Rajdeep Sardesai on Thackeray and Cricket

"C'mon Balasaheb, be a sport!"

Social Extremism

If extending the dynamics of the market to its logical extreme and criticising any kind of regulation is "economic extremism" (also known as libertarianism), this is social extremism.

The legalization of some drugs that are illegal today could be one of the most humane beneficial acts that can happen today in India. Imagine the amount of spousal abuse/hooch deaths that can be reduced, if the masses had access to marijuana, instead of relying of country liquor and tobacco.

As a moderate, I don't think I will have any problems in debating whether marijuana should be legal or not. That will be a good sport. But only as a sport, does it qualify for debate.

To extend the argument and claim that marijuana will reduce spouse abuse, in my view, is an attempt to try and shock the audience by sensationalising the consequence just so that people might take notice. To try and establish a credence that it otherwise does not deserve.

It is called fundamentalism, when religious texts are taken in literal sense and preached as maxims. This is very similar, only that we probably need a different word to qualify this.

Respect for the National Anthem

Amit, while pondering over Laloo & Family's alleged disrespect to the national anthem, wonders whether milking a cow, when others are singing the national anthem will be considered a disrespect too?

For me, its all in the way it is packaged.

Two christian alcoholics went to a priest to check if it would be considered blasphemy if they drink while praying to God. The first one asked the priest if he will be allowed to drink while praying. The priest condemned him for even entertaining the thought.

The second one asked if it is wrong to think about God and pray all the time, even when drinking. The priest, with nodding approval, announced that there is no time that is bad time for prayer!

Saarang...

Nostalgia can really be intoxicating... And leave you numb for hours together...

Thanks Lazygeek, for the photos...

Next Step for Google...

Google, in its current state of being in an innovation spree, might think of

1. "Institutionalizing" the blog mela concept by introducing a website that will extract the best of blogs in a particular area and allow voting/rating (on) them.
2. And for those that read blogs that don't fit in a particular area, could offer an easy way of personalized meta-blog that will comprise entries from a defined set of other blogs every day.

"Reservation in pvt sector, a risk factor" - Infosys

[From Sify.com]

"Recently, the Maharashtra State Government introduced legislation requiring that certain employers in the State give preferential hiring treatment to various under-represented groups resident within the State. The quality of our workforce is critical to our business. If the legislation becomes effective, our ability to hire the most highly qualified technology professionals in the State of Maharashtra may be hindered"

says Infosys in its latest filings with the SEC, USA.

One more for the season...

{Really Easy}
Assuming that you have a large tank of 500 gallons of water and you have a six gallon can, a nine gallon can and a 21 gallon can at your disposal.

I want exactly 50 gallons of water.

Can you measure and give?

On Plagiarism, Apple Pie and Sumo Wrestlers...

As you all know, Ravikiran recently had a dream where there was this innocent person who, by force of habit had started to make photocopies of newspapers from all around and distributed them from the middle of a desert. You also know that the folks who actually owned the content of the newspapers built the now-famous highway to the desert for readers to drive over and swear at the innocent person.

Now, when all the readers went there to do that, they found that the owners of the newspaper were already there swearing at "innocent person" left, right and center. I was there too. And I am so pleased that the whole issue has ended peacefully now. You might be interested to know how it was finally resolved...

Owners: (making angry faces) Give us an explanation for why you copied from all our newspapers?
Innocent Person: I always thought I could!
Owners: (bewildered) Is that right??
Innocent Person: Yeah, I never knew I should not copy!
Owners: (with happy faces) Oh Okay, fine then! Come people, lets all go.

After that, we all got on our cars and drove back to our homes.

By the way, here's some more puzzles. Assume that you are the arbiter and...

1. Devise a method to split a piece of apple-pie between two Sumo wrestlers without dispute.
2. Devise a method for 3 Sumo Wrestlers.
3. Extend to n

.
Since I am very careless with my logical deductions, I might have missed a few assumptions/constraints in this puzzle. So assume as you deem necessary. Do give your solutions. I don't know what to do with the second and third situations myself.

Dr. Kamal Hassan...

It might not be an unsuitable time after all, to ponder over what is good and what is not about arguably one of the best of contemporary actors in Indian Cinema. An honorary doctorate is the latest addition to the awards and recognitions that adorn Kamal Hassan's accomplished career in cinema.

A university doctorate is probably very appropriate when you consider the fact that, if there is one thing that sets Kamal apart from his contemporaries, it is his ability to be a keen student. Having learnt the basics of the trade in the Balachander School, Kamal never misses an opportunity to pay due credit to his one time mentor. And of all Balachander's students, it is well known that this one has a special status with the guru.

Kamal was the first to experiment to his heart's content with his home productions fairly early in his then-blooming career. Raja Paarvai, Vikram, Aboorva Sahodharargal were all large-scale experiments in one sense or another. If he had pursued academics, maybe he would have done well in Science, for his thirst to experiment continues till date. There are not many areas of cinema which Kamal has not learnt at some point in his career. From music and dance to make-up and stunt direction, Kamal has probably not missed an opportunity to learn any facet even remotely concerned with Cinema.

Kamal was the first of leading actors to announce his open admiration for Sivaji Ganesan. In South India, when round the clock TV entertainment (a rather new concept) boomed in the early nineties, I remember Kamal in more than a few interviews singing hosannas about Sivaji and highlighting what Sivaji meant to Tamil cinema. Sivaji - inspite of his immense popularity among the elderly - was still a fat and aging actor for the youth of Tamil Nadu. Someone who tended to "overact" at the least opportunity and not too different from other actors of the bygone era. But not according to Kamal, who had no qualms in admitting that everytime he saw Sivaji on screen, there is only one feeling that came to him - "Bramippu" (roughly shocked astonishment). If Barathiraja paid Sivaji his due first respects in "Mudhal Mariyadhai", Kamal followed up with his in "Thevar Magan". For Kamal, it was an attempt to attain completion as an actor - to share the screen with the King, and if possible, compete! Kamal, the pupil, would go so far as to say that the Thevar Magan project itself, was his effort to neutralize the feeling of "Bramippu".

Kamal has never stopped short of imitating other greats in his clan - be it national or international. His inspired imitation of Brando and Pacino in Nayakan and Thevar Magan only reinforces his willingness to learn and accumulate bits and pieces of acting gems from wherever he could. Kamal looked out and adapted from International cinema (particularly Hollywood) when he could, be it for the "kulla-kamal" technique in Aboorva Sahodarargal or the ultra-natural old man make-up in Indhiyan. If a Tamil cinema follower mentioned the Oscar award in any conversation, it is a certainity that the conversation was about Kamal. That his swing at the high honour was dampened by the lack of funds is a rather sad event for Tamil cinema. Maybe someday he will turn around and make Marudhanayagam. And maybe he will win the Oscar, then.

Even when seen under the most critical of lenses, Kamal - The Actor does not fail to impress. For all his acting abilities, Kamal probably does not need the acclaim as a great writer or a director to get registered in Indian Cinema's Hall Of Fame. For a Tendulkar does not need a five-wicket haul to enter cricket folklore. Only that, Kamal wants it. He wants not only to be known as a great actor but as a great film-maker. And as a great film-maker, he wants to be involved in the three corner-stones of film-making - script, screenplay and direction. In more than one occasion, both explicitly and implicitly, he has expressed his desire to be the all-in-all of a film. Where he controls everything.

He wants the film to be - one man's idea, one man's talent, one man's implementation. His.

- To be continued -

A Brand New Car...

So, in this game, there are three closed doors behind one(only one) of which there is a Brand New Car. I know where the car is and you don't. And you have to pick the right door for you to win the Car.

The game is played in two stages. First you make a guess and pick one of the doors as the door with the Car. At this stage, I open one of the remaining two closed doors and show you that there is no Car behind it. I repeat - I show you one of the doors with no Car behind it. Now you are given an option to change your initial pick.

Will you?