Krishna Themed Disneyland in Bangalore

This weekend we had some out of town guests who desired to see the ISKCON. Having seen it a couple of times on similar occasions I thought it would be a boring routine with nothing to look forward to. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Proof of having-relatives-in-the-right-places-has-its-own-advantage was that we never had to wait in any of those long queues. We were quickly taken on tour of the three opulent shrines and then taken to the boardroom. Here we got a quick overview of the wonderful & commendable work that Akshaya Patra accomplishes day on day through its “Mid Day” meal program. An underprivileged child can be fed for a whole year with as little as INR 1200 or 28 dollars.

Next we were taken through a glimpse of what they call the “India Heritage Theme Park” presentation and it sure looked impressive. With an investment of over 350 crores at Vasanthapura, Bangalore South Taluk, this unique park could be India’s Disneyland. The difference being that instead of Disney characters here children can get to see & experience Krishna through a myriad of ways.

The pet project of the President of ISKCON Bangalore, he feels that Indian children are getting more and more influenced by western characters such as Mickey Mouse & Superman due to their slick presentation. In this age of globalization we would lose out on our culture if it weren’t packaged & presented in an attractive manner.



So this is going to be a rather huge attempt to re-introduce Indian mythological heroes in the form of Krishna, Hanuman and Narasimha into the entertainment landscape of Indian children.

Among the major attractions would be a walk through the ‘then’ Vrindavan village, see animated close to life characters enacting scenes from various mythologies, such as Prahalad being tortured and Krishna in Narasimha’s avtaar rushing to his rescue.
Giant Water Screens, Laser shows and 4D Theatres where the special effects integrated seats enhance the experience of viewing with varied features such as vibrations, fog & mist blast, air tickle & leg tickle.

Imagine being in a roller coaster ride close to a 50 ft drop when the huge serpent-demon Aghasura looms ferociously in front of you and the thrill of being ‘rescued’ by Krishna. That’s India Heritage Theme Park for you.

[Image source: Arcstreamav, Technifex]

Parents and Senior Citizens bill – A Reflection of the Times We Live In?

India has long been synonymous for its deep-rooted culture & strong family bonding to the extent of being called “highly emotional people”. Among the few countries where parents consider it their duty to fund the education of their children right upto college & beyond, contribute all their life savings for their expensive weddings and are most happy to babysit their grandchildren.

For a generation that grew up on the stories of Shravan and Dhruv & where high-strung movies like Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Vivaah still run to packed houses, it’s funny that today we have come to require the Parents and Senior Citizens Bill. The passing of such a bill subtly warns us that in our hurry to jump the progress bandwagon we seem to have far left behind our principles and values.

Well, the Bill lays down that children who neglect their parents could be sent to jail for three months or be liable to pay a fine of Rs 5,000. It also empowers parents to disinherit their children from their property. The best factor of this Bill has been that no age limit has been defined. It’s completely another matter to see how many takers will be there for this Bill among the parent population.

If movies are a reflection of the society we live in then no wonder we get to see Bhagbaan.

Godwoman disrespects the Indian Flag

A national flag is a representative of the hopes and aspirations of a country. The Indian National flag being no different, is symbolic of our national pride. I suppose they did not know that there is a Flag code which needs to be adhered too.





Its a well-known fact that we are a country full of Gods and Godmen. Their influence over people is legendary and they have them in awe. But here devotion seems to have gone overboard

Straying Thoughts: Street Dog Menace in Bangalore

Pleasant weather last evening, which Bangalore is famous for, compelled even a slothful person like me to take a stroll. Within few minutes of my leisure walk quickened to a brisk pace and soon I had to hasten myself home. Reason? Stray dogs.

A popular forward mail claims that one of the things Bangalore is famous for is "stray dogs" and goes on to spout statistics: On an average 12 people are bitten by stray dogs per MINUTE somewhere in Bangalore. Though not sure about the number quoted, street dog menace is definitely a cause of worry to public safety.

People who commute in the night, especially those who ride two-wheelers, can vouch this for a fact. Getting terrified of chasing dog’s cause accidents that is even fatal at times. Parents are worried of letting their children play outside after dark.

Recent incidents like the one in Chandra Layout where a little girl was mauled to death by a pack of nine dogs brought this menace to the forefront. After the hue and cry raised by the public & when matters went up to the Assembly, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) got quickly into action. As was discovered this issue was not just limited to Bangalore alone, other districts in Karnataka soon did a reality check and found Hubli, Dharwad, Mysore and Belguam faced similar problems.

But as is the matter with most issues in this country, when public outcry fades so do the authorities. While CUPA and PETA are doing commendable work they are still a long way from making Bangalore free from street dogs.

Despite such grave issues there are many a dog lover who's heart would bleed if euthanasia were even suggested. One such person filed a PIL a few years back and the court ordered the killing of street dogs to be stopped. And since then on stray dogs are being 'sterilized'. But is this a viable solution? Is BMP realizing the mammoth task in hand to actually neuter the entire doggie population in Bangalore?

Meanwhile angry animal activists raise the shackles asking how arrogant can we humans can ever get, to try & change Nature’s balance? They state that the main causes for this is the dumping of meat waste that attracts stray dogs to the area, & secondly BMP is unable to check unauthorized meat shops.

While the debate surges, a solution to this issue is far from sight.

The Great Indian Mutiny - We are nominated!!

As a part of the group blog - The Great Indian Mutiny, I am overjoyed in letting you know that the we have been nominated, under the BEST GROUP/COMMUNITY BLOG. The voting for fourth edition of Indibloggies, the most recognised of Indian Blog awards is under way.

All of us at The Great Indian Mutiny are delighted for being nominated in the Best Group/Community Blog Category. We would like to thank all of you who nominated us and the jury for shortlisting us. It has been a fantastic experience for the past year as we have been constantly trying to create a unique platform where bloggers from a diversified variety of backgrounds and experience come together to reflect on what India is really about.

Please vote for us here

Are we guilty of low expectations?

Are the IIT’s & IIM’s Over-rated, Over-hyped, Over-exposed & Under performing?

This is no diatribe against India’s loved and respected Institutions. But it is a rant against the cult of mediocrity that we have come to accept.

Come placement time and our institutions lose no breath in pointing out the success of IITians overseas especially the software breed in the Silicon Valley. The media too readily laps up the story and reams are eloquently written on the success that our talent in its concentrated form of IITians reaps - in dollars nonetheless.

If one out of every six people in the world is an Indian and the best ones go to IIT and if the best among them go to the US, isn’t it quite obvious that they should do well regardless of the excellence of the institution?

Where does IIT stand in terms of innovation and contributing to the Indian economy? What have their expensive, taxpayer-subsidized elite engineering education contributed to India? Why does our best engineering talent remain hung in the middle management of IT companies?

According to Dunu Ray, ‘IITians Are Big Fools'. A former IITian himself, Dunu Roy is post-graduate in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay & has devoted over three decades in the field of rural development. At the recently held Techfest at IITB, Dunu raised the dander up with his unique ability to debunk conventional wisdom and said “ IITians are victims of the politics of education and science”.

The only industry that seems to have flourished, thanks to the IIT’s & IIM’s, has been the coaching institutions. Their claims to crack these entrance examinations have spell bound their target segment to such an extent that even normal school is considered a distraction. Right, we sure are heading somewhere.

If we are going to let cramming power rule over and creativity, imagination, we might as well bid adieu to ever being even close to a super power.

Is the education these institutions imparting actually help groom entrepreneurs? If so, why are we still at the bottom of the innovation totem pole?

[Humor] Sorry Saar, No Change

India faces a perennial shortage of coins. I can safely bet that every person who has spent a few hours either travelling or shopping anywhere in India would have heard this common refrain - Sorry, no change. Be it the autorickshaw driver, your grocery storekeeper or the pushcart fruit vendor - nobody ever has the required change.

So where are the Indian coins disappearing?

All the while I thought it was our regretful habit of hoarding them in our large piggy banks but a recent vist to one of the malls got me the answer to this issue.

Bling it on!

Sanskrit - The Mother of European Languages

Sanskrit gets a new spokesperson in Professor Dean Brown, an eminent Theoretical Physicist, cosmologist, philosopher and Sanskrit scholar, whose translation of the Upanishads was published by the Philosophical Research Society. The following is a very interesting interview where Professor Dean Brown brings about an interesting co-relation of Sanskrit & Physics.

A very interesting interview with Professor Dean Brown, an eminent Theoretical Physicist (and Sanskrit Scholar, who has recently translated the Upanishads). He brings about an interesting co-relation of Sanskrit & Physics.

Mishlove Interviews Prof Dean on Sanskrit tradition

[Duration: 23:28|Taken: 04 June 2006|Location: Israel]

Prof. Dean Brown also points out that most European languages can be traced back to a root language that is also related to Sanskrit - the sacred language of the ancient Vedic religions of India. Many English words actually have Sanskrit origins. Similarly, many Vedic religious concepts can also be found in Western culture. He discusses the fundamental idea of the Upanishads - that the essence of each individual, the atman, is identical to the whole universe, the principle of brahman. In this sense, the polytheistic traditions of India can be said to be monistic at their very core

While it might be considered a forgotten language in India, globally Sanskrit has found many takers. The American Sanskrit Institute founded 18 years ago with a vision to spread “the ease and joy of learning Sanskrit through an immersion experience, the enjoyment of making the sounds, fluently reading the original Devanagari script, and directly reading, chanting and understanding sacred literature.” The Indological department, University of Bonn Germany conducts various courses and study programmes.

While the world is waking up to Sanskrit – the divine language, where are we in terms of preserving the world’s oldest known tongue?

Smriti Irani Quits "Kyun ki" Due to Bad Script!!

How I wish! but nothing like that has happend. Before those ardent serial watchers panic and start wondering if this could ever happen, let me clarify - No,its certainly no announcement but just plainly wishful thinking on my part. My apologies to Kyunki fans who might have had their BP's shot high and who might be huffing and puffing at my 'bad joke'.

Whatever got into me on a warm sunny tuesday morning? Things are as hunky dory as possible with the Virani parivaar. The daughters-in-laws, grandchildren at the ironically named "Shantiniketan" are working their best to put their families through as many hardships that can possibly occur during one's lifetime. The scriptwriters are burning the midnight oil devising new dubious schemes that can be tested. Viewers are still happy as Kyunki constantly challenges their aging memory to keep track of its umpteen plots.
So how cruel can one ever get to announce of any such displeasing news, moreso ever when its completely made up!

Anyways let me give my reasons however so flimsy it may sound: June Brown is threatening to quit Eastenders as the plot is turning to be grim.
"So what?!" you might say.
Nothing, just that June, 79, has been acting in Eastenders for 22 long years. Thats right! and suddenly wokeup to the fact that the dreary soap is turning too grim for her taste. Source So it was just me thinking (aloud) how would it have been if Smriti Irani could also wake up to this fact too.

Over the ‘Job’- Hill?

Who would you like to hire for your organization?

Candidate A - Shriram R has extensive experience in the field of accounts, finance and has held several managerial positions in India and abroad. He has specialized knowledge in the field of Internationally renowned Accounting Software packages like Quick Books, MYOB, Peach Tree, Sage, Quicken, Great Plains, Real World, FACT, Tally, WINBSF & Mediaware FA.
Expected salary: 1.8L

Candidate B – Sujay B.Com; 3 yrs exp in Tally
Expected salary – 4.5L

Now surely, most of you would think I have gone bonkers to even be asking such a question. But in reality it’s close to 4 months and Shriram is still hunting for a job while Sujay has already jumped to another company for a higher salary. What is working against Shriram is sadly his ‘maturity’. The years of experience he has gathered now has turned into his liability.

Meet the pissed off generation of today’s India - the other side of the new resurgent & shining India that the media never tires to talk about.

My friend who works for a well-known FMCG group in the human resource department claims to have seen more than her share of discrimination when it comes to recruitment. But what had even her fuming was that one of her candidate, who was ideal in all requirements, plainly got rejected once the management realized he was approaching 50.

Since when did 50 pronounce the end of a career?

Indian companies today prefer hiring younger employees. Reason? They view older workers as having less energy, low productivity, higher salary expectations and unwillingness to learn new technology. This couldn’t have been any further from the truth. Older workers require lesser job training and stick on to their jobs for longer.

Rejecting such applications, recruitment agencies & companies smugly reply back – “Your experience is way too much than what the job demands” Or “ We might not be able to meet your expectations”.
What they actually mean: You are too old or you may ask for too much money and your way too senior to report to my young yuppie manager.

Take Rajeev (Actual name withheld on request), a 43-year-old general manager in Bangalore. He has got years of rich experience in operations--has even managed operations from real estate to a renowned transport corporation. After quitting his last job he's been looking for a position at mid management level for the past one year. The repeated response he receives seems to be: “We are unable to find a suitable position for you.”

"I find it hard to accept that nobody requires my experience anymore," he says. "Why doesn’t companies want to invest in someone who is 40+ years old?” Having got a family to run he now has joined a small NGO.

When some remark senior employees are there for just the salary. Is it not true there are people like that in every generation?

Despite all the media song & dance of the growing-rich India, middle class in India still struggles to meet the demands of education, medical expenses apart from the various tax woes. With the ever-rising cost of living in metro’s and unbelievably sky rocketed prices of realty it is impossible for an average 50-year-old employee to think of retirement. Why, we don’t even have a social security allowance to fall back on!

The US too faced this problem but was quick to find an answer in the form of a job portal called www.jobs4point0.com, a job bank that caters to job seekers age 40 and older. Does India have such an answer to this burning issue?

The matured working population is saying, 'Appraise me on my skills & experience, not on the number of birthdays I've had’. Are organizations that endlessly talk about Corporate Social Responsibility paying heed?