DISCLAIMER :
No personal feelings please and with due respect to all garba lovers.
No harm intented to religious sentiments.
I moved to Ahmedabad just one month before Tatas decided to move to Ahmedabad ;) - a truly amazing city for sure, but this city two serious problems , first it comes in dry state - so hard time boozing, second this is the land of GARBA - the traditional Gujarati dance performed especially during the the festival before dussera - Nau Durga. It was my first garba season here and I've some tonic for you -
1.) Every body says Garba khelo (meaning - play) , now can you tell me - how do we play a dance ?
2.) After doing garba, here is my definition :-
" It is an activity where people form circle or ellipse and rotate while clapping in a weird fashion and everybody thinks that we are dancing. "
I went to all the famous places in Ahmedabad and saw so many garbas - all I was reminded of Godhra riots - so much commotion - hardly any cultural relevance.
3.) Every Garba begins with prayer of Ma Durga and this dance is said to be performed for the goddess. I wonder if ever the goddess told mortal beings to "wear some sort of sexy back less dress for ladies and scare crow like dress for men and then dance whole night to make her happy."
The money and time spent on real festival of Ma durga is something like :-
Money on Garba : Money on Pooja :: 10000: 0.01
time doing garba : time doing pooja : : 9 hours : 6 mins
4.) Then this must be an interesting fact -
" The sale of condoms increases drastically during the garba season !!! "
check out google for real facts and figures, here is one such new from DNA :-
www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1195829
I am fascinated by the whole hyporcricy in our society but neways, now I understand why they call a dance - " Khelo" coz its actually a big play - a foreplay, may be.
What made me laugh today!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
India vs. America
I went to meet with the principal of a tiny school (which he is run on the terrace of his house) to discuss the next science demo that our company trying to put together. He is a very good example of an achiever by keeping things small. He runs a couple of businesses which includes an internet browsing center and using the money runs the school that mainly caters to the nearby families of the lower economic income. He is also a funny guy who frequently takes a satirical looks at social problems that irritated me!
During our conversation I realized that he has some social consciousness when he revealed that he writes frequently to Deccan Chronicle suggesting traffic improvements and a voluntary member of a group (don't remember the name) that assists traffic police. So, I tried to take his opinions on public urination and how to solve it. He suggested people aren't ready to pay a rupee for unrination and two for defecating, especially when it is not a taboo to do so in public. But he expressed the "not a taboo" part beautifully!
During our conversation I realized that he has some social consciousness when he revealed that he writes frequently to Deccan Chronicle suggesting traffic improvements and a voluntary member of a group (don't remember the name) that assists traffic police. So, I tried to take his opinions on public urination and how to solve it. He suggested people aren't ready to pay a rupee for unrination and two for defecating, especially when it is not a taboo to do so in public. But he expressed the "not a taboo" part beautifully!
"This is India, not America! In America, people can kiss in public, but not piss in public. Here we can piss in public..but unfortunately we can't kiss in public"
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A piece of genius
You must have heard an anecdote from the life of Einstein told to justify the fact that brilliant people people make stupid mistakes when the eventually succumb to making one. Einstein had a pet cat which inevitably gave birth to kitten. So, Einstein decided to construct a small home for the cat and built a home with two entrances, a big one for the mother and a small one for the kitten, missing the obvious point that if the mom can enter through the bigger entrance, so can the kitten. But that's the oft told story, too boring to merit a repeat. So sticking to the ubiquitous rule "only change is constant" let us narrate another story from the life of another undisputed genius.
This happened one day in his childhood when he had an upcoming basic mathematics exam involving addition, subtraction, place value identification, division etc... Being a sincere student he had been preparing hard for the exam under the expert guidance of his mom. On the morning of the exam, while he was taking stab at a random bunch of problems his mom realized that there were too many problems to solve in such a short time before starting to prepare to go to school. So, she told him "Don't worry about attempting addition, subtraction and place values..you know it very well. Attack the multiplications and division and get them right. That should be enough". And the genius obliged. Feeling confident after the revision, he left for school to conquer the exam.
That evening his mom enquired,"How was the paper?"
As if he was just waiting for his mom the answer the enquiry, he beamed,"The paper was great! I solved all the division and multiplications right!"
Puzzled, the mom asked, "What about the addition, subtraction and place values..?"
"Oh, but why should I even attempt them mom, I know I do them very well. I just attempted the multiplications and divisions. Isn't that what you said?"
Now who is this genius? Well..who else? :)
This happened one day in his childhood when he had an upcoming basic mathematics exam involving addition, subtraction, place value identification, division etc... Being a sincere student he had been preparing hard for the exam under the expert guidance of his mom. On the morning of the exam, while he was taking stab at a random bunch of problems his mom realized that there were too many problems to solve in such a short time before starting to prepare to go to school. So, she told him "Don't worry about attempting addition, subtraction and place values..you know it very well. Attack the multiplications and division and get them right. That should be enough". And the genius obliged. Feeling confident after the revision, he left for school to conquer the exam.
That evening his mom enquired,"How was the paper?"
As if he was just waiting for his mom the answer the enquiry, he beamed,"The paper was great! I solved all the division and multiplications right!"
Puzzled, the mom asked, "What about the addition, subtraction and place values..?"
"Oh, but why should I even attempt them mom, I know I do them very well. I just attempted the multiplications and divisions. Isn't that what you said?"
Now who is this genius? Well..who else? :)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Prasing her or picking on her?
I got introduced to Hindi when I was in my fourth standard (I think), but then for as long as I was in Chennai, my Hindi hadn't matured so much to understand movie songs right out of the player. It needed offline processing. But remember your school prayer or the "India is my nation" pledge? Honest to god, when was the time in all your 12 years of school have you stopped to think "What the hell is the meaning of what I am saying? Does anyone even know or am I the only dumbo?". For the privileged Tamilians like me, a lot of Hindi songs fit the category too! There are always exceptions, and you do sometime get the meaning of what Udit Narayan is trying to tell Alka Yagnik. But the funny ones are the songs that leave you confused! For example, this song is from an absolute box-office smasher that catapulted Shah Rukh from a chocolate hero into a bitter-sweet anti-hero. The cause for the confusion though is the South Indian heroine, the only one for who a temple was built, if romours are anything to go by. This extract from the song has always left me wondering if the hero is praising his sweet heart or making fun of her for being excessively fat. Here is the extract..
"Jadooooo teri nazar...Khusbhoo tera badan..."
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
2 Silly things !!!!
Well I really don't know whether we should laugh about it or not but here is what I saw at Ujjain Station. ( Third most busy railway junction in M.P.)
The cow stood right at the platform harldy few meters from the gate of the train.
I wondered whether - Lalu has started special trains for cow - obliging to the "CHARA".
Another one.....I read following on a Auto-Ricksaw in Hyderabad.
unfortunately I could not click the picture as it was in middle of traffic.
"Do not over take from left side, I am not responsibility. "
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Japanese Faux pas
Well, my Japanese Faux pas doesn't seem to end with my earlier adventure at the party hall. Here is more..
Two days ago, my manager in Japan... ya ya the same Sato-san organized a send-off dinner at an Indian restaurant in Shinagawa (like you know where it is..). All the Japanese guys who I worked with were invited for the dinner. Since it was a working day we were all in the office and left for the restaurant together. One guy who I spent most time with (I mean working...you pervert) is Shinya Hirai-san. He must be a nice guy I thought, since he keeps smiling all the time. But the problem is, he has no choice but to smile all the time because he knows only as much as I know Japanese. Anyway, we left the office together and I was stuck with him while walking up to the railway station. After a labour ( I mean working hard..dumbo, its a he, not a she!) of about five minutes he managed to ask me,
"So what you buy in Japan?"
I said "I got a video camera"
"India no bideo kamera?" (Is there no video camera in India?)
"Of course we have video cameras man, but they are not as good as they are here. There are more varieties here.."
He seemed to have been impressed by the compliment. But he smiles when he is lost in translation too..So I would never know. As we walked there was a long pause. After some time, I saw a bus with strange exterior colours..with a bit of bright yellow on it. That was the first time I saw this kind of a bus in Japan. Priding myself of my capability to simplify my English down to Japanese level, I pointed to the bus and said
"That is very different".
He turned around to me and asked "India no bassu?" (Don't you have bus in India?)
Simultaneous thoughts clogged my mind:
a) No man never knew what the word bus meant before I came Japan.. we still go around with bullock carts and donkey driven carriages..
b)Never talk to Japanese in English, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience!
Two days ago, my manager in Japan... ya ya the same Sato-san organized a send-off dinner at an Indian restaurant in Shinagawa (like you know where it is..). All the Japanese guys who I worked with were invited for the dinner. Since it was a working day we were all in the office and left for the restaurant together. One guy who I spent most time with (I mean working...you pervert) is Shinya Hirai-san. He must be a nice guy I thought, since he keeps smiling all the time. But the problem is, he has no choice but to smile all the time because he knows only as much as I know Japanese. Anyway, we left the office together and I was stuck with him while walking up to the railway station. After a labour ( I mean working hard..dumbo, its a he, not a she!) of about five minutes he managed to ask me,
"So what you buy in Japan?"
I said "I got a video camera"
"India no bideo kamera?" (Is there no video camera in India?)
"Of course we have video cameras man, but they are not as good as they are here. There are more varieties here.."
He seemed to have been impressed by the compliment. But he smiles when he is lost in translation too..So I would never know. As we walked there was a long pause. After some time, I saw a bus with strange exterior colours..with a bit of bright yellow on it. That was the first time I saw this kind of a bus in Japan. Priding myself of my capability to simplify my English down to Japanese level, I pointed to the bus and said
"That is very different".
He turned around to me and asked "India no bassu?" (Don't you have bus in India?)
Simultaneous thoughts clogged my mind:
a) No man never knew what the word bus meant before I came Japan.. we still go around with bullock carts and donkey driven carriages..
b)Never talk to Japanese in English, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Good-bye! ..and good-riddance
After a really boring day of (not so much) work, I turned to my colleague next cube and told her..
"Komura-san! Tsumaranai desu!" (Its so boring!)
She laughed heartily at the my sudden stupid grimace and the surprising appropriate usage of Japanese. Then as if she remembered something abruptly got and walked to Sato-san, to who I report here in Japan. My heart-skipped a beat,
"Oh Crap! Now I am going to get fired from my company, while on-site".
After a few seconds of silent conversation, Sato-san walked over to me and said, "We are organizing a party this evening to invite the new employees, you want to join?"
I grinned!
Within the next half-an-hour, I found myself in a party hall among a lot of people who looked the same, yet individually familiar, all roaming around with a glass of one kind of alcohol or the other. I found an exclusive table of vegetarian, well.. vegetables.. and started monopolizing the table convinced that none come anywhere near this table. I mean who is going to say "Mmmm! That is a really appetizing broccoli!" and walk up to pick one? So, I dutifully started emptying broccoli's with nothing better to do! (of course watching the ladies was always there, but isn't it understood?)
But as time passed by, the alcohol began to take over the crowd and I could spot a few people walking around and smiling foolishly for no apparent reason. And then the nightmare began. One of my colleagues from our managerial cadre walked up to the table and started surveying But I guess he wasn't drunk enough, so the contents of the table didn't impress him. Trying not to expose the fact that he was just fooled by a table of vegetables, he started started talking to me in Japenglish, and somehow found that I am actually an interesting person to talk to!
At one point of time, he suddenly steered away from the business-related topic we were talking about and said
"You look young! Are you single?"
Consider the question for a second, what made him ask "Are you single" instead of the conventional "Are you married?". I don't know and the fact is, I don't want to know!"...
I JUST WANT TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!
In a vain attempt to extricate myself from the situation and slip the message across I said, "Ya, I am single, but I will probably get married soon!"
He gave a drunk and suggestive laugh, "He he he.. you are waiting to meet your girlfriend after going to your country.."
Relieved that "I-am-not-gay" the message is sent across, I laughed in equal footing "He he he..yeaaa"
"So what is the name of your girlfriend?"
"ummm..."
(Damn it, I don't have a girlfriend! and why the hell don't I remember the name of a god-damn girl...? Brinda, Shweta, Maya.. crap they are all too close to me to use as my girlfriends, ya I can lie consistently..but I feel its morally...screw morality man...this Samurai is kicking your ass all over the place....)
"umm.."
(What was name of the last girl who said no to your marriage...bingo....!)
"RAMYA"
He looked at me awkwardly wondering why I was yelling.
"Lamya?", he confirmed
"Ya Lamya"!
"What is she doing?"
"She is working as a HR in a different city!" (No one can ever suspect that to be a lie! About 90% of the girls do that job!)
"You should bring your girlfriend to Japan! It is a good place!"
(what are you interested in my girlfriend now?)
"Sure! May be in my next visit"
"I need to fill up more wine, nice meeting you"
Good-bye" (..and good-riddance)
"Komura-san! Tsumaranai desu!" (Its so boring!)
She laughed heartily at the my sudden stupid grimace and the surprising appropriate usage of Japanese. Then as if she remembered something abruptly got and walked to Sato-san, to who I report here in Japan. My heart-skipped a beat,
"Oh Crap! Now I am going to get fired from my company, while on-site".
After a few seconds of silent conversation, Sato-san walked over to me and said, "We are organizing a party this evening to invite the new employees, you want to join?"
I grinned!
Within the next half-an-hour, I found myself in a party hall among a lot of people who looked the same, yet individually familiar, all roaming around with a glass of one kind of alcohol or the other. I found an exclusive table of vegetarian, well.. vegetables.. and started monopolizing the table convinced that none come anywhere near this table. I mean who is going to say "Mmmm! That is a really appetizing broccoli!" and walk up to pick one? So, I dutifully started emptying broccoli's with nothing better to do! (of course watching the ladies was always there, but isn't it understood?)
But as time passed by, the alcohol began to take over the crowd and I could spot a few people walking around and smiling foolishly for no apparent reason. And then the nightmare began. One of my colleagues from our managerial cadre walked up to the table and started surveying But I guess he wasn't drunk enough, so the contents of the table didn't impress him. Trying not to expose the fact that he was just fooled by a table of vegetables, he started started talking to me in Japenglish, and somehow found that I am actually an interesting person to talk to!
At one point of time, he suddenly steered away from the business-related topic we were talking about and said
"You look young! Are you single?"
Consider the question for a second, what made him ask "Are you single" instead of the conventional "Are you married?". I don't know and the fact is, I don't want to know!"...
I JUST WANT TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!
In a vain attempt to extricate myself from the situation and slip the message across I said, "Ya, I am single, but I will probably get married soon!"
He gave a drunk and suggestive laugh, "He he he.. you are waiting to meet your girlfriend after going to your country.."
Relieved that "I-am-not-gay" the message is sent across, I laughed in equal footing "He he he..yeaaa"
"So what is the name of your girlfriend?"
"ummm..."
(Damn it, I don't have a girlfriend! and why the hell don't I remember the name of a god-damn girl...? Brinda, Shweta, Maya.. crap they are all too close to me to use as my girlfriends, ya I can lie consistently..but I feel its morally...screw morality man...this Samurai is kicking your ass all over the place....)
"umm.."
(What was name of the last girl who said no to your marriage...bingo....!)
"RAMYA"
He looked at me awkwardly wondering why I was yelling.
"Lamya?", he confirmed
"Ya Lamya"!
"What is she doing?"
"She is working as a HR in a different city!" (No one can ever suspect that to be a lie! About 90% of the girls do that job!)
"You should bring your girlfriend to Japan! It is a good place!"
(what are you interested in my girlfriend now?)
"Sure! May be in my next visit"
"I need to fill up more wine, nice meeting you"
Good-bye" (..and good-riddance)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sometimes its better to keep quite…
Most…of the times…I get annoyed to see men intruding into the ladies’ compartment in MMTS train, Hyderabad. Further I vent out my anger by asking them to leave or read the instruction saying boldly that “You need to pay fine under such offense”. Today, I was rather immersed in a book in one corner, when I found one Guy confidently boarding up…I was about to say my usual dialogues… J when he started saying,…”Come on guy’s get out of this compartment, it’s a ladies one…” This guy turned out to be the TT who was actually warding them off…Not my fault entirely cause I gazed at him thinking if, he was in his uniform or something…but then finally I sighed a sense of relief saying…”Thank God I didn’t blurt out today at least...else would have been the laughing stock for the day.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Panda sneeze :))
One of my favorite LOL items. The silence before the sneeze and the mother's reaction everything is funny. I wonder what the mother panda was thinking after the sneeze :-?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
George Carlin (again!): Similarities
OH MY GOD! I just have to post this one. I just have no other option. Because this is THE LOL material. I was rolling on the floor and laughing my a*s off! I could feel the pain in my stomach around my six-pack that I never knew existed!
The embedding is disabled. So, here is the link.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=cgps85scy1g&NR=1
Phewwwwwwwwwww..man UNBELIEVABLE!
The embedding is disabled. So, here is the link.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=cgps85scy1g&NR=1
Phewwwwwwwwwww..man UNBELIEVABLE!
Geroge Carlin: The American Dream
After yesterday's encounter with George Carlin, I couldn't sleep! I was just sitting there in the middle of the night just watching him rock-and-roll and stamp out everything on his way...religion, , politics, feminism, racism..aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, The Amrenican Dream! Way to go Carlin! :)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Big time bullshit!?!
Disclaimer: This video is not for who are sensitive to the topic of religion and it is not intended to offend anyone.
If you like this you can watch a lot of George Carlin on Youtube. Here is another one thats more related:
If you like this you can watch a lot of George Carlin on Youtube. Here is another one thats more related:
Monday, June 16, 2008
Luck-broker analysis
I visited one of the most famous Shrines in Kamakura, Japan last weekend and found a fortune card on sale. The Japanese, it seems, are not exempt to believing that a certain members the animal kingdom bring or take away fortune from humans. That these luck-brokers live out their lives aiding the human luck-transaction is amazing. I wonder if all of them specialize only in human luck or if they work on luck of other animals too? Do they only do transactions or do any of them specialize in luck-market analysis? I guess I would never know. But this luck-broker, Mr. Turtle clearly stands out among others. He doesn't waste his time on luck market analysis for transactions. He just uses good old magic to get his job done! And his magic, one must admit, is like no other! Afterall how many magicians you know has a shell on his back and can make you a long and rich LIVER?? (See picture!)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Theo's bad report card!
In case if you were not able to watch it from here following this link:
http://www.youtube.com/v/nFY0HBkUm8o&hl=en&rel=0
Seems like this video is not available for viewing outside the US due to copyrights.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Toilet terror - It happens only in Japan
It rains and consequently gets cold in Japan. On top of that, Japan is a coffee-crazy country and I am just too happy to sail along the direction of the wind! One side-effect of that is my kidneys get work over-time without pay! (Here I go again!...)
That day was no different. Well...almost! After the third cup of coffee for the day, it was time for me to pay the regular visit. As I was standing there, performing my chore, a janitor, middle-aged a bit over-weight exited the loo located right behind where I was standing and went towards the hand wash. I was thinking about the e-mail sent by a customer asking a confusing question. So as I got done, I absent-mindedly turned simultaneously while zipping up. Time for Murphy's law.. For reasons nobody can explain, at the exact same time the janitor turned away from the hand wash and facing me, I turned away from the urinal and facing the janitor, and the zip got stuck against a piece cloth in trouser (thank god it was the cloth!). I don't know if the janitor was taken over by instinct or if the long experience came to the rescue, but quite honestly I don't want know. But the next moment, I zipped up. As I walked towards the wash she said "Sumimasen" (excuse me). It was then I realized that it was a *SHE*! My head swirled for a moment and it was not the coffee's fault.
I didn't know if I have to get the hell out of there or if I just have to pretend as if nothing has happened, wash my hands and walk out slowly. But on the way out, I made sure to check if it was indeed the gentlemen's room. Thankfully it was. I was thankful that it wasn't my fault. I told myself it probably happens only in Japan!
That day was no different. Well...almost! After the third cup of coffee for the day, it was time for me to pay the regular visit. As I was standing there, performing my chore, a janitor, middle-aged a bit over-weight exited the loo located right behind where I was standing and went towards the hand wash. I was thinking about the e-mail sent by a customer asking a confusing question. So as I got done, I absent-mindedly turned simultaneously while zipping up. Time for Murphy's law.. For reasons nobody can explain, at the exact same time the janitor turned away from the hand wash and facing me, I turned away from the urinal and facing the janitor, and the zip got stuck against a piece cloth in trouser (thank god it was the cloth!). I don't know if the janitor was taken over by instinct or if the long experience came to the rescue, but quite honestly I don't want know. But the next moment, I zipped up. As I walked towards the wash she said "Sumimasen" (excuse me). It was then I realized that it was a *SHE*! My head swirled for a moment and it was not the coffee's fault.
I didn't know if I have to get the hell out of there or if I just have to pretend as if nothing has happened, wash my hands and walk out slowly. But on the way out, I made sure to check if it was indeed the gentlemen's room. Thankfully it was. I was thankful that it wasn't my fault. I told myself it probably happens only in Japan!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Testing IQ
Imagine you are in Africa. You have been tied hanging on a tree with a rope anchored on the ground, a candle is slowly burning the rope, and the lion is waiting for you to drop and be his lunch.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Communist jokes
A cell in one of the numerous prisons in Soviet Union full of people convicted for nobody knows what..a new man was pushed in by the police. Everybody came running towards him and asked
"How many?", meaning "How many years?".
He said in a sad tone "Ten" :(
"What for?"
"For nothing"
"Why you liar! For nothing they give five years!"
If you liked this joke, or didn't and want a better one than that may be you can check out a related article. More communist jokes are available in a book called "Hammer and Tickle" by Ben Lewis.
Source: BBC's Global news podcast
"How many?", meaning "How many years?".
He said in a sad tone "Ten" :(
"What for?"
"For nothing"
"Why you liar! For nothing they give five years!"
If you liked this joke, or didn't and want a better one than that may be you can check out a related article. More communist jokes are available in a book called "Hammer and Tickle" by Ben Lewis.
Source: BBC's Global news podcast
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