In the late seventies and early eighties one of the common phrases that Indian politicians and the members of the media used as a response to what ails India was the phrase “the hidden hand”. The hidden hand (the West, their government and intelligence agencies) was the reason that India was in the bad shape [...]
Many media organizations in India and the rest of the world have recently written articles about the upcoming internet revolution in India. About 130 countries in the world already have 3G platforms and India is getting ready to sell its airwaves for third generation services. This is good news for the government as it is [...]
A sweatshop is basically an organization where employees work for long hours at low wages under poor conditions. They exist in an atmosphere of exploitation. Sweatshops are normally associated with developing nations like India but they exist in developed nations like the United States as well. We also think of physical entities when we think [...]
The Prime Minister of India (Manmohan Singh) was in Pune this past week to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the famed National Chemical Laboratory (NCL). During his speech he expressed his concern at the number of students taking up science after the 10+2 stage (after high school). He said “It is important to bring our [...]
Swami Ramdev (real name is Ramkishan Yadav) is well-known in India as a Hindu swami and a promoter of Yoga. He is the founder of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust and offers Ayurvedic treatments to millions of Indians. The popular swami has announced that he is launching a political party named Bharat Swabhiman. His party [...]
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (Maharashtra Reformation Army) is now indicating that they will not allow foreigners to work in Bollywood movies as item girls. This was conveyed by the MNS cine-worker’s union president Shalini Thackeray. Talking to news reporters she said that “Why can’t our Indian actors dance with locals? We will insist that only local [...]
Former American Presidential candidate John Edwards was known for his “Two America” speech during his campaign trail. He says “today, under George W. Bush, there are two Americas, not one: One America that does the work, another that reaps the reward. One America that pays the taxes, another America that gets the tax breaks. One [...]
Look at the parking lot of any apartment that is popular with the Indian community in the United States and you will notice many Honda Accords and Civics and Toyota Camry’s and Corollas. I do not want to generalize but there is a level of loyalty towards these brands more so than towards any other [...]
India is the center of poverty in the world. According to World Bank estimates about 450 million Indians live below the “global poverty” level which is set at around $1.25/day. India accounts for about 33% of the worlds poor. Poverty is not a laughing matter. But I have always wondered why a country so rich [...]
Advertisements on American television are for the most part boring and bland. This is due to the fact that America unlike what many people in India think is a fairly conservative nation. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) monitors decency on television and can levy heavy fines for minor infractions.
Fox News commentator Glen Beck made some controversial comments against Indians in his television program. Responding to a question as to why health care is more expensive in the United States when compared to India, Glen Beck said
The night before Christmas mass will now be held at 10 PM instead of midnight. This was announced by the Vatican on Monday. This will allow the Pope a good rest before he delivers the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” message at noon on Christmas Day. Urbi et Orbi, which means “to the city of Rome [...]
In an editorial on Saamana (Shiv Sena party mouthpiece) Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray has mentioned that “fundamentalist Muslims are the biggest threat to the country and that we need to fight against it”. He added that “Except some like Salim Khan, Javed Akhtar, Mukhtar Abbas and Farooq Abdullah, the rest are trying to destroy [...]
Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray indicated that “If you don’t want to salute the motherland, then whom do you salute? What is the shame in saluting Bharat mata? Those who don’t want to salute Bharat mata should go to Pakistan or Bangladesh.
In a historic decision the Delhi High Court struck down parts of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code on July 2nd 2009. Article 377 (and similar legislations) was introduced by the British in India and many other colonies in the 18th century. It criminalizes gay
Floods are nothing new to most Indians. Most of us have faced it one time or the other and we also know how to deal with it. This time the news about the current flood situation in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka has gained traction in the Western media. Time magazine
If you are an economist India is today a happy place. More Indians are joining the middle class like never before and almost all vital indicators like poverty level, literacy rate, life span, and health are improving through out the country. Pessimism has given way to optimism.
In the last 10 years India and the United States have moved closer. Our armed forces routinely train with each and except in a few cases our foreign policy objectives are fairly similar. There are a lot of people to people exchange and the public on both sides genuinely like each other. However, when you [...]
The mood in America today is somber. High paying jobs have disappeared and now the mantra is to hang on to your job at all costs. Job hopping and concepts like working from home is a thing of the past. New ideas like how to exercise while waiting in line at the unemployment office is [...]
Michael Vick was the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. He was also the highest paid quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Two years ago he was arrested and convicted for running an interstate dog fighting ring and also for torturing and killing some of the dogs. He was sentenced to 23 months in [...]
