The only silverware missing from Sachin’s trophy cabinet has been won.  6 attempts and what a way to sign off with a victory.  An end to another magnificent career of Murali.  Too much was made of the controversy at the toss.  Our conspiracy theorist media lapped it up.

It would not have been a well deserved win if India had won the cup the easy way.  To beat Australia, Pakistan and finally Sri Lanka en route to win the cup is probably the best written script.

Also that should settle the claim around Dhoni that he is plain lucky.  Luck only takes you so far.  Like it or not, he is a masterclass captain.  A T20 world cup win and now the 50 over World Cup and not to mention the numerous series wins both at home and abroad, Dhoni has proved to be the best ever player to have captained India.

The biggest party in the world is happening out there.  Enjoy it while it lasts.  For the next 4 years, We Are The Champions.

Above pictures courtesy: Cricinfo

+++

A win for Congress-RJD would have been a trip back to the stone age for Bihar. Nitish Kumar has got an overwhelming mandate from the public.  No matter how much the Congress tries to portray that the win for Nitish was nothing but a rejection of Lalu’s politics, they cant deny the fact that people have virtually rejected them too.  For the party ruling at the center to win /lead in less than 10 seats in a 243 member assembly is a new low.

People are increasingly voting for roti-kapada-makaan and other necessities in life.  No one bothers about reservations, mandir-masjid, communal and other caste politics anymore.  There is a whole new generation of kids who have been born post the 1991 liberalisation.

The new India demands development.  Hope the Thuggerays in Bombay realise that probably they need to stop beating up the migrants from Bihar.  Sooner or later no one would want to end up in the corrupt and crumbling Slumbay Bombay anymore.  Hope the corrupt Congress in Maharashtra gets the message too.   Not to mention the constant feuding AP Congress.

3 Cheers again to Nitish Kumar for his developmental politics. May his tribe increase.

PS: Guess what is the other heartening news?  The complete rout of the commies

Above picture courtesy: IBNLive

+++

Today’s news reports that 5 people involved in the Satyam scam have been given bail. Dont be surprised when Ramalinga Raju who is living like a king in the NIMS hospital but refuses to appear in courts or even take part in a televideo trial will soon be released on bail too.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry can make out that the various excuses given by criminals and undertrials are fake and yet our courts accept those excuses and keep pushing the dates of the cases.  A friend of mine who was working under a famous lawyer in Hyderabad used to tell numerous stories of how his boss used to hoodwink the courts with fake medical leaves, out of station kinda excuses to not attend the court.  Heck, the lawyer even used to give excuses like his car’s tyre got punctured and excused himself from attending court.  I wonder if the judge didnt remind the lawyer that there is something called autos, taxis or other public transport that he could have taken to attend court.

Till the government amends the laws to ensure that every case needs to be wrapped up in a certain amount of time no matter what the excuse, this charade will keep going on.   It took 26 years for the courts to find the guilty in the Bhopal gas carnage.  People are still suffering the after effects.  The wounds of the survivors of the Sikh riots led by the Congress ministers, the muslims killed in Gujarat with the active participation of the ruling BJP and the current CM Narendra Modi, the riots of Bombay perpetrated by the Thuggerays….the list goes on.

Till the feet of our leaders are held to the fire and action demanded from them, i dont see any closure for the millions of people on whom the actual crime is not the injustice, but the judicial system and the government that was elected to keep them safe from harm insults them repeatedly by denying them justice.

Fraudulent sales, inflated invoices, accrued interest and understated liabilities were some of the major methods that Ramalinga Raju and his henchmen used in order to make Satyam Computers Services Ltd appear highly profitable and keep the share price high, so that he could take away a whopping Rs2,743 crore out of the company. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) explained this and other intricacies of its investigation into Satyam at a media workshop in Mumbai.

JL Negi, general manager, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on deputation to the CBI explained how Ramalinga Raju falsified facts and puffed up results. He said, the company benchmarked its performance to that of Infosys. The financial numbers were massaged through fraudulent sales- invoices generated through “Excel porting”, which allowed the founder of Satyam and his co-conspirators to raise invoices bypassing the regular system and obfuscating an audit trail. In the period from April 2003 to December 2008, 7,561 fake invoices were created by a set of people close to Raju, who had access to the system. The fake invoices generated without purchase orders were shown as “hidden” and could only be accessed by a chosen core group. The CBI alleges that Mr Raju even asked his software team to develop certain products for seven non-existent customers.

These were Mobitel, Cellnet, E-care, Synony, Northsea, Autotech and Hargreaves. Fake revenue was recognized for these products by generating fictitious email as if they originated from these customers.  A domain was created in rediffmail to send these emails and 63 invoices were generated to raise Rs430.66 crore. The company even booked Rs31.18 crore as forex profit on account of fictitious sales.

Read this full article in livemint on how Ramanlinga Raju used his position in Satyam to perpetrate the scam.  You have to simply say hats off for the way he manipulated the scam.

Not to mention a big kick on the backside of the regulators, law enforcement agencies who let the scam happen for years and kept their eyes shut.

Past articles on the Satyam scam

The Satyam shocker continues…
Ramalinga Raju – The fraud King
Satyam’s pack of lies crumble
The Satyam – Maytas flip flop

+++

“Buy when everyone sells and sell when everyone buys” is probably the only way to make money in the market.  Following the heard mentality is sure to give a lot of heart pain in the long run.

The exhilarating bounce from the lows that the Indian equity market touched on 9 March 2009 is now a year old—and what a year it has been. These 12 months have been a wildly profitable time for those brave souls who held their nerve and bought stocks, while it has been a missed opportunity for those who thought it was a short-lived bear market rally and thus preferred to sit on cash.

The benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index, or Sensex, closed on Tuesday at 17,052.54, up 109% over a year ago, though just about nobody believes the next 12 months will be as good.

Read the full article here

Above picture courtesy: Livemint

+++

Three Shiv Sena legislators complained Monday that their police security cover had been withdrawn, and accused the Congress-NCP of getting back at them for their recent opposition to the government.

Two of the three lawmakers, Jogeshwari MLA Ravindra Waikar and Andheri MLC Anil Parab, were among the 342 Shiv Sena activists who were detained last week for waving black flags at Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Mumbai. Before that, Parab had led a march to Shah Rukh Khan’s home to protest the star’s statement that Pakistani players should have been part of the IPL.

The third lawmaker, Bandra MLA Prakash (Bala) Sawant, said he had not taken part in any protests but had visited police stations to talk to Sainiks who had been detained.

MLAs and MLCs in Maharashtra are provided security by the Protection and Security Department of the Mumbai Police, and are assigned policemen not above the rank of constable who carry a small weapon and work in 12-hour shifts.

Sawant complained he had been targeted despite his not having taken part in the protests. “I had only gone to meet activists detained at various police stations,” Sawant said. He added he would write to the police to ask them to restore his security. “My constituency is very sensitive and if anything happens to me the state government will be responsible.”

Read the full news here

I have always believed that all these morons dont deserve even a single police constable’s protection around them.  Since they have no qualms whipping up communal and regional feelings and exhorting their supporters to beat up innocent people, the police should also let them be at the mercy of people who want to take revenge from them.

Let them also be beaten into pulp while the rest of the world watches the fun.

Picture source: Moneytrader

+++

Prime Focus played an essential behind-the-scenes role in two of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of 2009 — Chris Weitz’s “New Moon” and James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The company established itself as one of the cutting-edge firms in the visual effects business by producing about 10 percent of James Cameron’s path-breaking 3D superhit and a whopping 80 percent of the shots for the second installment of the Twilight franchise.

“’Avatar’ obviously is the biggest of all,” Malhotra said. “We’ve done some exemplary work in ‘GI Joe’ and ‘New Moon’ as well. But when you’re working on ‘Avatar’ as one of the top five vendors you have got to a lot more credible space than working on just any movie.”

The London Stock Exchange-listed company’s portfolio of work runs the gambit from “Avatar” to top Bollywood hits like the Amir Khan starrer “3 Idiots” to Splinter Films’ DVD release of a live performance by Beyonce. The company already owns the lion’s share of the Indian post-production and visual effects market, and the international business is expanding rapidly.

Full article here

+++

Few things unite India like cricket, and on December 6, 2009, millions of Indians were united in celebration as their team ascended to the top of the ICC Test rankings.

Fittingly, the victory that made it possible was marked by standout performances from the men who have played a crucial role in India’s ascent. Virender Sehwag has scored more runs than any other Indian batsman over the last 25 Tests – played over a two-year period beginning November 2007. His innings of 293 – played at a pace that left the bowlers ample time to finish the demolition job – proved pivotal as India fulfilled its destined tryst with the top slot.

Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan have been India’s highest wicket-takers during this period. Both picked up six wickets apiece for the match, with Zaheer coming up with a five-wicket haul to polish off the tail on Sunday morning and take India to a comfortable win by an innings and 24 runs.

Full news here

Pictures source: Cricinfo

+++

The seventh dossier was passed to Pakistan a few days ago.  Am sure it went into the dustbin as usual.  In spite of all evidence passed, Pakistan refuses to admit its complicity in the attacks.  Even if it does, there is nothing much to do about it.

The Pakistani army and its rogue intelligence agency, ISI have the official policy of using terrorism as an instrument of strategy against its neighbours. Too bad, it has finally spiralled out of control and Pak itself is under constant bombardments from the monster it created.

Not to mention, the Afghan – Pak border has become such a hotspot for the terrorists that the Americans are regularly using drones to bomb the hell out of the place.   To take out one terrorist, the US drones kill 100.  Pathetic ratio, no doubt.   It only makes it easy for the jehadis to indoctrinate the suffering people.   More terrorists are born, the cycle continues.

Till the US comes to its senses and crushes the evil nexus of the Pak army, ISI and the jehadi factory, they are in for a long haul in Afghanistan and there is not going to be any peace in the neighbourhood.

Previous entries on the Bombay attack – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Above picture source: IBNLive

According to the reports, Bal Thackeray has come down heavy on Tendulkar’s remark. The master blaster had asserted that he is extremely proud of being a Maharashtrian, but he also added that Mumbai is a part of India and he plays for India.

Criticising master blaster for his remarks, Bal Thackeray urged Tendulkar to stay away from politics and concentrate on his game.

On Sunday, Tendulkar sent a poignant message to all who have been fighting for the cause of the Marathis.

Source: Headlines India

Ya, Sachin should concentrate on the game of cricket because Bal Thuggeray  continues his business of inciting hatred and violence even with one leg in the grave along with his nephew Raj Thuggeray.  While the bloody Congress / NCP government you elected to keep you safe and sound is busy politicking and finding out how much it would cost (swindle) to put up Shivaji’s statue in the  Arabian sea.

Meanwhile the price of daily essential goods skyrocket and farmers continue to commit suicide in droves all over Maharashtra unable to repay their debts.  And we are busy with our marathi pride.

We deserve such swines.

+++

He laid the foundation of India’s huge atomic energy establishment almost singlehandedly, nurturing and expanding it with his dynamic vision. Thanks in no small measure to Homi J. Bhabha’s dream, India’s atomic energy programme has acquired global stature today, capable of designing and testing nuclear weapons and aspiring to meet its growing demands for nuclear energy.

Born to Jehangir Hormusji Bhabha and Meherbai on Oct 30, 1909, in Bombay (now Mumbai), the young Bhabha led a sheltered and emotionally secure childhood. The very first glimmerings of a keen and inquisitive mind became apparent when a specialist told his very worried parents why he slept little — a hyperactive brain that kept him awake at nights.

Excellent family ties with the Tatas and their association with national leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru and also with the British imbued the sensitive boy with a sense of nationalism and perspective.

In 1924, Homi Bhabha passed the Senior Cambridge exam at the age of 15. But by then he had grasped the complexities of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity as well as the intricacies of classical painting.

His arrival in Cambridge, a fount of nuclear physics, three years later in 1927, permitted his native genius to bloom for the next 12 years, where he obtained his PhD in physics with specialisation in cosmic rays, in 1934. He was just 25 then.

Bhabha met many of the greatest physicists of the time, namely Niels Bohr, James Franck, and Enrico Fermi, who played key roles in the Anglo-American atomic weapon programmes.

In March 1944, even before the world acquired a nodding acquaintance with the mighty potential of nuclear energy, Bhabha, then a professor, wrote to Sir Dorab J. Tata, who headed the Tata Trust, proposing an institute for nuclear physics in India.

“When nuclear energy has been successfully applied to power production in, say, a couple of decades from now,” Bhabha wrote with remarkable prescience, “India will not have to look abroad for its experts but will find them ready at hand.”

Thus the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) came into being on Dec 19, 1945, just four months after Hiroshima and three years before Indian independence.

Bhabha served as its first director, which placed him at the commanding heights of the country’s nuclear future, until his premature death in a plane crash in the Swiss Alps on Jan 24, 1966.

Bhabha was very particular about maintaining excellence. Addressing the then National Institute of Sciences, Bhabha said: “This is a field in which a large number of mediocre or second rate workers cannot make up for a few outstanding ones, and the few outstanding ones always take at least 10-15 years to grow.”

As the new nation’s prime minister, Nehru entrusted Bhabha with complete authority over all nuclear-related affairs and programmes. Both of them shared a close rapport. In April 1948 at Bhabha’s bidding, Nehru agreed to legislate the Atomic Energy Act in the Constituent Assembly, creating the Indian Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC).

On Jan 3, 1954, the IAEC decided to set up a new facility, the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET). In August the same year, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) came into being with Bhabha as its secretary. Till date, it remains answerable only to the prime minister. Prime minister Indira Gandhi renamed AEET the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Full article here

+++