Look who is talking

    Uddhav Thackeray is talking about the right to protest at the Rahul Gandhi rally in Mumbai. Who are the Thackeray's fooling ? They are treating everyone in Maharashtra as if they are their slaves. Now they are asking for their own rights ? Shiv Sainiks were told by the state government that the demonstrations would not be allowed close to Rahul Gandhi's rally or something to that effect.

   

Teenage Suicide

    It was very sad to read that Mumbai is becoming the teenage suicide capital of India. Reason mentioned was that the teenagers are not able to handle their education pressure. The article has blamed the parents for building up that pressure on the teens. Parent's expectations have sky-rokected and everyone wants their kids to be at the very top.

   

Carnatic Music Idol

    Better late than never. At last, there is a Carnatic music competition, like the other idols, on Jaya TV. But the main difference is that judges do not fight or talk crap, competitors do not cry, judges do not discourage and is highly challenging. Singers are tested on lots of nuances. In this age of fast money, people still having passion for the arts, that too for not so well paying art, relative to movie music, is really commendable.

   

Toyota Recall - Better or for Worse

    Toyota recalls millions of its vehicles across different models for having a faulty gas pedal. It is a terrible thing to happen to a company like Toyota. People had come to trust Toyota as a company which makes reliable cars. Even big corporations look up to Toyota as a role model. Now this recall, just goes on to show that no one is perfect, of course. But I was wondering if this is really bad for Toyota's image, after all.

   

Carving Out UP and Bihar

    In all the brouhaha that is happening over carving out a Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh why cannot we carve out UP and Bihar and make them independent countries. One the state size and population would certainly warrant it as per the western standards (these states are as big as some of the countries in Europe). 

Saif On His Padma Shri

    Today I read in Hindustan Times Online edition that Saif Ali Khan saying "I don't deserve a Padma Shri". I was thinking to myself that at least he had the grace to come out in public and say that he does not deserve it and that there are other much more deserving senior celebrities. Apparently there were some protests about Saif getting the award. So given that, I am not sure if this statement came out of his own or because of the protests.

   

Predictably Irrational

   Topic of this blog post has been borrowed from the book by the same name. I am currently reading this book written by Dan Ariely. It is a very interesting book. I am sure we display and encounter irrationality everyday. This book probably triggered me to write this blog which I might not have written otherwise.

   

Phir nahi Mile Sur

    "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" (MSMT) has been relaunched as "Phir Mile Sur" (PMS). It definitely brings back the old days and makes you feel nostalgic but I have to say that it is mediocre. The photography and the presentation is good but it does not have the flavor of India which was in MSMT. As with any other thing, we get to see only our movie stars in PMS. We just do not want to venture into any other Indian achievements.
   
   

Is bollywood all we got ?

    Bollywood has infested every aspect of Indian television including primetime news. Media is obsessed with movies and the lives of movie personalities. 15-20 years back we used to have nice T.V shows be it serials, quizzes, songs, art, science programs, mushiara/kavi sammelan etc etc. Everyone used to wait for those programs.

That time of the year again: Padma Awards

    This would be my last blog posting about padma awards, I am done with it. I had written about my resentment towards these awards in the past. The unfair treatment (or a preferential treatment towards some) meted out by the Indian Government still remains in effect. This year I saw Ilayaraja's name among the list of other padma bhushan awardees like AR Rehman and Aamir Khan. I am happy for all of them but I feel this award has come too late for Ilayaraja.
   
    If Aamir Khan could get it, then there are much more deserving people in the film industry like Kamal Hassan, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Om Puri, Mani Ratnam (he has not even received Padma Shri yet, I guess)  etc just to name a few, who should have got it much before. Rekha gets Padma Shri now, after so many years, and after so many other actors (much younger) who received these awards much before her and who have hardly achieved anything in Indian cinema. It is clear now that it is all about how you position yourself in the awards market.
   
    This is just an example from our film industry. Imagine what would be happening in the other fields. I hope the Indian government wakes up to it, otherwise very soon these awards would cease to have any value at all (or may be it is already so).