Scenario 01: Two friends, barely out of graduation, get selected for a postmaster's job. They break for lunch, and decide to have a simple meal at the tiny dhaba across the road. No sooner than they leave the post-office that bullets start flying around them, and a fierce gun battle starts between insurgents and the CRPF. They duck their heads and run for cover.
Scenario 02: A bank manager drives to work, looking furtively around him for attackers. He goes to the bank, locks up all the doors from inside. For any customer to enter, they have to identify themselves before the locks can be opened. He tries to make the 50 km journey back home before dark - it would be too dangerous otherwise.
These are not scenes copied from Sholay, and the setting is not militant-infested Kashmir. The two kids are my brother's friends, and the banker is my father. For them, this is just any other day in a tiny village of  interior Orissa. Bridges getting blown off, railway tracks torn off are all absorbed with just a nod of the head. Commonplace.
Sounds incredulous, isn't it?
We are talking about the home-bred, in-house gang of terrorists, AKA Maoists. The Maoist Movement which began as a simple fight for tribal justice has taken on alarming proportions. No longer can they be ignored as innocent tribals fighting for their rights, for food, for education. No longer can they classify themselves as Naxalites, guerrillas, or by any other damn name. They are terrorists, pure and simple.
The Maoist Empire is a staggering 1500 crore rupee corporation; their terror spans several states, most severely hit being Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, and Bihar. No, they don't spend a penny to help their fellow men; on the contrary, they extort money from almost everyone, including school teachers. They kill at will, most often than not tagging their victims as police informers. You can get more information on the Maoist modus operandi here.
Bridges, schools, railway tracks, telephone towers, buildings, nothing can escape their wrath. Their latest attack, blowing up a bus with a landmine and killing over 40 people left me open mouthed. Chidambaram says they get their weapons from across the border, maybe from China, and Bangladesh. Ah, what sweet neighbors we have! Pakistan, China, Bangladesh - kudos to you people! It wasn't enough that you took parts of our country with you, you had to continue poking at what's left.
If all of this terror and violence is one side of the story, the other, more important one is how little we have done to combat it. They keep gunning our security personnel down like insects, they kill civilians, they smuggle heavy artillery from across the border right from under our nostrils, and all we do is fart out a "strong statement" saying we will not take it lightly. Manmohan Singh declared them as the most serious internal threat to India's national security (Source: WIKI). Yeah, that should have them quivering and running for cover, right?
We have so many causes that get their quota of attention - Saving tigers, yes, they're important. Treating animals ethically, well, they deserve it. Going green, good for the environment. Do it. But hey, can someone focus on this cause, too? Maybe get to move the government to take stricter measures. At the very least, no more killings. Pull some security personnel from the thousands allocated to all those fatso politicians and place them somewhere where they can feel a sense of pride that they're involved in what they originally signed up for.
No more bloodshed, no more red. Let's say goodbye to the red corridor. I, for one, hate it.
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Yes, I am back to farming.
I left my farm high and dry a few months ago, and now I'm back with a vengeance. Most of my waking hours are spent thinking of ways to make my farm better; at least I have no control over what I dream about, so at night thankfully Farmville leaves me alone.
Tending to my livestock, rounding up baby animals, adopting lost ones, sheltering homeless calves, ugly ducklings, and Llamas take the most part of my busy day. I have to admit I have no clue on earth what kind of an animal is the Llama; the closest I've come to knowing a Llama is the Dalai Lama ;-). This doesn't stop me from tending to the animal with great fervour, asking my friends to help if I come across a lost Llama in my farm, et al.
Oh, and yes, I am the proud owner of a library, a school, a couple of greenhouses, cottages with picket fences, a complete forest with every type of tree imaginable - cherry, passion fruit, durian, olive, magnolia, yeah well, you get the idea.
How can I forget the whole business of growing plants?! It is a painstaking process indeed - plow the field, plant seeds, wait for them to grow, harvest them on time, and repeat the damn process all over again. God forbid if you forgot the harvest timing! A bunch of withered crops are not the right way to start the day - they make your heart beat funny and you are subdued for quite some time, without even realizing why.
This experience made me realize how, if I am saddened by a bunch of withered virtual crops that don't even exist, farmers who toil day and night on their farms, waiting patiently for the rains to come on time, would feel if at the end of the day their crops are destroyed by a freak thunderstorm. Heartbreaking, to say the least.
For all you people who loathe Farmville and who make fun of us virtual farmers - please don't. I don't know if I can ever own a library in real life, or if I'll ever have a pretty cottage with white picket fences. I cannot explain it, but when I tend to my farm I feel happy. I feel happpy when I pet my animals and they jump a little, and tiny red hearts come floating out of them. I feel happy when I see my crops ready to be harvested, and I feel happy when I harvest a perfect bunch of red tulips.
Okay, I just realized this post has become too long - enough about farming, now! Will greet you with an entirely different post very shortly :-)
Tending to my livestock, rounding up baby animals, adopting lost ones, sheltering homeless calves, ugly ducklings, and Llamas take the most part of my busy day. I have to admit I have no clue on earth what kind of an animal is the Llama; the closest I've come to knowing a Llama is the Dalai Lama ;-). This doesn't stop me from tending to the animal with great fervour, asking my friends to help if I come across a lost Llama in my farm, et al.
Oh, and yes, I am the proud owner of a library, a school, a couple of greenhouses, cottages with picket fences, a complete forest with every type of tree imaginable - cherry, passion fruit, durian, olive, magnolia, yeah well, you get the idea.
How can I forget the whole business of growing plants?! It is a painstaking process indeed - plow the field, plant seeds, wait for them to grow, harvest them on time, and repeat the damn process all over again. God forbid if you forgot the harvest timing! A bunch of withered crops are not the right way to start the day - they make your heart beat funny and you are subdued for quite some time, without even realizing why.
This experience made me realize how, if I am saddened by a bunch of withered virtual crops that don't even exist, farmers who toil day and night on their farms, waiting patiently for the rains to come on time, would feel if at the end of the day their crops are destroyed by a freak thunderstorm. Heartbreaking, to say the least.
For all you people who loathe Farmville and who make fun of us virtual farmers - please don't. I don't know if I can ever own a library in real life, or if I'll ever have a pretty cottage with white picket fences. I cannot explain it, but when I tend to my farm I feel happy. I feel happpy when I pet my animals and they jump a little, and tiny red hearts come floating out of them. I feel happy when I see my crops ready to be harvested, and I feel happy when I harvest a perfect bunch of red tulips.
Okay, I just realized this post has become too long - enough about farming, now! Will greet you with an entirely different post very shortly :-)
Thursday, 1 April 2010
The Strange Case of Krystian Bala
Came across a most astonishing piece of news on the internet today; you might think you've seen it all, but I guess this man sets a new precedent. I've heard of many strange cases, but Krystian Bala must surely take away the prize for the most WTF crime ever committed.
A Polish author, Krystian Bala published his first novel Amok in the year 2003; some time later, police found an eerie similarity between a murder committed in the book, to an unsolved murder that took place in Poland in the year 2000. Getting suspicious, police began to track the murder again, matching it with the clues and events written in the novel.
In what might very well be a WTF moment, the author turned out to be the murderer, later drawing on his own experience to draft his masterpiece of a novel. Whoa, hold on - no, this genius didn't stop at that; he was at the time working on his second novel, and was also planning another murder at the same time. Guess this guy gives "writing from his experience" an entirely new meaning.
You can read the full stories here and here.
A Polish author, Krystian Bala published his first novel Amok in the year 2003; some time later, police found an eerie similarity between a murder committed in the book, to an unsolved murder that took place in Poland in the year 2000. Getting suspicious, police began to track the murder again, matching it with the clues and events written in the novel.
In what might very well be a WTF moment, the author turned out to be the murderer, later drawing on his own experience to draft his masterpiece of a novel. Whoa, hold on - no, this genius didn't stop at that; he was at the time working on his second novel, and was also planning another murder at the same time. Guess this guy gives "writing from his experience" an entirely new meaning.
You can read the full stories here and here.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
The Virago of Veerpuri
The Virago of Veerpuri got me hooked from the word go - this was the first ever mystery that I had ever read - and as luck would have it, was a mystery that was left unsolved.
The story was published on Chandamama as a series, appearing first in the May issue of the year 1997. It belonged to an era where every single piece of fiction was riveting - full of kings, queens, princesses, evil tantriks, royal astrologers, predictions of doom, the entire lot. You get the picture.
I was living in a town where the only accessible reads were academic text-books; I grew up with my grandparents, and they belonged to the clan who thought kids who didn't read Chandamama growing up would grow up into unspeakable adults. In all fairness, I loved the little book. I literally pined for the 4th of every month, waiting hungrily for the mailman to deliver my copy.
To cut a long story short, The Virago of Veerpuri mysteriously stopped after a few episodes, just when the story was at its most interesting. To this day, it remains like that grain of sand in my eye, that seed stuck in my tooth, that thorn in my foot - I just can't let go. I keep remembering it from time to time, and wonder how the story might have unraveled.
Ah well, wouldn't bode well for me to get nostalgic again, so here goes - all you Chandamama fans, you can go through the archives of the book by going here. And for you old-timers who did follow the story, and know what happened to it - Yours truly is waiting to hear it.
The story was published on Chandamama as a series, appearing first in the May issue of the year 1997. It belonged to an era where every single piece of fiction was riveting - full of kings, queens, princesses, evil tantriks, royal astrologers, predictions of doom, the entire lot. You get the picture.
I was living in a town where the only accessible reads were academic text-books; I grew up with my grandparents, and they belonged to the clan who thought kids who didn't read Chandamama growing up would grow up into unspeakable adults. In all fairness, I loved the little book. I literally pined for the 4th of every month, waiting hungrily for the mailman to deliver my copy.
To cut a long story short, The Virago of Veerpuri mysteriously stopped after a few episodes, just when the story was at its most interesting. To this day, it remains like that grain of sand in my eye, that seed stuck in my tooth, that thorn in my foot - I just can't let go. I keep remembering it from time to time, and wonder how the story might have unraveled.
Ah well, wouldn't bode well for me to get nostalgic again, so here goes - all you Chandamama fans, you can go through the archives of the book by going here. And for you old-timers who did follow the story, and know what happened to it - Yours truly is waiting to hear it.
Friday, 26 March 2010
Earth Hour 2010
The Earth Hour campaign, hosted by WWF, is on 27th March this year; and it's getting viral like nobody's business. Millions of households are expected to go dark tomorrow at 2030 hours, in an attempt to curb the menace of Global Warming.
The stats are impressive - Earth Hour 2009 had one billion participants, and this year is expected to cross that figure; 121 countries have counted themselves in, and a whopping 812 global landmarks are expected to turn off their lights for the occasion. The list includes biggies like the Eiffel Tower, Niagara Falls, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, and more. Closer home, we will see the Red Fort in darkness tomorrow. (Source: WIKI)
While all this is pretty awesome, wouldn't it be a lot simpler if the governments involved just cut off the power for that one hour? I know, it's forced participation that way, but c'mon, think how many participants the event would have! I certainly wouldn't mind a one-hour power cut, especially if it was in the interests of the global community!
So there, now that you know, try to use as less power as possible during that hour - at other times too, for that matter. If this means the day-time temperature is gonna drop by even 1 degree Celsius, I'm willing to try it out.
I hate Global Warming, and I know you do, too. On board, then!
The stats are impressive - Earth Hour 2009 had one billion participants, and this year is expected to cross that figure; 121 countries have counted themselves in, and a whopping 812 global landmarks are expected to turn off their lights for the occasion. The list includes biggies like the Eiffel Tower, Niagara Falls, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, and more. Closer home, we will see the Red Fort in darkness tomorrow. (Source: WIKI)
While all this is pretty awesome, wouldn't it be a lot simpler if the governments involved just cut off the power for that one hour? I know, it's forced participation that way, but c'mon, think how many participants the event would have! I certainly wouldn't mind a one-hour power cut, especially if it was in the interests of the global community!
So there, now that you know, try to use as less power as possible during that hour - at other times too, for that matter. If this means the day-time temperature is gonna drop by even 1 degree Celsius, I'm willing to try it out.
I hate Global Warming, and I know you do, too. On board, then!
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Avatar Blues
Everyone said it was the best movie they had ever seen. Everyone said, they were surely going to watch it a second, third time. Everyone said if you haven't seen Avatar yet, you haven't lived.
I finally decided to see what the fuss was all about. Or rather, I finally got a chance to see what the fuss was all about when my friend got hold of three tickets at the famed IMAX 3D Screen at Prasad's.
The movie in a nutshell - Bad guys target good guys. One bad guy turns into good guy. Finds true love.  Defeats bad guys. End of movie. Throw in tons and tons of special effects, cheesy lines, lots of bluish, creepy looking things, and you've got Avatar. I'm sorry guys, I know you loved the movie, but I just don't see what made the movie so lovable.
Frankly, I developed a migraine about 30 minutes into the movie; whether it was due to the movie itself, the sweltering Hyderabad heat, or the uncomfortable oversized 3D glasses, we'll never know. But yeah, I'm inclined to blame the movie :D We waited in vain for some awesome scene that would make us go WOW!!!, but that never happened.
Pandora was full of neon lighting, huge tails, as-ugly-as-you-can-make-em monsters and birds, and what not. I mean, how creepy were those earthworm-like wiggly things in the Na'vi braids?! And how many of you felt the Na'vis - with their bows and arrows slung on their backs - resembled the Hindu Gods?
What I do acknowledge, is the hardwork put in by hundreds of behind-the-scenes crew; Apparently, each frame (1/24 of a second) of the CGI scenes took an average of 47 man-hours to complete (Source: IMDB).
That certainly is impressive, and while I'm in awe of it, I did not really enjoy it.
I finally decided to see what the fuss was all about. Or rather, I finally got a chance to see what the fuss was all about when my friend got hold of three tickets at the famed IMAX 3D Screen at Prasad's.
The movie in a nutshell - Bad guys target good guys. One bad guy turns into good guy. Finds true love.  Defeats bad guys. End of movie. Throw in tons and tons of special effects, cheesy lines, lots of bluish, creepy looking things, and you've got Avatar. I'm sorry guys, I know you loved the movie, but I just don't see what made the movie so lovable.
Frankly, I developed a migraine about 30 minutes into the movie; whether it was due to the movie itself, the sweltering Hyderabad heat, or the uncomfortable oversized 3D glasses, we'll never know. But yeah, I'm inclined to blame the movie :D We waited in vain for some awesome scene that would make us go WOW!!!, but that never happened.
Pandora was full of neon lighting, huge tails, as-ugly-as-you-can-make-em monsters and birds, and what not. I mean, how creepy were those earthworm-like wiggly things in the Na'vi braids?! And how many of you felt the Na'vis - with their bows and arrows slung on their backs - resembled the Hindu Gods?
What I do acknowledge, is the hardwork put in by hundreds of behind-the-scenes crew; Apparently, each frame (1/24 of a second) of the CGI scenes took an average of 47 man-hours to complete (Source: IMDB).
That certainly is impressive, and while I'm in awe of it, I did not really enjoy it.
Monday, 22 March 2010
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest
The third and final book of the Millennium Saga begins on a fairly dark note - Lisbeth Salander is battling death with a bullet lodged inside her head; not more than two rooms away is Zala (in the hospital with an axe stuck in his head by Miss Salander) screaming bloody revenge.
Yeah, that's Lisbeth for you! Funny how this scrawny, devil-may-care, bisexual-and-proud-of-it, outrageous delinquent rouses the gentlest, protective, shaking-your-head-with-a-grin feeling.
Lisbeth is awaiting trial for three murders - and it is obviously up to Mikael Blomkvist to prove her innocence. With Lisbeth locked away in the hospital, and also not on talking terms with him (she refers to him as Kalle Bastard Blomkvist), this might easily be the toughest task he's ever encountered. As he delves deeper into the seemingly simple case, he comes up with startling revelations - the sinster plot goes all the way into the very heart of the Swedish Secret Service, with consequences that might topple the government.
I guess what sets these novels apart from others of their genre are their approach towards women; these books do have women targeted as the weaker sex, but they also show how they spring back with vigor; they show that today's women are independent, strong, completely capable of taking on the world, come what may. Also that it's mighty foolish to meddle with them - as Bjurman the Advocate found out, in a very painful, and life-altering way (Thanks to Lisbeth, obviously ;-)). Women in these books have strong characters, and not one single girl in the trilogy has been portrayed as a damsel-in-distress.
Men need not feel left out here - Mikael Blomkvist is quite the hero, let me assure you! Book lover or not, these three novels are a must read for everyone.
Beg, borrow, or steal - but get your hands on these beauties. They are totally, totally worth it.
Yeah, that's Lisbeth for you! Funny how this scrawny, devil-may-care, bisexual-and-proud-of-it, outrageous delinquent rouses the gentlest, protective, shaking-your-head-with-a-grin feeling.
Lisbeth is awaiting trial for three murders - and it is obviously up to Mikael Blomkvist to prove her innocence. With Lisbeth locked away in the hospital, and also not on talking terms with him (she refers to him as Kalle Bastard Blomkvist), this might easily be the toughest task he's ever encountered. As he delves deeper into the seemingly simple case, he comes up with startling revelations - the sinster plot goes all the way into the very heart of the Swedish Secret Service, with consequences that might topple the government.
I guess what sets these novels apart from others of their genre are their approach towards women; these books do have women targeted as the weaker sex, but they also show how they spring back with vigor; they show that today's women are independent, strong, completely capable of taking on the world, come what may. Also that it's mighty foolish to meddle with them - as Bjurman the Advocate found out, in a very painful, and life-altering way (Thanks to Lisbeth, obviously ;-)). Women in these books have strong characters, and not one single girl in the trilogy has been portrayed as a damsel-in-distress.
Men need not feel left out here - Mikael Blomkvist is quite the hero, let me assure you! Book lover or not, these three novels are a must read for everyone.
Beg, borrow, or steal - but get your hands on these beauties. They are totally, totally worth it.
Friday, 19 March 2010
KitKats and Orang-utans
Incredulous though it may seem, your eating Kitkats might ultimately lead to the extinction of one of nature's most loved primates - The Orang-utan. How?
Looks like Nestlé's palm oil providers destroy precious Indonesian rainforests to get those chocolates made. Not only will this lead to serious climate change, it's also going to result in the orang-utans getting wiped out from the face of the earth.
Going by the statement issued by the company, Nestlé has announced very graciously that they're going to keep using these killer methods till the year 2015, at the very least. After which they have a committment to start using "Certified Sustainable Palm Oil" once they're done with 5 more years of burning up the planet. You can read their complete statement here.
What with all the Global Warming and Climate Summits going on in full swing, it's time someone took note of this. And Greenpeace did.
Join Greenpeace in their campaign - "Nestlé Killer - Ask Nestlé to give rainforests a break!" The next time you feel like a break, maybe you might want to re-consider your options. I know I will.
Looks like Nestlé's palm oil providers destroy precious Indonesian rainforests to get those chocolates made. Not only will this lead to serious climate change, it's also going to result in the orang-utans getting wiped out from the face of the earth.
Going by the statement issued by the company, Nestlé has announced very graciously that they're going to keep using these killer methods till the year 2015, at the very least. After which they have a committment to start using "Certified Sustainable Palm Oil" once they're done with 5 more years of burning up the planet. You can read their complete statement here.
What with all the Global Warming and Climate Summits going on in full swing, it's time someone took note of this. And Greenpeace did.
Join Greenpeace in their campaign - "Nestlé Killer - Ask Nestlé to give rainforests a break!" The next time you feel like a break, maybe you might want to re-consider your options. I know I will.
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