Malicious Rants

Staged Encounter Killings in India: Wikileaks

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:29:00 +0000

Staged encounter killings have been a dark side of the Indian law-enforcement system, particularly police. It's an open secret, which has been the subject of several Bollywood movies. Wikileaks has released a cable communication between Indian embassies and New Delhi in July 2006 on this harsh reality.

A review of Indian media would suggest that police, military and paramilitary officers have become expert at intercepting terrorists and at killing them in self-defense. Scratch the surface, however, and what lies underneath is an "encounter killing" -- an extrajudicial execution framed to look like the police foiled a bona fide terrorist attack. In some cases the victim is killed while in custody or after having been unofficially arrested, and brought to a (usually) isolated location where the officers later announce they had prevailed in a shoot-out with a hardened criminal or hard-core terrorist. India's slow legal system and the difficulty of obtaining timely convictions are key drivers in security officers deciding to summarily execute terrorist suspects, including in staged encounters, sources tell us. Police may also initially be driven to conduct these staged encounters because of the pressure to "solve the case," but they can be a lucrative business, the source of government-funded bounties, medals, and fame. In exceptional cases, police who become famous for multiple encounter killings become legend; Mumbai police officer Daya Nayak, who three years ago literally boasted having killed 83 criminals in encounters, was the subject of no less than three Bollywood films and a consultant on several more.

Business of Activism

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

A news report says that some Arundhati Roy thinks Kashmir is not a part of India.

Activist Arundhati Roy, who created a controversy the other day by questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession to the Union, on Sunday harped on the same thing saying that the state was never an integral part of India. Roy was speaking at a seminar on the theme 'Wither Kashmir'.

Who is Arundhati Roy? Is activism a rewarding business?

As far as I know, Ms Roy has written a book in which a young boy gives a hand job to some pervert in a cinema complex. After winning a prize for the book, she joined Medha Patkar's aandolan, possibly for learning the tricks of activism business. (Is Ms Roy still part of the aandolan?) Originally known as a writer, Ms Roy is more of an activist now. (It must be more lucrative than penning books at a time when publishers are complaining about poor ales and cutting down on royalties.) You can find her giving her voice to all sort of "causes"--from Maoist rebels to Kashmir separatists. Her modus operandi: take the stage, hog the lime light and then move on to another cause for consuming tonnes of newsprint.

Just for Ms Roy:
There was no "India" before it was taken over by the British empire. Use this logic and fight for freedom of your 10-acre farm (if you have any) from India. Now that you have joined the Kashmir freedom movement, try for some foreign aid. By the way, I hate activists who stand on the stage before an audience talking about her cause and start weeping. (No, it wasn't you, but someone else.)

On a personal note:
I have worked with two Kashmiri colleagues: one Muslim who wants a free Kashmir despite having studied and worked in "India" and the other a Kashmiri Pundit living away from their land of origin, with the picturesque Kashmir as her desktop wallpaper.

I don't really mind Kashmir being let go. If people of Kashmir want to be free or be a part of the rouge and ailing Pakistan, let them doom their lives. I would have loved if they moved to various parts of India, mingled with people (without any biases) and benefited from the Indian growth story.

Delhi Metro: Left is not Right

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:45:00 +0000

The Delhi Metro is one of the wonders of the Ancient World (or at least so it seemed to me when I first discovered it in 2005). You descend from the often dirty, cacophonous, teeming world of India's capital with its bustling millions and suddenly you find yourself in an air-conditioned, high-tech, spotless, gleaming world almost empty of people. For some of us Westerners who need respite from the Eastern street, going down into the Metro is positively a vacation (from regular India). Even though the fares are inexpensive (even by Indian standards) the metro in 2005 was fairly empty. Maybe, the Delhians hadn't got used to it yet. [Flick user David Lisbona]

I have recently started (since Monday, 6 September 2010) using the metro's Yellow Line to commute to my new office in Connaught Place (CP). It's a good option, given that it takes less time and has plenty of trains. But is that enough? India is always short of resources, partly because we manage to proliferate quite rapidly. If you have travelled in a Delhi bus on select busy routes during peak hours, you can easily get the idea of crowd that you have to face in these trains. At around 7.45pm, it takes at least 5 minutes in a queue before you get to enter the Rajiv Chowk metro station. And you get some space to stand, often leaning on fellow passengers. So far, I haven't managed to get a seat in the metro service.

Let alone the crowd, the signs at the Rajiv Chowk metro station are also not very helpful. On my first day, I kept looking for the Yellow Line platform. The sign showed it's the station on the lower floor, and the platforms over there had huge signages saying "Blue Line Platform" and "Exit", with a direction. These signs made me assume that the platform where I was standing was for the Blue Line route. The signages were actually meant for directing passengers to the Blue Line platform. To avoid any miscommunication, the signage should have read "Way to Blue Line Platform". I don't know if it's just me who got confused due to the signs, but any professional interface designer will agree that the signs are faulty.

A rookie driver (I am sure the driver was a rookie) of Delhi Metro gave me the latest chance to criticize. On Wednesday, on my way to CP from Hauz Khas, the metro stopped before the platforms arrived and then reached the appropriate halt points with jolts due to regular brakes. The driver seemed to be unaware that there's something called "Right". For the announcement system and indicators, the platforms were always to the left of the train. As a matter of fact, there were just one or two platforms on the stretch that were to the left side of the train. Thankfully, the doors opened on the correct side despite wrong announcements and indicators.

It's a relief that these errors cannot lead to some tragedy, but it's a sign of carelessness. The metro management cannot do anything about the population but they can, of course, increase the number of trains. If that's too much to ask for, they can surely remove erroneous signs and teach their drivers when left is not right.

The Three Nannies

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:45:00 +0000

MidDay reports that Bollywood director Farah Khan is planning a family vacation. She will be tavelling with her husband, three daughters and their nannies. In this picture that accompanied the report, Khan is holding her handbag instead of one of her daughters. Look a bit odd to me and reminds me of several Hollywood flicks based on how children grow in care of nannies rather than their mothers. With increasing prosperity, Indian film industry will soon be able to copy from those US films. More fresh scripts for Bollywood and plenty of inspirational material available.

Farah Khan with her triplets and their nannies

Farah Khan is planning a 10-day vacation in Thailand after shooting for Tees Maar Khan ends. This is the first time FK will take a vacation with her husband Shirish Kunder, babies Anya, Diva and Czar, and their three nannies! [MidDay]

Kick some ass

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:38:00 +0000

Maybe, I am a pervert with a contorted brain, but then I couldn't stop wondering what these Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activists/members are trying to learn as part of their drill.

If you look at the first (from right) man/boy/activist/volunteer, it's not clear what he is up to. But as you pan your head towards the left, their body language makes it amply clear what they want. The last man in the row is actually trying to kick the ass of the person ahead of him. Just look at the intensely wicked expression on his face. Trying hard to have fun by kicking some ass (or maybe nuts).

This kick-ass picture was published in today's (14 June 2010) Hindustan Times Delhi edition.

Maa! Do not tell anyone that you killed me

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:14:00 +0000

Nirupama Pathak was murdered by smothering. Who killed her? Though the truth will take some time to emerge, circumstances point at her family, her mother who tried to mislead the police about her daughter's death. The young journalist was guilty of taking decisions about her life on her own, flouting the age-old regulations of "Sanatan Dharma". This is a letter that she might have written if dead people could write and post letters.

Dear Maa,

Today, I remember a bedtime story that grandma had repeated several times, the story of a mother's heart. Maybe, your mother or grandmother had also narrated it to you.

Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a young man who fell in love with a beautiful damsel from the neighbouring village. When the man proposed to marry her, she agreed on condition that they set up a separate household in her village. He agreed to it and informed his mother.

The old widow who had reared her only child with great rigour wanted her son's happiness. So she said, "My blessings are with you, my son. But if you are ever distressed, come to me for help."

And the young man left his mother's home, married the young damsel and set up a new household. Days passed, and the lives of all three of them was passing uneventfully, the couple enjoying together, and the lonely widow living a life of hardship in the hope that her son will someday return.

After the initial years of vigorous love, the young couple's lives became more of a routine, which the lady started to despise. She started to feel that the young man no more loved her like the initial days. And one day she complained to her husband about the diminishing love of her husband. The young man tried to convince her wife that he was still madly in love with her.

"If you are madly in love with me, go and fetch your mother's heart for me."

"Do you know what are you talking? How can I fetch my mother's heart? I can't kill her."

"Ok. Then you will have to forget me and our alliance," his wife said.

After being forced to make a choice between his wife and mother, the man thought that his mother is anyway not going to live for long. So it wouldn't be that bad if he fetched her heart for his wife. And the man headed to his mother's house.

The old widow was too happy to see her son after a long time. She cooked the best dishes for her son, fed him with affection and made his bed in open under the cool night sky. The man lied on the bed, watching the star-studded sky for some time, while his mother fanned him with a hand fan. When he saw that her mother wasn't leaving, he pretended to fall asleep. The old woman, satisfied that her son had fallen in sound sleep, she herself went to bed, filled with satisfaction and joy.

The man who had been pretending to be sleeping woke up in the midnight, opened a long knife to reveal a shining blade glistening in the moon light. Stealthily, he went to her mother's bed, gagged her with a pillow and stabbed her mother to death. He fetched her mother's heart and started walking back to present it to his wife. On his way back, the man was crossing an orchard with trees so tall that it was completely dark in it. The man stumbled on a rock and fell flat on his face, losing hold of his mother's heart.

"Are you hurt my son?" the man heard her mother's voice coming from where her heart lay on the ground.

This was a tale that I heard from grandma. I hope no grandmother gets to know what you did to me, your daughter. I want a mother's heart to be remain the same: always wishing good for her children.

Nirupama

Old Indian jugaad: newspaper on rent

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:41:00 +0000

Many Indians, mostly in small towns, like to read newspapers and flip through magazines while standing at news marts. It's an Indian jugaad for getting to read the newspaper free of cost. Since Indians are too happy to devour a free copy of newspaper or magazine, almost all tea stalls in small towns subscribe to at least one newspaper and/or any magazine catering to the popular taste. However, if you live in a metro, one might not be able to engage in this jugaad for getting to read newspapers for free.

More than 100 years ago, some enterprising newspaper vending company in Bombay (now Mumbai) made an effort to create a news circulation business out of Indians' thrifty nature. It offered newspapers on rent for a few hours. So the same newspaper would be delivered at one home early in the morning, then collected and delivered to another homes. The cost of getting a newspaper reduced as the sun completed its day's journey in the sky. One who waited for the newspaper till 4 o'clock had the option to return it the next morning. If someone wanted to keep the newspaper, he could get the newspaper a day after publication.

The October 1909 issue of Popular Mechanics has an article titled "Curious newspaper practices in India" which documents this ingenious way of circulating newspapers.

CURIOUS NEWSPAPER PRACTICES IN INDIA
By a complicated system of newspaper circulation, in which the same paper is circulated in as many as three different households, a Bombay firm which contracts with the newspapers for fresh supplies every day shows a thriftiness that would put an American newsboy to shame. The price of the leading morning newspapers ill Bombay. delivered by mail, is 66 cents a month, but if a subscriber will take it from a carrier who delivers it at 7 o'clock and will read and return it when 11, calls again at 11 o'clock. the price is only 50 cents a month. If the subscriber is willing to wait for his morning paper until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, he may have it at that hour and return it to the carrier the next morning for 33 cents a month. Or, if he likes to keep his old papers, he may wait until the next morning after publication, have his paper for 33 cents a month, and be under no obligation to return it at all. Thus the same paper may be circulated through three different households, and the total revenue therefrom will amount to $1.05 per month.

Image:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mackenzienicole/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Republique de ignorance

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:08:00 +0000

Reporters are often ignorant about what they are reporting. If you disagree with this statement, you might not have seen a report by IANS news agency published on Hindustan Times website about an anti-piracy and "corruption" software Republique that film director Sajid Khan claims he is using for his latest film Housefull to prevent illegal downloading of the film over the Internet.

Sajid Khan was quoted as saying that if anyone tries to illegally download the movie, not only will the files get corrupted but their IP address will be recorded and they will be prosecuted for piracy.

"We even have a call centre in Mumbai with 35 people on board monitoring the illegal downloading of the film. We've tested the process too and it worked wonders in five seconds," he added.

Who developed this anti-piracy software? And when? The reporter as well as the person who picked the story for HT website didn't bother to ask the question. Both failed to detect the hoax and very smugly warned their audience about the impending dangers.

But the readers weren't as ignorant or gullible. "Probably, it has been tested on farm animals rather than real people, but sure he wishes to go ahead with his BIG PLANS!" one of them commented.

A Twitter user @flyyoufools said: "Dear Sajid if you really cracked the anti-piracy thing then sell it to Hollywood. More money than your movie can make."

A few days ago, another Twitter user was wrongly attributed for a tweet that she had retweeted (a way of forwarding a message on Twitter) in a report by some information technology industry magazine!

Why does it happen? Maybe, because reporters rely heavily on press releases and cooked news handed to them by public relations professionals. Reporters are too happy to spew the gyan that's given to them by companies and their PRs. "Why bother to study the subject when there are 'experts' to give you all the information about things that are happening in your beat (specific topics that a reporter is supposed to keep track of). Studying will only confuse you." Ignorance is bliss!

Bringing the change

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:29:00 +0000

While browsing the Web during an unofficial office break, I found this clever piece of street art or persuation art on BoingBoing. The "Make A Difference" poster has been designed by Imaginary Foundation (contrary to its name, the foundation is real), which has posted a PDF of the same for people to download and use.

The only problem with this kind of poster is that it will lose its uniqueness once all the "I Wills" have been torn. How will others display their approval? I tried to find some other solutions for such street persuation arts.

1. Use ribbons or laces: One can try placing ribbons or laces with a message along side such persuasion posters. People who support the cause can pick up a ribbon and put it on their shirts or bags.

2. Ask people to sign: Leave lots of space in the poster for people to sign the poster or leave a message.

3. Urge people to spread the word: A poster can also ask people to tweet or send a message to friends about their decision to support the cause. It will help spread the word as well.

What's your idea for a persuasive street art? Let the world know.

Sania bhabhi in Pakistan

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:26:00 +0000

Sania Mirza flew to Pakistan on Thursday. And Pakis are very excited about their new bhabhi. This gutka (chewing tobacco) is a part of the Sania bhabhi wave in Pakistan.

Image/Twitpic

[For those who are gullible enough to consider the picture a real one: it's just a digital art.]

Bizzare search suggestions by Google Hindi

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:48:00 +0000

A few days ago, Google introduced on-screen keyboard along with its search boxes for several non-Latin languages that require special characters, including for Hindi. So I visited Google Hindi to try the new feature. As soon as I typed the first letter (the physical keyboard), I was stumped by Google's search suggestions.

Given that in today's world, Google often knows us more than anyone through our searches, the suggestions made by Google can lead to conclusion that most people who use Hindi on the search engine are amorous or sexually frustrated or downright lose characters. Why? Just look at the A-Z suggestion made by Google Hindi. Click on the images to view the original size.

A for Aunty

B for Bra

C for Choli

D for Doodhwali

E for Edult

F for Fad Di

G for Ghused Di

H for Humbistar

I for India TV

J for Jeeju

K for Kamwali

L for Ladki hai kya

M for Masti kothe ki

N for Nangi

O for Oral

P for Phad di

Q for Qutub Minar

R for Rat mein

S for Sehla rahi thi

T for Teen bar

U for Ungli

V for Vashikaran mantra

W for Wallpaper

X for Nil

Y for Yauwan ki pyas

Z for Zip khol di

After all these search suggestions by Google Hindi, I can only say: आज मेरी किस्मत ख़राब है! or I am feeling unlucky today!

Ladies! please save the world

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:16:00 +0000

Women's revealing clothes and promiscuous behaviour are responsible for earthquakes. Says who? An Iranian Islamic cleric.

The cleric's interesting explanation of the earth's trembling is not in the wake of the volcanic eruptions that have disrupted air navigation but in reaction to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad's prediction that an earthquake is about to hit capital Tehran and that a large number of city's resident should be relocated.

Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, the leader for Friday prayers, said: "Many women who do not dress modestly...lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes."

The Iranian cleric's preachings to a crowd gathered for Friday namaz (prayers) reminds me of a sermon that I had heard blaring from a horn in hoarse but well trained voice of an Islamic cleric in Patna: "Women who paint their nails with nail polish, their nails will be extracted on the day of qayamat (doomsday). Those who wear lipstick, their lips will be skinned. Those who do not cover their heads will have their hair uprooted by the satan."

It was a very long sermon about how women who do not adhere to Islamic codes for dressing and behaviour will be punished by the satan. If all what the cleric was saying were true, there would be not a strand of flesh left on the skeleton of modern women on the day of qayamat.

[Guardian via @flyyoufools]

Why support Tharoor?

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:12:00 +0000

Why are some people like Shekhar Kapur trying to portray that Shashi Tharoor is the victim in the IPL-Kochi team controversy? Some have even created SupportTharoor.com and SupportTharoor.org websites. (I ~~couldn't~~ access either of the websites, but both of them have been registered and Kapur mentioned SupportTharoor.org in one of his tweets.)

Is there any doubt about the fact that Tharoor helped a business consortium win an IPL team in which his friend, fiance or whatever was offered "sweat stake" in violation of the law of the country? What made Sunanda Pushkar worth Rs70 crore? And why did Tharoor choose to help a business consortium win an IPL team? Does it sound in any way similar to a minister helping an infrastructure firm win a road project?

Film-maker Shekhar Kapur tweets:

Shashi Tharoor resigns and the wrong people win.

Why does Kapur think that Tharoor is on the side of truth? The same question should be raised before the Bharatiya Janata Party when it issues a statement saying Tharoor's resignation is victory of the truth.

@ManuVilsan tweets:

Do you know, "Lalith Modi" changed his name as "Truth". When Tharoor resigned, the BJP said "it is the victory of Truth".

What anyone can easily guess from whatever bits of information that's been out in media, IPL commissioner Lalit Kumar Modi and Tharoor had a symbiotic relationship, both benefiting from the other, till some differences arose. That's when Modi made a small hole in the can of leeches, thinking the blood-sucking worms will only hurt the now-former junior minister. He didn't realize that he was in the same pond as Tharoor and releasing the leeches in the pond will ultimately hurt him too. (By raging a war against a minister, did Modi irk the government?)

Tharoor, a novice politician (not a leader; I can't find any leader in Indian politics), faltered trying to jump through the hooves of corruption and politics. A free stake to his friend was easy to pin point. Neither he nor his friend could satisfy the media and the top Congress leadership with their answers as to why the stake was offered for free.

To top it all, Tharoor didn't know that it's a sacred custom in Indian politics to offer your resignation if any allegations are levelled against you. Even some politicians had been reported saying that Tharoor made a mistake by refusing to resign. If the Tharoor would have offered his resignation saying he doesn't want to hold the office till it's proved that the allegations of corruption are baseless and inspired by ulterior motives, he would have earned a brownie point. His defiance to the custom firmly entrenched in the Indian polity, must have irked the top Congress leaders.

When Shekhar Kapur tweets that we have lost the "best foreign minister India could have had", I wonder what inspired him to say so. Is he trying to weave a nice script with Tharoor as the protagonist leader trying to fight the murky, stinking waters of the country's politics? There's just one problem; Tahroor isn't clean enough. Nor he is as talented as Kapur claims in his tweets. Does anyone remember one sensible statement from Tharoor? All that I could make from his statements and lifestyle that he's one person living in disconnect from the people of India, busy tweeting and enjoying the benefits of a minister for free.

If people think that Tharoor could have given a new direction to the Indian politics, they are mistaken. The change in the Indian politics won't come from a person living a luxurious life as a top diplomat for an organization that claims to be working for the benefit of humanity. Of course, not from a person who thinks cricket is a medium for social change. Let's wait for Tharoor's tweet for his idea of "being the change".

Will India want to go Chairless?

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:25:00 +0000

A designer has created Chairless, "a seating device for the modern nomad". The device, which is just a strap of fabric or a kind of support belt, is being touted as a portable chair that can fit in your pocket. The seat starp is said to be inspired by a similar strap used by the Ayoreo tribe in northern Paraguay. A part of profits from the product will be used to support the Foundation for Paraguayan Indian Communities.

Will this chair be a hit in India? Indians can be found sitting in the same posture without having to use any strap. They support their legs by with a loop of arm formed by holding one wrist by other hand. Also, the palathi, or the sitting posture in which the legs are bent and criss-crossed to form a stable base, allows Indians to sit comfortably without any chair.

[Vitra via Fast Company]

Minister Moon on NudeTV

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:06:00 +0000

After Minister Moon found himself caught in the midst of an ugly brawl started after allowing visa to a sexy South African model, he decided to give an interview to always-angry-and-hungry-for-interviews Ms Cam Butt of NudeTV over the allegations of helping a business consortium get a cricket team franchise for free stake in the team for his latest love—a mysterious woman with expertise in hideous make-up and a lot more that can't be said publicly. Here's a frame from the interview.

Ups and downs in life of a cow

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Flickr/Emmanuel Dyan

When will the cow sit? It's the question that a bunch of scientists tried to answer in their study Are Cows More Likely to Lie Down the Longer They Stand? The scientists were interested in knowing the ups and downs in a cow's life, literally.

Five Scottish scientists tried to predict cows' intentions of standing up or lying down after studying video recordings of cows and tallying them with data recorded by electronic sensors.
The Guardian summarised the study published in the Applied Animal Behaviour Science journal as:

A new study shows that the longer a cow has been lying down, the more likely it is to stand up, but the reverse is not true. Once up, you cannot predict how soon a cow will lie down again.

It didn't take me long to understand its application in our daily life. The study can be used to predict when will a cow sitting and ruminating in the middle of a road give way to the vehicles honking frenetically, or when will the cow standing in the middle of the road move under the shade of the gulmohar tree for a power nap. Kudos for the Scots.

Sunanda Pushkar is hot on Google

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Sunanda Pushkar is currently one of the most popular searches on Google, says Google Trends. Seems like a lot of people are interested to know about the controversial owner of the new Kochi IPL team and fiance of minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor. I guess people are more interested to know how she got the money to invest in the team.

Wow. By the time I finished writing this blog post, she has moved one rank up in Google Trends to 24th position. Whatever comes out of the controversy, she is sure to become the most popular "socialite" in India.

Cricket no more a game in India

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:28:00 +0000

After the success of the Twenty20 IPL tournament, cricket is no longer a game in India. The latest tussle between minister of state for foreign affairs Shahi Tharoor and IPL commissioner Lalit Modi makes it very clear.

When Rendezvous Sports won the franchise for Kochi IPL team, Tharoor's role was reported to be "confined to encouraging the consortium that eventually won the team" (Mint, TOI).

In his statement released today (13 April 2010), Tharoor says the Kochi IPL team can bring great material and psychological benefits to Kerala’s economy and society. I don't understand how the common man benefits from a cricket team that plays entertainment sports for generating cash for itself and its owners. Tharoor adds that he is not going to benefit from his support for the consortium. Is there a case of benefitting someone else using influence and authority? I won't say anything about Lalit Modi because Tharoor has done that enough in his statement.

Following is the verbatim statement of the memeber of Parliament from Thiruvanathapuram on the IPL Kochi team controversy, published on his website (http://tharoor.in) on 13 April 2010:

A consortium led by Rendezvous was set up to bid for an IPL team. They approached me for help and guidance. I steered them towards Kerala. Rendezvous includes a number of people, including many I have never met, and Sunanda Pushkar, whom I know well.
My role in mentoring the consortium included several conversations with Mr Lalit Modi, who guided us through the process and presented himself as a trusted friend.
The consortium bid successfully in an open and transparent process. Their unexpected success upset the plans of a lot of powerful people, who had wanted the franchise to go elsewhere.
Various attempts were made by Mr Modi and others to pressure the consortium members to abandon their bid in favour of another city in a different state. Mr Modi raised assorted objections to the bid documents but finally had no choice but to approve them.
His extraordinary breach of all propriety in publicly raising issues relating to the composition of the consortium and myself personally is clearly an attempt to discredit the team and create reasons to disqualify it so that the franchise can be awarded elsewhere.
Contemptible efforts have been made to drag in matters of my personal life which I do not intend to dignify by commenting on them.
However, I deny Mr Lalit Modi’s allegation that I called him during his meeting with investors in the Kochi consortium in Bangalore on Saturday night in order to press him not to question the composition of the consortium.
I called Mr Modi to ask why he was further delaying the approval of the franchise when all the legal requirements had been fulfilled.. Mr Modi had held up approval by the IPL of the franchisee agreement earlier in the day, by insisting on the reversal of a change in the document that he himself had earlier suggested. This change was made, the consortium members flew to Bangalore and met with Mr Modi after that night’s IPL game for what they had been told would be a routine exercise. Instead, they were submitted to a barrage of questions which led some to suspect that Mr Modi was seeking a further excuse to delay approval. This was the reason for my intervention with Mr Modi. Had he conducted himself in good faith throughout, no call would have been necessary.
On the question of my interests in the franchise, I repeat that I am proud to have helped the consortium come to Kerala. I have neither invested nor received a rupee for my mentorship of the team. Whatever my personal relationships with any of the consortium members, I do not intend to benefit in any way financially from my association with the team now or at a later stage.
A Kerala IPL team is a dream of many young people in and from the state. It has the potential to bring great material and psychological benefits to Kerala’s economy and society. The unethical efforts that have been made by Mr Modi and others to thwart the Kerala franchise which had been won fair and square in a transparent bidding process are disgraceful. It has been clear for some time that the real motive is to assign this IPL team elsewhere than Kerala. All of us in Kerala hope that the BCCI will not permit statements and activities which seek to discredit the Kerala team before it has even had a chance to prove its worth. The public attempts by Mr Modi to besmirch the consortium in fact bring the IPL itself into disrepute.
This statement is issued by me in a personal capacity to respond to the allegations made against me personally.

iPad enters porn

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:10:00 +0000

Everything that's popular enters the vast world of porn, be it Sarah Palin or Marilyn Monroe. So the latest gadget sensation iPad is featuring in a amateur-style porn featuring an old delivery guy with long hairs and a sexy raven-haired girl. The video has been dubbed in the usual porn-quality with no link between the audio and the video. And, please don't freak on seeing the black hairy thing occasionaly entering the frame.

PS: This porn is safe enough to be watched even in office.

Condoms for saving endangered species

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:39:00 +0000

Recently, we Indians have been bombarded with a Save the Tiger campaign by a telecom firm. Nice way of combining business with social awareness, if that made any difference to the tigers.

A conservation group is relying on humans' animal instincts for propagation of their cause. A US group, the Center for Biological Diversity, is distributing 350,000 free Endangered Species Condoms in all 50 US states to highlight how the rapid rise in human population (thanks to high libido and Viagra) is driving species extinct at a cataclysmic rate, according to their website Endangered Species Condoms.

Human overpopulation is the driving force behind the current mass-extinction crisis endangering:
• 12 per cent of mammals
• 12 per cent of birds
• 31 per cent of reptiles
• 30 per cent of amphibians
• 37 per cent of fish

These condoms will be handed out at bars, universities, farmers' markets as well as spiritual groups (listening attentively to a "How to attain Nirvana through sex?" lecture). Each packet contains (just) two condoms with artwork and information on the species, and the threats of overpopulation. It will also suggest ways to control population. (Sadly, it doesn't believe in permanent birth control by forced surgery.)

For the hyperactive types, the organization is also offering a chance to win lifetime supply of condoms. If you are above 18, you can sign-up with the Endangered Species Condoms for lifetime supply of rubber.

Fading ink of fountain pens

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:31:00 +0000

Have fountains pens become a thing of the past?

I have always loved the idea of staining my fingers with ink leaking from a fountain pen. Also, I have liked the smell of ink. Ever since I moved to Delhi, I didn't have a fountain pen. Today, I went to Ber Sarai market with the intent of buying myself an inexpensive fountain pen along with a bottle of green ink, the only colour that I used during my entire college days. For those who aren't aware, Ber Sarai is a small market opposite old Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, famous for its book and stationery shops. I don't think it would be an exaggeration if I say that every person preparing for the civils exam in Delhi has visited this place at least once, or at least knows about it.

I went to a stationery shop there and asked for a fountain pen. The shop keeper gave me two options—a China-made fountain pen (Rs35) and another from Link (Rs30), an Indian company.
"Can I get to see something else?"

"The other one is slightly expensive, Rs80."

A Camlin fountain pen with a good nib but very poorly designed metal cap that looked horrible.

So I zeroed in on the Chinese ink pen.

"I need green ink as well."

"Sorry, we don't have it."

"In that case, the pen would just be useless."

"It's just a couple of ink bottles that we sell in a year. It's not viable to stock them any more."

"Yes," I acquiesced. "Not many people use fountain pens now."

In another shop, I asked for green ink.

"Ya, we have Chelpark."

"Get the Chelpark bottle from there," the shopkeeper ordered his help.

A bottle of Chelpark Emerald Green ink was sitting on the counter. (The image of the Chelpark bottle that I bought today is on the top.) The package hadn't changed. It was the same as my last bottle that I had bought in the beginning of 2000s. I am not sure what year, may be 2003. I took the package in my hand and inspected it.

"What's the packaging date?" I thought. I could see "5/99" stamped on the box. This bottle had been there in the shop for quite some time. Thankfully, these ink don't expire.

"I need a fountain pen as well."

They showed me a poor quality China-made pen. And then an Indian brand made for kids. It was thick and had silly cartoon characters printed on it. It reminded me of my first fountain pen. I remember that pen very vividly. A light grey plastic body with navy blue print of Tom and Jerry standing together with their backs supporting each other. I even remember how sad I was to lose it when a friend of mine, whom I had reluctantly lent the pen for the day, said he had lost it. Both of us had looked for it all over the school, tracing his day's journey in the campus.

"Do you have something else?"

"No, that's all we have got."

"Okay, I will take the ink. How much?"

The shopkeeper looked for price on the box and said, "Rs13." I had seen the price printed on the box while inspecting—Rs12.95.

With the bottle of green Chelpark ink in my hand, I had the joy of triumph overwhelming my heart. Green fountain pen ink, let alone Chelpark Emerald Green, had become somewhat rare even during my college days. I had to look for it at select stationery shops that were know for their large stocks.

I still needed a pen. During my school days, I used to have inexpensive Camlin fountain pens. Without any hope of finding some inexpensive, yet good pen, I bought the Chinese fountain pen from the first shop.

"You got the ink."

"Yes, packed in 1999."

"Ten years," the middle-aged shopkeeper had a smile on his face. He must have been transported into the old days when everyone in the classroom had a fountain pen in their pocket.

PS: I Googled for Chelpark Ink and stumbled upon The Fountain Pen Network's website. One of the Indian members of the website has reviewed the Chelpark fountain pens that he found in Malappuram, Kerala. The post has been written in Januray, 2009. Fountain pens have really become endangered.

The carton of the Chelpark ink asks the user to break the bottle after the ink is over. Reason, to avoid counterfeits. Very destructive way of stopping spurious goods.

Why is it taxing

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:27:00 +0000

Lots of Indians would be happy with the 2010 Budget (key features of India's budget 2010) that was presented by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee before the Lok Sabha—the new income tax rates will reduce tax burden of lots of people, me included. But I can't drink and rejoice in the reduced tax burden—not because booze has become expensive from now on.

Like many of you, if left to me, I wouldn't pay any taxes. Not because I am too greedy to give some of my earnings for the country and my folks. At subconscious level, I want to live in a society where everyone's requirements are fulfilled and each person has a dignified life. But let's face it—we live in country with stark disparities. There can be a rich person drinking expensive Scotish wine and romancing the moonlit winter night with its stars, oblivious of a poor migrant labourer in the same city, trying to fall asleep on the pavement of the same lane, with a poor quality blanket between him and the chilly winter night. It's the same country, same city and the same night, but, for one, it's a romance and, for the other, it's an ordeal.

"If I am really bothered about the huge rich-poor divide, why am I not willing to paying taxes?"

Can you say guarantee that the tax money that I worked hard for (and kissed rowdy bosses' asses) will be used for ensuring better education, healthcare, drinking water and roads in the villages from where the migrant labourer has come? Even former ministers (even of the ruling party) say that the delivery mechanism and the bureaucratic system of the country is rotten. It's still the same as former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had pointed out—out of every Re1, 85 paise gets lost (pilfered) in the transmission channel by the time it reaches the destination at the grass-roots level. Why does the government expect me to pay taxes if they can't ensure that my hard earned money is spent responsibly?

I don't want some unworthy person to make a fortune from my hard earned money that I paid in tax. Unfortunately, there is a whole army of such people who live off taxpayers' money, the money that was taken with a tacit promise of being used for the development of the country and fellow countrymen.

The government urgently needs someone to teach them how to make the best use of available resources for the country and its people. I think the government can learn it from any good homemaker who has mastered the art of meeting the basic requirements of her family while keeping her family finances on track. She can teach the government how to prioritize your expenses for optimum growth even on limited resources.

As far as taxes are concerned, the government needs to promise us that the tax money will not be floundered. The common man who is forced to pay taxes (as he can't hide his salary) should have the faith and satisfaction that his money will not be stashed in closets of some politicial broker or contractor, but be spent on education, healtcare and other basic requirements of his fellow countrymen. It's a herculean task for the government to ensure 100% efficiency and transparency in utilizing the money handed over to it by taxpayers.

Once people know that the money isn't being swindled and that it's being used to provide quality education to children, proper healthcare to the poor and is used for leading the country toward a better future, a large number of them would be more than willing to pay their taxes. I don't think they would go through the pain of collecting (sometimes even forging) receipts for reducing their tax liability. Sadly, as of now, I have to pay the taxes without any guarantee that it will be put to proper use and won't be squandered.

2 Idiots

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:28:00 +0000

What's the new mantra of 2010? All is well. I don't know how to write it the way Aamir Khan says it in the film 3 Idiots: "Aal iz wail", maybe.

I just read Amit Varma's post saying that though he enjoyed the film, its story sucks. Yup, for most of the Bollywood movies, you need to tell your brain "Sleep Well" during the three hours of the movie. If you don't, you keep wondering what's happening.

The movie is an overall entertainer, but then there is this sloppy ending. Friends beating up a long lost friend, huh. Couldn't they think something more interesting? But this isn't the only reason why I think 3 Idiots is just a mediocre movie. One of the basic premise of the story isn't convincing enough.

At least two of the three idiots in the movie 3 Idiots were idiots, literally. Or, maybe, the movie was set in a period when information technology wasn't as ubiquitous as it's today. Actually, this isn't the case. In the very beginning of the film, its loser character Chatur from Uganda uses a smart phone for speaking Hindi. So they were in the age of Google. And they were desperately looking for their close friend. Did they try to use the Internet--Facebook, Orkut, LinkedIn? Google, I guess?

They might have not found any result for Ranchhoddas Chanchad. Yeah, it's a strange name, quite vulnerable to distortions. Google might not have had any records. But Google knows almost every single person on earth who is in news, through websites and online versions of newspapers. And the two idiots found Ranchhoddas to be a rich businessman, who builds highways. So he wins lots of government contracts that newspapers would have reported, at least the business dailies.

Let's not think about it any more. It's Bollywood dude.

Let there be joy

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:05:00 +0000

As I write this, I am thankful to my parents that they never pressured me with their expectations. Not that they didn't want me to excel in my life and have a good career—they wanted me to be a doctor. They were supportive, and never rebuked me for not qualifying in the several competitive exams that I took in my short attempt to get into a medical college--and I failed in all of them during the two years. But they had faith in me; they thought I had enough brains to make a decent career in other possible areas, if not medicine.

Why am I telling this to you? Right now, I can see a news report in The Times of India about a 17-year-old class XII girl ending her life by hanging herself to the ceiling fan in her home. The girl had been allegedly rebuked by her teacher for poor grades.

A few days ago, an 11-year-old girl hanged herself by her dupatta in Mumbai. The girl, a class VI student who had participated in a few dance TV shows, had been stopped from dancing and asked to concentrate on studies—read marks and grades. The girl's neighbours said the girl was very keen to continue her dance and participate in dance shows.

Why's it important to excel in studies? Why do they have to score "good" marks? I think people need to change their yardstick for measuring success. There's more to life than just marksheets. I have bumped into quite a few students who have scored 90s in thier exams and have little knowledge. This excessive obsession with marks in also the reason that we have very few good players in our country. A budding sportsperson are stifled while still young. "Padhoge, likoge to banoge nawab; keloge, kudoge to banoge khara." (If you study and toil, you will be a king; if you play and merry, you will ruin.)

The pressure is not only for scoring "better" marks and grades, it's more for beating others behind. Parents care less that the child scored more marks than last exams and more about his rank in the class slipping to the second position. It has only been enforced by the testing methods used by premier professional institutions for judging the talent of their prospective students. I am amazed by the number of students who score way above 90s in their exams and yet wish that they had scored some more. Why is 90s so less that some students in Delhi are forced to commit suicide every year during admission season? It's a big relief that someone in a remote village can still revel in the fact that she scored 70%.

Yeah, nobody remembers the person who just missed the chance to be on the top, but after a decade, who remembers you score? What did Mahatma Gandhi score in his board exams, or Barack Obama for that matter?

We need to understand that success is intangible. It doesn't come bundled with 90%-plus marks. It doesn't come with money either. It come from within, only when you feel the joy while doing something as perfectly as you can. That's why you can have a proud, successful person in a remote tribal village. It's not limited to boundaries of metros. Success is also not any way linked to being the No.1. A person on the top can be successful, but not always.

Can we educate our younger generations just enough to empower them to make their own choices wisely? Can we refrain from forcing our own ways on the young minds? Just teach them the rules of the game and let them play. Set the young souls free to wander and choose their own paths to tread. Don't stop them if they wander away from well trodden paths and try to make their own. Let there be more joy and success.

How to emerge victorious in Nursery admission race

noreply@blogger.com (Pritam) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:05:00 +0000

This year's great battle for admission to Nursery class has begun in the Indian capital. Chauffeurs have stood in queues hours before the application form sale started. They were there for their masters, waiting along with less opulent parents. Both uber rich and less rich want to secure the future of their kids. It's very critical for the child's future that he/she gets accepted in some renowned school's Nursery class. And, yeah, it's important for parent's status. Parents are anxiously waiting for the final run. But only a handful will make it to the top. The rest will have to face disappointment.

Wish children were born with all knowledge pre-installed in their brains so that there was no need for getting them admitted in Nursery class. Sadly, that's not the case right now.

Here are a few tips for those young people who intend to get married and raise kids (or just raise kids). It's far easier and cheaper to get into the elite IITs or IIMs than getting into the Nursery class of the elite schools of New Delhi. Even if the child gets admission in these elite schools, it's not going to be easy to stay in the race with children of top executives of multinationals and politicians. To save yourself from disappointment and secure your kid's future, you need to begin preparing as early as possible.

Academic excellence counts
If possible, begin preparing while in school. Don't waste your time with friends, sitting in fastfood joints.Try to score maximum marks and go for higher studies. Be careful in choosing your dates. Make sure that he/she also scores high marks and is pursuing or willing to pursue higher studies, preferably abroad.
Money (loads of it) matters
Make sure that you get a highly paying job. For this, you may have to complete management studies from any of the elite institutions and join some multinational firm. Make sure that you don't end up with just an engineering degree. Even if you have studied at an IIT, do join an IIM for a management degree. If you think that an IIT degree would be enough for paying for your child's Nursery fees, think again.
Save money for admission fees
Education is very expensive. Even if you decide to go for a just-above-average schools, you will be asked to pay nothing less than Rs50,000 as admission fee. Thereafter, you will have to pay a few thousand bucks as monthly tuition fee.
If you are ambitious enough to dream of educating your kid in one of the elite schools, please be ready with a few lakhs (some of it in cash) of rupees. Monthly expense on tuition fee, bus fee, sports fee, computer fee, library fee, development fee, etc., should be expected to be around Rs10,000, maybe more.
Buy child education plans right now
It doesn't matter when you plan to get married and have kids. Start investing right now so that you have adequate money when the child is born. Invest in some good child future plans as soon as you get your first job.
Account for inflation
Last but not the least, take inflation into account while planning your investment for child's Nursery admission. The cost of educating your child is going to rise faster than food prices. Save as much as possible.

My kid's future is ruined, don't let it happen to your child. Take my word, and start early. I had no one to advice me. Though I am not getting married any soon, I know my kid (if there will be any) won't get admission in any of the elite schools. Neither I am highly educated nor I get paid huge amount. And I have realised the importance of saving a bit too late.

I can just cry foul. Despite the fact that the Indian law permits only not-for-profit organizations to set up and manage educations institutes and schools in the country, the fees don't confirm to the "not-for-profit" approach. What if the law allows commercialization of education as demanded by various groups and individuals? You better prepare yourself for this as well. All the best.