If you answered, Freida Pinto, crack open an ice-cold Bud Light, oh real desi genius. Yahoo Buzz Log reports that searches for “Freida Pinto pictures” jumped by a whopping 65,740% in one day!!! From Google Trends it appears that the jump happened after 7pm PST (10pm on the East Coast), which to me says that Freida was featured on some sort of Hollywood reporting show around that time.

Freida was in the top 10 of Google searches for that day at #7. Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citibank came in at #95. Priorities priorities.

Desi starlet makes top search list - Über Desi

With this latest innovation, Anupam joins the prestigious ranks of other alarm clock inventors of desi origin. What is it with us desis and alarm clocks anyway?

Rise and shine with this desi’s invention - Über Desi

Kritika Singh lost control of her Isuzu Rodeo about 11 p.m. Monday when her car struck the mattress on the highway near Nutley Street in Fairfax County, Virginia State Police said.

Image: via.edu

It’s also painful to know that the tragedy could have been possibly averted because of a safety factor.

She then ran off the road into a box truck that had swerved to miss the mattress, hit a guardrail and flipped over. Singh, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle, which came to rest in the woods.

The article mentions that a co-passenger, wearing a seat belt survived with injuries.

Our thought and prayers with the family friends of Kritika. Her friends have set up a facebook group in her memory. (link)

Sadly, her family has not yet received her mortal remains for final rites, and anyone willing to consider a donation in their capacity, please use this link on the university website.

Nepali student killed in car crash - Über Desi

Citigroup to reduce headcount by 50,000? - Über Desi

img: via Fox 5

The charges are that of theft …………

Annamalai, 43, is accused of charging $1,751 to a woman’s credit card without her permission in July. He also charged $14,000 last year to perform a spiritual service for a woman suffering from Crohn’s disease, according to an arrest warrant.

……… and practicing medicine without a license.

Annamalai allegedly shipped the woman an unknown red liquid substance that he claimed was medication and instructed her to take it. He also told the woman to stop taking medication that a licensed physician prescribed for her when she began taking his medicine, the warrant says.

Annamalai Annamalai, winner of the title of most repetitive name, goes by the name of Dr. Commander Selvam and routinely runs ads in desi publications like Little India claiming he could cure any physical or personal problems. One of the charges police have levied against Annamalai is that he is neither a doctor nor a commander, hence his advertisements and claims are misleading. Dr. Commander Selvam, who we shall henceforth refer to as Mr. Shri. Dr. Commander Selvam, just for fun’s sake, is currently out on a bail of $121,400, not surprising considering his business seems to generate a decent revenue.

Annamalai, who owns a million-dollar home in Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth, is not the only temple leader in trouble.

Another story reports that before his arrest, authorities at the Atlanta airport were notified of Mr. Shri. Dr. Commander Selvam being a flight risk, and if so his being out on bail seems to be a contradictory move by the authorities.

Overcharging someone’s credit card and practicing medication without a license are valid grounds for prosecution under law and if found guilty Mr. Shri. Dr. Commander Selvam should be prosecuted accordingly. But one also has to question the decision making abilities of the so-called victims. Sure, we all have family members or friends who have at some stage fallen victims to such quacks and charlatans, but that still doesn’t make it right. One would think given the notoriety of such “godmen”, people would learn sooner or later. It seems like a lot of the so-called victims approach charlatans like Mr. Shri. Dr. Commander Selvam of their own volition, and when things do not work as promised (imagine that), cry foul. At what stage can we stop calling these people victims and start classifying them for what they are, willing customers.

Dr. Commander Selvam arrested - Über Desi

He spoke about a lot of things, but his answer to the most important question, his return to F1 had a very terse response.

Now that Vijay Mallya’s [Images] Force India has severed ties with Ferrari — opting for McLaren instead — does it mean a return to F1 for India’s only driver with that experience? Has he had talks with Force India regarding a comeback?

“No,” said Narain, a one-word answer, sans any explanation, but with enough scope to read between the lines.

But that is Narain Karthikeyan for you — a man of few words, always at his diplomatic best. And lest we forget, he continues to be a show-stopper.

Narain Karthikeyan Unplugged. - Über Desi

For Patel, currently placed ninth overall and fourth in the rookie class of the Formula BMW series, it will be a steep learning curve on a circuit that has tested the best of racing drivers.

Of more significance is the fact that Macau Grand Prix is often considered as a stepping stone for young drivers hoping to progress to elite Formula One racing as the event usually attracts talent scouts.

Patel has not had the best season this year.

Patel, in his debut BMW Pacific season, has had an up-and-down outing as he had to overcome a poor start due to his own inexperience as also an ill-handling machine.

And as far as inspiration goes, it is as simple as a phone call for the budding youngster.

Patel said he would be in touch with his mentor Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first F1 driver, for tips on the Guia circuit. Besides Karthikeyan, the other Indian to race in Macau was Karun Chandhok.

We wish him luck and will keep our eyes open to see how his race progresses.

Aditya Patel will race in Macau - Über Desi

India’s first unmanned lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan 1, has placed a probe on the surface of the Moon. The probe, painted with the Indian flag, touched down at 2034 (1504 GMT), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

How effective was the news coverage over here in the US? To use an euphemism, not very. While the BBC has quickly latched on to this news, at the time of posting, the major cable news channels CNN, MSNBC and FoxNews are blissfully unaware of any such event. The network news channels haven’t fared much better either.

The peacock has landed - Über Desi

Hinglish movies becoming more commonplace
img: via NPR

NPR’s “All Things Considered” had a recent story on the rising popularity of Hinglish movies, Indian movies set in urban India or even abroad, that are breaking away from the traditional style of movie making which includes writing the dialogues in the more urban contemporary “Hinglish” language as opposed to a mixture of street Hindi and Urdu. [NPR]

Take for instance, recent Über Desi favorite, Slumdog Millionaire:

Film critic Aseem Chhabra says he had an immediate realization when he watched the movie:
“I kept saying to myself, ‘My god, this is just like watching a Hindi film,’ ” says Chhabra. “Most people in modern India speak English and Hindi. They mix up the languages, and that’s how we speak, and that’s how these films are being presented.”

Other movies mentioned in the NPR story include Monsoon Wedding, Bend it like Beckham and Loins of Punjab. A common thread to these movies (besides having Hinglish dialogues) appears to be their willingness to break away from the traditional Bollywood mold

Monsoon Wedding, which chronicled a sprawling, dispersed family as it gathered in Delhi for a wedding, touched on themes like poverty and sexual abuse, which are never addressed in the fantasy world of Bollywood.

…………. and thereby perhaps appeal to a more wider audience …..

Another hit film that drew on both Indian film traditions and its Western roots was Bend It Like Beckham. “That was a very accessible film also, because it’s about soccer and young girls and the fact that they can do it,” says Chhabra. “But we had Sikh characters in it. They break into Bhangra, they break into Indian pop music.”

…… or, in some cases, not.

Loins of Punjab Presents, which opens in the U.S. this month, is set in an Indian immigrant community in New Jersey and features a ragtag mix of South Asian immigrants trying out for an American Idol-style singing contest. The catch: They’re all singing Bollywood songs. Director Manish Acharya recognizes that his film may have limited appeal in both India and the U.S., since it belongs in neither.

So how would you describe the language you spoke/speak at home, especially if you have a mother tongue not named English? Do you use a purer form of the language or one with lots of English terms thrown in? What would you call this language?

NPR on Hinglish movies - Über Desi

Free screenings of Slumdog Millionaire - Über Desi