Citizen Journalism - The "Media Periphery"

This is the gap that Citizen Journalism fills up. It is sort of a "media periphery", which accommodates those stories which do not make to the mainstream media, but are interesting all the same. The end result is a huge widening of media reach, thus facilitating our reach and accessibility to a wider range of news. And the benefit? Greater enrichment of knowledge (More information = More knowledge). More.....

10th Anniversary Of World Blogging

Today blogging features among the top hobbies (read passions) of the world, enabling a wide range of people (from celebrities to nobodies like me) to express their feelings/comments/evaluations, etc. on virtually everything under the sun.

Personally speaking, having a blog of my own has been one of the most significant things to have happened in my life. Through my blog I can share with the world my feelings, views, etc. on such a diverse range of topics (ranging from global affairs to my personal experiences), which is such a thrilling and fulfilling experience. Today I am an active member of the world blogging movement, and it is an identity that I am extremely proud of. Blogging is a revolution in the human civilization, and I cherish this fact that I am a part of this revolution. It is certainly true that I am a very ordinary blogger, and my contribution in the world blogging movement is simply negligible. But I am at least a part of the blogging movement, and that is all for me. More.....

Is “VIP Culture” Really Absent In The USA?

However, while evaluating the incident, a different thought came into my mind. While it is certainly true that the US government officials do not show any special treatment to the celebrities and politicians, does that necessarily mean that there is no “VIP Culture” at all in that country?

After all, isn’t it true that the business magnets and corporate Tsars hold huge influence in the USA, so much so that sometimes they even largely influence government decisions and policies? And is it really believable that the US government officials do not show any special favour to these people? More

Primary School Drop Out Honoured by Engineers

The Institution of Engineers ,Mysore Chapter, honoured one such “uneducated” person last year, breaking its old two and a half decade old convention. What are the special traits, attributes or qualities these engineers saw or considered in that uneducated person as to distance itself from its self- established norms as to bring this fifth standard drop out as to drape him with shawl, read citation and eulogizing him along with retired engineers on the same dais....More

Done with Bangalore

All set to return to Mysore tomorrow morning. My books, which weighed around 15 kgs, have already reached home. Few years back, I lived in Mylapore, Chennai for a good five months. When I left that place and came back to Mysore, I actually missed it for quite sometime. Perhaps because I thought Mylapore was the.... continue reading

A Matter of Life And Death

A new study finds that women who keep feelings of marital conflict to themselves are much more likely to die than those who don’t.

There is research (presented at the annual American Psychological Association) to show that for women, communication in their marriage could make the difference between life and death. Women who bottle up their feelings related to marital conflict are four times at risk of dying from various causes when compared to women who talk their heads off.

So if someone tells you that talk is cheap - it is not true in this context - in fact, it could be a matter of life and death. In a marriage, or any relationship, open communication is crucial - regardless of whether the couple is happy or not. Keeping it all inside only eats away years of your life.

So - how can you ...More.

Small Announcement

Today, when I took bath it was around 3pm and did not even eat the lunch. From morning ten, when I had come back from classes, I did nothing but stare at a website till the dreaded hour, 12 noon. The website continuously displayed the same message in spite of me refreshing it every ten seconds. This is the picture it presented. And waiting for the.... continue reading

Chattisgarh Delegation Visits MGP

Fifty people's representatives and officers of various local bodies in Chattisgarh state visted Mysore Grahakara Parishat office in two batches on 18-8-09 and 25-8-09. They interacted with MGP members on civic and consumer issues. They were given a demonstration about how various foods are adulterated and how one can detect such adulteration.

A Shocking Decision By The Supreme Court

A shocking decision by the Supreme Court in which it has termed a provision of law as legal fiction and disregarded it has been reported recently..... continue reading

Electricity - Charging More For Less Quality And Quantity

The five electricity supply companies (ESCOMs) in Karnataka have applied for yet another increase in tariff. The quality of power supply is steeply deteriorating with severe load-shedding, frequent interruptions and voltage fluctuations, but the ESCOMs keep asking for higher tariffs at every opportunity. As a result, the electricity tariff has increased by 60% in the last 9 years in Karnataka.... continue reading

Onam: Some interesting news

Some people call bloggers ‘scavengers of the media’. Never mind that. I am so touched by a news item that was splashed over the electronic and print media that I decided to write about it for the benefit of those who have missed the piece. To illustrate the contrast, I decided to add another story as well...

Niswarth - Caring for Disabled Tea Garden Workers

The life of Surjya Oraon, who is blind, changed considerably once Niswarth became a part of it. Surjya would take a bus ride into the nearby town of Oodlabari everyday and beg for a living. He is now fully employed at the incense stick production unit run by the Niswarth Centre in Bagracote. Read more...

Photos: Flowers for Onam

Of Friends - With And Without Faces

Here's a lovely picture my best friend Corinne sent me - and my spirits rose instantly!Hey Corinne - I just wish we can actually do this soon!

There's something about the beach at dusk (or sunrise) with friends that is purely magical.

I came across this cool poem recently. It seemed to very charmingly express what most of us experience with...More

Hello, can you please give my friend a . .

It was raining very heavily in the night, may be at around nine thirty. I was on my way home and stopped at a nearby medical store to buy some medicines for my grandmother. I gave the prescription to the shop keeper and was waiting to receive my order. At about the same time, a tall man came there and stood on the opposite side. He asked for something, which I could not hear. Not that I was interested, but since there was a heavy downpour, the whole area was deserted and normally, I should have clearly heard what he had said. Even the shop owner wasn’t able to hear him properly. By gesturing, he asked “What?” The tall man said..... More

I am Making An Appointment With Myself

Life is so rushed these days - I have been spending almost all last month at the hospital (mom is unwell) - I have been juggling time between work, taking care of my mom, cooking and all the other essential peripheral things life cannot run without. And obviously I've been wishing there was some way I could stretch the day some more, apart from wishing...More

Kaminey- not a review

Film watching is akin to a journey of few hours into the lives of so many- at once. It could be engaging, entertaining, thrilling, saddening, or even outright boring. Your reaction to the movie depends on how well you associate with the characters and the sequences. Sometimes, you may not associate with all the characters, but if the film maker is able to create enough drama and curiosity around the lives he is projecting, then that itself is sufficient to hold your attention span for three hours or so. Few days back......More

Remembering Ammai

Ammai was 96 years old. She had no health problems except dementia for the last two years. On 7^th afternoon she suddenly took ill and died the same night in a private hospital at Cochin. She did not suffer and did not make others suffer....

Monsoon blooms

Monsoons are made for Dendrobium orchids. I'm convinced of this. This season, like no other, sees my collection of orchids plump themselves up, fluff their petals, green their leaves and get all dressed for the greatest event in their calendar (and mine) ... the grand 'Bloom-your-heads-off Spectacle'!
Which means that in Mumbai, late-July onwards sees a lot of activity and barely-suppressed excitement in the orchid gardens. The flowers are coming!

Too much of a good thing

The thing I looked forward to the most when I was a kid (okay, when I grew up too) was ... vacations!
Sleep late, roll out of bed late, breakfast at noon, lie on the lawn and watch the clouds drift by, stroll, hang out with friends, watch movies, read and read and read ... oh, the sheer deliciousness of it!
There is a magical something in the very aimlessness and let-your-hair-down quality that these long holidays conjures up. Something that makes you long for it and count the days till you can revel in it again.

Ganesha sharanam

It's Ganesh Chaturthi this Sunday 23 Aug, and here's an offering to help remember Him when you are online. More...

An old-world briefcase

Grand-father-in-law was a very special person - if you were to hear his twin grandsons speak of their 'muthachan', you would agree readily too. Krishnan Kutty Menon was an agriculturist, who tended daily the small plot of land he had in Annanad, in central Kerala. He would escort the twins to school and back while patiently giving satisfactory answers and examples to (millions of questions)X2. More...

MASKS EVERYWHERE!

First it was the Japanese who always went around the World wearing masks and gloves long before this new bug called H1N1 came along. Now, it seems Indians have panicked (thanks to the high decibel, repeated screeching of anchors on news channels there) and loads of them were seen wearing these masks without knowing whether the masks they had on were really going to stop the infection from hitting them or not.

Lessons From Living -People Savvy

'What are the lessons you've actually learnt from all these years of living?"
This is a question I asked many of the people I know, sometime ago.

To read the answers people came up with read .......

Vande Maataram!

Here is wishing everyone a happy Independence Day - praying for health, peace and happiness.

Image courtesy: http://erazer007.wordpress.com

Vande Mataram from Bankim Chandra Chattopadyaya's "Anand Mutt" remains the classic Indian national song. Beautifully sung by Lata Mangeshkar ....More

Sri Krishna Jayanthi

For Krishna Jayanthi it is customary to draw the little feet of Baby Krishna going from the front door to the place where the pooja is to be conducted. It looks beautiful and children love to place their feet on the drawn feet and pretend they are Krishna. More here.....

Road to Nowhere

I’m happy riding back into this country. It is a kind of nowhere, famous for nothing at all and has appeal because of just that. Tensions disappear along old roads like this, said Robert M Pirsig in his book, The Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. To experience that, at least once in life, travel without the destination in mind. I happen to travel a lot and it is not the ..... More

Neolithic aesthetics

They were found in the settlement of Ain Ghazal, a Neolithic settlement quite close to modern-day Amman in Jordan. I was very fascinated by those eyes.

Continue

Sunday picnic with Ila

The last time I saw her, nearly an year ago, Ila was no more than a breathing bundle of tissues and bones, with a smile nonetheless, sustained by medicines, and sheer tenacity of her parents.Her father Srinivas attributes Ila’s remarkable recovery to ”too much fight in the little girl to let adversity, unspeakable pain, and a constant threat to life interfere with her sense of fun”. . .More. .

"Are you from a special category ?", asks a businessman!t

A businessman is on the verge of expanding his business. He knows, he alone cannot manage the entire affairs of the concern and wants a competent person to share his job. But how to find such a person is his biggest problem because this guy values nothing but competency; no influence, no quota and no money, all he needs is a capable person who can improve his business.Till now, he has met several people but he is, somehow, not satisfied with any of them. He is told by one of his friends to try for IIM guys, who are supposed to be...... More

MGP demands to retain District In-Charge Minister Shobha Karandlage

There are strong rumours in recent weeks that there are efforts made to transfer Mysore’s District In-Charge Minister Shobha Karandlage. Is there a need for a change of guards when Dasara is practically here? Is there a need to bring some new minister when she has been here for a short time and has accomplished a lot for Mysore? Just like it has become a routine thing for political leaders to request the transfer of inconvenient officers even before...... More

The Number

One of my favourite stories is that of the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and his mentor G. H. Hardy. Ramanujan, ill equipped to cope with the vagaries of the inclement British weather, fell ill in England. Hardy visited him in hospital, taking a ride in a taxicab...More here...

Call for reservation in Love

I'm writing this post with immense pain in my heart. Is this world only meant for select few lucky guys? What about ordinary guys like me? Why is that I'm rejected by every girl whom I approach, that too so rudely. Every time I seek a girl, I get nothing but outright rejection. I know I have few defects. In fact, deep inside me, I know that there is nothing which is praise worthy either and it is actually not just "few" defects. But how rude..... More

Wastage in government

It was Rajiv Gandhi who, I believe, once observed that not more than 15 paise in every rupee the government spent on welfare schemes made it to their intended beneficiaries. Inefficiency, wastage and corruption accounted for the other 85 paise. Over 50 percent of tax revenue in many states go for payment of staff salaries. . .More. . .

Actor in him

I do not regret having given up “stage” performances – I am fully satisfied playing “roles” in Real Life. The Actor in Me is still Vibrant. . . More

Goodbye, Friend

One of the victims of this year's drought and failed monsoon was our Kala Siris, or Albizia Chinensis tree. It was the tallest and grandest tree in our bungalow.

Unique Identification of Indian Citizens

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIA) formed in February 2009 is set to provide a unique number to all Indian citizens by 2011, at a cost presently estimated between Rs.30,000 to Rs.150,000 crores, with initial budgeted outlay of Rs.100 crores for the current year. It is expected to create 100,000 new jobs and business worth Rs.6,500 crores. UIA will create and operate a database to create a Multi-purpose National Identity Card for all citizens over 18 years of age, with a unique number along with photographs and biometric data. It will link together various existing identity databases like.... continue reading

Are you Krishna conscious?

It's Krishna Jayanti later this week. Here's a quiz (prepared for a local event) on the Lord and His doings. Hope you feel blessed enough to take the very simple challenge. :) More

Do you really need a blog?

Or 6 reasons why you need a blog.

Blogs may have been born as personal journals - but today - they have exploded as a business application thanks to their far-reaching effects. Just some of the benefits of blogging are... More...

You Have The Power!

Here are some wonderful 'Monday' thoughts that can easily be converted to action, age no bar. More...

Let's Kick Some Butt!

Of late, am so into these misleading titles... that people expect something totally different from what I actually end up writing. Yeah - this post is similar - am yet again spreading sweetness and light. I have this super-affinity to all things health-related - could be my constant association with hospitals and doctors - could be because I am part of an ethics committee (that evaluates protocols for clinical trials) - and could be just that I am fulfilling that sneaky wish to share information that can make life better...

Whatever - this one's about smoking - and why it is time to kick that butt. More...

That's what friends are for...

This is for Corinne, my best friend. It is one of my favorite songs and says it all. More...

V. Muthusamy Iyer, Thamizh Scholar

The article is about Sri V. Muthusamy Iyer, my husband’s grandfather (maternal) who was a Thamizh scholar. It is remarkable that a scholar of this stature lived in a not so far past. We are proud to be a part of his family. Read about him....

MONSOON MAGIC - 2

Winding down the narrow roads of the Western Ghats with enough twists and turns to churn whatever is in the stomach, one finally emerges in the coastal area of Karnataka near Honnavar Town where the mountain road meets the so-called National Highway NH-17. The “highway” is quite narrow by International standards and was badly worn out and exposed in stretches. Swollen rivers and lakes were all around us as we drove North towards Goa, reaching a wet and windy Colva Beach (Colva is near Madgao for those familiar with the larger cities of Goa).

He might have taught at IIM-A, so what?

When Lalu was the Railway Minister in the previous U.P.A government, he was credited for having brought a turnaround to the Indian Railways. That Indian Railways- wholly controlled by the Indian Government-, which until then was tottering under heavy losses started earning profits during his regime is a legend now. I was not amused. But I was really surprised when IIM-A had.... More

WHERE IS THE AUDIENCE

. . . . The paucity of audience was compensated for by the mikes – we got six – and our own enthusiasm. We sang for 75 minutes . . . More. .

Mobile entertainment

Now that the Big 10 bus services have been introduced in Bangalore, I find my self using the service to go to town...quite literally. During weekdays we car pool, so during weekends I use this service to give me a break from driving. During my travels from home to Brigade Road I find myself seated next to a lot of people who use the travel time to catch up with friends, relations, parents, BF/GF etc. Of these, the mallus are the most voluble...more.

Aadi, Sri Krishna Jayanthi and Ganamritham

Sri Krishna Jayanthi, which falls this year on August 13, and the series of concerts are part of the two-week celebrations. At Sri Gaudiya Math where we are going to sing today, a series of sequences from Lord Krishna’s life are exhibited. See here

Thatched Roof Memories, and a Mystery

The words are like a magic incantation: Dhalankuthakadhiku thaka thadhinginathom. Chanted to a rhythmic marching beat of one-two-three-four. The years fall away, and I am back in dance - Bharata Natyam - class. There is a pervasive memory of heat and humidity. In my reminiscence, it is always May, when schools and colleges are closed for the summer holidays. More...

People: The village savoury maker

There was a long list of palaharams. It included ovulos unda, ari unda, Achappam, cheeda, kuzhal appam, and more. She also ventured into diamond cuts and burfi, as a concession to changing times...

"A rose-red city half as old as time"

Al Khazneh, as you emerge from the Siq

We soon left the hills of Amman behind and found ourselves surrounded by largely featureless desert. Some hills dotted the distance, there was little vegetation and only the tall, wind blown swirls of sand broke the monotony. I had half hoped for some pale imitation of Wadi Rum, but no luck: the desert was not giving up its jewels to casual passers by. Featureless settlements had come up around the few crossroads, each with an oil-stained garage, a shop or two, a very basic restaurant and some windowed concrete blocks that served as houses.

Continue...

Oh, please don't!

Nagging and punishment just don't really work. Just imagine - the repercussions - be it management styles, teaching style, parenting or relationships - could be enormous. . .More

Of jerks and losers

So in one of the easiest selections in the 3-week-old history of the 'Biggest Losers Blog', here's presenting our #3 nominee, Dr, Conrad Murray.. .More. . .

Household energy audit

The Green entrepreneur Ashwin has offered to draft a project paper; and also conduct a pilot programme to give us a sense of its working - 'I know of a school (Vidyavardhaka, Kuvempunagar) which has many eco-conscious teachers'. . .More

Opinion: Justice KT Thomas on the frisking of Dr. Kalam

Most of the points presented in the write-up by the former Justice of the Supreme Court of India are valid. But in my opinion, what he has stated is a personal opinion and not a judicial assessment. And, on certain counts, my views are different...

A Paper Plane to the Devils from "Hell"

The kids scream so much everyday now that that its’ unbearable. The elders in the Van find a more dignified way of expressing their anger. The Van has been bought from Hella manufacturing company, the sticker above the left window says so. They work together to scrape off the “a” with their fingernails, rechristening the little rectangle on wheels “Hell”...More

Welcoming The Newest

The VIP who my mother knitted it for has made her appearance.....Though we haven’t seen her yet, we hope to be with her in some weeks’ time. But here we are all excited, conveying the news....More