Trying to Rationalize

Even I was surprised by the blanket coverage of Da...

2011-01-31T23:27:03.650+05:30

Even I was surprised by the blanket coverage of Davos this year. I tuned out after seeing their obsequiousness to any of the invited guests. Moreover they fail to explain what relevance any of those pronouncements have to the average Indian. Imagine if Egypt was covered with the same depth. Would have made more interesting viewing :)

NDTV? I have no words for this confused organisati...

2011-01-31T17:03:27.626+05:30

NDTV? I have no words for this confused organisation

Is he in a position to get the information you req...

2011-01-15T02:14:24.331+05:30

Is he in a position to get the information you require?

@BKCHOWLA This is one of those rare occasions on w...

2010-12-25T11:16:50.756+05:30

@BKCHOWLA
This is one of those rare occasions on which he has not replied. One month expired today.
Let's hope he does reply.

I challenge Rajdeep to give you a reply.Media fell...

2010-12-25T11:13:39.641+05:30

I challenge Rajdeep to give you a reply.Media fellows are equally corrupt but are the prefered ones.

"Government is the great fiction, through whi...

2010-12-20T00:03:13.533+05:30

"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else"
- Bastiat: http://quotationsbook.com/quote/17579/

It is surely custodial death. A PIL in the Karnata...

2010-11-03T12:08:16.033+05:30

It is surely custodial death. A PIL in the Karnataka High court is the only possible relief (though how effective is a question).

Totally agree this is a custodial death. I was sur...

2010-08-29T22:39:45.208+05:30

Totally agree this is a custodial death. I was surprised to know that there is such a thing as Beggars' Home, that too situated in Bangalore!

Should begging be illegal? I don't think so. It's no different from a charitable institute that does fund raising. But considering I encounter beggars only at specific spots in the city, I think there's some undeclared zoning going on that I am not aware of, similar to the street food vendors.

How democratic we are, pl read my latest post LETT...

2010-08-27T16:02:03.676+05:30

How democratic we are, pl read my latest post
LETTER TO THE PM

I still say, we may be independent but we are not ...

2010-08-27T16:00:10.855+05:30

I still say, we may be independent but we are not free.
Democracy for us now is a slogan only where those in power are heard and rest all are second class citizens

I am not surprised.NYT has carried a story on ille...

2010-08-19T11:37:56.788+05:30

I am not surprised.NYT has carried a story on illegal mining in India without a reference to Vedanta.
You have to be well connected in India to lead a free life.

Ad space is used by sight owners. People who want ...

2010-08-13T23:08:44.565+05:30

Ad space is used by sight owners. People who want to buy adverts - provide key words.

Ads that pop up are "relevant" and one can buy these ads by bidding.
Tata's PR machinery would have bought the words "Posco" or "Posco Agitation" or "Orissa Concerns"

Why should they be evicted in the first place?

2010-08-13T23:05:37.942+05:30

Why should they be evicted in the first place?

It is shameful. The municipality should have provi...

2010-08-13T02:42:22.125+05:30

It is shameful. The municipality should have provided decent accommodation before trying to evict them. I am sure the officials in question should be put in prison for casteist harrasment.

I dont think TATA had a role in posting these Ads....

2010-08-13T02:20:53.637+05:30

I dont think TATA had a role in posting these Ads. Google's ADSense does it.

In a way I agree. It can probably be easily shown ...

2010-07-25T18:09:28.875+05:30

In a way I agree. It can probably be easily shown that they were allowed to settle there (I think 80 years ago is what some news source said) by the powers-that-be. They should given clear property rights to their settlements and left alone.

@PramodBiligiri The article does indicate that th...

2010-07-25T13:22:45.981+05:30

@PramodBiligiri

The article does indicate that the land is theirs collectively.

If we look at the DH piece, it says they were resident there for several decades.

When they first moved in - it would have been a few years or maybe a decade before independence. Considering their status (Both then and now) - highly unlikely that they would been in a position to acquire land through purchase. They would, in all reasonable likelihood, have been allowed to stay there - with the consent of upper-caste members of the area. To turn up after decades and ask for ownership papers is a bit shaky no?

They may not be in a position to sell the land themselves - but that does not imply - that they can be evicted.

It's more about displacement than it is about land ownership. I don't expect them to have a "patta" when they have been carrying the excrement of the town on their heads for decades. Cutting of the water supply is extremely intimidatory and discriminatory - it does not matter if they have an illegal connection - considering the kind of work they do - free water is the least that they deserve.

Yeah I read it in DH yesterday. Very sad :| Seriou...

2010-07-25T10:07:37.775+05:30

Yeah I read it in DH yesterday. Very sad :| Seriously, these people have to move out of their houses because of a commercial complex? Ugh.
But the article didn't mention if the place they were living on belonged to them.

Thanks for the comment. The message was around the...

2010-07-12T15:14:35.018+05:30

Thanks for the comment.
The message was around the use of dogma and I was trying to be diplomatic. ;-)

On the current state of political apathy - in agreement.

I am sorry if I say I did not understand the msg. ...

2010-07-09T11:47:44.622+05:30

I am sorry if I say I did not understand the msg.
However, bandh was generally supported in most of the cities.
I have a very little knowledge of politics, but, no party works for the people, no party has any ideology, no party has any agenda except to remain in power. BJP and other parties are trying excatly what Cong is trying for.

None of Indian roads are planned for emergencies.

2010-07-01T17:06:44.782+05:30

None of Indian roads are planned for emergencies.

Haha..Even I never understand why so many of these...

2010-05-27T00:24:53.303+05:30

Haha..Even I never understand why so many of these blog readers/writers are obsessed with foreign policy. And local issues are generally completely forgotten.

Agreed..thats why I hate blogging sometimes coz I ...

2010-05-18T23:46:22.612+05:30

Agreed..thats why I hate blogging sometimes coz I have to read some of the really convulsive opinion made by person who left the country 20 years ago and still call themselves Indians and form the opinion based on opinion of others..

@MarxBhakt Welcome back. Long time no see. Agree...

2010-05-16T07:17:30.182+05:30

@MarxBhakt
Welcome back. Long time no see.

Agree, we can all sit back and relax as wee see the Poster boy for Crony Capitalism (the great Shashi Tharoor) take on the the marxists on behalf of the the Beverage companies.

I guess some folks have a liberal dharma ;-). While they get to drink bottled water, the dear folks of plachimada can continue to live with high cancer rates. Those who talk about it can be labelled marxist and when convienient even a maobadi. Who cares if a few pople die so that a few liberals can get a bottled beverage.

Long live Tharoor, Pepsi and all the fine things American - including violence and war.

Back to my morning coffee and marxist news papers.

Kerala is in the good hands of Marxists. They will...

2010-05-16T07:03:55.853+05:30

Kerala is in the good hands of Marxists. They will act promptly and prevent further exploitation of ground water. Sit back and relax.