Security at Gunpoint!

Gandhinagar, Sep 24, 2002: 34 people killed in the attack on the Akshardham temple
Mumbai, Aug 25, 2003: 46 people killed in two blasts including one near the Gateway of India
New Delhi, Oct 29, 2005: 61 people killed in three blasts on the eve of Diwali
Varanasi, March 7, 2006: 21 people killed in three blasts including one at a temple and another at a railway station
Mumbai, July 11, 2006: 209 people killed in seven blasts on suburban trains and stations
Malegaon, Maharashtra, Sep 8, 2006: 40 people killed in two blasts
Samjhauta Express, Feb 19, 2007: 66 people killed after two firebombs went off on the India-Pakistan friendship train
Hyderabad, Aug 25, 2007: 42 people killed in two blasts, at a popular eatery and a public park.
Jaipur, May 13, 2008: 68 people killed in serial bombings
Ahmedabad, July 26, 2008: 57 people killed after 20-odd synchronised bombs went off within less than two hours
New Delhi, Sep 13, 2008: 26 people killed in six blasts across the city
Malegaon, Maharashtra, Sep 29, 2008: Five people died after a bomb kept in a motorbike went off in a crowded market
Kanpur, Oct 14, 2008: Eight people injured after bomb planted on a rented bicycle went off Colonelganj market
Assam, Oct 30, 2008: At least 45 killed (figure can change) and over 100 injured in 18 terror bombings across Assam and the most recent of all.....
Mumbai, Nov 26, 2008:Over 100 killed and many more injured in seven terror attacks targetting posh hotels in the upmarket area of South Mumbai

One look at this list and you would know that the big bad boys have spread terror across the length and breadth of the country. Boy! what a gory track record...talks volumes about the level of security in India. Today, there's just one question on people's mind...how many terror attacks is it going to take for our Government to avert such crises on the aam junta? "The Spirit of Mumbai", "Mumbai's resilience" etc etc are mere cliches and nothing else! People come here to earn their bread and butter and let's face it this spirit of Mumbai that we keep glofirying all the time is more of a shield to conceal our helplessness. Getting back to business post terror attacks is nothing but a Hobson's choice, really.

The sheer magnitude of these heinous acts is constantly on the rise and unless some serious measures are taken, we would be in for even worse nightmares. Can we afford that?

The past four days have been so disturbing that I have woken up with a headache and then hit the bed at night again with a headache. This entire Taj/Oberoi/Nariman episode was downright infernal...it is surely going to leave indelible marks on many lives..(of course politicians excluded). So here's why I say it's about time you (read politicians) woke up from your innate slumber...it's time to act and bring the criminals to book, to fortify security across the country and to make people's votes count.

There's loads to write about when we are talking terrorism and this is going to reflect soon, in the posts to follow.
I end this post with "Kudos to Mumbaikars for their spirit" but it's a pity see that Bombay still bleeds!

What a pity!

I tuned in to CNBC TV18 this evening and what I saw was by far the most bizarre thing on TV. All news channels are having a gala time covering all the buzz related to markets. It being Diwali day and markets being open for just an hour and a half, one may think, "oh! so now how are these news channels gonna cater to their religious viewers"...I mean with nothing much happening in the markets, what are these folks gonna show their viewers after all! Tough question with an extremely simple answer...these jerks manage to get astrologers on their shows to actually tell us how "shani" n "mangal" are gonna affect our markets and when the good times would be back for all of us (investors and the ilk). Incredibly insane na!! Imagine a Bejan Daruwala telling you that April 2009 onwards markets would take a U-turn from their bearish behaviour at present...now give me one reason why I should believe him....he says that 2 of his predictions have come true; so does that give his predictions enough credibility? Yeah right!!

And hats off to these news channels for generating content in the absence of real content! They sure know how to keep the business going!

What's the world comin to???!!

One look at the newspaper nowadays and that's precisely what you would say...with each passing day, turmoil is being redefined! It all began with the famous (read infamous) sub-prime crisis in the US and almost all countries are feeling the heat now. Talk about disaster begetting disaster.

Every morning you get to read about layoffs/market crash/bailouts...basically all versions of what we call disaster. Take today's TOI for example:-

>Yahoo to fire 1500 employees
>More banks in Europe may fail: IMF
>Google to go slow on hiring: CEO

and the list could be endless...

Having said that, I feel that it's pretty interesting to see how all of these things are inter-related...I mean one thing leading to another...but that apart it's a terrible phase...now I do not wish to harp on the fact anymore but just realized that reading an otherwise boring Bombay Times today is more refreshing than grabbing a copy of the TOI! Watsay!! ;)

My Trip to the Moon!

The caption does seem hard to believe but tell you what I did manage to catch the lunar experience right here in Thane and how!! It's pretty clear by now I'm talking about the roads in Thane...(which by the way do not qualify to be called roads in the first place)

Ok we do understand when tar roads develop those awful craters but what about concrete roads inundated with patches/cracks/craters? I was stumped to see the "craterised" version of concrete roads, the other day!

Believe me, driving on such roads is nothing short of a nightmare...and just imagine if it's raining at the same time, only to add to your woes. When I saw the condition of roads in Pune during monsoon last year, I used to think that there can never be roads worse than these anywhere (anywhere=other cities..which means small towns excluded)! Well well well, Thane proved me wrong! I admit that the highways are sound enough (excellent quality roads) but what about the crucial junctions like the Majiwada chowk or the ever crowded Ghodbunder road? I mean this is where you have maximum movement of vehicles and given the present condition of roads, it's more like a accidents-waiting-to-happen zone. And what's really pathetic-the deadly combination of craters and loose gravel on the roads...I had a terrible time figuring out the potholes from the road or the road from the potholes...never mind!

It's indeed a sorry state of affairs...when you talk about a progressive India, these are the issues that do matter (n it's really painful at the same time)...problems which need to be addressed right away. If we blame the rains for the pathetic condition of roads then let's face it, we are heading nowhere. If we are to build our infrastructure, we need to find a way out soon and till that happens, we continue to be tagged as a 'developing' nation (almost sounds like an axiom now!!) but there's surely no problem in being optimistic about a 'developed' India! We hope to see that day sometime! :)

So far so good

Well I have been inactive on blogger for quite sometime now so I realized the need to get back. The last month was pretty good in terms of enjoyment, freaking out with friends etc. There was this trip to Lonavla which I particularly enjoyed a lot! I have had outings with family, friends but this was the first time with colleagues and believe me it was simply awesome! And Lonavla was at its stunning best what with the scenic beauty and all!! Everytime Lonavla gets even more gorgeous during the monsoon! All my pics on orkut are a testimony to this.

Since it's a weekend, I thought of catching a movie. One look at the new releases and you know Singh is Kinng would have been the only option so Singh is Kinng it was and what a mindless movie, if at all you want to call it a movie! Seriously I have no idea what Anees Bazmee had in mind while scripting it :( Anyway, I spent my valuable money for watching a movie like that...are the producers listening?? The thing is nowadays, movie reviews aren't that reliable so...sadly, you gotta check out a movie at your own risk...too bad I know!

So that's it from me....will be back soon!

The verdict is out: Imran scores over Harman!!

When two star kids debut on the very same day, comparisons are bound to happen and no prizes for guessing who the winner is this time around....yes Imran Khan shines and how!! The dude's got all one needs to become a successful actor/star.

He delivers in his very first movie and with time on his side, he's destined to carve a niche for himself as a seasoned actor. As for Harman, I would say tough luck that even a movie of such an enormous bugdet (read LoveStory 2050) didn't quite prove to be a decent launch pad for him. Now we've established that he's a Hrithik clone and let's face it nobody likes duds alright; so unless you come out with something original, something of your own Harman I'm sorry to say, your future looks rather bleak!

But hey the brighter side of the story is that you could certainly have a blast catching all the "rave" reviews of LoveStory 2050 on different websites coz it's sure to tickle your funny bone hahah!! I mean this movie succeeds big time, in beating the criticism that Tashan got :D What a pity!!

So take it from me people- if you wanna have fun watching a movie, go watch Jaane Tu... definitely worth a watch and if you're getting terribly bored staring at your same old computer screen, check out the hilarious reviews that poor Harman's received..."FlopStory 2008 (and even that seems like an understatement to me!!) Just goes to show how potentially hazardous the movie could be (of course I haven't seen it yet and after all the caustic reviews I came across, I would be out of my mind to spend my money on it...),gosh I gotta stop right here...stay tuned...more to come on Potpourri!!

New Kid on the block!!

Phew!! After all those unpleasant experiences I shared in my earlier posts, I get to write about something absolutely nice and charming!!!

Cute would not be enough to describe him coz he's much more than that...right attitude, great style, looks to die for...and I could go on and on...Imran Khan, Aamir's nephew could well prove to be the next big thing happening to Bollywood! The man's got everything to make it to the top and the fact that he happens to be a star kid guarantees that he's here to stay (I mean look at Tushar Kapoor haha!!!)

I'm dying to watch "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na"....the songs are good, the theme-tried and tested formula of platonic friendship transforming into love-is interesting though overused...add to it young blood and there goes the recipe for a mushy romantic movie that would definitely be worth a watch to say the least!

Hoping for a good weekend courtesy "Jaane Tu..." !! Hope it's not a let down!