The voice tried to reassure me! The voice was calm and soft and said, "Shalom!"
“What?” I asked.

I looked up into the sun burning like there was no tomorrow! All it did was burn, burn and burn. It seemed that it was frustrated at something and an imperceptible pain seemed to fuel its anger. I stared at the sun. The voice was still ringing in the deep realms of my thoughts. Shalom! The word was echoing! Shalom! Reassuring, the voice was crystal! And I looked at the sun burning!

The blinding flame hurt, like a thousand needles pricking the eyes. The eyes watered immediately and I thought my eyes were bleeding. Yet my eyes didn’t flinch a bit. The pain started to ease, but the eyes kept watering and soon the world around me started to fade into an obscure darkness. And the world within, faintly, began becoming visible!

And in the painful and brilliant display of light I saw the truth. A truth so profound and horrifying, that it had to be shielded from the prying eyes of the inquisitive. And the sun burned, and burned itself, as though it knew what the truth was, as though trying to keep a secret of a million thousand years by burning itself out. Until one day when it runs out of its energy and getting tired it burns itself out! Leaving nothing but charred remains of an life that contended itself in keeping the truth out of reach cause it knew the truth and the deceptive world that we embraced.

I blinked. I couldn’t take it any longer. I didn’t know how long I stared at the sun. But I knew it was long enough to understand the truth. And I looked around and I saw people. People were everywhere I looked. And the numbers just kept swelling up. Oblivious to the fact! And I though! What would happen when they know the truth?

”Shalom!” I replied to the voice! “Shalom”, I lied. The devil knew that I knew the truth and since then I never heard her soft reassuring voice. I looked at the people with my burning eyes and wondered, “When shall I tell the truth?”

“Shalom!” I laughed!

It was well into spring and the sun shone in its splendorous best. I filled my chest with a breath of the cold morning air, looked towards the sun and closed my eyes; presenting a brilliant crimson screen displaying psychedelic patterns to the rhythm of the violins and a piano that played in my ears.

I sat there on my knees, holding my breath for a moment, letting the air cleanse my soul that sought absolution. I thought about life. I didn’t think about death, after all it was inevitable. 

I looked at life everywhere. And life looked the same everywhere. There was pain and anguish everywhere. Always! Everyone bent their back carrying burden on them, men, women, children, trying to find the way, trying to find their destination. Everyone traveled the same path, in their babelesque journey, only worried about the burden on their back.

Life is a strange being. It lets you see the magnificent vistas, it lets you see joy and happiness, it lets you see the amazing thing that this world is, yet it ensures you are blind.

To be completed at some point in time..

Now that the Left has announced that it would formally withdraw support to the UPA Government, the Congress (I) has come out strongly against the Left by issuing statements throughout the afternoon as well as putting up a brave face as the stubborn and embarrassed Prime Minister was in Japan attending the G8 meeting, with probably an hidden agenda to negotiate the deal further with Mr.George Bush.

A statement made by the External Affairs Minister Mr.Pranab Mukherjee, has ridiculed the common sense of the people of the country, by responding to a charge by the Left that the government was hiding key facts from the people of the country. According to reports from prominent media groups, Mr. Mukherjee said that that the full text of the India Specific Safeguards agreement could not be shared as it was a "Privileged" and "Confidential" document between the Indian Government and the IAEA. He added that the document could be shared with third parties only after going through procedures laid down by the IAEA. He also mentioned that those who want access to the details of the document would have to join the government.

There were three remarks in the minister's statement that insulted the intellect of the Indian janata.

1) That the text of the India Specific Safeguards documents is privileged and confidential: I agree that the document is confidential, but does that mean that it is confidential to the people of the country and the parliament, especially when the government has been very secretive about the document and the deal that could potentially affect the people? I would like to know what is so secretive in the deal that it cannot even be uttered and what will happen if the world comes to know about it. If it is National Interest, then the obstinate prime minister should come out with the truth in the interest of the nation.

2) That the document can be shared after going through IAEA dictated procedures: Since when have we become subservient to the IAEA and the United States? What made Manmohan Singh to shamelessly agree to the dikats of the IAEA with regards to sharing the details with the people and parliament of his country? The Prime Minister and his External Affairs Minister should have ensured that any agreement is beneficial to the country and in our own terms than to be submissive.

3. That those who want to have the access to the text need to join the government: Mr.Mukherjee that is pure black mail and unlawful in this country of ours! But who cares right? When the government of the largest "democracy" does not care about the parliamentary form of governance with a Prime Minister who has scant regard to democracy (that he goes after the loopholes in the constitution to become the Prime Minister), become blind and act like a dictator, then black mailing the janataa is no big deal I guess. Mr. Nukherjee, I do not want join the government, but I want to know why the government is hiding the details of the agreement.

So when the minister and the prime minister act in a dictatorial way what can we expect from the government?

Lord save this country!

You can read the news report here

If the 2007 Finals of the Wimbledon was considered as one of the best finals, this one was a magnum-opus of all grand-slam finals. You definitely could not have asked for more. All the elements were there, screaming fans, rain interruptions, over-ruling by the chair umpire, challenges by the players, and even fading light threatening too push the game to a Monday. And at the center of all this, Federer and Nadal, fighting it out in what could be dubbed as the best Grand Slam Finals ever (or atleast the best since I started following the game in 1985).

As the darkness swooped in on the center court, Nadal slumped on to the court on his back as Federer found the net on a short forehand, to become the new champion at Wimbledon. Nadal's win broke Federer's record of not having lost a match on grass courts since 2002 and also made him the become the first player to win both the French Open and the Wimbledon in the same year, ever since Borg who did the same 28 years ago.

Both Federer and Nadal, like in many of their previous clashes, tried to demolish each other without showing any disrespect to their opponent. But soon, as the match progressed, the spectators knew that a battle of epic proportions were in the making. Nobody moved from their seats, both in the grandstands of the Center Court or at the adjoining Picnic hill, where hundreds had thronged in to see the game on the big screen put up there, braving the two rain breaks and almost total darkness that seemed to hover above the lawns and I guess the scene was same in millions of homes where people were glued to their television sets. The drama twisted and turned as it meandered, thorough, each point, game and set before this unadulterated sea-saw battle ended in the final quarter of the fifth hour, a few minutes before the sun bid good night to city.

Nadal's seemed to have been running away to a straight sets win as he won the first two sets, before Federer produced some of his magical skills to stay in the match. Nadal matched Federer point for point, slice for slice, shot for shot and both of them were stretched on the baseline, with Federer making most of the moves to the net. Both of then held serves towards the end of the third set as they pushed it to a tie-breaker, which Federer won without much of a sweat. At this point Federer seemed to be gaining some of the lost confidence which Nadal had shattered at Roland Garros. But Federer showed why he is the champion of the game as he clawed back into the match with some sparkling passes and some excellent net plays. Without giving a quarter, both the players pushed the fourth set too in to a tie-break. A couple of unforced errors from Federer saw Nadal racing ahead to 5-2 on service, just two points away from the golden trophy. Nadal double faulted first and then found the net for the second point, to give Federer space to get back. And a champion does not lose chances gifted. Federer produced two stunning serves to take the lead by a point. Both of them did not give any quarter as the tie breaker stretched the fourth set further with rain clouds hovering above as though waiting for one of them to give up. Both of them pushed each other to the edges of the court, danced and stumbled through the center of the court, before Federer closed the set at 10-8, in the process splitting the match right through the middle.

Even the rain clouds seemed to have forgot to precipitate as the drama proceeded towards into the fifth set and towards the fifth hour.  Both of them making each other earn each and every point. And when the score board showed 4 hours and 56 minutes, with everyone on the edge of their seats, the clouds gave in for the second time in the match, with the scores tied at 2 Sets each, 2 Games each and 40-40 in the fifth game of the fifth set with Federer serving. Such was the state of the match, almost throughout and when the match resumed after the rains, nothing seemed to have changed. Both the players seemed have some secret reserve energy in them, which they seemed to switched on. The fifth set went on without a break. 12 games into the fifth, the ref reset the number of challenges to 3 each for the next twelve games. But these two were on a different league all together to be bothered by the number of challenges left. And as the game entered the final quarter of the fifth hour, Federer snapped in the 15th game as Nadal, broke his service. With hardly much light left, Nadal stepped into serve for the championship. And soon he had two championship points. Nerves were high, not just for the players, but for the spectators, the referee, the lines men and women, the ball boys and girls. Nobody could afford to make a mistake now. Such was the heights of the match. A down the line passing shot by Federer saves one match point. Federer had not been through these situations much in his career, but had enough in this one match alone. Federer was unable to control one of the returns from Nadal, hit the short forehand into the net, as Nadal, slumped into the court amid flashing light bulbs from the cameras announcing the end to the battle which starter around three in the afternoon Local time.



The mutual admiration the both have for each other is what makes the contest more interesting and the crowds riveted to this form of pure and unadulterated game. A look at the match stats would show how Federer gave the match away, one in which he seemed to be the shadow of himself at finals at Roland Garros this year. Federer made 52 unforced errors as compared to 27 by Nadal and he could break Nadal's service only once, that too early in the second set. However, nothing to be taken away from Nadal, who stretched in each point to negate what would have otherwise been pure winners from Federer.

For Nadal, it was a dream come true, with four previous Grand Slam titles in the form of French open, this was the one he always wanted to win as Federer announced amidst applause from the crowd that he would be back next year as he acknowledged that he was beaten on the best court by the toughest opponent. Nadal, walked in to gather the trophy in the darkness of Wimbledon, amid the bright light of hundreds of camera flashes, which now he possess after three attempts. Finally all his, as he said that Federer was still the champion and number one and that he had won it five times, but for himself it was his first and it was special.

How gullible is our media? How much do we trust them when they say, "reliable-sources" "not wanting to be named or identified" etc. How much of the news on our mainstream media is true and what percentage is not "sexed-up"? Tough one?

My conjecture is that except for the weather and the scores in the various sports news, everything is sexed-up for editorial compliance. This is the age where rumors are considered as authentic news and then there would be detailed analysis of these rumors as to how it is going to affect everyone (in reality, no one).

An hilarious prank, pulled out by a Goan blogger-group by the name of Pen Pricks, shamed many of India's media biggies and exposed them.

Many of the media houses in Goa and Karnataka received an e-mail from the Hamman Smit, the press officer for Perus Narpk, on Shede Road in Berlin, the Intelligence Wing of the German Chancellor's Core (Whatever that was supposed to mean) claiming to have captured a Nazi war criminal for allegedly having killed thousands in a concentration camp called Marsha Tikash Whanaab. The e-mail, it is claimed, contained a detailed press release where it described how the octogenarian, revealed his identity to an Israeli couple at rave party in Goa following which he was nabbed near the border of Goa and Karnataka.

However, the adrenalin leaking faux-media of our country failed to read between the lines of this hoax and exposed their immaturity in the business they are in and at the same time revealed the tenacity and zeal with which they publish vague news articles as authenticated by "unidentified sources" who "do not wish to be named" (most likely the illusions of the writer who might be on a high).

You name it, Times of India, Indian Express, The Telegraph, Deccan Herald, Rediff.com et al, jumped in to damn the 18th century German musician as a Nazi criminal, in hilariously detailed news reports some of which reported in detail as to how Bach traveled around the globe before he "reached India", "got apprehended", and got "airlifted to Berlin". Some of these media, even damned the Indian police and authorities for not having any clue of the covert German operation, that in reality never took place.

Apparently, Perus Narpk is a anagram for Super Prank and the concentration camp of Marsha Tikash Whanaab did not exist (not even on the internet) uptill yesterday when the hoax was revealed by Pen Pricks. There were many clues that these so called journalists and editors did not catch when the author of the e-mail told he was "hamming" and that his office was on a "shady road" in Berlin and that his office had a name which was an anagram for Super Prank. 

The hilarious "story" is still available on the website of The Telegraph, which even has a map showing the travel path adopted by Bach, Indian Express and Deccan Herald. According to the map on telegraph, Bach having traveled to Yemen is "unconfirmed", which means, they were able to confirm the rest? The story on DNA is even more funny, where they added a new twist to it. They claimed that Bach an "alleged accomplice of Adolph Hitler" was "nabbed" by Indian authorities along with the GCC (German Chancellor's Core) and that Bach gave them a slip "while being transported in a taxi and entered the Khanapur forest in Belgaum district on the Goa-Karnataka border" where he was caught again.

Poor old Bach, must be turning in his grave. O' God! Where art thou? (wiping tears after a good laugh)

Pen Pricks' is a group of journalists from Goa who manage a blog by the same name, the purpose of which, according to the blog, is to "Discover the rotund flanks and the shaggy underbelly of the Goan media. And of course, the rare honest rib."

This is a the final part of the open letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to refrain from going ahead with the nuclear agenda currently being considered by this government. Read the first part here.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

A story on Democracy

A promise is promise, not the kind your kind makes during elections, but a promise I made to you last night about writing once again to you. But how would you know the promises made by your colleagues, you never have been to the people asking for votes. You have always entered the corridors through the backdoor! Talk about being the largest democracy in the world. One suggestion that I would like to give you Mr. Prime Minister, never ever utter the word 'democracy' in front of others. People would laugh in your face. You have a ignominious 100% record of being rejected by the people when you stood, for the only time, for the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency. I feel like shouting loud into the vast void, "India, the worlds largest democracy! Ruled by a person who did not stand for an election.!"

So the news channels were saying that all the parties involved in this current situation are standing their ground and they would be the Left Front and yourselves! Can't you see Mr. Prime Minister, at this juncture it is only you who is favoring this deal (I am not counting on the entrepreneurs who would benefit from US contracts through the backdoor of this deal, if it goes through). According to the news channels, it is you who has to take the decision and you have not backed off. Have you taken this as a 'prestige issue'? Mr. Prime Minister, who has given you the right to decide for this country of mine? Don't tell me that you represent the people of my country. No, you do not represent the people of my country, infact, morally, you should not even have had accepted the position of the Prime Minister when you very well knew that you are not going to stand in an election.

On my way to work, today morning, I saw this old man with a, once-upon-a-time-white, turban, dhoti, and a tunic like dress sitting next to the bus-stop, asking for alms. I wondered, does he vote? And if he did would he vote for your government? Well I don't know if he would vote at all and if he wanted, he would need to have his name on the ubiquitous 'voter's list', and to be on that list, he would need to have a home, and if he had a home, he would be begging on the streets! When I saw this person, I understood what you meant by "Aam Aadmi"! Someone who does not even have the power to vote and I am sure there are millions of these in this country! Everywhere, In metros, cities, towns, villages, buses, trains, bus-stands, railway stations, roads, everywhere! Now, are they the citizens of this country? No, because as per the official records, these people do not exists and if they do, where? You wouldn't be able to say that because they do not have an address! Now, this aam aadmi only needs food, shelter and medical care for his family and himself. He does not care much about where the sensex is heading or about the sops your finance minister gives to industrialists while he squeezes the tax payers. And for that matter he doesn't care a damn about the nuclear energy you are proposing!


How Much Money is Rs.200,000 Crores?

You are an economist, right Mr.Prime Minister? So what does economics mean to you? I will tell you what it means to me. For me it is a tool for the proper entitlement of the lowest common denominator of our country to the highest and not for one particular class, which is your definition of the economy! Now to talk about the economic reforms that you initiated almost two decades back, what has it achieved? Yes the coffers of the country has been full and overflowing since, but who benefited from these huge amount of foreign exchange? I wouldn't be surprised that if you mentioned about a particular class of people. Now what is peculiar about the particular class of people I am talking about in the last two paragraphs? They have money?

Being an economist, I understand that you would know what the term, "Cost-Benefit-Analysis" means. A tenth standard student would be able to tell you what it means. But the way you have been preaching the benefits about this deal, throwing in jargons like, National Energy Security et al, makes me wonder as to what you make up of the citizens of this nation. A couple of weeks back, you went on national TV to explain to us as to why your team had to jack up the prices of petroleum products. Mr.Prime Minister, I was appalled to see that quirky speech of yours in which you hoodwinked the people of this country by using certain terms so that it would sound something different than what it actually is supposed to mean. Yes Mr.Prime Minister, I am talking about the term "Under Recoveries", which you so eloquently used to mask the reason for the rise in petroleum products. There was an article in the recent edition of Frontline which threw open this hoodwinking tactics employed by you. As you may know, the oil marketing companies are making dirty profits even now, as per their financial statements. So as per the article, were you really Fudging Facts?

Inspite of so much of opposition to this nuclear deal with the Uncle Sam, I do not understand that why you are hell bent on getting this on, inspite of the knowledge that economically, this deal is not going to do India any good for its National Energy Security?  The current installed nuclear capacity accounts for only 3.2% (4120 MWe) of India's energy generation and even if it is increased by 100% by 2016 (per your proposed deal), it would amount to a little over 6% of India's energy generation, considering that other other factors are the same. By the end of the Twelfth Plan (2012-2017), it is envisaged that the total generation is expected to be 275,000 MWe of which the nuclear component would be 13,880 MWe, accounting to 5% of the total generation. The target for Department of Atomic Energy is 20,000 MWe by the year 2020 which does not look possible unless India imports, provided the Nuclear Suppliers Group relaxes its export guidelines, if the current deal goes through. Mr.Prime Minister, you have once said that we should be targeting 40,000 MWe of nuclear energy by 2025. But where would we get this unless we import reactors form the US (Why US?) and provided the NSG relaxes its rules. Going by estimates, we will be able to generate 10,000 MWe of nuclear energy using indigenous reactors while rest of the 30,000 MWe needs to be imported. The estimated cost for every MW of nuclear energy that we import is about Rs.11,00,00,000 (11, Crores/1 crore = 100,00,000) and by this estimate for 30,000 MWe it would cost us Rs.33,00,00,00,00,000 (3,30,000 Crores). On the other hand, if we generate the same energy through Thermal power, it would cost us Rs.4,00,00,000 (4 Crores) and Rs.3,00,00,000 (3 Crores) by going the Hydro-Electric way. So the difference in cost is about Rs.2,00,000 crores. The Planning Commission (of which you are the chairman) has estimated that India has the potential for generating 150,000 MWe  using the Hydro-electric power. R.Ramachandran had analyzed this clearly in "Getting Critical". I am sure you must have read this.

So Mr.Prime Minister, why is there a huge gap in the estimates given by the planning commission, your claims of National Energy Security and the targets mentioned in the twelfth plan?

Do you understand how much money is 200,000 crores? 99.99999999-% of Indians wouldn't know, because you wouldn't tell them what it means. This is the kind of money that is required for social welfare, the kind of money that would ensure that no Indian goes hungry, to ensure that every Indian gets medical care, and to ensure that all children get quality education.


What is the truth?

So why are you hell bent on going ahead with this deal when the facts and figures do not match up to your claims? What is in it for you? What is the truth behind adding an additional 20,000 MWe into the existing target of 20,000 MWE target by 2020 in the Mid-Term Appraisal of the Tenth Plan, just months before you went to meet Uncle Sam? Or did the planning commission had prior knowledge of what was to happen at Uncle Sams, considering the fact that the planning commission in its appraisal has specifically mentioned that the nuclear fuel for this needs to be gotten from 'competitive terms'!

And all this when you know that the people have not yet chosen you as the one!

As an end note, I urge you Mr. Prime Minister, that atleast from now, you be worthy of the post you are holding and start working towards social development causes than just being a mere prophet of a particular class. I know you are a good man, every one is, its only ones deeds that differentiates people.

I am getting the tea ready, if you would like the pleasure of having tea with me Mr. Prime Minister.

This is a multi-part open letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to refrain from going ahead with the nuclear agenda currently being considered by this government.

Dear Mr.Prime Minister,

I know all is not well in New Delhi and that the biggest concern with the government today is not the well being of the people of this nation, but the survival of the UPA government. This is one of the most appalling truth that the citizens of this country has to deal with. We, the people of India, sent you people (MPs) to the corridors of power, so that you can work towards the well being and  for the welfare of the people of this country, whom your party would like to mock as Aam Aadmi. Mr.Prime Minister, let me tell you that the term Aam Aadmi is the most derogatory term that you could call the citizens of this great nation. What makes you believe that you yourselves are above the rest of us Aam Aadmis that you had to refer to us with that term? When you call us as 'Aam Aadmi', does that mean that we are of low cast in this modern day society, untouchables who live at the mercy of people whom we gave a job, a job of running this country? It just shows the kind of respect you and your coterie of ministers have for the very people who made you what you are! Do you wonder about the morsel of rice that you eat everyday, is the sweat of someone who broke is back because of the policies that you have enforced, ensured that he cannot eat the same morsel that he reaps? And what do you people do all day in office? I wonder Mr. Prime Minister?

Before I come to my point Mr. Prime Minister, let me clarify that I am not writing this letter to make you realize your actual job. I hope you already know that! I needed the above preamble to discuss something of grave importance, which if you understand, which I presume that you will, will help you in addressing some of the most urgent matter that needs to be looked into. Right now Mr. Prime Minister, I am going to ask you some questions. No, this not an examination, nor do I suspect your knowledge on the subject of Indian people, just make a mental note of these questions! Let me clarify, that I do not want the answers, it is for you Mr.Prime Minister. 
1. How many people in this country, have access to food and clean (Repeat: Clean, not the one that comes out of the Municipal taps) drinking water, for every day of their living life?
2. How many people in this country have access to free medical care?
3. How many children have access to free education in place of 'free' employment?

Now let me come to the point Mr. Prime Minister. Billions of bytes, loads of news print and billions of dollars (That is the currency you like, right?) worth intellectual time have already been wasted on this piece of alien crap called the Indo-US Nuclear deal! The other day, one of those, so called news channels was airing a news story, which they claim was something about what you said to your party's supreme commander, in relation to the pet deal that chanced upon on your last visit to uncle Sam! I don't know  how true these news channels are, but according to them, you had expressed your desire to quit as the Prime Minister of this great nation, if the Indo-US deal does not get through! Personally I would want both of that scenario unfurl, Mr. Prime Minister. No hard feelings, but your demonstration of running a country has not caught my fancy a bit Mr. Prime Minister. Excuse me for the coming digression, but the supreme commander of your party makes me laugh. Sometime I wonder who runs the country, you and your ministers or the supreme commander? Or have we stepped back into history when this country was run on feudal system? You have this Zamindaar, and a lot of his cronies seeking the next order as to what to do next? Or am I missing something? Oh well, you still refer to your people as Aam Aadmi, right? 

Mr. Prime Minister, I have about ten minutes more today. You see I have a life of my own in which I have my own little things to do, that cannot be postponed. You see, it is like this, as the Prime Minister, you need to know if your people have the time or not to interact with you and not the other way round, after all you are their servant, right? Someday, I will invite you over for a cup of tea, the kind of tea that we untouchables drink! And you can go back to the corridors and say with pride and boast to your coterie and supreme commander that you had the chance to have tea with your people and that I actually took out some time to chit-chat with you and that you shook hands with me!

I apologize for not having discussed what I wanted to, but I promise that I shall write to you about it tomorrow. How can I not Mr.Prime Minister, after all, the future of this great nation of untouchables depend on our discussion. Right Mr.Prime Minister? Until then, I suggest that you keep your hands off that dreaded document, you wouldn't want to disappoint me, right Mr.Prime Minister?

Yours Truly,
FreaKo
Not an Aam Aadmi   

Read Rahul N.R's review on this book at Impressions 'n Expressions

How many times have you heard of the shining multistory buildings and swanky malls of urban India and about the poetically beautiful earthy smells of its villages and pristine streams that run through it. The sarees and the elaborate weddings and the innocence of its children. And then take a look at its (India's) underbelly! And you see an India that no one talks about or dares to mention, of its stinking sewage running through the middle of the road or the dirty pigs feeding on the feces and uncles with tuberculosis and aunts who are on death beds, of conniving grandmothers and hospitals where goats roam about with no doctor. The real India that we do not want to admit about! The real India that you do not see on NDTV Nightout!

Arvind Adiga's debut novel is not about sweet and earthy India. It is about the people who live in the "Darkness" caught up in the "The Great Rooster Coop". It is a morbid tale of how Balram Halwai, escapes from the darkness and into the light to become one of India's entrepreneurs who keep the motors of its economy running.

Balram, is the white tiger, who got the nick name from one of the school inspectors who promises him a scholarship because he was able to spell words as compared to others in the class. A white tiger is a rear phenomena, which happens only once in a generation. But as fate would have it Balram would have to quit school, half baked, so that he can go and work for the landlord to repay the family's debt. Balram wants to escape the drudgery of the darkness and he ends up being the driver for a landlord's US returned son Ashok and his wife Pinky Madam, a job that takes him from Darkness to Light, to the city of Delhi. Balram's anger has no release yet he is an humble servant to his master, a trait that can never leave anyone who has come from the lower pecking order in the Rooster Coop. He has learned to siphon fuel from his master's car and makes inflated bills for car repairs, while the master bribes government ministers, who also act as pimps for fair skinned prostitutes, with big red bags of money. Balram is desperate to get out the life from the darkness, so much that he is willing to sacrifice his family, whom he thinks of nothing more than a burden throughout his life! The turmoil in his mind leads to one incident after another and also a cold blooded murder.

Everything in the book is subject to scathing comments, democracy, family, fat politicians anything that Balram encounters! But the biggest success of the book lies in the way Adiga has portrayed his characters, Balram and his anger, the helplessness of Ashok his master, the landlords, the servant class who live in the basement and his family in the darkness that never ceases to fight. Adiga's book is raw, angry and in your face and shows where the real India is at the same time being funny too.

This is an impressive debut novel in which Adiga has definitely showcased his literary talent, the kind that would want you to reach out for his next.

This post is not available on Oh God! Where Art Thou!

Not so long ago, there was a country cozily tucked away between the deep seas and the big mountains. In this country there was a not so typical home where lived artisans, farmers, business men, thieves, criminals of all kind, the rich, the super rich, the billionaires, the poor, the beggars, the lepers, the orphans and many unknown people, as one little family. This was a strange family. No one trusted anyone and everyone had to pay for their daily ration of food and water. Whatever they wanted, the father of the house would provide it, but only if someone paid for the services. Now anyone in the family could earn the money however they wanted. The could work outside the house and earn money or they could work for the family and earn money.

To the neighbors this family was a role model as they envied the fact that how lavishly they were living. Indeed there was lot of money flowing into this little not-so-long-ago unknown family. Everything was hunky-dory in this little house as some of the people had work and the father used take notice, albeit, occasionally, of the the needy who had no job. This was till the father gave all the little money the family had to an old little boy and told, "Son, the family's wealth is in your hands, spend it carefully." The prodigal son of the family knew that this wasn't much money to buy lollipops for him. So he thought, how he could get more money to buy more lollipops so that he can share it with all of his friends. He told his daddy that he does not have enough money to treat his friends and daddy replied, "Sonny, you have all the money we had, now it is upto you to find out a way to double it." The little boy very well knew that the money will not double on its own, that the concept metamorphosis was not applicable to money. He kept thinking and thinking. All night and all day!

One day he ventures out of the house and sitting by the great big mountains he realized that he would have to sell something to make more money. He told daddy dear about his plan and daddy dear did not approve it. So all through the night he bugged daddy dear and by day break an agreement was reached. In the morning, he took all the gold of the family and pawned it. This was when the family saw so much money. Ofcourse, for the little kids in the cradle, it did not matter at all. Soon everyone clamored for their share.

Every able bodied soul of the house got addicted to the dirty stench of money and they started doing little business to get more money. The prodigal boy wanted more money so he sold the kitchen of the house to someone. Now everyone in the family had to pay the owner of the kitchen to get food and it was expensive. But for those little babies who could not work, let alone they could not even speak, went hungry most of the days as everyone was busy trying to make money and took no notice of them.

Not very later, the father died and the uncle took over the functioning of the house. Nothing changed though except for the ruler of the house. Soon an uprising happened and several uncles and aunties joined together and ousted the ruling uncle. Now they told the mother of the house to rule the house but the mother refused because of the opposition from several other people in the family. One fine day, like the voice of god, the mother thundered down to the people of the family, "Let the Prodigal Son lead you!"

The prodigal son took over the reins of the family. Now there was problem within the house. There wasn't enough food in the family and the prodigal son decided that he would give the money he made by selling everything in the house to a notorious landlord who lived far away in the corner of the country to get lollipops for everyone in the family. Soon there was this opposition to this proposal, the prodigal son claimed that this was vital for the health security of the family, smooth and delicious lollipops for everyone. The elders of the house who had supported him tried to beat sense into his thick and empty skull covered, in a length of coarse cotton, that lollipops are not what they need at the moment but food for all and milk for the little babies who cannot speak.

Coarse cotton head says that food and milk are are perishables and we need to have alternatives like expensive lollipops. Cotton head though that this was a chance to get the family as a friend with the notorious landlord who supplied the lollipops and also will let the family know how to make these. The elders protested! And the prodigal son cried out loud..
"Mummmmmmyyyyyyyyyyy!!! These uncles are not letting me rule the house.... waaaaaaah ahhhhhhhaaaaa! I am gonna quit if you don't let me buy lollipops from uncle Shrubs!!! "

What did mummy do? Did Cotton head get to buy the lollipops? I don't know what happened next, but I hope the babies in the house are taken care of! And the nincompoop of a son is asked to keep quiet and work for the welfare of the house than drooling looking at uncle Shrubs' house! -Amen!

With just three previous albums to their credit, many would not have considered a band as a mature band, but Chris Martin and Co's Coldplay has demonstrated that all a band requires is the creative ingenuity to strike the right notes at the right time and consistently to get to that level and not to forget, hire a great producer in the form of Brian Eno too.

After the success of Parachutes, Rush of Blood and the hugely successful X &Y, Coldplay had to come out with something different and that is what they did, calling it Viva La Vida - or Death and All His Friends, one of the most anticipated releases of the year. And has it struck the right chords? Wait till you hear the complete album that brings out an amazing set of tracks.

Unlike their previous albums, the fourth edition is the darkest of the lot with references to war, religion, death and love (minus the mushiness of their previous albums). Simply put, Viva La Vida is something new and refreshing and sort an experiment for the band, with influences from world music (of which you shall learn below). I have been listening to the tracks from the last weekend and my verdict is a thumbs up!

The album starts with brilliant instrumental, Life in Technicolour, with techno sounds and acoustic guitar. It ends as abruptly as it started, kind of a disappointment because in just two and a half minutes into the track, when the tempo has picked up, it ends. However a great way to get the album started. This is followed by the eerie Cemeteries of London and Lost a track with influences of world music.

Next comes 42, the center piece of the album with references to the ghosts and heaven. It starts out slow with piano and Martin's crisp vocals and breaks into a long instrumental with shades of electronic before shifting into an upbeat an peppy mood towards the end. This is followed by couple of twin tracks (Two songs in the same track), Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love with its East Asian influence and Yes/Chinese sleep Chant. Surprisingly Yes is delightful with touches of Arabic music and low pitch vocals of Martin, something that is not our typical Martin vocals.

The next two tracks may not exactly be my favorites in the album, probably because they are kind of pop than alternative, however are easy and catchy. Viva La Vida, the title track and Violet Hill, the hugely popular pre-release give away song, that used to be played almost every hour on VH1 only a couple of weeks back!

Strawberry Swing, the next track on the CD, is more brighter compared the darker songs preceding with lot of sitar and percussion. This interlude is followed by another twin track, the surreal Death and All His Friends with the entire band singing "I don't want to follow death and all of his friends" and The Escapist.

Apart from the above ten tracks, there are two bonus tracks, Lost?, an excellent acoustic version of the song by the same name and the acoustic version of Lovers in Japan.

With Viva La Vida, Coldplay has definitely upped their own ante by pushing their own boundaries to create the most perfect album they have released to date and I would give them a 3 and a 1/2 stars. And as one of the commentators put it, "They have come a long way since singing about the colour yellow". For all the fans of alternative rock, it is a definite recommendation from me.

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Chances are that if the first part of the movie is X-Men, the last part will also be X-Men.
- Meci

Read somewhere on the internet:

It's weird how you go from being strangers to being friends to being more than friends to being practically strangers... and it all happens so fast.