3 Idiots? Liked it but dunno if I luv it.

Watched 3 Idiots...And I liked what I saw. Whether I love it or not depends on how much I enjoy it when I watch it the second time round.

However I don't really understand the hysteria over the movie..People are saying and writing that they absolutely went crazy over it. Must congratulate the marketing team for a job well done.

The basic premise was similar to the Munnabhai Series, espically Munnabhai MBBS. 3I scrutinises the engineering/education system and MMBBS the medical studies/medical care system in India.

Both movies make very valid points about our beloved engineers and doctors. Nowadays doctors can't even identify viral fever without ordering 3000 bucks worth tests. And Engineers!!!! Least said about them is better. No matter what stream they study, they all end up as IT consultants. And what do they really do? Work as glorified maintenance and support engineers to systems designed, made and used by the West.

Uff lets get back to the movie.

3I is hillarious and I am sure all students staying in hostels can identify with the first part of the movie. I am glad this movie finally talks about passion for what you are studying versus making a career out of whatever you are studying.

It is well acted and the dialogues are great. I am sure everyone will agree Chatur's speech takes the cake. Aamir and Sharman convince us that they are students but Madhavan looks old and doesn't really fit into the student mode. Kareena is alright if you ignore her wide eyed, close mouthed face in every scene.

What takes this movie a few paces behind is the over Bollywoodisation.. Boman acts well on his lisp but is it necessary to give him that bird's nest hairstyle and 40s style pants. Professors aren't the best dressed around but most are definitely decently dressed. The entire scene of Aamir delivering Mona's baby was stupid and unnecessary. And the salt over the injury was when the baby responds to All izz well. That in effect spoilt what could have been a masterpiece.

Munnabhai MBBS was a masterpiece because at all times it was grounded to reality. By showing that a Gunda can enter an institute but can not and should not play with people's lives, is what made that movie an all time great.

3I on the other hand, talks about a genius who can anyways be successful. What do mediocre students do? Do they have any option but to tow the line of rote and vomit?

Finally dear dear Mr Chetan Bhagat. He is kind of an icon among writers because he is the only one of his generation whose books are being embraced by mainstream Bollywood. And he cries for credit when all is done?!! As an IIM B graduate, I am sure, he must have been taught about getting good lawyers to legally back good deals. Why didn't he cry then? He may be right in his stand but he loses ground because he only protested after the movie is declared a success. He should have made his stand clear right at the beginning in public, then VVC wouldn't have dared to toy with him.

And I am not going to comment on the strangle hold of established producers/directors/actors on talent. It is pointless...

Absence of Evidence is not the Evidence of Absence...

I got this forward and really loved it...I dedicate this to all ye skeptics and psuedo-scientists..

An Atheist Professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem that science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his new students to stand and.....

Prof: So you believe in God? Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good? Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful? Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella Is God good? Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good? Student: No. Prof: Where does Satan come from? Student: From...God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct? Student: Yes. Prof: So who created evil? (Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they? Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them? (Student has no answer.)

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God? Student: No, sir. Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God? Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, or smelled your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter? Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him? Student: Yes. Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has. Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat? Prof: Yes. Student: And is there such a thing as cold? Prof: Yes. Student: No sir. There isn't. (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that.There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it. (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness? Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light.... But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you a! re making, young man? Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed. Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a preacher rather than a scientist? (The class is in uproar)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class ! breaks out into laughter.) Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelled it? No one appears to have done. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir? (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son. Student : That is it, sir.. The link between man & God is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

Now guess who the student is ????? . . . . . . . .

That young man was ALBERT EINSTEIN.......

Happy New Year?!

A new year, a new beginning.

What do we want from this year?
Safety? Health? Money? Family? Fame?

Or Want it all????

Lets hope the stupid terrorists blow themselves up in their own homes. But not in our trains, planes or buses.

Lets hope the stupider politicians finish themselves instead of our economy, our country, our lives.

And finally lets hope the stupidest public becomes proactive rather than reactive instead of just shaking their heads and saying aajkal zamana hi aisa hai .

Happy New year everyone!!

Mumbai--- meri jaan!!!!

Actually Bombay meri jaan sounds so much better!!! But I rather conform to the T family's diktat. Or else...

You see anyone who doesn't, is forced to apologise after being beaten up publicly or forced to leave the state. Sad isn't it? Considering that Mumbai got to where it is because it always welcomed enterprising people from all over India and the world.

Ofcourse now you better have a birth certificate to prove you were born there before you think of setting up house or shop in Mumbai..I am not Marathi but I am a Mumbaiite...I haven't been to Mumbai in about 9 years except for a 10 days trip in 2007. I saw little change but what change I did see made me happy.

Small changes like concretised roads, cement tiles at crossroads most prone to potholes, better buses and fast service. Efficient if you dole out the money.

I have now stayed in 3 continents, 3 countries and 8 cities. I wish I can add to this statistics, but then that's another blog. I feel Mumbai beats any other city in India hands down in terms of efficiency, infrastructure and more importantly human resource. People are generally more helpful, more resourceful, more knowledgeable, and more receptive to new ideas than any other city I have been to.

Even the IT city Bangalore lags dismally in terms of roads, transport, water and even garbage disposal. Mumbai despite bursting at the seams is managing to provide its inhabitants a decent living (I talk ofcourse of the burgeoning middle-class).

But what do I read in the papers?? That the average Mumbaikar dies younger than any other Indian...Why? Because poor Mumbaiikar gets up in the morning, runs to catch the train, works, run to catch the train back home, eats and sleeps. The only holiday Sunday is then spent in socialising, family time, domestic chores, and other work. When does he get to just relax? Nope not even when he is retired. Because he is expected to look after the grand children. He is expected to be productive to the last dying breath else he is a big burden. Like an Amritsari had once told me, Mumbai me sab hamesha bhaagte hi rehte hai.

The poor Mumbaikar scrambles to save money to buy a match box flat, the flat TV, perhaps a semi auto washing machine and hopefully the nanoest of the cars. If not a bike will do very well. He motivates himself with his small dreams and small achievements.

He tries not to fall foul of the authorities (thats everyone in the government from the chaprasi to the chief minister), tries to avoid any road bumps and to drag his life over all potholes till a bomb explodes in the train or a car rams into him. Ofcourse he doesn't even dream of a fast & efficient medical aid. He knows he will die on the road or on the way to the hospital. And probably the ambulance driver will haggle with his harried family for bakshis to get his body back home.

Why should he not die sooner than the others? What incentive does he really have to live till 90 and live well at that? What support will he have? Everyone else will be keen to see him dead anyways.

Answers anyone????

God's little gestures :)

What ever that happens in life, happens for good..... so stop worrying about the future and forget the past.

After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space.

At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive...... and all the stories were just the 'LITTLE' things.

As you might know, the head of the company survived that day because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time. One of them missed his bus. One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start. One went back to answer the telephone.

One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone... all the little things that annoy me, I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment...

So Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated.

God is at work watching over you & taking care of you

A little help for u lost men!!! What women want and expect?

In the world, one single rule applies to the men: Make the Woman happy. Do something she likes, and you get points. Do something she dislikes and points are subtracted. You don’t get any points for doing something she expects. Sorry, that’s the way the game is played.

Here is a guide to the point system:

SIMPLE DUTIES

- You make the bed (+1)
- You make the bed, but forget the decorative pillow (0)
- You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets (-1)
- You go out to buy her what she wants (+5)
- In the rain (+8)
- But return with Beer (-5)
- You check out a suspicious noise at night (0)
- You check out a suspicious noise, and it is nothing (0)
- You check out a suspicious noise and it is something (+5)
- You pummel it with iron rod (+10)
- It’s her pet (-10)

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTS

- You stay by her side the entire party (0)
- You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with a college buddy (-2)
- Named Tina (-4)
- Tina is a dancer (-10)

HER BIRTHDAY

- You take her out to dinner (0)
- You take her out to dinner and it’s not a sports bar (+1)
- Okay, it’s a sports bar (-2)
- And it’s all-you-can- eat night (-3)
- It’s a sports bar, it’s all-you-can- eat night, and your face is painted the colours of your favourite team (-10)

A NIGHT OUT

- You take her to a movie (+2)
- You take her to a movie she likes (+4)
- You take her to a movie you hate (+6)
- You take her to a movie you like (-2)
- It’s called ‘DeathCop’ (-3)
- You lied and said it was a foreign film about orphans (-15)

YOUR PHYSIQUE

- You develop a noticeable potbelly (-15)
- You develop a noticeable potbelly and exercise to get rid of it (+10)
- You develop a noticeable potbelly and resort to baggy jeans and baggy Hawaiian shirts (-30)
- You say, “It doesn’t matter, you have one too.” (-8000)

ENJOY THE ‘BIG’ QUESTION

- She asks, “Do I look fat?” (-5) [Yes, you LOSE points no matter WHAT]
- You hesitate in responding (-10)
- You reply, “Where?” (-35)
- Any other response (-20)

COMMUNICATION

- When she wants to talk about a problem , you listen, displaying what looks like a concerned _____ex-pression (0)
- You listen, for over 30 minutes (+50)
- You listen for more than 30 minutes without looking at the TV (+500)
- She realizes this is because you have fallen asleep (-10000)

A wife's poem!!!