04.27.08

No ‘cheer’ for the cheerleaders?

Posted in General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Politics/Current Affairs, Sports, entertainment at 9:31 am by Neha Raghunath

it is unfortunate that some ministers in maharashtra are saying bar dancers are better than the IPL cheerleaders. i fail to get what’s their problem. at the rate we are going they will have problem with us even eating and breathing!

their dresses are not vulgar but yes they are american style. these girls are just doing their duty of entertaining people in the stadium. as long as people are happy with them then what is the problem?

i am just sick of this moral policing. for each and every thing the ministers have a standard excuse ‘it is against our indian culture’. they show such double standards. many of these ministers openly patronize bars and brothels. but no one cares a hoot about it and yet they come and meddle their noses in unwarranted affairs.

if not anything it is just going to turn off foreigners from visiting our country thanks to the numerous restrictions and rules.

04.26.08

Kissa Harbhajan key ‘jhapad’ kaa

Posted in General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Sports at 4:28 pm by Neha Raghunath

arghghghg…will someone just give me e break from these news channels who have been constantly harping upon the slap given by harbhajan to sreesanth yesterday. the incident took place after the ipl cricket match between punjab and mumbai yesterday.

well they say in hindi ‘taali ek haath sey nahin bajti.’ which means a clap doesn’t happen with one hand! so sreesanth has apparently provoked harbhajan and other mumbai team members. hence he has got furious and slapped sreesanth.

i don’t want to see visuals of sreesanth crying again and again like a baby! and or god’s sake sreesanth is such a baby! which man cries after being slapped even though it happened publicly in front of the media!

either ways both the players are not innocent and have been involved in controversies before. irrespective of the outcome of the inquiry committee even sreesanth should be reprimanded. he had no right to insult his opposition members.

i got the point! but why does every news channel have to keep playing the same broken tape recorder again! are channels so short on news that they ‘fill’ their on air time with such repetitions.

give me a break guys!

04.24.08

The ‘fuss’ over sex education In India

Posted in General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Politics/Current Affairs at 6:15 am by Neha Raghunath

I don’t understand why sex education in Indian schools is still a subject of ‘taboo’? Recently, the Maharashtra government planned to introduce sex education as a full-fledged subject in the next academic year. But the proposal is pending thanks to resistance from the opposition party members.

Some of the weird reasons given for the same were it could result in more crimes against women. now that’s really ridiculous and funny! in fact it would do the opposite, it would tell people to practice safe sex and avoid HIV-AIDS.

Parents often find it difficult to explain such things to their children. at such times sex education in schools can come handy. How long can we remain conservative and traditional? All claims about it being ‘against our culture is rubbish’. It is not about aping European or other countries. Sex education should be equated to increasing population as felt by certain ministers in the state.

Its high time we say yes for sex education so that men also learn to respect their female counterparts. it’s anytime better than watching pornographic content illegally on our screens!

04.19.08

Priyanka Gandhi’s meeting with Nalini

Posted in General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Politics/Current Affairs at 6:49 am by Neha Raghunath

A few days back it was revealed that Priyanka Gandhi met with her father’s assassin Nalini in Vellore Jail. Priyanka’s father was the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Indian Prime Minister.

i feel that the media went overboard in it’s coverage of the issue. it is nice to see that Priyanka is ready to forgive Nalini for her father’s death. but trying to find out what questions priyanka asked nalini i thought wasn’t fair. it is something deeply personal and emotional. i don’t think we have a right to know the exact nature of the conversation.

obviously several killer languish in our jails, and there may be cases wherein the deceased person’s family might come and meet the killer/accused. but the media is not bothered about such cases.

just because it is the gandhi family which is involved the media just couldn’t control their curiosity. news channels kept flashing all day long about the meeting. i am sure there other important stories on that particular day which might have got sidelined because of the unnecessary attention given to this meeting.

IPL fever catches on

Posted in General/Daily affairs, India, Media, People, Sports, entertainment at 6:29 am by Neha Raghunath

IPL or the Indian Premier League kicked off yesterday in a grand fashion at Bangalore yesterday. the new Twenty-Twenty format is aimed at attracting more viewers and more money. lets look at some of the pros and cons of such a format

pros:

1. several cities of india will compete with each other for the ultimate crown. inclusion of international players like ricky pointing, shane warne is a major plus point.

2. many young domestic players will get a chance to impress the selectors who may make them a part of the regular international squad

3. its short and sweet. in flat 90 minutes (each side) one will definitely have a result in hand!

4. cheerleaders, filmstars dancing is good in wooing crowds. so its entertainment plus good cricketing skills on display

now lets look at some of the con’s

1. Money is an important factors. many players have signed up for this format to earn quick bucks. as england bowler kevin pietersen was quoted somewhere in the media as saying the money from such formats was enough to ensure funding for his children’s education in the latter part of life

2. india is a cricket crazy nation. we have several sponsors who have come forward and supported this initiative. but apart from a few like kingfisher who already supports tennis, will the others sponsor other sports like tennis, hockey, squash in this country?

3. wouldn’t it be nice to have such a knock out format even in football in our country? similar events already exist like the santosh trophy, but they could be done on a larger scale.

4. player burnout is a major concern. already the international cricket calendar is filled with numerous events. add to it if ipl becomes a yearly event, then players will not get adequate rest and in case of injuries will not get enough time to recover

5. and finally its great to see so much money being spent for the opening ceremony like laser show, acrobats, cheerleaders, etc. but the same money can be used to upgrade existing infrastructure in the country like football stadiums, badminton courts, coaches, etc.

6. ‘doctored or tailor-made pitches’: Just yesterday in the match between Kolkotta Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers of Hyderbad the pitch was really horrible. it had so much bounce that very third player got hurt. and then the drama of a ‘power failure’. play was disrupted for half an hour thus disrupting the concentration of the players.

Deccan Chargers at that moment had a very good chance to win the game. I don’t understand why did the home team create a pitch suitable to their requirements. Can’t you play a game on a fair pitch? Is it asking for too much? By cheating and using such unfair means they can’t continue to win for long

What say guys?

04.05.08

Campus Placement ‘tensions’

Posted in General/Daily affairs, Media, People, Personal tagged at 10:45 am by Neha Raghunath

Right now I’m undergoing campus placements in my college. and its just been 4 days since the process has started and i already have 2 very good offers in my hand. right now everything might seem good, but believe me 2 days back i was so depressed and dejected! what a contrast life can be at times!

the first day a reputed media organisation came for the placements. the interview went of well and next day the list was announced. i was surprised that my name didnt feature in the list, since i was quite confident of making the cut. but i took it in my stride. next day another well-known media group came to recuit for their portal. and this time again i didnt make the cut!

again it came as a shock to me since again i thought il make it to the list. around me i saw many people receiving job offers and felt really depressed. my confidence dipped and i started wondering how come some of my friends got the job and i didnt make it.

after speaking to my parents and friends i felt better. it took me a long time to convince myself that everything was not lost. anyway it was only 2 days of the campus placement. there is always more companies to come and the process is going to continue for another 2 weeks.

the next day i get a cal from our campus placement co-ordinator saying i have bagged a job with the company that came on the first day! it seems by mistake or rather ‘inadvertently’ my name was chopped off from the final list. for a moment i was just too stunned to say anything, then gradually the feeling that i have atleast one job offer in my hand! but i was feeling bad for my roomies and flatmates since they hadn’t received even a single offer. seeing them sad made me also feel little bad. 

and then yesterday! what a day it was! everything happened so fast that i couldnt believe it! i got a job offer as a reporter with the country’s leading financial paper, something which i would liek to call my ‘dream job.’ and yesterday also happened to be the day when all my flatmates including my roomies.

now i’m in the process of choosing the ‘right’ job. keeping my fingers crossed.

04.01.08

Horror Movie Survival Guide!

Posted in Humour/Jokes, Personal at 10:08 am by Neha Raghunath

1.      When it appears that you have killed the monster, never check to
see if it’s really dead.
2.      If you find that your house is built upon or near a cemetery, was
once a church that was used for black masses, had previous inhabitants
who went mad of committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion, or
had inhabitants who performed necrophilia or satanic practices in your
house move away immediately.

3.      Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.

4.      If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which
they should not know, or if they speak to you using a voice which is
other than their own, shoot them immediately.  It will save you a lot
of grief in the long run.  NOTE: It will probably take several rounds
to kill them, so be prepared.

5.      When you have the benefit of numbers, never pair off and go it alone.

6.      As a general rule, don’t solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

7.      Never stand in, on, above, below, beside, or anywhere near a grave,
tomb, crypt, mausoleum, or other house of the dead.

8.      If you’re searching for something which caused a noise and find out
that it’s just the cat, leave the room immediately if you value your
life.

9.      If the appliances start operating by themselves, move out.

10.     Do not take anything from the dead.

11.     If you find a town that looks deserted, it’s probably for a
reason.  Take the hint and stay away.

12.     Don’t fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you’re sure you
know what you are doing.

13.     If you’re running from a monster, expect to trip or fall down at
least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion.  Also note
that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely
shambling along, it’s still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

14.     If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic
behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes,
increasing hairiness, and so on, get away from them as fast as
possible.

15.     Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are
listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (God help
you if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small
town in Maine.

16.     If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby
deserted-looking house to phone for help.

17.     Beware of strangers bearing tools such as chain saws, staple guns,
hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawnmowers, butane
torches, ice picks, soldering iron, hand saws, and any device made
from deceased companions.

18.     Listen to the soundtrack; and pay attention to the audience, since
they are usually far more intelligent than you could ever hope to be.