Glenn Mcgrath strikes again....

.... or rather the entities from whom he derives his nick-name, the pigeons strike again. They are a real pest, let me tell you. Upto last month they were good neighbours; I let them roost and they never crossed the boundaries of my window.

The last week was an exercise in detection. Every evening, my toilet kit, deo and vicks bottle used to lie on the floor. I used to blame the easterlies, the westerlies and what not for their toppling over. I have even spent hours trying to analyse how the wind could have come in at such a bent angle and still manage to topple over stuff which is kept quite far away from the edge of the shelf.

Monday proved to be the 'eureka' day. It was early in the morning and I was about to leave for my gym, and I accidentaly managed to peek into my bedroom to look for a pair of socks when I had the shock of my life. Two bloody pigeons were hovering dangerously close to my after-shave bottle. The bastards had come in so silently; the sort of silence that would make stealth fighters proud.

My life has turned topsy-turvy. I was the proud advocate of not sealing off the space meant for the air conditioning unit in the name of fresh air. These bloody birds have made me seal the space with newspapers!!! Cheap as it may sound, this is a temporary measure until I get a screen window installed.

Bhagyashree might have sung

"Kabootar ja ja ja, Kabootar ja ja ja
Pehli pyaar ki pehli chitti, saajan ko de aa"

But my song is

"Kabootar ja ja ja, kabootar ja ja ja
Chitti to chodo, Pyaar karne waali bhi nahin
Bas mere ghar khaali kar ke chala ja"

Anyone with ideas on how to drive away pigeons please leave your suggestions in the comments section.

Chatpat Churumuri

Churumuri is a lovely blog with a Mysore connection. If you are wondering what Churumuri exactly means, check this out. Satiated your stomach? Now, read this to know what the online Churumuri is.

The way the blogs are written here are simply superb!! I love to just keep going through this blog again and again. I would suggest that you read the entries in this series of articles and in case you are able to make out who is being referred to, just smile and keep the name to yourself. Why would you want to point out someone directly when the folks at Churumuri are doing it in a subtle manner!!

This recent entry on the recent political crisis in Karnataka is a gem. Just imagine the creativity in linking this crisis to the morning-after crisis. And also observe the way the original advertisement is tweaked to give us the "maa-ji" CM's face. Awesome fun!!!

Talking about i-pills, check out this article by Rashmi. She sums up the potential misuse of this pill by the following phrase:

It would be terrible if young people decide to adopt the convenient route: Condom nahi hai? Koi baat nahin - you can always use the i-Pill. So let's go
ahead anyways.

Hopefully the young people being referred to should realise that i-pill does not protect against AIDS, syphilis etc

Back to Kannada naadu now. This sort of KLPD is happening for the second time with the BJP. The earlier KLPD giver was Behenji Mayawati!! Irrespective of how crooked politicians are, this sort of cheating takes the cake. And such instances can be summarised by some phrases like:

1. Suryange torchaa (Shine a torch to the sun?)

2. Neenu chaape kelage tooridare naanu rangoli kelage toortini (if you can slip under the carpet, i can slip under the 'rangoli'; now, beat that!!)

The BJP bufoons should have documented this formula of power sharing before the government formation and got it SIGNED in PUBLIC. There is nothing to substitute the legal validity of the written word. I just fail to understand how such simple formalities can escape notice in the mad thirst for power.

In case they end up in a similar situation the next time, they should sign the agreement; then maybe take up the first chance themselves and then when their turn comes to hand-over, they should hand over power WITHOUT fail. Not only would this showcase them as meticulous and street smart, but would also give them the tag of honesty, something which is not in the possession of any party.

Deve Gowda might be smirking now; but I wish from the blackest portions of my heart (and in case there are none I shall paint a large portion with that colour) that the Janata Dal ('Secular') is thrashed in the hustings, even in Gowda's home territory. People of Karnataka, we need more Tejaswini Srirameshs.

For the Kannada speaking AND the Electrically inclined

AND being the operative word, these phrases would mean greater fun if your logical output for the above condition is 1; else you may have to request translation which would rob you of the fun part.

1. Shunta = Shaata connected in shunt

2. Sirisha = Shaata connected in series

3. Shatki Diode = A diode made by the principle of shaata tunneling

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.