:: Blog@Uttiya ::

The prime minister will visit the CWG Venues today. I really find this a pity that he will be inspecting a slap dash job done by his Disaster Minister, Mr. Suresh Kalmadi.

Baichung Bhutiya was right, we should never have hosted the games. With all the talent we have in the country, we cannot manage an event like the Commonwealth Games. One of the most pathetic things is how A.R. Rahman was pushed into producing the the theme song. I am sure he was not ready when he was pushed by the media into singing the theme song. He had a tune and arrangement in mind and had to think of some words. Thats why “Oh Yaaron, Yeh India, Bula Liya”. What ever does that mean? We did not even give him a proper lyricist!!!

Hats off to ARR, though! He is a magician, who still managed to pull something out of his hat, which is quite good. I am sure we will soon forget those disastrous lines and only remember – Jiyo, Utho, Badho, Jeeto…

Manmohan Singh single handedly turned india around from the bring of bankruptcy in 1991. I wish he could do something similar with the CWG as well. We are heading towards a SEROUS embarrassment otherwise.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 of Delhi is rapidly becoming Corrupted Games 2010. Rampant corruption, self interests and ridiculous expenditures are making the news on a daily basis. Now, the CWG 2010 has sunk to a new low and asked the Indian Army, men and women in uniform sworn to protect us from threats inside and outside the country, to work for free and provide security to the Commonwealth Games.

The reason given is that the games are over-budget and the defense ministry is supposed to pay for this, but what the army has requested money for 60 officers and 900 men travelling to the game locations, for cellphones for communication and allied costs.

Why should I, a tax paying citizen of India, accept this? I have paid for the Army to protect my country, not some athletes. Let the police or a security agency provide this security. The Indian Army is not someones personal body guard.

I hope the CoAS summarily rejects this and removes his men and deploys them somewhere it matters.

In a country where I can get a taco stand every corner and live literally a stones throw away from two restaurants, I still cook. Not because I need to, not because I have two roomies with unsatiable appetites, but rather because cooking is relaxation for me. Calms me down. There is something magical in the sounds of a simmering pot or the sharp yet satisfying sounds of chopped up onions sizzling in hot oil.

Yes, I am a foodie. I love fusion and my dishes are never really bong enough. Rather, its a satisfying mix of Bong, Marathi and Northern cuisine, with a healthy dash of continental flavors thrown in. I am a guy, so I get the question a lot – Isnt cooking for girls? My answer – Name 5 top chefs. How many were men?

Cooking is therapy. A creative art and nothing beats a satisfied smile on the face of a satiated person after a good meal. What say?

just read this great news piece in the TOI. Finally, I can see some politicians with vision. Jitin Prasada is one such politician.

His vision of pushing state owned petroleum companies to improve services is a welcome boon for consumers. Thats what a proper education and experience in the corporate world can do for you. I really hope he does not get dragged down the the quagmire of mediocrity that is Indian politics.

Give us more such people!

Can we eliminate the politicians from India? I do not know who they are claiming to help. They claim to speak for the common man, but I am yet to see affirmative action from anyone which benefits the common man.

Take the recent Bharat Bandh for instance. A conservative estimate from FICCI is that the cost to the nation may have been close to Rs 130 Billion. Thats for ONE day.

Forget MNCs and IT companies. They are not for the so called “common man”. Let us talk about this common man for a bit, whose cause these politicians seem to espouse to vehemently and forcefully.

The common man in India works in small companies, in firms, in shops and showrooms, in warehouses, factories. He is the rickshaw driver, the auto driver, taxi driver, the small variety store owner, the helper in the grocery store, the truck driver, the class four employee in goverment jobs. The grass roots and below poverty line daily wage earner is the one whose case is always cited by the parties.

All of these people were inconvenienced by the bandh. The decision of the fuel price hike is not repealed, so basically we lost Rs 130 billion for nothing but a show of how a small number of politicians can hold a nation to ransom.

We need intellectuals in government, who are really interested in resolving issues. Instead, we get showboats and selfish demons who are only interested in doing nothing and ensuring the rest of the nation also does nothing. I call them economic terrorists.

We do not need these people to govern our country. Can we please get rid of them?

Am right now in Amsterdam airport. The airport is nice, albeit a bit confusing with the layout. The signage isnt helping either.

However, the place is well made and has enough to keep you occupied. Certainly not Singapore, but trying to get there.

What intrigued me most was an incident in the McD when trying to grab a byte. A Chinese guy called Wei, employed in McD, came up to me and we had an abrupt conversation, which went something like -

Wei: Good Morning

Me: Good Morning

Wei: Are you from India?

Me: Yes. Where are you from? Are you Chinese?

Wei: Bye Bye.

Well, whats the point of a conversation like that???

Taslima Nasreen is in the news again. This firebrand of a writer is no stranger to controversies, but has seen a steady decline in her popularity and media presence over the years. So she has decided to hit back.

I have no grudge against Ms. Nasreen. She is free to write what she wants. However, I do object to her shooting off her opinions while on a extended and decidedly unwelcome stay in India. We have been extremely patient and perhaps a bit too lenient with her, citing human rights and concerns on her safety in light of the fatwa on her in Bangladesh. However, aren’t the thousands of Bangla refugees in India enough? Why do we need one more, who is definitely far more troublesome than all the rest of the refugees put together.

Fact is, no one else wanted her. We have been far to hospitable to these irritants who are present in their thousands in India. Its time for them to go home. Athiti devo bhava is fine, as long as you are an atithi.

Recently, I have been following a multitude of media reports of the Shiv Sena blasting Mumbaikars left right and center for not being Maharashtrians enough.

All of which gives rise to a moot question – who is a Mumbaikar? Is it someone who lives in Mumbai, or is it a so called “Marathi manoos” – an ethnic Maharashtrian living in Mumbai? Having lived in Mumbai myself, I strongly believe it is the former.  It is the people of Mumbai who will define Mumbai, not the Shiv Sena. In any case, Mumbai owes a lot to non-Maharashtrians who have contributed significantly to its growth.

The Shiv Sena promotes itself as a saviour of the Marathi Manoos, but is hell bent on alienating the same Marathi Manoos from the rest of the Indian Diaspora. Maybe the question Sena should be asking itself is “Whose Sena am I?”