The Google Saree

Satya Paul adds a new dimension to search:



Too bad there wasn’t a kid behind wearing Yahoo boxer shorts.

[Source: Who else?]

Contract cheating

British students are using Indian expertise in information technology to complete their course assignments by posting them on outsourcing websites and buying the completed coursework.

Called “contract cheating” in academic circles, lecturers in computing department in universities are in a tizzy since such coursework is of high quality and difficult to detect through normal plagiarism detection software.

The students pay amounts ranging from £5 to 50 for the completed coursework that they then pass off as their own work and gain their degrees. The trend is particularly seen in IT courses, in which students need to write programmes.

Well, that's the power of outsourcing!

Read the full story here.

Method in madness

Well, it's been a long time that I blogged. A lot of movement has taken place and lots have happened. Writing about everything is not possible and not consequential either. So, just a few basic updates.

I'm back in Delhi, after spending 2 lovely months in Chennai -- the place where I started this blog! In between, I spent a week in Chandigarh, at home. The 2nd year of MBA at IIFT is about to start in a couple of days and the madness is about to begin again. How I wish that there were no more of studies! But anyhow, I can't help it and have to live with it.

I've moved to the new hostel and boy oh boy, it was painful to shift all my belongings to the new room and then set it up. But now it's done, almost everything's in order. The new room is far better than the room of the old hostel and is the only good part thus far. Hence worth the pain to set it up. So, I'm all geared up to face the next war! Wish me luck.

Sisters & brothers

I don't have a sibling. Did I miss having one? Not particularly. Being the lone child, I'm the pampered one. I got all the love & affection my parents could give. I got almost everything what was reasonable to ask for. I fared well in academics as well as in extra-curricular activities. But for long, I didn't have any body to share things which you wouldn't normally share with your parents. I had a good friend circle but still it wasn't close enough to penetrate my thoughts -- me being a typical Cancerian. I mostly tried to figure out everything by my self. Be it issues related to life, adolescence, family fights, studies, comics -- anything and everything. My parents were there for me always, all the time. And I just loved the growing up period. I used to hang out with my father for a very long time. For shopping, for a cup of coffee, even for a walk beside the lake, I went out with my dad! We shared an amazing chemistry. And mom was there to put us right back on earth when we both of us shopped too extravagantly or didn't get something to suit her tastes. That was just so much fun. So, I never really missed having a brother or a sister.

Luckily, I have a few cousins with whom I spent many of my school vacations. Out of them, I have 3 loving sisters. And I love them all. Today, the youngest one -- A, chatted with me for the first time on Google Talk. She had added me a few days ago on Orkut (with a caution though -- not to tell her mom about it). She used all the short words in vogue today and the related lingo. I kind of enjoyed it. Before this we had never really 'talked' with each other apart from the usual bro-sis talks in front of relatives -- Hi, how're you? How're studies? Exams? Work? Job theek hai na? Aur mujhe kya karna chahiye? Kuch guide karo na bhaiya... Blah.

Today, we talked something different. She asked me whether I remember her birthday or not. I quickly checked up on her Orkut profile and blurted out the date to her surprise. I later found out that she's turning 18 years next month. I was taken aback for a moment. She! My little sister has grown up to 18! Man. I calculated my age and suddenly felt old -- turning 25 years in a couple of months! Anyway, she wanted to talk. And so we did. You might have already guessed. She told me about her boyfriend on my constant query. She was hesitant first but then poured her feelings like anything. 2 boyfriends, one whom she loves, one who loves her, 1 year into it. Advice bhaiya, advice! Well, feeling happy that she could trust me for not telling about all this to her mom, I gave her some advice (actually, in these matters, no advice works and it is quite pointless but anyway). Before she could even thank me or ask some more, her mom came nearby and she quickly logged off.

I thought what would it have been to have a sister. I had previously had such long talks with my other cousin sister, another A. We'll leave this for future musings though. But something happened today. I don't know what.

Are there any alternative pronunciations?

Well, we Indians have a way with words, even if the rest of the (western) world thinks otherwise. ;)

Sameer Mishra, a 13-year old boy of Indian origin, has won the title at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee, as reported here. He correctly spelt the word guerdon -- meaning 'something that has different language roots'.

I keenly watch this contest whenever it comes on TV. This is the story for the past several years. I also take pride in the fact that my spelling sense isn't that bad and wish (still) that something of this sort should be there in India as well. I just love this show. And what amazes me is the cornucopia of wordpower which these lads have. Every year, Indians rule the roost over there. If you have watched this show, you'll understand the part when the participants ask the judges in their heavy accents, rolling their tongues: 'Are there any a(w)lter(r)native pronunciations?' or 'May I have the language of origin please.' Then they go on to spell even the toughest words you could ever think of, with utmost ease -- A-P-P-O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A. Ha! It's damn interesting. That's what Anurag Kashyap spelt to win the 2005 contest by the way. How I wish to participate in one of these contests ...

Bhatt on AB, SRK, Aamir

Talent -- Mahesh Bhatt, on being asked what Emraan Hashmi had that Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan didn’t. (as reported by ToI on June 1, 2008)

Heh!

Zerostock -- Retail Innovation

Imagine a men’s apparel store… where no stock is available! A Hyderabad-based retailer began Zerostock early this year, a concept which centralises the inventory process. This is how you shop – you go into any of their stores, try out the sample clothing on display and select one – and later, the apparel is dispatched to the customer within a specified time from their centralised warehouse.

The USP, will be in the cutting of cost of maintaining inventories for each store, of sourcing products on demand – all to keep overheads low. Cornerstone, is the brand of men’s wear they sell and the plan is to open 300 stores across the country by year end. The customer’s benefit through the prices, that will be significantly lower, without overheads and real estate costs.

Some cost cutting, eh? But will it work? Isn't shopping an impulsive decision (many times)? Would you like to wait for a shirt or a trouser you saw 1 or 2 days ago? How much of the cost saved due to zero inventory would be passed on to the consumer? All these questions need to be answered before it enters the big league. I also heard that they offer clothes in 11 sizes -- right from 29 to 46 (with odd sizes like 33/35 as well)! The concept looks good to me. Let's see if it works.

(Story source: The Hindu)

Quote of the day

"This system is new for all of us. Now that we have played one season in the new format, next season we will play better."

-- Sourav Ganguly, reviewing the Kolkata Knight Riders’ performance in the IPL

Heh!

Slum tourism

Last Sunday, The Times of India carried this very interesting piece on slum tours (Dharavi through a peephole). It came as a shocker. It raises a lot of issues about such tours and their feasibility. Is it simply tourism or voyeurism -- into poor people's lives? However, one thing is for sure. It'll give you jitters. It'll lay bare the naked truth about all the development taking place in the middle-class India. How sensible are we to the realities of life? We can't live without such people. We need them to wash our clothes, utensils, do odd jobs for us. But we don't want them on the city scape. We would like them to go, live somewhere far from the locales of the city. Howsoever far that may be or howsoever painstaking the daily travel may be, it's not our headache. Read this piece to get shocked.

Related stories:

1. Slum Visits: Tourism or Voyeurism? (Link)

2. Slum tours: a day trip too far? (Link)

FESPACO -- the pan-African film & TV festival

This week, the Alliance Francaise of Madras showcased a selection of award winning African movies. FESPACO, the Pan-African film and television festival, is the biggest, regular cultural event on the African continent. FESPACO was started in 1969, and is held every two years. At the end of the festival the grand prize of the mythical Yennenga Stallion is awarded to the best film. The Alliance Francaise of Madras in association with the Indo Cine Appreciation Forum presented four of the films that have previously won this prestigious award. I could see only two of them due to my engagements elsewhere -- Ali Zaoua & Sarraounia.

Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets

It is a 2000 Moroccan crime drama film directed by Nabil Ayouch about the homeless street children, who steal, fight, even kill for the sake of survival. It has won numerous awards, including the 2000 Stockholm Film Festival and 2000 Amiens International Film Festival.

Ali -- the movie's central character, Kwita, Omar and Boubker, are street children who wander the streets of Casablanca, sniffing glue. Ali is killed in a stone-fight by one of members of the rival gang, headed by deaf and dumb Dib. Now, the 3 remaining friends do whatever they can to give their friend a burial like a prince.

They even arrange for the robes of a sailor as Ali wanted to be a sailor who wanted to sail away to his fictitious island of two suns. Interspersed with rib-ticking dialogues and performances from the kids, some of whom are real life street urchins, and some thought-provoking scenes, the movie is a beautiful depiction of the street scene of Casablanca. It reminds me of the innocence found in most of the Iranian movies. However, the movie doesn't tell us what drove the kids to such a state in the first place. But it's definitely worth a watch.

Sarraounia

This 1986 film from Mauritania, by Med Hondo, is a powerful story about the historical Queen Sarraounia, a great leader of the Aznas' resistance against the French in 1899, after many other tribes had succumbed to the attack of the colonizing soldiers. It starts with an old man asking his friend to look after her daughter Sarraounia. The foster father not only looks after her, but also teaches her to use various weapons.

It reminded me of Chinua Achebe's much acclaimed novel, Things Fall Apart. The European armies invade Africa, trying to spread their empire, are faced by a determined tribe of Sarraounia. The movie was intense and slightly long. Sarraounia's role as the warrior princess could have been given more air-time. But with its beautiful traditional music and visually appealing shots, you'll not forget the movie for a long time.

The film, touted as 'the first African epic' by Le Monde, was featured at festivals in Montreal, San Francisco, Berlin, Moscow, Atlanta, and London, and won several awards at the annual African Film Festival at Ougadougou.

Other movies

The remaining two movies which I couldn't see were:

1. Tilaï (1990) from Burkina Faso, directed by Idrissa Ouédraogo

2. Guimba the Tyrant (1995) from Mali, directed by Cheick Oumar

East Germany's Ampelman

Read this nice piece on how a beloved relic of the former East Germany, the jolly Ampelman has guided children across the road since 1961.

India recycled

Read/see this interesting story , in pictures, of how clothes donated at UK charity shops can end up half way across the world, among pavement traders and tailoring shops in India, as well as the contrasting flow of recycled silk saris to the UK.

Romancing in Saudi Arabia

Love is universal, they say. It can happen to the toughest as also the cruelest. It has no rules, no bars. But not in the Arab world. Read this fascinating account of forbidden romance in the land of the Arabs where the young Saudis are vexed and entranced by love's rules.

--

Nader al-Mutairi stiffened his shoulders, clenched his fists and said, “Let’s do our mission.” Then the young man stepped into the cool, empty lobby of a dental clinic, intent on getting the phone number of one of the young women working as a receptionist.

--

Enad al-Mutairi, left, shared a light moment with family members including his cousin Yousef al-Mutairi, right, 22, at his grandfather's
house in the village of Om Salem. Like many Saudi families, theirs is large and insular, and they have spent virtually all of their free time together since childhood.

In the West, youth is typically a time to challenge authority. But what stood out in dozens of interviews with young men and women here (Riyadh) was how completely they have accepted the religious and cultural demands of the Muslim world’s most conservative society.

--

“If you want to know what your wife looks like, look at her brother,” Nader said in defending the practice of marrying someone he had seen only once, briefly, as a child. That is the traditional Nader, who at times conflicts with the romantic Nader.

--

Soon his cellphone beeped, signaling a text message. Nader blushed, stuck his tongue out and turned slightly away to read the message, which came from “My Love.” He sneaks secret phone calls and messages with Sarah. When she calls, or writes a message, his phone flashes “My Love” over two interlocked red hearts. “I have a connection,” he said, quietly, as he read, explaining how Sarah manages to communicate with him.

--

Saudi traditions do not allow for romance between young, unmarried couples. There are many stories of young men and women secretly dating, falling in love, but being unable to tell their parents because they could never explain how they knew each other in the first place. One young couple said that after two years of secret dating they hired a matchmaker to arrange a phony introduction so their parents would think that was how they had met.

[This is a part of the 4-article series, Generation Faithful. Read all the articles here: 1, 2, 3 and 4.]

Enna rascala ... mind it! -- Dhoni style

M. S. Dhoni, captain of the IPL Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing DLF Premier League, does an SRK with this new Pepsi ad.

The ad starts with a voice: 'Dhoni, from Jharkhand'. But Dhoni, all transformed into a Southie star (cricketer) replies: 'Aieah! Yumm (Y)Ess Dhoni from Chennai ... mind it! (amazingly rolling his tongue).' Then he continues: 'All you fast bowler rascals, I have the bat, though you have the balls.' And what follows is the typical Rajnikanth fare.

The ad is for Pepsi's current campaign of Youngistaan and ends with Dhoni smilingly saying: 'Maaiiind it!'

A hilarious ad. Enjoy.

The Lives of Others

Last week, I saw 'The Lives of Others' (original German: Das Leben der Anderen) -- a wonderful German movie, which won the 2007 Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language film. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (what an interesting name!), this movie is set in the East Germany (GDR) of 1984 when idealism and socialism ruled the roost. It somehow reminds me of 1984, George Orwell's acclaimed novel about life in an authoritarian regime.

Ulrich Mühe as Stasi (GDR's secret police) Captain Wiesler (Code name: HGW XX/7) and beautiful Martina Gedeck as the playwright Georg Dreyman's lover and a renowned actress Christa-Maria Sieland are just superb in their roles. Moreover, Martina is more than a treat to watch. Dreyman's role is played by Sebastian Koch.

The movie is a fine balance between emotions and thrills of life. It captures those turbulent times (5 years before the breaking of the Berlin Wall) in a fascinating way. One could not live even his own life in a peaceful manner as almost everybody was kept under the eyes of the Stasi, Ministry for State Security. By listening to people's conversations and their mannerisms, each one's fate was decided -- whether the person is reliable or not.

Wiesler is asked to spy upon the lives of the playwright Dreyman and his lover Christa-Maria. In the process of observing their lives, Wiesler himself gets absorbed and even plays an active part in trying to alter some situations. However, what causes this stern and authoritarian Captain to soften up, is not told clearly in the movie.

Martina Gedeck & Sebastian Koch in 'The Lives of Others'

The events of the movie are layered upon the viewer and he doesn't feel loaded by them. This gradual build up of drama and emotions is one of the strong points of the movie. The closing scene of the movie is really touching. The times are post-Berlin Wall and Weisler, doing some small jobs, sees a novel published by Dreyman and purchases it. On asked for an option to gift-wrap it, he replies: "No, this is for me." It is one of the best scenes I've seen of late.

The music of the movie is worth mentioning. It's an elixir for the ears. There's a piece of Beethoven - Appassionata about which Dreyman tells Christa-Maria that Lenin once said of it: "If I keep listening to it, I won't be able to finish the revolution."

The movie has strong after-effects and you continue to think about something even on coming back to your home (in fact more so then). All-in-all, a must watch.