Drishtikone
One man believes in existence, Another says, "There is nothing!" Rare is the man who believes in neither. He is free from confusion. -Ashtavakra Gita 18:42 Read more
One man believes in existence, Another says, "There is nothing!" Rare is the man who believes in neither. He is free from confusion. -Ashtavakra Gita 18:42 Read more
Rajnikant is a phenomenon in India. Here are some hillariouos "facts" about Rajni (courtesy: innqubus; photo courtesy: Jerry; both first seen at Bachodi's ): * There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Rajnikant has allowed to live. * Outer space exists because it’s afraid to be on the same planet with Rajnikant. * Rajnikant counted to infinity - twice. * When Rajnikant does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down. * Rajnikant is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head. * Rajnikant’s hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush. * Rajnikant doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is. * Rajnikant gave Mona Lisa that smile. * Rajnikant can slam a revolving door. * Rajnikant does not get frostbite. Rajnikant bites frost. * Remember the Soviet Union? They decided to quit after watching a Padayappa on Satellite TV * There are no races, only countries of people Rajnikant has beaten to different shades of black and blue. * Rajnikant’s house has no doors, only walls that he walks through. * When Rajnikant has sex with a man, it won’t be because he is gay. It will be because he has run out of women. * Rajnikant doesn’t actually write books, the words assemble themselves out of fear. * Rajnikant can divide by zero.* Newton’s Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to a Rajnikant turnaround kick. * For some, the left testicle is larger than the right one. For Rajnikant, each testicle is larger than the other one. * When taking the GRE, write “Rajnikant” for every answer. You will score over 1600.* Rajnikant invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink.* In the beginning there was nothing…then Rajnikant kicked that nothing in the face and said “Get a job”. That is the story of the universe. * Rajnikant has 12 moons. One of those moons is the Earth. Read more
There was a huge controversy in India over Vande Matram - the National Song of India. The issue was that it praised a Goddess and that was against Islam because of its monotheism and there were also discussion on the intent of Bankim Chandra's novel as one that perpetrated hatred against Muslims. I kind of clued on to this issue a little late. This is what Mohib says in his blog Indianmuslims.in (which btw, is an excellent blog site). For me the issue is that of an individual’s right to practise his religion and be a patriotic citizen at the same time. Suppose I don’t sing Vande Mataram because it clashes with my religious beliefs. Read more
There are certain Urdu couplets that just touch you! This is one of them.. specially the second line that I have put in bold! Wow, what a thought! (Got from Adnan) yeh daur bhi dekha hai tariiKh ki aaNkhoN ne lamhoN ne Khataa kii hai sadiyoN ne sazaa paaii hai ~ Muzaffar Razmi Read more
Finally, the Pakistanis themselves are victims of the mindlessness and inhuman ways of the Pakistani Army leaders. Lal Masjid was a very important watershed even in Pakistan - and, I would add, the entire Middle Eastern world (if not the entire world). Here is a letter to editor in Dawn - a leading Pakistani daily - deriding the way the Army spokesman announced the tragic deaths. IT was disturbing to see army spokesman Maj-Gen Wahid Arshad smiling while giving the gruesome details in which innocent children and women were killed. A few yards away, the tormented relatives of those besieged children were crying their hearts out. Read more
I still remember it. It was night and over 10 pm in Delhi. India needed 438 to win. Sunil Gavaskar was on crease almost the entire day. He scored 221 - the highest by an Indian at that time. I still remember that match - we were all on the edge of our seats. Sushil Doshi, the Hindi commentator advised the heart patients to switch off the radio. Radio Commentary was all we got at that time. And until then, the One Day fever had not arrived in India - it was still 4 years away! In the end, Gavaskar got out and India could not win - missed it by 9 runs. The match was a draw but it was one of those rare occassions when a team had chased a total of over 400 and come perilously close to winning in the history of Test Cricket! Here is a youtube clip of that remarkable innings. Read more
Here is the news item from IBN-CNN on the reincarnation stories. Notice how this "scientist" simply dumps the stories and calls them "dangerous" without explanation. That is the level of intellect in Indian intellectuals these days! Read more
Indian Music has had very few real performers. We are a nation of playback singers basically. So, when someone comes with a different set of character, people look up. Years ago, our family was huddled around the TV watching Doordarshan (Indian state TV channel) watching the morning show. A young man came and sang a Punjabi song with a "Daphli" (drum) in his hand and Punjabi attire. Tall and handsome the guy had a nice voice and, most importantly, a GREAT ATTITUDE! By the time he finished his song, my father exclaimed "Mark this guy.. one day he will be very famous!". My father died a couple of years after that, but the young man - Gurdaas Mann - lived upto his expectations! Personally, I saw that spark iin Suhit. He needs grooming but he brings a breath of fresh air when he performs. Though he did not make it to the final 13, I believe his presence is very interesting and his swagger exciting. But then all you need to know about awards in music is that Mozart never won one! Here is an interview with him where he shows the many facets to his personality! 1. Suhit, lets start from the beginning, what was your first inspiration into the world of music? My first inspiration into the world of music is definitely my parents. Both my mom and my dad are singers and so they have always created a very good atmosphere of music at home, which really pulled my interest, gradually, towards music. My sister is the one who showed me the way towards western music, especially metal. 2. Growing up in India, specifically in a professionally oriented family, the pressure for studies at the expense of your interests, is often very high. Did you face it too? How did you work around it? Yes, I had to face a certain amount of pressure for studies at the expense of my interests but the kind of explanation my parents gave, I was also in agreement with their point of view. Since Indian Idol 3 happened to me and I got an opportunity to exhibit my talent, now it is easier for me to plan and initiate steps to pursue this interest more seriously. Read more
There are some stories that impact you a lot! Here is one that will impact everyone! An eight year old girl Naseema, was born to father who was deaf and mute. Her mother died when she was a kid. She was whisked away by a relative and sold to a couple who treated her very badly. Often burning her with Iron. She was helped by a Street vendor and escaped and the vendor told her that her home was in Anna nagar.. not the one in Chennai though. But that is what she thought. She went there but could find nothing. She was on the street crying when a milk vendor took her and gave her to a Brahmin couple from Mysore. This couple raised her like their own daughter - but as a Muslim! They never even asked her to take off her Burkha. Read more
Anonymous wrote in this comment about the CBI inquiry and possible arrest of Baba Gurmeet Singh of Dera Sacha Sauda. I am posting that news item here. If this one is true then there is a major upheaval in the offing in Punjab. This Baba is apparently pretty powerful... and it is also a fact now - given the reports - that the Sikh leaders are being motivated by Babbar Khalsa folks from across the border. So, this issue is not to die so soon.. Read more
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