Feb 23, 2009

Jai Ho!

India celebrates as A R Rahman wins two Oscars: for Best Score and Best Song. He’s only the third Indian to take home the golden statue, after Bhanu Athaiya (for costume design in Gandhi) and Satyajit Ray (lifetime achievement). This year, clearlySlumdog Millionaire was the clear winner, sweeping eight awards in total. It was nice to see the Indian contingent out in full force at the event. The only embarrassment at the Oscars—and indeed at this whole season of movie awards—has been a rather over-enthusiastic Anil Kapoor. His glee at being part of such a celebrated project is understandable, as his apparent joy at being revived in the public eye. But surely that’s not reason enough to act in an undignified manner, whooping and clapping whenever you spot a camera. Poor Irrfan Khan—he couldn’t get a word in edgewise with the E news reporter—Mr Kapoor was too busy waxing eloquent. Yikes.

Feb 13, 2009

Judgement day

Yesterday was a day where justice was dispensed. Pakistan finally admitted that its citizens were involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack—and about time too we should say. Guess the international pressure from Obama et al proved too much for Islamabad to handle. Also, Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surendra Koli were sentenced guilty in the horrific Nithari case. Another piece of news that made Delhi Whispers very happy: the growing number of people signing up for the Pink Chaddi campaign on networking sites like Facebook. Time for medieval thought processes to bite the dust

Feb 11, 2009

For those of us who still believed that India’s judiciary was beyond reproach, here’s a shocker. It just takes Rs 75,000 to guarantee an early hearing of your case in the Supreme Court. That’s the story of an NRI doctor who is engaged in a legal battle against three Kolkata doctors. His contention is that their actions led to his wife’s death 11 years ago. They were acquitted by the Kolkata High Court in 2004 forcing him to take the battle to the apex court. After a wait of over four years, some officials of the Supreme Court promised a ‘prompt’ hearing for the aforementioned sum. But our kudos go to the doctor. He promptly informed the CBI who arrested the three men (two employees of the court’s registry and one lawyer) in question. Some justice after all!

Feb 9, 2009

It was warm for a while in the capital—now the Met department predicts that the weather will go back to its cold ways. It’s February after all, folks. Also becoming distinctly chilly is the relationship between the SP and the Congress, with Mulayam Singh reaffirming his friendship with Kalyan Singh. With elections just around the corner, does this herald another round of shifting alignments and alliances? Let’s wait and watch.

Feb 3, 2009

Delhi lad Yuki Bhambri came home yesterday with the Australian Open Junior Boy’s trophy—a proud moment for the city and the country. A double whammy for us was the Mixed Doubles’ crown, won by Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza. It just goes to show that India has the talent—what we lack is the infrastructure and training at the grassroots level. Sania has been mentored by Bhupathi and Bhambri has been sponsored by the Apollo tennis programme. But what of those on the socioeconomic fringes who do not have access to good coaches, equipment or courts? If we want to consistently produce tennis champions, it will take a dedicated all-India effort and commitment to spot talent and nurture it. Otherwise, such wins will remain a flash in the pan.