Englishmen Caught Trying to Steal: Of course what else can you expect from the British

I skim over some news websites daily and read articles that catch my interest. I am interested in everything from politics to finance to sports to gender issues to music to movies and everything else. I came across an article on the online edition of Times of India titled "British firm's bid to patent ginger foiled" and naturally I wanted to read more. A decade ago Indian government had slumbered while greedy westerners had attempted to patent rice, turmeric and other items that were grown and consumed in India for thousands of years. Only after a public outcry did the somnolent government move to protest.

This time around the government has surprisingly taken a pro-active stand and protested Nicholas John Larkins attempt to patent the medicinal properties of Ginger in fighting cough and cold. The application for patent was filed in 2006 and it has taken over half a dozen years for the UK Patent office to come to the decision to reject it. I am glad that Indian government is taking some proactive action at least now. I am pretty sure it is some patriotic bureaucrat sitting in Delhi taking action and not the politicians.

After feeling the initial rush of pleasure I reflected on the issue a little bit. First off the article in Times of India is just about 200-250 words. This kind of a victory for India should be highlighted in big bold letters and detailed coverage should be given. By showcasing victories of our nation the media will promote national pride and patriotism amongst its readers. I don't think that is the intentino of TOI, the newspaper is there to make money. If there were any anti-Indian newsreport that would have been highlighted - I am pretty sure of that.

Then comes the audacity of the British firm which tried to STEAL. Well what else can you expect from the English? As a nation they stole from the rest of the world for a long time and even to this date they refuse to return stolen artefacts to the owner nations. Britain is a nation built on the soild foundations of blood and lives of innocent people from every part of the world. There is a saying in Kannada which translates to "The trait one is born with will not disappear even after the person is burned (dead)". This saying when it comes to the trait of stealing is so true for British and they have just proved it once again.

The days when they stole physical wealth from different nations across the world is over. Now they are trying to steal intellectual property and ancient knowledge from developing countries like India. I hope they will now learn a lesson and stop attempting to steal ancient knowledge from others. Instead they can try to create new knowledge by investing in original research.

Smelly Problems :)

This afternoon I was listening to the radio and on PRI (Public Radio International) I heard this story about Brussels' subway. As I heard the story I smiled and remembered the days when I was traveling in North India with my NRI friend. I had never left India at that point in time so I was not used to the so called "better quality of life" that is accessible in first world or developed nations. My friend, (if he reads he will understand, others need not know his name) continuously complained about the pungent odor of human excreta while walking around narrow lanes of Delhi's famous Connaught place aka Indira Chowk aka Indira Chowk. All the time we were in Delhi (about 24 hrs) he glorified London, and Singapore and said that there was no foul smells in and around roads, railway stations were clean and odor free and et al. At that point in time I just agreed because I had not stepped out of India and there was indeed an overpowering odor in some places we walked around.

This afternoon I listened to this program titled "A smelly problem in Brussels' subway" I remembered my dear friend's complaints about India and lack of civic sense of our people. Well it seems like even westerner's of first world nations are no better. The video below accompanied the article online and it gives a sense of the problem faced by the establishment in Brussels.

Tooth Fairy..... somewhat entertaining...

For lack of nothing else to do on Friday evening we decided to go to a movie at the dollar theater in Plano. The intent was to watch a Jackie Chan movie, but there was none playing at a night show. So we decided to watch The Tooth Fairy instead. This is a fairly entertaining kids movie... apart from a few minutes of fantastic ice skating and a some comedy frames there is nothing much worth watching in this movie.

The story traces the life of an aging ice hockey star who is named the tooth fairy because he knocks out teeth of his opponents. His girlfriend has two kids, the daughter just loses one of her teeth and the mother tells the story of tooth fairy. The protagonist tries to tell her the truth in a rude manner to the chagrin of the mother. The son doesn't like this guy because he is rude, and sarcastic.

The story moves on to fairyland when the player gets called to do some community service and then after some seriously boring drama and some funny scenes the movie ends with a soulful transformation of the protagonist. I definitely wouldn't pay the regular theater ticket to watch this movie....

Poetic Picture

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree... but the blabbermouth I am... I was compelled to add a few words to the picture... wonder how it looks and whether it reads alright.

Book Review: Wanna Study in the U.S. 101 Tips to get you there!

Guide to US-bound students
Wanna Study in the U.S.? 101 Tips to get you there! by Natasha Pratap; Rupa & Co, Price: Rs.395; 302 pp

According to recently published US student enrollment statistics, India has surpassed
China as the No.1 country of origin for foreign students in American universities. Last year (2000-09) the aggregate Indian student population enrolled in institutions of higher education (95,000) topped the Chinese total. With a large and growing number of Indian students hell-bent on pursuing at least a part of their education in the US, this aggregate number is expected to grow by 20-25 percent annually. But making it into the US of A for higher study is easier said than done. With half the third world’s population fleeing communism, socialism, dictatorship and plain socio-economic mismanagement, aspiring to enter this fabled land of opportunity, the US immigration and naturalisation service is working overtime to keep out the scrambling hordes – especially after 9/11. Unsurprisingly the admission process is tedious and difficult questions are raised about adequacy of funding. Visa procedures too have become complicated.

For the swelling number of hopefuls fleeing India’s dumbed down institutions of higher education, Natasha Pratap’s maiden book Wanna Study in the US? 101 Tips To Get You There! is a boon. This easy-to-read volume written in simple English is a comprehensive compendium of accurate information and useful guidelines to students and professionals on ways and means of accessing American universities and institutions of higher education. “There is so much to be gained from a US education, that I continue to be grateful for it every day. Studying in the US is about pushing your boundaries: academically, intellectually, geographically and emotionally. The best thing is fearlessness and confidence I developed from my own experience. Choose to study in the US because it is better. Go because you will be the better for it,” writes Pratap an alumna of the blue chip Cambridge (UK), Stanford and Boston universities.

The merits of this chatty and unapologetically how-to book apart, a striking achievement is that she has persuaded Mukesh Ambani, chairman & managing director of the telecom, textile, petroleum and IT behemoth, Reliance Industries Ltd to write the foreword. “All these years, information on studying in the US was limited to a privileged class of Indian students, by virtue of their advantaged school, teacher and peer group environments. This book would democratise this advantage to a much wider cross section of Indian students,” says Ambani, himself a Stanford alumnus.

Though the information, data and procedural guidelines provided in this deliberately casually titled book is by no means novel, the fact that it has been collated, sorted and compiled into a one-point, well-laid out compendium is its unique selling proposition. “When friends asked me questions on their applications or essays I realised that what seemed obvious to me was not to others. Book stores in Mumbai had little information on the application procedure, and even prospectuses of colleges say little. The internet is too vast and some information is misleading. Since I had experienced the system first hand I decided to write this book,” says Pratap explaining her motivation to write this valuable guide.

Though the author claims to have completed this comprehensive volume in just seven weeks, this 302-page compendium is well organised into 11 main chapters each offering valuable nuggets of information and advice. The main chapters are: top 10 reasons to study in the US; 101 tips on the application process; scholarships from Indian sources; visa Q&A in consultation with the US Consulate, Mumbai; interviews with Stanford and Harvard university heads; application datelines; a special section for parents titled ‘heart to heart with indian parents’ among others.

Particularly useful is the chapter which includes the essays (SoPs) of Indian students which dazzled admission evaluators of blue-chip universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Columbia. The essays are discussed and dissected with the plus and minus points highlighted. “Many applicants tend to borrow SoPs from others and then modify it (sic). You may not be exposed to the kind of introspection and writing that applications to US universities demand. For many, the idea of writing itself is overwhelming and the nature of the questions makes them apprehensive. By including the essays of people who have gone through the process and written everything themselves, I want to illustrate that the task at hand may be different, but is not incredibly difficult,” explains the author, no mean correspondent herself who has written for publications such as The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Economic Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express, Mid-day, Verve, Man’s World and Elle.

The overwhelmingly major preoccupation of Indian students aspiring to education abroad – scholarships and bursaries – is also addressed. There seems little awareness that the natural instinct of institutions of higher education in the industrialised nations is to levy higher tuition fees on foreign students than payable by natives. Nevertheless there is widespread belief that scholarships are available in plenty. Wanna Study provides a list of trusts and foundation which offer (usually grudging) scholarships and bursaries to merit students.

Though a useful guide to the growing number of students driven to foreign universities by the abysmal and declining Indian institutions of higher education being relentlessly dumbed down by politicians and educrats, the publication and reportedly enthusiastic reception to Wanna Study is a wake-up call to Indian academia. That a rising number of Indian students are ready to pay relatively huge tuition and residential costs abroad and endure the rigours of incrementally humiliating visa and admission processes is a severe indictment of India’s higher education system. Quite evidently Indian educationists and academics need to get their act together and canalise the huge annual outflow of hard currencies into their own cash-starved institutions. But this requires the practice rather than mere preaching of excellence in Indian academia.

Movie Review: Mandinga

Slavery, Sexploitation and Incest

I would never have come across this flic if not for youtube's new movie channel. This a movie about the slavery era of United States of America, when being a white man was the most privileged status one could aspire for. The movie starts off with the arrival of the sister-in-law of a plantation owner from England. The guest's sister had died mysteriously and she pretty much comes to take her place in the plantation. The plantation owner as like every other white man lusts after the female slaves, though black and considered beneath animals.

One such slave girl is the virgin daughter of the chief of Mandinga tribe. A group of hardy, strong and supposedly exotic black people. She is raped by the plantation owner and predictably becomes pregnant and delivers a baby. The infant is hidden away by the other slaves who fear that the owner might kill it. Despite a long winded search the owner is unable to find the baby.

Meanwhile the white woman is lusting after slave men to satisfy her carnal cravings. A few years pass and the only son of plantation owner, Clarence, returns from England after completing his education. The white woman immediately latches on to him and starts a torrid affair with him. Clarence while at the market meets the daughter of the pastor and promptly falls in love with her and decides to get married. A fact detested by his aunt and paramour, who is awaiting for revenge.

The newly wedded bride gets pregnant and delivers a bonny baby boy but the infant is black and not white. This confounds everyone and they all decide that she has indeed cheated on her husband and hence a black child was born. Clarence returns and what takes place forms the crux of the story. If you can digest watching the gory sex scenes and sights of a woman forcing herself on a imprisoned man you will get to the part when the plot is revealed.

The movie is one of the several C grade flics churned out from Hollywood and clearly exposes the desire of white people to show off their superiority. Even the slave girl who is raped is supposed to be the daughter of a chief, a princess in short. Why? an ordinary slave girl couldn't have gotten pregnant from the rapacious owners??? Or is the director attempting to show that even when slaves were raped their social class was considered???

Movie Review: The Mini Skirt Mob

Story of a Manipulative Woman and Gullible Men

If you want to see to what extent a spurned female would go to take revenge on her former lover and his present partner then this movie is a much watch. The movie tells the story of Shayne, a glamorous, manipulative and sexy woman, who is head of a female motorcycle gang known as The Mini Skirt Mob. Shane and Jeff, a rodeo champion are former lovers. Trouble starts when Jeff decides to retire from rodeo, get married and settle down as a rancher.

Though outwardly Shane says that it is all over between her and Jeff, inside she is one angry and jealous woman. She wants to make life for Jeff and his new bride miserable and hence gathers up her motorcycle gang which includes former friends of Jeff, Lon and Edie (Shayne's sister), LG and others and follows Jeff's trailer as he tries to get out and spend a quiet moment with his wife.

What follows is 80 minutes of terror for the newly married couple and merriment for the viewers. The stand off ends with the death of every one of them except Jeff and his wife. It is surprising to note that the Hero (Jeff played by Jeremy Slate) has pretty much no role. He is portrayed as a gutless coward who seems to always try to avoid confrontation with his former girlfriend and her mob. I would say the movie is all about how Shayne plots trouble and manipulates the men in her gang like Lon to do her dirty work. It is worth watching once if you don't have anything to do... oh! yes it is available free on Youtube... I wouldn't pay to watch this movie....

Book Review: Into the Wild

Tragic Saga of a Spiritually Confused Rebellious American Young Man
Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher:Anchor Books, New York, 1996, 207 pp.
Attracted by the title and the cover image of a youngster sitting on a bus, I bought this book in an estate sale for $1. This is the work of a journalist turned author who is also into outdoors and adventure sports. The book traces the journey of a rebellious, confused, young man Chris (Alexander) McCandles along the South, West and mid-west parts of North America till his death in Alaska.
The book starts off with a brisk pace with the picture of an optimistic, proud, Alex McCandles seeking a ride to Denali National Park, Alaska. Alex's intentions was to live off the land in the wild away from civilization for some time and discover himself.
What is intriguing about Alex is that he belongs to a fairly affluent family, ha gone to college and could have done whatever he wished. On the contrary he chose to live like a tramp often calling himself "Alexander Supertramp". An excerpt from his diary reveals that Alex "lived on the streets with bums, tramps, and winos for several weeks".
One thing is obvious the author has unnecessarily glorified the exploits and the tragic story of McCandles. In my opinion McCandles was nothing but a confused, high-energy young man with no emotional, and spiritual foundations. He had access to money and hence he could lead a wayward life. He drops his adventures midway when he suffers setbacks and moves to the next item, which makes him a person of weak resolve and scant dedication/ commitment. His story is worthy of telling because it displays the underlying confusion and mental and spiritual weakness of the youth of America. The story of McCandles has also been made into a major motion picture and quite predictably it did not do very well at the box office.
Though in substance the book is not path breaking in any sense. It doesn't offer any insight into life in the wild or the lessons one could learn while alone in the forest etc. But in terms of adventure, what not to do in the wild, and a good read this books scores above most of its peers. After reading the book I have two things to say, one it is a very well written book which makes the reader stick to it to completion; and two Americans especially its youth are in desperate need of true spiritual teaching. This kind of rebellious behavior which often ends up in self destruction like it did for McCandles would greatly reduce if only people are more spiritually aware of their place in the cosmos.

A "Fine" way to enforce language

I had blogged about lingual conflicts in the US due to a heavy influx of legal and illegal Spanish speaking Mexicans. I read this bit of news online which gives a new twist on how the authorities/ government of US is dealing with the lingual conflicts. The enforcement of English language is now being done by levying heavy fines on people who don't speak well.

According to the article Manuel Castillo, a truck driver ferrying onions through Alabama was fined $500 for not speaking properly. He was not speeding or didn't break any law, his only crime was that he couldn't speak proper English. Quite expectedly Castillo is outraged and thinks this fine is not fair but since he doesn't have the time or resources to travel to Alabama and fight the case he is paying the $500 fine. The article further states that last year 25,230 tickets for language violation.

Of course this fining is debatable and I am sure lot of people are not pleased with this system of language enforcement. But as far as I am concerned I think this is a fantastic system to ensure that people learn the local language. I was born and brought up in Bangalore which, in the recent has experienced massive influx of outsiders, especially from neighboring states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and of course from several north Indian states too. These immigrants have not only made Bangalore their homes but have established their own ghettos.

Whenever I have travelled and met people the first thing they say when they hear I am from Bangalore is that "You don't have to know Kannada to live in Bangalore." This statement always was like a tight slap across my face. When we go to other cities in the country it is almost impossible to do anything without knowledge of the local language. In some places people just ignore you when you try asking them for directions in English. And in Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka, I have had people approaching me and asking for directions in an array of languages such as, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi etc.

It it frustrating to see this happening. To see the city I was born and brought up in being consumed by people of other languages who have scant respect and show little regard for local culture and history. I had been to a panel discussion organised by Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore where the panelists were all people who didn't speak a word of Kannad and had come to the city seeking fortunes. And a common sentiment echoed throughout the discussion was "Bangalore is a boring place, with no history, culture or character." And of course they complained about bad roads, Kannada speaking locals who insist on speaking their language as opposed to English or Hindi or Tamil.

If this was the case why the hell do they continue to live and thrive in Bangalore. They can go to their native places and live there. Millions of people have come to Bangalore from all over the country seeking fortune and great weather. Kannadigas by nature are very friendly and adjusting and as such we welcomed everyone into our state expecting that they would become part of us. But they come with their own agendas of making us part of them and to kill the local culture.

This is the same thing that is happening in the US. An increase in the number of Hispanics residing in the country has ensured that Spanish is the fastest growing language in the US. And now the problem is so much that the federal government has had to put in place regulations and fine people who are in violation of it. I wish this kind of regulation could be put in place in Karnataka to ensure that everyone in the state speaks the local language.