Don't Worry Your Holidays are Safe. Ignore that SMS

Multiple instances of this SMS landed in my mobile's inbox:

Sare papo ka saja agle saal milegi
holidays in 2010
26jan-sun
16mar-sun/holi
1may-sun
15aug-sun
2oct-sun
17octsun/dussera
5nov-sun/diwali
25dec-sunday

And in our holiday-obsessed nation it is spreading like wildfire.

But the fact is that most of the date-day combinations do not hold true in the calendar for 2010.

Here's the official version [PDF] of the holidays in 2010.

Republic Day - January 26, Tuesday

Holi - March 1, Monday

May Day - May 1, Saturday

Independence Day - August 15, Sunday

Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday - October 2, Saturday

Dussehra - October 17, Sunday

Diwali - November 5, Friday

Christmas - December 25, Saturday

So relax, most of the holidays (for those with a six-day week) are still safe. And just don't frantically forward any SMS that comes you way.

Damn, for a moment I too was scared. Whew!

[Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangee/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]

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Watch Online: Sant Tukaram (1936)

Sant Tukaram (1936) is one of the 20 greatest films ever made in India, according to T20 of Indian Cinema list at The 40th International Film Festival.

Since this movie was released more than 60 years ago, it, according to the Copyright Act of 1957 [PDF], is in the public domain.

Language: Marathi

Director: Damle and Fatehlal

Cast: Vishnupant Pagnis, Sri Bhagwat, Pandit Damle, Shankar Kulkarni, Kusum Bhagwat, Master Chhotu, B Nandrekar, Gauri

[Video source: taxpro999 on YouTube]

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Desi Jugaad: The Motorcycle Rickshaw

Desi jugaad or Indian ingenuity is legendary. Be it churning lassi in washing machines or using condoms to provide a smooth finish to tarred roads, necessity is the mother of amazing inventions in our nation. Even governments here run on jugaad.

Yesterday, in Vaishali, the boom town of Ghaziabad, came across a rickshaw that looked a little different, with headlights, indicators and all. On further investigation, discovered an engine beneath the seat.

The driver/owner of the rickshaw (I cannot recollect his name) says that his motorcycle rickshaw contraption is one-of-its-kind in the area.

He charges a premium of Rs 5 over the usual rickshaw fare in exchange for speed. Fitted with a moped engine, the motorcycle rickshaw (or should we call it a moped rickshaw?) gives 40 kilometres to the litre. He assures that his vehicle wouldn't topple if it encounters a bump at 40 kmph (the top speed according to him).

Asked about braking, "Power brakes," he replies with pride.

His only worry is that the transport department says that he cannot ply his vehicle without a license plate, something he expects to get soon.

With the narrow cycle rickshaw tyres, travelling at high speeds doesn't seem to be a good idea. Moreover the absense of proper suspension wouldn't make the journey very comfortable in the bylanes of Ghaziabad.

Photos


Watch slideshow in fullscreen

It is quite common to find carts (thelas) fitted with scooter engines on Indian roads, but it was the first time that I saw a petrol-powered cycle rickshaw. Do let me know if such example exist elsewhere.

By the way, what happened to the much hyped solar-powered rickshaws that were supposed to be launched in Delhi?

Video



And here's a bit of rickshaw trivia. In 1902, hand-pulled rickshaws in Calcutta were priced at around Rs 160 to Rs 180. Would've been quite a sum then.

Related posts:

· The Maruti 800 Pick-up
· James Bond Drives a Maruti 800
· Agra on the move

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Ads for Oral Sex!

One day, in the comparatively innocent times that we grew up in, a friend announced, "I had oral sex." I and another friend present were stupefied. We were still in school. "Come, again," (no pun intended) we said. He repeated the four shattering words again, with extra emphasis.

Curious, we prodded for details and it turned out that our 'sexually gratified' pal had just talked a bit about sex with a girl on the phone. Being more enlightened, courtesy the agony column in The Teenager and quite a few magazines that we weren't exactly supposed to read then, we let our naive friend know of the dictionary meaning of oral sex.

But the times they have changed. When school kids nowadays talk of love, it isn't always platonic, as in our times (Damn, I already feel old).

Even newspapers do not shy away from advertising for fellatio services, as I discovered today. The massage parlour and escort services ads have been around for many years. Objections were raised, but such ads still fill in many column centimetres of the classifieds pages.

Since I'm on the look out for a new house, was scanning Times Classifieds, that comes along with the Sunday Times of India for properties. Under the 'Massage Parlours' head I discovered at least two ads quite brazenly peddling oral sex services. Only they interchanged a couple of letters (blowjob becomes blwojob), taking a cue from the spammers.

BANGKOK-STYLE-YOU-WORLD.CLASS Blwojob Ser Like Beautiful Charming Good Looking girl fully trained service staff CALL ASSH # 99********

REFRESHING.YOU-WORLD.CLASS Blwojob Ser By Beautiful Charming Good looking girl fully trained service staff Call KASHISH. 98********

Is it just me, or is there a striking similarity between the wordings of matrimonial ads and the ones above?

What's next? Fcuk!

(This could have been around for longer, just that I happened to notice it today)

This is one dhandha that doesn't go manda. Though I support legalising prostitution and quite agreed with the Supreme Court's observations on legalising the trade, but it isn't as easy a solution. Make a law and expect the world to fall in order.

The anti-legalising prostitution argument also makes sense (not the it's-against-our-culture kinds).

Kinda confusing.

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MegaWhats 2009: The National Open Quizzing Championships

MegaWhats 2009 is a mega quizzing event to be held across nine cities across the country simultaneously.

It's being held under the aegis of the Karnataka Quiz Association.



Details here »

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When News is Sold

There is nothing new about the news of news being paid for. I first became aware of this practice as a mass communication student in the early 2000s. To me, then, it seemed that it was not just news but the soul that is being bartered. The feeling still holds true.

Even this insignificant blog of mine, has been approached for 'sponsored blogging'. Interestingly, when I refused the money and and gave them a counter offer: That they let me know of topics and ideas that would interest me and I would post about them for free. But it seems that they don't like their work done for free. Strange, isn't it?

Today there was an nice piece in The Sunday Express titled "News, Sponsored." The contents of the article wouldn't be surprising for people who are in the business of the media, we have learnt to take it in our stride. A necessary evil for some.

Friends in the Hindi news channels term such content ad ki khabar (ads as news) and they usually get preference over other genuine news content. Obviously so, because there's money in it.

Such initiatives by the media organisations could be beneficial in these cash-strapped times, but the long term implications may be adverse. News is associated with credibility and when the credibility starts to wash off, so does the bottom line.

Or is it so? There are newspapers that don't give much of a damn to credibility and still sit atop the readership figures. There are news channels that have ceased to be news channels but draw the highest TRPs. We all thought that it was just a passing fad and Indians will tire of such content and see the light. But the light doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.

Even though being in the media (not the mainstream media, but a wing that'll be the mainstream soon), I have started to rely more on the opinions of individuals who are unassociated with the media: the bloggers, the twitterers, the forums. I think I can still trust them. For me, professionally, it isn't a good signal.

[Image courtesy: The Sunday Express]

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The 20 Greatest Films Ever Made in India

I'm a big sucker for lists. More so when it has something to do with India and/or cinema. So obviously I was quite excited about the results of the T20 of Indian Cinema at The 40th International Film Festival of India being held in Goa. Though I didn't quite like the title, anyway the grumbles will follow later in the post.

So here are the 20 greatest Indian films ever.

1. Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960)
Language: Bengali
Director: Ritwik Ghatak
Cast: Supriya Choudhury, Anil Chatterjee, Bijon Bhattacharya, Geeta Dey

2. Charulata (1964)
Language: Bengali
Director: Satyajit Ray
Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Sailen Mukherjee

3. Pather Panchali (1955)
Language: Bengali
Director: Satyajit Ray
Cast: Kanu Banerjee, Karuna Banerjee, Subir Banerjee, Uma Dasgupta, Chunibala Devi

4. Sholay (1975)
Language: Hindi
Director: Ramesh Sippy
Cast: Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, Amjad Khan

5. Do Bigha Zameen (1953)
Language: Hindi
Director: Bimal Roy
Cast: Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy, Murad, Jagdeep, Nana Palsikar

6. Pyaasa (1957)
Language: Hindi
Director: Guru Dutt
Cast: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Rehman

7. Bhuvan Shome (1969)
Language: Hindi
Director: Mrinal Sen
Cast: Utpal Dutt, Suhasini Mulay, Sadhu Meher, Shekhar Chatterjee

8. Garam Hawa (1973)
Language: Urdu
Director: MS Sathyu
Cast: Balraj Sahni, Dinanath Zutshi, Geeta Siddharth, Shaukat Kaifi, Farouque Shaikh, Jalal Agha

9. Mother India (1957)
Language: Hindi
Director: Mehboob Khan
Cast: Nargis, Raaj Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar

10. Ghatashraddha (1973)
Language: Kannada
Director: Girish Kasaravalli
Cast: Ajit Kumar, Meena Kuttappa, Ramaswamy Iyengar

11. Elippathayam (1973)
Language: Malayalam
Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Cast: Karamana Janardanan Nair, Sharada, Jalaja, Rajam K Nair

12. Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
Language: Urdu
Director: K Asif
Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Durga Khote

13. Nayakan (1987)
Language: Tamil
Director: Mani Ratnam
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Saranya, MV Vasudeva Rao, Janakaraj, Tinnu Anand

14. Kaagaz Ke Phool (1962)
Language: Hindi
Director: Guru Dutt
Cast: Guru Dutt, Mala Sinha

15. Apur Sansar (1959)
Language: Bengali
Director: Satyajit Ray
Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore

16. Sant Tukaram (1936)
Language: Marathi
Director: Damle and Fatehlal
Cast: Vishnupant Pagnis, Sri Bhagwat, Pandit Damle, Shankar Kulkarni, Kusum Bhagwat, Master Chhotu, B Nandrekar, Gauri

17. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1980)
Language: Hindi
Director: Kundan Shah
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Barve, Satish Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur

18. Guide (1965)
Language: Hindi
Director: Vijay Anand
Cast: Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Kishore Sahu, Leela Chitnis

19. Madhumati (1958)
Language: Hindi
Director: Bimal Roy
Cast: Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Johnny Walker, Pran, Jayant

20. Anand (1971)
Language: Hindi
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Cast: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Sumita Sanyal, Ramesh Deo

This list emerged from the 'T20 of Indian Cinema' poll in which 20 experts from around the country - 10 young filmmakers and 10 seasoned critics and scholars - participated.

While the official website for T20 of Indian Cinema - when I tried to visit was a pain (and it's been down since yesterday) - NDTVMovies.com has "showcased the 20 top Indian films in a form of a photogallery, with text by Saibal Chatterjee.

The list on www.IFFIGoa.com website is full of errors.

Do Bigha Zameen is written as "Do Bhiga Jamin", Bhuvan Shome is "Bhuvan Shoma", Garam Hawa becomes "Garam Kawa", Ghatashraddha became "Ghataskrada", Elippathayam is "Ellipathe" and Apur Sansar is listed as "Apu Triology".

Whoever came up with the name "T20 of Indian Cinema" deserves some rotten tomatoes. The greatest Indian films is not T20, it's more like Test cricket. The name itself trivialises the affair.

Anabelle Colaco of The Times of India seemed disappointed with the likes of Chandni Bar and Lage Raho Munnabhai, not making the final cut. They might be good films, but then they aren't great films. Somewhat like the difference between good and great cricketers. Saurav Ganguly was good, Sachin Tendulkar is great.

Dhiraj Ramakrishnan (@stupendousman78) questions the choice of films, replying to my tweet about the list, he asks, "how come only bengali and hindi are well represented"?.

While I'll not go on to debate which film should have or shouldn't have made it to the list, I think Dhiraj's observation is valid. It does seem more like a Hindi/Urdu-Bengali monopoly with Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Marathi just filling in the quota seats.

The reason why I'll not comment on selection, is because my exposure to other Indian cinema beyond the Hindustani and the Bengali is quite limited. I watched the most regional films in my childhood thanks to Doordarshan and the regional film telecast on Sunday afternoons.

The only regional film on this list that I watched is Nayakan. Though I have the other three in my library, I need to find time (and interest) to watch them.

Now on to some trivial pursuits.

If we use this list as a barometer, the following conclusions may be drawn:

* Satyajit Ray is the best Indian film director (three of his films are on the list) followed by Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt (two each).

* Bengalis (not necessarily Bengali films) make the best filmmakers in India. Eight of the 20 films on the list have been directed by Bengalis.

* The 1950s and 1960s yielded the best films in India. 12 of the 20 films are from the two decades.

* Since the 1990s there haven't been any films of note produced in India.

Back in 2005 when people pestered me going gaga over Black, I wrote:

When Black was released there were accolades all over. I waited for some time for the rave reviews to disappear and made it to the theatre. When I exited, I didn't feel that I had just witnessed the makeover of Indian cinema. It was only a relatively well-made film with a dark and damp look. The much appreciated acting seemed a little overboard. Histrionics is not equivalent to good acting. And all films sans songs are not necessarily good. It was just another hatke movie, but without the ability to really hata de.

Now this list also gives me yet another stick to beat people who still root for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'masterpiece'.

Of the 20 films I recollect watching almost 16, but then much of it was as a child (thanks to my film-loving neighbours). Such lists, even if you do not entirely agree with them, are a good list of recommendations for a lazy weekend.

To some it may be blasphemy, but sometimes I feel that Satyajit Ray is a bit too overrated.

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Censored in India, Savita Bhabhi goes French

She's one porn star who has everyone 'excited', right from the government babus to the editors in the newsrooms.

Though Savita Bhabhi has been back after the ban via a new domain, the resurrection also seems to have been obstructed. The new website www.kirtu.com doesn't seem accessible directly (there's always the other way around), atleast on the ISPs that I use. Apparently the process of denying access to the new website has already been initiated.

Shunned by her own government, Savita Bhabhi has found succour with the French. "France gives sexual asylum to Savita Bhabhi," could scream a headline (just couldn't resist using the term).

It might seem that, like our television channels, I'm blowing things out of proportion. Well, I am.

It's only that Savita Bhabhi has been published as a comic book (in ink and paper) by Editions Blanche, a French publisher specialising in erotic literature.

Titled Love in Bollywood also Bollywood in Love (depending on the cover you look at) the book was released a month back on October 22, 2009. The 96-page comic book authored by Deshmukh, has been designed by Dexstar and Madman (all pseudonyms).

The book, Bollywood in Love - les Aventures de Savita Bhabhi, (Bollywood in Love - The Adventures of Savita Bhabhi) is also available on Amazon France for €13.25.

All bans aren't bad, as many Bollywood producers would agree. The Indian government's restriction Savita Bhabhi has made her India's most famous porn star ever.

The widespread media coverage and online discussions have generated more following for the cartoon porn star than the ones in flesh and blood - Shakeela, Sunny Leone, Angela Devi, Priya Rai - put together.

Now that she's been published in other languages too, Savita Bhabhi might find a place along with the Kamasutra and Khajuraho whenever sex and India are mentioned together in the same sentence anywhere in the world.

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Against Terror. In all Forms

It's November 26. Said to be the day we commemorate what is often called India's 9/11. The date-month order may be transposed, but even after that bloody (and live) 72 hours nothing much else seems to be.

I still vividly remember the day and the ones following. Came home late, switched on the TV saw tickers running on news channels about some firing in Mumbai. Thought that the gangsters were back in business and turned it off.

The next day came early to work, at around 7:00 AM to find the floor abuzz. But it still didn't strike me. Everyone seemed busy, no one told me anything. I stepped down for an early morning pee and in the lobby my eyes fell on the six LCD TVs and they were all showing the same story. I stood, staring. A little later, a single word escaped my lips. Fuck!

Rushed back upstairs, turned on the PC, fired up the browser and ingested all that I had missed through the night. The day went off in a daze. Being more of an entertainment-lifestyle journalist this wasn't exactly my domain. But on days like these, there's only one beat.

When I returned home late that night, I didn't think of writing a blog post. I hadn't even after the July 11, 2006 train bombings (that was earlier India's 9/11. Unimaginatively termed 7/11. In India we don't refer to dates in that order). But later couldn't help, but let it out.

As on July 11, 2006 "I had nothing to say. Numbed. I didn't want to react. Couldn't."

Now a year after the Mumbai terror attacks, I cannot again restrain myself.

On this first anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, more than Kasab & Co. it is the home-bred terror, that people just refer to by other names, that pesters me.

Terrorism isn't only about firing hundreds of rounds a minute from an Automatic Kalashnikov or triggering RDX to blow up trains. Terrorism is a mind game. The perpetrator tries to instill fear in the minds of the masses. The fear of a violent backlash. And all this isn't Al-Qaeda, ISI and their ilk's prerogative.

These are the 'respectable' terrorists. The kind that Bollywood stars give obeisance to. This brand of terrorists (or their henchmen) become lawmakers and the upholders of the law stand in attention to give them open-palm salutes.

They threaten, they main, they destroy, they kill and they spread their fear. They terrorise.

And they aren't restricted to any geographical periphery. In Bombay (Shiv Sena and MNS would like to terrorise me in referring the city as Mumbai), in Maharashtra. They terrorise not for the sake of the language, but for power.

Power, the ultimate goal of terrorists of every kind.

In neighbouring Gujarat, the experiments with state terrorism yielded favourable electoral results. The Communists had almost perfected their cadre-powered terror in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala. Only that in Bengal they now have to confront Trinamool's brand of counter-terror terror. In north Kerala, the saffron and the red take turns to terrorise the populace.

Terrorism is almost a cottage industry in the North East. The formula is simple: Give fear, take money. To hell with 'independence' and ideology (Most terrorists believe in god). But the real terror in the North East isn't of the gun-toting renegades, it is the seeming innocuous students' unions and social organisations.

Their fact that there organisations - more often than not - are built around communal lines, their actions frequently result in violent communal conflagrations. Their writ runs large. Bandhs called by them are total (unlike the ones in Delhi), not because of popular support for the cause but their terror. Some such terrorist leaders have moved on to higher politics to become chief ministers and members of the cabinet.

Then there is the age-old terrorist - caste (and of course, religion and culture).

I have been a victim of such terrorism and continue to be so. And so are you, consciously or with you being unaware of it.

Compared to the AK-47 terrorists, it is the bandh-terrorists (for want of a better term) who are more successful. They get name, fame, money, power and in some cases Z-category security, all in their lifetime.

Kasab might also have a multi-crore security cover, but he'll have to wait to see if the promise of 72 virgins actually holds true.

The media glare fades our memories. The attacks in Mumbai on November 26-29, 2008 might have been the most impactful terror attack on Indian soil in terms of its duration and the resultant international interest. But if we look at the number of causalities, there have been greater tragedies.

Just in case you've forgotten, a little list (deaths in brackets):

- June 23, 1985 Air India Flight 182 (329)
- March 12, 1993 Bombay (257)
- July 11, 2006 Mumbai (209)
- November 26-29, 2008 Mumbai (172)
- May 13, 2008 Jaipur (68)
- Feb 19, 2007 Samjhauta Express (66)
- October 29, 2005 New Delhi (60)
- July 26, 2008 Ahmedabad (57)

While it is easy to compile together a list like the one above, it is difficult to put together something similar for the other kind of terror. They don't require a body count to show off to their masters sitting beyond the borders, their measures are different and vary according to need and greed.

A unfriendly country doesn't need to fund the militant outfits to create terror and mayhem. For much more and long lasting impact it just needs to donate the right amounts to certain party (and private) funds and union coffers (Who knows, they might already being doing do).

The fear of the AK-47 terrorists is short lived and gets revived after another attack or on an anniversary. But the other terror is sustained and always palpable. The intensity of the terror might vary, but it stays. Often for ever.

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Lisa Ray in Bombay Dyeing Vivaldi Ad

Quite a long while ago when I had initiated (and now reviving) the Fantastic Females series on this blog, the name Lisa Ray was on the top of the list of all the fantastic females that I wanted to feature.

While a comprehensive post on Lisa Ray will take quite some effort to put together, here's an ad when Lisa made men's formal wear look irresistibly hot.

This ad (one in the series of many) for Bombay Dyeing's Vivaldi readymade garments for men didn't have any of the skin show that we generally tend to associate with Sexy Indian Ads. But it is a worthy addition to the collection.



Earlier, in my excitement, I had confused Aliya Knightley for Lisa Ray (Hope, I haven't repeated the error. The two look so similar.)

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Recession Effect on Blessings

There's something about recession. It has even changed the nature of blessings.

This morning, I saw a poor couple with a baby sitting the lane near my home. They were in rags and shivering in the morning cold.

Just a few days ago I had sorted out clothes that I wanted to donate through Goonj, but couldn't find the time to drop it at their collection centre. So thought of giving the poor family a few warm clothes to spend the winter in comfort.

After I handed them the clothes, the couple blessed me in gratitude. But the blessing was a little different from the usual Aapki umar lambi ho (May you live a long life) or Aap tarraki kare (May you prosper).

They instead said, Aapki naukri salamat rahein (May your job be secure).

In these uncertain times, it was indeed appropriate.

Related post:

· When Bottles Dance

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Back and introducing DOBMW.com

It's been a crazy, busy month. First went on a short vacation home, followed by crazy work schedules and then a lot of activity on the personal front, leaving me totally exhausted at the end of the day (or the start of the morning, depending on my shift at work) with no energy left to fire up Blogger and post something.

Today, after a long while, I have a part of my Sunday to myself and while the clothes wash themselves in the washing machine, I thought of putting to rest the concerns of readers and friends who seem have the inkling that I've abandoned this blog.

The last post on this blog was a month back. And it was about Blip.tv deleting my videos, the update is that I've (thanks to Blip.tv) managed to download all the videos and now have to upload them elsehwere (this is going to take some time given the number of videos that I had posted).

Far from giving up on this blog, I have some grandoise (by my standards) plans on my mind and am slowly working towards it. That, again, will take some time.

For starters, let me introduce you to a new experimental (not that new since it is online since August) website/blog - DOBMW.com. Essentially an abbreviation for the Directory of Official Bollywood Movie Websites.

You can know more about it in the About Us and FAQs sections.

This is still in a development stage, with me doing all the work (with a little lot of help from Google search). While I intend to keep it simple, will add some elements to make the indexing and search better.

And even before a formal announcement people have started to take notice.

Coincidentally, both Cutting the Chai and DOBMW.com were featured on AOL's Asylum India Indian Blogs We Love - Debut Edition.

About DOBMW.com, they say:

Or DOBMW for short, is a blog dedicated to achieving just one goal - being the one-stop source to all the official movie websites for upcoming Bollywood releases. Though it seems the site only began archiving in August this year, we feel it's still not too late to start; considering having official websites for marketing purposes came into practice in India only recently. It's quite a useful website if you love looking up Bollywood releases, wallpapers, filmi downloads and are just too lazy to search for them on the web.

You want another reason to bookmark this blog? They don't like Himesh Reshammiya either. (They say so in their FAQs!)

And on Cutting the Chai:

Run by Soumyadip, a New Delhi-based media professional, soumyadipc.blogspot.com is a blog centered around the world of Indian advertising - the good and the bad. From print ads to video commercials, special categories dedicated to condom ads (he calls it "Rubbers of India"), Soumyadip highlights the creative talent (and sometimes the lack of it that) that exist in Indian advertising. From time to time, he posts his thoughts on other media and even gives away Indian railway announcements as ringtones.

Do send in the feedback.

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No videos! Because Blip.tv deleted my account

Blip.tv has deleted my account because I apparently violated their terms of service. I assume that it has something to do about the ads that I upload, they might have interpreted it as promotion for the goods/services. The worst part is that I wasn't even informed.

Though my intention, as any regular reader of this blog would agree, was never to promote a particular product. It was to put at one place ads that people love and those from another age that I managed to dig out. It was for the students and the researchers and the ad lovers.

I hope Blip.tv restores my account or at least lets me download the content, so that I can put them up elsewhere (where they will be less likely to be taken off). Should have kept a backup of so many years of effort. I have some, but not all.

I used Blip.tv to host my videos because I found it much better than any other video sharing services out there. Though I didn't intend to use ads on the videos (it doesn't pay much anyway), I did because my conscience told so. So that the good guys at Blip.tv get some benefit from providing me with their (till now) excellent service.

To be fair to Blip.tv I even got paid for my share of the advertising revenue that the videos I uploaded generated and reinvested it back to my online interests.

Till the time I put things back in order, please bear with the videolessness (also some audio) on this blog. And this could take a while.

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By the way, Shillong is in Sikkim

...or at least some people at The Indian Express think so. I wouldn't have otherwise posted about this 'oversight', but for the fact that the news item in question appeared in the 'From the Northeast' page of the newspaper.

The news was about an altercation between two groups of students ('locals' versus 'outsiders') at the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), my alma mater.

To add to further ignorance, the accompanying photo carries a caption that mentions the name of the university (NEHU) as Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology. It is possible that this photo is possibly related to another unrelated incident.

The Express is one of the very few national newspapers that give regular coverage to the otherwise neglected North Eastern India and I assume that the people in charge of the page would at least be aware of the geography of the area.

I wouldn't blame the reporter Tilak Rai for the gaffe, Tilak has been reporting from the region for quite some and would know where Shillong is.

Though, on IndianExpress.com, they seem to have made amends to the headline but the body of the story still mentions 'Sikkim'.

All the years I have been away from home, there have been numerous instances when I felt like an unknown Indian. And occassionally we are made to feel by the authorities that we from the North East are different and therefore should adhere to an additional set of rules when in the capital of the country.

For those who didn't take their geography classes in school seriously, Shillong is the capital of the state of Meghalaya located south of Assam. Sikkim is a different state, north of West Bengal and the capital of Sikkim is Gangtok.

Also the largest university in Shillong is the North Eastern Hill University (also known as NEHU), a Central University.

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Hindustan Times: Hitting the paper on the head

Hindustan Times seems to have a thing for makeovers. I remember seeing atleast four different avatars of the newspaper.

Good. Change is good.

Though I didn't quite like their print campaign advertising the all new Hindustan Times, their short TV ads do make a point and hit the paper right on the head, literally.

Here are four TVCs from the Hindustan Times 'it is time' campaign.

Ironically, the 'Better Journalism' ad is also being aired on news channels.

Better Journalism



Open Our Minds



Stop Panicking



Being Cynical

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Citizen Sweety Blouse: Draupadi Cheer Haran

One of the highlights of the Mahabharat (you can watch the complete episodes of the original TV serial here) was Draupadi's cheer haran. And one of the wittiest Bollywood movies Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron also incorporated that in the climax.

Ekta Kapoor's tried to add a twist to the great epic with her Kahani Hamare Mahabharat Ki and instead of beginning from the beginning, she started the serial with Draupadi's cheer haran. The serial bombed.

If we conduct a poll on the most memorable scene from the Mahabharat, I doubt if anything else can pip the tale of the endless saree.

I found an (amusing) ad on the same theme. While logic says they should be selling sarees with the idea, it is for a brand of blouses - Citizen Sweety Blouse.

Playing the role of Draupadi is Preeti Jhangiani, the Chui Mui girl (I'll prefer to remember her for those videos only). They had also roped in the original Shakuni, Gufi Paintal. So powerful is the impact of the colourful blouses that the blind King Dhritrashtra's eyes pop out (aankhe phaad phaad dekha). Aap bhi dekho.


Download video [00:00:30 FLV 670 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:30 AVI 3.07 MB]

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How to Bell the Online Movie Piracy Cat

When you can't beat them, join them and then beat them in their own game.

Piracy is a pain for the producers and pleasure for millions of others. Millions are spent in making a film and people watch it for free or for a price that doesn't get paid back to the filmmakers.

And the Internet is making things more complex, it just takes a few hours for millions across the world to download a film and watch it at their leisure or - if their bandwidth permits - watch it online, usually at no explicit cost.

From a film viewer point of view, piracy is a boon. He doesn't need to shell out hundreds every week to watch films that, in most cases, aren't even worth the celluloid they are shot on. So he either rents it from the neighbourhood DVDwallah or buys it from a Palika Bazar or better still, downloads it from the Internet for free. And the best part is that he can watch the film at leisure, even pausing to answer that phone call and fast forwarding those mandatory boring songs or replaying that particular hot scene/song over and over again (much like what many small town theatres did for the Chaiya Chaiya song in Dil Se).

An average movie fan is the selfish kind. The anti-piracy preachings have no impact on him. We are like this only.

While producers and distributors scratch their heads thinking of deterrants and ensuring returns, let me put forward some uninvited advice.

In the good ol' video cassette days, films would release on VHS on the same friday of their release. Then came Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and started the trend of delayed home video release. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun was the first film I saw a camera print (or cam rip as it is now known in the circle) of. Our local cablewallah had aired the film a few days after its release.

This was precisely what gave a boost to the bootleg business. When you deny a legit way of accessing stuff, there, as a rule, get carved out numerous illegit paths. My suggestion is that DVD releases should not be delayed beyond two weeks from a theatre release. Because right from the first week the pirated DVDs get rented out (and also copied). A single DVD can keep away hundreds of viewers away from the theatres. So why not release the DVD early and make some money before the pirates do?

Anyway, nowadays the most of a film theatre earnings comes from the first two weeks, an early DVD release would only mean extra earnings, as the interest in the film would still be on the higher side. With time, for most films, the interest tends to fade away and that refelects in the DVD sales figures.

And I suggest that Bollywood films be officially released online simultaneously with the theatrical release. They anyway make it to the P2P and video sharing circuit within a few days and in some cases even before that.

With the likes of YouTube expressing interest to offer online movie rentals, things will just get smoother.

Amongst Indian websites, there are the likes of Rajshri.com and BigFlix.com who are already in the game (though the films they currently show are old). NDTV Convergence's Tubaah.com could also be a potential platform.

There would obviously be costs involved for both the content provider and the consumer. Bandwidth and storage costs money and producers would obviously like to make the best out of such a deal. Such online streaming could be ad supported (no ads coming at a premium). Big corporates would be interested in sponsoring such activities, given the number of eyeballs they can potentially attract.

And there also can be an access cost for the consumer. Not something like the DVD prices of the past (until Moserbaer came along with its smart business sense), but a price that I'll be willing to pay to save me from the bother of driving all the way to the theatre to watch an average film. Something in the range of Rs 10 to Rs 50, depending on the movie. Anything higher would be an invitation to fire-up the P2P software.

Online streaming technology has got better and more secure for the content providers (though I'm no great supporter of DRM). Protocols like RTMPE are tougher to leech (and Adobe tried to limit the distribution of rtmpdump).

But in India, given the abysmal Internet speed, online viewing might not be the best option. The NRIs would be game, though. For India, the video of the film could be built into a software (multi-platform) that can be downloaded for a prefixed price, depending on the demand and freshness of the film and the quality of the video.

The software should be a portable version that doesn't require installation and would have the player and all the necessary codecs built-in. Moreover, it could self-destruct after a pre-specified time interval - 24 hours upwards - (again depending on the price paid to download it) to prevent further circulation. This can again be ad supported for extra revenue.

The video (within the application) should also be available in different qualities, to let consumers choose the file size according to their needs and download speed. There is no point giving anyone on a GPRS or EDGE connection a 1GB file. By the time it finishes downloading, it'll be timeout.

If the prices are kept attractive enough, it's a money minter. When consumers know that for a small price they can get the real stuff and not any cam-rip or PDVD-rip, many will be interested. I am.

After all many buy a pirated DVD for Rs 20-Rs 50 or rent it for Rs 10-Rs 20. It's not that people are not willing to spend money. The right price usually manages to find many buyers.

Though this deal is primarily targeted towards people who watch their movies on their computers and the film is not for keeps. Those who want the DVD could wait only just a little longer.

Even cyber cafes can be made partners in the business, as distributors for people with slow or no internet connection.

All this makes sense (to me). But the question is, who will bell the cat?

Related posts:

· Did the pirates return Anurag Kashyap a favour?
· Music for a Song
· The MP3 Wars - How Music Companies Can Emerge Victorious

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Channel [V]'s Changing Room Ad

Channel [V] India - is going for a makeover (on August 22) and they are advertising it all over. This 'peek into the changing room' ad is from their change campaign. They even have a website up to drive the excitement.

When I first saw the ad, must admit, it totally fooled me. I thought that someone has uploaded one of those voyeur mobile phone recordings (aka MMS clips) of changing rooms at stores. But it is not (else it wouldn't have been on this blog).



Others who have seen this share similar experiences. Some thought they had accidentally a reached porn site. Good idea. Inexpensive to execute. Good fun.

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Partner Condoms: Ask for PC

It's been quite a while since I posted a condom ad. So here it is:


Partner premium quality flavoured dotted condoms.

Looks like Medikit got this ad made from an in-house intern.

And much like Kamasutra's 'Jusk Ask for KS', you'll have to ask your chemist for a 'PC'.

Chances are, he might just direct to the nearest Nehru Place like computer hardware hub or better still, send you to North Block, Central Secretariat, New Delhi, to go find the Home Minister.

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Will Kaminey Rise Above the Kabaad?

"I'm longing to watch a good film on the big screen. Hope Vishal Bhardwaj doesn't disappoint," said an exasperated Bollywood-fan friend.

Let me add a little more weight of expectations on Vishal Bhardwaj's shoulders (I've long given up hope on Ram Gopal Varma), "Me too".

2009 is almost two-thirds snuffed out, and there isn't still a single big-budget Bollywood release that was worth the while. Thanks to smaller films like Dev D, Barah Aana and Firaaq, that my 2009's worth of films wasn't completely worthless.

Besides Kaminey (and Quick Gun Murugun, ofcourse), I don't see any other movie for which I'll be munching overpriced popcorn in a dark hall.

Vishal's oeuvre is impressive, from the endearing Makdee to the dark Omkara, with Blue Umbrella and Maqbool in between, it should just get better and better (unlike RGV).

In an era where actors rule, there are very few movies that sell by the name accompanying the director's tag. Kaminey is one such film. Vishal is one such director.

I've had enough of these fake hits (read Kambakkht Ishq) and monumental flops (read Chandni Chowk to China), I now desperately need paisa wasool. No more films like Manmohan Singh's speeches - high on promise, low on impact.

I think Shahid Kapur, though he often looks a decade younger than his female leads, will make it really BIG, the SRK -ype big. And boy, can he dance! Anyway he has been doing that for many years, people have even been looking for him amongst the dancers dancing behind Aishwarya Rai in Taal. Still a long way to go, but he'll reach there. Almost all of my female friends seem to agree.

And Vishal Bhardwaj, the review of your film that I post on this blog better not have the title - 'Kaminey makes a ch*tiya out of us.'

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Outlook magazine Vol. 1 Issue 2

I still remember the first issue of Outlook. My brother visibly proud of his 'discovery,' threw it across to me and said, "Its good."

And I find it today, online.

Outlook. October 18, 1995
(The issue would've been released on October 11)

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Dilliwallahs, Let's Take Errant Autowallahs to Task

This service has been on for quite a while in Delhi but seems that not too many people are aware of this.

The next time when an auto rickshaw driver or a taxi driver in Delhi overcharges or refuses (even misbehaves or harasses) you. Don't just argue and move away (as we usually do). Send an SMS to 56767 (Save the number to your phonebook. It'll come handy) and leave it to the Delhi Traffic Police to take action.

The SMS needs to be preferably sent in a specified format.

In case of:

Refusal (REF)
Type REF
Eg. REF DL1RF1234 DHAULAKUAN TO GO TO RK PURAM 3:30PM

Overcharging (OVC)

Type OVC
Eg. OVC DL1RF1234 DHAULAKUAN TO GO TO RK PURAM 3:30PM

Misbehaviour (MIS)

Type MIS
Eg. MIS DL1RF1234 DHAULAKUAN 3:30PM

Harassment (HAR)

Type HAR
Eg. HAR DL1RF1234 DHAULAKUAN 3:30PM

In case SMSes is something that you aren't very comfortable with or didn't have the number handy, you can also file traffic-related complaints online. Just follow this link and fill in your grievances.

If you are really want to waste paper, then take a printout of this image, fill it out and post it.

Though the penalty for the above mentioned offences are just Rs 100. Regular complaints might just act as a deterrent.

In addition to taking the autowallah menace to task, you can also help in smoothening the traffic flow in the city using the 56767 SMS service.

Non-functional traffic lights/signal (SIG)

Eg. SIG SIGNAL AT ITO CROSSING NOT WORKING

Traffic related complaints/suggestions (TRAFFIC)

Type TRAFFIC
Eg. TRAFFIC HEAVY TRAFFIC AT NEHRU PLACE

In case you want to know about traffic diversions or problems at any particular time of the day:

SMS T (yes, only the letter 'T') to 9811452220

In case there are any diversions or problems registered in the Delhi Traffic Police database you'll get a message.

It'll read something like, "CPI Demonstration at Andhra Bhawan, New Delhi from 10.00 AM (Gathering 250-300)."

In case there is nothing happening (or the police doesn't know of it) you'll get this message, "Follow directions of Traffic Police personnel deployed at the intersections."

That's not all, you can also know of any pending notices against your vehicle (you jumped that red light and saw the constable noting something down), knowing the penalty for your crime is also just an SMS away.

Type N and send it to 9811452220
Eg. N DL8CD5502 or N DL8CD 5502
(Not very sure about the space between the registration number)

In case you've been caught in the act, the reply message would read somethign like, "DL8CD 5502 Notice: 12701978 Ownr: VINAY SUGLA Dt: 19-JUN-07 At: OLD DELHI RLY. STATION (KOT) Ofc: VIOLATION OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL Rs.100/-+500/-"

If not, it'll say, "No information found for your request."

[Information sourced from www.delhitrafficpolice.nic.in]

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Quick Gun Murugun is Coming. Mind it!

The early 1990s, I was still in school and we didn't have a cable connection at home. But I managed to 'boost' the antenna to catch stray cable TV signals.

The result was grainy, but good enough for me. And it was there, on a black and white TV screen, that I first met the legendary Quick Gun Murugun.

Now over a decade later the vegetarian cowboy is finally all set to shoot his mouth off on Indian silver screens.

And the man bringing the superhero with guntastic powers back is none else than the man who first introduced the character to us, Shashanka Ghosh. He was the then creative head of Channel [V].

The film is apparantly being released in four languages; English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Quick Gun Murugun is releasing on August 28, 2009. I'll book my tickets in advance.

The trailers of the Misadventures of an Indian Cowboy promise fun and Shahrukh Khan's take on Quick Gun Murugun in Om Shanti Om, would have familarised filmgoers who weren't exposed to the phenomenon.

I've put together a consolidated version of the Quick Gun Murugun trailers floating around.



And I've created a playlist a few Channel [V] Quick Gun promos here.

Shashanka's debut as a director was the sequel without a prequel (actually with an embedded prequel and sequel. Three films in one!) Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II. One of my all-time favourite songs, Allah Ke Bande, is from that film.

The synopsis of the film on its official website reads (Mind it! All links there open in new windows):

Quick Gun Murugun is an unlikely Superhero with Gungastic powers. He is a sincere South Indian Cowboy who considers it his duty to serve and protect. The movie revolves around the mis-adventures of Quick Gun Murugun and his fight with his arch villain Rice Plate Reddy!

Quick Gun enters into an epic battle that spans time and space. From a small South Indian village to Swarglok and then finally to the cosmopolitan Mumbai. He is torn between Mango Dolly who loves him secretly and his first love Locket Girl and his loyalty is put to the test.

And the producers have also commissioned a few comic book posters:


[Click for larger images]

The star cast includes, Dr Rajendra Prasad (Quick Gun Murugan), Nasser (Rice Plate Reddy), Rambha (Mango Dolly), Anu Menon (Locket Lover), Sandhya Mridul (Masala News Reporter), Vinay Phatak (Mr Chitragupt), Ranvir Shorey (Sansani Reporter)and Raju Sundaram (Rowdy MBA).

People who have already watched it at film festivals have good things to say about the film. Hope I too get added to the film's fan list. And you too. I say!

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Sherlyn Chopra Whips it for PETA

Sherlyn Chopra (previously known as Mona Chopra) is one of the most 'revealing' starlets of Bollywood. And now she (following the likes of Shilpa Shetty, Mahima Chaudhary, Amisha Patel, Isha Koppikar and John Abraham) poses for a PETA ad.

Since the ad is for PETA India, we don't get to see her naked, a two piece is what the Indian sensibilities have been stretched to, yet. Though she, lying on a bed, is chained at the ankle and weilds a whip.



Photographed by Rakesh Shrestha, the tagline of the ad reads "Whips and chains belong in the bedroom, not in the circus." This ad is the latest in the PETA series against animals in entertainment.

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How to calculate commuting time in Delhi

"How long will it take you to reach here?" If you are not a frequent traveller on the route, this is usually difficult answer the question.

After six-years of travelling on Delhi's roads, I've noticed a relation between the distance, the time of the day and the time it takes to reach from point A to point B. And have devised a simple formula.

Let us take the first variable, distance. If you know the distance, good. If not, there's Google Maps. Just type the "location" to "destination" on the search box and hit enter (eg. Connaught Place to Noida). It'll display the suggested routes alongwith the distance in kilometres (Google Maps also tells you the commuting time, but that doesn't seem to be in sync with Delhi's traffic conditions).

Now that you know the distance, let me explain my (not-so-magic) formula.

Heavy traffic (peak hours)
(8:30 AM to 10:30 AM and 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM)

Distance in Kms x 3

(If your destination is 15 kilometres away, it'll take you approximately 45 minutes to reach there)

Medium traffic
(10:30 AM to 5:30 PM; 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM)

Distance in Kms x 2

(30 minutes for 15 kilometres)

Low traffic
(9:30 PM to 8:30 AM)

Distance in Kms x 1 (If you aren't one of those who zoom past at 120 kmph at 2:00 AM)

For Sundays

8:30 AM to 9:30 PM should be treated as medium traffic.

On national holidays (Republic Day, Independence Day and Holi in particular) - the whole day is low traffic.

It usually works for me with an error margin of 5-10 minutes, relative to the distance.

This is just for assuming the commuting time and in no way would provide precise formulas.

Denizens of other cities please provide similar formulas for your city in the comments.

Disclaimer: The author of this post cannot and should not be held responsible if your girlfriend/boyfriend dumps you (or for any other unpleasant reaction) for not being able to reach by the time calculated using the aforementioned formulae.

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Secure your USB drive with write protection

Many viruses crept into my PC via the my USB pen drives and external hard disks that I lent to friends for transferring data.

If your motive is to prevent unintentional transfer of malicious and unwanted stuff on to your portable storage devices (that do not have inbuilt write-protection), this little software is just what you want. It makes your USB storage device read only.

The USB WriteProtector will occupy only about 500 KB of space on your USB flash drive and will prevent any unauthorised files from making your pen drive their home.

The good part is that it is portable, it doesn't require any installation and can simply be copied to any portable storage. It not only works on USB flash drives but also on external hard disks (I tested).

All you need to do is download the file from here [RAR 189 KB] (via Google Translate since the original site is in German).

Extract the RAR file (if you do not have an appropriate program on your PC, try 7-Zip). And copy the extracted files to your portable storage device.

Click on the UsbWriteProtect.exe file



The default language is German, choose English from the drop down menu.



Choose the 'USB write protection ON' radio button and click on the close button.



And your USB drive/external hard disk will now be read only when reconnected with any PC (note that the turn on feature gets activated only when you remove and reconnect the USB drive. Logical).

This also prevents accidental cut/paste instead of copy/paste of data, that removes the original data from your storage device.

If you want to write data on the portable drive, reopen the USB WriteProtector and choose the 'USB write protection OFF' radio button and click close (unlike the activation process the deactivating procedure is instantaneous and doesn't require the device to be disconnected and reconnected).



I've tested it only on Windows XP PCs, don't know if it'll work fine on Windows Vista or other Windows OS.

There is a small issue that I faced (don't know if it is only with me): If I have the USB WriteProtector turned on in one USB drive, it doesn't allow me to write data on any other USB storage device connected on the same PC. It's only when I turn it off and disconnect the device with the software on it, that I'm able to resume my copy/pasting activity.

Please suggest other (preferably free) software that can perform the desired task better.

Related posts:

· Boost Your Netbook's Performance in 6 Clicks
· Preview Multimedia Files While Downloading
· Zip it for Faster File Transfers

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Pulsar 220 DTS-i: 'The Fastest Indian' ad

The problem with Bajaj Auto is that they are always in a hurry to launch new products and variations and they also discontinue the old brands and variations at an equal pace.

For the consumers such a constant endeavour to makes things better is good, but then there is always the feeling that if one had waited a little longer, he might have got something better.

The latest mean machine from the Bajaj stable is the Pulsar 220 DTS-i and they are promoting it as the fastest thing on Indian roads. And they have (I assume the agency is Oglivy) put up a TVC that's a combo of slowmo and pace.

The ad (titled 'Slow Jack') has a Wild West feel. A wanted criminal is robbing a bank at his own easy pace and the law enforcers are arriving fast. The robber is nonchalant. He sits on his Pulsar 220 and poof! he is gone.

Watch the ad:

Download video [00:01:02 FLV 1.39 MB]
Download hi-res video [00:01:02 AVI 5.88 MB]

'The Fastest Indian' is the catchline. Unlike other Bajaj (particularly Pulsar ads) this doesn't have any zipping bikes. In fact in this ad you can hardly get good look at the bike. Though the idea is nice, somehow the impact is a bit amiss. The first time I watched the ad, it didn't hit me as the makers would have liked it to.

Since bringing an Indian angle in a Wild West American set up might seem a little difficult (unless you transport Quick Gun Murugan to the banks of the Mississippi), they bank robber has American Indian features (I think so), and he disappears fast before the long (and fast) hands of the law catches up with him. Hence, 'the fastest Indian'. Never mind if he is red.

And in case you like the track, you can download an MP3 audio file from here. Since Bajaj Auto have themselves put it up, I'm saving myself the hassle of uploading it.

Related posts:

· Yeh Bullet Meri Jaan...
· Harley-Davidson: Live By It
· An Ad for Today
· The Legend Rides On

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Fuel deo: Ignite the fire (and experimenting with HTML 5 audio, video)

Why are most men's deo ads in India the same. There are numerous other ways to be sexy. Come on agencies you can do better. Anyway another for the collection.


Download video [00:00:33 FLV 720 KB]
Download hi-res video [00:00:40 AVI 2.37 MB]

But then this is not the real purpose of this post. Yesterday, Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 and one of the far-reaching features is the native support for HTML 5 audio and video with Ogg Theora, Ogg Vorbis, and WAV formats. In the not-so distant future, this is going to change how multimedia content is served on the Web. Proprietary formats like Flash and Silverlight would not rule the roost.

A simple sample of HTML 5 embedded video and audio of the Fuel deo TVC:

Video:

Download video [00:00:33 OGG 732 KB

Audio:

Download audio [00:00:33 OGG 144 KB]

But the obsolete Web browser Internet Explorer 6 is the biggest impediment to the growth of the new Internet. One of the major pains while launching any new website is the compatibility with IE6. More than a third (38 percent) of the readers of this blog are still on IE6 and that's a huge slice.

And one of the major roadblocks to existing Firefox users upgrading to the Firefox 3.5 is the incompatibility of so many add-ons with the latest version. Maybe Mozilla should put a check in place that add-on developers upgrade their stuff. But then, the free nature of the Firefox browser would go against such curbs.

Learn more about Firefox and HTML 5 video and audio.

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Train Announcement Ringtones

The ambience of an Indian railway station is incomplete without the pre-recorded female voice that informs passengers of the arrivals and departure of trains. The arrival of computerised announcement system in the Indian railways meant that the variety of voices blaring from loudspeakers in railway stations across the country was replaced by those of a select few. Thanks to our linguistic diversity, or it would have been the same voice announcing the late arrival of of a train in Agartala and the departure of another in Bhuj.

For those who love travelling by trains (like me, though rationing of leaves often forces to take the aerial route) or atleast like the sounds of the railway station here are a few ringtones to bring the feel of the railway station in your mobile phone.

Kripaya dyaan dijiye, Indian Railways train announcement ringtone sunne ya download karne ke liye niche dekhe:

Train Announcement - Bilingual


Download ringtone [MP3 500 KB 00:00:30 128kbps Stereo 44 kHz]

Train Announcement - Hindi


Download ringtone [MP3 274 KB 00:00:16 128kbps Stereo 44 kHz]

Train Announcement - English


Download ringtone [MP3 262 KB 00:00:15 128kbps Stereo 44 kHz]

(This ringtone announces the arrival of the 2919 Malwa Express travelling from Indore to Jammu Tawi and was recorded by me at Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, New Delhi on October 27, 2008)

Related posts:

· Parasite Websites Eating into Railways' Pie
· Greasy Tracks: The Truth behind the Indian Railways Success Story
· Railway Regulations
· Chugging Along
· 3rd Anniversary Special: Free Ringtones

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List of Indian eMagazines

No one that I know got a raise this year and costs keep increasing. My landlord raised the rent, though I managed to bargain a bit with a little recession sob-story.

With stagnant cash inflow, we need to make some cuts in expenses and for me it has to start with the magazines. I purchase an unnecessary number of them and since I don't want to sell them to the raddiwallah, they eat up a lot of prime space in my already congested abode.

Therefore, I decided to go the Arnold Schwarzenegger way and put together a list of Indian print magazines that are available in a digital format (an e-replica of the print edition) and I was surprised to find so many. Also happened to discover a few that I never knew existed.

Most of these e-versions are either in PDF or flash, though there are a few in HTML too.

Here's a simple way to slash those magazine bills in these hard times (the publishers might be a bit upset, but they earn more from advertising than sales):

List of Indian print magazines available in a digital format online:

1. 080
   
   


2. Abhisarika
   (Sex education magazine in Telugu. Old issues 1949 onwards)
   
   


3. Balaka
   (Bengali)
   
   


4. Brunch
   
   


5. Business Today
   
   


6. Campaign India
   
   


7. Champak
   (English)
   
   


8. Chandamama
   (Archives 1955 onwards in English, Hindi, Kannada, Maalayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Oriya)
   
   


9. Congress Sandesh
   
   


10. Cosmopolitan
    
    


11. Cricket Today
    (English)
    
    


12. Cricket Today
    (Hindi)
    
    


13. Down To Earth
    
    


14. Economic & Political Weekly
    
    


15. Frontline
    
    


16. Grehalakshmi
    
    


17. Grihashobha
    
    


18. Harmony
    


19. India Today
    (English)
    
    


20. India Today
    (Hindi)
    
    


21. India Today Woman
    
    


22. JetScreen Domestic
    
    


23. JetScreen International
    
    


24. JetWings Domestic
    
    


25. JetWings International
    
    


26. Kamal Sandesh
    (English)
    
    


27. Kamal Sandesh
    (Hindi)
    
    


28. Linux For You
    
    


29. Living The Park Magazine
    
    


30. Men's Health
    
    


31. Money Today
    
    


32. New Woman
    
    


33. Nirvana Woman
    
    


34. Open
    
    


35. Outlook Business
    Link URL corresponds to the April 18, 2009 issue. To view other issues use the Past Issues drop-down on the left of the page.
    
    


36. Outlook Profit
    
    


37. Pitch
    
    


38. Planet Earth
    
    


39. Pragati
    
    


40. Pratiyogita Darpan
    (Hindi)
    
    


41. Pravasi Bhartiya
    
    


42. Prevention
    
    


43. Royal
    (An adult men's magazine. Some content NSFW)
    
    


44. Sarita
    (Hindi)
    
    


45. Security Today
    
    


46. Stardust
    
    


47. Sutra
    


48. Tehelka
    (Requires registration)
    Alternative link (No Registration necessary)
    
    


49. Tehelka Samachar (Hindi. Requires registration)
    Alternative link (No registration necessary)
    
    


50. The Man
    
    


51. The Plot
    
    


52. The Sunday Indian ( June 21 Issue. For the latest issue go to the home page and click on the E-Magazine link)
    
    


53. Upper Crust
    
    


54. Vastu Evam Jyotish
    (Hindi)
    
    


55. Woman's Era
    
    


56. Yog Sandesh
    (English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Gujarati, Assamese and Nepali)
    

If you know of more such magazines, do share them in the comments.

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· The Best Men's Magazines in India
· List of Indian Celebrity Blogs

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