tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53744932011-08-09T11:40:36.860+05:30anokhenoreply@blogger.comBlogger1401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1089900992108781052004-07-15T19:45:00.000+05:302004-07-15T19:46:32.106+05:30

HUMOR: Pressure escape valves There's only one way to escape from peer pressure. It's called old age.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1087475100157738502004-06-17T17:52:00.000+05:302004-06-17T17:55:00.156+05:30

BLOGS : I blog, therefore HE is? If a blogger was schizophrenic and followed his own blog as a reader, would he would he be able to relate to his other persona?

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1086789947133952672004-06-09T19:30:00.000+05:302004-06-09T19:35:47.133+05:30

BOOKS: You are WHAT you read. You also are WHEN you read. People often ask me how I can read books starting from any random page after years of having read it originally. And not knowing how to explain the interest, I simply shrug my shoulders and get back to the book. But that's not what this post is about. It's about my observation that you should always read a book again after a few years.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1085552882315224122004-05-26T11:44:00.000+05:302004-05-26T11:58:55.586+05:30

POLITICS : Thinking profound thoughts, when I ought to be thinking use cases.I fear that the peace dialogue with Pakistan, started under the guidance of ABV, will not suffer under the Congress, not due to lack of efforts from the Congress party, but because of severe interference from the RSS/VHP who were being kept in abeyance by ABV's voice. I fear that the swing in the political climate in

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1084976534361446342004-05-19T19:40:00.000+05:302004-05-19T19:55:41.416+05:30

TRASH : Letter of the day : e 'e' is for editor ed-i-tor ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-tr) 1. A person responsible for the editorial aspects of publication 2. A person which a site like Rediff lacks, for letting articles like this one pass off as news or, for that part, humor.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1079512249935381842004-03-17T14:00:00.000+05:302004-03-17T14:16:55.873+05:30

SOCIAL : He got me... The Director of NITIE is either incredibly shrewd or incredibly stupid, and I can't figure out which. His comments on the slashing of NITIE B-school fees from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 30,000 are followed by this comment -According to Prof Bagchi, the cost of educating each student was about Rs 3 lakh per annum. So, as it stood, the Government was subsidising each student to the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1079348156852947722004-03-15T16:25:00.000+05:302004-03-15T16:29:06.936+05:30

POLITICS : Big Bully The Government wants to have it's cake and eat it too. While that isn't a crime (per the rules set forth by the Govt.), the people who are suffering are the Ten Sports folks. Millions in India don't care about the right or wrong of the issue, as long as they get to see the telecast of the Indo-Pak series. Half of the few thousands who do care, can shut their eyes or turn

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1078217749533859742004-03-02T14:22:00.000+05:302004-03-02T14:31:13.860+05:30

GENERAL : Brand Loyalty The smell of fear. - Specially brought to you by the House of B&MTM *B&MTM (Bush & Mush) is a trademark of the axis of weasels.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1077518008172087052004-02-23T12:03:00.000+05:302004-02-23T12:07:53.293+05:30

PERSONAL : Movie Bonanza It's a rare occasion that you get to see two really, really good Hindi movies in a day. And it's been some time coming. So "Ek Hasina Thi" (EHT) and "Khakee" were, in my opinion, a breath of fresh air for Bollywood. And the credit for that goes to two brothers making their respective debuts. Though the link isn't apparent, EHT was directed by Sriram Raghavan, while the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1076679546161047032004-02-13T19:03:00.000+05:302004-02-13T19:14:37.436+05:30

TECH : Google as Big Brother (sic) ? There's something about Google that warms the cockles of your heart (you didn't think this expression would go away so easily, would it?). The perfect example is Google AdSense. Per their marketing division "Adsense delivers text-based Google AdWords ads that are relevant to what your readers see on your pages". And so it does, when you look at speed's blog.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1076477800973995042004-02-11T11:06:00.000+05:302004-02-11T11:09:07.356+05:30

SPORT : Just a pipe dream? It's only fair that a sport like Formula 1 undergoes change at the rate at which it's played. And F1 is set for a huge change in the coming few years. There are two reasons for that. Traditionally, F1 has been concentrated in the European nations. With the exception of Kuala Lumpur, Australia, Brazil and the two North America races, all the remaining 11-12 races are

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1075800357532765632004-02-03T14:44:00.000+05:302004-02-03T14:58:46.013+05:30

MISC : Jawalkar without the V The culture police is out in the masses in the good ol' USA. MTV, with it's now famous Britney-Madonna kiss, has brought entertainment to the sports-loving man. As for the men, they've got the breast of both worlds - sports and soft porn (If you count the Lingerie Bowl) Janet Jackson's breast baring act during the half-time show, introduced the XXX in Super Bowl

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1074832043335914692004-01-23T09:57:00.000+05:302004-01-23T09:59:24.640+05:30

SOCIETY : At cross purposes There was a recent directive by the Supreme Court to the Government to start dealing with the education system at large at a more micro- level instead of the global "Primary education for all sermon" level which it has been. The first directive was to look at schools which had been built on DDA (Delhi Development Authority) land in Delhi. As per the agreement drawn

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1074692223862161762004-01-21T18:54:00.000+05:302004-01-21T19:09:59.796+05:30

BLOGS : Thar she blows! While it's a matter of a huge hue-and-cry in the U S of A, I couldn't have cared a flying f*** about the Iowa Caucus. I don't know Edwards (the only one I know, is currently a West Indian pace bowler), nor do I know Howard Dean. All I was interested in was the re-affirmation that the online world didn't matter as an opinion in the U S of A as much as it was made out to be.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1074518838550958212004-01-19T18:54:00.000+05:302004-01-19T18:59:15.076+05:30

GAMES : All the right curves The new addiction is out here. Simple, yet time consuming. The score for you folks to beat is 29990. When you manage that, put up your score in the comments section and I'll take up the challenge :)

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1074242529441719072004-01-16T14:11:00.000+05:302004-01-16T14:56:45.856+05:30

SCIENCE : Fantastic Voyage When Galvani published his theories on "animal magnetism" in 1786 he might have still been a virgin. Yet, his experiment of touching a dead frogs' innards with two different metal rods to make the frog "jump" (actually, the muscles contracted) due to the electricity conducted created such a sensation in that time. Volta in the 1790s, then agreed1 in most part with

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1073901672048054642004-01-12T15:31:00.000+05:302004-01-12T15:34:22.826+05:30

PERSONAL : A Clockwork Orange at home I've been Clockwork Orangized! The credit to that goes to P, my former housemate till about 6 months back. I moved in with P, more out of compulsion than out of choice when I returned from the US and was unable to find a good place for myself. Before getting down to the dirty, let me explain what the concept behind "A Clockwork Orange" was. In the famous book

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1073543801322950992004-01-08T11:47:00.000+05:302004-01-08T12:13:03.076+05:30

BLOGS : Why someone hates weblogs! BEWARE: Long cut-and-paste. But worth every moment if you read the original. In one of the best blog-bashing pieces of writing, one chap brings down to earth a lot of the myths around why people keep blogs and offers his/her opinion on what kind of people they are... It's awesome, I tell you. He classifies bloggers into the following categories - The Reverse

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1073467771406782452004-01-07T15:38:00.000+05:302004-01-07T15:59:40.153+05:30

SOCIETY : Dost ka dost, dost; dost ka dushman, dushman Though I don't always appreciate Vir Sanghvi's writings, he has made some telling statements in his editorial - "Middle Class vs Political Class". Sanghvi makes the following observations in his perception of the growing discontent between the middle and the political classes - Middle class frustration with politicians has got to the stage

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1073380096249412132004-01-06T13:59:00.000+05:302004-01-06T14:40:53.623+05:30

SOCIETY: Why should only Ravi Shankar quit? Jivha claims in his latest piece against CAS, that the Information & Broadcasting Minister Ravi Shankar is solely responsible for the fiasco that is CAS. The reasons he provides are compelling from a consumer's point of view. Any aggrieved reader would instantaneously have to agree with his lashing. But if you take a closer look at the points he makes

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1073019932428511572004-01-02T10:27:00.000+05:302004-01-02T10:37:06.373+05:30

PERSONAL : Fotolog, anyone? For all those who are wondering what I do with my much-vaulted digital camera - here's a glimpse. Some of these images are from the recent trip mentioned in the post below.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1072694917068086352003-12-29T16:16:00.000+05:302003-12-29T16:20:05.640+05:30

TRAVEL : KodaiIt had been some time, 5-6 months, since I went travelling. I had planned a week's trip through Rajasthan after returning from the US, but it got sidelined because of some urgent personal business I had to attend to. So as Christmas loomed with a few slack days at work, friends out of town and some colleagues thinking about making a trip to Kodaikanal and Munnar, I readily jumped

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1072259689328036222003-12-24T15:11:00.000+05:302003-12-24T15:26:11.793+05:30

TRAVEL : TDH ? KBM ? MBM ? Since every Tom, Dick and Harry is have a bloggers meet in any place imaginable, here's a call to have a blogger's meet in Kodaikanal and Munnar over the next 4-5 days. I'll be there. Anyone else, wanting to meet up is invited :)

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1072175946059286672003-12-23T15:03:00.000+05:302003-12-23T16:10:26.686+05:30

BOOKS : Best served Cold War has always spurred the Industrial revolution. But unintentionally, what it also spurred was a literary revolution. Literary, not in the way, current literature is interpreted by the so-called critics, but rather by the way in which it inspired a completely new genre of books and authors who were experts at that sort of thing. People in the diplomatic services, people

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1072093390857106012003-12-22T17:04:00.000+05:302003-12-22T17:15:03.700+05:30

EDUCATION : They're not learning If there is one thing the IIMs teach you, it's the concept of teamwork. The fact of the matter is simple. Your work would mean nothing by itself. While coupled with the thoughts of others, it forms a force formidable. While the concept of teamwork rankles the pseudo-individualist, it is essential in understanding the rise of the 'thought process' at the IIMs. If

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1071650380664579132003-12-17T14:03:00.000+05:302003-12-17T14:13:04.043+05:30

HUMOR : Instructions for use - 1. Insert foot in mouth I couldn't resist putting up this comment from Aqua on Jivha's post about google bombing The Times of India as "The Dishrag of India". i tried your google bomb. typed "dishrag of india" in google and clicked on "i'm feeling lucky". got redirected to your blog instead http://www.jivha.com/blog/archives/000806.html. I am confused. did you

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1071570479691193302003-12-16T15:22:00.000+05:302003-12-16T18:48:36.090+05:30

SPORTS : Gentlemen, we got 'em It's been a long, long time and I'm savouring every moment of it. The only people I can curse today is the damn ministry of Information and Broadcasting for introducing CAS in Chennai only. My first thought in the morning was "Hello. What's the score?" and thanks to some nifty sms-features by cricinfo I have been updating myself with the score for the match. And

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1071493043566473422003-12-15T17:49:00.000+05:302003-12-15T18:29:07.530+05:30

MEDIA : The Resident Idiot, Former senior editor At the Dishrag of India. The Indian media's Resident Idiot, Prafool Bidwai, has gone off shooting his mouth again, this time not at the expense of Rediff, but the more prestigious (?) BBC. In an article on why call centers are bad for India, he mixes oranges and apples. Perhaps spurred on by the recent debates in the UK, about the seriousness and

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1070952003920339922003-12-09T12:04:00.000+05:302003-12-09T12:11:06.013+05:30

HUMOR: Elvis has left the building... Anyone who's read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" would recall that the dolphins (who were the second most intelligent species in the Universe, ahead of humankind) were the first to leave on hearing about the impending destruction of Earth by the Vogons. Well, it's happening again! The donkeys are leaving Jharkhand....

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1070951206406650522003-12-09T11:55:00.000+05:302003-12-09T11:58:01.140+05:30

LIFE: What's in a name, you ask? Alright! I now have a reputation to live up to. So all of you, watch your backs!

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1070886670484860472003-12-08T17:52:00.000+05:302003-12-08T19:22:35.390+05:30

LIFE : Miss "I've-got-the-world-under-my-skin" World I lose my faith in humanity (sic!) when I look at the result of the Miss World Contest 2003. Did Miss Davison, who was crowned Miss Ireland under dubious circumstances, get a little help from Papa's famous name? But what took the cake was Miss China, being crowned the second runners-up! It was a statement like - "Look, since you've been

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1070883564822075972003-12-08T15:51:00.000+05:302003-12-08T17:11:23.216+05:30

POLITICS : Poll-i-ticking While a lot is being written in the national (and international!) dailies about the non-saffronisation of the recent assembly elections in the four Hindu states and the evolving sensibilities of the Indian voter, I'm quite not sure. While both the BJP and the Congress have been promising better subsidies, better facilities, more reform and better roads, water and

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1070531271231029722003-12-04T15:17:00.000+05:302003-12-04T15:20:18.216+05:30

SOCIETY : A voice from the grave While the Indian masses generally restrict themselves to expressing regret over the state of the nation and content themselves to watch the bigwigs fight it out over social issues of national interest, the murder of IIT (K) graduate Satyendra Dubey struck a little too close to home. Of course, it did help that the Indian Express, a national daily, took up the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1070360096223251732003-12-02T15:44:00.000+05:302003-12-02T15:52:47.700+05:30

SOCIETY : Vision - 2020 ? Ravikiran raised an interesting point on Yazad's blog as a rejoinder to Jivha's post on the wrongs of vigilantism. If we take a look at India's class structure in the coming decades, it shall be apparent that there shall be a large gap between the three strata of society - the upper class who are moving to a more westernized India without looking at what they're

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1069996581702577002003-11-28T10:36:00.000+05:302003-11-28T11:03:35.810+05:30

NEWS : Media Sensationalism Some of the better players in the Indian media are getting into the "follower" mode. In the need to get a rush-print out to the market, accountability is getting lost in the process. The divergence between the headline and the first paragraph of content in this Hindustan Times article says a lot about the lack of research and the need for sensational headlines.ULFA

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1069752198734835612003-11-25T14:52:00.000+05:302003-11-25T14:54:02.670+05:30

NEWS: Noose of the day The announcement of the recent ceasefire request from Pakistan is being treated with the usual doses of ScepticismWarinessWelcomearmsPositiveness by all concerned. All those not concerned with the event at all, like the British Kashmiris and the dissatisfied Bangladeshis, have also welcomed the gesture with open arms though we're still trying to figure out why they were

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1068752439498256702003-11-14T01:03:00.000+05:302003-11-14T01:18:23.966+05:30

PERSONAL : Clickety-click My newest possession.... Now I can no longer blame my laziness.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1068497529055975492003-11-11T01:32:00.000+05:302003-11-11T03:53:19.140+05:30

LAW : Trial - b(u)y Jury I saw Runaway Jury last evening. And it got me wondering about the entire concept of a jury in the justice system. We then had a discussion whether a jury system would work in India - Me, AS - who's spent precisely 2 years of his 28 years in India and the rest in the US and AN who's been in the US for a year and a half now. The main topics of discussion in any jury

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1068157425421987572003-11-07T03:24:00.000+05:302003-11-07T04:01:25.560+05:30

BLOGS : Judgements Why do poeple think that others don't judge them on the basis of their blogs? I do. Sure, it's limited because of the lack of background, but I do all the same. I just get surprised by the millions who claim that they can be themselves on their blogs because strangers can't judge them.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-106789777036906702003-11-04T03:44:00.000+05:302003-11-04T03:46:25.293+05:30

PERSONAL : Down memory lane a.k.a. A trip to Seattle In August 1994 when I left for hostel, I was numb. At first I was too dazed to realized the enormity of the step I had taken. When I actually thought about it, I was petrified. In hindsight, in 2003, I think it was the greatest decision of my life. I learnt, in those four years, what I don't think I would've learned in a lifetime if I'd stayed

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1067551555306661272003-10-31T03:34:00.000+05:302003-10-31T06:15:13.966+05:30

BLOGS : Bharateeya Blog Mela #34 With the sheer volumes of nominations pouring in, I have made just a few additions on my own to this list. Also, since there's a lot of ground to cover, I shaln't bore you with meaningless drivel, and without further ado, announce the Bharateeya Blog Mela #34! D E E P A W A L I Since I managed to grab the Diwali weekend, the mela's opening shall be lit up by

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1067454843321752132003-10-28T23:39:00.000+05:302003-10-30T00:44:29.483+05:30

LIFE : Strangers in a strange land Far away in the land called America, in a town called Beacon, I found three symbols for national integration in India. Their names were Ishwar Rehman, Mohammed Ram and Javed Rajput. P.S. Nominations for the 34th Blog Mela end on 30th October, 1 PM IST. If you liked a post which you feel the world should know about, here's the place to let them know.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1066853913162703492003-10-23T00:56:00.000+05:302003-10-23T01:52:09.376+05:30

BLOGS : Nominations for the Bharateeya Blog Mela #34 Haven't you ever felt, while reading someone else's blogs, that you know the person so well and the feelings they associate with? Haven't someone else's thoughts made you want to go "Zigackly! You're ferpectly right!"? Well, for all those long lost bhai-bandhus who you've missing all those years, and for all those chumps who believe that

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1066763111806566902003-10-21T20:00:00.000+05:302003-10-22T00:36:41.700+05:30

Latent Racism The Indian in the US, looks down upon the black man (pc: Afro-American). I have seen numerable cases, where Indians speak with scorn of the black man (kalus, lukas, kalitas). On the other hand, the same treatment isn't meted out to the white guy, even though he might be "white trash". Given a choice, the average Indian will treat the whitey better than blacky without trying to know

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1066324959679132602003-10-16T22:52:00.000+05:302003-10-16T23:01:08.506+05:30

BOOKS : Vikram Seth's "The Golden Gate : A Novel in Verse - A Review Browsing through books critiqued I chanced upon a genre, generally averse My curiousity which, by now, was piqued, Challenged my reluctance to the verse. So with my qualms I decided to actuate That endeavour, Seth's "The Golden Gate". Four central characters as we tally, Their lives in the 80s in the Silicon Valley - Liz,

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1066240872263417572003-10-15T23:09:00.000+05:302003-10-16T00:02:18.970+05:30

WAR : The Battle of the Sexes Now that the battle of the sexes has been started by Melodrama, and Patrix has come to the party, let all swords be drawn ... Onward ho, ye scallywags! The time system is divided into seconds, minutes and hours. These are absolutes, and there's no multiplication factors involved. Hence 5 minutes doesn't mean 25 minutes. Nor does "one sec" translate to anything else

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065809478185096772003-10-10T23:32:00.000+05:302003-10-10T23:41:18.163+05:30

TECHNOLOGY : SHIFT + CONTROL V There is nothing as remarkable, as months of research and development being foiled, literally (and maybe figuratively) by a single button click. Amidst the furore, of file sharing across P2P networks, SunnComm Technologies Inc. revealed it 's MediaMax CD-3 technology.Unlike past CD-protection schemes, MediaMax promises more flexibility. Music buyers can play

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065733447304290962003-10-10T02:34:00.000+05:302003-10-10T02:34:43.580+05:30

MEDIA : Ranting on the media Disclaimer: This is a long and personal rant on the media and my opinions and frustrations with it. You will obviously disagree. Every time I read a national daily or watch the news back home the question that begs to be answered is "What is the responsibility of the journalist?". Is the journalist only responsible for delivering the news to the audience? Or is the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065633210463725152003-10-08T22:27:00.000+05:302003-10-08T22:43:52.236+05:30

THE ONE NATION : The seeds of a revolution When I think of rural innovation in India, I think of kurta-clad professors working on schemes or mad-hatter projects, most of which will never see the light of the day. Like most of my peers in college who laughed their way through a course on the grass-roots revolution, I was prone to scepticism. That changed somewhere along the way. I started

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065550807789491362003-10-07T23:06:00.000+05:302003-10-08T00:44:34.493+05:30

PERSONAL : United we stand, divided we fall When I was a kid, I used to dream about, how great it would've been if India and Pakistan had not been partitioned. How great the two countries would've stood, how formidable they would have been. How united, no team would be able to beat them down. Obviously, none of these dreams were motivated by socio-economic or political thoughts; they were simply

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065465163222444762003-10-06T23:55:00.000+05:302003-10-07T00:02:42.900+05:30

BOOKS : The Feast of the Goat - A sneak review Having never read Mario Vargas Llosa, and having always been intrigued by his writing, I picked up "The Feast of the Goat", because it was a "historical" novel in terms of the depth of coverage and it's linkage to reality. A long time ago, I had read about Trujillo - The Goat - who was the dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. What

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065190690461075452003-10-03T19:31:00.000+05:302003-10-03T21:20:57.046+05:30

THE "ONE" NATION : Banking on the little ones While we've all heard stories about street urchins and how they con the masses into giving up money and how they're actually run by the "beggarmaster", these are the stories that actually show that there's hope yet. Most of this article is a simple cut and paste from the Asia Time Editorial here. Some of the more bleak parts of the editorial have been

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1065030186821535902003-10-01T21:18:00.000+05:302003-10-01T23:13:06.526+05:30

LIFE : The Indian On the Train It is always amusing watching an "desi" on a train in the USA. These are just some snippets, observations if you'd like to call them, on the daily commute in NJ/NY. The first sign of the "desi" is that tendency to occupy that little bit of space that is available, which the average "resident" would pass over. The distance the desi maintains from other people

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1064848844453249132003-09-29T19:11:00.000+05:302003-09-29T20:53:54.786+05:30

HUMOR : Justice Served In India, it requires personal aggrieving to stir the highest courts of justice into action. While Calcutta, has been the hotbed of Indian activism in terms of rallies and strikes, without any intervention by the police departments and the judicial committees, it took one case of a judge being stuck in traffic for two hours, to bring an age old system of rallies under

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1064505281920499592003-09-25T21:19:00.000+05:302003-09-25T21:24:41.340+05:30

HUH? - Just some odd musings in a long day Would you give up something you've always believed in, very strongly, for the one you love? Sure, there are grey areas, but just imagine you had to take the decision in black and white. Have you ever seen someone making faces while reading a book? And have you tried to imagine what the book would be describing to get the reader to look like that?

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1064418324362742062003-09-24T20:34:00.000+05:302003-09-24T21:28:34.010+05:30

PERSONAL : Borne in the USA - I Whenever I come to this country, my mind sets off into overdrive. Perhaps, it's the short visits and more often than not, it's that comparison that keeps popping up between people back home and people here, and life per se. Here are just some observations of mine in no specific category ... People here respect personal space. That's an advantage and a disadvantage

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1064350246085742752003-09-24T02:10:00.000+05:302003-09-24T02:20:45.540+05:30

POLITICS : Anti-defection law In the middle of my hectic schedule, I've just come across a brilliant piece of news, which I have always wished for in India, which I couldn't resist blog about (yeah, signs of addiction, I know). Perhaps, there are ulterior motives, perhaps there are loopholes and perhaps there is a lot I don't know about (which I'm sure readers would enlighten me about), but

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-106432568926109832003-09-23T18:37:00.000+05:302003-09-23T19:34:55.826+05:30

POLITICS : Double speak by the Indian PM? I have a healthy respect for AB Vajpayee and consider him to be a man to make the right decisions (even though I think he takes his time over them). Yet, some of the points he mentioned in his speech to the Indian "diaspora" touched a nerve somewhere. This nerve, mind you, wasn't the sympathetic one.. it was the nerve of regret and disappointment, to

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1064081869274256242003-09-20T23:43:00.000+05:302003-09-20T23:48:21.533+05:30

PERSONAL : Midnight Musings Profound (sic!) realization of the day Date and Time: 21st September 2003 Location: Chennai International Airport (Somewhere between Security and Boarding) Realization: Women - can't live with them, can't live without them. Sigh.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063703633135383512003-09-16T14:41:00.000+05:302003-09-16T17:16:13.546+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : The Cancun talks and the Indian Farmer While a large section of the world's economic populace, namely the US and the EC, have their daggers drawn at the inability of the Cancun summit to come to a decision on the agricultural reforms packages that had been sought from the developing countries, smaller nations like India hail it as a moral victory. While India can claim this as

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063695489324242962003-09-16T12:28:00.000+05:302003-09-16T12:38:09.343+05:30

PERSONAL : Change in scenery Announcement : This blog is off to oosa for a couple of months on business, starting next Monday. More specifically, this blog will be based out of Jersey City. The content might change, to some extent, to a chronicling of it's experiences there and it's observations of life in the big, bad states of NY and NJ. Of course, all those things about India, which I feel

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063637003662850182003-09-15T20:13:00.000+05:302003-09-15T20:15:18.550+05:30

If I was in Bombay, and the cops knocked on my door... ... I would jump with joy. For it seems the Mumbai cops (our very own) are now responsible in some way in the rollout of CAS (Conditional Access System) in the city. At least that's what I could interpret from this article in Rediff. ....for enforcing CAS, Mumbai has said that in view of the law and order situation in the city the police is

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063256736463104192003-09-11T10:23:00.000+05:302003-09-11T10:35:36.480+05:30

PERSONAL : Memory Lane, Andheri (W) The parents are moving houses. While I've been away from home for more than 9 years now, that apartment in Andheri, Bombay lends a semblance of home to me. Dad bought that flat in 1975 for a valuable Rs. 75,000/-. A lot of money in those times. And Andheri was literally on the edge of town. The apartment complex was built on swampy land and when we were kids

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063170839095026822003-09-10T10:43:00.000+05:302003-09-10T11:06:00.150+05:30

THE 'ONE' NATION : Here comes the real IT boom Disclaimer: A slightly longish, though extremely pleasing post. Do you remember all the times when I have raved and ranted about IT development in India being restricted to the educated and middle classes? Turns out, India is out to prove me wrong. And I gladly accept. In the past two days, I've read two articles on how IT is being used in rural

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063085921928424052003-09-09T11:08:00.000+05:302003-09-09T11:09:33.103+05:30

PERSONAL : How to open a bottle of wine The following are tried and tested instructions on how to open a bottle of wine. For good effect, a 1997 Chateau Laroque will be the ideal sample.Get together three amateur drinkers at one AM on a Sunday morning. As tools use a 1975-bought bottle/cork opener. The older the better, as it is with the wine.Amateur 1, should drill the cork screw into the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1063022273830745702003-09-08T17:27:00.000+05:302003-09-08T17:28:23.096+05:30

IT : On Contract While interviewing for our Mainframe team, I came across, for the first time, the concept of the "Business Associate". The "Business Associate" is an on-contract employee who is hired for the rolls of body-shopping outfits (A) and then outsourced to larger IT firms (B) for a fixed duration of time (based on the period of the project). The idea behind a contract employee was that

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062665330032059922003-09-04T14:18:00.000+05:302003-09-04T14:18:49.903+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : Inertia - The Eighth Sin Ramananda Sengupta has written a beautiful article over at Rediff. This applies to most of the readers of this page, though some of you are based abroad. The crux of the article is that with age in India comes cynicism and ennui and disdain and most importantly, that loss of idealism. I can see myself in a few years, sitting with my family, settled in

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062654788246125792003-09-04T11:23:00.000+05:302003-09-04T11:23:08.103+05:30

PERSONAL : I confess Yes, I have taken advantage of regionalism and exploited the North-South divide in India. I have done the unpardonable and carry the guilt on my conscience and this blog is my confessional. I have been getting extra golgappas (or what you can call panipuri or for the Kolkatians (?) puchkas) from my vendor because I speak to him in Hindi. The first time, after 7 golgappas

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062566544203100122003-09-03T10:52:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:37:36.620+05:30

IT : Outsourcing dilemma ZDNet carries an article on the inevitably expected slowdown in the Indian IT outsourcing boom. Datamonitor who have conducted the research are right on, on the fact that as the sector grows larger, more established firms will move in and push the smaller players out of the market. This is the natural progression of any sector which goes into a boom. Brian Huff, lead

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062502024551357162003-09-02T16:57:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:45:18.706+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : Helplessness is my bane The penultimate paragraph of Rediff's article "Mumbai's unlikely terrorist" reaffirms my oft-repeated belief that hatred will continue to breed hatred. Hanif's accomplice in crime, Arshad, similarly told police that at the time of the 2002 Gujarat riots, he was in Surat. "Apna matha fir gaya, atyachar dekh kar (My head turned, on seeing the atrocities),

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062399200261225072003-09-01T12:23:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:44:33.420+05:30

IT : Why Mozilla Firebird is a better browser than IE any day. I stopped using MS Internet Explorer about a year ago. While the change was forced due some problem which caused IE to slow down and crash often (Yeah, as if it wasn't slow enough and didn't crash enough earlier), I never looked back. I first switched to Opera. Opera 6.1 (and then later 7.1) was much faster than IE any day. But Opera

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062131980675027522003-08-29T10:09:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:45:37.583+05:30

PERSONAL : Star-crossed There are some events in an individual's lifetime that are repeated so, so rarely in history that missing them is inviting eons of ridicule for all your pushts/generations to come. It's like an English soldier when asked where he was during the 45-minute war, replies that he was on the pot (metaphorically speaking, of course), blissfully unaware. August 27th 2003, seemed

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1062050284535067322003-08-28T11:28:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:46:20.560+05:30

THE 'ONE' NATION : The Spirit of the Indian Nation Jivha's effort to sustain his "It Happens only in India" category seems to have fizzled out, while Ankh has another post up on his version of "It happens only in India". :) While the last post covered the social resilience of this great nation, this one covers our economic resilience. Circa 1991 : India did not have any foreign reserves. At one

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061967314618930642003-08-27T12:25:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:46:45.093+05:30

THE 'ONE' NATION : The spirit of the Indian man - I This is the first post in a new category that I�m beginning today called �It Happens only in India�. The posts that come under this category will reflect the spirit of this country and all that is good about India and it's people. There are two reasons for this category of posts. One, was Jivha starting a similarly named category which reflects

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061887965788336472003-08-26T14:22:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:47:08.770+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : A Recipe for disaster A recipe that the Government must follow when a city/town faces a dastardly terrorist attack. Select a terrorist organization to whom blame must be apportioned. The choiciest organizations areSIMILashkar-e-ToibaLashkar-e-Omar (LeO)Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM)Harkat ul MujahideenJaish-e-Mohammad Mujahideen E-Tanzeem (JeM)Harkat-ul-Jehad-i-IslamiThe CM of the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061880027722877982003-08-26T12:10:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:48:45.753+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : The headlines that said it all A lot has been said on blogs about the Bombay blasts. I have just one observation for you. Sify reported the following headline - Blasts shock Mumbai into silence. ET reported the following headline - Zaveri Bazar sheds a tear, gets busy again. So much for the hue and cry over such a tragedy. Have we become desensitized to justice? CONSUMER :

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061785498924740762003-08-25T09:54:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:49:43.696+05:30

SOCIETY : ENCOUNTER - The Killing Niraj comes across an article in the Washington Post about Bombay's new breed of "encounter" cops. As is well known, Bombay was a breeding ground for criminal/mafia-style operations and films like Company aren't exactly fiction. There is the ethical question echoed in the article by one lawyer ... "Our courts do take time, witnesses turn hostile and the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061543059249914242003-08-22T14:34:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:51:08.663+05:30

CONSUMER : Tehelka - The People's Paper Would it make more sense for a newspaper with the kind of agenda it plans to have, to launch under a different name, considering that the "Tahelka" name has been tarnished by it's past exposes/reports? It would be interesting to watch the progress of "Tehelka - The People's Paper", for the public interest/awareness it creates. CONSUMER : Sunny vale or

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061534692812513562003-08-22T12:14:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:51:53.216+05:30

CONSUMER : Do their promises hold water with you? In the light of the government's decision to apply EU norms to all soft drink makers, I wondered why the bottling water crisis which had arisen in February died down and what action had been taken on the same. My first reaction was to shout "Double Standards!" but I decided to google for the issue and came up with the following link. It speaks of

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061446644078482502003-08-21T11:47:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:53:33.013+05:30

PERSONAL : Concept: "Discussions over Tea" a.k.a. I'm templamental. On a whim, one of these days I was free, I decided to change my template around to remove a lot of clutter. The basic idea for the new template is the concept of a "chai ki dukaan". Dusk, and all others who've been through engineering colleges or B-schools, will readily admit that the nukkad's "chai ki dukaan" has often been the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061368987978624952003-08-20T14:13:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:54:39.523+05:30

IT : Vectorlounge The lines between mathematics and computers blend to create this beautiful piece of work. (Link courtesy Metafilter)

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061359252847838972003-08-20T11:30:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:55:31.466+05:30

BUSINESS : Back Scratching As you move higher in a common-use product organization, you move from a conventional designer/ production specialist/ engineer kind of role into the hospitality business. Meet the stockists, meet the dealers, socialise with them, arrange parties for them, arrange games and surprise gifts, arrange shows involving celebrities where the above are invited. Keep 'em happy.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061270611900735452003-08-19T10:53:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:56:03.473+05:30

IT : Stuck in the middle Rediff carries the following report on the rating given by Gartner to the Indian stalwarts for their BPO operations. The report is very symptomatic of the overall ills within the Indian IT Industry at large. While as a services sector, we excel with firms like Infosys, Wipro, TCS, HCL, CTS and Satyam we have not been able to break through in the business process

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1061189821049869672003-08-18T12:27:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:56:44.713+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : Communication Breakdown As the lights went out across N-E USA and Canada, people were plunged into darkness. This meant that systems were paralyzed, road transport was at a standstill, the metro transport trains stranded and people slept on the stairs of the City Hall. In the aftermath of it all, I have just two comments to make on the incident - One, is how the USA has been so

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1060838189971978442003-08-14T10:46:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:57:13.653+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : Dual standards Rediff publishes this report on "Hemant Lakhani", the supposed diamonds merchant who was arrested in Newark, NJ for trying to close the deal on a Russian SA-18 ILA missile capable of bringing down commercial airliners. The clincher in the entire debate is how the intelligence agencies has been quick on the uptake to dissociate with him in all forms. A senior

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1060591821304613052003-08-11T14:20:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:57:57.333+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : The killing fields There is an uproar in the literary community where the 92-year old Janapith Award winner, Rajendra Shah made the following comments - ... he said: "I don't feel sad for whatever happened...These happenings (last year's communal violence) don't hold any significance for me... "If the people of one community set the train ablaze in Godhra, were the people of

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059979594798927302003-08-04T12:16:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:58:28.790+05:30

PERSONAL : H I A T U S Main Entry: hi.a.tus Pronunciation: hI-'A-t&s Function: noun Etymology: Latin, from hiare to yawn Date: 1563 1 a : a break in or as if in a material object. 2 a : an interruption in time or continuity. Synonyms: breach, break, interim, interruption, interval, lacuna. I'm not sure when I will be back. Peace to you all. And warm wishes for a good life.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059731068741691492003-08-01T15:14:00.000+05:302003-09-03T11:59:15.313+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : Stuck in the middle Reading an editorial in the Daily Times, Pakistan (No, Anvita, this is not a Paki fixation), I came across the following paragraph - At fewer than 12 million adult individuals, our middle class is tiny, especially in the NWFP and Balochistan. Unlike in India, this small middle class is unable to discipline political parties and prevent extremist positions in

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059632209468326062003-07-31T11:46:00.000+05:302003-09-03T12:01:29.333+05:30

SOCIAL DISTRESS : Is the IT industry to blame for the political and socio-economic condition of the country? Are we simply in the midst a vicious cycle? Sounds like a far-fetched idea? It is in part, but there is one BIG factor that I could point out which will justify the above statement. Here goes - Before the 1980s, there was a sizeable number of educated people who used to study for the

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059563008146358972003-07-30T16:33:00.000+05:302003-09-03T12:02:27.013+05:30

PERSONAL : Announcement ANNOUNCEMENT: The Blog Owner Name on this blog shall, from here on, appear as Ankh. All - Could you please update your blogrolls or link lists to read as "Ankh". Also, I would appreciate it, if you could not refer to my original name anymore during posts/comments. Observation: As my posts become more and more India-centric, the banner on the top of my page, becomes more

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059453297905590392003-07-29T10:04:00.000+05:302003-09-03T12:03:08.113+05:30

POLITICS : The LS Creed : Buy The People, Off The People It is a pity that in a country like India, there is such a huge difference between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. While the LS contains old, uneducated, bickering and no-good politicians (who might have criminal records against them to boot), the RS is a group of intellectuals, academicians and people who have a vision for the country.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059111505955950462003-07-25T11:08:00.000+05:302003-09-03T12:06:35.160+05:30

PERSONAL : The Most Polite Insult I Have Heard Of..... Note: This is in Hindi, and the english transation doesn't sound as good. Janaab, zara tameez se rahiye, varna aisa na ho jaye ki humaari jooti aapka gaal choomne par majboor ho jaye. You Know You Are At War When..... ... the papers find the pettiest of things to compete over. The Daily News in Pakistan has reported the following article -

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1059026924147011882003-07-24T11:38:00.000+05:302003-09-03T12:07:20.493+05:30

BOOKS : Love in the time of cholera : A review. Every one of us has been in love. You, me, the person next to you. You think you know what love is. That selfless love, the selfish love, the endless love, the ended love, the lustful love, the narcissist love. Like threads of the same fibre, yet, each retaining it's distinct identity. And yet, when you read "Love in the time of Cholera", a

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058768806801892762003-07-21T11:56:00.000+05:302003-09-03T12:08:21.816+05:30

PERSONAL : Another week, another life. Weekend's don't count, unless you spent them doing something completely pointless. Wise words from Calvin. Finally, the long planned meeting with Y, G and N came about. For the sake of continuity, the place was the same - Bike and Barrel, the table was the same - next to the DJ. I managed to reach 40 minutes late, courtesy some religious festival which had

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058509912944277342003-07-18T12:01:00.000+05:302003-07-18T12:05:56.043+05:30

Fleeting fancies Do you react on impulses? Or do they just pass? Nothing lingers longer than regret. I'm passing through such a phase at this point of time. I have a lot of whims, a lot of things I need to do, to learn. I'm writing all of them down, just for the sake of filing all those whims, and giving myself the impetus to do something of them.... � Learn pottery. I read about clay-making

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058419741092179202003-07-17T10:59:00.000+05:302003-07-17T11:03:05.893+05:30

For all those who are splitting hairs trying to incriminate the Bush Administration for "unjustifiably" attacking Iraq, Cox & Forkum have a very good cartoon up..... Additional information: A present participle is a verb ending in -ing, and is called dangling when the subject of the -ing verb and the subject of the sentence do not agree. Interesting Signposts: Noticed a signpost in

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058360891868311922003-07-16T18:38:00.000+05:302003-07-16T18:39:18.053+05:30

The mother of all quotes : So is party chief and Defence Minister George Fernandes to blame? "Why blame anyone?" asks Nitish sagely. "As party chief it is his responsibility to keep everyone united. It�s my responsibility to resign." - Who else, but the Hon. Railways Minister Nitish Kumar.

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058336588958248452003-07-16T11:53:00.000+05:302003-07-16T12:19:49.313+05:30

DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN If anyone would like to set up a date in the future and is into older women, this is the right one .... I would suggest a little background research before the date though. Ms. Susan Smith I am 31 years old.  My birthday is September 26.  I am looking to meet new people and, hopefully, become friends.  During my spare time, I enjoy reading, working

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058333873834402212003-07-16T11:07:00.000+05:302003-07-16T11:11:16.613+05:30

WE ARE AT WAR! What's that you say, we're not? I say we are... it's the "Citizens of India" vs. "The Samata Party". And they're winning. Tired of the infighting in the Samata party, they're taking the war to the skies and to the rails. Here are some numbers....... In the red corner, the Railways Minister Mr. Nitish "Say you're sorry" Kumar. Train accidents this years - 17 Number of deaths -

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5374493.post-1058259768967820142003-07-15T14:32:00.000+05:302003-07-15T14:32:48.823+05:30

Rejection Slips India rejected the US request for troops for policing Iraq. India has said that it would only send troops under a UN mandate. Though the US hasn't made its dislike felt, Bush is turning a turnip-y red. I just hope Atal 'David' Vajpayee is as confident about taking on Goliath as he is showing to be. On a side note, David doesn't seem be very sensible about accepting the right sort

anokhenoreply@blogger.com0