Another Hiatus

 

Yet again i go vanishing, the conspirators say.

How do i prove i am really busy and not just pretending to be so. The proof of this lies in the fact that i have not changed my socks for the last two weeks and have mistakenly been shaving on Sundays and starting for golf on Monday mornings.. Either i am totally confused and lost in my busy office work or this is the beginning of the end of youth. Whatever, during these busy times, i experienced some good and bad events, a summary of these is as follows:

Jagjit Singh: A great loss to the world of Ghazals and subllime music. I thought he over-exerted in the last few months. It will take many decades to forget him and his music.

Steve Jobs: Have mourned him in these columns. An icon leaves planet earth. Have sometimes asked myself if Narayana Murthy had an American tag to him, he would have been revered no less. The same background of creating value and wealth to the country...

Dhoni: Someone rightly ticked me by reminding 'What more do you want. He has won both the longer and shorter versions of one-day cricket world championship, he has taken the country to Number 1 position in ICC, he has built a team from scratch...". All agreed. Nothing to say  there. Fully agree that these achievements entitle him to take us down to shambles, make us play the qualifying rounds in the next ICC, and push us to the brink of being relegated from world's test cricket playing nations' status.

Annaji: Going great guns from one protest to other. And in a country of 1.1 billion people represented by some 540 odd senators, there can be no dearth of issues to espouse. He can, if he really has time, fast for the next 25 years non-stop and yet not be doing justice to many serious issues that deserve a faster-leader..

Astrology: Someone requested me to write only if i had good things to say and do away with my masochist tendencies (when was i self-inflicting i wanted to ask). Anyways, i wouldn't stop for want of good things to write about. It is just that i need a neat 3 hours to look into a future week.

Markets: Some respite last few sessions - could well be a bear market rally. People are already discussing at what level Euro, the single currency opened on 1.1.1999. Doesn't augur well. We had a Lehmann in 2008 which helped create some ash and the act of re-emergence. The delay this time is more painful than the eventual event (of another ash tray)

Movies: Was twice lucky to get a different place to sleep in these tiring times. First one was that crap that had a dulhan in it and the second one was where the rascals tormented viewers for 150 minutes. My daughter was laughing uncontrollably in the latter. Must have been seeing me snore for the first time in life.

Bollywood: Banarasi fabric is fast catching up in Bollywood i read somewhere. But a very stupidly pertinent question - who wears clothes these days.

Nobel Prize: I thought Satchidanandan would get that for Literature. But it requires a lot more for an indian to make it when compared to a swede - the audience may not be global (the committee will justify). They also serve who only stand and wait.

World's Cheapest Computer: News headlines screamed that world's cheapest computer was launched last week by GOI. Two possibilites: It could either start a price war or become the fountainhead of another scam. Why dont we call it MAC (most affordable computer) instead of 'cheapest'.

Comedy: Last some days i have been regularly watching this comedy serial and have even discovered that this channel actually telecasts full-length comedy for 22 hours a day. Almost 99 percent of it is slap-stick variety but still a big relief after a strenuous day. So last night when i was laughing loud, my wife came to warn me why i was so addicted to News channel these days.. (it was only then i realised it was a leading news channel where the news-editor is licenced to kill anyone by her probing eyes and sharp questions)