New Delhi, my second home turns hundred

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New Delhi, as we know it, has completed 100 years. I wasn't born or brought up here, so I am not a Dilliwala like the other natural citizens who have lived their life here. But having spent over 16 years in this city, which is over 40 percent of my time on earth, I regard Delhi as my second home. It is said that the first impression lasts long. My first 24 hours in Delhi had completely put me off. I was here to seek work along with a few friends from journalism school. Since the easiest place then to find cheap accommodation (while still being close to open, green spaces) was Katwaria Sarai, we arrived there and found a place to park ourselves (its inappropriate to use the word 'live' since the conditions were abysmal). I had arrived in the city the night before and....

Jagjit Singh - The Unforgettable

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I was introduced to ghazal early in life. Though I was six years old, I took to Jagjit Singh much more than any of my playmates in my age. The reason I came in contact so early was due to my eldest sister Babita. She has returned home after completing her schooling from MGD, Jaipur and she carried with her all the music she had accumulated in her school days. A lot of music played at home through that summer of 80 and most of it has stayed with me even to this day. We had just moved to a new house, one that my father had taken six years to build. Though it was a spacious bungalow in a very quiet, residential area on the banks of the River Mahanadi, I missed the hustle and bustle of a joint-family existence which had till then been part of my....

We all do jobs, but it takes a Steve to change lives

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It's a sad day for citizens of the world. Rarely does one get to see a single individual impacting so many lives across the world as Steve Jobs has done. History has several examples of scientists and doctors who have revolutionized the way people live through their inventions. But most of them have been limited to a single invention. I do not wish to take away anything from these great contributors. I only mention this to emphasize that Steve Jobs had the ability to repeatedly transform the way people live and work. When you think that his latest invention cannot be bettered, he comes back and surprises you with yet another. Such was the amazing ability of Jobs not just to think out of the box but to see the thought through to its conclusion. It has been a subject of immense speculation how he manages to keep all....

Dear PM, India maange more

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Dr Manmohan Singh was always a favourite with the educated middle-class. Members of the fourth estate held him in high esteem. He was always a darling of the media, especially the English language press. Why are my lines in the past sense? Because this perception is changing. His government has made one error after another. Dr Singh has kept silent through it, much like a maharishi on maun vrat. What he hasn't comprehended is that prolonged silence can mean one of two things - either complicity in guilt or no defence to offer. Either the PM's media managers are not advising him correctly or he is not paying much heed to their advice. Speaking out from time to time can be effective in sending the right message across besides being an effective counter against rumour. Communication is critical. The absence of it gives rise to speculation and fuels the....

High Five

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CNN-IBN is now 5 years old. Unlike most new-born babies, those of us who were present during the launch of the channel didn't get to know when the baby was born. I mean none of us knew when the test signal stopped being a test and made it into the homes of over a million viewers. Our signal was not supposed to go up on that day. I remember being taken completely by surprise when I received a call from a friend who saw our signal and called me to ask why I hadn't informed him that we had launched. I didn't tell him that I had no clue. 6 months before the launch, Global Broadcast News (now IBN18), the parent company of CNN-IBN, was incorporated. A month before that day, I signed a piece of paper to join the company. The working title of the company was India Broadcast....

Missing in Bollywood: A good laugh story

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How many times have you heard someone say "No one makes movies like Hrishikesh Mukherjee any more"? Chances are, at least once, if not more. In the 70s & 80s, Hrishida's movies were an ideal outing for the entire family. There was something in each of his films for every member - be it a child, a teenager, an adult or even a senior citizen. The entire family could visit the theatre together and enjoy a hearty laugh. No sick jokes, vulgar language or sexual innuendoes. It was the perfect recipe for clean, wholesome entertainment. Those days, dinner always followed immediately after the film and the discussion over the table showed that the film had left an indelible impression on the minds of each family member. From Guddi, Anand, Bawarchi, Chupke Chupke, Golmaal, Khoobsurat, Naram Garam, Kissi Se Na Kehna to Rang Birangi, the list is long when....

The Commonwealth jinx

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The Commonwealth Games has captured public imagination in a manner few would have expected a year ago. It has grabbed the headline in every newspaper and news channel for a while now and become the single largest talking point for the middle-class in India. Unfortunately, the publicity has come for the wrong reasons. The focus is not on the Games but on the chaos, corruption, lack of preparedness and incompetence of all the officials and agencies entrusted with the task of putting up a good show. While all or any of the above has not come as a surprise (since the delays and lapses were widely reported in the last six months), what even the sceptics would perhaps not have fathomed a few months earlier is the extent of chaos and confusion that exists barely a week to go before the start of the Games. While a....

The new Maharajas

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When I was a student, the options of what was considered a 'lucrative' career was severely limited. In those days, if one was pursuing a career in engineering, medicine, management, chartered accountancy or tax law, she/he was considered to be on the right path to prosperity. Not to forget the obsession with the Indian Civil Service - IAS being the most preferred. The software industry, though it was growing, had yet to become a country-wide craze. A career in merchant navy was regarded as profitable, though it required long periods of absence from one's home. Law practice was extremely lucrative, but only for the top 10 percentile. 2010, however, tells a very different story. There are many more professions which are equally rewarding for those who have the ability to excel. Besides software professionals & tax consultants, there is a new and growing breed of successful designers, photographers,....

Peepli [Live] does a reality check for TV journalism

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In 1994, when I entered the field of journalism, it was still a revered profession. Everywhere I went, people who knew me, warmed up to me when they learnt that I had chosen this noble profession. The electronic media was picking up steam and the profession had started gaining eyeballs each day. 'Newstrack' & 'Eye Witness', the extremely popular video news magazines had demonstrated how television journalism could make a difference. 'Parakh', yet another news magazine, had a significant fan following. 'The World This Week' had hooked an entire nation of television viewers and set very high standards in television production. It was then considered a dream come true to break into any of the top production houses of news television. Cut to 2010. I walk into a theatre to watch the latest film release - Peepli [LIVE]. The film takes a lot of potshots at the Indian political....

Will things ever change?

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I woke up to a pleasant Sunday morning. I could hear the raindrops on the balcony and once I pushed the curtain, everything outside seemed both green and clear. It was a beautiful morning and a few hours of rain had cooled Delhi. I thought to myself - this is what I love about the city. Delhi is perhaps the only metropolis which has the maximum green cover and the rains only add to the beauty. I tried my best not to think of water-logging or traffic jams. I knew I was being selfish as I had no plans to leave home today. I could read the newspaper at leisure, enjoy my morning cup of tea and catch the morning news bulletin at 9. Everything was perfect and went perfectly to plan till I switched on the TV. The bulletin began with a report of an overnight accident....