Tirupati

Posted on July 27th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

Every flourishing system has a (more) flourishing black market.

3 Comments »
Filed under: Miscellaneous

Rape

Posted on July 25th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

Stupidity can take many forms. This blog, for example. Or a center page article from The Hindu. In which, Julie Bindel argues that women need not assume personal responsibility for their safety.
Rape, under any circumstance, is a crime, nay, a sin. There can be no justification for assaulting a woman. Roughly, from this point, Julie [...]

4 Comments »
Filed under: Culture & Society

The “left” decision

Posted on July 23rd, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

When I first came to know of the Communist Party’s decision to expel the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee from the party, my first reaction was one of shock and sadness. I even criticized the CPI-M of displaying intolerance and a lack of civility.
But then, why would anyone want to criticize the CPI-M of such [...]

4 Comments »
Filed under: Politics

Madras

Posted on July 21st, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

… is the greatest city in the world.
But isn’t that as obvious as stating that paruppusili is the greatest food item ever?

4 Comments »
Filed under: Chennai, Personal

Random

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

Another of those old poems struck me this morning. I think this is from a collection of poems called “Naanmani kadigai”, and I first read this poem when in class 7. Without intending to be boastful, I really am amazed at how many (useless) things I can remember so many years later. I do not [...]

1 Comment »
Filed under: Tamil

Poignant

Posted on July 14th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

While the time at which the song was played was ironical, the lines are captivating. These are the pick of the lyrics.
“நல்ல பொழுதையெல்லாம் தூங்கிக் கெடுத்தவர்கள்
நாட்டைக் கெடுத்ததுடன் தானும் கெட்டார்.
சிலர், அல்லும் பகலும் வெறும் கல்லாய் இருந்துவிட்டு
‘அதிர்ஷ்டம் இல்லை’ என்று அலட்டிக்கொண்டார்.
விழித்துக்கொண்டோரெல்லாம் பிழைத்துக்கொண்டார்;
உன் போல் குரட்டை விட்டோரெல்லாம் கோட்டைவிட்டார்!”
Roughly translates to “Those who wasted the time at their disposal harmed not just themselves, [...]

6 Comments »
Filed under: Music, Tamil

Saadhu Miranda

Posted on July 14th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

… is like Pokkiri, except it is much better, because it is done right.

2 Comments »
Filed under: Movies, Tamil

Irony

Posted on July 14th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

It is past midnight. I am trying to catch some sleep, which is, quite uncharacteristically, hard to come by. I put on my headphones and try some music, so I can be lulled to sleep. And guess what song comes up?
“தூங்காதே, தம்பி தூங்காதே”

1 Comment »
Filed under: Personal

Brilliant!

Posted on July 9th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

“The French want no-one to be their superior. The English want inferiors. The Frenchman constantly raises his eyes above him with anxiety. The Englishman lowers his beneath him with satisfaction.” - Alexis de Tocqueville

No Comments »
Filed under: Miscellaneous

Anjaathey

Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

Anjaathey (2008) is a modern classic!
And Mysskin is a great director. Tamil cinema has a good future.

1 Comment »
Filed under: Movies, Tamil

What a final!

Posted on July 6th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

Rafael Nadal finally managed to beat Roger Federer on center court to win the 2008 Wimbledon Championships.
To me though, Federer lost this final six months before, when after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2008 Australian Open, he commented, “I have somehow created this monster that I have to win every Grand [...]

No Comments »
Filed under: Sport

Bharat Ratna

Posted on July 4th, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

(Based on what little I know) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deserves a Bharat Ratna, for putting up with all the bull$#!+ that the Left parties are throwing at him.
And death to coalition politics.

No Comments »
Filed under: People, Politics

Cafebabe

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

try {
    writeSunCertifiedJavaProgrammerExam();
}
finally {
   clearExam();
}

1 Comment »
Filed under: Personal

Grasso’s paycheck

Posted on July 2nd, 2008 by Vijay Krishna Narayanan

Today’s Morning Joe on MSNBC had some of the funniest moments on a TV news show since Chris Matthews took conservative radio talk show host Kevin James on the issue of appeasement.
The topic of discussion this morning was the money that former New York Stock Exchange chairman, Richard Grasso had taken home, roughly $190 million. [...]

No Comments »
Filed under: Business, Media