Chessboard serial killer complains of injustice

He may have killed 48 people in his quest to complete the 64 squares of a chess board but Alexander Pichushkin thinks he's being punished a bit too much.

For the Russian serial killer, spending the rest of his life in jail seems too dear a price to pay for his crime.

His lawyer said Pichushkin felt the sentence is too harsh and should be cut to 25 years.

What do you think?

Pichushkin should be punished with
	Death sentence
	Life sentence
	25 years in jail
	10 years in jail
	A year in jail
pollcode.com free polls

October 2007 Blog Mela

Mitali Saran comes to grips with a stolen water meter

Jabberwock proposes an alternate list of celebrity responses to brighten up Sunday mornings

Falstaff finds that everybody flirts with the new girl.

The Great Bong realises his PhD is a Potato Highly Defective.

Aditi Sen muses on the sexually incorrect.

Gaurav Sabnis thinks Bobby Jindal is hell-bent on throwing away as much of his Indianness as he probably can.

Suyog Deshpande reveals why he loves meetings

Sidin Sunny Vadukut is at pains to let the world know that he's not Amit Varma

Presstalk nearly falls asleep during a one-on-one interview.

Son of Bosey says Al-Quaeda is to acquire distribution rights for Vista Home Basic.

That's all for now. The Blog Mela returns later this month. Keep watching this space for nomination guidelines. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the October 2007 Blog Mela.

Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007

The best of October 2007 Blog Mela
	Mitali Saran
	Jabberwock
	Falstaff
	Great Bong
	Aditi Sen
	Gaurav Sabnis
	Suyog Deshpande
	Sidin Sunny Vadukut
	Presstalk
	Son of Bosey
	None of the posts were that good
pollcode.com free polls

October 2007 Blog Mela - Nominate Now

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 October Blog Mela being hosted here on October 31



Blog Mela Rules
- Posts must have been written by Indians or have an Indian angle
- Only posts published between 1-31 October, 2007 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 October 31 will be featured
- 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

Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007

Why Mom and Dad walked out of Plaza cinema 22 years ago

Back in 1985, Mom and Dad had just shifted to New Delhi. The capital's hectic pace of life didn't suit them at first and they looked for ways to maintain an umbilical link with their native state of Kerala.

A casual glance at a newspaper column one morning brought the welcome news that a new Malayalam film was playing at the Plaza cinema in Connaught Place. As you can imagine, my parents were overjoyed and promptly drove down to the hall.

Mom was a bit disconcerted to find the cinema theatre nearly empty. But that was nothing compared to her surprise at seeing a Sikh gentleman occupying one of the seats nearby.

"Must be a film critic," mumbled Mom. "Why else would he be interested in a Malayalam film?"

"There would be subtitles...He can understand it that way," said Dad.

The mystery was solved when the film started and a woman started disrobing on screen. And my parents realised that they, the Sikh gentleman and a few other men were watching what can only be described as a softcore porn flick.

"He didn't need subtitles," said Mom - a few minutes after my parents had slunk out of the hall and into the parking lot.

"And that's certainly not a family film," she added.

The film's name - which roughly translated to 'Family is Heaven' - had not given my parents any clues about its content. But they did learn one thing. That morning shows in Delhi theatres were not for the family.

P.S. Two decades later, things have changed. The refurbished PVR Plaza is no longer a haven for voyeurs and morning shows are usually reserved for family films. But Mom still makes it a point to check the Adult 'A' listing before venturing into theatres.

September 2007 Blog Mela

Dear Reader,

The middle of October is no time to showcase the best of Indian blogs for September. I'm not making any excuses for the fortnight's delay - just hoping that the sumptuous fare on display will help assuage frayed tempers. Enjoy.

AB slaps a man who slaps her back.

Deepa bumps into a Dhoni fan in a New York elevator.

And Falstaff rants against NYT's coverage of India's Twenty20 triumph.

The Great Bong blogs on an important issue - namely whether certain formations of rock on the sea floor were made by an army of dhoti-clad monkeys or not.

You should ask Rajaram about it. After all, he's the one caught in the middle.

Jabberwock comes away impressed by Johnny Gaddaar.

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi tries to get karma points by following up on an SMS.

Bikkupedia visits Ponmudi - where's that? It's a hill station in Kerala.

Sakshi wonders why divorce is no longer a dirty word in India.

That's all for now. The Blog Mela returns later this month. Keep watching this space for nomination guidelines. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the September 2007 Blog Mela.

Check out previous Blog Melas
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007

The best of September 2007 Blog Mela
	AB
	Deepa
	Falstaff
	Great Bong
	S Rajaram
	Jabberwock
	Suchitra Krishnamoorthi
	Bikkupedia
	Sakshi
	None of the posts were that good
pollcode.com free polls

Google in 1407AD

What doest thou think of this?

(Via Reddit)

BLOG INTERVIEW - Somdev Dev Varman

When Somdev Dev Varman won the NCAA championship in May this year, it caught the Indian media by surprise. The 22-year-old had become the first Indian winner of the premier American collegiate event, emulating the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe.

Surely, it was time for Dev Varman to say goodbye to the University of Virginia and turn professional. After all, the man he beat in the NCAA final - American John Isner - is already making waves on the ATP Tour. And doesn't India desperately need a male Sania Mirza?

For the moment, Dev Varman is content playing the occasional ATP tournament - he was last seen in action as a wildcard at the Kingfisher Airlines Open, Mumbai.

In this exclusive interview, Dev Varman told The Indian Tennis Blog he isn't ready to put away his books till May next year.

Several people are astonished that you seem to be putting your college degree over tennis. When are you going to turn professional?

I'm planning on turning pro after I graduate and finish up the NCAA team and individual tournament in May 2008. I feel graduating and getting a degree from the University of Virginia is a special thing and I've enjoyed my time there so far. I have no regrets of returning to school and hope to help my team be the frontrunners for a national championship this year.

Do you think staying back in India would have hindered your career?

No, I don't think it would have at all. Going to college was just another option for my life and my tennis. Indian tennis is growing and we're developing many juniors thanks to the efforts of the organisations in control.

Which tennis player is your idol and which is your favourite surface?

It's hard not to like Federer. He's a great player and represents the sport in the best way possible. I like playing on hard and clay.

John Isner, the player you beat in the NCAA final, is now the talk of the ATP tour for his meteoric rise up the rankings. Any comments?

John is a great player and a good friend. I'm a bit surprised that he has made his move this quickly but I thought it was going to happen sooner or later for sure. His serve is absolutely enormous and he's very mentally tough and focused. I'm happy for him and hopefully I'll be able to join him there soon after I graduate.

Can we see you playing more events in India in the future?

I would love to play some events in India if I'm given the opportunity.

What apart from playing tennis gives you a high?

Apart from playing tennis, I enjoy playing pretty much any sport. I love hanging out with friends and having a good time. I also love listening to music and watching movies in my free time.

(This interview was first published on The Indian Tennis Blog)

Should Somdev Dev Varman turn professional?
	Yes - he's wasting his best formative years
	No - he will peak gradually this way
	Can't say
pollcode.com free polls

Other Exclusive Interviews on this blog

Sona Mohapatra
Mahesh Dattani
Ruchi Narain
Will Bigham
Shiva Keshavan
Ravi Godse
Suman Ghosh

India's best bet at the Oscar awards

India needs help deciding which film should be its official entry for the 80th edition of the Academy Awards. While officials and filmmakers squabble over India's best bet in the Best Foreign Film category, you should vote for your choice.

The background so far: Filmmaker Bhavna Talwar thinks her film 'Dharm' was given the boot because some jury members were biased towards 'Eklavya - The Royal Guard' director Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Talwar has taken the matter to court and the issue will only be resolved on October 10. But does either film deserve to be sent to the Oscars?

Should the Tamil film 'Paruthiveeran' - which won the Best Indian Film award at the Osian's-Cinefan film festival in July - have been selected? Did the hockey-playing damsels of 'Chak De India' stand a better chance of triumphing at the Kodak Theatre finale on February 24, 2008. Or would Mani Ratnam's 'Guru' have gone all the way.

Is there no film this year which can compare to 'Lagaan' and 'Salaam Bombay'?

You decide. If your choice is not on this list (but eligible for the Oscar awards next year), write to me at toeknee@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post. And do participate in the poll.

ALSO READ
Why Chak De India won't win an Oscar
What India won at the Oscars earlier this year
List of 2006 Oscar nominees and winners

Which film should be India's Oscar entry?
	Guru
	Chak De India
	Paruthiveeran (Tamil)
	Dharm
	Eklavya - The Royal Guard
	Gandhi My Father
	Cheeni Kum
	Life in a ...Metro
	My choice is not on this list
	No Indian film in 2007 worth it
pollcode.com free polls

Shilpa Shetty arrested over Richard Gere kiss!!!

Just when you thought British newspapers and websites had all but forgotten about Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty, here comes the latest salvo against Indian prudishness.

Several biggies in the British media went overboard on Thursday, reporting on their websites that the Bollywood actress had been arrested over her kiss with Richard Gere.

For the record, the actress had not been arrested at all. Apparently, some immigration officials at Mumbai airport were still in the dark about a Supreme Court ruling allowing the actress to travel overseas.

Shetty was questioned for a few minutes before being allowed to proceed to Berlin for the premiere of her musical Miss Bollywood.

So much for martyrdom at the hands of India's moral police. Soon this episode will be forgotten in Britain and Shilpa Shetty will once again fade from public memory like she had in the past few months.

ALSO READ
Is Shilpa Shetty's UK honeymoon over?

Shilpa Shetty's career
	is better than ever
	is down in the dumps
	can't say
	who is Shilpa Shetty?
pollcode.com free polls