Shijo Joseph has posted a travelogue of his trek to Kodachadri and Arshinagundi falls in Karnataka. There are some amazing photographs too. Check it out.
Archive for January, 2008
This post chugs along like an old train, patiently lingering over every slice of life on the way, but not stopping anywhere. Tim Hannigan introduces you to a new face, a new corner of India in every sentence of this post, bringing alive both people and places:
The trains, rolling with a long gait over the [...]
Go take a look at the lovely pics Akshay has clicked of Varanasi… you’ll love the way he describes the gullis!
“Theeshra Gulli Right koh !” (third lane to the right), she said nonchalantly as she tried hard not to look me in the face.
I looked ahead and there squeezed between two buildings in a space [...]
Racial Prejudice and North-East India
Published by January 30th, 2008 in India, North East, Racism and Women. 2 CommentsV K Shashikumar publishes an email from Nenem Misao in response to an article titled “Drug Peddling by Northeast Girls” published in a tabloid, Mail Today.
Every community has its population of drug peddlers and prostitutes or are you saying there are no drug peddlers and prostitutes in the rest of the indian population? this is [...]
Kiran Bedi: not retired
Published by January 30th, 2008 in Activism, Government and Justice. 1 CommentWhat’s Kiran Bedi doing these days? Gopika Paul finds out that Bedi has not given up on the job of trying to make India safe:
One of the first things Bedi did after quitting was to launch saferindia. It’s no surprise. As a long-time member of the city’s police, Bedi is only too aware [...]
Crouching tiger, Lumbering elephant
Published by January 30th, 2008 in Economy, Geopolitics, India and South Asia. 0 CommentsIn a very well-argued article, Professor Pranab Bardhan from the University of California at Berkeley explains as well as debunks some myths regarding the economic rise of China and India.
While India’s performance has been substantial, China’s has been truly dramatic. The particularly dramatic Chinese performance (like the earlier economic “miracles” in South Korea, Taiwan, and [...]
A mathematician and a woman
Published by January 29th, 2008 in Education, Patriarchy, Society and Women. 0 CommentsProfessor Sujatha Ramadorai, of the Tata Institute Of Fundamental Research, on pursuing what’s considered an unusual career for women:
The response of people, when they learn that I am a career mathematician has long been one of the following: “How fascinating, I have always loved mathematics and used to be quite good at it in my [...]
Sunil is pleasantly surprised with his experience at the “unimaginatively” called “Barber Shop” in Dallas.
I’m usually not a talker while getting haircuts, but I couldn’t help striking a conversation with the barber here. He was a delightful chap, and while his English had a typically strong Hispanic tinge to it, it was more than fluent. [...]
How about this model election code?
Published by January 29th, 2008 in Democracy, History and India. 3 CommentsHow does this set of eligibility criteria for a candidate contesting an election look like?:
He should own at least Kaal Veli land (Kaal means Quarter and Veli is the unit measured for lands those days)
He should live on his own land (means own house)
Should be over 35 years of age and below 75
[...]
A victory for Indian environmentalists
Published by January 29th, 2008 in Activism, Development, Environment, Human Rights and Justice. 0 CommentsI was hoping to see some reactions on this important piece of news from Indian bloggers : ‘for the first time in its ten-year history, the National Environmental Appellate Authority* (NEAA) has overturned a decision by the Government of India, quashing an environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests‘. This is a [...]
Swatie revisits her review of Abha Dawesar’s Babyji:
So, one way among many in which the text works:
In those few crucial moments of decision in the novel, Anamika (the 16 year old protagonist) attributes her attraction towards women to something genetic, something natural. This works because it dislodges what the socio-cultural order dictates: being compulsorily [...]
Roshni has sung and posted a cover version of old Lata Mangeshkar hit Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh. Check it out.
Shehla Masood believes we need to reaffirm our faith in certain ‘good, basic values’- like education for all:
It’s the education which needs to be free and compulsory for all till a basic stage. Severe punishment should be imposed for not taking this as an oath. this rule should be like a rule in a religious [...]
Usha dials customer service after she has problems with her modem.
By now he was speaking to me like a fireman trying to rescue a three year old locked inside a bathroom with a gun. Clearly enunciating every word so there is no misunderstanding. I wanted to ask “you mean the ADSL inline filter?” but I was [...]
Surya shares some valuable travel tips.
- Make the effort to learn a few words in the language of the place you are visiting. Even if the only words you can mutter are ‘Sie’, ‘Merci’, ‘Guten Tag’, and you come off as linguistically-challenged tourist, your efforts will be appreciated and you will be better off than a [...]
Anil Jagalur writes a very interesting short story - a real-life incident of fifty years ago.
Unelected Supreme Court is better than elected politicians?
Published by January 27th, 2008 in Democracy, Human Rights and Media. 0 CommentsAditya Swarup disagrees with the message of a recent Swaminathan Aiyar article:
Aiyar says:“The Constitution created other unelected bodies such as the Supreme Court and the Election Commission - which are the most respected in India precisely because they keep elected politicians in check.”
Aditya: These are the last few lines in the Article that sum up [...]
More on the little car
Published by January 27th, 2008 in Business, Development, Economy and Environment. 0 CommentsMansi Desai thinks the Nano represents a ‘revolution’:
But a look at the side effects of this revolution is in order here. As everyone knows, India is densely-populated, and the current road conditions, narrow lanes, and lack of traffic control, and the dearth of parking structures may be on a rise if the streets get flooded [...]
The Tao of Gandhi
Published by January 27th, 2008 in Democracy, History, India and Politics. 2 CommentsAfter asking his students why they think Gandhi felt he failed, or why Gandhi is a man “greater than empires”, Martin weighs in with his own thoughts.
To this day, India and Pakistan remain split. Terrorism derails trains on a regular basis and the feast days of Hindu gods are marked by parades of both the [...]
Fenil Seta gives it three out of five, even though he was disappointed with the ending.
Sunday is basically a murder mystery but kudos to the writers and the director for making it into a light entertainer. The comic situations in the movie prevent the movie from becoming a very serious one. All this may [...]
Dipali has a nice post about her parent’s sixty-fifth wedding anniversary.
Sixty-five years is a lifetime of memories which now only they share. So many of their seniors, juniors and contemporaries are no more. They have lived a decent, middle-class, simple life, and have cared for and educated us to the best of their ability. [...]
From Sir to Mister
Published by January 26th, 2008 in Culture, Economy, India and Personal. 0 CommentsSrikanth ponders on the transition the IT industry has made in the last 10 years.
Since then in the past ten years, this industry has seen so many cultures, so many changes, so many upheavals and so much downfall that today its a matter of either existence or excellence, nothing in between. Nothing goes on [...]
Amol Agrawal insists there is an urgent need to ‘develop and appreciate alternative careers’ in India- to provide incentives for students who wish to look beyond medicine, engineering and business adminstration:
The institutes should have stopped this practice of releasing “how high the salaries were this year” to the media long back. This reduces the pressure on [...]
Neal Gandhi realizes one has to unlearn a lot of what is regarded as conventional wisdom in the west to be a successful manager in India:
When I first started working with Quickstart Global, I remember reading an article on cultural differences. The article clearly stated that you should not try and change the hierarchical nature [...]
Every movement or protest has it’s online presence these days. Here is a blog that collecting updates of British Library closure in Trivandrum.
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