ChinmayC Blog

Barack Hussein Obama, the first African-American to hold the office of President of USA, became the first Democrat to win a second term since the second World War. The closest and the tightest Presidential Elections held in US history gave a sweeping verdict in the end to Obama today, still Tuesday night in the US. President Obama  campaigned for over two years and spent more than $2 Billion for this moment of victory.  He won despite the slowdown in the economy and unemployment. Some say his good management of Hurricane Sandy that threatened the US Presidential Elections-2012 finally tilted the scales in Obama's favor.  He also managed to win in several Republican strongholds.  Whatever be the justifications offered, the Americans have voted for a good man with the most positive vibes, a down-to-earth personality and a disarming smile. Indians here are happy too as Obama has been good and respectful to India and he has been helping India by fighting terror too with ...

Yuvraj and Harbhajan The Indian team to play first two of the four-Test cricket series against visiting England has been announced here in Mumbai today by the selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It was the first selection exercise of the new Chief Selector Sandip Patil who replaced K Srikkanth recently. The 15-member team looks to be a mixture of experience and youth with the surprise inclusion of spinner Harbhajan Singh. And, Yuvraj Singh completes his comeback to cricket from cancer. There had been some doubts about Yuvraj Singh’s selection since Tests are hard five-day affairs unlike the shorter formats of one-day and T20 matches where the braveheart already made a comeback in September last. But his great show in domestic cricket where he scored a quick double century and in India A’s practice match against England finally convinced the selectors. Legendary Little Master Sunil Gavaskar has come in support of the decision. The non-performing and most u...

The fight against corruption in India has made one big difference. All the decades since Independence corruption was taken for granted in a system that was a fixed given. Now with the saga of allegations the skeletons have started coming out of the cupboard.  Earlier, allegations were few and mostly restricted as a customary time-specific exchange between political parties.   Everybody is in the ‘alleging’ game nowadays. The principal forces include the anti-corruption leaders and activists; anti-corrupt activists turned politicians; retired or voluntarily retired top functionaries; lots of upstarts modeled by the process of fighting corruption and of course, the seasoned politicians and political parties. All allegations elicit instant denials and counter allegations though every allegation is supposed to be based on ‘proof’. Nothing gets proved, allegations continue. There are some interesting results out of the ‘allegation’ game in which lesser mortals like this write...

The biggest ever natural calamity to hit USA came on Monday in the form of Hurricane Sandy and is far from over on the third day today. The super-storm first attacked Atlanta city in New Jersey demolishing the gambling mecca there in particular, maybe as a symbolic fury of Mother Nature for sinful human excesses. Then the raging storm advanced towards New York City and caused maximum damage on the most happening place of the world. On the third day today Sandy headed for Canada . Arguably the most advanced nation of the world has been found crying for mercy as Hurricane Sandy methodically progressed on its incredible course of devastation. More than 50 people have perished so far despite all the precautions taken and evacuation done on a war footing. More than 8 million households and businesses have lost power, and again incredibly enough it may take days to restore electricity. Swaths of NYC have been submerged under water continuously. More than 15000 flights have been cancelled ...

The traditional red ball of cricket has been facing growing threats of extinction over the years with the emergence of the white balls in day-n-night ODI and T20 matches. Now, with Test cricket under the ‘illuminated’ possibility the extinction threat is very real. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had yesterday in Dubai approved hosting day-n-night Test cricket matches. But the ICC has left the decision on the member cricket boards for bringing it into effect on bilateral cricket series and also to decide upon the type and the color of the ball to be used. Cricket Australia who had been clamoring for the day-n-night Tests has already welcomed the decision. Their contention has been that on week days night cricket would definitely bring in more crowds. No response is recorded from so far from the Indian cricket Board. The cash-rich Board is likely to consider it positively to rake in more money, but at the same time it has to think about the cost of electricity for five nights ...

Rightfully called the first female superstar of Indian Cinema, Sridevi had decided to make a comeback to Bollywood or Hindi cinema after 14 years. Ad filmmaker and  debutante  Bollywood director Gauri Shinde took painstaking efforts in crafting a super movie to make the comeback most memorable.  And, truly it was most memorable in the form of a perfect family entertainer and an emotional classic titled   English Vinglish that released all over on October 5, 2012. The movie attained the status of a superhit thanks not only to a tremendous heartwarming performance by Sridevi, but also due to the virtue of it being a subtly and delightfully crafted celluloid creation. The standing ovation after its premier in Toronto Film Festival and the widespread critical acclaim it got within India just supports why   English Vinglish   should indeed be called a classic. The movie has two very realistic themes that still run through the Indian society. First, a housewife ...

He was probably the most famous Sikh comedian ever in Indian Television and movies. He gave us a taste of a comedy show in the early years of National Network telecasts in Doordarshan. That time Doordarshan was the only television media and we were used to watching foreign comedy shows. But this brilliant comedian-writer-director enthralled us with indigenous doses of humor, wit, satire and fun in his comedy shows for the first time in Indian television. Jaspal Bhatti, the innocuous looking Sardar with a disarming smile whose one dialogue is enough to make you laugh out.   And his insightful storytelling was capable of making you cry too.  Jaspal Bhatti made his appearance in Doordarshan in the eighties with his TV Series Ulta Pulta and Flop Show . The shows were instant hits and he became a household name in India. His actor-wife Savita Bhatti appeared with him all the way and they were inseparable and one of the most loved couples. Later in the nineties when other channels...