Thinking aloud

Long time since I celebrateed Onam or any festival in Kerala. It was the same this year as well. However, on the Thiruvonam day, I was surprised to hear Malayalam songs being played somewhere near my room @ Poonch. I went out and it was the army men celebrating Onam. Their joy and happiness while talking to me was contagious. I felt privileged to spend few minutes with those brave hearts.... posted from Bloggeroid

August 14th took me to Poonch and I thoroughly enjoyed being @ the border town...having beer!!!! August 15th @ Surankote, spent some time @ the ground watching the I-day celebrations..Another occasion that drags me back to my blog. Hmmm...until next time.... posted from Bloggeroid

That is what I felt while checking out today's headlines. India votes in favor of a UN resolution which favors Palestinian people's right to self-determination. Wonder how the separatists from Kashmir will make use of this... India voted against the rights of same-sex partners at the UN. Maybe because they don't turn themselves into terrorists... Sri Sri Ravishankar receives death threat from ISIS. This is not surprising but then I read the next headline. Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind wants RSS to be banned!!! Well, they still don't bother about whatever happens with 'Islam'. They would rather have all others obliterated. And for some comic relief, a person from UP send Dhoni 1000 rupees ans thanks him for losing the semifinals. He is worried about the low productivity on match days!! posted from Bloggeroid

Today is international women's day. This time around the BBC has prompted Indians to sit up and take notice. The documentary, 'India's daughter' has evoked strong reactions from all around. Not for the first time, India stands shamed, though the fact remains that there are many countries around the world with much more dismal record as far as rape is concerned. This includes the USA. However, that can not be a conslation nor can it be an excuse for us to ignore the fact that modern India has little respect for women. This is not rhetoric. The day news broke about this documentary, I saw a post on Facebook which essentially asked the readers to comment on the question, 'are those girls who go out with lovers at night good girls?' This question aptly shows the attitude shared by a large number of Indians, both men and women. And the issue is not just limited to rape. As the Prime Minister of our country points out time and again, we don't care whether our ...

We Indians have lots of political parties to choose from. In fact we should be delighted to have so many parties competing to serve us!!! Then why aren't we??? Well, the problem is that most of them don't care about their own proclaimed ideologies and a large number of them simply don't have any. The communists have abandoned any true allegiance to their manifesto long ago. The Indian National Congress too has completed this process of forgetting it's ideology. This was further intensified by Indira Gandhi. Now we have a Congress party which is like one of those public sector undertakings which does not contribute to the nation making, but is too big to let go. In comparison, the BJP, has held on to it's rightist ideology. However, it still has a long way to go before it can claim to have achieved any of it's proclaimed goals. This is partly due to the unfavorable numbers in the Rajya Sabha and partly due to the misinformed polarization caused by those goa...

1 March 2015 is a historic day in the history of Indian politics. A government formed by PDP in partnership with BJP has assumed power in the crucial state of Jammu Kashmir. The presence of BJP stalwarts led by the Prime Minister shows how important this event is. Amit Shah, L.K. Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and many others witnessed this rare occasion. The mood in the state range from jubilation to anger. It is obvious that both the parties will have to do exceptionally well to make this experiment succeed. The perception is that both have traded a lot to form this government. While this is true, one has to remember that this government can provide much needed stability and development to this state, which in turn will have deep impact in the entire south Asian region. The irony is that the significance of this government is perhaps yet to sink in for the people of this state who have long ago forgotten the true meaning of development. It is unfair to expect them to change their a...

I spent the winter vacation travelling across this great nation. It was a memorable tour from Jammu to Varanasi to Delhi to Chennai to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh to Goa and then back to Jammu. The year got off to a pious start at the oldest city of the world, with some new friends. This was my first visit to Varanasi and I hope to return to the banks of the Holy river Ganges when the right time comes. Delhi was a stopover for a day and night. Definitely on the list for an extended stay at the earliest. Met my best friend and his family at Chennai. Loved the time spent with the adorable two year old Vybhu. The Chennai book fair was another attraction. Having gone thus far, I thought of going to my native state of Kerala. But I decided against it as I didn't want to lose the momentum!!! My child, Ravi met me at Nellore and the days spent with him were the highlight of this vacation. My friends from Andhra were as delightful as ever. Goa was the perfect place to unwind in the company o...

Once again, the pollsters have got it completely wrong. AAP has registered a historic landslide victory, While just about every 'expert' is busy painting this as Midi government's failure, I certainly disagree. The BJP got it wrong when they waited too long to get the election process underway. The state leadership has once again been exposed for it's inefficiency and complacency. With Kiran Bedi at the helm, I would expect this to change. AAP has been given another opportunity. This time with brutal majority which leaves no room for nautanki or blame game. The message is loud and clear, deliver. It would be interesting to watch how this party will face the challenges ahead. Will they finally govern rather than throw tantrums??? The Congress is annihilated, to state the obvious. This election has once again shown that Congress is no longer the custodian of 'secular-minority centered' politics. The grand old party has lost its space in Delhi's power cen...

Missed out on watching the parade on television as I am travelling. With the US President being the chief guest, the occasion is more than a traditional ceremony. Modiji has done remarkably well in scoring diplomatic points and I am sure the effects will start showing on our border too. The resurgent India is intent on guarding it's interests... So here is wishing another proud and memorable Republic Day... posted from Bloggeroid

A director who dreams big and is fully confident about his craft.. A producer who fully backs the vision... A team of technicians who deliver the best... Be it the music, camera work, make-up, fight scenes..... Cheeyan Vikram... Right from Pithamakan to Anniyan to Daivathirumagal, I know Kamal Hassan is the only other actor who could have carried off those films successfully.. Same is the case with the film I. This time around, Vikram should be anointed as the Mr.Perfectionist. Give way Aamir.... The beast avatar and the way it is used is truly ingenious. It is the highlight of the movie for me. The cycle fight, train fight, music, camera work and just about every aspect of this film is on a grand scale. It is a visual treat which shows a spectacularly vivid picture of China. All the actors have well defined characters and every one including the leading lady have given great performances. Thank you, Shankar for presenting the Kerala super star in an endearing look, reminiscent of vint...