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Most everyone "falls" in love at some point and quite a large number live to repent the same. Would it then be justified to say, "He\She was "felled" in love"???
Guess, I am just sour grapes coz my Valentines day was spent reading a book on Sociology :D Life sure does seem pathetic without my rose-coloured glasses.
Affiliations : None. If you do not agree with any of my disclaimers below please do not read the material on any of my pages. Quotation without my express permission is strictly prohibited. Any resemblance, in part or whole, to the GRINCH, is absolutely intentional & true to the best of my knowledge.
15 February, 2010
02 February, 2010
On the Rann
Watched Rann last night. To say it was great would be unfair on my part. The concept echoed my thoughts and hence my take is definitely a biased one. It is hard to come by good actors these days, but even harder to find better directors. While I have always sidelined Verma to category B, Rann shows a lot of calibre. Having often chosen Bhandarkar films over RGV's, I feel it necessary to congratulate RGV for his attitude shift and concluding the movie on a hopeful note.
Ritesh was refreshing. Veterans like Paresh Rawal, Monish Behl, Rajat Kapoor need no calibration. Amitabh yet again wins hands down for his depth and delivery. The characters are well defined and the plot is nicely paced.
The surprise element of the movie however, is not in its story. The character of Jai Mallik played by Kannada actor Sudeep steals the show. Several hearts broke for Jai. A new star emerged after a long cold period of chocolate heroes. Sudeep lives up to the quintessential model of tall-dark-handsome as well as the angry-young-man. After his highly forgettable role in Phoonk, Sudeep, thanks to RGV, seems to have finally found a footing in Bollywood. I hope he is here to stay.
As is apparent from above, my judgment of the movie is perhaps a little skewed. Hence, I leave it to you to watch the movie (or not) and draw your own conclusions.
Ritesh was refreshing. Veterans like Paresh Rawal, Monish Behl, Rajat Kapoor need no calibration. Amitabh yet again wins hands down for his depth and delivery. The characters are well defined and the plot is nicely paced.
The surprise element of the movie however, is not in its story. The character of Jai Mallik played by Kannada actor Sudeep steals the show. Several hearts broke for Jai. A new star emerged after a long cold period of chocolate heroes. Sudeep lives up to the quintessential model of tall-dark-handsome as well as the angry-young-man. After his highly forgettable role in Phoonk, Sudeep, thanks to RGV, seems to have finally found a footing in Bollywood. I hope he is here to stay.
As is apparent from above, my judgment of the movie is perhaps a little skewed. Hence, I leave it to you to watch the movie (or not) and draw your own conclusions.
My comment on PeerPower
Subject : Question: Will US protectionism on outsourcing hurt the Indian IT sector?
Protectionism or not, what matters is what happens next. Tax-cuts aside, the fact that most outsourcing enterprises "could" pull back is a threat that can no longer be ignored. With the Indian economy largely dependent on the service sector, the threat of an economic downturn in India, looms large. While China has from the very onset secured its internal industries, what are India's options? The sagging and overstaffed PSU's can no longer act as remedy. India will have to wake up to its nemesis soon. Concerted efforts and drastic corrective actions are needed with immediate effect.
We need to focus on strengthening our own manufacturing sectors. Subsidies and government grants are required to encourage budding entrepreneurs, thereby creating more jobs. Higher cess should be levied on electronic/appliance imports to allow emerging Indian enterprises (that lack scale) fair competition. Encourage private entrees into essential government sectors like defense, funding hi-tech r&d and offering lucrative grants. Our primary concern should be to protect, secure & eventually empower existing Indian industries from foreign competition.
It is unlikely that outsourcing firms will decapitate their Indian operations immediately. Keeping in mind the lucrative markets both within India as well the Asia-Pacific countries, tax-cuts may not seem a lucrative lure in the long term. We have therefore, a buffer of time. It would however be in our best interests to act before the buffer expires.
Protectionism or not, what matters is what happens next. Tax-cuts aside, the fact that most outsourcing enterprises "could" pull back is a threat that can no longer be ignored. With the Indian economy largely dependent on the service sector, the threat of an economic downturn in India, looms large. While China has from the very onset secured its internal industries, what are India's options? The sagging and overstaffed PSU's can no longer act as remedy. India will have to wake up to its nemesis soon. Concerted efforts and drastic corrective actions are needed with immediate effect.
We need to focus on strengthening our own manufacturing sectors. Subsidies and government grants are required to encourage budding entrepreneurs, thereby creating more jobs. Higher cess should be levied on electronic/appliance imports to allow emerging Indian enterprises (that lack scale) fair competition. Encourage private entrees into essential government sectors like defense, funding hi-tech r&d and offering lucrative grants. Our primary concern should be to protect, secure & eventually empower existing Indian industries from foreign competition.
It is unlikely that outsourcing firms will decapitate their Indian operations immediately. Keeping in mind the lucrative markets both within India as well the Asia-Pacific countries, tax-cuts may not seem a lucrative lure in the long term. We have therefore, a buffer of time. It would however be in our best interests to act before the buffer expires.
01 February, 2010
10 January, 2010
Today's Femme fatale - Tomorrow’s torchbearer
Coming up with a list of my top five women of the future required a lot of deliberation. Obvious names which keep cropping up all the time like Indra Nooyi, Kiran Shaw Majumdar etc, I decided to ignore. Not because, they do not merit the credit but because, they belong to a passing out generation.
My quest was to identify young torch bearers and futuristic women of potential. Sorry guys but Katrina, Aishwarya and Kareena simply cannot hold the candle to these gusty others. Don’t get me wrong but I have no patience for someone who cannot get herself to even converse in the very same language that helped her showcase her only talent (read looks). Kareena and Bips own precious little in the higher department and lose points each time their inter-“views” and personas are aired. Aishwarya falls just short of reaching the top five. Much as I admire her wax-like beauty, she could have done a lot more than just working for personal gains. While I have cited the reasons for the why-nots, the toppers get only a brief generalization for being chosen.
1. Brains as indicated by their ‘word of mouth’ or pen/keyboard.
2. Actions in real life that range from community service to personal lives to business acumen.
Those wanting more credibility can do their own research. Please understand these are my top fivers and you can beg to differ. I do not pay heed to character certifications or cast value judgements. Hence, feel free to take your own stand. So without further ado, my top five women for the future in alphabetical order are –
Preity Zinta
Priyanka Chopra
Sagarika Ghose
Sunitha Krishnan
Sushmita Sen
Having a point of view is important.
My quest was to identify young torch bearers and futuristic women of potential. Sorry guys but Katrina, Aishwarya and Kareena simply cannot hold the candle to these gusty others. Don’t get me wrong but I have no patience for someone who cannot get herself to even converse in the very same language that helped her showcase her only talent (read looks). Kareena and Bips own precious little in the higher department and lose points each time their inter-“views” and personas are aired. Aishwarya falls just short of reaching the top five. Much as I admire her wax-like beauty, she could have done a lot more than just working for personal gains. While I have cited the reasons for the why-nots, the toppers get only a brief generalization for being chosen.
1. Brains as indicated by their ‘word of mouth’ or pen/keyboard.
2. Actions in real life that range from community service to personal lives to business acumen.
Those wanting more credibility can do their own research. Please understand these are my top fivers and you can beg to differ. I do not pay heed to character certifications or cast value judgements. Hence, feel free to take your own stand. So without further ado, my top five women for the future in alphabetical order are –
Preity Zinta
Priyanka Chopra
Sagarika Ghose
Sunitha Krishnan
Sushmita Sen
Having a point of view is important.
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