Picture this: A couple from a lower middle class standing in front of a Paan Shop. A mobile phone rings. The husband excitedly glances at his mobile to see if it is his phone which is ringing. He finds it is not the case. Then the wife curiously checks her set but hers is also silent. Now it is the turn of the Paanwalla who opens his drawer to check his cell phone but his instrument is not buzzing either. In the meanwhile, the camera is shifted on the Paanwalla help sitting under the Paan Booth, chatting merrily on his mobile phone in his dialect. Well, this was publicity campaign of a telecom company on air not many years ago. Continue reading “Telecom revolution -Jai Ho!”
TV – down the memory lane
Sitting in the comfort of his bed room, as my son surfs scores of channels to view the programme of his choice on a flat-screen television with amazing clarity, I cannot help recalling my own growing up days .In the early 70s when television had not made entry into most Indian homes, a big Murphy radio (as big as a T.V) occupied a place of pride in our drawing room. Continue reading “TV – down the memory lane”
Those stormy NAAC days
Around the time when Tsunami hit the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, a giant wave was sweeping across the institutes of higher learning in the city beautiful. The teams from NAAC (National Accreditation and Assessment Council) visited Chandigarh for the assessment and gradation of the colleges Continue reading “Those stormy NAAC days”
Ageing Blues
“Middle age starts at three and five 35”, this innocent prefix announced with the tambola number came as a bolt from the blue. At a time when I was crossing over to the other side of 30, the knowledge of the fact that I was not young any longer gave shivers down my spine. Continue reading “Ageing Blues”
Reservations about Reservation
I have serious reservations about the policy of reservation, which has understandably become an emotive issue. With limited number of seats in the premier educational institutes, the policy evokes sharp reactions as the quotas further shrink the number of seats in the general category demoralizing and frustrating the meritorious youth. Continue reading “Reservations about Reservation”