Ramblings

I always keep hearing people say 'God is One','God is One'.. But, in my new religion 'God is Zero' :-) Cheers, HP

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.... Cheers, HP

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 for allowing me to sleep early. Heartfelt Thanks!! Cheers, HP

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

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 sp

Nasdaq has launched a $5.1 bln bid for London stockmarket. Wonder, if BSE can make a bid for Karachi Stock Exchange :-) Cheers, HP

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

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, HP

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 th

Love is nothing but hormonal locha :-) Cheers, HP

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

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

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 Ma aaaaaaaaaaaaaa Chis hai.............................. :-)

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 f

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 truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. Cheers, HP

Check out the funny video of BJP leaders singing/not singing Vande Mataram. These BJP men can't sing Vande Mataram . Cheers, HP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 ऒ

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 b

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

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 :-)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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 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

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

First showers on the earth !! Cheers, HP

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...

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 ]

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

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

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 th