Maverick

Jai Jawan

2009-07-26T21:06:00.008+05:30

It was on this day 10 years ago, that Operation Vijay ended. No words are enough to salute the bravery and courage of the 527 Indian soldiers who lost their lives, and the 1300+ soldiers who were injured, in defending our country.We, Indians, have a tendency to forget, and move on. Some days back, a person I know told me that it is a gift. I don't agree. If we don't learn from history, we might

Jai Ho...

2009-03-01T20:52:00.003+05:30

The heated TV debates on Slumdog Millionaire don't just seem to stop. But you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that:1. Indian poverty does indeed sell in the west.2. Indians are very touchy when it comes to poverty. As one participant on a TV debate pointed out, what Danny Boyle should do is to sell this movie to the Indians, because as far they go, poverty simply doesn't exist

ऐ अवधूतदादा, बरा आहेस ना !

2008-11-23T19:29:00.006+05:30

आताच झी सारेगामा लिटिल चैम्प्सचा भाग पाहिला, यात शंकर महादेवन हे मान्यवर परीक्षक होते । या भागात आधी हिन्दी गाणी आणि नंतर मराठी गाणी अश्या दोन फेरया झाल्या । एकेका स्पर्धाकानी अशी काही गाणी म्हंटली की त्याला काही तोड़ नाही . हा एक असा कार्यक्रम आहे जो कुठल्याही संगीतरसिकानी चुकवता कामा नये.

What is watchable on the idiot box ?

2008-09-29T22:16:00.006+05:30

According to my humble opinion, this is it:1. Hindi Saregama on Zee TV. Simply for the singing talent. You have to ignore the other reality show specific stuff.2. Star Voice of India on Star Plus (it is a pity that this and #1 are at the same time). Same comments as #1.3. Saregama Lil Champs on Zee Marathi. While the kids are superb, the judges Avdhoot Gupte and Vaishali Samant add to the fun.4.

प्रथम तुला वंदितो

2008-09-03T10:07:00.007+05:30

हा गणेशोत्सव तुमच्यासाठी आणि तुमच्या परिवारासाठीसुखाचा आणि भरभराटिचा जावो ही शुभेच्छा !

The perils of technology

2008-09-01T22:42:00.004+05:30

So finally I made good my promise of shutting off newspapers and news channels out of my life. This has already started showing an effect. For example, I almost missed an important story today.Pune Mirror today reported about mobile tower radiation figures in some prominent areas in Pune. The findings are indeed shocking. The ideal value, the story said was about 1 mW/m2 (microwatts/square meter)

"I have always been lucky"

2008-08-10T19:50:00.001+05:30

Here is a inspiring story.When I read about it, I feel ashamed that "so-called" normal beings like us worry over such trivial matters like traffic at work.

After a long hiatus....

2008-06-25T23:19:00.000+05:30

Okay, I am returning to my blog after almost 3 months.To my dear readers, I must admit that I am contemplating shutting off newspapers and news channels out of my life. It is a no-brainer that they mostly have bad news.With the recent coverage of the Aarushi case, it seems to have taken a turn for the worse. When you start imagining anybody cutting grass with a sickle to be a potential criminal,

Partha-Sarthi

2008-03-15T21:17:00.000+05:30

नाहं प्रकाश: सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृत्त:मुढोयम नाभिजानाती लोको मामजमव्ययम - ७.२५(आपल्या योगमायेनी लपलेला मी सर्वांना प्रत्यक्ष दिसत नाही. म्हणुन हे अज्ञानी लोक जन्म नसलेल्या, अविनाशी, मला परमेश्वराला जाणत नाहीत। अर्थात मी जन्मणारा मरणारा असे समजतात )वेदाहं समतीतानी वर्तमानानी चार्जुनभविष्याणी च भूतानि मां तू वेद न कश्चन - ७.२६(हे अर्जुना, पूर्वी होउन गेलेल्या, वर्त्तमान काळातील आणी पुढे होणारया सर्व

Speechless...

2008-01-02T14:12:00.000+05:30

मैं कभी बतलाता नहीं पर अन्धेरों से डरता हुं मैं मां,युं तो मैं दिखलाता नहीं तेरी पर्वाह करता हुं मैं मां !तुझे सब हैं पता हैं न मां,तुझे सब हैं पता मेरी मां !

Dec 1 : The dreaded disease day...

2007-12-01T22:15:00.000+05:30

I just watched a story on NDTV (thankfully they haven't succumbed tothe bhoot/pret sensationalism like some other news channels) about akid who is HIV+. He got it from his parents who subsequently succumbedto this disease. When his grandmother came to know about his status,she threw him out of the house. He spent about 10 days on the doorstepthinking his grandmother would take him back. But that

Of pain aversion and life

2007-10-10T17:48:00.000+05:30

There is one definite advantage of following the financial markets. You get to know learn more about life.There is a concept in behavioral finance called "Pain aversion" or "Loss aversion" which indicates that human behaviour tends towards avoiding pain or loss. In the markets, this indicates the tendency to hold on to the losers and sell the winners.How does this relate to life ? Well, if the

Artikel von maverick

2007-08-27T16:12:00.000+05:30

Hallo, welt :-)Das ist mein zuerst artikel in deutsche...

Chak de.....

2007-08-13T17:03:00.000+05:30

"Chak de India" broaches a subject which seems quite unusual.In a cricket crazy nation, a film on Hockey, and that too womens'would hardly be expected to do well.But it does. And the reasons are not hard to fathom. A tight script,good performances from the cast and of course, the King Khan inhis elements power the movie forward. Thumbs up to Shimit Aminfor coming up with a worthy effort.At

iPhone

2007-06-29T12:44:00.000+05:30

I talk, therefore IPhone :-)It is disappointing that Asia will see an iPhone only in 2008.BTW, I just got an iPod Nano 2GB, and after using it for some time,I am even more eager to lay my hands on the latest baby from Apple.

Orange county diary - I

2007-05-05T04:37:00.000+05:30

Just the other day, we found that in US, if an ambulance or firebrigade is going on the road, all other vehicles stop by the side and give way for those vehicles. We didn't know this and realised it when a paramedic van came speeding behind us, and even we had to jump over a traffic light in order for it to pass through. Somebody told us that those vehicles even have the control over stop lights.

From the other side of the world

2007-04-27T20:57:00.000+05:30

It has been more than 96 hours since I arrived at LAX, by Lufthansa via Frankfurt. The clean streets of California are a nice change from the dust & heat of Pune. In these surroundings, you wonder why you are visiting here for work, and not just for relaxing.Driving is a breeze here, no changing gears, just use the brake & accelerator. There is something called "Right of way", which means exactly

Revival

2007-04-13T13:40:00.000+05:30

No, I don't suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia.That is why I have chosen this day to revive this blog.A lot of water has flowed under the Mula since I last blogged.1. Abhiash (or Abhiwarya, depending on your preference) nowhas the same acceptance as a Brangelina or TomKat.2. The Superman from Hong Kong has sold his prized Cheekafor a bomb. Perhaps, the "You and I, in this beautiful world"ads

Rehman magic

2006-12-20T10:08:00.000+05:30

ऐ हैरतें आशिकी जगा मत,पैरों से ज़मीन ज़मीन लगा मत !

I say chaps

2006-11-13T11:45:00.000+05:30

Fans of SRK can rejoice !Tune in to Sahara One at 10 pm on weekdays from today to watch "Fauji", where it all began, the story of Vikram & Abhimanyu Rai.PS : The title of this post is the quote of oneof the cadets in that serial.---Current Music : Aaj Ki Raat/Don

Where's the party tonight ?

2006-10-20T11:34:00.000+05:30

Until wednesday night, I had never seen what a dance floor looked or felt like, except in movies.The occasion was a Diwali party by our company, at Pancard Clubs in Baner. The discotheque is housed in an UFO shaped construction called "Area 51".It was a memorable event, and many people including me, shed their inhibitions to join the fun on the dance floor. And, mind you, it is extremely

My playlist - Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan

2006-09-13T19:45:00.000+05:30

ये हौसला कैसे झुके, ये आरजु कैसे रुकेमन्झिल मुश्किल तो क्या, धुंदला साहिल तो क्या,तन्हा ये दिल तो क्या...हो - डोर (२००६)मेरे मन ये बता दे तु, किस और चला हैं तुक्या पाया नही तुने, क्या ढुन्ढ रहा हैं तुजो हैं अनकही, जो हैं अनसुनी, वो बात क्या हैं बतामितवा कहें धड्कने तुझसे प्यार,मितवा ये खुद्से तो ना तु छुपा - कभी अलविदा ना कहना (२००६)

Khadki diary

2006-09-04T09:47:00.000+05:30

Jaihind is a old non-descript theatre opposite Khadki station. It will be safe to say that, jiska koi theatre nahi hota hain uska jaihind hota hain, because it is possible to get a movie ticket here in the first week unlike many others in Pune. The Parking lot bears a warning that "Krupya Riksha Aat AaNu Naye" (Don't being Auto-Rickshaws inside). Need I say more :D---A good place to spend time

Behavioral finance

2006-08-18T15:02:00.000+05:30

For all those who dabble into the financial markets, let me point to an interesting field of behavioral finance.Some interesting theories1. Loss aversion - A 100 Rs. loss gives twice as much grief as the happiness of a 100 Rs. profit. So people tend to hold on to losses.2. Endowment effect - The tendency to value something more when we posses it3. Availability heuristic - Making judgement on what

The Indian indifference

2006-08-10T10:46:00.000+05:30

Yesterday's Pune Edition of Times Of India carried an article on the front page about a man in Rajasthan who became a father at 88. As if that was the burning issue in the country. And isn't that the reason why Pune Times exists in the first place ? One of my friends who doesn't read the main paper, read that article only.In contrast, the Indian Express is carrying one article daily on each of

The Emperor's New Mind

2006-07-31T10:47:00.000+05:30

It has been a week since I bought and started reading "The Emperor's New Mind" by Roger Penrose. And I am still into the 2nd chapter. At this point, I have read about Strong-AI, Chinese Room, Algorithms and Turing machines.It is pretty convoluted stuff but I hope to finish it somehow. The title was suggested by themanwhowrote.---Current Music : Naina/Omkara

GER : ITA

2006-07-04T10:29:00.000+05:30

I strongly hope that Die Nationalmannschaft will crush the Azzurri because the latter don't deserve to be there. ---The Mail has an interesting article about the English football team, on how they make things difficult and, shoot themselves in the foot.<--Excerpts-->Sometime during the teeth-grinding ordeal of Tuesday night's second-half between England and Sweden, the shires faced up to a savage

Soccer mania

2006-06-27T14:07:00.000+05:30

It was shocking to see Italy win on a last minute penalty in their game against Australia yesterday. The panelist on ESPN pointed out that it was Italian and Spanish style to dive in the penalty area to get penalty kicks, and the Azzuri did succeed yesterday. The spirit of the "Beautiful Game" was forgotten.I thought the Socceroos (Australians) played well to hold Italy for 90 minutes without a

Soccer humour

2006-06-19T10:25:00.000+05:30

If you are not watching the Fifa World Cup in Germany, you are not only missing some quality football, but also, some really humurous commentary.Sample this (brackets indicate the match during which the comments were made) :Trinidad and Tobago, who chances were written off more times than the Mexican national debt, have held Sweden to a draw. (Sweden vs Trinidad & Tobago)Japanese problem about

Bhutan Diary - I

2006-06-09T12:29:00.000+05:30

If you want to go to Bhutan, you will have to go through the border town of Phuentsholing. Phuentsholling is about 160 kms./4 hrs. from Siliguri. If you want to travel cheaply and comfortably, hop onto one of the Bhutan Transport Service buses, from Siliguri's Tenzing Norgay Bus Stand.Indian nationals don't need a visa but a permit to enter Bhutan. You need an ID Proof like Passport or Election

Saral means complex

2006-06-07T12:26:00.000+05:30

The new form for filing tax returns (for the salaried class) has just got complicated with the IT department asking details of household expenses and other inflows.The motto of the government seems to be if you pay taxes honestly, it will try to inconvenience you more and, try to siphon the last penny out of your income. And there is no effort to increase the tax base which is mostly the salaried

The Bhutanese experience

2006-06-01T09:35:00.000+05:30

I have been wanting to write about my Bhutanese experience for quite some time now but lethargy was getting the better of me.Not that it was something to write home about. We failed to get a permit for the intended trek (Jhomolhari), because we hadn't officially hired a trekking company (which costs a bomb). It is therefore a reasonable assumption that trekking in Bhutan is not for Indians. Even

Fanaa

2006-04-28T11:06:00.000+05:30

If you guys can leave Himesh Reshammiya aside for some time, you would do well to listen the track "Dekho Na" from Fanaa. It is a nice song rendered by Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan.The promos of the movie look really good. Check this page for more.---Current Music : Yeh Safar/1942 A Love Story

Private matters

2006-04-20T11:02:00.000+05:30

These are depressing times in blogland. Our fav blog is dead, and the writer of this blog has himself admitted to be running out of ideas.But then the show must go on. So I am shaking off lethargy to write something.And these are depressing times in the political arena as well. Let us take a look at a portion of the CMP of the current UPA government. Link from Hindu."The UPA Government is very

The hand and the lotus

2006-04-11T15:28:00.000+05:30

I realise that in the recent past, I had gone overboard in my praise of the Indian GOP (Grand Old Party i.e. Congress). As if to blunt it, they have done something which would force any rational person to rethink his support. With the proposal to get the IITs and IIMs have additional 27% quotas, they have set the clock back. And the timing of the declaration is suspect, coming just when five

Profit from it

2006-03-28T11:26:00.000+05:30

I am an avid follower of politics in India. The moves and countermoves of politicians are really very fascinating. Now take the recent example of the "office of profit" controversy. Every political party has people in legislative offices also holding these offices of profit. But the Congress used it to settle scores with SP (read : expulsion of Jaya Bachhan) and the BJP to target the Congress (

Munich

2006-03-20T15:25:00.000+05:30

Watched "Munich" on saturday. It is a good movie with the typical Steven Speilberg touch.I won't give away anything here. Go ahead and watch it.---Current music : Woh Zara Si Baat Par/Mehdi Hasan.

Cell hacks

2006-03-09T15:13:00.000+05:30

*#92702689# : On Nokia phones, will tell you the IMEI, manufacturing month, life timer (incoming + outgoing call time). Caveat - some old phones may need a reboot after this.*#0000# : On Nokia phones, will tell you the software version.*#06# : All phones, the IMEI number.And, BTW, you can decode your IMEI numbers here.---Current music : Apni Marzi Se/Jagjit Singh

Bhumiti

2006-02-22T12:12:00.000+05:30

Here is how I remember geometry after 11 years of passing Class X.I want to talk about the trigonometric ratios sin, cos and tan.Sin -> Paap -> When you do some paap, you say OH. So Sin = Opposite Side / Hypotenuse.Cos -> Since Sin is paap, Cosine must be Punya. So you say AH. Therefore, Cos = Adjacent Side/HypotenuseTan -> Remember Tridev. What comes to your mind is Oye Oye (OA OA)? Therefore,

The Myth

2006-02-20T12:23:00.000+05:30

Watched "The Myth" on Saturday. It is a "time pass" movie with some decent Jackie-chan stunts. But it is just a shade of his earlier movies.It is likely to run to packed houses in India because of the presence of "you-know-who", in an appearance which doesn't exceed 10 minutes or so.At one point in the movie, she asks the elephant on the riverside, not "to be naughty". :D

Sue kar mere manko

2006-02-06T12:22:00.000+05:30

If you have watched Rang De Basanti, it is most likely that you have liked it and, you are haggling over the parallels of 1930s and 2000s and its climax with somebody else. A lot of newsprint and webspace will also taken up by this debate. But then it is not a bad thing, after all, debate is at the heart of democracy.It is an excellent movie backed by extremely good performances, a tight script,

Karachi test

2006-02-01T18:00:00.000+05:30

What a defeat ! Surely it will rankle every Indian cricket fan, more so because the series has been decided by this single test. But I think our fate was sealed when we failed to take a decent lead in 1st innings. The first two innings getting finished in 1.5 days meant that a result was inevitable. The team which was better in the second innings won, and that was clearly Pakistan. And it was

A musical weekend

2006-01-30T11:34:00.000+05:30

I was lucky to attend the ITC Sangeet Sammelan at Nehru Centre in Worli over the weekend. It was my first experience of a classical music concert and, I enjoyed it very much. And whats more, the passes for the concert were not charged for :-)On the first day was an excellent vocal performance by Kaushiki Desikan (daughter of Pt. Ajay Chakraborty). This was followed by an equally enthralling Sarod

City puzzle

2006-01-23T17:14:00.000+05:30

If you don't have anything to do at work, try to crack this city puzzle from yesterday's Mindsport (from Sunday Times of India).I was able to crack it with quite an effort and have the complete solution.---Current music : Muh ki baat sune har koi/Jagjit Singh

blog.misc

2006-01-20T13:31:00.000+05:30

Sample this :aandhiyon se jaghad rahi hai lau meriab mashaalon si bhad rahi hai lau merinaamo nishaan rahe na rahe ye kaaravaan rahe na raheujaale mein pee gaya roshan huaa jee gayakyon sehte rahe, ruu-ba-ruu roshni heyy - 2Or this one:mann ki gali tu phuharoon si aabheeg jaye mere khwabon ka kafilajise tu gungunaye meri dhun hai wahintu bin bataye mujhe le chal kaheenjahan tu muskuraye meri

The coast of Raigad district

2006-01-03T12:07:00.000+05:30

Day 1 in 2006, I was on a whirlwind tour of North Konkan. My destinations comprised of the Janjira sea-fort, Nandgaon and Kashid beaches.I must say, the road from Alibaug to Murud, is one of the best coastal drives in India.The Janjira fort is a huge structure (area 22 acres) standing about a km. inside the sea. You have to take a boat from Rajpuri (about 5 kms. from Murud) and it takes about 20

2005

2005-12-27T09:36:00.000+05:30

I got hold of Outlook magazine's annual issue last evening. One article from the issue, Mahesh Nair's 2005: A Bollywood lexicon had me in splits.Some real good ones:Abhishek (adj): the ability to succeed after you fail. Also used loosely to envy what you dismissed.Emran Hashmi (v): to kiss, accompanied with a Pakistani hit single.Mangal Pandey (adj): to look silly after five years.---In the same

ek behatar kal

2005-12-23T18:52:00.000+05:30

I was quite impressed by one of the old advertisements of NDTV-India channel.The words go like this (may not be complete recall)एक बेह्तर कल चाहते है हम,पैसे की चमक पर हुनर न पडे फ़ीका,खुदगर्जी खोखला ना कर दे सोचने का तरीका.ताकि अच्छे आदर्श और विचार महज किताबीं बाते न रह जाये,मजहब से पहले हमेशा देश याद आये.एक बेह्तर कल चाहते है हम,इसलिए सच दिखातें है हम.

The great Indian middle class

2005-12-21T09:56:00.000+05:30

If you have heard Vinod Mehta (editor : Outlook) during television debates, chances are that you would have thoroughly enjoyed that debate. He is a straight talker and his witty comments go nicely with that.Read his Delhi diary from the latest issue of Outlook. He writes besides other things, the middle class's relishing about the Volcker issue, and ignoring the real issues like water,

Thodisi dhul meri

2005-12-19T11:17:00.000+05:30

Thodisi dhuul meri dharti ki mere watan ki - 2Thodisi Khushbuu baurai se mast pavan kiThodisi dhondhane waali dhak-dhak dhak-dhak dhak-dhak saanseinJin mein ho junoon junoon voh boonde laal lahuu kiYeh sab tuu mila mila le phir rang tuu khila khila le - 2Aur mohe tuu rang de basanti yaaraMohe tuu rang de basantiGive me a Rehman anytime.And it has been almost a year since Swades was released (17-

Death on duty

2005-12-08T18:34:00.000+05:30

आवाज उठाओ, कहीं हम आवाज उठाना ना भुल जाये !(Courtesy the ad for NDTV India)Here, and here.This guy from IIML could have easily landed a comfy desk jobin any MNC across India but he chose to join a PSU, Indian Oil, andtook on the powerful oil mafia paying the ultimate price.Has our state failed to protect its citizens ?

Memorable

2005-12-05T18:02:00.000+05:30

And staying with Sachin, my latest book acquisition was in the form of the master-blaster photo-essay titled Memorable and compiled by Peter Murray.Thanks to the Great Crossword Sale, I picked it up for 199 bucks (about 60% down from the cover price of 495/-).An excellent collection of photographs from his school days to the World Cup 2003, it is a must have for all the fans of the little

सानिया, जरा जपुन

2005-12-05T13:51:00.000+05:30

Advice to Sania from well known sports commentator Dwarkanath Sanzgiri in Saturday's Chaturang supplement of Loksatta. Excerpt from the article:सचिन आज ३२ वर्षांचा आहे. पण त्याचं राजकीय मत तुला ठाऊक आहे ? किंवा सामाजिक मत काय आहे ? ते जाऊ देत, गांगुलीबद्दल त्याचं नेमकं मत काय, हे तरी तुला ठाऊक आहे का ? तो वाद्ग्रस्त विषयाच्या वाटेला जात नाही. पण त्या विधानाने समोर येऊन रस्ता अडवलाच तर त्या

Ponzi scheme

2005-11-25T11:17:00.000+05:30

R. Jagannathan in DNA (Daily News & Analysis) argues that stockmarket works just like a Ponzi scheme. While the latter is actually a scam, he adds that the former is a naturally occuring Ponzi process. An excellent article indeed.---On a related note, after an unprecedented advertising blitz across Mumbai during its launch, it seems DNA is now getting its act together. They have a dedicated

End of Lalten

2005-11-23T12:22:00.000+05:30

So finally the irrepressible Lalu was humbled in his own backyard.Some would say the end was coming. The man who forged the most unbeatable caste combination was beaten at his own game by another combination of upper castes and extremely backward castes, and of course, helped by Ramvilas Paswan's LJP.For the national parties, Congress and BJP, this represents both good and bad news. The good

After 5.someone

2005-11-21T10:07:00.000+05:30

It has been quite sometime since I posted here. I finally got hold of Chetan Bhagat's latest One Night @ The Call Center (hereafter referred as on @ tcc). While comparisons with his previous novel "Five Point Someone" are inevitable, I will steer clear of that. On @ tcc is an interesting story, a story of six people working in call center (Shyam, Priyanka, Vroom, Esha, Radhika and

Divaldi

2005-10-28T10:52:00.000+05:30

All good things come to an end.So did the Diwali celebrations at my workplace. Oct 20th through 27th was called a "Sweets week" wherein some 10-15 employees brought sweets everyday for all. I don't think I have consumed so much sweets in months which I did in these 7 days.This was capped by some fun events last evening and a brilliant fireworks display. The crackers were colourful and probably,

Indian classical music

2005-10-25T17:18:00.000+05:30

Can you appreciate it more if you know its nuances and intricacies ?You can't make out the raaga from the vocals/instruments being played. But, I feel that this doesn't, in any way, reduce the sheer joy of listening to that music.Right now, listening to Kishori Amonkar's Hansadhwani-Drut. It is a nice composition. Thanks to TMWW for that collection.

Jeu

2005-10-13T16:00:00.000+05:30

For the first time in my life, I tried a hand at lawn tennis. It is remarkable how the game which looks so simple when Maria Sharapova is playing, becomes very difficult when the racket comes in your hand. You struggle to serve, screw the forehand and backhand somehow looks impossible to execute. And you can't prevent the ball from flying out of the court.Hopefully, a bit of practice would set

Gulon Mein

2005-09-30T18:21:00.000+05:30

I don't know why but I find myself listening to this beautiful ghazal almost everyday.गुलों में रंग भरे, बाद-ए-नौबहार चले,चले भी आओ के गुलशन का कारोबार चले !मकाम फ़ैज़ कोई, राह में जचा ही नही,जो कुए यार से निकले तो सुए दार चले !Can anybody explain what this means ?Mehdi Hasan rocks. It is a pity I started listening to him only since last year.---How does University circle look from Chaturshrungi

Tagged

2005-09-21T11:47:00.000+05:30

I consider it a great honour to be tagged by TMWW.5 Favourite toys:My cell Nokia 7250i which is armed with a FM radio (on which I listened to Rafi all day long) and a camera phone (which as a law abiding citizen, I don't put to the innovative uses which we have all seen recently).My (newly acquired) digicam Canon Powershot A510. Frankly, I am amazed by its capabilities (you can attach it to a TV

Duke's nose

2005-09-20T09:44:00.000+05:30

Duke's nose is a hillock in the Khandala valley which is named so because it looks like the nose of a person with face pointing upwards. It is visible from the Mumbai -Pune rail route and the expressway.The "Duke" stands for Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley (also, General and UK Prime Minister) who had a large pointed nose. It is known locally as Nagphani or Cobra's hood. Some pictures from

Taken for a ride

2005-09-15T11:48:00.000+05:30

The ride from Aundh to Hinjewadi which was once quite good is now a nightmare. The whole 11 km stretch is filled with potholes and ditches. The problem for drivers is compounded at night due to poor lighting along the road.The alternative route via Baner is only slightly better. But it exposes you to a 3km stretch of the Katraj-Dehuroad bypass where vehicles ply in speeds excess of 80 kmph,

Rolling out blogroll

2005-09-13T10:16:00.000+05:30

Finally I have got this blogrolling thingy to work (read: it has started working itself). The way it functions is that it tracks changes to blogs and flags the ones that have changed. You can see it in the "Blogs I Read" sidebar that recently updated blogs will have "New !" tagged to their links.---And for all you gadget crazy people, here is a gizmo blog.

Mindsport

2005-09-12T10:52:00.000+05:30

Try to solve the e4 and endgame puzzle from this week's Mindsport which appeared in the Sunday Times Of India of 11 Sep.I could crack the e4 one.

Ganapati Bappa Moraya !

2005-09-07T09:26:00.000+05:30

Wishing a happy Ganeshotsava to the universe at large !Hope the good Lord will help everybody tide over their troubles.

Powershot

2005-09-05T10:40:00.000+05:30

After aldrin and themanwhowrote, I have been afflicted with the disease of having multiple blogs. The first symptom is a new photoblog at http://power-shots.blogspot.com. This is supposed to be a photo gallery for my new Canon PowerShot A510.And it wouldn't be totally out of place to mention that Maria Sharapova endorses Canon's Powershot range of cameras. "Make every shot a power shot" is what

Ashaein Ashaein

2005-09-02T17:38:00.000+05:30

A fitting review for what has turned out to be an excellent film.Nagesh Kukunoor weaves a simple story with good performancesand a taut script. And it cost him about 3 crores.Just to put things in perspective, Mangal Pandey : The Rising isreported to have cost a staggering Rs. 50 cr. And its woes seemto continue.

August Trivia

2005-08-30T18:52:00.000+05:30

Some trivia (ofcourse no googling )1. What is acetyl salicylic acid commonly known as ? Hint : It is a common medicine available OTC (Over the counter).2. What does IP, BP and USP represent in the context of drugingredients ? For ex. Paracetamol IP 500 mg.3. Where did PM Manmohan Singh inaugerate India's first PrototypeFast Breeder Reactor in Oct 2004 ?4. Why is Yamuna river dark blue (or black)

India bound

2005-08-26T11:01:00.000+05:30

Morality or national self interest in foreign relations ?Check out Gurcharan Das's article in last sunday's TOI here, titled Unsentimental Choices (14 Aug 05).The "argumentative and sentimental Indians' would do well to ponder on it.Meanwhile, I am trying to get hold of India Unbound by the same author.

Really thought provoking - Interview with God

2005-08-17T18:06:00.000+05:30

I dreamed I had an interview with God.“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.“If you have the time” I said.God smiled. “My time is eternity.” “What questions do you have in mind for me?”“What surprises you most about humankind?”God answered...“That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”“That they lose their health to make money... and

A-dwitiya

2005-08-17T10:58:00.000+05:30

Have you heard the way Amitabh says "Dwitiya" after "Kaun Banega Crorepati" in KBC-2 ?. Lots of things have changed since the first KBC avatar in 2000. The suits of the host have given way to designer jackets. The questions still number 15, though one has been dropped in between to make way for the 2 Crore one. And you can now win 2 lakhs from the comfort of your home via the "Har Seat Hot Seat"

Two to tango

2005-08-11T17:38:00.000+05:30

These chaps happen to share the same workplace i.e. Hotel Pomra, Secretariat Road, Gangtok 737103, Sikkim. Snap taken on June 7, 2005.

The life you thought you had... it never happened.

2005-08-08T09:40:00.000+05:30

Watched The Island yesterday and got smitten by Scarlett Johansson.I found the movie OK, probably not a must-see.

Offshore vortex and The Ballad of Mangal Pandey

2005-08-04T09:53:00.000+05:30

So how did 26 July happen ? Well, this excellent article appeared in yesterday's Indian Express (yeah, not in TOI), offers some answers with a phenomenon called "Offshore vortex". A combination of the moisture laden winds from the arabian sea, the western ghats and a cloud column of 15 km. caused this, resulting in a heavy downpour of 94 cms. in a small localised area of 30 sq.km. And the bad

The maestro

2005-08-01T11:57:00.000+05:30

Thanks to aldrin's prior notice here and my own mobile Nokia 7250i which has an excellent FM radio, I could enjoy Rafi all day long on Vividh Bharati yesterday. While his every song is good, here are my ten picks of the lot, not in any particular order.दीवाना हुआ बादल ( काश्मिर की कली )तुमने मुझे देखा होकर मेहरबान ( तीसरी मंझिल )मधुबन में राधिका नाचे रे ( कोहिनुर )तेरे मेरे सपने अब एक रंग है (

Rain Rain, Don't come again

2005-07-27T16:47:00.000+05:30

Records are meant to be broken.But this record is unexpected and affected many lives.Hope normalcy returns soon to India's financial capital.

Ashes to Ashes

2005-07-21T14:39:00.000+05:30

The Ashes starts from today with the first test at Lords. It is interesting to read here the history behind the title "Ashes" i.e. the defeat of England in 1882 and its panning by the British Media. In the recent times, we all know that the Ashes has been one-sided due to the Australian dominance. While everybody is saying that the current England team is the best ever, I am not sure if they have

Growing up in the 70s

2005-07-20T10:06:00.000+05:30

बावरा मन देखने चला एक सपना,बावरे से मन की देखो बावरी है बातें,बावरीसी धडकने है, बावरी हैं सांसे,बावरीसी करवटों से निन्दीया दुर भागे.(For complete lyrics, click here.)This is an excellent song from the recent off-beat film हजारों ख्वाइशें ऐसी. This film is the story of three young persons who are deeply affected by the political events which culminated in the emergency of 1975-77. It seems to be a

My next gizmo

2005-07-19T09:46:00.000+05:30

...is a brand new Canon PowerShot A510. Scheduled to arrive anytime now.

अप्रतिम

2005-07-18T13:23:00.000+05:30

तो बोल मंद हळवासा,आयुष्य स्पर्शुनी गेला,सीतेच्या वनवासातीलजणु अंगी राघव शेला !I am not exactly clear on what this means. This is the Nightingale again singing for her brother, lines from Grace aka Manik Godghate. Thanks a ton to themanwhowrote again for this out-of-the-world song (भय इथले संपत नाही).PS:Baraha really makes typing in Devanagari, a breeze. And since it supports Unicode, no

Fit and Fine

2005-07-15T11:45:00.000+05:30

What makes me happy today is a clean bill of health during a general medical checkup arranged by our company. However, the management at Medinova (JM Road) was not entirely satisfactory.The checkup had its share of moments. For example, I was in splits when the lady taking the chest xray asked me to hug the stand. And a colleague said that during USG or Ultra-sonography of Whole Abdomen, he felt

The midwest

2005-07-14T11:15:00.000+05:30

Cincinnati (Ohio) downtown, June 2003. The Cinti skyline is shot from the other side ofthe Ohio river, which separates Ohio from Kentucky. To the extreme right is the Great American Ballpark. The tower at the centre is Fifth Third Bank, if I remember correctly.

Trying Baraha to type unicode

2005-07-12T19:26:00.000+05:30

ने मज़सी ने परत मातृभुमीला,सागरा प्राण तळमळला !Loosely translated as:Take me back to my motherland,O' sea, I am dying to get back.Well-known freedom fighter Veer aka Vinayak Damodar Savarkar wrote this when he was incaracerated by the British at some place (I don't know which). Hridaynath composed a excellent song out of this and sung it with his famous Mangeshkar sisters.

Bottle-neck

2005-07-07T14:06:00.000+05:30

I am a teetotaller and proud to be one. And I also boast of having some friends and relatives, who can easily sport the tag of being the "most seasoned drinker". However, I am irritated when some of my relatives who (I think) believe that drinking is an act of extreme courage and bravery, criticise me for not drinking. Even my mother, when I told her that I don't drink, said that nowadays lots of

Politics

2005-07-06T10:52:00.000+05:30

I believe what is happening to Shiv Sena was inevitable. If they had won the elections last year, it would only have got postponed. The party which derived its strength from being a one-man party, is weakening precisely because of the same reason. To add to it, there is intense factionalism among the next gen Thackerays and other senior leaders. Also, you can't win popular support only on

PJs anyone...

2005-07-01T11:01:00.000+05:30

Got this in a mail today :Why are Indian husbands called "MADE OF SILVER"AndWhy are American husbands called "MADE OF GOLD"Indian wives call their husband "A g" ( Scientific Symbol for Silver)American wives call their husband "A u" ( Scientific Symbol for Gold)---And, the reason I am posting it here is not to endorse such kind of non-sense but to condemn it in the strongest words.

Are you...

2005-06-30T17:44:00.000+05:30

going to get submerged in water?Check this NASA page for the areas which are likely to get flooded.Really cool stuff !

2005-06-29T10:14:00.000+05:30

This is the snap from Addie's Digicam, on the way to Tikona fort last year, just after turning from Kamshet on the road to Tikona Peth.

First post

2005-06-28T15:21:00.000+05:30

This is my first post at blogger. Just checking out.