When I want to say Good Morning Dad

Dad, my window during distress

Dad, my sounding board

Dad, the hand which steadies me

Dad, my inner world

Dad, my banyan tree

Who would I go to, when I want to say Good Morning Dad

Dad, who showed me the way, from childhood to this day.

Dad, my wisdom tree

Dad, my religion tree

Dad, my language tree

Dad, my family tree

Dad, my knowledge tree

Who would I go to, when I want to say Good Morning Dad

Dad, who showed me the way, from childhood to this day.

Dad, the gentle soul

Dad, the voice of strength

Dad, the angel with life

Dad, the omnipresent light

Dad, the sea of hope

Who would I go to, when I want to say Good Morning Dad

Dad, who showed me the way, from childhood to this day.

Dad, you always took the least and gave the most

Dad, you always spoke the least and meant the most

Dad, who showed me the way, from childhood to this day.

My thoughts without any filters about Corruption and India

All of us who have ever given any bribe are part of the problem.

I know only two people who have most likely never ever given any bribe. One of them is our colleague – Rajiv Gupta Ji and the other probably, going by the spirit,  would be Shri Anna Hazare.

How do you define bribe – bribe is not only to government employees, it is also tax evasion, it is also in private sector as “familiarization tours” and it comes in 100 different ways or favors.

OK,  is Kiran Bedi clean, by what definition?

Why she did not resign from IPS when thousands of Sikhs were massacred in Delhi? Was she not aware what had happened, was she never in a position to get those who were guilty to books? Don’t tell me she never used any home-guard or a constable for her own personal use? She was part of this system for thirty years which she is calling corrupt. I am sure if Ms. Bedi was Commissioner of Police for Delhi and the Anna Movement was happening, she would have been the one to ensure that “lathi charge” and everything else happened.

The first real bribe transacted in this country was even before this country was “born again” as an independent country- when “Mahatama Gandhi” agreed to handover Congress President-ship from Moti Lal Nehru to Jawahar Lal Nehru and created India’s first political dynasty. It happened again, when Congress agreed to pay bribe to British in form of acceptance of two nation theory in lieu of Indian Independence.

If every one of us pay our taxes correctly, our moral right would shout at top of our voices, we will not need an Anna Hazare to pick our cause, the heat of our eyes will not allow any corrupt politician to exist, we will not need any lokpal bills or janlokpal bills.

Solutions are within us, let me ask:

Can we suffer for few more hours and not give those extra Rs 100.00 to submit that passport form out of queue?

Can we sacrifice a second or third or a fourth car and pay our full income tax?

Can we sit and burn midnight oil and submit all documents which are asked by government authorities for electricity, water and other utilities?

Can we stop filling fake reimbursement vouchers and deflated income tax returns?

Can we delay our journey by two days and not pay that 500 Rs to TT?

We understand that every time we don’t take a bill from a chemist shop we add to corruption, a corruption which we know costs life, can we wait for that additional five minutes for him to make that bill?

To me the problem begins from me, I am the spoke in the wheel of corruption, till I don’t resolve to take minor suffering in my stride, I will suffer majorly by this curse of corruption.

Can I absorb?

No I can’t.

Now what? This post:

1. Anemos in Mumbai sells designer fans starting from 16,000/- onwards. I love fans and must visit the store in Raghuvanshi Mills Comopund when I visit Mumbai.
2.  Asking for the price of that “special dish” is not cheap, even at top notch restaurants – Vir Sanghvi
3. Rajiv Makhni must start writing something fresh, his articles are so “day-before-yesterday” kind, must stop reading him.
4.  You can’t live in Delhi without a media overdose on Mayawati Bahen Ji, Sonia Gandhi and Sheila Dixit.
5. Ekta Kapoor says her attitude makes her feel Sexy. Thank you for little mercies Ekta, now how about your respected father’s  white shoes and the whole white ensemble? Sexy?
6. Britannia also sells biscuits/ cookies….
7. Pink lights, pink couches, pink wardrobes looks like the country is turning pink with pride.
8. Punjabi magazines and newspapers continue their balancing act between turban and without turban faces.
9. Tata Venture looks like a good option for reasonably priced large family commute, considering one for office shuttle.
10. Rs. 50,00,000 and upwards for a custom built bike, it will match my frame rupee to an inch. Wow! Is someone donating say Rs. 75,00,000.00, I promise I will name the bike after you.
11. Brooke Bond Taj Mahal advertised in Top Gear? Looks out of place and the ad is really bad for the medium it is inserted in.
12. New Mercedes  A-Class sketches look very hot, hope the real car is close enough to them.
13. Travel from being important to “a few” is fast becoming important to “many” – River cruises in Europe are fast becoming the new standard for “serious traveler” from India.
14. Now “Good Night” makes Odomos . Yes, it does. Mosquito repellent creams are now being sold in travel magazines, association, yes of course!
15. Medical seats may not be able to match number of aspirants but quasi-medical opportunities are fast emerging, they allow you to wear white-doctor-coats and most of the patients do call you a doctor. Graduate in Optometry, doesn’t make you an ophthalmologist, however  it provides an option to project yourself as one.
16. Eggs are back, eggs are good, free range eggs are better, breakfast is incomplete without eggs, industrial eggs are not eggs – OK. Got it.
17. Now you can spend over Rs 1 Crore to do your kitchen. After bathroom fixation now it is going to be kitchen overtures.
18. My Guru is better than yours. Sri Sri Sri (I don’t remeber how many) Ravi Shankar disciples believe they are better off than disciples of Baba Ramdev. My advice to Sri disciples – duck or jump in time when the next bullet leaves its barrel accidentally at one of Art of  “living while shooting” ashrams.
19. It is right time  to decide  on adopting more modern mob management tools, I am sure Rahul Gandhi and Baba Ramdev can become advisers for state police departments. Hmmm…
20. From “Sarkailo khatiya jara lagay” to “Dangerous Ishq” Karisma Kapoor really believes in miracles.
21. Hiring people you like rather than hiring people you need remains a big time HR issue. Of course Infosys made it read like  “make people you like CEOs over people who deserve to be CEOs.”
22. The need for finding your own space (in urban India) and living in it is becoming more important than a fat wallet or a cushy job or a few intermingled legs over disarrayed sheets.
23. India’s slightly different export to the US – Marwari Horses. Now you can buy a Marwari Horse bred in the US. For a Tata Nano made in the US, wait for few years.
24. Battery manufacturers continue their commitment to high-end models rather than to cash paying customers.
25. Once in a while someone like Vinod Rai (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) steps in to break the corrupt parties and spoil parties of the corrupt. Nation sees a ray of hope.
26. The original Amma now wishes to be anointed as the “Amma of Tamil’s Worldwide” J. Jayalalitha would rather like to be called Jaya Jaya and eventually get it related to Jaya Jaya in our national anthem.
27. Do Judges of our courts judge themselves? I am sure they do with the same yardstick they use in their courts to declare guilty as innocent. Some of our judges are their own auditors and they are inspired by marquee brands like PWC and founders like Ramalinga  Raju (of  Satyam – Truth must never prevail fame.)
28. Yes, we do have a Prime Minister and he has just discovered that the usage of word Prime goes beyond “Prime Number.”
29. For political/diplomatic reasons India decides to construct 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka for displaced Tamilians. Yes, 50,000. I remember reading 1,000 as start-up number, this 50,000 is an expensive  fees/gift for killing Prabhakaran. UPA-II could have tried out D-Company, I am sure they would have charged far less for delivering the head which killed Rajiv Gandhi.
30. A film is a film is a film. It doesn’t matter if it is in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu or English. A Jackie Shroff original. I await Telugu and English films from Jackie and suggest he tries Punjabi too. Punjabis love the word Jackie and most of us have played with one during our growing up years.
31. Success of “Bhuddha  hoga tera baap” is surely going to influence Hindi film names, we may soon see – “Aunty hogi teri maa.” Sophisticated producers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali may opt for “Bhaiya hoga tera shohar”   a touch of Urdu surely upscales a Hindi movie name.
32. Wow! Interesting, in 1940 London was more polluted than New Delhi is today. Now we can say pollution was a leftover of the Raj.
33. If Mamta Banerjee practices even some of what she has been preaching around, West Bengal may finally become “Best is Bengal.”

More to come…

Purpose: NASSCOM Social Media Summit

Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: On roundabout after Sarojni Nagar Bus Depot, just before the under bridge, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi, India

Building: Built to last, I said “Thank God, it is not yet another glass house”

Comments: Great property, dead hotel. Would love if Leela hands over management to Oberoi, Taj or ITC. I have no hesitation in saying that the management even in the state run “The Ashok” on the end of Africa Avenue (Same Road) is more effective and responsive than what I experienced in “Leela Kempinski”

Some random thoughts which were scribbled while at the hotel:

1. Wow – This looks good, grand and Capt Nair’s style all around.
2. Hello, hello, hello – Acoustics, how have they managed it to forget about them altogether.
3. Chairs, most private banquet halls in Delhi offer better than them. Less cushioning, less width. Conference chairs have to factor in that many “senior executives” wear suits in Delhi year through.
4. Service: Service? Admire our property, what service, look at that vase, look at our elephants and please remember they are different than Mayawati’s elephants.
5. Tea: Admire our tea cups as you stand in a tight queue for 15 minutes, don’t confuse our tea cups with corporate begging bowls though you may feel like you are begging for a cup of tea to remain participative despite having to strain to hear anything because of poor acoustics.
6. Food: Look at our serving dishes,  they are finest in the world. What is the issue if have run out of food and we may take 20 minutes to replenish it, do discussions for which you have come and admire our cutlery.
7. Staff: Admire their uniform, why do you have to hear them saying “BCs and MCs between themselves just an earshot away from our lady responsible for running the show.
8. Food labels: You better not be a  vegetarian if you come to visit us. We focus on food not on label.

I would not try to balance this article as there is only one side to Leela Kempinski Delhi and that is “They just don’t get it”

5. Lunch for two with soup, without drinks is about Rs 3,000.00 plus tips

What you need.

1. Fresh Water Sole (Fillets) – 500 Grams
2. Cloves – 10
3. Black Cardamom – 2
4. Mint Chutney – 3 Tablespoons
5. Poaching Liquor (I used onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, green chili and chicken stock)
6. Ginger Paste – 1 Spoon
7. Garlic Paste – 1 Spoon
8. Lemon Juice – I Tablespoon
9. Carom Seeds (Ajwain) – 1 Teaspoon (grounded)
10. Turmeric Powder 1 Teaspoon
11. Salt
12. Black Pepper

And now this is what I did:

1. Washed fish in Salt and Turmeric Powder
2. Marinated fish (Salt, Black Pepper, Garlic Paste, Ginger Paste, lemon Juice)
3. Added Mint Chutney, Cloves, Carom Seeds, Black Cardamom and one Green Chili to Poaching Liquor and took it to boiling stage
4. Added Marinated Fish Fillets
5. Poached till the poaching liquor reduced to half its original volume
6. Took the fillets out and had them with a side of veggies

Done and enjoyed.

Here is the initial list of movies which make to “Simar’s Bollywood Hall of Fame”

1. Sholay
2. Chupke Chupke
3. Guide
4. Janay Bhi Do Yaaroon
5. Payasa
6. Anand
7. Chandini
8. Mother India
9. Do Bigha Zamin
10. Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam
11. Rang De Basanti
12. Dil Wale Dhulnia Le Jayenga
13. Hum Aap Kay Hain Kaun
14. Dil Chahata Hai
15. 3 Idiots
16. CID
17. Mughal-E-Azam
18. Trishul
19. Khosla ka Ghosla
20. Johny Mera Naam
21. Pati Patni Aur Woh
22. Gandhi
23. Kaagaz Ke Phool
24. Jewel Thief
25. Deewar
26. Anarkali
27. Shahid
28. Gaddar
29. Pakeezah
30. Lagaan
31. Junoon
32. Bobby
33. Teesri Manzil
34. Vijeyta
35. 1942 a Love Story
36. Awara
37. Chalti Kaa Naam Gadi
38. Chameli
39. Paa

Your suggestions are anxiously awaited

Way back in 1977 multinationals in India were forced to dilute their equity holdings and change their names, it was an order by the Janta Party Government in power, Coca Cola left India, so did IBM and hundreds of others. Mercedes Benz trucks in India made in collaboration with Tata’s came to be known as only Tata Trucks and I am not sure how much but Mercedes did reduce their equity in Telco as Tata Motors was called then. What a turn around, a 100% or whatever is the max possible susbsidiary of Daimler decides to name their entry level vehicle as Bharat Benz.

I am proud, very proud of what India has achieved and would achieve in next couple of decades.  It will-  be pure delight to see Bharat Benz running on German Autobahnens and maybe the picturesque houses of Microsoft honchos on Mercer Islands (Seattle) using “Bharat Soft” made BharatOffice. Times are changing and I am loving it, which began with McDonald launching Aloo Tikki Burger has got much bigger and would even get more.

I can say without sarcasm  Mera Bharat Mahan – My India is Great.

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