May 14, 2009 Bay Area Edition Vol. 5 No. 2 Events   There is one upcoming event listed on our Bay Area calendar. Click here for calendar. To the Polls The People's Moment is here once more. The Indian elections, the world's biggest festival of representative democracy, will have churned out a new parliament and several new state assemblies, the latest episode in a 57-year success story unknown and unseen elsewhere in Asia, Africa or Latin America. The word on the street is that it will be a hung parliament, with the Congress perhaps edging out the other two fronts in numbers, though remaining well short of a majority. Jostling and horsetrading will be the order of the day. Its wellwishers are banking on a last-minute surge by the BJP. On the Third Front, a chance of Mayawati or Jayalalitha as PM...? Whatever the result, interesting days ahead - grist for the TV mills. But the real problems remain - population, water, insurgency, corruption... How India Votes "In India the people speak in 28 voices. Government is formed by the grouping that is least incoherent." So says Aakar Patel, as he takes an unsentimental look at the much - and justly - hyped "world's greatest voting exercise". More... Whose Elections are these, Anyway? Close to 200,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide; leaving their widows to struggle on alone. When possible, governments shirk any responsibility for these women and their plight. P. Sainath describes the disconnect between the system and the people. More... Hate Speech Legislation Kills Free Speech Few would disagree that hate crimes should be prosecuted. The definition of hate crimes, however, does incite opposition. Author, editor and former U.S. Assistance Secretary of the Treasury Paul C. Roberts worries that this may be the slippery slope that leads to the loss of free speech and the blocking of prosecution for Israeli war crimes. More... Of Scumbags and Slumdogs As the roar over the Satyam scandal quiets, Mohan Guruswamy takes a closer look at “business-as-usual” in Corporate India and the flaws evident in Incredible India’s image. According to Guruswamy, Ramalinga Raju's actions aren't as out of character in Indian business practice as the CII and others would like to profess and that the scandal, coupled with the release of Slumdog Millionaire, is evidence of India's tattered undergarments. More... Facing Extinction After eight months of resistance, the final fall of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) seems imminent. Without excusing the crimes of the LTTE, as the Sri Lankan Army "screens" the prisoners for any remnants of LTTE leadership, Ravi Nair explores what the future holds for the community of Sri Lankan Tamils, and India, once the smoke clears and the view of the political wheels at work becomes clearer. More... IPL - A Half-Time recap As the Indian Premier League (IPL) passes its halfway mark in Season 2 in South Africa, Cricket Writer and Commentator Anushrut offers his examination of the teams, players and predictions for the second half of the tournament. More... Proving your Manhood Every culture has standards by which men are judged, or judge themselves. In most cultures, the ability to swallow mouthfuls of painfully spicy food may be one test a man puts himself to. Here, Melvin Durai shares the results of his own "manly" test. More... Movies     There are 14 movies playing in Bay Area. Details... Copyrightum Deyvamanyikam! The Chicago Thyagaraja Utsavam (Estd. 1977) has obtained a copyright on its method of teaching the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. The US copyright granted to the Utsavam describes the work as "Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram Self Learning Aid" and states, "... is an ancient Hindu Scripture in verse form occurring in the epic Mahabharata, attributed to Saint Vyasa." The certificate notes the unique feature of this learning aid as follows: "This Sound Recording is a Self Learning Aid, in which a teacher chants each verse once, with correct pronunciation, 8-beat rhythm and tonal harmony, and the students repeat after him twice." This recording is available at no cost for non-commercial, learning and educational purposes at CTU's WEB site. Giduism Today If 'Con' is the opposite of 'Pro', what is the opposite of 'Progress'? About us |Submit articles |Advertise | Contact us |Subscribe FREE |Privacy Policy |Archives Copyright© indogram - the global Indian village in your neighborhood™