Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Smoke'free' India?
I despise smokers. But nothing can be done about it. If someone I know smokes and I need to talk with them, I put up with their smoking. I am a compulsive passive smoker! or passive smoker by compulsion?! This is a democracy and I can not force someone to not smoke, especially if they ll anyway not listen. But, if one cigarette moves onto the second one, then I protest mildly, in a manner that I will try to make them put it back in the cigarette dubba.
I hope I will not need to do that anymore. With the smoking ban in public places coming into effect from today, things will hopefully improve. Already, I have seen signs of it. My colleagues have been forced to walk down to the road or go to the rooftop to smoke. Hmmmm...So they are getting some exercise before they puff away a few minutes of their lives.
I have to admit that of the many ministers in India, I seem to like Anbumani Ramadoss. That man has guts! To take on Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan and face the ire of the media, when the actors professed 'creative liberties' against ban on smoking on screen, is no mean task. He had his own reasons and rightfully so. He pointed out that youngsters in India get influenced by movies, especially actors like Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. But the actors did not agree. But the fact is that people get influenced by actors and movies. Neither do we see any of our 'netas' standing up for the people of the country. "I am the health minister of the country and it is my duty to protect the health of my people," Anbumani says. The tobacco and liquor lobby in India have always been strong and tried to prevail over any of the government's decision to ban or restrict the sale of liquor or cigarettes in the country.
However, it has to be seen how this ban will be enforced. The minister says policemen, security personnel, NGOs and other organisations will be given the power to levy fines. But how effective will it be? A journalist from another media organisation was telling me last year that when smoking was banned in public places a few years back in Chennai, he was smoking opposite Kamaraj Arangam, near the Anna flyover. "An inspector at the police station next to the hall saw me lighting up and came running, jumped over the median on the road and came near me. I thought I was going to be fined. But after taking a couple of deep breaths, he asked "do you have a lighter". I was taken aback. I handed him my lighter and both of us had a good conversation over a couple of cigarettes."
If this is going to be the state of affairs this time around too, then any further effort to ban smoking will not be fruitful until and unless India bans selling of cigarettes.
But we will have to wait and see if Anbumani wins the next elections and holds onto the health ministry. What if somebody else becomes the health minister next time around and overturns the ban?--Anything is possible with Indian politicians!!!
I hope I will not need to do that anymore. With the smoking ban in public places coming into effect from today, things will hopefully improve. Already, I have seen signs of it. My colleagues have been forced to walk down to the road or go to the rooftop to smoke. Hmmmm...So they are getting some exercise before they puff away a few minutes of their lives.
I have to admit that of the many ministers in India, I seem to like Anbumani Ramadoss. That man has guts! To take on Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan and face the ire of the media, when the actors professed 'creative liberties' against ban on smoking on screen, is no mean task. He had his own reasons and rightfully so. He pointed out that youngsters in India get influenced by movies, especially actors like Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. But the actors did not agree. But the fact is that people get influenced by actors and movies. Neither do we see any of our 'netas' standing up for the people of the country. "I am the health minister of the country and it is my duty to protect the health of my people," Anbumani says. The tobacco and liquor lobby in India have always been strong and tried to prevail over any of the government's decision to ban or restrict the sale of liquor or cigarettes in the country.
However, it has to be seen how this ban will be enforced. The minister says policemen, security personnel, NGOs and other organisations will be given the power to levy fines. But how effective will it be? A journalist from another media organisation was telling me last year that when smoking was banned in public places a few years back in Chennai, he was smoking opposite Kamaraj Arangam, near the Anna flyover. "An inspector at the police station next to the hall saw me lighting up and came running, jumped over the median on the road and came near me. I thought I was going to be fined. But after taking a couple of deep breaths, he asked "do you have a lighter". I was taken aback. I handed him my lighter and both of us had a good conversation over a couple of cigarettes."
If this is going to be the state of affairs this time around too, then any further effort to ban smoking will not be fruitful until and unless India bans selling of cigarettes.
But we will have to wait and see if Anbumani wins the next elections and holds onto the health ministry. What if somebody else becomes the health minister next time around and overturns the ban?--Anything is possible with Indian politicians!!!
Is Gandhi relevant today?
It's just like any other day today. Except that dad is at home. This is the second successive holiday. Yesterday was Eid, today is Gandhi Jayanthi. Even before I wake up lazily at 10.30 a.m (one of the few days I have slept so late in the past two months), dad and mom are at the Community Hall at the end of the street. The singer, who used to sing alongwith M S Subalakshmi is there to perform, my mom tells me. She returns after an hour, after I have finished my cup of green tea and an apple and finished reading the papers. Dad is still at the Hall. Am told that he is listening to someone speaking about Gandhi. He returns after an hour. I don't ask about what was spoken about Gandhi.
Gandhi is not relevant today. His ideals are. I dont like Gandhi, the man. Have never liked him. There are atleast a few thousand youngsters like me, who believe the same. Many of my friends detest Gandhi, a few of my teachers have. Gandhi is always a hotly debated topic, be it in schools, colleges, the media or by the politicians.Even US presidential candidate, Barack Obama swears by Gandhi. Obama is now a household name across the world, like Gandhi was, when India was fighting for Independence. Gandhi was fighting for freedom for a country of a few million people. Obama is supposedly fighting for change in a nation. The two big democracies in the world.
Obama said "Gandhi's significance is universal. Countless people around the world have been touched by his spirit and example, his victory in turn inspired a generation of young Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a century, and more recently led to velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe and extinguished apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr., spoke of their great debt to Gandhi. His portrait hangs in my office to remind me that real change will not come from Washington - it will come when the people, united, bring it to Washington."
A bespectacled, lean man with no shirt, a stick in hand, made a nation dream. Dream, that is what Dr Abdul Kalam tells the world.
When we were working on a story for Independence Day, I went to meet a freedom fighter,a member of the Indian National Congress who had spent two years in prison during the freedom struggle. While he was talking about what was happening in India during that time, I decided to prod him on the question of Gandhi and Subash Chandra Bose. I, for a large part of my largely insignificant life, have believed that Subash Chandra Bose would have driven the Britishers out of the country sooner and with lesser sacrifices. The freedom fighter doesn't disagree with me. He tells me that even among the people at that point of time, there was a slight dissatisfaction. Some of the youngsters began to believe that violence was a way out. The Indian National Army was gaining ground.
"But, both Bose and Gandhi believed that the time for taking up arms had not come," he said. Bose was waiting for his time. He told some people that the time for violence was not yet there. "This is time for peace. The time for violence will come," Bose reportedly had said. But, before the time for taking up arms had come, Bose died in an aircrash.
If a person like Subash Chandra Bose believed that peace was a way out of problems, Mandela,the Dalai Lama and leaders like them have proved it. 9/11, the 11/11 bombings in London, Godhra, Kandhamal, the spate of bombings across India and even Pakistan, leave us with a sense of distaste. It's even getting boring.What do they get out of all this? Probably, a few lives, at the most. Violence does not make a statement or else Lage Raho Munnabhai would not have been such a hit. No one wants to see violence, want to be a part of it. Probably, Gandhi is relevant. No... his ideals are!
Gandhi is not relevant today. His ideals are. I dont like Gandhi, the man. Have never liked him. There are atleast a few thousand youngsters like me, who believe the same. Many of my friends detest Gandhi, a few of my teachers have. Gandhi is always a hotly debated topic, be it in schools, colleges, the media or by the politicians.Even US presidential candidate, Barack Obama swears by Gandhi. Obama is now a household name across the world, like Gandhi was, when India was fighting for Independence. Gandhi was fighting for freedom for a country of a few million people. Obama is supposedly fighting for change in a nation. The two big democracies in the world.
Obama said "Gandhi's significance is universal. Countless people around the world have been touched by his spirit and example, his victory in turn inspired a generation of young Americans to peacefully wipe out a system of overt oppression that had endured for a century, and more recently led to velvet revolutions in Eastern Europe and extinguished apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr., spoke of their great debt to Gandhi. His portrait hangs in my office to remind me that real change will not come from Washington - it will come when the people, united, bring it to Washington."
A bespectacled, lean man with no shirt, a stick in hand, made a nation dream. Dream, that is what Dr Abdul Kalam tells the world.
When we were working on a story for Independence Day, I went to meet a freedom fighter,a member of the Indian National Congress who had spent two years in prison during the freedom struggle. While he was talking about what was happening in India during that time, I decided to prod him on the question of Gandhi and Subash Chandra Bose. I, for a large part of my largely insignificant life, have believed that Subash Chandra Bose would have driven the Britishers out of the country sooner and with lesser sacrifices. The freedom fighter doesn't disagree with me. He tells me that even among the people at that point of time, there was a slight dissatisfaction. Some of the youngsters began to believe that violence was a way out. The Indian National Army was gaining ground.
"But, both Bose and Gandhi believed that the time for taking up arms had not come," he said. Bose was waiting for his time. He told some people that the time for violence was not yet there. "This is time for peace. The time for violence will come," Bose reportedly had said. But, before the time for taking up arms had come, Bose died in an aircrash.
If a person like Subash Chandra Bose believed that peace was a way out of problems, Mandela,the Dalai Lama and leaders like them have proved it. 9/11, the 11/11 bombings in London, Godhra, Kandhamal, the spate of bombings across India and even Pakistan, leave us with a sense of distaste. It's even getting boring.What do they get out of all this? Probably, a few lives, at the most. Violence does not make a statement or else Lage Raho Munnabhai would not have been such a hit. No one wants to see violence, want to be a part of it. Probably, Gandhi is relevant. No... his ideals are!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Terrible English
Hmmm... Having begun to blog again, I have been going through what I have written in my blog so far. And I m surprised with the language I have been using all along- written in poor English. It probably stems from the fact that I don't have to mind my language in a blog unlike a news report. Nevertheless, all efforts will be taken to try to improve the way I have been writing so far...
Friday, September 26, 2008
Menacing looking black cat
This black cat was looking menacing and was even trying to intimidate people with a threatening tone of 'Meowww'. Sure was giving his/her best shot at it, I guess
Am back...
Finally, I am back again! After months of being bored of writing anything else other than news reports, I am now sitting idle and bored of just writing news reports following which His Highness has decided to blog again (as if I have been an avid blogger and have been blogging for ages!!) P.S. Such a long sentence is not allowed while writing news reports...so writing such a long sentence now seems like a whiff of fresh air!
I have also lost the habit of reading books now. So I intend to start again...hope soon. It's been a very interesting six months for me, ever since I moved to a new organisation. Having to cope with working for a totally different bureau to being once again demanded for the one I was earlier working, its sort of been a roller coaster. While I wanted to keep away from writing about work in my blog, the reference to it has been because of the roller coaster. Why the roller coaster? I don't know. But the word was there...so the roller coaster!
Also, with Calvin and Hobbes going to Mars on Calvin's vehicle, probably the roller coaster can make some sense! And of late, the quality of status msgs on people's google talk seems thought provoking and also quite funny at times!
The weather has been quite horrible in Chennai for the past two weeks. This is the time of the year, when the weather should be quite nice, when the sun actually beats down in a mild manner while there is cool wind blowing in the morning. But of late, Mr Sun seems to wake up too early and starts beating down fiercely at around 6 am itself (which points to the fact that nowadays am most often awake atlease by 7 am. Don't ask me how do I no about the sun rising at 6 am itself, when I myself wake up only later!)
Ah!! There is no wordcount to adhere to here, unlike a newspaper where ppl file stories based on wordcount! It's a long time since I watched a movie- the last one was Dasavatharam, about which I had blogged, which incidentally was my last post.
I lost my second helmet in eight months...slightly depressing. But this time some **###@@@@$$$ flicked it. So had to get a new one. Once again messed up with it-it's slightly big for my head :-( .
Also beginning to wonder if I have become lazy over the past few months or is it just indifference or am I using my time the right way? I guess its everything, though I have to accept the fact that I have become too lazy to pick up things that are not in order and put them in place at home. Probably as Calvin says 'Reality continues to ruin my life'. Ah! Nothing like sitting around doing nothing and just watching TV....naah I guess that's more boring than work! (Ya that's true...u ll have to believe me on that one!!) So, since I have come back to talking about boredom again in this post, I think I have run out of what to say...or just that probably I am bored to write anymore in this post. So, till I get bored again, see ya!! And by the time u r bored to read this becos u r bored to do anything else or are so jobless to read this, I believe u ll be bored again and might decide to do what you were supposed to do earlier(am not taking a call on that one tho!!)
I have also lost the habit of reading books now. So I intend to start again...hope soon. It's been a very interesting six months for me, ever since I moved to a new organisation. Having to cope with working for a totally different bureau to being once again demanded for the one I was earlier working, its sort of been a roller coaster. While I wanted to keep away from writing about work in my blog, the reference to it has been because of the roller coaster. Why the roller coaster? I don't know. But the word was there...so the roller coaster!
Also, with Calvin and Hobbes going to Mars on Calvin's vehicle, probably the roller coaster can make some sense! And of late, the quality of status msgs on people's google talk seems thought provoking and also quite funny at times!
The weather has been quite horrible in Chennai for the past two weeks. This is the time of the year, when the weather should be quite nice, when the sun actually beats down in a mild manner while there is cool wind blowing in the morning. But of late, Mr Sun seems to wake up too early and starts beating down fiercely at around 6 am itself (which points to the fact that nowadays am most often awake atlease by 7 am. Don't ask me how do I no about the sun rising at 6 am itself, when I myself wake up only later!)
Ah!! There is no wordcount to adhere to here, unlike a newspaper where ppl file stories based on wordcount! It's a long time since I watched a movie- the last one was Dasavatharam, about which I had blogged, which incidentally was my last post.
I lost my second helmet in eight months...slightly depressing. But this time some **###@@@@$$$ flicked it. So had to get a new one. Once again messed up with it-it's slightly big for my head :-( .
Also beginning to wonder if I have become lazy over the past few months or is it just indifference or am I using my time the right way? I guess its everything, though I have to accept the fact that I have become too lazy to pick up things that are not in order and put them in place at home. Probably as Calvin says 'Reality continues to ruin my life'. Ah! Nothing like sitting around doing nothing and just watching TV....naah I guess that's more boring than work! (Ya that's true...u ll have to believe me on that one!!) So, since I have come back to talking about boredom again in this post, I think I have run out of what to say...or just that probably I am bored to write anymore in this post. So, till I get bored again, see ya!! And by the time u r bored to read this becos u r bored to do anything else or are so jobless to read this, I believe u ll be bored again and might decide to do what you were supposed to do earlier(am not taking a call on that one tho!!)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Dasavatharam....hmmm!!
And to add to the countless number of reviews about the much hyped movie of Kamal, Dasavatharam, here are my views.
1) Kamal tries to rationalise and put two ends of the spectrum together at the beginning and the end of the movie- one who is thrown into the sea with the statue of his favourite God and the other who doesnt believe in God but says at the end 'Kadavul illena sonnen, irunda nalla irukkumnu daan solren" while leaning on the same statue that is thrown into the sea, is washed ashore after the tsunami.
2) Except that, there is absolutely nothing in the movie. Except for so many Kamals running around. Reminds me of the movie "Critters" where so many critters just keep rolling together and becomes a huge critter swallowing anything in its way.
3) The one comical scene that stood out for me in the movie is when George Bush asks "Cant we just use a nuclear bomb on that(the vial)?" That's just as stupid as the real Bush.
4)Otherwise, real bad effort of a movie. No story, no reason for so many Kamals. Cant see the fight scenes..too boring, songs are boring and unwanted (wasnt Kamal the guy who said Indians shud make movies without songs..He could have tried that formula here).. In short, dont waste your time
1) Kamal tries to rationalise and put two ends of the spectrum together at the beginning and the end of the movie- one who is thrown into the sea with the statue of his favourite God and the other who doesnt believe in God but says at the end 'Kadavul illena sonnen, irunda nalla irukkumnu daan solren" while leaning on the same statue that is thrown into the sea, is washed ashore after the tsunami.
2) Except that, there is absolutely nothing in the movie. Except for so many Kamals running around. Reminds me of the movie "Critters" where so many critters just keep rolling together and becomes a huge critter swallowing anything in its way.
3) The one comical scene that stood out for me in the movie is when George Bush asks "Cant we just use a nuclear bomb on that(the vial)?" That's just as stupid as the real Bush.
4)Otherwise, real bad effort of a movie. No story, no reason for so many Kamals. Cant see the fight scenes..too boring, songs are boring and unwanted (wasnt Kamal the guy who said Indians shud make movies without songs..He could have tried that formula here).. In short, dont waste your time
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