Indians and our limited minds will never stop having problems with anything that offers a new aspect to our long kept beliefs. Don’t worry this is not an accusation aimed at the uneducated alone, but the likes of the deputy mayor of Delhi and a pro-Vice Chancellor of a north Indian university who have raised a lot of hue and cry at the SC. The reason being an essay called ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas’ by acclaimed Indian writer A.K. Ramanujam in the Second year B.A English Honours syllabus. They object to references in the essay where Hanuman is called a ladies’ man and Sita’s morals are questioned. The intellectuals are angry for the harm the essay has done to the sacred belief of Hinduism.
OK, so here’s the dope! Ramanujam was a great scholar with responsible work to his credit and was even honoured with the Padamashri. And this essay of his throws light on the many many versions of the mythical epic Ramayana. His idea is not to denigrate the revered characters in the tale but yes, he talks of how the story changes in different parts of India to be more contemporary. C’mon Hinduism is all about Anthropomorphism; that means gods are also equated as human beings susceptible to folly and deceit. Well, that’s exactly what ‘Three Hundred Ramayanas’ is all about. It tells that there are almost three hundred versions of the great tale. Let’s great realistic, the most celebrated villain of the Ramayana, Ravana, is worshipped in Sri Lanka. Do we need more proof?
Via ibnlive

As far as Barack Obama is concerned, I feel history is being made. The dance of unity on the beats of the ‘Love Train’ by the Democrats when they nominated Obama as their presidential candidate yesterday will be remembered for generations to come. I can tell you the reasons why:
1.� Obama is the first black American to achieve an honour of this stature. And one cannot ignore his middle name ‘Hussein’ which has not pulled him back from his moments of glory despite ruthless attacks by opposition. Does that mean the ‘infamous’ American attitude is calling out for a positive change? Well, it seems to be so.
2.� One-time opponent, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was the one to announce his name as the Democrat Presidential Candidate. We are aware of the mudslinging indulged in by the supporters of Clinton who did not spare any block of mud to mar Obama’s name. I somehow felt that Clinton herself shared the prejudices but maybe I was wrong.
3.� There is hope that Obama will bring about a new world order. The energy crisis is a huge issue and Obama’s stance is believed to have gathered a tremendous support. But could the popularity also be due to his take on peace efforts, particularly with regard to Iraq.
4.� He is a man of a colourful (Kenyan-American genes with a Muslim middle name) cultural background with a will to re-build the future.
I would like to conclude with what Former U.S. presidential candidate Gary Hart said after reading Obama’s book ‘The Audacity Of Hope’, “I see a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance…”
Via reuters

When Newton concluded that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, he would have never thought that Indians would defy it in the most nonchalant way, almost on a daily basis. �

Looking at the Amarnath land row, the reaction to which has held the common man of J&K to ransom for so many days and refuses to die down, I find that reaction is an overreaction in all definitions. A lyricist (Piyush Mishra-Aaja Nachle), singer (Prashant Tamang), Sportsman (Monika Devi), Painter (M.F. Hussain), Writer (Taslima Nasreen/Salman Rushdie), cricketers (most of them) to immigrants, quotas, lands, etc. etc, nothing is spared and suddenly we find that a crowd gathers, creates havoc, vandalizes National property, raises loads of slogans and then disappears. Absolutely anything can trigger a riot in India. And when there are no issues, we have the ability to create issues and then go on a rampage.

How else would you explain the actions of the fundamentalist in our country? The latest Akhsay Kumar starring blockbuster ‘Singh is Kinng’ has invited the wrath of the Sikh community because it presents Sikhs in a poor light. The matter has reached such heights that even the newly-appointed Akal Takht jathedar Gurbachan Singh lent his support to the agitators, who charged into a cinema hall screening the film, saying that “objectionable” scenes in the movie should be removed. Akshay and the producer of the film have been asked to apologise for hurting the sentiments of the Sikh brothers. Apparently, the scene that caused all the trouble is where Akshay, who plays a sardar in the film, is shown dancing with semi-nude girls.

Well like the instances mentioned above, petty issues are manipulated/escalated/magnified to issues of National/Regional/Communal Pride or Religious sentiments. Lo and behold, here comes the mob! I wonder if a sneeze from one of the politicians will lead to a riot some day, and believe me it won’t come as a surprise to me. �

Sir Isaac Newton surely must be rolling in his grave. Please don’t bother Sir as we usually defy logic.�

Via� dnaindia�

Sex education in school has once again garnered interest in India. We all saw how sometime back, National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had decided to lift the talk ban on the taboo that sex is to Indians. But guess what, it was just a matter of time when the issue would be raised once again. Yesterday, NCERT on the advice of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) decided to revise the sex education syllabus with quick effect. Apparently, some graphical representations of the human physiology and anatomy were found objectionable by seven states across India. The focus shall now be on abstinence from sex and on safe sex.

And we thought India had outgrown the stone-age mindset towards sex. Talking they are about sex but still there are just too many ifs and buts. Why call off the diagrams of the human physiology? C’mon we are talking about biology in terms of reproduction and not showing pics of the Kama sutra showing the various positions. The entire approach of NCERT is absolutely negative so how can it get positive results. On top of this, sex education classes will be held separately for boys and girls where male teachers will lecture the former while female teachers take care of the latter. So now will we not have any female biology teachers in an all boy’s school and vice versa! Almost a decade ago my class 9th teacher in a CBSE school asked us to read the chapter on HUMAN REPRODUCTION with graphical diagrams of the human anatomy on our own. Do you really think we have moved ahead from there? I have strong doubts.
Via NewsTrackIndia

This one is not-so good news to all Dan Brown fans. His Da Vinci Code created a furor in the literati world. The movie on the novel earned an equal share of hue and cry over its release in India. But the fan following hasn’t been affected the least bit. Now, Angels & Demons the prequel to DaVinci is under process of becoming a film. While the world is waiting for this one to get released soon, the Vatican has closed it doors to the shooting of this CERN-inspired quantum physics-based prequel. The film’s script requires shooting some crucial scenes inside the Vatican and two Roman churches - Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria.

The reason for this ban being, the extreme displeasure that Dan Brown’s novels bring to the archbishops. So much so that his work has been called “an offence against God”!!! Being an ardent fan of Mr. Brown and also a ‘God–fearing’ person that I am, it’s sad to note this recent development. I’m sure the shooting would still ensue using other locales as double for the Vatican and church interiors. What bothers me is that, if the Vatican has taken this stern step, religious authorities in India would be only too glad to follow their Lord. I still remember how enthusiastic I was to see the film Da Vinci Code on big screen…instead what was released was a huge ruckus following a ban by 7 Indian state governments to show the movie and a nation-wide protest by Christian supporters. Hope Angels & Demons don’t fall flat on their noses for I don’t want to get disappointed this time again!

Via Hindu

So, who will be Bharat’s ratan this year? Well, the award will go to the best bidder. This is ex-cricketer and jack of many trades Navjot Singh Sidhu’s opinion. One can’t help but nod in agreement with him, at least this once. Imagine, one of the most coveted titles in the country being rushed into a controversy like the one it has got into these days.
LK Advani has written to the PM requesting for the honour to be given to ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. You will not be the only one to doubt Advani’s intention here. I&B minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi gave him his two cents when he said that Advani should be giving Mr Vajpayee enough respect within the BJP itself before asking for the honor of the Bharat Ratna for him. Speculation is that Congress could have even considered Vajpayee but since it is more eager to appease the Left, the title may go to Jyoti Basu instead. The chances are strong but then who can say. The biggest surprise came when Mayawati said that the Bharat Ratna should be conferred upon Kanshi Ram as he has worked towards bridging the gap between the upper class and the dalits in the country.
Boy, that’s quite a list of contenders. Mr PM should surely heed Sidhu’s advice this time and save himself a lot of worry. Let’s see what Soniaji has to say to this.
Via BlogBharti

If you are about to nod your heads, then think again! In this ever changing and ever developing world the game of poker is no exception. Yes, today playing poker is no more considered as impudent but a statement of style. An estimated 80 million people play poker regularly, making it the world’s most popular game.

And its not just a common man’s cup of tea, but the game has attracted a slew of celebrities, including James Woods, Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, who starred in the classic 1998 poker film “Rounders.”

An author and a classical music critic can also be a die-hard poker addict! If you guessed it right, it’s a reference to Anthony Holden, a British, who has written biographies of Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, Laurence Olivier and Prince Charles.

And his attachment to the game is so immense that Holden spent a whole year as a professional poker player and turned the experience into a charming memoir called “Big Deal”. Now he’s written an equally entertaining sequel, “Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Room”, which chronicles the game’s explosive growth into a worldwide phenomenon on television and the Internet.

“Where once it was a seedy, disreputable pursuit peopled by shifty characters, poker is now not just respectable but fashionable, even chic,” Holden writes in his breezy, ingratiating style.

“The colossal impact on the game of online poker can be summarized in one terrifying statistic,” Holden writes. “A teenager anywhere in the world, unable to play (legally) in an American casino until he or she is 21, can play more hands in six months than septuagenarian Doyle Brunson, the world’s most respected player, has in his lifetime.”

“Bigger Deal” is published by Simon & Schuster (291 pages, $26.)

More glimpses of the widespread fascination of the game:

Poker player Jerry Yang, of Temecula, Calif., poses with his prize money after winning the main event of the World Series of Poker at the Rio hotel-casino in Las Vegas,

Alex Kravchenko (L) of Russia watches as Jerry Yang of California pushes in chips during the World Series of Poker main event at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada July 17, 2007. Nine players started at the final table to compete for more than U.S. $22 million in prize money with the first place finisher taking home $8. 25 million.

Holden’s exploration of the new poker world takes him to Yale for a “lecture” on the game, the Caribbean for a poker cruise, a fantasy poker camp run by brainy professionals Howard Lederer and his sister Annie Duke, and tournaments in Monaco, Barcelona, Atlantic City and, of course, Las Vegas.

Like me, are you too wondering on this vast popularity of poker? And also on the height of one’s addiction to the game so as to write an entire book on it, followed by lectures and camps!!