My Life, My Thoughts

Chetan Bhagat's New Book

2011-12-10T23:40:00.001+05:30

Chetan Bhagat's new book "Revolution 2020" is a breezy read as always.

I can never make one thing out. Are Bollywood films based on his books or his books based on Bollywood films?

Well, at least his template for the books stay consistent as displayed by Chutney Case in the The Chetan Bhagat Plot Generator.

Linkalogy

2010-12-28T06:32:00.004+05:30

One of my friend Sourabh Jain blogs over at http://sourabhkavi.blogspot.com/. Do hop over and read.

East Cost in US has been badly hit by the snow over the past 2 days. Some links to the sites hosting the photos are given below.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/27/2729116/blizzard-buries-east-coast-states.html
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/12/27/captured-east-coast-snow-storm/2603/

http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/onassignment/2010/122610_snow/#/item-6935

The person experience of this blizzard was pretty interesting. First time snow drivers and all that. It took us 2 hours to reach our apartment from our friends place which normally would take 10 minutes. It involved a lot of shoveling,pushing the car, driving on the wrong lane, taking longer routes, stopping in the middle of the road and all that. Much fun was had and thankfully everyone was safe.

Larry David's column in the NY Times regarding the tax cut.

Sid blogs about the control BCCI exerts over media outlets in India over at his blog.

How to choose a digital camera.

Writing

2010-12-28T06:02:00.000+05:30

I started this blog a few years back but I hardly post anything. Its not that there are no subjects but I hardly feel the motivation to devote 30-60 minutes everyday to actually write something. Also, I write pretty average so I do not want to subject my few friends to torture who read this blog on a regular basis.

When I started this blog, I thought I will write about varied subjects and I will write them regularly. But whenever I think of writing, the words do not seem to flow. Also, limited grammar and a limited vocab do not help towards the cause of writing. I used to write what I think is poetry too but it used to be so bad that I used to laugh at them myself.

One might think as to why I am suddenly blabbering about writing. Actually, I also do not know.

The above ramblings are totally incoherent and I cannot even blame alcohol for it.

Travelogues

2010-12-28T05:40:00.000+05:30

One of the new blogs which I have been following recently is of Deepak Iyer.

He is a fellow who loves trekking; so that is one thing that makes me read his blogs. He had been to Peru and Mexico in the last few months. One can read his experience of Peru over here and his Mexico escapades over here. Do read them.

I recently missed going to Ecuador with Abhilash but surely, I would follow one advice which Deepak gives about traveling which is to travel alone. I have traveled alone a far bit in India but have never done that outside India. So, this is one experience which I want to have as soon as possible. Hopefully, I plan something for the coming summer.

Request for Help

2010-10-18T06:54:00.000+05:30

One of Mattu's acquaintance is suffering from Multiple Myeloma (a form of blood cancer). Her condition is serious & she needs a stem cell match immediately.

He family has launched a site www.savesanjana.org to help them out in their search.

Please spread the word & see if we can help her. More information for Multiple Myeloma is available at http://www.aadp.org and http://www.marrow.org

Links

2010-04-13T23:17:00.001+05:30

A nice article about consulting work. The below lines touched a chord.

What I learned is that burning out isn’t just about work load, it’s about work load being greater than the motivation to do work. It was relatively easy to drag myself to classes when I thought I was working for my own betterment. It was hard to sit at a laptop and crank out slides when all I seemed to be accomplishing was the transfer of wealth from my client to my company.

Read the entire article here.

Another article about the rock scene journalism in India at Tehelka. Do not agree with everything but one can give it a quick read.

Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 2-0 in what was billed to be the game of the year. Everyone praised Messi but the real star for some was Xavi. If ever the word "underated" deserved to be tagged to someone, it is Xavi.

A good article on Xavi's performances at guardian blog.
And another one at Zonalmarking.

Quote of the Day

2010-02-14T07:37:00.001+05:30

The older I get, the more impressed I am by the importance of human diversity. We're all so different and a good thing, too. We need all kinds of people. We need people who can express their emotions (actors, for example) and people who can control their emotions (surgeons, for example); we need people who are doers and pushers, people who make things happen. We also need people who are reflective, caring and intuitive. We need people who are interested in things, and people who are interested in people.
We need all the traditional opposites: artists and critics, coaches and players, bosses and underlings. Male and female.
And somehow, we've just got to get along.

- Michael Crichton

Google's shift with respect to China

2010-01-13T05:51:00.000+05:30

This is massive news at least for the folks who had started wondering if Google had crossed over to the other side.

Google takes a new approach to China business

We would need to wait and watch for the events to unfold and see how the Chinese government reacts to this.

Wonder if Indian companies too will take such a stand in the near future and refuse to do business with authorities who are corrupt in nature.

Some Links...

2009-05-07T02:40:00.005+05:30

Best of Luck to TCP on his new project :-)

Friends for a longer life :-) (via. nanopolitan)

Read Sunil Gavaskar's interview by Wharton. (via. Churumuri)

Malcolm Gladwell on David beating Goliath. A bit long but a good read.

Portrait of Prabhakaran. Its from the Sri Lanka's propaganda machine but some of the photos are quite interesting.

Microsoft's Reply to Grassley on H1-B Visa.

Larry Page's University of Michigan Commencement Address.

Some thoughts...

2009-05-04T23:56:00.004+05:30

While voting for the Lok Sabha elections, the age old question arises. Should one vote for the candidate or for the party?
This was my second chance to vote in the Lok Sabha elections. I definitely knew who the better candidate was in my constituency; no doubt about it but surely, I did not want his party to form the government. So, for the first time I went against my better judgement and have voted against a party rather than voting for a party/candidate. I never knew that I had such strong views about who should form or not form the government but I guess life is all about discovering oneself each day :-)

=========================================================

The IPL season is underway and this time, the cup is anyone's game unlike last year where Chennai and Rajasthan were the two best teams. This year, all the teams are pretty evenly matched and the final four can be anyone. Hopefully, Mumbai Indians lift the cup this time :-)
My choice of final four would be Mumbai Indians, Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers.
Mumbai Indians need to play Ashraful in place of Sanath for the rest of the tournament. Also, Shaun Pollock should come out of his self imposed retirement and play a few games.
RCB has a terrific batting line up now and if they play Goswami instead of Jaffer, they will surely do well.

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A nice comic from Fly You Fools.

Fly You Fools - Indian Comics about Life.

Thought for the Day

2009-04-11T01:43:00.000+05:30

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.

Movie Review

2009-03-23T00:45:00.004+05:30

Saw a movie in a theatre after a long time. Firaaq is a good movie and it was nice to see that movies on current topics are being made by the Hindi film industry. Firaaq is set after one month of the riots that happened in Gujarat and maps the stories of people belonging to different strata of the society who were affected by riots.

Also, the cast of movie is top rate but then that is expected where the names include Paresh Rawal, Naseerudin Shah, Deepti Naval. The supporting cast also was pretty good. Sahana Goswami stood out in Rock On and here, she further gives proof that she should be seen in more movies. Loved Amruta Subhash too (yeah, I know her; I did tolerate her Marathi serial for quite a long time). Sanjay Suri as a part of the upper class who gets away most of the time because of his name and Hindu wife (Tisca Chopra) was pretty good too.

The strong point in the movie was the subtlety. There was always a specter of violence looming ahead but one never actually gets to see it or experience it. The anger, frustration, helplessness experienced by the people affected by the riots has been brought out quite well on screen. The various stories have not been inter woven exactly nor taken to a conclusion like it was done in Mumbai Meri Jaan but still the movie has a lot of moments that stand out.

The scene where the store which belongs to Sanjay Suri's friend in which Suri is a silent partner is looted reminded me about a similar incident that happened in our area during the 93 riots. No one knew that the Shah Oil depot in our area belonged to a Muslim but it was torched during the riots. The fact that it was owned by a Muslim was gleaned from the ration records and the store was looted of its belongings before it was destroyed.

Nandita Das has been one of most pleasing looking heroines on screen and she does make a pleasing debut behind the screen wielding the director's baton for this movie.

===================================================================

Seriously, I expected the multiplex owners to cut down the prices of the tickets. 175 bucks is still way too much and a further cut in prices will ensure that more people will come and watch movies in theatres instead of watching them on pirated DVD's.

Link As Always...

2009-03-07T23:26:00.008+05:30

Trickle Up Innovation. Interesting read.

Thank the government for the inflation.

Purple Pitara pens some thoughts which she hoped she would have heard when she was given a send off from her school. (Link via. Neelakantan)

Gaurav's translation of Pu La over here.

Pratam Bhanu Mehta's article on the Telegraph incident which was completely ignored by the media. Annie blogs about it here.

Kindness of Strangers.

Hillarious!

Phunny!

2009-01-08T16:20:00.001+05:30

Check out the below link from Dawn. Really funnay and scary. Replace Pakistan with India and you can recreate a similar conversation.

Naked Lunch : Nadeem F. Paracha

No Reason

2008-10-30T00:42:00.000+05:30

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

zzzzzzzzz

2008-10-12T20:40:00.000+05:30

Hawkeye has a wonderful post on sleep. Do check it over here.

I am a devotee of Goddess Sleep, so I had to link to this one :-)

Cheers,
HP

Quote

2008-10-12T20:05:00.000+05:30

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love." - Neil Gaiman

Mandatory LHC Post

2008-09-23T01:32:00.000+05:30

Am I glad that all the experiments related to LHC are being carried out now and not some 20/30 years back. This means that the future generation will sweat over the diagrams and describing the experiment in their exams and not moi :-)

Some links related to LHC are below.

Boston's Big Picture( Do check out Boston's big picture series. Some amazing photos there)

Wikipedia-The eternal source of knowledge

Link 3

Links as usual

2008-09-22T01:09:00.001+05:30

Boston has some wonderful pictures from around the world capturing the spirit of Ramadan. Do have a dekho here.

Festivals, food and music are a few things which make me put up with religion :-)

A nice post on Lehman for layman.

I want this.

Some useful Javascript techniques can be found over here.

An article on one of the most influential person in the media.

The economist asks if there is a future in investment banking.

Roger Ebert on why he gives out more stars than other critics.

Spanish Masala

2008-06-30T02:27:00.000+05:30

Hopefully the tag of perennial underachievers will not be associated with Spain any more. They were the better team on the park today and were the deserving champions.

A great way to end the football season.

Now looking forward for the next season to start so that Chelsea lifts each trophy in sight :-)

Cheers,
HP

Link Link Link

2008-04-06T16:21:00.000+05:30

Rajdeep Sardesai writes a good post about the growing animosity between the leaders of Indian political parties. Surely, we should all have the ability to agree to disagree. :-)

Some of the life's little mysteries explained by Daily Mail. (Link via. Smoke Signals)

Kamla Bhatt interviews Karthik Srinivasan of itwofs fame. Do check out the itwofs site.

Check out the photo essay on Wired which discusses the places where some of the pioneers had their Eureka moments. (Link via. Scripting News)

A real good letter by Richard Feynman to his student letting him know as to what are really the important and worthwhile problems. Reading this letter reminds me to get Feynman's book back from my friend and read it once again. His is the only book that made me take any interest in pure science, specially Physics :-)

Krishna Kumar lists out the different types of workaholics.

Check out Rupashree Nanda’s moving acceptance speech as she received this year’s Chameli Devi Award.

Vivek and Gaurav are asking as to why we should save the tiger. Do check their posts out(1,2) and join in the conversation if you have anything to voice.

Dani Rodrik has a post related to Soccer, culture, and violence.

Also, check out my friend Prem's musings on the year gone by. A bit late, I should say.

And Kurt's Photo blog.

Cool Video and all that

2007-08-18T20:01:00.000+05:30

A Really Nice video of Pakistani artists coming together to see that Islam does not get hijacked by the radicals. (Link Via. Sepiamutiny )

More details about the song can be found over here.

Also, a news link about a Palestinian educator whose stint in an Israeli jail inspired him to devise a different approach to teaching history.

That was his real education. While awaiting charges, Adwan overheard two Israeli
soldiers arguing over whether he should be made to sign a document in Hebrew
that he couldn’t read. Shocked to hear one of his enemies defending his rights,
Adwan decided that he had some things to learn about the Jewish nation.
So
much of the gulf in understanding that plagues the Middle East has to do with
the willful disregard for the other’s point of view. Israelis refer to the 1948
conflict that gave birth to their nation as the War of Independence;
Palestinians know it as the Nakba, or Catastrophe. What Israelis call “the riots
of 1920"—when Palestinians attacked Jewish neighborhoods around Jerusalem and
Jaffa—are termed “the popular uprisings” by the other side. Adwan, a lecturer at
Bethlehem University, has spent much of his professional career trying to bridge
this gap.

Do read the entire stuff over here. ( Link via. Smoke Signals )

Also, KarmaDude has a nice wallpaper. Do check it out. ( Link via. Desipundit )

It’s in the blood

2007-07-21T00:23:00.000+05:30

IT'S IN THE BLOOD

Cheers,
HP

Related Reading : http://bluechampions.com/its-in-the-blood/

Sale 100% Off

2007-07-20T01:29:00.000+05:30

Will any Economics Student please explain me as to how the above is possible? I know Conditions Apply and all but still...

Cheers,
HP

GOD!!!

2007-07-08T23:10:00.000+05:30

There is only one God. Please bow to thee!

Cheers,
HP

Why do you need a title?

2007-06-17T23:51:00.000+05:30

Saw Sivaji today. Well, I don't understand much of Tamil but loved a major portion of the film. Rajni as usual is superb. Shriya is enchanting, totally enchanting :-) And, the rest of the technical department is also pretty good. Yes, the film is over-hyped but a Rajni film coming after a gap of 2 years was going to be hyped. And, Rajni doesn't disappoint. He does not look and act like a 60 year old guy. Truly, a Superstar!!!

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Links for the day.

Enjoy this one ------ http://www.mizpee.com :-)

Beautiful Postcards...Really too good ------ http://valmays.homestead.com/index.html
[ Link via. Selma Mirza ]

Cheers,

QOTD

2007-05-02T14:03:00.000+05:30

Patriotism is a kind of religion; it is the egg from which wars are
hatched.

-Guy de Maupassant, short story writer and novelist (1850-1893)

Cheers,
HP

Indian Culture?

2007-04-18T00:05:00.000+05:30

Can someone please explain to me as to what all is for and against Indian culture?

Thanks!

Cheers,
HP

QOTD

2007-03-19T14:18:00.000+05:30

Let others cheer the winning man, there's one I hold worthwhile. Tis he who does the best he can, then loses with a smile. Beaten he is, but not to stay, down with the rank and file. For he shall win some other day, who loses with a smile.

Just Hope that the Indian team takes the field with a smile and leave the field with a smile.

Cheers,
HP

World Cup Musings - Part 1

2007-03-19T12:29:00.000+05:30

A Team Loses. A Coach Dies. Never before the phrase 'Its Just A Game" been explained to us so explicitly and cruelly!
I am just at a loss for words. Can't think or say anything about this. Hope the fans in the sub-continent understand now that in a game between 2, there is supposed to be one winner and a loser and if one does not lose, then the other cannot win. They are 2 sides of the same coin. And, just as we would like to be encouraged in our day to work/student life instead of being criticized continuously, the same applies to the players.

Sir, You lived well and played hard and fair! May the next world treat you better! RIP Woolmer.

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Finally, it is proved that India and Pakistan are Brothers In Arms :-)

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Can Someone please tell this man that we have this guy who can do some bowling too and also, does a good job when he is asked to!
Thanks!

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Mohd. Kaif must be thanking his stars that he is not there in the current Indian line-up. The irate Indian fans now need to find someone else to vent their ire on. Oh Wait! They have already found one.

----------------------x---------------------------x-----------------------x--------------------x

Somehow, I feel that Aussies don't have the firepower in their bowling line-up to win the Cup! Make no mistake, they have an excellent side; Its just that they don't have that someone who will just take the game away from the opponents by his exceptional bowling prowess! Lets wait and watch.

----------------------x---------------------------x-----------------------x--------------------x

Lots of permutations and combinations have been thrown about as to if India can make it to the Super 8. Moi just thinks that we will not. The players look totally dejected and have gone flat. They are feeling the pressure and somehow, there is no person in sight who will put his hands up and say that he will absorb the pressure and help us propel to the next level. It is going to be an early exit for us. It would be disappointing to say the least but hopefully, lessons are learnt from this defeat and the exit.

----------------------x---------------------------x-----------------------x---------------------x

It was totally wonderful to see the way the Bengal Tigers played against India. They bowled brilliantly, fielded outstandingly and there was a distinct quality to their batting. Before, the match started, while talking to my younger brother, I had referred to Iqbal and said that he is the player to watch for this tournament. He is fearless and has strokes to match his audacity. The way he left the crease to hit Zaheer over his head was just brilliant. The body language of both the teams was very much evident during the course of the match and the result just confirmed the obvious.

----------------------x---------------------------x-----------------------x----------------------x

Unlike other Indians, I felt really sad to see Pakistan crashing out of the World Cup. They are one of the most enigmatic sporting teams in the world and it is always a pleasure to see them play. And, we will miss Inzi. A wonderful player and one of the few sports persons on the cricketing field. The cricketing arena will miss him but he deserved a better exit that this. Alas!!

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Ok, My two cents on the recent spat between Sunny and the Aussies. Yes, it was insensitive of Sunny to speak about David Hookes. But, now we hope the Aussies also understand as to how people feel when personal attacks are made on the cricket field in the name of sledging. Do Border and Darren remember the time on the field when Cairns was taunted about his dead sister? The bottomline is that it is alright to make some taunts about his cricketing abilities but it is not at cool to bring his family into the spat. Hope the Aussies understand it now.

Dream A Dream

2007-03-04T17:53:00.000+05:30

Finally, the Cricket World Cup is going to start. In India, one will find a lot of ppl saying that they don't really care whether India wins or not, infact they wil abuse cricket and say that the game is taking our country down :-D But, you will find them trying to ask the score now and then :-)

Anyways, it is very difficult for me to rationally analyze our chances. I may or may not believe in the concept of nationality, I may disagree with the concept of patriotism being attached to supporting any particular sporting team but I can't ignore the fact that a win for India makes the world a better place to live for that moment. One sees more smiles around after a victory in an important match. I may dislike Dhoni's technique but I can't but applaud when he unleashes his famous whip on the hapless bowlers. One will ask why Pathan is in the team but will be the first to applaud when he gets the swing going and make the batsmen dance. Anil Kumble's inclusion in the team in place of Powar can be questioned but not his commitment. Sehwag's temperament may be doubted but not his talent.

We can just hope that the guys play well over there and try not to get whipped. Anyways, I will end my incoherent rambling with one of my favorite Al Pacino's monologue from 'Any Given Sunday'.

Enjoy!!

Cheers,
HP

Today's Fortune On Orkut

2007-03-04T15:54:00.000+05:30

You are soon going to change your present line of work.

:-)

Cheers,
HP

Psst...Don't tell anyone :D

One Down...Three to Go :-)

2007-02-26T16:25:00.000+05:30

So, the Carling Cup is ours. Sad to see the brawl almost at the end of the game. It nearly robbed the sheen of a good win over a very good competitor in a Cup Final.

Arsenal dominated a better part of the game but luckily, playing experienced people in the final paid dividends for us. Also, the goal scoring machine Drogba clinched the match.

Overall, a satisfying win barring the fact that Terry had to be carried on a stretcher during the
match. Seriously hope that no one is added to our ever increasing injury list.

As per now, Chelsea might be the only team that can play a Injury XI instead of a Playing XI. :-)

Cheers,
HP

My Votes : Indibloggies 2006

2007-02-14T17:45:00.000+05:30

The polling is now open for Indibloggies. Go and vote now!

I have casted my votes and below are my choices for the particular categories.

The Indiblog of the Year 2006 ---- Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind
[ Recursive Hypocrisy was another choice for this category but guess, Nilu is above such awards ]

Best Designed IndiBlog ---- Ckunte.com
[ Megha comes a close second this time for moi but she won last year. So, a new winner this time :-) ]

Best IndiBlog directory/service/clique/network ----- Blogbharti
[ They have done an amazing job in bringing in limelight some blogs/posts which otherwise we would not have been able to find. ]

Best Entertainment Indiblog ----- Blogical Conclusion

Best Group/Community IndiBlog ------- INI Signal
[ Indian Muslims comes a close second ]

Best Humanities Indiblog ----- Falstaff

Most Humorous IndiBlog ----- Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind

[Gawker comes a distant second ]

Best New IndiBlog ------ Blogbharti

Best Indi Photoblog ----- Trivial Matters

Best Sports Indiblog ---- Sportolysis - The World Sports Blog

Best Topical IndiBlog ----- Mumbai Matters
[ Because Mumbai matters for me ]

Go ahead and cast your vote for your choices.

Cheers,
HP

The New Censor Board

2007-02-14T14:58:00.000+05:30

With Parzania being not allowed to be released in the model state of Gujarat, the below cartoon that appeared in the Hindu seems apt.

The Hindutva factions operating over there have taken themselves to a new level. And for now, they appear bigger than the Indian Constitution and the law.

Cheers,
HP

JAP

2007-02-09T21:37:00.000+05:30

Saket on his blog says that he does not find Madrasi girls hot and appealing.

All I can say is that he needs to develop his taste better :-)

Cheers,
HP

Update : In an update to this earlier post, Saket asks if he is a racist? The answer is NO. He was just plain insensitive and no, I don't feel bad if anyone calls me a Madrasi.
To not know Geography is not a crime, still.

Powerful images from around the world black side of the world

2007-02-09T21:34:00.000+05:30

I got the below pics in a mail. Some of the pics are gruesome and anyone who is sensitive to such
pics, please do not scroll below.

Note : All the copyrights on the pictures are of the photographers.

1957. The first day of Dorothy Counts at the Harry Harding High School in the United States . Counts was one of the first black students admitted in the school, and she was no longer able to stand the harassments after 4 days.

January 12, 1960. A second before the Japanese Socialist Party leader Asanuma was murdered by an opponent student.

1963. Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist priest in Southern Vietnam , burns himself to death protesting the government's torture policy against priests. Thich Quang Dug never made a sound or moved while he was burning.

1962. A soldier shot by a sniper hangs onto a priest in his last moments.

1965. A mom and her children try to cross the river in South Vietnam in an attempt to run away from the American bombs.

1966. U.S. troops in South Vietnam are dragging a dead Vietkong soldier.

February 1, 1968. South Vietnam police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan sh oots a young man, whom he suspects to be a Viet Kong soldier.

1973. A few seconds before Chile 's elected president Salvador Allende is dead during the coup.

1975. A woman and a girl falling down after the fire escape collapses.

1980. A kid in Uganda about to die of hunger, and a missionaire.

February 23, 1981. Colonel Molina ve military police seizes the Parliament building in Spain . The photographer did not expect the scene, and hid the films in his shoe.

1982. Palestinian refugees murdered in Beirut , Lebanon .

1987. A mother in South Korea apologizes and asks for forgiveness for his son who was arrested after attending a protest. He was protesting the alleged manipulations in the general elections.

1989. A young man in China stands before the tanks during protests for democratic reforms.

1992. A mother in Somalia holds the body of her child who died of hunger.

1994. A man who was tortured by the soldiers for he was suspected to have spoken with the Tutsi rebels.

1996. Kids who are shocked by the civil war in Angola .

2001. An Afghani refugee kid's body is being prepared for the funeral in Pakistan .

2002. Soldiers and villagers in IRan are digging graves for the victims of the earthquake. A kid holds his father's pants before he is buried.

2003. An Iraqi prisoner of war tries to calm down his child.

Black Friday

2007-02-08T18:15:00.000+05:30

After a really long wait, Anurag Kashyap's offering Black Friday is going to release tomorrow. The movie is based on a book by the same name by Hussain Zaidi.

Black Friday must be one of those movies that must have been watched by a large number of people before its official release. I have read the book as well as seen the movie.

When my friend gave the CD of the movie to me to watch it, he had praised the movie but added as an afterthought that the movie is pro-Muslim. Having read the book and seen the movie, I can't say that the movie is pro-Muslim or pro-Hindu but the movie is pro-truth. The demolition of Babri Masjid, 92-93 riots and the blasts that followed are an integral part of a Mumbaikar who survived that period. It is to Mid-Day, Tariq Ansari, Arindam Mitra and Anurag's credit that they have managed to make a movie on such a sensitive subject.

Anurag is one of those jinxed directors who manages to make those movies which never get released. Hopefully, BF will break that jinx and the Indian audience will be able to see more of his works.

btw, Do watch the movie on the big screen. The characters have been excellently sketched and the parts have been played brilliantly by all the actors.

You can follow Anurag's blog at Passion For Cinema.

Cheers,
HP

Getting Old

2007-02-08T17:23:00.000+05:30

You know you are getting old when you and not your parents start getting invitations for marriages :-)

Cheers,
HP

Aaala Rey Aaala..

2007-01-31T15:02:00.000+05:30

Sachin ..Aaala Rey Aaala!!!!!!

0/5???

2007-01-25T21:27:00.000+05:30

I seriously don't remember when was the last time the top five players of the team have been out for zero and the team is reeling at 0/5. No, not even when we were playing in our school/college days. If anyone knows about a first class team having a more pathetic start, then please
let me know.

btw, Mumbai still mamaged to win :-)

Cheers,
HP

Gmail Blocked??

2007-01-25T20:53:00.000+05:30

You can access Gmail at http://www.careerdiscussions.com/gmail/.
Enjoy!!!

Source : Asif

Cheers,
HP

Thanks Henry

2007-01-23T21:36:00.000+05:30

Dear Henry,

Thanks. Heartfelt Thanks. I have never considered you as a great player and have always been against you while arguing with my friends. But , after your vital Sunday's goal against the Devils, I am just full of gratitude towards you. The moment your head butted the football into the net, I was jupping around with joy and glee and the jumping around doubled when my brother entered the room. :-)

So, please forgive me for all the things that I have said against you. This goal has redeemed you and from now on, I am not going to take anything said against you lying down. Yep, thats a promise :-)

You have kept alive the hopes of the fans of the Blues. And, we just hope that Jose gets over his sulking and gifts us the 3rd premiership title on the row.

Cheers,
HP

PS : Common, Chelsea, pull up your socks and gift us a treble this time. Common guys. You can do it.

Jaage Hain

2007-01-19T16:51:00.000+05:30

jaage hain der tak, hamein kuchh der sone do..
thodi si raat aur hai, subah to hone do..
aadhe adhoore khwaab jo poore na ho sake,
ek baar phir se neend mein vo khwaab bone do..

ek khwaab toot jaane ka ehsaas hi to hai,
thodi si raat aur, sehar paas hi to hai

Lyrics from the movie Guru...Need to see the movie soon...

Cheers,
HP

Akhand Bharat...anyone??

2007-01-15T12:02:00.000+05:30

Churumuri has a funny post on PM Singh's vision of a united Indian sub-continent.

Do Read!!

Cheers,
HP

Thought of the Day

2007-01-11T15:05:00.000+05:30

Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.

---Buddha

WTF moment of the week!!!!!!

2007-01-10T18:09:00.000+05:30

Seriously, someone tell me that this is a joke and nothing else. Please...

A UP minister has apparently assured people of his potential voters that if SP comes back to power, they would have the luxury of having as many children they want and infact, the government would give a token amount per child.

How, I wish that instead of such gimmicks, this minister had promised that for each child going to school, he will be promised a class which has a teacher and the essentials.
Wish he had promised a state where children would be free to play and live their lives instead of being perennially afraid of murderers and pedophiles.
Wish he had promised a society that would not discriminate against them because of their religion,caste or their ancestors.
How I wish....

HP

Objectivity

2007-01-09T12:24:00.000+05:30

The below pic conveys the fact that just like beauty, objectivity too lies in the eyes of the beholder. We always consider those opinions,people unbiased whose opinion more or less matches with us. If not, then we are ready with all kind of labels for them. I am not saying that people cannot be unbiased but just that, sometimes with the prejudice and the brainwashed minds of ours, we find it difficult to be objective of anything. Also, it is always difficult to be unbiased. We always have some preconceived notions about most political, social matters and more often or not, when we read something , we expect the writer to massage our egos by reiterating those opinions and if the writer takes a different path, then depending upon our stand, the labels are pasted upon the writer. Just another of my tangential rants! Menawhile, enjoy the pic and the comment!

Source : Churumuri

“WHY CAN’T THEY PRODUCE A FAIR, BALANCED, OBJECTIVE AND NON-PARTISAN NEWSPAPER—THAT REFLECTS MY POINT OF VIEW?”

Also, a nice article on R.K. Narayan at Churumuri. Do Read!

Cheers,
HP

God is One??

2006-12-15T15:44:00.000+05:30

I always keep hearing people say 'God is One','God is One'..

But, in my new religion 'God is Zero'

:-)

Cheers,
HP

Australian Model for Higher Education in India?

2006-12-12T11:30:00.000+05:30

During my under-graduation days, I always wondered why we were being charged so little for the education that we were receiving. If the rest of my life, I am gonna earn my bread and butter based upon the education that I am receiving today, surely they can charge better than the couple of thousands that Mumbai University used to charge me.

Anyways, Abi at Nanopolitan has a post about replicating the Australian model as a fair mechanism for funding our universities.

Will reserve my comments for later. But, certainly a thought that can be worked upon.

Cheers,
HP

Welcome Back Dada!!

2006-12-08T09:55:00.000+05:30

Welcome Back Dada....

Cheers,
HP

Paaji Convicted

2006-12-01T15:47:00.000+05:30

Navjot Singh Sidhu has been convicted in a murder case. The High Court convicted him by overturning the acquittal by the lower court. Wonder what is in store for Paaji now!!

BJP MP and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was today convicted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court for causing the death of a Patiala resident following a scuffle in 1989, overturning his acquittal by a lower court.

A division bench comprising Justices Mehtab Singh Gill and Baldev Singh found 43-year-old Sidhu guilty of culpable homocide not amounting to murder and fixed December 6 for pronouncing the quantum of sentence.

Well, the judgement is yet to be delievered and the mandotary appeal in the Supreme Court is also to be done. Lets see where this story goes now. Hope the next judgement, if their appeal in Supreme Court gets accepted is not delievered after another 18 years.

(hat-tip via. Acorn)

Cheers,
HP

Thanks Team India

2006-11-23T09:23:00.000+05:30

Thanks Team India for allowing me to sleep early. Heartfelt Thanks!!

Cheers,
HP

Fwd Sher :-)

2006-11-22T19:44:00.000+05:30

Gam is kadar mila ki ghabra ke pi gaye,
khushi thodi si mili to milaa ke pi gaye,
yun to na thi janam se peene ki aadat,
Sharab ko tanha dekha to taras kha ke pi gaye :-)

Cheers,
HP

Magnusson takes over West Ham

2006-11-21T17:53:00.000+05:30

So finally, West Ham is being taken over. Speculation was pretty much going on since the start of the season that West Ham might be taken over. It was just a matter of when and by whom.

And when the Argentine duo of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were signed by West Ham, various conspiracy theories were being espoused. The most interesting among them was that this move was just a trick to bring them into EPL and finally the duo or at least Tavez would be bought by Chelsea. It was also suggested that Roman Abramovich might eventually also buy West Ham.(Not sure, if the rules allow that). But, as of now those speculations can be put to rest. :-)

But, what will be the fate of Tavez and Javier? According to the article,

The futures of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano look less secure.

The Argentina internationals were brought to West Ham by Iranian-born Kia Joorabchian, who then led a takeover attempt that failed to lead to any offer for the club.

Tevez and Mascherano have played sporadically and their arrival has coincided with West Ham's recent slump.

Frankly, I haven't see either of them play really well or for that matter, even play for West Ham this season :-) I do like Tavez, so I hope he stays fit and plays for West Ham. But, with the new owners, probably they would be sold to bring in the cash and some footballers who will actually stay fit and play.

Also, West Ham has been one of the teams that I rooted for last season and it’s pretty disappointing to see them play this season. But, in the last match against Chelsea, they fought bravely and that augurs well for the rest of the season.

Although, earlier I had hoped that the speculations surrounding West Ham can be put to rest now but just one doubt in my mind. Is Roman Abramovich driving this deal??

Whatever, the scene is heating up! Watch Out!

Cheers,
HP

Pretty Interesting

2006-11-20T15:20:00.000+05:30

Nasdaq has launched a $5.1 bln bid for London stockmarket.

Wonder, if BSE can make a bid for Karachi Stock Exchange :-)

Cheers,
HP

Canteen as National Park :-)

2006-11-10T03:31:00.000+05:30

While having dinner in a heavily rat and insect infested canteen, my friend quipped "This should be declared a National Park".

:-)

Cheers,
HP

Some Lines...

2006-11-08T22:56:00.000+05:30

Gulshan ki fakat phoolon say nahin, kaanto say bhi zeenat hoti hai,
Jeenay kay liyey is duniya may, gham ki bhi zaroorat hoti hai !

Ae-wayaz-e-naadan karta hai, tu ek qayaamat ka charcha,
Yahan roz nighain milti hain, yahan roz qayaamat hoti hai !

Woh purssh-i-gham ko aayey hain, kuch keh na sakoon, chup reh na sakoon,
Khamosh rahoon to mushkil hai, keh doon to shikayaat hoti hai !

Karna hi padega zakht-e-alam, peenay hi padengay yeh aansoo,
Faryaad-o-fugan say ay naadan, tauheen-e-mohabbat hoti hai !

Jo aa kay rukay daaman pay `Saba', woh ashq nahin hai paani hai,
Jo ashq na chalkay aankho say, us ashq ki keemat hoti hai !

Gulshan ki fakat phoolon say nahin, kaanto say bhi zeenat hoti hai,
Jeenay kay liyey is duniya may, gham ki bhi zaroorat hoti hai !

I heard these lines in one of Jagjit Singh's ghazals. The lines posted above are from some site, had taken them long back. Just posting them!

Cheers,

Some Football Action

2006-11-07T06:22:00.000+05:30

Its been a long time since I posted anything about football. And, with the EPL season well on its way, expect more football related posts from now on..Now, stop groaning...please...

Already, I am disappointed to read that Chelsea lost to Spurs in the league. This year, Chelsea have not had the dream run like last year and they have also been losing matches after taking a lead which is quite annoying, to say the least. Also, the fact that the big signings have not fired has not helped matters at all. And, I also think letting Gallas go was not the wisest thing that we did this season. I know Kurt does not agree with me but Gallas was a real good player for Chelsea. But, all said and done, Jose needs to get the players performing once again in the league. And, the fact that Man Utd have been playing like a dream in the league make matters worse for us. Here's hoping that we soon overcome whatever problems we have and strike fear in the rest of the EPL teams.

And hope, just hope that Frank fires...Chelsea's winning/losing a match mutch depends upon Terry and Lampard performing. So there....

Cheers,
HP

Cross-posted at Football Forever.

HP Quote of the Day

2006-11-02T16:12:00.000+05:30

Love is nothing but hormonal locha :-)

Cheers,
HP

Season Greetings

2006-10-20T14:59:00.000+05:30

Wish you and your family A Very Very Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year Ahead……

May the lamps of joy, illuminate your life and fill your days with the bright sparkles of peace, mirth and goodwill

Eid Mubarak!
Greetings of Peace and Blessings!

Cheers,
HP

Grim Reminder

2006-10-19T20:40:00.000+05:30

The Gujarat riots along with the 84 riots and the Babri Masjid demolition and the subsequent effects remain one of the darkest chapters in the history of independent India. A chapter that needs to be closed but not before all the parties involved in that are brought to book. But, sadly it does not seem to happen. The very fact that the person who was actively supporting and encouraging the riots is at the helm of affairs tells us that justice in this case is surely going to be denied. And that is going to be a blackmark on the Indian society as a whole.

Just a grim reminder. Read Prashant Jha's cover story for Himal over here. (link via. Shivam)

I do hope that no more such incidents occur in our society but for that, we need to ensure that the culprits are punished. Until then, we are but a incomplete society.

HP

PJ Of the Day

2006-10-19T15:16:00.000+05:30

Big B Says: Mere Pass Diwali ke liye Tikali hai, fulzadi hai, anar hai, Lawangia fataka hai, Roket hai, sutali bomb hai.

Tumhare pass kya hai? Aayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Mere Pass MaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaChis
hai..............................

:-)

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

2006-10-17T21:40:00.000+05:30

First heard this song when Vinod asked me for a video of the song. And got hooked instantly. Green Day is one of the better new bands currently. Come to think of it, there are very few good bands going around. Or, should I say very few famous bands ruling the roost now. We have Coldplay, Matchbox 20,Arctic Monkey and a few others and these too are not like that they have universal appeal and whose songs stay on the top of the charts for long.

Compare this situation with the ones in the 60's,70's and the 80's. Then, the bands that were famous like Beatles,Doors,U2,Pink Floyd and many such others had an universal appeal and they are still among the perennial favourites for ppl in colleges to do cover versions.

Anyways, enough of my stupid ramblings. I dont even know what I am talking about. When I had decided to write a post about this, I had lots of things to say but now, I am feeling lazy, so I am just gonna post the lyrics for this song. Maybe, sometime later I will do a full post on this.

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I walk alone
I walk a...

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...

Also, the video of that song!! Enjoy!!

Cheers,
HP

Pu La's Mumbaikar,Punekar and Nagpurkar

2006-10-10T19:12:00.000+05:30

Anyone who has any idea about Marathi literature will definitely know about Pu La.

Gaurav has tried to translate the famous attempt by Pu La of defining the traits of the people of the three cities,viz. Mumbai,Pune and Nagpur.

All this preparation should be enough to make you a normal Punekar. But if you want to operate a shop in Pune, you need more lessons. You especially need lessons on language. Only then will you be able to heap maximum insults on your customer in minimum possible words. Because in Pune, the verb "operating" a shop is used in the same sense as "operating a bull dozer" or "operating a machine gun". The most negligible entity in a shop in Pune, is the customer.

Read the entire post over here. And yes, if you know Marathi then do try to get hold of the recordings in the voice of Pu La. Hillarious, to say the least.

For the novices, you can read about Pu La more over here and here.

Cheers,
HP

The new look Google Reader

2006-10-09T19:23:00.000+05:30

Quote of the Day

2006-09-21T12:10:00.000+05:30

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.

Cheers,
HP

You Sing, I No Sing

2006-09-14T11:43:00.000+05:30

Check out the funny video of BJP leaders singing/not singing Vande Mataram.

These BJP men can't sing Vande Mataram.

Cheers,
HP

Blog Hopping!!!

2006-09-11T19:55:00.000+05:30

Always loved the writing style of Scott Adams. His last four posts have been simply superb.

Have a dekho!

Spying On The Pope

Riling People Up

Wisdom Of The Blog

Appease On Earth

Who is Crazy?

ok! ok! I was/am bad in Maths. Gave 5 links instead of 4. But it was just 4 ke saath ek free waala deal :-)

Enjoy!!

Cheers,
HP

To Sing Or Not To Sing?

2006-09-05T21:50:00.000+05:30

Well, there’s a storm brewing related to Vande Mataram. So, in a bid to stop that storm becoming a hurricane, I suggest we change our National Song.

Simple, isn’t it??

Yes, I propose not a new National Song but Songs at your service!! Ok Now, stop clapping and listen to this brilliant solution.

We should make all songs of Himesh Bhaiyya as our National songs. No, seriously!

Just look at the benefits…

All these songs will then only be played on one of our National Days or if our luck is good, once in 100 years or so while someone thinks of a commemoration day for them. This means that the rest of the days, we don’t have to listen to him

Aah!! What Bliss!!

Seriously, I don’t believe that singing a song will make anyone more Indian or anyone less a Muslim. Also, forcing something down someone’s throats is
just gonna make that person puke. Nothing less, nothing more. So, it does not make any sense forcing someone to sing or not to sing any
song. Simple as that!

In recent years, Common Sense has become a rare commodity but these things just take the cake!

And to end, repeating what Gaurav had said, Can we sing Test Mataram instead of Van-De Mataram

Cheers,
HP

technorati tags:India, VandeMataram, NationalSong

Aaj Ka Sher :-)

2006-09-01T21:42:00.000+05:30

Doodh mein UREA
Mineral Water mein Caustic Soda
Coke aur Pepsi mein pesticide
Cadbury mein Keede , Pani to pahele se hi Kharab
Safe Bacha hai to Sirf ” Sharrab”

:-)

Cheers,
HP

One last hurrah!!!

2006-09-01T21:37:00.000+05:30

Before the US Open started, my heart secretly wished that Agassi should life the trophy on the D-day. Thankfully, one more step has been taken towards it as Agassi beats Marcos Baghdatis in a thriller.

Just wish that this nice guy finishes first!!

Cheers,
HP

Demotion of Pluto :-)

2006-09-01T20:59:00.000+05:30

Today's Fortune :-)

2006-08-25T22:52:00.000+05:30

Today, Orkut has the below line as the fortune for me.

Society prepares the crime: The criminal commits it

Wonder what crime the society has prepared for me to commit

Cheers,
HP

Breaking News!!!

2006-08-23T13:55:00.000+05:30

Its has been found today that in one remote corner of Kanjur Marg, HP was found to be drinking milk.

Yes, very true. Now, it is been common knowledge that at HP’s home wash basins,cats,flower pots and other sundries were always found to be drinking milk but somehow, the milk would never go down HP’s throats. But, in a bizarre turn of events, it was found that a mixture of badam, pista and Bournvita and off course Mahananda milk seemed to please HP. Indeed a heart warming story!! Sources say that there has been a steady stream of visitors to his home since the news spread in Kanjur and other neighboring areas.

And, in totally unrelated incident, Gods decided to steal the thunder from HP on the same day. Rumors abound that idols across various temples across India are supposedly drinking milk.

Well, as HP always used to say, Gods always gang up against him

HP had one day to become famous but all came to naught. Now, the stream of visitors have reduced to a trickle. Poor HP, I say!!!

Btw, Wonder, what flavor Gods favour!! And if idols are indeed devouring milk, then do I need to go easy on keeping sweets the next time on the Pooja Thaali. It was always assumed that one just needs to show the sweets to God, sweets will be blessed by God and then one can hog as much as one wants.

Wonder, what this world is coming to. Now, you can’t even trust Gods to keep their part of the deal.

Cheers,

Shalet zayachay :-)

2006-08-22T20:33:00.000+05:30

Got the below poem as a fwd. Just too good :-)

मला पुन्हा एकदा तरी शाळेत जायचय.
धावत जाऊन माझ्या रोजच्या बाकावर बसायचय
रोज सकाळी खड्या आवाजात राष्ट्रगीत म्हाणायचाय
नव्या वहिचा वास घेत पहिल्या पानावर
छान अक्षरात आपल नाव लिहायचाय
मला पुन्हा एकदा तरी शाळेत जायचय.

मधली सुट्टी होताच वाटरब्याग सोडुन
नलाखाली हात धरून पानी प्यायचाय,
कसाबसा डबा सम्पवत तिखट मीठ लावलेल्या
चिन्चा, बोर, पेरु, काकडी सगळ खायचय
सायकलच्या चाकाचा स्ट्म्प करुन क्रिकेट खेलायचय,
मला पुन्हा एकदा तरी शाळेत जायचय.

उद्या पाऊस पडुन शालेला सुट्टी मिलेल का?
हा विचार करत रात्री झोपी जायचय,
अनपेक्षित मिळणारा सुट्टीच्या आनन्दासाठी,
मला पुन्हा एकदा तरी शाळेत जायचय.

घन्टा व्हायची वाट का असेना
मित्राशी गप्पा मारत वर्गात बसायचाय,
घन्टा होताच मित्राशी सयकलची रेस लावून घरी पोहचायचय,
मला पुन्हा एकदा तरी शाळेत जायचय.

कितीहि जड असुदे... जबाबदारीच्या ओझ्यापेक्षा
दप्तराच ओझ पाठिवर वागवायचय,
कितीहि उकडत असू दे.. वातानुकूलित ऒफ़िसपेक्षा
पन्खे नसलेल्य वर्गात खिड्क्या उघडून बसायचय,
कितीहि तुटका असु दे.. ऒफ़िसमधल्या एकट्या खुर्चिपेक्षा दोघान्च्या बाकावर ३ मित्रान्नी बसायचय

Good Move

2006-08-18T20:52:00.000+05:30

The NCERT plans to include Gujarat riots, Ayodhya dispute and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as part of the Class XII curriculum.

Well, it was high time that they did so. For long, we have tended to sweep riots and the continuing communalisation of the country under the carpet. We seem to think that closing our eyes will make these pertinent issues go away.

Well, wish it was so easy!!!

And the fact that they are including it in Class X11 curriculum makes sense. We have to understand that not talking about such issues is not going to help us rather there should be an open dialogue regarding it. Also, the coming generation needs to be educated about the dangers of right-wing politics.

The horrors of Gujarat are pretty much fresh in people's memory but to make sure that such horrors are not repeated, it is needed that we stop and reflect on them. Also, good to see the Sikh riots also being included under the Congress regime.

The BJP has already started protesting but well, it is better that children read about the riots rather than experience it. And, I hope no more chapters will be added. Say Amen to that!

Cheers,
HP

Independence??

2006-08-14T19:08:00.000+05:30

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake

–Rabindranath Tagore

Still stuck in Middle-East

2006-08-03T23:01:00.000+05:30

Yeah, I am still stuck in the Middle-East. But, this time some cartoons to lighten the mood.
Disclaimer : None of the cartoons have been made by me :-)

United Nations?

2006-08-03T11:22:00.000+05:30

One of all time favourite movie is 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'. And, IMHO this movie beats the hell out of the rest of the Hindi comedies ever produced in India.

And my favourite scene in the movie is the 'Mahabharat scene'. Yes, the same climax scene where the main cast comes together to give us one of the most brilliant scene ever executed. But, I digrees.

When I was in school, we had one of the most hated subjects in the form of History-Civics. Yes, I know they are different subjects but we always thought of them as one. And most of the students hated them with single-minded devotion.

In this , we were taught the great history of the formation of UN and the role it plays/ed in world politics and world peace. But, as the tragedy unfolds in Lebanon, I can't help but lament the fall of UN. No one seems to bother about this organisation. The US of A doesn't care about any resolutions passed, Indo-Pak conflict is still on, Sri Lanka is going from one violent cycle to another. And lets not even talk about the poverty that has encapsulated Africa. The UN seems to have failed even worse than the Bihar government. And now with the Middle East crisis worsening, we can see for ourselves as to how impotent UN has become. Similar to Dhritharashtra in the above mentioned film scene. He keeps saying 'Yeh! Kya ho raha hain' and the other characters carry on with their buffonery as usual. I can almost imagine Yudhisthir(US) saying to Israel 'Shaant gadadhari Bheem shaant' and Israel waving the advice off.

But, seriously UN has ceased to play an important role in the wrold affairs. And that is a sad thing

And only once if everyone claimed their right to have peace as everyone stakes a claim for Draupadi in the film, then probably there would be long lasting peace in this world.

Death is always sad, but man-inflicted ones more so. And the deaths in Lebanon show the grim reality to us once again.

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Telephone Etiquettes :-)

2006-07-27T12:41:00.000+05:30

Thanks!

2006-07-26T12:45:00.000+05:30

Last year, this time Mumbai faced nature's fury like never before. But, that just brought out the very best in the citizens.

A big thanks to all the people who helped their fellow citizens in their time of distress in their individual capacities.

And, heartfelt gratitude to the people who saved and helped my brother during the deluge.

Cheers,
HP

Quote Of The Day

2006-07-25T15:31:00.000+05:30

Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

-Benjamin Franklin

Weird Fear and a Humble Request

2006-07-25T15:20:00.000+05:30

One admission. I have this weird fear of entering a ladies washroom accidentally. And then getting a sound thrashing from all the ladies, fultoo Hindi film ishtyle. And with the advancement in ladies footwear, i dont want to imagine the blows. So, before entering any washroom I check the door at least a couple of times to verify. But, it was all right with the older ones displaying 'GENTS' and 'LADIES' in full glory. It used to make my work and life easier.

But, that fear has increased leaps and bounds due to my inability to understand the symbols placed on the swanky washrooms that adorn the various new-age buildings. No, seriously I am never able to make head or tail of the men/women symbols or the biological symbols placed at the more scientific ones. Why cant we have those innocent 'LADIES' and 'GENTS' or 'Sirf Purushon Ke Liye' back? What is the need for all the geometrical symbols and all?

Ok, I suggest a compromise. You keep those weird symbols but at least get back the 'GENTS' and 'Purushon Ke Liye' tags back!

Plllleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Cheers,
HP

Is Israel Real?

2006-07-25T13:06:00.000+05:30

The recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon has the world turning their eyes again to Middle East.

I always used to wonder how Israel managed to survive and grow amidst the mindless violence that has engulfed the area. And unlike many others, my sympathies lies with both the Israelis and Palestinians. The fact that the Muslim world still does not recognise Israel as a nation-state is bothering. And the plight of the Palestinians is very much real and moving.Is the current aggression justified?

Well, as most others think, the collateral damage that has taken place over there has tilted the balance against Israel. Then, the pictures of Israeli children sending death oops peace messages to the Lebanese people has incensed the general public further.

So, who is to blame here? The Israelis for trying to protect their citizens at any cost or the Lebanese people whose crime is that they have not put enough pressure on their government to rein in the terriorists. Maybe, the truth somewhere lies in the middle. Israel does need to protect its citizens but killing innocent civilians and resorting to mass bombings is no way to counter terrorism,IMHO. And the other Middle Eastern countries need to get out of their time-warp and understand/acknowledge the existence of Israel which will go a long way to bring peace to that place.

Read this comment at Gawker's blog.

Dave Barry once said:

"They can hold all the peace talks they want, but there will never be peace in the Middle East. Billions of years from now, when Earth is hurtling toward the Sun and there is nothing left alive on the planet except a few microorganisms, the microorganisms living in the Middle East will be bitter enemies."

Just hope that peace returns to the place which is home to three of the main religions of this world.

Cheers,
HP

PS : Read Curious Gawker's take on the use of children in the recent conflict is over here.
Also, Confused tries to analyse the Israeli reaction over here.

Security and Freedom

2006-07-19T16:39:00.000+05:30

With the recent blockade of some sites by GOI, the Delhi manadarins might want to pause and reflect on the below quote by the esteemed Benjamin Franklin.

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."

-Ben Franklin

Cheers,
HP

Life

2006-07-12T19:56:00.000+05:30

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life.
It goes on.

-- Robert Frost

Omkaara oh Omkaara

2006-07-08T10:49:00.000+05:30

Well, the trailers of Vishal Bharadwaaj's new movie 'Omkara' are out and it surely rocks big-time!
Vishal has been one of the few directors in the industry who are willing to go the extra-mile to give the viewers their money's worth. So, just wish that the movie is as good as the trailer seems to be suggesting.

Cheers,
HP

Quotes of the Day

2006-07-06T11:26:00.000+05:30

The man who prefers his country before any other duty shows the same spirit as the man who surrenders every right to the state. They both deny that right is superior to authority.

-Lord Acton, historian (1834-1902)

Religion--freedom--vengeance--what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill.

-Lord Byron, poet (1788-1824)

Goal Goal Goal Goal Goal Goal

2006-06-19T19:26:00.000+05:30

aah...What a goal!!! What a goal!!

ok..U wanna wash away all your sins!! Just watch this video hundred, no make it a thousand times and your sins will be washed away :-) Really, I am not kidding!!!!!

For all u IE fans, the link is here.

And for Mozilla rockers, just watch the video below.

Just hope now that my team wins the World Cup and I get to wear the tee proudly :-)

God Bless Argentina!!!

Cheers,
HP

Sidin's new venture

2006-06-06T21:44:00.000+05:30

Sidin and his team have launched a new website. Check it outa here.
And going by Sidin's past writings , we expect nothing but the best from him.

Here's wishing them all the best in the new venture.

Cheers,
HP

Friendly Blogs..

2006-05-31T21:32:00.000+05:30

Nowadays Asif is blogging with a vengeance. And it is nice to see that. His latest post is about the silence of Bal Thackeray on the issue of reservations. Have a look here.
Also, he has unveiled his new business plan over here.

Matz is back and back with her favourite Himess bhaiyya. Do read it here.

Also, always wanted to let you ppl know about The Comic Project. (For those 2 ppl in the indie blogworld who dont know abt it). Please have a look at the blog here.

And finally, Iyero completes his Centuiyery. So, please applaud it here.

Enjoi!!!

Cheers,
HP

But it Rained!!!!!!!!!!

2006-05-31T21:21:00.000+05:30

First showers on the earth !!

Cheers,
HP

Conscience..Whatz that??

2006-05-30T21:43:00.000+05:30

Lately, I have been receiving a lot of mails from ppl who support the anti-reservation movement. Well, nothing wrong in that.

But, some try to appeal to my conscience and ask me to take a stand now. And tell me how doesn't my conscience pricks me and all that. For them,I would like to say my conscience is dead. Yes, dead and burried. It has died a slow death but it is dead.

It died first the day the masjid was fallen..
A little part died when riots broke all over Mumbai and ppl started killing each other..
Some part of it died when a series of blasts rocked Bombay and simply changed the way Bombay lived..
Some part of it died when Graham Staines and his sons were burnt alive...
It died when ppl were killed coz they had skinned a dead cow..
It died when ppl died of starvation when there was food rotting in the godowns..
It died when I saw some ppl scrapping thru our leftovers just coz they were expected to earn their food that way by virtue of being born in some god-dammned caste...
It died when devotees were burnt in a train..
It died when ppl were killed just coz they belonged to a particular religion..
It died when rapes became a common occurrance...
And, I dont know how many deaths it has died.....

So, do anything..but dont appeal to my conscience. My conscience is dead..How else do you explain my existence????

HP

Favourite-Favourite :-)

2006-05-26T20:29:00.000+05:30

Since, the world cup is just days away, it makes sense to pay favourite-favourite :-)

Yep, its that time of the year when you can make predictions and all. Also, you can lay bets on ur fav team. So, here I go.

For me, the below three teams have a wonderful chance of laying their hands on the trophy.

1) Brazil (Expected)
2) England (Best Team Till Date)
3) Argentina

More elaboration as to why I consider them the favourites to win will follow. Till then, keep kicking :-)

Cheers,
HP

[ Cross-Posted at FutbaalRockers ]

Interesting..Very Interesting....

2006-05-23T13:12:00.000+05:30

Read the below article on Arundhati Roy's speech in New York. Pretty Interesting.
No comments as of now but will do a full post some time later.

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=68135

Cheers,
HP

Good Read

2006-05-22T18:42:00.000+05:30

Read the below post by Iyer Education related to the Da Vinci Code.
Simply good. Have a dekho ppl.

http://iyerospace.blogspot.com/2006/05/rr-varma-code.html

Cheers,
HP

Calvin & Hobbes

2006-05-19T21:50:00.000+05:30

Always had been an ardent reader of Calvin and Hobbes strips. And, I love Mid-Day simply for that. They introduced me to the wonderful world of Calvin.

Can't really pinpoint as to why I liked Calvin so much. Maybe, I connected to him at some level :-)

Some Priceless Calvin moments or one-liners,IMHO

"Life is unfair, but how come it's never unfair in my favor?"

"Dad, how come you live in this house with mom, instead of in an apartment with several scantily clad female roommates." (Just love the way Calvin interacts with his Dad and the constant polls with which he constantly bombards his Dad, simply priceless)

"Why should I work for any results? Its almost as if I dont deserve it !" Exactly my thoughts :-)

Calvin sez - "I'm a man of few words"
Then Hobbes says "If you read more, you can increase your vocabulary!"

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."

Mrs Wormwood:Wat state do u live in?
Calvin:Denial ( Just like me )

"I'm at peace with the world. I'm completely serene. I've discovered my purpose in life. I know why I was put here and why everything exists... I am here so everybody can do what I want. Once everybody accepts it, they'll be serene too."

Reality continues to ruin my life :-)

"In the short term , it would make me happy to go play outside.
In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful.
But in the very long term, i know what will make better memories"

Mom : Calvin your problem is you have got no common sense.
Calvin : I have got plenty of common sense, I just choose to ignore it

(in the middle of the night)
calvin-MMMOOOOMMMM...COME UP QUICK!!!!
mum-WHAT?? WHAT HAPPENED????!!!
calvin-do you think love is only a biochemical reaction to make sure our genes get passed on?
mum-whatever it is, it is all that is keeping me from strangling you right now!!
calvin-somehow, mom's midnight reassurances are never reassuring!!!
LOL...

Test paper: Explain Newton's first law of motion in your own words
Calvin: Some gibberish...
Calvin: "I love loopholes" Simply Jhakaas Stuff....

Guys, Do add some more valuable lines if any :-)

Cheers,
HP

Barca Rulezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2006-05-18T21:32:00.000+05:30

So, the expected happened. Barca became the UEFA Champions. As the season progressed this time, it was becoming more and more apparent that Barca were the team to beat this year. And coming into the finals, Barcelona were poised to lift the Champions Trophy. But, one team Arsenal was determined to make history and promised an entertaining match to the fans.

I spent the better part of the night waiting for the match to start. Dad started getting a bit restless seeing me awake beyond midnight. And the old taunt of never staying late to study surfaced. But, yesterday everything was taken into the stride. Even gave a brief introduction of the Champions League to him. Finally, he slept murmurring something about 22 players fighting for a ball and all. But, I digress..

Anyways, coming to the match, Arsenal were aggressive right from the beginning which was not quite surprising actually. In the pre-match analysis, the pundits were discussing about the fact that Barca might just be wary of the Arsenal strikers. And in the first few minutes, Arsenal showed us just exactly why. Lehmann was looking quite confident while thwarting the stray strikes by the Barca strikers on the goal. But, then Lehmann tripped Eto just outside the box. (Hope Lehmann doesn't show such stupidity during the World Cup now that he is the first-choice goalkeeper for Germany). The tripping saw Lehmann being sent off and Pires being replaced by Manuel Almuni which in a way was very sad. The sight of Lehmann being sent off and Pires being replaced secretly made an Arsenal-baiter like me also pray for an Arsenal victory.

A free kick which should not have been given gave Arsenal a opening in the game. Campbell's header put Arsenal in the lead and Arsenal went into the break with their heads high after being 1 up with a 10 man team.
A lot is being made of the refreeing and I don't think Arsenal fans should be complaining much. IMHO, the free kick was just not on. But, the simulation worked and Arsenal striked. All this talk of biasedness should be taken with a bag of salt.

After the break also, the ball possession was more with Barcelona. But, their normal incisiveness was missing primarily because Ronaldinho was playing far below at its best, to put it mildly. Ronaldinho missed around 3 free-kicks which is very much unlike him. Things were just drifting with Arsenal content to defend and players diving left and right. Even Henry wasn't entirely free of guilt as he also got involved in delaying of the game with the constant scuffles and dives.

But, then Larsson was introduced in the game and that just changed the entire match. A first feed to Eto, which seemed like marginally off-side equalized the scores and there and then, Arsenal left the game. Within some minutes, Larsson provided Beletti a scoring oppurtunity and that sealed the match. The remaining minutes were just a countdown to Barca lifting the trophy.
Overall, the match was good. Definitely tense but yes, if Arsenal had 11 players on the ground, I suspect Arsenal would have been crowned the champions. Simplay, the way they started was heartening. But, anyways looking at the whole tournament, Barca were the deserved winners.

Hopefully, Chelsea bring the Champions Trophy back to England. Here's Cheers to that!!!

Cheers,
HP

[ Cross-Posted this at Futball Rockers. ]

India-Pakistan Future

2006-05-11T20:27:00.000+05:30

Saw a video at the below linked blog. Real cool video which depicts a debate in a school in Pakistan. The debate is on the nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan. More such debates at the ground level and more interactions would help the coming generations to live in peace.

Enough of my blabber. Below is the link.

http://crawls.blogspot.com/2006/05/future-certainly-looks-promising.html/

Cheers,
HP