All Entries Tagged With: "My grouse"

“Tsk-tsk.” The sound sets my teeth on the edge and I feel like giving that person an earful. Often enough we see people who seem to think that words like ‘excuse me’ do not exist. Their favorite form of calling attention is to purse their lips and hiss like a serpent that has caught a cold.

It is eerie how disparate news items are related to each other in a manner that provides interesting insights if you look at them closely. First came the news about how iconic athlete PT Usha was ill treated at Bhopal where she was present as the manager of an athletics team. It was sad to [...]

An incident took place recently when the US President Barack Obama addressed Congress that needs to be discussed seriously in India for its many ramifications. It occurred when President Obama was addressing both the Houses — Representatives and Senators — the Indian equivalent of which is a joint session of Parliament. This is where the [...]

The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi that fell on 2nd October, was also a time when we recalled the 3 monkeys that we have always associated with him. But the symbolism has changed. They now stand for: See No Criticism Hear No Criticism Speak No Criticism Let me explain. The character of a people can [...]

I am often accosted by NRI’s in the US who ask me why is India unable to solve its myriad problems. I usually ask them to name one specific problem and tell me how India could solve that problem. It becomes obvious in most cases that the NRI has not thought through any problem with [...]

I thought I was lucky to get a front row seat at a musical evening in Washington DC where a top Bollywood singer was scheduled to sing — an event that Indians abroad await with excitement. My excitement quickly turned into disappointment as the singer began to belt out in very high decibels, ‘adhunik’ songs [...]

When Jaswant Singh wrote something about Mohammed Ali Jinnah the ensuing brouhaha in the BJP told a tale about India that needs to be analysed. I suggest that we as a nation are prisoners of the past in many of our activities in daily life. In other words we are like the car driver who [...]

Should the mobile phones be allowed in schools? Whatever for? There is nothing wrong in owning a phone and having it alongside for emergencies but to have one alive and in use when one goes to school or college; isn’t it rather self defeating? I mean, you are at school to study and learn new [...]

Two events in recent times brought to my mind a  characteristic of human thinking that needs examination. The media hype and mass hysteria surrounding the death of Michael Jackson was, to put it mildly, a case of overdose. It was said  that MJ was an ‘icon’, a world class performer and had a magnetic stage [...]

We were just leaving a restaurant when we were stopped by an old friend and her husband who were taking the evening sun with a group of friends on the embankment by the river. We had a chat and talk turned to the latest book, how was it doing and for the benefit of the [...]

We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control…All in all, it’s just another brick in the wall. All in all, you are just another brick in the wall. Pink Floyd It is difficult to be a child of the 21st century -  to be a part of the most educated generation of [...]

“All I wanna say that they don’t really care about us….” When Michael Jackson chose this song, I don’t know what he thought of and why he selected these lyrics. Whom he was pointing to? Perhaps some critics, followers and opportunists might have the answer? But after his untimely passing, while I contemplated the statements [...]

Here is the headline from a newspaper, the sort of headline that has us wringing our hands in despair: THREATS TO JUDGES, GOVERNMENT LAWYERS SOARING! The report then says that threats to the nation’s judges and government lawyers have sharply increased prompting hundreds to get 24 hour protection from armed guards. Judges are now altering [...]

I have been mulling over religion, religious zealotry and associated crimes as witnessed globally in these past 20 plus years. I was wondering why God chose not create religion to begin with? Why did God leave it to us? To create? To hate? Is there a grand plan of His, that is yet to unfold? [...]

“Racism is conditioned by economic imperatives, but negotiated through culture: religion, literature, art, science and the media… Once, they demonised the blacks to justify slavery. Then they demonised the “coloureds” to justify colonialism. Today, they demonise asylum seekers to justify the ways of globalism. And, in the age of the media… demonisation sets out the [...]

HR units and trainers are tumbling upon each other and doing great work to give yeoman’s advice to people so that they can improve themselves, execute their jobs better and fit in the working environment with success. I feel most of it goes down with no one and achieves very little. Especially all the writings [...]

“Oh how the world has changed over these years!” I have often exclaimed.  Scientists have introduced us to so many newer technologies in the fields of medicine, engineering, electronics and household comforts for us.  But where the new generation is going in terms of the values that were imbibed in us when we were children, [...]

“We are recognized by what we build not by what we destroy” – Barack Obama. True said. I feel we have been destroying a lot of things. We are not aware of this fact. Our existence is shortening – like that of a machine. A clear sign is people referring to each other only by [...]