Binu Alex - Bad journalist, glorified typist with all good intentions

Development lies in the eyes of the beholder – not developer

2012-01-10T16:08:00.004+05:30

Development is a word that has been used extensively by many political leaders to their own advantage. I stay in a state where we are served development for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact it is savored as fried snack too along with cutting Chai. Development is a word that I compare to Beauty. It lies in the eyes of the beholder and never the developer. When I move around the state in

Can you enforce Dress Code for believers?

2011-10-23T15:24:00.002+05:30

This morning as I attended the Church, I was amazed to listen to an order by the Diocese Archbishop. Among others, it mentioned a dress code for worshipers. While it was not clear what to wear, jeans and T-Shirts were clearly in the negative list. Ashley E. McGuire, the editor-in-chief for altcatholicah.org says the way many people dress to mass in the US is completely offensive. “Strapless

Voice of dissent can never be tolerated in a democracy

2011-10-13T16:33:00.002+05:30

Voice of dissent can never be tolerated in a democracy. Confused? Believe it or not, this is the reality in India. You cannot talk to Medha Patkar and then live in Gujarat because she has fought for some ‘unwanted tribal’ depriving the enterprising people of Gujarat the most precious water from Narmada. You cannot voice your opinion against the large scale industrial loot in the name of

Story of a social network traitor

2011-08-23T17:07:00.000+05:30

Binu Alex Post August 16, 2011, two types of India emerged. Nationalists and Traitors, thanks to Bush doctrine. If you give good TRPs to the roaring televisions, high traffic to social networks like Facebok and Twitter, put Anna’s picture on your Facebook profile, have a candle vigil and have your kids put up a good demonstration in front of television cameras, you are a crusader against

School Reunion – Great memories

2011-05-29T18:21:00.000+05:30

Does distance matter in friendship? This was the first point raised when some of us met to discuss the venue of our class reunion. It took us less than a minute to finally say, Damn, how does it matter. Yes, the crowd at the official second reunion of 1988-89 and 90 batch proved us right. And the fact that the news of this meeting spread like wild fire soliciting calls for invites surprised us

Craft of Graft

2011-04-26T17:58:00.001+05:30

Graft is a word hitherto unheard in India. It used to be corruption. Now this new craft has come to the fore? How and Why? Earlier there used to be simple corruption. People would take money and give money. Now it has taken a different genre. You can use the style that Reliance uses which is the corporate style, very raw and rural way called Pawar route or athletically using Kalmadi highway. And

Anna Hazare Fast? Who are the supporters?

2011-04-07T15:36:00.001+05:30

Joining protests is the latest fashion for high society guys and gals. Many think reaching Jantar Mantar is the way to support. The real beneficiaries of Lokpal Bill are not those who come to support blind folded but those who cannot afford to bribe the babus sitting across the country. How on earth can you stop the Talati demanding Rs 100 from a poor labourer for paying off his wages which

New Method to dupe you

2011-03-10T11:13:00.002+05:30

New Method to dupe you The latest mails being circulated to fool innocent guys are getting popular. Thank God the mailing algorithms gives you a warning message too Warning: This message may not be from whom it claims to be. Beware of following any links in it or of providing the sender with any personal information. Learn more Here is the mail reproduced ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORY CRIMES

RIP : The thinking man

2011-01-25T12:01:00.000+05:30

“The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable." I remembered these words of American journalist and essayist H. L. Mencken as I see India as a country. In Indian environment, silence

Who is this man? Guesswork allowed.

2011-01-22T11:57:00.000+05:30

He is one person who can do wonders. He can make things work. He has the midas touch and his words and actions are copied everywhere. He is at the helm of a state where Black, White and Brown skinned entrepreneurs arrive and sign MoUs in an event that has rhymes of vibrations. He is one person who has fought single handedly all the NGOs, human rights organisations and international bodies to

The undercurrents against Modi. Is it for real?

2010-12-20T12:59:00.002+05:30

The other day I was at the Knowledge Series conducted by Divya Bhaskar where two journalists, Kundan Vyas of Janmabhoomi and Rajdeep Sardesai of IBN presented their views on Media Ethics especially in the light of Radia Gate. For many years, I have been listening to such lectures and so it came as no surprise to me though many in the audience, consisting of Media related students and elders who

At lat nap cabins at airport

2010-11-25T20:05:00.001+05:30

For long I wondered why Indian airports never had cabins to take a nap. At last Delhi T3 now have this. Enjoy

Sonia, Maya, Pinky, Renuka, Muskan: The Kinnar party

2010-07-08T12:40:00.001+05:30

As I went collecting contributions for an Apartment get together, I realized how difficult it is for the ‘Kinnars’ to reach out to prospective money givers and then keeping track of them on a regular basis. We were certainly in a group and the members were more than happy to contribute. One of the group members suggested we should leave a mark on the doors the way Eunuchs write their names to

Jews, Gujaratis and Marwaris

2010-05-31T17:40:00.002+05:30

Recently I happened to read a piece by Calev Ben-David in Bloomberg News about Jews. There was nothing revealing though but I gave a thought of Jews being compared to Gujaratis or Marwaris. All Indians are made equal; all Indians have got the same opportunity, market and access. How is that these two communities have got runaway success in business whereas a majority of the other tribes are not

Touchdown Fear of all air passengers

2010-05-25T10:52:00.000+05:30

After the Mangalore crash, where nearly 160 passengers where charred to death, every passenger anywhere in India is a little worried each time an aircraft descends for landing. I am one of those awe and fear struck passengers undergoing the trauma of being at the mercy of pilots whom we don’t know. What I know is that despite tens of lands and hundreds of flying hours, the pilots can make error

Imagine IPL as a government organisation

2010-04-19T15:47:00.000+05:30

Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh had two full hours at his disposal to discuss ‘IPL Mess’ with Shashi Tharoor. Sonia Gandhi has been seriously thinking of Tharoor, Sunanda and IPL. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister, A K Antony along with Home minister P Chidambaram is taking stock of the situation and is meeting each other every day. L K Advani, Narendra Modi,

A lazy bunch called Journalists

2010-01-21T10:36:00.001+05:30

Journalists are like sitting ducks. Not because they are prone to attacks and have no defense but this is connoted in a different way. They sit like ducks in their offices and look for gossips of film personalities or Page Three crowds. I have seldom seen journalists getting back to their basics – reporting. In an era where news comes in capsules and bytes, journalists say they give news that

Instead, if, but and irony of Gujarat

2009-09-08T16:16:00.000+05:30

Ishrat, Pranesh, Sohrabuddin, Javed, Vanzara, Amin, Kaushik, Pandey, Pratap Save, Kausar Bi, Tulsiram Prajapati, Latif are some of the few names that the state of Gujarat is dazzling now a days.Instead, it should have actually dealt with groundnut, cotton, soybean, power, castor seed, Kesar, Chilli, Cumin Seeds, Isabgol and a host of globally traded commodities.It is an irony that the entire

BJP's reverse journey of a thousand miles began with a defeat

2009-08-26T12:16:00.001+05:30

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This phrase, according to The Phrase Finder, originated as a quotation by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902). The historian and moralist expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."The

Why the hell Mughals built Taj Mahals?

2009-07-03T12:58:00.000+05:30

Mughals are the pioneers of architecture in India but they don’t have a roof over their head now. What a pity for the former emperors of India? As I read this morning about how the descendants of India's last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, were rescued from a life of penury in Kolkata, I recollected my trip to five generations above this lady who was rescued and given a job at a government

Bal Thackeray and the Muslim chronicles

2009-06-20T10:09:00.000+05:30

This headline may be novelty for a few people but for those who know the political compulsions of Shiv Sena and its chief, it is a stale one. The story is how two Muslims doctors from Lilavati Hospital-Dr Jaleel Parkar and Dr Samad Ansari-rushed to his house administered him medical help at Matoshri and then brought him to the hospital's ICU in an ambulance.And all these while the Shiv Sena have

Australia attack is India’s media creation

2009-06-12T12:53:00.001+05:30

Indian media is hungry for news. So much so that they seem to be starved of their basic staple diet. So when they get anything – important or useless – they just grab on it and then show it as if it is the end of the world. The attack of students in Australia is also a media creation. They just went overboard saying the entire Australian population is against Indian students so much so that a

Habib Tanvir : The man who spoke without opening his mouth

2009-06-08T13:18:00.000+05:30

I still remember Habib Tanvir inviting me on my request for an interview in Bhopal some four years back and then not speaking a word for almost an hour. From today, I am saddened that he will never speak at all. The highly talented playwright and theatre director Habib Tanvir died at the age of 85 this morning.And when he spoke, he threw his frustration at the Gujarat riots asking me whether it

TRAVEL: Pune Via Baramati, Sasvad, Jadhavgadh

2009-06-07T22:09:00.004+05:30

It was the last leg of my tourney to the western Maharashtra. Next day I have to reach back home. The tour was part of my pilgrimage of basics of reporting that I want to retain forever. It was an attempt to meet different characters of people in different areas. More so it was legroom from the routine office atmosphere that I am subjected to every day. It was also to see the sugar belts of the

Focus of attraction : Violences

2009-05-23T22:44:00.000+05:30

Early this week, a young woman of around 28 years made a harsh decision. She decided to jump from the terrace without any notice to any one. She succumbed to her injuries hours later leaving a stunned husband and an innocent 2 year old kid to the mercy of virtually no one. They live opposite to my kitchen and I have this girl a little uncomfortable with her mother in law. Not as serious as to

God’s corporate communication department

2009-05-08T16:38:00.000+05:30

Now corporate communication has become inevitable part of all the business including that of godliness. Everything needs to be promoted and so who else than the chattering corp com guys. But since the self proclaimed saints cannot be publicly seen as promoting themselves, they do it through other ways. Asaram Bapu is a very recent example. His PR department swung into action and impersonated a

Shoe String Victims

2009-04-28T14:58:00.000+05:30

Here is the list of victims of the latest craze of shoe hatred. The list is likely to increase in the year 2009 as the UN has declared it the "Year of Shoes" Victims Shame Level Impact Weapon Used Action Taken B S Yeddyurappa Low Low Paragon Slipper Forgiven Manmohan Singh Medium Low Worn Out shoe Forgiven P Chidambaram High High

India’s ‘age old’ problems

2009-04-26T22:00:00.000+05:30

India’s young and vibrant population will be disappointed to hear Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi’s predicament that Advani will be BJP's prime ministerial candidate in 2014 elections too.Though he himself knows that this cannot be any way politically correct for him in his endeavor to get the Delhi throne, he has no choice but to endorse it.But this brings attention to the ages of our

Vote with conviction, courage. Really?

2009-04-25T11:52:00.000+05:30

“The political class always plays to the gallery. They get their votes from the poor, but the services are delivered to the rich.”I finished reading this sentence this morning in a Times of India article stating the difference of approach of authorities towards the death of two school children. One a rich girl and the other a poor one. While television cameras had their OB vans for even the

So America, here we come

2009-04-15T14:03:00.000+05:30

Joke of the decadeBJP president Rajnath Singh today saying if his party is voted to power then India would send troops to Pakistan to crush terrorism in the neighbouring country after taking international approval.So America, here we come. Please move out NATO and other troops, India is now the new saviour of the world. Never mind, the country is reeling under severe poverty and inequality and

Shoe should have targeted Shivraj Patil

2009-04-07T17:49:00.003+05:30

Frustrations very often ends in violence and sex so said a pauper somewhere in North Atlantic. But now a days shoes have become the symbols of frustrations. It happened in China and Iraq and now it is India. Sadly, none of the shoe stoppers were good at their aim. They all missed. But they did not miss the opportunity to attain international media status for their cause and for them

Why should oil cos promote subsidized fuel?

2009-04-05T09:13:00.000+05:30

I was wondering why oil companies should advertise for their products that they sell on a price less than what they invest to produce it.India’s petrol and diesel is ‘famously’ subsidized or at least that is what the government says. But see this offer by Indian OilIt has introduced ‘Car-in-a-tank’, an on-ground campaign at all IndianOil/IBP/AOD petrol/diesel stations (retail outlets) selling

English language can be dangerous

2009-04-02T22:48:00.001+05:30

As my next-door neighbour at the office jostled into the office with a request the other day, I presumed it to be something else than what he asked for. It was to draft a covering letter for his company brochure. He said he has prepared one but doubted whether he wrote the correct language. I said I could improvise if I get that letter forwarded to my email. He meekly surrendered and said he

Reporters or actors?

2009-03-17T12:53:00.000+05:30

We have changed and the icon of change is none other than the Times Group. They are now recruiting actors under the disguise of reporters. With huge salary cuts already announced in the group, they may have to engage such tactics to pay salaries, it now seems to reveal.Investigative journalism is long gone, enter theater journalism. With the advent of television, we saw many under cover stories.

A kilo of newspaper is worth just an SMS

2009-03-06T15:50:00.000+05:30

Imagine the cost of sending a text message to your friend next door replying to his message with ‘OK”. It is a whopping 2 Rs in most cases unless you have a fixed monthly subscription. So in other word each word is costing Rs 1.Now imagine the newspaper delivered at your doorstep, in most cases, more than a kilogram in weight and at least 30 pages in size. It is also the same price.But newspaper

Death of a friend, journalist and a late starter

2009-02-09T22:50:00.002+05:30

As the news of the death of a colleague rushed in, I was horror-struck. I knew only this person from Bethiah in Bihar. I never knew about his wife, daughter or son and also what they do. I knew that Prakash Chand Dubey – a born Brahmin Hindu – was a Christian by faith.He was my colleague when I reported for UCA News. I made him work for radio since he was keen on earning a little more for family

When salaries turn into ransom – I

2009-01-20T11:38:00.001+05:30

When I started my career in journalism, the field was not new to me. My father was already a journalist and I had all the information about journo, their habits and their weaknesses.I imbibed only the good qualities and retrenched the weaknesses to the extent possible. When I was in my first year college, I took charge of the editorial part of the Ahmedabad division’s Times of India and Economic

Mark Felt’s phrase could unearth Mumbai terrorists

2008-12-19T15:47:00.000+05:30

Sounds ridiculous? But it is true. For more than thirty years, this person named Mark Felt remained anonymous while his prophetic advice “Follow the Money” unearthed what is now known as Watergate Scandal.If Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein had not followed this famous phrase – now immortalized, they would have reached nowhere. It was one of the greatest mysteries not

What a co-incidence!

2008-12-18T17:35:00.002+05:30

This is indeed a full circle. And it is not ironical at all. One of the accused in fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh case in Gujarat told a sessions court that IG (Prisons) Keshav Kumar intends to kill him in a staged encounter.And wondering who said this. This is none other than suspended DySP NK Amin. This is the same person accused in the custodial death of Lt Col Pratap Save in Dehri

How long India will take to nuke Pak?

2008-12-17T15:35:00.000+05:30

The following sarcasm over India’s red tapism is very interesting. I came across this in Rediff as a response to an article and throught, I should preserve. Please note that this is not mine and is prepared by some anonymous guy. If you are the person who prepared it, please report it on the comments section. I will be glad to give your byline. Now read onDuring the Cold War, if USA launched a

Not all emails accounts opened are used

2008-12-16T16:03:00.002+05:30

Almost everyone who is exposed to internet have multiple email accounts. Some have as many as fifty and some more than that. But it is a common fact that only one of those emails are used. The others gradually fades away. But almost all the email services claim they have x million users or y million accounts. Now you know what those accounts are there for.I am updating my entry posted below. This

Never ever join in.com

2008-12-15T10:41:00.000+05:30

Normally, I hate to use multiple email accounts as gmail suffices all my needs. But unfortunately, while reading a news item, I landed at in.com, a TV 18 venture and is claiming it has the latest technologies in this sphere.But one important factor it doesn’t have is ethics. As soon as I joined, it asked me whether I need to import my contacts from any other email services. I put gmail and it got

Ban everything, let’s get premitive

2008-12-13T11:32:00.000+05:30

The entire blame on attacks that killed more than 170 people in Mumbai last month has now come on Google Earth and demand for its ban has gained momentum. If this online satellite imaging tool is banned, do any of you think the terror strikes will stop?? Let’s see what all should be banned.PCs. Laptops and internet should be banned first. If these things are out of reach, Google Earth is a

Fighting poverty with AK 47 and grenades

2008-12-12T16:28:00.002+05:30

Let’s dissect some news that appeared todayGovt lacks will to fight terror: MayaUttar Pradesh chief minister Miss Mayawati today said the central government's approach towards tackling terrorism was "very superficial and perfunctory" and it lacked the "desired will and determination" to stamp out the scourge.DissectionAbsolutely correct. How can the government fight terror when all the forces

Being a democratic country

2008-12-11T09:04:00.000+05:30

To know the value of democracy and a stable system, we need to look around us. Greece was engulfed in riots triggered by the death of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos, shot by police in Athens. The entire country came to a stand still. Flights in and out of Athens airport were cancelled, and public transport badly disrupted. How many such shootings and encounter incidents happen in India?

Me, Vodafone and international taxation

2008-12-06T13:44:00.002+05:30

As I heard that Vodafone lost a case in an income tax tangle and that it was related to international taxation, I immediately gauged it could be the work of one person or a team led by this person, who happens to be my former boss when I was a small time employee in income tax department.The tax demand on the telecom major was prepared by Girish Dave and Rahul Navin. Girish Dave was my Additional

Whose India, Whose Icon?

2008-12-03T12:35:00.001+05:30

By Gnani Sankaran, Tamil writer, ChennaiWatching at least four English news channels surfing from one another during the last 60 hours of terror strike made me feel a terror of another kind. The terror of assaulting one's mind and sensitivity with cameras, sound bites and non-stop blabbers. All these channels have been trying to manufacture my consent for a big lie called - *Hotel Taj the

Maintaining composure is a difficult task today

2008-11-29T10:40:00.006+05:30

At this time, when the battle is over in Mumbai(but the war is on), maintaining composure is the most difficult task. Live images of bullet ridden bodies, blood ridden floors and fire lit Taj are making Indians agonised.“Last night I dreamt of India attacking Pakistan,” Mahesh Joshi, my co-walker during my evening walk told me last evening. “And I saw the entire Pakistan ravaged into pieces.

Lone survivor of blasts: Shivraj Patil

2008-11-28T15:31:00.000+05:30

The only person who has survived almost a hundred blasts in India is India's home minister Shivraj Patil. Today I was searching for an image with a tag line 'Face of terror' and the first image that came was Shivraj Patil's.He is a terror that Congress is funding with great pain. No body knows why he is not removed. A US Government report recently said combating terrorism costs much more than

Muslims more alienated than ever

2008-11-27T12:54:00.001+05:30

What are the motives of the terrorists when they spent a hell lot of money and manpower in an operation as large as the Mumbai attack? There are various intelligence reports that is emancipating from various ‘reliable’ sources which points the origin of this attack to Karachi, from where these people reportedly have come.But how did they catch the Navy and the Coast Guard napping? Intelligence

Mumbai attack: Unanswered questions

2008-11-27T11:05:00.000+05:30

Terrorists coming via sea in rubber boats with heavy artilleries like AK 47 and AK 56 to Mumbai Gateway of India and then entering heavily guarded luxury hotels and going around the city at peak hours creating havoc with great impunity.100 plus killed and scores injured. Among those killed were top ranking officers who were heading the Malegaon blasts. This investigation was heading to a greater

India's Anti-piracy crusade worse than 'anti-terrorism' farce!

2008-11-26T22:50:00.001+05:30

By NM Sampathkumar IyangarMedia outfits of India, without exception, have been showering accolades on the brave sailors of Indian Navy. Impressionable citizens are enjoying another bout of euphoria. India has `arrived' as a premier naval power. It is flexing muscles for the cause of "global welfare" by fighting to eradicate the scourge of high seas piracy!For a people looking for some avenue to `

Rural employment or waste of manpower

2008-11-19T12:55:00.001+05:30

The government may have started the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and club it as a success but the question remains about the productivity of the scheme.There are various audits by different agencies as to the scheme is implemented but there are fewer checks on where and for what purpose the labourers were used.Though the government is claiming 3 crore families benefited from NREG,

Ripley’s Believe it or not

2008-10-06T10:55:00.002+05:30

When some organizations with no identity claims it planted bombs in various parts of India, every Indian believes it and more so the police and the media. The media doesn’t even cross verify and pronounces the verdict even before any trial begins. The television cameras act more as AK56 guns than shouldering the responsibility of the fourth estate. But when a Maoist leader publicly claims again

For the namesake

2008-10-06T10:32:00.000+05:30

If America took a big hit with Osama Bin Laden practical approach of terrorism, the impact has started appearing. No, it is not any murderous attempt but the namesakes. Take for example Obama which rhymes with Osama. Biden is a shortened form of Bin Laden who stays in the Barracks of Pak-Afghan border. And all these three are major players in American politics. Surprised by three? Yes, this

Is Alexa the most reliable tool for web statistics?

2008-07-28T11:59:00.000+05:30

Most media planners in India depend on Alexa rankings to determine the website ranking. But the media planners or those who use Alexa use it because there is no other way one can determine the traffic except from the owners of the domain themselves. In most cases the domain owners exaggerate the traffic figures. The other option is to ask for google analytics which is the most authentic figures

Yet another, yes - yet another blast

2008-07-27T16:35:00.000+05:30

Yet another day and yet another series of bomb blasts. And yet another number of casualties and yet another enquiry and yet another report and yet another memory loss and yet another election – every thing rotates around yet another unknown, unseen power that runs the country – despite all its ill falls. Yes this is the story of Bangalore and Ahmedabad bombs. Now it is not clear who has planted

Any Simon Wiesenthal for Gujarat?

2008-04-25T22:34:00.000+05:30

Binu AlexDelhi, Mumbai, Bhagalpur, Gujarat. No, these are not the investment destinations but down the memory places as we read the death of Simon WiesenthalA number of movies all over the world depict how one man can change the system or the world. Well, that is not as easy task as depicted in movies. You cannot have a screen Arnold

Health shops Vs Beauty shops

2008-04-25T12:07:00.000+05:30

Dial for Health, Planet Health, Health Conscious. These are some swanky shops that sell medicines – oops, sorry, they don’t sell medicines but beauty products.I think everyone of you have gone through this experience of getting into one of these chain of shops to buy a life saving drug and then returning with a shampoo, soap or a napkin. Yes, because the chances are they may not have the drug you

Who benefits from a Pay Commission?

2008-04-25T00:16:00.000+05:30

Since the First Pay Commission was established in 1956 it is generally believed that all government employees benefit from it. Their salaries are revised and determined from time to time, here in this case for a ten-year period. But who are these government employees who benefits?It is the creamy layer of the government employees who benefit from this pay rise. Take the case of a Chief

Stay away from Gujarat. Part I

2007-12-23T15:17:00.000+05:30

It is not sour grapes any more. It is a reality and it is for every one to see. Modi has won with a thumping majority. I say Modi because it is only Modi who won the election and not the BJP. In fact Modi swallowed BJP the same way as asthma patients swallow fish somewhere in South India.No movement, no organization, no opposition, no anti-incumbency, no dissidents or no one could make any dent

Need thinking photographers

2007-11-20T17:20:00.000+05:30

If is often said that photography has nothing to do with cameras or lenses. It has more to do with the photographers’ visions. And I am sorry to say very few in this country who handles cameras have brains. And if you ask me whether Gujarat has any, my answer is a strict no.How can you get a good news photograph when all sundries enter this field wielding a toy called camera. Since digital

Airline rates are full of air, bubble

2007-11-13T19:09:00.000+05:30

A bubble always bursts and that is what is witnessing in the aviation tickets in India. The bubble is gone and people are returning to old ways of Indian Railways. But what is not palpable is the cheating process the airlines adopt to woo the vulnerable customers. But to my surprise, I found India is not the cheating capital of the world. In fact it is the European Union where a study by European

Charity without clarity

2007-11-12T19:03:00.001+05:30

I always wondered why people ill-treated the so called low caste strata of the society. I could not get answers to hundred of millions of money spent on fireworks that lasts just seconds while a large majority of people in and around starve. I also couldn’t fathom the large invites sent to all sundries even by not so rich people for their children’s wedding. All these money could have been used

Loo liberates you, literally

2007-11-11T19:29:00.000+05:30

Loo is not a common phrase in India. It is a common problem instead. It is shared by millions. No, not the loo but the problem. The United Nations estimates 2.6 billion people are without it and India's Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is investing $A3.79 billion in sanitation projects. I had the opportunity to do a number of features both print and audio on sanitation for

My Fan Club is increasing. Part I

2007-11-02T12:41:00.000+05:30

My fan club keeps on increasing. It has reached such a level that many folks close to me have stopped talking to me.Yes I am talking about people who ‘fan’ me out because they don’t like me. They don’t like my face, my figure, my colour, my wardrobes, my shoes, what I do, what I write, what I talk and the list is endless. I can understand about my face, colour and figure because that is what I

Kiddy Puzzles

2007-10-29T20:09:00.000+05:30

As the Gujarat elections nears and as the parliamentary elections looms large, thanks to the nuclear deal, I came across some interesting puzzles related to elections. Many of these puzzles were devised by kids – as kiddy as 8th standard. I found it interesting. Have a look below.Why is that the symbols like donkey are not used in electionsAns : Because the candidates cannot present themselves as

Christians and Gujarat elections

2007-10-12T21:30:00.000+05:30

Gujarat is best known for its violence against minorities more than the founder of the non-violent movement – Mahatma Gandhi. It started with Christians and went on to Muslims and now both are at the gunpoint of the right wing BJP government. Stories from this region have focused almost around this aspect. BJP seems to be unassailable in Gujarat and as long as BJP remains in power, this aspect

Technology and religious reporting

2007-10-12T21:29:00.000+05:30

Three years ago, Executive Editor of the religious news agency I worked for asked a common question during one of our annual seminars. His question was simple. Have you heard of 3G? Most of us knew. He went on to explain how the agency could upgrade technologically by adopting the latest technology in future – may be to provide news headlines by sms or present WAP versions of the site for mobile

Reliance Fresh and Rural Economy

2007-08-24T14:37:00.000+05:30

‘Dr S Ramadoss, the Pattal Makkal Katchi leader, is spearheading the opposition to Reliance Fresh on the ground that it will break the backbone of the rural economy in the southern state’ Nothing can be more rubbish and irrelevant than this statement. How can Reliance Fresh or for that matter any retail chain break the rural economy? On the contrary it will enrich the rural economy. This has

Octavio Quattarochi Effect

2007-08-17T22:21:00.000+05:30

It has been a long time since I got myself silenced on commenting and venting out my frustration through blogging. But I could not take it anymore when my 8 year old daughter predicted that the prime time news will always have one name that she is familiar with – That of Italian businessman, Octavio Quattarochi. Oh duck. How come she doesn’t know who is who of the country that she began her

Oh God please end this TAMASHA !!!

2007-03-10T13:51:00.000+05:30

British actress Elizabeth Hurley's Indian wedding to businessman Arun Nayar has become the biggest nuisance in India. Not only this never ending marriage occupied prime space in the media, but the journalists got beaten up too.I have not seen a single film by Hurley. I don’t have an idea what business Mr Nayar is doing either though he is always addressed as a leading Indian businessman.What I

Race, Caste and Prejudice

2006-11-19T23:14:00.000+05:30

In India the police and the media were busy with British security guards who were accused of manhandling students and parents, and called them "bloody Indians" or “bloody Muslims” as they tried to enter a school. During the same period England cricketer of Indian origin Monty Panesar was called a "stupid Indian" by some spectators in Australia.Both the news dominated the precious media space for

Conviction By Ethical Standards

2006-11-13T00:14:00.001+05:30

I always read Arundhati Roy’s pieces at one go. Normally it appears in Outlook Magazine and when my newspaper boy drops it on a Sunday morning, I start straight away. From the morning tea to the toilet seat to the breakfast table to the work place, the article follows me or I follow it. I have a special feeling reading what she writes. Her writings are laced with elements of truth and conviction

Air or Land

2006-11-09T22:07:00.000+05:30

Traveling by air under scrutiny from Central Industrial Security Force men have never been easy for me. After a couple of bad experiences, I have given up using an aircraft for my assignments – wherever it may be within India. Instead I use train.There are very solid and logical reasons for that. I work for Radio and radio equipments include a host of accessories, which looks like weapons if you

Neck Deep, Waist Deep or Knee Deep?

2006-07-06T17:19:00.000+05:30

A century of planning, scores of planners, millions already in drains and still we don’t have a functional drain in any Indian city. Even during normal monsoons, all the cities in India become a virtual pool. Accepted that many drainage lines cannot take up the amount of gallons of water that rain showers and it may even be a century old infrasructure. But who stopped the civic authorities to

Switching Technology Loyalties

2006-06-29T11:13:00.000+05:30

Reliance Infocomm’s suspected switch of royalty from CDMA to GSM may or may not worry Qualcomm, the US based patent holder for CDMA technology, but it has definitely worried me.I am worried because I switched from GSM to CDMA after the latter was explained to me as a 3G technology and I was assured that data and voice over CDMA is far superior and better than GSM technology. I was told that GSM

Switch That #%#$@ Box OFF !

2006-06-20T17:34:00.000+05:30

Last week as I was browsing through the sea of news channels available to me, I came across an interesting report in one of them. It was on how the international fares have nose dived. The reporter, obviously a lady, along with the desk help put in a series of graphics to show that the rates are at the bottom. It further added that this is the best time for the Indians to take up a foreign

Gujarat has stopped producing leaders

2006-06-07T22:22:00.000+05:30

Gujarat has stopped producing leaders – Don’t you feel so? The last leader that I can remember from Gujarat is the same that no one from Gujarat want to associate with. His name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Ever heard of him? Well, see the postage stamps. The last democratic protest Gujarat had was Navnirman and it was four decades ago. As the state stopped producing leaders, the state stopped

Tap Tourism in Alang

2006-06-05T11:06:00.000+05:30

Devang and Anita got into matrimony after an year long romance. But an year of gossips could not give them a final destination for their honeymoon trip. Alps, Goa, Kerala, Kashmir, Hong Kong, Singapore and the list went on without any consensus. Ultimately they decide on Alang. They will get into a cruise liner that has come for breaking. They will stay there for a couple of days with food and

Drive Innova, Drink Coke, Ban Aamir

2006-05-25T17:31:00.000+05:30

Binu AlexWhenever I listen to Pankaj Udhas, I appreciate him for his permutations and combinations of words that he uses to admire alcohol. Whatever tunes that he uses, whatever occasion he may be in, he has nothing but alcohol. He uses liquor statements even to express love. For me he is the biggest ambassador of liquor companies in Devnagari language. But I don’t know him personally and so I am

Narmade Sarvade

2006-04-18T15:59:00.000+05:30

This cartoon that appeared in the Gujarati vernacular daily on 18 April, 2006 is a reminder of the emotions that an average Gujarati associates himself with Narmada. As I was walking out of an assignment with a high profile businessman, he stopped me to ask what my opinion on the anti-Narmada protests were. He later told me that the question was primarily because the English media has generally

(Audio) Scavenging Generations: A Look at India's Caste System

2006-01-10T12:37:00.000+05:30

In India, people are divided and known according to the castes they belong to. Caste is ancient system of social stratification followed by Hindus for centuries and still intact in its premitive form. From admission to schools and colleges to employment or electionioneering everything depends on castes. The lowest strata in the caste system are outcastes – means they don’t belong to any caste-

Distress Calls Can Be Scary

2005-10-20T23:22:00.000+05:30

There is little doubt that very few must have missed an item that sounds similar to the one below in his or her inbox. I receive at least twenty daily. I am surprised that many people take it seriously(as in the case of many winning notifications of lotteries) and reply to the mail. Then a chain of mails continue to arrive till you realize that your email is with almost all the possible hands in

India Inc in Independent Kashmir

2005-10-12T23:50:00.000+05:30

As I went through an Indian Express Story titled India Inc rushed to Gujarat, where are they now: Mirwaiz by BASHAARAT MASOOD & MUZAMIL JALEEL which appeared on Wednesday, October 12, 2005, less than a week after the quake hit Kashmir region, I put myself a lot many question about the validity of this statement.Just hours after the earthquake struck Gujarat in 2001, I rushed out not because my

Indian Babus, waste personified

2005-09-20T23:47:00.000+05:30

Right to food, right to live, right to work and right to information. These are jargons in any government babu's dictionary. All these terminologies start with the word 'right'. Not the ' right' that is derived from the expression 'right sir' that the bureaucracy utters each time his mouth opens in front of a minister or superior. The right that we are talking of is something that is a birthright

Order Pictures Online

2005-09-15T10:54:00.000+05:30

Now you can order pictures online at amazingly low prices.

Opening up of Radio News

2005-09-14T12:08:00.000+05:30

It is bizarre how the politicians in India are voted by the poor only to deprive the poor their rights. India’s radio policy is one of the best examples. Indian television is open to anyone and each month a new channel is launched. But the poor cannot afford a television and even if they can, cable is a distant dream. For them, radio is the only way of getting news and the government regulated

Different shades of protests

2005-09-10T13:57:00.000+05:30

By Binu AlexIn the world’s largest democracy a true form of opposing is through protests. Then today can you put across your protest to the ‘men in power’ by merely doing what Mahatma Gandhi did? The colonial masters at that time were decent. They respected the way Gandhi and his followers made their displeasure clear in the form of fast unto death or civil disobedience. It had a big impact and

Hospitality = Hospital + Mortality

2005-08-31T23:07:00.000+05:30

Hospitality in Gujarat and Narmada waters in Kutchch - Both impossible to achieveBarely a week after the Gujarat chief Minister, Narendra Modi announced massive plans for tourism in Gujarat which included medical tourism, one of the super specialty hospitals in Ahmedabad showed what the true color of medical tourism is.It allegedly turned away a youth who accidentally slipped from his bike just

Employment And Civic Sense

2005-08-05T22:33:00.000+05:30

Cattle herders were the experts in herding cattle. Not any more. It is the judiciary of India which has stepped in to impound stray cows roaming around the streets. And in Delhi, it has an added attraction. Catch one and you are rich by 2,000 rupees ($46). If the courts have got fed up directing the authorities issuing orders, imagine the plight of those using the roads. Delhi alone is estimated

Spell Your Checkings

2005-07-25T22:30:00.000+05:30

Spelling mistakes are nothing new to Indian subcontinent. After all English is an alien language here though the colonial masters tried to put in their best to reform. But even then the shop keepers try to put in as much efforts as they ever could: because this is a language that can communicate to a larger audience.One of the states in India that specializes this art is Gujarat. You find the

Carnivorous Vegetarians

2005-07-20T09:14:00.000+05:30

A large number of my Jain friends always insisted that I should serve them a non-vegetarian meal whether it is at home or on tour.“Well, you must be having non-veg right from morning to night?” the mouth watering lips always put out this stereotype dialogues each time we met.And being Christian, you must be enjoying your drinks daily – especially during Good Fridays and Christmas – it must be

People politics

2005-07-10T09:50:00.000+05:30

This cartoon that appeared in The Asian Age makes a telling impact on the politicians in India today. For long, we have seen politicians taking advantage of anything and everything that happens with or without their knowledge within or outside their jurisdiction. And this is the reason why Manmohan Singh said this in his Oxford address: “The economics we learnt at Oxford in the 1950s was also

Labour Day Special : Rs 500 per plate

2005-07-02T22:29:00.000+05:30

By Binu AlexWhat is common between USA and DSK - United States of America and Divided State of Kerala?I have very little idea of any other facts but one thing that is common is the high labor charges. My brother who is in US does all the work himself – from painting his house to changing car wipers. He says he cannot afford to call a labor because the labor charges are astronomical.Well back in

WBAI Radio 99.5 FM - New York - Interview

2005-06-29T09:52:00.000+05:30

Wake up call on WBAI June 28, 2005Toxic Coca-Cola WBAI, New York city GUEST: Binu Alex, reporter for Free Speech Radio NewsClick on the link 2005-06-28 Hour Two to listen Click on Real image to download media player

(Audio) Difference A Call Makes

2005-06-28T11:44:00.000+05:30

Amid all the hype about mobile telephones, it's often forgotten that millions across the world have never even made a phone call, let alone owned a phone. In this feature, Binu Alex travels to a village in Gujarat that has one phone between 700 people to hear what a difference a phone call can make - and to discuss some of the problems of getting connected.In May this year, an international

(Audio) Tea Time for Potters

2005-06-28T11:32:00.000+05:30

India, one of the world's biggest rail networks has banned the sale of tea from plastic cups. Instead the country's favourite drink can only be served in earthenware pots known as kulhads. These cups are made by potters who work in traditional cottage industries. The Government says the ban on plastic makes for a cleaner, greener railway and claims the move will create thousands of steady jobs

(Audio) Milk that built a village

2005-06-28T11:30:00.000+05:30

India is home to one of the world's most successful farming cooperatives. More than 11 million farmers across the country produce ice cream, milk, cheese and butter under the Amul brand. Many of them have graduated from poverty to a comfortable life, with a guaranteed income. This is partly thanks to trade protection from the Indian government that ensured foreign companies found the milk market

(Audio) A thousand villages go on air

2005-06-28T10:46:00.000+05:30

A thousand remote villages throughout the Kutch region of Gujarat in the west of India can now talk to each other on air. A new radio station - Radio Ujjas - is broadcasting a hugely popular programme that plays a key role in helping the villagers solve their day-to-day problems.Binu Alex goes along to the station to find out how it works. Click on the IWR image to listen to the story.Click on