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

As Anna persists with his fast and the Government wobbles along in rudderless fashion, the media is actively courting sound bites from the well-known. Arundhati Roy and Nandan Nilekani are two famous names that have been drawn into the feeding frenzy of late. While Ms. Roy wrote an article on the issue, Mr. Nilekani gave an interview or two. Another blog on TOI did a thorough job of exposing Ms. Roy’s inaccuracies among other things. It’s deeply disappointing to see ...

I have heard that a number of Indian commercial films are made without a fully written script. In other words, the script falls into place as the movie is made. The current anti-corruption saga seems to be unfolding in a very similar fashion, with the UPA in the director's seat. At the moment, the UPA seems to be completely clueless on how to end this film. At every stage in this battle, Team Anna seems to be ahead of the ...

Recent events have proven that there is clearly a groundswell of support for strong anti-corruption laws. The first phase of show of strength between the Government and Team Anna is now over. The government grossly underestimated Anna's reach, credibility, and grassroots support. If attacking his credibility didn't work, arresting him only made it worse. All the naysayers and Anna's critics should now have their answer loud and clear. Like it or not, the vast majority of people in India back ...

The Congress party’s handling of the Anna Hazare’s upcoming fast leaves a bad taste in the month. It is fairly evident, as pointed out by Kiran Bedi, that the Delhi police was acting on behalf of the Government of India. The terms imposed on Team Anna by the Delhi police – arbitrary limitations on number of people, cars, days, etc. – are downright ridiculous, besides being unconstitutional. It appears as though the Govt. is trying to derail the fast by ...

I came across a recent news report where Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, said that politicians must have a retirement age of 60. For the longest time, we have had politicians all the way up to the upper echelons of India's decision-making hierarchy, who are well into their 60s, 70s, and even 80s. If you apply Murthy's newly minted law, an entire swathe of our top level political leadership across party lines will automatically be disqualified from their present positions. Next, ...

My deepest gratitude to Minister Khurshid Alam Khan for injecting the 1980s Bollywood blockbuster “Deewar” into our public discourse during his latest speech in Parliament. His speech served as the inspiration for this piece. What you read below is completely fictional and tongue-in-cheek and is not intended to offend anyone or accuse anyone of any wrong doing. So sit back, relax and enjoy .  (Knowledge of Hindi and Tamil will be a huge plus in appreciating the intended humor). Anna ambles ...

The Chief Minister of Karnataka, home to India's Silicon Valley, who was buried in corruption charges, finally resigned from his post and promptly proclaimed, "I am a free man." How long will it be before our judicial system puts him and his cronies behind bars? The Telecom scandal of the 1990s featuring Sukh Ram took over 10 years to wind its way through our legal system, so Yeddurappa is probably a free man for several years to come. Meanwhile, the ...

Ok, that's a rather tacky title. I'll be the first to admit that. But jokes apart, the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara has some interesting takeaways for most people. So I couldn't resist the title. This movie is about three friends who decide to reconnect and go on a road trip across Spain. There is plenty of banter, some hilarious comedy combined with some clever dialogues that make the film truly enjoyable, though it was a little over-stretched, especially towards ...

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 ...