Pakorakorner

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 ...

A new book, titled India Arriving, has just been released. It is authored by Dr. Rafiq Dossani, Sr. Research Scholar,Stanford University.You can read a sample chapter (which looks interesting) and order the book. I haven't read it as yet but hope to read it some time in the near future.

The roads all across Kerala are in a disgraceful state. Most Keralites will admit that the roads have never been as bad ever in their lifetime. Thankfully the Kerala High court has intervened and some celebrities have started to speak out on the issue.It is true that the rains have been heavier than usual this year. But rains in Kerala is not new. It about time a long term solution is arrived at. Kerala has been governed alternately by the ...