Thr Lord of the Masses

Ganpati Bappa, Moorya!!


Some other facts:

1)Public festival:
In the good old days Ganesh festival was a purely family affair. Ganesh Utsav in Mumbai, as envisioned by Tilak actually intended to use the famed "Ganpati" as a relegious icon as a cover for political activity.Tilak did this so as to cleverly broadcast his political message of freedom for India.

2)Gifting:
Thru time, "gifting" have undergone many changes in these years..

-from jewellery to " diamond studded jewellery"
-from books to "autographed /special edition" books
-from antiques to "antique holder"
-from show pieces to "feng-shui"items

However, Ganesha idols have remained to be a favourite gifting product with people, individuals as well as corporate and across communities. Itis said that the joy of gifting a Ganesha is immense because when you gift a Ganesha idol, you gift good wishes and good fortune along with it.

3) Immersion:

Ganesh Visarjan - the relegious ceremony of immersion of the idol in waterbodies on the concluding day (Anant charturdhashi) of the 10 day function is as popular and auspicious as the "chaturthi" itself. It is also one of the largest televised event in the commercial capital of India. It is believed that the wishes made on this occasion are happily granted by the satiated elephant god! As legend goes, "Ganesha" is considered to be the god of wisdom, prudence, prosperity, and most importantly "Vighna harta"(remover of obstacles). Hence, there are plenty of wishes the vast humanity can seek out for , specially, the traumatised and terror stricken Mumbaikars.

4) Darshan galore:

Mumbai will be buzzing throughout these 10 ddays of celebration, withh business picking up during day & night!. Already known as th ecity that never sleeps, on these days in particular, shops are known to remain open even till 5.30 am to capture the devotees travelling across the city for "darshan". It is widely believed that more the number of idols one takes darshan, more shall be resultant blessings/good luck. Lalbaug ka Raja has been the undesputed crowd puller for decades ow. Special city bus & local train services facilitate this local pilgrimage.

5)Ashtavinayak:

There are 8 idols of Lord Ganesh, which are famous by the name of Vinayak, and they are known as ‘Ashta Vinayak’. All the 8 idols of Lord Ganesha are Swayambhu(evolved by themselves):

1. Vakratunda ( Chintamani)
2. Mahodara (Varadvinayak)
3. Lambodara(Baleshwar)
4. Vignaraj(Vigneshwar)
5. Ekdanta(Siddhivinayak)
6. Gajanana(Mahaganapati)
7. VikataGanapati(Mayureshwar)
8. Dhoomravarna(Girijatmaja)

ICC or I Can't See??

I am not an avid cricket fan, but, watching the events develop the last few days, I cannot but write a few thoughts on the ball tampering issue currently plaguing Pakistan.

Why do Asian Cricket teams always get a raw deal from the ICC? , as if it is not enough that these teams have to cope up with internal problems with their Boards, Govt & Tax authoriries.

The entire cricketing fraternity is up in arms against the text book(read deaf & dumb) approach of the ICC over the ball tampering charge & penalty runs levied by the two culprit umpires - Mr Darryl Hair(the prime accused) and Mr BillyDoctrove(the confederate) on the fourth and almost decisive day of Test match between Pakistan& England at Oval. Pakistan's refusal to take the field after tea has got ICC slamming them for *bringing disrepute to the game*. Pakistan's dislike for the controversial Mr Darryl Hair is well known to the whole world and the ICC. Despite this, ICC has *specially* taken upon itself to appoint him as one of the umpires in all the matches involving Pakistan. Should we call it ill-conceived or well-contrived?

It is accepted that teams should not be allowed to influence the choice of umpires, but they must definitely be given a fair say in putting some *esteemed* ones on a negative list, going by thier*past credentials*. If such a list was permitted, Mr Hair would undoubtedly top Pakistan's list while Mr. Steve Bucknor would top team India's black listof umpires. If Mr Hair's past decade of hair-raising umpiring decisions is anything to go by, he should have long been delisted not only from Elite panel but permanently from Umpiring profession itself. How he was reinstated into the Elite group is still a mystery.Could it be Australia's arm twisting or Pakistani's misuse of arm..

Nevertheless, the investigation on the ball tampering issue should concentrate on visual evidence more than anything else to nail the real culprit. The entire career of key players and the pride of the nation are at stake here. In the absence of substantial evidence, Mr Hair & Doctrove shold be given the pink slips for bringing *bringing disrepute to the game*, with appropriate penalty, and prison term!

You may want to Read this.

Sweet Child 'O Mine

October 10, 2006 shall be a Landmark day for the Indian child. Although there are no official estimates on child labor employed in India, it is believed that over 10 Cr of our little citizens are employed as labour almost everywhere..From hazardous industries, kirana shops to domestic servants, in appalling, exploitive and even inhuman conditions.

Atlast, our government seems to have finally woken up from its deep slumber for last 20 years, since the enactment of the toothless piece of law: Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986. In a fresh and determined bid to stamp down the growing exploitation of children, the government has now prohibited their employment as servants at home or in businesses.

"Business" shall include factories, shops, dhabas, restaurants, hotels, teashops,resorts and spas. According to a notification issued by the labour ministry last tuesday, the ban comes into effect from October 10, 2006.The Union labour ministry has warned that anyone employing children below 14 years of age would be liable for prosecution and penal action under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986. Labour inspectors have been empowered to check on violation of this ban. While this is just the beginning, the crackdown could soon extend to several other sectors employing child labor.

May be Iam brutally candid but I am deeply pained that many of my friends and colleagues have employed children in domestic service, sometimes to babysit their own little ones. They've got good reasons though:

1) They actually plead they are improving the standard of living of the the poor boy/girl (by sending their parents the money, who might blow it off on having more children ?)
2) They claim they treat the child well ( right!, but will send the right back to thier village the moment he/she falls sick)
3) They claim they try & educate the child at home ( if only they had so much time, then why employ a domestic servant!)

Its high time they cleared up these misconceptions from thier inncocent minds.

It is not uncommon to see paper*boys*, chai*boys*, kirana delivery*boys* at your doorstep. The plight of girls is still worse..construction sites, domestic work, hazardous factories. We educated people fail to realise that by employing child labour, we are not economically uplifting them or their families, but we are actually denying their right to childhood, education and opportunities, that we were fortunate enough to enjoy.

It is the sole duty of the State and NGOs to rescue and rehabilitate these deprived children. We should not take advantage of their economic / social background to enrich our materisliatic goals, with the excuse of "helping a poor child". A socially concerned person would rather adopt the same child , instead of seeking a quid pro quo in the form of exploitive labour. In fact the movie "Baagbaan" showcased this noble act when the iconic AB adopts Salman Khan as a child, despite having 4 kids of his own.

So lets take this pledge the August occasion of our Independence day, to liberate our society from this evil:

1. I shall not employ and support any form of exploitation of children including child labour.

2. I shall report immediately any form of violation of child rights to the authorities/NGOs.

3. I shall do my best to educate others on the imporatance of child rights and ills of child labour.

P.s:

Child Employers beware: Big brother may be watching you!!

Don't cha

No, I'm not referring to that provocative hit single by the Pussycat Dolls. I'm talking about addiction to Cha (Marathi for Tea or Chai).It is quite common to see tired/weary employees gulping down several ounces of this beverage every hour, almost unwittingly and as much unavoidably! As the the canteenboy nonchalantly places his overboiled concoction of sugar & milk on the table, the same vanishes into the alimentary canal in no time! Some of them would'nt even mind drinking the very concotion hours after its served. And then there are tea-conservatives like me who are always at the receiving end .

How?.. You cannot even politely refuse the "tea" offered by your boss b'coz :

a) it might tantamount to gross insubordination, or

b) you might end up getting a big lesson of goodness of tea(and specially black tea) or

c) worse, you might be perceived as a high-maintenance natural juice drinker or a latte drinker!

Many of my friends/colleagues who I presume are tea addicts, can hardly keep count of their comsumption at work. They might pass it off us "2-3 cups a day", while it might actually be 7-8 (including, with chitchat friends, boss, lunchhour etc).

Well, I ve got some news for the habituated tea addict:

Tea connoisseurs say that-

1) Drinking tea should be a soothing and pleasurable experience and not a hurried one (which is very unlike what you notice in the office, where people drink it to get rid of headaches)

2) Tea should be savoured and not gulped down

3) Vital Statistics:3gms of tea for 150ml of water,brew for 3-4 mins normally, while you can brew herbal tea for 7-8 mins.

4) Never add milk to green tea

Food addiction is perhaps one of the commonest reasons why so many people are overweight and yet, don't seem to realise it. That's because they never stop to think before gobbling up everything in sight - whether they are really hungry/thirsty or not. It's more greed than hunger.

So, to all ye concerned, instead of giving me lectures of "revitalising my cells", why not take some therapy for your good self????????????

Floods of Alert

US has warned *code red* for all its nationals in Mumbai & Delhi, suspecting possible AQ plots in the run-up to the I_day.

The US Embassy said the attacks could possibly occur from Friday till August 16 and the likely targets are airports, vital government installations and crowded places. ( Which part of Mumbai is not crowded? colleges?)

As if the never-ending rains are not enough, we have another threat to keep us indoors. Every alternate day Mr Johnny Joseph's flood alerts clog our sms memory. That does'nt stop the riff raff from going on with their chores.

While the Govt. has officially shrugged off these “very innocuous” advisory issued by the US embassyto its people ,the Centre has actually gone ahead and directed the states to issue advisories/instructions to the general public to verify the antecedents of tenants and buyers of vehicles, an official spokesperson of the Union home ministry said. Meanwhile, a contingent of 38 NSG personnel has been deployed at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, near Chennai, following reports that major installations could be targeted by terrorists. Union home secretary has directed various states to sensitise the public and take all necessary precautions.

Desperate measures or innocuous advisory?

You be the judge, while I try to find an open space to hide myself(irony intended)

Killing Time

As Mumbai has been reeling under heavy rains for the pastweek, Movie buffs like me could not venture out to the bigscreens. So I rented some stuff from my freindly neighbourly DVD rental just to kill time..and guess what!, I actually KILLED it!

Take a look:

1. Last Days ( 2005,Kurt Cobain biopic)..Hawrible..I should have been dead instead of KC
2.Yours Mine & Ours(2005).......................I Threw up..Whatever happened to Mr Bowen (Dennis Quaid) from Dragonheart(1996)
3.Monster in law(2005)..............................J Lo can never make it into mainstream Hollywood with her nasal voice. Michael vartan had better stuck on to "Alias"
4.The Man (2005).......................... was So So, but Sammy Jackson- Cussing = Boring
5. Date movie(2006)..................The regular spoof movie taking digs at all the big un's..Meet the parents , Meet the Fockers, LOTR, When Harry met Sally, Shallow Hal, King Kong, Wedding Planner.. It was like watching "Scary Movie 4" sans the grossness, but still was one of the worst parodies Ive come across..

So there goes my horrible week that was. After watching a fiasco of a movie in POTC-2 on big screen, I am afraid to hitthe theaters. So I returned my good old DVD collection, some of which I watched for the n+1th time:

Golden Eye
National Treasure
LOTR-FOTR
Don't Say a Word
Flight plan

P.S. Little one's would know the connection between these..but don't say a word.

HOME A- LOAN.

Despite the recent hikes in home loan interest rates announced by the major banks, there seems to be no letdown in the rate of *interest* in the property market.

India's largest housing finance company HDFC, Punjab National Bank and the Oriental Bank of Commerce have hiked interest rates on home loans by at least half a percentage point (0.5%) on August 1, while others like the SBI and Bank of Baroda are soon expected to follow suit. As it stands, the floating rate for home loans from HDFC will be 9.5% as againstm, up from the previous 9%. The fixed rate loan borrowers will now have to shell out as high as 11%p.a. Despite FinMin's friendly advice (read dictum) to PSU Banks to rollback the hikes, there is no looking back, it seems.

Traditionally interest rates tend to take the cue from RBI's repo & reverse repo rate, which incidentally, were raised twice consecutively to over 50 basis points. Home loan rates have gradually risen over the past year or so from 8% to 11% and guess what, no one seems to really bother. Mumbai's bustling property market is currently on a sky-high, thriving on stock market boom fuelled by economic uptrend in general and IT /BPO boom in specific. Everybody seems to carry around enough cash to crash-purchase houses. Even the once abandoned properties such as " jinxed houses" or " haunted buildings" are up for the grabs.

It is only the fixed income/salary earners like me whose dream of buying a dream home might still only remain a dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I can only console myself .." Home is where the heart is"...

Trivia about Muh

Blame HET for this!

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Uma!

1. Uma has little need for water and is capable of going for months without drinking at all!
2. Uma can sleep with one eye open!
3. Uma became extinct in England in 1486.
4. Uma is the largest of Saturn's moons!
5. South Australia was the first place to allow uma to stand for parliament.
6. California is the biggest exporter of uma in the world!
7. Uma is the world's smallest mammal.
8. Twenty-eight percent of Microsoft's employees are uma!
9. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find uma.
10. Only one person in two billion will live to be uma.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

Mole in the cheek!!, scar in the face!!

One has heard of Witchhunt and Manhunt..but now we have this intense "Mole- hunt". The fact that people,out of limelight (read power), facing severe identity crisis can write just about anything in a "memoir" , "autobiography" or "reflections" to grab eyeballs is proved by the Jaswant Singh's latest tactic.

In his book 'A Call to Honour: In Service of an Emergent India', Jaswant Singh has alleged that a mole in the PMO during the time of late prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had leaked nuclear secrets to the US. This might definitely do some pre-release publicity for his book, but the same cannot be said for BJP!

His colleague Mr Das Munshi was at his wit's best: "We could have helped him find buyers and even honked to secure buyers for his book," he said, adding "it is a book-selling campaign unparalleled in history."

While Jassu still claims: "I have never used the word 'mole,' even in the book. However, it generated so much excitement and the prime minister charged me with lacking in decency..."

While BJP's already squirming over turmole caused by the deepening embarrasment, Jaswant Singh's claim that he was still waiting, apparently with little success, for a "call" from the PM to discuss the matter did not cut much ice either.

BJP is busy digging a hole to bury the mole,while Congress's is on a roll taking a dig at BJP's role.

Is is what they call making a mountain out of a mole? Are'nt there enough issues of national interest to focus on?

PS. Taking a cue from Jassu, looks like our Ex-India Cricket Coach John Wright is trying to bring lots of " dressing room" scenes out of the closet in his memoir. Censor Board probably might give an A certificate ?

and

Why do all the memoirs have to always be so bitter?