ChinmayC Blog

A new entrant to the bubbling news agency was sent on an errand by his boss. When the boy got back it was past lunch time and he was ravenously hungry. He crossed over to his desk in the crowded newsroom and opened his bag. To his horror the lunch box was missing! He was sure his mother gave him the box in the morning just like any other day. He went on searching desperately as his pangs grew louder and louder. How could it happen? Just disappeared into thin air? Just not possible. Or had his mother forgotten? He was about to ring up his mother when his boss trudged up to him smiling benevolently. 'It was excellent!' the boss belched out contentedly handing over the lunch box. He knew for sure the box was empty. His pangs of hunger now turned into seething anger spreading from the hair roots to his toes. How he wished hitting out at the big belly presented tantalizingly before him. But he had to break into a distorted grin. He is new and promising. How could he risk the editor...

My 14 hour shift of duty on counting day yesterday proved to be a memorable one as the end result was decisive and good. The ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Coalition came back to power for the third consecutive term. They captured exactly half of total assembly seats of 288--just one short of simple majority. Congress did better than earlier and NCP did okay despite a few hurdles. In the backdrop of some serious problems like internal security post 26/11, farmers' suicides, long hours of load shedding, inflation and so on performance of the ruling coalitions was not quite outstanding, yet they have been voted back to power. Well, voters had no viable alternative with the main opposition parties failing to provide concrete strategies and mostly indulging in a mindless game of allegations and more allegations. Secondly, the near majority verdict effectively prevented horse trading which was looming large due to large number of dissidents and independents with the po...

One colorful Indian entertainment channel has been endangering the lives of gullible viewers. Cozily sheltered in the garb of a social reformer the channel always gives a message that it's against all kinds of evil. Problem is it welcomes an evil in fond gratitude and treats it in immaculate elaboration, lingering monstrosity, all pervasive manifestations and never ending audacity. Such obsession with evil! It dwells on it for months and neutralizes all solutions though carrying on merrily with its sermonizing. It has also been doing god-damnable research in finding out evils from all corners of India in rich original colors. The crucial part is all evildoers or villains shown in gory glory are invariably grandpas or grannies. They are shown to be selfless devotees of gods and goddesses and they are shown to be scheming while praying to cheat, kidnap, madden, sadden and even murder their dear ones. Such is the evil potency that the very credibility of granddads and grandmas is at s...

Yesterday evening I just alighted from the bus and was heading for the egg shop using the pavement. All of a sudden I heard a peculiar sound and my right arm went numb up to the finger tips. I couldn't even move it. I looked around uncertainly to know what happened--was it a bullet or someone hit me or was it a bomb and all. One shopkeeper then told me that nobody did anything. A stone bigger than the cricket ball just shot off from under the wheels a running truck and hit my right arm. I then saw the stone lying by the side of the road. I wondered aloud. My God, it hit me with such force I failed to imagine could happen. I proceeded towards my destination and bought my eggs. Then the pain came on and I felt dizzy. I decided to sit down inside the shop and shopkeeper was very helpful. He took my mobile and called my wife there. As I took the tetanus injection and prescribed medicines at the nearest clinic I thought about what could have happened. If the hit was just one foot above...

Yesterday, suicide blast at the Indian Embassy, Kabul. More than 17 killed. Same day, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra--the border triangle of three states, Chatisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, 17 cops mercilessly shot down by Naxals, Maoist extremists. This triangle of dense forests is the epicenter of Naxalite activities. While the Taliban claimed responsibility for the Kabul blast, the Naxals are fast becoming the Taliban of India. Lurking dangers. Again today, bomb blast in Peshawar in Pakistan where more than 40 are killed. Reports of a blast in Iraq too. Who has achieved what out of this process of mindless violence? President Barack Obama getting the Nobel for Peace comes as the positive. This honor could very well be a booster for better things to come in near future.

Just to oust Team India, Pakistan adopted a negative approach in the game against Australia--well, trying to lose! After doing everything to lose they nearly won thanks to the positive vibes of the ICC T20 triumph. That day I told my friends that Pakistan's negative play would cost them the next match. And, yes it did yesterday when their innings never took off with the last pair giving some respectability in the semi final against New Zealand. Negativity is intensely corrosive. Once you are caught in it you are gone. Rahul Dravid stated before the Championship began that he considered Australia as hot favorites! When you are a part of a competing team you should always think of your team's win only. Otherwise how you are going to compete? Highly rated teams like South Africa, Sri Lanka, India were out before the semis. England who suffered a 5-0 drubbing against Aussies managed to sail into the semis only to make it 6-0. Now Aussies must be very happy to have New Zealand in th...

I was caught unawares! Today is the 11th day of the illuminated lunar fortnight and all immersion celebration of idols should have ended logically on the 10th day. But this time the devotees or more appropriately revelers somehow earned a bonus day and created havoc on the main arterial roads of Mumbai. As I left office there was uninhibited celebration on the roads--crowds carrying their idols on tempos with loud dancing, louder bands playing non-stop and loudest fireworks right in the middle there. Traffic snarls and mass congregations at the bus stops. City buses started disappearing--maybe the staff need to celebrate too. I managed to travel half the distance on a bus and afterward decided to walk the 3km home considering pondering wondering. As usual, the homeless hordes lounged on even the most prominent pavements cooking eating sleeping defecating and suffering there while imported cars zoomed past in fond oblivion. Thousands carried on with their existential dilemma while thous...