Here are two interesting groups that we saw in the auditions of India’s got talent. Watch out for Super Mario and the Krishna act. Amazing stuff!

Seriously, we Indians take ourselves too seriously. The world ought to move according to our dictat! And if it doesn’t agree with our sensibilities, off with its head! Whither tolerance?

Directing you to some blog posts with interesting opinions on the Dadagiri Indians are now demonstrating a tad too frequently:

Pritish Nandy: The indiscreet art of Dadagiri

Amit Varma: You Gotta do Sach Ka Saamna

Salil Tripathi: My mother’s fault

Amit Varma: Fighting against censorship in India

Mull on them!

I came across these powerful verses during my travails through the web (Poetry-chaikana), and I thought that these verses by 8th century Sufi mystic Rabia (Rabi’a Al-’Adawiyya) were great. Enjoy them.

English versions are by Charles Upton (Original Language: Persian)

I carry a torch in one hand

I carry a torch in one hand
And a bucket of water in the other:
With these things I am going to set fire to Heaven
And put out the flames of Hell
So that voyagers to God can rip the veils
And see the real goal.

I am fully qualified to work as a doorkeeper, and for this reason

I am fully qualified to work as a doorkeeper, and for this reason:
What is inside me, I don’t let out:
What is outside me, I don’t let in.
If someone comes in, he goes right out again.
He has nothing to do with me at all.
I am a Doorkeeper of the Heart, not a lump of wet clay.

I have two ways of Loving you

I have two ways of loving You:
A selfish one
And another way that is worthy of You.
In my selfish love, I remember You and You alone.
In that other love, You lift the veil
And let me feast my eyes on Your Living Face.

My Joy

My joy –
My Hunger –
My Shelter –
My Friend –
My Food for the journey –
My journey’s End –
You are my breath,
My hope,
My companion,
My craving,
My abundant wealth.
Without You — my Life, my Love –
I would never have wandered across these endless countries.
You have poured out so much grace for me,
Done me so many favors, given me so many gifts –
I look everywhere for Your love –
Then suddenly I am filled with it.
O Captain of my Heart
Radiant Eye of Yearning in my breast,
I will never be free from You
As long as I live.
Be satisfied with me, Love,
And I am satisfied.

Legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar may have made 70s fiery West Indian bowling line up look ordinary, but his former teammate Ravi Shastri has disclosed the little master’s fear for ‘Bouncer and Beamer’.

“For someone who has never been bothered by bouncers and beamers hurled at him by rival fast bowlers, Gavaskar is very scared of dogs. Every time he come across my pets, ‘Bouncer and Beamer’, he breaks out in a sweat,” Ravi Shastri has written in a new book Sunil Gavaskar: Cricket’s Little Master, a tribute to mark his 60th birthday.

Former England all-rounder Ian Botham seconds Shastri on this count.
“One day he went to a phone booth outside Taunton. As he entered the booth, I kept a dog outside… Sunny was so scared of dogs that he stayed inside the booth for two hours,” reveals Botham .

Nandan Nilekani, who heads the Unique Identification Authority of India aims at provide unique ID numbers to all Indians. Nandan Nilekani said the unique ID number will not substitute other existing numbers a person may have which includes PAN, passport number, ration number. Rather, it will be an additional, unique number to be cited along with existing numbers for different purposes. This ID cards will help to weed out duplicate cards that are widespread today (notably in BPL ration cards), and, may be, benami bank accounts and property deeds.

Nilekani team will make available a unique ID database to all ministries and other partners, who can then integrate their databases (covering passports, ration cards, job cards, PAN cards) with the unique ID database. Participation in credit cards is entirely voluntary. This will also be the case with the unique ID scheme. Citizens will not be obliged to get a number. But those that don’t will find it very inconvenient, they will not have access to facilities that require you to cite your ID number.

There are already people who have struck a sceptical note. Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar claimed that babus and politicians could outsmart smart cards. Though Nilekani has clarified that there will not be smart cards, but only unique ID numbers. Software major Microsoft has also expressed keenness to be part of the government of India’s project of providing a unique identity number to the citizens of the country, saying it is a “great initiative”. Pritish Nandy sounds petrified that this ’21 digit number’ will have the State preeing into our private lives. He warns against losing your identity.

It is an ambitious plan, but rather fantastic too. Reminds me of the Abhishek Bachchan Idea ad! What an idea, Sirji!

The Great Hotels of the World released a list of the most extravagant and unusual guest requests they’ve experienced as part of their 91 Days of Summer campaign. News.com.au has compiled a selection of the 10 most extravagant requests and the 10 strangest, based on the Great Hotels of the World’s list.

Simply strange requests

A bed that’s ‘too high’: This VIP guest thought his bed at Hotel Puente Romano, also in Spain, was too high so requested that the feet be cut off in order to make it a more comfortable height. Unfortunately for him, hotel staff didn’t agree. (Wouldn’t it have been nicer if the staff asked him to grow a little more so that he could easily jump in?)

Holey sheets: A well-known US singer requested that three holes were made in Portugal’s Dom Pedro Palace’s bed sheets before she slept in them. (Wonder what they were desired for? Some ventilation! Let your imagination fly wild!)

Desire to bury dogs in the garden: The Swiss Beau-Rivage Palace has an animal cemetery in the hotel gardens dating back to 1861. Some guests visiting the hotel have asked if it’s possible to bury their dog in this cemetery when their time comes. The cemetery is no longer used these days so hotel staff had to refuse. (Why didn’t the staff bow-wow to that?)

The sea is too loud: This very demanding guest found the sound of the sea so irritating he actually asked Spain’s Gran Hotel Elba Estepona & Thalasso Spa hotel staff if they could stop it. (Sssssh…. sea! Our guests are sleeping!)

Milky bath:This Premier Palace, Ukraine, guest requested that his bath be filled with milk, not from any bottles but from glass bottles in particular. After several hours of milk-buying, his request was finally fulfilled. (Thankfully it wasn’t Cleopatra. They would have had to search for donkey milk!)

Very specific sun angle: This very demanding guest requested a room where the sun sets at an angle of precisely 45 degrees to the right of the room window at Honeymoon Petra Villas in Greece. (Who was he – Isaac Newton?)

Sea-water to go: A distinguished guest asked for a bucket of sea-water to be delivered to his room at the Hotel Splendid Conference & Spa Resort, Montenegro. Nobody knows why. (Why didn’t they ask…loo la la )

It’s too hot: One guest at Villa Padierna Thermas de Carratraca in Malaga, Spain complained he was so hot, he demanded that the temperature of the room to be lowered to sub-zero temperatures just so he could cool off. Apparently it was like walking into a freezer. (He is invited to sleep in my blood bank refrigerator)

Fill the bath up with ice: This Kairaba Beach Hotel, Africa, guest was so desperate to cool down that he requested the bath be filled to the brim with ice. (If you lived in Nagpur, you would probably do that man! Why should Africa be an exception)

Bungee jumping off the top of the hotel: A lot of people like to visit the top floor of a luxury hotel to take in a breath of fresh air and enjoy the fantastic views. This guest did just that. But unlike most people, this daredevil then flung himself off the top of the Hotel Barcelona Princess attached to nothing but an elastic band. (And that held him alive and kicking?!)

And now the most extravagant requests:

Designing a private golf course, on a glacier: After three holes, the guest got bored and demanded to be flown back to the hotel where he proceeded to drink a 2000 Euro ($3512) bottle of wine.

Replica of romance: One guest at the London Landmark hotel wanted to close down the gazebo and redecorate it so that it was an exact replica of the coffee shop that he had first met his girlfriend in. He had planned to propose to his girlfriend in this coffee shop where they met, but it had since closed down. The hotel was able to fulfil his wish and completed the replica coffee shop.

A private dinner in a cave: This Alpen Resort, Meeting and Spa, Spain, guest requested a romantic candle-lit dinner to be organised in the Pagani cave at the base of the Presolana Mountain.

Fill her up uring a company event at the Clarion Hotel, Stockholm, for a gas company, they built a full replica of a gas station including most of the services you would expect to find such as food, drinks, newspapers and maps, in the hotel’s restaurant.

Cheesecake craving: This home-sick Vila Vita Parc Resort & Spa, Portugal, guest had a big craving for cheesecake from his favourite bakery in New York. The hotel delivered one to him all the way from New York.

Building a personalised garden: A guest was staying at the Hotel d’Europe for a week. He loved gardens so much he had his gardener set up a full landscape garden on the terrace of his suite.

Fly me to Venice: One of the Capital’s usual guests was on holiday with his other half in Switzerland. He decided to treat her to a romantic getaway from the already romantic getaway they were on. So he called up The Capital’s concierge to arrange a helicopter to pick them up in Switzerland and take them to Venice for the day.

Pampered pooch: Two guests booked two executive deluxe rooms at the Swiss Diamond Hotel Olivella, one was exclusively for their dog.

Parachuting into a wedding at the hotel’s solarium: This adrenaline-junkie groom wanted to make a big entrance to his wedding so he parascended into the ceremony. The wedding itself was held in Spain’s Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque Resort’s solarium within tropical gardens.

Horse show with a difference: A guest asked if the Hotel Elba Costa Ballena, Spain, could organise a special kind of horse show. The hotel arranged a flamenco show with horses at their beach club for the guest.

And while I was surfing the net, I came across some more outrageous guest requests .

Interesting! But I am looking for a list of weird requests at Indian hotels. That should make more interesting reading.

See this poignant music video “gaon chodab nahin’ directed by KP Sasi which speaks of the woes of the tribal people- the adivasis when their land and homes are snatched away from them in the name of development. The lyrics are touching- especially if you understand the language

This one’s even more fascinating than the High Court decision legalizing homosexuality in India.

Yoga guru, Baba Ramdev quoting Spanish psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, contended that homosexuality is a disease that is curable.

“It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayam and other meditation techniques,” he said in a petition to the Supreme court.

The high court, in a landmark verdict, legalised gay sex among consenting adults, which was earlier an offence under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. The yoga guru has challenged the July 2 judgment contending that homosexual activities are not only against public morality, public health and healthy environment but also against the interest of the society.

“The decision of the high court, if allowed to sustain, will have catastrophic effects on the moral fabric of society and will jeopardise the institution of marriage itself. This offends the structure of the Indian value system, Indian culture and traditions, as derived from religious scriptures,” it said.

So what next? New episodes of yoga on early morning television, where now at instead of Pepsi and Coke, at the receiving end will be the gays of this world? Or new demonstration CDs from Baba Ramdev exhibiting new asanas to curb the homo within the Homo sapiens?! Jai ho! Gay ho!

So you can roll out the perfect aalu parathas, thread a needle with dexterity and do embroidery as well? What’s so great about that? Can you do these with your feet? Confused?

Watch this courageous lady brimming with confidence go through life with the normalcy of any of us. She has no hands. I couldn’t do half the things she did with half her comfort level. Impossible not to be touched by her grit and never-say-die attitude. I was simply floored. Hats off to her!

Now you needn’t be plagued by your bai’s complaints that there’s no water to wash your clothes. A new environmentally friendly washing machine — that uses only one cup of water and leaves clothes virtually dry — is set to go on sale next year.

The technology, developed at the University of Leeds, aims to save up to 90 per cent of water used by conventional machines and use 30 per cent less energy. The machine works by replacing most of the water with thousands of tiny, reusable nylon polymer beads, which attract and absorb dirt under humid conditions.

Only a small amount of water and detergent is needed to dampen the clothes, loosen stains and create the water vapour that allows the beads to work. After the cycle is finished, the beads fall through a mesh in the machine’s drum and can be re-used up to a hundred times.

Xeros, the company behind the technology, is aiming initially at the commercial washing market, including hotels and dry cleaners.

Sounds very enticing for the harried Indian housewife who is always being lured by ads selling soap and detergent. What next, I wonder. A flush in your toilet which doesn’t need water, I bet!