Bollywood: The Show Must Grow On re: sameerJB # 20

I too loved Marhi da Deeva...I thought Raj Babbar was superb...the scenery in the movie reminded me a lot of the fields around Jauharabad...among movies made in native languages, movies made by the malayalam director adoor gopalakrishnan are very good too...I was watching chupke chupke the other day...and my friends were telling me that the original Bengali version is awesome and much better...I didnt like chupke chupke much though...if possible, try to get your hands on movies directed by G.R. Vishwanath in Telugu...some of the old ones are very good...cheers

Kabuli

Bollywood: The Show Must Grow On re: rsridhar # 13

the movie`s name is Agni Varsha...I found it a little contrived and long winded...but Milind Soman I thought acted well...I was more disappointed however with the ruins of Hampi...Hampi is variously described as being magnificent in the hey day of the Vijayanagara empire...granted that it is now in ruins, but still, they looked like an abandoned bollywood movie set...regards

Kabuli

Had me in splits...thanks very much...SSA

Kabuli

Good advice for Pakistanis Been to the shoe shop you mention...quiet place...at least the day I went there...has an old, musty feel to it...the best pizza I had in India is also in the vicinity...its kind of a pub-restaurant with heavy wood furniture...the pizza was served not on china, but on a wooden slab...has to rank highly even on an international fora...regards

Kabuli

In Praise of A Government Enterprise re: sameerJB

Coorg comprises two or three districts, with Madikeri as the capital in the Western Ghats and is an extremely beautiful and picturesque region of Karnataka...Coorg is the anglicized version of Kodagu...the inhabitants of Kodagu are called Kodavas...most present day Kodavas believe that they are not the same as Kannadigas (native people of Karnataka) as their language, dress, religion etc are different...Coorgi religion is not Hinduism...they worship nature and the river Cauvery is a prominent deity...the river arises out of Coorg, if I`m not mistaken...there are protected groves in Coorg which Coorgis consider holy and are kind of like shrines dedicated to nature...these groves give an immense feeling of peace and are just amazingly beautiful...some Coorgis consider themselve separate enough to demand a separate state...every now and then in Bangalore, one gets to see processions of Coorgis in front of the Karnataka Assembly agitating for statehood...many theories are given by Coorgis regarding their origins...some of which are that they are descended from a band of Alexander`s Greeks who lost their way and settled in Coorg...another famous one is that they are descended from the Kurds of the middle east...archaelogical evidence however, seems to indicate that they are local...Coorgis have a history of defiance and gave battle to Tipu, the more famous of their adversaries...however, upon British arrival, they came to a settlement, the ruling family converted (got converted?) to Christianity and many members shipped off to England...like Duleep Singh, one of the Coorgi princesses was a favourite of Queen Victoria...Coorgis love their drink and relish meat; their favourite being pork...infact Markara Pork (Coorgi Pork) is considered the best pork by even Mangaloreans, avid consumers of swine themselves...and sameer, let me tell you... Coorgi women...Jesus...sultry eyes, olive skin...had dozens of them studying with me in Bangalore, and each and every one of them is a bomb...Coorg is home to some of the greatest heroes of Indian military...General Cariappa, General Thimmayya...Squadron Leader Devayya...and Coorg is probably the second home of hockey in India, the first being Punjab...Ashish Ballal, the hero of the 1998 Asiad, is from Coorg...hockey is mostly a family affair, with famous families producing gems generation after generation...hockey matches in Coorg are often like one family playing another...economy wise, Coorg`s largest contribution has to be coffee...it is the best I`ve tasted anywhere...mind blowing...some of my friends own plantations in Coorg...and plantation lifestyle has to been seen to be believed...if you are not a communist, you are in heaven...hope that was a decent intro to Coorg :)...as for Longview, my family is settled in Houston...the past spring break, I decided to take the train back to Michigan...the train to Chicago from San Antonio doesnt pass through Houston...I had to take a coach to Longview and then hop on the train...and you are right, it is definitely a nice town...the sweetest people...regards

Kabuli

In Praise of A Government Enterprise re: tahmed32

yes, it is was General`s Cariappa`s son who was shot down over Pakistan...but I dont believe it was in the 1971 war...I think you are right in saying that it was in 1965...because when Cariappa Jr. was taken prisoner, he was treated extra well by the Pakistani army, under orders from General Ayub Khan...because Ayub Khan served under General Cariappa before partition in NWFP...and had great regard for the great general...if I`m not mistaken General Ayub Khan was in charge during the 1965 war...I believe General Cariappa has passed away...many Indian cities have military hostels or parade grounds named after him...regards

Kabuli

In Praise of A Government Enterprise dost-mittar ji


liked the article...brought back memories...though the journeys on Indian trains are long, they are always memorable for right or wrong reasons...mine, luckily, were mostly enjoyable...travelling from Pune to Bombay on the Dadar Express in the rainy season is one of the most amazing sights one gets to see of nature in India...drinking frooti while passing through all those tunnels is etched in my memory...(so is the trauma of watching people`s bottoms within the limits of industrial Pune)...and I like travelling on the Shatabdi...the one that runs between Delhi and Chandigarh...it is comfortable and the food is not bad...I almost always strike up a conversation with my neighboring passenger and the 4 hours pass by in no time...the last time, it was an Army Major from Coorg who was posted in Punjab during the heightened tensions last year...we exchanged stories about each other...the ones I liked most were about his meetings with General Cariappa...too bad trains dont run through Coorg...a most beautiful country in the upper regions...I think it is my love for trains that made me take Amtrak from Longview, TX to Chicago...and believe me, the delays Indians fret about in Indian Railways, are nothing compared to those of the American variety...in fact the personnel on the train and on the platform themselves joke about the legendary delays of Amtrak...and my most awkward experience on Indian trains...on my way to Amritsar on the Shaan-e-Punjab from Delhi, a whole band of hijras got on the train and started to pester the passengers on the train for money...I was determined not to let them have their way...when they came to me, I pretended to be asleep and just would not wake up no matter how many times the hijra poked a finger in my shoulder...when finally the hijras left and I opened my eyes, my fellow passengers were smiling...regards

Kabuli

Clueless Pakistan Team vs. Professional Aussies Dude, its Namibia

Great Article Dina...South Asians feign hurt when they encounter racism in the West, but many South Asians themselves hold racist and ethnocentric views...and this is not just South Asian vs. Other races...but South Asian vs. South Asian as well...However, there are some people who can and do rise above such barriers and I think we should celebrate them...regards

Kabuli

Larka, Larki Aur Smartee Whatever happened to Irani Chai (ok, I said Irani, but nobody makes Irani chai better than Hyderabadis) and haleem?...your article sure did bring back memories...thanx...oh and by the way, if you ever get to visit Hyderabad (naqli hai to kya hua, Sindh wali se aur mashhoor hai), I can recommend one or two biryani places that`ll give all Hyderabadi-Karachi Biryanis a run for their money

regards

Kabuli

A Comparison of Fashion Just throwing a little ghee in

Aish is Tulu

Kapoors are Punjabis, from Peshore

A Comparison of Fashion re: arjun_m # 22

The last I heard, Madhu Sapre married an Italian or something like that, but definitely a firang

regards

A Comparison of Fashion re: rsridhar

I have to disagree with you on the deportment bit...no amount of sophistication or education or carry can make a Nirupama Rao (she used to be Jaswant Singh`s Chamchi) look sexy...dude, I`ve lived in Bangalore and I`ve seen knockouts with no makeup whatsoever and I`ve seen wannabes with tons of goo on their faces. The most beautiful specimen of the female species I`ve seen to this day in my 21+ years of life was this woman outside Jauharabad in Pakistan. She had a pile of firewood on her head , she was wearing clothes that cannot be called clean by any stretch of the imagination and she wasnt wearing any shoes. But her face, I am just not able to forget it. She was gorgeeeeeeeeeous. I guess what I`m trying to say is beauty is beauty no matter the education or background. Pretention and an accent can only be charming for a while. No?

Kabuli

A Comparison of Fashion I agree with Naqshbandi...I would not fear meeting a Pakistani girl on a blind date...sadly I cannot say the same for Indian women

Oh and Anny, Lahori women are better looking any day than Karachi ones ;)

Good-Riddance re: fawad

``are there Sikhs in Pakistan...``

The border that runs between Indian and Pakistan managed to make millions of people homeless, but religious shrines couldn`t get up, pack their history and significance and flee, na. Sikhs long to visit their historic gurudwaras in Pakistan and remember them in their evening prayers everyday. Most of the few Sikhs who remain in Pakistan, usually live around these Sikh holy shrines, especially Nankana Sahib near Sheikhupura, and credit has to be given to the Pakistan govt. for this, is beautifully maintained. It is the birthplace of Guru Nanak. Other important Gurudwaras are in Hasan Abdal (Gurudwara Panja Sahib which has a remarkable story associated with it) and in Lahore, where the Fifth Guru of the Sikhs was martyred. Interestingly many Sikhs, settled outside Punjab in what is today Pakistan, especially in the NWFP. In fact, Ayub Khan, in his autobiography writes that as a child, he went to a school run by Sikhs and he still has (had?) fond memories of it. Sikhs stormed the gates of Kabul too, the first time in the history of the subcontinent maybe since the time of Asoka, that an invasion occurred from East to West, under the leadership of Ranjit Singh and the great Sikh general, Hari Singh Nalwa. Hari Singh Nalwa is usually given credit for building the Jamrud Fort outside Peshawar.

re: ana

wow, that is a first, feet getting burnt...maybe people think that because the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan, was martyred by boiling him in a cauldron of oil...maybe that is somehow related to the thinking...Jehangir, inspite of the drinking, had a bit of the fundoo in him, and ordered the death of the fifth Guru...He didn`t have the last laugh, however, as the Guru asked if he could have a dip in the Ravi, and just didn`t come out again (Ravi in those days ran very close to the fort, I`ve been told...it has now changed course)...The gurudwara stands on the spot of the cauldron...Ranjit Singh`s madhi is next to the Gurudwara...it is nothing spectacular, made of brick...I remember seeing two madhis inside, donno whose the other was...maybe one of his numerous wives...I remember being told that only Sikhs and Hindus are allowed inside Gurudwaras in Pakistan, by the chowkidaar...sad really because the Gurus never, ever, excluded anybody irrespective of religion, race, caste, whatever from entering Gurudwaras, a tradition faithfully followed by Gurudwaras anywhere in the form of free boarding and langar.

regards

Kabuli

Good-Riddance re: Akash # 52

This is what I had written in my earlier post:

Ramcharitmanas is quite different from Valmiki`s Ramayana. And so are the thousand year old translations of the Ramayana into Telugu and other South Indian languages. Many inconsistencies in all of them. What is important is how they`ve shaped or influenced their societies. I will not deny that there are many inspiring stories in the Ramayana inspite of its racist and sexist overtones. (The same goes for the Mahabharata inspite of its blatant caste discrimination in the case of Ekalavya and Karna). The story of Sabari, the low caste hermit in the Ramayana; and Krishna`s friendship with his poor pundit classmate are my personal favourites. The sad part is, Hindus believe that the events in their`` holy texts ``actually happened. Which is impossible if you take the religious texts at their word. It is well know that time is divided into Yugas (Treta, Dwapara, Kali etc) and each in turn runs into dozens of thousands of years. Either Hindus have been freakishly living on this planet far too longer than others or the texts are wrong. I wish the puranas and other constituents of the Hindu`` religious texts ``are appreciated by Indians (all Indians, much like Greeks and Italians today) for whatever redeeming value they have and not be treated as historical grounds for pulling down the religious places of minorities. And also call a spade, a spade. But I guess it is a question of conscience and is thus personal. But the operative word there is conscience.



I guess that sums up my opinion.

regards

Kabuli