this, 1 comment. "Going to the beach". 11 people like this.

Facebook is a gift. It is a gift to everyone on this planet. It is a gift for people who want to stay in touch after school or for people who want to get back in touch with their school mates. But are we over utilizing it? Are we sharing *everything* on Facebook?

A recent article on Gizmodo about how the #hashtag is ruining the English language made me think about the whole Social Network experience. I am not really great with Twitter. I don't get the idea of telling your "followers" that you are 'buying shoes at #Macy's' or are 'at #MillenniumPark with your other friends'. I just don't get it. Twitter is a great tool to get instant news of any event that is happening somewhere else. For instance, the hashtag #TahrirSquare was very helpful in getting information about what was happening on-the-ground in Egypt. This is a point the article on Gizmodo also makes.

Let's talk about Facebook here. Apart from the excessive status updates, the other aspect I believe is being overused is uploading pictures to the site. Gone are the days when people bought a Kodak film roll to click *memorable* pictures. The reason I stress on the word memorable is because with the amount of pictures everyone is uploading on Facebook, everything is becoming memorable. How can everything be memorable? Your picture with your dog in a park clicked today at 5PM is not memorable if you go there every day or every weekend. Do you see my point?

Of course, Mark would like all of us to put even more stuff on Facebook. And if we don't hit a speed bump, I am sure that not long from now, a married couple would talk to each other via status updates and hashtags. "Honey, #dinner is ready!". "Thanks hon, will meet you at the #dinner table". And I am also sure that people will update their status to "going to the bathroom" and 2 people who are with the person in the same room will 'Like' it, because they wanted him / her to go to the bathroom -- if you see what I mean -- but didn't have the guts to say it.

We should not abuse the system, any system. When we overuse something, the thing loses its value. Some people like to call themselves "Facebook addicts" and some have suffered "Facebook fatigue". What we need to do is find a middle path, otherwise, in today's world of high speed Internet and break-ups via text messages, the whole social experience will turn anti-social.

Further reading:

Unlike: Why Facebook Integration Is Actually Anti-Social.
Remember When AOL Instant Messenger Was Our Facebook?

The Next Corruption Scandal?

2011-12-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

The Indian Cabinet approved a new bill to provide food commodities at subsidized rates to the "poor" people in India. Good thought, but I predict it'll become the next corruption scandal in the list of many. At the same time that other countries are saying things like India is reborn, that it would be fifth biggest economy by the end of this decade, and that it could be a global superpower -- which I highly doubt -- the politicians of the country are going on a spending spree with your money and mine. I am assuming that you are one of the tax payers in India who doesn't shamelessly show fake rent receipts and other such fraudulent documents to reduce the Income tax payable to the Government. If you are one of them, get off this page and don't ever come back you piece of shit. I'm sure of the fact that even though you save tax, you still are one of those people who shares videos and links on facebook claiming you are "Proud to be an Indian". You hypocrite!

This is not the first time that the politicians have decided to use up the tax money of a few to benefit others. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate poor people. Helping them is a responsibility of the ones who are privileged. But, what we have seen time and again is that the money which is utilized never really reaches the poor. The promises that are made are never met. Most of the time, undeserving thugs pocket the money or the commodities. The basic infrastructure to distribute food commodities to the people of the country is not up to the mark -- virtually non-existent in many places -- and the government wants to spend 19 billion dollars trying to make it work. This post by Soutik Biswas has more details and facts.

The irony of the whole matter is that the politicians don't exactly know who qualifies as "poor". According to one report, 37% (430 million) of the people in India are poor. According to another one, the figure stands at 77% (more than 850 million people).

I made 729,798 rupees this year (approx $14,000) and I have paid my fair share of income tax. Like every sane person, I wish that the money that I pay as income tax, is used to better my life in India. Although it is irrelevant these days because I don't live there anymore. And perhaps this would be my last post about Indian politicians wasting my tax money as I am on the verge of becoming a Non Resident Indian. If you are not aware, then let me enlighten you that NRIs don't pay Income tax in India. One less thing to worry about.

So, what was the point of the post? The point was to make sure some people who do stumble upon my blog know that their money -- if they really pay income tax -- is about to be misused. Because most of you are more worried about Sachin's hundredth hundred.

Iraq, done!

2011-12-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

Today is a historic day. After almost nine years of peril, almost nine years of combat, almost nine years of "re-building" Iraq, the war is finally over. The last troops left Iraq today. This is not the first time the US has fought a war. But it is the first time that America got its back broken while fighting a war. 4500 soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice, 30,000 soldiers were wounded, the war cost the American tax payers about a trillion dollars. But the reasons America gave and the convinced the World were never proven. Not surprisingly, a movie was made about it.

The World questioned the legality of the war and America's ratings in the World fell to their lowest in our lifetime. Whatever the context was for the war, there is no denying the fact that the World is a better place without Saddam. Some would draw comparisons to the raid in Pakistan which killed Osama Bin Laden. Pakistan's sovereignty was invaded. American soldiers in Pakistan without the knowledge of the leaders of Pakistan is a slap in the face. But, America got away with it because they killed Osama Bin Laden. Let's for an instance believe that Osama was not in the compoud in Abottabad. In that case, Pakistan, and the rest of the World would have lashed out at America for invading Pakistan. Just because the intelligence was bang on, and Osama really was in the compound, the important point of Pakistan's invasion became less relevant. The World needs America to get rid of bad people, period.

What America, and the American people need to figure out is what positives can be taken from the war. Tackling the problems of the Middle East needs more than just military power, and at least the current American generation has got that message very clearly. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why every one is very cautious about Iran and how to tackle its Nuclear program. Nobody wants to bomb Iran, it would be stupid to do that. Having said that, there is no one who wants Iran to obtain a Nuclear weapon. And if Ron Paul's ideas are to be taken seriously, America would mind its own business for the foreseeable future. The real question to ask is, will the World be okay with it? America has always played the World's reluctant Sheriff, and everybody would agree with me that no matter what goes wrong in whichever part of the World, everybody waits for a statement from Washington before they say anything. Be it London, Brussels or Berlin, nobody speaks till Washington speaks.

Never again, some people in the US have sworn. They do not want to engage in any conflict anywhere in the World. I don't think that is going to work. Isolation has never yielded results. And with a country like America with its vast and diverse interests globally, even the mention of the word isolation draws for a laugh. The World needs America and America needs the World.

The times we live in?

2011-12-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I watched two award winning documentaries which have a lot to say about the kind of society we -- the human race as a whole -- have become. The issues they bring up for other people to see, especially to those who have either chosen to ignore them, or aren't aware of them. One of them was in French, the other one was in Hindi. Let's take a look at each of them.

Mes chères études (Student Services) is a French documentary about student prostitution. Set in a University in France, the story is about a 19 year old female student named Laura who is so broke that she goes without food for several days. Unable to pay for her food, the rent and the fees at the University, she responds to an ad on a French website similar to Craigslist. She meets a man who pays her €70 an hour. This instance then becomes the start of many such payments. Laura is unable to control her urges and to buy a new jacket she sells herself again. For a new laptop she sells herself again. She meets a person who initially seems to be okay with her arrangement, but then increasingly grows jealous of her. She kicks him out of her life and moves to Paris to take a job as a waitress. She passes University using the money from her new job and never goes back to being a prostitute.

Many studies have suggested that student prostitution, especially in Europe, is on the rise. I have just one question for the girls who are turning to prostitution, how are their male peers getting by? The guys aren't selling themselves, then why should they? Women seem to fall back on the one thing they know people would want no matter what, their body, and I hate that fact. If you have problems, fight them, don't just give up like a girl (literally).

Fighting against problems can be explained better by no one but Sampat Pal Devi. This lady in Uttar Pradesh, India has been fighting for other women. She is a beacon for the rest of the women who have faced Domestic Violence and Domestic Rape. In the documentary Pink Saris, she is shown doing her work day-in and day-out. She runs an institution called Gulabi Gang (Pink Gang) which is part NGO, part Women's Welfare organization. Her courage and her determination to save as many women or girls she can is comparable to nothing. Issues like domestic rape -- by the father-in-law -- which the Indian society would simply sweep under the carpet have been talked about in this documentary. If you are in the United States, and are a HBO Subscriber, then go to HBO On Demand >> HBO Documentaries >> Feature Films, you should see Pink Saris in the list. I would recommend you to watch this one even if you are not in the US or don't have HBO On Demand.

Football (Soccer): The Step-Brother

2011-12-01T19:12:00.001-08:00

Call me an opportunist, but this is exactly the kind of story I had been waiting for to lash out at India, and the Indian system in general. Regular followers must have noted that I haven't really been bothered (bothered enough that I post about it) by many things that have happened, or are happening back in India. Be it another terrorist attack in Bombay, the anti-corruption protests or the whole fuss about the retail sector reforms, I couldn't care less. But, this story about state footballers cleaning a Cricket stadium just to scrape by to the next tournament was so gut wrenching, that I couldn't stop myself from writing this post.

The Indian Cricket team -- a gang of overpaid idiots -- are supposed to play in Indore, against the West Indies. Since India is a Cricket obsessed nation, conducting international matches in cities like Indore are a rarity. Why? Because there are other big cities with more idiots to buy tickets and watch the games. The Cricket stadium which is readied only before it is supposed to be used for a game, has to be cleaned up and washed out. Maintenance of venues is something Indians don't understand, partly because they claim they have no money to do it, and partly because they are a bunch of lazy bastards. For just 4 cents per seat, the footballers of the state of Madhya Pradesh took up the job of cleaning the entire stadium. Amitabh Revi, who is one of the staunch supporters of Indian Cricket, also seemed flabbergasted about the news when he said, "We call football or any other sport in India a poor cousin of the Indian Cricket team there, but, what?"

So, who is to blame? Not that pointing fingers now is going to help, but, who is to blame for this? The All India Football Federation? The federal Sports Minister for Football? The state of Madhya Pradesh? Or, the people of India? You see, this is not the first time that sports other than Cricket have been neglected and treated like step-brothers, and I am sure, this instance will not be the last one as well. When there's money to gift a Mercedes Benz to a bowler just because he took some wickets, when there's money to gift all the Cricket players bonuses on top of their existing fat salaries, why isn't there money to sustain a game which is actually the most popular in the World?

Until and unless there is a shift of attitude among the Indian people, any other game cannot and will not be able to sustain itself. I'd like to end with a small anecdote. In 2008, some games of the Champions League football were being telecast on Zee Sports. I had Tata Sky at home and as some of you might know, at that time Zee Sports was not part of the Tata Sky list of Sports Channels. I sent out an email to the Tata Sky Customer Care team asking them why it is not a part, and can it be made a part. I also advised them to create a new channels' pack called "The Football Pack" to include the official channels of the English clubs Chelsea (Chelsea TV), Liverpool (Liverpool FC TV), Manchester United (MUTV) and Arsenal (Arsenal TV). I got a reply back that they'll look into it. After about a week, I sent the mail again and asked for some upper management fellow to reply to it. I received a reply from some lady claiming to be the regional head of customer services saying Tata Sky could not act on my request because the followers of English football were few, and that they had limited bandwidth in the satellite they have, also that they had to cater to "popular demand" in sports. No points for guessing, she was referring to Cricket. That day I learned that even if the Indian team happened to play on Antarctica, the match will still be telecast for the shameless, and all-the-time-Cricket-hungry population of India.

Is there light at the other end?

2011-11-26T19:27:00.001-08:00

The World is anxious. Anxious for a change from the routine, anxious for a change in destiny, anxious for a break from tyranny. From Occupy Wall Street to the Arab Spring, people are frustrated, disappointed, and desperate for change. I wrote a little something about independence a while back, but after watching a stunning documentary about the Green Revolution and its after effects in Iran, and the slap incident in India, I was bound to speak up.

The reaction of a few ordinary citizens to the slap incident speaks a lot about the general mood of the country. Of course, as expected, the reaction of the political class is the exact opposite. I totally appreciate the act by Harvinder Singh. For a guy who adores Bhagat Singh, slapping a politician because the inflation is uncontrollable is nothing. And, let me tell you this, only a Sikh guy could have done such an act. Because only the Sikh guys have the balls to stand up to tyranny. Only Sikh guys are truly passionate about things in life. Only Sikh guys are patriotic enough to form almost half of the Armed forces. If you have a Sikh friend, then you already know that he is the only person who doesn't mind showing up at midnight to help.

The other question we need to ask is, is physical assault the way forward? Although Mr. Pawar is not the only one who has been assaulted physically, he is sort of the most deserving one. President Bush successfully dodged shoes too, but the point the attacker was trying to make was lost in the assault itself. Even with Harvinder Singh, the point of high costs of food items has been lost because he has been treated as "a threat to society". And I am sure he will be awarded a sentence faster than Ajmal Kasab will be hanged. This in itself speaks tonnes of the priorities and inabilities of the Indian government. The only thing I am glad is he wasn't shot in the face right there because officially India still is a "democracy". The irony is the ministers who sit in Parliament are people who have been elected by the same people who now resent them. Indians already have the power to change their destiny but for a few hundred rupees and a bottle of alcohol, I am sure they would elect the same sons of bitches in the next elections.

Iran on the other hand is a country which is fighting for the right to choose its leaders. People who speak up, are shot dead, arrested, mysteriously die or simply vanish, never to be found again. Interestingly, a lot of people who face oppression day in and day out do not want to leave their country. I understand they are patriotic, but facing certain death for speaking against the regime is not a country one should show patriotism in. There is a thin line in being patriotic and a fanatic. Iranians seem to have a vision that makes that line blurry, and for some, even disappear.

Sometimes I wonder can there ever be peace on Earth. I might be naive in thinking that it can ever be a reality. But with Occupy movements, mass demonstrations and brutal crackdowns, my dream seems to be move further away.

Like Crazy

2011-11-16T19:34:00.001-08:00

Nothing like a nice, simple film to enhance your evening. Shot with a very basic SLR camera, the film is not something you'd wanna watch for its CGI. In fact, there is no CGI in the film. And, I hardly noticed anymore than six people as its primary cast. Like Crazy is not a film for you if are the Bollywood kind.

Based in Los Angeles and in London, the film is a story about a boy and a girl who meet in college and fall in love. All would have gone well if both of them were American. The girl in the movie is British and she overstays her visa just to be with the guy. If you ask me, stupid is not a word that best describes that move. Anyway, moving right on. When the girl visits her parents in England and wants to return to LA, she is deported back citing the earlier visa violation. For sometime, both of them try to keep the relationship alive, but find it harder as time goes by.

Meanwhile, the guy visits London and their relationship blossoms again. All is well till this point in time when the girl's father proposes the idea of marriage. The guy freaks out and runs back to America. Slowly, saner heads prevail and he decides to go back to London and marry the girl. After waiting for six months, they assume that the marriage visa would be ready and the girl can move with the guy to LA. All of us are disappointed to learn that the American embassy has banned the girl from entering the United States for some more time. The guy leaves the girl behind.

As time goes by, both of them although married, start relationships with other people. The girl starts living with a friend named Simon and the guy sleeps with his assistant / telephone operator. Although both of them feel guilt, physical needs cause them to take the extreme step. All of a sudden, Simon proposes the girl and gets "that's really sweet" back as the answer. No points for guessing, he isn't seen in the movie anymore. The girl is then given a marriage visa and she finally moves to Los Angeles, only to realize that neither she nor the guy really feel the spark with each other anymore. This is where the director leaves us to make up our own minds as to what would happen next.

I loved the film. It was pure, simple and very honest. The storytelling doesn't wander about and doesn't have the typical bells and whistles one would expect from a Hollywood film. It somewhat reminded me of the innocence of Never Let Me Go. But it was very uncomfortable to see two people madly in love knowingly cheating on each other just because they were on different continents. Although they vowed during marriage that they would be there for each other, it never really happened for them. It seems the plot of the movie was inspired by the real-life experiences of the director himself, I feel sorry for both, the director and his wife.

What does Independence really mean?

2011-10-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Having been alive in the time of the Arab Spring, I understand the sacrifices it takes to liberate a country. I am now aware of the struggles and the hardships the people of a country go through to declare themselves free, declare themselves independent. The Arab Spring although was the most modern and the most advanced revolution ever, it is history which has been made (and still being made in some places). Powered with Blackberry's the protesters (read freedom fighters) marched onto streets. Although Facebook and Twitter were the main tools used the by population, although the struggles lasted only a few months, they are no less on par with the struggles endured by the people of the United States, or for that matter, the people of India. But then I got thinking, what is independence? What does it really mean? And more importantly, is it worth the sacrifices and the struggle?

Independence, a word which has sparked riots, clashes and wars. I don't think I would be wrong if I say that the human race has fought more wars just because of this one word. Some are privileged enough to be born free; brought into this World and in a country that calls itself independent. And most of us take it for granted. We never really understand what it really means. Ask a blind man what sight means to him, and perhaps you'll get an idea.

Revolutions are not new, long before we were born and I was blogging about them, multiple revolutions have taken place which have uprooted corrupt, dictatorial and totalitarian regimes. The Russian and the French revolutions are pretty good examples. Although what came out of those has been good and bad. The primary reason for the revolutions themselves have perhaps been lost. The bad: The Soviet Union, a product of the Russian revolution. The good: France is a great country, a technological superpower, Europe's second biggest economy.

Having grown up in India, like everybody else, I learned about the Indian Independence Movement as part of my History syllabus. At the time, I neither had the intellect, nor the willingness to fully comprehend the scale of the episode. But now, I do realize the amount of blood that was shed to unify a country which was always divided on religious lines. A country which actually became "a country" only after the British arrived. Ruled by the British for 334 years, invaded by everyone from the Greeks to the Persians, the Mughals to the Mongolians, India is a country which has been raped over and over. More recently though, the political class have taken on the role of the rapist. Communal tensions can still bring the country to a halt. Inflammatory statements of a leader can spark communal riots transforming Indians into blood thirsty animals who vow to kill their own countrymen just because he / she is of a different religion. A corrupt bureaucratic system, a quarter of the population living in abject poverty and power in the hands of a select few, I don't think it is the India the freedom fighters had dreamed about. Have Indians failed them? I think so.

Iran, a country which overthrew its dictator in a bloody and hard fought coup, found itself under another dictator of sorts. The protesters and the rebel fighters wouldn't have wanted a single man at the controls of the country's power. What has Iran gained from its revolution? Economic sanctions, the status of a "rogue state", fewer friends and global suspicion. Is this the Iran the people of the revolution had hoped for? I don't think so.

The important point to note here is that the principles of honesty, transparency and good governance have to be passed on from one generation to the next. Otherwise, not long from now, the newer countries emerging out of the Arab Spring will also turn out to be like Iran and India. Sacrifices made, lives lost and struggles endured, all in vain.

JFK

2011-09-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard". It is my favourite of the quotes of John F. Kennedy. Although JFK was the President of the United States, he was more than that. He was a global figure, an icon who is unmistakably recognized by anyone, in any part of the World. Barack Obama today has similar -- if not greater -- stature. A lot of people would draw comparisons between President Kennedy and President Obama. Their elegant speeches, their views on nuclear proliferation, their commitment to make World peace a reality, to make government more transparent, and more importantly, to actually serve the American people.

The assassination of President Kennedy became a hot topic for a lot of conspiracy theorists. Although we must admit that because of these theories, a lot of facts came to light. The "magic bullet" wouldn't have been identified if not for the conspiracy theorists. The best documentation of the facts of President Kennedy's assassination and its after effects is the 1991 movie -- appropriately titled -- JFK by Oliver Stone. I watched it last night, and was saddened by it.

The movie showcases the killing, the aftermath and the trial of a man accused of conspiring the assassination. At three and a half hours, it is gripping, enlightening, and moving. The movie tells you everything you need to know about the assassination. But at the end of it, it leaves you with a sense of helplessness. You realize America lost a great leader, a good man who wanted to make America a better place. And when you comprehend that it was fellow Americans who killed him, it makes you sad. On YouTube there is a video by the name, "The speech that got JFK killed". Although I had listened to the speech before, I listened to it again last night. And more than ever I realized how true it was. He had the guts to stand up against rogue elements within society, within government and within military. And for that, he was silenced, forever.

The movie tells us instead of asking the question "How was President Kennedy killed?", we should be asking "Why was President Kennedy killed?" The movie concludes that President Kennedy was opposed to the war in Vietnam and he was planning to bring the American troops home. War is a business. American corporations make a lot of money when America fights a war. And because corporate interests were more important than the lives of American soldiers, some highly ranked officers in the military, officials of the government and staff of The White House itself conspired to kill the President of the United States.

I don't know if what the movie claims is true. But I am not willing to believe the account laid out by the officials of the same government who tried to cover-up the killing. The secrecy of the government agencies under the facade of "National Security" not only irks me, but also makes me lose faith in the system itself. I love America; America is a great country, but the greatness is only upheld if the country is lead by great leaders. If the country stands-by its ideals and the values it preaches to rest of the World.

This post might get me into trouble. But I am not someone who will turn a blind-eye towards something that is wrong. I always seek the truth and as far as President Kennedy's assassination is concerned, I haven't been given the complete truth. In the fall of 2017, the documents pertaining to President Kennedy's assassination will be made public. I will be one of the hundreds, if not thousands of people queuing up wanting to know the truth.

Circumstance

2011-09-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have hated me for watching movies not for fun, but to gain something from them. And that is one of the main reasons why I have no interest in Bollywood movies. Movies like 'A Mighty Heart', 'Wall Street' and 'United 93' sit very high in my list of favourite movies. But last night, there was an addition to that list. Circumstance is a Persian language movie made by an Iranian-American film maker using Iranian-American actors about homosexuality in Iran. Ever since I saw Kandahar -- the Iranian one, not the Indian one -- my interest in International movies has grown deeper.

Movies about homosexuality aren't mainstream in the West, so to make one on the topic aimed at the Middle-East is a bold move. It is so bold, that the maker of the movie can never go back to Iran. When the topic itself is taboo in Iran, a movie about it is good enough for a possible fatwa against the makers. Watch the trailer here:

Unlike some immoral businessmen who run Pune's E-Square, the folks at Chicago's Landmark Century Cinema did NOT cancel the show just because five people had bought the ticket. Yes, there were five people in the theater including me and a friend of mine. Wikipedia still doesn't have detailed information about the movie so I'll have to provide that.

The story revolves around two young girls (aged 16) named Shireen and Atafeh. Atafeh's brother named Mehran also plays a major role. The two girls are emotionally and physically involved with each other and suddenly Mehran falls for Shireen. It would have been a simple movie if it tried to cover only this plot. But the movie does more than that. It takes the audience into the secretive society of Tehran, Iran. It shows its flaws, its fraudulent facade and it talks about the after-effects of the Iranian revolution. In a way it introduces the international audience to the fact that young Iranians who live in Iran also want to do the same things as their peers in the rest of the World. They want to listen to American music, they want to party with their friends, they want to be free, but, they are not allowed to.

The tyranny experienced by ordinary Iranians is appalling and perhaps shocking to some in the West. A country where 'human rights' is nothing but just two words put together can have no future as a thriving civilization. Possibly that is why a lot of educated, enlightened Iranians choose to leave. Iran is the only country which has a dedicated page on Wikipedia for brain drain. Rigged elections, usage of religion as a tool to suppress human expression, moral policing and blaming America for everything wrong in the World are not the qualities of a government which wants to do good for its people.

If you have Iranian friends, then you probably already know that they are normal people and are nothing like the stereotype the media tends to focus on. But, if you don't have any Iranian friends, then this is a must watch movie for you. Everything you think you know about Iran and Iranians will be shattered after you walk out at the end of the movie.

Is it time for reverse immigration?

2011-09-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Immigration -- legal or illegal -- is a very hot topic in the West these days. Right from Germany to the UK; from Canada to the United States, politicians are reeling under pressure because of the topic. I recently posted the video of an advertisement that aired during the last GOP Presidential debate on Facebook using the title "Nightmare becomes reality?". Ironically, none of my friends who live in CA commented on it. Take at look at it right here:

Unemployment is a major issue for any government. Be it Tunisia, Syria or the United States. If people can't find work, the government will get a run for its money. But, instead of sobbing about having no jobs at home, shouldn't Americans and Brits think about moving to a different country? I know you'd say there are expatriates in the Middle East and the Far East who make more than a decent living. But, these folks are far fewer in number than the number of immigrants pouring into their home countries and accused of taking away the jobs. United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong and Japan are the preferred destinations for any American or Brit (read European). They are fully aware that even though they are away from home, they don't have to quit their "western lifestyle". Because of the extra buck they make, they can buy whatever they need to feel satisfied.

I think we are on the verge of a major shift in patterns of immigration. Weak economic output, tighter visa regulations and better opportunities right at home have caused the immigration tide from the East to the West to die a little. The numbers we saw in the 90s and early 2000s are nowhere in the current statistics. Although a few tough birds still wish to make the West their home.

Kids in the West are brought up in relative comfort. Whatever they get is the best in the World and they know it. Their levels of ambition, low or high are associated with their home country. Partly because they don't care about the rest of the World and partly because their parents' ambitions were also tied to their home country.

People in the developing World be it in Asia, South America or Africa, realized that for a better future and a better life for the next generation, moving to the developed World made a lot of sense. And hence, wave after wave of immigrants went towards Europe and America to make a name for themselves. As long as the immigrants were gardeners or domestic help, Western folks didn't have a problem. As soon as high level, high paying, white-collar jobs were at risk, it suddenly became an issue.

Hypothetically, if an American student who graduated from Michigan State University decides to fly to China, India or Brazil for a job, how would that person hold up? The guy / gal would join a company offering $6000 per annum and would try to adjust in a new country. It sounds like a plot for a Bollywood movie.

America has been the "melting pot" for several decades now, I think it is time for China to be the next.

Why President Obama needs to be re-elected?

2011-09-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

Now having viewed more than two GOP Presidential debates, I seem have to understood one thing, the Republicans SHOULD NOT come to power in 2012. I watched the first debate on FOX and was turned off by the tone and issues being discussed by the Republican candidates. Later, Jon Stewart said in one of his episodes of 'The Daily Show' that even though we don't like what they are saying, we should still listen to it because one of those idiots might be the next President. This blatant truth struck me like lightning and so I watched every debate in its entirety after that point in time.

The latest one was in Calfornia last night telecast on msnbc. It was the first debate for Governor Rick Perry who is considered to be a "front-runner" in the race for candidacy. I can't understand how people can count him as one of the contenders who is nothing but an arrogant Texas cowboy. We all know what the result of the election of the last arrogant cowboy (George W. Bush) was. Do we really need another one? I mean, this is a guy who thinks Social Security is a "ponzi scheme". Social Security is a thing millions of Americans rely on to survive. He also thinks Immigration is bad for America. Somebody should tell him that America is a country of immigrants. A man with such thoughts in The White House will be a disaster.

Next I would like to talk about Michelle Bachmann. This is a lady who has 28 kids in total (five biological and 23 foster). She is a typical Christian lady who wants to do good for the people, or at least she says she wants to do good. The problem with her is that she has most of her facts wrong. She is so bad, that even Sarah Palin starts too look a little brighter than her. I have said this to many, if Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin really gets elected as the President, I'll jump from the Golden Gate bridge.

Mitt Romney is another guy who is considered to be a biggy in the race. More often than not he distinguishes himself from the other candidates by saying "I've worked in the Private sector". So? That is in fact a dis-advantage because he doesn't really know how the government works. He labels himself as a "job creator" and also says that given a chance, he will create tens of millions of jobs right here in America. On asking for details, he says by reducing the taxes on corporations, the government would "unleash" and "unshackle" the American economy. He should probably get to back reality that taxes are at a historic low in the United States. How much further lower can the taxes go? You would be astonished to know that he seriously thinks that anybody earning less than $200,000 per annum should NOT pay any income tax. So, if the rich will not pay any tax, the middle-class will not pay any tax, how will the government get any revenue?

John Huntsman is one of the more sensible Republicans you'll find today. Mind you, they are very rare. He has worked with four different Presidents and served as America's ambassador to other countries three times. He speaks Mandarin fluently and hence, he perhaps is the best guy available to deal with the Chinese. In his recent interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, John talked about a lot of issues facing America today, but more importantly, he also seems to know a way to fix them. He is different than the rest of GOP bunch and it would be a shame if he doesn't win the candidacy. The polls show he is not even in the race, probably because he does not appeal to the core Republican voter base of White, Christian, Gay / Lesbian marriage against, Tax increase hating, Spending cuts loathing people. So frankly, I don't know what to make of him.

The rest of the bunch, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and a few more are smaller fish and are in the race just for the heck of it. Spending time talking about them is a waste. Sarah Palin isn't really in the race because she hasn't said so "officially" yet.

So, in the end we find that the three front runners per se, Mr. Perry, Ms. Bachmann and Mr. Romney aren't really aware of the reality of the World and live in their own little sweet paradises. President Obama on the other hand is far more adept with reality and knows what it takes to live in The White House. Although his approval ratings are low, he is the best chance America has to pull back what has been lost. His ideas about globalization and how to compete in a global economy are unmatched. He is a good man who wants to do good for the people, but some stupid, arrogant and undeserving fellow Americans are throwing stones in his path.

He is the most ideological, smart and witty president America has had in a long time. Whether or not he becomes the first "one-term" President in 19 years is something only time can tell.

London Riots: An Act of Shame

2011-08-08T16:23:00.001-07:00

Gut wrenching and heart breaking images beamed from London to the rest of the World make you ask yourself, "What is wrong with the World?" Just one year before the Olympics, such acts of violence is something London could have lived without. A country which pretty much taught 'manners' to the rest of the World now finds itself reeling under the shock of manner-less acts performed in its capital city.

Riots in the West are unheard of and it makes you wonder who on Earth would try to be mischievous in a civilized society. Seems like rogue elements are present everywhere on the planet and all it takes is one small jolt to wake these monsters from their sleep.

When I heard of the riots for the first time, I was terribly shocked. I mean, if it was in Somalia or Syria, I wouldn't have cared, but it is London for crying out loud. Shops being looted, buildings being set ablaze, police officers being hurt is unacceptable and inexcusable behaviour on a whole new level. I can't seem to understand why is a curfew not yet imposed and why shoot-at-sight orders have not been issued.

And when you realize all this hoopla is about the killing of a drug dealer, it just makes you lose your cool too. Cops killing the drug dealer was a good thing and I don't see any justification for hurting them for it.

My advice to Boris Johnson would be to impose curfew right away and kill a few protesters to ward off the others. The strategy may backfire and more people may turn up. At the same time there is a fair chance that it could work and put an end this mess. We don't want to use the words the 'Arab Spring' and the 'London Summer' in the same sentence.

External Media: The BBC

What defines a Mother?

2011-07-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

For about a month now, the news have mentioned the name "Casey Anthony" for almost everyday. She is a 25 year old woman who was convicted of killing her two year old daughter Caylee Anthony. I got involved like everybody else in America and was astonished by a "Not Guilty" verdict. Casey Anthony will walk free sometime soon as the jury didn't see enough evidence and hence did not find her guilty of killing her daughter.

For people who don't know about the trial, I would recommend to take a look at the timeline to get a quick understanding. The thing that hurts me the most is Caylee was just two, who would wanna kill a two year old child? The mother did not report the child being "missing" to the Police for 31 days. What kind of a mother would not report her "missing" child to the authorities for a month?

I'm not someone who can judge a woman like Casey Anthony. You see, the world and everyone who lives in it believes that mothers are the kindest people on Earth. Mothers would think nothing bad especially when it comes to their children. So, for someone to even try to comprehend the idea that a mother could hurt her own child, take a step further and actually kill him/her, is impossible. We've had cases where fathers have done horrible things to their kids. The most shocking one was the one from Austria. Such acts which are NOT human to begin with do not deserve a place on my blog and so I'm going to skip the details.

Bad things happen, I get it. But, the people who have done something bad should be punished. I don't know if the case will be re-opened sometime in the future, but the only good thing that is coming out of all this is a new law called Caylee's Law, which would make it mandatory for parents to report their missing children in a "timely manner". No one knows, how to define "timely", but I hope all states will come up with their own version and will prevent any more Casey Anthony trials.

Senna

2011-07-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

Some films move you, some films leave you speechless but some films make you cry. I don't remember the last time I shed a tear while watching a film, but I can tell you that I did so while watching Senna.

For most of you, Senna is a name that doesn't ring a bell. If you are one of them, I pity you. Senna is the greatest driver Formula 1 has ever seen. If you think Michael Schumacher is competitive [no offence Schumi fans], multiply that by a million, once you've done that you'd know how competitive Senna was. Senna, who undoubtedly is the most adored F1 driver by fans and fellow drivers equally, is amongst men who walk the Earth only once. Senna is to F1 what Roger Federer is to Tennis.

For someone who joined Formula 1 when the steering wheel just steered the car, he was exceptional at extracting every bit out of the car. I was way too young when Senna was around to have seen him perform, and I regret that fact. But, to compensate for that, I watch legendary races when the broadcasters decide to air them.

I believe his death could have been avoided. The people responsible for his death were not punished. Having said that, I am glad that Formula 1 as a sport was never the same after his death. Safety is the number one priority of all Formula 1 teams. Since his tragic death, no one has died in Formula 1 which I believe is the greatest tribute the sport can give to him. There have been multiple conspiracy theories trying to prove and disprove certain aspects that caused his death. But, I do believe that Ayrton Senna knew he was going to die in an accident. In the film a guy speculates what if Ayrton had lived longer. Would you rather read the headline "Ayrton Senna dies of Cancer" or read "Ayrton Senna dies in an accident". And that, says it all. You cannot imagine Senna doing anything else but drive a Formula 1 car. And that's the end of it.

This is NOT a film that is supposed to be missed. I am not at all ashamed to blatantly use what Jeremy Clarkson said, if you've got any heart, any soul at all, you've got to watch this film.

The Best Canadian Grand Prix Ever

2011-06-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

After ages and ages of gloomy, predictable Formula 1 races this year, we finally had a chance to witness one of the greatest races of the sport. 2011 Canadian Grand Prix is definitely going doing in history as one of the best.

United States is one of the worst places for a Formula 1 fan. You can never be sure if the race is going to be shown at all. I have nothing against NASCAR, but c'mon man, Formula 1 is a million times better. It was almost noon I was frantically searching for a channel to watch it. It was fifteen minutes to the race and I couldn't find the broadcaster of the race in the United States. I have a cable connection from Comcast, but I wasn't sure if the I had the channel which was going to broadcast the race. Finally, a search on SPEED Channel's website revealed that today's race was to be broadcast on FOX (their sister channel). I was like, are you kidding me, why the hell is FOX broadcasting the race!

I finally switched to FOX on my brand new 42'' LED TV (can't stop braggin') and the action began. These days in F1 you don't really ask who the guy on pole is, because more often than not, it is going to be Sebastian Vettel, the reigning World champion. So, I focused my concentration on the 2nd and 3rd placed Ferraris. Hamilton tried to get past his team-mate Jenson Button and crashed out, which was one on the highlights of the race for me. The race went on pretty well till the point that a torrential downpour dampened spirits and the racetrack in Montreal. Eventually the conditions became so dangerous, that the race was suspended by FIA.

After that began a two-hour wait for the resumption of the race. In this time, I made food, ate it, did the dishes, ironed my clothes, took a nap, to name a few tasks. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the race resumed and all the Formula 1 fans in the World were about to be taken for a ride. Since Hamilton was already out, Button was the only McLaren driver left in the race, and I wouldn't normally care about Button, but today he was the gambler who went on to Intermediate tires before anyone else and found himself to be three seconds quicker per lap than anyone else. He quickly became one of the front runners of the race. Meanwhile, Alonso crashed out. In this, out of no where, Michael Schumacher became number three, and then later on number two. The whole idea of Micheal (The God) on the podium again got me excited.

The best part of the race was yet to come, the final ten laps or so saw the DRS (Drag Reduction System) being used and we saw more over taking than the entire race put together. We saw a dog fight between the four greatest drivers Formula 1 has ever seen, Sebastian Vettel (the young gun), Mark Webber (the Aussie), Jenson Button (the Playboy) and Micheal Schumacher (The God). Every one tried over taking each other and man it was one the best ten minutes of Formula 1. Finally, when I thought that Sebastian is unmatchable, Jenson pushed harder than he ever did and actually made Sebastian lose his cool and also the control of his car. Jenson went past and I kid you not, I shouted "Yes!". Don't get me wrong, I don't like when Sebastian loses, but today was different. Sebastian is a good driver, but his assest is his car. The moment the car loses its power, Sebastian will too. He is yet to develop as a driver who can soak up pressure and be the bigger contributor to the whole man + machine formula.

I'm not the only one who has something to say about today's race. Here are some more laurels on the BBC and Formula 1 official website.

Pictures courtesy: BBC and Formula1.com

What if we didn't have to eat?

2011-06-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was damn hungry this afternoon and I *had to* finish up working on a few bugs. So, the lunch break was nothing but a "distraction". After I finally got something to eat, I thought, what if I didn't have to eat? I mean, didn't have to eat at all, ever. Then I thought about the bigger picture. What if no human would ever had to eat? Would the current human, be really where s/he is?

Think about it, we need food only for energy. What if we had built-in solar panels for energy? If God is powerful enough, he sure is smart enough to know how to build solar panels. If he doesn't, he can always ask the Chinese to build them for him (just kidding).

Food was a big deal for cavemen, our earliest ancestors. If they didn't have to hunt for food, they wouldn't have bothered to developed tools. Imagine how life would have been in such circumstances. Everybody would have been lazy, and would spend most of the time sleeping. They obviously didn't have Twitter to tell people what they were up to. No status updates on Facebook as well. Life, looks kinda boring.

So, I'm guessing food was very instrumental in getting the human race to where it is today. Development of tools was primarily done for having a better chance at filling the stomach. I once heard that the best engineered thing on the whole planet is the human body, and I think whoever said that, is a genius and I kinda agree with him.

Limitless

2011-05-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

What if a pill could make your rich and powerful? This is the tag line of the movie Limitless. After an incredible amount of time, days of hectic schedules, I finally had a chance to watch an excellent movie.

The plot is absolutely simple, yet it mesmerizes you. A guy named Eddie is a broke, writer-to-be in New York City. His life is absolute misery at best. Even if that is case, he happens to have an extremely cute girl friend (I'll never get this part). Anyway, moving on, the guy then meets his ex-wife's brother who happens to be a drug dealer. He gives him a sample pill of a new drug which lets one access 100% of the brain instead of the usual 20%. The guy takes it, and then after that, we all go for a ride!

He suddenly finds himself to be more intelligent than he ever was. He finishes his book in like four days. Figuring out that writing is not where he should be wasting his time, he starts trading in stocks. He becomes a millionaire in a few weeks and is befriended by big shots in Wall Street. After a lot of cool, jaw dropping things he does, we are finally shown the after effects of drug use. He becomes sick, and is practically addicted to the drug. Withdrawal becomes hard, and the guy almost dies.

Towards the end, we see that he has recovered and is now running for the U.S. Senate from the sate of New York. In the final scene of the movie he speaks to a waiter in Mandarin Chinese leaving it up to the audience to decide if he is off the drug or not.

Now, let's for instance assume that such a drug comes along. If it really does, then we won't have any dumb people on the planet. Man, I really hope science makes such progress in my lifetime. The things that we could do after a dose of the drug would like the title suggests, be LIMITLESS!

Source Code

2011-04-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't be exaggerating if I say that I've seen the movie which would bag most Oscars next year. An excellent sci-fi thriller which probably is the best movie I've seen so far in 2011.

Source Code is about a how a young helicopter pilot who dies in Afghanistan tries to find a bomber on a train in Chicago. You might say how can someone who is dead find a bomber. Well, that is the whole idea behind Source Code. It is a system that allows someone say A, to be inside the body of B for eight minutes. But, these eight minutes have to be the last eight minutes of B's life. It isn't time travel; it is alternate reality. The eight minutes have already gone by, they are history, but, the subject can go back to those eight minutes as many times as he wants. Well, digest it, that's Hollywood.

The movie is mostly shot inside a car of a train and the director has done a wonderful job of feeding the story and the science fiction aspect of it to the audience in little chunks. Every time the subject comes back, the eight minutes start with the dialogue "I took your advice". So, even the dumbest of the people can understand that it is the start of another eight minutes.

I had actually read about the movie before and I was kinda waiting for it. I would recommend to catch it.

The Next Three Days

2011-03-20T04:28:00.000-07:00

How far would one go to save his wife from a life of misery? To save her from a lifetime in jail? The Next Three Days tries to answer that question.

Russel Crowe's wife is charged with murder she didn't commit and is sentenced to life imprisonment. Crowe's kid who is just six years old, doesn't really comprehend why his mother doesn't live with them anymore. Crowe decides to take matters in his own hands when the justice system of the United States fails him and his wife. Crowe starts planning to break his wife out of jail. He plans, and plans some more till he finally has everything he needs to escape with his wife and kid.

Since I have seen Prison Break, the story kinda struck a note with me. I love the idea of evading the authorities and riding into the sunset.

Initially I thought it would be a sci-fi movie, you know, with the name The-Next-Three-Days, but it is anything but sci-fi. After Gladiator and Body Of Lies, I can't recall Russel Crowe in a role that I remembered him for his performance. Certainly I wasn't expecting him to play a college professor and still do an incredible job.

Crowe sticks to the basics pretty good and makes you believe he indeed is a college professor. I adored his style throughout the movie. You should definitely give it some of your time.

Supercars: Do they make sense here?

2011-03-19T01:45:00.000-07:00

It wasn't very long ago that a glimpse of a BMW or an Audi would make my heart fly. I haven't included Mercedes-Benz in the list deliberately because I grew up seeing Mercs. All the recent buzz about India being the second biggest 'emerging' car market (after China of course) has made the big players sit up, take notice, and tap into the potential of the market.

Almost all the big guns including BMW AG., Audi AG., Lamborghini SpA., Porsche AG. and Jaguar Cars Ltd. have setup shop here. But now, the biggest one of them all has arrived, Ferrari SpA. Soon you'll have a Ferrari dealership in the neighbourhood.

Even before I delve into the topic, my opinion about the whole Supercars-in-India is divided. Being a car enthusiast my heart is screaming out WOW! A Ferrari 458 could soon be scorching roads in Pune. At the same time my mind says India is not worth the cars themselves. The cars are too brash, too dirty. To quote Jeremy Clarkson here, they are "pornography".

This article on The Wall Street Journal is a good starting point. You see, super-cars are like babies who need to be taken care of. They are fragile and need constant attention. Even when one drives them, one constantly thinks about hitting a bump too hard, what if some one crosses the road when one wishes to put the foot down. If a stupid biker or a cyclist trying to crawl past at a stop light scratches the car a bit, the owner will be devastated for days. If a rich kid runs over a "poor person" on the road, there won't be much of the "poor person" left. He / She will become as flat as a wallpaper. Basically, the problems and mental pressure involved with driving a car in India are multiplied by a million when one has a super-car.

Yes, people who can afford to buy a Ferrari 458 Italia would be galactically rich, but, are they worth it? One might have the money to buy a Ferrari, but more importantly what one needs is the heart to drive it. One needs to feel the soul of the car every time he starts the engine. Enrico Galleria, a senior marketing executive from Ferrari seems to agree with me when he says, “In India we’ll stick to our core philosophy of keeping supply below demand. Our aim is not to boost sales volume, it is to maintain the car’s exclusivity.” So your neighbourhood politician or mafia king might have the money, but he doesn't have the status to own a Ferrari.

Then there is the other aspect of austerity. When 450 million of the population live on less than one dollar a day, how would such a person feel when one blows past him in a car (Ferrari 458 Italia) that costs $240,000? The divide between the rich and the poor in India is there, I see it everyday. But, super-cars will take it to the next level. Its like someone pulling over at a stop light in a 7 Series BMW possibly with climate control keeping the temperature at 23 degrees while a 100 people run to catch a bus in 42 degrees heat. Its harsh, its brutal and its not something everyone likes.

Although far from the point under discussion, this article by Soutik Biswas about the money being spent on weddings kinda drives my point home. I'd like to end by quoting Mr. Biswas here, "No law will be able to change soon a people and society that remain deeply hierarchical, feudal and class-conscious. At one end of the scale a hapless farmer may take ruinous loans from money-lenders to host a wedding beyond his means. At the other end a billionaire unabashedly builds the world's priciest home (more than $1bn) in Mumbai where half the people live in slums. All this is symptomatic of a society which thrives on perpetuating inequity. With near double-digit growth, there's going to be more money to throw around and flaunt. So don't expect any lame law to curb India's vulgar, overblown weddings any time soon."

Whose fault is it anyway?

2011-03-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

Every now and the we hear about some rich kid / rich guy running over some "poor" people while being under the influence of alcohol. But, whose fault is it?

It is very easy to place the blame on the driver of the car. Oh, that rich bastard! You might exclaim. But, wait a minute, I have a different version of the story.

Someone who owns a car is obviously rich enough to buy some alcohol and consume it. He / She might NOT be rich enough to hire a chauffeur. In that case, there is no choice for him / her but to drive the car oneself. Let me be clear, I am NOT being supportive of driving under the influence. All I am saying is, sometimes a person has got no choice. Just a fact, a person who is texting while driving has far lower concentration than someone who has had two pegs of Whisky.

Now, when under the influence, and you put on some Rock or Techno music, you are bound to NOT follow the speed limit (ahem, ahem, how many of you actually follow the speed limit? Something to ponder eh!). Next, while not-driving-at-the-allowed-speed, one is bound to lose control of the vehicle. Now, if you lose control of your car, you are expected to hit a lamp post, or probably fall off a cliff, but folks, this is no cheap Bollywood movie. In the real world, you are bound to crash into parked cars, or run-off onto the pavement or the footpath (sidewalk). If some poor person, or in many cases, a lot of poor / homeless people are sleeping on the footpath, it is NOT the fault of the driver. Footpath is meant for walking and NOT sleeping. As a driver, I would expect some run-off areas on which I can rely upon if I lose control of my car. But, if the run-off areas are the sleeping beds of certain individuals, then don't blame me.

You might wonder why the heck I am talking about this topic. This morning I read an article in the newspaper about a guy (23) who was arrested for running over and killing a 64 old man with his Honda City in the wee hours of the morning. He was drunk, lost control of the car and managed to halt the car after some off-roading on the footpath. He has been booked under the sections 279 (Rash Driving) and 304(A) (Causing death by negligence).

It is absolutely ludicrous of the Police to book him under the second section. Rash driving, okay, fine, I agree. Causing death by negligence, NO! Let me tell you who the negligent son of a bitch is, the guy who slept on the footpath was negligent. He bloody didn't care for his life in the first place. How can the guy who ran over the footpath be responsible for his death? I don't understand at all.

The problem isn't drunk driving, it is the homeless who are using public property as their beds.

A new Middle-East

2011-02-19T02:50:00.000-08:00

For centuries the Middle-East has played a key role in the shaping of human history. Even today, it manages to make headlines. Wars, human rights' abuses, unpopular dictators, you name it, and you can find it in the Middle-East even today. I have always been interested in World and Geo politics. One of the key areas that never ceases to amaze me is the Middle-East. With its rich culture, people and mystical lands, Middle-East is one of the key areas on the planet which is of strategic interest to everyone.

More recently though, the bug of "Democratic Reform" has bitten almost everyone from the region and people have taken to the streets to express anger and frustration. The Facebook generation, which basically is referring to people who are bound to document their every thought on the social networking website, are the major driving force behind the scenes of unrest we see in our living rooms via a television programme called 'The News'. You might wonder what's in it for me? Whatever happens in the Middle-East, why should I bother? Well, I can give you more reasons than you can think of.

Oil and Gas

Probably the first thing that pops up in your mind when you think about the Middle-East is Oil. Believe it or not, the Middle-East controls almost 50% of the World's Oil supply. And that is one of the most important reasons (or perhaps the only reason) why the West is interested in Middle-Eastern politics. Once the countries in the region (or at least the governments of the countries) start falling, the oil output of the countries will go down or at least will be affected. Ever heard of demand and supply? If the supply goes down, the prices will go up. So, whatever you pay for your gas right now, might be just 10% of what you might have to pay.

Political Allies

No matter which President it has been over the past century or so, he has always had a Middle-East policy. Primarily it has been to avoid any catastrophe from reaching U.S. shores. Hence, the United States has strategic allies in the area and sadly they are tumbling. Former President Hosni Mubarak was one of the batons the U.S. could count on. The King of Bahrain (another oil rich country) is also a pro-western leader whose power has been challenged by the people. By the way, Bahrain and Egypt are totally different countries in every way possible. Egyptians were fed up with their lives without jobs, poverty and shit. Bahrainis are rich people. They are out on the streets because they don't want their monarchy anymore. To be precise, the monarchy in Bahrain belongs to the Sunni group of Muslims while majority of the people in Bahrain are Shi'ite. I've tried and failed to understand what's the story behind Shi'ite-Sunni hatred. That's for another day.

Iran is a country which deals everything with an Islamic touch to it. After the revolution in 1978 when people took to the streets to get democracy, the Islamists took over and now the country is literally fucked up. They have oil, and thanks to the demand from a country like India, they have a pretty big customer too. Iran supplies most of its oil to Pakistan and India. Apart from that tough, the trade embargo placed on it by the United States mainly cripples its economy. And the whole idea of Iran developing nuclear weapons has put an end to the sleep of a lot of people in D.C. Egypt was the leader in the area when it comes to the Sunni branch of Islam, while Iran is 95% Shi'ite and leads that lot of people. Now, the countries which are tumbling had leaders who were Sunni and they are losing ground to countries like Iran, Libya and Syria which are mainly Shi'ite. That, is what is worrying to the West. Most of the bombs that go off in Iraq aren't targeted at killing American soldiers, in fact, the war in Iraq is officially over. The bombs are targeted at the people of the other branch of Islam. Basically, the Shiites and the Sunnis are trying to kill each other.

Jihad

This is the word that was never heard of until very recently. It has a very broad meaning to it and basically calls for believers of Islam to revolt and stand up against injustice of any kind. Now, the problem is, certain hard lined people have sort of twisted its meaning and have called for an all out war against non-believers of Islam itself. And, they also include people who support other religions, mainly Judaism. You see, Jerusalem is shared by the three most influential religions on the planet. It has been sacred to the Jewish people since King David proclaimed it to be the capital. Christians believe Jesus Christ was brought there right after he was born. The Muslims believe it was from Jerusalem that Prophet Mohammed ascended into Heaven. And it doesn't quite end there. The current city of Jerusalem is divided on religious grounds, although there are places of worship for all three religions, the area where the "Western Wall" currently stands, is of supreme importance. So all three, the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians want that spot. Because it is in Israel, the Jews won't allow that to happen. Hence, the deadlock and bring in the Jihad.

New York City might be "the city" of the world right now, but, Damascus, the Syrian capital has been around for 7000 years. And, I'm sure it will be for many more years to come. When the humans in Western Europe and North America were hunting and gathering, people in the Middle-East were discussing Astronomy. The last few weeks have been so live with events that it is hard to comprehend everything that is happening. But, I'm trying my best. I don't know how many of you realize this, but whatever is happening right now is history in the making. The events happening right now will be taught to children as part of their History lessons. We are alive at a time when the entire Middle-East is being shaken and I hope whatever emerges from it would be far more beautiful than what it already is.

NRIs Present? Yes sir!

2011-02-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

I've always been of the opinion that the Indian government loves NRIs primarily for their money. And, that is in fact 129% true. They [technically] don't add up to the over exploding population being supported (or not supported) by the government, and each one of them make a hell lot more money than a whole bunch of Indian losers put to-gether. Why the whole lecture about NRIs you might wonder, please read on.

The Wall Street Journal carried the news that "Non-Resident Indians May Get to Vote". So I wonder, during the BJP era – to put it precisely during the Vajpayee era – it was the talk about "dual citizenship" that got the American Dollars, the Canadian Dollars and Pound Sterling into the country to help out victims of the Gujarat earthquake, the floods and many such natural disasters. Now, the Congress government is playing the same card but in a different way.

Right now the Indian government needs money, and a lot of it to boost up the country's appalling infrastructure. All the bull shit talk about India being the next superpower and all that crap really irks me. What irks me more is the usage of China and India in the same sentence. C'mon you guys, China is way ahead of India in terms of infrastructure. Partly because its government doesn't have to deal with the whole five-year-plan issues and mostly because their government officials are more honest than their Indian counterparts. The Indian media – and the Indians in the Western media – are blowing their own trumpets and glorifying India in a manner which is misleading and disgusting at the same time. China has already put a man in space, and Indian scientists are wasting 71 million dollars finding success exploding rockets (such an irony that the so called next super power still has to make budgets in US dollars as units).

The interesting aspect of allowing NRIs to vote is that technically they'll also be eligible to stand in elections. So, the way I see it, there isn't going to be much difference in the way things proceed here. Like the elected officials currently, if the NRIs get elected they'll have a really good reason about NOT being visible for five years post election. Why? Because they live in sunny California!

A.I.

2011-01-24T02:51:00.000-08:00

It is one of those movies that makes you think even after it is over. Perhaps, this one makes you think about the most important thing, being human.

The story revolves around a 11 year old boy (read Android) named David. He is brought into a family wherein a mother (Monica) is grieving her son who is very ill. David, who is programmed "to love" starts making connections with Monica by calling her "mommy". Everything seems to be okay until Monica's real son (Martin) returns from hospital after being cured of his disease. Monica abandons David. And the rest as they say, is history.

Quite frankly I can't really say I liked the movie. It is good in some aspects. It is NOT that good in some other. I couldn't get my head around the idea that aliens dwell on planet Earth after the human race becomes extinct.

The bigger question I want an answer for is, what is the definition of a robot? Is it a machine that will do your daily chores? Is it a toy to be played with? Or is it a gadget one "just owns"?

If science were to make progress (and I am absolutely sure it will, although sadly not in my lifetime) and create an Android that could mimic or (for the lack for a better term), simulate human emotions and feelings, is it still just an Android? All about being human is to show emotions and have feelings, isn't it? Only because an Android is made out of micro-chips and sensors instead of flesh and bones, is it not good enough to be human?

Yes, I know, you think I've gone mad. But think about it for a minute, really, just think, what if you are a parent who has lost a child. What if someone brings you an Android, just like your child and who can (again, for the lack of a better term) simulate feelings. Would you not for one second think of it as your own child? Assume that the Android is bonded to you with all its energy, it loves you, but if can't reciprocate that, who is more human? You? Or the Android? I don't know what your reaction to that would be, but I do know that the Android helps fill a void. A void that was created in the first place by the rules of the Universe. Replacing someone you love isn't an easy thing. But if it were possible, the world would be a better place.

The King's Speech

2011-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

When I read about the contenders for this year's Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar awards on The New York times, I wondered why would a movie other than Inception be even bothered to get nominated. But, as it turns out, I was wrong.

To tell you the truth, it has become sort of an yearly tradition for me this; I make it a point to watch [almost] all movies which win either one or all of The Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar awards. And this year it wasn't going to be any different. I've already watched Inception, The Social Network, Black Swan and tonight, I watched 'The King's Speech'.

Frankly, my initial thoughts about the movie weren't great. But I went ahead and watched it just to keep the tradition alive. And I'm glad I did. The movie is not just good, it is in fact, great. Since it is based on a true story, you don't have to put any money on the storyline. The performances of the actors were marvellous. The movie, which is based around the World War II era, is simple in every aspect. And simplicity, is something I admire. The wardrobe, the splendid attention to detail was explicit.

You might think I sound a little biased. And I give you the benefit of the doubt as the movie is about the Royal family of Great Britain. Even though I act like an American, secretly, deep inside, I'm British. I like my tea at quarter to three in the afternoon, I'm always on time, and I spell colour with 'u' in it. Well, let's not deviate from the topic. The movie in consideration is an excellent adaption of a true story in celluloid form. Don't miss it. If you do miss it, well, you're an idiot then. Can't really say much.

Is it this time around?

2011-01-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

A lot of people might be wondering, what the heck happened to me. Why am I interested in the Cricket World Cup all of a sudden? Well folks, read on.

The World Cup is an extra-ordinary event. And even the most un-enthusiastic people (myself included) are bound to be surrounded by the hype. And apart from that, I wasn't going to miss my chance to do some predictions which are bound to irk some of my patriotic friends, now was I?

Let me be very clear upfront, the views expressed below are solely my own. Any individual who is discomforted by those, well, he / she can sod off.

I want England to win it this time around. Well, because they are the "inventors" of the game and it is bloody high time that they win one. Considering the fact that Australia have lost that vigour, and also the fact that England has won the Ashes too, it would be nice to see the World Cup 'go home'. Let's make The Queen proud. It would also be a nice 'gift' to Kate and William.

My brain has a different story altogether. South Africa, my all time favourite team, who are so good on and off the field, well, till the semi-finals of the World Cup might just do it this time. I believe they have what it takes to go all the way. C'mon lads!

This world cup would be the swansong for Cricket's two greatest contributors. Muttiah Muralitharan from Sri Lanka, and, the well known Sachin Tendulkar from India. Although it is incredibly ironic that Sachin being the "world's best batsmen" hasn't been able to contribute enough to win a World Cup for this Cricket crazy nation. Murali on the other hand was a pioneer when they were champions in the 1996 World Cup held in India. I believe Sri Lanka are the holders of the trophy which is the costliest ever. Indians and their stupid mentality of doing everything huge existed back then too. I was too young to blog about it, but I'm sure the famously corrupt sons of bitches organizers might have pocketed huge sums during that tournament too. Let's not open that door!

Let's just hope that it is not interrupted by terrorism. No matter how many assurances the BCCI would give out to players of other teams, everyone knows that blowing off a bomb in India isn't a big deal. When you can pay-off Octroi officers to get RDX into the city, how hard is it to plant it?

On a cheery note, let's just take a minute to consider all the teams who have the chance of actually winning the tournament. Let me guess, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and yeah, I almost forgot, Canada. You never know, beginner's luck might just help!

Is it fair?

2011-01-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

The 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, a ray of hope, seems to be in trouble. It basically says "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." In other words, children born to parents who are NOT American citizens are still awarded American citizenship because they were born-on-U.S.-soil. For generations, this "loop hole" has been used, and mis-used, and abused to the point that the U.S. authorities have now woken up to the fact.

I would not like to place the blame on any ethnic group here but who are we kidding? The Hispanic community (Mexicans in general) has been on the radar for quite some time now, and I feel no shame to say that only because of them, such a brilliant thing as the 14th amendment would be taken away from the rest of us too. The states leading the way in this so called "immigration battle" are California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. It isn't surprising that these are indeed the states that share the international border with Mexico. I've read and seen innumerable stories of people taking enormous risks to cross the border illegally. But, this piece of news on The New York Times is on a whole new level.

The news story also raises an ethical question. When the forefathers sat down and wrote the constitution, and formed the nation which we now know as the United States, they were very clear about three aspects; equality, justice and freedom for all people irrespective of their past or where they come from. So then, it is fair to discriminate now? Is it ethical to let go the principles on which the United States was formed and has stood till now? Perhaps the bigger question to answer here is how 'politically correct' would such a move be. When manpower to clean up the lawns, doing the laundry and driving taxi cabs is needed, Americans in general are 'fine' with immigration. But, when immigrants start to hurt "American sentiments", Americans don't-want-them-no-more.

Everybody is missing the whole bloody point, America is "a country of immigrants". Nobody is 100 percent American. Everyone has some or the other ancestry. I'm sure me blogging about this topic isn't really going to make any difference to the Supreme Court's judgment expected on this issue soon. But, keeping quiet about it wasn't something I was going to do. Let me be clear, the reason why I'm so upset is because I would like to avail whatever the 14th amendment has to offer. If it is revoked before I get my chance, I'd be shattered.

Let's end with a small anecdote. A close friend of mine came so close to make full use of the amendment in consideration. But things didn't turn out as he had hoped. His wife (who is Indian of course) decided to give birth to their child in India. And now, the baby who was conceived in the U.S. but is NOT an American citizen, currently lives in California.

Never Let Me Go

2011-01-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

How often does it happen that "big name" actors star in a low budget film? I'd say not that often. But, when it does, the result generally is good. In this case however, it is spectacular.

The movie is NOT something everybody would like. The story revolves around three 'cloned' children who grow up only to become organ donors. It involves one guy and two girls who fall in love with him. It takes the audience through their childhood, adult life and the challenges they face when they join society.

The movie is stripped down to the very core. The story line sticks to its core and keeps the audience engaged right through. Because it is based on a novel, it is fictitious. But, right through the movie you feel it is real. The connections the characters have amongst them and the ones the audience makes with them feel real. The story lives a life of its own and you are struck with harsh reality at the end of it.

I would recommend this movie the next time you are in a mood to watch a good, meaningful flick.

Tron

2010-12-25T22:10:00.000-08:00

The love-affair with Tron (if I may say so) started back in August when I saw the trailer for its sequel 'Tron Legacy' when I went to see Inception. The first thing that caught my eye was the bike. Second, the ridiculously glowy blue discs. The sequel's trailer was enough to get me excited about the whole Tron saga.

Last night, I saw the first part, Tron. First impressions were like, okay, this movie is too geeky. All the computer terminology which probably was the vocabulary of a few elite who worked for IBM or Apple. Mind you this movie came out in 1982, so there weren't many big names around, including Microsoft.

You see, the movie isn't bad, but only now does it make some sense (if you are one of those who can believe that there is a real world, and another simulated world). Tron failed miserably at the box office. The very reason behind that was that the movie was way ahead of its time. People weren't ready to learn about programs having behaviour. People didn't understand the whole concept of users creating programs, and then programs having a mind of their own. Like I said, the movie was ahead of its time. What I said about Inception in my post about it completely holds true in this case too. If Tron had come out now, it would be a huge hit. Because movies like The Matrix, Terminator, 13th Floor and Inception (to name a few) have taught us concepts like "the real world", "the simulated world", "dream within a dream" and many such concepts which are NOT that easy to comprehend, that now we can understand a movie like Tron. And perhaps, understand the story and enjoy the experience to the fullest.

The computer generated animation is patchy at best. I mean, I understand that it was 1982, and hence I'm not going to laugh about the red, blue and yellow lines. It is absolutely basic. Some lines in the movie are too cheesy. But, all in all, its not that bad. I watched it just because I want to watch the sequel. You wouldn't want to watch a sequel of a movie without watching the previous part(s), would you? One of my friends told me the following and I fell off the chair laughing. He went to see Terminator Salvation with a friend of his, and after sometime into the movie she asked, "What is Skynet?". Now, you make your own judgment about the female.

Why does America fight wars?

2010-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

This morning The New York times broke the news of U.S President making a surprise, unannounced visit to Afghanistan. I read the article and wondered why the U.S. fights wars in the first place? The NATO forces' clear mandate to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014 seems like an act of frustration and looks like a decision taken under immense pressure. Such a decision would only make life harder for the soldiers who are trying to find the Taliban fighters and bring them to justice. The Taliban have clearly mentioned in their communiques that they'll "wait it out" till the NATO and coalition forces leave the country. So, why spend $200m a day for a conflict which has no end?

If you ask me, I see there are three major reasons why the U.S. fights wars. I shall try to put forth my view in the rest of the post.

War Heroes

Everybody loves a war hero. Everybody likes to hear 'stories' about the bravery, and combat from their war heroes. For every generation, there have to be a bunch of war heroes. How do you create a bunch of war heroes every generation? You fight a war in every generation. The Korean war heroes decided to stay back in (South) Korea as they found the new land more attractive than home. The Vietnam war heroes returned home battered and bruised, but were hailed by fellow Americans. I would never even understand why the U.S. fought the war to begin with. Then there was the Gulf War. With all the American technology and cutting edge weapons, it felt more like a video game. It wasn't "search and destroy" for the American soldiers, it was "point and blow up". Eventually came the war of our generation, the "War on Terror". Its been nine years that I've (along with the rest of the world) been hearing news of a soldier dying here; another soldier getting shot there. So much for being a war hero.

Showing Off Military Power

I believe that the urge to fight a war is partly fed by the need to "show off" the new toys the military has. Stealth aircraft, radar guided missiles, unmanned drones etc. etc. American defense spending is not only to ensure the safety of the American people, but also to attract buyers for the equipment. But, the Americans are smart. If they have a F16 fighter aircraft, only a F15 would be up for sale. Its like Ferrari trying to sell engines to competing Formula 1 teams, they never sell the engine they themselves use. All those military exercises could be looked at as a presentation to potential buyers as if the military is saying, "This is what we've got. You better back off if you wanna engage us, or better, buy the equipment from us, then engage us."

Protecting the American people?

All to protect the constitution, and the people. I remember having a conversation about the "gun culture" of the United States with a very senior (by age) colleague at the onsite facility. He said, "I've swore an oath. Nobody can tell me what I can or can't do. I have a right to defend my own freedom. The constitution has bestowed upon me certain rights, certain liberties, certain freedoms. And I'll die fighting to defend my own freedom. That's why I have four guns." Every war that is fought, is fought under the name of protecting the American people. I like the idea, I like the commitment, but I don't think that is entirely true. For instance, how does curtailing communism in Asia relate to protecting the American people?

You might already know, if not, be surprised to know that the U.S. has never actually won a war convincingly. The Korean War, divided the Korean peninsula into two, and there never was a peace treaty signed. Technically, the two Koreas are still at war. The Gulf War ended abruptly without throwing Saddam off the seat. It was like a cop chasing down someone at 110 KPH, only to let go after a slap on the wrist. The Somalian conflict, everything ended when the marines started dying (watch Black Hawk Down for details). Somalia is now a failed state. Iraq, is a ticking bomb. The Americans will never be able to bring the two communities (Shia and Sunni) to an agreement. The bombs exploding in Baghdad are NOT planted to kill Americans. The Shiites and the Sunnis are trying to kill each other. Coming to Afghanistan, corruption, incompetence and illiteracy of the local population are three major reasons why I don't see the "War on Terror" going down well in the history books. Four more years and the forces would leave the country which hasn't ruled itself for the past 30 years.

So, who do you think is next, North Korea?

Pay your taxes

2010-11-30T06:11:00.001-08:00

Its that time of the year again when people run helter-skelter to figure out a way to save income tax. The only question I have to ask is, why? I'm not an economist, but I do understand that taxes are one way the government gets some money from the people. Consider that to be a source of income for the government. If you don't pay the tax you are supposed to pay, how do you expect the infrastructure around you to be at par with Europe and the Americas?

I've seen people filling out forms with fake "rent receipts" which amount exactly to the figure they would need to get the taxable amount down to the value they want. When you are NOT paying any rent, isn't it wrong to use that excuse? You might be thinking that I've gone mad, but I'm talking about principles here. If you lie about your income to the government, how good a citizen does that make you? Then all your talk about "India is my country" and "Mera Bharat mahan" is bull shit. In fact, you are then worse off than me.

I'm NOT a patriot in any sense of the word. Even when I know that my hard earned money upon which I pay the tax would be utilized to probably buy an Audi A4 for the mayor when she can very well do with the good old Ambassador. Worse even, it could be used to buy a hugely expensive balloon like the one used for the Common Wealth Games' opening ceremony, which doesn't have any use after it is used ONCE. But these reasons don't put me off when it comes to paying taxes. I've always been prompt in paying taxes, and will always be. It is one way of me making sure that I can break the neck of any government employee who dares to point a finger at me for breaking a rule. I don't wish to be an offender of the law in this country.

Games Indians Play

2010-11-28T06:52:00.000-08:00

How reassuring is it to find that someone else agrees with you? I'm sure you understand what I mean. If you've been a regular follower of my blog, you'd know by now that I hate everything that is Indian, and everything that Indians do. It was such a relief to find out that someone else, someone important, actually agrees with me.

The book "Games Indians Play" talks about the problems faced by Indians everyday. And also talks about the way in which these problems have become so much part of everyone's life that people don't see them as problems anymore. For instance, streets littered with garbage is so acceptable in every day India that no one seems to give a second thought about it.

Please don't attempt to read the book if you suffer from a false sense of patriotism. What is that you might ask. When the excellent efforts of the Commonwealth Games Committee was exposed by the BBC which was the first one to obtain pictures of the appalling conditions at the athletes' living quarters, I read a comment on the BBC's page posted by a guy who not only was 'okay' with the filthy apartments, but also criticized the Australian and British athletes for not being "understanding enough" and also claimed that India has better facilities than the UK and Australia. Now that, is a classic case of false patriotism. I don't mind when people are patriotic, but, actually supporting something which is wrong just because if you don't, you might be considered a non-patriot is ludicrous.

Anyway, I liked the book. It was totally worth my hard earned 200 bucks. Read it if you can.

Provoked

2010-11-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

It was late 2007 when I asked my love interest out for a movie. Although, it wasn't a romantic movie, and wouldn't have helped in my attempts to charm her, I still wanted to watch the movie with her. As evident from my current Facebook relationship status, it didn't go well. We never went for the movie. As expected, I reacted by "skipping" the movie altogether; until, tonight.

Incidentally I was discussing the acting prowess of Aishwarya Rai a few days ago with my colleagues. I said, "She's just a pretty face. She can't act." I take back what I said. She can act, but I believe it takes an international director to get it out of her. Even in this movie, she never was completely in character. There are scenes where in the audience automatically becomes sympathetic to the character. So, how much Aishwarya can get into character and move the audience are irrelevant facts.

As the movie is based on a true story, and deals with an issue which Indians in general seem to brush under the carpet, it struck a cord. Domestic violence is unacceptable. How hard is it to understand? NRI husbands with all their money, charm and a different coloured passport seem to be the craze even today. But perhaps, the parents of the girl seem to forget the distance they are letting their daughter go. It is ironic that the "protective" Indian parents won't allow a grown woman to go for a movie with friends in their hometown, but would willingly tie her to man whom she might have never met before. So much for culture and the girl child.

Movies like Provoked move me. Although it would sit high in my listing of movies, I'm afraid it fails to beat Matrubhoomi. A movie made here in India about female infanticide and its after effects. The director takes you into a world without women. I know, even the thought is horrible enough. Women are the building blocks of society without whom all we'd see are unshaven men and would smell dirty clothes.

I'd like to end this post with a small anecdote. The story goes, the Russian cosmonauts while staying on the MIR space station had stopped shaving and taking a shower. Since their images were telecast on television regularly, this was not acceptable to the Russian (Soviet) administration on the ground. To solve this problem, they found a brilliant solution. In the next mission, they sent a lady cosmonaut along with the others. The result? Well shaved men with after shave / cologne on.

Top Gear, Yankee Style

2010-11-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

When I read this piece on The New York Times, I thought to myself, this is stupid. Americanizing Top Gear has never worked, why bother to do it again? But, later I thought, okay, since the British have managed to pull off a 'working' version of Top Gear, the Americans needed to do something better.

Top Gear is a cheeky show on BBC Two (or One) which is NOT just another show. Top Gear is a shot of insulin to sick petrol heads who need a shot or two once in a while. Top Gear is a show which, while being entertaining, is also informative. The cars featured are not for 'the common man', yet when you see them being driven along at terrifying speeds, for a moment, just for one moment, you think, wait a minute, I can buy this.

Top Gear is magic. Top Gear is dreams turning into reality. The chemistry between James May (Captain Slow), Richard Hammond (Hamster) and Jeremy Clarkson (too many nicknames to be listed) is something that might NOT be easy to reproduce by three other guys. Top Gear is as much about cars as it is about silly, stupid things Clarkson, May and Hammond talk about. Top Gear is huge all around the world, and I believe, the American version will have to do much more than just 'copy' from its British counterpart to change any of that.

Gmail killer?

2010-11-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

Facebook has launched a new messaging system which is claimed to be the system for the social networking age. Integrating SMS, IM and traditional e-mail, it looks like Mark has another winner on his hand. Some people are terming this to be the "Gmail killer". Why? Read on.

GMail has about 203 million users. Yahoo mail and Hotmail also have around the same number of users. I'm guessing people who have a GMail id, also have either of the latter. So, it means the number of users out there are NOT exclusive. Facebook has 500 million users. So, a mail service launched by Facebook makes it the biggest player in the email market. Not to mention the additional revenue it will bring in.

I tried the service moments ago. This seems to be my email id "fbmessage+zrdoeezifolz@facebookmail.com". Which, simply is weird! I guess they are yet to figure out how are they going to give out the email ids. As in, would it be firstname.lastname OR firstname_lastname and so on. Another thing I noted is if you try and send the 'e-mail' to the e-mail address you used to register with Facebook, it doesn't work! But, any other id works just fine. I sent a mail to my GMail id, which is the one I use to log on to Facebook, and then I sent another mail to my Yahoo id. Only the Yahoo id got it. Perhaps, Mark and the team need a few more hours to fix the issues so that we call can 'Like' it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the POTUS

2010-11-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

When the entire country is suffering from Obama fever, it is more than appropriate that I talk about it. After all, I am an American by heart.

The visit of the POTUS (President of the United States) is always a big deal. It leads to hectic development of roads, cleaning up of neighbourhoods and most of all, doing maintenance of buildings which have been forgotten. I remember reading a story in the Indian Express that when Bill Clinton was around here, and he wished to see the Taj Mahal, the road from New Delhi to Agra was redone so that Mr. Clinton doesn't see the omnipresent potholes. But it seems this time around people have gone mad. I read this piece on the BBC and I truly laughed out loud. It seems coconuts on the tree are harmful only for an American president. If it falls on your or my head, the people around us don't really care. That, is classic India!

After learning about the "gate crashers" at Obama's dinner party for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it seems the Secret Service and the US administration in general DO NOT want to take a chance on who they invite for his ceremony to remember the victims of the Bombay terrorist attack. Which one? Well, the one that happened on 26th of November about two years ago, and the attacker(s) are still at large. Remember? But it seems not everyone gets the picture of the "security concern" when we are talking about the President of the United States. Some top politicians in the Maharastra government are unhappy because the US Consulate has asked them to bring along ID cards. They are asking the question, "whose city is it anyway?" Let me answer that on behalf of every American. When the President comes to town, he owns it. Get on with it.

As far as the meetings with the Prime Minister are concerned, I am sure there will be a lot of hoopla about trade and bi-lateral relations and stuff like that. The President will praise the country on how good a partner it is when it comes to Asia. And the same rhetoric will be played again and again on Indian television. The truth is, the elephant in the room, outsourcing is something they should talk about. Creating jobs back home is the number one priority for Mr. Obama. And, the 300 million odd middle class that is driving the Indian economy which primarily works for US based companies, is responsible for the mess the US is in right now. Let's see how things pan out.

The Social Network

2010-10-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Facebook. A word that has become synonymous with hanging out with friends; of course, in the vastness of the digital universe. A word that has the power to connect with anyone, absolutely anyone you want to connect with. All you have to do is "Add as a friend", and wait for the person to accept. Facebook made Oxford add the word "unfriend" to the English language. It means to remove someone from your list of friends on a social networking site like Facebook. Isn't that brilliant?

As I am an avid Facebook user, and recognized its potential when it launched for the poor people who live in the Indian subcontinent after like a billion years, a movie about it was definitely going to excite me. Ever since I saw the movie promos while I was NOT in India, I was eager for the movie to release. Since such movies wouldn't generate enough revenue in a country and society who can't get enough Bollywood material, the movie hasn't released here. And I don't need to tell you how I got hold of a copy of the movie in such circumstances.

Coming back to the movie, I would be very pleased to tell you that I loved it. Its a movie you can definitely watch with your female friends. Why? Because in this movie nobody gets shot at, nobody hits anyone else. It is plain, simple, drama. I would compare this to 'Pirates of the Silicon Valley' as you already know what the story is from the outside, and you get the inside story after watching the movie. The only difference is, the former had Bill Gates at its epicenter, this one has Mark Zuckerberg.

The movie is an inspiration to geeks out there who have an idea and want to go about implementing it. Yet, it also is a reminder to the geeks that their idea, might just get stolen. Also, it proves the fact that behind the success of a man, there is a woman. It doesn't matter even if she is a total bitch.

Watch it, and "Like" its Facebook page too.

ICICI Lombard a bloody cheat

2010-10-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

I met with an accident this morning. I was driving along my daily route of commute to the office. It was sharp 9 AM and Michael Jackson was singing for me. Suddenly I saw that the Hyundai Getz that I was following braked hard. I braked hard as well, but the distance wasn't enough for me to stop and get the car to a stand still. Unavoidably, I hit the car in the front. A guy was behind me on his Bajaj Pulsar and since Pulsars still don't have ABS installed, he bumped into me from the back. I was squeezed in between the car in front and the bike at the back.

I got down from the car to look at the damage. The rear tail light was gone, the rear bumper had a crack too. I went along to the front and saw that the bonnet had lost its shape. Nothing had broken on the front though. The Getz guy walked up to me and asked "Do you have insurance?". To which I promptly replied, "Yes, of course". "Okay then" he said and moved on. The bike fellow had already eloped.

Next, I went to the office and called up ICICI Lombard, who unfortunately happen to be my Motor Insurance Company. They promptly registered a claim and I was asked to drop the car off at the garage for a surveyor to inspect it. And so I followed the instructions and went back home. After a couple of hours, I got a call from the surveyor saying "Your claim can't go through". Amused by his words, I asked "Why?". To which he used his stupid Insurance jargon and told me that I had claimed a "No Claim Bonus" (NCB) on my policy even when I had claimed on my previous one (from IFFCO Tokio General Insurance). There is a catch. When I applied for the ICICI Lombard Policy, my previous policy was still good for another three weeks or so. When the new (current) policy arrived, I had been given the NCB. A few days later, I met with an accident and had to claim it from IFFCO Tokio. Now, since I had claimed from the previous policy, and, I had told ICICI that I hadn't, my current claim can't go through.

First of all, I am not a management executive to know that I am supposed to call the ICICI guys about my claim from IFFCO Tokio. I expect such information to be provided by ICICI. Since they did NOT do so, I am holding them responsible here. I don't mind paying from my own pocket for the current expense, but, I mind that ICICI Lombard has lost its credibility in my eyes. The guy I spoke to about this, Mr. Praful Shah, seemed to underestimate the power of blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Since I have friends who also own cars, and since my blog is read by a whole bunch of people, ICICI Lombard has definitely LOST its potential customers, and not to mention, me too.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

2010-10-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally watched it. After a long wait and hundreds of obstacles later, I finally quenched my thirst for the second installment of Wall Street drama.

I am going to be very honest here and tell you that I was hugely disappointed. I never reached the point of ecstasy I was expecting to. The movie did NOT surprise me. It did NOT dazzle me. It did NOT teach me anything. In simple words, it was the first movie from Hollywood in years that I am unhappy with.

You see, there are reasons why the movie fails to achieve the heights of my expectations. The most important one of those is that the director (Oliver Stone) expects the audience to KNOW the events of the Global Financial Crisis. The movie does follow the timeline of the crisis, but, it fails to tell the audience what exactly happened, and why did it happen. Its as if the director is silently saying, "you know what happened, do I need to tell you?". Well, if that is indeed the case, I would rather read about the crisis on Wikipedia than watch the movie.

The movie also deals with the personal side of Mr. Gordon Gekko. According to me, Mr. Gekko should be a man with the dark side, and ONLY the dark side. Mr. Gekko shouldn't be whining to get his daughter back. What's the point if Mr. Ghecco tries to be 'a good daddy'. Anyway, I seem to wonder if it was all worth it. Oliver Stone probably never thought of making a sequel to the 1987 original, but, after the crisis probably thought he had a chance and the motivation. Trust me, it was a bad gamble.

KBC is back!

2010-10-11T09:59:00.001-07:00

Kaun Banega Crorepati or India's answer to Who wants to Be a millionaire? as some people might want to call it, is back. Nothing gets bigger than KBC, we all know that. Its been a decade that the population of this country has got accustomed to idea of making a quick buck. I've loved the show all these years, but I am disappointed by the current format. I have my reasons, let me explain.

Well, to start off with, Mr.Bachchan seems to have lost his "seriousness". He is playful, and is trying too hard to be "friendly". I mean, he is best when he is fully into the role of the host and NOT your friend. Secondly, the show seems to have taken a "reality twist". I mean, why should the audience be interested in the personal details of the contestant. Thirdly, the most important minutes of the entire show for a contestant are the initial minutes when he / she is on the hot seat. So, the idiotic timer of 30 [and 45 seconds as applicable] which starts off in the initial questions is a dampener.

All in all, its a good thing that there is finally something for me watch on Indian Television. Hmm, now the show HARDTalk on BBC World News clashes with KBC on Sony!

Ayodhya Verdict: A Failure

2010-09-30T04:34:00.000-07:00

A verdict that was blown out of proportion and probably given more prime time allocation than deserved has finally been given. The initial picture looks bleak, as the judges who have heard the case for a long, long time have given a judgement which wasn't asked for by any of the litigants. The land would be divided in three parts is what the judgement says. Well, then why wait 60 years for dividing the land. Seems more like a panchayat judgement rather than a bench verdict. If I can shamelessly copy what my friend said on Twitter, "more like a family property dispute ruling", I can prove that others do agree with me. Adding to that, I can say that I am disappointed.

The cherry on the cake of India's shameless face of religious patronization came from the lawyers themselves, who for the sake of being-on-tv, shouted at the same time when others were talking. It looked more like a session at NYSE than a press conference. Why were more people than required were there in the first place? Were the authorities sleeping? Perhaps, they should be given some training on "how to appear on TV decently".

On final thoughts, the problem should have been solved in a way that would have been more mature and would have put an end to the issue itself. I believe in what I see. As far as I remember, back in 1992 the mosque stood there, and the land should have been given for the construction of a new mosque. Just because the Hindus "believe" that it is the birth place of their deity Ram doesn't mean they deserve a piece of the pie. And, let me ask why would Ram be born somewhere else apart from his palace? After all he was a prince, wasn't he? And, I don't see a palace on the disputed land. Like I said in my post in the morning, this is India after all. Welcome to uncertainty!

Ayodhya Verdict: Anxious Moments

2010-09-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

"60 years on and the [Ayodhya] verdict is still elusive. Let's split the land and build an IT park and a shopping mall. Who needs another Temple and another Mosque anyway..." This is what I said on Facebook and some of my friends support me on this. In a country which is trying to put forth itself as the next "superpower", riots and communal violence seem so retro. But, we can never really be sure; this is India after all.

I am working from home today. Not because I am scared for my life, but, because I can't stand extremists running around vandalizing property. Pune is relatively peaceful, we all know that. But, one idiot setting a bus on fire in some place will motivate other idiots who are scared to do the same thing before anyone else. Setting buses and schools on fire seems to be the ideal way of expressing anger in India. Why not, they are public property after all.

There's been a lot of talk about "India has moved on from 1992" and calls for peace with the "India United for peace" campaign, but I am one of sceptics. The people who actually run around pelting stones and setting things ablaze are NOT on Facebook. They don't watch NDTV. They don't care why they are doing whatever they are doing. All they care about is the money they'll get at the end of the day. Amongst all this power showing exercises by various political parties, the one who actually suffers is the common man. Don't get me wrong here, I don't want things to go wrong. But, I am saying I don't believe everything will go off peacefully. There is a sense of anxiety among the general public. And, the court is partly to blame for it. If the judgement would have been delivered on the 24th, I am sure nobody would have cared since the Common Wealth games were in a mess and everyone was glued to that. But now, intense media publicity has once again brought the Ayodhya issue under the spot light and people who didn't care about it are now suddenly taking notice.

No matter what the verdict is, no matter how things go on, one pending matter which has plagued the judiciary system for so long will finally (underline that) be over.

Mosque in Manhattan

2010-09-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

I know I am stepping into International waters when I decide to talk about the "mosque" in Manhattan. But, most of the people know that I like to aim big. Let's get cracking.

There's been a lot of hoopla about the proposed project of building an Islamic centre in Lower Manhattan. Nothing wrong about that. But the trouble started when people came to know that it was two blocks away from Ground Zero. Hmm, interesting you might think. You see, America is a free country. People have the freedom to say whatever they have on their mind. And this freedom is bestowed upon them by the constitution. So, the people who want to oppose the project are as free to oppose it as the people who want to voice their support to it.

Let me put this into perspective. I am one of the supporters of the project. Why? Well, I'll give you the reason. I believe the constitution should be supreme in any country. And, all citizens should be protected equally; irrespective of their caste, colour or religion. No politician or separatist right / left wing group should have the power or influence to make something happen or not. Having said that, opinion is divided among the rich and famous of America on the proposed building. The reason behind that being a lot of people have an emotional attachment to Ground Zero. It is not a bad thing, but, I am concerned that people are mixing emotions with development. One cannot think about development or moving forward in general when they are emotional about it. I know a lot of people died on 9/11, but nothing can bring them back. Similarly, opposing a religious structure in New York just becuase the perpetrators happen to be of the same faith is ludicrous.

America should lead the way. If the Islamic centre is built, it would be an example for the world on how to co-exist. How to respect each other and move on. The world desperately needs an example. Look at Jerusalem. Look at the Gaza strip. You want a more local example, look at Ayodhya. All these places are brimming with unrest and violence and all other horrors you can think of. Humans have lost the bloody sense to understand that God doesn't want us to fight. He doesn't. So, all the battles and wars which have been fought since man walked this planet are not worth it.

I would be glad if you comment on the post.

Special Powers Act and the violence thereafter

2010-09-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Indian politicians and Indian politics in general have yet again failed massively. Kashmir, which some people might call India's answer to Switzerland, is on the boil again. I've always been curious as to why people of Kashmir can't sit tight. Why do they always have to protest. What is that they actually want. Jokingly, all these questions are also applicable to a woman.

Well, I seem to have gathered some information and I understand that there are two major reasons for the uprising. First one being the reports of desecration of the Koran in the US. Which I should point out is NOT the case. The stupid Florida pastor backed off the whole "burn a Koran day" event. Instead, he was in New York attending 9/11 ceremonies. How do I know? Well, I watched them LIVE on CNN.

The second reason is more local. It is the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Although the act is pretty old, I don't understand the use of violence which includes pelting stones and burning down public property as a way to put forth the point the Kashmiris want to make. I see the whole fiasco as vandalism than a protest. Coming to the point of the act, I really don't see why the people should now have a problem with it as it was extended to their territory well over 20 years ago.

Now, coming to the point of handling the whole crisis, the state and the central governments have once again proved how useless and ineffective they are. Please let me make you understand my point, I am just not going to blame the government, but, I would also propose a solution. First of all, the whole idea of putting the region under curfew sounds incredibly stupid to me. That's the first reason people were pissed. I mean, those folks have had more curfew imposed on them in past two decades than probably the entire population of the world in that duration. Second, when the people DON'T want to see military people moving around in their cities, why the hell are they stationed there. There are no terrorists currently, tourism was getting back on its feet. Then why are 500,000 army personnel in the valley? Well, the reason is simple, Indian politicians still feel Pakistan is gonna attack. Oh give me a break! The country doesn't have enough money to feed its own people. Floods have wreak havoc, and it would take at least 50 billion US dollars to re-build Pakistan. Where is the money and the man power to fight a war? You see, Indian politicians are fools. All they care about is their stupid vote banks and the seat of power. If you ask a politician about international current affairs, I am sure he / she would go blank.

The solution:

Step 1) Reduce the number of Army personnel to a minimum amount. The minimum being the number it would take to keep the state government happy.

Step 2) Identify leaders within the groups of protesters and arrest them. No leaders, no followers.

Step 3) Bring on religious leaders to appeal to the general public for peace. Indians are stupid, religion still works.

Step 4) Scrap the stupid act.

Step 5) Setup a commission to identify the "needs" and "wants" of the Kashmiris.

Step 6) Boost tourism and create jobs.

Step 7) Make sure above steps are followed at the grass root level and maintain constant vigilance.

If someone important reads the above steps, let me also tell him / her that my advice is free. I don't expect any payment(s). If it works, contact me, I have solutions to other problems too.

Five Indian Festivals I Hate

2010-09-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to shout about this a long time ago, but, never really had the time and will power to put this down. Well, now I do. Indian Festivals are a pain in the A**. Why? Because, they are crap! People who have started to think I am talking bull-shit, well hold on, let me explain, will ya?

Out of the one hundred billion festivals Indians are proud to celebrate, I hate five. A small number, but I really hate them from the bottom of my heart. If I were to become someone important in the United Nations, I would definitely run a campaign to ban those. Can't wait to know what those are? Read on!

Number Five - Janamashtami

WARNING: Okay, Gujjus, get off the page, you are NOT gonna like this. Or, skip this festival.

What's with the hoopla around a guy who exists in mystical texts man? C'mon, get real. Alright, you like the blue coloured fellow, but, why trouble innocent other people who don't give a shit about him. Well, I am not talking about your stupid dance of running around in circles clapping hands or hitting each others' sticks. But, I am talking about the dreaded "dahi-handi". Why close down roads in order to organize stupid pyramid building exercises with no medical staff at standby in case something may go wrong. You see, Indians are brilliantly optimistic that nothing-can-go-wrong-when-its-done-for-God. Well, that is a stupid thing to believe in. The Blue guy isn't gonna stop gravity from suddenly turning "off" when the guy / gal at the top of the pyramid falls to the ground on his / her head. Agree with me?

Number Four - Durga Puja

WARNING: Okay, Bangla people, get off the page, you are NOT gonna like this. Or, skip this festival.

Alright, I like the deity too. She is "the ultimate mother" whatever, but, why deafen others with your stupid, stupid, songs. Noise pollution levels go UP whenever Durga Puja is around. Janamashtami is bad as it is just for one day, but man this thing goes on like forever. Ten days! Did you know, during these ten days, more girls between the ages 15 and 18 get banged up than the other 355 days of the year? Did you know that? All for keeping the "tradition" alive. Yeah right, banging up minor / barely legal girls is your tradition, isn't it?

Number Three - Ganesh Chaturthi

WARNING: Okay, Marathi manoos / bai, get off the page, you are NOT gonna like this. Or, skip this festival.

Same reasons as in for Durga Puja. Goes on forever, deafening music, ecetera ecetera. You know what my thought about playing loud, dirty, Bollywood music around Ganesh pandals is, its like, Ganesh comes in every year just to get his shot at that year's happening / cool / banging Bollywood music. That's all he comes for. I mean, how much sense does "Kanta laga" make when played at a Ganesh pandal. How much? None to me. And that's not worse. The worst part is the day when Mr. Ganesh leaves town. Everyone else has to stay indoors, and, the guys who lose the sense of time and go on dancing forever, do everything being drunk. Okay, so, you can perform a holy ritual while being drunk? Wow, so religious!

Number Two - Holi

WARNING: Read at your own discretion.

"The festival of colours", yeah right, modify that to "the festival of adulterated colours". Globally there is water shortage and stupid Indians are wasting it for fun. You idiots, you'll die without water. Probably the United Nations should take a call and ask the government to ban this stupid festival. Until then, people like me will be scared to step out, because the others think it is "fun" to drench a stranger. Excuse me, I don't like to go to the office drenched in water. Is it too much to ask for? Leave the people who say "I don't like Holi" alone. If you don't, then either you are dumb, or you don't understand English.

Number One - Diwali

WARNING: Read at your own discretion.

"We need to do something about pollution". "We need to keep our cities clean". Well, first things first, ban Diwali. Diwali is solely responsible for creating enough air pollution that would otherwise result when a billion cars are used for one month. Not to mention, a lot of people losing body parts because the fire crackers don't / explode when then should / shouldn't. Also, kids aged eight, who should be attending Science classes at school, don't go to school because there is a "demand" for firecrackers. If you care about kids, don't buy them. Ultimately, the "demand" would go away and the firecracker manufactures won't need the kids anymore. Interested?

On final thoughts, I DON'T wanna apologize to anyone who was hurt by my thoughts. I am totally entitled to have an opinion and I don't care about what one might think. I don't. For people like Siddharth, who hate the "Indian way of life", there is only one refuge from the stupid "Indian festivals", The United States of America. I am moving there soon, wanna join?

A British View on Driving in India

2010-09-01T12:06:00.001-07:00

I've lost count of how many times I've seen this part of the Top Gear episode (Season 3, Episode 6) when Sanjeev Bhaskar (the guy from The Kumars at No. 42) is interviewed by Jeremy Clarkson, but, everytime I see it, I laugh out loud. For people who can't laugh at themselves, please don't see the video. For people who are hyper patriotic, get off the page, read something else. For others, go ahead and enjoy it. Its sometimes nice to post something funny too :)

The Whole Re-naming Business

2010-08-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

There aren't enough words to put forth my hatred toward the whole renaming business. Some idiots and absolute lunatics form a team and set about changing names. Most of the time it is culturally motivated. I wonder whether the guys who actually perform such ludicrous acts have any idea about the social, financial and psychological impacts.

I wasn't probably mature enough to fully understand Bombay being renamed to Mumbai. And I am thankful that I wasn't mature enough, because, I can, and I do still call it Bombay. To hell with Shiv Sena and Mr. Bal Thackeray. Who the hell are they to tell me what I should be calling a city? Screw them!

This insight from Mr. Christopher Beam is good enough to know why was Bombay called Bombay in the first place, and, why was it idiotically renamed to Mumbai by equally idiotic Mr. Thackeray.

Like Mr. Thackeray is for Western India, other political goons reside in Southern India. Soon, Madras became Chennai and not until recently I learned from Google Maps that Bangalore has been renamed to Bengaluru. God! Baangaaloour was hard enough to pronounce for the American and European clients. Forget about them being even able to comprehend how Bengaluru is pronounced. In fact, the city I live in (Pune) was called "Poona" sometime ago. And, I don't need to tell you how I feel.

Now for the biggie, I read on Yahoo! that one stupid, insane, unworthy, disastrously useless member of Parliament Mr. Shantaram Naik has sought an amendment in the constitution that India should be renamed to Bharat. The motivation he is using is as funny as the idea itself, and I quote the article here:

He said "India" denotes a territorial concept whereas "Bharat" signifies much more than the mere territories of India. "When we praise our country we say, Bharat Mata ki Jai and not India ki Jai," Naik said.
I congratulate each and every person who has voted for this stupid fellow. Out of all his promises made in his election manifesto, the guy has chosen to rename the entire country. Bravo! I guess he has already figured out the solutions to the problems of power shortage, girl child education, HIV, Maoists, corruption, budget deficit, illiteracy, infrastructure, foreign debt, pollution, population, environment, water shortage, floods, earthquakes, terrorist attacks and so on, that he is spending his time in public office to solve stupid problems which in fact, aren't problems to begin with.

Yesterday, while having a cup of tea in the office, I heard about a row over a statue in some part of Pune which the Congress doesn't want there and the other political parties are opposed to that. Till that point I didn't even know that such a statue existed in Pune, and frankly I didn't even care. Why debate about stupid issues which the "common man" isn't really concerned about? Probably this is the "million dollar question" that needs to be answered.

No Horn Please

2010-08-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if I've ever paid any attention to the "No Horn Please" sign ever in my life. But now, I don't care if the sign is present on my way or not. I just don't blow my horn. Incidentally, I've acquired this behaviour since I returned from the US. For those who don't know, blowing your horn at someone is considered wrong, even offensive to some in the US. If you have imaginative power, just imagine everybody on the road without hearing a single horn being blown. If you can do that, you've just visualized a typical road in the US.

My brother who is also insanely in love with the US, was a little skeptical towards my new habit and said "how long are you going to NOT use the horn?" To this, I very politely replied, "As long as I can". Touch-wood, its been almost a week that I've not used it. 'Great', you might think, and also think that I am mad, but let me tell you this, I am having immense amounts of satisfaction when I let bicycles, bikes, cars and pedestrians through. My one trip to the US gave me a good habit and I think I won't be wrong if I say I've become a quarter American.

The Customs Rascals

2010-08-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

My current geographic location isn't Chicago anymore. That means, I am back. But, I am NOT too happy. More so because, the 'welcome' I got wasn't pleasant. Read on.

The worst hours of my whole trip which started on 1st July were the ones when I was in Bombay and in transit to Pune. The flight reached Bombay on time as promised by the captain. There was slight rain, but I did not mind that. I went through the "Bureau of Immigration" where the guy who stamped my passport did NOT return my compliments. Never mind, I was expecting way too much.

Next, the baggage arrived late by about 30 minutes due to some "technical difficulty". Never mind, I was expecting too much. Bombay is not Frankfurt.

The real drama started when I got my baggage and proceeded to Customs. The guy scanned my carry-on luggage and said, "You have two laptops". I replied, "Yes". "Speak to that guy" he said, pointing to a guy dressed in white. He was a Customs official. He asked the same question about the number of laptops. I replied to him with patience. He then said, "You can't bring two laptops". I was amazed and quickly asked, "why not?". I told him that one of the laptops I had belonged to the company I worked for and I had a letter signifying it. I then told him that the other one was a gift from the client. He did not seem to be very much interested in my story and continued saying that I had to pay customs duty for the newer laptop. He then called on his friend whom I shall refer to as Mr. X.

Mr. X then continued on his colleague's path and was adamant about me paying the custom duty. When I reminded him that the form A-09 which I had filled on the plane said that anything worth 25,000 INR doesn't have to be paid duty for. Upon hearing this, he sort of changed his tone and said "Are you trying to argue with me?". To which I very politely replied, "No sir, I am not. I am just telling you the fact." Meanwhile, my colleague tried to intervene and spoke to the guy in his native tongue, Marathi. Upon seeing that, the guy said, "Oh, so you are Maharashtrian. Don't worry, I'll help you." This irritated me. Upon some more "argument". I said I was ready to pay the duty. Upon which the guy fiddled with his calculator and came up with the number 8218 INR. I then asked him if they accepted a debit card. To which he said, "The ATMs are over there." He promptly spoke to my colleague asking him to knock some sense into my head. Which actually meant to persuade me to bribe the fellow. My colleague with all his zest tried to persuade me. I did NOT budge. I told him that I would rather pay the duty to the government than give a penny to the corrupt Customs guy.

By now, determined to do the right thing (NOT giving any bribe) I then went on to exchange the dollar bills I had for Indian currency. I returned with the money to the Customs fellow. By now, he had dramatically changed his stance. I am not sure whether he realized that I had done nothing wrong. I am not sure if my colleague pleaded for mercy. I am not sure at all. He said, "It's okay. You can go. I am putting your name in the computer." I wanted to ask him what for. But refrained. Instead, I shook his hand, said "I appreciate it" and left the airport for good.

Now, what do I get out of this experience? Well, first things first. My stance that Indian bureaucracy is corrupt has been strengthened and also that the government has employed some highly inefficient, corrupt and characterless people.

Common Wealth Games or Common Wealth Gain?

2010-08-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Yet another attempt to put forth India as an "emerging world power" has been wasted. Yet another chance to somewhat clean India's image of a corrupt nation has gone down the drain. Well, I was expecting this, so, no big deal.

Spiralling budget, unfinished work and above all corruption allegations. It has all gone wrong for India and its desire to be one of the best. Probably it is time to look back and realize that they really aren't one of the best. How can politicians run the business of sports? Why do people who have a seat of power need to "head" committees that decide who gets which contract? Jerks! It is nothing but a very good example of public money being wasted. Wonder why I should ever pay tax.

Media speculation and finger pointing is part of the game and no wonder that everything is falling apart. Amidst all this, as Mr. Soutik Biswas points out on his blog post here, the biggest loser are the games themselves. Somehow they have been sidelined and rightly so. What this proves is, India and its sport authorities are very much in infancy when it comes to organizing and pulling off a sports event. Perhaps I am being very gentle in criticizing the lacklustre effort to host an event of such magnitude. No wonder then, that the Queen isn't coming.

Swades

2010-07-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

I've seen the movie numerous times. And today, when I am in the United States living my dream, I remembered India. I know it will sound very stupid to most of my friends, but yes, I remembered it.

Swades is a movie that touches my heart every time I see it. It touches me for the simplicity of it. It makes me take notice of the fact that there are problems in the third world. I love the way the story of a guy who works at NASA can be related to every Indian-American who sometime in his/her life wishes to go back. Only to find that he/she can't. Because they've moved on in life and can't leave behind the luxuries offered by the West. The movie addresses the issue of brain drain. It also takes on age old customs and stupid beliefs which are rampant in rural India. And, I appreciate Ashutosh's work.

Being a critic of Indian politicians and India in general, it really doesn't make sense for me to praise India here. But people who really do know me, they'll know that I hate the bureaucracy. I hate the slow pace of things. I hate the fact that basic necessities in life which are taken for granted elsewhere, are hard to come by in India. Most Indians do leave because they want a better life. Deep inside they know that everything is going to be fine in India too, but, it is going to take time. Perhaps, they'll end up dying before being able to enjoy the lifestyle of the West. I am one of those people. I am not saying that the lifestyle in the West is the best, but, compared to India, it is anytime better.

At that point in the movie when Mohan decides to return to India, I try hard to understand why. Because, on his own he is NOT going to be able to help a whole lot of people. Especially with his skills of management, he would be good only when working for ISRO, which by the way is still in the stone age when compared to NASA or ESA. Perhaps, the movie was written from the heart till the point they did NOT think of the climax. But, when the writer noticed it SHOULD have a happy ending, he made the protagonist whose citizenship in the US has been accepted come back to India to a village to wrestle against the postman. Well, that's why I can't understand Bollywood.

Inception

2010-07-29T22:18:00.000-07:00

Let's start with the laurels first. WOW! I mean, just WOW. The movie left me speechless. All I could come up with after the end of it was the word, "brilliant".

Inception is NOT for people who are interested in movies that could be considered 'fun'. People who go to the movies just-to-have-a-good-time. You need serious concentration to keep up with things and even if you lose your concentration for one minute, you are dead. Its better to walk out of the theatre than to try and figure out what happened and making assumptions.

Think of it this way, The Terminator made us believe that robots could travel back in time and stop things from happening which would have an impact on the future. The Butterfly Effect made us believe that if something happens in one part of the world in someone's life at a particular point in time, then something changes in someone else's life at some other point in time. The Matrix made us understand the concept of 'fake worlds' and 'real worlds'. It made us understand that while physically being present at a particular place, the mind could travel to far greater distances. Consider all the movies I've listed above as the foundation to grasp sci-fi from Hollywood. If that is indeed the case and you agree with me, then trust me, Inception is the building which has been built on top of it. The makers of the movies listed above did all the hard work, and, the makers of Inception are reaping the rewards.

You have to be an idiot, an absolute moron to miss this movie. But if you are dumb, you won't understand it at all.

The whole Shivaji fiasco

2010-07-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Considering this is my first post from my country, I should be writing about the amazing time I am having right here. In fact, a follower of the blog said she was "expecting" a post on the subject. Well, I'm gonna have to disappoint her and continue what I do best. Criticize India.

What's with the whole banning-the-book thing man? India isn't a democracy anymore? Do you guys live in a land ruled by absolute idiots and incredible morons? Well, I think so. If Mr. Laine came all the way to India to write a book about a Maharashtrian king [please note that I did NOT say an Indian king] then why can't he sell his book? Don't get me wrong here, I like Shivaji. He was cool. All I've learned about him is from what was in my History text book from school and of course, from Wikipedia. He might have done some incredible deeds, but hey, the guy was just human. He might have done something which wasn't documented. If some of the material of the book is considered "controversial", banning the book from being sold isn't going to solve the problem. The book would have been read by a small bunch of 'interested' people anyway. By banning it, the government has given it publicity; which has lead to more people taking interest in it. And, I bet most of them would have downloaded a PDF version of it, or, might have bought pirated versions of the book. So, why the fuck ban it at all? I don't get it.

Probably India is travelling back in time to the medieval ages when what-to-read and what-not-to-read was dictated by the rulers. Mr. Ashok Chavan is a loser in every sense of word, because he has NOT been able to protect the interests of those subjects who wish to read the book. I mean, let the people decide whether the book has some controversial material or not. A bunch of political lunatics who take the law in their hands and burn down shops are not the best to judge about the contents of the book. Fearing riots and depriving people from knowledge is a failure of the whole bloody system. Of course Shivaji is an idol for Maharashtrians, but if it seems that Mr. Laine is pointing a finger at him, you don't break that finger off. You listen to whatever the person has to say and then make up your own mind about the whole issue. For instance, if you want to read about the most influential man in the World being torn apart, pick up today's Washington Post or the New York Times or the Chicago Tribune. Even the President is not spared. That is a concept called free speech, which Indian politicians have no idea about. Well, how would they? They are all a bunch of illiterate, power hungry criminals who lurk on the roads during election rallies and then go away hiding money in Swiss bank accounts.

Since I am currently in the land of reason, justice, and where free speech still prevails, I am gonna buy the book and read it here. Let's see who has the bloody guts to stop me!

Why Ancient Egypt Fell

2010-06-28T03:21:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of Egypt. I love Egyptian history, and, I am dazzled by the mysterious Pyramids and the tombs of the past rulers of the land. Given a chance, I would like to explore the land myself. But sadly, I don't have the resources to afford such an extravagance. Anyway, I saw this show on Discovery about Egypt. Actually, I saw back to back shows. One named "When Rome Ruled Egypt" and the other named "Why Ancient Egypt Fell". As you can guess, the second one caught my eye better.

To be fair, I would just talk about the first show in a couple of lines. It dealt with the time in Egypt's history when it was booming. But, it also talked about how the Romans [who were the mightiest people on the planet at some point in human history], conquered Egypt and made it even richer. The Romans somehow figured out the whole theory behind the Monsoon Winds, and, reached western India. They too liked what the British would come to like a long time later. I mean, the spices, the cloth, the jewellery etcetera. Okay, that's enough, let's move on.

Now, the second one as the title promptly says, talks about why ancient Egypt fell. Why all of a sudden, the most advanced civilization [at that time] vanished? What happened which never gave a chance for the mighty rulers of Egypt a chance to save themselves and their subjects? I always thought the Egyptians were wiped out like the Dinosaurs. Seriously, you might think I am joking, but I am not. I had this weird feeling that a meteor must have struck about 4200 years ago. We obviously know that they were absolutely intelligent people who figured out about planets, the solar system and beyond. They were so good that they could build Pyramids with absolutely basic tools and brute force. The Pyramids have stood the test of time, they have been around for 4000 years minimum. Man that is incredible!

Alright, you might be thinking that I am fooling around and I still don't know why ancient Egypt fell. Well, you can always find out yourself by investing an hours time by watching this video of the actual programme. But, before you go ahead and do that, I'll give you the answer. Water. Yes, as simple as it may sound, water was the only reason why ancient Egyptians died. Alright, let me explain.

In about 2184 BC, the Nile valley delta was fertile and abundant. It had forests, rivers and the like. Civilization thrived. Everybody was happy. And, finally after sometime, a civilization emerged which we now know as "Ancient Egypt". But, due some reasons still unknown to scientists, climate change occurred. The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt stopped, and, the temperate climate being carried to the poles stopped with that. Due to that, the rains which were supposed to fall, also stopped. Slowly and steadily the fertile land turned arid and finally into a desert. All this happened in about 200 years, which mind you is "quick" when we talk about human history. According to some inscriptions in the tomb of a governor, the times were so bad, people were eating their own children. That is groase!

The people of ancient Egypt did not have dams or reservoirs. They solely depended on the rains and the flooding of the river Nile. When the Nile flooded, it brought along a deposit of fertile soil. When the waters receded, people could cultivate. The water that was trapped during the flooding was the only source to survive till the Nile flooded again. Once the rains stopped, the Nile stopped flooding. Thus, all the essential ingredients to continue life were taken away. And, the people were left with nothing. A lot of them died, but, some of them who survived migrated East, towards the source of the river Nile. They had learned their lesson, this time, they built dams and reservoirs.

Image what would happen if climate change were to happen today. What if we run out of water? Which according to many experts is going to happen sometime in the future. That is exact reason why NASA is spending millions if not billions to search for alternative planets with water where we (as in mankind) could re-locate to. At least, we have weather satellites. We can predict what can happen. Although we are a little naive when it comes to understanding climate change and its effects, we are better equipped than the Egyptians to survive another ice-age; another weird climate change event. I am quoting Sam Neill from the The Lost World:Jurassic Park here which is appropriate in itself, "Life will find a way."

More Resources: British Museum's Ancient Egypt Website.

Green Zone

2010-06-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

It is difficult to talk about the movie when I look at it from the perspective of a documentary. The movie which claims to have been inspired by the book Imperial Life in the Emerald City written by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, doesn't let you down when it comes to drama, the grip on the audience and last, but not the least, action.

We all know that America is fighting two wars. We all have seen several films about it. We all read about the daily list of casualties in the newspapers or hear about them on the news. But, never have we been shown behind the scenes action. Never have we been told about why the US is at war. Of course, the revenge for 9/11 and the hunt for WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) are two reasons put forth to the world by the U.S administration. But, the US and the NATO allies have never found any WMD.

Conveniently, the war has been renamed to "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and now we know it as the "War On Terror". The movie blows open the whole point of going to war with Iraq. It shouts about the non-existent WMD. It also clearly takes on the US administration and its decisions to risk the lives of loyal American soldiers for a cause which doesn't exist. In a nutshell, it blows the cover of the Americans wide open. So, people who love-to-hate America, will absolutely adore the movie. And, for people like me, well, it puts us in a bit of a catch22 style situation.

The performances of Matt Damon and the Iraqi guy referred to as "Freddie" are excellent. I might tip the movie for an Oscar. The action is great, the CGI is brilliant. One thing I will not forget to mention is the shoddy camera work in the initial 15 minutes of the film. If it was intended, the director really got what he wanted. But, I'll tell you what, I paused the movie cause I got a headache.

The whole essence of the war in Iraq and US diplomacy is summed up by Freddie in one line. For me, that dialogue stands out from the whole film. About an hour and 37 minutes into the film, Freddie kills a General when Matt is about to capture him and sort of arrest him. When Matt asks Freddie "What the fuck did you do?". Freddie responds by saying, "It is not for you to decide what happens here."

BP vs MP

2010-06-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

Two great disasters, yet, entirely different outcomes. One happened off the Gulf of Mexico, while the other in Bhopal, India. The media outcry and the intense scrutiny on BP [which stands for British Petroleum and NOT Bharat Petroleum] has left the other oil companies Chevron, Shell, Total and the like totally awestruck.

I am not going to talk about the "excellent work" done by President Obama and Governor Jindal in Louisiana. But, I am going to talk about the not-so-excellent-work done by the politicians in India.

You see, there are two different perspectives here. The first one being the loss of life; considering which, the Union Carbide disaster wins without any doubt. After all, 25,000 is a far greater number than seven. The second one being the way in which the problem was handled. And obviously, we have to give credit to the politicians in the US of A for doing whatever they could, in a timely manner. The Oil Spill could have been much worse if BP wasn't put under the pressure it was put by the US media and the US Administration. Like the President said, the Americans "will make BP pay" for every dime that has been spent in cleaning up the mess. Here in India, 15% of the amount of compensation initially demanded was settled for.

Last night in the BBC programme The Hub, Nik Gowing, the presenter, talked about the difference of approach towards the disasters. One happened in the US and the other in India. The one that happened in India was far too grave. Yet somehow, the man responsible for everything was let free. In fact, according to some footage shown on NDTV, he was dropped off at the airport by "some government official". Isn't that pathetic? The guy who dropped the boss off should be shown the tapes of the "grilling of BP executives" by top brass of the US administration. I am sure he would officially shoot himself after seeing that. He should have done something on similar lines and should have helped bring the boss of Union Carbide to justice. But, back in 1984, who cared so much for the poor?

Soutik Biswas from the BBC, agrees with me on this point. He puts the handling of the situation by the Indian government in elegant words. Following is an excerpt from this blog post of his. "The story of Bhopal, as Mr Keswani says, is a story of a proud city and its people cheated and betrayed by a country and the world. For India, it is a collective shame and a disturbing reminder that its poor don't matter. Most of the time anyway."

And that's how the CITY crumbles

2010-06-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

It rained yesterday in the city. And, I couldn't get home. Its funny, read on.

As usual I left the office at around 6.30 and went to the car park. I was horrified to see my car submerged in water. Since it was Monday, I was wearing a tie and all. Currently my car is my love and I was angry yet at the same time sad to see all kind of garbage littered in water in side my car! Somehow with help of the security fellows I pushed the car out of the water only to find that it won't start. After about an hour's wait, it finally started. All electronics went bezzerk yesterday. Even though I was wearing my seat belt, the seat belt sign was blinking. That is just the start!

I headed home the normal way, sitting inside a pool of water in the car. The road was packed with cars. The traffic did not move for 30 minutes. When it finally moved, I saw a tree had fallen in the middle of road. I took a U-turn and tried another way to reach home. When I reached Baner, the traffic cop said don't go this way it is flooded as well. With no choice left, I called my friend and asked him if I could stay at his place for the night. As good a friend he is to me, he said yes. Normally it takes 10 minutes to reach his place from the point I started. But, yesterday it took me almost 3 hours.

I just came home. I am absolutely angry at the authorities who DID NOT do anything to alert the citizens. They could have sent text messages saying so and so areas are flooded, avoid roads which lead you there. I was driving without shoes for about 5 hours yesterday. My left leg is numb because of the clutch. I did not eat properly yesterday.

Now I know how people in Bombay felt when it rained a lot there and they couldn't get home. But, trust me, if it rains as much as it did in Bombay, Pune would be nothing but a giant pool of water.

My Name Is Khan

2010-05-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

"My Name Is Khan. And I am NOT a Terrorist." How can one make an entire movie based on that? Either Karan Johar is mad, or the people at FOX Searchlight pictures have completely lost their mind. Yesterday while watching the qualifying for the Turkish Grand Prix, a message arrived on the set-top box saying "My Name Is Khan is now available on Showcase. Go to Channel 375 now!". I thought to myself, anyway I had to watch this movie. And, I had never used the 'movie on demand' service from Tata Sky. So I went ahead and ordered the movie.

The movie started off like any other big budget Karan Joharish movie. Glimpses of the United States. A lot of NRIs living in San Francisco but can't forget the country of their origin [fuck them for that]. Goody goody factor and all that glitz one can expect from Mr. Johar in his movies is present.

If I recall correctly, Mr. Rizwan Khan begins his journey sometime in November 2007. 9/11 happened in 2001. So, was he sleeping for six years? Ultimately when the story starts to move at a snail's pace, we realize that there isn't much to the movie. One autistic guy trying to meet the President of the United States. And, that's it.

There are many directional faults. The most irritating one being that the [fake] news channel, PBC [PBS+BBC] delivering news in Hindi and Americans watching that channel. Karan, are you mad? Americans don't understand Hindi for crying out loud! The second directional fault, the ticker of the PBC news channel showed the President elect being African American. Yeah, right! The constitution of the United States clearly states that a person needs to be an American citizen born on US soil to be eligible for the office of the President. Did Karan do any research before making the movie?

Yes, I agree that it was a good attempt at making an 'international' film. But, I must say that Indian directors are not-there-yet. They have the money, they have the NRI backing, they have somehow managed FOX to sponsor their budget. But, at the end of the day, they lack the most important thing to make a movie, a decent story.

LOST Finale

2010-05-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Around six months ago I started watching the most remarkable series ever made for television. Well, a correction here. The most remarkable series ever made; up until the final episode of the series. LOST finally ended after six long years. And I must admit, the end could have been better.

I feel sad for the people who've followed it for six years; episode by episode. I am lucky NOT to have ABC directly on my television. Yes, I had to resort to BitTorrent to quench my thirst for "good television". Episode after episode, season after season, the number of un-answered questions kept rising. Who is Jacob? Why is he there? What is purpose of the island? Why can't people leave? Many, many such questions.

The writers did their best by answering some of them. I finally know about Jacob and I also know how the hell did he come to the island. But, the all important question, "why can't people leave the island", is still un-answered. For anyone who is a true LOSTie, the final episode was nothing but a sucker. Jack dies. Locke dies. I mean, WTF.

In a nutshell, the end wasn't what I expected. Google out a bit, and you'd know that many more around the world agree with me. Like I said in my Facebook status message, "The only good thing I found was they ended it with Jack closing his right eye (the series starts with Jack opening his right eye)."

To be hanged till death

2010-05-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

I might be late in posting about the conviction of Mr.Ajmal Kasab, but I wasn't going to be quiet about it. First things first, I lost a bet [worth 100 bucks] against a colleague who was absolutely sure that he would be awarded the death sentence. I was more lenient. I was hoping for solitary confinement for life or something like 238 years in prison for crimes against the people of India.

Frankly speaking, death was the only thing Mr.Kasab could have been certain of when he was picked for the so called 'suicide mission'. I believe he was lucky to survive the initial wave of self defence by the Mumbai Police. He was indeed more lucky to survive the full-on SWAT style attack by the NSG commandos. But, somewhere in my mind runs the thought that the Pakistani handlers were relieved by the fact that at least one terrorist was caught alive. If everyone would have died, it wouldn't have generated the intense media scrutiny and countless debates about Pakistan being a 'sponsor of terror'. For the last year or so that the trial of Mr.Kasab has been going on, the Pakistani militancy and the cause of Kashmir have enjoyed prime time media limelight for FREE. Is that what the Pakistani handlers and alledgedly the state of Pakistan wanted? If yes, then they are incredibly smart. Because, they very well know how to get the attention of the Indian media, Indian politicians and the whole nation.

As Soutik Biswas rightly points out on his blog post, the conviction of Mr.Kasab is 'symbolic'. If it wouldn't have happened, the people of the country who still have about 0.127% faith in the judiciary, would have lost it completely. Now, this gives the ruling government a chance to pat its own back and also gives a chance for the opposition to mull thinking, "Damn, we wish 26/11 had happened when we were in power. We would have done so much better." I am quite amazed at the pace at which the trial has been completed. Although it is being hailed as the "fastest criminal trial" in India, it is by no means 'fast', forget 'fastest'. The judicial system left behind by the British, still runs at a pace analogous to the broadband speeds in imperial India [pun intended].

I believe Kasab will appeal against the judgement in a higher court of justice. And, the trial for that will definitely go on for some time to come. Interestingly, the Rs.2 lacs per day (~$4000) being spent on the 'security' of Mr.Kasab will also go on for some time to come. Now you know why aren't the roads being relaid even though you are paying your taxes. During the long trial period, another incident like IC-814 may happen, and Kasab may be a free man. Only to find himself hailed as a hero back in Pakistan. He would become an idol for the millions of hungry, jobless and futureless young kids in rural Pakistan. He could give them a cause to survive. Thanks to the World Food Programme and the United Nations, that the 1.1 million displaced Pakistanis are somehow surviving in hellish conditions. The camps are filled with many potential Kasabs.

Finally, I would like to lash out at the Indian media for handling, fighting and convicting Mr.Kasab on behalf of the people of India. Even before the judge was ready to pass his judgement, Mr.Kasab was awarded the death penalty by the media. We talk about work stress as Software Engineers; I can only imagine the stress the judge had to handle the night before he awarded Mr.Kasab his sentence. The judgement was passed keeping the 'public sentiment' in mind, and, thanks to the media for creating, and spreading that sentiment. The trial and the judgement are a symbol of the impact India's media has on its people. The days when the judge considered every evidence provided before he reached his verdict with the only intention that punishment shouldn't be given to someone innocent are long gone. These days, the media handles the verdict part of a case. It even has the power to bring back cases to life which have been considered dead. Remember Jessica Lal's case?

Anyway, I would like to end on a positive note. For that, I'll look toward the West. Precisely, at the United States. Faisal Shahzad, the guy behind the Times Square car bomb plot [according to the US authorities] was tracked down and caught in 53 hours and 20 minutes. Also, he was read his rights and sentenced within a week. Now that, is fast!

United 93

2010-05-06T10:35:00.001-07:00

Yes, I watched it again. I've lost count now. Yet, somehow even after nine years, when I see the first plane crash into the World Trade Center North Tower, it is a gut wrenching feeling indeed. Why did that happen? It is the only question that comes to my mind which changed the world forever.

Probably because Mr. Kasab was awarded the death penalty and Faisal Shahzad was caught after the Times Square bomb plot, I thought of watching the movie again. It is really hard to find words to describe the feelings of the people on board the plane. People who were aware that they were going to die. And, it is another example of the human spirit that they went down fighting.

Terrorism is here to stay. Trust me on this. After Israel and Palestine, the extremists will find another reason to hurt the West and the World. The only thing that bothers me is how well educated, well of, well brought up people end up being brainwashed. If a trip to Afghanistan can convert a guy into a terrorist just by brainwashing him, then imagine how good the brain washers are. Each and every one of them can make a lot of money being a psychiatrist. Home grown terror is altogether a topic for another debate.

This post is dedicated to all the victims of the September 11 attacks.

IPL a menace

2010-04-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

If one isn't much interested in the dull game of Cricket but lives in India, well, he/she is in deep shit. Undoubtedly the IPL is a bigger menace than Dennis. Every evening as I get home, I see my parents glued to the television. To add fuel to the fire, they support every team in league instead of picking one. What it eventually means is a daily dose of torture.

I am not against the whole game of cricket, it is British, so I like it. But, the IPL is a vulgar form of the game which has taken away the whole gentlemanish approach. A boundary is no longer applauded by the crowd, but is celebrated by almost naked dancing girls and a bunch of absolute idiots who ogle at them.

An average of $300,000 as salary for a player isn't bad at all. Considering the fact that most of them are 'retired' veterans, it is good money for them. Till the time that the cricket crazy Indian supporter is willing to spend his hard earned cash, the party will go on. I read an article about the IPL on the Wall Street Journal some time back and it reflects my view.

It is strange how the business of IPL seems to completely NOT consider the point of creating a fan base for each team. Although every team is owned by a movie star or a business tycoon, they are stupid considering the fact that they don't have much say in how the tournament is organized. For instance, last night's match was played at Dharmashala. I know Dharmashala doesn't have its own team, then why the heck was the match played there? Every little detail has been copied from the English Premier League but the concept of home and away games has been missed out. That is preposterous.

My father asked me to join him in watching one of those matches. And, I did not cease to grab the moment to use some top class Jeremy Clarkson quote. I modified it for the situation and said, "I would rather have my ears stapled to a horse than watch this game with you."

Better late than never

2010-04-10T01:55:00.001-07:00

Its been 1320 weeks since my existence on planet Earth, and for the first time I'll be heading over to a place where I've always wanted to. Yes folks, finally my trip to the United States is just days away. I wasn't going to post about it right up to the last moment, but I thought to myself 'what the heck, let's do it'.

Currently I am in the process of meeting in person each and everyone who makes me what I am. Why? Just in case I die (due to one of several reasons), I don't want to carry a baggage and I don't want people to remember me for all the wrong reasons. I threw a little "treat" to close colleagues who are my 'everyday companions'. I tried to meet Shristi S. She was "busy" and couldn't make it. She reached me via GTalk and we conversed where I played the "nice guy" so good that I could have received an Oscar for it. Last evening I met my sister from college. Had a good time with her and told her she meant a lot to me without saying those words. Next in line is the inspiration for Bangalore.

The visa interview went like a charm. I was calm, relaxed and many other things which can be attributed to 'cool and serene' behaviour. It almost felt like I "deserve" the VISA and when I heard "Your visa has been granted. Your passport will reach you. Thank you. Bye." I did NOT jump up in the air or did a stupid little celebration. I walked out of the consulate, sat in the car and got back home.

I plan to go via Frankfurt, Germany or Brussels, Belgium. Touching down in Europe first is mandatory for me. Why? Well, before going to the 'temple', you wash your feet don't ya? For people who haven't understood the crux, you are on the WRONG page.

Really Sad

2010-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

I received some terrible news tonight. In fact, about 3 minutes ago. A close friend of mine lost a dear relative to brain hemorrhage. I had met her a couple of times at my friend's place and I must admit she is the only girl who has ever been polite to me on the first encounter. Other girls are so damn dumb that it takes time to realize that I am actually quite a nice guy. Her name was Priyanka and she was a student of Architecture. She was doing some kind of internship at a construction company in Pune. She passed away on 8th March on the eve of Women's day when I was busy whining about the Women's Reservation Bill. The weird part is that she never actually showed any signs of sickness up until 2nd March. Well, there is nothing that I or you can do about it but pray for her soul to rest in peace. Amen!

Don't drive coz the PM is in town

2010-04-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

On another Thursday morning, I woke up thinking about my pending tasks from yesterday. I did my chores, watched a bit of CNN and left for the office. But, I was to be surprised. All the traffic in the world descended upon Pune today. Every honking car, every irritating two wheeler rider, every absurd bus driver were on super charged hormones as they tried to edge their way past each other during the morning rush hour. To make matters worse, I saw a whole army of traffic policemen dressed in super white uniforms with their ID cards pinned to their shirts strolling around with their full khaki uniform cousins. As I am absolutely sure that they never actually work to protect the common man (remember Pune blast? Any leads on who was behind it?) who pays their salary, I started wondering which idiot came to town.

Finally after fighting hard with a zillion car drivers and about two hundred billion two wheelers riders, I reached the office. A simple Google search for local news threw the information that the Prime Minister of this country of 1.2 billion [minus one] fools was in town. Right, if the PM is in town, you don't drive, is it?

Why the heck do politicians deserve special welcome gifts like open roads with no traffic? Why the hell can't they drive along with the normal public, which by the way made them what they are? Why can't they experience the same problems every other resident of the city faces day after day? Why? Why? Why?

I saw barricades along the "PM's route" so that he and his whole bunch of stupid lunatics have a free ride in town. So that they can drive along at 80 KMPH on city roads where I am not allowed to do more than 30 KMPH. I know no matter how much I whine about the fact, the filthy political idiots are going to enjoy the "perks of the job". I've also come up with a motto for the Pune Police, "To protect and to serve [the bloody politicians and idiotic celebrities]".

P.S: Some of my other work got recognized here on this page.

Dropbox

2010-03-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted some piece of software that provides you with your files on your 'n' number of PCs without the hazzle of you manually downloading them again and again and keeping track of the "latest" ones? Well, search no more; Dropbox is here!

It is an excellent piece of software which is free and brilliant for everyday use. It was featured on the BBC's technology programme Click. I tried it and liked it. Hence, thought of sharing it with everyone who has any interest in what I say.

It is pretty simple to use. Download it from here. Install it. Create an account like you do for Skype before using it. You'll get 2GB free memory to be used. It creates a folder named "My Dropbox" wherever you wish on your hard drive. Drop the files which you think you'll need on multiple PCs. Even if you edit your files on your PC, the files are synced onto the server, so, when you access your "My Dropbox" folder on your 2nd PC, you'll find all the changes you had made to the file on the 1st PC in the file(s). Isn't that cool? Let me know!

P.S: It works on Linux too.

Adidas Cricket Advert

2010-03-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

"He can hit the ball for an eight. He can bat till the pitch grows grass. His coach loves him; my coach loves him. He is strong off the front foot; he is strong off the back foot. He is his team's best batsman. But right now, he is in my way."

No questions asked. If you wish to have the rocking background score as your mobile ring tone, download it from here.

The Hurt Locker

2010-03-20T03:16:00.000-07:00

Watching the movie which has won the Oscar for 'Best Picture' is always tricky business. You can't pass a judgment on it. Why? Because you just can't.

The Hurt Locker quite frankly isn't something which is all "nice". There are bits and pieces of it where you think, "was that needed?". A typical day in the life of an American soldier serving in Iraq has been captured beautifully. Having said that, I would have liked a little bit more 'action' in the movie like on the lines of 'Black Hawk Down'.

If you follow international news on the BBC or CNN, you are pretty much aware of the headlines received from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. But, to actually have to a look at the 'incident' that causes for that piece of news to become 'international news' is brilliant. The Hurt Locker directly takes you into the battlefield of everyday Iraq and makes you aware [if you already aren't] of the dangers and risks the soldiers of the allied forces take on day after day.

It is an excellent portrayal of the efforts being put in by each and every soldier. It is worth investing your time.

P.S: War is a drug.

Gone Baby Gone

2010-03-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

I am sad to write this post. I am really sad. I saw a movie which is not a "movie", but is a mirror for the society to look at and realize what it has become. By society I mean each and everyone of us. Although the movie deals with an issue far more grave in the United States, I am sure it is NOT exclusive just to the US.

A four year old child is abducted and the whole story revolves around the investigation and search to bring her back. About an hour into the film, you are baffled to know that the child is dead. You feel an intense pain from within asking the question "why that child?".

In about ten minutes or so, another child is shown to be abducted and killed. The protagonist this time finds out who the culprits are and kills the one who abuses children for fun. Such sons of bitches don't deserve a life anyway!

After some clever thinking and bit of suspense, the first child is shown to be alive at the country side house of the 'former' chief of the Boston Police Dept. Since he himself loses a baby girl at the hands of a murderer, he believes it is best for him to keep the little girl as her mother is known of having a drinking and a massive drug problem. Whatever the reason, the protagonist decides it is unjust on the part of the child's mother to not to have her own child. He decides against the wishes of Morgan Freeman and tells him he does not deserve to keep the child just because he has money and makes her sandwiches. He blows the whistle and Morgan Freeman is put behind bars. The little girl, Amanda, finally reaches her mother who by the way in the very next scene is shown to be going "on a date" without having someone to watch over the kid. Bitch!

The film talks about a bigger issue here. People who don't "deserve" to have kid(s) are the ones who end up having the most of them. I feel sad to see kids who are born to beggars. Kids born to people who can't afford a day's meal, forget about decent education. I am not saying kids born into rich families are taken care of decently. There are many cases where kids born in affluent families are left at the hands of a care-taker. But, do such people actually deserve to be parents?

In a fucked up country like India, it would be really really hard to convince people NOT to have a child just because they aren't affluent enough. If I am not making sense to you, well, you are more than free to leave the page, but, I believe some kind of restriction needs to be put in place by the governments of all the countries on how many children a couple can have. Otherwise, there will just be too many of us to survive on one planet. According to a statistic, a Christian French woman has a fertility rate of 1.8 while that of a Muslim French woman is 8.1. How ridiculous is that? Why would someone want to have 8 children? I guess it is just a personal choice or they use a very bad brand of condoms.

On a personal note, I would like to have only one child. Whom I can pamper with loads of goodies. An iPhone on the 3rd birthday? May be! Someone who actually has the privilege to do everything I only wished for. Someone who will proudly graduate out of Michigan State University or be the next big thing in the world of Tennis. Someone who is as cute and adorable as that-kid-on-television. Someone who makes me smile. Someone who tells me stories while playing with a toy. Someone who demands a late night drive in the car just to fall asleep. Someone who looks up to me and says "I love you". Someone I would love more than anything else in my life!

Alonso back with a bang!

2010-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

After two years of misery first at the hands of the thug Hamilton and then not-good-enough engineers at Renault, Fernando Alonso is back with a bang. Yes, he has won the inaugural race of the 2010 season in Bahrain. Yeah, this time the season started in Bahrain instead of Australia. Probably because the ultra rich Arabs wanted Formula 1 to start and end its season [in Abu Dhabi] in the middle east.

Fernando Alonso was always a good driver. The only thing he lacked was a good and reliable car. Now that he has the car in the form on the latest Avatar of the Ferrari, he is showing his true colours. Being a Ferrari fan I would've liked Schumi to drive along side Felipe, yet I don't want to take anything away from Fernando.

All I want now is for him to win maximum races and take the drivers' championship. It would be even better to have that Alonso and Schumacher rivalry back on track. I DO NOT want to see Lewis "the thug" Hamilton anywhere near the Scuderias. Enough of it now, let's enjoy the rest of the season. Yes people, F1 is back!

Indians are rude...

2010-03-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

I read an article on the Wall Street Journal today and linked it to my GTalk status message. Some of my close friends who know me to the very last minute particle of my skin, asked me how could I be so gloomy about this country. First of all, I do NOT understand the point of being optimistic on the outside when I know from within that nothing is gonna change. Secondly, I do NOT expect people to preach me. I do not preach anyone. I just lay down my opinion with proper proof. The Indian psyche is to deny things considered 'ridiculous' by the world and give lame excuses for existing problems, so, I do not blame my friends. They were born so.

The article starts off with "Indians can never be good terrorists," argued Canadian comedian Russell Peters at one of his shows in New York City. "They don't hate Americans...they just hate each other!". How true is that? I would say 100%. Let me explain. While one takes off from a stop light, he/she tries to reach the next one as fast as possible. As if a prize is to be won for doing so. In the rush to get there, one might accelerate suddenly and brake abruptly. Also, one might not let another motorist pass by even though the other one is faster. 'Why should I stop? You Stop. You moron.' is what one says about the other. And I bet, the other one will also be saying the same thing.

Another problem seen quite often is spitting. As disgusting it is to see someone spit on the road, side walk, the wall [and many other places one might spit,] it is NOT hygienic. Yet, you would simply let the guy/gal spit saying to yourself 'Idiot, such a pathetic human being. Where do such people come from?'

The article highlights several such problems. I commented on it and I am quite glad to share the comment here.

"Great article Mayank. And, I completely agree with you on the issue. It is not only irritating to see people disobey traffic rules, but also makes you look stupid just because you are the only one obeying them. Throwing the chocolate wrapper right at the point where it is consumed even though the dustbin (already overflowing) is just a couple of steps away, is an act only an Indian can perform. And, as far as giving respect to the not-so-affluent is concerned, Indians have achieved so many milestones that there aren't any left.

The problem lies in the basic education system and the kind of education being given by the parents. A child will only learn from his / her parents and turn out accordingly, we all know that, but the number of children being born to uneducated, uncivilized Indians are far more than the ones born to the civilized 'upper middle class'. If you ask me, the only reason India can't reinvent itself is the huge population. Until and unless some strict and stringent measures like the 'one child policy' are brought about (or a large section of the population turns gay) I do NOT see a civilized India in the near future."

Gagandeep Kandhari (Gags or 'Chill Man' for short) advised me "not to compare India to the U.S". My answer to him was, "I am not comparing. There isn't anything to compare."

Women's Bill - A Mess

2010-03-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

I am not ashamed even a bit to post this content on the 100th International Women's day. A bill that was supposed to give 33% reservation to women in the parliament was tabled today. As expected by me, the elected politicians of the country behaved exactly as they are NOT supposed to behave. They once again proved me right, that this country isn't the biggest democracy in the world, it is a Banana Republic.

Attacking the speaker with whatever means possible, tearing off documents which contain vital information, shouting slogans and above all, throwing things at each other. Bravo! The politicians have achieved another milestone. In fact, they have now achieved so many milestones in pathetic behaviour that there aren't any left.

Now, let's ponder on the whole issue of "women's reservation" for a moment. Why the heck do women need reservation? I do NOT understand how women can talk about equal rights and reservations at the same time. Then, all that talk and hoopla about "women having the same capability as men" is a piece of shit, isn't it? Women who have read up to this point and have started to think I am a chauvinist pig, you can leave the page. Thank you very much.

Let's for instance consider that this bill actually scrapes through. Still, it will NOT achieve the purpose it wishes to achieve, which is to give a chance for the women to speak up in the political game. What is the guarantee that it will NOT become another weapon in the arsenal of power hungry male politicians who also happen to have jail sentences to serve? For instance, if you guys remember, Mr. Laloo Yadav used his wife as a proxy to rule over Bihar when he was in jail arrested for a scam. His wife, who I believe is NOT a literate, became the chief minister of a state which I would be more than happy to give away. I have Bihari friends, I don't hate them like Raj does, but man, the state is nothing but garbage!

To end on a positive note, I would like to point your attention to my current favourite politician. People who thought it was Obama have got it wrong. It is David Miliband, the current 'Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs' of the United Kingdom. Why do you think India has suddenly started talking to Pakistan? Mr. Miliband made a brief visit to India and Pakistan just after Hillary Clinton was in the sub-continent and did his magic trick after which the "divorced couple" (India and Pakistan) decided to talk to each other without any 'pre-conditions'. I am sure most of you would NOT like to believe that Mr. Miliband had anything to do with the Indo-Pak talks, but, how often do you see the UK and the US openly accept any transactions? Keep guessing or watch CNN!

P.S: Today is one of those days that I wish India still were a British overseas territory.

For the nervous first car buyer

2010-02-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to a dear friend Prafulla Tekawade and to all those wannabe first car buyers out there. In case you plan to buy a car sometime in the future, you've reached the correct web page. I intend to be as informative as possible, at the same time being very very realistic about the kind of suggestions I make. Please understand whatever you are about to read is 100% my opinion and is NOT an attempt to misguide anyone in any sense of the word. Taking my advice is solely at your discretion. Any harm or loss or discomfort your decisions might cause to you after being influenced my opinions are yours to deal with and I shall bear no responsibility for the same. If you agree, please read on.

In India, a car is more than a car. It is a status symbol. Even if the "new age" Indian does NOT think so, it still holds true for most of the people. So, there are a lot of factors which one should consider before deciding to write off that all important cheque to the dealer. Now, I will cover those factors and try to make all of you more aware of the pros and cons of the process.

Budget

No matter what happens, money is the most important factor when it comes to Indian households. Irrespective of the fact that one has enough money to buy a car or can afford one, the budget seems to be the most important factor of the Indian consumer psyche. Well, to start with, ALWAYS have a fixed amount in mind even before you visit a dealer. And, decide in advance how much you can afford to deviate from that amount. Say in case you choose 3 lacs as your primary amount, be prepared to spend at least 50K (fifty thousand) more. Why? I'll come to that later.

Attention to detail

The first time one walks into a car showroom, he / she is bound to be taken aback and pleasantly surprised by the kind of attention given to him / her. The world suddenly becomes a better place with everyone in the showroom giving you that "VIP" treatment. From the free coffee to a couple of biscuits, everything feels nice. But, in the glitz and glamour of the car models and that cute sales girl, don't forget the actual reason why you are there. You are there to have a look at the car which could potentially be the one you'll get your hands on.

To start things, ALWAYS ask for the brochure before having a look at the car. It always helps to know what you are going to get at your budget. Remember, the dealers will ALWAYS keep the highest end version of the automobile inside the showroom. What I mean by "highest end" is a car with all the possible features an automobile model is provided by the manufacturer. So, in case you DON'T want to wonder why your car doesn't have fog lamps, then probably giving attention to detail is a good option. Cross check everything the brochure says with the car in front of you, and, please lookout for that Asterisk (*) symbol. For example, the brochure might say "ABS" but notice a small * which says 'Optional' at the end of the page.

The deviation amount we decided upon in the first section comes into picture here. You might notice that the difference between the car you get within your budget and the car in front of you in the showroom, are some of the 'goodies' you want to have. So, go ahead and stretch a bit for those goodies. On a personal note, don't think twice to spend that extra 50K. Because, you don't buy a car everyday. And its better to spend that little extra and be happy than to whine about the fact that your neighbour has airbags in his car but you don't even though you have the same car. Small things go a long way and always TRY to go for the top end version of the car.

Does it suit me?

A car says a lot about you. The brand you drive symbolizes a lot of things. ALWAYS think about the car and yourself before making a decision. Just because your neighbour has a red Chevrolet Cruze doesn't mean you have to get one too. A car speaks for itself and also about the driver. If you DO NOT attend college, then the Chevrolet Beat with all the "young vibe" isn't for you. Office going professionals would like to exhibit a calm and serene picture of themselves, and hence, a YELLOW coloured car is NOT the perfect way to do it. If you drive around in a Mercedes C Class, you might not get that promotion you've been waiting for as your superior might think, 'wait a minute, he already has a Merc'. The best way to know if the car suits you is looking in the mirror while standing beside the machine or having a picture taken.

Test Drive

There is no better way to find out about a car other than actually driving it. So, ALWAYS ask the dealer for a test drive of the vehicle. Take a friend along for the test who knows how to drive and ask him / her about the response. Being a friend, he or she will give you correct and hopefully trustworthy answers. If you can drive yourself, its even better.

Practicality

The salesman or the salesgirl will go on and on about how good the car is. Listen to him / her but ALWAYS take your own decisions. Before deciding, think about the usage of the car. If you DON'T plan to use it to commute to the office, then you don't have much to worry about. But, if you DO want to use it to commute to the office, then mileage is an important factor. Calculate how many Kms of city you have to cover everyday. What kind of traffic do you expect? How is the stretch of the road (good / bad / bumpy)? Every little detail is important to get every little penny worth out of the car.

A lot of city stretches means you have to do frequent gear changes and you'll hit a lot of "stop and go" traffic. So, you need good acceleration and a good gear box which is "notchy" and easy to operate. Also, the drive shouldn't tire you. So, a good driving position and good air-conditioning are must. Also, the in-car-entertainment (ICE) needs to be up to the mark in case you're stuck in traffic. Bad / bumpy roads essentially means your car needs to have good suspension so that you don't spill your coffee all over you.

My pick: Hyundai i10, Maruti Suzuki A-Star, Skoda Fabia, VolksWagon Polo

Seating Capacity

Most of the first car buyers tend to go for small cars. Since most of us live in nuclear families, they are perfect. But, what if your aunt visits town? Here, the boot space of the car [for the luggage] and comfortable seating at the back [for the aunt] are important points to consider. More spacious the car, more it is going to cost. Hence, this section and the budget section are kinda directly proportional. But, if you consider practicality here, the logic of the mind wins. You won't have to drive your aunts and uncles everyday. So, buying a car which has those "extra third row of seats" really doesn't make any sense to me. But, if you live in a joint family, then a small car isn't for you.

My pick: Hyundai i20, Honda Jazz

Resale Value

Why am I talking about selling the car even before you've bought it? Well, because it is important. The moment you drive the car out of the car dealership, the value of car falls by 15%. If you've bought the car today and [God forbid] want to sell it tomorrow, you're gonna get 85% of the value of the car if you're lucky. The more costlier the car, the more quicker it is to lose its value. Strange, but true! So, even before you've decided to buy your car and eventually decide to associate yourself with a particular brand, think about its resale value. Some brands DO NOT attract second hand buyers, so, in case you still want that "foreign" brand, be prepared to keep the car till you die.

My pick: Maruti Suzukis and Hyundais

Accessories

This is an area where a lot of people tend to cut back. DON'T! A car without accessories is as good as a girl without makeup. Always have a separate budget for accessories. In case you go for the highest end version of the car, you WON'T have to buy a lot of accessories. Music player, tubeless tires, seat covers, mud flaps, floor mats etc. etc. fall in the category of accessories. Choose the ones which you feel are the most important. The dealer will try to stick you with a huge list, but, don't budge and simply tell him "this and this are the things I want. Thank you very much." Speaking of the dealer, always try to get something for FREE. Yes, you have the right to ask for things for free. After all, the dealer is making a lot of money out of the sale. So, things like floor mats, car perfume, seat covers should be FREE [on purchase of top end cars only]. Something called "rust-proofing" the car is a MUST. Please don't cut back on that.

Insurance

No matter what happens, always insure the automobile. Preferably, insure it from the dealer himself before the delivery. Always check the insurance documents before you sign them. Check for coverage of all eventualities like 'damage during an earthquake' to 'damage during a terrorist attack'. Most dealers have a tie up with a particular insurer. In case you DON'T want to insure your car with the default insurer because they DON'T cover the eventualities you want, speak to your dealer about it. Remember, if you DON'T get what you want, there are always OTHER dealers in the city :)

So fellas, that's all. I hope you are good to go and get your hands on your dream car in a smart way. Please comment if you liked the post and don't comment if you didn't :D

Australia

2010-02-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to know about the "The stolen generation" ever since I saw Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology to its members and the nation.

Then I came to know about a book named "The Commonwealth of thieves: The story of founding of Australia". A little peek into the history of Australia on Wikipedia will give elaborate details of the birth of Australia. I shall not go into that.

The book is pretty expensive and also is currently "out of stock" on many online book stores. Then, I found a movie named 'Australia' in my movie collection. I saw it today and I must say, it is a fantastic piece of art. The writer has managed to bring about the message that, whatever treatment the aboriginals of Australia were put through, it wasn't correct.

The story revolves around a little aboriginal boy, a widow of an English merchant who had cattle ranches in Australia and a guy who worked for him. The lady kinda adopts the boy when his biological mother dies. She takes care of him treating him as if her own son. Although initially behaving as if they can't stand each other, the widow falls for the guy who helps her beat her competitor and eventually becomes part of the family which the lady considers to be perfect.

After a fair bit of happy times, the Japanese attack Australia as part of World War II and that is when the aboriginal children are forcefully put on an island just outside Darwin known as Mission Island where the lord is believed to protect the children. The "whites" evacuate and decide to leave Australia to the people who believe it is theirs. Heroically, our guy saves the surviving children after the attack on the island by the Japanese. The family re-unites and it is shown to be a happy ending only to later reveal that the boy leaves with his aboriginal grandfather to live a life the aboriginals have lived for thousands of years.

No matter who apologizes for the stolen generation, the scars will always remain. A little Googling brought up a page which talks about tribals from India who weren't allowed to live their way life, and no points for guessing, no body apologized for that.

Afghanistan from a Soldier's Camera

2010-02-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Having seen a number of war films and the series "Generation Kill", I am pretty much aware of the things the soldiers who are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq go through every day. But, there can't be something better than an audio film with pictures clicked by a soldier himself. I saw it today on the BBC's website and I would recommend each and every one of you to have a look at it. Click here to see it.

The Cult of the Suicide Bomber

2010-02-15T06:38:00.000-08:00

After Sunday's blast in Pune, I was expected to write something about it. One of my friends Santosh Salgar actually asked why I didn't. Well, I couldn't find time on Sunday.

Pune's blast on Sunday is just one more grim reminder of the security situation in the country. Considering the fact that gun fire was heard in the same area about 2 weeks ago, it should have been a wake up call for the authorities. Even after huge promises by the authorities after the attack in Bombay on 26th November 2008, even after going on a huge spending spree, the police force is still ill equipped with the most basic of means required to combat new age terror. Please notice, I mentioned new age terror. The terrorists are no longer religious fanatics out on a mission. Most of them are well educated guys who although shouldn't take that road, do take it. My post is dedicated to all the casualties of the Pune blast. May their souls rest in peace!

I believe we live in testing times. Terrorism knows no boundaries these days. It doesn't seem very long ago when the world's first suicide bomber, a kid aged 13, yes, just 13, crawled below an Iranian tank and blew it up along with himself. This information is courtesy a series named "The Cult of The Suicide Bomber" which airs every Wednesday at 10PM IST on FOX History and Entertainment.

It is unbelievable how women step up to carry out a "holy mission". I remember, in one of the episodes, they interviewed the mother of the first female suicide bomber. She was from Palestine. She blew herself up in Israel. Her mother, who wasn't sad at the loss of her daughter was worried about the fact that Jews had touched the pieces of her body which remained after the blast. How weird is that? Was she indeed her mother?

Now, Hamas is recruiting children as the authorities get stricter on women as well. I wish it wasn't happening. If Palestine was given away by Israel, 700 Israelis wouldn't have lost their lives during the bloody confict. If Kashmir was given away to Pakistan, thousands of Indians wouldn't have died. If Sri Lanka had been split into two, ten of hundreds in Lanka wouldn't have died and Rajiv Gandhi would still have been alive. Is resisting terror worth it? Wouldn't it be simpler if the demands of the terrorists are met?

A suicide bomber kills many and devastates hundreds. He / She dies for a cause. He / She dies for a reason. He / She is willing to lay down his / her life for the sake of a nation / group. But, wouldn't we think of him / her differently if he /she were a soldier who died in combat? Think again!

500 Days of Summer

2010-02-13T05:35:00.000-08:00

Yes I finally watched it today. After months of waiting to find the time and the right mood to watch a "romantic comedy", I finally did it. Although I am huge fan of the original soundtrack of the movie, I will admit that I am not a fan of the movie itself. Its not bad, not pathetic in any sense of the word, but, at the end of it, I asked the question "what's in it for me?" and I couldn't answer it.

It is nothing but a new age piece of art, being directed in a "cool" way by the director, who tries to the address the age old $100 trillion question, "What do women want?".

The protagonist is a guy who works at a company which produces greeting cards. Hmm, I always wondered who are the people who come up with such cheesy lines. Anyway, he is then attracted to the 'new' assistant of the owner of the company known as "Summer". Cool name huh! He completely falls for her although completely denying it to his friends. When you start feeling that he's never gonna tell her, one fine evening, his friend who is absolutely drunk, gives away the vital piece of information that the guy "likes" the girl. Pouncing on it, the girl, gets him, telling him that she likes him too and makes him do whatever she likes.

As they say, every tail has its sting and every tale has its twist, things turn bad when the guy admits that he is probably falling in love with her and he wants the relationship to "go somewhere". Although very ironic, the girl freaks out! She tells him clearly that she "likes" him, but, wants the things to be how they are. Our idiotic hero falls for it again. Damn you!

After some more crap and "cool direction", we eventually see a ring on her finger. And you think, wait a second, wasn't she not looking for something casual? Yes, she was looking for everything casual, but one day wakes up and decides to do things differently. And in case you needed pointing, our hero did NOT give her the ring.

The best part of the movie was when one of the friends advices him to write a book to get over her. Good advice. Nobody gave me that, but I did it and I am doing good. But, only one thing remains to be told her which by the way also applies to the poisonous bitch in the film. She is selfish. She is mean. Always goes about her own way. Either she's an evil, emotionless, miserable human being, or... she's a robot.

Shiv Sena - The SS and The 3 idiots

2010-02-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am comparing the Shiv Sena to the SS. I ain't gonna compare it to the Taliban, because, it would be a shame on the Taliban itself. Whatever the Taliban does, is pretty much for the cause of Islam, well, I hope so. But in case of the Shiv Sena, I would say they are pretty much tagging along the "marathi manoos" momentum created by the MNS.

Uddhav Thackeray, the son of the so called "great" Mr. Bal Thackeray was a dormant Anaconda lying around in the political streets of Mumbai up until recently. But now, he is roaring like a lion [he thinks he is] on a cause created by a guy I love to hate, Mr. Raj Thackeray. The whole "marathi manoos" hype and hoopla is being blown out of proportion. If migrant workers are such a pain in the ass, if the biharis or the "north indians" are bad because they are stealing the jobs away from unemployed marathi youth, I believe all the chauvinists are in for a shock because I bet not many marathis would take a job of standing outside an Adidas or a Puma store all day long and open the door for customers of the store. Not many marathi youth would open up a "pani puri ki tapri" and make a living out of it. Not many marathi youth would like to be a cab driver for their entire life. Its like the Americans complaining about the Mexicans but still wanting them to clean their garbage. I ain't sure why or what these '3 idoits' [Bal, Uddhav and Raj] are shouting about.

It is yet another example of how it happens only in India that one controversy leads to another. How Pakistani players not being picked in the IPL leads to a movie not being released. Actually, I wanted to see the movie to know why SRK wants to meet the President of the United States. My regular followers need not be told what the "real reason" for that would be.

Meanwhile, the one guy who stole the show irrespective of the fact he hadn't done anything but added fuel to the fire, was, Rahul Gandhi. "Rahul Gandhi takes local train to defy Sena threat" read one of the headlines at quarter past three in the afternoon today. Virtually every Indian media house who has a decent website was showing off the video clip of the politician boarding the common man's way of transport, with of course a whole lot of security personnel. Having the entire city's police at his disposal, I don't think Rahul would have cared if Bin Laden himself would have threatened him from visiting Mumbai.

If Raj's idea of separate nationhood for Maharashtra is to be taken seriously, I will be the first ones to leave. Why? Well, I ain't interested in living in a land where I am supposed to be "fluent" in the local language in order to get a right to live there. I've lived here my entire life, but I barely speak any Marathi, and why should I? English is what the world speaks and let it be that way. After all, we are part of the commonwealth, aren't we?

Top Gear Epic Races

2010-01-23T10:29:00.000-08:00

TopGear is a programme basically dedicated to automobiles. Some time ago [2004] BBC South Asia used to air a stripped down version of the programme which lasted 30 minutes instead of the actual one hour. Since they stopped "airing" the programme, I kinda lost touch. But now, thanks to broadband internet, I am back in the list of TopGear viewers. Although, I can go on about TopGear for more than a paragraph, I'll just focus on the "epic races" which stand out as the best episodes of TopGear.

Aston Martin DB9 Vs TGV and Euro Star [London to Monte Carlo]

The first of the epic races, it was mind blogging to even think that the car would win the race against the fastest trains in the world. But, as impossible it may sound, the car reached the finishing point before Richard Hammond and James May [who took the trains] reached. Jeremy Clarkson [and the car] had proved that no matter how good public transport is, no matter how well it may tick like clock-work, it is no match for a car like the Aston Martin DB9.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti Vs A Jet Plane [London to Verbier, Switzerland]

The second of the epic races, it was hard to bet on the Ferrari. No matter how good a Ferrari is, it can't beat a plane was what I thought. But as I eventually found out, I was wrong. The Ferrari reached the finishing line just minutes before the Richard and Hammond crossing them on the way there.

Merces-Benz SLR McLaren Vs A boat [London to Oslo, Norway]

The third of the epic races, it is my favourite of them all. Richard and James had the obvious advantage when all they had to do was to take a plane to New Castle, England from Heathrow, London and get on a boat that would take them to Norway. Jeremy on the other hand had to reach Oslo via England - France - Belgium - Holland - Germany - Denmark - Sweden - Norway, that is eight countries. No prizes for guessing, the Mercedes McLaren beat the guys by miles. James and Richard had reached the finishing point by the time Jeremy laughed at their misery, celebrated victory, flew back home and was half way through supper.

Bugatti Veyron Vs A private plane [Alba, Italy to London]

The fourth of the epic races, this one was in a league of its own. The Bugatti Veyron is the fastest and the costliest car in the world. So, given a chance to drive at more than 200 miles per hour almost the entire way to London, it wasn't hard to beat a small plane referred to as "the flying washing machine" by Jeremy. This victory for the car was a hollow one.

Nissan GTR Vs The Bullet Train [Hakui to Chiba]

The last of the epic races, it was a race across Japan. The bullet train which precisely arrived at 11.32 AM much to the amusement of Richard and James, wasn't good enough to take on Jeremy and the best Japanese sports car ever. Once again Jeremy brought the car home comfortably although he had his problems with communication and the Japanese. Reaching the finishing line just 3 minutes and 12 seconds before the duo of Hammond and May, this was the closest race ever for Jeremy.

Invictus

2010-01-16T04:43:00.000-08:00

Witnessing some thing marvelous in spite of the fact that you are sitting in your living room on a lousy Saturday evening is "nice". I saw Invictus today, and I can't tell you how good it is. May be I have a "gift" that I pick only good movies to watch. I saw a trailer on Talking Movies on the BBC sometime ago and since then I wanted to watch it. Given the fact that such a wonderful piece of drama would never be released in India, I resorted to BitTorrent.

Morgan Freeman fits the role of Nelson Mandela to the fullest. Although I accept that I haven't seen much of Mandela, I believe Freeman's "free access" to Mr. Mandela himself during the course of the movie [to understand about him and portray him], helped him to "ape" him brilliantly.

Matt Damon is in a league of his own. He is calm, subtle and pulls off the character of François Pienaar with ease. Nothing more needs to be said about the performances of the film, because, apart from the two I've mentioned, there aren't any more actors to look up to. But, I must mention the many small actors with simple, small roles who play them perfectly to create the wave of emotion which grips you in the final scenes of the film. No matter how busy you are, nothing explains missing this masterpiece.

The movie has been named upon a poem which Mr. Mandela cherished during his stay on Robben Island. I found it to be very nice. Here goes Invictus by William Ernest Henley,

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

Honesty is the best policy

2010-01-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

A long time ago I had read in the books and time and again reminded by my mum, "Honesty is the best policy". Today, after a long time, I've read about a practical example of how to "practice" it. A cab driver in New York of Bangladeshi origin returned a bag containing $21,000 cash, some jewellery and passports to the owner.

The passenger was a 72 year old woman who accidentally forgot the bag which had the money for a vacation in the United States. The driver then tracked her down to an address in Long Island, New York. When he reached there, he found no one at home and hence left a note with his number for the owners to call. Once the phone rang, he went back and gave the bag to the owner. When she wanted to reward him for his honesty, he refused to take any reward since it would be against Islam. Now that is what I call a "true muslim" and not the hypocrites who call themselves Muslims but do all kinds of heinous acts. We know them better as the Taliban or [the new kid on the block] Al-Qaeda for the Arabian Peninsula.

Read the cheerful news story here on the BBC, on MSNBC, on Fox News and on Telegraph. Nothing but absolutely brilliant! Here is another such story.

Earth 2100

2010-01-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

My love with disaster movies and the curiosity to know how the human race will face extinction bumped me into another special "documentary" shown on ABC in 2009. Here is the torrent. In case you don't want to download it, you can watch it on YouTube in nine parts.

The documentary basically focuses on special milestones like 2015, 2050 and 2075 that lead up to 2100. The content of the film can be absolutely compared to something straight out of science fiction. But, I can assure you, after you're done watching it, you'll definitely think for a second "this could be true".

Although the scenario depicted in the documentary is totally "worst case", let us ask ourselves, how many times have we as humans not encountered worst case scenarios? In case you are seeking examples, I have two, World War I and World War II. So, the possibility of society as we know it crumbling under the pressure of over population and scarce resources is likely.

It is estimated that global population will reach 9 billion by the year 2050. According to current United Nations and WHO reports, nearly 500 million people starve everyday around the world [some facts]. We currently have a population of 6.2 billion to sustain. Imagine what would happen when we actually reach 9 billion. Water shortages are the order of the day in many parts of the world. With more people on the planet and the rainfall getting lesser with each passing year, we would be left with little fresh water at our disposal. Large scale sea water 'desalination' projects would have to be undertaken across the planet to make fresh drinking water available from the oceans.

With rising sea levels, the small island nations will disappear. All the people living there would be refugees in some other countries. Rising temperatures are creating a climate which is unsuitable for farming in many parts of the world. Cyclones, floods and droughts all year round in some or the other part of the world are making the lives of the farmers miserable. Not to mention, newer viruses and diseases are coming into the picture and be assured, we haven't seen anything yet.

Lack of available resources would trigger 'the animal' inside every human being to fight for himself / herself and countries would go to war over as simple a resource as water. "Civilized Society" at large will disappear and riots would be common place. Mass migration will take place when desperate people will cut across international borders in search of food and water. Governments will fail.

Sounds scary? Yes, indeed it is scary. But, we can change that. 2100 doesn't have to be scary at all. If every human being on the planet does his / her part from today, we can bring about change and create a sustainable planet. A simple Google search on "how to go green" will bring a whole load of information for you to browse through. Simple examples would be, use energy efficient bulbs, buy a car which is good on fuel economy, even better if you buy a hybrid car if you can, recycle waste, use water preciously, install solar panels at home, walk to the supermarket instead of driving there, plant trees.

All of us today live in severely testing times. Our forefathers gave us the planet and it is our responsibility to pass it on to the future generation(s). If we can't do that, then I hope, none of us are alive in 2100.

Indian Standard Time

2010-01-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

After a long time I've finally found some time to post on my beloved blog. How appropriate if I write something about time? I am no big author to capture the moment in mesmerizing words, so, I'll try my best to be critical of Indians and their romanticism with time.

No VIP in the country arrives on time. Be it a politician or sports star. Be it an actor or any general celebrity. Arriving late to the venue is something 'to be proud of' according to the Indian way of life. Look no further, Mr. Khan who made a fuss about being held at New Ark airport for 55 minutes, arrived 90 minutes late for the launch of the Hyundai i10 Electric at the New Delhi Auto Expo. In fact, if a celebrity isn't late for an event, he is not at all considered to be one. Being a celebrity or someone important bestows special powers in this country.

You might wonder, why I am going on about time and stressing the being-late-everywhere phenomenon sarcastically termed as "Indian Standard Time". Well, one candidate who had the Swades effect returned to India after a long stint in the United States and found himself in a country where people take time for granted. This article on the Wall Street Journal is as interesting as something about time can get.

The following excerpt from the article gives you an idea of the theme of it, "The Japanese put much more importance on time schedules. In India you could never imagine a client instructing you to take the 7:52 express train to the transfer station where the client would join you at 8:24 to reach their office at 8:50 - the requisite ten minutes before your 9:00 a.m. meeting. I regularly get detailed directions like this from our Japanese clients. In India "Let's meet at 11" is generally a suggestion. It means, we should connect around that time and it's likely that I'll call you at 10:45 to tell you I am stuck in traffic and will be late by 30 minutes or more."

To end it, I would like to share something I was told in a "Time Management" seminar by the conductor. She was on her honeymoon in Thailand when she went to buy a couple of tickets for a ferry to some island. Before handing over the tickets to her, the woman at the counter held them back for a second and said, "The ferry leaves at 4:30 PM sharp. You understand? 4:30 PM sharp. No 'chalta hai' okay. You Indians, always late".

Cricket a religion?

2009-12-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

The so called "gods", "heroes" and "role models" become anything but the mentioned words once they stop playing. Being a cricket player in India, and, especially being one in the Indian Cricket Team, has its pros and cons. The pros being, getting a chance to be a brand ambassador for a huge brand, walking on the ramp of the latest fashion show even though one isn't good enough to be a model, getting good [female] company no matter which party one goes to. The cons being, referred to as being an idiot once you stop scoring runs or taking wickets [depending on one's trade], one's family being attacked and house painted black once the team crashes out of the World Cup.

Throwing water bottles, empty / filled is a tendency of the "Indian spectator". Once the team starts losing, or the crowd anticipates that the team is going to lose, they burn paper signs, throws bottles / stones or any other object that is throwable. Well, this time around, they wanted to bring the whole stadium down. People ripped off the seats they were sitting on, and shattered them. Considering the fact that no matter how rich the board (BCCI) is, most of the seating arrangement is temporary and pretty basic. The work starts about a week before the match and is brought down again once is match is over. In order words, it is shanty. So, breaking some of the not-so-many-available chairs / seats is pretty idiotic.

The money is going to be refunded to the spectators. I would like to call them vandals. But, I ask, why pay them back? Obviously I understand that not everyone in the stadium had malicious intentions, but, this can a lesson to the public in general. The media hype for the game and the so called religion of cricket, seems to be losing its credibility and so is the city of Delhi. With the schedule for the Common Wealth venues running well behind schedule and egoistic politics in the top brass / government, will do anything but help project Delhi as a World City. A comment I read on a website for the related story sums it all, "First world aspirations, third world resources and mentality, God help us all".

Lost

2009-12-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

For the past one month I had a fever. A fever running high. Its name was LOST. Ever since Star World advertised the series on TV starting right from season one, I pounced on it. It was my only chance to watch the whole series. I bought Tata Sky Plus to avoid missing a single episode. But, the engineers at MSEDCL, [which is short for Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited] decided to break the link when there was no electricity in the area for three days straight. When the power was back and I finally got back to the series, the story had moved a long way. Some characters were missing. Although I understood they had died, I wasn't sure how they died. So, I started a search for the series within my circle of friends. Luckily I found a guy who had it. I bought a 160GB HDD to get the series from him.

Day-in and day-out, everyday for the next 28 days, I watched LOST. I watched LOST and nothing else! Each episode 42 minutes long, 24 episodes on average per season, five seasons in total. Today I finished up with the last episode of season 5. Now, I am desperately waiting for season 6 to commence on ABC in the United States. Thanks to BitTorrent, I won't have to wait more than 12 hours to watch the episodes of the final season.

LOST has been more than just a TV series. It is a journey everyone should take in order to get rid of the garbage shown on TV otherwise. If you wish to get LOST [pun intended], you know whom to contact.