What's Up?

WIth the rains finally catching up these last few days, and Pune's dams filling up to around 20 TMC (Pune needs 14 TMC a year to quench it's thirst), citizens can finally heave a sigh of relief. And with government's drought relief measures in place, hopefully, most farmers will be able to sow and reap well too.

Violence erupted in Mumbai yesterday after inflammatory speeches about atrocities against Muslims in the NE. Police quickly brought matters in control, but not before two people were killed and scores of vehicles stoned and torched. Pune police have gone on overdrive to prevent similar trouble, given the sizeable NE student population here.

India bagged it's biggest medal tally, with Yogeshwar Dutt putting up a stirling performance of grit, determination and intelligence in his final face off, to win the bronze, and a rare standing ovation. Although our archers, many of the shooters and the hockey team failed miserably, we put up our best show ever - and the tally of 5 hides another 7-8 medals that were so close in boxing, and even a couple in athletics!

Kingfisher continues to pile on misery for Mallya, its employees and its passengers. And is caught in a vicious cycle from which there seems to be no escape... striking employees means lesser flights and lower service levels, which means passengers shun the airline, which means bigger losses and obviously, no salaries! An important lesson in business - you can capture the market with frills and price wars, but many a times, that will destroy you. Flipkart finds itself in a similar unenviable position - a great market reach and branding, but losing money on every transaction!

Pakistani Hindus have been fleeing to India in the dozens, alleging torture and discrimination in their home country, while Pakistani authorities are calling it a conspiracy by India. The Hindu population in Pakistan is down from 15% to 2% since independence, but even that tiny number surprises me. Wouldn't have given minorities much of a chance!

While Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by TIME and CNN for plagiarism (one wonders why established journos like him even need to do that!) - here's a little "borrowed stuff" from my side - just couldn't pass up the chance to talk about it! A Brazilian woman decided to name her child after her husband, but didn't realize they would end up with 15 Walter-to-bes in the family! In all, the couple have nine daughters and six sons - Walterlucia, Walterlivia, Walterlenia, Walterlonia, Walterlacia, Walterluzia, Walterangelina, Waltersilviana, Walteremanuel, Walterluis, Walterareyoureallystillreading, Walteroliverio, Waltermarcelo, Walterlicinio and Walterfernando. And if that was not Walterous enough, they have 33 grandchildren, named in the same Waltericious tradition!

After Anna disbanded his team and announced plans to take up politics, it was back to Baba Ramdev's circus at Jantar Mantar. Sponsoring all expense paid Delhi trips from small towns and villages around the capital to drum up crowds, to equating his corrupt assistant with the Mahatma and Bhagat Singh, to making grand speeches and giving the government 72 hour deadlines, Ramdev surely knows how to make a spectacle - of himself. Sadly, a truly national movement that had stirred up emotions and support from the generally-indifferent urban middle class, has been turned into nothing more than a circus. Shows what bad company and ego can do to you! But I guess when leaders like Hitler (one cannot doubt the greatness of his leadership - turned even as it was towards the worst atrocities and horrendous hurt to mankind) can bring doom upon themselves through their misguided egos, Anna's climbdown from being hailed as the country's second Mahatma should not be too surprising.