The Hindu reports that President Kalam has stated that he hasn’t watched a movie in the last 50 years:
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has not watched a movie in the last 50 years as he was literally wedded to his scientific research. “You won’t believe it but it is true,” Mr. Kalam told Radio Kashmir’s news […]
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Filed under: Movies, Tamil
The Swedish capital, Stockholm, is now under a spell. Yes, the plays host to The World Magic Championships 2006! The championships begin today, and end on Saturday, August 5.
The contestants will have 10 minutes each to impress the judges. The contests are separated into two heads: Stage contests and Close-up contests. The categories of magic […]
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Filed under: Miscellaneous
This is the man now hailed by Arabs from Syria to Egypt as the new Nasser. He is also the terrorist whom Israel must kill to claim victory in southern Lebanon. And, for all the rumours, he is believed to have stayed in Beirut throughout this war, racing between hiding places in unmarked family saloon […]
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Filed under: People
India has been ranked 125th in the list of the world’s happiest countries. Adrian White, a British analytical social psychologist, has compiled this list based on various reports available with the UN and the World Health Organization.
Denmark tops the list of the 178 countries studied, while Burundi has to be content being the least happiest. […]
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Filed under: Miscellaneous, News
With its recent announcement about entering the portable MP3 player business with Zune, Microsoft is entering a dangerous territory, one which in which Apple, with its iPods, has a clear lead. So what is the Seattle giant thinking? Peter Burrows explains the risks and the payoffs in the battle for your ears…
The partnering strategy hasn’t […]
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Filed under: Tech
Ruud van Nistelrooy leaves Man United, as Michael Carrick walks in.
Real Madrid have confirmed that Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy has passed a medical, and would be formally unveiled as a Real Madrid player. The Dutchman becomes the second high-profile player to move from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu in the last three years. […]
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Filed under: Football
Google Talk is my favourite IM. Despite being not as feature-rich as its counterparts from Yahoo! and MSN are, Google Talk trumps because it exploits fully its USP — it is simple. It has the look-and-feel of an app that you and I would have developed to practise basic networking in Java.
But Google has constantly […]
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Filed under: Tech
Just saw a clipping from Imsai Arasan 23-m Pulikesi. A very interesting dialogue. Nasser comes to meet Vadivelu. The dialogue runs something like this…
Nasser: Maatrangal pala irukkindranave (There is so much change since I was last here)
Vadivelu: Maatram ondru dhaane, mama, ulagil maaramal iruppadhu (But, Uncle, isn’t change the only quantity that doesn’t change in […]
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Filed under: Miscellaneous
One of the few things that everyone in my house shares a passion for is songs from old Tamil movies. Yes, there are new songs and we all listen to them too. But old songs have a charm of their own. Simple, and with music that is non-obstructive and (hence?) pleasing to the ear, these […]
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Filed under: Golden Oldies, Tamil
Marionette: a man-made puppet manipulated by strings
Martinet: a woman who pulls the strings on men
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Filed under: Miscellaneous
Today, a few colleagues were watching the video of an old advertisement. I remember seeing it on Doordarshan in the last ’80s. The ad was one of the most remarkable ones of those years.
Yes, “Hamara Bajaj” had a universal appeal. It was filled with elements that made the scooter seem like a commodity that everyone […]
12 Comments »
Filed under: Media, Miscellaneous
Thank you for visiting! If you’re reading this, you are probably already aware that I’ve moved my blog to my own domain.
I must thank the Government of India for spurring me to make this move. The decision to move has been on the cards for a while; but the Government order restraining ISPs from providing […]
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Filed under: Meta
Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (Ch. 4, V. 8 ):
paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge
In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
In the glorious traditions of Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhvacharya, Raja Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda […]
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Filed under: Culture & Society, Media, People
The verdict is out! The four clubs which were implicated in the match-fixing scandal have all been meted out harsh punishments.
Juventus have been relegated to Serie B. The Bianconeri have been stripped of their league titles of this season and the last. They will start Serie B with minus 30 points. The Italian Serie B […]
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Filed under: Football, News
The World Cup is over. Life returns to normalcy; the Italians return home to a glorious welcome; men return to work, and TV remotes to women. Comparing one tournament to another doesn’t really take us anywhere. The World Cup is a self-contained event, and to derive pleasure from it, it is better to look at […]
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Filed under: Football
One of my favourite footballers is Gary Lineker. I don’t remember watching him much; I was 3 when he won the Golden Boot in Mexico 1986. And my memories of him from Italia ‘90 are also vague.
Lineker, who presents football games on TV these days, has many claims to fame. He belongs to a select […]
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Filed under: Football, People
P.S.: Finally, it had to be someone from Sicily who finished the French off! Thank you, Grosso! Viva Italia!
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Filed under: Football
In less than 8 hours from now, the final of the FIFA World Cup 2006 would have kicked off. France and Italy will clash to take the top honours in this most prestigious of competitions. An estimated audience of over one billion will watch the game live on TV. This is in addition to the […]
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Filed under: Football
I was discussing with a friend about how powerful movies can influence viewer thinking. The Godfather came up as one of the prime examples. It brought gangster-ism into popular culture. Books have been written about it, a slew of fantastic movies on similar lines sprang up in a short period. It made “mafia” a […]
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Filed under: Football, History
Yes! Yes! Yes! The Azzuri are in the final after another 12-year wait!
I was predicting a 3-1 victory for the Italians. It ended 2-0. My prediction defied logic; however I’m not claiming that I got the result (and the goal difference) right. I rooted for an Italian victory, simply because they are my favourite team. […]
6 Comments »
Filed under: Football
