Beacon of a Million Dream - Slumdog Millionaire

Among the many questions that I've come across after the success of the Slumdog Millionaire (SDM, here are some that have intrigued me the most: Does India have a true reason to be proud of the film. Does the success of the film constitute success for Indian film industry and more importantly a success for the talent that is present in the industry? A.R Rahman being the biggest case-in point to this argument. Was it an appreciation long overdue for our industry and the talent within it?



Will this signal a change in the way Indian cinema is viewed around the world. Although, I have a personal view on all of them, let's have a look at the facts first:

Fact File:

• Slumdog Millionaire is a Hollywood sponsored British film set in India, acted by Indians.
• The Film is based on a Novel "Q&A" by Vikas Swarup
• Majority of the Producer, Technicians, including Cinematography, Art direction and Sound and Costume are either American or British
• Apart from Rahman, other major contribution has come from Loveleen Tandan, who was the co-Director and did casting for the film, Natasha Nischol who did make-up and hair, and Tabrez Noorani who was the line producer.
• Rahman has given better music than SDM many times over and didn’t get the same acclaim
• The movie is a love story set amidst poverty and despair in a third world country. It was never intended to be a good PR exercise for India, especially Mumbai

So looking at some of the facts mentioned above, although we have some reason to feel proud, we should also make sure that we are not ignoring the fact of the matter. Although one should appreciate the movie as a true masterpiece, the fact still remains that the story is truly universal and would have had the same impact had it been set in any other country which faces the same hard realities as Mumbai. May be this is where the true genius of the movie lies!

Salvaging a Lost Cause??

Although the Israel and Palestinian conflict has been subject to all the metaphors and clinches one could think off, one can't resist oneself from coming up with a new one everyday. After the UN resolution asking for a ceasefire was effectively rejected by the two parties, I have coined some new terms that define the present scenario, which are, a Joke' and a 'Disaster'.

The United Nations and all the other so called world bodies which are supposed to ensure just and a long-term solutions to conflicts and prevent suffering and persecution of the effected population, is today made out to be nothing but a big, bloated, ineffective and a sad 'Joke.'

It's as if the Joker [The Security Council] goes through his endless ritual of antics, and the audience [Isreal, Palestine and the US], choses to ignore and laugh off their endless attempts [UN Resolutions] to draw their attention. I wonder, have these parties concerned decided to turn the entire conflict [The Most Dangerous in the World] into a big Circus, and are those affected by nothing but the props and paraphernalia that is just there to amuse and play around. It's hard to come up with a better description than, what a joke!!

The much touted and celebrated 'Peace Plan', the brainchild of the President Bush and Prime Minister Blair has ended up as a big 'Disaster. The plan which was supposed to ensure security, peace and hopefully a solution to the conflict only helped to delay the inevitable by the showboating and chauvinism brought on by the sheer rhetoric. But the cost of waste of precious time has only resulted in sparking a war among seemingly unmatched adversaries. Here,s there is only one winner, the casualties are much more than the statistics reflect.

The repercussions of the current incursions and the preceding and reactionary rocket attacks are sure to be felt around the world. The extremists of the world have just found a voice to support what they call the the Holy War to protest the Muslims. An entire generation is being brought up on the diet of bloodshed and hate. That doesn't augurs well for the coming generation. The children of Israel and Palestine are going to blame us for letting them down, and we are going to be left no answers to their question.

I know, me writing this won't achieve much but i needed an avenue to speak out. And this is it. So when you around the word 'Joke' and 'Disaster', you know there are more to it that what it seems.

Ode to Sachin

Feeling a bit low don't know why,
Can't see the reason how much I try.

I know there is a reason deep down,
It was always there but has recently grown.

Aimlessly I wander searching for a reason,
Reason to feel good in this lonely prison.

I hope I can soon recover,
As every moment stretches forever.

The willingness to quit slowly grows,
Hide it as much but it clearly shows.

I sit here in search of a healing prayer,
Waiting for that protection and care.

The walls seem to slowly get closer,
Building on a slow but relentless pressure.

I look back at the time I was stronger,
With friends that made me feel so much richer.

I look forward to that salvaging prophecy,
That steers me away from this depressing ecstasy.

I hope whether my prayers will ever get answered,
Or will it fade like a plea that was wasted.

I hope someone there is listening,
Seeing the pain that I am experiencing.

Would there be an answer that brings resurrection,
Bringing me what I have so craven.

I wait for the angel that brings me wings of salvation,
Or I might resemble a corpse looked down by a raven

Making Every Vote Count

Urban Indians may have a sense of pride for their country’s democratic credentials but as electoral records will tell you, these sentiments don’t translate into any significant contributions into the system. Voter turnout has been dismally low in cities across the country. The lack of awareness about the formalities and documentation has also kept many potential voters at bay.

Few NGO’s and government agencies are working to reverse this trend. This year saw the emergence of a new initiative heralded by Tata Tea and Janaagraha, a Bangalore-based NGO working on urban governance which claims to have been successful in getting people listed and eligible to vote in unprecedented numbers. With states like Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi already in various phases of elections, the initiative couldn’t have come at a better time.

'Jaago Re - One Billion Votes' campaign, which covers 35 cities aims to reach out to the young, unregistered-eligible voters who have been hesitant to apply to vote due to the excruciating amount of time and effort that goes into getting oneself enlisted on the electoral roll.

Talking about the success of the campaign, Jasmine Shah, Campaign Coordinator, said, "Our unique campaign has been a resounding success with exciting responses from across India. The biggest response has come from Mumbai city with over 20% of total registration coming from here. This is twice as much as compared to any other Indian city.

This campaign has been one of the first attempts at using technology to simplify the process for applying for an election card. The application process involves registering online, after which, the applicant will be required to fill a two page form and forward it to the local ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) whose contact details is provided in the website. The applicant can also track the progress of his application online.


A recent visitor of the site, Kuldeep Jalan expressed satisfaction over the information provided and the overall look and presentation of the site." It can get a bit confusing at times as all the information is bundled together. As you spend more time navigating the site it does get interesting. The campaign is definitely welcome and has my full support," he said .


“We launched our website on 16th September, 2008 with the aim of creating awareness about the voter registration process and to make it easier for the youth and unregistered-eligible voters to exercise their right, while having the maximum knowledge about the their rights and the electoral process,” explained Prashant Nanaware, Outreach Associate of West Zone of the Jaago Re campaign.


The Jaago-Re website is very popular with over 15,000 unique visitors everyday."We have received 60,000 email leads with over 14,000 volunteers showing interest", says Rajesh Choudhary, Technology Coordinator for Janaagraha". He also informed that the next set of voter list will come out by January and another one between March-April, before the elections.

It is hoped that the campaign will add a significant number of voters to turn up at election time and contribute to our much cherished democratic system.

The future plans of the campaign include:

* Planning a tie-up with the Election commission
* Making voters list available to the public
* Providing candidates list and their profile
* Sending reminder SMS and voting booth details
* Enhanced Profile, Blog, and City pages to be added soon

Jaago Re Fact File:

* Covers 35 Cities
* Targets the Youth and Unregistered-eligible voters
* Provides Information and Updates to new Voters
* Applicants can also Volunteer in the Campaign
* India's first online voter registration engine

Source: Mumbai Mirror

Jonty's Successor ?!?!

Sybrand Engelbrecht, remember this name folks. Looking at his performance in the Under 19 World Cup at the beginning of the year, many experts have touted him to be the next fielding sensation to emerge from the fielding production line that is South Africa.



The agility and the sheer energy and joy that Engelbrecht brings to fielding, (yeah, I too find it hard to pronounce the name, to fielding is what draws immediate attention and the likeness to Jonty.

Today I hang my head out and proclaim that the name of boy, who is still in his teens will become a household name in the cricket world in the not too distant future. And officially this is my first, call it proclamation or prophecy. Amen!!1

Hopefully we'll he'll be able to come close to Jonty thereby allowing us to revisit and relish the high standards set by the magician Jonty. His catch against Pakistan in the second semifinal of the Under 19 World Cup is just a pointer to what this boy is capable of. I hope he improves on the other aspect of his play and the whole world can see him in action. Soon, very soon!!

Mumbai Rising!!

Mumbai will not forget the unfortunate and the brave,
We will pursue those responsible to their destined grave.

With the will of steel our Mumbai will soon recover,
All the villains who meant it harm will run for unsteady cover.

Those who decided to hurt Mumbai and test its metal,
Be prepared to hear the sound of the impending death rattle.

Forward we will march with great passion and fervor,
Our unstoppable progress resembling a rampaging river.

Let all doubts be put aside and questions kept in check,
Soon the mighty hand of justice will hang over your guilty neck.

Even god won't come to aid for you are doomed,
Your fate has been written and eternal hell loom.

Your actions will come to haunt you even after your death,
There is no salvation here right until your final breath.

Soon you will feel the wrath of a silent but deathly uprising,
Be prepared for your downfall and witness Mumbai Rising!!

Keeping the flame raging for 'Our MUMBAI'

The biggest challenge I think for all of us is to make sure that this
fire that is raging within us keeps raging for as long as the culprits, who perpetrated such a hideous and inhumane act on the Indian Soul is brought to justice.

We should keep applying the same sort of unrelenting pressure on our politicians and the security agencies handling the investing to make sure that they don't let their guard down.

One lapse on their part could mean that we could be back to square one. Take Pakistan for example, the swiftness of their action was induced more by our vigor to see actions on the ground and our unwavering commitment to see proactive measures against those responsible inside the country, as against Pakistan's sincere willingness to nab these sponsors of terror. This should be reason enough to keep our guard up.

To make sure that the recent action from across the border is not an eyewash and part of well planned delaying tactic from our inhospitable neighbor, it's imperative that we, the citizens of this great nation maintain our vigil, and let them, the people responsible for this, know, that any lethargy or disinterest from their
diplomatic, intelligence or enforcement channels are being closely watched.

It is not only the government agencies of India who are keeping an eye on the developments inside our country and in those countries that harbor antisocial elements with the intention to harm India, it is the people of India, the whole one billion plus of us who have taken it upon ourselves to see that any inaction by those concerned will be reciprocated by our counteraction.

Keep talking, discussing and spreading the word about the way we feel and how important our active participation is for fighting this evil is, which will help us in keeping this flame alive and raging until we see concrete, plausible and long-term results in the life lead.

Some ways that this can be done are:

• Making sure that our government doesn't forget our patience is not
an indication of indifference or a result of a lackadaisical attitude.

• America is a facilitator and not a dictator of any course of action
that we may chose to employ.

• Making sure that all the concerned parties are aware that our
democratic principles are our strength and not a weakness.

• We will not be fooled into thinking that immaterial and
unsubstantial measures will quench our desire to see outcomes.

Bravo to Team England!!!

The England Cricket team have done a great service to cricket and especially Indian cricket by agreeing to tour India under the current climate. They have shown real heart and in some respects, 'real bravery' by choosing to come to India and proving a point to all those who wanted to maim cricket and hurt India.

Although it would have been very easy for the England team to have stayed home and enjoy a unscheduled holiday, they decided to come back and test themselves in arguably the toughest tour to visit due to various reasons as the Australians found out recently.

So, this initiative by the England and Wales Crick Board, and especially the players invites for some words of approval and appreciation. And I was only too eager to oblige.

POMS, i use this word affectionately and not disparagingly as by the Australians often have, who, i would like to add have often wilted under the same pressure. My hats off to you all great bunch of lads.

All the best to you in India's tour, and may your performance live up to the obvious potential that you have.

For the first time in my life, i say, 'GO POMS'

What you mean to me??

Your thoughts can free a million dreams,
Your wish can unleash a 100 streams.

Your beauty can maraud any might breed.
Your care can conquer all of the words greed.

Your touch can overcome any mighty sword.
Your company can bring one closer to almighty God.

Your smell can bring heaven to shame,
Your desire can give life to a 1000 flame.

Your desire can lead to numerous quests,
Your rebuttal can leave salvation bereft.

Your curves can disturb nature's parity,
Your love can return a deluded to sanity.

Mumbai will boom amidst the gloom

They came and made us feel as hell has just struck,
but we the people of Mumbai refuse to buck.

Their intention was to spread death, distrust and destruction,
but our heroes came forth and secured resurrection.

What they hoped was to fracture our spirit and unity,
But we showed them the meaning of courage and integrity.

They might proclaim an immature and ill fated victory,
But they will soon realize all this was an exercise in futility.

The enemies morale will soon stumble and their whole foundation stumble,
India will certainly celebrate victory and still remain humble.

Their aim was to deny our progress to the top,
But their whole plan is going to sink like a rock.

They hoped their cruelty can bruise our compassion,
but their ignorance will soon bring about their own destruction.

All this targeted to mushroom manier secession testing our patience preparedness,
but India will emerge much stronger from this unholy madness.