My Two Cents

To cut a long story "short"

2010-05-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

Much has been made about team India's ignominious exit from the T20 world cup. Afterall, this is the second time that we are returning home after shamelessly losing all our matches in the super 8's stage. So what went wrong for the Men in Blue who are demi-Gods in India ?

Is it the IPL ?

Well, a moron called Rajdeep certainly seems to think so. Inspite of many experts and stalwarts saying otherwise, the cricket-mad public LIKES to believe that India failed because of the sham called the IPL and the extravaganza that went along with it. The most common opinion on the street is that "Team India is distracted. They dont take things seriously"
But a closer look will tell us that many international players who played the IPL did very well for their respective countries. The same Gayles, Husseys and Watsons who played the IPL are kicking their opponents' butts in the T20 WC. Also, as rightly pointed out by experts, T20 internationals are nowhere close to being as grueling as Test or one day matches. So, four over spells on alternate days is actually more $$ for lesser work.

Is it because of flawed selection ?

Some people do have the factitious belief that India failed majorly because of flawed selection policies adopted by Messers Srikanth and Dhoni. One couldn't be farther away from the truth.
Yes, there were selection issues, but then it is indeed ridiculous to say that Uthappa would have won us the T20 WC singlehandedly. Along the same lines, it is also ludicrous to assume that Jadeja's on field disasters were the root cause for India's unceremonious exit.
The same people who castigate Yuvi, Pathan, Raina etc today would have been more livid at Srikanth had he left them out of the squad based on their recent form. What exactly do you expect Srikanth to do ? Yes, he did give Murli Vijay and Dinesh Karthik chances and people criticise him for favoritism and unfair bias. Well, if I remember correctly, Tamilians always gave their unconditional support to the Indian team inspite of talented players like Hemang Badani being consistently ignored. They did not shout from the rooftops at the inclusion of buffons like Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Sairaj Bahatule, Sunil Joshi, Deep Dasgupta, Nilesh Kulkarni etc. Neither did they point fingers at the Bombay lobby or the Bangalore lobby. In any case, players like D Karthik and M Vijay have a much better chance of surviving a Bollinger spell in Perth than Dhoni. So, people who are pissed at the selection better get some perspective.

Where does the answer lie ?

In spite of opposition captains publicly saying on every available TV channel that India's flat pitch
Z(H)eroes would be targeted with short-pitched bowling, the Indian team failed to get the memo.
In fact it was less than a year ago that they had received a pasting at the T20 WC in England because of the exact SAME reason.
Even George Bush cannot be fooled twice, but apparently the Indian team can. Or, they have been lackadaisical enough to give a damn about their gross technical incompetence. This is where the IPL comes in. The time that Pathan and company should have spent taking batting lessons from Sachin and Dravid was spent partying. The result was there for all to see and India's batting zeroes danced better than the late Micheal Jackson when confronted with short-pitched stuff. I guess it is almost irrelevant to mention the fact that our bowling was a disaster waiting to happen.
Afterall, our bowling has always been substandard. Why change now ? If Ashish Nehra is your pace spearhead, I guess it is much better to gracefully forfeit the game without taking the trouble to show up at the ground. Of course, there will be the usual clamour for making better pitches and getting better bowlers, but a few wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh on flat tracks will "restore public confidence in our batting juggernaut".

Unless the general public stops taking India's home wins too seriously and overestimating India's prowess, India will continue to remain (paper)tigers at home and also-rans abroad.

Seruppadi for Dummies

2010-04-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

A detailed guide to getting footwear thrown at you by the fairer sex.

Pickup line no.1 - "When I was bird watching, just when I was bored watching, you made me fly"

Line no.2 - "You are so fair, I wanna take you to the fair and see how we fare"
followup line : (I dont have $$ for the fare)

Line no .3 - "The reason I threw a paper rocket at you was because I mistook you for the moon"
followup line : (Your dimples like the craters on the moon)

DISCLAIMER : This book is a step-by-step guide on seruppadi. The author is in no way responsible for situations that lead to Dharma-adi by the general public

'Right' Perspective

2009-05-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, The elections are over and the results are out :D

The INC or the Italian National Congress has won a convincing victory !!.

The day began with Rajdeep S of XXX TV predicting that the congress would win 550 seats in parliament, before his panelists reminded him that the parliament had only 543 seats and that Bangladesh wasn't a 'swing' state.

As the results started trickling in, the writing was on the wall. The BJP had been vanquished and the commies had been tamed. A truly remarkable aspect of the victory was its magnitude, given Rahul Gandhi's best efforts to deflate the congress. He had single-handedly through his asinine efforts tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. All it took him was a press conference.

Rahul may have claimed that "empowering villagers would end terrorism in 15 minutes", but if he had ended his press conference 15 minutes later, he would have ended the congress party.

But however in spite of all the clownery going on, it was the indian electorate who prevailed and proved to everyone that they were not going to be fooled. They were going to vote on issues like

Free land, Free TV sets, Free electricity, Loan waivers, Free cash, Free biriyani and free liquor unlike losers who voted on other trivial issues like terror, economic stability etc.

Maybe they didnt know that India's fiscal deficit was in double figures (one of the highest in the world) and that India's debt had been given junk rating. But who cares about fancy elitist shit like that when u can drink, burn effigies and throw your footwear at any politician irrespective of his political affiliation ?

On Monday the stock market soared 2000 points on the baseless rumor that Manmohan is an economist. Is that true ?

5 years of unending prosperity and bliss awaits.....

- Tejas

Let's play a game....

2009-03-21T14:09:00.001-07:00

Here is where I continue from my previous blog post about the current economic downturn.
So which economic theory will last the test of time ? The answer is without doubt CAPITALISM :D

"See, the whole free market is collapsing before your eyes"
"The collapse of the US market and the subsequent meltdowns in Asia and Europe show that Capitalism is failing"

What can you say about the above statements ? Firstly , they are inherently flawed.
The FREE MARKET HAS NOT AND WILL NEVER FAIL.
GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN THE PROCESS MAKES IT FAIL.

Let us see how communism works using Game Theory. For those familiar with Game theory, here is a small intro. Game theory is used to capture how humans respond in various strategic situations. There are many outcomes, but however, in a lot of cases, the best possible outcome is not what really happens.

In this case, we consider A and B.
A is a person and B is the rest of the society.
W => Work
NW => No Work/Dont work

In every square, the top portion represent results obtained by A and the bottom portion represent results obtained by B.

Consider that you are the person 'A'. Whatever u work will be pooled in with the work of the society 'B' and then the results will be equally distributed. A doesnt know how hard the society is working. Similarly , each and every one in the society will not know how the hard the other person is working. If we consider the boxes, we have 4 scenarios.

Scenario 1 : Both A and B (society) work hard and end up with profits.

Scenario 2 : A works well , but the rest of the society's output is not good enough. So, compared to what effort A put in, he will not get the results to compensate that. So, A ends up with a loss.
The society enjoys a small profit at the expense of A's hard work.

Scenario 3 : A doesn't work hard , but the rest of the society manages to put in effort and create some output. So, ultimately A makes a small profit, because he is getting something without doing anything. B takes a loss, because people like A are a burden to society.

Scenario 4: A also doesnt put any effort. The rest of the society also doesn't work. So there is no profit for anyone and no loss for anyone.

What is the ideal case here ? Scenario 1 of course. Both A and B will end up with profits and live in harmony ever after.

But very sadly, game theory proves that that never happens.
Why is that ? That is because of underlying human nature. Here , the 2 participants A and B have no idea of what each other is doing and cannot trust each other.

A will think --> "what if i put in effort and then end up with a loss because other people in society have not worked hard enough ?"

similarly, each person in the society will have the same thought as A. They fear that they will end up with a loss if other people in the society dont work as hard as them.

So, what are the options before A ?

If he works, he will get either Profit, or a loss
If he doesnt work, he will get a small profit, or wind up with no profit-no loss

The same are the options before B.

It is proven that both A and B will go for the option of not working, BECAUSE THAT WILL WORK OUT BETTER FOR THEM ON AN AVERAGE.

So, we will wind up with scenario 4 , where noone does any work.
What will result ? massive stagnation, absence of any development and abject poverty.

Now u know why capitalism works :))

- Tejas

Marx my words !

2009-03-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

"Democracy will ultimately collapse into socialism(communism)" - Karl Marx

Before embarking on writing this blog entry, I would like to emphatically proclaim that I am a proud free-marketeer who believes in the tenets of capitalism.
Yes , this blog is going to be about economics (yawwwnnn :) ). Well, I would be deceiving myself if I were to believe that this topic would appeal to most people. But however keeping in mind the current economic downturn, it would be nice to delve into the reasons that got us here.
I consider myself a layman in financial issues (but however, it is also one of my passions). Lemme try to explain what I understood from this financial chaos.

What exactly happened

Let us consider a guy called ABC and a bank called XYZ. ABC has seen that property prices are going up everywhere. So, he decides to buy a house. The house costs Rs. 70 lakhs. Even though ABC is unemployed, the bank XYZ gives him a loan of 70 lakhs. Why ?
Isn't giving a Rs.70 lakh loan to an unemployed person risky ? how will he give the money back ?

The beauty here is that the banks never expected to get their money back :)

what the bank XYZ thought ---> "ok...this guy will not give the money back. So, we can seize the house when he defaults on the loan. By the time the guy defaults, he defaults, the house price would have shot upto Rs.80 Lakh. We can sell the house at that price and make a cool Rs.10 lakh profit "

well, in a few months, the price went upto 80 Lakhs.

What ABC thought--->"ok, the price of the flat has shot up to Rs.80 lakh. I have already got a loan of 70 lkahs from the bank. Now, let me borrow another 10 lakhs. With this new loan of 10 lakhs, let me buy a huge car and go on a vacation. Afterall, if something happens, I will sell the house at 80 lakhs and give the money to the bank. "

The bank XYZ gives this 10 lakh loan, because, after a few months , the house will be worth 90 lakhs rite ????

What actually transpired ----> The housing bubble burst. Housing prices collapsed. The house that ABC bought at 70 lakhs is now worth 30 lakhs, and sinking fast.
ABC has no option but to file for bankruptcy , or default on his payment.
Remember, ABC actually owes the bank 80 lakhs (70+10). So, the bank seizes the house. But finds that it is worth only 30 lakhs.
Bank has a loss of 30-80 = 50 lkhs

Now, banks are facing huge losses. So, they stop giving loans to people like they used to.
But if people dont get the money they want , they are pissed. What do they do ?
They vote out the government.

what the government thinks -----> "Damn ! if we dont get these banks up and running and lending to people again, the people will get pissed and not vote for me. Hmm...there is one way out. Whatever tax money I have got out of the people, I will give it to these banks so that they can lend more money to undeserving people."

So, this is how money gets transferred from law abiding, non risk taking , hard working citizens to jobless people (remember XYZ) who took unbelievable risks

It is interseting to note that the same thing is happening with "BIG FIRMS"
Firms like General motors, Ford etc having huge losses. Why ? They had labour unions which demanded a large pay for a small amount of work. So, their cars became expensive.
So, in such a downturn, people stopped buying these cars and went in for Japanese cars which were cheaper. So, what happened ?
GM and Ford are facing huge losses. They have 3 million workers working for them directly and indirectly. They have no choice but to file for bankruptcy. But if they do, some other company will take them over. If some other company takes over, they will fire 1.5 million and retain the other 1.5 million workers.
So, 1.5 million are unemployed. They are pissed.

What the Government thinks ----> "Oops, if i dont pump more money into GM and Ford (which are practically dead), I will lose 1.5 million votes. So I will take tax-payer money and give it to GM and Ford "

Money which should have been used for development and other purposes goes for propping up a failed business which hardly deserves any sympathy.

But why are communism and socialism collosal failures ? I shall try to explore that next :D

-Tejas

The news that Isn't

2009-03-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

What do you do when one of your best frds has no time even to respond to your offlines/chat messages/sms's etc ?
Here is an innovative idea.

NEWS REPORT

Mr.Keshav Kandhadai Mukund hailing from Chennai has broken the world record holder for the maximum number of hrs worked in a day. KM Keshav or 'Sloth Kamnaati' as he is popularly called, clocked 25hrs , 4mins and 30 seconds of work on a single day.
Keshav had managed this unbelievable feat by working on different time zones during the same day (or some crazy shit like that)
Part of this marathon feat was a 1hr telephone call from an abusive caller in the United States. It was later learnt that the caller was one of Mr.Keshav's best friends and that Keshav had mistaken him for a customer. Some of Mr.Keshav's most vocal detractors allege that his achievements are bloated because of the sheer volume of prank calls made by anonymous female admirers. When contacted, a spokesperson for Mr.Keshav categorically rejected the allegations as baseless and untrue. Mr.Keshav himself could not be contacted for a statement on the issue as he was troubleshooting a windows-2009 bug for Bill Gates.

- The abusive caller from the USA

Perception and Reality :D

2008-12-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

I wrote this blog at one stretch after listening to a CNN-IBN/NDTV new report.
The un-highlighted part is what we are supposed to presume and the highlighted part potrays reality :D

1) The Prime minister condemns the attack and says that the perpetrators will be punished (just like Dawood ibrahim)

2) No comment from Pratibha Patil (because she has forgotten that she is the president)

3) An all party meeting is convened where the PM takes stock of the situation (all parties stage walk out after 10 minutes and PM is left all alone).

4) Security is 'beefed' in all the metros (with 5 constables who are armed with state-of-the-art lathis)

5) China says that its sympathies are with India (and Its missiles are with Pakistan)

6) The USA calls it a barbaric act (and sends Condi Rice for a fully paid vacation to India for a month)

7) The PM blames pakistan and ISI operatives for the attacks (Pak refutes the allegations , 10 minutes before the PM blamed Pak).

8) The cricket tour to Pak is cancelled (which upsets Afridi who was eager to kick Bhajji's ass yet again)

9) Rajdeep Sardesai comes up with a unique solution (lighting a candle for every attack)

10) The defence minister attends meetings with the army chiefs (and comes to know that Assam and the northeastern states are part of India)

11) India gives a 48 hour deadline to Pak to act. (because, the previous 72 hour deadline expired 36 hours ago)

12) The air force is put on 'Passive defence alert' which is the last stage before an attack. (at the last moment, the tyres will be inflated and petrol will be filled)

13) The army is put on high alert ( some world war II cannons are moved to a village near Pak border)

14) This time, strict 15 days notice is given to Pak (because of festivals/holidays etc in between)

After 15 days, another terror attack takes place (Go back to step 1)

The Politics of Nothing

2008-12-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

‘Terrorists stage a multitude of attacks on India’s commercial capital Mumbai. Blasts rock Ville Parle and Churchgate’

This was the news which confronted me first thing in the morning on November 26^th (as I currently work in USA).

Well, what’s new ?

‘This is the first time that terrorists have spread out into groups and fired indiscriminately on citizens’

Okay, well atleast something is new about this scenario. I wondered why this news did not even cause me to bat an eyelid. This despite having deep connections to Mumbai (being born in Mumbai and most of my maternal relatives hailing from the city) .

Although my heart went out to the victims of the attacks, I could not help brush aside a feeling of nonchalance and disinterest. I wondered as to how I had transformed into this ‘callous’ person who could no longer relate to the reality of a terrorist attack and the pain that it subsequently brought. My thoughts went back in time to the afternoon of December 13^th 2001. I was merely a young lad studying in Std 12. I could remember vividly the events that unfolded on TV that afternoon. As I returned from school, my grandmother exclaimed to me – “Teja, terrorists have struck at the parliament. There is a gun battle going on !”. Being a hot blooded teenager, the news angered me and it gave rise to a feeling of bloodthirsty revenge. I was confident that the BJP government at the center would respond in kind, avenging the attacks that had struck at the very heart of Indian democracy.. But however, after much grandstanding and posturing, it became evident that India was not going to respond afterall.

Months passed. On May 14^th 2002, terrorists had struck again, their target being the soldiers’ psyche. Terrorists had killed the kith and kin of soldiers serving at the nation’s borders. I was seething with rage again. Surely this kind of attack warranted a response. Fiery speeches were made by the nation’s leaders. Rhetoric ruled the airwaves and war was imminent. But however, I was once again stymied to find that India lacked the backbone to retaliate.

Despite being sorely disappointed, I somehow nurtured the factitious belief there should be a valid reason behind India’s reluctance to act. Months later, Akshardham followed.

Power changed hands in 2004 and India stepped from the frying pan into the fire. In July 2006, blasts rocked Mumbai’s commuter trains. But however, this attack was also brushed under the carpet and accolades were showered on Mumbaikars for their fortitude.

By the fag end of their tenure, the UPA government became the laughing stock of the world as terrorists struck week after week at different cities across India. All the government did was watch from the sidelines.

Then my thoughts came back to the present. As I write, Afzal Guru is still alive living a life of luxury in prison. I smirked as I realized how impotency and apathy had become ingrained in our psyche. I logged into social networking sites like orkut to find my fellow country-men engaging in a war of words over the attacks calling for ‘immediate action’.

But however, I have come to realize that in India, life has no value and action is mere fallacy.

I bet that the coffee shops inside the Taj will be teeming with people within a week and that the attacks will be forgotten.

Wanna bet ?

- Tejas

First Love

2008-10-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

I saw her first in 2004. Her sleek appearance captivated me. Her purring voice was music to my ears. The minute I saw her, I knew she was the one.

The first ones to know were Kaushik and Keshav. Kaushik was initially apprehensive, but gave the thumbs up based on the family from which she hailed.

Keshav was unusually enthusiastic (for his usually slothy/teddy bear self). He even came with me to see her in person. He smiled and said “great choice da”.

Now , I had to tell this to ABC and XYZ (my close friends).

I thought “Boy would they be excited !!”.

ABC was amazed.

ABC : “yenna da solre ? nijamava ?”

Me : “aamam da..yenakku avala romba puduchirukku”

ABC : “Dei, u are telling me that she is Japanese. Will it not be a problem ?”

Me : “Dei, her mother is Indian da, and her father is Japanese. But now, they have separated.”

ABC : “What a mixed up family ! Well, If she is Japanese, what all does she eat ? nadakkardhu, parakardhu etc ?

Me : “Dei ava oil items mattum thaan saapuduva. She kinda likes them.”

XYZ : “Unna poi ava eppudi tolerate panna poraalo !”

Me : “Are you kidding me ? She gets a kick out of me everytime we are together."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Kesh chuckling to himself. Afterall, he had see her.

ABC was understandably eager to see her. He was insistent that I bring her to college one day and introduce her to the gang. He had conveyed the news to a couple of his friends and his excitement was palpable. But I knew that the time was not right.

So I waited….

A few days later , I called ABC in the morning at about 7 AM.

Me : “Dei machan, I am gonna make her mine. Register panna poren da”

ABC : “dei !! yenna da sudden-a ?? U gotta be kidding. Unnaala mudiyaadhu.”

Me : “Of course I can…wanna bet ?

ABC : “Come on da. Nee poi solrae. What will your parents say ? “

Me : “I have already conveyed my decision to them”

ABC : “dei..U sound like u are serious ! naanga yaaravadhu varanuma ?”

Me : “Vaendaam..I will ensure that there are no hassles in the procedure”.

It was 8:30 AM. Everything was set. I messaged Kesh informing him that I would be arriving at college in a few minutes and that I would be meeting him at the vacant parking lot in our college . Kesh brought ABC and XYZ down to the parking lot and covered their eyes.

When they opened their eyes, they saw me with my BRAND NEW HONDA UNICORN

ABC : “Dei $#@^&* (unutterable expletives) , Yenna da idhellam ????!! “

XYZ : “Yenna da !! ippudi deceive pannitiye !!”

Me : “ Guys, idhu thaan yen first love. Ava amma Indian (Hero) and ava Appa Japanese (Honda) . Naan sonna maadhiri , ava oil items mattum thaan saapuduva (petrol)

Of course, she gets a kick out of me everytime (no electric start, only kick start)

Innikku morning thaan vandiya register pannen.”

ABC chased me around the college building desperate to lay his hands on me, but thankfully, I gave him the slip. Of course, XYZ gave me her customary angry glare for the rest of the day.

Too bad I sold my Unicorn a months ago :(((

But even today, when bikes race past me, I am reminded of my beloved Unicorn.

Aahhh..those were the days …. (sigh….)

A tribute

2008-08-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

A tribute to my brothers in Jammu who are fighting for holy land that is rightfully theirs.
I salute you.

People like me are there with you in spirit and you remains in our thoughts.

The jackal howls in the Lion's den

2008-07-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

"Terrorists can surprise Us " - (Un)Hon'able PM Dr.Manmohan Singh
Well, it was no surprise to me and atleast a few million citizens in India. It is a well known fact that India is a sitting duck as far as terrorism is concerned. The terrorists have proven that they can strike at will at the place of their choosing.
"Please stay indoors...do not venture out" - Shivraj Patil
These were the same words used by our home minster when there were blasts on the eve of Diwali (forgive me for not mentioning the year...there are so many blasts, I am unable to keep track of them.)
It made me wonder as to which home minster in his right senses would make such a statement. The home minster is supposed to say something like "Citizens, do not be afraid. Go ahead with your normal life. We will bring these cowards to book". But what do you expect from this minister who himself fosters cowardice in his citizens ?

I love my country too much to hate it, but I indeed have the right to be ashamed of it, as I consider it my own. The lethargy and apathy goes back to the way India won her freedom. I know that some readers would not accept this viewpoint, but I am of the belief that a non violent struggle for independence is tantamount to begging for alms. Why did the british leave India ?
hmm..maybe because they were too preoccupied with rebuilding their own country which was in virtual ruins after World War II. Does this seem like a plausible reason ?
The USA won their freedom gallantly, by waging a war of independence and fighting to the last man. Their epic war of independence portrayed valor which inspires americans even today.
The gutless way in which India won its independence sowed the seeds for the spinelessness that haunts us to this day.

POTA being revoked was like a blank cheque being handed out to terrorists outfits who have had a field day after the congress came to power. Well, the BJP wasn't the best , but atleast they tried.

"Come on, these terror attacks took place in BJP ruled states. Shouldn't Modi assume responsibility ?"

Well, the day you send an unarmed man into battle and expect him to win, Modi will assume resposibility. What can Modi or anyone for that matter do, when POTA has been revoked ? All they can do is sit and watch the dhamaka.

President Bush may be the laughing stock of many. But the sight of the President addressing people who had gathered atop the rubble of the WTC still remains etched in my memory.
He thundered "My friends, I can hear you...The world can hear you...and the people who did this will hear from all of us soon". He kept up his promise by kicking terrorist butt, a month later in Afghanistan. Osama bin laden may still be at large, but USA was never attacked again.
The only leader in India who does not evoke a sense of disdain and kindles a ray of hope is Narendra Modi. Among the various 'leaders' who played out a recorded message 'condemning these cowardly acts of terror', Modi was the only one who spoke about nabbing the perpetrators.
A beleagured nation watches with bated breath to see what the man dubbed as the 'Sher' of Gujarat can do. Afterall, his very constituency- Maninagar reeled under the impact of Saturday's attacks.
The lion has been attacked in its own den. The time has come, to let out a roar and start the hunt.

Trusted like the Fox

2008-06-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/15ndeal.htm

It amazes me how these (expletive) commie (expletive) have evaded treason charges in India's 61 years of existence. I think they were pretty close to getting charged with treason during the Sino-Indian war of 1964. Too bad they were not eradicated that that time.

Poetry for a change :)

2008-06-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Poetry by 'Kavidhai Sooravali' Tejaswi

We live but once - The Journey of Life

As the journey of Life begins, to each his own and the paths we seek,
seldom resemble so to speak

Time is of essence and every moment precious,
In this world so capricious,
as we march towards our goal
sometimes we tend to ignore our soul.

Some battles that were better, not fought
and forgiveness that couldn't be sought
Aplenty are the grudges kept
and the multitude of tears wept

Good memories , we must strive to keep,
and on bad days, forget to weep
For indeed we have a lot to cherish,
which sadly, without a trace, perish.

Live in the present and enjoy each instant
assuaging fears about the future, which is distant
pledge to live life by the day
while the sun shines, making hay.

As I awaken with a yawn,
to yet another awe-inspiring dawn
I remind myself, we live but once,
And I live mine by my conscience.

-Tejas

To Cut one's Nose to spite One's face

2008-06-06T15:46:00.001-07:00

Well, back to one of things I blog passionately about ....Politics :)
After an arduous seventeen months, the democratic race culminated in a historic win for Barack Obama. Being the undergdog going into the race, Barack Obama outlasted one of the best political machines to ever - the clintons. As I watched the headlines with intrigue, ruminating about the possible political fallout for India , I was indeed taken aback to see that Hillary had still not conceded.
Well, for months now, people except ardent Hillary supporters knew that the writing was on the wall and Hillary's fate - all but sealed. But however, Obama had been a true gentleman by not askinig her to quit the race even after the democratic top brass was clamouring for Hillary to quit and back Obama for the sake of party unity. But however, Hillary showed signs of delusion by saying that she was still very much in the race, the exact same moment Barack Obama was giving his victory speech. I, for one was flabbergasted to see that the lady whom I had respected once, would stop at nothing to grasp power.

Here of some of the reasons why Hillary lost. To start off, it would be an understatement to say that she was complacent. She never expected Obama to pose a serious challenge and was found wanting in that respect. Secondly, she went after Obama with vitriolic attacks which Obama never resorted to. Thridly, she came a cropper in one of the major issues which turned the 'educated' vote in Barack's favor. Hillary copied a 'gas tax holiday' idea from John McCain (the republican candidate) and dished it out to the people thinking they would buy the idea. But however, on reading the fine print, it became evident that the idea was counter-produtive and would result in gas prices skyrocketing. Obama was the only candidate who spoke out against the gas tax holiday and therefore won over hordes of educated voters. Hillary on the other hand refused to accept lack of proper judgement on her part and continued to pedal the gas bill which left a bitter taste in the mouths of many. While Obama time and again made it a point to stress that he wasnt a perfect man, Hillary gave the impression of a headstrong woman who could never accept her mistakes and learn from them.

Now here is where the title of my post comes in. Because of this long drawn battle between Obama and Hillary, the party is totally divided right down the middle. Hillary commands a huge lead over Obama with woman voters (especially women over 50 years of age) and blue collared voters. But here is where delusional turns to sheer madness. Most of Hillary's female supporters threaten to vote for McCain since Hillary lost to Obama. Some of the claims made are,

"People conspired against Hillary"
"Obama stole the nomination"
"People are sexist...they can never tolerate a woman being in charge"

None of the above charges hold water because , Obama won fair and square. He ran a clean race, did not resort to slander and came across as more human than Hillary.

Abortion rights is a raging issue in the USA. The issue is about whether a woman has the right to seek abortion or not. While the democrats say that women should have the right to seek abortion (pro-choice) , the republicans say that even the embryo should have the status of a human being (pro-life).

Most of the women in USA are pro-choice. McCain is totally pro-life. So here is a jist of what these women stand to lose if they vote for McCain.

1) They stand to lose their abortion rights.
McCain , as president will pass laws that ensure that women will not have the right to choose.
2) McCain will ensure that the war in Iraq rages on for a hundred years thereby sending the economy down the drain. As I write, the DOW Jones is down by 400 points and unemployment is at its highest level.
3) Gas prices are skyrocketing and very soon, people will have to employ bullock carts

But inspite of a myriad of factors, these womn stand firm by their decision to vote for McCain.
Why ???
- because Hillary did not win.

Well, one thing is for sure. This is not going to affect Obama or Hillary in any way. Both of them will just return to the senate and continue their plum jobs. But however, it is these very women who will be sitting around the table at night wondering whether they can pay the mortgage or fill their fuel tanks for the next week.
Can they think rationally and not vote out of spite ? It remains to be seen

Most women here are indeed

Chellam ! I love U !!!!!!

2008-05-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is a blog on my scintillating chicago trip (though I would not like to compare it with my aug'07 trip that will forever be etched in my memory).
So Kaka Kaka style , "Naanga naalu beru...yengalukku planning-na yennane theriyaadhu".
Myself, PT (Vijaykarthik, my classmate from PSBB), Koushik(my flatmate), Ganesh (koushik's frd)
were the so called formulators of the trip. Later , another person named Yoganand(PT's colleague) joined us in our venture.
I was supposed to be the one to land in chicago first and and was supposed to meet PT at O'Hare airport at 1:30 PMon Friday. PT had told me that he would take time off from work and meet me at the specified time. As usual , I could count on PT to bungle and I wasn't disappointed. PT turned up at 3:30 PM and took Ganesh and me home. Till that time , Ganesh and I had been scratching around in O'Hare , spending half the time cursing PT and the other half looking at pretty girls ;)
Finally, we reached PT's house and waited for Koushik to arrive at the airport. Koushik landed at 5:30 PM and after PT decided to mete out the same 'late' treatment, we picked him up in a semi-frozen state from outside the airport . That very same night , we decided to eat at an Indian restaurant and therefore, borrowed a GPS (Global positioning system- which is a device that gives us driving directions) from a friend. This GPS was given the nickname 'chellam' as it had a female voice and became the object of ridicule for getting us lost most of the time.
On the way to the Indian restaurant, our trip got off to a flying start with us having a flat tyre. After managing to get it changed, we used the GPS to locate the Indian restaurant. But 'chellam' got it a tad wrong when it led us into a restricted airbase. After evading threats of arrest by the officers manning the base, we located the restaurant , had dinner and returned home hurling abuses at 'chellam' all the while. The next day started off without anything bizarre and we reached the rapids for our big activity of the day. White Water Rafting !!

After cracking some 'wise guy' jokes about the lurking dangers invloved in rafting, the Instructor showed us the rapids. And behold ! What a treat to the eye !! The rapids were looking dangerous and promised a lot of thrill. What followed was the experience of a lifetime :D We felt like daring marines intruding into enemy waters , braving huge waves to reach across the bank. I personally had a great timeright at the front of the raft, where I came up-close and personal with them monster waves. After the dangerous portions were over we came to the placid portion of the river. I took the permission of the Instructor to to swim across the bank and took the plunge into the river =))
After a few measured strokes, I reached the opposite bank only to learn of the hilarity that had transpired after I had jumped. PT had also taken the plunge after me. The hilarious part- he didnt know how to swim !! Thankfully, we were all strapped with lifevests and so safety was never an issue. But however, PT floated like a toad and was ultimately picked up by the boys when he passed alongside the raft.
We headed towards our camping site after rafting and as usual 'chellam' screwed us up big time - almost. we were supposed to take a turn at a certain point. But however after endless mistakes by 'chellam' we were left with a tough choice - to trust 'chellam' and turn left or trust our gut and turn right. We went with the latter and were proven right - thus enhancing 'chellam's reputation of being useless beyond measure. But however, by that time, we had run out of expletives and were floundering for words to express chellam's ineffectiveness. We arrived at the campsite at 10:30 PM to find the camp in charge totally sloshed. Luckily, he was sober enough to help us set up our tents. To beat the freezing cold, we tried to camp fire, but to no avail.Unable to bear the cold, we slept in the car that night and awoke the next morning feeling exhausted from the previous day's ordeal.

We made our way back to chicago bruised, but with a strange, inexplicable sense of accomplishment.
As we were just about to park the car outside the gates of PT's house, 'chellam' hummed
"Please make a legal U-Turn at the next available junction".

WHAT CAN I SAY EXCEPT ,

"CHELLAM !!! I LOVE U !!!!!!!!!!! (PRAKASH RAJ ISHSTYLE)

Hilarious

2008-05-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

I saw the title on one of IBN's articles.

"India wants Pak to say sorry for ceasefire breach"

yeah....Y stop with the sorry ? I believe they should Kiss and Make up :P:P:P

One Day Wonder

2008-05-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

I write this blog as one of my best friends (dont wanna name who it is openly. Will just say that his name starts with 'K' and ends with 'eshav') said he would not even glance through my blog if did not have something about cricket in it. So here goes.
I have been trying to come to terms with the newest version of the game namely the T20. After watching quite a few matches, I can safely assume that every bowler who bowls in a T20 game feels like Russel Crowe from Gladiator. What the T20 version of the game has done, is to transform modern cricket stadiums into Roman Gladiatoral arenas where bowlers frantically try to save their skin.
I do not have anything against the T20 versison of the game as such, but it is the odds that are completely stacked against the bowlers that perturb me. First up, the bowlers are given dead-flat tracks where they are as potent as snakes without fangs. Adding insult to injury is the free-hit rule that practically crucifies the bowlers for overstepping. This is not what cricket is supposed to be and I for one, dont enjoy it.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have test matches that are facing extinction due to T20. While I believe that tests should continue to hold their rightful place in cricket , I personally do not believe that they are the highest form of the game.

Ok..now I now that I may be chastised for the above comment. But I do believe that it is the one day format that truly proves a batsman's mettle (Talking purely from the batting perspective here). Firstly , one day cricket does not allow you to play negatively. Many yester-year batsman have proved that, given the option, they would settle for a tame draw. There is no question of that in one day cricket. Another aspect of One day cricket is that, it also allows enough time for a batsman to construct an innings. It forces batsmen to improve their running between wickets as the format makes it inevitable for them to keep the scoreboard ticking.
And here is the major one. One day cricket forces batsmen to play good balls for runs. In test cricket, while most batsmen would be content enough to leave balls outside the offstump, or above waist high, one day cricket ensures that batsman have to score off good balls as well thereby improving their technique and prowess.
Moreover, the one day format of the game is often accompanied by a mental game where players often need to outthink their their counterparts - for instance, Martin Crowe thought out-of-the-box when he sent Mark Greatbatch to flay the bowling during the first few overs when fielding restrictions were in place. One of the major advantages that the one day game has over the T20 is that , it gives a team at the recieving end of a batting onslaught/batting collapse time to bounce back. ODI cricket truly measures the depth of talent that a team has. For instance, I would like to quote Kapil dev's legendary 175 at trentbridge in 1975 when he along with syed Kirmani way down the order rescued India from impending disaster. In T20 cricket, such a rescue would not have been possible.
I have lost count of the number of times the iconic Micheal Bevan has masterminded run-chases even after having come in to bat at precarious situations.

As far as I am ocncerned, One day cricket sets the standard and is complete in almost everyway possible. I might be wrong , but I think that T20 cricket in its present form will lose its lustre due to its nauseating barrage of fours and sixes.
I am sure that by just giving the pitch a little bit of juice and bounce, a lot of current day batting heroes will be transformed into comedians dancing in the middle of the pitch.

The 'Right' Wing

2008-05-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

The 'Right' Wing

I start off my post paying tribute to those souls lost in the Jaipur bomb blasts. I hope people remember what I am talking about because,
generally, the tendency in India is to forget these 'trivial' issues. After all, bomb blasts on a not so sporadic basis have become commonplace and the
regular Indian has accepted it as a part of the risk everyday life poses.
Living here in the US, I have discovered that this is a place that can NEVER EVER become HOME. But , it does pain me to see my country go to dogs
in a number of wide ranging issues.
The issues are countless and I from my post, it is easily verifiable that I am not a huge fan of the poor-excuse-of-a-party , namely the congress.
First up, the congress has been spineless in reacting to terrorism and have been found wanting in curbing terror at its very roots. POTA has been repealed and even
and its effects are for all to see. Even though the law did restrict one's rights guarenteed by the constitution, it was evident that POTA was right on the
money with respect to uprooting terror all over India. What did the Congress Govenment do ? Repeal the act, thereby giving terrorists a free hand.
The rationale behind the repeal was to ensure that the 'minority' vote would not be lost. So, what is the Government trying to portray here exactly ?
It is almost like the government trying to paint the picture that it is the minorites who are behind terror.
Another appalling fact is that the congress has divided people on the basis of their caste and creedby providing reservations to OBCs. But however,
our OBC brethren who actually need them, never get to taste them as they always go to the creamy layer. I know that the supreme court has sought to filter this creamy layer,
but the government is hell bent on ensuring that rservations are given on the basis of 'social status' rather than 'economic status'. Of course, this is only to ensure that sons and daughters
of politicians get reservations.
I strongly believe that RESERVATIONS SHOULD BE GIVEN. BUT ONLY ON THE BASIS OF ECONOMIC STATUS.
This brings me to an interesting comparisons of sorts

Mahabharata
Arjun armtwists Drona into asking for Ekalavya's thumb thereby depriving Ekalavya the ability to showcase his true talent.
Ekalavya obliges and severs his thumb.

2008
Arjun (Singh) armtwists Drona (IIM/IITs etc) to impose rservations thereby Depriving Ekalavya the ability to showcase talent.
Ekalavya DOES NOT OBLIGE and HIRES a FOREIGN COACH (Universities abroad)

The effect of brain drain is there for all to see. Meritorious candidates feel it is pointless for them to continue in India and this results in a
mass exodus to other countries.
Thanks to the government, army officers have resigned in droves and eminent scientists are throwing in their papers.
One cannot blame them entirely as they are paid paltry sums for their incredible service. Nowhere in the history if the any nation apart from India ,
has one political party gotten away with treason. Inspite of communist traitors being blatant in their support for China, the Congress shamelessly
hangs onto their support.

It is here that the BJP scores, atleast as far as I am concerned. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the best PMs that we ever had, catapaulted India into the elite
club of countries possesing nuclear arsenals. But sadly, no one knows the detailed planning that went into such a monumental task. Foreign reserves were
piled up so that India could bear the brunt of any economic sanctions that the world would levy. The BJP conveyed a strong message to the world showing
India's determination and power. The BJP had vision to take the country forward and a strong economic and foreign policy, while the congress
seemingly focusses on dismembering India in everyway possible.

That is precisely why I stand by the 'right' wing

Amerikka Janathipathi Murugesan Vaazhga !!

2008-05-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well, an enigmatic title to start off my blog. This one is about the American election scenario and the farcicality associated with it. Now, there can be only one plausible reason for me to follow the election scenario here with such fervour - vettiness :)

Getting to the topic at hand, the american election especially this year has been pathbreaking in many respects. One one side stands a near-senile white man in his seventies, John McCain -who represents the Republicans and the heir apparent to Bush's proud legacy.
On the other end stand two historic candidates. A Black man (well, half balck and half white actually) and a woman who are still fighting it out to be the Democratic party's presidential candidate.

Here is a brief summary about the candidates

John McCain (Republican Nominee)
The senator from Arizona and a Vietnam-war veteran. Has various nicknames among the party faithful like McShame, McBush, Warbucks etc. The guy is totally pro-war and trigger happy. Has frankly admitted that he knows zilch about the economy and the only thing that he dreams about is being the Supreme commander of the armed forces.
Initially , in the run up to being the presidential candidate, he had to beat his fellow republican Mike Huckabee at the primaries (a process within both the republican and democratic parties where they vote who their candidate for the main elections should be.)
Mike Huckabee is a self proclaimed 'conservative' who doesnt believe in the theory of evolution and swears by the theory that Adam and Eve were the first life forms on the planet. Surely, this guy was easy to beat :D (but the guy still managed to win two states before going down).

McCain has a temper problem and believes that the American economy is 'doing just fine'. In Response to a question as to whether more people needed access to healthcare facilities , he said "what healthcare ? go for a walk everyday ! be healthy ! Take inspiration from my 95 year old Mom"
some here liked it to Mary antoinnette's attidute :P
The biggest problem facing him comes in the form of one of his most ardent supporters. Bush himself ! Now, would the American people be foolish enough to vote someone who has been endorsed by one of the worst presidents ever ? It remains to be seen.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
who can forget the woman behind the man -Bill Clinton (atleast, she claims so). Some of her nicknames among the party faithful are - Billary, HillBilly etc.
Hillary started off the campaign on a high note thinking that the candidacy was in the bag (only to be rudely jolted out of complacency).
She pretty much went to every state in the US, said that she hailed from that state and still managed to lose most of them. Maybe because the american people realised that a person can have only one native state :P
She also got into trouble saying that she was "under sniper fire" in bosnia, while it was discovered that the only fire she was close to, was from the kitchen stove.
There was another rib tickling episode where the candidates were discussing about a Tax rule. All the economists in the country called it futile and counter-productive. Hillary Clinton said "I dont believe these economists..they are all wrong". Now that Hillary has said so, they need not have wasted an entire lifetime studying economics.
While almost having lost out to Obama, she said "we are on course to the whitehouse !!!" .
This one reminded me of the funny Iraqi official on TV , who kept saying "Saddam Hussein is very much in control" even though the american troops were almost at his doorstep.

Barack Hussein Obama (Democratic Candidate)
The senator from Illinois who came out of nowhere to thwart Hillary's hopes.
Nicknames include - Nobama,Obambi etc. A lot of hue and cry was raised about his controversial middle name and Barack was desperate to prove his christian roots. So, what did he do ? He created a controversy involving his Pastor !!
videos were circulated showing obama's pastor denouncing America in one of hs church sermons. Obama promptly denounced all of them and distanced himself from his pastor.
He is a black horse (no pun intended) in the sense that no-one knows a lot about him. He claims to bring about change in America, by changing the way policies at Washington work. Though most of his speeches were inspiring, a lot of people claim that those were lacking in substance. But however, with respect to the tax rule, he was the only person who got it right by saying that it was a meaningless rule.
Because of the bitter in-fighting between Hillary and Obama, the democratic party is totally spilt down the middle with half the people claiming allegiance to Obama and half the people by Hillary.
In fact these guys even threaten to vote for the other party (i.e the republican party headed by McCain) if their candidate is not the Presidential Nominee. Looking at the way things are going in the US, a wrong choice by the people can result in economic shambles.

That brings me to the title of my post. Who is best suited be the American president ?
My answer - Tamil Actor Livingstone =))

Few can forget the movie where Murugesan (Livingstone) is a local tamil politician and vadivelu is his able sidekick. Vadivelu goes about hiring people to 'cheer' (prachaaram, jaalra etc) for Livingstone. The supporters shout all random stuff like "Dhaana vallal murugesan" , "Thanmaana singam murugesan" etc
It is here that one of the most zealous of them proclaims "Amerikka Janathipathi murugesan !!"

I personally think Livingstone will do a better job than any of the above candidates !!!