Brown Motion

This strange consonant soup signifies the ceremonial oath taking of/by a person in the Indian political context (usually).  But given I have some knowledge of the etymology of said words I get confused.  Not saying much but bear with me. Shapath is an oath.  Grahan is an eclipse.  The two together actually are ironical given that Shapath Grahan actually signifies the taking of an oath and do so what the oath expects you to oath about.  To have this moment eclipsed by whatever may befall the oath is not exactly an opportune thing  (in reality it is the consumption of the oath but who is watching?). There are thousands invited to witness this spectacle - and that it is, given how insane the whole thing is.  The fact that it involves using ancient texts (I suspect people may be swapping them for playboy or other paraphernalia these days - I mean who is to say that they actually checked what was under the cover - in a manner of speaking?) to provide re...

We watched 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' over the long Memorial Holiday weekend in the US.  Then we bookended the weekend with an old spy film called 'The Good Shepherd' directed by Robert De Niro. This weekend we remember the soldiers that lost lives over the many wars America fought.   Rightly it is about honoring the unquestionable courage and sacrifice that men and women provided in serving their country.  Another blog might perhaps cover the nuances of whether all wars were worth fighting, but as Dr. Fredericks in 'The Good Shepherd' tells Wilson (Matt Damon), "we are all bootmakers to the kings". Another quote from De Niro's character says, "After all is said and done we are all clerks too".  All these embedded lines in movies sometimes highlight the real world a lot of us live in where we do not get a chance to explore the unknown or speak freely of our ideas, however democratic our institutions might appear to be - marriag...

These could well be the intials of two south Indian brainiacs that came to the states and developed some high funda algorithm that unbeknownst to humanity is powering the Google search or helping discover the god particle or forecasting the weather in the next century. But they are not.  At least not that I know of. Which is not saying much but we have already established that before in our readings. So what of these strange acronyms? Well if you are in the valley (not some random gulch between two mounds but the one where silicon is abundant) - Si Valley then you no doubt know what they might mean?  These days it is all the rage to be associated with the initials VC than what you may have in your CV or curriculum vitae... I mean since Ceasar who actually speaks Latin?  Although Curriculum eerily sounds like South Indian curry based concoction is merely a coincidence. VC stands for Venture Capitalists.  Yes continuing on our theme of capitalism found by the...

So continuing to ruminate on the theme of how life was 3k years before the carpenter made an appearance is endlessly fascinating. Once kings started realizing the delays caused on the tarmac before war were due to ketchup spills on fine silk which itself posed other strategic challenges during action, someone came up with Arjuns.  This was the name given to a piece of durable and long wear cloth that did not need washing since everything looked haute couture. It was later misspelled as Jeans by Levis.  During the days of Mahabharata folks had already discovered Rjuns.  That Arjun later got royalties after the war was over was oversimplifying.  He therefore had the best deal going with Draupadi - with fine wine and dining any time she desired -who found that the other four were not as enterprising as Arjun spending time in '23 hour fitness' et al.  The remaining one hour each on average was spent with Draupadi if you know what I mean. Kaikeyi was always in ...

First of all I have this strange urge to try and visualize the everyday lives of the so called mythical kings and queens.  Not having documented and irrefutable proof of what actually was going on lends an aura of mystery to the whole story. There are rather odd and incongruent ideas that were written by the sages to pass on to people like me to read and determine what is what.  Gita is a poem that is embedded within the Mahabharata which apparently took place some 3,000 years before Christ decides to make an appearance. When these poems were written apparently they had hi tech chariots and flying vehicles but then it is logical to assume that they had ketchup for their potatoes and for that matter had it in a squeeze bottle. So before Arjun and co went to war as they often did during those times of stress they filled up on a hearty breakfast.  Venison was always a staple - I can feel it that went with some Draupadi hand made hash and Costco sized Ketchup bottle tha...

Watched a WWII era movie about a motley crew of artists, sculptors et al going into the war zone against the Nazi machine and steal back stolen art. The entire cast is top notch but the 'Everything George Clooney' production unfortunately fell flat for me.  That it was a quiet evening with nothing much going on other than people clamoring over the highways to head out to a place that is worth a traffic jam for the Memorial Day holiday. Side note - what jam goes well with 3 day weekends?  Traffic (not apricot you idiot). So about this movie called MONUMNETS MEN - while it again purports to be based on a true story it did little to really sit up and take notice.  We all know Hitler was a crazy psychopath and he fostered other lesser psychos that worked for him (there are some certain parallels in corporate cutlure today).  But beyond that underlying craziness and the motivation of a gang of odd balls that get aligned behind their commander the movie did...

I mean Swearing In.. Every time a new leader is elected by a sovereign state or democracy or dictatorship for that matter there follows the drama of swearing in the new leader. That they had been (swearing) before elections and will have ample opportunity to do so later is lost in this ritual established by some loser years ago. I mean think about it - what is this Swearing In for?  It is as inane as the person in a courtroom being asked to swear to tell the truth with a hand on a Bible or Bhagvad Gita if the scene unfolds in India. Dude - at least ask what sort of published document the swearee would like to swear on... don't assume. So about this swearing - in I mean - what are we swearing out of to be swearing in?  And by doing so what exactly are we achieveing?  Why is it a ceremony? Why do people even attend it?  Do they not have better things to do than listen to the swearee say that he swears to do such and such?   I say go do it and...

I am not a tweeter nor a booker.  I am a blogger.  So here goes my way of expressing my innermost and most sincere thoughts as I woke this morn.. Looking hot. Looking desirable. Thank you for being there for me. You give me the boost I need to make my day. I am too bored of uploading a picture but I will tell you who I was addressing. My cup of Masala Indian Chai. These days it appears that a person's heat index is what defines their facebook worth.  My better half sometimes indulges herself to see what amount of entropy is being generated amidst the ether by her peers who are wandering parts of the planet with garments that may or may not define their true personality. Then the commentary that follows from other peers and opposite gendered ones is something profoundly insightful like - Looking Hot!  Cannot believe you are a mother!  etc. With the onset of summer et al I find the heat too stifling as it is so I am going to go and relax with a c...

From now on I am going to usurp the Greek or Latin origins of words with bizzaro spellings and apply my own logus..for some logical meanings. therefore - Gynaecology - shall now be redefined as study of Bhav Geets or Gayan in general, by females or males. Oncology - study of all Uncles regardless of their age and their carcinogenic affiliations. Oenology - study all aspects of life where you go Oh No!  esp when you've had too much wine.. Neurology - study of Nur Jahan regardless of whether you are yahan or wahan; or a Shah. Astrology - study of linings (or Astar) whether those for cloth or to figure out what stitches our universe together. Biology - study of Balaji at a very subliminal level or some might call it Bull (Bail in Marathi or Hindi) -agreed either way its Bailaji.

I have realized as I showered today that I have come close to god without even knowing it.  The lord does work in mysterious ways the believers will have you believe.  It is not that the soap lather took on the shape of Shiva's head or Ganesh's trunk rather the fact that I have been religously dining at establishments titled in the lord's name. So it is a uniquely Hinduwadi theme (those that prescribe to the Hindu religion) to find eating establishments all across India to bear the moniker of a local deity - from Jai Bhawani tea stall to Ramkrishna dhaba to Shankar restaurant to Balaji cafe.  A good blend of almighty and local latte if there is one. While Balaji knew of the powers of caffiene is a subject of another inspriring blog, the notion of engaging with customers with what they crave in their daily regimen while also servicing their basic nutritional need is a marketing strategy all its own. So that theme carries to the far corners of the world where these fo...

This refers to how media coverage can be spotty, erratic or tailored for an audience leading an outsider to gage the gravitas (had to use that one someday) of a particular story. So a local American financial news paper owned by Newscorp (which was founded by an Australian dude) had in its inside pages several stories - one of which talked about cable company businesses and the US government diktat about it; followed by a win for Modi in the world's largest democracy; followed by another sizzling item - of a cat biting a dog. Audience - you decide what you want to read and in what order.

Recent news and media coverage in the western world has seen a flurry of articles touting many with roots to the western Indian province of Gujarat.  From an Ambani son owning the world's most priciest real estate; to the Forbes billionaire index showing a businessman (who in a native language equates to 'illiterate') called Adani (not to confuse with Aam Adami or common man) smashing through the wealth ceiling; to a Bollywood promoter in western Florida inviting the desi gliterrati to dance and give awards to each other in the US; to public television interviews about the imminent charisma of the electoral favorite I have not seen Gujarat so much in the news. This seems orchestrated may be reading too much into it but the nexus of all that attention does seem to be the impending victory for Mr. Modi who is the incumbent Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat and soon to be (forecast) the leader of the world's largest democracy. While the surge of public opinion ...

My daughter was doing a school exercise to see how many ideas could be expressed in just three words.  We came up with a lot of inspirational sounding quotes from - Keep dreams alive Never give up (depending on what up is - although I tried not to meddle) Enjoy the moment Then the visitor from India who was spending a weekend with us chimed in with - Don't take tension! That is so classically messy Indian English I think but it conveys a lot of impact. That tension is used as a noun in this case is fascinating way of expressing what matters to a lot of average Indians but if not taken (as it were) would alleviate people from a lot of heartache. I know I take walks and try not to take tensions. Tension of various sorts also described as that which causes stress is part of daily life in most countries now.  Trying to remain focused on what matters and how to navigate this intangible yet deadly aspect of life is what defines a successful life.  I know it make...

A recall in America is as American as apple pie.  Frankly I am not sure how many Americans actually consume Apple Pie these days but it is cute to refer to this cliche every chance one gets.  So I did.  Frankly the warm flaky crusts with a sourish apple inside is not my idea of a fun food.  Esp when the apples used therein are called Granny Smith's.  Maybe Granny likes it but I do not. Back to the Recall idea. We Americans strongly believe that a product sold in market must meet its advertised qualities and if unable to do so must be promptly recalled.  Ideally by the manufacturer of the offending product. We see it daily - a large chunk of the automobile manufacturing companies are constantly calling back their produce due to a variety of flaws or faults or non-life threatening to definitely life-threatening aspects.  Once such a recall is issued it affects millions of these appliances since they are usually produced and sold in millions. ...