Just in case anybody is in any doubt...

This is what our future(possibly) MP has to say....

In an interview with the Hindustan Times... Sanjay Dutt had this to say...

Did your wife convince you to get into politics?

Manyataji takes the decisions in the kitchen.. aaj biryani banegi ya phir kabab or chicken. That’s where she rules. In other matters I decide what’s to be done. Yes, she’s my wife, so it’s obvious that I’ll always discuss everything with her.. like every other husband and wife.

Full Interview here.

I know a lot of you will probably ask me, why Sanjay Dutt again? Well, no reason, just saw this and felt like sharing, for a laugh! Ekta Kapoor must be clapping!

UP - A Haven for crooks?

I have been following the election drama in the news channels and all possible online newspapers and am seeing a pattern here..

Every crook that is entering politics seems to be getting a ticket from UP! Thank about it, Sanjay Dutt, who has lived all his life in Mumbai, suddenly realizes that he has 'roots' in Lucknow, calls it his 'second home'????



Azharuddin, somebody who could not even play sports with honesty has jumped in the fray - originally from Hyderabad, is now going to contest from Moradabad, UP! Wonder what roots he found there? I am sure they will think up something!!



And not to mention, Varun Gandhi - he probably has more of 'roots' in Pilibhit, as that was his mother's constituency.. As for whether, there is any other reason, he could be allotted that constituency - is anybody's guess!!


So what is it about UP, that seems to be attract every crook in town? Is it because the masses have been kept mired in illiteracy, casteism and regressive traditions, to ensure that they are easily swayed by our 'leaders'?? While I am not denying that every region has it's share of crooked politicians, I just wonder if it would have been so easy for Sanjay Dutt to go and contest in a place like, say, Bengal?

Isn't it, also not more than a little ironic, that the 2 states that send the maximum number of MPs to the Lok Sabha, seems to have the dirtiest politicians??

Blog Magic

I keep telling my husband how I just do not seem to be able to catch up on my blog reading - my Google reader has 1000 + unread posts and that figure is just not changing! Not surprising is it, when I keep adding at least 5 new blogs to my reader everyday!



It just amazes me to see the amount of fantastic reading, out here in the blog world.. And this is all just Indian blogs(mainly)! What a huge amount of talent.. Some of the blogs simply blow my mind away, with their words, their simplicity and their ideas! I can read and read and never get enough of it. I wait for my favourite bloggers to do their next post. I check my reader, almost constantly, to see if there have been any new posts..

And to think, that for so many years, before blogs came about, these skills and those of previous generations were lying dormant or at least very private. The beauty, I think, is in the way that you can participate.. Unlike TV or movies, where we could vicariously enjoy another's creations, here we can join in, however good or bad you are!


Just wanted to say thank you - to whoever thought up the concept of blogs!!!

By the way, from the time I started this blog, I have managed to cross the magic 1000 mark, my unread posts now stand at 998 - I have been doing a lot of reading today :)

Inspired by Solilio, Ajit and many others...

'Oh the post is here!! Hope its that 'little something', he had promised me', she thought as she ran down the stairs to pick up her post.

'Well, it's certainly isn't a dress, may be it's a voucher', she thought ,tearing open the little brown envelope only to burst into tears - a speeding ticket!



PS : My very first try and was even more difficult that I had thought!

Women bloggers face sexist atmosphere online

Just came across this article.. Apparently, women bloggers face 'sexist atmosphere online' .

What do you think? Do you agree? Do you think that as a woman, the way fellow bloggers treat you, is different? Or is this just a western phenomenon?

From my perspective, to be honest, I have not really faced anything like this. But that might be because my blogging circle so far, has been full extremely polite, well behaved individuals..

I would love to hear from all of you... Have you had such experiences? Men, bloggers - would love to hear your perspective too...

Edited to add : I just found this online.. Looks like this is not so uncommon a problem...

This is what Vimmuuu had to say 'I have come across one blogger who was abused to the core. I had written a post on it last year, after another blogger Poonam had mentioned it. check it out, theres a link at the end of the post, you would be blown away reading all the abuses she had to go through : http://vimalsparadise.blogspot.com/2008/06/incident-of-web-abuse.html'

It's that time of the year!!

We had been planning to have over some of my husband's colleagues over for dinner. While I normally love having people over - I was adamant about today - no, not today - it's Wednesday!!!

Wednesday? So what?- you might be thinking.. Well, its Apprentice Wednesday! The UK version of the Apprentice is starting today! For the next 12 weeks, I am going to glued to the TV on Wednesday evenings from 9 to 10:30! This the probably, the only TV programme that I watch. I am sure a lot of you in the UK must be equally addicted to Sir Alan Sugar.. BBC has updated the latest candidate list and put up tasty snippets here..

So please don't be offended if I do not read/comment on your blogs tomorrow - I might be busy surfing apprentice blogs:)

Indian Politics - Will we ever change?

Do any of our political parties stand for anything at all? Apart from trying their best to get to the PM's post - by hook or crook, of course?

Just as I was ranting about the fact that BJP is not even considering replacing Varun Gandhi as a candidate, I just came across this article about how Sikh groups 'have expressed displeasure over Congress' decision to nominate Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar for the Lok Sabha
elections from Delhi, alleging that they were yet to get a clean chit in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case'.

It is amazing to see the audacity with which our political parties select candidates.. Why? Why are they so unconcerned? Why are they so confidently fielding candidates who have offended/capability of offending so many sections of people? And this is just 2 examples.. I am sure that if we dig in, we will find lots more of these kinds of candidates.. Is it because they are 'that' sure of victory or is it because they want to appeal to the most extreme sections of the society?

I remember, in 2005 how David Blunkett, then a minister in the British Govt was forced to resign due to corruption charges against him. We found the charges against him so tame, we were sure that if he were in India - these small bits of corruption would not even have been noticed! It was huge case and the media had hounded him a lot. Finally, he was made to resign. I remember wondering, if would we see this happening in India? Corruption, criminal charges, hate speeches , religious inciting, caste based divisions- these have become the norm in India - I guess, I should say, a 'mandatory' requirement for a politician! When and how will all this change - or will it ever change?

Amid all this, one piece of good news is that Mallika Sarabhai is contesting as an Independent from Gandhinagar! This totally made my day. The fact that she has decided to contest as an independant, makes it all the more special and my respect for her has increased tremendously. Surely, any party would be delighted to have her, and that might have made it all the more easy for her to win - but she has taken the high road. She is in it, 'to win' , but is also making an important point about how each and every party in India today is not in politics for 'public service' but for 'self service'!

I certainly hope she wins and that seeing her - many more capable people enter Indian politics.. With campaing like Jaago Re - This time, hopefully the youth will awaken, the middle class will go out to vote and slowly but surely, the rot in the system will get rooted out!

Weather Report

I have my very own weather reporter at home. Every morning, my daughter gives me an account of the day's weather - 'Amma, it's a sunny day' or 'Its a Windy Day!'.

When we went to India, she started it off there as well, but bored of it within a few days - after all it was always a 'Sunny Day' :( How Boring!! Now that we are back, she is back to weather reporting! Just a couple of days ago, I had posted on how Spring has come and we are enjoying lovely sunny weather - well, that's all gone today! It is all windy and grey again! No wonder, the British start their conversation with the weather - there is just so much to talk about!

Spring is here!

You know what they say about, having to experience winter to really be able to appreciate spring? Well, when I was growing up and survived on Enid Blyton books, it always puzzled me to see how happy everybody was to see a 'Sunny Day'. In India, at that point in time, I used to love overcast, rainy days in those days.. I used to wait for rainy days - used to love monsoon those days...





Now having lived in the UK, I have come to appreciate 'sunny days' finally!


There is definitely something about seeing the garden awash in sunlight!


About seeing little yellow flowers pushing their way out of unruly hedges,


green grass starting to cover brown patches of land,


colourful flowers sprouting just about everywhere - they might be weeds - but they make me feel so, so good!


of seeing neighbours spring cleaning - and all their stuff out in the garden :)


waking up to that wonderful thing called sunlight, instead of dreary 'greyness',


and that wonderful feeling that winter is on its way out,


and summer is just around the corner!








Yes, now I know why....

Its all about me today :) 25 Things..

Ever since I got back from vacation, I have been itching to write - but for some reason or the other - it seems to be evading me.. I seem to get a total writer's block as soon as I am able to sit at the laptop. Add to that the fact that my house is in a complete state of mess - I am hardly able to sit down and type.



So I decided to do a tag instead.. I had been tagged by IHM and Goofy Mumma to do the '25 Things about me' tag. As such, I find it difficult to write about myself - does this count as one point :) So here I go...


1. I love reading - I can read anything - I even read takeaway menus, cereal box cartons, etc for the want of reading material. And I read very very fast!


2. I do not know if I can call myself a foodie - but I dream of food :) Having said that - I am not too fond of cooking.


See - I'm struggling at 2 points... what else..

3. I love playing scrabble. There is an online Scrabble Club, where one can play scrabble 24*7 - I play whenever I get a chance. Before I started blogging - most of my free time used to be spent there:)


4. When I was in school, we used to get one book to take home to read - which was far too less for me. So I made a deal with all the boys who hated reading, to give me their books and I would simply tell them the story instead. We had to write a synopsis of the stories so that that the librarian could verify that we were reading the books. My parents caught on to that and started checking my bag, on the library day - so then I started taking the books home the next day. Can't believe I was so devious - but anything for books..


5. I really envy people who say that they have no regrets in life - there are so many things I would do differently if I had a chance..


6. I talk way too much and my daughter seems to have inherited that from me. Husband on the other hand, has a tough time, trying to get a word in :)


7. I am good at picking up languages - and am waiting to get back Bangalore to add Kannada to my list.


8. The only time, I ate totally healthy food was when I was pregnant - I used to check labels, fat content and eat only the healthiest fruit and veg! So I put on very little weight while I was pregnant - but ate so much afterwards that all that good work went down the drain :(


9. I was very laid back at school, while still managing good grades - I used to maintain a rank between 3 and 6 - with minimal effort. So my teachers and parents were always giving me grief about 'how much I could achieve if I put in just 25% more effort' :) All that changed as soon as I reached the 11th standard - when the fear of 'what would happen if I don't get into engg' took over me :)


10. My favourite subjects in school was Maths, Physics and English. Most people used to find it a weird combination.


Hey - I don't seem to be getting anywhere - could I just make up a few points :) No? ok - will try harder...


11. I try to be punctual. I hate it when other people do not turn up in time.. and not even bother to call and let you know that they are going to be late. The only time, that I got majorly late was when I read an invite wrong. It was an invite for 11:30 am which I misread as 1:30 :( That was so embarrassing.. but the best part was, that while we turned up at 1:30 - there were several others who turned up even later - despite being aware of the correct time...


12. I used to be a total workaholic.. I used to love my job. If somebody had told me 3 years back that I would be happy to be a stay-at-home mum - I would have probably laughed! Guess that's what they say about people changing - or is it priorities changing?


13. I am quite disorganised - I like to say that there is an order in my disorder :) My husband is totally organised - but he can never find things :) We have a standing joke if he keeps away something - 'sambhal ke' - we'll never find it again :)


14. I was a total tomboy when I was growing up - still am to an extent. I am extremely lazy things like changing earrings and other accessories - how I wish I were more girly. As my mother says, no 'soundarya bodham' in Malayalam. Thankfully, my daughter is more like my mother - nothing pleases her more than jewellery :)


15. I always wanted to get involved in politics....


16. I am not a very religious person - but I love hearing about legends associated with different temples and traditions. For some reason, that kind of information fascinates me.


17. For a very long time, for some weird reason, I just did not read Harry Potter books - I don't even remember why.. But one fine day - I started one, got hooked and then read all of them in one shot. I remember going to work, with bloodshot eyes as I had read through the night.


18. I am quite an emotional person.. I can cry at the drop of a hat. I cry while reading books, watching movies.. just about anything - This is one thing I wish I could change about me..


19. I once stood up to my teacher in 7th standard because he pulled my hair for talking in class. I found it extremely offensive and asked for an apology. He did apologize and thankfully, never held a grudge against me for that, and we went on to get along really well. I really respect him for that.


20. I thrive in company.. I love meeting up with people, having people over.. That's one of the things I miss most about being abroad... its much more fun in India.


21. I am extremely lazy when it comes to working out. I have been trying to lose my baby weight for over 2 years - with no success :(


22. The most precious moment for me, was when my daughter was born... It was worth everything.


23. I love ironing - stop smirking , you guys! I get that all the time! But, seriously, I just love ironing.. Love the feel of freshly ironed clothes - I always iron my clothes before wearing them :)

24. I am told that I get overly passionate about causes I really care about..

25. I never tell people my birthday - unless it's coerced out of me..

Thank god, its over... This is one of the most difficult posts that I have had to write.. It has taken me over 3 hours to do this tag - that's huge by my standards - sooo glad its done though :) Thankfully, I don't have to tag anyone - I think everyone I know has been tagged. In case any of you reading this has not been tagged - please do go ahead and do it!

A glimpse of my vacation..

A little glimpse of Kerala - atleast my part of it - especially for Ajit :)

Vacations Over :(

As far as I can remember, coming back from a vacation has always been a very sad, empty feeling for me. When we were all young, all my cousins used to gather in Kerala for every summer vacation - and what a time that was! Coming back to Jamshedpur after all that fun was so boring. After a point, board exams, college started for the elder ones, then for me .. so vacation time was time at home with Amma and Achan - and that was just as sad when it ended.

Now, being a mother, coming back from a vacation is much, much more heart-wrenching with my daughter's tears added to the mix. My daughter refused to let go of my parents, making me wish we did not have to go back. The only thing that made it all worth it was when she clung on to her dad and cried on seeing him when we reached here..

Anyways, as they say, life goes on, whether we like it or not, and here I am back after 7 weeks of vacation - which by the way, still felt too little - talk about greed! Jet lagged and awake at 4 in the morning - what is the only thing I can do without waking up everybody - blogging of course! If there was anything I missed during my break - it was blogging and all my blogging friends! I just did not have the time to sit at a computer, long enough to even check my mails.. So now I have 200 + unread mails and 1000+ unread posts in my reader - now that's some reading material :) And to top it all - I managed to miss out on the most blog worthy valentine's day ever! So I'm off to read all your posts - see you there!