Ameya Paleja

Growing up in the 1990s in India did not give you a lot of options when it came to watching television. Doordarshan or commonly known as DD was your sole source of entertainment, news and learning. Cable TV ushered in a large variety of channels to watch from, while recent advances in Satellite television, give you the option to actually pick the channels you would want to see.  Although, I have stopped watching direct television for over a couple of years now, television content (without the irritating adverts) continues to garner my attention.  It is needless to say that I am no fan of the Ekta Kapoor drama series, the laughter bouquet of SAB TV is something I keep going to. Whether the light hearted comedy of Tarak Mehta ka Oolta Chasma or the politico-social satire of Lapatagunj, the channel offers laughter to all and also at all times.  The comedy is natural, simple and unlike the comedy challenge shows, unforceful. SAB started another series in November last year, c

Image from www.devosdevine.com This is my opinion on the recent 'Opinion' posted by Mr. Rahul Siddhathan in the Hindu, on the 9th of March 2012. The original article can be read here .  After a suggestion from a friend, I spent some time writing to the Editor of the Hindu. He was kind enough to post my views in his paper. Just that my point of view was (severely) edited and can be found  Ameya's Letter to the editor of Hindu    or below (for those who are too lazy to click)  Below is the full text of the letter for the interested reader :  Dear Sir,  Reference to  Mr. Rahul Siddharthan's 'Opinion' titled  No science in 'cut and paste'.   It is disheartening to see a senior scientist being dragged into the muck of plagiarism. What is even unfortunate is that the first author, who actually did the lab work, (or atleast some work in this case and deserves recognition) is being made a victim by his superiors. One must also not forget that this is

Image from www.cicerolounge.wordpress.com  With all the downloading of torrents, (okay) buffering of YouTube videos at 360p and the fastest browser available to us (that too free!!!!) the very definition of Internet has changed for us.  I still remember the day when we pre-decided to share the cost of an hour of internet surfing which was available only at our school. The price we paid was to have a peek at the Internet and all the hype surrounding it. It was a price to know what the future held for us and why the internet was termed as a vast ocean of knowledge. At that age, we just did not understand what upload/ download speeds  were (or even what they meant), who was hosting the sites that were looking for and the biggest question of all: What are we looking for on the computer?  From the hour I spent on the internet, I learnt three things : what Internet Explorer did, what Yahoo was and how to set up a Hotmail account. So strong are these memories that my password for this b

                             15th August - Our Independence Day. Years of struggle finally bore fruit in 1947 and we were proud that we had earned our freedom. As we remember the sacrifices of our forefathers and salute the valiant for their struggle, we must also not forget the struggle of those living in free India. I am not talking of those who saw wars nor of those who fought society to establish themselves. I am talking of every, you and me, who stays in the country and struggles everyday, with the hope of a better tomorrow.  Our nation stands on the brink of history. The struggle for a stronger Lokpal Bill, will resume again. The ruling party refuses to let the PM be open to questioning. A call for greater transparency in the country's affairs has been thwarted since 1972 and will be neglected every time. People from all walks of life have supported the passing of a strong Bill. Once passed, the Law will prove to everybody that in free India, every individual is accountable

???????? ???????? Another two day bandh called for the separation of Telangana state from Andhra, has crippled life in the city. Buses not plying, MMTS shut down and non-availability of our exotic friend, petrol, has disturbed routines and already cost businesses, big and small, alike. People have paid Rs. 100/- for a litre of petrol or paid more than thrice the usual fare to the auto-driver, who is willing to risk his vehicle and reach passengers to their destinations. As usual, the political leaders we elect to be our representatives have shown no maturity, whatsoever, to handle this situation. Ironically, it is their decision making inability that has brought this day upon us. While MLAs threaten the government with resignation letters, the unelected and self-proclaimed voices of the people of Telangana, threaten rickshaw drivers and the common man from reporting to work and earning their bread for the day. One of the main reasons, why students of the university

Gambling in India is not uncommon. The rightful of Pandu's sons gambled with their wife and kingdom. Shopkeeper's gamble everyday with what they stock and what should be thrown out. The stock exchanges are sophisticated and to a certain extent calculated gambles, a man makes. Travelling on the footboard of a bus or a train, college youth and even 50 year old uncles, gamble with their lives everyday in India.  Gambling with money, although very common, is a taboo in our country. People, from all strata of the society gamble with money every day. An unverified and therefore inaccurate report states that the ' matka' gambling business in Mumbai has a turnover of about 1000 crores on a monthly basis. This number is inaccurate and the actual figure is very likely to be greater than 1k crores. Indians have gambled on cotton rates in the New York cotton market, then, the-then-called, Bombay cotton exchange, moving to horse-racing (which is legal) and the sport that binds the

Long before the supermarkets made their way into the our economy, the 'baniya' was the man you would trust. Inspite of his tampered weigh-scale and adulterated chilly powder, women (who continue to be the decision makers of the household, irrespective of the times we live in) had this unshakable belief that the 'baniya' would provide the purest form of the item they had asked for. It took little time for the people to move to the mall culture. Big Bazaars and Megamarts struck at the right time and expanded to all major hubs of business in the country. Goods were sold at unbelievable prices and parking around these 'market-places'(It actually is just a big bazaar... someday I will write a page of criticism for the chain) was impossible to find. Shopping bags were now filled with things you bought either to try or because they were ' on-offer '. The essentials were still being sourced from the local store. Major business houses woke from their slumber an