Roping in Bollywood for Hillary campaign?

Involving them in a poll campaign, even in India, has been little more than a media hype. In the recent UP elections the Samajwadi Party featured Amitabh Bacchan in TV promos. The super-star probably was more effective flogging Dabur Chyawanprash on TV. . .More. . .

HAM training at SJCE

During this period I met the other operators from Mysore – Yogesh (VU2YSG – not much of contact with him), Anuj (VU2JUN – presently working in Bangalore), Shiv (VU2SSR – went on to become a lecturer at the same college – presently Vice President of EXCEL SOFT), etc. . .More. . .

Ashden energy awards - 2007

This years winners include SELCO,BIOTECH, SKG Sangha from India. SELCO showed the way for diffusion of solar lamps with a sustainable commercial model with over 70,000 installations, mostly by street vendors. . .More. . .

My early schooling

I was then about4 ½ years. It was being managed by Mrs. Indramma, wife of eminent lawyer Mr. G.R. Sheshadri. I vaguely remember the entrance to the school situated on the right side passage of the main house. . . More. . .

Mangoes, Congress Grass and America

Alphonso mango gets its name from Alfonso de Albuqerque of Portugal who brought the mango to India in the 16th century. Called Apoos in Bombay, it is grown in the Konkan area and Pune. . . .I hope the USDA which was quite worried about flies & pesticides in Indian mangoes, can take responsibility for the Parthenium eradication in India!!!. . .More. . .

Know this bird ?

I was sitting in the Balcony, trying to study that boring Interference of Light chapter from Physics, when this bird decided it would be smart on me and wandered around, right in front of my eyes. . . .It's the Indian ROller I saw today, . . . Karntaka's State Bird!! Being a Kannadiga, I did'nt know that till today, until I searched the net. . .More . . .

NRI Parents meet: A non-starter?

On the privacy issue I believe that transparency is a key pre-requisite for social networking among visiting NRI parents. Of the 38 Yahoo group members I find no more than 11 have chosen to declare online their name, age, and location. I don’t find it encouraging, or even worthwhile, to interact with a bunch of unnamed persons, about whom I know nothing other than ‘encrypted’ e-mail ID. . .More. . .

Singapore snapshot - 7: Molly and I

We decided that she was going to be our mascot(I think she’s a female because she’s so cute). She did not seem to be perturbed by being so close to humans and she endeared herself to us even more by her proximity. I decided that she be named Molly. . .More. . .

Research grants for sustainable sanitation

Sustainable sanitation also includes the reuse of grey-water. Grey-water is identified as the waste water generated in households, excluding the water containing human excreta or urine, but including water from kitchens, bathrooms and washing rooms. . .More . . .

Father’s Day at the St. Francis

I ordered some roses from the hotel florist. The bill: $84 and 32 cents. I have the precise figure because the sales girl handed me back 68 cents when I paid out $85, in tens and five-dollar bills. If the florist found me weird, she didn’t show it. I must have been the only hotel guest who got away without tipping. . .More. . .

The Chinese Encounter

I was eagerly looking forward to some good spring rolls and stir-fried noodles. My escort, a Chinese student organiser, however, said that she hoped that it would be nan and chicken curry, in honour of the session devoted to India. 'I just love Indian curry', she said laughing. We reached the venue. Sandwiches from Subway were laid out in rows and we grinned at each other, though inwardly disappointed. . .More. . .

A change of heart

I need a stimulant to make me read, (no, it's not caffine, that's too intoxicating!),and my blog is just the right medicine to boost my neurons to an active condition. If there is a thought clouding my brian, I write it down, or type it into my comp, and zap, it has dissapeared, and my mind then becomes fairly clear, and concentrating becomes easier. . .More. . .

Caesar’s ally

While watching trailers of some Tamil films the other day I chanced upon one scene with a familiar face… a very familiar face. I was right, for it turned out to be my college buddy Vinay Rai! The bubbly chap was the joker-in-chief of our class, and his harmless pranks and wisecracks kept everyone in splits all the time. . . More. . .

The Planter's Club - Part II

The abiding tragedy of my life is and will always be the reluctance of Shilpa Shetty to marry me. She can find no better husband - charming, witty, not averse to polygamy - but somehow she hasn't cottoned on to the idea. I therefore decided to go with the Hoysala temples. . . More. . .

Singapore snapshot - 6: River raft race at Clarke Quay

Recently the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean” was released, for those who have watched the series this was another fun movie and features what is supposed to be medieval Singapore. That was fiction but Singapore celebrated the pirate theme by organizing a River Raft Race on the Singapore River at Clarke Quay with some of the participants dressed up like pirates and flying the “skull flag”. . . More. . .

Why Mysore ?

Because it has a million residents with nothing much to do.Other than Infosys training centre a few small software companies there is nothing in the city. Its educated population need to go out of town to work. . . More. . .

It that a 'goodbye' to blogging, Lakshmi ?

I have tried to give up writing because it wastes my time, but it is impossible. You see, because of my regret, I sneaked in 5 minutes from my study time to write this. And after writing, I am a little more satisfied. My regret is dissolving, little by little. Now, I can return to work with a smile. Goodbye.. . .More. . .

The Planter's Club, Sakaleshpur

....and we ended up going to the Belur and Halebeedu temples about an hours drive away. Was that good? Let me put it this way. If I have a one-or-the-other choice between seeing the temples and marrying Shilpa Shetty, I would unhesitatingly choose the temples. Only if it was a one-or-the-other choice, of course. I would much rather do both.........More. . .

NRI parents in the US: A life in slow motion

For visiting NRI parents, the point is not whether life is more conducive back in India than in the US. It is not an issue of Mysore versus San Ramon. I would like to have it both ways – live in India and also be able to visit often kith and kin in the US. . .More. . .

Singapore snapshot - 5

I observed Singaporeans from all walks of life and in all age groups including older people in wheel chairs, had turned up to watch the event. It is great to know that so many people back an Arts Festival here. We were sitting/standing next to a group of somewhat elderly group who were enjoying themselves quite a bit. There were kiosks offering free water (called Newater) and brochures for the various events on offer during the entire Arts Festival month. . . More. . .

An ode to RG

Almost Everything about ‘RG’,
The gait and the cigarette,
Spectacle drooping and studied,
Deep Intellectual anger
Soaring like summer-time mercury,
To the rollicking laughter
That blazoned a Child-like innocence,
Looked an Utpal Dutt reprint! . . .More. . .

The art of bargaining

We have been bargaining since many years, if all those American supermarket chains like Walmart and Target do arrive in Bangalore, engulfing the local vendors, then it is no surprise that the old women and the bargaining lot will become uncomfortable and some may even curse these superstores under their breath!. . .More. . .

B2B with K: Journey's End

Suddenly I was unbelievably rich, or that is how it felt. I had a return rail ticket to London from Basrur, the Indian tourist office chief. I had a pile of dollar bills in my top pocket from Eli. I had several hundred francs that Inderjit had boldly collected from his fellow students . . .More. . .

Small scale BPOs ?

What my friend does is quite simple - he takes the scanned form from a company in Bangalore and with the help of his employed boys and girls, he collects the data out of the form, send it back to the company. He process nearly 600-1000 forms daily and he is paid for that. . .More. . .

June is a time for Charity

There are hundreds of children in our neighbourhoods who need our help. Our support. So that they may go to school like you and I have.And there are our youths who have done well in their Board exams, have set their sights on higher studies but do not have the means to realise their goal. . .More. . .

A tryst with Mr. Destiny

You need to have seven syllables in your name, plus it should begin with the letter K, plus you should wear a sapphire ring on the middle finger of your right hand because otherwise Mars in the seventh house will team up with Mercury in the third floor flat and both will kick your sorry ass big time. . .More. . .

Singapore snapshot - 4

We did a lot of trekking through the park, on well marked and maintained trails. The park has put up enough observation shelters where one can “hide” and watch the wildlife in action. Wetland reserves are a very important part of the eco-system. In a steel and glass city state like Singapore, this is hardly what one expects. . . More. . .

Watergate, the unreported story

Newspaper and TV coverage do not alter the course of history. Reporters and columnists can nudge the pace of pendulum in its swing, but cannot reverse the swing of the pendulum. Watergate, however, changed the way the media reported people in power. . .More. . .

Singapore snapshots - 3

Take the MRT to Kranji MRT station (on the North South Line) and change to a “Kranji Express” bus service that goes around all the farms. You can use your easylink card and get your hand stamped so that you don’t have to pay each time you board for another venue. If you are paying cash, it costs you S$2 for the round trip, hop on and hop off anywhere you like. The bus goes around all the farms . .More. . .