Law, Sex and Ass

When I first came to know that there was something called “Interpretation of Statutes” in our Company Law syllabus, I was very curious as to what it could be. And according to our text book, interpretation is required because "…the function of the court is to ascertain what the parties meant by the words which they have used; to declare the meaning of what is written in the instrument...” There started my problem...... (read more)

What Type Of Tech-Savviness Is This?

What type of tech savviness is this? Probably I am not modern enough, but I feel that we must learn to differentiate between tech savviness and tech mania. Being passionate about something is a healthy habit, be it music, sports, books or tech gadgets. At the same time addiction to anything is highly unwelcome, be it movies, smoking, drugs or tech gadgets. Am I right? More

The Primus stove and Gandhiji

It was Maaji’s nostalgic article on the Janata Stove that took me back to our bachelor days and some connections between Gandhiji and the Primus stove.


I remember that mom had the same green and red Janata stove and as a kid I used to play with the lever that raised the wick up and down up and down till I got a sharp whack on the back of the head and was shooed away from the kitchen. But it was a big relief for the women from the smoky adupu’s (even though the sawdust ones we had in Calicut were virtually smokeless) or fireplaces and the ‘kozhal’ that was used to stoke the flames. I used to blow (plooom – that was the sound) and blow through it when I passed the kitchen, for the fun of it and as usual got a crack on the head from any elder in attendance in the kitchen for destroying the peace and getting on her already strained nerves. If I remember right, there was a circular thing that you had to lower from the top to shut down the flame, by pressing on the wick from the top. ...........................

The Bhopal heat-and-light show

Isn’t Union Carbide liable to the charge of willful disregard for human life ; shouldn’t it be penalised for witholding, nay, refusing to divulge to doctors MIC chemical code that could have saved lives in thousands? ...More...

Still a long way to go...

Continued from previous post...


STATE-WISE INFANT MORTALITY RATE (per1000) -

Year 1961, 2003 & 2005

As you can see, some states in India have come a long way but as a whole India is yet to tackle hunger and poverty.


The following are the states which are showing an upward trend and it seems to continue in year 2008 too.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy Verdict – A Stigma For The Indian Judiciary

7th June 2010 will be remembered as a Black Day in the history of the Indian Judiciary. The laughably paltry punishment awarded to the accused is an ultra cruel joke that the honourable Indian judiciary has come up with, rubbing salt into the 25 years old wound of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims and their kin. More

Wildlife Lovers Of India – Let’s Unite For The Elephant Reserve Of Hasdeo Arand In Chhattisgarh

As many of us already know that increasing mining in Jharkhand and Orissa has made a huge number of elephants to flee to the forests of Sarguja, Jashpur and Korba in Chhattisgarh. Now, in 2002 the Chhattisgarh Government sent a proposal to the Central Government seeking permission for notifying over 384 sqkm in Hasdeo Arand forests as an elephant reserve. More

The Tale Of Two Cities !!

I was in Baroda recently, I just couldnt help but notice how similar this city is to our very own Mysuru ! with so many connections it could just surprise you !!

The Mahrajas

Sayaji Rao Road, the main thoroughfare in Mysore is named after the Maharaja of Baroda, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, The legendary Maharaja is said to have been adopted by the Royal family. The story goes that as a young boy he was asked by the queen as to why he was called to the Palace and the boy grandly announced with confidence , ‘I have come here to rule !!’

Bhopal: A look-back

I was then 45 , a newspaper reporter looking at every happening as a story, to be hyped, if need be , to claim a Page One treatment. Every event , as a newsworthy opportunity to prove myself . Wars, floods, quakes, air crash or train smash have helped many to advance their reporting careers. The calamitous Bhopal leak in 1984 was, in this sense, a reporter’s dream story...More...

Verona, Italy

Driving from Venice to Verona took us slightly more than four hours. It shouldn't have taken that long, but getting accustomed to the left hand driving, sign boards, GPS instructions and distracting scenic sights(for which we stopped often), delayed us considerably. Read more...

Global Survey Exposes India’s Pathetic Broadband Speed

A global survey conducted by broadband statistics company Ookla has found that India is in the 133rd position in terms of download speed, thus being in the same league with highly backward countries (including countries of sub-Saharan Africa). More

Toyota Plans R&D Centre In India

If one such centre really comes up, then it will understandably create a huge number of jobs. So let us keep our fingers crossed that the plan materializes. More

AI Grounds Pilots For Hard Landing – A Highly Unjustified Decision

Personally I feel that the decision to ground those two pilots is completely unjustified. It has already been proved that the Indian airlines’ over obsession with soft landing entails strong threat to passenger safety. It is this attitude of airlines that forces pilots to go for soft landing even when they know that it is risky. In fact, as everybody knows it by now, that one possible reason behind the Mangalore air crash was the pilot’s desperation to avoid hard landing even though it seemed to be the only way out. More

Manipur Government’s Remarkably Strong Handling Of Muivah’s Unacceptable Demand

And I am genuinely happy that the Manipur government has managed to stick to its decision instead of buckling under the huge pressure that it has faced. Rather, the government is countering all those pressure tooth-and-nail, with sound determination. More

Britain Declines To Return Artifacts That It “Stole” From India

One of those artifacts that India was unfortunate to lose was the world famous “Koh-i-Noor” diamond, which today embellishes the crown of the British monarch. More

Solar Powered AC For Leh Airport – An Appreciable Step

There is simply no doubt that the initiative is really an appreciable one. It is high time that everybody – ranging from organizational entities (both government and private) to individuals – focused more on renewable energy. Over dependence on conventional energy is not only causing a gradual erosion of the same, but is also causing inconveniences for us on occasions when the sources of conventional energy become temporarily inadequate. More

Congrats To The Times of India For The Dramatic World Environment Day Gesture

I simply felt great. Such an innovative gesture, that too by my favourite newspaper, was something that I really loved to experience. It was undoubtedly a great way to send a strong and effective message highlighting the cruciality of renewable energy. And it was also an example of “walking the talk”, wherein my favourite newspaper itself did something that it has urged its readers to do. More

Bellary Investment Meet

Karnataka’s development agenda smacks of economic adventurism, for which future generations may well have to pay a high environmental cost. A mitigating factor is that expectations built up at international investors gatherings are never fully realised. MoUs that are signed with such media fuss and fanfare do not translate into reality...More...

Six Months Old Girl Married Off In Pakistan

A 6 months old (yes, 6 months, not even 6 years) girl has been married off to a 25 years old man in Pakistan. Terribly shocking, right? But it is true. More

Solar alternative to Chamulpura

Would the city mayor use public support and media goodwill to take up the case of solar power plant for Mysore?....he can surely move party leaders and the bureaucracy in Bangalore...He can Google, and connect with the company executives for details on the proposal,...More...

I Fleetly Flee I Fly....

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn goodbye.....Only for several weeks, dear readers. I will be away for an extended period of time this time, back in Croatia again, to teach once more at the International Vocal Arts Workshop.

The last (and first) time I went there, two years ago, I had no idea what to expect. I was filled with the excitement and anticipation that come before an adventure that is a glorious mystery, a journey into uncharted waters. I was nervous, and terrified that I would not live up to what was expected of me, that I would not enjoy myself, that I would spend my days wondering, "what am I doing here?"

More...

US Tamils aid panchayat schools

Organisers have decided to use the proceeds, by way of delegates fee and donations, for school education programme in Tamilnadu. TNF runs a pilot project in six panchayat schools of Madhurantakam taluk near Chennai. . . More...

Who is guilty?

Should I write about Canada’s high-handedness or about the Maoists?


The Canadians have apologized and I found another blogger who has shown her angst pretty well.

The Indian Civil Aviation Authority – A Reincarnation Of The “Bourbon Monarchy”?

While the analogy may sound to be a bit too far fetched, I nevertheless find a close resemblance between the Bourbon Dynasty and the Indian civil aviation authority. More

Pseudo Intellectuals, Please Stop Sympathizing With The Maoists If You Have Any Shame

You pseudo intellectuals are so shameless that you people did not bother to utter any word of criticism even after your beloved Maoist bastards massacred 76 CRPF personnel in Dantewada. Your sympathy for the so-called oppressed people turned Maoists is endless. But your hypocrisy held you back from shedding a single drop of tears for the bereaved families of those hapless security personnel, who had joined CRPF to serve the common people of India, including you people.

However, you still had the excuse that the Maoists had after all killed security personnel, i.e. the agents of “state atrocities”. More

The Fruits of Labour!

 

These plums are the fruits of labour. Pick them, and you are committing yourself to some hard labour!

Another Time, Another Place

Many moons ago, in a now nostalgically-remembered era when cell phones and iPods were a rarity, when people wrote and spoke in full sentences and looked each other in the eye, when food was merely food, when men and women could agree to disagree politely without shouting each other down and when human beings walked around being themselves and were not defined by a thicket of labels, in that long-ago time, I was a pawn in a corporate American arena. More....

Madan Tamang's Assassination In Darjeeling – GJM’s Ugly Character Out In The Open

The real character of Bimal Gurung’s Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) – i.e. an ugly and nasty one – came out in the open with the dreadful murder of All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang on 21st May 2010, in the picturesque hill town of Darjeeling in north Bengal. More

Obama Administration’s Strategic Mistake In The North Korea Issue

I feel that the Obama administration has committed a serious strategic blunder by openly siding with South Korea in the latter’s latest tussle with North Korea. By doing this the USA has not only diluted the opportunity to strengthen its own diplomatic interests, but has also created problem for South Korea, as well. More

Burqa Banning In Europe – Possibility Of A Negative Impact On Local Muslim Women

However, while I eagerly welcome the firm steps taken by the governments of the above mentioned European countries, I have also started feeling a bit uncomfortable about the possibility of certain negative developments. Few days back I read in news that a Muslim gentleman from Italy has said that since his wife can no more wear Burqa in public, therefore now he will not allow her to go out at all. And from now onwards she will remain confined within her home. More