Why Do We Do this?

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First Day First Show: Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

It is a Rs 22 crore movie. Expectations were high for other reasons. One, it was Aditya Chopra’s comeback after eight years of Mohabattein and thirteen years of Dilwale Dulhaniya Lejayenge . Well, that does not come as a surprise. After giving a hit like (DDLJ), one is virtually competing against oneself! Not sure if there is a follow up formula to the ‘love’ formula.

Two, it is a Shahrukh Khan movie. He did have sole responsibility in holding the storyline. In fact it is two Sharukh Khan movies in ONE.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Released Today.

Set in Amritsar around the Golden Temple, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, touches everything that is normal, everything that is way of life in ordinary people’s lives, nothing that you do not know or have not seen in your everyday lives. In fact at times it feels that it has been shot close to home.

The movie starts off on a very old and beaten road- groom does not show up, father finds the first possible match for his daughter from the crowd assembled for the ‘other’ wedding. There starts the one sided love affair, the life of a mismatched couple Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan) and Taani (Anushka Sharma).

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Driving In India: Can You Do It?

Driving On Indian Roads: Can you do it?

Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best and leave the results to your insurance company. Here is a funny, and sadly true account by Coen Jukens on driving in India.

The hints are as follows:
Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is “both”. Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess.

1. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality.
   
2. Most drivers don’t drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don’t you get discouraged or underestimate yourself. Except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.
   
3. Don’t stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.
   
4. Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts) or just to mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.
   
5. Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister’s motorcade, or waiting for the rain waters to recede when over-ground traffic meets underground drainage.
   

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Colbert Report: Should Obama become a Hindu?

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR THE VIDEO

Stephen Colbert of Colbert Report steps in to help Obama find a new church (since Barack Obama left Jeremiah Wright’s church) through his feature Stephen Colbert’s Barack Obama Church Search and his divine guidance while he himself explores Hinduism with Hindu Temple Society of North America President Uma Mysorekar.

His suggestion- Should Obama become a Hindu?

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR THE VIDEO – to view some Hin-dos and Hin-dont’s from The Colbert Report.

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The Next Prime Minister of the United States

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Wireless India

112,000 broadband centres would be set up in rural areas across the country, within a year. The government Saturday announced a $2-billion public-private partnership to provide broadband and internet connectivity in country’s rural areas. Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, speaking at Global Telecom Summit here, said that $1.5 billion for the project would be generated from the private sector and the balance would be funded from government sources.

The ministry of communication & IT is also expected to unfold its third generation of mobile phone standards and technology – 3G service – guidelines by June this year. The 3G services are expected to be rolled out by the end of current year. The aim of the these policies is to provide wireless telephone and mobile telephone to every household in rural India by 2010, said the minister.

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You Are Still an Indian If, Part 2

For those who are not yet sure, here are ten more questions for you to find your Indian identity.

1. If your gold tooth filling is your only dental expense, you are still an Indian.
2. If you put your ears on your digital wrist watch to make sure it is working, you are still an Indian.
3. If you wait for rain to wash your car, you are still an Indian.
4. If you ask your Indian waitress which part of India she is from, you are still an Indian.
5. If you ask a stranger whether they are married within five minutes of conversation, you are still an Indian.

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Runaway Runway

Recently during the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) there was another minor case of wardrobe malfunction when Debbie, a Belgian model, tripped on the runway and one of her shoulder strap slipped. The press seized the opportunity, so we went around to see how the country as a whole feels about this monumental event in the history of Indian fashion industry. Here are some of the reactions across our mostly wardrobe free country.

Mr. K. R. Murthy, spokesman for the Indian ministry of culture: At time like this, we all have to remind ourselves that India is a repressive republic. Runway is no place for exposure in our culture. For that we have epics, classics texts, public temple, national magazines, pirated movies, and internet to name a few, and all the foreigners need to respect our tradition. They should not be allowed to sabotage our society by just one slip. Mind you, shoulder is a slippery slope: today it is just a strap; tomorrow it might be the national shame that would slip off our shoulder. If we do not act now it may be too late. What would this nation be without shame?

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You Are Still an Indian If

Are you an Indian living in America? Or are you a person of Indian origin? Do you waste a lot of time trying to shade your Indian identity? Or you do everything to cling to it? If you are either of those, we can help. We have developed Simple Home Identity Test for you. Whether you doubt your closeness to Indian root or you deny all connections you have you can take the Simple Home Identity Test sitting in the comfort of your own home. If you are thinking it would cost you days or even months to find out, you are wrong. You do not need days, or even hours, or even minutes. If you take the test online now, you can get the result for amazingly low investment of 19.99 sec per session. So why wait, find out for sure if you are DESI (despite emigration still Indian).

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Chak de Railways, Says Lallu

Lallu Prasad Yadav picked a bollywood theme of his fifth Railway Budget. Chak de Railways, he exclaimed. In his presentation of the Union Railway Budget, he recited:

 

Sab kah rahe hain humne gazab kaam kiya hai,

Karoron ka munafa har ek shaam diya hai,

Phal salon yeh ab dega, paudha jo lagaya hai,

Sewa ka, samarpan ka, har farz nibhaya hai.

 

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Cirque du Inde Called Jodhaa Akbar

If Emperor Akbar were to watch Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar, he would have said, “Wow man! What opulence, very impressive indeed.” And if Jodhaa and Akbar were to watch Jodhaa Akbar together, they would have definitely fallen in love with each other even if they did not back then. Jodhaa Bai would have told Jodhaa of the story, “Cut that fuss out lady! What else do you need?”

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Lunar Eclipse Causes Lunacy

Indian science of eclipses is different that rest of the world. We believe that an eclipse is caused when Rahu and Ketu, the two invisible planets, swallow either the sun or the moon depending upon the time of the year. An eclipse in Sanskrit is called grahanam.

Life on the day of the eclipse is very different than other days. Hindus bathe in the Ganges or the sea as soon as the eclipse begins. They will stand up in the water and chant Krishna Mahamantra till the eclipse lasts. (Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 13.124. purport.) This is mandatory even if News services warn you against it since the tides will be high.

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