Yet Another Point of View

If Telangana can, we will too . So says Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha (for a separate Bundelkhand) and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (for Gorkhaland). Following soon will be Saurashtra, Vidharbha, and even a Mithilanchal. Why, even Coorg region in Karnataka wants to become a state! India is sure going to see a number of high-profile fasts-unto-death on the evening news in the coming days.

President Pratibha Patil was addressing the press conference after her history-making sortie in the Sukhoi-30MKI. Without meaning any disrespect, I must say she looked real cute in that G-suit and cap. Like with her usual outfit of saree (draped over her head) and full-sleeve blouse, the suit was buttoned up to her throat. I do feel it makes her look rather uptight, though. Anyway, what she said was interesting. Forget the "it was an interesting and unique experience..." blah blah. Commenting on women in combat roles, she said that "decision was left to the experts". Given that this 74-year-old woman had just made a half-hour sortie in an Indian Air Force Fighter Jet (a combat aircraft), I wondered who was the 'expert' who had certified her eligible and why weren’t those experts allowing other women into combat roles. I believe, the IAF currently has 784 women officers working in different branches, but at present they are barred from the fighter stream. I

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is releasing. I am not a tween (haven’t been for ages now) yet am super-excited. Seems that’s the trend because, according to Slate , tweens’ moms are the biggest fan base lapping up the Twilight series . (I am not the mom of a tween either, but you know, technically old enough.) And according to USA Today , one in every 7 books sold in the United States in Q1 2009 was one of the four Twilight books. Anyway, I stumbled upon Stephenie Meyer’s saga when the first movie- Twilight - released last November. Incidentally, I had broken my leg and was laid up in bed, hence I had plenty of time to wallow unhealthily in loads of Internet browsing, realms of chick-lit and hours of mediocre movies and TV shows. The online media was abuzz with the Edward-Bella romance and the air was rent with the shrieks and sighs of teenage girls. I caught the Twilight flick online - a grainy version prone to buffering. Contrary to all the hype, I was left puzzled. What the heck were

This story is about how people do business. There is customer service and there is customer delight. And there is the yawning gap between the two. Since I toy around with all that market-speak for most of my professional work hours, I have a passable understanding of it. But it was enlightening to see them in action, in the space of a single evening. Okay, the story starts with me hurrying around Bangalore East with a largish pair of butterfly wings …yes, you read right, butterfly wings….in my hands. Don’t ask me for the backstory; suffice it to say, it’s got something to do with a kiddies fancy dress competition and my daughter wanting to be Mariposa, that Ms-Goody-Two-Shoes fairy from Barbie Land. The wings were diaphanous, purple-colored and liberally sprinkled with glitter. Where did I get them? To my utter, incredulous wonder, there is a whole shop near Ulsoor Police Station solely devoted to fancy dress costumes for kids. And he had a rack full of wings to choose from. When I pic

Shashi Tharoor got a rap for twittering. Literally and figuratively. Apparently, he was responding to a specific query on his Twitter page - 'would you travel cattle class on your next trip to Kerala?' And the suave, articulate (but obviously uninformed in the ways of politically-correct, neta speak) Junior Foreign Minister tweeted - "Absolutely. In cattle class out of solidarity with our holy cows." I laughed out loud on seeing that reply. But, Tharoor's political bosses dont share the mirth. They reprimanded him . And that's his second reprimand in a week. I am not offended by Tharoor's tweet and I realize it was his dig at the holier-than-thou politicians who asked him to get out of the luxury hotel and move into Kerala House. I am just surprised that man like Tharoor didn't use a better choice of words. He is a minister, very recently in the spotlight for his very un'austere' lifestyle. The last thing he should be doing is taking potshots i

A FWD landed in my inbox this morning. The subject line said FWD: YSR Crash . I had a fair idea of what it would contain even before I opened it. The images attached were graphic and disturbingly clear. The hi-res pictures had obviously been taken by the news photographers who had access to the crash site of YSR Reddy's chopper on Rudrakonda hill. The broken, bloated and burnt bodies were clearly visible strewn amidst the wreckage. You could make out the pilot from the stripes on his uniform. I didnt venture to guess which one of the bodies was the Chief Minister's. Thankfully, the creator of this FWD (good Lord, how morbid!) had not identified YSR in his/her 'comments' (Yes, the pics were captioned!!). Having scrolled down once, I hit Delete. Soon afterwards, a colleague of mine, who was also marked on the FWD, sent a Reply All. Her point was that its quite reprehensible the way we are making a spectacle of someone's gruesome death. Please dont forward this mail a

Reality TV embarrasses me. Like, turn-beetroot-red, feel-prickles-behind-my-neck, search-frantically-for-someplace-to-hide, wish-the-ground-would-swallow-me-up embarrassed. And, then I take a deep breath, get a hold and ask myself why the hell am I embarrased? I am not the one publicly washing my dirty laundry in a 'moment of truth' or eating grasshoppers to score points in a makeshift 'jungle'. I am just watching TV in the privacy of my bedroom. No matter, I stay just as embarrassed at the antics of some of my fellow homosapiens in the glare of a TV camera. Lunch hour conversation has, of late, been liberally peppered with one 'Rakhi ka Swayamvar'. To check out what everyone has been tittering about and also partly, to offset the accusations that I am being too high-brow or pseudo, I forced myself to watch last Monday's episode. And, ended up reeling with a little nausea. Whoever is the show’s scriptwriter, he/she is the Queen of Tacky! Half-way through I w

Overheard in the ladies restroom this morning. From the far end of the mirror, I remained a mute eavesdropper to this conversation. Lady 1 - "Tch..Tch..I feel soooo sad for Michael Jackson, yaar." She heaved a huge sigh, plonked her handbag on the counter and turned to face her audience. Her face was a genuine mask of anguish. Lady 2 - "Oh yes, yaa..I too...he died, no." I guess, sometimes, grief is best expressed by stating the obvious. Lady 1 - (tone dipping) "When he died no, his body ...was only skeleton." Lady 2 - "Really?" Lady 1 - "Yeah..only bones..like, no food only in his stomach..." Lady 2 - "oh God!" Now, she is seriously shocked. From the corner of my eye, I can see her hairbrush paralyzed in midair. Lady 1 - "He was bald. And, his skin was whittte!" The 'white' had chilling emphasis. Lady 2 - "But he was Black, no?" She actually used the racially derogatory (and politically incorrect)

Michael Jackson was my introduction to western music. To say the truth, back then, I didnt understand a word of what he sang. But it was like a window to a whole different world than the one we lived in. So, while the parents raved and ranted about the polluting effects of western culture and the 'noise' that was called pop music, we sneaked in bits of Beat It and Black or White . A thin, hyper-energetic, amazing singer with that unbelievable crotch-hugging dance step - it was all too fascinating. The TV news channels have been running the news of Jackson's demise almost without a break since early morning today. Everyone is 'celebrating' the passing of an icon. Well, not everyone. There are some pretty scathing commentaries out there too. At lunch, watching the MJ news reports loop endlessly, a colleague commented that it wont be long before all the muck on Jackson would be raked up too. The star's unnerving obsession with plastic surgeries, the child abuse ch

It's supposed to be the summer of double tamaashaa - the general elections and the IPL 2. But somehow, so far, I have found both unexciting and bland. Polls finally ended today (13th May). It was the last day of campaigning on Monday. Thank God for that. Because, of all the campaign coverage I managed to catch on TV or in print, I can't recall one inspiring speech by a leader (whatever party) or can’t remember one election issue that moved me to any kind of action. And, I am tired of trying to keep track of who is wooing whom in the pre-poll season of political marriages and divorces. Seems to me, everyone is having clandestine affairs. Hopefully, when the electoral verdicts start trickling out over the weekend (May 16), I'll find some clarity about the relationships. Otherwise, really, the campaign has been humdrum. And, as always, the media made a lot of news of tidbits that shouldn’t have made news. I cringed from the whole drama of Sanjay Dutt's bid to contest and h

Its been a long while since I last ventured on to this page. Frankly, I didnt think anybody reads this with any regularity. However, recently, a couple of friends nudged me out of blog-atrophy, so I guess a couple of people do read this. Good. Because I have a couple of questions for those people. Whats the minimum bribe one can slip into a traffic cop's hand if one is not going to be paying the legal fine for an offense committed? I ask for the least possible amount which doesnt leave a dent in the driver's pocket and yet ensures a hassle-free drive through. Least possible amount that will satisfy the cop-on-a-personal-fund-raising-mission. Since it was the May Day holiday, I ventured out grocery shopping expecting the roads to be less congested. (For those over-inquisitive minds who wish to know, yes, I meticulously plan my driving to coincide only with ungodly hours and unfrequented side roads.) And so they were. Just that I hadn't factored in the traffic police. Thei

What strikes me most about President Obama is his inherent honesty. At the inauguration ceremony yesterday (Jan 20), the parts of his address I liked were the parts where he said it as it is. “Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices..." "..the time has come to set aside childish things. " "We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people." “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” "...this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous." "..and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." Even the little fumble (with the words) during the oath

The TOI headline read "Satyam: A Rs 7000 Cr Lie". The Economic Times headline read "Satyam A Big Lie". An NDTV.com graphic said "Satyam's Ugly Truth". The broadcasting media has come up with even sharper, sucker-punch headlines to describe the Satyam fiasco over the last two days. Last night, I heard a Times Now anchor, very irately, referring to Raju as "a straight-faced liar". I get the feeling copy editors all over are having a heyday thanks to the irony in the name - Satyam, meaning truth. Just think. Had the name been something less poignant, the public flogging of the company might have hurt a wee bit less. I mean, how copy-creative does one get with a name like Wipro or TCS or even Infosys. (I wish to state here that I implicate absolutely nothing by taking these names. They are purely for example purpose. Hope no offence is taken.) Actually, my heart goes out to Satyam's employees. Dragged into the mire for no fault of theirs save