Interesting news originating from Indian skies.State owned Indian Airlines has grounded a few over weight air hostesses Now since the weight issue is taken care of , will someone address the 'attitude ' issue too.That seems a more 'weighty' issue to deal with.I'm also one of the many who have suffered from their 'since you are here you can very well have a seat' attitude. I have cops talk to me nicely after hit & run accidents than the Indian airlines air hostesses.
Can someone be grounded 'coz of their attitude too ? On asking for a glass of water their cold stare has made me as uncomfortable as Kapil Dev judging a Sa Re Ga Ma contest.
BTW,those potbellied pilots are no good either......
Friday, November 17, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Santa & his Blackberry
Christmas is approaching and kids are already salivating over Nintedo Wii, PS3 and the new Ducati 1098 .
Your parents are not going to buy you any of that so better call Santa to deliver that for you.Came across an innovative and free service TelSanta launched recently for this Christmas.
Parents and kids get a toll free wish list number from Telsanta website.Kids can call Santa for free and tell him their wishlist. The audio recording of the wishlist is than emailed to their parents for keepsakes or to deliver ;-)
Your parents are not going to buy you any of that so better call Santa to deliver that for you.Came across an innovative and free service TelSanta launched recently for this Christmas.
Parents and kids get a toll free wish list number from Telsanta website.Kids can call Santa for free and tell him their wishlist. The audio recording of the wishlist is than emailed to their parents for keepsakes or to deliver ;-)
Friday, November 10, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
Teri Diwani
Kailash Kher - one time railway station dweller has worked very hard to achieve the success he enjoys today.'Teri Diwani' is a great song with a great video.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday, July 07, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
The Rise of India
Foreign Affairs Magazine published by the Council of Foreign Affairs has a few articles on The Rise of India in the recent issue.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Hit Wicket
A must watch for all cricket fans. A rare clip of a standup comic pulling some cricketer's legs.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
You will hear this only in Canada
He was grinnin' like a butcher's dog - [All is well]
Everything is jake.Everything is jakealoo - [All is well]
Up sh*t creek without a paddle - [All is not well]
The porch light is on, but there is no body home - [Good looking but dumb]
You smell better than a dime whore on a nickel Tuesday - [Bad Odour]
You can't grow grass on a busy street - [Baldness]
She was vaccinated with a Gramophone needle - [Blabbermouth]
Strong enough to grow hair on a wooden leg in three days - [Said of a potent home brew in Quebec]
I feel like cat had kittens in my mouth - [Hangover]
Redder than a turkey's ass during cranberry time - [Embarrassment]
You must have gotten your tan though a screen door - [Freckles]
Wired up like a Christmas Tree - [Nervousness].
So old he could have been a waiter at the last supper - [Old Age]
Patience is trying to to take a pin out of your butt with a boxing gloves - [Patience]
It was so quiet that you could hear a fish fart - [Quiet]
You didn't lick that off the ground - [Runs in the family]
He couldn't say sh*t if his mouth was full of it - [Snobbery]
He is so stingy he wouldn't pay a nickel to see Jesus go over Niagra fall on water skis - [Stinginess]
He doesn't know which fingers to scratch his nuts with - [Stupidity]
No use keepin' a dog and barkin' yourself - [Stupidity]
She is so thin, she has to run around the shower to get wet.
He is so thin, he has to stand in the same place twice, just to make a good shadow.
She looked like a professional blind date - [Ugliness]
As out of place as a brass doorknob on a pig pen.
He is always putting things off.He didn't get the birthmark till he was seven.
** Compiled from the book 'More Wacky Canadian Words & Sayings' by Bill Casselman
Everything is jake.Everything is jakealoo - [All is well]
Up sh*t creek without a paddle - [All is not well]
The porch light is on, but there is no body home - [Good looking but dumb]
You smell better than a dime whore on a nickel Tuesday - [Bad Odour]
You can't grow grass on a busy street - [Baldness]
She was vaccinated with a Gramophone needle - [Blabbermouth]
Strong enough to grow hair on a wooden leg in three days - [Said of a potent home brew in Quebec]
I feel like cat had kittens in my mouth - [Hangover]
Redder than a turkey's ass during cranberry time - [Embarrassment]
You must have gotten your tan though a screen door - [Freckles]
Wired up like a Christmas Tree - [Nervousness].
So old he could have been a waiter at the last supper - [Old Age]
Patience is trying to to take a pin out of your butt with a boxing gloves - [Patience]
It was so quiet that you could hear a fish fart - [Quiet]
You didn't lick that off the ground - [Runs in the family]
He couldn't say sh*t if his mouth was full of it - [Snobbery]
He is so stingy he wouldn't pay a nickel to see Jesus go over Niagra fall on water skis - [Stinginess]
He doesn't know which fingers to scratch his nuts with - [Stupidity]
No use keepin' a dog and barkin' yourself - [Stupidity]
She is so thin, she has to run around the shower to get wet.
He is so thin, he has to stand in the same place twice, just to make a good shadow.
She looked like a professional blind date - [Ugliness]
As out of place as a brass doorknob on a pig pen.
He is always putting things off.He didn't get the birthmark till he was seven.
** Compiled from the book 'More Wacky Canadian Words & Sayings' by Bill Casselman
Friday, May 26, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
An Inconvenient Truth
Links to the trailer of Al Gore's 'planetary emergency' movie on Global Warming and the Movie Blog.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Say Cheeeeeeese .....
Hold your breath ....most photographed kid in the world is not Brangelina's or Gwenyth Paltrow's but it's a desi kid who takes this coveted title .
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
What kind of Vear is that ... ?
Nothing represents a 'kasba' like this picture.
This pic is downright hilarious at so many levels. Apparently ,the guy painting the signs didn't know hindi or english.It will be too late before he understands the difference between 'chilled ' & 'child' bear .
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
& I thought you won't read my novel
When Oprah tore James Frey down to a billion little pieces on television for adding a lot of fiction to his memoir,I thought it was an exception and bestselling authors are usually not copy cats or plagiarists.While there is still a lot of fire left in the 'A Million little pieces ' controversy another sophomore controversy has hit the literary circles....Our country cousin Kavya Vishwanathan has boldly gone where no newbie author has gone before.The teen author's claim to fame was her half a million dollar advance for two novels.
Her very first novel 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got In' was smart and funny before anyone realised that it had several passages copied from novels by Megan F. McCafferty.
But there was one Indian who really got deep into it and tried to find reasons for this incident.Here is the link to give you an Indian's perspective on this teen Indian guffaw.
Her very first novel 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got In' was smart and funny before anyone realised that it had several passages copied from novels by Megan F. McCafferty.
But there was one Indian who really got deep into it and tried to find reasons for this incident.Here is the link to give you an Indian's perspective on this teen Indian guffaw.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Friday, April 14, 2006
Future of Freedom
My apologies to all who are reading 'Marley & Me' & 'Game of Shadows' ,I have not quite reached there yet.I'm a slow reader and still reading 2003 publications.
'Future of Freedom' is definitely not for readers who liked 'What to expect when you are expecting' .It is a thought provoking book for readers interested in Democracy , Liberty and contemporary history .It probes deep into, if there is something as 'too much of democracy'.
Fareed Zakaria's book is well supported by facts and statistical data on why democracy has survived & thrived in some countries whereas not in some other parts of the world.There is a direct correlation between the country's GDP and chances of survival of democracy.Although some poor countries have become democracies ,but when countries become democratic at low level of development their democracy usually dies.India of course being an exception here.
Land reforms have played a crucial role in turning a backward society into a modern capitalist, democratic one.Countries like Zimbabwe ,Pakistan and parts of Central America have failed in implementing land reforms and hence have a painful experience with democracy.Even in parts of India where democracy is most dysfunctional are those where land reforms have failed (UP & Bihar).
The single most important test of connection between capitalism & democracy will take place in China in next few decades.
Less taxation and wealth from natural resources tend to make democracy weak.Rulers/Government in countries rich with natural resources like UAE , Nigeria or Venezuela are corrupt ,autocratic and heavy-handed. They have not only plundered the natural wealth to make the bureacracy more autocratic but also less responsible towards strenghtening institutions like Free Press & Judiciary.As these provide framework & laws that generate natural wealth.
The author points out at process flow when governments starts liberalising.Economic liberlization should preceed political liberlization.Some countries after claiming independence immediately succumebed to a dictators rule soon after.For a developing and a middle income country the biggest challenge today is consolidating into a true democracy.
Singapore & Mexico are good examples of how by scheduling economic reforms first, can bring excellent results before the government starts liberalising the political system.
Author is concerned over Americans losing faith in their democracy.Voting levels in Presidential elections have gone down by 20% since 1960.Politics of Populism is hurting American democracy to the core.Special interests , organised groups now run Washington.Two Senators every state has also hurt states like California. Getting represented with only 2 senators while states like Alaska and Wyoming with significantly less population got an unfair distribution of resources and federal funds.
Fareed Zakaria also points at how politics and governance is tightly controlled by different lobbyists in DC and not by real agenda.Author points at scores of subsidies given to different industries because of their powerful lobby groups.All these moneys could have been utilised to fund welfare and healthcare programs.
In California the system of refrendums & initiatives has left 85% of the budget out of legislature's control.Over the years lots of bills & ordinace have piled up which are redundant and obsolete and government cannot do much about it.This is a great example of how too much democracy can completely go wrong.
Despite all its flaws democracy is still the 'last best hope' for people around the world.In twentieth century the challenge was to make world safe for democracy. Today as we enter the twenty-first century the challenge in front of us is to make democracy safe for the world.
** Fareed Zakaria is Editor of Newsweek International.He graduated from Yale and has a Ph.D from Harvard .
'Future of Freedom' is definitely not for readers who liked 'What to expect when you are expecting' .It is a thought provoking book for readers interested in Democracy , Liberty and contemporary history .It probes deep into, if there is something as 'too much of democracy'.
Fareed Zakaria's book is well supported by facts and statistical data on why democracy has survived & thrived in some countries whereas not in some other parts of the world.There is a direct correlation between the country's GDP and chances of survival of democracy.Although some poor countries have become democracies ,but when countries become democratic at low level of development their democracy usually dies.India of course being an exception here.
Land reforms have played a crucial role in turning a backward society into a modern capitalist, democratic one.Countries like Zimbabwe ,Pakistan and parts of Central America have failed in implementing land reforms and hence have a painful experience with democracy.Even in parts of India where democracy is most dysfunctional are those where land reforms have failed (UP & Bihar).
The single most important test of connection between capitalism & democracy will take place in China in next few decades.
Less taxation and wealth from natural resources tend to make democracy weak.Rulers/Government in countries rich with natural resources like UAE , Nigeria or Venezuela are corrupt ,autocratic and heavy-handed. They have not only plundered the natural wealth to make the bureacracy more autocratic but also less responsible towards strenghtening institutions like Free Press & Judiciary.As these provide framework & laws that generate natural wealth.
The author points out at process flow when governments starts liberalising.Economic liberlization should preceed political liberlization.Some countries after claiming independence immediately succumebed to a dictators rule soon after.For a developing and a middle income country the biggest challenge today is consolidating into a true democracy.
Singapore & Mexico are good examples of how by scheduling economic reforms first, can bring excellent results before the government starts liberalising the political system.
Author is concerned over Americans losing faith in their democracy.Voting levels in Presidential elections have gone down by 20% since 1960.Politics of Populism is hurting American democracy to the core.Special interests , organised groups now run Washington.Two Senators every state has also hurt states like California. Getting represented with only 2 senators while states like Alaska and Wyoming with significantly less population got an unfair distribution of resources and federal funds.
Fareed Zakaria also points at how politics and governance is tightly controlled by different lobbyists in DC and not by real agenda.Author points at scores of subsidies given to different industries because of their powerful lobby groups.All these moneys could have been utilised to fund welfare and healthcare programs.
In California the system of refrendums & initiatives has left 85% of the budget out of legislature's control.Over the years lots of bills & ordinace have piled up which are redundant and obsolete and government cannot do much about it.This is a great example of how too much democracy can completely go wrong.
Despite all its flaws democracy is still the 'last best hope' for people around the world.In twentieth century the challenge was to make world safe for democracy. Today as we enter the twenty-first century the challenge in front of us is to make democracy safe for the world.
** Fareed Zakaria is Editor of Newsweek International.He graduated from Yale and has a Ph.D from Harvard .
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Commonwealth - My Ishtyle
Courtsey : Times of India
Saif Khan & Rani Mukherjee performing at the closing ceremony of Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on Sunday,March 26.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Kiran Ahluwalia
Recently got a chance to attend Kiran Ahluwalia's concert.Fellow citizens who don't know her have to look at her accomplishments and her music.
Kiran Ahluwalia was born in India but raised in New Zealand & Canada.Leaving a career on Bay Street to become a ghazal singer in Canada was a risky proposition by all means but she is an example of what a determined will can achieve .
A determined will can sell full houses and make a firangi crowd hear and admire your talent.Making a living with Indian music in western world an impossible feat but she has achieved it.....
That's what Kiran Ahluwalia stands for. Her achievements are beyond boundaries....
She is not only a singer but an interpretor of the great music she sings and composes.Interpreting Urdu ghazals in english for her non hindi speaking audience was the highlight of the concert.The audience transitions between her quick wit and flawless melodies of Ghazals & Punjabi folk songs.
She has not only made music her passion and career but I'm also amazed by the number of fans she has among non hindi speaking Canadians.Most of her ghazals are written by expatriats in Canada.
In one of her recent albums she has collaborated with great Celtic fiddler Natalie Macmaster.A rising jazz guitarst Rez Abbasi often accompanies her at the concert.
Kiran is a combination of Jagjit Singh & Reshma in one.She has joined their ranks as an artist who has reinvented ghazal with time and made it immortal ....
One of my favorite ghazals sung by Kiran Ahluwalia goes as below :
Lyrics By Rasheed Nadeem (Rashid drives a cab in Toronto)
Kiran Ahluwalia was born in India but raised in New Zealand & Canada.Leaving a career on Bay Street to become a ghazal singer in Canada was a risky proposition by all means but she is an example of what a determined will can achieve .
A determined will can sell full houses and make a firangi crowd hear and admire your talent.Making a living with Indian music in western world an impossible feat but she has achieved it.....
That's what Kiran Ahluwalia stands for. Her achievements are beyond boundaries....
She is not only a singer but an interpretor of the great music she sings and composes.Interpreting Urdu ghazals in english for her non hindi speaking audience was the highlight of the concert.The audience transitions between her quick wit and flawless melodies of Ghazals & Punjabi folk songs.
She has not only made music her passion and career but I'm also amazed by the number of fans she has among non hindi speaking Canadians.Most of her ghazals are written by expatriats in Canada.
In one of her recent albums she has collaborated with great Celtic fiddler Natalie Macmaster.A rising jazz guitarst Rez Abbasi often accompanies her at the concert.
Kiran is a combination of Jagjit Singh & Reshma in one.She has joined their ranks as an artist who has reinvented ghazal with time and made it immortal ....
One of my favorite ghazals sung by Kiran Ahluwalia goes as below :
Lyrics By Rasheed Nadeem (Rashid drives a cab in Toronto)
Kina nere ho ho baithan, fair ve doori reh jan di ai
Oodi maree yari vali, ghazal adhuri reh jan di ai
Ruh kalboot deh sare panchhi, ik ik kar kai ud jan dai nen
Pinjara khali ho jan da ai, hath wich choori reh jan di ai
Sara sona rul janda ai, miti deh wich dhul jan da ai
Nam we apna bhul jandai ai, sab mashhuri reh jan di ai
Yaar Nadeem eh ilma, amla kisnu paar langaya eh
Rah de vich he kidre sajna eh mazdoori reh jandi eh
Translation:
Regardless of how close I sit to my lover
there is still a distance between us,
and so my love song remains unsung.
My soul leaves my body like a bird takes flight.
Despite all my riches I feel the isolation of an empty cage.
What value is my fame if
before my love I cannot recall my own name.
O Nadeem, what value are my knowledge and good deeds
if this labour is left behind when my soul leaves.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters)
A story of people who bore the brunt of the partition .... whose life were partitioned into two distinctly different phases .... where they were forced to turn away from their previous lives to start a new one living with the ghost of the life they had known...
A movie.... a woman's perspective on partition... and how she suffers silently yet again at the hands of people she loves.....
A take on political / religious fanatism to involve unsuspecting youth in the name of religion.....
A woman (Ayesha played by Kirron Kher)... for whom a well of water symbolises death ... not life ... yet she is forced to drink the water from the same well that was the grave of her mother and sister .......
How people on the other side chose of think of her as dead for their own peace of mind ........
How she was without a religion as she was not good enough for any... ??
She questions .. which heaven she will go to ...
A man .... who left his wife on the other side.... still hopes for her to be alive....but observes her death anniversary every year ..
A statement on people lost in two worlds..... trying to make sense in the insanity that we call life today....
Kudos to Sabiha Sumar for creating such a riveting piece....
A movie.... a woman's perspective on partition... and how she suffers silently yet again at the hands of people she loves.....
A take on political / religious fanatism to involve unsuspecting youth in the name of religion.....
A woman (Ayesha played by Kirron Kher)... for whom a well of water symbolises death ... not life ... yet she is forced to drink the water from the same well that was the grave of her mother and sister .......
How people on the other side chose of think of her as dead for their own peace of mind ........
How she was without a religion as she was not good enough for any... ??
She questions .. which heaven she will go to ...
A man .... who left his wife on the other side.... still hopes for her to be alive....but observes her death anniversary every year ..
A statement on people lost in two worlds..... trying to make sense in the insanity that we call life today....
Kudos to Sabiha Sumar for creating such a riveting piece....
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Constant Gardner
I read somewhere ....."It's easy to fight for our principles than to live up to them". Here is the story of Tessa Quayle in Kenya fighting the international pharmaceutical giants and their ruthless practices of drug testing on human guniea pigs.
It's a brilliant adaptation of John le Carre's novel by the same title. It has some brilliant acting by Rachel Weisz & Ralph Fiennes and some breathtaking cinematography of beautiful Kenya .
But I will watch this movie again for the amazing music score by Alberto Iglesias.Some tracks are by Kenyan musician Ayub Ogada.The music has rich blending of the African sound.
Despite being a thriller the music is very calm, soothing and some tracks very sad.
It's a brilliant adaptation of John le Carre's novel by the same title. It has some brilliant acting by Rachel Weisz & Ralph Fiennes and some breathtaking cinematography of beautiful Kenya .
But I will watch this movie again for the amazing music score by Alberto Iglesias.Some tracks are by Kenyan musician Ayub Ogada.The music has rich blending of the African sound.
Despite being a thriller the music is very calm, soothing and some tracks very sad.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Indians of the Week
Little girl VP Rubiya from a small town defies all odds and refuses to dance to anyone tune than hers.
Fired 'Apprentice' candidate Raj Peter Bhakta is running for the Congress.He is on the dark side of the force........that story some other day.
Fired 'Apprentice' candidate Raj Peter Bhakta is running for the Congress.He is on the dark side of the force........that story some other day.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Raja Cinema
I heard so much good about 'Rang De Basanti' that I had to see it even if it meant crossing the ocean.Yes, that's what we Victorians do to go to Punjab (Vancouver).Raja Cinema is a hole in the wall theatre situated on Kingsway. One has to focus on what one is looking for ...there is a good chance you will miss it.
We headed towards Raja Cinema early in anticipation that since the movie is a big hit , we should be in the queue early on. To our dismay the theatre was closed. The nearby shop "Panwalla" (.....yes it is Vancouver) was unaware of the timings. We went to another shop"DVD Palace" even they did'nt know why the theatre is closed.
For the 6'o clock show the ticket counter opened after 5:30 PM. Ticket counter looked like a small toll booth and the guy inside the toll booth was giving tickets and answering enquiry calls at the same time. This guy gave me three tickets which looked like a receipt from Safeway. This small piece of paper was a tkt for three. We entered the lobby and it resembled my living room in size and looks.Yes, including the posters plastered all over the walls.This minuscule lobby had a restroom on the right and a restroom at the left.There was also a lifesize poster of a blue bikni which puzzled me initially only to find out later that it was part of the big Neal & Nikki's missing poster and in the front was this concession stand.
At the doors of one of the restrooms was this giant poster of 'Desi Brokeback Mountain' leaning against the wall.
This theatre replicates 'Mohalle ka Cinemaghar' like no other but only with cleaner toilets and no Paan abstracts on the wall.The whole theatre is run by a staff of 2.
We got the tickets and went in ...and now I started to get somewhat uncomfortable.We were the only one in the theatre. In front was the screen with a jazzy dazzling curtain and two Raja neon signs on the sidewalls.It's interiors were definitely done by a bar enthusiast.
Movie started and I saw a few audience coming in...we were a total of 10 in the theatre. Rang De Basanti grips attention from the very first scene.Enough has been written on this great movie. It is a thought provoking movie. This movie has moments where you can feel the hair on your skin move.The background music is not synth generated run of the mill stuff. Its very original and complements the movie every second.
Come interval and we had the same ticket dude handing out popcorns and coffee..now that's some multitasking and efficiency.
Aamir Khan's acting keeps one mesmerised to the end . His Dilli Punjabi rendition is flawless. I have never walked out of a theatre so moved & inspired.
As I headed out of the theatre ...I saw the same ticket booth cum concession stand guy handing out tickets for the 9:00 PM 'Fight Club' show. Did I mention he was also having his dinner in the booth itself.....
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Teacher Man
So its not only Peter Jackson who makes Trilogies .Teacher Man is Frank McCourt's final book in his trilogy of Memoirs. 'Angela's Ashes' won him a Pulitzer and much critical acclaim.'Tis' & 'Teacher Man' followed through his journey as a Teacher for thirty years.
Teacher Man takes readers in to the world of teaching, a thankless profession where no body gets in by choice. Teacher Man is more a Tutoring Gospel than a memoir. Frank takes readers through the phase as he improves on his teaching skills. He was a witness to class fights, love stories & setbacks. Frank saw his students getting drafted in Vietnam War to never return. He saw teenagers falling in love and not gettng married due to racial stereotypes.
Frank Mccourt continously challenges himself during this journey to inspire kids to be creative. He made kids write different excuse letters to make writing creative and interesting. His unusual teaching methods drew attentions of the principal, administrators & parents. He is willing to open up his life in front of the students to make lectures more interesting.
Teacher Man is also the story of an immigrant trying to succed in United States - a writer who bloomed late. Its the story of a man who considered himself fraud and rediscovers himself as he matures in his job.
It is Frank's story of his evolution as a man & a teacher.
Teacher man is full of self depricating humor, it's meticulous and a must read for individuals connected with teaching profession. The thing that struck me most was the challenge he faces as he taught his students through their tumultous teens.
Teacher Man takes readers in to the world of teaching, a thankless profession where no body gets in by choice. Teacher Man is more a Tutoring Gospel than a memoir. Frank takes readers through the phase as he improves on his teaching skills. He was a witness to class fights, love stories & setbacks. Frank saw his students getting drafted in Vietnam War to never return. He saw teenagers falling in love and not gettng married due to racial stereotypes.
Frank Mccourt continously challenges himself during this journey to inspire kids to be creative. He made kids write different excuse letters to make writing creative and interesting. His unusual teaching methods drew attentions of the principal, administrators & parents. He is willing to open up his life in front of the students to make lectures more interesting.
Teacher Man is also the story of an immigrant trying to succed in United States - a writer who bloomed late. Its the story of a man who considered himself fraud and rediscovers himself as he matures in his job.
It is Frank's story of his evolution as a man & a teacher.
Teacher man is full of self depricating humor, it's meticulous and a must read for individuals connected with teaching profession. The thing that struck me most was the challenge he faces as he taught his students through their tumultous teens.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Fragments of Grace
Got a chance to read Pamela Constable's "Fragments of Grace" recently.Pamela is an award winning author and writes for The Washington Post.
It's an old book that I got to read more than a year after its publication.Out of all the books written on India recently this one is very realistic and 'down to earth'.'The World is Flat' is Thomas Friedman's hands on narration on Globalisation and the pivotal role India is playing in outsourcing world. He talks to CEOs of IT comapnies & Call Centers.He interviews the young graduates working in these companies.But Friedman's India is urban India and the transition sweeping urban India.Pamela's India is rural India,India battered by terrorism & 3 wars and a mighty country with an unfriendly neighbor.
Pamela Constable is a fearless journalist. Her memoirs are a warrior's journal.She has travelled far & distant to Taliban controlled Afghanistan,charred LTTE controlled territories and interviewed the Taliban Ministers & the 'Man on the street' enforcing 'immoral clothes' ban.Be it burnt down villages or vineyards of Afghanistan ,Pamela has travelled to all these isolated places to give a first hand account to Post's readers .What makes this piece of work unique is the honesty and zeal with she wants to gets the first hand account of the situation and talk to the victims or the criminals.She has travelled to Afganistan when it was being bombed by USA & she has travelled to Batticaloa in Sri Lanka during violent elections.
Between extended stays in south east Asia she returns to the safety & comfort of home for introspection. Adopting poor families , kids and stray dogs in strange land is also a woman's narration of the war and a relentless pursuit in finding and giving love.Be it the horrifying tale of Zaheeda Parveen or travelling to Ganges for her house help Pandey family son's 'Mundan'.Her approach is very compelling.
'Fragments of Grace' does falter on the history behind the Kashmir & Afghanistan conflict.I wish there were more details ,investigation in the reasons of the conflict.Chapters on Nepal could have been avoided.The massacre of the Royal family does not go beyond what we have already read and heard.
'Fragments of Grace' is more than a travelogue or a chronicle of political events in the south east Asia.This may not be a great piece of literature , but a compelling document of honesty & humanity it is.
It's an old book that I got to read more than a year after its publication.Out of all the books written on India recently this one is very realistic and 'down to earth'.'The World is Flat' is Thomas Friedman's hands on narration on Globalisation and the pivotal role India is playing in outsourcing world. He talks to CEOs of IT comapnies & Call Centers.He interviews the young graduates working in these companies.But Friedman's India is urban India and the transition sweeping urban India.Pamela's India is rural India,India battered by terrorism & 3 wars and a mighty country with an unfriendly neighbor.
Pamela Constable is a fearless journalist. Her memoirs are a warrior's journal.She has travelled far & distant to Taliban controlled Afghanistan,charred LTTE controlled territories and interviewed the Taliban Ministers & the 'Man on the street' enforcing 'immoral clothes' ban.Be it burnt down villages or vineyards of Afghanistan ,Pamela has travelled to all these isolated places to give a first hand account to Post's readers .What makes this piece of work unique is the honesty and zeal with she wants to gets the first hand account of the situation and talk to the victims or the criminals.She has travelled to Afganistan when it was being bombed by USA & she has travelled to Batticaloa in Sri Lanka during violent elections.
Between extended stays in south east Asia she returns to the safety & comfort of home for introspection. Adopting poor families , kids and stray dogs in strange land is also a woman's narration of the war and a relentless pursuit in finding and giving love.Be it the horrifying tale of Zaheeda Parveen or travelling to Ganges for her house help Pandey family son's 'Mundan'.Her approach is very compelling.
'Fragments of Grace' does falter on the history behind the Kashmir & Afghanistan conflict.I wish there were more details ,investigation in the reasons of the conflict.Chapters on Nepal could have been avoided.The massacre of the Royal family does not go beyond what we have already read and heard.
'Fragments of Grace' is more than a travelogue or a chronicle of political events in the south east Asia.This may not be a great piece of literature , but a compelling document of honesty & humanity it is.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Blues Clues
Courtsey : Hindustan TimesThere is something wrong with this picture ...I just cannot fingure it out
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)