The Oscar Gaffe

The choice of Ekalavya: The Royal Guard as India's nominee for the Oscars is pathetic to say the least. The selection committee has lost the match for the country before it starts. Why do I say so?

1. There was atleast one superb movie - Gandhi my Father comes to my mind. There may be many such hidden gems in regional movies.

2. From my empirical observation, I feel that the jury looks for meaningful cinema which is novel at the same time. Ekalavya may be a superbly shot movie; may have the old-world charm to it, but does it come close to Gandhi My Father? No, Sir!!!

Every year the selection committee makes the same mistakes. They just go by the names of the big stars and try to cash in on them.

When will these buffoons realise that popularity among desis doesn't mean that the whole world takes notice?

Photos from Bombay

This was taken just outside the domestic airport, Santa Cruz, Bombay. The auto driver had stopped to buy some pan-paraag. The kids in the picture had stopped to see the fate of a bottle that had been throen out of a moving car by some arsehole. The kid in the red vest was telling the others that the bottle would be crushed at any moment. And when it happened, this was the "Aha!! I told you so" moment
This picture was taken near Dharavi, Bombay during heavy rains. Heavy is a relative term; people here would classify it as a "trailer-baarish" as compared to 26 July 2005!!!

I was appalled to see this advertisement in the Times of India. Is this a way to sell an anti-virus? Or is there some hidden link connecting Krrish, Don and Symantec/Norton?

When Fear Strikes

Rush Hour on the local-train
Left me with no time
To reflect on the moment
The date and even the day

The sea of humanity at CST
All impervious to each other
Rushing to office/college
Or who knows, maybe even a leisurely stroll

All went well
Until I reached my destination
Which was on the 13th floor
Of the World Trade Centre

A look out of the window
The sea seemed shallow
And the fishermen's boats
Anchored like picture perfect

"Was that a plane?" said my mind
"Oh you fool its your imagination"
Said my heart kind;
September the 11th it is my boy
But New York it sure isn't, but think of them all the same
Those who died for Bin-Laden's joy

PS: A tribute to the 9/11 victims; this came about because of the fear momentarily generated in my heart while on the 13th floor of the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Bombay

The Age of Uncertainty

Once in a while everyone tends to have the good fortune to find a great book in the library; once in a while everyone has the good sense to retain this book at the expense of others given the limit on borrowings and once in a while everyone keeps themselves keyed up and reads the book word to word without losing interest even once.

Such a book is "The Age of Uncertainty" by John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and ex-USA ambassador to India.

This book is ideal for someone who is interested in a historical narration of the development of economic thought process. In this context Sharath Rao immediately comes to mind. The book provides an unbiased narrative, shows an understanding of the times that the theorists lived; and also touches upon the geographical aspects of the places where the theorists grew up in.

Adam Smith, Karl Marx, lenin, colonialism, the history of money are some of the topics touched upon. Beautifully written; engrossing, a must read for students of economics, history and economic-history/historical-economics.