Pakorakorner | A personal portal with a strong Asian Indian flavor on a whole range of topics.

One of the common arguments put forth by many is that anti-corruption must start from within, at a very personal level. "When you are stopped by a policeman for a traffic violation, would you stop paying a bribe? When you want to get ahead in the line in a government office, would you stop paying a bribe?" they ask. In other words, they believe that in order to eradicate corruption, everyone must pledge not to encourage corruption in any form ...

It's the year 2013. A top Union Minister is at his secret farm house, sipping scotch on the rocks and smoking a Cuban cigar, while his men stealthily shunt bags full of currency notes. Suddenly, the door swings wide open and a man barges in, walking with a noticeable swagger, sporting dark glasses despite the night lights, and wearing a sleek leather jacket. He jumps and seats himself onto the table in front of the Minister in a jiffy. "Mera naam ...

I used the Cel Cab Taxi service in India recently and I must admit I was impressed. Here is how it works. You call up a number and tell them when you want a cab and where you need to go. They get your address and phone number. It is as simple as that. A few minutes (say about 20 minutes) before the arrival of the taxi you receive an SMS giving you the Taxi's ETA (estimated time of arrival). The ...

There is an interesting article in the Washington Post about the outrage expressed in India over the recent attacks. Unlike attacks in the past when the rich where unaffected for the most part, this attack specifically targeted the rich and famous. "For the train bombings, the outrage was there, but it was never really heard," Ronel said, his hands black from shoe polish. "More people died in the train bombings, but they were ordinary Indians, not high-society industrialists or foreigners or ...

Abhinav Bindra picked up India's first individual gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. A commendable achievement by the 25-year old. There is plenty of press about it already. So I don't wish to add to the clutter. What I liked most about this young man from the video footage was his calm and composed nature despite having created history. It is such a refreshing change from the Sreesanths, Harbhajans and Kohlis of the cricketing world. His comments following the victory came across ...

Ravi Krishna Reddy, formerly bay area based techie has returned to India to take the plunge into politics in India. He is contesting from Jayanagar in Bangalore as an independent candidate. Considering the sorry state of Karnataka politics the entry of some fresh blood can't do any harm. He has managed to garner some decent press and raise some money, most of it over the internet to support his campaign. As per his bio, he was the former President (2005) ...

The nexus between cricket and Bollywood has been formalized and is ready for launch. Not surprisingly the theatrics that go with Bollywood have found their way to the launch of the Indian Professional League (IPL). It has all the makings of a movie launch. Prior to this players were bought and sold like cattle. Bollywood stars are geared up for "song and dance" at various points during the matches. Cheer leaders have been imported from across the world. Advertising is ...

The Cauvery water issue which has been a constant source of trouble between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu rears its ugly head ever so often. As usual the Tamil film industry (now often referred to as Kollywood) feels obliged to throw in their support and show their solidarity given that Tamil films become an immediate target when trouble erupts. As always, this results in controversies of its own adding little value to the overall issue. Very often, these events cause more ...

The CPI(M) has mooted the idea of third alternative outside of the Congress and the BJP. At first it sounded like yet another pre-election gimmick. However, Sitaram Yechuri of the CPI(M) Politburo has clarified with some interesting points. "Our stand is non-Congress and anti-BJP. Elaborating on third alternative, he said this would be formed based on three policies -- opposing communalism, opposing "anti-people content of economic reforms" and opposing all efforts to make India a subordinate ally of US imperialism. ...

The BJP recently announced Mr. LK Advani would be its next PM candidate. For the first time, the party seems to have stepped up and announced a formal succession plan. After the defeat at the last Lok Sabha polls, the party has been struggling with all kinds of infighting, first on the party President's post, the controversy over Advani's visit to Pakistan, the silence over Vajpayee's health, infighting and defection in its Gujarat ranks, to state a few.One can't help ...