60 for Rajnikant

Rajnikant's 60th birth day (shashtipoorthi) has touched off a wave of articles on his legendary mannerisms. Here is a link to a collection of them.
Sample: #Rajini once hit 10 runs in 1 ball. One piece of ball he hit for four and another piece a SIX!
Enjoy!

बनारसी साडी/ Benarsi saree

Enough of cheap Chinese imitations. The Benarsi saree, possibly the most important component of a traditional Indian wedding, has been granted the Geographical Indication or GI certificate by the Indian government. Only saris produced in Varanasi, Azamgarh, Chandauli, Jaunpur, Mirzapur and Sant Ravi Dass Nagar (Bhadohi) -all in Uttar Pradesh-will be considered Benarsi saris. This also covers Jamdani, Jangla, Jamawar Tanchoi, Tissue, cut work, butidar and silk embroidery saris.

Indian classical dance for Diwali

SATURDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2009
5 - 6.30pm

DIWALI – THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
An evening celebrating a beautiful event, the re-igniting of the lamp of the soul, by the Great Light. In these times of greatest need, the Light of hope, courage and wisdom guides us back to our home of light, the land of peace. This evening will consist of a description of the spiritual significance of this festival.

The evening will include classical indian dance by Dhruv Pandey together with other cultural items.
FREE ADMISSION
sabato, 24 ottobre – ore 17:00/18:30

‘DIWALI’ LA FESTA DELLA LUCE
Musica, performance artistiche e
meditazione per celebrare una delle più
avvincenti festività indiane.

Danza Indiana…… canzone……..musica…………!

Una serata per celebrare un evento magnifico, la “riaccesnione” della fiamma dell’anima, attraverso la Grande Luce. Nel nostro tempo di estremo bisogno, la Luce della speranza, del coraggio e della saggezza, ci guida e ci riporta alle nostre origini là dove dimora la Luce, nella terra della pace. La serata consisterà in una descrizione del significato spirituale della festa.

Presso
UNIVERSITA’ SPIRITUALE MONDIALE BRAHMA KUMARIS (ONLUS)
Via Laura Mantegazza 59/c - 00152 Roma (Monteverde). - Tel: 06 5342405
E-mail: info@it.bkwsu.org
Sito: www.bkwsu.org/italy

Happy Diwali

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous Diwali to all.

Join the dots below

They say that the charges against this man, the alleged mastermind of 26/11 in Mumbai, are not worth the paper they are written on. His organisation continues to function with impunity. Another horrific bloodbath today in Lahore.
Chickens coming home to roost?

Particles and Pasta

A delightful article on pasta with appetizing pictures from the New York Times. In the same paper, an article on the Return of the Large Hadron Collider after a year out of action and the continuing quest for the earliest particles.

The misnamed spectre

It is ironic that a bunch of violent, bloodthirsty extremists are called the Taliban. The word itself means 'those gaining knowledge' or in short, students. 4 days ago, they inhumanly killed 5 humanitarian workers of the World Food Programme (headquartered in Rome) in Pakistan. Today, they attacked the Indian embassy in Kabul and the toll so far is 12. This is the second attack in a year on the embassy. The earlier one in 2008 claimed as many as 41 lives.

Unfortunately, there is unlikely to be any let up in their campaign of senseless killing.

For more disturbing news about what this means for India, read here and here.

Wherever you are, stay safe.

The ubiquitous code!

Google marks the invention of the bar code in it's own style.

Wiki-building Rome

Millions of tourist visit Rome every year and click even more millions of photos. Now, a computer algorithm uses these tourist images and synthesises 3-D views of Rome's most famous landmarks. Enjoy them through this link.

Happy Dusshera and Shubho Bijoya!

Greetings to all for Vijay Dashami and Bijoya. Do visit the pujas latest by 28th evening (locations in the previous post) before Durga returns to Shiva at Mount Kailash. These pictures are from the celebrations at Teatro San Luca in Rome.

Durga Puja 2009 in Rome

The festival season is here. Like every year, Durga Puja will be celebrated at the the following locations from the 24th of September:

Teatro San Luca, Via Renzo da Ceri, 136 (Map)
Organised by Om International.

Casa Popolare, Viale Irpinia 50 (Map)
Organised by Hindu Puja Udjapan Parishad.

All are welcome.

Cursive writing, filling a fountain pen.....

.....using log tables,formatting a floppy disk, ironing clothes are now termed obsolete skills! If need be be,you can refresh your memory here.

At last, a reality show with genuine winners

This stunning dance of Sri Krishna by a troupe from rural Orissa won the inagural edition of 'India's Got Talent. Watch and shake your head in disbelief!

From the NY Review of books

Two articles, one on how journalism could rejuvenate itself through the Internet even as newspapers struggle to survive and the second on a exhibition of Venetian masters -Tiziano, Tintoretto and Vernonese.

Four of the finest

India lost four of its finest and most beautiful citizens last week. Gangubai Hanagal and Damal Krishnaswamy Patammal were doyens of classical music who overcame economic and gender prejudices. Leela Naidu was the ethereal beauty of the Hindi film, Anuradha (1,2) also marked by its outstanding music score composed by Pt.Ravi Shankar. Gayatri Devi was in many ways the last of the Rajputana Royals with lineage, class and mass appeal. Rest in peace.

Clones take on drugs

South Korea's Incheon airport has started using a group of cloned sniffer dogs to detect drugs. Science fiction is here and real.

Berlusconi,Tehran and Kung Fu panda

This article in the London Review of Books links the three.

No tigers in Panna

The Panna National Tiger Reserve has no tigers left.

Follow the monsoon

Will there be sufficient rain this year? Regular updates via the Indian Met Department.

No charisma required

This article from Time magazine on the most Obama-unlike world leaders - Merkel and Manmohan Singh.

Spend,spend,spend!

Budget 2009 in India is a reaction to the current state of the world economy apart from rewarding the electorate for re-electing teh government- increase spending and cut taxes. With cold capitalism locked in the deep freeze especially in the West, what are the prospects of reforms -read here and here. Does anyone have a shadow budget to suggest?

For the off beat traveller

From the world's largest man-made swimming pool to a petrified forest, a collection of beautiful and bizarre tourist destinations.

Speechless!

courtesy Churumuri.

Desperation vs Hope

A cautionary tale of the Maoists' hold in India's tribal belt by Sudip Mazumdar (author of the book,Red Sun). By the same author, another article chronicling the rise of Rahul Gandhi in the Hindi heartland. Mihir Bose, BBC columnist,waxes eloquent on why Indians are high individual achievers but India has yet to assume its position on the world stage.

Real scandal or storm in an espresso cup!

The right-wing politician Francesco Storace said in a recent radio interview, “People don’t vote for Berlusconi because he tells the truth; they vote for him because they like him.” More about the recent events in Italian politics in this New York Times article.

Diamonds on show

Bulgari is holding its first retrospective of diamonds in the brand’s history, in Rome at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on Via Nazionale. It is open to the public from May 22 to September 13, 2009.

The incredible Dr.Singh!

Who would have ever thought that a soft-spoken economist would become a cult figure!

Delhi does not show up either

50% voting in Delhi in the Lok sabha elections. Going the same way as Mumbai.

Delayed by late arrival of the Sheikh!

'There is a delay folks. The game will only start after the Sheikh arrives, so we'll just have to wait it out. We've seen matches delayed by rain, fog, a wet outfield - just add this to the last. An unprecedented stoppage this, as far as I know. Not because of weather, but because a dignitary is not on time.'

The reason why the T20 match between Australia and Pakistan started late in Dubai.

Didn't turn up

South Mumbai, scene of the 26/11 attacks, recorded 45% polling last week.So much for all the outrage and anger at politicians over the tragedy. A tongue in cheek look at it here but apathy is a very serious issue nevertheless.

Andhra Curry!

Shrimp pulusu made easy!

The Jumbo election

'The Economist's' lead story on India's marathon democratic exercise. Tomorrow is round three.

Bigger than the IPL!

Gossip served hot, complete with funny nicknames and every ingredient of a Hindi masala movie. Fake or genuine, it's the most popular blog on the IPL.

Chuck the shoe!

The epidemic is in full flow this election season !

Cartoon courtesy the Deccan Chronicle.

Lonely Planet should bookmark this!

A lone voter in the wilderness with 300 lions around!

Ha!

Players in the cricket IPL2009 are not happy with the 7 1/2 minute break after 10 overs (ostensibly to strategise but in reality to advertise). But those playing in the Indian Political League should be happy, according to Deccan Chronicle.

Wives in the poll game, husbands campaign!

A tale of an all women - an ex-actress vs a minister vs a greenhorn- contest for the Andhra assembly. The winner will be decided on the 23 rd.

A for आम चुनाव!

Interestingly, the general elections began in the states (AP, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh) and union territory (Andamans) whose names start with A. This kicks off the month long democratic exercise.

Happy New Year

It is Baisakhi in Punjab, Poila Boisakh in West Bengal, Bohaag Bihu in Assam and Visu in Kerala. In short, Happy New Year in many languages.

35th among democracies!!!

For once, Indian political parties have good reason to sneer at the 'Economist's Democracy Index'. India is ranked 35th overall and 5th among 'flawed democracies' just below South Africa, Chile, Taiwan and Cape Verde. The combined population of these 4 countries would barely equal a couple of Indian cities not to speak of the diversity of religion,culture and language that exists in India. In an election year with 741 million eligible voters, all we can do is snort!

Earthquake in Abruzzo

The deadliest earthquake (6.3 on the Richter scale) to affect Italy in 3 decades hit L'Aquila in Abruzzo this morning at 3:30. Strong tremors were felt in Rome and plenty of us woke up to buildings shaking. While little or no damage has been reported in Rome, there has been heavy loss of life and property in L'Aquila. We sincerely hope that your near and dear ones are safe.

Chandni Chowk vs China!

Chinese chowmein and Indian curry account for 70% of the ethnic food market in Britain with the Chinese dish ahead. The battle continues!

Surf and browse and be better employees!

Given the obsession that most firms have with blocking easy Internet access,blogging and social networking, this may come as an eye-opener. Allowing workers to browse in moderation may actually make them more efficient. This is the link to the results of the study done at the University of Melbourne. Sounds reasonable that surfers have varied interests and may be good multi-taskers.

April Fool!

Deccan Chronicle posts its annual spoof headline. Too bad, though, that the IPL will not be held in India. Better to play safe by exporting the event than risk sullying India's election process with overstretched security.

The Gita on Good Friday

Gandhi's thoughts on ahimsa and the Bhagavad Gita's message of selfless action are to be incorporated in Good Friday prayers this year by the Vatican. This is the contribution of the Catholic Archbishop of Guwahati.

New Year Greetings

Ugadi and Gudi Padwa greetings to all Indians from the Deccan Plateau and Maharashtra.

Ferrari country

A Mercedes E-class driven by a company driver was clocked at 270 kmph in morning traffic between Rome-Caserta. He was snapped by 4 speed cameras and fined. In true style, his lawyers are arguing that he should pay only one fine and not four!

Two books/Due libri

'An entire generation converted into what it was supposed to end' says this review of two books about the political classes in Italy. A summary of the current political situation and how it was arrived at.

All the election colors

The first phase of the General Elections is more than 3 weeks away but the color, controversy and clamour is in full swing. Follow it all on MSN orIBN or any other news source for that matter. Great fun to be had with juicy news like 'Kolkata will be London' or 'Murder Naidu, NTR said’ .

The Nano is here

All yours for just about 6 figures in rupees.

Looking for comfort food for a recession?

'Trattorias in Rome follow unwritten rules: The bread must be stale, the room must be bright, the wine should be a dry house red, and the wait staff should be a bevy of old men.'
To read this delectable New York Times article on trattorias in Rome, click here.

Carry your library

Time was when dog-eared copies of books (often handed down through generations) by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters or Daniel Defoe were religiously guarded and preserved in teh family collection. Now a good number of them are online, thanks to Google books. The next step, all of them in your digital reader. Now, if we only could read more instead of watchin TV or surfing the Web!

A typical Italian scandal!

Some 100 doctors in Trapani are suspected of prescribing drugs for dead people and pocketing the money. More here.

Festival della Mathematica 2009

The Parco della Musica hosts the annual maths festival from March 19-22. Here is a list of events celebrating numbers.

Gentleman's sport is now terrorist's game

This picture is the end of innocence, if at all there was any, for cricket in the sub-continent. No more platitudes will be heard about how the game unites rival nations. Plain and simple, everyone needs to be vigilant, all the time.

Election map for 2009

The Election Commission of India has announced the start of the world's biggest democratic exercise - the general elections 2009. This map courtesy 'The Hindu' newspaper.

यथा प्रजा, तथा रजा!/ La casta!

Which is the highest paid profession in India?
Politics. Good to have that confirmed on the eve of General Elections 2009.
Makes us feel even better that Italy is no different!

Mahashivratri

Greetings to all on the occassion of the Great Night of Shiva.

Indian Budget

The link to this year's (2009-2010) as well as previous budgets. Useful for the financially aware to compare numbers over the years.

Watch out for fakes

The one on top is the original.

The season of apologia

Look how many people are saying sorry. British bankers, American bankers, sportsmen. Even the US President. Hope it helps restore confidence and at least starts getting the world economy out of its present situation.

Valentine War

First, an organization attacks a pub in Mangalore (shamefully, women were beaten) and then issues a bizarre threat. Then, a group of plucky women retaliate, taking a leaf out of Gandhi's book, by launching a campaign to send a particular type of clothing to the said organization. The latter, now responds with a saree as a return gift. For updates, keep reading this blog.

दादागिरी/Dadagiri

The erstwhile Dada of Indian cricket is set to host a reality show on Zee TV Bangla. The Prince will continue to entertain!
Meanwhile, the Pathan brothers -Yusuf and Irfan, clinched victory for India yesterday in the Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka from a near hopeless position. A first, most probably, in Indian cricket history.

Shivratri celebration in Rome

Sunday, 22 February 5 - 6.30pm
Celebrating the festival of 'Shivratri' - the dawn of Truth
'The dawn comes silently from the east, only the wakeful will see it'
Domenica, 22 febbraio - ore 17:00/18:30 - Incontro culturale
Shiv Ratri – L’Alba della Verità
“L’alba sorge silenziosamente dall’Oriente, solo colui che sa guardare la scorgerà”
Il Sole della Conoscenza è da sempre la metafora di quell’ Essere Supremo che, con la sua verità, riesce a sconfiggere le tenebre dell’ignoranza umana. Siete invitati alla festa di Shiv Ratri. Ci saranno letture e performance artistiche, momenti di condivisione e meditazione.
UNIVERSITA’ SPIRITUALE MONDIALE BRAHMA KUMARIS (ONLUS)
Via Laura Mantegazza 59/c - 00152 Roma (Monteverde). - Tel: 06 5342405
E-mail: info@it.bkwsu.org
Sito italiano: www.bkwsu.org/italy
Sito internazionale: www.bkwsu.org

Reality vs perception

Slumdog Millionaire, is not a film made by Indians but is certainly about India and its obvious facets - the have-lots, the haves and the have-nots. As it moves towards the Academy awards (Oscars) having picked up the Golden Globes, SAGs and the BAFTAs, an analysis about its content and relevance in this article.

Formula 1 in EUR!?

The Comune di Roma (city council) has apparently proposed holding a F1 Grand Prix race from/in 2011. The race will be a street race (as in Monaco and now, Singapore as well) and likely to take place in the EUR area. That's about the only encouragement needed for Romans to press on the gas on the Via Cristoforo Colombo!

Windows to drive away mosquitoes

Bill Gates, released a jar of mosquitoes at the TED conference to highlight a major health problem, malaria, that continues to plague poor countries.

A package to encourage car buying

In an effort to help the Italian auto industry, the government has announced a package of measures including a subsidy on Euro 4 or 5 cars and road tax exemption for 3 years.

The perpetual conflict

Is the Middle East situation complex? There's probably no single adjective that describes the messy and tragic situation accurately any more. This column attempts to find a head and tail for it. A tangled skein, as Sherlock Holmes would have put it.

A question of priorities

Google has launched a bus in Tamil Nadu to bring the Web closer to far, flung areas. A laudable initiative although a more pressing issue is the lack of buses to ferry people around as evidenced in this report. On a related note, train services in Mumbai were affected with passengers demanding more trains.

Worrying signs

As the economic recession spreads and deepens, anger is taking ugly forms. An immigrant of Indian origin was the victim of a ghastly attack in Nettuno, 30 km from Rome, last night. Ethnic food joints are being outlawed in some Italian cities. Meanwhile, wildcat strikes in the UK are being called to protest against foreign labor, even from other EU countries like Italy,Portugal and Latvia. In a globalized, heavily interconnected world, these are self defeating actions.

Old wine,new bottle!

Yet another traffic fines-related scandal in Italy. This time the lights were rigged to change faster from amber to red, forcing more motorists to jump red lights.

Bored with your child watching the same DVD everyday?

Don't worry about it. According to research, it may actually be helping him/her to exercise their mind. Read here for more.

गांधीगिरी/Gandhigiri

To figure out just how much the world misses a leader of Mahatma Gandhi's stature, click here. The Internet has almost every written, spoken and filmed resource about a freedom fighter, philosopher, author, guide and mentor, 61 years after his death today. Sarojini Naidu once endearingly called Gandhi as Mickey Mouse because of his big ears, He would have been much amused to find that almost everything he did or said is only a mouse click away!

Bailing out the rich

A public service TV ad for the World Food Program by actor Sean Penn puts bail-outs in perspective. But before watching the video read about what is happening with millions of dollars that the US government doled out to save the banking system.

The other side of progress

India and especially Hyderabad is one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical hubs in the world. Major generic manufacturers have set up units and products are sold worldwide. However, effluent disposal by these factories has become a serious ecological concern. This report highlights the presence of as many as 21 chemically active ingredients in waters near Patancheru, near Hyderabad. It is a serious issue on two counts - pollution and the risk of drug resistant micro-organisms developing and spreading to other areas.

A must read for frequent flyers

A complaint letter to Sir Richard Branson, chief of Virgin Airlines, with a full description of the airline food and entertainment quality. Enjoy!

More about India's lobbying- bravo!

Foreign Policy magazine describes the intense lobbying by diplomats and others to keep India out of Holbrooke's portfolio. Job well done! The idea that the situation in Kashmir could be compared to that in Afghanistan is absurd enough to be laughable. More so, after the 60%+ turnout in last month's Assembly elections in J & K.

मिले सुर मेरा तुम्हारा!

On the occasion of Republic Day, a celebration of our diversity and a reminder of what we are!

Why lobbying is good!

From the International Herald Tribune on 22 January:

'Richard Holbrooke, a former United Nations ambassador, was chosen Thursday for the post of special envoy to Pakistan and India.'

What Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State, actually said:

'I have the great personal pleasure of introducing the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ambassador Holbrooke will coordinate across the entire government an effort to achieve United States' strategic goals in the region.'

When regulation is good

Arvind Panagariya at Columbia University analyzes how foresight and strict Reserve Bank of India regulations have helped domestic financial markets to stave off serious trouble.

'(RBI governor) Reddy is reported to have held the view that if bankers were given the opportunity to sin, they would. As a result, whereas banks and financial institutions around the world were massively lured into investing in assets and derivatives backed by U.S. subprime mortgages, banks and financial institutions in India were largely kept out of them. Under the watchful eye of Reddy, only $1 billion out of India's total banking assets of more than $500 billion slipped into toxic assets or related investments. When the crisis came and financial institutions around the world found themselves writing off almost $1 trillion in assets from their books, Indian banks had at most a few hiccups.'

Read the full article here.

Book your holiday to Venice, online

The city of Venice is will soon open an online booking service that will give tourists advance booking discounts for their holidays. From February 1, 2009 visitors will be able to book tickets at the prime attractions - the Correr Museum and the Ducal Palace- as well as city-edge parking space and bus and vaporetto rides.Using color codes for days (red-crowded, blue-medium and green-empty), visitors will be able to book convenient days and pay reduced prices. For instance,on green days, a typical three-day package for two people will cost 209.30 euros online compared to 247 if paid after arrival - a saving of 31.70 euros. Bookmark this link, http://www.veniceconnected.com/, next month.

Cars and more cars!

This slide show from the Guardian newspaper gives a picture of where the car industry all over the world is stuck today - in dockyards, warehouses and storage lots. Outputs, sometimes, do not translate into outcomes.

Creating history and facing up to a challenge

This cartoon from the ©Boston Globe says it all.

Fashion wars

Two famous names in haute couture drew daggers at the Milan fashion week. The deterrent nature of the new quilted trousers, on which the dispute centered, probably prevented any further escalation of hostilities!

Clear Cut Chronicle

Deccan Chronicle, arguably India's most juicy mainstream newspaper, has re-organized its website. To assist the reader, it has divided its news into two sections - Good and Bad.
Take your pick. Happy Reading!

An old favourite captures the story!

Traffic intersection 1

Rome is full of delightfully crazy traffic junctions. Here is the one right in the heart of thehistoric centre, Piazza Venezia. Enjoy watching but drive carefully when you are there!

The gladiators are coming back!

Rome's director of archaeology is planning to stage gladiator battles in the Colosseum in full fighting regalia. No ugly finishes, of course, more a taste of genuine combat.

Journeys of the Spirit Festival

The city of Rome is making an effort to re-establish its spiritual leadership of all religions. A 4 day festival called the 'Journeys of the Spirit' begins today. For more event information, go to this site.

विलंब/In ritardo/delay

3 Indian airports - New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru - and one Italian airport -Bergamo - are among the top 5 most-delayed airports. If other airports think they are in the comfort zone, think again - swanky, glitzy and hyper disciplined Beijing is in 6th place. Tourist hotspots Rome, Athens, Paris, Venice and London complete the roll of honour. More detail here.

Accomodation in Rome

There have been a lot queries of late on finding suitable apartments and houses for short and long term stays. A new list of links has been added to facilitate new arrivals in Rome.

Is Google warming the globe?

A physicist at Harvard has calculated how much carbon monoxide each Google search emits. Considering the number of searches carried out each day, the Internet must be really smoky! Oops! Even this blog is on a Google associated site.

Blow by blow account

The story behind the Mumbai 26/11 pieced from the Indian government's dossier by Outlook. Also a white paper on fighting the war on terrorism by India Today. The bottomline - beef up India's defence and intelligence, no point waiting for other countries to act in a positive way.
The New York Times analyzes in detail on what could be a huge challenge for President-elect Obama.

Feel free to make copies

Apple has announced that that it will remove restrictions on copying songs bought from its popular iTunes Store. Record companies will now be able to to set a range of prices instead of the standard 99c. Apart from allowing music lovers to share and exchange songs, it enables iPod geeks to focus on more pressing matters instead of finding convoluted ways and means to copy songs.

Satyam - the oxymoron!

Satyam means truth in many Indian languages. Ironically, the IT company of the same name has chosen to interpret it in the reverse sense. Ergo! a princely sum of Rs.5000 crores is declared non-existent. Read more here. Bigger than the financial damage, is the loss of face for India-based service companies.

Do you Tweet?

Blogs were the quickest way of expressing viewpoints in 2008, but this year the speed communication award is likely to go to Twitter. It is fast, accessible by mobile phone and messages are limited to 140 characters just like SMSes. Check out these Tweets about cricket and politics, for instance. Blogs, in turn, are rapidly evolving to become detailed and analytical webzines. A year is a long time on the Internet.

Happy New Year to all