Who wants a con-dom?

38

The biggest problem with us Indians; is our big mouths. We talk too much. But when it comes to action, we're too tired from all that talking to really do anything about anything. Or, we come up with the most ridiculous suggestions. Like the brilliant suggestion our ministry* of (god knows whose) welfare has come up with to solve the burgeoning population and HIV crisis (we are number two and three in the world respectively). Apparently, the best way to fight the problem is to introduce - hold your breaths people (ha, ha) - paan-flavoured condoms. (*While the government is not directly involved - the condoms are being launched by a private body - any such product release will require government approval) Apparently, it's a preference for paan that has led to conclusive conclusions that paan-flavoured condoms will work where other condoms have not. By....

Rajini, the Man IS the Boss

10

Life is a constant learning graph, or so they said. I had stopped believing that after my initial five years in the media: No one was interested in teaching you anything and if you didn't watch it, you'd probably forget whatever little you've learned as well. Nine years of writing later, I stand corrected. My learning meter is running again and all thanks to Sivaji: The Boss, superstar Rajnikanth's movie after many years. Please note, not a south Indian superstar or north-Indian badshah or Bongali (Bengali, Bangali, shrug) bond, but simply put, a Superstar. First I learnt that someone's Hero is another's Zero and vice versa and it's ALWAYS going to be like that. Second, when it comes to people we love - even those we see on screen and irrespective of whether it's a positive or a negative feedback - we are as rabid and....

Spot the Indian

10

With pending deadlines for stories - blogs are not KRA - I would not have written another post. But two reader responses made me. One, said that my previous post was promoting a certain latitude-longitude 'divide': hain, what you saying" While another says that it sounded like teen angst... and sent me on a nostalgia trip to my teen-school years. I have changed 12 schools, almost all over India and I don't remember differences. Instead, certain Ground Rules For New Schools remained the same, no matter which side of this imagined-hemishpherical (or latitude-longitude or whatever) divide you belong to. Some observations by a kid -- almost forgotten by the adult -- made during various stages of 'growing up'... 1. When you have to stand before a class of 40 new people - peering above each other's heads to look at you - everyone felt nervous. And....

I Love You Superhero ji!

20

Hmmm. The weekend's here and I really want to watch a movie. The problem: With most movies being about superheroes or super-men, I don't know what to see. My indecisiveness has nothing to do with the movies that are already on or the ones that are being released. It does not even have to do with the movies being Holly/ Bolly/ Tolly-wood flicks either. My indecisiveness arises from the fact that I don't know what 'category' I belong to: Am I the masses or am I the classes? From general conversations, general group discussions, general comment-watching-on-other-blogs and generally this and that, I have come to certain conclusions regarding the Movie Mass-Class divide. Yes, there IS a divide; and it has nothing to do with you or me sitting in the superluxe Rs 800-bucks-a-ticket section with blanket, salad and a fully-reclining seat (am anyway too short to fully recline,....