Wednesday Wash Out!!

Sights like these are not uncommon to Mumbaikars, specially after 26-7 deluge of last year. Since last evening Mumbai is under a cloud ...experiencing its first monsoon showers of the season ( or was it premonsoon?)which was actually scheduled to hit us from June 1, as per the local weathermen ( like we believed them).

While Mumbaikars always rejoiced the first showers, it did'nt appear to bring any such feeling this time around, what with just 2 hours of rain, all the main roads, junctions & subways were under several feet of water! It took over 2 hours for me to reach home from work today, for what is normally a Half hour travail. All this, on the first day of monsoon. Heavy rains Plus high tide always meant bad news for us.

While the BMC commisioner went on with is pre-monsoon manifestoes as usual..." We are 100% prepared" " All the drains have been desilted"...'All the roads have been repaired" blah blah .., it was the same old news for the average commuter..Our Police Commisioner went a step ahead, on the hitech mode, sending weather forecast sms to all the hassled denizens !Like they really care. Why ? Has he been given a lateral transfer to the MET Dept? Can't he send traffic updates instead? Bunch of Jokers everywhere.

It has been raining for the last 6 hours non-stop .So I turn on the TV to watch the news (hazy but audible s it happens during the rains) only to hear every reporter & commuter repeat my lamentations..

Dont want deluge, not even a de ja vu!

What 'ism" is this?

We want to liberalise Indian economy ...and globalise it, when we can't liberate the Indian psychology from this age old "ism" that has dogged our society for centuries and even governs our polity. What else should we call this threat of reservationism that portends nothing but doom to our quest for scientific & technological wizardry in the new world??

Why are medical students and resident doctors striking for days? Why should they bother when they have already got their seats? Why is every IITian joining hands with these protestors who call themself "Youth for equality"? It is because they care for the future of the country which they are going to represent in thier professional capacity.

Youth for Equality is an initiative by Medical and other professional students in India who feel strongly against populist measures which can be wrong, unjust and harmful for India's future.

Their plea for "implementing Universal Free education" and "concession/quota for the economically backward" have fallen on deaf ears of the politicians. Not surprising that most of the Medical/Engg/MBA colleges are run by politicians!

If the government wishes to allocate quotas based on one's caste certificate in speciality disciplines such as medicine and other advances sciences, will such a fact be in mentioned prominentlyin the degree certificate ? For , the prospective user of such services might demand a "right to information" and further the usage of caste in certificate!, which cannot be ruled out or ruled as wrong!!

Populist measures are always welcome, insofaras they don't harm the cultural ethos. Caste based reservation without addressing issues like child labour, free education upto highshool, malnutrition, is an utter FARCE and EYEWASH.

Even as the Hon Supreme Court ordered these protesters today to call off the strike or face contempt charges, the movement only seems to have gathered further momentum. These are testing times for the Indian youth. Every concerned citizen of this country should come forward and voice thier opinion for "Equality through education" and against "Lack of quality through reservation" .

The DVC-Why you should not drool over the movie?

If you have read the book and were awaiting the movie ...and watched it, you can't afford to simply drool over it, for:

1. If you were blown away by Paul Bettany's mindblowing potrayal of "Silas" you may be called a psychopath..

2.If you g0t carried away by the candid, simple & non-saucy performance by Tom Hanks, you'll be called a sycopant.

3.If you were impressed by Sir Ian Mckellen's excellent potrayal of the cagey villain, you will be told that you are suffering from a LOTR hangover..

4. If you felt Jean Reno was the right choice for Bezu Fache, you may be a called a Opus Dei sympathiser..

5.If you were mesmerised by the fantastic locations(real) and the eerie ecclesiastic backdrops, you might be even called a sciolistic artlover..

6. If you loved the movie, you will probably be branded as the anti-christ..

So I choose to keep my views to myself, in secrecy, lest I should be called any of the above. But ,I guess it has already been decoded !

Johnny Depp in "Aparichit"

I have been seeing the posters hangin over every wall, on every newpaper in the last few weeks for a Hindi movie called "Aparichit", with a man so closely resembling Johny Depp in Don Juan de Marco.

With JD's ever growing repertoire in weird movies, I thought I might have missed on his latest Indian venture.I was just telling my mom that the day is not far when JD will be a household name in India when she quipped: "He is no Johnny Vonny. You are looking at the southern star Vikram".


A little later I was enlightened that this movie is a Hindi Dubbed version of the original 2005 tamil Blockbuster "Aniyar"(Stranger). I have'nt seen either of them, but I hear its an action/social/drama/thriller about a man [Vikram] who plays the character of a man with MPD- Multiple Personality Disorder(4 disorders to be precise), and takes it on himself to cleanse the corrupt filth in the society ! Now who would'nt wanna play that?

Gone are the days when Bollywood movies used be remade or dubbed with Southern flavour!

p.s: I might have been wrong to liken Vikram to Johnny Depp, but I'm dead sure Johhny Depp would do a good job in a hindi movie, with/out a dub!

Madame Tussaud's in my Ear

Im dead right. If I was suffering from deafening pain in my aural appendage for the past month, it was not because of the high voltage noise from sloganeering medical students nor was it the blaring screams of Nirvana. I went to a ear-doctor ( not on strike) and he said I have nothing short of a wax museum in my right ear.

He asked me when was the last time I had wax removal , to which I said "Never". He made out that I havent flushed my ears for all my life. I had to apply some ear drops, smelling like pheneol 4 times a day (which means my collegues in office were not spared from its mordacious odour) for a week to grease the source and ease the pain! The flusing operation followed and succeded.

All's well that ends well.

Now I can certainly lend an ear to what you have to say!Eh?

Poll Pot Pourri

The votes are cast and so the exit polls are out. Seems like Amma's AIADMK +MDMK alliance is gonna take beating, black and blue.Times Now-Hansa Exit Poll has projected just about 81 of the 234 Assembly seats for the ruling alliance,while DMK+PMK+INC+Commies alliance is expected to get 150. BJP is once again conspicuous by a total no show. Also looks like captain Vijakanth might have to return to his career on the celluloid!

While exit polls have never been exact, one cannot deny the true "Dravidian" electoral voting tradition-"decisive" and "anti incumbency".

As far as TN is concerned, Dynasty politics shall soon take over the driver's seat, with able guidance from Centre!

Also heard that "Budhha is smiling" in Kolkata.

Random Sampling Theory

Random Sampling might work well for actuaries and statisticians but have always spelt doom for writers ( or copy writers shall we say?) . The Kaavya Viswanathan fiasco is a bright example of how plagiarism is viewed differently across faculties of art. Her claim to fame was thru her maiden book “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life" has apparently borrowed lines from author Megan McCafferty and from some others whose work she was very fond of as a child!

The Music and Movie Industry has alwways been rife with affront as well as soft version of copies/samplings from here and there that are easily passed of as "Inspiration". However while the audience of such samplers enjoy the results of outright lifting, the same audience shuns and ridicules a possibly budding writer.

While I have never read Kaavya's “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life", I have thought about writing " How Kaavya got Hitched, Sissed and Got no life", and I would not forget to print this warning on the cover: " Any Similarity in thoughts or words with any person/book would be purely unintentional or coincidental" in finer print and spare the rods!

Read This!

Pink Panther Review

Pink Panther (2006) definitely does not deserve a big screen dekko. However, Peter Sellers, the legendary "Inspector Jacques Clouseau" of Pink Panther comedies of yesteryears has passed on the mantle to an apt and deserving candidate in the comic master Steve Martin.



The plot is based on a prequel to the 1964 Blake Edwards' classic with Peter Sellers.

While virtually everbody imitates franglish accent exceptionally well, Steve Martin's was freaking funny an left you in utter splits. Steve might me trying hard to fill the huge paw prints but he is definitely following the foot steps.

Besides the usual slapstick comedy, watch out for the witty wisecracks from Inspector Clouseau. Dont miss the scene where Inspector Clouseau tries to pick up American accent for " I would like to buy a ham-bur-ger" from an accent expert.