Category: India

Indian Govt tries to censor Internet

Stupidity is contiguous  and Stupid Politicians are legion.

From-

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204542404577158342623999990.html?mod=WSJINDIA_hpp_LEFTTopStories

Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. are fighting back against increasing censorship demands from the Indian government and courts, arguing that they aren’t legally responsible for monitoring their websites and proactively removing user content that regulators deem objectionable.

The big threat for the companies at the moment is a lawsuit in a New Delhi trial court, which seeks to hold them and several other websites criminally liable for not censoring online content, including material that mocks or criticizes religious and political figures.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204542404577158342623999990.html#ixzz1jVPdAsNT

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One not so apparent reason for Indian Govt to censor Internet is that the internet and social media were used for massive anti-Govt and anti-corruption protests in 2011. The Govt found itself on the backfoot, newspapers and television in India are generally considered pliable and manipulable by Govt  of  India (thanks to ad spends).Judiciary in India is also not known to be 100% honest or resistant of political pressures.

The incumbent Congress govt needs more legal weapons in its arsenal given elections are approaching this year in many states, and the need for more arrows in legal quivers  in India against the Internet is an inevitable and unfortunate next step. Since this is a global phenomenon (read- SOPA debate in US) ,and the huge huge internet population in India- this is one interesting battle to watch.

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YouTube Boxoffice for Bollywood Fans

While Hulu.com continues to be only-America centric (and so does Spotify), Youtube continues to have the best global strategy for media partnerships. I just came across http://www.youtube.com/BoxOffice and it shows the latest Bollywood movies for free (by streaming and by ads- it is sponsored by Intel 🙂  )

 

If you wanted to watch Bollywood and dont want to spend too much (or more likely- dont have a Bollywood rental store near you) -Check out the following movies some very new and some very classic-

Continue reading “YouTube Boxoffice for Bollywood Fans”

Indian Business Schools Alumni try to grow more equal

A message from one the IIM (Indian Institute of Management) alumni networks, just an example of how any global organization should make extra efforts to make things more equal- and (thus position their brand for a differentiated place for attracting talent)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institutes_of_Management

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), are graduate business schools in India that also conduct research and provide consultancy services in the field of management to various sectors of the Indian economy. They were created by the Indian Government[1] with the aim of identifying the brightest intellectual talent[1] available in the student community of India and training it in the best management techniques available in the world, to ultimately create a pool of elite managers to manage and lead the various sections of the Indian economy.

The IIMs are considered the top business schools in India.[3] All the IIMs are completely autonomous institutes owned and financed by the Central Government of India. In order of establishment, the IIMs are located at Calcutta (Kolkata), Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kozhikode (Calicut), Indore, Shillong, Ranchi, Rohtak, Raipur, Trichy, Kashipur and Udaipur. (My alma mater is Lucknow)

 

IIMs being role models have shared knowledge and skills with other institutions to improve their quality and standards in management education


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IIM A Alumni Association has been reaching out to the alumni associations of other IIMs to broad base the brotherhood (no offense to the fairer sex. Couldn’t think of a replacement word).

IM Calcutta Alumni Association has been conducting a lecture series and has invited us for the next edition. The topic is “The Unlimited Person”

India’s ambitions today – particulary reflected in the Corporate Sector – are Unlimited. What mind-set does it take to realise these ambitions ? Minds that live in the past or in the future – as too many Indian minds do – limit themselves, their companies and their country.

This presentation gives several examples of our current average mind-set and talks about ways in which an unlimited mind-set can emerge, creating “The Unlimited Person”

The speaker will be IIM Calcutta alumnus Shashi Maudgal, Chief Marketing Officer of Hindalco Industries of the Aditya Birla Group. The date is Friday June 24th at Gulmohar at the India Habitat Centre . Time 7 pm.

We hope you will come for this lecture and benefit from Shashi’s experience and insights.

Jayaraman -PGP ’70 / Sunil Kala PGP ’73 / Salil Agrawal PGP ’83

T. Venkateswaran PGP ’85 / Rahul Aggarwal PGP ’94

Movie Review Ready

Picture of Asin Thottumkal, an Indian actress
Asin- Indian actor

I just saw the Bollywood Movie , Ready (2011) starring Salman Khan and Asin.  Salman Khan has been the Charlie Sheen of Indian Cinema for some time now, and the movie plays up to his charm, slapstick humor and slap full action.

Asin is a great actor, and this is not art for the sake of art- it is art to make the people laugh.

Enjoy it but with tempered expectations that you are in for some stupendous Bollywoodish humor.

Related articles

 

Love Bytes- a modern Indian play

Review= Love Bytes

I was here in Taj Vivanta,Mumbai India, as a guest and I caught up with a lovely new age play called Love Bytes.

Directed and written by Divya Palat http://www.divyapalat.com  , this play explores the emotional turbulences of the digiterati, the Facebook status changes, and the complete life cycle of the supply chain of love.

From teenage puppy love, to double income 1 kid, to geeky nerd afraid to talk to the beauteous girl in office,and the live in couple with no pressure to marry – this s when Harry met Sally  plus Its Complicated all mashed together with anthemic rock songs between the acts.

I loved the humor and the satire though the second act did drag on my nerves with the puns on African American rappers,  extinct parsis  species, and mild homophobia in father son relationships. One solo act stood out for the funny words..

Welcome brave new world of Bollywood.

Or maybe I should say Bollyway-wood.

Weather Weapons

water table high.
Image by glassblower via Flickr

possible weapons to modify weather and /or influence psychological reactions in people/mass events.

1) use of lasers to create hot spots on ocean ,sea surfaces for clouds and pressure winds

2) controlled demolitions to alter river trajectory

3) controlled sub terranean demolitions to influence water table levels

4) introduction of aerial oxidants and chemical leaching agents to alter soil productivity, water retention.

5) controlled sub nuclear explosions on glaciers as well as ice deposits.

6) MODIFICATION of ambient light /rain/sleet to influence or encourage dissent in populations usually in combination with some or all of the above.

the name of the game is the art of fighting a war without fighting a war. subtlety does it.

countries doing it are us, supported by pan democracies, china, and russia. may we live in interesting times

http://www.asitis.com/2/41.html

TRANSLATION

Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.

Bollywood Movie Review Dum Maro Dum 2011

This is a nice Bollywood thriller, crime action romance betrayal suspense or as we call it back home- a Masala movie.

Watch it for the action, engrossing plot, songs or just the rather realistic look at India’s drug,rave, party, beach culture in Goa. Continue reading “Bollywood Movie Review Dum Maro Dum 2011”