Nanadan Nilekani back in action with LPG database as platform for UIC project

Yet to take over officially, but Nandan Nilekani cannot sit quiet and hence he began with his new job by meeting with oil minister Murli Deora and minister of state Jitin Prasad. The reason is that the database for cooking gas is huge and he can begin the mammoth task of creating unique citizen-Id cards by taking the first step in this direction.

What Nilekani expressed to do?
The Infosys co-founder decided to run a pilot project in the cities of Hyderabad, Pune and Bangalore where he will instruct to issue smart cards to kerosene and cooking gas consumers. Murli Deora is also impressed with the idea as he feels that in this way the government can keep a track on who receives the kerosene and cooking gas sole.

Presently 11 crore consumers is served by 9350 cooking gas dealers. This huge database will lay the foundation for the standardization and synchronization of data.

Before the clock starts ticking, UIC project has already made bold start.

Sourav Ganguly to be the BCCI President

It has just been 8 months that the Prince of Kolkata, our very popular and beloved dada-Sourav Ganguly retired from international cricket and 8th of July being his 37th birthday, the news of Sourav Ganguly as a BCCI President is not a mere birthday wish.

This time, it is the turn of East Zone to select the top position of BCCI, marking an end of an era of Jagmohan Dalmiya. Sourav is happy to begin a new innings with a difference but he was quite calm and reticent in his approach. He said that he was in no hurry and that he is keen in doing some good work in the domain of cricket administration and in particular for Bengal cricket, if given the opportunity.

According to the BCCI policy of rotation, CAB President can become the BCCI President in next 5 years that is in 2014.

So, the stylish, bespectacled left-hander will take on his one time mentor Jagmohan Dalmiya to contest the CAB presidential election.

So, all the best to one time cricketing on-field legend for an off-field innings

MJ’s memorial ticket goes online

As the registration time for Michael Jackson’s memorial ended, can you guess the total number of people who clicked at staplescenter.com to be a part of the King of Pop’s funeral service?

Its almost 1.6 million registrations for only 17500 tickets for the memorial ceremony.

To be a part of the MJ’s memorial service, you simply cannot queue without a valid ticket. So out of these whopping 1.6 million registrations, if you are lucky your name will definitely show up in the list. One will be intimated through the e-mail facility.

As you refresh your inbox and get lucky then an unique code will be sent as a communication and will direct you to visit the designated center to collect the tickets.

Each one will receive two tickets, either for the memorial service at Staples center or the simulcast at the nearby Nokia Theater.

Jackson family is still tightlipped about the private funeral ceremony before the massive public memorial.

So stay tuned and watch the live streaming of the memorial service of Michael Jackson at:

http://www.headlines24x7.com/buzz/michael-jackson-funeral-livestreaming-watch-it-right-here/

Kambakht Ishq is Kambakht torture to watch

When you hear that it’s the exotic location, big Hollywood names with mega star casts and a woman with a bikini, you can be rest assured that there is no plot or story. It’s the same cliché where the initial hatred is the seed of ballistic love in the end.

The film is shot in Hollywood and the center stage of the movie is Kareena and her size zero body. However the film unfolds showing Akshay Kumar as a stuntman in Hollywood. He lives life with fun and women and his dictionary of living there is no place for love and marriage. Akshay as Viraj meets Kareena as Simrita in Viraj’s brother marriage. It is here that the war of words between Viraj and Simrita begins.

As in most Hindi masala movies you have the hero and the heroine bumping into each other for more than any reasons. As all story goes, even in Kambakht Ishq the hatred between two increases manifold. Simrita is a doctor and she operates Viraj and it s a watch that is left inside the stomach of Viraj (read accidentally). What else do you require for the love to bloom?

However Kambakht Ishq is a lavish production of Bollywood and people will definitely flock in to theaters to catch a glimpse of Hollywood heartthrob Sylvester Stallone in a Hindi masala movie. Stallone definitely commanded a terrific screen presence. Akshay Kumar, however was simply great in his award acceptance speech and Kareena simply cannot be hotter than in Kambakht Ishq. Her scene of the seductive song Bebo main bebo, dil mera le lo can only maker her real life hero Saif Ali Khan go green with envy and red with anger. So watch out with caution!

Besides, this no plot movie, Kambakht Ishq is shameful (read painful as well) to watch with family. The lunatic moments in the film could not be so deftly handled by debutant director Sabbir Khan.

So, as the hype of Kambakht Ishq gets settled, crowds too will vanish in thin air.

Another plane disaster on the Indian Ocean- Yemeni crashes in Comoros

With 150 people on board a Yemeni airplane crashed into the Indian Ocean. Reports indicate that there is simply no hope of any survivors. This Airbus 310 was a connecting flight from Paris and is believed to be not very far from Moroni. The plane crashed near the Comoron archipelago that is about only 300 kms to the northwest of Madagascar. Once again it is believed that rough weather caused this crash. The accident happened in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Comoros is a group of three small islands, Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli in the Mozambique Channel.

Air disasters are striking hard these days. It was in this same month that Air France plane A320 crashed into the Atlantic on its flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Here again, it was turbulent weather condition that claimed lives of all 228 people on board.

Again it was only in the month of February that a passenger plane crashed in New York and claimed lives of 49 people on board.

Rescue operation for the Yemeni air crash is on.

Michael Jackson’s autopsy report reveals shocking truth

At the time of his death the king of pop music Jacko was in horrible health condition. Anorexic Michael Jackson who barely ate one meal a day was a mere skeleton. Inside his stomach were some dissolved pills. The report also revealed that his ribs were broken and his body bore need le wounds.

It is believed that after taking the Demerol pain killer injection he suffered a massive cardiac arrest. In a frantic attempt to revive him as rescuers pumped his chest, his ribs got broken. Again, near his heart, there are scars of injection marks which say that to save him; doctors have pushed injection directly into his heart. Three adrenaline injections damaged his heart wall while the fourth missed the target and penetrated the ribs.

Again the report failed to explain the scar mark on his back and bruises and injuries on his shin. In the recent past he became completely bald and even at the time of his death he was wearing a wig. Even his face bore marks of many cosmetic surgery and even the failed ones.

It is believed that Dr. Murray was the person who gave MJ the last dose of Demerol injection. The first autopsy report rules out any foul play but his family went for a second autopsy report as they feel there lays a mystery shrouding the death of a music legend.

Whatever or however we try, it will be only his music and creation that will remain with us. It is believed that he was a loner with a golden heart that was filled with love and compassion for all.

Besides his comeback tour he was also in the process of creating another environment song. In his last days, it has been known through reports and close friends that had been reading noble laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s creations.

Michael Jackson dies at 50

It was his last performance, the rehearsals that he was into for the last two months in Los Angeles for his comeback tour in London. However, the King of Pop, the Peter Pan of music breathed his last at UCLA Medical Center. He was rushed to the hospital in an unconscious state.

It is being speculated that the legend suffered a cardiac arrest at his Holmby Hills and when paramedics failed, he was taken to the hospital.

Born in 1958, this pop icon rose to fame in the 80s with his scintillating album Thriller, considered to be the best selling album of all times. However, his career is punctuated with lot of controversies including sex scandal, financial calamity and innumerable cosmetic surgeries.

However, he has always been ranked with Beatles and Elvis Presley and is considered to be all time music sensation.

His comeback performance that was slated for July 13^th will never happen again…

Just shampoo to wash off your grey hairs

The secret behind your No Grey Hair at the age of 40 will no longer be the hair color from trusted brands of L’Oreal and Garnier and neither it is your healthy diet, regular henna conditioning or hot oil massage. Then what it is the secret of this beauty?

Technology and innovation has stepped into this area as well and in no time you will find your self purchasing hair shampoo, hair cream or conditioner that will be capable to wash off your gray hair. The research is ongoing and we are hopeful of positive outcomes.

Why your hair does start graying?
Its not the hard years that you have put up to show signs of wisdom, instead scientifically it’s the melanocytes, the pigment producing cells that die or work less to produce the hair color. This is because those melanocytes lack an enzyme called TRP-2 that is important to protect the cell from losing its pigment.

The ongoing research stresses on this biological thread. They are trying to reawaken the cells by imitating the enzyme action on hair follicles. If it succeeds then not only hair color can be maintained for longer duration but the process of graying can be reversed as well.

It is considered as a revolutionary discovery and it will save people lot of money and worry. However the flipside to it is it that it might not work so great for ones who have very dark hair color as their eyebrows might turn to be grey.

Nevertheless graying hair has a solution other than coloring and streaking by itself is a great idea. So wait and watch as this beauty secret blooms into a product and becomes the buzzword in lifestyle segment.

World Environment Day: Go Green

WED 2009 is being held in Mexico this year. A concept that begun way back in 1972 is being commemorated each year on 5^th of June to create awareness amongst masses, to urge people to be responsible citizen and to provide with a human face to the environmental issues. The forum reflects the urgent need to change the environment for the better. It tries to drive and encourage communities to Go Green and take responsible initiatives for a safer and prosperous future.

What is the theme of WED 2009?

From the first theme of Only One Earth in the year 1974 to Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change in 2009 is a long way. 35 years have passed by and the theme gets changed with warning tintinnabulation.

The morning is beautiful and each day a new beginning for millions of people worldwide and to let it remain so until the clock ticks we need to do something and not jot down action points amidst fanfare.

I woke up to see tiny tots in green dresses with a sapling in their hand towing unsteadily towards the compound. Children are going to school donning green tees with a caption on WED. From the little one, working class to the senior citizen, each seems concerned and there is lot of tittle-tattle on WED. The need of the moment is to Unite for a Global cause to save Earth.

From World’ Earth’s Day to World’s Environment Day, it means nothing just to commemorate with loose talks. It requires concerted efforts to make it Go Green!!!

Little steps that you can continue doing just begin it on WED with a firm resolution…

Plant trees. It will just take few minutes of your time and nurture it to say how it grows to add beauty and life wherever it has been planted. Be it your neighborhood, workplace or in your school. Just do it and make the UNEP’s Billion tree campaign a success.

Get into car pooling mode. It will help reduce carbon emission and the roads will be less decongested and you reach your destination faster.

Reuse shopping bag, defrost your freezers regularly and save your energy so that you can bequeath a healthy environment to your next generation, if not anything else.

'Rann' had a Run before its Release

A Ram Gopal Verma film and it won’t get embroiled in controversy has never happened in Indian cinema. So, prior to the release the director and producer had a run with the song Jan Gan Man as censor board feels that the song is a distortion of Indian National Anthem.



The story line of Rann is all about a private TV News channel, the rise of the founder of India 24X7-the news channel as Vijay Harshwardhan Malik. The role is played by none other than Big B whose last venture with RGV was Sarkar Raj. Vijay is Harvard educated most respectable media personality and journalistic ethics is the corner stone of his channel.

In this film you can find Ritesh Deshmukh in a makeover. From a non-sensical comic character in most films, Ritesh Deshmukh comes on the celluloid as Purab Shastri in Rann. A dynamic young man, educated in journalism believes in reporting news and not manufacturing them. An idealist individual working to see a better India tomorrow and does not have any selfish motives. This Purab is in a live-in relationship with Nandita Sharma played by Gul Panag. However, she is not bothered as to what’s happening in the country as long as she and her boyfriend are living on with life. In the film the other threads are played by Mohnish Behl as Amrish Kakkar and Rajpal Yadav as Anand Prakash Trivedi.

The twist of the story in Rann is when Jay Malik, son of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik is all geared up to transform the news channel of his father and wants to make it a profitable enterprise to justify being in media business.

Well, yes you have guessed it right. This latest flick Rann seems to reflect Pronnoy Roy and NDTV 24x7 on the big screen. So who’s Barkha Dutt? Just wait to see the performance of Suchitra Krishnamurthy as Nalini Kashyap, Programming Head of India 24x7 and see for yourself if Nalini fits the role of Barkha.

Once in the theater do not miss the opportunity to check out the fight between realism and idealistic thought in Rann. The release is expected on Gandhi Jayanti with a volatile theme where one needs to watch the high-voltage drama to find answer to whether faith in blinded tolerance is justified in today’s sci-fi age.

Do the Kefiyeh thing and sport a new style

Are you sporting that chekered triangle-shaped scarf around your neck to impress girls, simply to make the bold fashion statement or trying to symbolize a revolt? Gone are the days when this piece of cloth referred to as kefiyeh was used to protect from harsh weather conditions.

Way back in the earlier days of twentieth century kefiyehs were used by the people in Palestine and Syria. After some time in the late 1930s Kefiyeh became symbol of Palestine Nationalism. It became the embodiment for class struggle against British occupation. However, the movie industry was not behind and men sporting Kefiyeh was seen in the film Lawrence of Arabia in the mid 1960s.

From there to here, Kefiyeh are now being used by celebrity icons Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar. Be it in the promos of IPL, owner of Kolkata Knight Riders or starring in Billu Barber, Shahrukh Khan dons kefiyeh to put a break on the neck tie. In the fashion ramp shows you can hardly miss on the colorful checkerboard pattern around Akshay Kumar’s neck.

So, for the Gen-Z kefiyeh is another fashion trend, little knowing what it was all about. From Palestine head scarf to one worn around the neck, kefiyehs are being sold in dozen to satiate the fashion-conscious young urban population.

Are you the one joining the bandwagon? Check it out in the nearest stores. You will be amazed at the variety of Kefiyeh!!!

Mothers Day thoughts

Beautiful is your face,
Gentle is your smile
Warm is your hug
And tender is your touch…
You have cast a ray of sunshine into my mind’s darkest place

Yes, that is you Ma…my mom!!!
Without whom I would not have been what
I am Today…

It’s been days, months and years of
Tireless efforts,
Selfless devotion,
Undaunting courage
And above all
Ocean of Love

To nourish my being and nurture my senses
To grow up…

And will you believe that Today…
I woke up to see a yellow rose on my bedside and got hugged with words whispering in my ears…. It was Happy Mothers’ Day wish from my 5 year old lil’ daughter.

And its here…
I pray on this day to Thy Almighty
That may You grant me the courage and the wisdom to sail on Life’s sea
And help me walk on the footprints of my MOM
So that years down the lane I can
Reminisce resplendent moments of togetherness
In the Sunshine of Today!

A tribute to Rabindranath Tagore

Its 7th of May today, some hundred years ago, in the year 1861 on this day Rabindranath Tagore was born to create a legend, to mark an era that centuries will commemorate until earth perishes.

Born in a wealthy family of Brahmin, son of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore was a literary icon. He was a poet, artist, novelist, composer and even educationist, besides being a social reformer. He is the founder of Visva Bharati University. His short stories, verses and novels received worldwide recognition. He is the first Asian to be a Nobel Laurete. It was in the field of literature that he was awarded the Noble Prize in the year 1913 for Gitanjali.

Rabindranath Tagore is twined with our daily existence. Bengalis eat, sleep and breathe with Gurudev’s creations. Bengali culture was reborn and it reached its pinnacle of glory under his aegis contribution. He brought name, fame and glory for the entire nation and every child born in a Bengali family is first taught to know learn and think on Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore to broaden one’s horizon of thought. His spiritual thoughts so well chained in words that it elevates your senses to some extraordinary realm of surrounding.

Though he left us on 7th of August 1941, at the age of 80, he still lives with us through Rabindra Sangeet, recitations and through varied cultural forms.

Would like to end this post with some of his quotes that guides me in the journey of Life

Faith is the bird that feels the light when dawn is dark.

Emancipation from the bondage of the soil is no freedom for the tree.

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough….

From Kolkata Knight Riders to nightmares

My last post was a line or two on the drama that went perfect with Buchannan and well enacted by our Mr.Billu Barber. As IPL season II is on its way, it’s pathetic to see that Kolkata Knight Riders is already out of the race well ahead of anyone. Yes, IPL-2 is now a sport with only 7 teams. Out of the nine matches played they have lost 8.

The performances that needs to be forgotten not only by the performers (aha yes a pun intended) but mostly by the owner of the team-Mr. Shahrukh Khan. He hates to lose but clarifies saying that you never win if you do not fail. But will IPL- 2 again come back for the Kolkata Knight Riders’ Team?

And what about the Great Multi-Captaincy Theory of our Mr. Buchannan? Sounds multi-failure and sudden demise of the highest valued brand of IPL-2!!! The Economic Times have pegged Kolkata Knight Riders brand value at a whopping $41.2 million.

The team is demotivated with no energy to play. You must see Mr. Buchannan on the stands when his team plays on the field. With a laptop and a long face, this coach has neither rhyme nor reason to be what he is. The players need to freak hard to come and play back the remaining 5 matches… either to add salt to the wound or to apply balm to aches…..

Be there to watch Kolkata Knight Riders plying their shots to make-up their defeats.

KKR gets new Captain, Sourav Ganguly sacked

So, Shahrukh Khan proved one more time that he is a great actor. Sourav Ganguly sacked as Kolkata Knight Rider Captain. It was a plot of multi-captaincy theory for Kolkata Knight Rider for IPL 2 by Buchannan but finally it’s almost a new story unfolding. Its New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum who will lead Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL Season- a fact that just got known. The first match will be played on April 19th against Deccan Chargers by Kolkata Knight Riders….
The question is why this backstabbing of Ganguly? Second it was altogether a different thing told by Shahrukh Khan few days back… and again he said a different thing in a great way of acting … Rest is yet to unfold.

Tech Mahindra buys Satyam

In 3 months time, the name of the acquirer for fraud-hit Satyam Computer Services is out today and it is Tech Mahindra that has won the bid at Rs58 per share. Tech Mahindra will now owe 31 per cent stake in Satyam by paying out 1757 crore (almost 357 million USD) in the deal.

The Telecom giant Tech Mahindra won the bid by beating Larsen and Toubro and Cognizant Technology Solutions as well. Tech Mahindra has paid Rs 58 for a 10-rupee share to acquire 31 percent stake. The bid made by Larsen and Toubro Rs. 49.50 per share.

It is expected that transition will happen smoothly and it will be quite a quick process too, with CLB approval will not take much time. Again Tech Mahindra officials have been quoted saying that there will be not mass layoffs in Satyam, but yes synergy with employees will be of highest priority.

The bigger challenge is now with seamless integration of the clients. Tech Mahindra is a telecom manager so there will be question on how the company will address and tackle issues of IT development in various sectors ranging from automobile to banking. Next, move is whether Satyam brand will remain as Satyam or will there be any change.

So lots of speculation on these moves and more is yet to unfold.

Missile Crisis with North Korea’s Launch

According to official sources of North Korea, Kin Jong II‘s administration will launch a missile that will carry a telecommunication satellite anytime from April 4 to April 8. The North Korean government says that it is a part of peaceful space project program. However, the world condemns such an initiative especially countries such as US, Japan and of course South Korea.

Analysts believe that the reason behind this missile launch by North Korea is to test Taepodong-2 missile that is capable to reach Alaska.

Obama administration has warned strict action against North Korea if the country goes ahead with the missile launch program. US government have made it clear that this missile launch will lead to stricter UN impositions on this country and also severing all kinds of bilateral ties besides stopping financial aids.

Japan has stepped up its airspace security and has urged its men to shot down any North Korean object entering its airspace. While Kim Jong have reacted to this and said that any disruption to this peaceful project will lead to dire consequences. South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak is of the opinion that North Korea might go ahead with their plans.

There are confirmed reports that say that the launch site is Musudan-ri and the rocket has already been fuelled.

We need to wait-n-watch to write more on this.

New York Shootout

40 people taken hostage; 12 killed in shootout in a building in Binghamton, New York. There is lot of casualties. It’s the American Civic Association Building and there is a man who began shooting. Few people could escape and many rushed to hospital. Some hid in the basement of the building.It happened in the morning
Eyewitness suggests that man is in his early 20’s in the hostage crisis at New York and he is loaded with high-end rifles and is simply shooting indiscriminately.

Another story of 26/11 takes place

Bengali Film review Dosar

Just thought to scribble few lines on Rituparno Ghosh directed film Dosar as it stirred my mind and made me again question the intricacies of relationship.

Rituporno Ghosh has many critically acclaimed films under his belt such as Unishe April, Dahan, Utsab and even The Last Lear casting legendary Amitabh Bachchan. In all this films he have experimented and portrayed reflection of human relationship through different angles and with a story that leaves you pondering on how would you have reacted if it happened with you. So, here is a filmmaker who makes you question through his subjects on celluloid.

Again, in Dosar, its lust and infidelity that is the crux of the story. There is a woman too, torn apart between her sense of duty as a wife and deep sense of individuality as a betrayed woman.

The story unfolds with a car accident, sojourn to an extra-marital relationship of Prosenjit Chatterjee with his office colleague. The woman dies and Prosenjit is left with severe physical injuries and feeling of remorse. Prosenjit is in his recuperating period but he fails to come to terms with his mental trauma.

The segment of the film that keep you questioning and you wish to know more is that of Prosenjit’s wife Kaberi, role played by Konkana Sen Sharma.
Hearing about the accident, Kaberi rushes to the hospital and she is shocked not only with grief but anger too as infidelity of her husband is exposed. With this opposite feelings she begins to fight her days and tries to control emotional outbursts in a way that only a woman can do.

There were two sides of Kaberi. The wife who loves her husband and wants him to get well again, while on the other side there is the agonizing grief of betrayal by her husband.
She struggles, fights and tries to explain herself in her own way. And finally the wife in her wins and she cannot restrain herself from doing the duties as a wife.

But, what leaves me pondering is whether if the same situation has had happened with Kaberi, what would have been Prosenjit’s action and reaction? In the film Arth directed by Mahesh Bhatt, this particular thread of thought was beautifully dealt with.

Dosar meaning Companion is a good display of black and white shades of color with reflection of complex human emotion. The feeling is accentuated with background scores and recitation of Bengali poetry. However, there are some sex-scenes that have been unnecessarily intertwined and another relationship played by Parambrata and Pallabi Chatterjee seemed superfluous.

Dosar is a film of different treatment of the same subject but it failed to come out of certain stereotypical societal inhibitions.

Pakistan puts Terror in Cricket

Another day of brazen reality of chaos and lies that shrouds Pakistan as a Nation, could be seen, heard and felt when the Sri Lankan cricketers have been attacked by gunmen in Lahore, few yards away from the Gadaffi Stadium.

This terrorist attack in Pakistan has targeted nation’s most popular sport. It has been just months before, the 26/11 attack where hundreds of people died and brave soldiers laid their lives down to protect their fellow men. It was the shots of gunfire, it was the hand grenade, the black smoke billowing, rocket launchers used, blood smothered everywhere and shrieks of utter helplessness and incessant wailing and crying numbed India… and again it happened in Pakistan where The Sri Lankan cricketers felt death whizz pass them as it was the same bullets, the gunfire and grenades.

Again, it is The Pakistani Terrorists… whatever be the group, be it Taliban. Lashkar-e toiba or Al-Qaeeda… the word Terrorism is intertwined with Pakistan

Its again Living with Fear with no action
Remembering Death each passing moment,
Breathing Insecurity
And then calling it mere Destiny !!!!

We may end it saying There are good Taliban’s also….. an irony of the highest order!!!

Wake up Nations before it’s too late!!!