Frankthoughts

Oh holy night the stars are brightly shining…this is the night of our dear saviour’s birth! Wishing one and all the peace and joy of Christ this Christmas season! Christmas is the time of giving and sharing, it is the time when our families forget their differences and come together to celebrate. When we decorate our houses, put up christmas trees and spend enormous sums of money on clothes and gifts for ourselves and our loved ones. But very often we forget why we are doing all this…why am I writing about it? Maybe, because I too, almost completely forgot the reason why I celebrate Christmas in the first place! As every year, this year too I went for the midnight service on Christmas eve to my church. I arrived fifteen minutes early, hoping to get a seat. But, to my surprise the church premises was overflowing with people, many of whom I had never seen before, not that I know everyone who comes there. But there were hawkers selling Santa Claus hats and balloons, children sc...

Sometimes, however much you try, you can never get in to the Christmas mood. Even though everywhere you look you can see some semblance of the arrival of the Christmas season. But somehow you just cannot get yourself to feel that way. This is exactly how I was feeling till I decided to proactively do something about it. I decided to listen to my favourite Christmas carols, hymns and songs. So throughout the day (in office on ear phones), I started listening to various versions of Little Drummer Boy, Away in a Manger, Oh Come, All Ye Faithful, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Silent Night etc…Now it seems like I won’t be able to get rid of this amazing feeling! So, what's the difference between a Christmas hymn, carol and a song?  Some experts believe that hymns are carols for adults. On this basis, Once in Royal David's City, and Silent Night, for example, are carols. The Oxford Book of Carols defines carols as "songs with a religious impu...

Scenes of a few Australian cricketers gesturing to the president of the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), Sharad Pawar to leave the podium after the ICC Champions Trophy presentation had been flashed across all media worldwide. Pawar declined initially from commenting on the issue and dismissed it as something trivial. He however later, asked for a formal apology from the Australian team, because, “If they apologise, it would be a good signal to the people of this country (read India)”, as he put it. As per reports, the Australian team captain sent his formal apology to Pawar and has even tried to contact him personally. All this is fine…but was the Australian demeanour just Aussie arrogance, as perceived by the host nation, or were they just eager to receive the award? If so, then is this freedom of expression universal? Are there any limits to it? Or is just a matter of perspective? Who decides this? Almost all democracies have signed the United Nations, Universal De...

The recent announcement of Tata Steel buying Corus, the erstwhile British Steel, has indeed made a lot of Indians very proud. There are several reasons for this. The deal cost the Tatas $12.1 billion and has propelled them from the fifty sixth to the fifth position in the steel industry!  This post might seem a bit biased and over the top…but what the hell! “Do you mean to say that Tatas propose to make steel rails to British specifications? Why, I will undertake to eat every pound of steel rail they succeed in making” - Sir Frederick Upcott (Chairman, Board of Indian Railways, in 1907 when Tatas proposed to make steel)  Upcott must have turned in his grave after the deal was announced! I’m sure if he were alive today he would be embarrassed about his statement, to say the least. The Tatas have just bought over one of the last few icons of Her Majesty’s Empire. Hence, for a country that was once a British colony for more than a hundred years, what can be better?...

I can't sing like Luciano Pavarotti. I can't dance like John Travolta. I can't run the hundred metres in under 10 seconds like Carl Lewis. I can't act like Al Pacino. I can't cook like Anthony Bourdain. I can't write like...wait a minute...I can write...not like Thomas Friedman...but I can write! There is always a first time to everything, and I must admit that this is my first attempt at writing a blog. So, don’t expect it to be a masterpiece. It could become one though, with your help.  I will, as my blog name suggests, be as frank and honest about my opinion and point of view as possible. My endeavour will be to present you a new thought each time you visit this space. The topics I choose will be based on current news and happenings but with a wider perspective. I hope to involve as many of you as possible in a dialogue, where different ideas and views are exchanged.  If you don’t like what I write, tell me. If you like what I write, tell me. ...