Friday, September 22, 2006

Maaja Blog Naav.."From the Capital"

By now, i have been in Bombay (Mumbai) for three months and counting and must say, I like this place. (much like I liked Delhi and Bangalore; which means that I'll have a romantic view of the city, but find no romance in it!!!). As for the city, same for the language. Therefore.........

..........Marathi is a very fascinating language. Its not 'melodious' like Telugu or 'homely' like Tamil. Nor is it so 'chummy' as Kannada or 'easy' like English. But still its nice in a strange way that I cannot explain. Why I am I fascinated by Marathi? These are the following reasons:

1. The names of the buildings where I work in. Regularly - Prakashganga (The River of Light) and occasionally Prakashgarh (The fort/house of Light). Gives me the feeling as if I am in Shivaji's era.

2. The statement I see on almost every autorickshaw's rear: "Veej Vaachwa Bhaarniyaman Tala" --> Save Electricity and Escape Darkness. (I am damn sure about the first half, not so about the second)

3. My visit to Nagpur. I don't know why, but it struck some hidden memories of the good old Bangalore of the 1980s and 1990s.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The Map is not the Territory

So goes a famous saying. Basically it means that the diagrammatic representation of an area does not constitute the area itself.

Some food for thought for Kashmir fanatics on both sides of the Indo-Pak border.

POM=Piece of Mind

POM to Indians: However hoarse you scream, you are not going to get back PoK. Infact, it is not worth the effort. Simply drawing maps which represent the whole of Kashmir as Indian is not going to serve any purpose.PoK is gone forever. Instead concentrate on the remaining area and bring in law and order.

POM to Pakistanis: Someone rightly said that Indians and pakistanis are very much alike. Extending the logic, you guys can do what we can do, and cannot do what we cannot do. Just as India cannot throw you out of PoK, get rid of all delusions regarding removing India from J&K.

POM to both: Is it worth fighting over kashmiris who owe allegiance to both the parties, but claim independence just to create a temporary viel until the time they take the final opportunist decision?