Passionate About India

The movie Do Duni Chaar higlighted the power of simple truths & facts. This Alternative Budget based on agriculture is dedicated to Indians who deserve a less catchy & more simple theme Often, the most profound and transformational changes can be achieved by taking simple and easy decisions that are usually very hard to take. Those simple decisions become hard to take because we – particularly more so in India – have this inexplicable and inexcusable habit of trying our best to avoid reality; to blink and look the other way even when harsh realities stare at us unblinkingly. While brainstorming for the multiple award winning movie Do Dooni Chaar, we were very clear that the lead characters must be confronted with choices that are gut wrenching even though they appear simple. I personally think the movie touched a chord with people across India because it highlighted the power of simple truths and simple facts; and because it enabled ordinary Indians to transcend obstacles by st...

As I went through the shocking footages of the hotel cameras which reveal what went on inside the Taj on 26/11 (made public now for the first time as an exclusive by The Sunday Indian – read the cover story that follows), my blood boils once again in rage. Rage against Pakistan, rage against our spineless government which allowed it to happen and though there can be no justice at all for what happened, I demand that Kasab be hanged immediately. Shocking and Exclusive from the The Sunday Indian : 26/11 snaps from hidden cameras inside Taj. To check them out Log on now to http://facebook.com/Chaudhuri.Arindam I fail to understand what more does the Government of India need to punish Ajmal Kasab, who was caught red handed, causing mayhem in Mumbai on 26th of November 2008. More so, at a point in time where across the globe, governments have a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism! Such is the extent of intolerance that if on one extreme, the United States of America, under the guise ...

Although it is popularly known as a global predicament and India’s biggest, yet nothing is being done about it. I am asked almost everyday, in particular by my online friends on Facebook and other online communities, to write on it. Yes, I am referring to black money and the black hole that our reprehensible politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen collectively have created of this nation. To an extent that there is no other nation which has been looted by its own unscrupulous countrymen, as much as India has been shamelessly looted; and this insidious saga continues on an everyday basis. As per very well researched reports, Indians have stashed away as black money abroad a total amount of money, which is more than our entire national income. The figures are to the tune of an unbelievably staggering $1450 billion of unaccounted money in various foreign banks! And India happens to be the largest account holder of black money abroad. At the second place is Russia with less than a third o...

The kind of double standards practiced by America for decades, even as it arrogantly talks about democracy and preaches the virtues of free speech, dissent and human rights to the world from a pulpit, is a shame to say the least. The fact is, be it Latin America, Asia or Africa, America has always supported brutal dictators who have tortured and killed their own citizens in the most horrific manner. Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua and Bolivia are classic examples from Latin America. South Korea and Indonesia were classic examples in Asia; and Pakistan, of course, is the ultimate showcase of American double standards. During the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was the foe, American strategic cowboys used to argue that propping up unsavory dictators in strategic pockets was a necessary evil because America had to stop the march of Communism, which apparently was supposed to be far worse when it came to freedom, free speech, dissent and human rights. After the Soviet Union ...

I am almost one hundred percent sure when I write this that the budget, which our honourable finance minister is going to present before the Parliament next month, is going to be a hugely populist one. Although nothing different from other previous budgets – which were more of political rhetoric than anything else – this time, it is different. This time, it is more of a compulsion for the UPA, which is finding itself cornered with respect to untamable inflation on the one hand, and equally unbeatable corruption cases and scams on the other. Ever since it has come to power in 2004, UPA has never been in such a position ever. A never-ending series of scams that eroded crores of rupees not only tainted the UPA’s political image, but also dented their performance ratings in a big way. If the CWG scam dented the global image of the government – where crores were siphoned-off and the infrastructure promised never came to shape – then the 2G scam broke all records of corruption. As per conser...

Sabarimala is considered one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations, so much so that it finds its place in the global list of top pilgrimage sites, sharing space with the Vatican and the Kumbh. Even Forbes Traveler features this destination among its list of the “World’s 10 most popular religious pilgrim centres”. Paradoxically, this pilgrimage destination that attracts around 60 million tourists (both domestic and foreign) annually, has failed to make the site safer for its pilgrims. The recent stampede incident that occurred on January 14, 2011 taking the lives of more than 100 people and injuring several more is not the first one. A similar incident occurred back in 1999, killing more than 50 people. In fact, both the unfortunate incidents occurred precisely on the same very date – January 14. For that matter, January 14 is considered the most auspicious day for visiting this destination; and obviously, that day witnesses the maximum number of footfalls of tourists. A conservat...

There seem to be two commodities that are all set to face each other in a combat mode. If on the one hand, bidding at IPL-4 is breaking and making newer records by offering otherwise affordable players, almost unaffordable bids and making them out of the reach of smaller teams, then on the other hand, an affordable and staple vegetable – the onion – is all set to make newer records with its price rise, again making it unaffordable to almost every consumer! The prices of onions have been exponentially shooting up since December 2010, mercilessly burning the pockets of consumers at large! As per figures released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the wholesale price index (WPI) for food climbed up by more than 12 per cent in the first week of December 2010. Comparatively, onion prices have shot up by anywhere between 80 to 150 percent during the same period across the country. What has been intriguing is the manner in which the government has dealt with the entire crisis! It is not t...