I am not crazy about cellphones. So when I was asked to cover the midnight launch of the Apple iPhone 3G in India, it didn’t really seem worth sacrificing my sleep.
I walked half-heartedly to the Vodafone store in nearby Connaught Place, hoping to see frenzied youngsters jostling for vantage position outside its shutters.
I had read horror stories of people abroad queuing up 60 hours ahead of schedule for a chance to buy the iPhone first.
For more, click here
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Jesus played cricket? It's an Olympic campaign
No, I really don't think Jesus Christ played cricket as a child as some media reports would have us believe.
That seems more like a conspiracy, to establish cricket as the game played by the saviour of the world -- and then use it to squeeze cricket into the next Olympics.
I am not complaining though coz India has a good chance of winning a medal in cricket.
But if you ask me, Jesus would have been a sure winner in the walking on water category, if that ever becomes an Olympic sport.
That seems more like a conspiracy, to establish cricket as the game played by the saviour of the world -- and then use it to squeeze cricket into the next Olympics.
I am not complaining though coz India has a good chance of winning a medal in cricket.
But if you ask me, Jesus would have been a sure winner in the walking on water category, if that ever becomes an Olympic sport.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Surviving Delhi Bus Rapid Transit Corridor III
Want to irritate me? You can show me the Delhi government ad on television that lists the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor project as one of its achievements.
Just because it's disappeared from the front pages of newspapers doesn't mean commuters are now in some sort of heaven. They are just resigned to the fact that there's no getting away with the bottlenecks at Chirag Dilli and Archana crossings.
The time taken is the same but the hot May sun is no longer beating down on motorcyclists and cars.
When you are waiting in the BRT line in August, the rain splashes down, dribbling down the car's windscreen and you can sit back and relax, armed with the knowledge that the car in front won't move another inch anytime soon.
Yes, the rain gods had pity on Delhi's hapless BRT commuters -- making that interminable wait at least tolerable.
But that doesn't make the corridor project a success. Hindustan Times claims people are adjusting to BRT, that Delhi has learnt to live with it. They should have asked me, I guess. Or anybody who goes through the BRT corridor day after day, month after month.
What worries me is this Times of India article, which says the Delhi government is planning more BRT stretches. It seems Sheila Dikshit hasn't learnt her lesson yet. Does she really want to lose the next election?
If only she had spent a few extra crores and extended the Delhi Metro till Khanpur. People would have been singing her praises. Alas! Each commuter on the corridor has only curses to offer.
My colleagues don't believe me. They feel I use BRT as an excuse.
"How bad could it be?" they ask.
"Travel down the corridor and you will see," I reply.
Unfortunately, they don't live anywhere near the BRT. And they will never experience the torture. After all, the rains will go away soon, the sun will come out and the commuters will sweat again -- and their murmurs would grow louder and louder still.
ALSO READ
Surviving Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Part I
Surviving Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Part II
Just because it's disappeared from the front pages of newspapers doesn't mean commuters are now in some sort of heaven. They are just resigned to the fact that there's no getting away with the bottlenecks at Chirag Dilli and Archana crossings.
The time taken is the same but the hot May sun is no longer beating down on motorcyclists and cars.
When you are waiting in the BRT line in August, the rain splashes down, dribbling down the car's windscreen and you can sit back and relax, armed with the knowledge that the car in front won't move another inch anytime soon.
Yes, the rain gods had pity on Delhi's hapless BRT commuters -- making that interminable wait at least tolerable.
But that doesn't make the corridor project a success. Hindustan Times claims people are adjusting to BRT, that Delhi has learnt to live with it. They should have asked me, I guess. Or anybody who goes through the BRT corridor day after day, month after month.
What worries me is this Times of India article, which says the Delhi government is planning more BRT stretches. It seems Sheila Dikshit hasn't learnt her lesson yet. Does she really want to lose the next election?
If only she had spent a few extra crores and extended the Delhi Metro till Khanpur. People would have been singing her praises. Alas! Each commuter on the corridor has only curses to offer.
My colleagues don't believe me. They feel I use BRT as an excuse.
"How bad could it be?" they ask.
"Travel down the corridor and you will see," I reply.
Unfortunately, they don't live anywhere near the BRT. And they will never experience the torture. After all, the rains will go away soon, the sun will come out and the commuters will sweat again -- and their murmurs would grow louder and louder still.
ALSO READ
Surviving Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Part I
Surviving Delhi's Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Part II
Sunday, August 03, 2008
July 2008 Blog Mela
Twisted DNA can now blog for ever
Nomad on Mallu men and beef
Bikerdude goes ga-ga over Bangalore's Commercial Eat
Silverine goes down frustration lane
Mama Says So feels like an impostor at the school gate
Jabberwock takes a flight to Chennai
Idea-smithy goes for a waltz in Matunga
18,000 RPM is in for some software-engineered cooking
Madhusudan Katti wants to catch a neutrino in the tiger's den
YOnEarthNot is the Crazy Biscuit Lady
That's all for now. The August 2008 Blog Mela returns early next month. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the July 2008 Blog Mela.
Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
Did you just come across a quirky, interesting or something-that-tugs-at-your-heartstrings blog? If yes, feel free to nominate it for the August Blog Mela being hosted here on September 2
Blog Mela Rules
- Posts must have been written by Indians or have an Indian angle
- Only posts published between 1-31 August, 2008 would be accepted
- If possible, please nominate individual posts, not the whole blog
- Feel free to nominate something you have written. Immodesty appreciated
- You can nominate as many blog posts as you like - provided you really like them
- Only nominations received before midnight on September 1 stand a chance to be featured on the Top 10 list
- No, you don't get any moolah for nominating or getting featured in the Blog Mela. That could change once I am a millionaire but for now you'll just have to bear with me
- Yours truly reserves the right to nominate good posts which you ignore
How to Nominate
- Leave a comment on this post OR better still - Mail me at toeknee (at) gmail (dot) com
Nomad on Mallu men and beef
Bikerdude goes ga-ga over Bangalore's Commercial Eat
Silverine goes down frustration lane
Mama Says So feels like an impostor at the school gate
Jabberwock takes a flight to Chennai
Idea-smithy goes for a waltz in Matunga
18,000 RPM is in for some software-engineered cooking
Madhusudan Katti wants to catch a neutrino in the tiger's den
YOnEarthNot is the Crazy Biscuit Lady
That's all for now. The August 2008 Blog Mela returns early next month. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the July 2008 Blog Mela.
Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
Did you just come across a quirky, interesting or something-that-tugs-at-your-heartstrings blog? If yes, feel free to nominate it for the August Blog Mela being hosted here on September 2
Blog Mela Rules
- Posts must have been written by Indians or have an Indian angle
- Only posts published between 1-31 August, 2008 would be accepted
- If possible, please nominate individual posts, not the whole blog
- Feel free to nominate something you have written. Immodesty appreciated
- You can nominate as many blog posts as you like - provided you really like them
- Only nominations received before midnight on September 1 stand a chance to be featured on the Top 10 list
- No, you don't get any moolah for nominating or getting featured in the Blog Mela. That could change once I am a millionaire but for now you'll just have to bear with me
- Yours truly reserves the right to nominate good posts which you ignore
How to Nominate
- Leave a comment on this post OR better still - Mail me at toeknee (at) gmail (dot) com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
Perhaps it’s genetic. Maybe I was distracted when the angels were imparting crucial life skills just before pushing us down womb chutes. I m...
-
"Let's drive down to Ahmedabad," said my brother, the driving enthusiast in the family. "Shut up! We’re not going on a ...
-
Meet my friend Internet. He's a fun guy and loves spending time with everyone. And believe me, everyone loves him too. I bet he can brin...
-
Again in Leon . And using the opportunity to brush up my rusty Spanish as we roam the ancient city. A woman on the airport bus correctly gu...
-
Perhaps my most abiding memory of last week's trip to Darjeeling and Sikkim is that of taxi drivers obsessively cleaning their cabs....
-
Woof! My name is Sheena and I live with my mistress in an apartment on the seventh floor. She’s a nice human and I am quite happy living ...
-
When I was growing up in New Delhi, Mona didi was always the cool, big sister -- the better half of the "MonoTony" of neighbourin...
-
It seems hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, before the flash floods hit Kashmir, the Dal Lake in Srinagar was teeming with care...
-
November 1965. The second India-Pakistan war had ended. Mankind had yet to conquer the moon. A group of schoolgirls (seven of them from Infa...
-
4321 by Paul Auster My rating: 4 of 5 stars "4 3 2 1" is the coming-of-age tale of Archie Ferguson, with four dramatically diff...