Mother of All bribes

The Tamil Nadu Government is all set to splurge crores of rupees of taxpayers' money on providing free colour television sets to all those who don't have one. Acting on a poll promise the ruling DMK had made in May, the Government has identified three suppliers for the first batch of 30,000 sets to be distributed in September.

Local Administration Minister MK Stalin announced in the State Assembly on Friday that the price of the first batch had been fixed at Rs 2,965 each. Thus, the first 30,000 sets would cost Rs 8.89 crores to the exchequer. The remaining 25 lakh sets would be procured through a global tender

To Unaware: It costs approx. Rs. 4500 to give primary education to a child. This mean that this would be sufficient to provide primary education for 3.7 Million Children. As per 2001 census, Tamilnadu has less than 5.6 Million Children in the age group of 5-9. This essentially means that the amount of money TN Govt. is spending on TV, THEY CAN PROVIDE FREE EDUCATION FOR ALL THE CHILDREN IN TAMILNADU

Plan your Future

I was told that I should plan my future. I should try to "invest" money for the future. So of late, I started to visit the money section of newspaper to find avenues to "Invest" so that I can "Plan" my future.

But nothing had prepared me for the news/Ad I read this morning. I read "Plan funeral now to make sure you have the final word". Gee.. thats a worthy "Investment" to "plan" the future! Ateast we are 100% sure of the event.

It seems that in US Average cost for funeral is USD 6,500 but sometime it can go to USD20,000. I think it would be worthwhile to study if funeral can be outsourced to a low cost country.

Robert Biggins, president of the National Funeral Directors Association adds that Planning our own funeral "eases the burden for families". I can almost hear family members saying: Hey Plan your future(or funeral) don't be a burden atleast after death.

So now you are convinced that you should plan your future. As always in US they also make you aware of your rights. Hmmm...Rights after death(thats an interesting proposition...).

Some of them are like, The funeral home is required to give you a free copy of the price list when you visit. I can imagine the discussion with the salesman.

Salesman: Sir, how can I help you?
Customer: I am planning my funeral, can you please help me.
Salesman: My Pleasure sir. We will help you all the way down (or up..)
Customer: I like Red Colour. Do you have anything in that colour? Do you think it will suit me?
and so on...

Another major option is Prepaid Funeral. But it seems that some families have lost their money when a funeral home went out of business. Who can blame the company, What are they supposed to do if the oldman just donot die. I guess the funeral companies may be sending an email saying "Due to Steep Increase in business in parts of Asia, we have decided to move our business to Asia in next 90 Days. If you die in next 90 days we would be able to do the cremation in US. However after 90 days you would have to travel to Asia for the same. Since you are our very special customer we can arrange for the transportation cost, However, This is a limited time 120 days offer"

Last but not the least. You are also allowed to leave instructions. According to Melanie Cullen, author of Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To putting your letter of final instructions in a safe deposit box isn't a good idea. Apparently, If you die on a weekend or a holiday, your family may not be able to get to your safe deposit box until the bank opens. I guess she has not heard of Kerala, Where everyday is a holiday due to Bandh. On that note, can we give special instruction like "Please kick the ass of so and so, he had made my life miserable?"

So Guys what are you waiting for. Plan your future (or funeral)

Blame it on Alcohol

A peg too many can make you do stupid things. But hats off for the girls who tried to get an appointment with prime minister after a bout of drinking session.
The story goes like this, After a drinking session three youngsters in mid twenties cooly drove into the most protected place in the country – without being frisked. One of the girl (Apparently an Air hostess) – dressed in pink chappals – alights from the car – and casually asks the SPG (Special Protection Group) officer in charge – "I want to meet the PM." The Gentleman officer tells her to park the car in the parking lot alongside the barricade – and get an appointment first. I am not surprised by his mellow reaction. He might be used to getting beaten up with all the head high women coming to meet PM, Madam Sonia, Priyanka, Jayalalitha to name a few. After meeting Madam Sonia, Jayalalitha she might have looked like a sweet puppy
On their way out they girls even showered the Lucky Media persons with flying kiss. Perhaps, the SPG was so moved by the kisses that they even allowed them to drive away from PM's residence
etc
Does this prove the theory that beauty, Alcohol and brain cannot coexist?

Its a Strange World!

Dont take me wrong. I am all for Same Sex Marriage etc. after all selecting a partner is individual choice. Perhaps its sign of changing time. In good(or bad) old days, it was so cool to look a bit filthy. We who grewup in the era of Sholay etc can vouch for it. It was rumored that theaters used special deodorant before Dharmendra came to Screen.
Now a days, . It seems that its cool to look feminine. I see guys on the road wearing earrings, growing long hairs, Grooming themselves in a beauty parlor. Few weeks back, I tried to impress a beautiful lady in the bus by giving her my seat. Imagine my confusion, when she instead of a sweet thankyou gave me "you sucker" smile. It took me two days to realize that she was a he. Thankfully, I am yet to see a guy in Bikinis. Now, how can we blame the ladies if they decide to chose the original specimen instead of going for a guy who is trying to look like a lady.

Today, I read a news from West Bengal about "Teen girls ‘marrying’ each other"

It was certainly love at first sight for 19-year-old Purnima Sarkar and 17-year-old Priya Chakraborty as they decided to marry eachother after 12 days affair.
The newspaper claims that Priya, the "groom", claimed that she was a man, with all accompanying biological features. Hmm.. Thats a interesting claim! This claim might have bowled out the poor villagers as the local women even tried to strip Priya to check her gender. I am not sure what their reaction was after the strip.
Purnima’s elder sister Aruna is convinced that Priya was a "magician" and "Nag Kanya" who had brainwashed her sister. Its a relief to know that now a days even snakes practice same sex marriage.
At the end it was left to the good offices of CPM to solve this issue. After all, they were the ones who found that Manmohan singh is actually a female. They found that Priya has a dubious reputation. She had on an earlier occasion duped another girl at Bankim Nagar. Gee.., Talk about unfaithfulness. But the good thing is Purnima neednot be afraid of unwanted pregnancy.

SHAME on us

Gamblers in India wagered millions on boy's survival

While all of India was gripped last weekend by televised efforts to save a boy who had fallen into a deep pit, bookmakers received $33-million (U.S.) in bets on whether the child would survive, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

How can people be so mean?

This blog featured in Times of India

Thank you TOI

Mr. Jaswant SHUT UP

I am not sure what is Jaswant Singh trying to prove. I always had a high regard for him and his intelligence but seems age is catching up with him. In US they have a "Politically Correct" word for it. May be its his "Senior Moment"

I read with dismay his interview, It seems that he knew that there was a mole in Indian Government way back in 1995 and he kept it as secret for 10 years now. He wants us to believe that he didnot bring it to the attention of the then Congress Government as "As that was a period of rather grave political uncertainty in the country, right until the elections in ’98" Is he trying to say that if we have political uncertainty then Spies should be allowed to operate. Also, he should be wise enough (shall we say Old enough) to know that Congress and Grave Unceratin Future for nation are synonymous.

Then he goes on to educate us that NDA government didnot take action because "The people concerned were out of India and out of office and it was no longer relevant." I now understand the reason why NDA Government failed to take any action against Dawood Ibrahim.

I being an Eternal Optimistic tend to believe that perhaps NDA government used this mole to feed Disinformation to feed USA and that how they pulled off the Pokhran Nuclear Blasts

We are under Covert Attack

Every Pillar of this Democracy is under attack. Every foundation stone on which this country rests is being weakened. In this brief tenure UPA Govt. has managed to weaken every institution of this nation Presidential seat, Army, Judiciary, AIIMS, Election Commission, , Governors Post to name a few

Nation witnessed with Shock and dismay at the move of UPA govt. to start a Muslim Headcount in Army, Judiciary etc. With this move, even the last of Institutions which was insulated from the mechanization's of our secular politicians is under threat.

What message is this Govt. trying to send? Are they saying that Muslims in this country are being discriminated in Recruitment. If so this might be farthest from truth, Muslims in this country are enjoying much more facilities than minorities in any other country.

The result of such a STUPID move is open for everyone to see. The survey led to special recruitment drive for minorities. People were taken in without the necessary precautions. Now, Two Armymen from JAK LI, Lance Naik Mohammad Shakeel and Sepoy Abdul Haq has been detained for their suspected links with LeT.

It is time that this Government is thrown out of power.

Salute the Brave Lt Colonel Sonam Wangchuk

It is said that in time of Crisis we should think of of good things.

Today, I read with shock the news of LeT penetration into Army. It seems even the last lines of defense is breached. But thats a different discussion.

Today is July 26 Vijay Diwas, the seventh anniversary of the Kargil war. Lets take a moment off to remember the Brave Sons of this motherland who fought to protect this nation. On this ocassion Lt Colonel Sonam Wangchuk deserves a special mention. Leading a platoon of 36 braves from the Ladakh Scouts, he climbed an ice wall 80-degree climb at a height of 18,000 feet in the dead of night in the face of heavy Pakistani gunfire. The objective was to capture a vital ridge in the Chorbat La sub-sector in Batalik.

His team outraced the Pakistanis to the ridgetop before decimating them in fierce hand-to-hand combat.

It is brave souls like this who keep our faith alive for this nation.

Muslim Pradesh

I am sure Uttar Pradesh Senior State Minister Mohammad Azam Khan had best interest of the nation in mind when he gave a call for a separate ‘Muslim Pradesh’ in Western UP.

After all if we think seriously there are lot of benefits. It is really disheartening to see the communal Sangh Parivar putting up roadblocks on every move UPA is making to Liftup Muslims. Even our supreme court opposed their move on 10% reservation. I guess UPA might be asking Supreme court "u tu brutus". With this new move, this problem will be solved.

I suggest that we should implement Common Civil Code in the new state of Muslim Pradesh, I would be based on Noble principles of Shariat Law System. I would even suggest that we should set up a committee to study on how this is being done places like Pakistan.

As like all other states, It would only make sense to have arabic as common language in this province. Afterall, it is Gods own language.

It be worth exploring if Article 370 can be extended to Muslim Pradesh, Afterall it would be unfair to discriminate between states.

Amin! Mr. Home Minister

I always believed in collective judgment of more than 600 Million people. Perhaps thats why I never suspected the Intelligence and motive of our ruling class. After all, they were elected by one of the most vibrant democracies.

It was reassuring to learn from our home minister Mr. Patil that Islamic madarsas are seats of social service and that they are not the centre of terrorism. He was speaking as chief guest at the symposium on "Are madarsas viable seats of social service or breeding ground of terrorism". He also added that here knowledge of humanism is being imparted and where human values are being taught.

I being a complete duffer always had different opinion I guess he has more information and knowledge as home minister as my information comes from the communal media in India who has ulterior motive in painting a different picture about madarsas's. I am not sure whether he was speaking for just India or our neighbors also. As sometime back our friendly neighborhood Dictator had initiated a purge of madarsas's. I am sure some of our friends in neighboring country would be mighty pleased with Mr. Patils opinion.

He also added that there were some violent incidents have taken place in the recent past - in Varanasi, Jama Masjid and in Delhi and Someone must have done that. I am not sure what scale was our Home Minister using. I guess in a country where few thousands die of accident everyday, where does death of few hundred by terrorism matter. Perhaps, thats why he has very anxious of deaths in Lebanon as there fewer people die in road accident. On his comments that someone must have done this, I guess he should be checking with his colleague Arjun singh as they have information that Sangh was involved in bombing of their own headquarter. Or perhaps Laloo may be bigger help as he specialises in Death due to suicide.