I think thackray family knows best how to create an issue out of a non issue. First it was Raj Thackray driving the hordes of north indians out of maharashtra, seemingly making his presence felt in the political arena of the state where his party has been only an also ran. And now his revered uncle Bal thackray trying to rename everything that has Bombay in it. So now we will be buying "Mumbai Dyeing", going to "Mumbai Scottish School" and probably watching Mollywood movies because the 'B' in Bollywood comes from Bombay.
We have had instances of regional forces trying to rake up regional issues in politics, but never before have I seen such absurd and baseless tirade which amounts to nothing but sheer stupidity. Don't I have a right as a law abiding citizen of India, to visit any place and work anywhere in the country as long as its permitted by law. India is supposed to be nations within nations, but not in a manner that threatens the survival of Indian nation state. Diversity was supposed to be our strength not our weakness. I am sure nobody has ever heard a californian compalain that a New Yorker has taken up their jobs. Or for that matter a Englishmen whine about a scot working amongst them. Well thats something that we need to learn from those mature democracies, because India for all its merits and follies is still in its nascent stage. We may be the largest democracy but we certainly aren't the best. And By the way, how many maharashtrians live in 'MUMBAI'. A large chunk of the populace is dominated by the gujjus and people from north India and maybe this is the core of the issue as these has never been the traditional sena vote banks and have always oscillated between the congress and the right wing parties like BJP. So much for Akahnd Bharat.
And as far as the debate about the name BOMBAY and MUMBAI is concerned, well here are some facts. There never was a Mumbai, as has been case with cities like Chennai or countries like Congo. It was Bombay since the beginning as the East India Company made its headquarters here owing to the natural harbor that it provided. Mumbai is just a corruption of the word Bombay in marathi as Bambai is in hindustani. So where does the question of removing the colonial hangover arises. Infact the only colonial hangover that we have now is about finding colonial footprints in everything. But you still cannot remove Bombay from the minds of the people, as a majority of our population calls it Bombay( marathis included), as they call Chennai, Madras(including Tamils) and Bengaluru still is Bangalore for them( kannadigas included). So you can blacken as many signages as you want Mr. Thackray(Sr. & Jr.) but you will never be able to blacken the minds of people with your ill-founded agenda.
P.S- The latest news is that Mr. Thackray Sr. has objected to Pakistani players in the IPL ;). So I guess the following players should not be playing in the Mumbai Indians squad:
* Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga - Sri Lankans, their anscestor Ravan Kidnapped Sitaji and fought with our Lord Rama.
* Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary - Both of either Bihar or eastern UP.
* Ashish Nehra - Delhi, North of India.
and yeah I would never buy something that sounds as funny as "Mumbai dyeing".
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
A Recent Convert to IPL
Another thumping win by Delhi Draedevils, executed with surgical precision of a neurosurgeon. IPL has gained another fan with this just concluded contest between the daredevils and the Deccan chargers(who by the way suck!).
And frankly this has nothing to do with Delhi winning two games in a row but more with the fact that IPL is going to do wonders for Indian cricket. It was a treat to watch YoMahesh bowling and Glenn McGrath giving him tips after each delivery. It was this transfer of knowledge that made me a convert. Just imagine the kind of education these 20 yr olds are going to have having spent two months in the company of greats like McGrath, Tendulkar, Wrane, Murali and others. Youngsters like Ravi Jadeja, who were hitherto unknown outside the knowledge sphere of die hard Indian cricket fans have become superstars overnight and have been given a stage so phenomenal to showcase their talent which was probably unthinkable probably 8-10 months ago.
Of course they have to be judicious with the kind of choices they make being spoilt for money and fame at such early stage in their life, but that is hardly something that one should be complaining about. Its better to be spoilt by the riches rather than being starved.
Not to mention the money that is being poured into the game. The billions that are being fed into the cricketing machinery is going to benefit the players more than everyone else and eventually Indian cricket. If IPL continues with the same fervour in the future, take my word, no player worth his salt will have to give up the game to bring bread to the table for his family. I cannot put a figure to the number of players who have given up the game because they had to provide financial stability to their families which did not come with the uncertainities attached with competitive sports in India. I remember Harbhajan singh once mentioning that he was ready to hang up his boots and go abroad to earn because his family was facing a financial crunch.
So all in all for all its trials and tribulations and criticisms IPL has its merits and they far outweigh the demerits of this league and it is here to stay.
P.S- About the cheerleaders ;).....they deserve a column to themselves so will be writing about them later.
And frankly this has nothing to do with Delhi winning two games in a row but more with the fact that IPL is going to do wonders for Indian cricket. It was a treat to watch YoMahesh bowling and Glenn McGrath giving him tips after each delivery. It was this transfer of knowledge that made me a convert. Just imagine the kind of education these 20 yr olds are going to have having spent two months in the company of greats like McGrath, Tendulkar, Wrane, Murali and others. Youngsters like Ravi Jadeja, who were hitherto unknown outside the knowledge sphere of die hard Indian cricket fans have become superstars overnight and have been given a stage so phenomenal to showcase their talent which was probably unthinkable probably 8-10 months ago.
Of course they have to be judicious with the kind of choices they make being spoilt for money and fame at such early stage in their life, but that is hardly something that one should be complaining about. Its better to be spoilt by the riches rather than being starved.
Not to mention the money that is being poured into the game. The billions that are being fed into the cricketing machinery is going to benefit the players more than everyone else and eventually Indian cricket. If IPL continues with the same fervour in the future, take my word, no player worth his salt will have to give up the game to bring bread to the table for his family. I cannot put a figure to the number of players who have given up the game because they had to provide financial stability to their families which did not come with the uncertainities attached with competitive sports in India. I remember Harbhajan singh once mentioning that he was ready to hang up his boots and go abroad to earn because his family was facing a financial crunch.
So all in all for all its trials and tribulations and criticisms IPL has its merits and they far outweigh the demerits of this league and it is here to stay.
P.S- About the cheerleaders ;).....they deserve a column to themselves so will be writing about them later.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Of GODS and Godmen(women included)
Disclaimer: I am a firm believer in the powers of the almighty and the purpose of
this piece is not to hurt the sentiments of any community or sect. The views expressed here are entirely my own and do not represent the views of my batchmates,
my community members and my religion. So if you disagree, just spare everybody else the blues and either deface my blog, my orkut profile or just take a hike.
Well, last week I had the ignonimous pleasure of witnessing an unusual event in my college. A guest lecture was scheduled on a friday evening and the guest was a slightly known(or unknown) actress, whose only claim to fame seems to be that she played the mother of the KING KHAN in one of bollywood's biggest hits. At first we thought that she was going to talk about maybe something that is useful for us B-School students, and then we got the whiff that it would be about spirituality. All wa well till she sounded like one of those evangelists on GOD TV promoting one oneness university. It was then that all hell broke loose for me.
According to them, they can rewire our brain.....I mean what the hell, what if there is a short circuit during the whole process of rewiring? And that too by just looking at the person and touching their heads. By this they channelize the cosmic(or comic) energy into us and help us to lead a successful life(:)). They have this three day course( Price:6k INR), which changes your life completely. And the evangelist even agreed to give us a trailer of it all with a quick blessing which would change our lives on a temporary basis for 2-3 days(laughter).
So, now I come to the point.....this whole BUSINESS of spiritual upliftment, an elevated level of conciousness, and being closer to God. The God, as we all know him(her) is all encompassing, omnipresent, omniscient being, and being closer to God comes from being closer to humanity, and not by attending spiritual seminars, and donating huge sums of money for religious fervors. But mind you, these godmen are smart people, because earnings from this business are non-taxable(and they will remain so in India), and there have been hardly a foolish beauraucrat or a politician who will point a finger at these people and demand to see their books.
So, all in all it is a very smart business proposition as the investment required is nil, there is not even a minimun qualification criteria to be fulfilled. So it all makes sense and all you B-schoolers looking for a good business plan to be submitted at some B-School fest, submit this one and you are bound to win(who wouldn't want an exponential growth on an YOY basis). How many Gurus have started schools and hospitals which cater to the poor and downtrodden, and the places which don't preach their ideology? And isnt it ironical that most of the people lining upto these ashrams(or resorts or universities) are those who are already poor and left even poorer by donating at these places. And what they get in return is a false hope of their condition improving or at least GOD being happy and rewarding them in this life or the next(another concept which is really amazing...more about rebirth later).
So I think its high time that we stopped believing in this kind of half baked stories and did whatevr job we do with full honesty, leaving the rest to GOD(and not to godmen)
And yeah about that quick Deeksha that we all recieved........though it was voluntary and not COMPULSORY, yours truly waited for half an hour in a queue to find out what the fuss is all about. To tell you frankly......I dont know......and i didnt feel a thing when i was being given deeksha and leave alone change my life for 2-3 days, nothing happenned even for 2-3 secs. It all looked like a circus and I think if someone goes with enough faith in him, he is bound to feel something, the art comes into play when you can convert a non-believer into a believer and that didnt happen and i dont think that can happen(I Feel only GOD can pull off that one).
Question: why are western doctors richer than their indian counterparts?
Answer : because when a weterner falls sick, he will visit the doctor, and when an Indian falls sick he visits the GURUJI.
Ciao
Mukul Tyagi
this piece is not to hurt the sentiments of any community or sect. The views expressed here are entirely my own and do not represent the views of my batchmates,
my community members and my religion. So if you disagree, just spare everybody else the blues and either deface my blog, my orkut profile or just take a hike.
Well, last week I had the ignonimous pleasure of witnessing an unusual event in my college. A guest lecture was scheduled on a friday evening and the guest was a slightly known(or unknown) actress, whose only claim to fame seems to be that she played the mother of the KING KHAN in one of bollywood's biggest hits. At first we thought that she was going to talk about maybe something that is useful for us B-School students, and then we got the whiff that it would be about spirituality. All wa well till she sounded like one of those evangelists on GOD TV promoting one oneness university. It was then that all hell broke loose for me.
According to them, they can rewire our brain.....I mean what the hell, what if there is a short circuit during the whole process of rewiring? And that too by just looking at the person and touching their heads. By this they channelize the cosmic(or comic) energy into us and help us to lead a successful life(:)). They have this three day course( Price:6k INR), which changes your life completely. And the evangelist even agreed to give us a trailer of it all with a quick blessing which would change our lives on a temporary basis for 2-3 days(laughter).
So, now I come to the point.....this whole BUSINESS of spiritual upliftment, an elevated level of conciousness, and being closer to God. The God, as we all know him(her) is all encompassing, omnipresent, omniscient being, and being closer to God comes from being closer to humanity, and not by attending spiritual seminars, and donating huge sums of money for religious fervors. But mind you, these godmen are smart people, because earnings from this business are non-taxable(and they will remain so in India), and there have been hardly a foolish beauraucrat or a politician who will point a finger at these people and demand to see their books.
So, all in all it is a very smart business proposition as the investment required is nil, there is not even a minimun qualification criteria to be fulfilled. So it all makes sense and all you B-schoolers looking for a good business plan to be submitted at some B-School fest, submit this one and you are bound to win(who wouldn't want an exponential growth on an YOY basis). How many Gurus have started schools and hospitals which cater to the poor and downtrodden, and the places which don't preach their ideology? And isnt it ironical that most of the people lining upto these ashrams(or resorts or universities) are those who are already poor and left even poorer by donating at these places. And what they get in return is a false hope of their condition improving or at least GOD being happy and rewarding them in this life or the next(another concept which is really amazing...more about rebirth later).
So I think its high time that we stopped believing in this kind of half baked stories and did whatevr job we do with full honesty, leaving the rest to GOD(and not to godmen)
And yeah about that quick Deeksha that we all recieved........though it was voluntary and not COMPULSORY, yours truly waited for half an hour in a queue to find out what the fuss is all about. To tell you frankly......I dont know......and i didnt feel a thing when i was being given deeksha and leave alone change my life for 2-3 days, nothing happenned even for 2-3 secs. It all looked like a circus and I think if someone goes with enough faith in him, he is bound to feel something, the art comes into play when you can convert a non-believer into a believer and that didnt happen and i dont think that can happen(I Feel only GOD can pull off that one).
Question: why are western doctors richer than their indian counterparts?
Answer : because when a weterner falls sick, he will visit the doctor, and when an Indian falls sick he visits the GURUJI.
Ciao
Mukul Tyagi
Friday, January 18, 2008
Musing of a Colonel's student!!!!
There is something about Indian Armed Forces that fascinates
the people of my country. Is it the amount of money that is
spent on them year after year for maintaining an organization
of such mammoth proportions, or the whole aura of piousness attached with the armed forces everywhere
in the world(more so in India),or the romance of dying
for your motherland(or fatherland.....whatever
suits you dear.Its a difficult question to answer and an even
more difficult subject to discuss, because of the sanctity
of the whole issue. But lets not talk about this ..........i would
rather like to talk about something which i have been influenced in my life and have given my
deepest thoughts to: the idea of dying or killing for your nation.
And the fact that it becomes a matter of endless adulations and awards. This is the platform which armed forces
personnels think gives them the right to take a moral high ground
and boast about what they have done for their country and how
civilians(yours truly included) and nothing but parasites sucking
on the nutrients of mother India. How the system is bad and India
needs a military dictator. How nothing else but the institutions of armed forces are the only
functional pillars of this country and everything else has gone
into decadence and going down the drain(Though there is widespread
corruption in the armed forces, but i guess ceaser's wife is above
suspicion). Very strong thoughts indeed for people who are not even part of the society. For people who live
as if they are citizens of an alien land. For that matter not even the law of the
land does not apply to them.
Lets take the issue of dying and killing for the motherland. Well, thats
their JOB..............they get paid for it. And if the Job Description includes giving up your life and taking someone else's, so be it. When the poor taxpayer suffers the agony of driving on potholed roads,drinking unsafe water, coping with power cuts so that the generals and their lieutenants can sip on their scotch at subsidised rates and play bridge all day long, well the dying and killing part will have to be taken care by the armed forces. And scotch and bridge are just metaphors for everything and anything that is supplied to them. I know it may sound blasphemous to some but I am as much a patriot as anybody else guarding the border. Just because someone chose a profession where one of the occupational hazards is death, so be it. And they are well compensated for it in every form by the government with the money it earns in the innumerable taxes it levies on the law abiding citizens.
Another thing which irks me is the part of life of servicemen when they retire from armed forces and come back to the mainstream. Though they are not fit to lead a life that you and me lead. The never ending lines of orderlies ends, along with the free accomodation and other perks. And when they confront the reality they end up doing nothing but cursing the system all day long, the same system which fed the white elephant all its life. Ironical but true.
Well the idea of writing this small piece came to my mind becuase of a retired colonel of the Indian Army, who now takes classes in personality development( a compulsory two day workshop at my B-School). Poor guy finds faults with everything around him and us and has to his credit 5 pakistani soldiers in a war that he fought(it was your job mister).
Some of his mantras of business ettiquetes:
1. There are only two colours of formal shirts: white and sky blue.
2. There are only two colors of formal suits: Navy blue and
grey(whatever happenned to poor black).
3. Drink only scotch( I say only when someone else pays :)).
4. Sunday should not be longer than monday(not everybody will get it :))
ciao
Mukul Tyagi
the people of my country. Is it the amount of money that is
spent on them year after year for maintaining an organization
of such mammoth proportions, or the whole aura of piousness attached with the armed forces everywhere
in the world(more so in India),or the romance of dying
for your motherland(or fatherland.....whatever
suits you dear.Its a difficult question to answer and an even
more difficult subject to discuss, because of the sanctity
of the whole issue. But lets not talk about this ..........i would
rather like to talk about something which i have been influenced in my life and have given my
deepest thoughts to: the idea of dying or killing for your nation.
And the fact that it becomes a matter of endless adulations and awards. This is the platform which armed forces
personnels think gives them the right to take a moral high ground
and boast about what they have done for their country and how
civilians(yours truly included) and nothing but parasites sucking
on the nutrients of mother India. How the system is bad and India
needs a military dictator. How nothing else but the institutions of armed forces are the only
functional pillars of this country and everything else has gone
into decadence and going down the drain(Though there is widespread
corruption in the armed forces, but i guess ceaser's wife is above
suspicion). Very strong thoughts indeed for people who are not even part of the society. For people who live
as if they are citizens of an alien land. For that matter not even the law of the
land does not apply to them.
Lets take the issue of dying and killing for the motherland. Well, thats
their JOB..............they get paid for it. And if the Job Description includes giving up your life and taking someone else's, so be it. When the poor taxpayer suffers the agony of driving on potholed roads,drinking unsafe water, coping with power cuts so that the generals and their lieutenants can sip on their scotch at subsidised rates and play bridge all day long, well the dying and killing part will have to be taken care by the armed forces. And scotch and bridge are just metaphors for everything and anything that is supplied to them. I know it may sound blasphemous to some but I am as much a patriot as anybody else guarding the border. Just because someone chose a profession where one of the occupational hazards is death, so be it. And they are well compensated for it in every form by the government with the money it earns in the innumerable taxes it levies on the law abiding citizens.
Another thing which irks me is the part of life of servicemen when they retire from armed forces and come back to the mainstream. Though they are not fit to lead a life that you and me lead. The never ending lines of orderlies ends, along with the free accomodation and other perks. And when they confront the reality they end up doing nothing but cursing the system all day long, the same system which fed the white elephant all its life. Ironical but true.
Well the idea of writing this small piece came to my mind becuase of a retired colonel of the Indian Army, who now takes classes in personality development( a compulsory two day workshop at my B-School). Poor guy finds faults with everything around him and us and has to his credit 5 pakistani soldiers in a war that he fought(it was your job mister).
Some of his mantras of business ettiquetes:
1. There are only two colours of formal shirts: white and sky blue.
2. There are only two colors of formal suits: Navy blue and
grey(whatever happenned to poor black).
3. Drink only scotch( I say only when someone else pays :)).
4. Sunday should not be longer than monday(not everybody will get it :))
ciao
Mukul Tyagi
The Beginning
well this is my first post........just bleeding the virgin(did anyone say deflowering)....nothing more than that.......will post more of my shitty thoughts later.
ciao
ciao
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