http://spaces.msn.com/members/gopalms/

http://spaces.msn.com/members/gopalms/

SloganMurugan's Slogan page. Mirror image of this blog.

Operation Murambatsvina.

Operation Murambatsvina or 'Drive out the Rubbish' in Shona, is the current battlecry in Zimbabwe. The autocratic President's thugs in uniform are driving out the urban poor and trying to settle them in the countryside.

Toll: 200,000 people homeless and 30,000 vendors jobless according to NYT.com

Reminds you of the Mumbai cleanup earlier this year? I wonder what Shri Vilasraoji Deshmukh would have called the operation if he had the chance.

Chalo Dilli

Gone are the days when New Delhi was the centre of Indian political life. New Delhi, the place from where Indira Gandhi controlled the destinies of millions of Indians through idiots sitting in the back seat of Ambassador cars. As India evolves into a mature democracy, people are creating their own destinies. Closer to home.

Chalo! Move Your Ass Wherever You Are.

Divide and Rule!

Nirad Chaudhri in his ‘Autobiography of An Unknown Indian’ had an interesting take on the subject. Here's what he has to say,

“When I see the gigantic catastrophe of Hindu-Muslim discord of these days I am not surprised, because we as children held the tiny mustard seed in our hands and sowed it very diligently. In fact, this conflict was implicit in the very unfolding of our history, and could hardly be avoided. Heaven preserve me from the dishonesty, so general among Indians, of attributing this conflict to British rule, however much the foreign rulers might have profited by it. Indeed they would have been excusable only as gods, and not as man the political animal, had they made no use of the weapon so assiduously manufactured by us, and by us also put into their hands. But even then they did not make use of it to the extent they might easily have done. This, I know, is a very controversial thesis, but I think it can be very easily proved if we do not turn a blind eye to the facts of our history.”

East Is East. West is West.

Why are there no villages in USA, only towns?

Why do even the biggest cities in India resemble villages?

Justice For All And Appeasement Of None

Remember that ancient election slogan of the BJP during the Ayodhya Ram Temple fiasco? The leader of the mob that led to immense destruction across India in that year and the boss of BJP, resigned a few moments ago from his post. The reason was his statements about Jinaah, the founding father of Pakistan.

For a man who has no principles, someone who refuses to admit in court that he was responsible in bringing down the mosque in Ayodhya, it is rather surprising that he stood by his statements this time.

Advani wrote in his resignation letter, "I have decided to request the party to relieve me of Presidentship I am sure acceding to my request would be in the best interest of the great cause I have served all my life as also of the party which has given me so much"

He continues, "I believe that my visit to Pakistan last week has immensely reinforced the initiatives taken by the NDA Government to bring about peace and normalcy with Pakistan. I have not said or done anything in Pakistan which I need to retract or review"

This was in response to RSS asking him to retract his statements praising Jinnah on his visit to Karachi.

Good show Advani, for once, now let us see who from the Vanar Sena will take over the mob.

As for justice and appeasement, I hope you will get fitting justice soon.

Stop Press!

The Mumbai Newspaper Battle 2005 finally left the hoardings around town and landed on where it should be rightly fought, the newspaper stands.

Times Of India in a deft move, used Zee/Dainik Bhaskar's DNA's delay in releasing its newspaper to bring out a newspaper called Mumbai Mirror. TOI hopes to deflect the competition by them by asking them to face the Mirror.

Mumbai Mirror or MidDay Mirror?

Mumbai Mirror comes across as a rush job that it is. It could do with a professional design. To compete against Mumbai newspapers that generally have evolved designs.

It looks like an cheap imitation of MidDay in look and contents. But on closer look, the content isn't. It has more information. A lot more than any newspaper in Mumbai but they crop the details out. The news is mostly wire-feed and begged articles, taken from across the world and chopped for the dumb and dumber Mumbaikar. It surely lives up to its promise 'Cut For You'!

The content looked better on day two. It was actually edited! I'm sure it was the businessmen owners who edited it on the first day.

DNA and Hindustan Times, as and when they arrive, will have no problem bettering Mumbai Mirror in content and design. I'm not sure if the TOI strategy to outflank competition will work either. Mumbai Mirror would most probably end up hurting MidDay in the long run.

Finally, the advertisement for Fame Adlabs Multiplex above the masthead of Mumbai Mirror probably sums up the newspaper :

'This Newspaper is your movie ticket.'