Happy Birthday! Madras!

We all have that one 'special' day when we get cakes, gifts & bumps... A day that was made special to a few of the people around us, just because of our birth... If we, the mortals deserve it, why not a city that is beloved by thousands? Don't know about other cities, but Madras(namma Chennai) surely deserves it. If you think so, don't forget to wish Madras & all Madras-ians tomorrow(August 22)

It is believed that on August 22, 1639, a sliver of land, where Fort St. George stands today, was transacted by the East India Company, laying the foundation of this great city, which has seen enormous growth in the last 368 years.

Madras! My hearty Birthday wishes!

Can read about 'The Madras Day' and various events happening around the theme in 'The Madras Day - Website'.

Google - Aggressive on Indian Market???

After enthralling the Indian users with the orkut polls and logo change, Google is now planning a lot of new gifts for the Indian Users. Today, they have posted in the Official Google Blog that they are going to come up with a lot of new products(gifts) for the Indian users. Coupling this with the recent Google roadshows they conducted for creating awareness among the SME sector(Read about it at Business Standard - Google Roadshows @ Ahmedabad), it means only one thing - Google has started taking Indian markets very seriously. So all Google Indian users, we have exciting times ahead of us!

Related Post: Orkut Celebrates India's Independence Day

Got to know about the Google's Planned gifts for Indian Users from Namaste India(A post in the official Google blog). Probably the recent India centric-focus may be driven by the projected market for revenue through Adwords.

60 Years of Indian Independence by a 20+ Young Indian

For a country which began its walk at midnight(thanks to its astrologers), India has done really well in all the fronts. Right from the day one, the country not only carried the hopes of all Indians(who are presently a billion strong) but also the hopes of thousand others who were still under the chains of bondage at that time. Now they look up to India for carrying the light of democracy among the liberated nations.

This 60th Independence day is very special since no wherever in the past days we were as optimistic as today about the future of India. Today, there were reports splashed all over the newspapers and talk shows in all the news channels about the sixty years of Independent India. 'The Hindu'(Paper of my choice) has brought a special supplement - 'Independent India at 60' with esteemed leaders of India, right from Dr. Manmohan Singh to Amartya Sen writing a column in it. Orkut for its part is conducting polls through its website. But these reports do not portray them from the eyes of a 20+ young Indian who has never seen the initial years . [Yeah! Found a niche for me to write]. So writing this post & list down the 3 most important events[3 so that i don't have to think hard :)] in these 60 years of independence for a 20+ young Indian.

• Economic liberalization - I have never waited for 3 months to get my phone. I have never waited to get my chance to buy a scooter, television, etc. Thanks to economic liberalization that started in 1990s... Today, I am looking at a future prosperous India. "Everything works out for the good" atleast worked out during the economic crisis of 1991.
  
• 1983 World Cup Victory - One that ultimately led to the domination of cricket over other sports - Even withstanding the onslaught of Patriotic sports heroes like Leander Paes, Leaders(No:1) like Viswanathan Anand, or even sportswoman with the 'babe' factor like Sania Mirza.
  
• Babri Masjid - A Shame for India and A event that shook India... threatening the basic fabric - peace of India. Starting point of further mishapss like Gujarat riots, Mumbai Blasts, etc..

Thanks to amazing constitution that our forefathers were able to come up with(though it was mostly a Ctrl C+Ctrl V Job), democracy has flourished in India threatened, not even once by military. Our forefathers laid the foundation of a nation in which even the poorest of the poor believe that they have a voice. And our job is to make sure they never lose it..

Hope at the end of 70th Independence day, we not only would be standing on the threshold of joining the elite club of developed nations but also as a model for other nations to follow.

Jai Hind!

Related Post : Orkut-India Celebrates India's Independence Day

Orkut Celebrates India's Independence Day

With most of the A-list Blogger doting on Facebook, i thought it would soon replace orkut as India's most famous social networking website. Orkut may last as India's #1 social networking webstie for a few years, thanks to the first mover advantage. But surely not more than that since Google is not paying the required attention to this product which is not a major revenue earner in USA. Remember we have all seen just a few updates in the orkut right from the time we joined it.

But it seems the things are changing a little bit now. 4 Posts in the last ten days in the orkut Blog after months of inactivity. And one of them talking about India's Independence Day. Was pleasantly surprised to see orkut running a few polls about India's past and future to coincide with the India's 60th year of independence. So they are finally realizing the future competition on their hands, trying now itself to establish the emotional bond with the Indian customers.


Listing down the questions, the Orkut- India has chosen to conduct its polls. Click on the questions if you like to vote

Your favorite "Global" Indian is....
Which is the most popular movie since independence?
What should be the most important focus area for India during the next 10 years?
Will India be a permanent member of the UN Security Council by 2010?
Who is your favorite Indian fictional character?
India is synonymous with...


Related Posts: 60 Years of Indian Independence by a 20+ Young Indian

Got to know this from Orkut Blog - 60 Years of Independence- Tell Us What You Think!

Update: Can check out the results from the Orkut Blog - And the Winners are... [No Surprises there in the results... Except for the very low turnout for the polls - only around 15,000 people]

When Words Fail You....

No words can describe the sorrow the IIM - Indore family has gone through in the last 3 days. Two of our beloved friends - Nitesh & Neha are not with us any more. Thomas Campbell, a Scottish Poet once said,

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."

Though the choral river may have taken them from us , it would never take them from our hearts. Nitesh & Neha, You will always be living in our hearts.

In News
http://creativenits.blogspot.com/2007/08/when-hopes-died.html
http://nishantzworld.blogspot.com/2007/08/memories.html

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

~From a headstone in Ireland