NYPD Red 2 - James Patterson

This one is a straight whodunit - no two ways about it. We have a killer loose in New York. He seems to have made it his mission to punish those high-profile people who have managed to commit a crime and get away with it. He is recording their confession and putting them in a Hazmat suit after killing them. Detectives Zach and Kylie are under immense pressure to solve the case as the mayor's re-election campaign hinges on it.

A good read for those who like murder mysteries!

The Great Zoo Of China - Matthew Reilly

I am scarred, forever! Never again will I be able to visit a zoo without wondering about what will happen if any of the carnivores escape. :-( Sure, I did do a double take when the plot revealed that the Chinese have somehow managed to resurrect the dragons to create a park that will give Disneyland a run for its money. Sounds too Jurassic-parkish, doesn't it? But hey, the usual suspects (read Sergei, Yuri, Victor and assorted Russians out to destroy the world!) seem to have taken the back seat as our Chinese neighbors emerge as the bad guys. I could have done with lesser scientific explanation about the dragon revival process though. It appeared as if the author is trying hard to placate those readers who might say 'how on earth can the dragons be resurrected'?.

Well, at least the novel has a female protagonist who saves the day instead of the usual dare-devil superman. And though she has a perfect figure, she doesn't have a perfect face. :-)

http://raisingamathematician.com/

नीचे गिरे सूखे पत्तोपर अदबसे ही चलना जरा
कभी कडी धूपमें तुमने इनसेही पनाह मांगी थी

(Forwarded)

A puppetry workshop @ Churchgate

A puppetry workshop has been arranged by the joint collaboration between Samyak Kalansh Pratishthan and Government Vidhi Mahavidyalaya.

When: 27-29 December
Where: Government Vidhi Mahavidyalaya, Churchgate
Timing: 11am-1pm

Open for people of all ages.

(An ad in Loksatta)

The WSD - Heart Of Giving Calendar - 2016 is now available

I  received following email from WSD:

The WSD - Heart Of Giving  Calendar - 2016 is now available. The calendar is available at various outlets in Mumbai. (Please see list given below). It can also be couriered in Mumbai and also to various cities outside Mumbai (check with us on the courier costs depending on the no and type). It is priced at Rs 150 each. (Wall and Desk) as a donation towards WSD's sterilisation, immunization and health care programmes. For outside Mumbai orders, you can e-mail on wsdindia@gmail.com or call 022-64222838 and we can courier it to you.

Outlets in Mumbai

South Mumbai

Kala Ghoda

WSD Office: C/o Mr F. Broacha, 2nd Flr, Yeshwant Chambers, B.Bharucha Marg, Near Fab India, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai – 23 Tel : 64222838 

Nariman Point

Christina -  69, Obreroi Shopping Plaza, Nariman Point,  Mumbai, Maharashtra 400021 Tel :  2282 5069

Cuffe Parade

Shop no. 27, World Trade Centre, Next to Baskin Robbins Parlour, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai – 400 005 Tel: 9819930930

Fort

Sleight of Hand:  Trafford House, 6, Prescott, Opposite Queens Mansion, Fort, 400 001.

Churchgate

Dr Leena Dalal’s Clinic : Green Fields, Opposite Oval Maidan, Churchgate, Mumbai – 21 Tel: 66153497

Marine Lines

Dr Kurush and Dr Dipti's Clinic: Shop No 4 & 5, Silk House, JSS Road, Opp Kayanis, Dhobi Talao, Mumbai - 400002

Kemps Corner

Ibrahim’s Pet Shop :, Next to Crossword, Kemps Corner, Mumbai – Tel: 23806278 

Pawfect:  46, Hussain Manor, Bomanji Petit Street, Near Parsi General Hospital, Kemps Corner, Mumbai  -400026 – Lokeshi Agarwal - Tel :9820625092/6446 3129

Tardeo

Shake Hands My Pet Store - Shop No 8, Noor Mahal, Tardeo. Mumbai: 400 034  Tel : - 23515184

Baba Bazaar - 136, Tardeo Road. Opp HDFC Bank, Next to Everest Building, Sarvodaya Mill Compound, Tardeo - 23513096

  

Central Mumbai

Parel

Mumbai Fitness Club - Parel Tank Road, Behind Kingston Building, Shri Sai Baba Marg, Cotton Green Zakaria B, Abhyudaya Nagar, Parel, Mumbai – 400033 Tel : 98189 30930

Dadar

Dr Makrand Chavan’s Clinic : Shop No 1, Matoshree Tower, Kohinoor Mills Lane, Shivaji Park, Dadar – Mumbai- 28 Tel: 24380756

Kings Circle

Oh My Dog – Vora Bhavan, Kings Circle, Mumbai. Tel : 9820643128

Western Suburbs

Bandra

Paws and Furs : Shop No 3, Kailash,156, Waterfield Road, Bandra, Mumbai. Tel: 66990858

Tailwaggers : 16th Road, Behind Hawaian Shack, Bandra, Mumbai. Tel: 9820127572

Juhu

 Pawwfect, Shop No1. T135 Coalho's Compound (near Sangeeta apts). Juhu Tara Rd. Santacruz West, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 400049. Tel No :  9167719702

Andheri

Tailwaggers -  Shop No. 5, Excellency Building, near New Versova Telephone Exchange, SVP Road, 4 Bunglows, MHADA, Andheri (W). Tel: 9820507572

Eastern Suburbs

Ghatkopar

Pink Guppy Kids – S 61 – R City Mall, 2^nd Floor, Below Kidzania, LBS Marg, Ghakopar (W)  Tel : 8080809315

 P.S. Please phone and check with outlet about availability before going 

Art For Hornbills

The Art for Hornbills art exhibition concluded on December 6th. I received an email from them. Here is an excerpt:

If you were not able to make it to the exhibition in Bangalore, I would like to share this short film made by Adarsh Raju one our hornbill parents on the Nest Adoption Program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy5zQ7dzF4I

Please do watch and share with your friends and family.

We also have an online store for the remaining artwork set up for a very short period. If you were unable to make it to the show and would like to buy any paintings or fine art prints please use this link: http://www.artforhornbills.org/#!shop/ceb0

Elementary, S4, E4

I don't care much for Morland Holmes. But I am glad he stepped in when he did to give an opportunity to Watson and Sherlock to work for NYPD again. I wasn't too thrilled about their freelancing idea. The cases may not always be something to write home about but I like the duo working with Gregson and Bell. They make a good team :-)

Supernatural, S11, E9

Okay, I might have said this before and I will say it again - I seem to lose the plot entirely when it has biblical references.

Does God have a sister as per the Bible? What does she mean when she says that in her creation the world would be a blissful place? Will everyone in it be without souls? Doesn't sound like a nice place to me. I laughed out aloud when she touted one of its USPs as the place without any rules. Sounds very much like the world that we all live in - the one created by God :-) At any rate, I am not too thrilled about her hitting on Dean.

And just exactly what is going on between Sam and Lucifer? Is this series trying to portray Lucifer as gay? If not, why the references to sharing a berth inside the cage? All that explanation about the darkness damaging hell's defenses sounded like a lot of baloney to me. Surely Crowley would have caught on to it sooner or later.....unless he was in on the plot and that seems unlikely. I wonder what weakened the spells cast by Rowena. I suspect that she has done it to curry favor with Lucifer.

It might not be such a bad idea to shut her up forever in Lucifer's cage in the Season Finale. If Hell and Cage haven't tamed Lucifer, this surely will :-)

Raja, Rasoi aur Anya Kahaniya (16 Dec, Epic Channel)

This episode was about the food in the southern part of the country. An interesting story was told about the origins of the dish 'Aviyal'. When the Pandavas were supposed to stay in exile anonymously for a year, they sought refuge in the kingdom of King Virata. Bheem was employed in his kitchen but knew nothing about cooking. One day he just took all the veggies available in the kitchen and cooked them in coconut milk. The king liked the dish and we today know it as 'Aviyal'.

Mysorepak is one of my all-time favorites (just writing about it has me salivating all over the keyboard!). It seems I have to thank one of the Wodiyar kings for the sweet. He had asked one of his chefs to prepare some different kind of sweet. 90 years later, the descendants of that chef continue to make it.

Another interesting story is about the famous 'Patthar Ka Gosht' of Hyderabad. This one is connected to the Nizams that ruled the city. As the story goes, one of the Nizams had been on a hunting trip to a forest when he felt like having Kebabs. The chef, not having the kitchen appliances of the day at hand, looked around, chanced upon a slab of granite and used it to grill the meat. The stone imparted a special flavor to the kebab that the Nizam loved. When he returned to the palace, he ordered the chef to make kebabs the same way thereafter. Even today, the city households cooking the kebab in the kitchen grill it on a granite slab :-)

P.S. The program also mentioned that the Falaknuma palace of the city has a dining table that can accommodate 101 (100 guests + Nizam) people. The room where this table is kept has paintings of various culinary items on the walls. In the good old days, when there were no menus, the Nizam used to point out at one of the paintings and the chefs would fetch it for him. :-)

Techfest at IIT, Powai

IIT Bombay is hosting a science and technology festival called 'Techfest'.
When - 26 to 28 December
Venue - IIT Campus, Powai

Entry is free but carry photo ID

कितने काम लफ्जोमें जिंदगीको बयान करू
या तुम्हारा नाम लेकर किस्सा तमाम करू

(Forwarded)

A journey I hope to make one day....

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/MLkW6825GCJn2p9CnwwEFM/In-the-heart-of-Telangana.html

Rogue Lawyer - John Grisham

John Grisham has redeemed himself in my eyes. And how! After the disappointment called 'The Last Juror' I had lost interest in Grisham books. But the plot, or should I say plots, in this offering looked interesting enough for me to give the author benefit of doubt. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

And I am glad I picked up the book. The cases - from that of an addict teen framed for the murder of two little girls, to a botched invasion of an elderly couple's home by the bumbling SWAT team and the kidnapping of the the daughter of the assistant chief of police - make this book a total unputdownable. So pick it up only if you can devote sufficient time to read it. Believe me, it will be pure agony if you cannot get back to it on a daily basis :-)

I hope we see more of Mr. Sebastian Rudd :-)

Raja, Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniya

I think the last 4 episodes of this show are going to be aired now. I am sad that it is coming to an end because I had come to love this show. Anyways, yesterday's episode was about the food in the Northern part of the country. Of course, there was mention of Biryani, Kebabs, Paratha and so on.....

Two interesting stories were told. One is about the छप्पन भोग or 56 dishes that are served to Lord Krishna in the Krishna temples worldwide. The story goes that when Krishna lifted the Gobardhan, the residents of Gokul took shelter under the mountain while it poured around them, some say for a week, some say for a month. All this while Krishna made sure that the produce of the mountain sustained them. After the rain subsided the people thanked Him by offering him a feast consisting of 56 dishes. Hence the छप्पन भोग. :-)

The second anecdote is about famous गिलौटी kebabs of Lucknow. It is said that the last Lucknow Nabab Wajid Ali Shah's teeth weren't in good condition, thanks to his royal lifestyle. But he still wanted to enjoy his kebabs so the chef was ordered to cook up a kebab that would melt in the mouth. The rest, as they say, is history. :-)

Oh, and BTW, the Dam Biryani which is such a favorite dish of so many people had its humble beginnings as the food prepared to satiate the hunger of all workers who were involved in the construction of Lucknow's Bada Imamwaada. Who knew?

व्हॉटसेप वर एक व्हिडीओ पाठवला होता कोणीतरी. परदेशातलं कुठलं तरी शहर. त्यातल्या रस्त्यावर प्लास्टीकचा छोटा हाडाचा सांगाडा लीलया नाचवणारा कोणी अनाम कलाकार. दाद द्यावी असं, नव्हे, आपल्या नकळत दाद जाईल अशी हुकमत. तो सांगाडा तो कसा नाचवत होता देव जाणे. निदान मला तरी कुठे दोर दिसले नाहीत. बहुतेक चुंबकाचा उपयोग केला असावा. मस्त टाळी वाजवावीशी वाटली आणि मग लक्षात आलं की अरे, आपली टाळी त्याला ऐकू जायची सोय नाहीये. :-( अचानक मीना प्रभूंच्या रोमवरच्या पुस्तकातले केवळ लेखिका प्रेक्षक असताना सुरेख खेळ दाखवणारा म्हातारा आणि खेळ दाखवूनसुध्दा फार गल्ला जमला नाही म्हणून निराश होणारा असे दोन्ही कलाकार आठवले. कोणीतरी फॉरवर्ड केलेल्या मेसेज मधले 'हुनर सडकोंपर तमाशे करता है' हे शब्द आठवले आणि आतून खूप निराश व्हायला झालं. :-(

'पिंग्याचा दंगा'

बाजीराव-मस्तानी चा निषेध करणारे जहाल व्हॉटसेप मेसेजेस आता जरा कमी झालेत असं म्हणे म्हणेतो काल एक आला. आणि शेवटी धमकीवजा संदेश - मराठी असल्याचा अभिमान असेल तर हा मेसेज फॉरवर्ड करा नाहीतर तिकीट काढून भंसालीचा गल्ला भरा - असा काहीतरी. वा! म्हणजे हा मेसेज आणखी दहा लोकांना पाठवला नाही तर मला महाराष्ट्रीयन असल्याचा अभिमान नाही? हे ठरवणारे हे कोण टोकम्मजी? मी एकालाही फॉरवर्ड न करता तो मेसेज डिलीट केला. आधीच्या सगळ्या मेसेजेस बद्दलही मी हेच केलं. आणि पुढे आले तरी हेच करणार.

मला असं नाही म्हणायचं की भंसालीने जे केलंय ते योग्य आहे. ह्या गाण्याचा प्रोमो मी फार उशिरा पाहिला. बेंबीच्या खाली नऊवारी नेसून (हे असं नेसता येतं हेही मला तेव्हाच कळलं!) नाचणाऱ्या काशीबाई आणि मस्तानी, भोवती शनिवारवाड्याचा सेट आणि वर पूर्ण चंद्र बघून का कोणास ठाऊक पुलं.नी म्हटलेल्या राधा-कृष्ण आणि वरून उडणारं विमान ह्या चित्राची आठवण झाली. कशाचा कशाशी सुतराम संबंध नाही. पण भंसालीला का दोष दया? तो पैसा करायला पिक्चर काढतो. इतिहास दाखवायला नाही.

मग एखादी मराठी निर्माता-दिग्दर्शक जोडी का नाही एखादा चित्रपट काढत बाजीरावावर? उच्च निर्मितीमूल्य असलेला. इतिहासाशी प्रामाणिक पण महाराष्ट्रीयनांसोबत अन्य भाषिकांना सुध्दा बघावासा वाटेल असा. नुसते निषेधाचे खलिते पाठवून काय होणार?

Can someone please explain to me why I need to declare my political affiliation if I have to get the KYC done for any new investment? What if I say I hate all politicians? Will I get the lowest NAV? Doesn't the government have anything else to do than make the already complicated financial lives of us citizens even more complex?

All through last week the drivers of the cabs that I took to reach office drove as if they had a death wish. I am sure I must have thought of all the Gods that Hinduism boasts of.

So I propose that RTO take a leaf out of SEBI's book and color code these cabs on the basis of the risk that the passenger will be exposed to while riding in it.

Red - You better keep wide awake (with your eyes glued to the road) unless you want to make a claim on your Personal Accident Policy

Amber - You can risk a glance at your mobile from time to time and can keep your hands off the edge of the seat

Green - You can catch up on that long-overdue sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and with all body parts intact

I just wonder if we will see any Green cabs around ;-)

दुष्मनी हुई नही है किसीसे अबके साल
लगता है इस बार कोई दोस्त ही दगा देगा

(Forwarded)

Sunset in Mumbai...........

लोकसत्तात दिवाळी अंकांचं परीक्षण दरवर्षी इतक्या उशिरा का देतात कोणास ठाऊक. ते वाचून मग अंक शोधायला जावा तर कुठेच मिळत नाही. मला 'उत्तम अनुवाद', 'दर्यावर्दी' आणि 'ऋतुरंग' असे ३ अंक हवे आहेत. मागल्या आठवड्यात तिन्ही अंक कुठेही उपलब्ध नव्हते. शुक्रवारी संध्याकाळी स्टेशनबाहेरच्या पेपरवाल्याकडे सहज म्हणून डोकावले. खरं तर देवानेच बुद्धी दिली म्हणायची. कारण मागच्या आठवड्यात त्यानेही नन्नाचा पाढाच लावला होता. पण शुक्रवारी चक्क 'उत्तम अनुवाद' दिसला त्याच्याकडे. मी लगेच झडप घालून उचलला. विचारलं तर म्हणाला की आजच आलाय. म्हटलं आणखी काही येणार आहेत का तर कुठले हवेत अशी विचारणा झाली. मोगेम्बो खुश हुआ! लगेच 'दर्यावर्दी' आणि 'ऋतुरंग' हवेत म्हणून सांगून टाकलं. आता उद्या-परवा विचारते.

पंकजा मुंडेंनी शनी शिंगणापूरच्या वादाबद्दल व्यक्त केलेली प्रतिक्रिया वाचून हसावं का रडावं तेच कळेना.

आपल्या देशात 'सती' ही सुध्दा आधी 'परंपरा' च होती.
'विधवेचं केशवपन' ही सुध्दा 'परंपरा' च होती.

त्याबद्दल मुंडेंबाईंचं काय म्हणणं आहे?

Matheran

ना किसीकी नजर बुरी ना किसीका मुंह काला
सबका भला सोचे ७३२९ वाला

(Seen at the back of a truck)

Elementary, Season 4

I went 'here we go again' when the Season Finale of Season 3 ended with Sherlock staring morosely straight ahead, high on drugs. I almost didn't want to watch Season 4. And the opening shot of the first episode seemed to confirm my worst fears what with 2 dead prostitutes on a blood-soaked bed with Sherlock sitting next to them. Mercifully, it was only a replay of probably the Jack-The-Reaper murders.

I wasn't glad that Sherlock and Watson won't be able to work with NYPD anymore. Going by the way the FBI agents have been portrayed across countless shows so far (and this one is no exception!), their stint with the agency wouldn't have been anything to write home about. So I almost jumped with joy when the duo decided to take up Sherlock's father on his offer and get back to working with NYPD.

Here's to the team and a lot of interesting cases :-)

Supernatural

I missed last 3-4 episodes of the latest season. I missed the first one when I was down with fever. Though Dean, Sam and Castiel (certainly!) are normally a sight for the sore eyes, I was so sick that I didn't even think about watching the episode. I just lay in my bed wondering if it would be better to die instead :-) The fever was gone by the next weekend but the fatigue remained and it was a task to concentrate on anything for more than 5 minutes. I am sure I would not have been able to follow the plot even if I had parked myself in front of the TV. Then I sort of lost interest in the show for the next 2 weeks. Enough of the angel-demon fights, enough of the darkness and if the world is coming to an end, so be it!

Still, I followed the plot on wiki. Looked like the Winchesters were back to solving cases involving the supernatural. Castiel seemed to be back to his usual self (what a relief!) and Amara was in Crowley's care. So I tuned in this weekend.

Sure, I have never understood the whole concept of an 'imaginary friend'. So the idea that there is a whole supernatural tribe associated with it was a bit hard to stomach (totally with Dean on this one!) but the moment it was revealed that Sully is Sam's imaginary friend, it was plain that the whole purpose of this episode was to guide Sam to do what he thinks he must do.

Okay guys, Lucifer and cage and whatever else you are going to throw at us, please don't stop working on these cases. Because though they border on being ridiculous at times, they also act as a kind of pressure valve when the whole darkness-about-to-engulf-the-world story goes too dark, at least for my taste!

खमंग - दुर्गाबाई भागवत

पेशवे घराण्याचा इतिहास - प्रमोद ओक

पेशवे - श्रीराम साठे

जहर.....
मरनेके लिये थोडासा
लेकिन जिंदा रहनेके लिये
बहोत सारा पीना पडता है

(Forwarded)

Spectre (Spoiler Alert!)

Just for the record, and I might have mentioned this before (perhaps on multiple occasions!) that I don't like Danial Craig as James Bond. He has a tired, bored look about him which just doesn't suit the image of 007. It appears as if he is on his last legs and will keel over and die just before the titles roll by.

And I don't like Christoph Waltz as a villain though I have watched him only in 'Inglourious Basterds'. His Standartenführer Hans Landa came across as comical as if he had become a Nazi by accident. It looked like he has picked up in 'Spectre' from where he had left off in 'Inglourious Basterds'. Raoul Silva had creeped me out. But Blofeld sounded lunatic instead of being chilling.

Of course, neither of this stopped me from going to watch the latest Bond flick over the weekend because I wanted to see the plot and I wanted to see the action. The plot did look like old wine in a new bottle. An international organization that has its hands (or tentacles!) in every pie as far as terrorist acts and mayhem are concerned is an interesting premise, and does not sound like too much of a fiction in this day and age when every week there are acts of terrorism somewhere around the globe. But to say that Blofeld caused all the pain in the life of James Bond because his father dotted more over James sounds thinner than the quintessential British cucumber sandwich. :-(

The movie, however, did not disappoint me on the action front. Right from the helicopter scene in Mexico city down to the car chase through the streets of Rome, it was one helluva adrenaline rush. The helicopter scene was so engrossing that I even missed the moment when Sciarra falls
off to his death. :-)

I liked the old M and so don't care much for the new one. I liked the old Q and like the new one as well. He is a geek but someone who can still communicate with his fellow human beings :-) I can't make up my mind about Moneypenny - the old one seemed too old for James and the new one appears far younger than him. But I will live in mortal fear that one of the future offerings will show them getting personally involved - to put it mildly - given especially that the producers seem to have lost their touch when it comes to the Bond girl. :-(

If there is any truth to the rumors that this was to be Craig's last Bond movie, here's looking forward to a new James!

The moment I used the words 'thinner than the cucumber sandwich' I realized that I am going to have to look up how to make a perfect one. Here is one article that I came across. Needless to say, I am going to give it a try, or two if my culinary skills so far are anything to go by :-)

To let you in on a secret - having authentic cucumber sandwiches with tea is on my list of 'things to do before I die'. :-)

Raja (Not!) Hindustani?

Terror, sadly, has become a part of our life these days. If one decides to comment on it, one will have to post almost everyday. I watched the whole award-returning episode wondering why these people didn't act when anti-India speeches were being made in Kashmir in the past. Or is that acceptable? :-(

It was also sad to see the normally sensible Aamir Khan jumping onto the bandwagon. Aamir, seriously, do you need this kind of cheap publicity? If not, please be a man and answer the questions asked by Anupam Kher - especially the one about exactly which country do you plan to live in. Take a look at the newspapers if you haven't done so lately. The only safe place from terrorism (for people of all religion - because bombs and suicide bombers don't check people's religions before blowing themselves up!)might be in the deepest part of the Amazonian jungle. Do you and Kiran (incidentally, it was very clever of you to say that it was Kiran who asked if you should move to another country - given the fact that she was born a Hindu!) want to be there? If not, shut your trap and do something constructive about changing the present state of affairs. As Kher says, we need to spread hope - and not fear. We need to bring communities together rather than driving them further apart.

Because that's the only way we can fight terrorism and make this world a safe place. But only if you want to.

Last week I was going home in the evening by train when an incident happened that was a funny yet sad commentary on how terrorism has become a part of our lives.

The first class compartment had 5-6 occupants as usual. My attention was drawn to a woman sitting on the bench on the left side of the compartment because she was staring with a frown at the lady who was sitting next to me reading a book. I found her stare to be totally unwarranted and frankly, quite creepy. It was apparent that the woman was somewhat mentally unsound.

Of course, much to my relief there wasn't any trouble till the woman decided to get down at one of the stations. She reached into her bag and pulled out an orange that was very evidently not fresh. Then as she got up to leave she very casually threw it on the seat that she had been occupying (no one else was sitting next to her). Those who have traveled even once by Mumbai's local train know that it is best not to confront your fellow travelers - unless of course your life depends on it. So I just watched the whole thing as was the woman sitting on my other side. I turned to her, smiled and said that it is people like these that the Swachh Bharat tax must be levied upon instead of burdening the entire populace with it. She smiled as well and said that since the woman had been muttering to herself the whole time she probably wasn't mentally sound. The implication was that you can't expect anything else from her. True in a country where even sane people are known to litter. :-(

While she was talking my mobile had beeped twice because of whatsapp messages. I am afraid the beep sounds rather like the sound of a bomb ticking as shown in old Hindi movies or CID :-). Since I was talking to the woman I ignored my phone. But she was alarmed and asked me where the sound is coming from. I said it was my phone beeping to indicate incoming messages. It was comical, and sad, to see her relaxing visibly as she said that she thought the sound was coming from the abandoned orange.

We both laughed at this but I couldn't feel bad about the kind of world we live in. :-(

कमाल का ताना दिया है आज जिंदगीने
अगर कोई तेरा है तो तेरे पास क्यों नही

(Forwarded)

Tiffin - Rukmini Srinivas

Merchant In The Temple - Gianluigi Nuzzi

Avarice - Emiliano Fittipaldi

ह्या वर्षी अजूनपर्यंत तरी फक्त लोकसत्ता दिवाळी अंकच वाचून झालाय. "धनंजय" आणून ठेवलाय पण एव्हढ्यात वाचायला मिळेल असं वाटत नाही. २-३ दिवसांपूर्वी लोकसत्ताच्या दिवाळी अंकाच्या माहितीत 'आकंठ' बद्दल वाचलं आणि थेट आयडियल गाठलं. त्यांचं दिवाळी अंकांचं प्रदर्शन सुदैवाने अजून चालू आहे. तिथे 'आकंठ' तर मिळालाच पण 'मुशाफिरी' आणि 'भटकंती' सुध्दा हाती लागले. आणखी काही खरेदी करायची होती म्हणून 'दीपोत्सव' आणि 'किल्ले' घेतले नाहीत. प्रदर्शन ३० तारखेपर्यंत आहे तेव्हा पुढल्या आठवड्यात जाऊन तेही घेऊन येईन. :-)

Last week I received an SMS that the Swachh Bharat Cess (0.5%) will be levied on all Telecom Services in addition to the Service Tax (14%).

I wonder if the government will publish an account of how much money is received under this and how exactly it is helping to make India clean.

The Codex - Douglas Preston (Spoiler Alert)

This was the 3rd book in the Reader's Digest Select Editions and probably the one I was most excited about when I took a look at the plot summary of all 4 novels. Who wouldn't be? An inheritance worth billions hidden deep in the Honduran jungle in a tomb in an ancient Mayan city and the hunt for a codex containing medicinal knowledge from the same era. I can't honestly say that I was disappointed but I have to say that the novel didn't fully live up to its expectations.

To start with, the characters sound a bit made-up. Come on, in this day and age when the family ties are getting weaker by the day, 4 stepbrothers - one of them a native Indian - who care for each other sound totally fictional. A father who decides to hide himself and his wealth in a remote jungle of a foreign country also sounds a bit over the top. But it takes all kinds to make this world. I, however, could not forgive the author for not making full use of the place where most of the story takes place. You would expect mysterious stories, supernatural beings, curses and traps when it comes to an ancient lost civilizations but except for the lone case of the jaguar following the brothers, there wasn't much. And it all seemed nicely tied up in the end - like a Hindi movie - what with Max, an atheist, breathing his last after gazing upon the Lippy Madonna, all the brothers coming together as a family, Sally falling in love with Tom and the chief's wife giving the brothers the inheritance that was greedily kept by her husband. I was expecting either Julian or Borabay to be revealed as villains. Alas! That was not to be.

Well, all's well that ends well. But I must say that I was a bit riled when Max tells Vernon that if someone wants your money then the religion that they are preaching is bullshit and that it does not cost anything to pray in a church. Huh? Does the author really believe that any religion is represented by the people who preach it? What about the Vatican and its various scandals then? It doesn't cost anything to pray in any place of God - be it a temple, a mosque, a church, a synagogue or a gurudwara. In fact, you can pray within the four walls of your home and it won't cost you a cent. If God is omnipresent surely He can hear you from anywhere. But if you go for middlemen you will get swindled in any religion. Why take an oblique potshot at a particular religion?

Seriously, that was totally uncalled-for. On a positive note, the last few pages made me curious about Lippy Madonna so I checked on the net. It is a beautiful painting - one that fills you up with peace and joy, no matter what your religion.

The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - by Bronnie Ware

Ragi-Ragini - by Anjali Purohit

किसकी पनाहमें तुझको गुजार ऐ जिंदगी
अब तो रास्तोंनेभी कह दिया है की हर क्यो नही जाते

(Forwarded)

Social, High Street Phoenix

We have been to High Street Phoenix so many times that we have practically eaten at almost all the eating joints there - except for Social, which opened a few months ago. I had checked out their menu on Zomato and like it - both for its innovative dishes and a quirky take on the names of the dishes. I must confess though that since the pricing charged seemed to be less compared to similar fare dished out elsewhere in the city, I had my doubts about the quantity.

But of course I was not going to pass up the opportunity at checking out what's on offer so during the Diwali vacation we ended up there one day. It's not only the menu that is quirky, it's the decor as well - what with the charging outlets for your laptops and phones dangling right above the tables. The walls are adorned with equally quirky pictures - check out the drawing of the bus ticket from the bygone era, priced at 5.85 + 0.15 :-) Oh, and the menus are rolled like a newspaper and put in a container on the tables.

We opted for Kiran's Big Apple Breakfast and Sid's Very Posh Breakfast from their "Breakfast Trays" section and Chilli Chicken Black Pepper China Box from 'China Box' section.The things common to both breakfast options are - 2 eggs any style (we chose scrambled eggs for one and masala omlette for another), bacon, toast with butter, preserves and Choice of tea/coffee (we chose Cappuccino). While Kiran's Big Apple Breakfast is served with Blueberry Pancakes, Home Fries and Oreo Cookies, Sid's Very Posh Breakfast comes loaded with Sausages, Baked Beans, Grilled tomato and Hash Browns.

Sid's Very Posh Breakfast

First a list of what we liked - scrambled eggs, Blueberry Pancakes, Home Fries, Baked Beans, Grilled tomato and Hash Browns. Nothing, I repeat, absolutely nothing was wrong. They were just perfect! Thankfully, the list of things gone wrong is short. Masala omlette was bland - why, oh why, can't the chefs make it tasty? I swear I make a better one. Sausages tasted stale, no taste whatsoever. Bacon was way too much salty. Though the Cappuccino was good, in hindsight, I think I should have gone for either Chamomile tea or latte. And I honestly think that they should reduce the quantity of butter served. Even though there were 2 huge toasted bread slices cut into 4 pieces, there was way too much butter served to be fully used. I had to sadly leave some of it behind.

The menu mentioned that the 'Chilli Chicken Black Pepper China Box" would consist of chicken with crushed black pepper sauce and Bird Eye chilli on a choice of fried rice or noodles (we chose rice) topped with crunchy noodles. They forgot to mention the egg fry that topped the dish. But no harm done. This one was another perfect hit!

I seriously cannot wait to try more of their offerings. But I would like to see someone polish off their Dhingra's Punjabi Breakfast and Chocolate Blood Bath - in one sitting if possible. That would be quite a feat! :-)

Alex Through The Looking-Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers And Numbers Reflect Life - by Alex Bellos

My Rangoli on Friday:

The Various Haunts Of Men - Susan Hill (Spoiler Alert!)

I wonder if the fever has played havoc with my ability to enjoy books. I hope (and pray!) not. And there is plenty of room to hope because I really liked this one almost to its very end. Though the character of Freya Graffham sounded very much like countless other women in Law Enforcement (right down to the gorgeous part!) I didn't mind it in the least. The author has done a good job of creating suspicion about more than one characters. But the end left me more than slightly confused. Why did Karin feel shielded and cocooned in the end? Why did Aidan leave the tapes for Cat? And why was he killing?

That said, I wouldn't mind reading the remaining two parts of this trilogy - even if just for DCI Simon Serrailler ;-)

The Last Juror - John Grisham

Grisham has always been one of my favorite authors so I was very excited when I started reading this one. It however turned out that Will Traynor played the central part in this story and the murder of Rhoda Kassellaw along with the murderer Danny Padgitt acted as a mere backdrop. Though the novel gives a glimpse into the life in a small American town, it's not definitely what you expect from a John Grisham novel now, do you? I waited forever for the twist in the tale but the event that was probably supposed to be it felt like a huge disappointment.

Frankly, I am not sure why York Evening Press called it "probably Grisham's bets novel in a decade". :-(

फिजूल ही पत्थर रगड कर आदमीने चिंगारी की खोज की
अब तो आदमी आदमी से जलता है

मैने बहोतसे इन्सान देखे है जिनके बदन पर लिबास नही होता
और बहोतसे लिबास देखे है, जिनके अंदर इन्सान नही होता

कोई हालात नही समझता, कोई जज्बात नही समझता
ये तो बस अपनी अपनी समझ की बात है
कोई कोरा कागज भी पढ लेता है
तो कोई पूरी किताब नही समझता

(Forwarded)

The Little Book That Still Beats The Market - Joel Greenblatt

The Little Book Of Behavioral Investing - James Montier

The Little Book Of Value Investing - Christopher Browne

Note to myself for future trips:

Knuckles Hill Range and Sera Ella waterfall in Dumbara, Sri Lanka

Amsterdamse Bos

Art for Hornbills

When: Saturday, December 5th (1pm to 7pm) and Sunday, December 6th (10:30am to 7pm).
Venue: Chitrakala Parishath, No.1, Art Complex, Kumara krupa Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560001

Nine artists will exhibit original paintings, digital illustrations and photographs of hornbills nestled in an indoor tropical jungle complete with the soundscapes. The event will include a short film about the Nest Adoption Program and talks by conservationists and artists for more insight into art, conservation and hornbills.

All the artwork will be available for purchase and sales will benefit the Hornbill Nest Adoption Program. For those who cannot be in Bangalore for the event, a limited number of pieces will be put up for sale online.

Most of the proceeds will go into the HNAP fund to support their nest protectors during the next hornbill breeding season.

You can check out this website, http://www.artforhornbills.org/ for a glimpse of the artwork.

Facebook post https://www.facebook.com/Hornbill-Conservation-Program-NE-India-368922073135257/

1. लोकसत्ता - दिवाळी अंक २०१५

ह्या दिवाळीचा पहिला अंक. खरं तर पेपरवाल्याने कधीच आणून दिला होता. पण वाचायला सुरूवात केली ती काल. आणि आज वाचून पण झाला. कारण एव्हढंच की त्यातले 'विचारप्रवर्तक' वगैरे लेख मी वाचलेच नाहीत. माझ्या मित्र-मैत्रिणींपैकी कोणी हे वाचलं तर माझी खैर नाही कारण मग मी फारसं गंभीर काही वाचत नाही ह्या त्यांच्या नेहमीच्या आरोपाला चांगला भक्कम पुरावाच मिळेल. असो.

तर मला आवडलेला पहिला लेख म्हणजे नसिरुद्दीन शाह ह्यांच्या 'And Then One Day...' ह्या आत्मचरित्राचा सई परांजपे ह्यांनी केलेल्या अनुवादाचा काही भाग. शाह ह्यांनी चित्रपटसृष्टीत काम मिळवायला केलेल्या स्ट्रगलबद्दल ह्यां छोट्याश्या भागातही बरंच काही आहे. मूळ आत्मचरित्र वाचायला नक्कीच आवडेल. ह्यापुढले 'उदारमतवादाचा उदयास्त' हा अरुण तीकेकात्र ह्यांचा तर 'उदारमतवादाची हेळसांड' हा विनय सहस्त्रबुद्धे ह्यांचा हे दोन्ही लेख वाचले आणि मग ह्या दिवाळीपुरतं गंभीर लेखन वाचून झालंय अशी मनाची समजूत करून घेऊन पुढले दोन लेख वाचायचे टाळले. :-)

दिलीप प्रभावळकरांचे 'अनुदिनी', बोक्या सातबंडे आणि श्रीयुत गंगाधर टिपरे आवडीचे असल्याने त्यांचा 'निमित्त...मात्र' उत्सुकतेने वाचला. प्रभावळकरांनीही निराश केलं नाही. "हवंहवंसं तरणं गाणं" - डॉ. आशुतोष जावडेकर, "जुनं म्हणूनच सोनं" - जसराज जोशी, 'मी लेखक कसा झालो' - डॉ. रवी बापट, "भय इथले संपत नाही" - विशाखा पाटील हेही लेख आवडले. गुलजार ह्यांच्या कविता अनुवादित असल्या तरी वाचल्या आणि प्रचंड आवडल्या - विशेषत: 'पानगळीत जेव्हा पानं झडू लागतात", "झाडांचा पेहराव" आणि "त्या वळणावर पाहिलंय"". मूळ कविता शोधून वाचायलाच हव्यात. मात्र सेलेब्रिटीजच्या कविता फारश्या आवडल्या नाहीत.

"आमचे काही कन्नड लेखक" ह्या डॉ. उमा कुलकर्णी ह्यांच्या लेखातून कन्नड भाषेतील लेखकांची छान माहिती मिळाली. ह्यातल्या भैरप्पा ह्यांच्या 'पर्व' चं भाषांतर मी वाचलंय. ही भाषा कधीकाळी शिकेन असं वाटत नाही त्यामुळे हे लिखाण मुळातून वाचायला मिळेल ह्याची शक्यताही दिसत नाही. :-( "व्हेनिसच्या बिएनालेची गोष्ट" - अभिजीत ताम्हणे, "नाटकाचे गांव" - माधव वझे, "सुबत्तेच्या देशातला दुष्काळ" - संहिता जोशी, "आपली प्राचीन स्मार्ट शहरे" - रवी आमले, "तिसरे आगाखान" - न्या. नरेंद्र चपळगावकर, "भोवळ" - विनायक पाटील आणि "कथा पानिपतच्या युद्धकैद्यांची' - आनंद शिंदे ह्या लेखांतून अनेक नव्या विषयांबद्दल माहिती मिळाली. "आर्टूनिस्ट गोपुलु" हा प्रशांत कुलकर्णी ह्यांचा तामिळ कार्टूनिस्ट गोपुलु ह्यांच्यावरचा लेख तर आवडलाच पण गोपुलु ह्यांची चित्र सुध्दा मस्त वाटली. त्यांची आणखी चित्र कुठे पहायला मिळतील हे गुगलायला पाहिजे.

"शहरांतली जंगलं" ह्या सेक्शन मधले सर्वच लेख सुरेख. जर्मनीच्या राज्यघटनेने प्रत्येक नागरिकाला अरण्य-सहवासाचा अधिकार बहाल केला आहे हे वाचून तर माझा 'आ' वासलेला बंदच होईना. आणि इथे भारतात आम्ही असलेली झाडं तोडतो. आम्हाला कधी अक्कल येणार देव जाणे. :-(

Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China - by Ezra F. Vogel

How China Became Capitalist - by Ronald Coase and Ning Wang

And these are my contributions to 2015 Diwali so far:

This was done on Monday evening after coming back from office. I selected a random design from the book and used the color scheme shown in there. Really did it as a chore. :-( But it was difficult to put more energy into it.

 Tuesday evening design. The side patterns look decidedly tacky, I know. But they were added as an afterthought (without much of a thought!). Just couldn't stand all that empty space in the margins. :-)

 This is probably the best of the 3. The edges are a bit rough but the pattern is big. I didn't use the ready-made paper for making the dots but created my own, hence the big space between the dots and bigger size of the pattern.

There must be some trick to achieving a smoother pattern and I need to find it.

The Rangoli patterns created outside offices in the IT park:

Can't believe I have been missing in action since past 3 weeks. But a high fever and strong antibiotics can do that to you. I was convinced that I was going to perish and at that point it did seem like a good idea :-) The weakness lingered for days even after the fever was gone and the feeling of not wanting to do anything was absolutely horrid. I didn't even want to read. Imagine that! I wouldn't wish this even on my worst enemies (on second thoughts, I do, at least on some of them :-))

Thankfully, all that is in past. But I think doctors would do well to find some fast cure for common cold and cough. I cried at the thought of the antibiotics killing all good bacteria in my stomach along with the villains. Really!

Enough of the gory details and back to work......

Two thought-provoking messages that friends sent on occasion of  Dashera:

Ram is your soul. Sita is your heart. Ravan is your mind that steals your heart from your soul. Lakshman is your consciousness, always with you and active on your behalf. Hanuman is your intuition and courage that helps retrieve your heart to re-animate your soul.

महसूस किजीये कभी उस जलते हुये रावण का दूख
जो सामने खडी भीड से बार बार पुछ रहा होता है.....

तुम में से कोई राम है क्या

Happy Dashahara to you all!

आणि ही माझी शाळा - सेंट बाल्स उर्फ 'बालमोहन विद्यामंदिर'. अस्मादिकांनी ह्या शाळेत दहा वर्षं काढली.

हे पटांगण किती मोठं वाटायचं तेव्हा.....

हे शाळेच्या भिंतींवरचे काही जुने फोटोज.....

आमचे वर्ग एव्हढे लहान होते? का आता मी मोठी झालेय म्हणून हा वर्ग लहान वाटतोय?

आणि हे शाळेचं canteen! तेव्हा २५ पैश्यांना मिळणारा समोसा आता १३ रुपये प्लेट (एका प्लेटीत २ सामोसे) झालाय. आकार थोडा लहान झालाय पण चव तीच. तेव्हा मिळणाऱ्या पानाच्या स्वादाच्या गोळ्या मात्र आता मिळत नाहीत. :-(

How I wish I could go back to school......