Kiwi Animation

This one will make you smile and break your heart! It has been around for over a year, but I came across this only recently. Created by Dony Permedi for his Master's thesis, its about following your dreams...

Shame on us!

We Indians have always prided ourselves for our "maturity", and in recent times, for the "great democracy" that we are. But is the way we are treating Taslima Nasreen an indicator of these?

Taslima has been accused of writing offensive statements about Islam. I do not claim to pass judgments on the merits (or the lack of it) of her statements, but I cannot understand how we can let ourselves be insulted by someone who does not even claim to be a scholar on the matter? So much for "maturity".

And yes, the great Indian "hospitality". First, the atrocious treatment in Hyderabad, and later, she was sent packing from Kolkota - only because the government there could not stand up to religious fundamentalists! Was this vote bank politics or a clever smokescreen to divert attention from Nandigram? Probably both.

She was moved to Jaipur and then to New Delhi. The central government’s way of showing guests around the country, I suppose. The latest news is that she has been asked not to set foot in Kolkota, ever.

Our friends on the "Right” did not miss this opportunity to gain some mileage. Taslima was offered asylum in Gujarat. These are the same people who have driven MF Hussain out of the country. How much more hypocritical can we get?

So, which votebank do you belong to?

ಸಿರಿಗನ್ನಡಂ "ಗಲ್ಲಿಗೆ"?

What's the Good Word?

Oxford University Press have come up with what according to them, is the 2007 Word of the year . It is "Locavore", meaning someone who eats food grown or produced locally. Though they are quick to add locavore is very much “on the cusp”, ie not yet firmly established in widespread usage. That means Oxford lexicographers will continue to monitor its progress to see if it eventually warrants inclusion in the next edition of New Oxford American Dictionary. The runners up, most of which I would vote for ahead of Locavore, include Upcycling and Cloudware.

Previous Word of the year winners, as nominated by OAP and other organizations include Blog, Podcast and my favourite Plutoed.


On a smilar note, Sterbetourismus (Death Tourism) has been selected as the Swiss Word of the year, a pointer to tourists' attraction to Switzerland's liberal laws on assisted suicides.

In an Indian context perhaps, some new words for 2007 could be “Gowdered” (when both father and son take you for a ride) or “RGVed” (A badly remade Classic).

Have any of your own for 2007?

Rebus Puzzles.

These are puzzle where you decode a message consisting of pictures or syllables/words. They would appear daily in the Times of India, not sure if they still do. Here is an example...

And the answer is, you guessed it - With or Without You.

Similarly,

is - Turning Green With Envy....get it? simple enough, eh?


So here are a few more for you to crack....
























Clue for the 7th one? Think Godfather..

Copy that?

A Xerox shop near Bhageshwar in Uttarakhand proclaiming how scenic the state is (however unintentionally).




The Panchachuli -1 peak as seen from Munsiyari town. Munsiyari is an idyllic little place from where treks to Milam begin.




A gorge near Reilkot on the trail to Milam.

The place to be for "heavy eaters" perhaps? Opposite Bhageshwar Bus stand.

Got QWERTY?

I find the speed with which some people key in their sms frightening! My thumb start hurting after keying in about 30 "proper" English words (not a big fan of "sms lingo" myself). Digging a little deeper , I found that folks over 20 are considered "over the hill" when it comes to super-fast texting. The winner of this contest, held earlier this year, was a 13 year old! Had to happen I guess, considering school children with access to cellphones and all the practice they get.

Reckon we will soon see competitive texting in the Olympics? Or will addiction rehab centers and clinics treating repetitive strain injuries make more money?

Maybe both.

Kids' Pics

Photographs of children I came across on various travels.

This brother and sister duo were quarreling one morning in Saligrama (Udupi District). They broke it off to pose for the camera, though the brother doesn't seem too amused!

These guys had bunked school one sunny afternoon at Jimighat, on the trail to the Milam Glacier (Kumaon).


More curious onlookers on the trail to Milam!




The one above was in Belthangady Taluk ( Dakshina Kannada District). Lucky the chap carrying provisions home didn't break the eggs in all the excitement!

Children from a tribe in Arunachal Pradesh. Technically, not a "live" photo, but from the National Museum in New Delhi I visited last year.

Watch out Karan Thapar!

Saw this on CNN this morning. The woman, a Venezuelan politician, attacked the TV journo on a LIVE debate! Playing Devil's Advocate could prove costly if our desi politicians take a cue from this woman!!

Mafia's 10 Commandments

Came across this article on the Italian mafia , which had me in splits. Smacks of hipocrisy, doesn't it? The last one about "anyone who behaves badly and doesn't hold to moral values" is so ironic!

Wonder if our very own "D-Company" has anything similar?

St. Mary's Island

Was in Udupi a couple of weeks back with my friend Tambi and took the opportunity to visit the beautiful St. Mary's Island. The rock formation here is really unique and breathtaking.

Head to the Udupi city bus stand and take a "city bus" to Malpe, about 6 Kms away. There's one almost every 10 minutes. The harbour is right next to the Malpe Bus stand. Its a 5 minute walk then to the jetty where you find the ferries parked. Tickets to the island and back in these ferries cost Rs. 70. The first ferry leaves Malpe by 9 AM.

On the island -

This being a Saturday and thanks to a couple of gangs of college students on an "Educational Tour", the ferry was crammed. We counted at least a 100 people on board! The "cruise" took about 25 minutes. Just off the island, about a 100 meters away, we were transferred onto a smaller boat, which dropped us on the beach.

The island, like I said, is beautiful. You can walk all the way to the top of the highest rock formation (if you dont trip on one of the other million visitors) and the sea breeze was wonderful. Vasco Da Gama was here in the 15th century, apparently. The waves hit the rocks with awesome force and the crevices between rocks have enough water to breed a mini ecosystem within. We found a multi-colored crab, but he was camera shy, despite Tambi's heroics to capture him.

The ferry leaves you there for an hour, before they come back with the next boatload. You can request to stay longer if you wish and take a ride back later. We had to head back, though.

The ideal time to visit the island, we realised, is on a weekday and in the evening, to take in the sunset. Next time, perhaps.

Restarting the Blog

This blog has been in hibernation too long now. Have resolved to blog atleast once a week henceforth! So watch this space for more....