DG by any name…

What if I was called anything other than DG? Lets say one fine morning (afternoon or night) someone takes it on themselves to rechristen me..

Would I change? Would I look any different [ah, a slimmer me wont be bad ;)] would I feel different? Would my identity change?
Here is what I am called mostly now..
D - Yes, been called this too. No connect to some hoodlums though!
DG - Non-Indian colleagues/acquaintances to save my name from being tortured
DG - Started with NIIT and fondness for 2-3-4 letter acronyms for things and people
Dha - A new colleague likes to call me this.
Dhar - Funnily, have been called this. Lazy people?
Dharu - Very few select people get away using this one ;)

So, what would I be christened as, if I have to? My name would have started with a ‘D’ or ‘S’ to be ‘compliant’ with the planetary charts.
Deepa - ugh, I am not sure I’d have lit up anything :)
Damayanti - Mom would have rejected this for the Nala/Damayanti story
Durga - Fiery temper, flaring nostrils…
Devaki - Again, not a very happy story
Divya - Too common?
Srilakshmi - Sigh
Sri (whatever) YAWN!
Savitri - Perish the thought!

Hhhmmm.. I think I’ll pass this one on…I am me, and I am DG!

Richer than me!

I like the intense concentration...

Nukes, Farmers and Diplomacy

Bush seems on a strange visit :) or so it seems to me.

First he signs a Nuke deal to cement the "civil nuclear energy cooperation" between India and the United States.

As I write, he is at the NGRA University that is involved in knowledge initiative on agriculture.

He will then go to the B School affiliated with the Wharton and Kellogg School of Management.

Was there some connect in all this?
On one hand they sign nuke deals for global peace (!!??) and then they shake hands with Indian farmers?

On the third hand they will sell India better fighter aircraft and our high-tech arms (aha, I was going to type it as hitech, changed it just in time! Old habits die hard?!) and encourage farmers on the fourth?

Forgive my humor, but this seems like we will bomb ‘land’ using their arms and then till/plough the same land using their help. Nice!

Hhhmmm… all this diplomacy is sure lost on me! ;)

________________________________________________________

The morning news on NDTV had an interesting question about Bush's visit to Hyderabad:
“Everyone asks Why Hyderabad, we ask Why not Hyderabad?”

Here is why not, indeed!

• Hyd is Destination Next – remember you saw this phrase here for the first time!
• Hyd-baddies could well be the next word to get added to the Dictionaries, never mind Bangalore jobs will be bangalored from under their noses ;)
• All bets on for Hyd to have the next US Consulate – consider the number of Andhra-vaadus you encounter while travelling out of India and you are bound to bet in favour!
• Out-of-favor-chicken-biryani – a worthy mention, albeit the flu threats
• Hyd-baddie culture, people, place, animal, things.. eerr.. ok, got carried away. Though I doubt Bush will really get to flavour this.
• Of course, this is where yours truly resides, so...

Lose control

Just fresh from yet another debate on this movie and it looks like I could be lynched sometime soon for not ‘loving it’. I agree that the movie is
- Very ‘with it’ so far as gen next is concerned
- A great entertainer – specially with Khan in it
- Hyped enough pre-release
- A call to young people to take responsibility for their lives
- Slickly handled
- Great w.r.t the music – Rehman rocks :)

But I wonder if that means we take other people’s lives – atleast those we don’t like/agree with/ or plain dislike. I think the film was undone with that ‘maar dalo’ by Sonia – post her boyfriend’s death. Sure, I can see the parallel with the Historical perspective… but that doesn’t mean I can be illogical and say, “ok, go ahead and kill everyone you hate!”

I’ve had numerous experiences that have made me feel murderous, but can I really do that? And would I really be justified in doing it, anyways? Do I know all the facts? Imagine killing Harshad for the losses he brought in investors across the country, Laloo for his gimmicks – no use pinpointing one here, Fernandes for the Kargil scam, xzy for abc scam… how many people will one kill? More importantly, who/what gives you the right to kill?

They kill corrupt politician, kill corrupt dad and then hole up in a radio station to escape a faceless government’s death warrant and they also feel remorse. Was it really remorse? Or is it just false bravado that’s facing reality?

I realise about artistic license allows some things, but I wonder if the story could have ended differently:
Without the wasted gun power
Without the useless shooting/blood and sentimental nonsense
Without enticing people to be violent
Without ignoring the message to the awakening generation (much like the 'dont wake a sleeping monster') ;)

Lose control?
Of course!