Browsing All Posts published on »June, 2009«

MY NAME IS KHAN

June 22, 2009

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The recent brouhaha over Shah Rukh Khan’s comments on the Prophet Mohammed has reached levels both alarming and amusing. Khan is usually remarkably savvy and a glib talker , and if you read carefully ( from whatever is printed in the newspapers) his statement has been completely distorted thanks to some terrible journalistic expression. In… [Read more…]

The Importance of Being Sudheendra Kulkarni

June 18, 2009

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On last Thursday evening , pre-dinner hours, I thought I saw renowned classical singer Pandit Jasraj emerge and head inside Delhi’s new swanky domestic airport. But as I trooped into closer proximity to the grand musical  maestro, I discovered it was Sudheendra Kulkarni, the current political gad-fly of the BJP , key party spokesperson, LK… [Read more…]

Angels and Demons

June 18, 2009

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“ When God created two sexes, He may have been overdoing it”. Charles Smith Sharad Yadav, the portly, chubby-cheeked, black-bearded veteran politician has threatened to hang himself from the tallest tree with the thinnest thread or consume tick-20 poison ( actually meant for cocky rodents on a nocturnal prowl). Now I do not have any… [Read more…]

The flower girl

June 18, 2009

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I see her often in the evenings, at a cross-road of South Mumbai. All of fourteen years perhaps, sprightly and smiling, cheerful and chubby-cheeked. She is usually accompanied by two brats, her younger siblings, who look straight out of a comic book, their naughtiness palpable through dry-skinned cheeks, practiced sales spiel and ruffled hair. The… [Read more…]

The Young Congressman

June 18, 2009

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It was late spring, and the first symptoms of the oncoming summer was apparent; one could instinctively feel the seasonal shift. In the corridors of India’s political quarters, however, no major alterations, not even subtle adjustments were expected. The election dates had been formally announced, and the NDA was preparing their victory speech, as a… [Read more…]

The Curious Case of Arun Shourie

June 18, 2009

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I am surprised that Mr Arun Shourie has not taken full credit for the Congress-UPA victory. While the BJP looked clearly rudderless, uninspiring and adrift throughout the campaign, the former editor of the respected daily Indian Express was the celebrated one who espoused the cause of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister right in the middle… [Read more…]

And the lessons are: Election 2009

June 18, 2009

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Society Columnists : When asked about the “ cow-belt”, some “ De-light disaster” said; “ Oh really, is that the latest fashion accessory from Ralph Lauren”??? May be she should occasionally drive down to discover the “ real India” beyond Worli Sea-face before writing those insufferably trite comments on Indian politics celebrating the common man.… [Read more…]

“Exit” polls and basic instinct

June 18, 2009

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5 pm sharp. It was quite dramatic actually. The very moment the momentous ( that’s the safest cliché to employ) elections 2009 came to a moderately-participated end, TV channels were ready to give us their pent-up, secretly kept, officially asphyxiated exit poll or post-poll surveys. Across channels, the drama ensued, with every show anchor on… [Read more…]

30/04: Mercury Rising in Mumbai

June 18, 2009

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At a small gathering of well-heeled sort in a South Mumbai club, Milind Deora , sitting Congress MP South Mumbai stood answering questions from the supposedly well-aware if not necessarily sufficiently-enlightened audience from his high profile constituency. At one point, Deora posed a query back , ” Do you know who is your local MLA?… [Read more…]

The R Factor

June 18, 2009

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It is four days since Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi held his press conference in New Delhi. 96 odd hours later, there is an unusual buzz, frenetic activity, and incessant dissertation of Rahul’s various pronouncements. There is an understandable sense of palpitating fluster in the BJP. Regional parties are tongue-tied at Gandhi’s sincere unanticipated open-mindedness… [Read more…]