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Showing posts with label Current Affairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Current Affairs. Show all posts
This is what we were up to this Saturday. Like, share, comment, subscribe, etc. etc.
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As has been the case for the last few years now, the onset of the monsoon has inspired me to create and build something I can call my own. Whether it was this blog in 2008, Popular4Peanuts in 2011, or Deadline's Tonight last year. The idea of being the parent of a baby that you've conceived with love and devotion is unparalleled. Keeping the tradition alive, here is a sneak peek into what I've recently come up with. We call it VRfirst. Puneet and I started on this quest ever since we covered the Google I/O from our hostel room in Pune last year. The year gone by saw us experimenting with the awesomeness that is Google Cardboard. The device and the ideas that it inspired took me places. Goa being the most notable one.
It only seemed logical to take the next step when we saw our vision being echoed at the Google I/O this year. This has been the idea behind VRfirst. The baby is just about a day old and doing very well. Do pay it a visit and give it your blessings. Feedback can come to me.
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| My first 3D printed toy. Hopefully the first of many more! |
It only seemed logical to take the next step when we saw our vision being echoed at the Google I/O this year. This has been the idea behind VRfirst. The baby is just about a day old and doing very well. Do pay it a visit and give it your blessings. Feedback can come to me.
On India's 68th Independence Day, we asked a few Indians, what independence meant to them. Find out what they had to say!
Had been pondering over this for quite some time now. Guess it just had to happen. Hoping for the best!
This week saw Baba Ramdev turning from one kind of babagiri to another. I personally feel that he should stick to his forte- teaching people pranayam, and not try and politicize his approach towards Samaj Nirmaan. Wonder what's going on his head. Nadal and Federer are going to be head to head one more time and I currently saw Shahrukh Khan promoting his movie Ra.One on NDTV's Greenathon. Salmaan Khan's Ready released this week to a grand opening.
As I inch closer towards celebrating the first anniversary of my blog, the dil ki dhadkan is increasing and रक्तचाप also. The last few weeks have been breathtakingly beautiful thanks to friends and family. Special thanks to my Dad for providing me my Samsung Galaxy Tab. It has come home like a blessing in disguise. Times have been really good especially after India's world cup win but personal happiness still ranks first on the list of priorities.
ऐ ओबामा तूने लगाई ओसामा की वाट,
एक सुनहरे सपने की यह है एक नई शुरुवात.
इस बार तो तूने सच में कर दिया बुराई की खात्मा,
जरूर पिछले जन्म में रहा होगा तू कोई पवित्र आत्मा.
ओसामा ने जब किया वह काण्ड दस साल पहले,
तब से दे रहा हूँ मैं अपने घरों को पहरे.
अब लगता है कि ले लूं एक छोटी सी ब्रेक,
पर यह याद आ जाता कि ओसामा नहीं है सिर्फ एक.
तू आया था हमारे देस लेकर प्यार का पैगाम,
तब से छलका रहा हूँ मैं वही प्यार का जाम.
एक बार फिरसे आजा लेकर अपनी न्याय की टोली
ताकि इस बार हम मिलके उठा सके कसब और दवूद की डोली.
और अब की बार ले आना पिंकी-चिंकी को भी भाभी के साथ,
ताकि मिथुनदा भी कह सके, "क्या बात, क्या बात, क्या बात!"
Though Apple recently launched the iPad2, my father bought me a Samsung Galaxy Tab. The choice was mine. The money was his. Sindhis we are. So finding the best possible deal runs in our blood. It's been a little over three weeks since we bought it and boy, must I say that it's proved very lucky. Yes, it has!
India won the world cup, Anna Hazare launched the Jan Lokpal Bill, I found myself a goal to chase and connected with a whole lot of (new and old) friends. I'm not a geek, but the least I could do was know about the picture clarity. So here is an example of a picture shot by the new baby:
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This article is the property of Popular4Peanuts
Content by Sumit Gerela
Edited by Ashish Dilip Vaswani
Everything changes but the beauty remains, Apple obeys this law to its core..
Apple aficionados, this one is for you...
Content by Sumit Gerela
Edited by Ashish Dilip Vaswani
Apple aficionados, this one is for you...
'Tel laga' tops the list of catchphrases that I use. However, I'm going to make an exception this one time. I recently received a mail that had me thinking. Thought this was worth sharing...
Disclaimer: ashishvaswani.com does not claim to be the original source of the following extract from an email chain. However, this is a cause it supports very strongly. We are not responsible for misrepresentation of facts mentioned hereunder. Readers are requested to verify the authenticity of the following facts before taking any action.
Disclaimer: ashishvaswani.com does not claim to be the original source of the following extract from an email chain. However, this is a cause it supports very strongly. We are not responsible for misrepresentation of facts mentioned hereunder. Readers are requested to verify the authenticity of the following facts before taking any action.
रविवार का दिन आया तो सोचा करें आराम,
हफ्ते में इक दिन छुट्टी का, वह भी हुआ हराम!
भक्तिगीतों ने जब कर दी मेरी सुबह बरबाद,
तब पता चला कि इसी दिन हुआ था देश आज़ाद.
ऐसा भला क्या हुआ जो हर कोई झूमे-गाए?
रिश्वत लेने वाली जेब पर आज तिरंगा लहराए?
क्या मतलब इस आज़ादी का, हम तो अब भी हैं गुलाम,
अँग्रेज़ चले गये, तो बड़े बाबू को मिला सलाम.
कहने को तो आज़ादी को हो गये तिरसठ साल,
फिर भी मन में उमड़ रहे हैं कई अनसुलझे सवाल.
आज भी क्यों करती हैं नज़रें जन्म-जात का अंतर?
क्यों रह-रहकर उठता है प्रश्न-'यह कैसा परजा तन्तर?'
क्या मजबूरी है कि भाई है भाई के खून का प्यासा?
'चलता है!' कहकर क्यों हम खुद को दें दिलासा?
भूख, बीमारी, भ्रष्टाचार के कीड़े जब तक है यहाँ आबाद,
कैसे कह दूँ मैं कि भैया, देश मेरा आज़ाद?
हफ्ते में इक दिन छुट्टी का, वह भी हुआ हराम!
भक्तिगीतों ने जब कर दी मेरी सुबह बरबाद,
तब पता चला कि इसी दिन हुआ था देश आज़ाद.
ऐसा भला क्या हुआ जो हर कोई झूमे-गाए?
रिश्वत लेने वाली जेब पर आज तिरंगा लहराए?
क्या मतलब इस आज़ादी का, हम तो अब भी हैं गुलाम,
अँग्रेज़ चले गये, तो बड़े बाबू को मिला सलाम.
कहने को तो आज़ादी को हो गये तिरसठ साल,
फिर भी मन में उमड़ रहे हैं कई अनसुलझे सवाल.
आज भी क्यों करती हैं नज़रें जन्म-जात का अंतर?
क्यों रह-रहकर उठता है प्रश्न-'यह कैसा परजा तन्तर?'
क्या मजबूरी है कि भाई है भाई के खून का प्यासा?
'चलता है!' कहकर क्यों हम खुद को दें दिलासा?
भूख, बीमारी, भ्रष्टाचार के कीड़े जब तक है यहाँ आबाद,
कैसे कह दूँ मैं कि भैया, देश मेरा आज़ाद?
‘Tel laga’ is one expression that features amongst the most frequently used words in my limited vocabulary. It’s a milder alternative of asking someone to mind themselves or simply get lost, that I prefer over fancier cuss words. Plus I feel it sounds a lot cooler too!
I wish I could say the same about the gory images that I woke up to this morning:
Here’s what’s happened: two Panamanian vessels collided with each other near JNPT, Nhava Sheva, around 10km from Mumbai harbour last Saturday. The impact was so disastrous that it’s now resulted in one of those ships, MSC Chitra tilting at an angle of almost 80 degrees.
What’s even more horrifying is that almost 50 tonnes of oil from the ship has spilled into the sea, along with toxic chemicals from its 300 containers that tumbled out as well. Though authorities are claiming that the leak has been plugged and no more oil is flowing out, the ground reality could possibly be that there’s none left.
Fishermen and locals in the entire Konkan belt have already started experiencing the after effects of the catastrophe. And it is common sense that marine life in the region is going to bear the brunt. The precious few numbered mangroves around Mumbai are under an imminent threat.
But what’s interesting to note is that our netalog are least bothered about the issue. As usual, an ‘inquiry into the matter’ has been ordered. Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Environment and Forests, paid his share of lip service in Parliament today by saying that ‘suitable action will be taken’. Salvage operations are not going to begin before 13th August even as the Mumbai Port Trust loses crores in revenue since all functioning has been suspended indefinitely. All because we’re waiting for Dutch and Singaporean help to arrive.
Earlier this year, a major oil spill of an even larger magnitude had occurred around the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum (BP), which was found responsible for the spill was made to pay damages to the tune of billions of dollars by the US government. And though clean-up operations have still not been completed, the quick response of all authorities involved must be lauded. I wonder if we can expect the same in India. It’s not the lack of infrastructure, but the mere lack of intent that impedes our path to global supremacy. Until such a will to achieve this goal finds its place in the Indian psyche, there’s not much we can do other than enjoying the paradox of the rainbow below our feet...
Here’s a hilarious forward I got this morning about the future of UIDAI's UID program. For those of you not in the know, it’s a plan to have a centralized database of Indian IDs, something of the sort of a Social Security Number in the US…
Nandan Nilekani's dream - how the National ID card will work :
Operator : "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut . May I have your..."
Customer: "Heloo, can I order.."
Customer: "It's...hold on...889861356102049998-45-54610"
Operator : "OK... You're... Mr Singh and you're calling from 17 Jal Vayu.....Your home number is 2x26xxxx, your office 250xxxxx and your mobile is 09xxxxxxxx. Which number are you calling from now Sir?"
Customer: "Home! How did you get all my phone numbers?
Operator : "We are connected to the system Sir"
Customer: "May I order your Seafood Pizza..."
Operator : "That's not a good idea Sir"
Customer: "How come?"
Operator : "According to your medical records, you have high blood pressure and even higher cholesterol level Sir"
Customer: "What?... What do you recommend then?"
Operator : "Try our Low Fat Pizza. You'll like it"
Customer: "How do you know for sure?"
Operator : "You borrowed a book entitled "Popular Dishes" from the National Library last week Sir"
Customer: "OK I give up... Give me three family size ones then, how much will that cost?"
Operator : "That should be enough for your family of 05, Sir. The total is Rs 500.00"
Customer: "Can I pay by! Credit card?"
Operator : "I'm afraid you have to pay us cash, Sir. Your credit card is over the limit and you owe your bank Rs 23,000.75 since October last year. That's not including the late payment charges on your housing loan, Sir.."
Customer: "I guess I have to run to the neighbourhood ATM and withdraw some cash before your guy arrives"
Operator : "You can't Sir. Based on the records, you've reached your daily limit on machine withdrawal today"
Customer: "Never mind just send the pizzas, I'll have the cash ready. How long is it gonna take anyway?"
Operator : "About 45 minutes Sir, but if you can't wait you can always come and collect it on your Nano Car..."
Customer: " What!"
Operator : "According to the details in system ,you own a Nano car,...registration number GZ-05-AB-1107.."
Customer: " ?"
Operator : "Is there anything else Sir?"
Customer: "Nothing... By the way... Aren't you giving me that 3 free bottles of cola as advertised?"
Operator : "We normally would Sir, but based on your records you're also diabetic....... "
Customer: #$$^%&$@$% ^
Operator : "Better watch your language Sir.. Remember on 15th July 2010 you were convicted of using abusive language on a policeman...?"
Customer: [Faints]
The rupee has finally got its very own symbol and is touted to have joined the so called 'elite' club of currencies like the dollar, the pound and the yen by the media. So much so that sites claiming to have designed the rupee font in ASCII code are getting record hits. The rupee font made by Foradian Technologies was downloaded more than 10,000 in the first hour of release. Makes me wonder why everyone's suddenly going gaga over the entire issue.
Okay. Your currency's got a new symbol. So?
Does it buy you more sabzi at the sabziwala?
And you've also promised the inclusion of the symbol on the next batch of made-in-China keyboards. Big deal! Some over ambitious patriots have gone on to declare that the rupee will now replace the dollar on the keyboard. I'd love to see that happen!
On a more serious note, I don't understand the hue and cry over introducing a symbol that's merely a rip off of the euro and the pound. In times of rising inflation, shouldn't we be looking at giving a makeover to the economy than the currency symbol?
It's been a week since the so called 'Bharat Bandh' was called for by the opposition parties to protest against rising inflation. I wonder if it did anything but prolong the weekend for lazy bums who needed just another reason to skip work and stay home.
Some sources peg the total loss to the country at a staggering Rs. 2735 crores on bandh day. And while political parties such as the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are going around proclaiming how successful their band-o-bust was, a few serious questions need to be asked.
Why did the aam aadmi decide to blindly follow the diktat of a numbered few power hungry men who were doing nothing but salvaging their votebank with cheap publicity for political mileage? Why weren't the authorities stricter with mobs and anti-social elements when bandhs have been declared illegal by the Supreme Court? According to these strike-o-philic parties, how does calling for bandhs help the country to fight against rising prices which is actually a global phenomenon?
There sure were better ways to protest if that is really what these parties wanted to do. But who cares, when in India you can giftwrap your extended weekend and call it a bandh, all in the name of the great Indian political tamasha!
Some sources peg the total loss to the country at a staggering Rs. 2735 crores on bandh day. And while political parties such as the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are going around proclaiming how successful their band-o-bust was, a few serious questions need to be asked.
Why did the aam aadmi decide to blindly follow the diktat of a numbered few power hungry men who were doing nothing but salvaging their votebank with cheap publicity for political mileage? Why weren't the authorities stricter with mobs and anti-social elements when bandhs have been declared illegal by the Supreme Court? According to these strike-o-philic parties, how does calling for bandhs help the country to fight against rising prices which is actually a global phenomenon?
There sure were better ways to protest if that is really what these parties wanted to do. But who cares, when in India you can giftwrap your extended weekend and call it a bandh, all in the name of the great Indian political tamasha!
