Alternative career choices i've played around with

A chef.. I enjoy cooking about as much as I enjoy eating. But I am a much better eater than I am a chef.

A teacher.. because most kids and teenagers are fun, easy going, without malice and open to learning new ideas.

A championship eater.. the kind that stuffs down 40 hot dogs and 12 hamburger patties in 1 hour.. I've done 15 pizza slices in 20 minutes.... that's something!

A professional lazy-ass.. I'm already a bit like this on weekends.. so it doesn't really count as an 'alternative' career choice..

A politician... because I too believe in Change we can believe in... in case you're wondering, this was before Obama announced he was running..

Is it time to let Kashmir go?

(picture source: http://goatmilk.files.wordpress.com/)

I've mulled over this question for at least four years. Every time I meet a group of Pakistanis, we've exchanged frank, but calm views on the topic. Often, we've found ourselves agreeing.

India has given Kashmir many things - greater political autonomy than any other state in the country, billions of dollars in aid, (passable) infrastructure, food aid, etc. But India has not given the Kashmiris the right to choose their allegiance or independence. Ostensibly, this is because a UN resolution requires the demilitarization of (Azad and Indian) Kashmir before such a plebiscite is held. (Clearly, this hasn't happened).

In my opinion, letting go of Kashmir has nothing to do with Pakistan. It has nothing to do with throwing away the sacrifices of thousands of soldiers and civilians. It won't open a Pandora's box of secessionist claims from other regions in India. Letting Kashmiris decide their future is about showing that India is big enough to give 4 million people the right to choose their destiny.

Vir Sanghvi, a well-respected Indian journalist, makes the argument far more eloquently than I ever could. It cuts down to one basic concept. People - especially in a democracy - should have the freedom to decide their own future.

"I reckon we should hold a referendum in the Valley. Let the Kashmiris determine their own destiny. If they want to stay in India, they are welcome. But if they dont, then we have no moral right to force them to remain. If they vote for integration with Pakistan, all this will mean is that Azad Kashmir will gain a little more territory. If they opt for independence, they will last for about 15 minutes without the billions that India has showered on them. But it will be their decision.

Whatever happens, how can India lose? If you believe in democracy, then giving Kashmiris the right to self-determination is the correct thing to do. And even if you dont, surely we will be better off being rid of this constant, painful strain on our resources, our lives, and our honour as a nation?" (HT)

RIP LeRoi...

LeRoi Moore, the saxophonist from the Dave Matthews Band, my favourite band growing up died yesterday following an accident in June. He was the quiet one... like George Harrison... and probably the most talented musician in a group that put out the tightest jam rock sounds of the 1990s and 2000s...

I'm playing Bartender, which he'd always start off with that lovely drone... and then fooled around with those little riffs in the middle. It remains my favourite DMB song to date.

He's a tortured soul, but man, when he plays, he plays the most pretty melodies in the world, instantly. And Leroi plays melodies that are brand new that sound as if he's been playing them forever. - Dave on LeRoi in an interview in 2001.

I don't even have a PhD but...

I was Googling for an old article of mine when I found this little website..

Scroll to the bottom. Under suggested "related reading", the first piece is an article by me from last year...! I thought it's quite cool that I'd being cited on another website.

So I did another check.. and it seems like my articles have been used on other websites before... here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here!

Chuffed!

Ok, enough ego kicks for the day.. back to the trenches...

strong minds..

The more I see this 18-year old play, the more I am impressed. Saina Nehwal is mentally tough (and smart) and has plenty of talent. Something she said yesterday gives away just how deeply she thinks about their game and that of her opponent's.

"I did not want to stretch myself in the second game once Wang got an early lead. So I let her win and gave it my best in the third. I wanted to make her play slowly, because she likes to play fast."- Nehwal on her win against the fourth seed, Hong Kong's Wang Chen.




Abhinav Bindra is perhaps the most focused, unflappable guy I've seen in the Indian squad. Everyone around him is going delirious over his Gold and all this guy can think of is getting back home to his family. Good head. Then again, a calm mind is probably a shooter's best asset.

Today is my day off and I am going to spend some time soaking in the Olympic village and actually getting my mind to do something it has never done before Not think about shooting! So instead of thinking about shooting perfect bulls eyes, today I am going to think of pretty women, the weather and the city of Beijing. - on his blog.

India's first individual Olympic gold

(pic courtesy: China Daily)

I'm really happy that Abhinav Bindra won an individual gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle. A medal was expected from our shooters and at least one of them didn't disappoint.

But that may be the end of the good news. Barring the 1952 Helsinki Games (where the all-conquering men's hockey team took gold and Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won a bronze for wrestling, India has never won more than one medal at any Games. This isn't encouraging because we still harbour medal hopes in badminton and tennis.

Travel advisory...

All visitors are requested to abide by these laws when on Delhi's roads. Ignore them at your own risk. You have been warned.

1. The Other Side Law:
If my side of the road has a traffic jam, then I can start driving on the wrong side of the road, and all incoming cars will be rerouted via Meerut.

2. The No Queue Rule:
If there is a queue of many people, no one will notice me sneaking into the front as long as I am looking the other way.

3. The Mind Over Matter Law:
If a red light is not working, four cars from different directions can easily pass through one another.

4. The Auto Axiom:
If I indicate which way I am going to turn my vehicle, it is an information security leak.

5. The In Spit Of Thing:
The more I lean out of my car or bus, and the harder I spit, the stronger the roads become.

6. The Cinema Hall Fact:
If I get a call on my mobile phone, the film automatically goes into pause mode.

7. The Brotherhood Law:
If I want to win an argument, I need only to repeatedly suggest that the other person has illicit relations with his sister.

8. The Baraat/ Marriage Right:
When I'm on the road to marriage, all the roads in the city belong to me. To ME.

9. The Heart Of Things:
If I open enough buttons on my shirt, the pretty girl at the bus stop can see through my mal-deformed chest into the depths of my soul.

10. The Name Game:
It is very important for the driver behind me to memorize the nicknames of my children.

11. Parking Up The Wrong Tree:
When I double-park my car, the road automatically widens so that the traffic is not affected.

12. The Chill Bill Move:
When I park and block someone else's car I am giving him a chance to pause, relax, chill and take a few moments off from his rushed day.

13. The Ogling Stare:
If you don't ogle and drool at every hot Chic that passes by, you're gay.

14. The Bus Law:
If I stop my bus at the correct place near the bus stop, the city will explode and blow into 6 million pieces.

15. The VIP Rule:
There are only 3 important persons in this city - Me, I, Myself

(I know you shouldn't trust things on the internet, but I swear this is all true!)

The Dark Knight

It really is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Every actor - every actor - is true to their role. The story is fantastic, yet real, it's well written, brilliantly directed and edited and the special effects are stunning.

It deserves at least a few Oscars...

Part three (the ones before Batman Begins don't really count for me) like it's going to be awesome... Some of Hollywood's very best actors are already linked to it..

Over-reaction?

I know there have been 25 blasts. And I know there have been many deaths. And I know they just found 15 bombs in Surat. But i'm not certain if things are quite as desperate as they seem.

The fact that India's intelligence services got no wind about the bombs before hand, leads me to a few conclusions:
The group (and its leaders) are new to the game. Also, they probably don't have links to the 'big names' in the terror network - YET.
Most of the bombs were small, low-intensity devices. So, they tried to make up for that with numbers. These guys are seem to be trying to get street cred with the big names.

At best we've got an amateurish 'pretender Al-qaeda'. At worst, we've got a rogue cell. Either way, I don't think we need to invoke POTA and all the other crap being bandied about on news channels. Just let the IB and local police do it the old way. Round up the usual suspects, "get them to talk", build up the leads from there.