Evolution??

Nothings changed really... except maybe for the learning that I shouldn't sing :-)

Yeh Hain India Meri Jaan - 2 ...

OK people here is the second installment of this series. This picture was carried on the front page of the print edition of DNA in Mumbai on the story of Sanju Baba's release from jail on bail.

Why is it featured here? Take a closer look and take a guess. If you don't want to put too much strain on your grey cells, then you can select the area below the "Spoiler" title with your mouse and find out why this picture is so essentially Indian :-)

Spoiler:
  The picture shows "fans" of Sanju Baba celebrating his bail from jail with a poster of him carrying two guns, the very reason why he was sent to jail in the first place! 


Many thanks to Angelo for the wonderful idea

Yeh Hain India Meri Jaan..

We know that India is a land of diversity and has surprises in store for even the most well traveled.

Will feature series of snapshots depicting our such little quirks which makes us so essentially Indian.

Presenting the first one. See if you can figure out what makes this picture so Indian :-)



And congratulations and all the best to Chitra for taking the step to quit smoking :-). I hope this article inspired her :P

Monsoon Fashion

First of all, many many happy returns to my sweet friend Soumya. She turns 16 today :-) and will remain that forever

And for the rest of you fashion conscious females, if you are wondering how to keep your feet dry this monsoon and at the same time wear something which goes with your well fitted jeans, you can try out the latest range of gumboots in really funky designs as depicted below.

Every Dog Has His...

... Autorickshaw!!

Today was a typical Mumbai monsoon day with the rains unrelenting for most part of the day. So much that the driver of this particular Auto abandoned it for the cozy comforts of the nearby tea-stall leaving Mr. Doggie to hike a free ride.

So now you know why all cabs and autos in Mumbai smell funny :-)

Hari Puttar Mania

Umm.. today the last book of the Harry Potter series is being released and it would be criminal if I didn't put up something to commemorate this maniacal event. But then I realized it would be equally ridiculous on my part to even try to write anything on this subject and come up with something original that hasn't been written or discussed about somewhere else!

Instead, I decided to add a little 'desi' touch to this whole affair and have come up with something I borrowed from a good friend. With just one shot, he has managed to combine Harry Potter with our own homegrown superhero Krishh and our mythological gods/goddesses who have been performing magical feats far greater than any Hogwarts trained wizard make their presence felt in the backdrop.


And yea, the suit did the trick for him at the Annual Ball for desi superheroes

Ayurveda Marketing 101

This has to go into history books as one of most innovative marketing ad for Ayurveda ever. Check out how they have managed to integrate humor and the Queen's language to showcase the depth of this ancient traditional Indian medical science. You see a lot of these posters at public convenience places, but this one takes the cake

The picture credit goes to a cousin of a colleague of mine. Click on the image for the bigger size and to read the content :)

Those Were the Days... (Good Habits)

For all those who grew up in the 80's this is something which will ring a bell and bring back a lot of memories from school. For those of you who missed out on these beauties, these charts were put up on our school walls and homes and were supposed to instruct us on a host of things, starting from how to cultivate good habits (this post), correct food habits, religion etc. to the more bizzare ones on how to greet your Japanese guests.

Now when I look back at these posters, I realize that most of them are sexist, stereotypical and were written in bad "Hinglish". But I guess the intentions were harmless and we should not really judge them.

Will continue putting up more of this stuff as I find them. Have fun... (Click on the picture for the bigger image)


If you want to purchase the book with the complete collection of such charts, you can order it from here

South Indians Cuisine

We have all heard of South Indian Cuisine, but this is the first time I came across cuisine made OUT of South Indians. If you don't believe me, check out the picture below


For all you ignorant people, Reddy's are a community in India, found mainly in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states. Since the store sold all types of edible Reddys, we need to know what all varieties are available and which Reddy flavor would be suitable for your palate.

Political Reddy

Reddy's are traditional village headmen and amongst the first non-brahmin community to actively participate in national and regional politics. Ten out of the twenty elected chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh hail from this community, including the current one Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. India got it's first edible President in the form of Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy from 1977 to 1982 (pic). This was the period when India implemented the Green Revolution and an edible President ensured that the country had enough food to sustain itself. So if you like your daily dose of politics and you have a preference for restaurant menus not delivering what they promise, be sure that you want your Political Reddy

Business Reddy

This is one of the new flavours introduced due to the changing economic scenario. The younger Reddys are losing interest in rural life and are becoming urban professionals and businessmen. A couple of notable ones are the current Governor of the RBI, Y. Venugopal Reddy and Shashi Reddy (pic),Chairperson and CEO of AppLabs, a leading IT services company. However not all of them are good for your health. Lakhireddy Bali Reddy, a prominent Landlord in Berkeley, California, was convicted in 2001 for immigration fraud and trafficking minors for illegal sexual activity. So if you like your power lunches, make sure you order your Business Reddy

Academic Reddy

Reddy's have achieved new frontiers in academics. They have managed to come out of the agriculture mode of older generations and have made a mark for themselves in sciences and arts. The more prominent ones would be Kallam Anji Reddy (pic),an entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical industry and the founder of Dr Reddy's Labs and Dabbala Rajagopal "Raj" Reddy, a world-renowned researcher in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Human-Computer Interaction. Raj is also a recipient of the Turing award in 1994, the most prestigious award in Computer Sciences. So if you like your food to have the precise mix of ingredients, which have been tested in the labs, then you should go for the Academic Reddy

Sporty Reddy

A not so popular dish. It was introduced in 1978 with the induction of Bharath Reddy into the Indian National Cricket team. But due to the presence of another stalwart wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, Bharath couldn't really achieve much. He played 4 tests ad 3 ODI's for India and was instrumental in discovering current talents like Dinesh Karthick and Lakshipathy Balaji. So if you are a sports freak and love your cricket, you can order this not-so-popular Reddy dish and be pleasantly surprised.

Arty Reddy

No it is not a name of a girl.

Reddy's have always dabbled in art and popular culture. Earliest recorded work of a Reddy would be of Gonabudda Reddy - 13th-century poet and translator of the Ramayana. Reddy's have produced a lot of famous film directors and producers like Bomireddi Narasimha Reddy and Pattabhi Rama Reddy. And who can forget the 3 hot saucy sizzling Reddy sisters, Sameera, Sushma and Meghna. So all you arty star struck foodies should not look beyond the Arty Reddy.

I have just ordered my Art Reddy and I hope it turns out to be Sameera Reddy.

Mumbai Fury

Hey people, it is still raining cats and dogs in Mumbai, the only difference being that today is a working day and had to come out. So brining to you how my journey from home to office was like in an auto.

Also a _|_ to Varun for missing out on the action here

Traffic Jam before the highway

Finally on highway

Still on highway

Water water everywhere...

Can you see a thing?

Extremely poor visibility

Fag end of the expressway

Happy to be still dry :D

When Hypnos Strikes

Zzzzzz.......

Location: Near Sion Station, Mumbai
Date: 20th May 2007
Time: 6 AM in the morning
User Mood: After being bitten by bed bugs all over the body, take a guess
What was the user doing: Coming back from Nanavati hospital after checking in an ill friend
Tip: Stay away from Joey's Pizza. Friend got food poisoning there