'Tata' to West Bengal?

Most folks feel that the Tatas leaving West Bengal shows that West Bengal is not development oriented. But having known people who have lost livelihoods because of eminent domain, I'm not so sure. Maybe West Bengal is the only place where regular, poor people, albeit through unions, and other's political motivations actually have a voice strong enough to be heard.

"Boy has shoulder made from elbow"

Ok, I know that sounds funny in a bizarre kind of way, but the story is really touching.

Check it out.

It's a gold, baby!

From IBN Live:

 

Abhinav Bindra has created history becoming the first-ever individual gold medal winner for India at the Olympics.

 

Yes, you read it right! First ever individual gold! Congratulations the other one billion odd of you!

CSR - What an idea

Until recently, there were two types of corporate social responsibility:

1. Help society, but be silent about it.
2. Help society and advertise it.

Now, the folks at Idea Cellular have come with a third and more cost effective way.

3. Imagine you are helping society and advertise it.

(image courtesy: ideacellular.com :) Copyright © Idea 2008 )

Further, look at the stuff posted on the Idea website:

1. The campaign highlights the power of Mobile telephony to address the socially relevant theme of education.
2. By integrating a social message into the new campaign, we are not only reinforcing the difference that can be made through the use of modern technology but also the power of a new idea.
   

The second quote is especially awful. Advertising a potentially impractical and unfeasible use of your product, while extolling its virtues is definitely not a social message. While the line between advertising a product and corporate social responsbility is not exactly thin, the folks at Lowe Lintas and Idea have managed to blur even that successfully.

Who says Indian companies don't innovate? What an awful idea. Blech.

ToI bares it all

Warning: NSFW

Ok, I'm no expert on print censorship, but don't these pictures that appear in today's Pune edition of the Times of India (page 21 for the overly curious) seem a bit much? It's on the Olympics page even.

(pic courtesy: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIPU&login=default&AW=1218271631484)

I can just imagine a nice, happy family talking over the breakfast table.

Chintu: Daddy daddy, yesterday's opening ceremony was so nice na, they would have printed the photos in the paper a what?

Daddy: Yes Chintu, let's look at some pictures from *page turning rustle* yesterday's opening cerem... WHAT THE FA... GO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Note: I'm not complaining, just generally pondering. :)

08/08/08

Indian media is at an all time high. Since the news channel boom, we have seen so much that it's naive to say that a single Indian is not clued in to major world events. I was fortunate enough to watch the 'manhoos din' story (come to think of it, story is a stunningly ironic word) about the date 8th August 2008 yesterday on Aaj Tak. Mr Shani is supposed to do terribly naughty things from creating earthquakes (there was some empirical, numerological proof presented as well) to killing a famous Bollywood Actress whose name begins with the letter 'V'. I am already preparing to brace myself from the devastation of the earthquake, and I'm sure Vidya Balan would start taking some serious measures as well.

Meanwhile, as we gave the world such critical information, our Chinese neighbours tried to steal our thunder by doing silly things like creating the best Olympic opening ceremony ever.

picture courtesy: rediff.com

Update: As I was typing this post out, senile ol' Father Time pushed the date to 9th of August. Ah well. Vidya and I live to fight another day.

The man without a mission

There is neither principle, nor axiom. Neither virtue, nor vice. Merely a compulsive vacillation that takes over the being. Exigency triumphs over a studied decision and memory falls prey to a sudden rush of blood. The first road out is the first road traversed. The mind sails through without thought and there is but goalless travel.

He rides the wind, aiming to reach nowhere in particular. A man without a mission, he is unique only because of his month end flicker of electronic pulses. Survival is his only reason for existence. He is without inspiration, joy or purpose.

An eternal gloom prevails with no dusk or dark in sight. He wonders why he chooses to carry on.