Does India deserve a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council?

Recently President Barack Obama promised American support for India’s bid to gain a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. Yesterday, according to leaked cables posted on the WikiLeaks site, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton called India a "self-appointed front-runner." Supporters of India's bid point out that it is the second-most populous nation, the … Continue reading Does India deserve a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council? →

The scampire strikes back!

Three weeks ago, I posted a detailed exposé on a sophisticated scam targeting Indian job-seekers. In that post, I laid bare details found in a fake job-offer letter that a very close acquaintance of mine had received. In the interim, one of the websites used by the scamsters for the regal sounding Roland Chambers has … Continue reading The scampire strikes back! →

Someone sleeps to forget. The rest of us sleep to remember.

I just read a clinical report of a patient who claimed that her working memory got erased every morning after a night of sleep. This is important news for Hindi movie-directors in need of a new type of amnesia for the big screen, but the rest of us will find it interesting too: Since an … Continue reading Someone sleeps to forget. The rest of us sleep to remember. →

Is Bengali cuisine in decline?

In the Telegraph of Kolkata published this Sunday, Amit Chaudhuri laments the decline of Bengali cuisine. The immediate spark for Chaudhuri’s angst is two encounters with less than stellar food at a Kolkata restaurant quite uncreatively called “Oh! Calcutta.” I thought of this essay when I realized that almost the only restaurant that served anything … Continue reading Is Bengali cuisine in decline? →

“The sum of all of India’s traditions”

I am outraged and maybe for once, not without just cause. Ashutosh Gowarikar's Swades is a Hindi film that I've mentioned before as one that I enjoyed watching. In this film, a scientist of Indian origin portrayed by Sharukh Khan (Mohan), visits India, builds a small-scale hydroelectric plant and falls in love with the village … Continue reading “The sum of all of India’s traditions” →

Queen Elizabeth Washington Gandhi… jai ho!

This is a low-resolution image of a full-page ad by Society for Human Resource Management which I just saw this morning. Because it is in the Economist, it is almost mandatory for Elizabeth Regina's visage to be part of the composite, but there is also the inclusion of two other staunchly anti-royalist personalities. A curious … Continue reading Queen Elizabeth Washington Gandhi… jai ho! →

Why does Paul Theroux hate India?

Probably because he wants to sell a lot of books. I just finished reading The Elephanta Suite, a book comprised of three long stories - "Monkey Hill", "The Elephant God", and "The Gateway of India". On the surface, the stories deal with Americans transported to India who find themselves in complex situations. Unfortunately, these are … Continue reading Why does Paul Theroux hate India? →

A scam targeting job-seekers in India

I've written about the Nigerian 419 scam before, but few know that India is now one of the largest exporters of counterfeit medicines to West Africa. As India becomes an economic superpower, there will invariably be a number of unscrupulous individuals who attempt to get rich quick by fraudulent means. Some of our con artists … Continue reading A scam targeting job-seekers in India →