I’ve never liked Sanjay Dutt as an actor and I’d even go to the extent of saying he often seems repulsive as a “hero” because he looks more like a villain with his droopy eyes and errant jaw, but that’s hardly relevant. Personally I’ve never disliked him primarily because he is Sunil Dutt’s son (Sunil Dutt is dead now) and I’ve always admired Sunil Dutt. So when I heard about Sanjay Dutt’s 6-year jail sentence there was a slight tinge of pain, and there was a bit of happiness.
Happiness because after a long time the country has seen some influential person being punished (although I think he is a soft target). He did commit a wrong after all even if he was not directly involved with the 1993 Mumbia blasts. He obtained deadly firearms — a 9 mm pistol and an AK 56 — from the underworld dons who were directly involved with the Mumbai blasts. Bad company — bad consequences. You are a loved actor; too bad. I must add here I have no problem with him possessing the firearms — the problem was the way he got them.
Pain because life could have been so good for him and he is not solely responsible for his troubles. He had a disturbing childhood with his celebrity mother (Nargis Dutt) having a secret affair with Raj Kapur and his schoolmates incessantly teasing him about it. He took to drugs, got into rehab and somehow built his film career. Then I remember his wife dying of brain cancer (he never took care of her and romanced another glamor dame). So life never really took off for him. And when he got some really good films, he got those weapons that proved to be the mother of all his troubles. I felt bad because he is not as vile as Salman Khan. Unlike so many criminals, terrorists and politicians roaming around free, Sanjay Dutt is not a danger to the society.
If the judiciary really wants to send a strong message, instead of going for softer targets, it should punish the real criminals that can cause some serious damage to the society. I hope Sanjay Dutt’s sentence is reduced.
More links on Sanjay Dutt imprisonment:
Technorati Tags: sanjay dutt, mumbai blasts, bollywood
This is a bit hard to believe. The famous social news bookmarking website Digg.com has struck an advertising deal with Microsoft to display ads on its website that gets 17 million unique monthly visitors. It’s a 3-year deal.
Most of its users will term this deal as a “deal with the Devil”. Digg used to display the Google ad network’s ads prior to this. Microsoft struck a similar advertising agreement with the social networking website Facebook last year.
I think it’s not a loss for Google, but a definite gain for Microsoft. I’ve never considered the Digg audience as a serious audience, although Digg can be a good source of accidental traffic surges, especially if you run a technology, web designing or blogging related blog. They act like a herd, and most of the digging is controlled by the top 100 diggers. So I wonder how much ad revenue Google is going to lose by not being able to display its ads there.
For Microsoft it’s a new entry into the Web 2.0 world (it never actually hit the Web 1.0 world). Compared to Google advertising network, Microsoft’s advertising network is a tiny one, so it is a significant stride for Microsoft.
Technorati Tags: digg, google, microsoft, online advertising, google ads
When Bono is not fighting the WTO and globalization he is having a hell of a time, and seeing him like this is quite encouraging. Just imagine, on one side there is a super-model and on another there is Penelope Cruz. And his wife is at home. Good to be a prolific singer :-).
Alka often teases me that I’ll be usually surrounded by girls if I become a famous singer and I never take her seriously. Hmmm…but Bono inspires me to put in some more practice hours. ;-).
Technorati Tags: bono, u2, penelope cruz
Aquafina water bottles contain tap water, and not mineral water, as claimed by the company. In fact, as the report claims, most water bottle companies sell tap water after filtering or purifying (if they really do it) it.
Technorati Tags: aquafina, water bottle
- Garbage bags
- Milk
- Survival guide books
- Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
- Generators
- Water filters and purifiers
- Lamp oil
- Fire arms and ammunition
- Candles
- Canned food
- Medicines
- Woolen
The complete list.
Technorati Tags: emergency
Link via barbarindians. Our “oh so liberal” government first banned the AXN TV, then the FTV (it’s not fuck TV, it’s fashion TV) and now they are banning commercials that they think, are “inappropriate. Aren’t they the same losers who protested when the VHP goons protested against those silly paintings. They find offensive paintings acceptable, but they cannot tolerate slightly naughty ads. Hypocrites. I wonder how the Arundhati Roy will react to this barbaric censorship.
Below is one of the ads blocked by the information and broadcasting ministry.
Technorati Tags: censorship, fascists, advertising
In the wake of allegations by women’s groups that the Magsaysay award winning officer was a victim of gender bias, she said “I have never worked on gender basis” as “I am a police officer who has to work for all.”
“But the fact is that this is a little too much of a coincidence. This is the third of the series. The senior-most woman lost out as the Cabinet Secretary, and then we had Veena Sikri’s case lost out in the IFS,” she told NDTV. [ link ]
So if even the firebrand cop Kiran Bedi faces gender bias in public services, you can well imagine what ordeal a normal woman faces trying to carve a place for her. I used to think that upright people like her, since they are so much loved and admired by the public, are generally in a very strong position but after the Kalam episode, I firmly believe just being nice and upright neither helps you, nor it helps those you want to help. You need to play the jungle game: among wolves, you need to become a wolf.
I just heard she may move the court on this.
Here is the link to Kiran Bedi’s NDTV interview — it’s a video.
More links:
Technorati Tags: kiran bedi, delhi police
And, as the TV news channels want us to believe, Monica Bedi is a celebrity; the fact that she is the former girlfriend of a dreaded mafia don has been conveniently skirted aside. It somehow seems they’re being paid to do so.
I woke up in the morning (one of those rare mornings when I slept at night and woke up in the morning). Alka switched on the TV to quickly catch up on some news and every channel was broadcasting the Monica Bedi release live.
She has been in the news ever since her association with Abu Salem surfaced, but what’s with all this frenzy? Are we having a Paris Hilton syndrome here? There are cameras in front of the jail, there are cameras in front of her house, and according to the latest updates from Alka (I’m in another room, working) they’ve got cameras even in her village in Punjab. I’m sure they’ve got people glued to their TV sets and it’s all a game about the TRPs.
Anyway, I think the real danger for Monica Bedi starts post-jail. She spilled some beans and that’s going to cost her. Although she wants to act in films, one really has to be a daring adventurer to cast her. There are many who bay for the blood of the don and his near and dear ones, and Monica Bedi was (is?) his near and dear one lock stock and barrel. Even Salem himself would try to knock her off as that’s how criminals work. It’s a quagmire and coming out of it is not as easy as it is being shown on the news channels.
So more than her film career, she should worry for her life, and should go somewhere she cannot be traced. She shouldn’t be swayed by all the attention being given to her. For the TV channels she’s merely a sensational news and for the average viewer she is merely a voyeuristic pleasure (and of course an eye-candy — even I find her attractive to look at). Everybody wants to see a pretty girl, a former actress who used to sleep with a dreaded don. People look at her father and feel good about the fact that they are not in his position.
Her family will be in great peril too, because even if she goes into hiding, the family members will be hounded for her whereabouts.
She was safer in the jail. The real troubles for Monica Bedi will start now.
Technorati Tags: monica bedi, monica bedi released, abu salem, release of monica bedi
Insaan ki aulaad hai insaan banega.
Do the hate-mongers ever listen to this song? Long ago I translated this song but right now I cannot find that old post — I’ll link to it as soon as I find it.
I wish he hadn’t.
Technorati Tags: lion attack, wildlife, hunters, poachers
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