Welcome, well-directed Instapundit readers, mis-directed Google readers, and of course my regular NEFA readers. Without much ado, I present the spicy-n-hot Bharteeya Blog Mela.
Every one of our five senses has a billion dollar artsy industry attached to it – except “touch”. Pradeep Ravikumar on his fine blog, Seven Times Six plays Columbus and credits himself for discovering a “future trillion dollar” industry. Too bad, he refuses to admit that sex skims the surface at least if it can be called art; no pun intended. Not everything is Black, at least if seen through Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s eyes (and Lazy Geek’s blog). Touch has never been more important for the deaf-mute-blind Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerjee).
Talking about realistic movies, Bhavya seems to be all set to remake Spielberg’s Terminal and as (ill) luck would have it; it would bomb as well thanks to IGI’s arrival lounge. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. I just criticized a master filmmaker, so can he sue me for defamation because I am no film critic? Laughable, right? How about if I criticize everyone’s whipping boy…errr…father, Mr.Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, does it change anything? Yuvak Biradari surely thinks so but Yazad instead gives it back to them, but not before doubting his libertarian ideology, but he is not to blame because the English language has it both ways.
Words change but do ideologies? I think not. Romila Thapar, 73, still finds reasons to spurn the Padma Bhushan because of obvious political patronage connections. It is best if we laud Ms. Thapar’s actions and not pay attention to Biradari publicity hounds; the law will throw out their frivolous demand. No one paid attention to John Paul Jones either. Who, you say? Diamonds and Rust enlighten us on his “bass-ic” talent (rockers are gonna kill me for that pun), in attempts to redeem his status among the celebrated members of the famed Led Zeppelin band.
In spite of having 54% percent of the population under 25, India strangely lacks a youth icon to look up to. The things are so bad that 40-year-old Aamir Khan is touted as a youth icon in his upcoming film, Rang De Basanti. No offense to Aamir, Rashmi Bansal (founder-editor of the popular youth magazine JAM) asks for more “real youth icons, not just youthful ones." If you think the youth are simply wasting their time playing games, you might want to check out the puzzle Bradman has for the geeky jocks (if that tribe exists). If you are the first to solve it, you get to be the first ever PGJA (President of the Geeky Jocks Association).
Why do we have Ramu Kaka and 40GB iPods? Because we can. Chris Anderson, the Wired Editor spends time soaking in Mumbai and ends up calling the 30 million-strong Indian youth that inhabit a local call center – transistors with family compulsions. Incidentally he also visited New Deli [sic]. I wonder what sandwich he ordered. :) Those young people however do not seem to be working at the BSNL office – at least not in Chennai. The old-school visit to the main office works better although for a short time. Why not give the tele-marketeers, the “other” call center dudes, who harass you in the middle of your favorite sitcom a dose of their own medicine?[Hindi post]
“How many 27-year-olds in previous decades would, with complete conviction, have been able to tell 20-year-olds"It was so, so different in my time?” asks Jabberwock. Cell phones and other new-age gizmodos strangely have disconnected us from our immediate past generation; all stories of a certain public school in Delhi notwithstanding. If you have forgotten those ages, the Hindi Scian gives you a refresher course on a different type of memory [Hindi post].
Tearing apart Infosys’ philosophy and taking a diametrically opposite path to blazing away to IT glory in India can seem rebellious at best; especially when you have a “better than cocaine” kick toward intellectual enlightenment. I am reminded of a certain bicycle commercial which sported a “Rebel without a cause” tagline when I read these Nirvana-ic writings. Dalal Street will reject these writings outright. I never played the stock market but that shouldn’t stop you people from browsing through a spanking new topical blog on the Indian Stock Market.
But even the calculated predictions of stock market won’t have any answer for Jitendra’s post-tsunami spiritual dilemma. “If God is God, he’s not good. If God is good, he’s not God. You can’t have it both ways, especially not after the Indian Ocean catastrophe…” Ooooh! That’s deep. But optimistic stories like Shahidul Alam’s experiences in tsunami-stricken Sri Lanka just somehow manage to rekindle the spirit of faith; even if it is in form of mere humans. Tsunamis are the last thing we should be worried about especially in an age of nuclear power in irresponsible hands. North Korea and Iran are the latest to flex their nuke muscles; can Osama be far behind?
While the red America grapples with changing ideologies and adorns a Luddite mask, Pearl – all of 13 years – redefines culture as moving forward and adapting positive influences; a secret that made America a melting pot that it refuses to see itself as today. Of course, she prepared the speech for her school debate in India but that doesn’t change a thing, does it? We cannot do without an Iraqi (now Iranian) examples, can we? Nilakantan is livid about the gullibility of American people whenever national security is mentioned (Nilu, everyone is) and not even Bush’s coterie can predict how things will turn out in otherwise democracy’s fields of gold. But the wheels of democracy never told us to read the fine print where it clearly mentions that it needs regular greasing of “110 Arab Rupiyon” (noooo…not Middle-Eastern money, Arab=billion in hindi; didn’t Ravi tell you to pay attention to your Hindi lessons?).
People have done it for ages; maybe the first and obvious thing they ever did. Raising your own offspring and imbibing your values in them is the other obvious thing we do but Nilu hands the “character-building” decision back to the child. Minimalism has a new proponent. Mary unfortunately doesn’t have the “luxury” of imposing parents and tries to rebuild her life in the aftermath of the 21-year-old Sudan conflict. But not all social mores have been vanquished.
Chugs however, grew with his sylvan friends who made no philosophical discourses on parenting. He fell slightly outside the Mela eligibility (dates) standards but he gives you a better weekly clutter than I ever do. More on blog bureaucratic inadequacies, Neil hasn’t posted since January 31st; maybe that explains why Madhu “choose not to choose” a specific post.
Hope you enjoyed reading the Mela. If someone still thinks Indians can’t write or speak English, we are like this only…and two words – call centers. Everyone makes an occasional error – even the NY Times and The Guardian are fallible, so why shouldn’t the Hindu? No pun intended.
Thank you everyone, Pongal-style for visiting the Mela. Whew! now go celebrate your Valentine’s…or not.
by Patrix | on Friday, February 11th, 2005 at 4:00 pm | 
Weblogs . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
April 4th, 2005 at 1:34 am reply
Patrix, here’s mine: Team Dhruva. I’m happy to be back in the Melas, since they’re now more of a showcase (and no more a contest) about India and Indians.
April 4th, 2005 at 3:15 am reply
My two cents for this week.
http://bhavya.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-to-do-south-delhi-on-rs.html
April 4th, 2005 at 6:23 am reply
How was utsav’05?
April fool jokes in blogdom? New trend uh…
April 4th, 2005 at 8:53 am reply
Hi Patrix,
My two cents, till now:
Insider Talk
You may not publish it, if I manage to come up with something better by the end of the week (hopefully)
April 4th, 2005 at 9:56 am reply
My nomination is here : http://www.livejournal.com/~mrsgollum/17444.html
April 4th, 2005 at 12:56 pm reply
OK this is a little funny…people nominate themselves?
-rookie
April 4th, 2005 at 2:10 pm reply
Gabby, in an ideal world, others would nominate you but you can look at it this way, if you think you have written something worthwhile that would help with more eyeballs, then go ahead and nominate your posts. Admit that it is in fact a Desi Carnival of Vanities and enjoy it.
April 4th, 2005 at 3:14 pm reply
Hee Hee….maybe an “understanding” is in order here…you know, you nominate Ash, Ash nominates you, Alpha nominates me, I tell Alpha I will nominate her but don’t…you get the idea :)
April 4th, 2005 at 3:44 pm reply
Patrix has no issues nominating himself, why should you? How do you think he made the one lakh mark and not me? Gee patty…of course, apart from the worthy intellectual thoughts that this blog renders. Have fun at the mela and don’t get lost. As for nominating me, I think I am disqualified. I’m Greek and I write about Arab issues.
Patty, keep up the good job.
April 4th, 2005 at 4:14 pm reply
OK I’m getting it :)…so tell me what’s the prize for winning? I wanna nominate Alpha (kicking and screaming) and Patrix (cool and confidant.. as he is after all hosting this).
April 4th, 2005 at 7:24 pm reply
Gabby, Alpha, itna tenshun kyon? get off your high horses and self-nominate yourself quick. Remember, I am hosting the Mela, I can host your rants and then see your hits rise (thatz your only prize, Gabby). BTW Alpha, its consistency that gets more hits not the frequent blog quitters that need desperate pleas (read bhav) to come back :)
April 5th, 2005 at 1:35 am reply
http://www.jdv.blogspot.com . smiley’s article: role of media (dt 05/04/05)
April 5th, 2005 at 9:30 am reply
Alpha’s coming-out one..
http://alpha.blogdrive.com/archive/154.html
April 5th, 2005 at 9:33 am reply
Can you re-post your Jagadamba-Gopika one so I can nominate that? :)
April 5th, 2005 at 9:48 am reply
Gabby - Thanks. I hoped someone would nominate Alpha’s post otherwise I was gonna do it anyways. My Jag-Gop post falls doesn’t qualify; anyways there will be others…you have time till Thursday evening :)
April 5th, 2005 at 1:23 pm reply
hmmm Patrix, ok i’ll wait…but tab kya pata mood ho ya na ho :)
April 5th, 2005 at 1:30 pm reply
the smiley guy’s latest one:
http://jdv.blogspot.com/2005/04/role-of-media-on-day-two-at-young.html
April 5th, 2005 at 2:31 pm reply
patty, my horse just grew taller. But it got crippled with the ‘nakra’ taunt! harsh indeed!
Gabby baby, thou art imposs! It’s not a mela worthy post. No one listens to me these days. But thanks so much sweetie! Yeah smiley’s post was good.
April 5th, 2005 at 2:51 pm reply
Gabby - No probs…mood theek rakhna.
Alpha - Tsk Tsk…I must have really hit a nerve when I mentioned the high horse but for a “published” blogger, words of a lowly blogger shouldn’t hurt, right :)
April 5th, 2005 at 3:19 pm reply
you’re welcome Alphs. see i know it always bugs you cos i’m the prettier one, so i thought this way you’ll feel more “equal” :D
April 5th, 2005 at 6:02 pm reply
Here is my nomination: http://ashishniti.blogspot.com/2005/03/is-trade-deficit-harmful.html
April 6th, 2005 at 2:18 am reply
I nominate:
Free Speech, Hate Speech, and HinduHumanRights.org:
http://www.bloglines.com/blog/Shivam?id=1
That was my first posting on my new blog, called Mall Road
Thanks
Shivam
April 6th, 2005 at 2:25 am reply
I would like to nominate two posts from http://www.stopragging.org which was launched as a blog on 18th March 2005.
These are:
The Masks of ‘91
http://stop-ragging.blogspot.com/2005/03/masks-of-91.html
How I was ragged at IIT Delhi and why it was no joke
http://stop-ragging.blogspot.com/2005/03/how-i-was-ragged-at-iit-delhi-and-why.html
If you read them you will see why these are the pages on our blog getting the most hits, and why these posts are being blogged and linked by so many people.
Thanks
Sachin Agarwal
April 6th, 2005 at 2:37 am reply
Nominating a post by Varuna Mohite, a new guest blogger on AnarCapLib.
Putting Faith in Reason
What’s all the hoo-haa about self nomination in aid of? I believe that if you won’t blow your own trumpet, someone might just come along and spit in it!
April 6th, 2005 at 7:58 am reply
Yazad ji, blowing a spit-on trumpet just causes spit to be dispelled in the air on poor unware souls. Just a thought.
April 6th, 2005 at 10:03 am reply
Hi Patrix,
Here’s the latest USD 0.02 from me:
Nationalized Banks: Building Better Lives Around You?
April 6th, 2005 at 12:18 pm reply
Gratisgab’s post- http://gratisgab.blogspot.com/2005/03/our-unmentionables.html
April 6th, 2005 at 12:53 pm reply
awww smiley, you just being nice and returning the favour…that “unmentionables” was my cheesiest..see i’m experimenting and figuring out that when I write a heart-wrenching poem or about my super-cool (i like to think!) hang-gliding experience only a few loyals come by…write something with the word bra in it and as expected it seems to work..hmmm…but thank you!!!
April 6th, 2005 at 1:12 pm reply
YAY I found a problem with Smiley’s nomination…my “unmentionables” was posted on March 30 and so it doesn’t qualify! Take his nomination out Patrix, quick! QUICK!
April 7th, 2005 at 3:04 am reply
Gratis and nonick, thanks for nominating my post.
…and how alpha loves playing with us. Sweetie Gratis , my hunch is that , it was alpha who nominated you with my name (embarassed smiley). :-)
April 8th, 2005 at 9:46 am reply
hope this make through , Outsourcing is a possibility for Indian tantrik’s through Japani technology.