"The Sky Below" to be screened at Michigan State University

"The Sky Below" a documentary film which looks back at the division of India and Pakistan back in 1947, will be screened on March 18th in Room B106 of Michigan State University's Wells Hall. Admission is free. Director Sarah Singh of "The Sky Below" will be present at the screening. A Q&A and a reception will follow the film.

(via Lansing City Pulse)

Swami Nithyananda Scandal Tweets

Cross Posted from mibazaar.com

I did not hear about Swami Nithyananda up until yesterday. Now a lot of people know about Swami all over the world after news came out from India about Swami's sex tape with a Tamil Actress. There is a lot of Twitter activity from India related to #nithyananda and some of it is hilarious. I have created this Google Maps Mashup of latest #nithyananda tweets from India. The map moves on to the next tweet location after every 7 seconds.

India at Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

Yes a cricket crazed nation of over a billion people did send a olympic contingent of 3 to 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver BC. You might also be interested to know that the local Indian community in Vancouver had to pitch in to get uniforms for the Indian Team. BBC is reporting

Vancouver's Indo-Canadian community has rallied to provide funding and uniforms for India's three-man Winter Olympics team, local press reports say.

Really sad and pathetic!! Also check out the Indian Olympic Association website. At last check I did not find any mention of the 3 athletes.

Here are the 3 olympians from India at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. God Bless them!!

• Shiva Keshavan
• Participating in: Luge
• Date of Birth: August 25, 1981
• Birthplace: Vashisht, India

• Tashi Lundup
• Participating in Cross-Country Skiing
• Date of Birth: October 5th, 1984
• Birthplace: India

• Jamyang Namgial
• Participating in Alpine Skiing
• Date of Birth: June 3rd, 1985
• Birth Place: India

Talented Orthopedic Surgeon from Mumbai (Bandra), India

Mumbai based Dr. Dilip Nadkarni is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in treating sports and fitness-related injuries. He is a distinction holder in MBBS and a gold medalist in post-graduation in orthopedic surgery from Mumbai, India. His patients include top international sportspersons and celebrities engaged in fitness activity. Check out his website Calm Sutra.

So what else does Dr. Nadkarni do? Dr. Nadkarni is also extremely talented singer. Recently Dr. Nadkarni sang "Bandra Re Bandra" at "Celebrate Bandra Festival". Check this video out:

Happy Republic Day - India (Check out Google India's Logo today)

Today is India's 61st Republic Day. On this day in 1950, the Constitution of India came into force. Here's wishing everyone a very...very Happy Republic Day.

Google India has changed its logo today. Here's what it looks like.

Jennifer Granholm at the White House State Dinner

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was one of the select few, invited to the White House State Dinner for India, held last night. So what did Jennifer Granholm wear on a night where majority embraced rich color and were beautifully dressed. Politico reports that

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm wore an Indian-inspired pants-and-tunic set in a white and gold patterned fabric.

Take a look at this image grab from Politico. Our Governor does look stunning.

9 year old's artwork chosen as Google India's Logo

Google India gave school kids a chance to design a doodle for Google through their Doodle 4 Google competition. Puru Pratap Singh (9) from Gurgaon, India won the Doodle for Google competition. Check out his artwork which ended up as Google India's logo on Friday.



From Hindustan Times:

“The first ‘G’ is in the shape of a peacock; ‘O’ represents the wisdom of our country; the other ‘O’ shows the discovery of water on the moon by India, ‘G’ revolves around Kashmir; ‘L’ is designed as the rifle at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate; and ‘E’ depicts Mahatma Gandhi"

Swine Flu fear spreads in India #swineflu

(cross posted from mibazaar.com)

The Government in the Western Indian State of Maharashtra has decided to close down all schools, colleges, cinema halls and malls in the Pune area from today in an attempt to stop the spread of swine flu in the state. In addition movie theaters will be shut for three days. This after 3 of the 6 swine flu related deaths in India have occurred in Maharashtra. (via Mid-Day).

So how is the Twitter World reacting to Swine Flu in India. Here is a Google Maps Mashup which shows tweets originating in India as it relates to Swine Flu (Note: This map also has options to view Swine Flu related tweets from United States and Europe).

Dad wears a Helmet but what about his kids who are riding with him?

This is bizarre. We were watching "Aapki Antara" (Indian TV Serial) on Indian TV (ZeeTV)....and bumped into this image.

Dad is about to ride his bike with his kids sitting at the back. Now he takes care of himself by wearing a helmet but there are no helmets provided for the kids. Of course "Dad" is just a actor but still this is crazy. The producers, directors, actors all should be ashamed of themselves. Law enforcement folks from India (if they care) should look into this. (YouTube Link)

India's Cabinet Ministers

Here is a educational map for our community. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India recently appointed 33 cabinet ministers. So who are these ministers and where were they born and how old are they? For answers to these questions check out this Google Maps Mashup I created:

India's 50 most powerful people

Business Week has come out with a list of India's 50 most powerful people. I have created a Video Montage of pictures of the 50 most powerful people. Here it is:

Google Mapping India's Members of Parliament who pending cases

Yeserday I blogged about this at mibazaar.com, thought I should share this with our local Indian community. Here's a list of 128 MP's from India who have pending criminal cases. Some are very serious cases and some just funny. For eg: #106 on the list has 30 cases registered against him which include murder (3 cases), attempt to murder (10 cases), dacoity (6 cases). Compare this with Bollywood's Govinda (#64) who has cases registered against him which include Defamation, obscene acts and songs. Songs?

GMAIL now in हिंदी (Hindi)

GMAIL has a new feature now! Now you can type email in Indian Languages. Quoting from the Google Blog

When you compose a new mail in Gmail, you should now see an icon with an Indian character, as the screenshot below shows.

This feature is enabled by default for Gmail users in India. If you do not see this function enabled by default, you will need to go the "Settings" page and enable this option in the "Language" section.

When you click the Indian languages icon, you can type words the way they sound in English and Gmail will automatically convert the word to its Indian local language equivalent. For example, if a Hindi speaker types "namaste" we will transliterate this to "नमस्ते." Similarly, "vanakkam" in Tamil will become "வணக்கம்." Currently there's support five Indian languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam -- and you can select the language of your choice from the drop-down list next to the icon.

Company in India looking for Automotive talent

A recruiter within the Great Lakes region working on behalf of a client located in India is looking for the following talents within the automotive sector:

DESIGN ENGINEERING
DIESEL TECHNOLOGY
HYBRID AND ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY
CRASH AND SAFETY TECHNOLOGY

All above positions require a minimum of 7 years experience, and the need to speak Hindi. The candidates would be required to move to India.

For more dtails visit windsorpersonnel or contact Kevin Deziel at windsorpersonnel@on.aibn.com

India's Techie Groom out of favor in these uncertain times

(via Hindustan Times)

"Our India Story" a film featuring Michigan Indian Community

The film "Our India Story" has been made by Keith Famie who has been working on it for last 14 months. He has filmed almost 70 hours which has been condensed to under an hour.

At Flavors of India an event celebrating Culture, Heritage and Community scheduled for December 14th (5.00pm) at Rock Financial Showplace, Grand River, Novi, there will be a premier screeening of "Our India Story" which will later be aired by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 on December 20th at 7 pm.

From HomeTownLife.com

The film features Farmington Hills landmarks.

Siriesha Mandava, who owns Priya Restaurant on Grand River in Farmington Hills, and the Jain Temple on 12 Mile in Farmington Hills are featured in the film, along with the Jain congregation.

"One of the temple members is a woman who is 104," Famie said. "She worked with Gandhi."

The story is told by the people through their interviews. Metro-Detroit Asian Indians tell their stories of arriving in America, among other topics.

Part of Famie's work was filmed in India.

"We spent 40 hours on airplanes and traveled 47,000 miles," Famie said, of the 13-day trip.

There are no commercials during the film. Funds are raised by contacting various community leaders, Famie said. He visited a number of temples and restaurants in metro-Detroit to find the interviewees.

"I'm looking for really good storytellers," he said. "I take these processes very personally. I feel that I am the voice and the ambassador for the community."

Famie is the director and producer of the film. He is also a chef and was a contestant on the 2001 reality hit TV show, Survivor: Australian Outback, where he took third place.

For more information or for event tickets priced at $75 each, call Famie at (248) 869-0096.

Terrorists strike Mumbai, India

There were a series of coordinated terror attacks today in Mumbai, India which claimed upwards of 70 lives. As of last reports police were still engaged in gun battle at Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Hotel. (more at BBC, CNN)

(The following cross posted from mibazaar.com)
Here's a quick mashup I put together of Twitter Tweets as it relates to Mumbai Terror Attacks along with Google Maps + YouTube video. It shows on Google Maps where in the world people are twittering on Mumbai Terror Attacks. It also shows the latest YouTube videos.

Pittsburgh Pirates outsourced to India (Sort of!!)

Guess what, Indians will be playing for Pittsburgh Pirates, no I am not talking about Cleveland Indians. I am talking about Indians from India.

Meet Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, both 20 years old pitchers from India. Quoting Yahoo Sports

Both are your newest trailblazers in the world of American baseball.

Earlier this year, an American talent company held a pitching contest in India because it believed the country's 1.1 billion was a vast and untapped talent resource. Singh and Patel topped the 30,000 Indians who tried out and have been working with USC pitching coach Tom House ever since.

So what do you think. Will this move end Pirates losing season?

Image: Offering at Bombay Stock Exchange

A woman makes flower offerings before the statue of a bull outside the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 22 October 2008. Indian shares have lost nearly half their value this year as the global financial crisis has rippled around the world. (submitted by Dave Mallya)

Sign of the coming times in India?

Did anyone see this coming? BBC is reporting that

India's largest private airline Jet Airways has laid off 800 employees as it cuts flights amid soaring costs.

The company said cabin crew hired for a planned expansion programme which had been suspended would lose their jobs.

Hundreds of members of staff gathered in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) to protest at the move.

Jet says it plans to cut more jobs. Its announcement follows a recent cost-cutting alliance with India's second largest private airline, Kingfisher. According to reports, Kingfisher Airlines is also considering laying off some of its staff

Kota, Rajasthan - India's cram school Capital

While driving back from work yesterday I was listening to Mitch Albom at WJR760AM talk about a Wall Street Journal article on Cram Schools in Kota, Rajasthan.

The article talks about 16 year old Rohit Agarwal who quit his high school in the northeast corner of India in June. With two suitcases and a shoulder bag Rohit took a two-hour flight and a six-hour train ride to Kota, India's cram-school capital. Why did he do that? Rohit's plan was to attend one of the 100-plus coaching schools in Kota where approximately 40,000 students show up every year. The intensive programs in these coaching schools, which are separate from regular high school, prepare students for college-entrance exams. In Kota, most of the schools focus on the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology.

Quoting the Wall Street article

The seven IITs nationwide are statistically tougher to get into than Harvard or Cambridge. While around 310,000 students took the entrance exam this April, only the top 8,600 were accepted. A whopping one-third of those winners in the current academic year passed through Kota's cramming regimen.

"If we stayed at home, we just wouldn't be able to study enough," says Mr. Agarwal as he takes a break from lessons. "If you don't study hard, you won't get admission."

Rohit starts studying at 7 a.m., works on practice problems until noon. After lunch, he goes to class, where he gets the answers to the problems, gets home around 8 p.m. and does homework until midnight.

Kota has become a cram-industry boom town as more Indians seek to send their children to college and economic expansion has far outstripped the increase in college placements, making the competition fiercer.

Students study full-time for two years just for one entrance exam, mostly for the IITs but also for other universities and colleges. The rigor has become part of its selling point: As Kota's reputation for success has spread, more young hopefuls have flocked to the city

US bans 30 drugs from India

About 30 drugs manufactured in India at various Ranbaxy plants have not met US standard of safety and quality. This has led to FDA banning those drugs which include generic versions of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s cholesterol drug Pravachol and cephalexin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections.

The FDA's ``import alert'' barring entry of Ranbaxy drugs isn't related to a U.S. criminal investigation examining whether the company fabricated data to get its medicines cleared for sale, according to the FDA.

The authorities though state that there is no evidence the medicines are harmful, though the violations could lead to defective products,(source Bloomberg)

Great Cricket by a 4 year old

Here's a video of Krishna Narayan a 4 year old from India showing off outstanding batting (cricket) skills. I wish him all the best. Looks like he has a great future ahead.

Major Floods in Bihar, India

The Kosi river, a tributary of the Ganges in the Indian State of Bihar did something earth shattering this monsoon season. It burst through its banks to flow into a channel it had abandoned more than 200 years ago. The flooded channel swept over a region not accustomed to flooding and forced more than a million people from their homes.

These images below explain what exactly happened:

Here's a Google Maps View of The Kosi River during normal times:


Here's another image from NASA Earth Observatory taken on August 8th, 2008 (before the disaster)


Here's a image from Nasa Earth Observatory taken on August 24th, 2008 showing River Kosi changing its course and flowing through the channel which was abandoned 200 years ago. Looks like more water is flowing through this channel.

India - Happy 62nd Independence Day

Wishing my fellow Indians in Michigan, United States and rest of the world a "Happy 62nd Independence Day". On this occasion I bring to you a Google Maps View of some of the Indian Celebrities which includes Freedom Fighters, Astronauts (Kalpana Chawla), Olympic Stars (Abhinav Bindra), Presidents, Prime Ministers, Cricketers, Bollywood Stars.

Jeev Milka Singh - highest ranked Indian Golfer visits Michigan

Jeev Milka Singh, India's highest ranked GOLFER is in Michigan taking part in the PGA Championship currently underway at Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Township, MI.

Jeev Singh started off well but currently (as of 08/08/2008) has dropped down to 7th position. Click here to follow Jeev Milka Singh's progress.

Here's a interesting bit of trivia. Jeev Singh is the son of India's famous athlete Milka Singh.

Indian Orthodox Church in Warren, MI is the Largest in United States

St. Thomas Orthodox Church of India, the first Indian Orthodox church built in Michigan is the largest in the United States.

Niraj Warikoo reports in today's Detroit Free Press

During three days last weekend, the local members of the Indian Orthodox Church consecrated St. Thomas Orthodox Church of India. Filled with the colors and sounds of India, the festivities in Warren reflected how much the faith is rooted in the country's traditions.

Over the centuries, Catholics and Protestants from Europe tried to stamp out the church, unwilling to tolerate its syncretic culture. But the church managed to survive and flourish; today, it has about 3 million members worldwide, roughly 650 of them in metro Detroit

Related: Indian Orthodox Church website

India's National Leaders

I received a email from a friend which had a image of a creative piece of Art shown below. This piece of art is a drawing of a Tree. One can easily see Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi in this art work.

But there are 8 more images of National Leaders from India embedded in this image. Can you see them? Names mentioned below the image.


Mahatma Gandhi
Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Rabindranath Tagore
Jawaharlal Nehru
Bhagat Singh
Rajendra Prasad
Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy
Rajiv Gandhi
Mrs Indira Gandhi

India trumps Michigan?

India Trumps Michigan at least in the world of extraterrestrial art (via MLIVE)

A 75-pound nickel-and-iron meteorite resembling Michigan's Lower Peninsula sold at auction Sunday for $20,000, less than its expected price of $32,500 to $40,000.

Michigan native Darryl Pitt, the meteorite's owner, says he was disappointed by the low price. He says the anonymous buyer got a bargain. Pitt believes the space rock is worth $50,000.

Another nickel-iron meteorite, which weighs three-quarters of a ton and resembles the Indian subcontinent, sold at the same auction for $90,000.

Pitt says there was "greater interest" in India than in the Great Lakes State at the auction, held at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas.

Now wait a second Mr. Pitt. You got $20,000 for a 75 lb Michigan shaped meteorite item which is $266.67/lb and the Indian Sub-Continent shaped Meteorite weighing 1680 lbs fetched $90,000 which is $53.58/lb. So who got a better deal?

Sharad Pawar receives Honorary Doctoral Degree from Lawrence Technological University, Southfield

Sharad Pawar, India's Union Minister for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution recently received (May 18th, 2008) a honorary Doctoral degree in Humanities from Lawrence Technological University, Southfield.

Click here to read the entire text of citation honoring the degree of Doctor of Humanities to Shri Sharad Pawar.

This is great but what is puzzling is that there was no mention of this in our local print media, indian radio stations or local indian websites. Maybe we are too busy with fund raising :-)

Blog Fever/War hits Bollywood

Guess what? Amitabh Bachchan is now blogging. Now that Big B has entered the blogging world its just a matter of time before other Bollywood stars start blogging. The other Bollywood Star that has his own blog is Aamir Khan. Do you know of any other Bollywood Stars with their own blogs?

With these blogs have come controversies. BBC is reporting that

Veteran superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, on his blog, first described Shah Rukh Khan's new television quiz show as a flop.

Now he says his comments have been misunderstood by the media.

Aamir Khan, star of such Bollywood blockbusters as Lagaan and Mangal Pandey, has caused displeasure by blogging about his pet dog, Shahrukh - note the change in the spelling.

The canine, it seems, is always begging for attention and licking his feet. What's more, the dog is "too smelly".

Khan has gone on the defensive, saying he had nothing to do with the naming of the dog.

"In fact Shahrukh is the dog of the caretakers of our house. When I bought this house it came with the caretakers and their dog! Apparently Shahrukh (the actor) was shooting for a commercial in this house a few years ago, and that very day the caretakers bought a pup, and named him Shahrukh," Khan says.

Indian Premier (Cricket) League

I have compiled a list of the Teams playing in the newly formed Indian Premier (Cricket) League currently underway in India.

Click here for a look a the teams with some basic information, like who owns the teams, how much it is worth, the home stadium, latest team news (via Google News RSS Feeds) and a team video (YouTube).

Mumbai and New Delhi ranked as one of "The World's Dirtiest Cities"

Forbes is out with a list of "The World's 25 Dirtiest Cities". India has 2 cities listed. Mumbai is ranked as the 7th Dirtiest City and New Delhi does a bit better with a rank of 24. Forbes has this to say about New Delhi

You'll find just about everything except marine life in New Delhi's Yamuna River. Garbage and sewage flow freely, creating a rich environment for the growth of water-borne diseases contributing to extremely high rates of infant morbidity.

Click here for a Google Maps View of "The World's Dirties Cities".

Related: The World's most Polluted Cities.

Home at last after 35 years

Kashmir Singh a former Indian Policeman from Punjab and later a trader in Electronic Goods was arrested in the city of Rawalpindi in 1973. The Government of Pakistan convicted Mr. Singh of spying and was later sentenced him to death.

Now Mr. Kashmir Singh has been released by the Pakistani Authorities after 35 years. Yesterday Mr. Kashmir Singh crossed into India via the Wagah Border.

How did Mr Singh's release come about? Quoting BBC:

His release was spearheaded by Ansar Burney, a social worker and cabinet minister who tracks people lost in Pakistan's jail system.

Ansar Burney discovered Mr Singh on a recent trip to a jail in Lahore and persuaded Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to revoke his death sentence and order his release.

Mr Burney said last week that Mr Singh had been held in a condemned prisoner's cell for most of the time since his conviction and had become mentally ill.

He said that he was first informed about the case several years ago by members of the Indian community in London.

But he was unable to locate Mr Singh, despite visiting more than 20 jails across the country in connection with his campaign for prison reforms and prisoners' rights.

The minister said Mr Singh had not received a single visitor or seen the open sky and, like other condemned prisoners, was locked in an overcrowded cell for more than 23 hours a day, in conditions which the minister described as "hell on Earth".

Indian Version of "Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?"

Sooner or later it had to happen. United States Television Game show "Are you smarter than a 5th Grader" will now be replicated in India under the title "Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?". The show in India will be hosted by Shahrukh Khan and will premier in 2008 on Star Plus Channel.

"Paanchvi Paas...." has a Michigan connection!. Akash Sharma An economics graduate from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is currently serving as an executive producer to the Indian version of "5th Grader". On a side note: Akash Sharma shares his birthday (2nd November) with Shahrukh Khan.

Can you answer this?
तोह (एशिया की सबसी लम्बी नदी कौन सी है) (Translation: Which is the longest river in Asia?)

(via)

Thaddeus McCotter co-sponsors a resolution seeking UNSC membership for India

Gus Bilirakis, Republican from Florida along with Thaddeus McCotter who represents Michigan's 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, have co-sponsored a resolution which seeks a permanent United Nations Security Council Seat for India.

Congressman Bilirakis had this to say

India is an important ally of the US and the world community. Their enormous role in mediating and contributing to global peacekeeping missions combined with their ever-evolving economic prowess and democratic institutions makes them a natural fit as a permanent member of the Security Council.

In a article in Washington Times Congressman Bilirakis writes

Power is diffused and Islamic extremists pose a worldwide threat to moderate governments and democracy. The new foreign policy imperatives of democratic nations are to counter the rise of extremism and roll back global poverty through economic opportunity and enhanced political freedom.

Adding the voice of the world's largest democracy India to the deliberations of the Security Council would be a major improvement to an organisation too often paralysed by the intransigence of anti-democratic members.

Moreover, in meeting its mandate of maintaining world peace and enforcing UN decisions, the Security Council must have members with advanced force capacity and proven military leadership, most especially ones tempered by a belief in democratic principles like those practised by the people of India.

Rather than remaining on the sidelines when it comes to implementing reform at the UN, the US and likeminded nations should actively advocate reform of the UN Security Council, beginning with permanent membership for the world's largest democracy: India.

India is a crucial and proven partner in the global war on terror and is strategically located to combat growing Islamist extremism in South Asia

(via sify.com)

FDA Recalls Skin and Hair Products Imported from India

Check this link out. The recalled products (SWAD Brand) have been sold in Michigan also. FDA Recalls Skin and Hair Products Imported from India

Oakland County Executive traveling to India to drum up business

Detroit News is reporting that

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and members of his economic development staff are headed to India on Saturday with the Detroit Regional Chamber to drum up business. Patterson will travel to Mumbai and Pune for one-on-one meetings with "people that want to invest money and hire people in the state," said Maureen Donohue Krauss, the county's deputy economic development director. "We've worked them until they are focused on Michigan. We are trying to lure them to Oakland County." The trip is funded by the chamber and county. The taxpayers' portion is $6,000.

How things have changed! Didn't it used to be the other way around - folks coming here from India, seeking investment.

Here comes Tata Nano - Cute and cheap, it's Wal-Mart as wheels.

I loved that line from Detroit News columnist Laura Berman who describes "Tata Nano" as "Cute and cheap, it's Wal-Mart as wheels".

Tata Motors unveiled "Tata Nano" which priced at $2500 is the world's cheapest car. The Nano might have put a smile on millions of faces across India as people who ride the 2 wheelers can now switch to a affordable 4 wheeler. But what will this do to the chaotic traffic situations in cities across India. I think it will become a nightmare with tons of "Tata Nano's" hitting the streets every day. And what about "fender benders", deafening sound of horns.

Now what about "Tata Nano" in United States. My personal opinion it will not get thru stringent regulations here. Even if it does - will you drive it say on mackinaw bridge where couple of years ago a yugo got blown away due to 50MPH gale winds.

The specs of Tata Nano are as follows:

• Length: 3.1 metres
• Height: 1.6 metres
• Width: 1.5 metres
• Engine: Rear-wheel drive, 2-cylinder, 623 cc, multi-point fuel-injection petrol engine. Engine is rear mounted. Tata said it was the first time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine was being used in a car with single balancer shaft.
• Safety: Tata said the Nano has an all sheet-metal body, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat-belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tyres are tubeless.
• Environment: Tata said tailpipe emission performance exceeded current regulatory requirements, and the Nano had a lower overall pollution level than two-wheelers made in India. It said high fuel efficiency (20 km/litre) ensured low carbon dioxide emissions.

An Open Letter to Rick Ponting

Dear Rick:

Congratulations on winning sixteen test matches in a row. Wow!, That was quite an achievement, Mate. I saw the SCG test match from my humble dwelling in Chanhassen, MN, USA and was quite impressed by your perseverance and hard work-you did not leave any stones unturned in your desperate quest to equal Waugh’s record. It was very heartwarming to see you share this expertise with your heir apparent, Michael Clarke. Mike’s antics in this test match convinced me that the Australian cricket team will be in good hands after your retirement.

Equally impressive was the ease with which you multi-tasked the role of a batsman, a fielder, and an umpire. Ganguly’s dismissal on day 5 was a brilliant piece of umpiring by you, Rick. I guess this made up for the forgetful series you’ve had so far with the bat. Getting a bit tired of being Harbajan’s Bunny-Aren’t you Mate? Nice little political spin you put there accusing a proud Sikh of being a racist. There may still be life after cricket for you. Running for prime minister of Australia cross your mind yet, Rick? You appear to have all the traits necessary to make a successful run for this office.

Shaking hands with Anil and promising a fair series based upon an honor system was an excellent start, Rick. However, turning around and stabbing Anil in the back (remember Dravid’s dismissal on Day 5) was low. Quite a role model you’ve turned out to be for the kids who look up to you, Mate.

You underestimated the reaction your little prank would bring about-Didn’t you Rick? You thought that India today is the same India from your grandfather’s days? The new India makes Australia look like a third world country (or continent if you prefer). A word of caution, Rick-The BCCI accounts for about 70% of the global revenues from cricket. Minor adjustments in its policies can very easily bankrupt the Australian Cricket Board-a move that’ll help you get back to the street cricket that you seem to love so much. The bottom line is this, Rick-You messed with the wrong country at the wrong time. So, enjoy the remaining series because this may be the last time you are playing in a test series against India.

Sincerely,

Vivek Ajmani

P.S. Good luck in the upcoming tour to Pakistan.

The Bucknor-Benson Trophy

Folks:

The current cricket test series between India and Australia should now be called the 'Bucknor and Benson' series instead of the Border-Gavaskar series. I watched the second test match and was sickened by the deliberate bias shown by the Australians and the three umpires towards the Indians. It is difficult to beat any home team on their turf-more difficult if one has to compete against a 14 member team (11 players and three umpires). I will not get into the details of the umpiring decisions but will say this: If the BCCI has any spine or any credibility left then they should boycott the remaining series and call the team back home.

Now, Harbajan Singh has been banned for three test matches for allegedly uttering a racist remark towards Symonds. The only racism I saw was the unfair and unjust treatment the Australians and the umpires were giving the Indians. The BCCI is the richest and most powerful cricket body on Earth and it is time they put their powers to good use. The national pride was hammered by cheats and we should not stand and simply protest. We should hit back and make sure that the pain is felt all the way to the banks and wallets of the players and officials of the Australian Cricket Board.

India did not lose-the game of cricket did.

Note: Benson takes Ricky Ponting's Word:


Regards

Vivek

School Shootings in India

School Shootings which were never heard of in India, have now taken place back to back.

Last month (December 2007) school shooting occurred in Gurgaon, India where 2 students shot dead a fellow student - 14 year old Abhishek Tyagi at Euro International School (via). And now yesterday a 10th grade student in rural Madhya Pradesh (Satna District) shot dead a 8th Grade student at a government run school (via).

Take a look at this Google Map view of all recent world wide school shootings. Now India shows up on the map.

Tragedy at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam (both from India) enrolled in a PhD program at LSU, Baton Rouge, LA were shot dead inside Allam's apartment during home invasion robbery. The bodies were found inside Allam's apartment.

The Associated Press is reporting that Allam's pregnant wife found the bodies and called 911. (via)

Our Deepest condolences to the families.

Hindu Gods directed to appear before court in Jharkand, India

Talk about bizarre! A judge by the name of Sunil Kumar Singh in the eastern state of Jharkand, India has placed advertisement in newspapers asking the gods (Ram and Hanuman) to "appear before the court personally". This to resolve a dispute which is now now 20 years old and revolves around the ownership of a 1.4 acre plot of land housing two temples.

Quoting BBC (the text of the advertisement which was addressed to the Hindu Gods!)

"You failed to appear in court despite notices sent by a peon and later through registered post. You are herby directed to appear before the court personally"

Curious as to know where the judge and the lawyers in this case got their Law degree/education.

A Simple Peda Recipe

Wait a second! Before you head to a Indian/Desi Grocery store to get some Indian Sweets at $6.99/lb, try this simple killer PEDA Recipe. If I can make it then believe me any one can make it. Here it goes (no rocket science):

• 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (I used Nestle Brand)
• 2 Cups (Measuring Cups and not coffee cups) of Milk Powder (I used Kroger Brand)
• 1/2 stick of Butter (use store brand)

And now the easy part:

• Place the above 3 items in a microwable bowl
• Stick the bowl into the microwave for 5 minutes
• Every other minute keep stirring it (otherwise it will boil over)
• Take tbe bowl out and set it aside for couple of minutes
• Since you have done all the work, have your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/child cut it into different PEDA shapes
• You are now a certified Halwai

Do you know of any simple Desi/Indian recipes then email me and I will post it here.

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa - Mika Singh is out!!

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa-Dancing with the Stars airs on Sony Entertainment Television on Fridays and Saturdays (9.00pm EST).

I have been watching Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa for past couple of weeks. The talent is unbelievable. If you think there is no one can who can shake like Shakira then you should watch Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Unbelievable!! Some of the performances will make you dizzy.

Anyway I was rooting for the past couple of weeks for Mika Singh to be voted out. Why? I felt he was arrogant, he had no respect for judges. Last night's show was unbelievable. After his performance, Mika comes up with this -- "Please don't vote for me...". Well the audience listened and voted Mr. Mika out.

IndiaTimes.Com Visitors exposed to Malware

A ScanSafe Advisory reports that IndiaTimes.com a news and entertainment website from India and owned by Times Group exposed their site visitors to Malware recently. Mary Landesman from ScanSafe writes in her blog

The installed malware included a cocktail of downloader and dropper Trojans, assorted other malicious binaries, and large amounts of scripts, cookies, and other non-binaries. We ran some of the binaries through VirusTotal and looks like overall detection among signature-based antivirus vendors is low. Given the nature of the downloaded files, it appears the malware may be intended to create sites used to attack others or that there may be some malicious peer-to-peer or other filesharing/communication purpose. ScanSafe continues to analyze the attack and we'll update the blog and our Threat Alert Center with those findings.

Mary Landesman further writes that

we notified the India Times folks via email and by phone on Thursday. Unfortunately, the person we spoke with indicated that it was a holiday (Diwali) in India and they would be unlikely to fix the problem until Monday. They declined to provide us with another contact or to escalate our concerns. As a result, we felt compelled to contact the media

Desi Blogs of Note - 11/04/2007

desibloggers.mibazaar.com is a page I have put together of great/excellent/quality Desi Blogs. Check it out and if you come across a great Desi Blog then do send me a note. I will be updating this list on weekends.

Blogs shown in this image: SepiaMutiny, IndiaUncut, NewsViewsAnalysis, Seattle Indian Community.

Sanjay Dutt goes back to Jail

Sanjay Dutt returns to Yerawada Jail, Pune after a 2 month freedom. His freedom ended when he was handed a copy of the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case judgment by the TADA court.

Sanjay Dutt's acting skill will take a back seat for a while. His new skill which he is acquiring while in jail is cane furniture making. (Sources: BBC, Mid-Day)

Here's a Google Maps View of Sanjay Dutt's new home (Yerawada Prison - Pune, India)

Unicef India - Award winning advertisements

Take a look at these public service advertisements/messages originating in India and which got a special mention by UNICEF INDIA.

Advertisement/Message targeted towards safe driving, road safety, against drunk driving. (Message in the mirror reads "Objects in the Mirror are closer than they appear")


Advertisement/Message against Corruption (message in circle reads as "I promise NOT to pay the sum or Rupees 500/- as a bribe.)

(This will not happen in my lifetime though. I mean when you have to pay bribe to get a death certificate for your loved one....you can imagine how widespread/deep rooted the corruption is)

Andrew Symonds subjected to monkey chants by Mumbai Cricket Fans

Andrew Symonds a Australian Cricketer of West Indian Heritage, was the target of racial slurs again. This time it was at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. 4 people were arrested for behaving indecently in public.

Ricky Ponting the Australian Team Captain had this to say

the team was disappointed that the same behaviour had been repeated at various grounds. "Andrew is hurt at the crowd behaviour but we've been told action has been taken," he said. "But some of the stuff that happens is totally unacceptable and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. I'm sure there are a lot of people in India that would be embarrassed by the incident."

Yes I am sure lot of people in India must have been embarrassed by the actions of these uncultured folks (look at the faces, they are having a heck of a time enacting monkey chants) (via)

Aneek Dhar rocks his way to SA RE GA MA PA 2007 CHAMP!!

Finally we have a winner in ANEEK DHAR, which everyone will be happy with. Aneek Dhar won the SA RE GA MA PA 2007 challenge. I have been watching Indian IDOL and SA RE GA MA PA for last couple of years. I have not seen a singer like ANEEK. He is just beyond words. He is just outstanding. Indians all over the world will be hearing about ANEEK for years to come.

Here's Aneek singing Rock N Roll Soniye:

Tandoori Chicken at Cafeteria of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor

Couple of days back Detroit News was reporting that Indians are the largest Asian Population in the Metro Detroit Area (link). This has translated to India related businesses which are opening up in quite a few places in the Metro Detroit Area. For eg:

• Couple of India related Movie Theaters (SR Movies, Detroit Desi Cinema)
• Tons of Indian Grocery Stores
• Indian Restaurants have opened up in quite a few places (link)

Yesterday, I was at St. Joseph Mercy, Ann Arbor (my wife was in surgery). During lunch hour I took a stroll to the cafeteria and guess what I saw as "Chef's Special" - Tandoori Chicken with Basmati Rice (priced at $4.68). Immediate thought was that there must be lot of Indian Doctors at St. Joseph.

I bet in couple of months we will see Bollywood related (24/7) FM station in the Metro Detroit Area. Who knows Blockbuster might rent out Bollywood Movies.

What other changes do you think might take place?

Prashant Tamang of Darjeeling, India wins INDIAN IDOL 3

Congratulations to Prashant Tamang and Darjeeling, India! Prashant Tamang wins Indian IDOL 3.