tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3938640814602840012012-01-23T12:05:38.003+05:30Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.comBlogger1551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-5145906946669771022011-12-16T23:41:00.000+05:302011-12-16T23:41:44.049+05:30

During the placement interviews at college, a Keralite friend  liked to call the ubiquitous tie-on-the-shirt as "trappings of mediocrity" possibly because it served no pressing functional deficiency. While watching the attire of numerous corporate & financial experts comment on RBI's credit policy today ,I couldn't but notice those colourful noose-ropes & remember that adage. All through the

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-12424852218595159452011-04-02T12:46:00.001+05:302011-04-04T11:14:38.505+05:30

It could not have got better than this for the Indian president of International Cricket Council. A food minister in the present government , he had once ensured that piled up grains rot in Indian godowns when the country was going through a drought and millions went hungry. Denying nutritious aid to millions of his country-men even when supreme court had directed them to be distributed had won

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-76045140386064909592011-03-30T13:11:00.001+05:302011-03-30T13:20:30.505+05:30

We all know that some like the sea and some like the mountains. Invariably such likings become an issue for a couple planning a vacation. What we do not know is the reason behind such likings. Two people , each of whom even when exposed to equal number of experiences of sea-based or mountain-based vacations, can still have different affection either for the sea or for the mountains. And this

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-72817627780387923372011-03-27T13:40:00.000+05:302011-03-27T13:40:25.667+05:30

Needless to say that such a "cynical" title might put off a large number of readers . Hence I have taken the unusual approach of starting this post with a disclaimer, which otherwise should have come at the bottom. Disclaimer: This post is taken from a cauldron of experiences of different people and their stories over a lifetime. What is said is a partial reflection of the miserable, warring,

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-62470284759261786332011-03-12T12:57:00.002+05:302011-03-13T11:42:44.783+05:30

It's exactly mid way in the ICC World Cup 2011 cricket tournament & the matches have given their due share of photo-finishes , upsets along with some memorable batting & bowling prowess. The second half is kicking off with the group match between India & South Africa. More about that later. Below is a holistic review of the how the countries have shaped up and what potential they hold.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-69147191575691894482011-02-27T14:07:00.001+05:302011-02-27T14:11:47.407+05:30

As Delhi  gets busy in ornamenting its city with a hand-etched Madhubani painting of its icons from Happy Hand Foundations as one of the many ways to  celebrate it's 100th year as Capital of modern India ; Calcutta ,which lost the status of the colonial capital in 1911, is ruing one more chance of defeating the modern-day cricketing representatives of their erstwhile colonial masters, England at

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-65578419212281362162010-12-31T22:08:00.000+05:302010-12-31T22:08:00.883+05:30

 Photo source: http://www.thedotcomblog.com/  India go into the decider 3rd test match against South Africa at the Newlands ground, Capetown day after tomorrow backed by a convincing win two days back at Durban riding on Laxman's confident 96 in the second innings.Newlands, one of the 25 cricket-grounds(including an oval at a local university &  a rugby ground) in Cape Town, is said to

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-18349040029663942662010-12-29T21:44:00.001+05:302011-01-25T16:55:51.049+05:30

As soon as the news floated in that Pakistani cricketers will once again be ignored at IPL 4, the Pakistani cricket board official reached out to his desk , unlocked it and took out a file marked 'Top Secret'. In it were blueprints of a cash rich twenty-20 cricket tournament among nations who feel distinctly marginalised by the fight that countries around the globe are engaged against terrorist

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-54173869792299145622010-12-07T16:41:00.003+05:302010-12-08T12:50:09.864+05:30

The annual 2010 Saltyblog Awards for significant contribution to the country in each of the following fields (sorted alphabetically) are here: Best Bureaucrat : PJ Thomas, Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) for refusing to see the irony that a charge sheeted government employee ( like himself)  can't occupy even a peon's post leave alone a CVC's  and for refuting all moves to step down and save

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-82185990583204288242010-11-28T14:02:00.001+05:302010-11-28T14:11:01.031+05:30

Picture Source: See end The Transparency International, an independent international watchdog on perception of corruption in public services lists India at the 87th position, one that is almost unchanged since the last 2 decades. So, it does not come as a surprise when functionaries of government including ministers and government officials are accused of graft in this

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-53197373014981147052010-11-16T18:37:00.000+05:302010-11-16T18:37:46.436+05:30

DoT acquires & sells telecom licenses & spectrum on behalf of the Govt. of India to private operators for expansion of telecom service. West Bengal government buys & sells land (in Singur & other places)  on behalf of its farmers to private corporate for expansion of industry. The answer to the principal question as to  which partner's interest  will the DoT/WB govt. look after in its working can

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-80020561895090203962010-10-18T12:28:00.001+05:302010-10-18T13:34:45.124+05:30

The omni-powerful organising committee (OC) of the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Delhi has been rewarded with a probe-order from none lass than the Prime Minister himself. Allegations of large scale financial irregularity, corruption &  shoddy work had been levelled earlier by all sections of the media in the run up to the games. The chairman of the OC had appeared indifferent to them then

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-76636392090502233202010-09-02T11:28:00.015+05:302010-09-04T15:51:09.396+05:30

The recent news item on match-fixing by the English paper, News of the World, literally shook the cricket world when it demonstrated the spot-fixing incidents to cricket fans all over the world. It showed a video interview , secretly recorded, of the bookie predicting the specific moments during the penultimate day of the Lords test match between England and Pakistan when the match will be fixed.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-52576508335676484772010-08-15T00:33:00.004+05:302010-08-15T01:23:11.482+05:30

Hypocrisy is a human virtue that may have its origin in the sartorial preferences of mankind. Mankind (along with womankind) could have well lived along without clothes.Witness a nudist colony for example where families with kids in tow move around with an indifferent air that can only be compared to that noticed in rush hour metros. But nudist colonies, alas, have now become museum pieces much

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-77768705038798071212010-04-30T10:33:00.005+05:302010-05-03T11:24:46.089+05:30

28 more Twenty20 internationals? From the point of view of the viewer , it's both an overkill after the recent conclusion of 56 matches in IPL plus a bit of yawn too. For the cricketers who joined their respective teams from the IPL, it must be tiring to reach the end of a long year of international cricket and risky too in terms of freak injuries. Bret Lee injured his bowling arm in a warm up

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-19102009848060753012010-04-20T15:11:00.012+05:302010-05-31T11:21:17.717+05:30

A sultry kashmiri drops her pallu,(to) Get the attention of a snooty mallu;Blood starts throbbing in the mallu's vein,He pulls a piece of paper & a pen;"It swells my heart with pride, dear Lallu,"Wrote the suave & articulate Mallu"(to) Know of your beta in the team nai dilli(Though he seems to be there only as a maali;)But I have plans for a team in KochiWhere all are welcome from mollah to mochi

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-24531392153263757132010-02-18T13:09:00.002+05:302010-02-18T13:17:56.404+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-49872789036303781742010-02-17T09:50:00.009+05:302010-02-17T13:51:52.140+05:30

Kolkata woke up this morning with a gloomy sky , an after effect of the unseasonal rain that hit the city last night. The wet outfield has delayed the start of the match but India has the luxury of time besides a 347 run lead to accommodate minor delays. In spite of an eventful test match in Eden Gardens where spectators got to see 2 centuries per day over the last 3 days, the front page of the

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-37894195496015527002010-02-12T10:51:00.004+05:302010-02-18T13:18:29.602+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-1874025333662244092010-02-11T11:09:00.007+05:302010-02-18T13:18:53.217+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-52181267573097566672010-02-10T12:20:00.008+05:302010-02-10T14:01:31.704+05:30

After a gap of more than 2 years , Eden Gardens in Kolkata , once again gets a chance to host a cricket test match. Since the memorable test match victory in the spring of 2001 , when the mighty Australians under Steve Waugh lost the match even after enforcing the follow on, Eden Gardens has been deprived of its annual test match thanks to some step motherly treatment by the BCCI management who

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-38337603309114387132010-01-25T10:29:00.009+05:302010-02-10T13:57:27.108+05:30

A much too familiar story for all beautiful but underdeveloped places in India. In the case of Andaman & Nicobar islands, this post on "Tourism" captures the ills that plague the administrative leadership. Tourism happens to be a significant economic activity of the islands. At the fag end of the development spectrum lie the tribes of A & N islands. Jarawas, Onge & Sentinelese. Some of them like

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-36692242918979635492010-01-20T11:02:00.009+05:302010-01-23T11:28:18.073+05:30

5 reasons why IPL3 is more interesting: Its back in India after it was driven to South Africa for an year by the Indian elections. The Indian ambiance of media gossip, fan frenzy etc. were missing.Some good recruits have moved in from the parallel ICL league. Shane Bond in particular. On home pitches, one expects the in-form Tendulkar to be present in all of his swashbuckling glory. And it does

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-11830054231928007402009-12-09T21:49:00.006+05:302009-12-11T10:27:24.172+05:30

If expectations from the audience of a Sandip Ray film are high, one can only sympathise with the film maker. Carrying the creative writing lineage of 3 generations of past geniuses on his shoulder, Sandip Ray displayed enough courage to write & direct (including music) a non-Feluda whodunit flick set in the backdrop of two cities, Kolkata & Kualalampur. The film is called Hit List although it

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-12476528517249070152009-11-18T13:35:00.012+05:302009-11-27T12:31:17.604+05:30

Price Rise. It started with the poultry products & sugar nearly an year back & now the malady has spread even to basic food commodities like rice, pulse,vegetables, bread, milk etc.. The price rise has been near about 30% based on market price although the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reflects around 11 %. Even the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) of minerals,metals & fuel reflect a largely deflated

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-19773680281084237232009-11-10T17:29:00.005+05:302009-11-19T13:25:32.008+05:30

The annual 2009 Saltyblog Awards for significant contribution to the country in each of the following fields (sorted alphabetically) are here:Best Bureaucrat : RS Pandey, petroleum secretary for helping natural gas production to reach 60 million units at a price that is 2.5 times more rewarding to the private explorer than the originally agreement drawn between the feuding Ambani brothers. Best

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-65089640994648481792009-11-03T23:56:00.007+05:302009-11-17T13:27:07.804+05:30

Rat-tat-rat-tat-rat-tat………………….It sounded like those serial crackers rattling on and just as the petrified puppy pitter pattered in front of our car, the driver bent double forward on the brakes.A red coloured object rectangular in shape popped out of Mandira’s hand bag as she was fiddling for some paracetamol. She quickly retrieved the object & before the car came to a perfect halt, she had

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-88952529797759855282009-10-24T16:39:00.009+05:302009-10-29T11:11:03.195+05:30

Cricket viewers have been so ODed over past 12 weeks with a glut of T20 & ODI matches that one wonders whether the cricketers themselves are really looking forward to the 7 match (yawn!) ODI (& more yawn!) series between India & Australia starting tomorrow. For them both tiredness & fitness will be real issues to be dealt with during the course of the series. Fortunately most of the Indian

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-90042540715871905912009-08-31T12:58:00.003+05:302009-08-31T13:08:32.458+05:30

Picture Source: Here

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-72628363950537041822009-08-30T01:27:00.004+05:302009-08-30T01:41:13.339+05:30

The world comments on the recession

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-43593899674958314152009-08-30T01:22:00.003+05:302009-08-30T01:27:10.577+05:30

A reporter's portrayal of the city that was his home

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-89145059389150029742009-08-27T21:40:00.009+05:302009-08-27T23:31:17.061+05:30

India's only gold medal win in the Olympics came in 2008 amidst a realisation that though little but very slowly, this third-world democracy (with 1.1 billion mouths to feed) has made some progress over 112 years of the Olympic movement.Much remains to be done in lots of areas. Professionalism in sports federations; finding, nurturing & funding world-class talent to excellence in sports; zero

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-26169860844080779522009-08-25T16:00:00.003+05:302009-08-27T21:20:38.342+05:30

Inspired by : Indexed

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-66147555319722688092009-08-25T15:52:00.004+05:302010-02-18T13:17:13.592+05:30

Inspired by : Indexed

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-11799276222072655702009-08-25T14:20:00.008+05:302010-02-18T13:19:31.903+05:30

Inspired by : Indexed

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-91146502172362380922009-08-09T14:08:00.007+05:302009-08-09T15:49:59.583+05:30

Amartya Sen, the Nobel prize winning Economist cum philosopher from Bengal, posed an interesting riddle while launching in Kolkata his new book, "The idea of Justice".It goes like this:Three kids are fighting over a flute in the house. The first one feels he should get it as he is the only one who can play the flute. The second one thinks he is the poorest of the three, possessing no toys

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-89838149728490417782009-07-11T10:51:00.008+05:302009-07-11T12:50:37.422+05:30

Almost 2 decades ago, I recall a resigned comment made by Prasun Bannerjee, ex-captain of Indian soccer team, on the popularity of soccer in India. Prasun said that if Sunil Gavaskar decides to walk any street in India, he will immediately be mobbed by 100 fans while Prasun will get none for doing the same act. I was a witness to such a situation around popular soccer stars in the late

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-60518868998650751682009-07-06T00:29:00.006+05:302009-07-06T00:44:41.299+05:30

15 Grand slams victories.A win in each of the slams.World no. 1 ranking for the longest time period .The Greatest Lawn Tennis player ever born.Roger Federer, in his 7th straight Wimbledon final, today defeated a fighting Andy Roddick 5-7,7-6,7-6,3-6 & 16-14 to reach a pinnacle that no body has ever reached before in the history of Lawn Tennis.Just Wow!

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-84997019937123323152009-07-05T23:57:00.006+05:302009-07-31T13:45:37.411+05:30

The Election Commission(EC) has denied charges of malfunctioning of EVMs as reported in here.EC has also debunked claims by a news report that an enquiry has been ordered or that a demonstration of malfunctioning has been made. Apparently the EVMs have a "possibility of malfunctioning" if another software is burned into the chip. EC claims that its ASIC is tamper proof.Besides laying to rest

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-35519030890311222282009-07-04T17:34:00.006+05:302010-05-31T11:21:50.668+05:30

If you have coded my chip,then the vote is for you to keep.Even an idiot can contestAnd I will proudly attestThat the idiot has won the seatEven though he is a cheat.Prove to the people, press & the mediaThat you have not tampered like a mafiaThe silicon implants in my body & breastAnd for once & all; allow matters to rest.-------------Written with inspiration from this news article in rediff.com.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-87783080853681075602009-06-13T01:34:00.013+05:302009-06-13T11:55:46.502+05:30

Bravo continued from where he left off against the Lankans in the qualifying group match. After scalping 4 wickets in India's paltry innings of 153, Bravo took on the mantle from Gayle to carry West Indies to a superb victory over India with 8 balls to spare. Bravo's innings of 66 n.o was a mix of aggression & caution with the balance between the two changing seamlessly over the game's progress.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-5519658200859755402009-06-10T23:13:00.007+05:302009-06-11T00:38:53.728+05:30

T20 World Cup second edition that is underway in England has already thrown up a couple of interesting laws that appear more confusing than convincing. The top two seeded teams are allocated slots in the Super Eight stage regardless of where they finish in their group. The Super Eight stage is not determined on winners and runners-up. This means that if the seeded teams qualify in their group,

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-64081326435477352952009-05-26T12:29:00.011+05:302009-05-26T22:18:21.301+05:30

The local met department has been sounding an alert about an impending cyclone since last 2 days. As usual such alerts fall on deaf ears not only because they lack the precision of accurate forecasts of landing time & ferocity but also because 99% of such cyclones originating from the Bay of Bengal normally change their courses,at the last minute, to strike neighbouring Bangaldesh.This time

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-10879259785193198122009-05-23T00:18:00.011+05:302009-05-24T16:23:57.749+05:30

50 runs in 17 balls and 85 in 35. That's a measure of the pace with which Adam Gilchrist batted to push out Sehwag's Daredevils in the semifinals of IPL'09.Once again , not for the last time though, Gilchrist showed in his blistering innings of 45 minutes that in the world of cricket, there has never been a better & more consistent entertainer than him. On all of Gilli's days, even the greatest

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-86322954679438262632009-05-21T13:21:00.006+05:302009-05-21T13:38:18.411+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-50623550171016149632009-05-10T18:51:00.009+05:302009-05-10T19:14:46.079+05:30

Order & ChaosMan & WomanRationale & EmotionLinearity & ErrorDeterministic & indeterminableRightist & LeftistGlobal North & Global SouthBody & Mind Rich & Poor Time & Space.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-61877272237087154882009-05-10T18:29:00.004+05:302009-05-10T19:15:05.370+05:30

A human being is just a small dot of finite dimension floating in an unfathomably infinite & empty space. Within this finite dot, inside a human being there exists an infinity which is again unfathomable. Its the human mind.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-30966859170686413192009-05-10T18:18:00.003+05:302009-05-10T18:25:08.808+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-1634371704194647942009-04-30T11:20:00.007+05:302009-05-10T00:15:05.727+05:30

If you are an employable graduate but do not see any job opportunities coming your way, will you go ahead and do an MBA?In 2009, thanks to proliferation of unregulated b-schools all over India; an ordinary graduate need not be disheartened for not getting through the popular IIMs. He/she can as well do the MBA in fifty more 'going-concern' type private business schools that adorn the middle

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-68398115666195559482009-04-26T11:02:00.006+05:302009-04-29T11:27:39.615+05:30

When Rajasthan Royals pipped past Kolkata Knight Riders via a super over tiebreaker, Sourav 'Dada' Ganguly walked back to the dugout looking forlorn & dejected. In spite of Dada's super knock of 46, his dismissal in the penultimate ball of debutant Kamran Khan's last over vindicated the cricket fans' belief that Dada's knock was good but not good enough to win the match. On the other hand ,

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-71961182547014583532009-04-19T00:43:00.013+05:302009-04-20T01:18:44.684+05:30

Vodafone started the IPL second season with a couple of fantastic new ads. One of the latter, depicts a Jinda Laash(meaning zombie) on a charpai ( a bed for carrying the dead) jiving his way to be the STAR of the match while the credited players stand forlorn on the side. While the objective of the ad was possibly to hint that the common man can be the STAR without hurling a ball or a bat (he

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-74403890175255958672009-04-09T22:56:00.009+05:302009-04-10T00:27:58.634+05:30

As India heads for its fifteenth general election to the Lok Sabha, the media channels are clogged with numbers that the two major political alliances can cobble together as part of the 543 seats in the lower house of Indian parliament. The third front looms in the background as the balancing factor in a fragmented house that in all probability will be run by a coalition government representing a

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-26801672304614975082009-03-22T23:46:00.005+05:302009-04-02T14:55:25.312+05:30

IIT Kharagpur, which houses 9000 students & another 1000 odd faculty & administration staff in the 600 acre campus, has only one hospital catering to this huge population. Today the hospital was accused of death caused by negligence of a 3rd year student of electrical engineering, Rohit Kumar. Late night news reports suggest that around 2000 students initially gheraoed the Director, vandalised

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-31690966157747401702009-03-22T16:32:00.006+05:302009-04-02T14:42:54.064+05:30

If the Indian Premier League as announced today is held in a foreign country like South Africa or England, what will be gains & losses for the Indian television viewers? I could think of 5 such pairs.Pros:A pollution free environment will enhance clarity of broadcasting .Pitches will be livelier making for a better match.Cheerleaders can wear sexier dresses .All the 'foreign (non-Indian)' players

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-451250086601545692009-03-22T15:45:00.011+05:302009-04-02T16:31:52.582+05:30

BCCI's decision of moving the second edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) out of India is amusing to say the least. South Africa & England are the apparent front runners for this money-spinning cricket league. The franchisee owners appear to be in tune with the decision . The plan is to have 8 cities in the new country adopt eight local teams of IPL. Lalit Modi, the bespectacled chief of IPL,

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-55148125267209539102009-03-20T00:43:00.004+05:302009-03-20T00:59:26.055+05:30

Summer time is here in India, the land of heat and dust. As the established beverage companies fight it out in the market place, I decided to launch my own beverage which will not only quench your thirst but also make you ready for pissing off on anything or anyone that irritates you seriously.Its called 'Saltease Fizz'. Its a cool beverage with lots of flavoured salt in it . The idea is to get

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-30788439139681226082009-02-19T12:43:00.005+05:302009-04-02T16:33:44.405+05:30

Heres a nice story that popped out of a friend's email:A young man called Ramaswami died an untimely death. His parents, wife and nine year old son were crying bitterly, sitting next to his dead body. They all happened to be disciples of a holy man whom they called 'Maharaj Ji'. When Maharaj Ji learnt that Ramaswami had died, he came to visit the family. He entered the house and found the family

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-2050091852950923422009-02-19T01:59:00.007+05:302009-04-02T16:30:30.309+05:30

Moving onto their eighth tour to New Zealand in last forty years, the Indian cricket team appears confident while showing off their new deep-blue jersey on the modelling ramp. While confident talk is one thing, performance on the field is different.A glance at India's performance in the last seven tours reveal that India has won only 4 out of 18 test matches & 6 of out 20 ODIs played against New

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-9092487645026950752009-02-13T12:51:00.018+05:302009-04-02T14:48:40.921+05:30

This article , on the new face of Indian corporate governance, by the Nasscom chief is timely and well articulated. The incident at Satyam has once again focussed attention on the single biggest scourge that afflicts "India Inc"(or "Corporate India").They are the murky dealings of corruption that goes behind scrupulously dressed financial statements of the listed as well in unlisted (more so)

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-78489128126255319402009-02-04T21:31:00.011+05:302009-04-02T16:29:35.568+05:30

I read somewhere that Blogging has become so addictive among the netizens, that around 550 million readers go through close to 200 million blogs. More than the numbers what is striking here is an establishment of a global environment which encourages free speech. India, too, has her share of bloggers on the net. The number of blogs , as reported by directory sites,is around 20000 upwards. Some

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-2001232949158754772009-02-01T12:57:00.010+05:302009-04-02T14:50:57.885+05:30

For the historic Hyderabad city, 2009 had started badly with the "Satyam Saga Scandalam" of the now-disgraced Ramalingam Raju, who had once helped put Hyderabad on the international map of software geeks. Four weeks later, Hyderabad has shot back , even if briefly, to international fame thanks to Sania Mirza getting a Grand Slam trophy. Sania , partnering Mahesh Bhupathi of Bengaluru , lifted the

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-62981149424572176452009-01-30T02:44:00.018+05:302009-04-02T16:28:42.362+05:30

Rabindranath Tagore surely remains as the most cherished Bengali among all the Bengalis even almost 70 years after his death. Tagore was a poet,lyricist, composer, novelist, short-story writer, playwright & painter . All of them, par excellence. Tagore received a Nobel prize in literature for his book of poems , Gitanjali, in 1913. Any Bengali ,worth his salt (pun not intended), would have to

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-18182702877883656272009-01-27T15:49:00.008+05:302009-04-02T16:27:08.866+05:30

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) quarterly credit policy released today did not have any surprises as both the reverse repo rate and repo rate remained unchanged. While the RBI has finally acknowledged a foregone conclusion that global financial crisis has now affected local economy as the expected decoupling failed to materialise ; it has also correctly predicted that business confidence will

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-24595976560880858382009-01-18T12:15:00.007+05:302009-01-19T13:08:31.774+05:30

If 'left' is right about their anti-WAR stance, then surely (advent of ) WAR (always ) determines who (is) 'left'.

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-6601914271385869012009-01-17T13:27:00.018+05:302009-01-29T18:46:16.518+05:30

Picture by ms4jahThis is an Amazing picture. It speaks more than a thousand words. However, to say it short.........15th January, 3.30 p.m, New YorkA US airways plane gets both its engines on fire after a flock of geese just flew into it immediately after lift-off from New York. Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot, decides as quickly to abandon the plane into the adjacent Hudson river instead of

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-43315653550134512042009-01-12T21:39:00.013+05:302009-04-02T16:26:11.768+05:30

As the three wise men (a banker , an accountant and an IT professional) appointed by the Ministry of Company Affairs ,settle into the boardroom of Satyam for unearthing the alleged accounting fraud; speculations about the future of Satyam Computers and its 53000 employees mount. One optimistic view is that as finally expected, the various divisions of Satyam Computers will get merged into one or

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-14767480189934672652009-01-08T13:02:00.008+05:302009-04-02T16:24:48.228+05:30

What exactly did Satyam Computers fudge in the books ? Overstated RevenueOverstated ProfitsOverstated Cash & Bank balanceUnderstated liabilityThe above would require , at least, the following documents to be forged.Customer completion reports of projects or purchase agreements .Relevant Invoices raised by SatyamBank statements Bank Guarantees submitted to customers. Its logical that the to forge

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-6261225463715571302009-01-07T18:40:00.013+05:302009-04-02T16:23:34.299+05:30

A dateline of the story.29th July : Maytas Infrastructure bags the order for building Hyderabad Metro project on a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis for Rs. 120 billion with a guarantee to pay the Andhra Pradesh government a sum of Rs. 300 billion over a period of 34 years. Maytas Infra gets 296 acres of prime land in Hyderabad as part of the deal. The price of its share rises to Rs. 49421st

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-13652821512803590752009-01-01T00:49:00.006+05:302009-01-01T18:49:44.741+05:30

Wishing a happy and prosperous 2009 to all readers .Title courtesy : Shine on you crazy diamond , Pink Floyd.Photo courtesy:Lesley Bruce on flickr

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-36494519438475478742008-12-17T01:08:00.013+05:302009-04-02T16:22:20.099+05:30

On this day, thirteen years back, a village in Bansghar in Purulia district of West Bengal was air-dropped with 300 assault rifles and million rounds of ammunition, in what is now known as Purulia Arms Drop Case(PADC). The delivery to intended recipients was bungled as the consignment landed miles off the target & the villagers notified the local police station at Jhalda . The plane that (mis)

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-79589200165724423762008-12-13T14:27:00.006+05:302008-12-13T16:21:24.626+05:30

A lot of hue and cry is being made of the fact that Asmal Kasav, the captured gunman of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai is a Pakistani national and that is enough reason for India to go to war with Pakistan. Arguments are being cited that the state must take responsibility of the belligerent actions of its citizens. The 9/11 attacks , seven years back, were executed by a team. a few of whom were

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-66905094926936859112008-12-11T13:39:00.001+05:302008-12-11T13:42:44.302+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-2636360596376984012008-12-09T12:33:00.010+05:302009-04-02T16:21:08.637+05:30

This is my first travel post although this is not one about my travel, which has hit its logical end since the days I have been hibernating in Kolkata. This is a post on Venkatesh's (or "Venky" as we knew him in college) trek to the Everest base camp & is dedicated to you who love(s) mountains & travelogues.Besides the fact that Venky's trek of 71 miles ascending from Lukla to Kalapatthar (5649 m

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-75694357918335722352008-12-05T19:02:00.003+05:302009-04-02T16:20:00.092+05:30

Below is a small video clip of the tribal dance form called Dhimsa. I took the clip while on work with a NGO in a small hamlet near Araku, Andhra Pradesh. The locals there were part of a community farming project of organic coffee. The NGO was facilitating building up a cooperative of small & marginal farmers, training them on organic farming & finally helping them to find buyers. A central

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-7267510395131715252008-11-27T13:08:00.017+05:302009-04-02T16:18:50.188+05:30

The shocking terrorists attacks in Mumbai last night bring the number of terrorist incidents on major Indian cities , since the Bengaluru & Ahmedabad blasts in July-end, to six. Delhi, Agartala, Guwahati being the other three. Some important observations on the Mumbai attacks, that have already killed 100 (& still counting ) & grievously injured hundreds others are as below :Attacks have taken

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-42988511710989192832008-11-22T21:29:00.012+05:302009-02-12T13:49:33.977+05:30

It was interesting to listen to luminaries & professionals, from varied walks of life, sermonising on the media at a National Debate organised by The Telegraph. The latter is a newspaper known to doctor news. The debate was being televised live by Tara TV.The motion put forward by the British Dy. HC, Simon Wilson was " This house believes that the Media is misleading the masses."Supporting the

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-32259156796838908892008-11-11T13:20:00.009+05:302009-04-02T16:17:20.552+05:30

Fish & football are two passions , an average Bengalee can not do without.You can take industry , industriousness & the "culture for hard work" out of his life but not fish & football. To stoke the electoral fire of the second passion, a communist member of parliament(MP) from Bengal has announced that international soccer star & present coach of Argentina, Diego Maradona will be felicitated in

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-39431205463091892092008-11-06T00:01:00.011+05:302009-04-02T16:16:26.214+05:30

In the deciding test match between Australia & India at Nagpur, India ; a lot many NEW events appear to be playing around this match.Pitch & Stadium : This is a new stadium & a new pitch with no guesses on its character as to how will it play through the five days. Even net practices for both Indian & Australian teams were not held here. Further there is hardly any information from even first

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-30403893762107313342008-11-05T19:09:00.016+05:302010-06-08T12:34:44.801+05:30

Ian Anderson of the British rock group "Jethro Tull" fame is teaming up for a series of 5 concerts with sitarist Anoushka Shankar in India. The concert kicks off in Kolkata on the 27th of this month.I visited a Tull concert in Bengaluru three years back. Ian Anderson seemed to have lost his voice then , leaving out high-pitched vocals to give space to instrumentals . But the penchant for

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-28536711313088882902008-10-30T00:26:00.010+05:302009-04-02T16:13:25.707+05:30

Viswanathan Anand emerged victorious today in the FIDE World Championship challenge match played against Vladimir Kramnik in Bonn, Germany. The victory makes Anand the undisputed World Champion in chess for two years in running. Anand had won the double round-robbin world championship held in Mexico city in 2007 . However , he was forced to play this one-on-one, 12-round challenge match against

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-76222983281991761922008-10-27T21:30:00.004+05:302009-04-02T16:12:23.780+05:30

The recent financial crisis that has blitzkrieged the world since Lehman Brothers & Bear Sterns turned belly-up about a month back has already netted three countries in its whirlpool. Ukraine, Hungary & Iceland are now dependent on the IMF loans of billions. The immediate symptoms that came up in these countries wereAlmost 20% & above depreciation of their currencies to US Dollar Almost 60-70%

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-64160277615440416412008-10-25T18:02:00.009+05:302008-10-25T18:32:37.974+05:30

Finance Minister, India on the sensex slide:- " Investor should remian calm & composed......" - As in a funeral? -"RBI will use conventional & 'unconventional' tools to tackle finance, price & economic stabilities." Stabilities or instabilities?Cartoon Source:Bigpicture's blog

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-62136129669477574752008-10-22T15:59:00.026+05:302009-08-07T14:22:10.587+05:30

(Click the picture above to see "stats" in Large font.)M.S Dhoni, in his second test match as the stand-in skipper to the injured Anil Kumble,once again registered a win. This time by 320 runs against the mighty Australians at Mohali. Dhoni, once again proved that "Winning is Everything" by getting the entire team to play their respective roles while bagging the Man of the match award himself .

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-45932380025111707892008-10-17T11:00:00.005+05:302008-10-22T09:21:49.850+05:30

A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society- B. R. AmbedkarAn elected politician in India has three basic values.1. The value of public service: Whereby , the politician can serve his electorate constituents by aiding in continuous development of the region; creation of infrastructure like roads, electricity, schools, hospitals ; economic

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-55769231201834722812008-10-16T23:22:00.008+05:302009-04-02T16:10:01.526+05:30

Aviation industry in India is going through doldrums. Coping with high fuel prices & low passenger load factors is proving to be costly for all carriers. This prompted two biggest carriers in India , Kingfisher & Jet , to form an operative alliance and dump, for once, 1000 of its air crews. The fired employees, who were fresh and under probation, cried foul and have sought the help of 'enfant

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-38271493076384133982008-10-15T11:11:00.006+05:302008-10-15T18:43:11.577+05:30

The US army is funding research for creating a technology that will enable mankind to convey messages to another fellow mankind. All by thought. That is I think a message, convert in into tiny electrical signals which then are amplified, processed, coded by a device fitted to my cap. The device then transmits a text message , by radio, to another device in your cap that conveys the message to you

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-5147631537049382602008-10-06T20:02:00.013+05:302009-04-02T16:09:07.224+05:30

The annual Saltyblog Awards for significant contribution to the country in each of the following fields (sorted alphabetically) are here:Best Bureaucrat : Arun Kumar, Director (retired), CBI for following copy-book bureaucratic procedure to handle Arushi case. Arrests, Search, Detention, Simulation, 'scientific' tests & then release of everybody. Expertly closed the case by clean-chitting the

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-88934764599206819872008-10-03T21:50:00.009+05:302009-04-02T16:07:54.287+05:30

As voiced by Mr. Ratan Tata in a press conference six weeks back, Tata motors has decided to move the “Nano small-car project” outside West Bengal. In a press conference held today in Kolkata,Mr. Tata cited his concerns for the uncertainty regarding the continued safety & welfare of his employees in the face of “aggression” from opposition politicians & their supporters in front of his factory

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-18473096304681751772008-10-02T20:07:00.012+05:302008-10-02T21:28:28.043+05:30

From today, tobacco smoking has been barred in all public places in India including bars & restaurants. The choice of date was carefully chosen by the government as today is also the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the nation.Mahatma Gandhi's predictable views on smoking are hard to come by although this weird excerpt from Vol 1. of his autobiography tends to associate smoking with

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-51478152630825462162008-09-28T12:14:00.007+05:302009-04-02T16:06:16.746+05:30

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.- Albert EinsteinForward Bloc, a constituent of the left front government in Bengal, India articulates its backward policies in this article.The party is against the move by organised retail chains buying agricultural goods directly from the farmers and selling them to the consumers as it feels it will

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-14691407627248687932008-09-26T17:36:00.007+05:302009-04-02T16:05:04.754+05:30

Incident One : 1 a.m at night, scooter parking lot (behind the woodlands hotel, Bengaluru): Was chatting with a friend, a localite, just after dinner before taking a ride on his scooter back home. An armed cop with his trademark felt-hat walks towards us , demands to know about our activities and orders us to finish our on-the-road chatting & disperse . For a Kolkata resident that came as a rude

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-28831663526896138002008-09-26T17:33:00.001+05:302008-09-26T17:36:29.314+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-28367172179177550992008-08-29T01:06:00.006+05:302009-04-02T16:03:56.722+05:30

India scored their first (& only) individual gold medal in Beijing 2008 Olympics when 24 year old Abhinav Bindra shot his way in 10 mtr. rifle shooting leaving the silver medallist Chinese literally breaking down in tears. Although India’s overall medal tally of 3 is way behind China’s superlative performance of 100, India’s relative progress over the last 4 Olympics has given the citizens a

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-28494053202871263612008-08-25T12:03:00.007+05:302009-04-02T16:03:17.185+05:30

The reservation juggernaut in IITs seems to roll on continuously. The outcome of the recent meeting of the IIT directors in Kharagpur yesterday was to lower by 50% the cut-off marks for entry of reserved category students through all India Joint Entrance Examination. The idea ostensibly is to fill up the reserved category seats in the IIT.But then merit? Who cares!Read this with another recent

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-26735029433240538502008-08-25T00:48:00.004+05:302009-04-02T16:02:06.047+05:30

Shashi Tharoor in his recent article in the TOI makes an important point about expectations of the people of USA & India, two of the largest democracies, from their politicians. He saysthat" 1. An American politician is expected to attain standards that American voters do not demand of themselves and their neighbours: would-be elected officials in America are simply not permitted to display the

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-87365641258958936872008-08-25T00:12:00.003+05:302008-08-25T02:05:41.954+05:30

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-20233190278598981512008-08-24T23:26:00.007+05:302009-04-02T16:00:59.656+05:30

Ma Wang Wang;Zhang Wang Gou.That's not a Chinese slang but the first names of the Chinese medal winners (men & women, 6 of them all) in Beijing Olympics 2008. China swept the top three medals in both the men and women sections of Table Tennis. While the results do not raise eyebrows anymore 'cos people expect Chinese to win them anyway; but what is amazing is that the dominance of Chinese is

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-64320077819561736692008-08-22T16:30:00.007+05:302009-04-02T16:00:18.225+05:30

About 7 months back Ratan Tata announced to the world that the next technological revolution after Internet has come out of his company’s lab. A Rs.100,000/- ($2,500) small-sized, fully featured car (unique in terms of price/features ratio) is ready to roll out in October’2008 from Tata Motor’s new plant located at Singur, West Bengal. Every year around 300,000 NANOs ( brand name of the car) ,

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-57884620140173642172008-07-27T23:53:00.009+05:302009-04-02T15:59:18.173+05:30

On consecutive days in the last weekend of July , serial bomb blasts in Bangalore & Ahmedabad have already taken a toll of 50 innocent victims. The reaction from the government has been timely but banal. The President, PM & Home Minister etc have mouthed the stereotyped but ineffective platitudes about it being a cowardly act.As if such rebuke will force the criminals to sink into their shoes!

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-393864081460284001.post-91429097932304974972008-07-23T23:03:00.013+05:302009-04-02T15:57:58.533+05:30

He brings disaster upon his nation who never sows a seed, or lays a brick, or weaves a garment, but makes politics his occupation.~ Kahlil GibranThat probably sums up the profiles of most of the Politburo (whatever that means! probably it means a coterie.) members of the Communist Party of India (M with or without plus a L). Think of Prakash Karat or Sitaram Yechuri or Nilotpol Basu or Biman Bose

Saltyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263061343492568321noreply@blogger.com2