Finally, the health insurance companies and so-called "Star" hospitals seem to have come to their senses. If the latest news is to be believed, then they seem to have reached an accord in which the hospitals are going to be divided into 3 groups based on their facilities and the procedures charged accordingly.

I cannot resist pointing out that I had posted the same suggestion on this blog a couple of days back :-)

Students dare rebels on I-Day

I would have completely missed out on this news if a friend hadn't forwarded it to me. Hats off to these students for standing up to the maoists!

Can someone please tell the news channels that we are interested in such positive news and not in who is responsible for preventing Sehwag from scoring a century?

This would have been hilarious if it were not for the millions of people who have been affected by the flood. But clearly our neighbors across the border haven't come across Mark Twain's famous quote: It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt. If they had, they wouldn't have blamed US, India and Afghanistan for the worsening flood situation there.

It's so typical of them to sit on the aid offered by India and go on with a begging bowl all over the world. If they don't care for their own people, why should India? With all due respect to those affected by this natural disaster, I think India should withdraw this offer if not accepted within a time limit. Let the world say what it wants.

It's time to show that there are limits to India's patience and generosity.

A शेर by late actress Meena Kumari:

आगाज तो होता है, अंजाम नहीं होता
जब मेरी कहानीमे वो नाम नहीं होता

Have a Good Evening, folks!

Have you seen the new Kitkat ad? Boy! Aren't the squirrels cute! But what I love equally is the completely 'zapped' expression on the face of the guy who is watching them singing their tiny hearts out. The message rings loud and clear too. Absolutely adorable!

Why the fuss about the ball that wasn't even a ball?

The News channels seem hell-bent on milking the Sehwag-Randiv-Sangakkara saga to the last drop till they find something juicier to sink their teeth into. Apparently, they haven't heard that "Three's A Company too" because now suddenly Dilshan's entry has turned the plot 'pitch'-dark.

I wonder what will one of my ex-bosses, who happens to be an American, make of this whole story? Years ago, he had remarked that he has never understood why the batsmen have to run with the bat in the game of cricket. I had, honestly, told him that I was equally foxed by why they throw away the bat before starting to run in the game of baseball. Needless to say, our discussion on sports had begun and ended there :-)

I think I should email him about this and see what his reaction is going to be on this ball that wasn't even a ball! ;-)

All Work, No Play

'All Work, No Play' is supposed to make Jack a dull boy! But I am not complaining because it kept me busy last Sunday. Ordinarily I would have fretted and fumed for having to work on a Sunday - even if it was from home. But last Sunday was 15th August. I have always believed that we should not have a day off on this day. Rather the citizens should involve themselves in some work that will better their neighborhood or workplace in general and the country in particular. Of course, it has rather been a case of "Who is going to bell the cat?". So I, liked the rest of my fellow countrymen have lolled about on past Independence Days - finishing a pending chore every now and then and thinking that watching old patriotic Hindi songs on TV is enough of a celebration :-(

This time it was different though, as I sat glued to my laptop for the better part of the day - so absorbed that I hardly noticed how the day passed. But even then, I did not miss the program "Total Recall" on Times Now channel. At the risk of sounding theatrical I would say that the sound of "Vande Mataram" from the movie 'Anand Math' increased the speed at which my fingers danced on the keyboard ;-)