BMC's New Advisor

I was really amused to see a news item the other day where Ms. Pamela Anderson is giving some free advice to our BMC. The advice is about how to deal with the dog menace.

While Ms. Pamela's experience with dogs would be limited to those concerning some well-trained pet hounds, she finds herself qualified enough to give an opinion on the topic.

I wonder if she had to ever walk alone in the night, in that skimpy outfit of hers, through a road full of stray dogs. Has any of her kids been bitten or worse, killed by a ferocious hound. Whether the road dogs have kept her awake with their incessant, meaningless barking.

We have been talking about sterilisation but I keep seeing stray puppies every now and then and I don't find them cute anymore. Obviously, nothing is being done or if something is indeed being done, it's not working. I really fear the safety of the kids (whether mine or other's). I want to walk and ride around without the fear of being followed and then bitten (I almost fell off my bike on one occasion).

This menace has to come to an end and if it requires some tough measures then so be it. The stray dogs will get freedom from their futile lives and hopefully get a more meaningful rebirth - maybe some of them as pets of Ms. Pamela!

What has the Mumbai terror attack done?

The Mumbai terror attack was unprecedented in many ways then one. While it has instilled fear and apprehension in the minds of every Indian - we Mumbaites in particular - it has managed to precipitate a few positive developments (I know its a difficult to imagine that something positive can come of it) which just refused to happen earlier on:

1. It has woken up the Elite from their slumber to come out in the open and speak out against the inefficient state machinery and the facade that the politicians have turned out to be.

2. For the first time, the ever-so-busy people of Mumbai took out their precious time to come together and raise the voice of angry protest against the politicians asking for a strong action, sloganeering "Enough is Enough"

3. It made the ineffective Mr. Shivraj Patil and Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh resign, something which we have not been able to achieve inspite of the innumerable instances in the past that suggested that they weren't doing their jobs well. They were sticking to their chairs as if it were part of their anatomy.

4. We have managed to corner Pak this time with some coercive diplomacy, thanks to the strong evidences that we have in our hands, of the involvement of Pakistani nationals, and of certain elements from Pakistan having puppeteered this attack.

5. The pressure is also on our government to deliver this time, to improve the internal security infrastructure and preclude such occurences in future. There are talks of NSG hubs being formed in important metros now.

6. It has made MNS look foolish, belittling their pet topic which their leader had amplified & blown out of proportion to serve their political motives. While earlier, I used to see everyone talking about it everywhere - in the bus, train - nobody is even thinking about the issue now. Poor Raj has to work all over again to resurrect the matter.

7. NSGs have overtaken SRK in the popularity chart, as they have become the youth icon for everyone to emulate. Substance, for once, has taken precedence over form.

8. I believe, the terror attack has brought about a change in our outlook towards life. It has revealed the harsh reality that life can come to an end without a second's notice. We involve ourselves with petty, meaningless matters in life rather than doing something worthwhile, making the most of the limited time that we have in this planet.

Ghajini Review

Since I have got the liberty to write anything on this blog, let me try me luck on film review .. having just seen one this evening

The film is thoroughly enjoyable, scoring points on all fronts .. comedy, emotions, action, suspense ... though I thought its a little too violent for kids to watch. The actions, though somewhat bold, is believable what with those bulky, rippling muscles which Aamir was flaunting. Also, I could not help noticing the attention that the director gave to the details .. guess it was the Aamir factor.

The emotional scenes were very touching indeed and there were quite a few of those. The comedy scenes were quite funny and I could hear people giggling at them. The song sequences were elaborate, shooted at grand locales (talking of attention to details, don't ask how they reached there!). The amplified sounds were used well to add to the suspense.

Of the cast, Asin has done pretty well, but did I hear her speaking a slightly south-indian-accented-hindi? Also, she reminded me of the "Basanti" in Sholay. Wasn't too impressed with Jiah Khan, wasn't looking so fresh and I thought her expressions were just not upto the mark. Aamir, to begin with, was looking unbelievably young and was looking the character's age and yes .. his physique was looking amazing - the bulk the definition .. he was indeed looking formidable. Needless to mention, he's acted really well.

But I was a little perplexed at the end, as to whether he had got back his memory or not - wonder how he recognised the feet impression. All in all, its a money's worth and I watched it in a multiplex.

What a farce ...

Our Judicial system is at it again ... this time it is a farce called - 'the trial of Kasab'. Here is a straight forward case where everyone knows what had happened on that fateful day of 26th November '08 with investigation providing enough proof to substantiate not only the crime that kasab committed but also the larger role of our neighbouring country.

India as a country, based on the investigation findings, has taken a stand that not only the non-state actors in Pakistan but also the state actors (read ISI) were involved in plotting the heinous act. This being so where is the case for any trial? Isn't it nothing but a farce? How can Kasab plead for innocence and justify what he along with other terrorists have done?

While investigators have already managed to bring out confessions from Kasab, who still stands firm with his beliefs and does not have an iota of remorse for his deeds, where is the need for a trial? It would be nothing short of a drama.

An authentic approach would be to just hold the culprit in our custody till the time it serves us the purpose, which is to bring the perpetrators to book and to prove to the world, the involvement of ISI which we have never been able to establish in the past. Once the required purpose is served, waste no time in hanging him till he is dead and not show any compassion or sympathy whatsoever.

Who knows .. the terrorists might plan another attack .. maybe a hijack and play some hostage drama and ask for kasab in exchange.

"To Do" list

I was reading Ms.Senorita's blog on new year resolutions and began wondering about the great custom of "New Year Resolutions". Please do not consider this as a review of that blog. These are my independent thoughts on the issue.

If you have watched the movie - 'Dasvidaniya', the central character of the movie (portrayed by Vinay Pathak) was a simpleton who used to religiously update and follow his routine to-do list and was very particular about it until there was a major turning point in his life when his to-do list got metamorphosised into greater intentions in life. His mundane life, which he just discovered is shortlived too, was never the same. He started pursuing things that he had always wanted to achieve, deep down in his heart, and in which was hidden the real meaning of life.

New year resolutions are not viewed that seriously and is mostly forgotten within a few months of making one. Of course there are no dearth of excuses for not being able to keep one. I believe one should attach the same meaning to the new year resolution as the central character in the movie gave to his new to-do list since he had just 2 months to live. Just imagine how important would your new year resolutions be if god forbid you had only one year to live. What would be the contents of the resolution and sincerity of approach?

Don't just pile up your resolutions with all sort of "ideal" things to do. Have a short list containing those things that have great significance to YOU however bizarre and audacious it might seem. Then make plans to attain them and single-mindedly pursue it as if it were the most important thing in your life. Don't allow silly excuses to stop you in your tracks.

Every year-end eve can be a good occasion to catch-up on how far you have come and then looking forward to the new year in a new light as our aspirations keep undergoing a change.

Happy New Year!