The Appeal...

Another very entertaining novel by John Grisham. Exposes the dirty little secret of Political Games behind the election of Supreme Court Justices in the state of Mississippi. It is also very frightening in the sense that big business and major insurance companies indirectly channel so much money into these elections through dummy corporations in order to fund the election campaign of their candidate for the Supreme Court.

As a result of this manoeuvre, their chosen candidate floods the advertising and television spots with his campaign and also acquires unlimited resources and secure a seat at the bench. This elected candidate after becoming the Justice will ofcourse always side with the big corporations and hence all the big litigations against these big business will be either reversed or rendered. As a result of this, many major insurance companies have become fearless and now dont settle out of the court because they are so confident about the outcome.

The story of how a well packaged and well marketed candidate can even become a Supreme Court Justice even though he/she does not have any experience at the bench....a very interesting read.

Glitzy Weddings....

It seems the wedding season is on, especially in Bollywood where a lot of weddings have taken place recently. Although almost everywhere in the world, getting married is the most important thing in anybodys life, in India the wedding functions are a mega event. No stone is left unturned and people go far beyond their means in order to make it the "best" because a  persons' capacity to spend in a wedding also decides his stature in the society.

                       

For example, take Shilpa Shetty or Eisha Koppikar's wedding.....there was news of a so called "bridal war" between the two ladies regarding the wedding card....venue...arrangement...designers and what not. Media plays a even greater role in adding up to the frenzy...Shilpa's jewellery designer was interviewed....what kind of jewellery she'll wear was speculated upon....her dress designer was interviewed too....previous clips of her dressed in a bridal trousseau from her movies and magazines were taken out and scrutinized to predict how would she look in her "real" wedding......there were news of her so called "blouse malfunction" at her reception. Same frenzy was around Eisha Koppikar and the media cried foul when she invited them to her wedding and then ignored them there!!.....

One would think what happened to sensible journalism??.....Who cares about who is designing their jewellery or which designer is designing their bridal trousseau??..... I admit the talks of trousseau and jewellery might interest some and why not, even I am interested in them but not in the minutest detail in which everything is scrutinized and reported again and again just to fill in the news time. Its stressful for the guests as well because they need a new dress and a set of jewellery for each function.....more the number of functions...more the number of dresses...more money spent and the worse part is you can never wear it again because of the damned cameras and video shoot. If you dare to wear it again some nosy female is sure to remember it and point it out loudly to embarass you.

These Hi-fi weddings aside..even the middle class is deep into it. People tend to spend far beyond their means and there is always a competition about who can spend more. It is such a status symbol that some people even drown in loans in order to make the wedding function appropriately glamourous. Maybe thats why the divorce rate is lesser in India (who would spend that much all over again!! :P:P).......

Its high time sense and sensibility prevailed :))

Food times Contd. ...

There are plenty of options in terms of restaurants offering international cuisines in Herzogenaurach. Its a boon for a food connoisseur like me because I get to try new and interesting dishes and not get saturated.

My favourite restaurant here is Corfu which offers authentic greek cuisine. The food is delicious and owner has really become a friend now that we frequent the place so much. This is a very beautiful thing that I have observed in european restaurants...you are welcomed warmly as if you are at somebodys home...everyone seems to know each other...there are smiles all around and no one is in hurry to move..you can sit for as long as you want and no one will rudely give you the cheque or give you any indication that now that your meal is over you can go and make room for others. This general feeling of warmth and merriment really makes the entire eating-out experience pleasant for someone like me who has always stayed in big cities.

There are Chinese options here as well in form of places like Asia Garten, Mr. Deng etc Italian restaurants are also here in plenty and for authentic mexican cuisine Pura Vida is your best bet.For Fast food there are a few Pizzerias and ofcourse McDonalds. Obviously this list would be incomplete without mentioning the German restaurants here. Some like Kreisl offer the Bavarian cuisine and its very important to note that beer plays a very important part in every German meal and your meal is considered incomplete without it and therefore Beer Gardens (known as Bier Gartens) are very popular here.

For authentic Indian food one can go to Erlangen and try places like Bombay Haus, The House of India, Curry House, Boliwood etc. Road side coffee shops and open air bistros are also very famous in Europe where weather permitting, one can sit outside and enjoy a quiet cup of espresso. The coffee chaain of Der Beck seems to be very popular here and its various outlets are present in both Herzogenaurach and Erlangen.

Ofcourse for vegetarians, the options are very limited but if you are a non-vegetarian, then its a good place to be. :)

Food Times...

I am going to talk about the food options and grocery retail stores in Herzogenaurach. The retail store chain of Norma seems to be very popular here and is conveniently located at all the key points. It is a kind of Supermarket where grocery stuff, meat,vegetables, dairy products,toiletries and even cheap wines are available. Although not exactly a discount store,but things are comparitively cheaper here then the usual market price and is convenient location wise. Then there is Handelshof which is a huge Discount Store and therefore ideal for large scale weekend shopping. Except for the  fruit and vegetable market which only opens on wednesdays and saturdays and one or two meat shops,these stores are the only shops to buy groceries from. I am yet to see a Mom n Pop or Kiraana store here...they have been wiped out I think if they ever existed. There are convenience stores on the Gas Stations too which are open 24/7 but nothing much except for milk,beverages,cigarettes etc is available there.

If you are ready to take a 18 minute bus ride to Erlangen in the bus which is very frequently available (the buses are manufactured by Mercedes and the ride is as comfortable as in a luxury car), you have more options in terms of grocery stores in terms of Lidl, Aldi, Kaufland etc.
Interestingly, Kaufland, Lidl and Handelshof are part of the same business group Schwarz Gruppe.Lidl has a cash and carry discount supermarket and its chief competitor is Aldi. Another interesting point here is that Lidl copied the discount supermarket concept of Aldi in 1973 and now is its chief competitor.

Kaufland on the other hand is a discount hypermarket founded in 1984 which operates in about 7 countries. Being a hypermarket, it has a lot of offerings besides groceries in terms of utensils,electronic items, curtains,clothes etcetc. For Indian grocery stuff like spices, Lentils, Wheat flour etc there is Gandhi Asia.

 Coming to restaurants in Herzogenaurach....one has a lot of options considering whether you are a vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

To be Continued.....

Schweinen Grippe Impfstoff

Above translated in english simply means "Swine Flu Vaccine"...I have written the title in Deutsche to create a mystical aura around this blog  :P:P

Anyway, we got our swine flu shots today which are supposed to protect us against this deadly virus which has spread around the world. For the ignorant folks...swine flu is the name given to Type A or H1N1 virus which is a lethal strain of influenza virus.It originated from Mexico and now has spread all over the world. Although, there are not many cases of swine flu in Europe, we took this vaccine because of the travelling we will be doing next month.

The road towards this vaccination has been rocky to say the least. In Germany, there was a raging controversy when the vaccination program first started. The reason of controversy being that the German Government introduced two types of vaccines..... Pandermix which is manufactured by GlaxoSmithkline PLC,that contains an Adjuvant is being given to the general public whereas the German Politicians, government employees and the military is being given Celvapan manufactured by Baxter International and does not have any adjuvant.

On further research, I found out that Adjuvants are the chemical compounds that boost the human body's immune response but there is not much data available on how safe they are esp. on pregnant women and children. No flu vaccines with adjuvants are licensed in the U.S.

Now the question which arose was why the german government was adopting a two-class health policy?....is this vaccine really safe? are there any fatal side effects??.....these questions plagued my mind for days and days.....
 But then I realised that all these controversies aside....We are essentially Indians....and where the German Government has ordered 50 million doses for its people....India still does not have any vaccine with or without adjuvant or even adequate supply of Tamiflu or essential medical assistance for those who contract this virus. While people are dying, our government is more worried about the Babri Masjid Demolition in 1993 and so on.....

So we thought prevention is better than cure and took the shots :)

Social Networking Sites

"Man is a social animal"...this we all have read, heard, studied.Now that internet has become so widespread, web based social networking came as no surprise.

With so many different social networking sites available,each having its own unique format...users have plenty to choose from....Facebook,Orkut,Twitter,MySpace,Blogger etcetc.....There is a social community for everything...Religious Groups...Education...Political Factions...Entertainment...Adult Material...you name it and there is a community for it where like minded people interact and exchange information.

These networking sites have their advantages....In this fast moving world where people are ultra busy or people who arent so comfortable socialising in person...its the best way to remain in touch. It is also a very cheap and quick way of communicating between people who are located at different destinations. People can send each other messages or IMs....upload pictures...music and what not...

Blogs are another method of communicating ones ideas and thoughts and reaching out to like minded people from around the world. These networking sites are also proving to be a boon for the marketers as they can easily spot their target market from the online communities and through these social networking sites,it is much easier and cheaper to create a buzz about a product or service....

One can do almost anything through these sites...even get married...join a matrimony site and choose...talk about convenience!!!....

These networking sites have made exchanging information easier. Reaching out to people is relatively easier and cheaper. Privacy,Security and in some cases Anonymity is also guaranteed. Today world has become a small tight knit community and these sites have a major contribution in that.

But not all is hunky dory here....there are some or depending upon ones own opinion...many disadvantages of these sites too....question which normally arises is "do these sites really help in socialising online?".....umm....my contention is not always....for example...take Facebook...how many times do people actually message each other except on Birthdays or some other event??....are you really socialising by playing Farmville...Sorority Life...Mafia Wars etc?....and are these really games or just mindless clicking???.... Then there is the issue of fake identities and fake profiles which limits people to only interact with those who they already know in person....there are questions raised on the security of these sites too because many profiles have been hacked...pictures copied and morphed...adult content inserted etcetc

These and many other issues are prevalent but inspite of all this, one has to agree that these social networking sites are very popular and are here to stay. More than anything it has become a status symbol... if you dont want to sound or look like a douchebag...you gotta be a part of atleast one such site.

In this digital age,where information means everything,these social networking site are and will play a paramount role.

Bombay or Mumbai....

Bombay which now has become Mumbai (because Shivsena wanted it) is the commercial capital of India. Its also known as the City of Dreams because of the opportunities it provides. Be it the Film Industry or the Media and fashion agencies or the thriving businesses..you will find loads of "Rags to Riches" stories here because its said that those who really want to succeed will succeed...ofcourse not everyone is able to fulfill their dreams but one thing is there....even when it does not give you what you want, you cant help falling in love with this city.

Whether described in best sellers or 8 oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire...the city continues to intrigue and attract.Bombay has its own beauty and elegance. Where there is shabbiness and slums on one hand....there is also the splendor of the arabian sea,beaches and promenades. One can find the foot prints of the British Era in stoned pavements,churches and buildings and also the stark modernity of today in Nariman Point and other areas. Its known for its fashion, movie industry, slums, underworld and what not. Its buzzing with life....here you can find young girls doing Rasta Shopping in Bandra and Colaba...Youngsters lounging about in cafes,pubs and discs in Andheri, Juhu etc.....Industrialists and executives rushing to their work in Nariman Point,Bandra Kurla Complex and elsewhere....Leather goods and thousands of other legal as well as illegal products being sold in Dharavi..the largest slum of Asia. Bombay has a lot of courage too....whether the 1993 Bomb Blasts...or the floods of July 2005 or serial train blasts of 2006 or recently the terror attacks of 26/11....the city has withered all of it and much more,but its remains unbent and fastidious.....the spirit of Bombay and its people have enabled it to get up everytime and rise like a phoenix.

The spirit of this magical city comes from its people who come from everywhere...it does not belong to any specific creed or state. Its an integral part of the indian nation and belongs to every indian citizen. Such people who create these differences should be arrested and tried in court for trying to create differences and unrest among the people.They should be asked why their band of goons only attack poor students from UP and Bihar who come to appear for All India Exams and where were they when the terror attacks were happening in Bombay....why Karan Johar, the film maker has to apologize for using the word "Bombay" instead of Mumbai in his movie "Wake up Sid"....why it cannot be Bombay and why it has to be Mumbai???...In America, a lot of cities were named by the countries who made their colonies there like Los Angeles, San Francisco to name a few...why havent these names changed there???....Its high time that people understand that a city is made by its people and not its name....we should be Indian first and then belong to any state not vice versa.

It says it all in the words of Sachin Tendulkar "Mumbai is for every Indian" and thats how it should be. Irrespective of whatever anyone has to say I will always love this splendid city.

Salaam Mumbai :))