No Indians allowed in India!!!

No Indians allowed..(Read full story here...)

Here is an classic case of an MNC coming into India in order to cash in on the spoils of India's steadily growing economy but seem to have not done their homework enough. Haagen Dazs (HD) is one such example of this kind. They came visiting India to cash in on the local buoyant economy (when the other rest-of-the-world economies are just about limping back to normalcy post their tango with recession). HD in their mad rush to etch an name for themselves have not cared for the local sentiments, which is evident from their misadventure.

This advert. brings back the dark memories of how the East India Company visited India for trade and ultimately went on to rule India. They had signs during their stay in India calling for entry restriction of Indians in most of their social establishments.

I strongly feel that turning an blind eye or ignoring this as a one-off incident is not right. The local administration should take note of this and initiate strict action. At the least, HD should be fined and asked to do some community service related activity. In doing so we should send out an message of India of an self-respecting country which takes importance than in lieu of the financial benefits(if any) arising from the outlet opening of this MNC. This is very much needed so as to set an precedent for other adventurers. We can't let any outsider to exploit or take undue advantage of the situation that exists in India. I agree we have lawlessness compounded by rampant corruption and other social issues to deal with, all of which are attributed to our own callous thinking and the resulting frustrated way of life & living. All said and done, that doesn't warrant/allow any outsider to come in and behave in this rash manner. Though the marketing manager has agreed to their folly and apologized; they shouldn't be let go on the pretext of mere apologetic sound bytes.



Only if the right measures are taken to safeguard our values & culture, while ensuring to gel  well with the other foreign cultures can we forge an fair & fertile platform to facilitate & ultimately sustain an growing economy like ours.



Hope the right lessons are learned from this hiccup and we move forward in the right direction.

Amen!

London going the Mumbai way!

London warned of 26/11 rerun(Read full story here...)

This blunt and shocking revelation by the Police Dept. speaks a million words. One of those being the helplessness of the law enforcers in tackling or trying to contain the issue of terrorism. Dealing with or eventually trying to curb the Jihadis planing(another) assault on any of the numerous cities world wide is proving to be a humongous challenge for the law enforcers around the world. And why not, this is not one body or mind we are talking about here. This is rather a new wave of generation who are exposed, motivated and finally led to carry out these dastardly acts in the name of religion to achieve the ultimate prize of all - Salvation.

No matter how much soever the law enforcing agencies try to prevent these acts of terror; they are aware that this omnipresent monster to be done with is just wishful thinking - a wish which would never ever see the light of the day!


Its such a sorry state and an irony to note that religion which is epicenter of faith for humans is used as a weapon against humanity!  Hopefully the the religious leaders, law enforcers and people with work out a way to eliminate this malaise which has become one of the biggest threat to human existence and a way of life in certain parts of the world.


Isn't that wishful thinking again!

Amen!

Bangalore city paintings

Amid the chaos that surrounds any (ever) expanding cosmopolitan city, Bangalore too has its lion's share of these, viz. the haphazard Metro work, mindless traffic to name a few. But what makes Bangalore city stand out in a unique way is the decision by the city administration to paint the city walls - literally!

Bangalore city administration has initiated a unique city wall painting task. They have started painting arts(as I like to call them) mostly depicting local well known personalities, places, monuments, etc; thus beautifying the city and elevating the overall look-and-feel. In doing so they are doing away with the boring looking walls and resurrecting these dead walls...so to speak.

This is a good way to remind non-locals (as well as locals)  of the beauty surrounding them and refresh the mostly forgotten piece of history in everybody's minds & hearts.

This is a great initiative by the babus other wise known for the inept ways of thinking has shown that if the powers-to-be have the well being of the locals on their mind then the outcome of decisions made by them would surely be something wonderful (as seen with this initiative).

With the govt. taking these kind of initiatives & help from the local populous, I'm sure one day we all can turn around the city's image for the well being & benefit of all.

Amen!

No more hamara Bajaj!

Bajaj calls it a day(Read full story here...)

It is finally end of road for Bajaj. OK that was being a bit over-the-top ;). Bajaj recently made an statement effecting the shutdown of their scooter development department. Bajaj has had a smooth ride in the scooter segment and was the market leader in India in the late 80s and early 90s. I'm sure their "Hamara Bajaj" slogan is etched in many of our hearts. This news certainly evokes a bit of surprise and sadness for many, since they(scooters) were(and I'm sure are) associated with those warm and nostalgic growing-up-years memories.

With this decision, Bajaj is now to do away with their scooter venture and focus their energies in being the market leaders in the bike segment.

Looking forward to some good(in terms of mileage & performance) and innovative(like electric or alternate fuel powered vehicles) products from your future lineup.

All the Best Bajaj.

Disclaimer: This article is in no way an marketing/endorsement for Bajaj.

Amen!

IWAS...not there!!!

Bangalore undone!(Read full story here...)

Paralympics Committee of India(PCI) is hosting IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports)  2009 in Bangalore, wherein elite international disabled athletes representing more than 43 countries are converging to participate in this international meet. Being an international meet, the competing athletes are bound to expect(if not good) at least decent level of planning, infrastructure & management.

But being true to their stature, the powers to be (read PCI in tune with their political masterminds) have gone ahead and messed up this entire event. It seems not enough thought process went into the preparation for this sports event. Basic planing like that of infrastructure seems to be out of place! A blatant & shameful pointer of this was evident when the Deputy President of IWAS was unable to get on the VIP dais due to absence of an ramp! Being an event for the disabled(wheelchair bound & amputee), the planners couldn't factor in this simple provision. How dumb could they get!!! This reflects poorly for Indians and is another brickbat for their image globally.

India the very nation which is hauled as one of the economic superpowers of today should be more careful, dedicated & sincere in planning global events like this(and others to come). We don't want to falter at a time when the entire world is watching us...do we? Occasions like these go a long way to project ourselves as a nation which truly want to make a mark(and eventually dominate) the global scene.

With India playing host for Commonwealth Games 2010 (in Delhi), it waits to be seen what lessons we learn from our mistakes.

Come on India, buckle up and prove your mettle. Cheers India!

Amen!

Taliban eyes Gandhara art!

Gandhara art on Taliban crosshairs(Read full story here...)

Passing through the same cross-road traveled sometime ago...Taliban is endangering the very essence of Buddhist existence - again! The Big Daddy of terrorism(read Taliban) in its infamous homeland - Af-Pak(Afghanistan-Pakistan), happen to exemplify their appreciation for their fanatic ways of Islam by doing away with un-Islamic ideologies. If they have it their way they would like the entire world to implement Sharia law, stop girl education, suppress women rights and banish idol worship to name a few. They've time & again proven their reckless attitude towards any non-Islamic way of life especially in Af-Pak.

Be it the blowing up of centuries old Bamiyan Buddha statue or going after the Gandhara art now. Buddhist(in Af-Pak) were bound to face the heat of the Taliban. Reason being, one Buddhism is unIslamic and two Taxila(is located in Pakistan coupled with the demon named Taliban gaining new inroads locally) where to be targets sooner or later. It was not a question of IF but WHEN? These kind of actions will(and are) alienate not only themselves(Taliban & its allies) but also their other cousins(who believe in moderate facets of Islam).

It is a known fact that Islam like any other faith is not evil; evil are its followers - the likes of Taliban & its supporters(to be precise).

All said and done, unfortunately this time the losers are going to be followers of Buddhism.


Amen!

Bal Thackeray takes on Sachin Tendulkar!

Bal Thackeray slams Sachin (Read full story here...)


The Thackeray clan are surely etching a name for themselves in the world of politics...all for the wrong reasons of course; having mastered the art of playing to the media & misguiding the local masses(Marathi Manoos) by their ill-logical and senseless fiery speeches/statements.


Here is the original champion(pun intended) of Marathi Manoos - Bal Thackeray, a self-crowned leader (and later accepted by the local Marathi populous...don't know how they were hoodwinked to accept it...but that's another topic all together). The Sena Supremo couldn't take(read digest) a decent comment from an real champion(no pun intended)...or should I say an Indian hero - cricketer Sachin Tendulkar!


Reiterating a well known fact to my readers here, the entire nation knows how good of a person Sachin has(and continues to be)been in real life(both on & off the field). Top that with the very basis of Sachin being an Marathi, who is very well aware of the fact that these politicians(the kinds that Sena & MNS is made of) are in business only to wreck havoc to the very fabric of communal harmony. These champions are known to and interested in stooping low to any level for the sake of vote-bank politics.


Sr. Thackeray(now there are more than one Thackeray in the fray vying for attention in the circus called politics) could only shut up the sensibilities as mentioned by sane people like Tendulkar. These sound bytes(by Sachin) might have been like splinter to the Sena's vision for Marathi Manoos!

For these champions have contributed substantially by:
1) Organizing Bandhs and vandalizing movie theaters (since a movie referred Mumbai as Bombay).
2) Threatening local business owners for not displaying their business names in local language.
3) Bashing up non-Marathi interviewees/examinees appearing for the Railway recruitment program.
4) Destroying gift article shops on events like Valentine's Day & Mother's Day.
5) Issuing notices to housing associations asking reservation for Marathi people.


These are just a few but very important & burning issues which might have had a big ramification on the lives of the Marathi populous!


Puleeezz give me a break! Don't undermine, erode & destroy the Marathi self-confidence by begging for reservations in housing associations, we(Marathas) certainly deserve more & better treatment from a fellow Maratha(if you think you are one - Mr. Thackeray)!


We pride ourselves for being natives of Maharashtra. We take pride in(to name a few), the land of the likes of Shivaji - who epitomizes valor, Maratha Regiment - decorated numerous time for their valor and for Mumbai - India's financial capital where millions of fellow Indians live in harmony irrespective of their state, language or origins.
Never in our history has an Maratha known to have begged/threaten fellow Indian to etch an name for themselves! We were revered to be a class of our own, but these so-called champions of Marathi Manoos have stooped low to levels unknown & unheard of and dragged the great Maratha fame along with it.


Pained with the current state of affairs, I appeal to all my fellow Marathi friends & readers to be wary and see through this dirty, evil design(of these selfish politicians), voice their concern and be vocal of their discontent to safe-guard our Marathi pride.


Let the TRUE Marathi Manoos speak!


Amen!