The Cosmopolite

Walls

2008-12-16T16:27:00.050+05:30

"Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns..." - Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men

For the past few years we had forgotten Colonel Jessup's (Nicholson) words. We got seduced by the India story, by 9% growth, by Tata Steel and Tata Motors, and not least by the Internet. We believed that we had broken through those walls, we had demolished those walls and the world was a better place. We had forgotten about the value and importance of the men-with-guns who guard these walls, and on Nov 26, 2008 we were reminded.

The Mumbai Terror Attacks, India's 9/11, my lifes second before-and-after event was a watershed. It was the first terror attack in this country which targeted those who were at the forefront of the India miracle and exposed their weaknesses. These attacks went a long way to prove that while an ever increasing proportion of the world turns towards what Tom Friedman calls, building better Lexus', there are a large number of people who are attracted by the lure of the olive tree in the backyard. The deeper the roots, the harder it is to root it out...

Economic development is expected to bring prosperity and peace; however paradoxically, the same economic development needs greater protection in order for it to survive. It needs those men with guns to be strong, fair and on the side of the physically weaker farmers, factory workers, investment bankers, babus, civil workers etc to ensure that the development is not lost. All of us need that security to go out and do our thing, whatever it may be, and while whatever we may do would be important, it is no more important than guarding those walls.

We believed the hype about an integrated world and forgot about those walls.... and were rudely awakened... I hope we shall now never forget....

Resurgent India Bonds

2008-03-27T16:20:00.043+05:30

One of the methods utilized for tiding over the forex crisis of the early nineties was the issue of the "Resurgent India Bonds" - to tap the money being provided by a huge Indian diaspora which wanted to help. Ten years on, the same term seems apt. Lemme explain how.

India, in my view, has never been one country. It was always an agglomeration of countries which did not have much in common except geographical proximity. Neighboring states did have some amount of shared history but neighboring regions hardly had any. The languages were different from state to state, infact the states have been formed on linguistic lines; the heroes were different; the economies were different - only two things were common 1) British Rule (which eventually decided the country's boundaries) and 2) Gods (who in their multiplicity, at least managed to command inter-state followings).

This difference has historically always manifested itself in a large number of ways and most north Indians professed that a foreign country was easier to settle in than South India. For the south Indians, it was even tougher to settle in north India. This is also the fundamental reason why regional parties are usually the power brokers in national politics.

This lasted for most of independent India's history, but it is suddenly changing now, especially in the metropolitan areas. Why is this happening? The answer lies in the words - "Resurgent India Bonds" :). Economic growth has led to a mobile society, where social mobility has been accompanies by, crucially, geographical mobility. As software boomed, suddenly talented north Indian engineers realized they need to adjust and live in Bangalore to benefit from the boom. They went there, they formed their groups, they found (to their surprise) that South Indians do party and have some very good watering holes and they amalgamated. They retained their individual culture but they learnt a bit from the south Indians, while the south Indians learnt a bit from them and thus for the first time, a truly Indian "India" was discovered. Just as this happened between north and south India, it happened between west and south / south and east / west and north etc etc. The dispersal of opportunities throughout India led to the dispersal of mostly local populations to different parts of India. This led to more tolerance for that taboo, the "inter-caste" marriage - which is leading to cultural amalgamation in even more complex ways.

Economic growth is the mantra... as a newly "resurgent India" forms stronger "bonds".

'Bip'

2007-10-02T13:19:00.000+05:30

The Economist has been my favorite magazine for a long time now and for good reason. There, in my knowledge, is no other magazine which offers such a brilliant mix of incisive analysis, all round coverage and strong opinions on the key issues at hand. All this is delivered in beautiful correct English, the Queen's English.

One of the less followed sections in the Economist may be the Obituary section. But it is in this section that I have discovered about people (albeit a bit late) from a wide range of professions arousing a wide range of emotions. It is probably the only section in the Economist which focuses solely on history, by necessity rather than design, but it is here that we often discover written gems like the one given below. This bit of writing describes the life of Bip, the world's quietest clown who died on September 22nd ('older than he seemed' as per the Economist)

"That he should wish to die was also not surprising. Often he was kept, crouching or standing, in a small cage on the stage. One by one, he ran his hands along the bars until, with all his strength, he pushed two apart and jumped nimbly out; but then, right ahead of him, behind him, all round him, he found his palms flattening against a wall of glass. Each cage was contained in another. His hands often became birds, flickering and fluttering out of his sleeves, and he made them fly swiftly from their prisons, laughing as they flew. But the bars soon closed again around him"

Outstanding, isn't it?

Middle India cries for release

2007-05-21T22:06:00.000+05:30

I watched the movie - "Life in a Metro" yesterday. The movie itself is ok, nothing spectacular. But its popularity reflects the emotion that is clearly visible in India, especially urban India today - middle India's incessant and increasingly loud clamor for release!!

Middle India is claiming its rightful place in India, as it moves into the space traditionally occupied by the rich elite. Liberalization, the retail boom, the great software revolution have all given them greater economic rights, but they are not satisfied. Middle India wants more... it wants social appeasement, it wants recognition and importance, it wants a lifestyle which it has been deprived of and denied so far. And this desire is being manifested in a zillion ways - through popularity of movies like Life in a Metro and Lage Raho Munnabhai, through the throngs that routinely populate Hyper City and malls like In Orbit, through the increasing popularity of the judiciary and the now clearly voiced hatred for the rich elite.

The recent cases of Alistair Pereira and Manu Sharma (Jessica Lall murder) are examples which amplify the point. The people, and their protests, had as much of a role to play in the re-trials as the proactive judiciary themselves. And such victories provide a greater impetus to the fight for greater rights, as the large middle class wakes up, gains in confidence and begins believing in the machinery and checks & balances of democracy. More importantly, it begins believing in its own power. And if this confidence were to be instilled strongly, nothing could be better for India!

The paradox of population

2007-04-04T10:54:00.000+05:30

Hello people, I am back, and you will notice a spurt of activity on the blog again before I disappear for a few more months.

The following link, combined with the lack activity in my office, prompted me to write a blog entry...

http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8909336

What never ceases to surprise me is the fact the population growth is always the highest in poor countries, where there is not enough food and money to feed the existing population. These countries keep increasing their population while the richer countries, where vast social security nets ensure a decent life, find their populations shrinking.

Some of the reasons are obvious - lower education levels (general and contraceptive related), the desire for social security (more children = more hands on the ground to earn) etc. But on digging deeper you discover that things are not as straightforward as they appear on the surface.

In the list of high population growth countries, there is significant churn. Every few years, a new list of high population growth countries emerges and on analyzing this churn the true picture emerges. In my view, what we can gather is that population in low income countries increases in times of turnaround or re-structuring of the country primarily for two reasons.

The first reason is economic and applies more the countries recovering from civil or cross border wars. During long years of war and economic downturn, millions of lives are lost. The lives lost include a large proportion of the working population, as able bodied men are chosen to fight the bigotic wars and peaceful able bodied men are killed by the opposite party aiming to strike at the economic base of the nation. Therefore, when the nation somehow gets out of this quagmire and is looking to grow again - it looks to reconstruct its human manpower. Therefore, a large number of refugees are lured back home and, more importantly, we notice a increase in birth rate.

The second reason is more related to human nature. Parents want their kids to have a bright future. And therefore, they think about having kids when they are optimistic about the future. No point in having kids in the middle of an African civil war, when they will likely either be killed in the war or kidnapped by one of the warring groups. Therefore, we notice the countries that are on the path of progress generally have higher population growth rates compared to the others. This also explains why a lot of European countries have low birth rates. Clearly, most of Western Europe (with the exception of maybe Britain and Ireland) is not very optimistic about the economic prospects of Europe!!

Combine the above two factors and you get Afghanistan, Eritrea, Burundi etc, some of the countries with very high population growth rates.

Monty

2006-12-14T11:40:00.000+05:30

Can one man change a team? Monty Panesar may just provide the answer today, a spinner on a paceman's track, a Sardar in a English team, a vociferous turbanned dynamo representing the stiff upper lipped ones... seriously, with so many differences, can he change the flagging fortunes of the English cricket team?

Maybe he can, maybe he already has. He's struck in his first ever Ashes test and has already taken three wickets.... and what wickets has be taken? Do I hear you ask that? Is it? Ok... Langer, bowled by the King of Spin, Symonds, bamboozled - he thought he had Monty when he hit him for 17 in the earlier over, but no, he did not, the evil one has the last bearded smile.... - and Gilchrist, for 0 again. :) :) :).

I think this is gonna be fun. I just hope the English batsmen capitalize now. Also, before I forget, Monty's done something remarkable, the English fans on BBC Online are behaving as if England is 3-0 up rather than up against it 2-0 down. Some comments, credit, of course, to the BBC sport website:

"I moved to British Columbia two years ago. Nice big house, beautiful view of lakes and mountains and a fantastic wife. But I?d swap the lot for a TV or even a bloody radio right now.Richard Taylor, via TMS inbox

"Even in Kazakhstan, rest assured that there are some die hard Ashes fans being distracted from work by the online updates. Nearly lunchtime here, I'll see if I can find Borat to convert him to the manly business of cricket!Nick Brealey, via TMS inbox

"Where have they been keeping this guy Monty? Seriously, where the hell have they been keeping him?"Geoff Lawson on TMS

Desperately seeking 'Good News'

2006-12-08T11:35:00.000+05:30

Is there any good news out there? Any? Anything will do...

Have the Arab militas in Darfur been stopped? Has India won any matches in South Africa? Has the US finally begun turning the tide against sectarian militias? Am I going to crack a few billion dollar deals? Am I going to have the guts to do what my heart wants me to? Is Sachin going to hit 4 hundreds in this tour of South Africa? Or even 1? Is the work load at office going to reduce?

I desperately need a intravenous shot of motivation...

Quote - Adam Smith

2006-12-07T13:28:00.000+05:30

My last blog entry, about Milton Friedman, attributes a quote to the great man. That quote I believe encapsulates his theory, philosophy and belief. I discovered a similar quote by Adam Smith, which, though a lot more verbose, conveys a similar message:

The uniform, constant and uninterrupted effort of every man to better his condition, the principle from which public and national, as well as private opulence is originally derived, is frequently powerful enough to maintain the natural progress of things toward improvement, in spite both of the extravagance of government, and of the greatest errors of administration. Like the unknown principle of animal life, it frequently restores health and vigour to the constitution, in spite, not only of the disease, but of the absurd prescriptions of the doctor.
Adam Smith

No prizes for guessing who was inspired by whom.

Milton Friedman, dies at 94

2006-11-30T11:00:00.000+05:30

Milton Friedman, free market economist, and Noble Price laureate, died on November 16 at the age of 94.

Whether we have heard of Milton Friedman or not, his thoughts and policies influenced by his thoughts have certainly had a major influence on the way we live our lives today. Milton Friedman was a free market economist building his career at a time when government intervention was the buzz-word and Milton Keynes was in vogue. The only intervention Mr Friedman would have allowed was the monetary kind. He believed that the government should stay out of managing the economic life of the citizens of the country, and the only thing the government should control is the money supply which could help in smoothening the impact of inflationery pressures.

His ideas were not immediately accepted in the post-Great Depression world. However, his forecast of stagflation in the 1970s and its subsequent occurence made many theorists and policy-makers sit up and take notice. Acceptance of his theories was gradual, but consistent and in the present world, his policies and ideas are almost universally followed.

While I have not read many of his books, I have been strongly influenced by one of his quotes. The following quote highlights his pre-eminence as an economist and as a social scientist:
“progress could be achieved only in an order in which government activity is limited primarily to establishing the framework with which individuals are free to pursue their own objectives.”. The quote is from his book "The Road to Serfdom" and puts his theory across more cogently than any 500 page book.

One glorious departure, one sad

2006-11-02T11:37:00.000+05:30

In the past few weeks we've seen two departures in sport. One has been a glorious one, a great achiever, a winner always, a fighter, a name sure to arouse passion wherever it is heard, one way or other. The other one was in a torrent of could-have-beens - a departure (albeit temporary) of a sportsman always billed to be the next great, someone destined for much greater things than the things that he actually achieved in a patchy 10 odd year career.

The first departure was of Michael Schumacher - as he retired from professional F1 racing after dominating the sport for almost half a decade. The second one was of Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistani fast bowler banned for two years for taking a banned drug. At 31, the age when most (though not all) super fast bowlers either slow down or are put to pasture, the Rawalpindi Express' career is probably over.

The one thing both of them shared was flair and the ability to be completely unpredictable. Schumacher's brilliant race in Malaysia when he helped Eddie Irvine and the inglorious crash with Damon Hill and similarly, Shoaib's those two balls to Sachin, Dravid and his self destruction in the recent Indian tour of Pakistan exemplify the extent of that unpredictability. However, the difference was that while Schumacher's unpredictability was more often than not exciting and enthralling, Shoaib's was usually despairing and plain scary (What more is he gonna do now??).

Must admit, I've been a fan of Shoaib - him pounding down and hurling a 160 kmph thunderbolt at a mousy and scared batsman is quite a sight. And it is a sight which is rarer and rarer in cricket. He was one of the draws of the game for me. I've been an even bigger fan of Schumacher, who I believe has been born and raised to define the sport that he represents. He's got brilliant technique - but more importantly hes got a very sound temperament which puts him a cut above the rest in pressure situations. Unfortunately, that is one thing that Shoaib does not have in common with Schumacher.

Flight to nowhere

2006-10-16T13:21:00.000+05:30

Last weekend, I watched "United 93", a very realistic and heart-rending/warming story of the passengers of that ill-fated flight, which was hijacked by the people of the same group that caused the September 11 attack. However, this plane did not end up in one of the US's national monuments, primarily because the passengers, knowing that the WTC towers had been attacked, decided to counter-attack and disarm the hijackers. The plane eventually crashed in Pennsylvania killing all the passengers and terrorists.

The movie is very well made - it is entirely made with a hand camera, which provides a very realistic feel to the entire film. The movie also highlights the lapses in co-ordination between the CIA and the Pentagon and, of course, the President. And most importantly, it highlights human nature. It highlights that unarmed, weak and therefore meek passengers can perform extra-ordinary feats of bravery while the designated army and administration personnel bungle on the job.

A must-watch

Bombay meri hai

2006-09-22T18:02:00.000+05:30

Nostalgic stuff... quoted verbatim (almost) from Bombay... Meri Jaan. (http://www.fabmall.com/Stores/misc/frmMainFrame.asp?Files=FDL&catalogId=Books&ProductId=8129105160&ActualCatalog=Books)

While this song was first recorded in 1969, it still captures the spirit of Mumbai today. Similar to the Yeh hai Bambai mere bhai... dialogue from the 1955 movie Shree 420 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048613/combined

Bombay Meri Hai

Music: Mina Kava
Lyrics: Naju Kava
First recorded in 1969 by Uma Pocha and Chorus with Mina Kava and his Music Makers

Verse
Come from England, come from Scotland, come from Ireland
Come from Holland, come from Poland, come from any land,
If you're looking out for a pleasant holiday,
Come to Bombay, come to Bombay, Bombay meri hai.

Chorus
Bom bom bom bom
Bombay meri hai
Born bom bom bom
Bombay meri hai

Our ladies are nice, they are so full of spice
Come to Bombay, come to Bombay Bombay meri hai.

Wear a dhoti, put a topi and a small coatie
Mini or bikini is so good for you honey
If you ain't so gay then you can live the sadhu way
Come to Bombay, come to Bombay Bombay meri hai.

Verse
Puri bhaji, bhelpuri you can try and tell
Idli dosa, hot samosa you will like it well
Once you come to stay then you won't like to go away
Come to Bombay, come to Bombay Bombay meri hai.

Party weekend

2006-09-22T11:29:00.000+05:30

This weekend, the annual party begins in Mumbai and will continue for 9 days - as this weekend begins Navratri. While the original significance of Navratri is probably forgotten - except for a token 'aarti' at the beginning - it is a time of great bonhomie. Navratri is originally a Gujrati festival but in Mumbai it is a biiiig party as people from all religions, castes and communities participate.

For the uninitiated, though my mythological history is weak - I will try to explain what Navratri signifies. Navratri is the worship of a divine 'shakti' or divine force which is signified by the mother Goddess in her several forms. The most common forms worshipped are the forms of Goddess Durga (protector from evil), Saraswati (the provider of knowledge) and Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth). The objective is to pray to the supreme being to protect us from evil and bestow wealth, prosperity and knowledge (in that order :)))

Anyways, since we are done with the mythological stuff, getting down to the party bit. During Navratri, in Mumbai, most of the city and all of the suburban areas are lighted, popular singers of garba (the traditional songs) and Bollywood songs are roped in by various sponsors / organizers, large open grounds or enclosed halls are booked, entry passes are sold for exorbitant amounts, the people who participate start the music and dance late evening (having shopped for the beautiful traditional dresses that they wear a month in advance), sometimes the government plays spoilsport (as it is doing now) and does not allow the programmes to continue late in the night but Saturdays are always all night shows, the rate of abortions in the city goes up, the sales of contraceptives goes up and it is basically all fun and revelry. NOW, that does sound like one happening party!!!

For the off road traveler however, I would suggest a visit to some of the Gujrati heartlands of Kandivli and Borivli (north Mumbai) to experience the true spirit of Navratri. Most apartment blocks in these areas have more than a few Gujrati families, so usually these families get together and organize garba (the traditional dance) events in the buildings or in the grounds attached to the buildings. These are not commercial affairs and are therefore more traditionally organized. The ladies of the house usually sing the traditional songs themselves (no bollywood here, thankfully) and dance around a portrait of the goddess. Everyone from the building participates in the 'aarti' and the pre and post garba get-togethers are very social events. I believe, these 'building' Navratris represent the true essence of the festival. They bind the fabric of the society and promote goodwill - as any good festival should.

Anyways, the type of event is secondary, the important thing is to come to the party!!!

Not a good sport

2006-09-16T22:35:00.000+05:30

From the beginning, I've believed that there are two kinds of cheats in international sport... and I've always believed that one kind is worse than the other.

Ok, let me move from the vague to the specific - one kind of a cheat in sport is like an athlete who takes performance enhancing drugs to win, or like a bowler in cricket who tampers with the ball to get it to swing wildly and again, enhance performance. The athlete, or the cricketer cheats to win. I agree that cheating is still basically unethical and the superior performance achieved may not be due to superior sporting talent. However, the objective of the sportsman has not changed, he/she is still wanting to win, the desire is still to achieve the positive. While the cheater is an undeserved winner, I think this kind of a cheat is (only comparatively) better than the second kind.

The second kind of a cheat is the cricketer or soccer player who throws matches, who accepts money for personal gain, who sells himself & his team & his fans & their expectations, who might have a great talent but does not have any desire to achieve anything great out of that great talent apart from loads of money. I think, in sport, this kind of a 'cheat' (you could call him scumbag, load of **** etc) is much worse than the first kind. While the first kind atleast aims to win, to please fans and live their expectations and their adulation, the second kind not only underperforms deliberately but also sells out all that his talent stands for or all that he has (implicitly) promised to his expectant fans.

To make it clear, I do not support any kind of cheating or any other kind of unethical practice in sport, but this argument is just an attempt to differentiate between crimes and, primarily, to put one of my thoughts into words.

Any comments or arguments or feedback would be read with great interest.

Ruminating

2006-09-13T15:45:00.000+05:30

Sometimes when I am in the mood, and when, more importantly, have time on my hands, I like to dig some old unfinished thought-process and continue with it. I like to call it my personal kind of "rumination"!... Anyways, here's the thought of the day.

Victor Serebriakoff, the ex-president of Mensa, once wrote in a book, that human beings, in the course of their progress, encounter problems. They apply themselves and solve the problem and achieve progress. However, they soon move on to a higher level problem, which they take some time to solve... but eventually they solve it and move higher on...

I agree with his thesis, I believe the 'problems' that humanity faces are the 'challenges' that form the basis for the survival of the human race. Without these challenges, human beings may not have much motivation or incentive to progress and survive. These problems, or challenges provide most humans with their motivation to push ahead, and more fundamentally, continue with life. If everything were available easily, there would not be much point in trying to progress, would it?

On the optimistic side, I think there is still a lot of scope for progress, and a lot of scope for pushing boundaries. We still do not know much about outer space, or about the mechanics of the human mind or about how to create micro-organisms that could absorb greenhouse gases. As human being progress, and solve some of these problems, or challenges... all science fiction of today will become legitimate challenges of tomorrow. And it will be an exciting time...

A walk on the sun... anyone?

Anguish

2006-07-12T03:09:00.000+05:30

“Why?” – Why are innocent people being killed? Why are people who honestly earn their bread being targeted? What is the terrorists expectation? Why is he killing people who do not know much, do not influence much and frankly, do not care much about his cause? Why challenge and kill civilians on the sly? What was the bomber thinking? And what is he thinking now, on seeing the carnage that he has unleashed? Is he guilty? Is he gloating? What stops him from understanding the pain that every-mans wife, mother, sister, father would feel when his / her dear one is lost? What prompts him to promote panic and pain? What is he thinking? Just questions – no answers.

Everytime such carnage is aimed at civilians the same troubling questions assemble. And everytime this happens, I get the same persistent feeling of helplessness. I see people being blown up on TV, I cry, yell about it. I crib about the government but eventually I discover that I am unable to do anything meaningful.

But what could I do? I always feel that the pent up energy and desire of middle and poor India needs an outlet, but despite realizing this I am unable to take any action to provide that outlet. I soon realize that I am not helpless but I am shackled – by myself, by my own archaic beliefs and risk averse attitude. But I feel someday, something inside me will snap and hopefully all of this would change. Or I hope, someday, something, collectively inside all of us would snap…

The change agent

2006-06-24T17:18:00.000+05:30

Hey people, I m back. I have finally managed to get some wireless internet in my laptop and that enables me to write this today.

I have been thinking about this for some time - when did political satire actually begin on TV? What prompted us to abandon the sad old "andhaa kanoon" and "rishwatkhor mantri" dialogues for some, admittedly loud, political jokes and satire. My thoughts were primarily directed towards trying to find the source, the "change agent" of all this. And having recently read "Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell, I was looking for some unconventional answers.

And I stumbled upon a name - hold your breath - "Shekhar Suman". Yup, the same, loud, degenerative Shekhar Suman that we usually see in late night shows. Do I hear you ask Why? Thankfully, I've given some thought to that as well. It all started with the late night Shekhar Suman show "Mover and Shakers", where Shekhar Suman, horrors of horrors, rather than sticking to the script and only interviewing stars and starlets about their private lives, started making fun of some of our politicians as well!!! And, it was not one of those no-names basis fun, it was clearly aimed at a few, admittedly jocular, figures of the public administration.

The consequence took some time in coming, and it was not the standard 'shut-down-the-program-or-I-will-get-the-taxman-on-you' kinds. Initially, people watched in trepidation, half expecting Shekhar Suman to be out of his job in a couple of months. Then people watched in amazement as nothing of the sort happened. And, finally, inevitably, people joined in. Countless copy-cat programs sprung up, and no one was spared from the general comic mayhem, not even the generally serious T N Seshan.

Whether Shekhar Suman was a conscious contributor or not, I don't know, but his is surely a visible contribution. And I think Indian media is richer because of that.

Heard in the Mumbai local train...

2006-05-07T16:18:00.000+05:30

On hearing that the dance bars are re-opening:

"Arre, kya karega yaar... logon ko itni aasaani se ladkiyaan milti nahi, isiliye log dance bar jaate hain....."

Not the Greatest

2006-03-14T19:50:00.000+05:30

Just to go on the record, I - very categorically - do not, for even one moment, think that the recent Aus-SA game, where some 800 odd runs were scored, was the "greatest" the sport has to offer.

According to me, it was a pillage, a loot and a game which deserves to be consigned to the heap of history because it was hardly a game. 'Games' are supposed to have contests, in the case of cricket, between bowlers and batsmen. The pitch at the 'match' is supposed to assist both, the batsman and the bowler. According to me, the 'match' at the Wanderers in Johannesburg did not have the contest that makes a sport a treat to watch. It was a one sided pitch, and it was the kind of a match which would have happened sooner or later. Some day, some batting side was gonna think that maybe on a good batting pitch, where it does not make a difference whether a bowler or a bowling machine is bowling, maybe it actually does not make a difference whether a bowler or a bowling machine is bowling. Australia and SA saw a batting pitch and went for leather. I agree that they did push the limits, but maybe the older limits for the batsman oriented game on batsmen oriented pitches were set too short, similar to the boundary ropes at most grounds today.

I prefer a good old contest, where a batsman sometimes cannot read the bowler, where the ball is swinging or spinning or rearing from the cracks. That will differentiate the men from the boys and more importantly, will introduce the all-important contest into the game.

Some matches I loved:

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/WC99/SCORECARDS/FINALS/AUS_RSA_WC99_ODI-SEMI2_17JUN1999.html

http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1992-93/WI_IN_AUS/WI_AUS_T5_30JAN-01FEB1993.html

http://usa.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/1998-99/AUS_IN_WI/SCORECARDS/AUS_WI_T3_26-30MAR1999.html

The 'false' banker? Oh, that's me!

2006-03-14T09:20:00.000+05:30

There is this species that you do not notice much. It is a human species, a species which is visible only at two very specific times: when some insomnia ridden communist journo uncovers a very large hotel bill to criticize the excesses of capitalism or when irate populist politicians need to blame someone for corporate failures originally instigated by their own populist measures.

If you meet a specimen of this species, you would probably find him keen to network with you if you have a large business or if you are a decision maker in a large organization. On asking, he will very discretely call himself a 'investment banker' with a company that has some vaguely Jewish (or in India, Marwari) sounding name.

You might think he works with an organization comparable with your standard Central Bank or State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, but that is where you are wrong. Or, to put it correctly, that is where you would begin to be wrong. For, on digging deeper, you shall find that he is nowhere interested in your standard savings and current accounts or is not even remotely linked to them. His primary competency lies in ensuring that the chaotic world of big finance remains chaotic :). He will, in all probability, use big words like "zero coupon convertible bonds" or "highly leveraged management buyout" or will talk about mythical sounding creatures like the "white knight".

Anyways, you get the idea. The purpose of such an explanation - I've become one of them, I've defected and have joined Lazard (India) in Mumbai. Don't blame me, what could I do, I was ensnared by the intrigue of finance, the glamour of deals.... I'll cut it, you know the rest.

America's confusion, free speech etc etc

2006-02-27T22:16:00.000+05:30

The past few weeks have been interesting, not least due to riveting global affairs. My interest was aroused as I realized that the western-hemisphere establishment's ideological charge had come to a sudden halt, as the diaspora, always so sure of its fundamentals, was forced to pause and introspect.

The widely covered and commented victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections is the event that has led the sole global superpower to blunder and stall. The American foreign policy for the past few decade or so has centered around trying to spread democracy to the Middle East, with moderate success. But the real democratic successes in the Middle East are two states where the US has had minimum influence - Turkey, where democratic foundations were set a long time ago by Ataturk, and Palestine!! While the superpower stands on the sidelines and supports the democratic advances and ambitions of Turkey, it has repeatedly failed to make its position clear on the democratic victory of an Islamist party in Palestine, in an election widely acknowledged as free and fair.

It is a difficult position for the US. What does it do? It cannot deny the legitimacy of the Hamas, which has been elected by a process that the United States supports wholeheartedly, and a country which, in different circumstances, could have been held as an example of a flourishing and active democracy. Arguably, the ruling Fatah party suffered defeat due to indecisive bungling and mis-governance - the hallmark of a good democracy where the administrators are held accountable for their actions. On the other hand, the US cannot support Hamas, which aims to wipe Israel off the map of the world. Until now, the standard US refrains have smacked of confusion as the bureaucrats try to define a coherent policy. The next few weeks should be fun.

Other events of interest have centered around free speech and the recent Cartoon Controversy. However, in my view, the fallout of the smaller by-controversy should make the already strong freedom of speech ethic in Europe even stronger. One of the major counter arguments presented by Islamists, on which enough attention has been focused, is that Europe has its taboos and blind spots to free speech too - especially the denial of Holocaust one. My views on this are fairly similar to this Economist article: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5548142. Up front, I would like to make it clear that I think the Holocaust was one of the saddest events in history and was an example of human beings acting at their worst, and I hope all perpetrators have already been or are brought to justice.

My view on the Islamists' counter argument is two fold. Firstly, I agree with most of my friends that this is a diversionary argument which focuses on exceptions rather than rules in European society and is therefore quite a blatant attempt at diverting attention away from the violent over-reaction of several militant groups to the Cartoon Controversy. But, secondly, and more importantly, it has kick-started a debate about some wrinkles that still exist in the approach of European society to free speech. While the freedom of speech offered in European societies is cherished, staunchly protected and is more than most, if not all, other regions, I believe that the current wave has the potential of wiping out some wrinkles.

Societal policing, rather than government censorship, should be the way ahead for any such taboo. Let the deniers of the Holocaust shred their own credibility and look like fools in public, but they should not be given an opportunity to look like martyrs. Laws disallowing the denial of the Holocaust also project the west in unfavorable light, giving the impression that it protects the Jews while ignoring Muslim feelings.

As I wrote earlier, I believe the latest debate has the potential of highlighting and removing some wrinkles from the European approach to free speech, and could make those societies even bigger and stronger bastions of free speech.

Married to Mrs Right

2006-02-20T14:27:00.000+05:30

So, its finally happened. I am finally married. I'd thought about this moment for a very long time and had felt a variety of emotions. Sometimes I had thought that I would probably jump for joy, while some other times, based on hormonal shifts in balance, I felt I would probably be depressed at being tied down before achieving (optimistically!) the proverbial full flight.

But actually being there, getting married was something different. Firstly, I did not get a chance to think. Function followed function, mantra followed mantra, friend followed friend, well-wisher followed well-wisher and the first opportunity I got to think about my new married state was well after I had shaken hands and accepted the wishes of 1200 people in the glitzy reception. In fact, the first introspections only began after the rushed honeymoon to Australia had been completed.

And the feeling was not similar to anything that I had ever expected. While, for the record, it has still not sunk in... the feeling I got was of peaceful happiness, the kind of feeling you get when you know that you were right all along. I realized that making the right choice, and more importantly - being the right choice - were the two crucial things that had happened between Poonam and me.

Anyways, the parties are over... reality begins again. Will post the photographs on the blog soon.

The air smells sweet...

2006-01-12T00:07:00.000+05:30

Ah... the air smells sweet... the music sounds good... everythings suddenly seems better!!! The news is in... the hotels have been booked... the flights are reserved... 15 days in Australia...

Ok, returning to some coherence - for the uninitiated, I am getting married on 22nd January 2006, which is on next Sunday (Thanks in advance). After the wedding, on the 25th of January, I am leaving for my honeymoon to Australia. And I have just received word that the hotels, flights etc for my trip are booked and that my visas are here. I have also managed to grab some peeks at the online photo galleries of some of the hotels and they look wunderfullll!!! And all this makes me wanna sing... (run!!)

I have not been happy in life for quite some time, with Chennai and equity research depressing the hell outta me!! And this has come like a whiff of fresh air, scented with jasmines and roses!

Google it!!

2006-01-09T12:56:00.000+05:30

Date: 4900 a.d.
History class, the teacher talks in his baritone voice:

"In the late 20th century, dates unconfirmed, there were two great oracles, Page and Brin - who laid the foundations of our great civilization. They discovered the guiding force of all life - the ultimate and ideal search algorithm. It is that discovery that laid the foundation of our civilization and has hence enabled all that we are familiar with today - free ad-supported video downloads, free ad-supported software, free ad-supported internet, free knowledge and, above all, the ability to search all computers, brains and souls all round the world.

It is said that before the arrival of Page and Brin, another culture was dominant, a culture which was rudimentary. A culture which seemed absurdly obsessed with holes in walls - as the culture was called Windows and the oracle was named Gates. While that culture focused on owning everything, on bundling, combining. Page and Brin made their culture open, all encompassing - free (albeit ad-supported), and flourished.

um... Peter, you wanted to learn about cultures before Windows? I'd give you a suggestion, why don't you use Google?"

Beginnings

2006-01-04T11:27:00.000+05:30

I just do not get the New Year celebrations, you know!! I just don't get it. What are all these people thinking, when they say "hey, the bad year is gone, the new year is gonna be great!!", maybe they actually believe it for like two days in the new year, before... the next new year's eve.

I think I know what it is, we humans love beginnings when the slate is wiped clean, we really do! We believe that at the beginning of a new year, all activities of the past year are wiped out and consigned to the history section. I can almost see a convict on the dock saying to the judge, "Last year, I murdered two people, ate 15000 calories extra, dumped my wife, but hey, its the new year. The old year is gone, I am in the clear, I am at the beginning again, I get another chance".

Naya saal mubarak...

2006-01-02T14:33:00.000+05:30

Well, firstly as I awaken finally from the weekend party stupor, HAPPY 2006 to everyone who reads my blog. To the rest, well, a good 2006 nevertheless.

2006 for me arrived kicking and alive. No, literally, because the party that I attended, at Hotel Leela in Mumbai, hoping to welcome the new year with a vodka and a dance, was so crowded that I was kicked a few times in the knee / foot area during my several abortive and futile attempts to dance and was kicked a bit more by angry guzzlers trying to get their share of the spirits.

However, the party was fun as I had some great company, my fiancee Poonam, and hey, the kicking did ensure that I managed to remain awake after having spent the earlier night at a binge - so, I did not have much cause to complain.

While returning home after the party, I also realized that, thankfully, while I was just getting kicked in the party at Leela, some of the more adventurous party animals (!!) near Juhu beach were getting whacked on their backs and heads by police lathis. After two years in IIM B (in RG), this relative well-being made me feel quite positive about the year ahead. Resolution: Wear knee / shin pads when you attend new years parties at good hotels. Wear crash helmets and chest guards anywhere else.

Am back in Chennai now and have managed to read a few good blog-posts about their new year experiences, check out the links below:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/bong_on_target/ (Dada's New Year and some gyan on nerds and babes)

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ggollerkeri/ (a re-run in the re-run season)

http://www.feathers-and-stones.blogspot.com/ (Ravikirans New Year party in different moods)

Happy reading...

Whatever happened to Gilly?

2005-12-26T13:38:00.000+05:30

Without doubt, one of the most exciting cricketers of the generation has been Adam Gilchrist. Every innings of substance that he's played has been a highlight. He's been a match-winner - a devastating batsman, a good leader (conquered the Australian "last frontier" in India), a very fair though opinionated cricketer and, compared to his team mates, has a good reputation off the field.

But recently, something has gone wrong with his batting - since the England Ashes tour, runs have been very hard to come by, with only one innings of note in the Test arena against a very un-motivated World XI. Most columnists point out that Andrew Flintoff's around the wicket line has done him in and exposed a chink in his armor, something which every team is trying to exploit.

I don't agree that after playing 70 tests, with a stupendous record of bowlers-career-wrecking, someone suddenly thought - 'Oh, wait a minute, maybe no one thought of bowling out-swingers to Gilchrist around the wicket!!' and tasted success. Atleast I hope that is not the case, or Flintoff can, maybe, claim his first major casualty in the art that Gilchrist has mastered ever since he made his debut. I think (and hope) that this is just a temporary loss of form, though that is precisely what all his cricketing rivals fear.

Calling China, can you hear me?

2005-12-17T14:15:00.000+05:30

I have a friend who is in China... I had mailed the link of my blog to him and he count not read it!! Not because of any language problem, he is an Indian who can read and comprehend Hindi and English fairly well. He also has access to internet... so that is not a constraint. The reason for his inability to read the blog - China has blocked access to most blog sites, to further its political objective of suppressing free speech and expression of thought. The following link leads to an informative article about Chinas policies: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10749. The article also alleges that China was helped by US based organizations like Cisco Systems in its censorship program.

For each step that China takes forward emphasizing economic progress, it takes, or atleast tries to take, two steps backward in human or political progress. Wherever its political system encounters opposition, it crushes it - it does it politically wherever there is international focus - as it is trying now to combat pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong (http://www.economist.com/World/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5280837) - else it does it through brute force - as it did to protesters in Dongzhou (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/international/asia/17china.html?th&emc=th, http://www.economist.com/World/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5310240) recently.

I cannot imagine myself being stopped from writing this blog. This is my opinion and I would damn well like to express it. For all its failings, India gives me this liberty and I think India is richer for that.

Delving into the topic a bit, whenever there is a public or political debate between people with different motivations, political or regional or religious backgrounds which delays decision making, some of my friends and acquaintances turn around and say - "You know, we should be like China! No argument, just execution". I disagree. It is this debate, particularly this public debate ("the noise of democracy" cliche), which applies a check and balance to the entire process. This debate makes decision making stronger. It might delay things but when things get done, there is usually a consensus and the progress made is usually stronger and not easily reversible by subsequent political upheavals.

However, China has achieved substantial economic progress through its system, however flawed. The numbers show that - and it is difficult to argue with such impressive numbers. However, there are umpteen examples of countries that have done it the other way and succeeded. The United States, England, countries of mainland Europe, Australia have all managed economic progress while fiercely protecting freedom of expression and other individual freedoms. And more importantly, they have proven that their progress is lasting and sustainable, a area where China still has a lot to prove.

I believe India needs to hold these democracies as its 'ideals', if it is achieve sustainable growth and if the people of India are to be truly empowered.

Gods Debris - By Scott Adams

2005-12-13T11:11:00.000+05:30

I recently read a e-book written by Scott Adams of Dilbert fame. I expected a funny, light book; but it turned out to be one of the most profound and different books I've read in my life. Definitely worth a read. I have posted the link on the Downloads section in the sidebar.

It is a free e-book download.

From Fanoos to Angkor Vat...

2005-12-09T12:28:00.000+05:30

All those who have seen the wonderful French movie 'Chocolat', and have felt the wanderlust felt by Vianne Rocher, the heroine of the movie enacted by Juliette Binoche, know how I feel today.

The following quote from the movie, for me, sums up the feeling -

"Storyteller: But still the clever north wind was not satisfied. It spoke to Vianne of towns yet to be visited, friends in need yet to be discovered, battles yet to be fought"

The breeze of a slightly different orientation, the south-east one, in Chennai today is imparting similar ideas, feelings, emotions and desires to me. I knew that I've always had this wanderlust, this desire to just go out there - to explore - to travel over wind-swept plateaus and wooded hills, to meet new people whose languages I do not understand or about whom I have only read in the books. I want to, as some advertisement puts it, 'reclaim my independence'.

On normal days, this feeling is muted and drowned out by the cacophony of 'routine'. But today is different, today, a oddly-named hurricane, 'Fanoos' has brought a beautiful, slightly rainy, slightly cold breeze to usually-hot-and-humid Chennai. The breeze and the drizzle have done their historic role, of weathering the parched dust covering of daily routine and have exposed the human, with feelings and desires, within. My only desire right now is to go home from my mundane office, to grab some basic necessities, to gas up my old Hyundai and just go... anywhere, without knowing where, to follow the road just because the road is "there".

While Vianne, in 'Chocolat' manages to conquer her wanderlust and manages to settle down in the lovely French town, I have yet not managed to find an anti-dote to mine... and perhaps I do not want to...

Purity in Randomness: Cyrus Broacha in Mid-day

2005-12-06T20:12:00.000+05:30

Hi all,

Stumbled upon this article written by Cyrus Broacha for the Mid Day online edition. Hes epitomizes randomness - as you can see in the article :), Probably one of the funniest pieces of text I have seen in my life:

http://www.mid-day.com/columns/cyrus/2002/August/29082.htm

Saddam Bombay! By: Cyrus Broacha August 16, 2002

We all know Saddam Hussein, a man hated by the Kurds, the Shias, may be even the Iraqi people. A man who hates everything western and American, except I believe the odd cheeseburger with extra fries, low in burger, heavy in cheese.

However, very few know that Saddam has a paramour in India who heÂs constantly in touch with, figuratively of course.

This 62-year-old lady who lives near the writer and doesn't read a word of Arabic has been unwittingly a part of this one way correspondence for 17 years. Recently, through a quirk of fate, Saddam's latest letter landed in my hands. Although it was written in Arabic I knew it was from him as photographs accompanied the letter.

One photo was of Saddam reading to the blind, a second was the blind reading to Saddam, a third had Saddam in a leotards doing aerobics, another was supposed to be a picture of his latest oil painting Night Watch with Rembrandt's signature badly scribbled over, then there were Saddam at the beach, Saddam playing cricket wearing only his pads, Saddam looking contemplative at a Saturday night execution.

Captivated by the visuals I got the letter translated 'a long process' Arabic to French, French to Bhojpuri, Bhojpuri to Hindi via Urdu and finally Hindi to English. This is basically how it translates.

To my Jewel of the desert, my eye of the camel, my Arabian pony's behind, I Saddam, Supreme leader of the only truly democratic country in the world, the people's choice, the voice of hope, the personification of compassion and humanity, salute you.

Lajwantiben, as I'm writing to you, I am both excited and perplexed. Let me tell you, O spice loaded on a camel's hump, why. After 27 years of flying, and this includes a 10-year war with Iran, as well as skirmishes all over Iraq including a holiday to Kuwait, I can proudly tell you I've obtained enough frequent flier points to allow me to finally visit you and fly almost all the way back. (I have enough points to reach Cairo, after which I can walk home, which is good for me, too many cheeseburgers you know).

Imagine my excitement when I got my last frequent flier points update. I mean, I've been thinking about you night and day, twice a week, for quite a few years now. Immediately I dashed off a letter to my friend Jaswant in your foreign affairs department, hoping he would help me with all the formalities as well as get me a tourist discount at what was once called the Prince of Wales Museum. So named I believe because whales used to swim all the way to your gateway in the early days though now I believe they have been driven off by very large women.

However imagine my puzzlement, when Jaswant wrote curtly back asking me to re-write to Yashwant. What does he mean? Did I misspell his name? Is Hindi like Swedish, a language where J actually means Y and Y actually means J? Anyhow, I did as I was bid and rewrote my request to Yashwant, addressed once again to the foreign affairs department. Once again I got a curt reply saying Yashwant no longer works here.

What is all this? How could Yashwant whose alias is Jaswant, a thing only known to Indians and Swedes, lose his job overnight?

I then wrote to the most powerful man in India, my darling cactus with one less thorn, Mr Jagmohan Dalmia, head of the BCCI. His reply was even more perplexing. He kept referring to me as a whining English Captain, who complains about everything and who unnecessarily hits Parthiv Patel on the back of his head and, worst of all, he addressed his reply to Mr Hussein, not giving me my full title which takes a good half page of paper in any language.

Oh date of my palm, who is Parthiv Patel, why would I hit him on the head and imagine thinking I'm English? In fact the only English word I know is 'cheeseburger'. To be completely honest I know two English words - 'two' and 'cheeseburger'.

Finally I was advised to write to a leading Indian actor. His reply made me double my medication - he wanted a signing amount for reading my letter.

Exasperated, I called up your tourist board but the answering machine kept saying I'm in 'Qatar'. When I screamed I was in Iraq, it just repeated it's earlier message about me being in Qatar. What the hell is happening, surely if I call up I know where I'm calling from. In fact I'm so pained by this harassment, that IÂm contemplating taking my case to the UN.

In the meantime, my droppings from a dove, I clutch the frequent flier points close to what's left of my heart, order two cheeseburgers and think of you.

Your leading paramour,Hussein His Excellency, King of the desert, Father of my nation, leader of the free world, Supremest Commandante, Shree Saddam Hussein.

I still can't figure out if this is an authentic letter, but as for Lajwanti, last heard she's been on indefinite vacation.

Phadu joke

2005-11-30T20:41:00.000+05:30

Originality displayed by Shantanu Sengupta, whose blog link adorns the right bar on this page:

Dada: "Baba, tere paas cd hain kya?"
Baba: "Haan, hain... kyon?"
Dada: "Aur mere paas maa hain... to apne paas CDMA hain"

:))))))

Ganguly, the politician

2005-11-26T20:23:00.000+05:30

And I thought Sourav Ganguly was a sportsman. This past week, with some deft maneuvering - to get back in the Indian cricket team, and with some out-of-character sentimental acting, he has proven himself worthy of a very good political career. Ah... and sorry, before I forget, this admirable performance was solely and exclusively for his own good... not for the good of the cricket team, which is sure to crack down the middle after his return, or for the good of the paying cricket loving public, who are sure to see some exciting bat-flashing outside the off stump when they would probably prefer some solid traditional run scoring.

If Ganguly had remained arrogant and had tried to fight his way back to team, that would have been more in character. The Ganguly all of us thought we knew was the Ganguly that was a fighter - fierce, arrogant and unconventional. A lot of us respected him for having these qualities and a lot of us believed that he was the one who could build the team-spirit and killer instinct that the men-in-blue lacked. Before the current fiasco, I respected him for being a good leader of men, who led India to some of its more famous cricketing victories, and for being one of the best Indian off-side players of all times.

But now all that is gone, that respect has been replaced by derision, even disgust. Sourav Ganguly, in the matter of a few months, has become a joke for me. For me, his selection in the Indian test cricket team as a batting all-rounder is a joke, and reeks of politics. A cursory glance at the statistics of his test career supports my view - while his batting average is a respectable 41.18, he has only picked up 25 wickets in 84 tests matches at an average of 52.5. And he has played cricket for 10 years, enough time for the selectors to make their judgments about his "all-round" qualities. The presence of an outside hand, to me, is obvious. Sourav fans need to look at his record over the past few years and realize that dropping him from the team is an obvious action, and is not part of anyone's irrational agenda.

I agree with some points of the pro-Ganguly camp. I agree that he deserves a second chance, and I agree that he deserves a graceful exit after all he's done for the game in India. I, also, do not believe that, given a second chance, Ganguly will fail. Some of his performances in the past have been classy and he has the potential to improve his game. However, I protest against the way he is trying to strong-arm his way into the team. I, also, hate the way he is creating discord, both in the team and among cricket fans, to meet his own ends and satisfy his huge ego. His presence in the team is almost sure to be a disruptive influence. It will ensure that politics, and not performance, becomes the primary decision parameter in the Indian cricket team. It will make the Indian team regress.

So, for the good of the game, and for the good of Indian cricket, the call should be unequivocal - Quit, Ganguly.

Mumbai... meri jaan...

2005-11-16T00:17:00.000+05:30

Whenever I walk out of the Churchgate railway station in Mumbai, I hear the words "Mumbai nagri... sapnon ki nagri" ("Mumbai city - the city of dreams")- replayed from hundreds of Bollywood films (usually in Om Puri's tone). More recently, this playback also leads to a recurring question - What drives Mumbai? Why do more and more aspirants still head for Mumbai when they now have multiple other options which did not exist earlier?

Mumbai has a lot of things going against it - high costs of living, long commutes, over-crowded suburbs, Asia's largest slum etc. Still, a significant number of my top-ranking batchmates from IIM B work in some of the most prominent companies in India in Mumbai and swear by the place. Being a Mumbai-kar to the core - this does make me happy but the question remains unanswered.

I could also think of several reasons in favor of Mumbai - Mumbai, the most cosmopolitan city in the country, accepts and assimilates people from all economic and social backgrounds much better than other cities. Also, the Marwaris, the Gujratis and the Sindhis in Mumbai have created a fertile ground and positive perception for entrepreneurship, a vital requirement for economic development. Or, being the financial capital of India with most banks and two major stock exchanges based in the city makes Mumbai the best place to source capital. Also, it could possibly be a virtuous cycle - good, skilled manpower which already exists in the city attracts and draws more good-quality manpower. And, finally, the success could also be attributed to historical and geographical reasons.

While all the above factors would probably have contributed to Mumbai's success - none of them provide an entirely convincing answer or a solution that is not replicable elsewhere. The answer I believe is right stuck me in a flash of insight - I was speaking to my father and he was telling me about how he plans to take his property business forward and he made the following statement: "If Dhirubhai can become India's biggest businessman after being a lower class worker, I am sure I can at least do 10% of that". It was then that it stuck me - the petrol pump attendant who turned into a business tycoon, the waiter who turned into a movie superstar, the swampy island that turned into the country's largest business district, all define the soul of Mumbai. The primary attraction of Mumbai for most people coming from outside is encapsulated in one word - aspiration. For most people, Mumbai is the place where dreams can, practically, be chased and realized. The exhilaration of being part of a city on the move, of being part of a society of people who are venturing and achieving, spending long hours at workplaces, doing all they can to achieve their aspirations; draws a significant proportion of the nations best.

This quality of Mumbai also explains why Mumbai has the most service-oriented firms, is an extremely competitive place, and is the seat of the financial and film industries of the country along with the ubiquitous Mumbai underworld. The rest of the things that I mentioned before - along with the country's best party scene, Mid-day and the insomniac lifestyle - add to the legend.

It is not uncommon for a Mumbai-kar to be filmi and I, being a proud true Mumbai-kar am no different, so here goes -

Rafi: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..
(Kahin building kahin traame, kahin motor kahin mill
Milta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil) -2

Insaan ka nahin kahin naam-o-nishaan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..
(Kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin res
Kahin daaka, kahin phaaka kahin thokar kahin thes) -2

Bekaaro ke hain kai kaam yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..
(Beghar ko aawara yahan kehte has has
Khud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business) -2

Ik cheez ke hain kai naam yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..

Geeta: (Bura duniya woh hai kehta aisa bhola tu na ban
Jo hai karta woh hai bharta hai yahan ka yeh chalan) -2
Tadbeer nahin chalne ki yahan
Yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Rafi: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Geeta: Aye dil hai aasaa jeena yahan
Suno mister, suno bandhu, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Rafi: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Movie: C.I.D (1956)
Music: O.P Nayyar
Singers: Mohd. Rafi & Geetha Dutt

Goings and .. goings

2005-11-15T23:49:00.000+05:30

My apartment-mate, Bonny, left Chennai today. It is not a shock, or a surprise as we all knew that he had gotten this great, better paying job in another city and that he was planning to leave this week. However, the thought that a friend who has shared the apartment with me (and two other people) has gone to another city and I might not often meet him again (possibly) does leave me slightly depressed.

Our stay in Chennai has also been quite epic. Since we came to Chennai, we northies (north indians) had decided that we will not stay in Chennai for more than 3 or max 4 months - so much so that we always renewed our apartment lease for 3 months at a time, always laughing off suggestions by our land-lord that we extend it by a longer period. Bonny stayed for 2 yrs and 5 months in Chennai and I am still here...

Anyways, another close friend of mind, Bee, is leaving for the UK this week-end.... another story, another day.

Un-quotable quote

2005-11-09T19:10:00.000+05:30

"Afraid of the demons of his mind, he retreated to the castle of his home. After smoking his brain for years, he realized that the demons died years ago - only kept alive by his thoughts"

Saawan mein...

2005-11-07T17:48:00.000+05:30

Lyricists who write those romantic songs about couples in the rain have never truly encountered the troubles faced during a deluge - similar to the ones faced by Mumbai in July '05 and Chennai and Bangalore in the end of October '05.

Yours truly had the misfortune of being a victim when someone upstairs decided to kick the bucket, not remembering that it was full of water and more importantly - forgetting that drainage in Chennai is close to non-existent. On Thursday, 27th October, the designated day on which my close friend Rajesh B (Bee) had decided to tie the knot with Ranjeetha, the heavens opened up.

The earlier night, my Hyundai decided to give notice of its age and was therefore unavailable on the 27th. I had stayed overnight at my friends place and the journey (!) the next morning to my place was epic. We managed to con a auto-rickshaw wallah who agreed to transport us to my place in Nungamabakkam. Several flooded roads, stalled autos (we even push-started the auto in the rain) and muttered abuses later we managed to traverse the 6 km stretch in close to 1.5 hours. All this while, the rain continued unabated.

Now, the fight had just begun, later, we managed to make it to Bee's wedding hall to find kitchen utensils floating in the basement, which was the lunch area. Thankfully, the wedding hall itself was untouched and after some smart maneuvering the lunch, also, was salvaged on a higher floor. The wedding itself was uneventful. However, in the afternoon, against the good advice of friends I decided to go to office... and returned 30 minutes later drenched to the skin.

Several wet trips to Bee's nearby flat and his, mercifully, dry reception later... I managed to reach home in the night to a warm bed, though sleep itself was scant as I had to drop worried people to the airport through the night.

The next time I hear a romantic, rainy song on TV, I will... change the channel!!!!

Starting trouble

2005-10-21T23:47:00.000+05:30

I've been egging myself on for the past 3-4 days to post my first 'real' post on the blog but have not managed to come up with anything substantial. Which is not to say that I've not had any ideas... I've had plenty but the same fickle mind which keeps egging me on also keeps rejecting my ideas.

"No... that’s too personal, no one... apart from myself... would want to read that" - I thought after writing about 8 lines on 'Finally... a vacation of substance'. "You got to be kidding" - I thought after writing about 12 lines on 'Google beats analysts earnings expectations again' (I can almost hear some of you saying the same comment that I thought!) and finally today morning I thought I had finally cracked it before I ran out of ideas after about half a page on 'The wild wild web - Should blogging be regulated?'.

Finally, I think I've nailed it - my first blog is gonna be about my inability to write the ideal first blog! I don't know what everyone thinks but I think this is quite smart of me. So, officially, am welcoming myself to the blogging world.

Anyways, this 'starting trouble', as I like to call it, is a phenomenon which I've faced frequently in the past. But as I am finally doing now, I've also realized that the best way to deal with it is to just... start - somewhere, anywhere. I used to be afraid of speaking in public, and one day I just decided to begin. I was abysmal the first time, but now I can't keep my trap shut. I used to be scared of speaking to strange beautiful women, so one day I just decided to break the ice with a new babe in college and... my fear increased!! But a odd setback aside my technique has usually worked.

So, I've begun my blogging journey... and am sure everyone would hear a lot of me - whether they wish or not.

Welcome to the Blog

2005-10-14T18:23:00.000+05:30

Hello everyone!!

The title is inspired by a O Henry short story "A Cosmopolite in a Cafe" and will remain true to its name. The blog will have a cosmopolitan theme and the range of topics discussed will be truly cosmopolitan - from Mickey Mouse to Jacques Chirac and from Middle-eastern wars to Calvin and Hobbes.

Welcome to the blog!!

- Tushar Thakkar