Saturday, May 28, 2005
Books and Movies
While reading Pather Panchali , I could not help but compare the average Indian Novel with the average Bollywood movie. Ok so average Indian book is a misnomer. The books are certainly not average. Perhaps I should be comparing Art movies with the Bollywood potboilers. Anyway the best Indian books by Indian authors mainly deal with typical Indian lives. Typical as the authors know it. But the books are almost always devoid of happy endings. The book normally ends at some point of the life of the major character with some things left unresolved. Certainly i can't remember a they lived every happily ever after ending. On the other hand , the movies almost always have a happy ending. The poor villager overthrowing the zamindars. The angry young man getting rid of the oppressors. Deaths of only minor or supporting characters. And while i accept unhappy endings in books, I know that i too would not accept unhappy endings in the typical Bollywood movie. The good guys must win and if it involves some fight sequences so much the better.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Giving the US the Middle Finger
I was reading Miss Indra Nooyi's remaks about the 5 continents being equivalent to the five fingers (lets leave aside the USA not being a continent , left to themselves Americans believe the USA is the entire universe) and stating the US is the middle finger!
The speech is somewhat humorous has some lessons , but of course it would be too much to expect Americans to think rationally or logically. They have reacted as expected, Pepsi Co. have published an apology , Miss Nooyi has made all the appropriate noises. So much for free speech.
The speech is somewhat humorous has some lessons , but of course it would be too much to expect Americans to think rationally or logically. They have reacted as expected, Pepsi Co. have published an apology , Miss Nooyi has made all the appropriate noises. So much for free speech.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Rat Killer
My first encounter with a Rat. A real one (not the ones you find in top management).
I like nature and i dont think i have any more right to existence than any of Natures creatures. So i find myself in a moral dilemma , an aluminium stick in my hand, the rat cornered behind a cupboard. Should i try to bash the rats head in? How do i justify this?
Or should i let it go.
I ask my Mom , she says bash it.
I think of the books that the Rat might potentially eat. And I make up my mind
I try shove the aluminium rod with all my force. i dont think I aimed right. Cornered the rat flees and hides under the bed , which is full with suitcases and i cant see it anymore
Conscience eased , I Put the rod back to its place.
I like nature and i dont think i have any more right to existence than any of Natures creatures. So i find myself in a moral dilemma , an aluminium stick in my hand, the rat cornered behind a cupboard. Should i try to bash the rats head in? How do i justify this?
Or should i let it go.
I ask my Mom , she says bash it.
I think of the books that the Rat might potentially eat. And I make up my mind
I try shove the aluminium rod with all my force. i dont think I aimed right. Cornered the rat flees and hides under the bed , which is full with suitcases and i cant see it anymore
Conscience eased , I Put the rod back to its place.
Weekly News Roundup
The sad state of wildlife protection in India is revealed with the massacre of the tigers in sanctuaries and indeed all varieties of wildlife.
With the wild in their eyes It is they who must die , we who must measure the loss
With the wild in their eyes It is they who must die , we who will measure the cost
John Denver - You say the battle is over
Arsenal wins a match which they don't deserve to win (though i was supporting them over Manchester United ) in the FA Cup Final. But the thing that struck me is that most professional players (of all teams) are cheats. Blatant foul'ers, Divers, Arm across face , shirt tugging abusing etc. etc. And this is all accepted and encouraged behavior!. Heck if you played this way at recess in school , all the students would boycott you . In school you played hard but you played fair and admitted your mistakes. But I guess money does that to you. Winning at all costs.
And I can't help laughing at the chumps involved in the dance bar fiasco , best summarized by a dance bar owner who said he will convert his dance bar into a disco theque, charge a cover sum and dress his *girls* in party wear. Indian society is fast becoming a hypocritical one , though i think this has always been the case. Its just that its more obvious these days
And Ferrari are still screwed in F1. Yeah!!. Now if only we see Narain get a point. And hopefully Coulthard wont finish at the podium , he's promised to moon people. Ugh!!
And Greg Chappell is India's coach. I would have thought his under arm bowling advice should have disqualified him.
And i absolutely refuse to read books/ watch serials/movies where the writer/director/producer can't spell either their names or the serials /movies correctly. If you don't have enough faith in the content you have produced that you need the additional numerological hogwash , why the hell should I?
With the wild in their eyes It is they who must die , we who must measure the loss
With the wild in their eyes It is they who must die , we who will measure the cost
John Denver - You say the battle is over
Arsenal wins a match which they don't deserve to win (though i was supporting them over Manchester United ) in the FA Cup Final. But the thing that struck me is that most professional players (of all teams) are cheats. Blatant foul'ers, Divers, Arm across face , shirt tugging abusing etc. etc. And this is all accepted and encouraged behavior!. Heck if you played this way at recess in school , all the students would boycott you . In school you played hard but you played fair and admitted your mistakes. But I guess money does that to you. Winning at all costs.
And I can't help laughing at the chumps involved in the dance bar fiasco , best summarized by a dance bar owner who said he will convert his dance bar into a disco theque, charge a cover sum and dress his *girls* in party wear. Indian society is fast becoming a hypocritical one , though i think this has always been the case. Its just that its more obvious these days
And Ferrari are still screwed in F1. Yeah!!. Now if only we see Narain get a point. And hopefully Coulthard wont finish at the podium , he's promised to moon people. Ugh!!
And Greg Chappell is India's coach. I would have thought his under arm bowling advice should have disqualified him.
And i absolutely refuse to read books/ watch serials/movies where the writer/director/producer can't spell either their names or the serials /movies correctly. If you don't have enough faith in the content you have produced that you need the additional numerological hogwash , why the hell should I?
Cheated?
I was moving towards Platform 5 to catch the Churchgate fast, when a Man with a sleeping child on his arms asked me to spare two minutes and recounted how he was from some village and his pocket had been picked (aai shapat!) And how he needed 300 Rs to go back home and how some good person had already given him Rs 100 (aai shapat mi jhoot nahin bolto!). He pointed to his wife who was seated , a fat woman with a an expression of anger on her face, which looked to be directed to her husband, sometimes alternating with holding her head in her hands. I paid the Rs 200 and ran back to platform 3 where the 9:27 fast had arrived.
It is of course quite possibly a classic setup and even knowing that i paid the money. Why?
Well there are actually two options , the man is telling the truth, in which case i pay the sum quite gladly. Its better than paying it say to a beggar for whom next week it will be back to normal. Atleast this will make a difference
Or the man is lying in which case he wants to cheat the people actually willing to help him!. Its quite a paradox - The people you cheat are the ones who were willing to help. The people who get away are the one with no sympathy or compassion in their hearts. And i always have believed you will pay for such sins in this life. And the money is my contribution towards the same.
It is of course quite possibly a classic setup and even knowing that i paid the money. Why?
Well there are actually two options , the man is telling the truth, in which case i pay the sum quite gladly. Its better than paying it say to a beggar for whom next week it will be back to normal. Atleast this will make a difference
Or the man is lying in which case he wants to cheat the people actually willing to help him!. Its quite a paradox - The people you cheat are the ones who were willing to help. The people who get away are the one with no sympathy or compassion in their hearts. And i always have believed you will pay for such sins in this life. And the money is my contribution towards the same.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Taiwan
From http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23042 TAIWANESE JOURNALISTS won’t be allowed in to cover the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva later this month because Taiwan is not a state recognized by the UN General Assembly .... and ... but does say representatives of the People's Republic of China are "the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations"
And my gut reaction is to criticise this till i realise if i substitute Taiwan with POK or Kashmir and China with India, Im conflicted.
And a concluding line from the same article
Those still alive or uninjured obviously aren’t doing their jobs properly
And my gut reaction is to criticise this till i realise if i substitute Taiwan with POK or Kashmir and China with India, Im conflicted.
And a concluding line from the same article
Those still alive or uninjured obviously aren’t doing their jobs properly
Friday, May 06, 2005
Weekly News Round Up
The Labour Party has won its third term. The conservative party's Liar campaign didnt work and is best summarised by a journalist who says that 'Most people believe all politicians are liars. There is not much achieved by telling them that someone is a particularly effective one'The Sun's headline of 'A Kick in the Ballots' is also particularly funny. But this is not a vote for the War on Iraq. The conservative party too supported the War so the only alternative was the Lib Dems and no one seems to want to trust them with the running of the entire country
Irregularities in the NDA governments functioning are now being found (sale of the centaur hotels , the India shining campaign etc.) by the CAG. And what the hell were they doing till this time?.
The hunt is on for a Coach for the Indian Cricket Team. I think we are wasting our efforts. We should be searching for good players for the Indian Cricket team
More suicides by young students afraid of failures. I wonder what sort of parents these children had that they are so scared of failing an exam. And what a society we live in.
And the BAR team is banned from the race at barcelona. Now i can pray for another 7 retirements and maybe Narain will be in the points. But even if he isn't Best of Luck to him. And i laugh at Ferrari (master? strategists) and Michael Schumacher(greatest? driver). If nothing else the first four races have proved how much of schumachers greatness lies in the simple fact that the Cars he drove were better than everyone elses. And from what i can see of the last race he's probably going to win this season as well. And everyone will laud the greatest comeback by the greatest driver. Hmmpf!
And chelsea are out of the champions league. I was afraid of this, but perhaps it will be a good lesson for Chelsea to learn. Expect them to win next year.
Irregularities in the NDA governments functioning are now being found (sale of the centaur hotels , the India shining campaign etc.) by the CAG. And what the hell were they doing till this time?.
The hunt is on for a Coach for the Indian Cricket Team. I think we are wasting our efforts. We should be searching for good players for the Indian Cricket team
More suicides by young students afraid of failures. I wonder what sort of parents these children had that they are so scared of failing an exam. And what a society we live in.
And the BAR team is banned from the race at barcelona. Now i can pray for another 7 retirements and maybe Narain will be in the points. But even if he isn't Best of Luck to him. And i laugh at Ferrari (master? strategists) and Michael Schumacher(greatest? driver). If nothing else the first four races have proved how much of schumachers greatness lies in the simple fact that the Cars he drove were better than everyone elses. And from what i can see of the last race he's probably going to win this season as well. And everyone will laud the greatest comeback by the greatest driver. Hmmpf!
And chelsea are out of the champions league. I was afraid of this, but perhaps it will be a good lesson for Chelsea to learn. Expect them to win next year.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Taxes
Just got my salary without TDS . There is a significant difference in this amount and the amount i normally get with TDS cut. I have no problem paying taxes. In India , Im part of an elite group. I have a job , It pays more than what a large percentage of Indians earn. I have a house to stay in and am mostly free of financial troubles. So i dont really mind the concept of a Tax. But and heres the problem , If the tax was used to improve the infrastructure , or fund some social schemes or feed some poor children , I'd be happy.
The fact that most of my money will wind its way into the pocket's of some politician or some businessman is what irks the hell out of me.
And there is nothing I can do about it presently
The fact that most of my money will wind its way into the pocket's of some politician or some businessman is what irks the hell out of me.
And there is nothing I can do about it presently
IIT
Read an article in the Times about the IIT's wanting to replicate their success and standards in institutions abroad. Disclaimer - I am not an IITian, I have never given the entrance exam for IIT , never studied for it, never wanted to study for it (knowing fully well I'd fail).
Lets see , we have a damn tough academic entrance exam , for which students cram for 2 years. After appearing for the test , the top 2000 or so students (top by marks obtained) are selected. Note that the IIT takes only those students who are academically sound to begin with , and dedicated enough to spend two years cramming for an entrance test simultaneously with their HSC in most cases.When they pass out of the IIT , these very students are said to be the best around. Isn't this a great achievement .. Hmmpf!
Lets not even look at the ragging practices in the IIT's. Lets not wonder that most IITians go abroad and live there , thereby representing a wasted investment.
If you could take a duffer , an average student , and a smart student , teach them and and at the end have 3 competent people , then yes thats an achievement.
Till then the IIT is a run of the mill institution
Lets see , we have a damn tough academic entrance exam , for which students cram for 2 years. After appearing for the test , the top 2000 or so students (top by marks obtained) are selected. Note that the IIT takes only those students who are academically sound to begin with , and dedicated enough to spend two years cramming for an entrance test simultaneously with their HSC in most cases.When they pass out of the IIT , these very students are said to be the best around. Isn't this a great achievement .. Hmmpf!
Lets not even look at the ragging practices in the IIT's. Lets not wonder that most IITians go abroad and live there , thereby representing a wasted investment.
If you could take a duffer , an average student , and a smart student , teach them and and at the end have 3 competent people , then yes thats an achievement.
Till then the IIT is a run of the mill institution
Proper Dress
After the recent rape of a college going girl, The Saamna (The shiv sena's or Thackerays mouthpiece) published a piece condemning the rape.
It also wanted Indian women not to wear revealing clothes. Im wondering what would keep Thackeray happy ? dress all the women in Burkhas?. religious fundamentalists are all the same. So are all male chauvinist pigs.
I have never bought the theory that if the man has *impure* thoughts on seeing a scantily clad woman, Its the woman who must be made to dress up. Id rather the man was blindfolded. Surprisingly enough my mother agrees with the Saamna's recommendations. This is one of the reasons i think women are mistreated in our country (indeed everywhere) - A majority of the women are not willing to stand for their rights. And till that changes things are not going to improve significantly
It also wanted Indian women not to wear revealing clothes. Im wondering what would keep Thackeray happy ? dress all the women in Burkhas?. religious fundamentalists are all the same. So are all male chauvinist pigs.
I have never bought the theory that if the man has *impure* thoughts on seeing a scantily clad woman, Its the woman who must be made to dress up. Id rather the man was blindfolded. Surprisingly enough my mother agrees with the Saamna's recommendations. This is one of the reasons i think women are mistreated in our country (indeed everywhere) - A majority of the women are not willing to stand for their rights. And till that changes things are not going to improve significantly
Saturday, April 30, 2005
A for Arjun, B for Brahma
It seems that textbooks have been doctored in Jharkand and elsewhere , funded by Murli Manohar Joshi the time when he was education minister to include things like the title of this post.
If it wasn't shocking , it would be hilarious.
The catholics in the bible belt refuse to teach darwins theory of Evolution , preferring the Biblical theory of Creationism. The Madrasas teach , well i do not know what , but seeing the horrid state of poor muslims in India , the Madrasas cant possibly be teaching them anything good.
So this affliction of mixing education in religion is not restricted to India. However i wonder who is it these self styled champions of their cause are helping. It certainly cant be the people who follow their teachings. All they are doing is ensuring that their followers remain as stupid as sheep(with apologies to the sheep). Oh wait i get it.
My mother believes that Hindus will reject any such attempt to saffronise textbooks.
Me I'm always the pessimist in the family
If it wasn't shocking , it would be hilarious.
The catholics in the bible belt refuse to teach darwins theory of Evolution , preferring the Biblical theory of Creationism. The Madrasas teach , well i do not know what , but seeing the horrid state of poor muslims in India , the Madrasas cant possibly be teaching them anything good.
So this affliction of mixing education in religion is not restricted to India. However i wonder who is it these self styled champions of their cause are helping. It certainly cant be the people who follow their teachings. All they are doing is ensuring that their followers remain as stupid as sheep(with apologies to the sheep). Oh wait i get it.
My mother believes that Hindus will reject any such attempt to saffronise textbooks.
Me I'm always the pessimist in the family
How to Choose Your Next Book
There are times when you read a book and feel sorry it's ending(Currently this book is Lucifer) and at the same time the book is so good you cant wait to see what it's end is. But end it shall. And you are left with "What Next?"
Read everything that you can lay your hands on of the author you like. A lot of people I know are genre readers(I like Science Fiction, Hard Boiled Crime etc) . This is a mistake. Its far better to read all types of books from an author you like, rather than read every book of the genre you like. If that does not make sense try it out.
Read everything that friends recommend to you as good. Preferrably borrow the book from them rather than buying your own copy.
Trust your instincts when browsing in a bookstore.
Dont believe the professional reviews you read(for better or for worse). Where someone is actually getting paid to do a job.
Dont believe the award ceremonies(Like the Booker). Awards are neither necessary nor sufficient for a good book. This does not ofcourse mean that you shouldnt read these books.
Dont believe the top 10 booksellers list. Popular books are not necessarily good books
Read everything that you can lay your hands on of the author you like. A lot of people I know are genre readers(I like Science Fiction, Hard Boiled Crime etc) . This is a mistake. Its far better to read all types of books from an author you like, rather than read every book of the genre you like. If that does not make sense try it out.
Read everything that friends recommend to you as good. Preferrably borrow the book from them rather than buying your own copy.
Trust your instincts when browsing in a bookstore.
Dont believe the professional reviews you read(for better or for worse). Where someone is actually getting paid to do a job.
Dont believe the award ceremonies(Like the Booker). Awards are neither necessary nor sufficient for a good book. This does not ofcourse mean that you shouldnt read these books.
Dont believe the top 10 booksellers list. Popular books are not necessarily good books
Ambanis
Is everyone as tired of this whole squabble?. Even as children we knew a riddle , how do you get two children to divide a cake equally ? .
You let one sibling cut the cake and let the other one choose.
You let one sibling cut the cake and let the other one choose.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
A Catholic Wedding
I went to a catholic wedding the last week. The bride in question was my mom's good friends
daughter. I have only attended the church part of the ceremony once, for my friends sister's
wedding. This time i decided to pass the church ceremony. All these ceremonies are too solemn for
my liking. They are more reminiscent of funerals. In my more cynical moods i think i know why
that is so. We even used to joke that for my wedding , the schmucks would drive me to the wedding
in funeral casket. Anyway so i braved the Andheri traffic and reached the wedding reception. It always has struck me
how different a Catholic wedding reception is different from the varied Indian Styles. There is a
distinct effort made to have a good time , whereas the other Indian reception are a much more
formal effort with suitably grim expressions on the faces of the bride, the groom and immediate
family. Hmm bride's mother is looking suitably harried, I have to sit at a table with all my mom's ex
office colleagues. Unsurprisingly I'm the only one of my age group. Time to survey the
*surroundings* . Oh no not a pretty sight to be found. Ok maybe we are a bit early. People are
just starting to roll in , ah well all marriages are IST. Still not many sights to concentrate
on. I have sat in a bad location , have to keep performing the exorcist maneuver to look around. The host of ceremonies is a typical Goan Catholic gent , insists on making sidey jokes . Time to
gather round and throw confetti on the bride. Is this the bride? She looks different from what i
remember her to look like. Never ceases to amaze me how women can change their look and feel
completely. A different hairstyle , a different dress , a dab of makeup and voila new woman...I
think the surprise is writ large on my face ... Possibly the bride notices this and says 'Hi
deepak'. Ah just throw the damn confetti and get it over with. Hmm i thought it was supposed to
be rice...More bad jokes from the host. The cake is cut. The toast is uneventful , I don't take the wine .
Feel awkward as the only guy standing up without the wine glass in his hand. Time for the wedding
march . Always bring back (bad) memories of friends sisters wedding. Time for the first dance ,
the circle is all holding balloons. Moms colleagues ask why I'm not dancing with anyone. Yah right. The dance begins , I don't recognize the song. Balloons are released. Another powerful sight , The
balloons rising high to escape into the sky, why does it impress us so. Is it the silent yearning
to be free? Home the second best girl is decent looking. Another woman is red is decent as well.
Perhaps this is not a complete waste of a day. Time to rush to eat before the queue begins. Oops we have reached before the bride and groom .Have
to wait looking around like fools till they have sampled everything. Ok food is decent. Time to
go on stage. Meet brides mom with the good looking best girl. Her name is some hegde .. My community. Didn't know they made them this way in the shetty community except in the movies of course. Sudden apprehension of arranged marriage strikes me. I don't have to worry , the female seems to completely ignore me anyhow , nothing new there. Go on stage now . Pose for photograph. Yeah time to go home. Oh no it strikes the middle aged crowd they haven't had the ice creams. A brief debate ensues and the Ice Cream wins. I have a bad throat and cant partake. Someone brings up the topic of when my marriage is .Arrgh why is so difficult for people to understand that not everyone wants to get married when they are 27. Oh no this topic is now picked up by everyone. Oh wait for it now Inter Community marriages are brought up. My parents are probably paranoid about this anyway hoping that i wont follow in my brothers footsteps (though i have every intention of doing so)10 o'clock loudspeakers off. In two minds about this ban. Finally time to go home. Conclusion : Court Marriage is the only sane alternative.
daughter. I have only attended the church part of the ceremony once, for my friends sister's
wedding. This time i decided to pass the church ceremony. All these ceremonies are too solemn for
my liking. They are more reminiscent of funerals. In my more cynical moods i think i know why
that is so. We even used to joke that for my wedding , the schmucks would drive me to the wedding
in funeral casket. Anyway so i braved the Andheri traffic and reached the wedding reception. It always has struck me
how different a Catholic wedding reception is different from the varied Indian Styles. There is a
distinct effort made to have a good time , whereas the other Indian reception are a much more
formal effort with suitably grim expressions on the faces of the bride, the groom and immediate
family. Hmm bride's mother is looking suitably harried, I have to sit at a table with all my mom's ex
office colleagues. Unsurprisingly I'm the only one of my age group. Time to survey the
*surroundings* . Oh no not a pretty sight to be found. Ok maybe we are a bit early. People are
just starting to roll in , ah well all marriages are IST. Still not many sights to concentrate
on. I have sat in a bad location , have to keep performing the exorcist maneuver to look around. The host of ceremonies is a typical Goan Catholic gent , insists on making sidey jokes . Time to
gather round and throw confetti on the bride. Is this the bride? She looks different from what i
remember her to look like. Never ceases to amaze me how women can change their look and feel
completely. A different hairstyle , a different dress , a dab of makeup and voila new woman...I
think the surprise is writ large on my face ... Possibly the bride notices this and says 'Hi
deepak'. Ah just throw the damn confetti and get it over with. Hmm i thought it was supposed to
be rice...More bad jokes from the host. The cake is cut. The toast is uneventful , I don't take the wine .
Feel awkward as the only guy standing up without the wine glass in his hand. Time for the wedding
march . Always bring back (bad) memories of friends sisters wedding. Time for the first dance ,
the circle is all holding balloons. Moms colleagues ask why I'm not dancing with anyone. Yah right. The dance begins , I don't recognize the song. Balloons are released. Another powerful sight , The
balloons rising high to escape into the sky, why does it impress us so. Is it the silent yearning
to be free? Home the second best girl is decent looking. Another woman is red is decent as well.
Perhaps this is not a complete waste of a day. Time to rush to eat before the queue begins. Oops we have reached before the bride and groom .Have
to wait looking around like fools till they have sampled everything. Ok food is decent. Time to
go on stage. Meet brides mom with the good looking best girl. Her name is some hegde .. My community. Didn't know they made them this way in the shetty community except in the movies of course. Sudden apprehension of arranged marriage strikes me. I don't have to worry , the female seems to completely ignore me anyhow , nothing new there. Go on stage now . Pose for photograph. Yeah time to go home. Oh no it strikes the middle aged crowd they haven't had the ice creams. A brief debate ensues and the Ice Cream wins. I have a bad throat and cant partake. Someone brings up the topic of when my marriage is .Arrgh why is so difficult for people to understand that not everyone wants to get married when they are 27. Oh no this topic is now picked up by everyone. Oh wait for it now Inter Community marriages are brought up. My parents are probably paranoid about this anyway hoping that i wont follow in my brothers footsteps (though i have every intention of doing so)10 o'clock loudspeakers off. In two minds about this ban. Finally time to go home. Conclusion : Court Marriage is the only sane alternative.
Logic and rationality
I was reading about Ad Hominem which is a Logical Fallacy wherein you attack/defend the person making the proposition rather than the proposition do itself. We have all at some time or the other fallen prey to this fallacy.
What interested me was one of the examples
"Tobacco company representatives are wrong when they say smoking doesn't seriously affect your health, because they're just defending their own multi-million-dollar financial interests."
As the article also goes on to point out "It is important to note that the above argument is not irrational although it is not correct in strict logic"
I have i think always believed logic and rational to be synonyms of each other which as the above argument indicates is clearly NOT the case.
Given a choice I'd think I'd rather be logical than rational , though it is of course easier said than done
What interested me was one of the examples
"Tobacco company representatives are wrong when they say smoking doesn't seriously affect your health, because they're just defending their own multi-million-dollar financial interests."
As the article also goes on to point out "It is important to note that the above argument is not irrational although it is not correct in strict logic"
I have i think always believed logic and rational to be synonyms of each other which as the above argument indicates is clearly NOT the case.
Given a choice I'd think I'd rather be logical than rational , though it is of course easier said than done
Sunday, April 17, 2005
1984
The Home Minister of Maharashtra , RR Patil has decided to ban dance bars. The reason Dance Bar corrupt the youth and hence are a evil influence on society. My mother evidently agrees , also stating that 95% of the girls are illegal Bangladeshis. The Midday Newspaper which is trying desparately to ape The Sun style of newspapers runs headline after headline stating how x people will lose thier jobs , how the people are hardworking etc. etc. and so forth. An article in The Times (Westside plus) also takes umbrage at the politicians stating that most of them cant differentiate their elbows from their arse. I would have used face instead of elbow.
There is so much to comment on this sorry circus, but now i dont have the stomach for it so i'll summarize
My own views have always been , let the people choose whatever it is they want to do. If they want to spend their time visiting dance bars let them. if the women feel their only way of livelihood is dancing somewhere , let them.
But here's the problem , we Indians have chosen Democracy as our chosen form of governance. We have elected this government and thats it. We cant do anything about its policies. The best we can hope for is 5 years down the line we'll kick these guys out and replace them with the saffron brigade who will decide what we can wear and what festivals we should celebrate. And after 5 more years we will be back to this same government.
Ideally ofcourse the best form of governance is anarchy. But we have been so conditioned that if you think of a synonym for anarchy chances are you will come up with chaos. Anarchy is the absence of leaders (good ones or bad ones). People take responsibility for their actions. Our leaders will have you believe that this will lead to Chaos and Might is Right. Well then we will be no worse of than we are now.
Oh yes , Im all in favor of the theory that the single biggest corrupt influence on everyone not just the youth are our Politicians. And that we ban the whole lot.
There is so much to comment on this sorry circus, but now i dont have the stomach for it so i'll summarize
My own views have always been , let the people choose whatever it is they want to do. If they want to spend their time visiting dance bars let them. if the women feel their only way of livelihood is dancing somewhere , let them.
But here's the problem , we Indians have chosen Democracy as our chosen form of governance. We have elected this government and thats it. We cant do anything about its policies. The best we can hope for is 5 years down the line we'll kick these guys out and replace them with the saffron brigade who will decide what we can wear and what festivals we should celebrate. And after 5 more years we will be back to this same government.
Ideally ofcourse the best form of governance is anarchy. But we have been so conditioned that if you think of a synonym for anarchy chances are you will come up with chaos. Anarchy is the absence of leaders (good ones or bad ones). People take responsibility for their actions. Our leaders will have you believe that this will lead to Chaos and Might is Right. Well then we will be no worse of than we are now.
Oh yes , Im all in favor of the theory that the single biggest corrupt influence on everyone not just the youth are our Politicians. And that we ban the whole lot.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Womens Cricket
How is it that the Indian men's cricket team can get thrashed yet we follow each word of their (lack of) exploits whereas the womens team can reach the finals of the world cup and no one raises a peep. There doesnt even seem to be live coverage on any of the television channels.
Talk about worshipping false gods!
Talk about worshipping false gods!
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin
The so called makeover of Jassi hasnt been well received by the audience. There are two things that bother me here.
What is it about the movies we watch , the serials we see,the Ads that are made that worship beauty? . The fair and lovely ads are especially offensive. In the case of JJKN, if the twist in the tale was to illustrate how people react differently to essentially the same woman and was meant as a social satire, it would probably be a groundbreaking serial. Sadly i think this is more the Kuch Kuch Hota Hain type of story, for a female to get her man she must be pretty (and after mariage wear only traditional Indian dresses). Plain Janes can only win best supporting actress.
And the hypocritcal audience. While we see this on TV , we'd prefer the underdog. When it comes to our lives we'd mostly ignore the plain and ugly. And prefer to stare at the babes.
The only question is which is the cause and which is the effect?
What is it about the movies we watch , the serials we see,the Ads that are made that worship beauty? . The fair and lovely ads are especially offensive. In the case of JJKN, if the twist in the tale was to illustrate how people react differently to essentially the same woman and was meant as a social satire, it would probably be a groundbreaking serial. Sadly i think this is more the Kuch Kuch Hota Hain type of story, for a female to get her man she must be pretty (and after mariage wear only traditional Indian dresses). Plain Janes can only win best supporting actress.
And the hypocritcal audience. While we see this on TV , we'd prefer the underdog. When it comes to our lives we'd mostly ignore the plain and ugly. And prefer to stare at the babes.
The only question is which is the cause and which is the effect?
F1
A powerful red machine swerves and shoves a black vehicle from the racing line. The black vehicle is foreced to break , but this causes the yellow car behind to ram into it. The drivers get out and shake their fists at each other and hurl expletives. The Red machine is of course the BEST buses. The black vehicle is the auto. We do have the analogues of the minardi - the cyclers , destined to be overtaken or knocked of. There is of course one difference. In F1 the bravest guys are the drivers. In mumbai the bravest are the pedestrians.
If F! increased the number of cars to say 100 and had people racing in both directions (no lanes) Kartikeyan would win
If F! increased the number of cars to say 100 and had people racing in both directions (no lanes) Kartikeyan would win
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Video games and Maturity
A colleague asked me for my copy of Xonix and Metal Marines and SuperBikes which brought me back memories of my ITP days. SuperBikes was *The* game of our training batch. Other batches prefferred Road Rash or Age of Empires or An an aeroplane fight game. This was of course played over the network in blatant violation of company policies. And we carried this habit when we were finally put on projects as well. In fact our proper introduction to one of the projects project manager was only complete when he joined us for a round. Sometimes we played snooker tournaments.
Somehow however we have stopped playing any games now. I cant quite figure out why. The company rules are the same now as they were before. We haven't matured. And we still look back at the good ol' days with fondness.
I suspect that time has had its affect on us. And the devil may care attitude has been dropped by most of us. We care much more of the consequences now than we did then. Is this finally a sign of the rebellious streak being behind us and now we are the staid members of society conforming to its every rule?
Somehow however we have stopped playing any games now. I cant quite figure out why. The company rules are the same now as they were before. We haven't matured. And we still look back at the good ol' days with fondness.
I suspect that time has had its affect on us. And the devil may care attitude has been dropped by most of us. We care much more of the consequences now than we did then. Is this finally a sign of the rebellious streak being behind us and now we are the staid members of society conforming to its every rule?
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