LIFE AT END OF THE BENCH

We all know and have heard about what it is to be the star of a sports team and heard these stars speak about how they led their team to victory and blah blah. I am sure you all would have seen that one guy who runs on to the field when the team wins but he is still in his warmers (track pants). And first your reaction is who is that guy ? does he ever play... why is he on the team?? I have never seen him play.

Well that guy is the one nobody outside knows, he is the one who gets the drinks for the " main" players. He pretty much is the water boy or towel boy of the team. All this may sound a little demeaning but I don’t think it is. Because like it or not counseling some of the big shots when they are not playing at their best... trying to give a pep talk by lifting lines from famous movies... and so on ..you get the picture... Basically doing things that are not associated with you dribbling the ball.

To be very honest ...I for long time was that guy on my college team. I mean my first 2 years on the mean I was a " 30 player ". That implies i would only play if we were up 30 or down by 30 . Basically you are the one who runs around like a headless chicken after the opponents have mopped the floor with your senior team and trust me it is not fun. Especially when you can hear people in the crowd go “whoa .... Where did they find this joker from ". The toughest part was seeing juniors who got in to the team after me work themselves in to the rotation of playing team.

But I guess me turning in to the guy, who sits at the end of bench was a product my attitude of "playing safe". I mean was scared to shoot beacuse I was too worried that I would miss and preferred to pass. So at the end of the day you do not look bad but flip side being you would not look great either. The then coach of the team who for some insane reason called me " mogaan" for year then called me "mogith" for the next 2 years. he believed that if I really tried hard , I could be decent shooter ... I just generally concluded that he lost his marbles ... if he thought I can turn into a guy who could the shoot the ball from distance with consistency i.e. turn into wing player.

I didn’t believe it then but now days that seems to be only thing I can do ... ironic!! Not that I am great at it but most definitely million times better than I was back in college. I think it is phenomenon know as "evolution", as I really cannot do anything else when the guy in front me can just jump over me with no effort at all ... I mean over me. Trust me ... being hopped over like a puddle of water on the road is not a very desirable experience. It is like wetting your pants in front of the whole class. So to be respectable you just shoot before the come near you (survival instincts).

In college I certainly did wish I could have been the guy with " star power" but honestly I think I would have not been able to enjoy being on the team and playing as much as I did if that were the case. In my opinion being the guy at the end of the bench worked out perfectly.... I was close to nearly all my closest friends, was able to share all the high & lows of basketball and life from winning, loosing and all the other crazy stuff. I met my girlfriend in a way thanks to basketball and being on the bench( more of the latter as I was kinda was unofficial coach of the girls team along with another friend) ... and learnt a hell a lot about basketball and life and met the really amazing people along the way... not bad for being last in a line... eh!!

ITS DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS

Before you read this post I would like mention that I am not an anti-feminist, bigot, woman hater and so on. The other day one of my female friends here at college station was inquiring if she were to work in the dining center I was previously working at ( P.S Now I am computer technician ... all of you stop laughing!!!) would she have to do the same work as me ?? or would they take in to account the fact that is a girl and go easy on her...

And Immediately my mind went back to the time I was class 7 or grade 7, it was Geography class and we were expected to turn in our weekly home work before the start of the class. As usual suspects go I was on the top of the list of the guys who would not complete their home work and generally it was only the boys who did not adhere to the deadline. But that day was different ... the teacher walked in to the class and promptly asked all the students who have not completed the assignment to stand up and guess what ??? the unthinkable had happened a few of the girls also had not finished their assignment. Hmm now this unchartered terrritory... the boys were already getting ready to go out of the class kneel down in the corridor and complete their assignment which was normal protocol and every one assumed the girls would have to do the same but then the teacher said " alright you girls can submit your work tomorrow but you gettt out of my class ". Explanation as in words of the teacher " they are girls they are different". As any normal teenager ( rebel with absolutely no cause and bad hair cuts " mushroom cut was the in thing at that time") my friends and I went on bitching spree as to how easy girls have it in life. We still do it even now for fun but not with any feeling of animosity its now a "guy thing".

But actually when I think about it has always been diffrerent for girls. Think if you are running late for school and there is no way you are getting to there on time and you say " hey dad I am kinda late can you please drop me" and then 9 times out ten if you are guy this is wat u will get as a reply " who asked you to get up so late ... I am not going to drop you ... learn to get up early". Pretty sure that it is not the same with girl. Then there is dad I want to go for a movie ... dad " ok here is 50 rs have fun " ... hey that will be enough for the auto alone... dad " so go by bus " .... you get the picture.

And then there the whole academics part .... I have noticed that more often than not you find that the topper of any class that you are a part of is a girl .... strange eh... I do not mean that they achieve it by cheating or something just feel they have a lot less distrations to deal with when school or college. ( P.S This post is mainly focussed through the " teenage years" )

Ask my friend Jayan about how and why are guys n girls different ??? he was asked same question during our farewell in school ... he worked himself in to such a mess trying to answer this one . ( advice: dont ever go down that line... it never ends well)

Now when it comes to realtionships I dont get this whole "different" funda. A guy who has had many realtionships, flirts with numerous females and so on is reffereed to as " stud " by peers I mean he is literally " the MAN!! " but apply the same attributes to girl and somehow she is the one who is frowned upon .... she is the one about whom one whispers to his friend.... " wohi hai re" ... really does not make sense to me.

In a realtionship the guy is the one who is suppose to ask the girl out why? equal relationship n all but the initiative has to be from the guy why?

I guess some questions are better left unanswered.

Then there is part as girls grow older the rules get more and more stringent. Home before nightfall .... and so on....

All in all.... I think things are just different for girls questions such why and how are unimportant ... they just are ... I never thought I would say this but my geography teacher was right.


Girls are different!!!!!!!!

ONE FOR THE LITTLE GUY: THE FINAL INCH & SMILE PINKI

The other day I was just surfing the net found something that left me dumbfounded completely. A nominee for the Oscar in the short documentary category is a movie titled: “The Final Inch". If you are wondering why this left me stunned then read on. It is a documentary on the real life story of a 26 year old Indian M Gulzar Saifi and work done by polio eradication workers in our country. Gulzar Saifi had fallen victim to polio when he was 6 months old but despite the inherent difficulties of being a physically challenged person in India he has gone on to earn a post graduate in economics and now runs a teaching center. Now that is a story that definitely deserves an Oscar. This documentary is directed American director Irene Taylor Brodsky.

Then there is another Oscar nominee in the short documentary category with an Indian bias
“Smile Pinki". The protagonist of the story is a 6 year old named Pinki who cannot go to school because of her cleft lips. It shows her battle with social stigma until she gets help from a social worker who gets her free surgery. This movie is directed by Megan Mylan.

Now I wonder how in the world do a stories like this not come to the fore in the mainstream media?? Nobody talks about these movies why?? I am sure of one thing, as an Indian I would rather one of these 2 movies win and they be used to symbolize our nation. I mean no disrespect to slumdog but I feel these movies best represent my country. In our nation there are many things that are bad, atrocious and disgusting but despite all this we get up every day (we may not admit it) with the hope and belief that things will get better today. The Idea of hope is eternal in India and is probably India's greatest weapon.


So honestly hope that one these movies win and they finally get recognition they deserve. The little guy must get his day in the sun too... slumdog or no slumdog.

P.s

for my opinion on slumdog click here

one of the places where the movies were mentioned was the GOOGLE BLOG !!! yaaaay

PIMPING POVERTY: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, SO WHAT IF IT DOES???

The movie "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” directed by Danny Boyle based on a book called Q and A by Vikas Swarup has been in the news a lot lately. At first it was for all the right reasons, winning golden globes after it was considered a dark horse for most of the awards. It is now one of the frontrunners for Oscars. A R Rehman did pick up a golden globe for the music but I must say I can think of at least 10 Rehman songs that were better than the song which won. Better late than never I guess. But just as one thought ah ... finally we are home.. .safe and sound all hell seems to have broken loose.


It started with the grand ol daddy of Indian cinema “the Big B" sharing with us his thoughts about the movie. For some reason the movie seem to hurt his sentiments and even that of Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt. Mr. Bachan I don’t think you can real afford to criticize the story Mr.Bachan for god sake you acted in "Ram Gopal Verma ki AAG" a sorry excuse for a movie even by our RGV's standards of crap. Mr. Bhatt you do a very good job of lifting Hollywood flicks (scene to scene & you cast the serial kisser Emraan Hashmi ) may be talking about a movies story and plot should be the last thing you do.

I read somewhere else that movie is a case of pimping poverty. Hmm let me think ... when a bollywood or tollywood or kollywoood hero is a slum deweller, an auto driver, a washerman or the guy who irons your clothes (poor telugu .. going for " maestri"), a farmer, a porter (a coolie not to be mistaken for a guy who is really cool) it is not pimping poverty but it is reality, very factual and so on.

Now for the icing on the cake, I recently read on news site that there has been a public litigation filed against the movie for using the word "slum" and "dog" together in its title. Whoa!! Now there is a case of someone with a lot of free time on their hands and someone who takes movies way too seriously. Dude get a life!!! How can you be offended by a movie title ?? And coming back to those of you who think this movie is about pimping poverty. Ok so what if it does... I am sure all of you who say this are the same bunch of people who went to watch the Titanic to get a glimpse of Katie's ... you know #@#@. And not like people have a problem when movie makers jump on the band wagon of “sex sells ". Example: Dhoom II and the character of Bipasha ... the "oomph” factor as some like to put it. So I guess this is the " aaaw so sad or cute " factor. If it sells, then let it and if you have a problem then don’t watch it.

Basically it is a movie.... so do not apply too much of your intelligence, just go to multiplex do the aaww's and oooh's have fun laugh and come back (if getting in touch with your feelings and crying is your thing you can do that too) . Just make sure you watch the 1 below

I am big Rajni fan but just could not resist the temptation.
Thalivar!!!!!

I HATE PSEUDO FOOTBALL FANS!!!

 

 Of late I have realized that the number of apparent football fans has increased exponentially, especially when it comes to club football. For some reason it is the in thing among the "wannabe" crowd and they actually believe it’s cool.  I am one for the concept of spreading the sport I love it and the joy that comes from it but I cannot stand the fact that people think this is a first class ticket to being cool. 

 

The thing that put's me off the most is every one of these new age football fans are Manchester United fans not because of the club or the way their style or brand of football but because they know 3 or 4 names from that team and also because a knock off or " fake " Man U jersey is very easy to find. Ask them who plays for Man U and you will get 3 names ronaldo, rooney and may be a Giggs and then the awkward silence .... Hmmm. Then there are those who say they support the team because of its color ... what???  yes it happens. 

 

Then it gets worse these apparent lovers of sport will debate with an ardent & true sports fan about the game. Honestly I know no one is born with knowledge of the history of sports, everyone learns as they go along. But if you choose to feign your love for sports that is downright disgusting and sad. So all pseudo sports lovers, wear jersey's of teams you know nothing about or shoot of the first 2 lines about the club that you read on Wikipedia and revel in the fact that in apparently makes you “cool ". But the truth is you are missing out on the real pleasure of enjoying the beautiful game and I feel sorry for you.

 

P.S I wear fake jerseys too because I cannot afford the price that comes with the originals... but I atleast know the name on the front and the back.

 

The American Road Trip: Texas to California in a Nissan Maxima

In matter of 15 days my friends I traveled nearly 5000 miles (8000 KM). Considering that the length of India is about 3000 Km, I would say that is a lot of travelling. I am generally a person very averse to long journeys and to say I was very skeptical at the start of this titanic journey from one corner of Texas to California would a major understatement. Now here comes the real "punch " of this journey, nearly all the driving was done by one guy Anil Chunchu.... let’s say about 4000 miles. 

 

I have never seen so many cities in my life; I got to see Austin, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, Las Vegas, Tempe Los Angeles and many more small towns.  I do not think I have seen so many cities in my 22 years of living in India. something I regret now. 

 

Here a few pointers that I took from this journey

 

The state of Texas is massive, they have a different speed limit for night and day (65 & 80) and they are very particular about you keeping within them, beause one does not "mess with Texas". P.S all cop cars need not be painted black& white, they could be driving a red ford mustang  so think twice before you go above the limit in Texas. 

 

The next state you come in to is New Mexico, hmm what do I say about this one... let me just put it this way if you sleep through this you will not miss much. My advice is sleep because you might just go crazy looking at repetitive scenery of miles and miles nothing. 

 

Then you enter the state of Arizona this state this is filled with cactus plants that are huge.... and cop cars hide behind bushes and shrubs just like the show you in the movies. In Arizona we stayed over at friends place ... in the city of Tempe the town where you ASU (Arizona State University) but as I was later informed the university is also referred to as Andhra State University due to the exponential number of students from Andhra . Plus you get some good Indian food in this town.

 Then finally we reached California, we went to LA ... the home of Hollywood .we saw Rodeo drive... the Hollywood sign, the promenade and then in true hyderabadi fashion said that is enough site seeing for this trip.  We did visit the movie theatre called the Grove, It made feel as if I were in some sort of a palace. P.S I saw the telugu movie “king", please don’t watch it. It will scar you for life. Other things of importance nobody follows the speed laws in LA trafiic moves at 80 mph at minimum. You can get mugged anywhere and my friend's roomie got mugged right outside his own house when we were there. 

We moved on to San Jose from here taking the pacific coast high way must say, even for some like me who is not much in to nature.... the sunset ... blah blah ... it was a jaw dropping experience but be warned it is a very very long drive ( 10 hrs) and San Jose made feel as if I were India by the number of Indians we seem to be running in to.

 

San Francisco is an amazing city, it has very European feel to it was the common consensus but considering that I have not been to Europe .My judgement is based on the number of Europeans we saw and numerous roadside cafes. But San Francisco is all about the inclined roads these are at near 60 degree angles you will not realize how steep it is till you get to the top of it. If you ever want to punish someone give him a bicycle and ask him to move around San Francisco. Oh yeah the golden gate bridge is worth a watch. 

 

Now Las Vegas, a city literally in the middle of nowhere. Glitz, glamour and people losing money is what this city is all about. I spent new year’s eve on the streets on Las Vegas, my experience included getting stuck in a wild crowd of drunk people who could decide which way to go forward or backward. Not a very tough choice but for some reason hundreds of people seem to not be able to make up their mind and were very happy just falling on to each other and relieving themselves among hundreds of people. Basically if you are claustrophobic make sure you are not on the streets of Vegas and if you are not very rich make sure you not at a casino table for too long and do not drive at 104 MPH in a 70 mph zone. My advice make sure you know when stop whatever your doing in Vegas.  

Most importantly without  a GPS it very very tough to move around in the US especially if you are not familiar with the routes, It is not like India where you roll down your window ask your friendly panwallah the directions. 

 

HISTORY BEING MADE:

On the 4th of November 2008 Barack Obama became the 44th president elect of the United States of America. For many people in the USA of it was day they had been waiting for from time immemorial. People rejoiced in the streets with celebrations, the likes of which one had never seen before. The tears flowed from the eyes of one and all irrespective of the background. The walls of old had been torn down. And yes!! Then there was the victory speech that gave even the most uninterested person a Goosebumps or two...

At the risk of sounding very dead.... I would say was this not expected?? Ok i Guess there is a lot of difference between expecting and happening. But still why were there people in Italy, France, India and other corners of the world celebrating?? It was not like they had got a new president right?? Not like their lives were going to undergo a drastic change. Basically you get the picture.

May be just may be for those few hours.. The people of the world forgot about differences brought about by flags and history. It was like the world had united for one cause, to weed out the division of race. It did not mean that from that moment on we would not have racism anywhere in the world. It just said we can change one small step at a time in the right direction. Was he the right choice for office? Is he the one that will steer America through its toughest times in nearly a century...? Only time will tell. But for now let us rejoice in the fact that all challenges that face human nature and our deepest darkest evils can be overcome.

I was fortunate enough to hear Obama's victory speech live (thank you BBC) and at every single moment of that speech I felt history was being made. I have not been a witness to much history being made in my time and what I have been witness to has only been the worst that can be brought out in man. From assassination of the prime minister of my country, to riots that have shook the very fundamental principles of my nation, the birth and rise of terrorism. I have also seen good but it has always been overshadowed by the bad and the ugly. But that speech and what had transpired before it has proven to me things can change and will change but everything needs time and effort.





So maybe I am... Sorry let me correct that... I know am not wrong in thinking of India's moment of change is coming too. Hope is very integral to our cause and we should never lose sight of it.

P.S if you have not watched the speech I suggest you watch it!!!

POLITICIANS REALLY LOSE THE PLOT AT TIMES!!!!

I got up this morning to read about what is going on in India. I was for the lack of better adjective shocked, to see that jet airways had layed off over 900 employees and more were in offing. It dawned on that the financial mess of western world has implications ven in India. I guess it price of globalisation. But what really shocked me were the headlines that followed it. 

1. Raj Thackery threatens to ground jet airways.

2.Mayawati & Sonia exchange blows

3.RS Mp Kanimozhi submits resignation letter to promote Sri Lankan tamil issue (DMK vociferous about support)

4.Homosexuality should be legalised says Health minister Ramadoss

ok.. I need a moment to let this all sink in. My first reaction was wow a lot can happen in one day.

I never knew that a politican holding no postion of adminstrative power or significance can make claims of grounding a entire ailine fleet. Oops!! I forgot in India it is possible to do so.. or should I say it is possible in Mumbai and West Bengal. This is coming from the same man who said north Indians should be driven out of Mumbai. In my opinion such persecution of an ethnic community makes a man no different from Hitler. But for him to dictate how a private firm operates is also preposterous. And the reason he is able to make such absurd statements is because people like you and me do not ask him to shut up!! So shut up..... and if people feel they have been dealt a bad deal then go to judiciary and not involve politics with it.

Behan Kumari Mayawati ji and Sonia Gandhi need to grow and stop with this game of out doing each other. Please people you represent the nation , this is not the way heads of state behave. I mean you have elections coming up in a few months who ever is not good will go... is that not democracy. You have no need to wash dirty linen in public by banning one from trying to play in in others back yard. I think both of more pressing issues of inflation, hunger & poverty etc to deal with. Please ladies you both have been put on the list of the worlds most powerful women, please do not let your ego get the better of the argument of who should have been ranked higher.

This one is my favourite, politicians here want to support a freedom movement (LTTE) which takes the life of many innocent people. The same organisation that assinated our leader. The question is not if their cause is justified or not but If we did support them how different are we from Pakistan,  who do the same in Kashmir. They apparerenly support the Kashmiri's fight against injustice and for freedom. Again may be, the ruling party in Taml Nadu  DMK should concentrate on issues of the state rather than trying to voice their support for tamils in Sri Lanka. They need to remember that their loyalty lies with Indians and not with cultural background of tamil. The daughter of the party leader resigning her post to voice her discontent with respect to the issue, makes you wonder where this is all going???

And last but not the least our great health minister, after jostling for control over AIIMS  with its vice chancellor, banning smoking on screen, now banning smoking in public,  wanting movie stars to stop drinking on screen and many more ideas which i hae no clue about. The man has finally out done himself. He wants to legalise homosexuality... yes folks it is illegal in India to be gay.

It is not that I am against it but the timing that astounds me. I actually do not know what to say.... if he is right or wrong. Are we mature enough to accept it?? it is one thing to say yes in a flash but in a society,  which is still coming to terms with live in realtionships and so on... The issue homsexuality may be a little more than what we can handle. May be Mr. Ramadoss should deal with increasing trend of AIDS, the fact that more 17 states in the country have alarming conditions of malnutrition and hunger as declared by a recent world report. It went on to say that things in certain states were as bad as the situation in th african country Chad. Government hospitals are no where close to being respectable.

I think these itself are enough food for thought.  

So please my respected country I request to handle more pressing issues that face are nation rather than play to galleries.  

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY: BEING AN AGGIE

I seem to be suffering from a very bad case of writers's block. And I write this post with the intention to write my way out this rut. I feel I have been whinning since the time I have got here but one thing I feel good about here is the University. Texas A&M University is regarded as one of the top universities in the USA. 

Life at Texas A&M University for an international student is about understanding of two   words "Tradition" & "History". Once you understand the context of these words, everything falls in to place like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. The college is over 100 years old, to say the campus is gigantic would be an understatement with no parallel. The moment you set foot on the campus the history and culture of the place just leaves you in a state of awe. Everything from a bench on the walkway to the university dinning hall has a story associated with it. 

The students of  Texas A&M as reffered to as aggies, this comes from the fact that initially the college specialised in the field of Agriculture and Mechanical sciences. Even though the university has branched out, it still retains those letters (A&M) as a link to its past. The college has every rich military tradition, with a large number of its alumni having served and serving in the armed forces with great distinction. That tradition is carried forward today by the student section know as the Cadet of Corps ( similar to the NCC in INdia but way more serious & at college level). Watching these men and women in uniform with their boots and spurs everyday can and will leave you in awe.

The core values of an aggie are loyalty, integrity, excellence, leadership, selfless service and respect. These are not just some words that go up on a board, these values are something that all students take to their hearts and really adhere to. This is evident from their helping nature, the manner in which they greet you even if they know you or not and their ability to instill the same in you. The one thing I learnt here is that age is no bar when it comes to sports and sport can be played at any time. In my first few weeks here i used to play soccer with certain older men in of the many open grounds in the campus. I was flabbergasted to find that these people where professors over the age of 50 who only play on weekdays between 12:45 to 2:00 in the afternoon( My reaction exactly, considering it as hot as vellore here).

 

I also realised that an optimistic sports fan is a personality disorder which affects a lot of people beyond the realm of cricket in India. The college football Team presently is not a powerhouse like many other teams in Texas but it once was one of the most feared teams for its punishing defense. The days of glory have long since passed but here every match brings with it an air of expectation among the fans that today things will change and we will be begin our climb back to the top ( reminds you of our cricket team does it not). The football stadium is called Kyle Field and it would not be justice done if I were to describe it in words.  All I can say you should be there to see 84000 fans wearing maroon standing all through the game cheering their team regardless of the score. 

Basically the moment you enter campus the school spirit just takes over. The feeling that you belong to this larger entity just engulfs you. Soon you will see that your wardrobe is being taken over by the color maroon, saying howdy is not something that is strange to you any more and you want to get tickets for every home game and if not even the local radio will suffice. 

I am sure you get the picture of what I am trying to say... there is a lot more traditions over here like the bonfire, yell practice, yell leaders, rivalries with Texas austin and so on I will write about them in the time to come. But as of now all I will say is this,  here at Texas A&M you will get an expeirence that you will cherish and enjoy for rest of your life. Being an aggie is a lot more than just being a student.  

Dasavatharam: A Confused Creation

The movie Dasavatharam is credited with being the most expensive Indian movie ever created. So now comes the critical question was it worth all that money?? I think the producers got ripped off!! in a big way. The high point of the movie is the acting of kamal Hasan, unfortunately that is the only highlight of the movie.

We all know that Kamal is an actor who can play any character or role seamlessly passing the lines by which other actors bound. Which leads me to the question as to why at this point of time in his career did he choose to portray ten different characters? I am not implying he did a bad job. Just that the movie could have done with out his portrayal of characters like the villain, the freakishly tall Muslim guy and the malayalee activist.

The movie attempts to bring multiple small stories together along the lines of the Oscar movie crash. The intent is to show that individual events on their own may have very little meaning but have a bearing on the larger scheme of things and also that we are all interconnected in some way or the other.

All this is good and jolly but for some reason integration of all the stories in the movie was not smooth. Certain sequences will leave you wondering what was this for? Mallika Sherawat's role as the vamp is pretty short, uneventful but for a change it is not a skin show. The low point of the movie was definitely the graphics they seemed pretty kiddish and definitely not worth the astronomical figures quoted for the effort.

Personally I loved kamal's potrayal of the telugu RAW officer and George W Bush.

Overall the movie is not an awe inspiring or thought provoking. I would say it is a time pass movie that you can watch once. Also I think that Mr.Hasan was being a little self obsessed in naming the Movie Dasavatharam just because he played ten characters.

Do not be surprised if you come out of the movie hall asking yourself what was the movie about??

Bandh: Holding a Country to Ransom??

In the past few weeks I am sure all of us have seen the protests and bandh's about the petrol price hike, the Gujjars demand for ST status, the protest against inflation, renaming of brands and institutions that have the name Bombay to Mumbai and any many more.

Off late, the frequency & reasons for these protests and manner in which they have been carried out have gone beyond boundaries of common sense.

Let us start with path carnage left behind by the Shiv Sena in Mumbai. After getting bored of vandalizing Archie's outlets, Shiv Sena activists damaged and demonstrated against all Organizations and institutions that have name Bombay in their title. The Shiv Sena wanted institutions such as Bombay dying, Bombay stock exchange and the school Bombay Scottish to replace the name Bombay with Mumbai. The reason being Marathi Pride. Is the Marathi pride so superficial? Does the issue warrant the destruction of Property? Is the issue even worth protesting?
Next up is the Gujjars protests. This community based mainly in Rajasthan wants the government to change it's status from a backward caste to that of a schedule tribe. Yes, they want to be moved further down apparently non existent caste system. This is to ensure a greater bite of the reservation pie.

Now somebody explain to me how can this justify the blocking of national highways, blocking the railways and damage to public property. The other day it was announced that the railways has incurred a loss of 6.5 -7 crore's due to the actions of the Gujjars. Bringing the life line of the country to stand still is no way of putting forth your issue. You can not hold the country to ransom to forward your personal ambitions.

Recently in West Bengal a bandh was called for to protest the hike in fuel prices. The left was behind this action, the same political organization which is in power in the state and supports the central government. That sounds ok rite? So now comes the disturbing part the airport was also closed. Yes, that is right the closure was supported by the state government.

These bandh's more often than not are politically motivated. I have to go to work this Saturday because last Friday some wise political organization wanted to protest the hike in fuel prices and called a bandh. These apparent "wise men" actually thought there would be no rise in prices of fuel despite the fact that internationally the prices had doubled over the last 12 months.

The fact is, these protests, demonstrations and Bandh's call them what you want; have become nothing but a public inconvenience to common people i.e people who are not politicians. The only way we can ensure these people are punished is by ensuring they do not get to positions of power. The only way that can happen is if people like you and me exercise our right to vote and vote for the right people.

What is a Garib Rath ? The truth

Yesterday I day I was travelling from Bangalore to Hyderabad on a train named as a Garib Rath. The Garib Rath is the railways version of a low cost airline. At least that is that they want us think.

The Garib Rath is a completely air conditioned train that has only A/C 3 tier coaches and a few A/C chair car coaches. I guess the railway’s is trying to eat into the Volvo road travels market. A train meant for the “Garib” or what the government likes to call the “Aam Admi”(common man ).

So now the interesting facts about the train firstly, each bay of every compartment has nine berths. Now how is that you ask? well, the railways have introduced a side middle berth. So now you have another reason not to take those crammed side berths.

Just to get a better idea of what I am saying. Imagine you are on a side lower berth and about two yards from your face there is another berth. The side upper has been pushed further up to make space for the new berth.

Fact number two, if want the bedding which you receive in an A/C coach you have to pay for it. The fee is RS 25/-.

Now comes the fact that disturbs me the most, the number of tickets available in tatkal for Garib Rath is nearly 40% of the total. I do not know how many tickets are normally to be given under tatkal ? But on train that is meant for the “Aam Admi” 40% of tickets priced at nearly twice the normal rate (Rs 824/-).

Now judge for yourself is this Garib Rath a train for the “Aam Admi”? But lets also give credit where it is due, our honorable minister for railways. As the Indian railways has also learned the tricks of the trade when it comes to profit making. The Garib Rath, you will feel Garib when you get of it.

May be we may have to soon pay for this too.

Oil Prices:Price Hike in India

The price of oil around the world has more than doubled in the last 12 months. In India we have largely been unaffected by it but that is all about to change. Petrol prices could go by RS 3.50 to about RS 10 in the coming days. Petrol prices going up will further push inflation in India. This petrol price rise may be the first of many to come in the future.

The price of oil stands above the 130$ mark and analyst it may reach the 200$ mark in the future. No one in the world had seen this coming and its timing could not be worse. Most of the nations in the world are already experiencing a sharp rise in inflation and this sudden rise in oil prices has further deteriorated the situation.

In India we have already begun to feel the pinch of inflation with rise food prices and now the oil price rise is going to hit us hard. The government is trying very hard not to hike petrol & diesel prices with elections due in a year. But losses that are being inflicted upon the public sector oil companies such as Indian oil, Hindustan petroleum and Bharat petroleum have forced the government to act.

The government recently conceded that a hike in the price of petrol and diesel was imminent. The question now is by how much ? The finance minister is reluctant to reduce the taxes imposed on the oil as it would drastically increase the annual fiscal deficit. But to impose the burden on the common man would be some thing unreasonable.

So now the question is when the price rise comes, how much will it be? I believe the it will depend on how much the finance minister is willing to compromise and how much the allies are willing to risk by passing the buck on to the common man.

We in India cannot shy away from this rise in oil prices, one way or the other we are going to pay more for petrol and diesel. To blame the government for it in my opinion is stupid and unreasonable. As this is a global phenomenon and it is beyond the control of our government.

And as far as the white house is concerned, I have only one thing to say in response to the statement "Many developing nations like India or China are having greatly increased demand, which obviously is having an impact on price"

Guys grow up and stop cribbing, first the food and now this too. Does competition make you uncomfortable??

But million dollar question is by how much? So lets wait and see what the wise men of India decide.

LIFE AT VIT UNIVERSITY : VELLORE

This is a follow up on my previous post VIT University. As VITEE results were announced it would help a lot of students looking for information on VIT University. General information has been posted in previous post on VIT University CLICK HERE. Ranked 10 th on India today's list of top engineering colleges

In my last my post I was very civil in my description about VIT University, so this time I have decided to describe everything from a different perspective


LIFE AT VIT UNIVERSITY

As far as academics is concerned VIT University is more than respectable. It offers opportunities for you to push those big ideas through but beware of those try to hitch a ride on your shoulders.

As in most colleges the assignments completed as a group task. VIT University follows a semester system, the odd semester feel really long and even semester gets over before you know it.

One thing that one should be careful about is the attendance. They are very strict about it, 75% or else bye bye. There is always a way out of every thing in VIT, the path generally hurts your pocket.

Some good news for freshers is that ragging is an offense which is taken very seriously.

Attractions of Main Campus


The VIT University campus is huge, but thankfully there are shaded walkways to shade you from the ever present blazing Vellore sun. The weather is rarely pleasant.



There are 3 places to eat on Campus. The VIT University food court near Technology Tower, Canteen & Quick bytes. In the VIT food court you get almost all varieties of food, but be warned looks can be deceiving. Canteen is purely vegetarian here I suggest the lunch meal, it is a sumptuous south Indian thali. Quick bytes is the place to go for fast food I suggest the barbeque roll and cakes such as black forest . Note all these palaces get extremely crowded during lunch.

My favorite place on the campus is the main basketball court, right behind the Anna auditorium. It is the number one hang out spot on campus, also one of the most picturesque courts you will ever see. It is the only sport played in the main campus.

Other sports facilities in VIT University include football field, cricket field, Olympic size swimming pool, a large number of badminton courts, floodlit basketball & volleyball courts and floodlit tennis courts.


10 NOT KNOWN FACTS ABOUT VIT UNIVERSITY

1. You can be suspended and fined for being present at the site of ragging or for not doing anything to stop ragging.
2. You can not sit anywhere on campus
3. A boy and girl cannot site together on any of the benches near the basketball court.
4. A large percentage of the people playing basketball on campus do it because it is a shortcut to fame at VIT University
5. There is no such thing as O D in VIT University ( subject to department)
6. There is no internet connection or LAN provided by the college in the hostels (private LAN wires are considered illegal)
7. There is a helipad in the middle of the stadium (concrete)
8. The field used for cricket and football is the same.
9. Concerts in VIT University are held with barriers that separate boys and girls
10. TASMAC is the place most visited by VIT students (go to VIT and find out what I mean)
    

POLITICS OF DIVISION: A STATE CALLED TELANGANA?

Come may 29th the question of whether or not the state of Telangana will be or can be formed will be decided on. A referendum of sorts will take place as the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) resigned from its 18 assembly and 9 lok sabha seats.

The by-election for these seats are going to indicate as to how strong is the want for statehood is. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) gave up all these seats, to protest the lack of support for statehood from ruling congress party in the state and center. As the congress had become hesitant to support the cause despite the issue being a part of the common minimum program between the two during the 2004 state elections in which they were allies.

Now that is as far the politics of the issue goes, now let us look at the practicality of it. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) by resigning their seats a year before the actual scheduled elections are not proving anything.

All they have achieved to do is, to reaffirm our faith that politicians really do not think much about the country, state or people. Not only have resigned but also have decided to contest the same seats again. What are they trying to prove???

Election costs run in to crore's and in today's time of rising prices, one is forced to wonder if it is required. Further, gimmicks like the leader of Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) mr K C Rao sleeping in an tribal hamlet, taking bath in a canal etc. Point to nothing but desperation on part of the politicians.

The reasons for statehood may be genuine but the actions to acquire are certainly not. I fear to think what Mr Sardar Patel would say if he saw his work of putting together a united India from 565 princely being undone by his fellow Indians.

INFLATION IN INDIA: RISING PRICES

Rising prices of essential commodities, volatile stock market and opposition parties protests that cause traffic jams are all due to rising inflation. Inflation appears to be the buzz word on the street.

The "common man" as the news channels put it appears to reeling from the effects of inflation. Food prices are on the rise. Officially the figure now stands at 7.52%.

The government is being held responsible for failing to act, I would like to step in at this juncture and make a few points that we need to keep in mind.

Firstly, the government has taken measures to curb inflation, with few changes in policy. But does it not take time for it to effect. This is not a problem with quick fix , so we need to be patient.

Secondly, this is a global phenomenon and every one all over the world is feeling the pinch. The inflation we are experiencing at this is a result of the action of market forces of supply and demand.

At the moment in India the production of food commodities has not increased much in the past few years but what has increased is the population, purchasing power and standard of living. In other words supply has remained stagnant but demand was increased exponentially.

Thirdly, it is true that steel prices have gone up drastically but contrary to common belief cement has not risen by any measure. The price of cement has actually fallen in certain states such as Andhra Pradesh over the last 6 months.

One needs to understand that in countries such as China the food prices have gone up by 23%. Therefore in comparison we are actually doing pretty well.

If we are aiming for 8-9% or more every year, there are going to be consequences that we have contend with and may be higher prices may be one of them.

HYDERABAD UNPLUG

Hyderabad Unplug is an initiative by the people of Hyderabad to raise awareness about global warming. From 7.30pm to about 8.30pm the citizens of Hyderabad are urged to switch of all appliances.

Following on the heels of world earth day, where people carried out a similar gesture. This Hyderabad specific gesture hopefully meets with the same amount of success.

Just a recap for all you people, these extreme temperatures and changing weather patterns that we are experiencing is a result of global warming.

So let us please in our own little way help preserve mother earth. Because together we can definitely make a difference.

For further information on Global warming and its effects please use wikipedia(click on it) or watch the movie (click on it; a must watch) An inconvinient truth

IRON MAN: THE REVIEW

Iron Man, another one in a long list of marvel comics to be made into a movie. An impressive cast in terms of pedigree with Robert Downey Jr in the lead, Gwyneth Paltrow as his leading lady and Jeff Bridges as the bad guy.

The plot of Iron Man revolves around Tony Stark( Robert) a wealthy know it all CEO of a weapons production company for the US military. Who gets kidnapped by terrorists, on his way back from a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan.

He then builds a suit of amour and gadgets to escape from captivity. Once back on US soil he decides to improve the suit( suit is red and gold in color) and with help of his trusted aide Jim Rhodes played by Terrence Howard. Also helped on the way by the beautiful Pepper Potts played by Gwyneth Platrow.

Now that all the introduction is done, Lets get down to what makes the movie tick?? Robert Downey Jr carries the movie all own his own. He excels as the cocky millionaire know it all but some how seems like a fish out of water during the scenes of moral enlightenment.

The movie has its fair share neat graphics and usual carnage associated with super hero flicks.
Personally I think it is a good time pass flick. I am just thankful that it was not as screwed up as Daredevil.

I would give it a 7 out 10.

So I would say if you are bored go watch Iron Man.

THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY OF HYDERABAD

Living in Hyderabad is all about being a Hyderabadi. I shall list out a few things that one can do to experience Hyderabad. In Hyderabad you live life king size and enjoying every simple pleasure of life. To answer the question how do you experience Hyderabad ??

I have been living in Hyderabad for over 15 Years, I find this city to be an ideal blend of the past, the present and a little pinch of the future. I guess it is only natural to fall in love with your home town.

Let me start with the thing most integral to Hyderabad, the Biryani. There is many a place in the city, but everyone has their own favorites. So here is my take on it, if you are some one who is not sure of how like your biryani then Hyderabad House is the place for you. If you are one for good spicy masala and flavour Paradise Hotel at Secunderabad is the place to go. If you are a person who loves his meat then Bawarchi at RTC crossroads is the one for you.

Now lets get to places for activity, if you are some one with need for speed Runway 9 on Medchal road is where you ought to be. It is a state of the art floodlit go-karting facility. If You want to "shoot em'up" then Paintball at Jalvihar on necklace is the place for you. Knocking pins down is your thing, Alligator in Secunderabad is the place to be.

So long before coffee shops and chains made a splash in India, Hyderabad had its very own version of CCD( cafe coffee day). Irani cafe as we call it, you find it at almost every corner or junction. The Irani Chai and Osmania biscuit are must try. Madina cafe Lucky cafe and Sarvee are the prominent ones.

As far as night life is concerned Hyderabad is not far behind cities such bangalore and Mumbai. Places such as Touch and F-Bar on road no 2 Banjara hills are swanky up town joints with great ambiance , crowd and music. Ahala in Taj on Banjara hills road no1 is place that definitely deserves mention for its amazing interiors and atmosphere.

Places that fall in to the second tier are joints like Bottles and chimneys near the old air port, Firangi Paani in Banjara Hills rd 1 & 10 Downing Street at Begumpet. If you just want to go with bunch of guys have drink take in a game in the process Club 8 in Begumpet and Outswingers in Secunderabad are the places to be.

If it has been a late night partying, and you want to get some grub. Ohri's in banjara hills and Pickles ( Basera) in Secunderabad are eateries that offer buffet's that are open late in to the night.

This is my take on things, so please feel free to share your opinions with me.

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