Lal Bahadur.  Source: Peeplilivethefilm.com

This is not intended to be a review.
*spoiler alert* Some points give away the story line of the movie.
Peepli Live is a slap fest. It’s a slap across the face, for today’s politicians, the government, it’s babus, their yojanas, and above all, the MEDIA and us, it’s viewers.
Live television has long crossed the boundaries of absurdity. An year ago, the CM of Andhra Pradesh (YS Rajashekar Reddy) passed away in a chopper crash, and the media created a mass hysteria among people …

A band of boys and girls, from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh are on their way to creating history after being featured on VH1 with their single – ‘Losing Mind’.
Hailing from diverse backgrounds, vocalist Sumitha is a graphic design student by the day, DJ040 works with a defence establishment mixing djing and missiles, rapper Roll Rida aka Rahul is a B.Tech graduate, vocalist Sanjana is a publishing specialist – all met through common friends and of course, their common interest – music – a year ago.
The Hindu
Here is …

I’ve heard of cold feet on the day of the wedding but this curious video (ht: @desinole via our #uberdesi feed), with foot-tapping background music, takes the proverbial cake. The groom is one gentleman, who DOES NOT, repeat DOES NOT, want this wedding to happen. He appears to be either drugged or on the verge of a serious emotional breakdown. On the other hand, the bride appears quite ecstatic and so does the mob, that is literally forcing the groom through the motions. Also to be noted, some sort of …

Hello! My name is Joel Swine and I write for Schtime magazine in Switzerland. Recently I traveled back home and I experienced some reverse culture shock – the takeover of the Swiss Alps by star struck Bollywood tourists.

Joel Stein laments the Indian takeover of his hometown Edison, NJ. But is he really complaining? Is he being racist? Are we missing the sarcasm?

In a disturbing trend, Hitler memorabilia is suddenly chic again among Indian youth.

Bollywood to make Hitler movie. No, Asrani won’t play Hitler.

Uncles, aunties, shady cousins and langotya friends are dancing on the streets. Friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and a whole bunch of unknown people are queuing up to hit the buffets. Banana leaves will be cut down en masse for people to slurp paysaam from. If you live in Mumbai or Delhi, on this particular day you might as well just choose to stay home, unless of course you’re attending a wedding. [BBC]
According to the Hindu calendar, Sunday is the Akshaya Tritiya day, the first of the four most auspicious days …

There’s a new addition to the usually stale curriculum of a school in Surat: walking on burning coals and glass shards.

From ibiblio.org

India-Burma
2 April 1942–28 January 1945
“We got a hell of a beating,” Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell told the crowd of reporters in the Indian capital of New Delhi. It was May 1942, and the American general, who had only recently arrived in the Far East to assume the position of chief of staff to Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek, was chafing at failure in his first command in the field. Following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the previous December, the Japanese had won victory after victory, extending their …

This post is a kind of 3 in one : a review of a book, a movie and random musings from me.
I just finished reading Orhan Pahmuk’s “The Museum of Innocence”.Pahmuk, the 2006 Nobel Prize winner has written a magnificent, wordy, illuminating and infuriating novel. The  book tells the tale of Kemal a rich young businessman from Istanbul and of his obsessive and destructive love for the beautiful (but poor and hence off-limits)  young Fusun. His obsession leads him to a passionate affair with her while he is still engaged …

Fair is fair. Three year ago we blogged about how researchers discovered something desi households have known for years, turmeric is good for your health. So when a study comes out that turmeric may not necessarily be as good as advertised, we’re here to report on that. As it turns out, the turmeric the previous researchers used was probably not bought in some (or, even worse, all???) Indian grocery stores in the US. [ABC]
Now, a study published today in the journal Pediatrics said young children who regularly ingest some imported …

A genetically modified version of the baingan a.k.a brinjal a.k.a eggplant is at the center of a fascinating debate in India. [Time]
The brinjal in question is no ordinary vegetable: it’s full name is Bt brinjal, whose DNA scientists have fortified with a gene that kills a range of common pests. Its creators say the genetically modified vegetable will increase farm yields and bring a less pesticide-laden vegetable to Indian dining tables, where the fiery brinjal-laden baingan bharta enjoys cult status.
However, project baingan ran into a familiar buzzkill – politicians and …

60 years ago, when the constitution of India was adopted, our freedom fighters hardly expected the unity to remain fragile 60 years later. We stand united in our love for ‘miley sur mera tumara’ for it’s star value and…wait! Before I can finish my latest news on our unity, there were a few interruptions, mostly controversies this video generated. But, watch the video first…

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Now back to the latest news, (only 10 or 20 min old) depending on whether you watched the second part of the video or not.
Raj Thackeray condemned …

Savita, every desi guy’s favorite bhabhi, has become a de-facto personification of sorts against the arbitrary censorship standards of the Indian government. [WSJ]
“I’m going to take a shower! You should also change out of those wet clothes,” she greeted a neighbor in a November episode, for example. As expected, the two end up together in the shower. The illustrations are explicit, the dialogue laughably simple: “Oh that feels so…” or “Oh I’m going to…”
Now, some random Mahila mandal in India felt so threatened by this brilliant piece of anti-feminine literary …

Desi ishtyle. [BBC]
The Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trusts (HLFPPT) had noble intentions when it rolled out around 3000 condom vending machines in Mumbai.
Over 3,000 condom vending machines have been installed in the city as a part of an HIV Aids prevention programme.
These machines are installed in areas where high risk people like truck drivers are likely to visit.
One of the guidelines is that a person should be able to procure one within 15 minutes. It is not easy to get people to use to condoms and take them from …

Rediff reports:
Obama’s Diwali celebration upsets Indian-American community.
Here’s the back story – ex-president Bush started the practice of hosting a Diwali event since 2003, courtesy request of the Indian-American community and it’s been a practice ever since. Some of the events have been full fledged and upto two hours long, while some, like last year’s,  have been less flashy.
While the article about the first Obama-era Diwali, quoted above, points out reasons why Indian Americans are upset (mostly elderly immigrant Indians), the rest of the article quotes two second generation desis – …

Turns out Obama heckler, Joe “You Lie” Wilson, is an Indo-phile of sorts. [DNA] [Y!]

When it comes to Wilson’s India connections, the clichés abound….
he had South Asian friends, ….
Wilson, who recounts positive experiences with South Asians as a child, was formerly co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.
… promoted Diwali, …
He co-sponsored a bill — approved in 2007 in a far quieter vote than Tuesday’s reprimand against him — that recognized the religious significance of the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali.
… supported the Indo-US nuclear pact, …
Wilson was …

It is a truth universally acknowledged in India that a politician bereft of an issue to express his indignation over, would concoct one out of thin air. The moment such a concoction is introduced to the mango citizens (aam janta if you are wondering), the Indian news-media congregates to take a swig out of the barrel and proceeds to get high.

This familiar scene is playing out currently in India. In what has to be the most WTF evoking “It happens only in India” type occurrences that I have seen since moving back home, an innocuous exchange on Twitter (see image below) between a journalist and the most famous Indian recipient of the Colbert Bump in dominating newsprint and airwaves. It has politicians jostling among themselves to express their displeasure and the media, not one to be left behind, has been fanning the flames mentioning twits and twats every minute of the day for the past 24 hours and counting.

CNN International has this curious story on the prevalent fairness cream craze in India. [CNN]
Curious because CNN treats an age old social issue like it’s a new fad. Basically the article is a segue into comments by Indian Member of Parliament, Brinda Karat, who labeled the concept behind such creams “racist”.
“Basically if you need a job you have to have white skin. If you want a good partner, a companion you need white skin and you always seem to get it once you’ve used the fairness cream. Basically I …