TELLING IT LIKE IT TRULY IS........

Trust the indomitable and irrepressible "Guddi" of the Hindi film industry to say it like it well and truly is every single time......
 Addressing one of the film related sessions at the ongoing MAMI International Film Festival this sterling actress cum politician who was last seen in a cameo in Balki's "Ki and Ka" (or then wasx it the other way around soundly and unapologetically castigated today's film makers for their lack of finesses and subtlety.......
 Harking back to the golden era of Hindi filmdom (the heady and entrancing days of the 50's and 60's) Ms. Bachchan quipped that audiences still remembered those days when content was king and meaningful an utterly convincing cinema that connected with your heart and soul was the rule rather than the exception.......
Yes; today's film makers may have left their predecessors far far behind in matters of technical mastery/wizardry jaw dropping special effects and the likes; but they are not even a a patch on the Satyajit Ray's; Ritwik Ghatak's; Hrishikesh Mukherjee's; Basu Chatterji's and last but not the least Basu Bhattacharya's of this world when it comes to matters/issues pertaining to narrating an earthy and utterly plausible tale that instantly connects with your heart; souls and finer faculties......
 Today's film maker's are that much louder and in your face and sadly seem to have lost touch with the much sought after faculties of subtlety and artistic expression.......
 Present Day film makers are nothing ,more than glorified money crunchers whose film making is wholely and solely orientated towards the opening weekend collections and entering the much coveted hundred; two or then three hundred crore club by hook or by crook.......
The film makers of the 50's and 60's left behind a legacy or then stellar body of work that continues to linger on even today and will go down in eternity in golden letters unlike today's films that are akin to instant noodles consumed in a jiffy and forgotten in an instant.......
 Sorry to say; but today's film that lack substance; finer human emotions and the much desired subtlety leave me cringing; carping and seeking solace in a quiet and serene environment that provides me with the much desired peace and tranquility......
 Well I for one completely concur with "Mili's" pertinent; timely and utterly honest views; what about the rest of you?????

TRAPPED WITHIN AN ARCHETYPAL MUMBAI HIGH RISE.......

Ace director Vikramaditya Motwane is all set to wow world wide audiences/film goers once again and how........
 After leaving us gaping ant thirsting for more with his stellar directorial ventures; Udaan and Lootera which more than firmly established Ronit Roy and Ranveer Singh as actors to be reckoned with; Motwane once again left the audience reeling and cheering for more when his latest directorial venture "Trapped" got a twelve odd minute long standing ovation from an entranced and enchanted audience at Mumbai's iconic MAMI Film Festival on the eventful October 30 evening.......
 Starring the dapper; suave; sophisticated and oh so mysterious actor par excellence Rajkumar Rao in the eponymous lead role; "Trapped" narrates the harrowing ordeal of a resident of one of Mumbai's innumerable high rise residents whop inadvertently finds himself trapped within the seemingly claustrophobic confines of an archetypal Mumbai "high rise" apartment.......
 A spine chilling and utterly plausible survival-drama-thriller that unfolds at literally break neck speed "Trapped" masterfully announces the grand entry of Hindi filmdom into a genre that was hitherto uncharted and unexplored by the legions of directors and film makers who throng it's hallowed corridors.......
 Letting the cat out of the bag; Motwane quips that he was utterly fascinated by the concept of exploring the rather startling and stark phenomenon of an archetypal Mumbaikar being trapped or then inexorably consigned within the four walls that he spends an entire lifetime to either erect or then purchase whatever the case may be........
 Made on a seemingly modest budget of around Rs. 12 crore or so "Trapped" was wrapped up within a start to finish 22 day long schedule that saw Rao priming himself for this once of it's kind in a lifetime role with endless cups of black coffee and surviving solely on a "carrot rich" diet throughout the 22 day long shoot so that he could derive the edginess and untold desperation that was integral to the very being of this Mumbaikar who finds himself facing the untoward scenario of his intrinsically priced possession becoming his Waterloo and final resting place........
 Here's wishing Messrs rao and Motwane many more such standing ovations and hoping that this one finally ends up garnering the much coveted Oscar in the foreign films category.........

MAKE LUV NOT SCARS........

King (Shahrukh) Khan certainly knows how to wow his legions of fawning fans with his fawning love; care and undivided attention.....
True to his nature and predicament; Khan who will be next seen sharing screen pace with the dimunitive and beguiling Alia Bhatt in Gauri Shinde's much anticipate flick "Dear Zindagi" decided to reach out to some of his "Special" fans on the joyous occasion of Diwali and add the much desired sparkle and luster to their otherwise mundane and chequered existences.......
 Shahrukh spent a little more than four hours in the august company of acid attack survivors Reshma; Mamta; Sapna and Basanti on a typically balmy Mumbai Friday evening and duly/promptly recorded his observations on the same through his plethora of social media accounts by expressing his heartfelt gratitude and humility on being accorded the opportunity of being allowed to spend quality time in the company of these valiant; unconquerable and irrepressible souls who can more than teach the best of us a lesson or two about forebearance and fortitude......
He also went out of his way to express his sense of gratitude and thankfulness/indebtedness to the makeluvnotscars social initiative or organisation that organised this coming together of Shahrulh and four of his avowed and loyal fans who defy all man made barriers of caste; creed; religion;physical disability/infirmity and the like.......
 Describing the memorable event as a new beginning; dawn; era; unforgettable evening that will go down in memory so on and so forth; the uncrowned King of Hindi filmdom swore to spend much more time in the company of these souls who motivated; rejuvenated and inspired him in his effort to give back whatever has been bestowed on him with renewed interest........
 One only hopes that the Bachchans; Kapoors; Khans; Johars and Akhtars of the world take a leaf out of Sharukh's notable book in their misplaced and meaningless efforts to reach out and make a difference where it is most needed.......

MAKING HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES.......

You can certainly bet your last rupee on the fact that our enterprising and conniving traders and innovators will go to any extent in order to ensure that their bottom lines are always burgeoning and prospering no matter what......
 Cracker manufacturers in Uttar Pradesh are laughing their way to the bank and beyond what with their "fancy phooljadis"; serial bombs; rockets; flower pots and the like bearing the names of the fratricidal and warring members of the Yadav clan.......
 Sample this for example; most of the wrappers of the afore mentioned must haves bear the legend of Akhilesh Yadav and his confidante Ram Gopal Yadav posing together in convivial comfort and proximity; while the other lot of Yadavs: Mulayam and Shivpal take pride of place on notable others......
 How can one forget the "dalal" or fixer par excellence Amar Singh who allegedly fixed the investigative agencies and powers that be within the power echelons of the national capital in his sterling effort to prove/underline his unstinted loyalty to elder brother Mulayam and save him the burdens attached with a rather lengthy and eventful period in the famed Tihar Jail........
 His loyalty and chamchagiri are rewarded by the enterprising traders in a befitting and more than appropriate manner what with the smiling and repulsive visage of Amar Singh featuring promptly on the covers of aerial bombs and the like.......
 Priced between a modest Rs.150 and a seemingly astronomical Rs. 5,000/- per package of five to ten boxes or packets; these crackers or then mini explosives with a "difference" are selling like hot cakes and leaving their makers count their returns with nauseating regularity and increasing anticipation......
 Innovation and enterprise thy name by all means if the usurpious and grubby Indian trader who will go to nay length to ensure that he makes far more than his share of the spoils no matter whatever extent he has to plummet in the bargain.......

MAN'S BEST FRIEND AND ALL THAT.......

Any doubting Thomas or naysayer who had doubts about a dog being a man's best friend through thick and thin will be seen eating their "MUM'S hat" or iconic "stick of rhubarb" after reading this.....
 A humble; nondescript; mundane and stereotypical Washington DC based family was rudely and abruptly awakened from their salubrious slumber by a raging inferno that engulfed their beloved and cherished family hope within the batting of a proverbial eyelid......
 While the rest of the family members successfully managed to scramble to safety within minutes of the hellish flames engulfing their home on a particularly fateful Thursday morning; their unbridled spirit of euphoria and optimism soon turned into melancholy and pessimism when the deathly fact that they had left the youngest member of their family a three year old son and his adorable pet dog Rosie behind in their unseemly haste to get out when they could.......
The wailing couple; their three surviving children aged between 11 and 6 as well as emergency rescue teams could only watch on in mute horror and fascination as the flames from hell soon crossed the 1,000 degrees celsius mark and left behind no prisoners.......
 Eight fire tenders and the four score fire fighters who rushed to the suburb within minutes of being summoned somehow or the other managed to douse the blaze after an arduous and relentless three odd hour long battle and subsequently rushed into whatever remained of the very same only to be confronted by the horrific sight of the mortal remains of Rosie and the unassuming three year old who had met their Waterloo.......
According to a senior fire fighter; a faulty battery and connection resulted in the failure of the fire alarm's warning system and the family only managed to save their skin by their teeth as they were alerted by the suffocating fumes and smoke that threatened to terminate their lives well before they were intended to end......
 As precious time was lost in extricating themselves from their private hell; the couple forgot their precious little three year old and his precious little pet dog in their unseemly haste to save their own skin; the valiant and doughty dog however did not fail his little master and laid her own body atop his little one in her sterling effort to save his skin........
As a particularly moist eyed and wizened veteran fireman quipped " I now really know why a dog is a man's best friend in the 'real' sense of the term"; so whatever on earth are you waiting for go out and get yourself a faithful and conscientious companion who will remain steadfast until he/she or then you draw your very last breath........
Like my beloved and venerated Shirdi Sai Baba famously quipped; "A man has only three real friends; aged wife; faithful and beloved pet dog and last but not the least; money and other resources you may have in hand at the time".........

CRUEL AND TELLING IRONIES/VAGARIES OF LIFE.......

Can one even begin to dream or then conjure up a situation more piquant; heart rending and tragic than the one narrated below......
 While the first triumphant and euphoric cries of a newly born infant rang out resoundingly within the hallowed confines of Aurangabad's (Maharashtra) famed and iconic maternity ward (within the precincts of the city's government run Dr. Shankarrao Chavan Medical College and Hospital) at around 6:30 am or so on a particularly eventful and tragic Thursday morning; her father was drawing his last breath on planet earth during this lifetime in the trauma and emergency ward of the same medical facility......
28 year old Santosh More was critically injured when a recklessly driven truck plowed into his motor cycle from behind on the fateful Tuesday evening and pronounced brain dead by the doctors manning the afore mentioned ward at the very same moment that his pride and bundle of joy announced her arrival on terra firma in no uncertain terms........
According to the hospital's medical superintendent; More's better half Bhagyashree who was in the last month of her pregnancy began experiencing particularly agonising and wracking contractions in her womb as soon as the news about her husband's critical condition was conveyed to her early on Wednesday morning and therefor had to be admitted post haste to the hospital's maternity ward........
 As her predicament was only worsening with every passing minute the team of doctors attending on her decided to perform a Caesarean section delivery and extricate baby from the potentially deathly confines of her mother's womb as her mother had developed complications that put paid to any chances whatsoever of her having a normal delivery.......
 Alas; little did she know that the infant's father would be departing from the planet the very moment his daughter heralded her euphoric entry into the stratosphere; but her valiant father succeeded in providing five critically ill patients In Aurangabad; Nanded and Mumbai as his grieving family more than willingly consented to donate his vital organs to these needy souls......
 Barely an hour or so after Sanjeevani was born More's life support system was switched off as the team of surgeons successfully managed to retrieve his corneas; kidneys; lungs;liver; and spleen though they failed in their attempt to salvage his heart as well for a plethora of reasons.......
 Narrating the family's harrowing ordeal; More's younger sibling Gangadhar tearfully revealed the fact that none of the surviving family members of the More family will ever be able to forget the said Thursday morning in their lifetimes as they were bidding farewell to a beloved family member while celebrating the birth of the latest addition to the family at the same moment......
. Reminds yours truly of the immortal lines of the song; "Aana Jaana Lagaa Rahega; Dukh Jayega; Sukh Aayega; well done the More family; as Santosh continues to live on in the form of the five souls who literally experienced a second birth thanks to his family's munificence and thoughtfulness........

THERE IS CERTAINLY NO KEEPING HIM DOWN......

Love him; hate him; detest or abhor him; But you certainly cannot keep the irrepressible and indomitable former Team India medium pacer Shantakuamran Sreesanth down for too long.......
 Banned by the BCCI mandarins for life for allegedly having brought the so called gentleman's game into disrepute with his vile and despicable on field antics as well as his shady; sinister and murky role in the infamous match fixing scandal that allegedly imperiled the continuance of the heady and intoxicating Indian Premier League beyond circa 2013; Sreesanth was honourably acquitted of all match/spot fixing charges by the Delhi High Court last year; but the ban on him still continues as the BCCI bigwigs believe that he is tainted and besmirched beyond redemption.......
 Sree as he is fondly referred to by all friends and well wishers has left no stone unturned in his sterling efforts to revamp and relaunch himself; firstly made a rather impressive and eventful appearance on a celebrity dance show and clearly underlined the fact that he could indeed give the best of them a run for their money when it came to matters related to shaking a leg and so on and so forth........
 He then went onto hitch his bandwagon to the ruling party at the centre and even managed to contest as the party's official candidate from a Thiruvananthapuram based seat in the recent Kerala Assembly polls but sadly ended up biting the dust despite his heroics and unparalleled histrionics........
 In his latest coming as a wannabe hero/matinee idol; Sree took to twitter and posted a series of iconic photographs of him flaunting a toned and rippling abdominal area/glutes or more specifically a much sought after and enviable six pack........
 Sree whose first multilingual cinematic (you can see him in the Malyalam; Tamil and Telugu versions of the same shortly) "Team 5" is all set to set the silver screen on fire real soon; spent the best part of ten odd months sweating it out in the gym and his rippling and toned physique is certainly the stuff of envy and unabashed male jealousy........
All avowed and dedicated fans of this supposedly disgraced cricketer who more than proudly represented the nation in 27 test matches; 53 one day internationals and last but not the least 10 T 20 international fixtures (what with him being an integral part of the team that annexed the 2007 T 20 World Cup as well as the 2011 one day international World Cup) can soon see Sree indulging in onscreen daredevilry as well as shaking and gyrating to a beat of his very own.......
 Here's wishing this cricketer turned politician turned actor nothing but the very best in all his future ventures and avatars.......

SETTING NEW STANDARDS FOR OTHERS TO EMULATE.......

Now here is a railway minister who is out to make a difference and set right all the anomalies and travails plaguing the much maligned Indian Railways since times immemorial.......
 A timely and despairing tweet ended up saving the life of 63 year old actor par excellence Ashutosh Rana's elder sister's irreplaceable and intrinsically precious life......
 Ms. Kamini Gupta (Rana's elder sister) was travelling along with a trusted aide on board the AC II tier compartment attached to the Mumbai bound Suvidha Express when she abruptly swooned and broke out into a cold sweat all the while complaining of increasing palpitations and agonising/crippling pains in her chest region on the fateful Sunday evening.......
 Ms. Renuka Shahane (Kamini's sister-in-law) received a SOS from her and promptly tweeted a message to the loving;caring; nurturing and conscientious Railway Minister who made sure that Ms. Kamini received the much desired and sought after requisite treatment on board the train within 15 minutes or so after having received the tweet in question........
 Expressing her heartfelt thanks and deep rooted sense of appreciation to the Railway Minister; Ms. Shahane posted a series of tweets to the effect that her sister-in-law was undertaking the rather arduous journey between Delhi and Mumbai on board the Mumbai bound Suvidha Express when she experienced excruciating and debilitating chest pains at around 7:30 pm or so on the eventful evening........
 Keeping her wits about her somehow or the other; she promptly messaged Ms. Shahane and updated her about her rather precarious situation; on her part the doughty Ms. Shahane promptly sent out a tweet to the Railway Minister on the much publicised number and was more than pleasantly surprised to receive a prompt reply asking her to forward details pertaining to the train; bogie and seat number of her ailing relative.......
 Continuing with her effusive and wholesome praise; Ms. Shahane gushes that it is indeed commendable that our nation is blessed with a Railway Minister who places a premium on human lives and the safety and security of much neglected and long suffering fellow Indians who were mostly left to fend for themselves in the past and other departments and ministers both past and present need to emulate him and follow in his celebrated wake........
 As for Suresh Prabhu; the humble; unassuming; and down to earth former technocrat it was all in a day's work and the credit if any should go to the team of Railway doctors who reached the Kota station within minutes of receiving the news about the patient's dire predicament and ensured prompt and timely medical intervention that enabled the beleaguered fellow Indian to undertake the remainder of her journey in relative peace and comfort.......
 Messrs Mamata Banerjee; Pawan Kumar Bansal; Laloo Prasad Yadav; Nitish Kumar; Dinesh Trivedi et all are you listening.......

ON "GOLD" AND MATTERS RELATED TO THE SAME........

Continuing with his never ending saga of emotional and thought provoking flicks with a downstatedf and unassuming "patriotic" fervour; Akshay Khiladi Kumar is all set to release the fourth of his quietly jingoistic ventures.......
 One may do well to remember that Akshay has already more than successfully starred in and released "Baby"; "Airlift" and "Rustom" in quick succession with each one of them striking bull's eye at the box office and gaining an entry into the much coveted Rs. 100 crore club.......
 According to sources intimately associated with the forthcoming production "Gold"; the same will well and truly narrate the awe inspiring tale of India's first Olympic Medal post independence i.e. the first ever medal garnered by the then Indian Olympic Medal which proudly and splendidly represented the newest Independent nation on the blocks in the London 1948 Olympics.......
 "Gold" which is helmed by the noted and celebrated director Reema Kagti will be Akshay's first creative collaboration with Messrs Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment Fame; a name that has become synonymous with high octane and though provoking flicks that stand apart from the rest of the crowd owing to their cinematic brilliance and zara hatke story lines/plots........
Slated to hit the screens in the Independence week of 2018; this will be the Khiladi Kumar's second successive release in the Independence Day weekend after the super successful "Rustom" which hit the screens worldwide on August 12; 2016.......
 Many avowed Akshay fans like yours truly would indeed have heady and exalted expectations from this truly inspiring and patriotic offering what with it being Akshay's first coming of the sporting kind et all.......

NEEDLESS AND SENSELESS CRIME.......

Will the powers that be within the country realise the crying need for a Witness Protection Act/Whistle blowers protection act post haste and initiate the necessary measures to legislate the same........
 In the umpteenth murderous incident involving a indomitable and irrepressible Right To Information crusader and his armed and fortified antagonists; a Nohta Town (Damoh District; Madhya Pradesh) based RTI activist was allegedly shot at point blank range by the two state government teachers who were at the receiving end of his ire and zealousness........
 According to the case's investigating officer; the two accused Praveen and Pradeep Jain let loose a volley of shots from their country made pistols aimed at the relentless and doughty RTI activist Jitendra Bhatt at around 6:30 pm or so on the fateful Monday evening as he had filed cases against them to the effect that they had forged their mark sheets and other educational qualification related documents in order to obtain or procure the much sought after jobs of primary teachers in state government run schools.......
Fearing the worst and realising that their goose was well and truly cooked; the two accused were waiting for an opportunity to get their own back at their perceived tormentor and sworn enemy and they almost succeeded in snuffing out the life of the brave heart in this dastardly and reprehensible manner..........
 According to the doctors treating Bhatt at a state government run super speciality hospital his condition remains to be critical as he suffered at least four or more bullet wounds in his lower abdominal and spinal areas; though the doctors successfully managed to extricate the five bullets embedded in his body after a four hour long surgery; the nest 48-72 hours are slated to be crucial in Bhatt's chances of making a speedy and near miraculous recovery........
 In the meanwhile; the police sleuths attached to the police station under whose jurisdiction this crime most foul was committed have booked attempt to murder cases under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code against the two accused and launched a massive manhunt in order to nab the elusive fugitives at the earliest........
 Which brings us back to the moot question about the urgent enactment of a comprehensive and fool proof Whistle Blowers/Witnesses Protection Act,,,,,,,,,

SANT RAM RAHIM SINGHJI INSAAN'S THIRD ONSCREEN AVATAR......

Riding on the unprecedented wave of success of his second silver screen venture (flick) "MSG:the warrior;lion heart"; Dera Sacha Sauda Supremo Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhji Insaan caused incurable and untold harm of all Hindi film buffs/afficionados/connosieurs like yours truly by announcing his third home production........
 Tentatively titled; "MSG-The Lion heart-Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab"; Gurmeet Ram Rahim quipped that he was dismayed and saddened beyond all reasonable belief by the naysayers and doubters who had doubted the veracity and authenticity of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army on a minimum of eight terrorist training camps and hideouts in the very recent past and hence he decided to take unto himself the onus of putting these expressed doubts in the shade once and for all........
Slated to go on the floors in the first week of November; this film will be wrapped up in a start to finish thirty odd day long schedule and will hit the silver screens worldwide circa January 2017 if everything goes as per schedule; the Dera Sacha Sauda self styled Godman quipped.......
 "This proposed film will entirely revolve around the chivalrous; gallant and praiseworthy efforts undertaken by the indomitable Indian Army Jawans and Officers and unflinchingly highlight the innumerable sacrifices made by them in the relentless and ongoing battle against terrorists who owe their roots to our inimical neighbour called Pakistan".........
 "Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab" will once and for all shut the mouths of all the indigenous "traitors" and "backstabbers" who neither have the guts; gumption or spine to make their way to the nation's troubled border areas and replicate the emulatory deeds of the Indian Army"......
 "They have instead made it their business to meddle into affairs that do not concern them in the remotest and keep poking fun at the Indian Army's praiseworthy and heroic efforts firmly ensconced in the sylvan surroundings of their air conditioned living rooms and boudoirs and hence I was left with little choice other than shutting them up for good"; this rather eccentric; colourful and larger than life Godman signs off.........

GIVING IT BACK WITH RENEWED INTEREST........

Love him detest him; adore him or abhor him; but one thing you certainly cannot do is ignore or boycott him......
 A few days after the ongoing Karan Johar- Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) tussle over the release of Johar's much awaited and hyped "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" starring the controversial Pakistani matinee idol Fawad Khan starting dominating the airwaves; the indomitable and irrepressible Justice (Retired) Markanday Katju took to twitter to express his deep rooted sense of outrage and disdain over the MNS goons strong arm tactics......
 His first tweet disparaged and lampooned the self styled/ anointed MNS goons and read; "MNS ggondas are sorry apologies for the same and have been reared on the Arabian Sea's salty and detestable water; while I am an Allahabadi Goonda who has imbibed more than his fair share of the blessed and sacrosanct waters of the Sangam".........
 Taking a cue from or then inadvertently promoting the forthcoming Aamir Khan starrer "Dangal" Justice Katju outdid himself by posting a second tweet that went something like this "so you think that you can show your mardangi and bravado by taking on and harassing terrified and harangued film artistes and producers; come and do DANGAL or KUSHTI with me if you are real MARDS in the truest sense of the term".......
 Like I said earlier you can always bet your last rupee on the fact that Justice Katju will always more than willingly leap into any and every raging controversy with both his eyes wide open and stoke the fires until he achieves his desired results.......
 I leave you with a few more such gems that have indeed become the stuff of folklore and beyond; "you are selfish; unpatriotic and traitors to the Indian cause by only thinking about yourselves and filling your coffers by working for Fortune 500 companies in the USA (castigating IIM Mumbai students for their penchant/inclination to work abroad at any cost); "Indian Cricket Bosses should be publicly flogged (commenting on the Supreme Courts acerbic and acidic observations about how the BCCI head honchos had tarnished the hitherto unsullied name of the gentleman's game) and so on and so forth........
 One is waiting to see whether or not Raj Thackeray and his acolytes pick up the gauntlet and have the much awaited "Dangal" with Justice Markanday Katju........

ENGINEERED SUICIDE OR WILLFUL AND WANTON MURDER.......

West Delhi's archetypal middle or then should I say not so affluent middle class locality of Nangloi was rocked; stirred and shaken out of it's largely idyllic existence inexorably on a typically balmy (October) Tuesday late afternoon when the dastardly news pertaining to national kabaddi player Rohit Kumar's wife ending her own life spread like wildfire throughout it's every nook and cranny........
 Ruefully confirming the news; the SHO of the adjoining police kotwali pithily remarked that the news about Rohit's spouse lifeless corpse hanging from the bedroom ceiling is indeed true and also went on to disclose the fact that Lalita's corpse was discovered by a domestic help who inadvertently strayed into the couple's bedroom on the fateful afternoon........
 Lalita and her mother-in-law were the only two members of the family present at the time when Lalita resorted to this extreme measure; a suicide note has been discovered from the very same room and the same more than confirms the fact that Lalita decided to snuff out her life before it had even begun to bloom; but I cannot reveal any more as the same is the prime evidence on which an ongoing investigation is based.........
 In the meanwhile Lalita's grieving; disconsolate and disbelieving parents and other family members acidly point out that their daughter was constantly being harassed and harangued for additional dowry despite her family having more than satisfied Rohit's families every material demand when the holy rites of marriage were initiated and solemnised a little over six months ago and the mental pressure and agony being exerted on their beloved daughter might have triggered off this catastrophy........
 Doubting the Delhi Police's ability to carry out an impartial; fair; speedy and non partisan enquiry into the sordid and bizarre saga Lalita's enraged family members have demanded either a judicial or then CBI probe into this engineered suicide and also disdainfully dismissed the Delhi Police's promised SDM probe into the matter as an effort to save it's own skin.......
 Rohit who is neck deep in the ongoing Kabaddi World Cup with the Indian national team has rushed post haste from Ahmedabad and is co-operating with the Delhi Police's investigative machinery in it's effort to unravel the shady and mysterious precedents and antecedents of this crime most foul.........
No arrests have been made as of this moment though the initial needle of suspicion certainly points at the Patna Pirates/Bengaluru Bull's Pro Kabaddi League Star; his parents; siblings and immediate family members as alluded to by his in-laws and scores of other mourning (Lalita's) friends and relatives..........  
 Engineered murder or then willful and wanton suicide; well I will leave each and every one of you to draw your own conclusions......

KIND HEARTED GOOD SAMARITAN SHOWS US HOW IT'S REALLY DONE.......

You certainly do not need to be a Neeta Ambani; Azim Premji; Narayan/Sudha Murthy; Salman/Shahrukh Khan or any other celebrity/entrepreneur in order to reach out and make a difference no matter however insignificant or trivial the same may seem......
 Meet the Allahabad based 52 year old Jogesh Yadav; a humble; nondescript and archetypal road side food vendor/food stall owner who has been dishing out life; love; laughter; hope and good cheer along with the chholey bhature; subzi poori and assorted pakoras that have brought him fame and adulation.......
 An innocent and off the cuff query made by his then 14 year old son pertaining to a dip in profits or assured returns if they disbursed a minimum of twenty or so plates of free food to differently abled persons a little over food years ago set Jogesh thinking and he has religiously been doling out as many as fifty plates of heaped delicacies to differently abled people who would not be able to satiate their hunger pangs otherwise ever since the moment his now strapping son posed the question......
 Yes; the amount of free food doled out by me does certainly affect my bottom line;profitability and sustainability; but I will continue doing the same till my dying breath as the contented and beatific smiles on the visages of the folks who receive this largesse every single day more than compensates me for any monetary losses incurred; Yadav candidly confesses.......
 Keeping the good work going for the last four years and a bit; Yadav pithily remarks that many a differently abled person chivalrously offers to pay for his/her share of food as and when they can but no able bodied person has ever offered to recompense him for his troubles whenever he dangles the carrot of free and sumptuous food in front of them........
 We able bodied persons who more often than not look down upon our not so blessed brethren with sheer contempt and disdain can certainly learn a lesson or two in the sublime art of selfless giving and philanthropy from this stereotypical middle class hero who has even managed to rope in five similarly inclined food vendors from the same locality to join him in his avowed mission........

YOU CERTAINLY CANNOT KEEP THIS "BABA" DOWN......

Indian cricket or more precisely the men in blue can certainly do with two or more such "all rounder" Baba's or then self proclaimed appointed and anointed "sages or Baba's" within it's ranks........
 Is there anything the multi faceted and talented business tycoon cum Yoga Guru cum entrepreneur cum entertainer par excellence Baba Ramdev cannot do????? You may have seen him prancing after a football during the course of a recently held celebrity football fund raiser in Aamchi Mumbai and this "Baba" who has all but perfected the enviable art of excelling at everything he puts his mind to with aplomb sent the fawning audiences/celebrity judges and more than willing participants of a nationally televised dance reality show into raptures/paroxsyms of delight and much beyond........
 Despite being the favourite target of scores of trollers this indomitable and irrepressible Baba literally had the studio audience/celebrity judges (Ms. Shilpa Shetty/Geeta Kapoor and Anurag Basu) as well as the tens of participants in the ongoing dance reality show that graces the television screens worldwide every weekend literally eating out of his hands and begging for more.........
 His more than enviable "handstand or then should I say Headstand" sent the studio audience as well as the afore mentioned trio of judges falling over themselves in awe and amazement and the kids participating in the show literally making fools of themselves in their over zealous efforts at replicating the same.........
 In fact; so infectious; super charged and feisty were this highly flexible and adaptable Baba's moves that Ms. Shetty was left with no choice other than gracefully acknowledging his complete mastery over his patented moves and falling at his illustrious feet in supplication and untold admiration.........
 Like him; hate him; deride;lambast;mock or ridicule him; but the fact of the matter is that you cannot keep this "Baba with a difference" down for too long for he will surely get his own back much sooner than you could ever anticipate and expect.......

MADE FOR EACH OTHER........

This feisty; indomitable and kindred female spirit will certainly prove to be a worthy candidate and add that touch of much needed glamour to the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party's list of prospective candidates for the forthcoming Goa Assembly elections.......
 Meet the seemingly unconquerable 34 year old Cecille Lee Rodrigues; dance instructor/teacher par excellence; doting and fawning mother of a precocious 6 year old and last but not the least runner up of the Dance India Dance reality series (2013 Supermoms edition) on a prominent national Hindi entertainment channel........
 Originator/founder/pioneer of Goa's first of it's kind dance education cum fitness programme for children as well as corporate executives/head honchos; Ms. Cecille added yet another feather to her already burgeoning cap by becoming the official Aam Aadmi Party Candidate for the prestigious Taleigao constituency.......
 Ms. Rodrigues has an unblemished and long standing record of unstinting and selfless public service and taking an unequivocal if somewhat strident stand on issues (local issues) that cast it's shadow on the otherwise tranquil and serene existence of most Goans..........
According to the AAP's state convenor; "she (Cecille) embodies the virtues and values that have become synonymous with the party of; by and for the common man and hence was a more than befitting candidate for this rare honour and encomium".......
 Here's wishing both the Aam Aadmi Party as well as Ms. Rodrigues unprecedented and unheralded success in the elections slated to be held in the very near future.......

ON "SARKAR 3" AND MATTER PERTAINING TO IT'S STARCAST.......

After delivering an almost Himalayan string of box office turkeys; maverick or then genius film maker (depending on how you prefer to look at him) Ram Gopal Verma certainly seems to have got his act right with his much awaited "Sarkar 3"........
 Verma took to twitter to announce the finalisation of those actors who will appear in stellar roles in the third installment or coming of this iconic gangster cum political series that leaves one crying out for more the very moment the end credits begin to roll or unfurl......
While the entire world and it's cousin is privy to the fact that the incomparable matinee idol of three generations Shri Amitabh Bachchan will be reprising his on screen avatar of Subhash (Balasaheb Thackeray) Angre for the third time; the highly under rated iconoclast Ronit Roy will make his first appearance in the trilogy as the senior Bachchan's trustworthy right hand man Gokul Satam........
 Amit Sadh who was last seen in the company of Arshad Warsi and Aditi Rao Hydari in an onscreen avatar a few months back in "Guddu Rangeela" will blaze across the silver screen this time around in all his resplendent glory as the thespians irrepressible and indomitable stormy petrel of an offspring Shivaji who keeps him on tenterhooks most of the time with his seemingly mindless antics.......
 Jaggu Dada aka Jackie Shroff will feature in the role of Sarkar's nemesis "Sir" and Ms. Goody Two Shoes Yami Gautam who has only been seen in demure and dainty on screen avatars thus far will be reinventing herself this time around and be seen onscreen in the meaty role of Annu Karkare a conniving and vengeful daughter seething with rage and seeking revenge from Sarkar for having caused her beloved father's premature exit from the land of the living........
 While the afore mentioned actors and their onscreen roles have been more than confirmed by the producer/director in his series of tweets that ruled the social networking sited for the best part of the last two days or so; the proverbial twist in the tale came in the form of a flurry of tweets alluding to the fact that his long estranged protege Manoj Bajpayee will be reuniting creative forces with his one time mentor and add spice top the proceedings in the role of Govind Deshpande ( a character loosely based on the incumbent Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party Supremo Arvind Kejriwal) if sources close to the RGV camp are to be believed and this character might well end up being the much anticipated flick's ace in the hole........
 With so much anticipation and hype surrounding this saga even before it has gone on the floors is it any wonder then that die hard fans of this iconic series like yours truly cannot hold themselves back from partaking on the third coming of "Sarkar" and his merry bunch come September 2017........

SHOWING THE REST OF THE WORLD HOW IT'S DONE........

Actress/ Producer/Anchor/Model par excellence Dia Mirza is one of those genuine folks who more often than not ends up putting her money where her mouth is.......
 In her latest humanitarian and good samaritan avatar; Dia has teamed up with or then synergised with the Mumbai based Genesis Foundation and will co-host a series of events from October 20 onwards in an earnest and well meaning/intentioned effort expressly meant go generate or raise efforts to facilitate the much required and timely treatment of critically ill children whose hapless and impoverished families cannot bear the mammoth medical expenses.......
 According to an official spokesperson from the Genesis Foundation; the movers and shakers or then galvanising forces within the echelons of the very same took a conscious and informed decision to approach Dia to become the organisation's brand ambassador cum face of the envisaged effort to raise the much sought after funds/resources through "Ketto" an online fund raising facility/portal/website that enables folks/organisations to raise funds through its auspices for either social; creative or personal ameliorative or restorative causes.......
 More than graciously acceding to be a part of this one of it's kind initiative Dia candidly or pithily quipped that today's go getting generation had all but forgotten the dying art of giving; sharing; loving and caring and that she ardently hoped to teach more than a few folks the real meaning of these words through her participation in this drive.........
 Continuing further in the same vein; Ms. Mirza went on to elucidate the fact that the last few days spent in the august company of these ailing kids who continue to smile despite the seemingly insurmountable odds that they are confronted with on a minute by minute basis had not only restored her somewhat misplaced faith in fellow humans and the almighty but also rekindled her mojo and spirit to do more than her bit to promote such causes that champion and espouse the cause of the really deserving while expecting precious little if anything at all in return........
 Dia signed off by promising to contribute a sizeable sum out of her own personal kitty in addition to walking the proverbial extra mile in her yeoman's effort to loosen the purse strings or then lighten the wallets of those well heeled Indians who could afford to do all this and a lot more besides.........
 Love her or hate her; but there is no denying the fact that Dia is certainly one among a rare and highly endangered species........

BLATANT AND WILLFUL MISUSE OF BESTOWED PRIVILEGE OR OTHERWISE.......

While there is no doubting Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu's avowed intention of revamping and rejuvenating the beleaguered and beleaboured Indian Railways; some of us seem hell bent upon making a mockery of his well meaning and well intentioned initiatives in the right direction........
 Yes Mr. Prabhu has certainly acquired a halo and legions of followers from the promptness and alacrity displayed by him and his fellow Railway Board Officials in responding to every genuine grouse and irritant; this request from a particularly irksome and callous parent came in for it's fair share of scathing criticism; mockery and derision from all and sundry.......
 One particular gentleman who responds to the his ordained name of Prabhakar. S. Jha received more than his fair share of brickbats; barbs and pointed innuendos when he took to his twitter handle and sent Suresh Prabhu to provide diapers for his one year old daughter post haste as he had forgotten the same essential in his haste to reach the said station on time and board his designated train.......
 To his credit; a concerned Mr. Prabhu promptly responded to the plaintive and rather presumptuous distress call by asking Jha to provide him with the much needed details of his PNR number and other journey related details so that the much required commodity could be made available to him as soon as possible but the same entreaty got the goat of fellow twitteratis as soon as the same went public within a matter of minutes........
 Fellow twitteratis lambasted Jha and even went to the extent of branding him a moron; imbecile; priceless idiot; callous and careless father; and last but not the least grubby and malicious gent hell bent upon misusing and distorting a privilege bestowed upon him by a concerned and conscientious railway minister.......
 But I for one beg to differ as the smell of baby poop permeating the already claustrophobic confines of the AC two tier Coach in which the Jha family was travelling would have certainly proved to be more of an irritant and eyesore during the course of the thirty odd hour journey rather than the much sought after diapers that Mr. Prabhu and his gallant team were more than sportingly willing to provide........
Wither humanity and sense of service; well I will let each and every one of you take a call on that one........

OF INFURIATED HUSBANDS AND MURDEROUS RAGES........

Beware of estranged husband's who harbour a deep rooted sense of malice and retribution as any laxity on your part could end up costing you your life........
 A 35 year old unemployed man residing in Odisha's Kasarda village (Cuttack city limits) allegedly slit his estranged wife's throat before consuming a bottle of pesticide that he was carrying on his persona besides stabbing himself in his abdominal area at least three times at around 11:30 am or so on a bloody and sinister Saturday morning........
 According to the now deceased 28 year old woman's grieving and inconsolable family members Prasanna Malick (the main accused) and his recently estranged wife Rili entered into holy matrimony with the blessings and consent of their elders and fellow villagers a little over six years ago.......
 Things were hunky dory between the couple for the first five years or so between the couple as the two of them were gainfully employed with different private companies and hence managed to eke out a rather comfortable existence that was the envy of fellow residents of the same area......
Things/matters however started going downhill ever since Prasanna was unceremoniously dumped by his employers citing a downsizing/revamping exercise or then cost cutting initiative thereby reducing Rili to the status of the family's sole bread winner and provider and the already troubled and turbulent relationship between the two virtually all but ended when Rili filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences some three odd months ago and moved in with her parents..........
 A virtually penniless and infuriated Prasanna harboured or then nursed a murderous rage against his separated wife and in-laws ever since and matters came to a head on the fateful and eventful Saturday morning when Prasanna barged into Rili's parents home without as much as a by your leave when she was home alone and ended up slitting her throat before committing carnage on his own persona........
 Alerted by her hideous screams and entreaties for help alarmed and concerned neighbours rushed to Rili's aid only to find her reduced to a bloody and lifeless heap while Prasanna had also collapsed in an unceremonious heap in close proximity to his senseless better half.......
 An ambulance was summoned post haste and both Rili and Prasanna were rushed to the nearest super speciality hospital post haste in the very same where Rili was pronounced brought dead on arrival by the on duty doctors at the time while Prasanna breathed his last some three odd hours after being admitted to the hospital despite the doctor's valiant and heroic efforts to resuscitate him........
 Like I said earlier; keep your estranged husband at arm's length especially if he nurses a murderous grudge as being forewarned and forearmed could end up being the difference between life and death........

IS THIS HOW WE HONOUR THE SELFLESS SACRIFICES MADE BY OUR MARTYRS AND BRAVES........

Will Madhya Pradesh's incumbent chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honour his promise and sack those police personnel who had the temerity and gall to demand a bribe from the mother of an army martyr who beseeched them to spur up their futile and hypocritical efforts to trace her beloved son's long lost medals and symbols of valour......
 Nirmala Sharma; the proud and indomitable mother of martyr Captain Devashish Sharma of the Indian Army's highly decorated Punjab Battalion who gallantly and more than willingly made the supreme sacrifice during the course of "Operation Rakshak" on the fateful day of December 10; 1994 took to twitter as well as other social networking sites in order to express her sense of outrage and humiliation at being asked to shell out an undisclosed sum of moolah so that the same could provide the necessary impetus to the Shahpura Police sleuths efforts to trace the long lost medals.........
 According to the version of events posted by this indomitable and valiant lady the Kirti Chakra as well as the bravery award that was awarded to her heroic son posthumously by both the Indian as well as Jammu and Kashmir government mysteriously went missing from their age old home on the eventful evening of October 21; 2014 and a formal complaint pertaining to the theft of the very same was registered at the Shahpura (Bhopal) police station at around 10 a.m. or so on the very next morning.......
 She (Nirmala Sharma) was however left seething in rage and abject humiliation when the senior officer on duty demanded some kind of illegal gratification in an attempt to grease the proverbial wheels of investigation and provide the necessary impetus to the cursory efforts made by the Shahpura police in this regard thus far when she visited the said police station on the morning of October 10; 2016........
 Shocked beyond belief; Nirmala Sharma promptly took her twitter handle and sent messages to both the state's chief minister as well as home minister that elicited the held out promise about meting out exemplary and effective punishment to the culprits and the same promise was reiterated by the home minister who condescended to visit the Sharma family's modest residence on the morning of October 14; 2016.........
 Making the customary and utterly meaningless effort to cover both the accused officer's back and hide; Bhopal (South) Superintendent of Police Anshuman Singh explicitly and unabashedly stated the fact that he was yet to receive any formal complaint against the concerned police official in writing from the aggrieved mother and could only launch a departmental enquiry against the usurpious officer once he received the same in writing.........
Having reached the proverbial end of her wits and patience; the much harangued and harassed Nirmala Sharma has now sent twitter messages to both the Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the nation in order to issue duplicate or then near perfect replicas of the long missing medals that were awarded to her illustrious son who made the supreme sacrifice with a smile and prayer on his lips,,,,,,,,
 One simply shudders to even think about or contemplate the manner in which the Aam Aadmi who goes to register a similar complaint at the now infamous Bhopal police station is treated when the concerned officials callously and inhumanly mete out this dastardly treatment to the mother of a martyr and live to tell the tale........

MAYHEM AND OBSCURANTISM RULE THE ROOST......

Continuing from where I left off or then terminated yesterday's post pertaining to the eternal conundrum or ceaseless skirmish between self appointed/anointed Dharam Guru's and atheists.......
 Well; it indeed comes as no surprise that the conservatives; obscurantists; medievalists and so called religionists had their way once again and literally forced the organisers of the two day conference on atheism slated to be held in the temple city of Mathura on Friday and Saturday to indefinitely postpone the same........
 Somewhat ruefully confirming the distressing and vexing bit of information; the mover and shaker or then should I say galvanising force behind the proposed two day long event Swami Balendu took to his twitter handle and soundly lambasted the mindless and wanton antics of the thousands of residents (Mathura's residents) and the Dharam Rakshaks who led them........
 Theologist Balendu who was one of the leading lights of the Sanathan Hindu Sanstha till some five-six years ago castigated the authorities for caving in before the protestors and coercing the local organisers of the event to cower before them as they feared for their safety' sanity; security and continued existence within the boundaries of this ancient and revered city........
 Soundly and scathily criticising the local police sleuths for failing to discharge their constitutional duties as ordained under the Indian Penal Code and other laid down laws in this regard; Balendu succinctly remarked; "it was more than evident that the men in khakhi were hand in glove with the teeming thousands who flocked the proposed venue of the conference and it came as no surprise therefore that the event had to be postponed indefinitely as the local police personnel were unwilling to do the job that they were being paid for; i.e. maintaining some semblance of law and order".........
 Yours truly is not unduly concerned; perturbed; confounded and distressed by the indefinite postponement of the planned event but the increasing and disturbing trend of muzzling purported and resounding voices of dissent and disagreement with the laid down order every single time any which way they can as the same are definite pointers to the reprehensible trend of religious intolerance and chauvinism which has no place whatsoever in a thriving and vibrant democracy such as ours........

NEVER LET YOUR UNDERLYING FEARS/APPREHENSIONS GET THE BETTER OF YOU.......

Fearing and apprehending the untold wrath; fury and vengeance of her tormentor/rapist who recently set foot out of his jail cell after being granted bail by a local court; his victim set herself ablaze in an effort to extinguish her blossoming or then should I say budding life........
 This horrific; heart rending; needless; pointless and utterly reprehensible macabre and bizarre incident was reported from Madhya Pradesh's Nayagaon Area when the 16 year old teenager who had been continually ravaged and sexually violated by the accused over a four odd long month period liberally doused herself with kerosene and set her self ablaze in an effort to immolate herself in the wee hours of October 13........
 According to the case's chief investigating officer; the 16 year old teenager who sustained some forty odd percent burns is recovering from her hellish ordeal at a Bhopal based super speciality hospital and her condition is slated to be out of danger though the next 48-72 hours will be crucial in her lingering and painstaking recovery process.......
 Further elucidating on the fears; apprehensions that supposedly forced the young woman's hand into resorting to this extreme measure; the police officer clearly highlighted the undeniable and irrefutable fact that the rape survivor was brutalised and demonised by two youths from the same area between the months of February and June 2016 before the rampaging duo was apprehended by the local police sleuths and remanded to judicial custody by a judicial magistrate.........
 While the main or primary accused is still incarcerated in a central jail cell his comrade in arms/accomplice one Anil Yadav was let out of the confines of the same on conditional bail a fortnight or so ago and the young woman had literally gone round the bend wracking and torturing herself with imagined rather than real fears and apprehensions........
 These very same fears and misconceptions about her continued safety and sanity forced her to resort to this unwarranted and wholly avoidable extreme measure that just about stopped short of causing irreparable and mortal danger or peril to her continued well being and existence on planet earth; the said police official ruefully concluded........
 Notwithstanding her self imposed sorry and worrisome predicament; the 16 year old teenager can seek solace in the cast in iron fact that Yadav has been arrested/apprehended once again following her attempt to end her life and times and cases under all the relevant and applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act have since been slapped against/on him.......
 In the meanwhile; social service organisations as well as a host of well meaning folk have voluntarily stepped forward to rehabilitate and counsel the young woman in distress even as the incumbent state government has taken unto itself the onus of bearing the entire cost of her prolonged medical treatments until she recovers and starts leading some kind of a normal and hackneyed existence.........

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING........

"Live and let live" is an age old dictum that has become even more topical and relevant with the passage of time as a significant majority of human beings have all but forgotten the very existence and essence of this eternal diktat.......
 In the latest reported instance of religious intolerance; obscurantism and near barbarism; a plethora of self styled; anointed and appointed Dharam Guru's have gone on the rampage in an effort to stymie and stump the organisers of a proposed conference on "atheism and it's relevance in today's troubled and strife laden times"........
 According to sources close to the above mentioned so called Dharam Guru's; some seven odd heads of all religious denominations have lodged a formal complaint against one Swami Balendu; a fraud; charlatan; goonda; misogynist and prankster (their words not mine) and implored the Mathura police sleuths to immediately take the organisers of this proposed two day long conference (beginning from this morning) into custody as they fear that the holding of the same would only serve to inflame communal passions and vitiate the peaceful and congenial communal climate pervading this centuries old temple town.........
 Taking strong exception to Swami Balendu's reported remarks dubbing all religions; scriptures and religious practices as "fake; false; misogynistic; reprehensible; repugnant; medieval; obscurantist; irrelevant and misleading"; these so called "wise and learned men" have questioned his very standing and utterances wondering aloud how this gentleman who was the one of the most respected and revered propounders and propagators of Hinduism and Hindu rituals till some five odd years ago had abruptly turned turtle and begun questioning the relevance and continued existence of Hindu religion; it's practices; scriptures and totally avoidable yagnas and the like.......
 One Dharam Guru who heads a religious shrine belonging to a minority community even went to the extent of imploring his followers to publicly flog and deface Swami Balendu and his supporters/devotees as they are causing untold harm to age old religious practices and conventions by terming or referring to them as a "Business that thrives by creating fear; confusion and bewildering the souls of it's followers" and hence should be socially ostracised and cast aside........
 Well; all I can say in conclusion is that the Constitution of India bestows unto each one of us the right to profess; practice and propagate our very own religious beliefs and practices as long as we do so within the boundaries/confines of the laid down laws in this regard and without endangering or inciting communal tensions and passions and hope that the supposedly wise and sagacious Dharam Guru's and Swami Balendu honour the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution.......

PROTECTORS OR TORMENTORS........

As it the continual and unabated tales of horrors and atrocities being committed against hapless and seemingly defenceless women were not enough of a dampener and eye opener; here comes the sordid tale of a police constable joining the ranks of Uttar Pradesh's rapists and sexual offenders.......
 40 year old Ramesh Mishra a driver (police driver) attached to Allahabad City's Civil Lines Police Station for the last decade and a bit allegedly raped his 60 year old victim on the intervening late night of Sunday-early Monday morning on the pretext of showing her the immersion of numerous Durga Mata idols from close proximity in the supposedly secure confines of a boat........
 According to the case's investigating officer; the accused chanced upon the 60 year old Firozabad resident when he had gone to the city's famed and revered "Sangsam" area in order to partake his share of the piety and resplendent splendour surrounding the annual ritual of the immersion of the city's numerous Durga idols that dot the city's numerous pandals that come up with unfailing regularity during the Navratri period every single year.......
 Little suspecting her tormentor's and plunderers unholy and brazen intentions; the trusting; naive and gullible sixty year old rape survivor more than readily acceded to his expressed desire or wish of boarding a boat in his company so that she could witness or then immerse herself in the splendour and religiosity of the annual festive occasion from the proverbial arm's length........
Taking undue advantage of the opportunity accorded to him; Mishra firstly subdued his hapless victim and forced himself upon her fulfilled his demonic sexual urges made his way back to the shore and fled the spot post haste after holding out the now stereotypical threat of causing grievous bodily harm to the victim if she as much breathed a word about the incident to any living soul........
Keeping her wits about her with considerable difficulty; the 60 year old somehow managed to wend/find her way to the neighbouring police station in the company of enraged and incensed locals in the wee hours of Monday morning after narrating her tale of woe and horror to her companions and comrades in distress and grief.......
 A case was registered against the accused who has since been identified as Ramesh Mishra based on the description provided by the 60 year old victim under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and an alert was sounded across the fifty odd police stations dotting the iconic and ancient city's landscape in order to apprehend the fugitive at the earliest........
 One really wonders who will guarantee and ensure the safety and security of the nation's harassed and harangued womenfolk when their supposed protectors and knights in shining armour turn out to be their tormentors and devil reincarnates........

GETTING HIS JUST DESSERTS AND LOT'S MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR......

This is certainly as bizarre and outlandish as it can get by any stretch of the imagination.......
 Mumbai Police sleuths late on Tuesday evening took into custody a 70 year old resident of the nation's commercial capital late on Tuesday evening on the heinous and sinister charges of molesting and trying to outrage the modesty of his unwitting 7 year old intended victim........
 According to the senior inspector heading the investigation into this grotesque case; this shocking incident occurred at round 4 pm or so on the fateful afternoon when the accused one Siddhanand Chaurasia who had been residing in the city's Malad area for the last 35 odd years made a somewhat cumbersome and wanton attempt at outraging the modesty of his intended object of desire and passion.....
 Chaurasia was in the habit of sauntering onto the terrace of the very same high rise building unfailingly every single afternoon and enjoying a two odd hour long siesta according to fellow residents of the same building and this unsavoury and unholy episode occurred during the same time span........
 Alas for Chaurasia; his intended victim was made of sterner stuff than he expected and more than adroitly managed to extricate herself from his soiled tentacles and fled the spot loudly and imploringly calling out for help all the while.......
 Her alarmed mother; building's security guards and concerned fellow residents restrained and confined the accused for forty five odd minutes till the cops from the adjoining police station reached the crime scene recorded the statement of both the indomitable 7 year old and her irate and incensed mother before taking Siddhanand into their custody.......
 He was produced before a judicial magistrate at around 11 am or so on Wednesday morning and the legal functionary promptly remanded him to five days police custody in order to facilitate the concerned police sleuths further investigation into the reported crime........
 Booked under all the relevant and applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as the POCSO Act; this 70 year old avaricious gent is looking at the unpleasant and unseemly possibility of spending the next seven years or so in a city jail if the alleged crime supposedly committed by him is proven or established beyond all reasonable doubt.......

"GREEN CARD" IS INDEED THE FLAVOUR OF THE SEASON.......

The world's most popular and widely followed game/sport football or soccer (whatever you may prefer to term it) has been synonymous with yellow and red cards for centuries but football and green cards are indeed somewhat of a rarity........
 In a first of it's kind enterprise/venture; match referee's/officials presiding over Italian Seria "B" (Italian Second Division League) matches have been urged/motivated to flash green cards whenever they come across an act of gentlemanly honesty/candour or sporting spirit that elevates the stature of the game and carries it to exalted and unprecedented heights of glory and stardom.......
 Match Referee Marco Mainardi became the first official to flash a green card in the history of the game when he extricated the very same from his pocket and doffed the same in the direction of Vicenza striker Cristian Galano who showed exemplary honesty and sportsmanship when questioned........
 Galano had made an attempt at the opposing team's citadel and the same narrowly missed the target as the attempt on goal had deflected off the foot of a defender and hence altered or then veered off from it's intended destination.......
 The defender in question hotly and somewhat imperiously questioned the officiating match official's decision to award a corner to the visiting Vicenza team and wanted him to verify whether or not the ball had indeed touched his foot and then deflected out of bounds as deemed by the referee in the midst of the on field action.......
Though perturbed and confounded by the defender's temerity and gall; Mainardi thought it prudent to check with Galano and was more than pleasantly surprised when Galano more than candidly admitted that the ball had gone out of bounds on it's own and not taken a deflection from the defenders foot as deemed by Mr. Mainardi.......
 Instantly recognising his all to rare candour and sportive spirit Mainardi digged deep into the pocket where he kept his red; yellow and green cards and held the green card aloft for more than a few seconds as a mark of respect for a player who had showed the rest of the sporting world how the game of football should be played every single time.........
 I for one do ardently hope and pray that other footballing leagues inundating the footballing world will similarly follow suit and start flashing more green than red and yellow cards thereby putting all expressed doubts about the game getting all the more acrimonious and less than honest with the dawning of each day of the burgeoning footballing calendar......

"SELFIE" OBSESSION CLAIMS IT'S LATEST VICTIM........

Will some resident of planet earth provide me with a plausible; logical and reasonable explanation for our penchant of becoming slaves/serfs of the latest "Mobile" technology and our never ending obsession with selfies and the likes.......
 In the latest mishap/incident/accident caused by this inexplicable and revolting "selfie" obsession a 16 year old teenaged resident of Uttar Pradesh's Baraut Village (some 65 odd kilometers away from the national capital) lost all her hair and a major portion of her scalp when she inadvertently ventured a little too close to a Ferris or then Giant Wheel as the same contraption has come to be better known........
 According to horrified bystanders who rushed to her help on hearing her piteous and heart rending entreaties for help; the horrific incident occurred when the 16 year old ventured too close for comfort for the giant wheel that was making it's journey at top speed at the time on the fateful Monday afternoon.......
 Her obsession or predilection with grabbing the so called "perfect" selfie that would make her the envy of her friends and peers ended up causing the 16 year old untold harm and a dismemberment/disfigurement that will take years to repair/heal.....
 As she got a little close for comfort to the afore mentioned object of rapturous delight her mane of hair got inextricably entangled in the same and caused the same to be yanked out and more than half her scalp to be ripped off in the most barbaric and grievous manner possible.......
 Good hearted and gallant souls rushed the profusely bleeding teenager to the state government run district hospital where the doctors on duty at the time performed a minor surgery in order to close the wounds on her scalp and head and have decided to shift her to a Lucknow super speciality hospital within the next 3-4 days for specialised care and treatment.......
One only hopes and prays that all similarly inclined folks will learn their long overdue lesson/s at long last and start taking selfies without endangering either their very own safety and security as well as other's in the vicinity.......

THANK YOU MOHAMMAD KAIF.......

You certainly cannot keep a good samaritan or then noble and caring soul down for too long........
 It may certainly be a case of out of sight out of mind in the case of erstwhile Indian middle order Batsman turned politico Mohammad Kaif's ranks of fans who must have buried him more than six feet under by now as he has been off the cricketing firmament for some time now........
 Cometh the hour; cometh the man and this largely anonymous and laid back lazily elegant batsman par excellence who did not do complete justice to his enormous potential certainly more than rose to the occasion and more than enjoyed his proverbial "fifteen minutes of fame" and more with series of tweets pertaining to the Uri martyrs (army men who gallantly laid down their lives in the cause of the nation) and every other indomitable soul who dons the khakhi uniform out of his own free will......
 Imploring and exhorting fellow Indians to loosen their purse strings and lighten their bank balances in an effort to stand by the suffering and grieving families in their hour of need and showed the rest of the nation how it's done by starting this seeming revolution with a personal offering of Rupees Five lakh to the Army Men's Welfare Fund........
 Kaif certainly did not stop with this but continued in the same vein by imploring his fellow countrymen and women to offer their train bus or then seats occupied by them to the soldiers who guaranteed their safety and well being every single time and raise their hand in humble salute and tribute every single time they spotted them in their midst or immediate surroundings........
 Thank you for rekindling or reawakening our patriotic fervour and largely moribund spirit Mr. Kaif as we certainly needed this wake up call to awaken us from our self imposed slumber and lethargy........

AKSHAY KUMAR DOES IT YET AGAIN........

Here indeed is a matinee or then marquee idol who stays rooted to his lower middle class roots and prefers to let his humanitarian side rule the roost........
 The entire world and it's cousin is more than aware of Akshay (Khiladi) Kumar's utterly modest and nondescript origins and upbringing and he on his part certainly continues to wow his legions of fawning fans and showing them how it's done as often as he can.......
 Though he was buried more than neck deep in the ultimate or then climatic shooting schedule of his much awaited legal caper "Jolly LLB 2" in the sylvan; serene; tranquil and salubrious locales of Manali; Akshay more than made it a point to take the time out to spend quality time with both the overwhelmed locals and gushing hotel staffers thereby wowing or sweeping them off their collective feet with his down to earth demeanour and endearing/captivating mannerisms.......
 A gathering of twenty odd Indo Tibetan Border Police Force jawans and Junior Officers who thronged the sets of the afore mentioned flick on an archetypal Manali evening were literally wonder or then should I say dumbstruck with their jaws literally falling at their feet when their favourite tinsel town star more than sportingly conceded or then graciously acceded to more than enthusiastically participate in an impromptu volleyball match that was organised on the sets in a tearing hurry.......
This one of it's kind volleyball match lasted all of one hour or so and unravelled between two teams of ten players each with one team being captained by Akshay and the other being helmed by a lieutenant who could not believe his luck and overwhelming or burgeoning burst of good fortune........
 As if sticking to a pre-ordained script; the three set or game match of volleyball was more than handily won by Rajiv Hariom Bhatia's merry bunch by two sets to one and as a parting gesture that every one who was a part of which will remember till eternity and beyond; Akshay capped it all by treating the ITBP personnel to a sumptuous and lip smacking dinner/repast that more than left a lingering or then near heavenly after taste on their palates and every pore of their entire beings.......
 Notch one more up to the Khiladi Kumar and his utterly flattering and humanistic tendencies........

AN EVENING WORTH DYING FOR........

Their masterly; poetic; mesmerising; mellifluous; intoxicating; euphoric and uplifting creative collaborations have indeed been the stuff of legend and a lot more besides and this piece of information/news concerning these two legends is certainly music to the ears of an avowed fan like moi.......
 If the Hindi film or then should I say music industry grapevine is to be taken at face value; the nation's "eternal" and arguably finest bard Sampooran Singh Kalra (or then Gulzar Sahab) as he is better known may finally end up penning a few verses dedicated the everlasting and immortal memory of his dear departed comrade in arms ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh........
 According to sources intimately or closely connected with the proposed event slated to be held at a celebrated venue in the nation's commercial capital (Mumbai) later this evening and will see the official launch of the late Jagjit Singh's incomparable rendition of "Koi Fariyaad" as the reprised and revamped "Teri Fariyaad"........
 This once in a lifetime event more than adroitly planned; envisaged; envisioned and meticulously executed by the much envied Bhushan Kumar; Anubhav Sinha duo to coincide with the ghazal maestros fifth death anniversary will also herald the launching of the latest musical track of the much awaited "Tum Bin 2"............
 A strictly exclusive and cloistered strictly by invitation event only meant for the who's who of the Hindi film and music industry; this unforgettable evening more than appropriately titled "Tum Bin Jagjit Singh" will see an assembly of proven; tried and tested musical talents like Anup Jalota; Rekha Bhardwaj; Hariharan; Ankit Tewari; and last but not the least Talat Aziz gracing the occasion and paying their respectful and heartfelt homage to their predecessor in their own inimitable manner........
 Now here is certainly one evening that any and every two bit or then die hard ghazal afficionado would happily die and go to heaven and even much beyond for more than willingly.......

THE LAST FEW DAYS/WEEKS........

Life has more or lees been a roller coaster ride or then coasting between the sublime and ridiculous off late.......
 Yours truly arrived back in faithful old Bengaluru a little past midnight some two odd days back after having spent around eleven fateful; introspective; fretfully sweaty and mostly sleepless nights in the swelteringly hot and utterly dehydrating climes of one of my most despised cities (Chennai)........
 Yes; you did certainly read it right the first time around; I did well and truly spend the afore mentioned eleven odd days in Chennai almost solely ensconced within a typically modest and nondescript suburb of Kolathur in a seemingly furtive and increasingly desperate quest to put wheels beneath my long stagnant and largely moribund professional career.......
The typical hoity; toity; utterly repugnant; repulsive; medieval; conservative and seemingly racist attitude that pervades most if not all of Chennai got my goat this time around too and forced me to make my way back to the city of my birth/nativity for an enforced three week or so long break/hiatus just when things at long last promised to get moving in the right direction professionally........
 What is it with us native Indians and our age old predilection/infatuation with minding other people's business rather than their very own and poking their vicariously ugly and repulsive noses in affairs that are not even remotely connected with them by any yardstick of the imagination........
 Frankly; how is it anybody's business as to who saunters into their neighbour's house irrespective of their marital or then domestic status and the perceived or then existing relationship between the two of them as that well and truly is their and only their business (period) and should definitely not be an area of interest for either the fellow residents of your neighbourhood and especially a decrepit and decadent landlord who chooses to lend credence to utterly meaningless; fictitious and fanciful concocted figments of over fertile imaginations that have nothing better to do anyways and ask you to vacate your rental accommodation as a result of these nosey parkers utterly disdainful and meddlesome wranglings.........
Well; so much for me and my travails; the fact of the matter is that I am still on the lookout for that elusive professional opening that has eluded my sincerest and most earnest efforts in this regard for close to seven weeks now and once again appeal to your rational senses to send me a few pointers that would set me off in the right direction..........
 As regards my varied professional experiences; work history and so on and so forth; I humbly beseech you to refer to my previous more than eloquent and descriptive posts in this regard.........