Hey all,
I know a lot of you still use windows [how else do I get voice chat on Yahoo!IM]... but there is hope....
Slashdot today had a post about pepping up your windows machine with open source software.. a must read I must say. [repetition intended :-) ]
Here are the top rated slashdot comments on the post, for more gyan!
And I got my first 5 moderator points on slashdot 2 days ago.. :-).
That's it for now... bye
Luv and Luck,
-A
Coming soon: An Indian's tale of "differences" seen in America... guess whose ;-)
Friday, September 30, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Two movies to watch out for
Came across the following two movie trailers today:
North Country
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Nice movie ideas... I would love to watch them and get to know more about these wonderful people.
It is nice to know that the Indian guys are also making movies about national heros... after Mangal Pandey, I hear that a movie is being made on Rani Lakshmibai by Sushmita Sen.
Luv and Luck,
Animesh
P.S. the AIS Garba is coming up this weekend... way to go!
North Country
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Nice movie ideas... I would love to watch them and get to know more about these wonderful people.
It is nice to know that the Indian guys are also making movies about national heros... after Mangal Pandey, I hear that a movie is being made on Rani Lakshmibai by Sushmita Sen.
Luv and Luck,
Animesh
P.S. the AIS Garba is coming up this weekend... way to go!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Someone Loves Me :-)
I got my TA feedback for Spring 2005 back today. Nice to know that the students liked my teaching - the biggest negative point: I speak too fast :P.
The best part was the image below.... well.. I love you too [just as I love all my students]! :-)
Cute... what do you think?
In other news, I saw this page about vintage bollywood posters on boingboing today. Really cool!
Cheers
-A
The best part was the image below.... well.. I love you too [just as I love all my students]! :-)
Cute... what do you think?
In other news, I saw this page about vintage bollywood posters on boingboing today. Really cool!
Cheers
-A
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Sea Lions causing havoc in harbor
I read an article in my free paper-copy of the LA Times today [simply love the "paper" feel... after reading so much stuff online] about how Sea Lions have sunk boats in Newport Harbor. Here it is.
Apparently, they are also causing Noise pollution.
From the article:
"A barking dog doesn't hold a candle to this. It's like 40 barking dogs — in SurroundSound"
Interesting... lets see how this works out.
-A
Apparently, they are also causing Noise pollution.
From the article:
"A barking dog doesn't hold a candle to this. It's like 40 barking dogs — in SurroundSound"
Interesting... lets see how this works out.
-A
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Marry me : I love your sibling!
Got this story from various sources about how a 19 year old girl entered into a contract marriage with her lover's elder brother since the guy was not of age [he is 19 while in India, guys need to be 21 to get married].
Good one. A smart move - or is it? The girl's mom has expressed concern as to what if the current husband does not divorce the girl and/or the guy does not want to marry the girl. Given that a lot of "love" that happens at this age is not really long-lasting, I can only pray for this couple [I mean the one that wants to get married, not the one which is married on paper].
This brings me to the next point, about how a good friend of mine, a grad student at USC, has been thinking of entering into a similar "contract marriage" with some grad student girl so that he can get the cheaper and better USC family housing. If someone in Gujarat can do this, why cannot someone in LA ??
-A
P.S. Found this cool CD of "Rishi Kapoor" songs... amazing... also found a CD of "Shammi Kapoor" songs today.. life is good.
Good one. A smart move - or is it? The girl's mom has expressed concern as to what if the current husband does not divorce the girl and/or the guy does not want to marry the girl. Given that a lot of "love" that happens at this age is not really long-lasting, I can only pray for this couple [I mean the one that wants to get married, not the one which is married on paper].
This brings me to the next point, about how a good friend of mine, a grad student at USC, has been thinking of entering into a similar "contract marriage" with some grad student girl so that he can get the cheaper and better USC family housing. If someone in Gujarat can do this, why cannot someone in LA ??
-A
P.S. Found this cool CD of "Rishi Kapoor" songs... amazing... also found a CD of "Shammi Kapoor" songs today.. life is good.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
More on the new JEE pattern
It is official now, the pattern of the IIT-JEE has changed effective Monday Sep. 12, 2005. [more reports on the same]
We talked about it before on this blog, and here are the final changes: [link to full text of official press release]
1. You must have at least 60% in class XII.
2. You can appear only twice - once in the year when you are taking your class XII exam and once in the next year.
3. The JEE would include short write-ups on various topics followed by objective questions based on the write-up.
4. No screening.. only one exam.
5. Those choosing to take a seat for the first time cannot reapprear the next year.
I really like point 3 - makes it kinda like reading comprehension of GRE and other tests. I am waiting to see some questions like that.
These rules look kinda nice... I mean 60% is not too unachievable a score.
The only controversial thing I see here is the "take-JEE-only-twice" limit. You can see that this is basically meant to discourage coaching institutions, but is it fair?
And what about point 5 - is it fair or a bit too much?
As always, I [and other readers] shall wait for your comments. Please don't forget to leave your name and other details while commenting.
Animesh
JEE-1999
Ph.D Student, Univ. of Southern California
We talked about it before on this blog, and here are the final changes: [link to full text of official press release]
1. You must have at least 60% in class XII.
2. You can appear only twice - once in the year when you are taking your class XII exam and once in the next year.
3. The JEE would include short write-ups on various topics followed by objective questions based on the write-up.
4. No screening.. only one exam.
5. Those choosing to take a seat for the first time cannot reapprear the next year.
I really like point 3 - makes it kinda like reading comprehension of GRE and other tests. I am waiting to see some questions like that.
These rules look kinda nice... I mean 60% is not too unachievable a score.
The only controversial thing I see here is the "take-JEE-only-twice" limit. You can see that this is basically meant to discourage coaching institutions, but is it fair?
And what about point 5 - is it fair or a bit too much?
As always, I [and other readers] shall wait for your comments. Please don't forget to leave your name and other details while commenting.
Animesh
JEE-1999
Ph.D Student, Univ. of Southern California
Thursday, September 08, 2005
New Orleans vs Mumbai - a new look
I got the following the other day in email... from a variety of sources, and felt strongly about it. My comments follow the contents of the email
[click here to skip this and jump to my comments]
[begin email content]
New Orleans vs. Mumbai
I couldnt' stop forwarding you this comparison...
Inches of rain in new orleans due to hurricane katrina... 18”
Inches of rain in mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1”
population of new orleans... 484,674
population of mumbai.... 12,622,500
deaths in new orleans within 48 hours of katrina...100
deaths in mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.
number of people to be evacuated in new orleans... entire city..wohh
number of people evacuated in mumbai...10,000
Cases of shooting and violence in new orleans...Countless
Cases of shooting and violence in mumbai.. NONE
Time taken for US army to reach new orleans... 48hours
Time taken for Indian army and navy to reach mumbai...12hours
status 48hours later...new Orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricity
status 48hours later. Mumbai is back on its feet and is business is as usual
USA...world's most developed nation
India...third world country..
[end email content]
This is what I feel on this
I think the author of this email [and people who are forwarding this gleefully] are forgetting one very interesting and important statistic:
Number of Levees broken in Mumbai : 0
Number of Levees broken in New Orleans : 1
Please do not forget that the crisis in New Orleans is not due to rainfall, but due to the breaking of the levees that protected this low lying city from the waters of the adjoining lake. That is what caused the submerging of the city and the need for evacuating all its inhabitants.
I shudder to think what would have happened to Mumbai if 80% or more of the city would have gotten under 8 feet or more of water. Add to that the fact that New Orleans is situated under sea level and the water will not just flow out.
People, credit should be given when it is due [like this post on the Indian voting machines doing a better job compared to the American ones] , but not every opportunity should be used to promote the cause of how India is so much better.
I wish that this article reaches the guys happily forwarding this email - and they see the point, or the lack theirof, in this action.
Also, I request all of you to come forward and help out with the relief efforts going on for the people affected by the hurricane. And yes, please stop forwarding that email.
-A
[click here to skip this and jump to my comments]
[begin email content]
New Orleans vs. Mumbai
I couldnt' stop forwarding you this comparison...
Inches of rain in new orleans due to hurricane katrina... 18”
Inches of rain in mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1”
population of new orleans... 484,674
population of mumbai.... 12,622,500
deaths in new orleans within 48 hours of katrina...100
deaths in mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.
number of people to be evacuated in new orleans... entire city..wohh
number of people evacuated in mumbai...10,000
Cases of shooting and violence in new orleans...Countless
Cases of shooting and violence in mumbai.. NONE
Time taken for US army to reach new orleans... 48hours
Time taken for Indian army and navy to reach mumbai...12hours
status 48hours later...new Orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricity
status 48hours later. Mumbai is back on its feet and is business is as usual
USA...world's most developed nation
India...third world country..
[end email content]
This is what I feel on this
I think the author of this email [and people who are forwarding this gleefully] are forgetting one very interesting and important statistic:
Number of Levees broken in Mumbai : 0
Number of Levees broken in New Orleans : 1
Please do not forget that the crisis in New Orleans is not due to rainfall, but due to the breaking of the levees that protected this low lying city from the waters of the adjoining lake. That is what caused the submerging of the city and the need for evacuating all its inhabitants.
I shudder to think what would have happened to Mumbai if 80% or more of the city would have gotten under 8 feet or more of water. Add to that the fact that New Orleans is situated under sea level and the water will not just flow out.
People, credit should be given when it is due [like this post on the Indian voting machines doing a better job compared to the American ones] , but not every opportunity should be used to promote the cause of how India is so much better.
I wish that this article reaches the guys happily forwarding this email - and they see the point, or the lack theirof, in this action.
Also, I request all of you to come forward and help out with the relief efforts going on for the people affected by the hurricane. And yes, please stop forwarding that email.
-A
Saturday, September 03, 2005
A moving article from the LA times about the situation in New Orleans
I read the following article in my copy of the LA times today.
A Rescue Team Reaches Only Despair
This, along with other articles about the situation in New Orleans, where 80% of the city is inundated currently and rescuers are being fired at by angry people.
One wonders why someone would shoot rescuers, but then what do you expect from a man who sees his mother dying while he can see ambulances taking people away. A really sad situation.
Another thing that this whole issue has made me feel about is the Mumbai Rains recently... are situations worse in New Orleans? Can one even speak of better or worse in such calamities?
I _so_ wish I did not have obligations here in LA, so that I could go and help out there [both New Orleans and Mumbai]. My friends from Mumbai tell me that what is needed in Mumbai now is people, since the money is coming, but the number of volunteers is less. I am sure similar situations are going to arise in New Orleans also soon.
Vidhya and I decided to include the people affected by this hurricane in our 9pm meditation prayer.
I gave a small amount today to the Red Cross box kept in the department office. I intend to fast for a day and pray for the people there. Also to give the money I save by fasting that day [$20 ?] to the Red Cross... can you also do something like that ... please?
-A
P.S. Just read this article about how the superdome may be emptied by tonight. My prayers go to all those affected by this great tragedy.
A Rescue Team Reaches Only Despair
This, along with other articles about the situation in New Orleans, where 80% of the city is inundated currently and rescuers are being fired at by angry people.
One wonders why someone would shoot rescuers, but then what do you expect from a man who sees his mother dying while he can see ambulances taking people away. A really sad situation.
Another thing that this whole issue has made me feel about is the Mumbai Rains recently... are situations worse in New Orleans? Can one even speak of better or worse in such calamities?
I _so_ wish I did not have obligations here in LA, so that I could go and help out there [both New Orleans and Mumbai]. My friends from Mumbai tell me that what is needed in Mumbai now is people, since the money is coming, but the number of volunteers is less. I am sure similar situations are going to arise in New Orleans also soon.
Vidhya and I decided to include the people affected by this hurricane in our 9pm meditation prayer.
I gave a small amount today to the Red Cross box kept in the department office. I intend to fast for a day and pray for the people there. Also to give the money I save by fasting that day [$20 ?] to the Red Cross... can you also do something like that ... please?
-A
P.S. Just read this article about how the superdome may be emptied by tonight. My prayers go to all those affected by this great tragedy.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Major changes in the JEE proposed - but will they be any good?
The Times of India is reporting about the proposed changes in the JEE in this article.
The 4 main changes proposed by the committee headed by Dr. C.N.R. Rao are:
1. The syllabus should be of the level of class XII
2. Have only one exam instead of two [this process lasted until 1999, when I took the exam, after which the two-stage process was introduced.]
3. Make it a purely objective test.
4. You must have 60% in the XII exam to qualify.
Some questions come to my mind... and I do not have answers to them.. maybe you - my learned readers can comment and shed some light.
1. With the exam being completely objective, how will students get to show that they "almost" know.. something that was possible with partial grading in the long form ?
2. How are they going to check the 60% in the XII rule... if students have just appeared for their XII boards and the results are not out? Or do they want only people who are one year beyond their class XII to take the JEE. What happens if someone is the victim of bad grading in the board exams... as is rampant all over.
3. The syllabus will be of class XII level, but which board? The article says that this will help the "poor students", but then what about the poor students in the villages who have access only to the state boards, which may not cover the same topics?
Welll.. this is my list... I am all in for the objectives [get rid of the coachings, make it non-finance dependent while maintaining the standards], but somehow the recommendations do not make sense to me.
what say you.. my learned audience?
Please post comments, and leave behind your association with the JEE, if any, and your present status.
regards
Animesh
JEE 1999
PhD Student, Univ. of Southern California.
The 4 main changes proposed by the committee headed by Dr. C.N.R. Rao are:
1. The syllabus should be of the level of class XII
2. Have only one exam instead of two [this process lasted until 1999, when I took the exam, after which the two-stage process was introduced.]
3. Make it a purely objective test.
4. You must have 60% in the XII exam to qualify.
Some questions come to my mind... and I do not have answers to them.. maybe you - my learned readers can comment and shed some light.
1. With the exam being completely objective, how will students get to show that they "almost" know.. something that was possible with partial grading in the long form ?
2. How are they going to check the 60% in the XII rule... if students have just appeared for their XII boards and the results are not out? Or do they want only people who are one year beyond their class XII to take the JEE. What happens if someone is the victim of bad grading in the board exams... as is rampant all over.
3. The syllabus will be of class XII level, but which board? The article says that this will help the "poor students", but then what about the poor students in the villages who have access only to the state boards, which may not cover the same topics?
Welll.. this is my list... I am all in for the objectives [get rid of the coachings, make it non-finance dependent while maintaining the standards], but somehow the recommendations do not make sense to me.
what say you.. my learned audience?
Please post comments, and leave behind your association with the JEE, if any, and your present status.
regards
Animesh
JEE 1999
PhD Student, Univ. of Southern California.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Rakhi!
Yesterday was Rakhi!
So, Neha sent me a Rakhi, which reached me on time, I mean at least the envelop and the letter, since USPS decided to rip off the Rakhi in transit.
I got a rakhi from the Indian store near USC and Vidhya tied it to me. We had Karachi Halwa as the sweet :-).
Happy Rakhi to all my sisters! Miss you all!!!
-A
Friday, August 19, 2005
E = mc^2
The famous mass to energy conversion equation is now 100 years old!
Nova has a bunch of audios and videos on the topic.
The Slashdot comments are here. Read the chicken crossing the road one.. hilarious!
cheers
-A
P.S. Happy Rakhi to all of you... all you guys.. beware... do not go to meet your crush on this day :-)... and all the bhais... take care of your sisters!
Nova has a bunch of audios and videos on the topic.
The Slashdot comments are here. Read the chicken crossing the road one.. hilarious!
cheers
-A
P.S. Happy Rakhi to all of you... all you guys.. beware... do not go to meet your crush on this day :-)... and all the bhais... take care of your sisters!
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Kenyan Porcupines, Problem or food ?
M sent an article about Porcupines causing problems in Kenya which is a nice read.
Read the comment about Shikari Shambhu :-).
cheers
-A
P.S. Go to the AIS Blog for the snaps of our I-day flag hoisting at USC!
P.P.S. My review of Mangal Pandey is taking shape, but I recommend you to watch it while you wait for my review :D
Read the comment about Shikari Shambhu :-).
cheers
-A
P.S. Go to the AIS Blog for the snaps of our I-day flag hoisting at USC!
P.P.S. My review of Mangal Pandey is taking shape, but I recommend you to watch it while you wait for my review :D
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Adi Godrej: Middle class billionaire
M sent me the link to this nice article about how Adi Godrej, the CMD of the Godrej Group, is a middle class billionaire.
From the article:
Cute.. isn't it?
-A
From the article:
[He] says he uses products made by his companies only, as they give value for money.
Cute.. isn't it?
-A
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Trailer of Munnabhai meets Mahatma Gandhi!
IndiaFM.com has a nice trailer of MunnaBhai M.M.G. M.M.G bole toh - meets Mahatma Gandhi!
Apparently, this movie has Munna, Circuit and the Father of the Nation as the protagonist!
Lets see if Vidhu Vinod Chopra is able to create the magic again!
-A
Apparently, this movie has Munna, Circuit and the Father of the Nation as the protagonist!
Lets see if Vidhu Vinod Chopra is able to create the magic again!
-A
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Nothing is as big as your first love :-)
Saw the trailer of Little Manhattan today.
Cute... very cute.
Go check it out!
-A
P.S. also see the trailer of Fun with Dick and Jane, hilarious. [What else can you expect from Jim Carrey]
Cute... very cute.
Go check it out!
-A
P.S. also see the trailer of Fun with Dick and Jane, hilarious. [What else can you expect from Jim Carrey]
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Catch a stray cow... get INR2000
This is a fictional scene... in view of this news about stray cow rewards, sent to me by M.
[on the street.. A finds a cow..]
A - hrrrrr... tak tak taka..... hrrrrrr hrrrr.....
Cow - MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[Cow kicks A....]
[in the municipal office]
A - Sir, I could not get the cow.. but if u make a fake case for me, I
shall split the money 50/50
Clerk [with paan] - Baat ta aap theekey kar rahe hain.. waise bhi
sasur subah se koi gai nahi aayi hai.... [fills form] .. yahaan
angootha laga do!
:-)
-A
[on the street.. A finds a cow..]
A - hrrrrr... tak tak taka..... hrrrrrr hrrrr.....
Cow - MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
[Cow kicks A....]
[in the municipal office]
A - Sir, I could not get the cow.. but if u make a fake case for me, I
shall split the money 50/50
Clerk [with paan] - Baat ta aap theekey kar rahe hain.. waise bhi
sasur subah se koi gai nahi aayi hai.... [fills form] .. yahaan
angootha laga do!
:-)
-A
Rent : Seasons of Love
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
National Awards for Indian Movies
Very late reporting [news of July], but I just came across an article about the national awards this year. I wonder how many of you were knowing about the results.
Bunch of nice movies... I wonder why "Black" did not get anything.
So what do you think.. which movies will win next year?
-A
Bunch of nice movies... I wonder why "Black" did not get anything.
So what do you think.. which movies will win next year?
-A
Monday, August 01, 2005
Detailed account of Mumbai rains
I got this in email. Amazing details. Credits are due to the author [I don't know who, please let me know if you know].
cheers
Animesh
Here is the almost hour-to-hour account of Mumbai rains:
Monday 10.00 pm: Heavy rain lash city. Mumbai sleeps. BMC sleeps.
Tuesday 6.00 am: Heavy rain lash city. Mumbai wakes up. BMC continues sleeping.
Tuesday 11.00 am: Rain continues. Office goer continues. BMC continues (sleeping).
Tuesday 12.00 noon: Rain carries on. People carry on with their routine, enjoying the clogged water up to knee level, remembering the last time they had gone to the sea at Juhu and Chowpatty and had such enjoyment. Unfortunaltely, they don't know it is the same sea water (mixed with rainwater) that they are getting in the streets, as BMC carries on with sleep and allows sea water to come in at high tide instead of flushing rainwater out at low tide.
Tuesday 3.00 pm: BMC wakes up, but yawns. Municipal commissioner Joseph says thngs are not bad. And since they have done a good job of "Naale ki saphaai" before monsoon, there is no cause to worry. But the average Mumbaikar is blessed with a brilliant sense of intuition thanks to Siddhivinayak, and he openly tells tv channels who interview that this rain seems "unusual", and the BMC or Joseph cannot be trusted.
Tuesday 4.00 pm: The average office-going Mumbaikar realizes his hunch was right after all and drops whatever he was doing at the office to get on the way to home. But it's too late. An areal view from a helicopter of star TV confirms the historic fact that Mumbai indeed was made up of 7 islands!
Tuesday 7.00 pm: Reports start coming in that all roads are clogged with water from knee-deep to 12 feet, traffic jams on all the arterial roads of the city from Eastern Express Highway to LBS Marg to Western Express Highway to SV Road, with traffic cops either drowned or deserted. Air strip is flooded with water 6 feet high, and domestic and international airports are closed until further notice. CNN announces for its viewers that both domestic and international runways are closed for traffic. Apparently they do not know we have only one landing strip. Indians can fool ALL the people ALL the time!
Tuesday 8.00 pm: On one hand, Police commissioner AN Roy, municipal commissioner Johnny Joseph (son of a very foresighted parents if they could name him "Johnny" 55 years ago), and chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh try to reassure the city that efforts are being made to extend all help to commuters. On the other hand all radio jockeys and TV channels urged commuters to either go back to office or stay where they are but NOT to try to advance. Luckily, the people in trouble KNEW whom to trust, and most of them went back to office.
Tuesday, 9 pm: All telephone networks got jammed, landline as well as mobile. Reliance Infocomm yet again confirmed that it is the worst telephone service ( I have a reliance, so this is first hand info). Among mobiles, Orange and BPL at least honestly died on the spot—No network. But Reliance wasted a zillion man-hours of people who kept on dialing in the hope that if the network bar is showing FULL signal strength, how come the calls are not going through? (That at least settled the question as to who is the smarter Ambani. It's clearly Mukesh who started the Infocomm and slyly palmed it off to his brother Anil when they split.)
Tuesday, 10 pm: Vilasrao Deshmukh announced Wednesday as holiday, asking people to stay wherever they were until the situation improved.
Tuesday, 11.30 pm: Nearly 2 and half lakh vehicles (with nearly 1 million people stranded in them) started resigning to their fate. First they blew horns, then cursed the traffic cops and the rain, then came out and tried looking into the distance, then some of them abandoned their cars while others switched of the lights and went to doze off in the vehicle.
Tuesday, 12.00 midnight: Entire suburbs power went off, another Reliance company adding to the woes of the public. Interestingly, another company given to Anil Ambani by Mukesh.
Wednesday, 5.30 am: All TV channels once again proved that keep on chasing stories and story angles of all the other channels all the time. "Breaking news" was SAME all through the night, visuals were better on Star TV and NDTV 24/7, the Sabse Tez channel Aaj Tak was Sabse Lousy! Their ad breaks were really getting on nerves! Who will tell Aaj Tak that their Bhaiyya reporters (like Poonya Prasoon Vajpayee, Prabal Pratap Singh et al) are a real pain for the Mumbaikars to watch? This once-upon-a-time leading news channel is SURELY going to the dogs! At least for the Mumbai viewers, ads and the Bhaiyyas are big put offs.
Wednesday, 7.00 am: Shockingly, NOT A SINGLE TV CHANNEL reported more than two deaths in Mumbai until the 7.00 am news. And today they are putting the figure at 200+ for humans and 1,500 for buffaloes. By the way, 300 buffaloes faced tragic death in Kama Estate in Goregaon East, when water level in their stable suddenly rose. The tragic part was that buffaloes, if left to themselves, can easily swim/float in water, but these helpless creatures died because they were TIED BY A CHAIN IN THEIR STABLES AND THERE WAS NO ONE TO LET THEM FREE. (I instantly made a decision to add an extra peg to my regular quota in the evening to mourn the death of my old neighbours in such large number.)
Wednesday, 8.30 am: The channels reported that the Indian Navy was asked for help to send in boats from Mahim causeway to rescue people stranded in Kurla where the water level was rising alarmingly. The entire nation took in the news normally with their breakfast, but the Mumbaikars skipped a heartbeat. Mahim to Kurla in a boat? Never heard of that! But areal pics from planes confirmed that it was no joke. Mahim to Kurla by water route was the only reality.
Wednesday, 10 am: Johnny, AN Roy and Vilas (looked like he spent the night with "Gilaas") were interviewed by every news channel. They squarely blamed it onto rain gods by saying that this was the greatest rainfall in 24 hours in the recorded history, so all systems failed. They looked secretly happy that the name of Cherapunji in Assam will now be erased from the geography books and replaced with Mumbai. They almost boasted Mumbai registered 944 mm of rain in one day as compared to Cherapunji whose record was only 840 mm. But by that time, no one was really watching these dumbasses. All eyes were on the bottom strip on every TV channel which carried messages from people missing and people looking for them. This was perhaps the greatest service by the channels. (Curiously, star TV made a fool of themselves when they found parents of a young girl lodging a missing complaint at the police station, and offered to find their daughter for them. The whole search operation, tracing the girl and making numerous calls, was filmed live until finally they were able to locate the girl. Ironically, the girl from Kandivali was found enjoying life with her boyfriend in a flat at Washi. It then transpired that she had left with him on Monday itself (when there was no rain) on the pretext of "looking for a job in Bandra Kurla complex with her friend Manoj". The parents were then hurriedly asked to "thank Star TV" for their help in operation "bichhade hue phir mile", and the official comment from the channel said "the girl had gone to her "would-be" in laws' place in Washi with her "would-be" husband." They forgot to add that she might have returned to her parents with a "would-be" child.)
Wednesday, evening: News of gloom, gloom and only gloom. The death toll all over the state started mounting up to 700 as reports from Raigad and other parts of Konkan came in. Landslides, drowning deaths, stampede due to rumours, electrocution, people being blown away by water were some of the causes. The worst news came when it was discovered that a bus with 16 passengers was wading its way through knee deep water in Kalina when suddenly the adjacent nullah overflowed breaking the wall, and all 16 passengers were drowned in a minute, leaving them no chance to even look for the exit door.
Wednesday, night 9.00 pm: The state government announced the next day, Thursday, also as holiday. The meteorological department had issued a warning that heavy rains would continue for the next 36 hours and people should refrain from leaving home for office, and ironically, leaving office for home too. When I heard it, my joy knew no bounds. I kissed my wife who was setting the table for dinner, told my daughter to set alarm for her college at 6 in the morning and called my sports editor at Mid Day NOT to cancel the meeting scheduled for the next day. "Are you mad," he shouted over the wire, "you must be drunk!" "No," I replied, "the weather bureau says the rain will continue, and looking at their record, this could be our only hope that things will return to normal," I said.
P.S. No need to mention I was dead right. The rain vanished, the sun returned, and life was restored to normal on Thursday.
cheers
Animesh
Here is the almost hour-to-hour account of Mumbai rains:
Monday 10.00 pm: Heavy rain lash city. Mumbai sleeps. BMC sleeps.
Tuesday 6.00 am: Heavy rain lash city. Mumbai wakes up. BMC continues sleeping.
Tuesday 11.00 am: Rain continues. Office goer continues. BMC continues (sleeping).
Tuesday 12.00 noon: Rain carries on. People carry on with their routine, enjoying the clogged water up to knee level, remembering the last time they had gone to the sea at Juhu and Chowpatty and had such enjoyment. Unfortunaltely, they don't know it is the same sea water (mixed with rainwater) that they are getting in the streets, as BMC carries on with sleep and allows sea water to come in at high tide instead of flushing rainwater out at low tide.
Tuesday 3.00 pm: BMC wakes up, but yawns. Municipal commissioner Joseph says thngs are not bad. And since they have done a good job of "Naale ki saphaai" before monsoon, there is no cause to worry. But the average Mumbaikar is blessed with a brilliant sense of intuition thanks to Siddhivinayak, and he openly tells tv channels who interview that this rain seems "unusual", and the BMC or Joseph cannot be trusted.
Tuesday 4.00 pm: The average office-going Mumbaikar realizes his hunch was right after all and drops whatever he was doing at the office to get on the way to home. But it's too late. An areal view from a helicopter of star TV confirms the historic fact that Mumbai indeed was made up of 7 islands!
Tuesday 7.00 pm: Reports start coming in that all roads are clogged with water from knee-deep to 12 feet, traffic jams on all the arterial roads of the city from Eastern Express Highway to LBS Marg to Western Express Highway to SV Road, with traffic cops either drowned or deserted. Air strip is flooded with water 6 feet high, and domestic and international airports are closed until further notice. CNN announces for its viewers that both domestic and international runways are closed for traffic. Apparently they do not know we have only one landing strip. Indians can fool ALL the people ALL the time!
Tuesday 8.00 pm: On one hand, Police commissioner AN Roy, municipal commissioner Johnny Joseph (son of a very foresighted parents if they could name him "Johnny" 55 years ago), and chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh try to reassure the city that efforts are being made to extend all help to commuters. On the other hand all radio jockeys and TV channels urged commuters to either go back to office or stay where they are but NOT to try to advance. Luckily, the people in trouble KNEW whom to trust, and most of them went back to office.
Tuesday, 9 pm: All telephone networks got jammed, landline as well as mobile. Reliance Infocomm yet again confirmed that it is the worst telephone service ( I have a reliance, so this is first hand info). Among mobiles, Orange and BPL at least honestly died on the spot—No network. But Reliance wasted a zillion man-hours of people who kept on dialing in the hope that if the network bar is showing FULL signal strength, how come the calls are not going through? (That at least settled the question as to who is the smarter Ambani. It's clearly Mukesh who started the Infocomm and slyly palmed it off to his brother Anil when they split.)
Tuesday, 10 pm: Vilasrao Deshmukh announced Wednesday as holiday, asking people to stay wherever they were until the situation improved.
Tuesday, 11.30 pm: Nearly 2 and half lakh vehicles (with nearly 1 million people stranded in them) started resigning to their fate. First they blew horns, then cursed the traffic cops and the rain, then came out and tried looking into the distance, then some of them abandoned their cars while others switched of the lights and went to doze off in the vehicle.
Tuesday, 12.00 midnight: Entire suburbs power went off, another Reliance company adding to the woes of the public. Interestingly, another company given to Anil Ambani by Mukesh.
Wednesday, 5.30 am: All TV channels once again proved that keep on chasing stories and story angles of all the other channels all the time. "Breaking news" was SAME all through the night, visuals were better on Star TV and NDTV 24/7, the Sabse Tez channel Aaj Tak was Sabse Lousy! Their ad breaks were really getting on nerves! Who will tell Aaj Tak that their Bhaiyya reporters (like Poonya Prasoon Vajpayee, Prabal Pratap Singh et al) are a real pain for the Mumbaikars to watch? This once-upon-a-time leading news channel is SURELY going to the dogs! At least for the Mumbai viewers, ads and the Bhaiyyas are big put offs.
Wednesday, 7.00 am: Shockingly, NOT A SINGLE TV CHANNEL reported more than two deaths in Mumbai until the 7.00 am news. And today they are putting the figure at 200+ for humans and 1,500 for buffaloes. By the way, 300 buffaloes faced tragic death in Kama Estate in Goregaon East, when water level in their stable suddenly rose. The tragic part was that buffaloes, if left to themselves, can easily swim/float in water, but these helpless creatures died because they were TIED BY A CHAIN IN THEIR STABLES AND THERE WAS NO ONE TO LET THEM FREE. (I instantly made a decision to add an extra peg to my regular quota in the evening to mourn the death of my old neighbours in such large number.)
Wednesday, 8.30 am: The channels reported that the Indian Navy was asked for help to send in boats from Mahim causeway to rescue people stranded in Kurla where the water level was rising alarmingly. The entire nation took in the news normally with their breakfast, but the Mumbaikars skipped a heartbeat. Mahim to Kurla in a boat? Never heard of that! But areal pics from planes confirmed that it was no joke. Mahim to Kurla by water route was the only reality.
Wednesday, 10 am: Johnny, AN Roy and Vilas (looked like he spent the night with "Gilaas") were interviewed by every news channel. They squarely blamed it onto rain gods by saying that this was the greatest rainfall in 24 hours in the recorded history, so all systems failed. They looked secretly happy that the name of Cherapunji in Assam will now be erased from the geography books and replaced with Mumbai. They almost boasted Mumbai registered 944 mm of rain in one day as compared to Cherapunji whose record was only 840 mm. But by that time, no one was really watching these dumbasses. All eyes were on the bottom strip on every TV channel which carried messages from people missing and people looking for them. This was perhaps the greatest service by the channels. (Curiously, star TV made a fool of themselves when they found parents of a young girl lodging a missing complaint at the police station, and offered to find their daughter for them. The whole search operation, tracing the girl and making numerous calls, was filmed live until finally they were able to locate the girl. Ironically, the girl from Kandivali was found enjoying life with her boyfriend in a flat at Washi. It then transpired that she had left with him on Monday itself (when there was no rain) on the pretext of "looking for a job in Bandra Kurla complex with her friend Manoj". The parents were then hurriedly asked to "thank Star TV" for their help in operation "bichhade hue phir mile", and the official comment from the channel said "the girl had gone to her "would-be" in laws' place in Washi with her "would-be" husband." They forgot to add that she might have returned to her parents with a "would-be" child.)
Wednesday, evening: News of gloom, gloom and only gloom. The death toll all over the state started mounting up to 700 as reports from Raigad and other parts of Konkan came in. Landslides, drowning deaths, stampede due to rumours, electrocution, people being blown away by water were some of the causes. The worst news came when it was discovered that a bus with 16 passengers was wading its way through knee deep water in Kalina when suddenly the adjacent nullah overflowed breaking the wall, and all 16 passengers were drowned in a minute, leaving them no chance to even look for the exit door.
Wednesday, night 9.00 pm: The state government announced the next day, Thursday, also as holiday. The meteorological department had issued a warning that heavy rains would continue for the next 36 hours and people should refrain from leaving home for office, and ironically, leaving office for home too. When I heard it, my joy knew no bounds. I kissed my wife who was setting the table for dinner, told my daughter to set alarm for her college at 6 in the morning and called my sports editor at Mid Day NOT to cancel the meeting scheduled for the next day. "Are you mad," he shouted over the wire, "you must be drunk!" "No," I replied, "the weather bureau says the rain will continue, and looking at their record, this could be our only hope that things will return to normal," I said.
P.S. No need to mention I was dead right. The rain vanished, the sun returned, and life was restored to normal on Thursday.
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