Ramblings

Unlike my other posts, which revolve around a topic, this particular post as the heading goes, it is about nothing in particular.

At the onset I wish to thank Keerthi for designing the Logo for ATAH. His Blog Avyukta has been doing really well with lots of hits and a varied content. Good for him and all the best to Avyukta. During my net-wanderings I came across a very interesting blog. It is The Counterterrorism Blog maintained by worldwide experts on Counter Terrorism. It has a detailed coverage of 7/7 London attack, followed by a nice article on how the bombers could be tracked by tracking the money they have have spent. I couldn't find any article on Terrorist activities in India though! Guess there are no blog-savvy counterterrorism experts in India.

Secondly the chatterbox (Where you could leave a message) that used to be on the blog has come to an end. The guy(s) providing the service decided to shut it down. Well till date I haven't got any constructive critisism about the posts, which is what I would love to have so that I am able to improve the quality of my posts. Well as of now I ain't hunting for a new chatterbox, so I request dear readers to use the Comments Link that follows the post to drop a word to me.

Talking of chatterbox reminds me of the episode of Cricket Controversies that I was watching this Sunday. In this particular episode our royal Cricket chatterbox (hey just a joke) Mr Navjot Singh Siddhu was being discussed about and one question that Sonali Chander was desperately trying to get an answer for was "What really happened on the '96 tour of England, that made Siddhu come back to India midway?". Its been a decade and Siddhu has never revealed the actual reason as to why he came back to anybody. Speaking of unanswered questions in Indian Cricket, we could have many! Like if Azhar and Co were really fixing matches, which were the matches that were really fixed? What was Sachin's role in the whole Fixing scandle and what was so threatning that he did not blow the whistle on the culprits? Why did John Wright actually leave the Job of Indian Coach? The questions are many and truly speaking I feel most of them should be left unanswered! What do you feel?

To end these ramblings here is something interesting :
Times really haven't changed. Consider this:

Year 1981 =========

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Pope Died

Year 2005 =========

1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Pope Died

Now, if Charles wants to re-marry or Liverpool needs another crown .....

POOR POPE....!!!!!! ***
And if you have time do check this very interesting link : We didn't start the fire
Until Next Time
Cherio

Dilli

Since coming to Gurgaon, I had been planning a trip to Old Delhi, but the hot summer did not allow me to do so. My interest in old Delhi was not in sight seeing the monuments, but to see and feel the aura of the mughal influenced are, to taste the cuisine on the streets, to roam the streets and enjoy the hustle-bustle. And that’s what I did this Sunday. It wasn't one of the greatest experiences (the weather was to be blamed partly), but then it is something that was to be experienced at least once.

The other aspect was traveling by Delhi Metro which was a very pleasing experience. The second phase (fully underground) of Delhi Metro became operational last week and that is what made this trip more interesting. Tagged as a world class metro, traveling by Delhi Metro makes commuting in Delhi hassle free. Boarding the metro at Central Secretariat station (near India Gate), we reached Chawri Bazzar, the heart of Old Delhi in 10 mins. It is truly amazing when you emerge out of the Chawri Bazzar Metro Station. From a truly high-tech environment you come out to one of the oldest parts of Delhi, with cramped houses, electric wires so entangled that it would require a stroke of genius to figure out which line goes to which house, shops bustling for space! A 10 min rickshaw ride takes you to Chandni Chowk (our first destination).

Would you like to have your breakfast at a place where at least three ex prime ministers of India have had breakfast? Parathe Wali Gali, a street full of eateries selling at least 25 different kinds of Parathas with a host of complementary side dishes! One of these shops has photos of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri having parathas in that particular shop, hanging on its wall. What’s good for these ex-PM's is good enough for us! The long list of different types of Parathas leaves you utterly confused. Satisfying the taste buds and filling our stomach with a sumptuous breakfast of parathas, kachories and Dhokla's topped with Lassi, we move forward.

Next stop Dariya Ganj. A stretch of more than two kilometers with book sellers!! That’s Sunday Book Market! With almost every kind of book under the sun available at dirt cheap prices, this place is a book lover’s paradise. The heat and humidity was really oppressive and so I couldn't spend much time there, but my wanderings yielded in two books at great prices. The first Abundant Living Endless Striving, a memoir of Sohrab P Godrej, former chairman of Godrej group of Companies. The foreword and reviews are really interesting, giving an insight into a man who had wide ranging passions. The other is Khrushchev Remembers: The Glasnost Tapes. This book gives an insight into the post Stalin era USSR and the working of the Central committee, as told by ex Soviet President Khrushchev after he was removed from office and placed under virtual house arrest. I am sure these two books have been a great buy for me and I will have a real pleasure reading them.

As I mentioned earlier the weather was really bad, so we had to cut short the book browsing and get back to the cool confines of Delhi Metro! The rickshaw drive took us past Jama Masjid and the Red Fort and through the famous Chor Bazar. Once back in the Metro we decided to just spend some time in it till we had cooled down and were ready to brave out again. One really great thing about the metro is that you can get a full day pass for Rs 50/- only by which you can travel from anywhere to anywhere as many times as you want. So taking benefit of this we spend lot of time traveling on both the routes of Delhi Metro. The station where both the routes intersect is Kashmere Gate, where the Inter State Bus Terminus is also situated. Busses for 7 different states leave from this place and it is always buzzing with activity.

After spending considerable amount of time in the metro (both underground and above ground) we got out at Rajiv Chowk. That’s the new name for Connought Place, one of the premier business areas of Delhi. Roaming around Connought Place is a pretty interesting experience as you get to see different kinds of shops. Don't get me wrong, I am not into shopping and all, but what I do like to see are the Curio Shops having various amusing items. To wind up the day we went into a place called Ruby Tuesday to enjoy tasty Salads and mouth-watering dishes. Enjoying our mock tails while seeing Juan Pablo Montoya take the British Grand Prix with a control that is unnatural to him, we relaxed and reflected on a day which was full of contrasts. Contrasts between modern and old, between technology and manual ways, between Moghlai cuisine and American fast food, between the hot weather and cool metro stations, all of which we had experienced within the same day and in a circumference of few kilometers.

I guess that’s what makes Dilli so dynamic!!
Until Next time
Cheerio

Lets become a Great Generation!!

At times it falls upon a generation to be great.
You can be that great generation.
Millions of people in worlds poorest country are trapped in prison of poverty it is time to set them free
Poverty is not natural it is man made and can be overcome by action of human beings.
--Nelson Mandela

The above is the opening part of appeal made by Nelson Mandela to all of us and leaders of G8 to take steps to eradicate poverty from the planet. LIVE 8 - The Long walk to Justice. 2nd July 2005 The Day that Rocked the World, when 150 bands played live at 9 different cities across the world, when around a million people watched these concerts live and more than 2 billion watched it on TV. Whats this all about? In the words of Bob Geldof one of the key person behind Live 8 :

These concerts are the start point for The Long Walk To Justice, the one way we can all make our voices heard in unison.
This is without doubt a moment in history where ordinary people can grasp the chance to achieve something truly monumental and demand from the 8 world leaders at G8 an end to poverty.
The G8 leaders have it within their power to alter history. They will only have the will to do so if tens of thousands of people show them that enough is enough.
By doubling aid, fully cancelling debt, and delivering trade justice for Africa, the G8 could change the future for millions of men, women and children.

The G8 summit begins in Edinburg the Scottish Capital on 6th of July. This is where the Final Push is going to take place on the eve of the Summit.The Largest and Loudest cry to eradicate poverty to make Poverty History. People from all across the world are converging onto Edinburg to make an appeal to the G8 leaders. Even you can make yourself a part of this great and nobel cause by signing up your name on the official website. This is going to be the longest internet and text petition ever. To read more and to be a part of this historic effort please visit the site live8live.com.

Lets become a Great Generation, Lets make Poverty History