What's common between Vikram Pandit, Kalpana Sharma,Vikram Chatwal and ummmm Bobby Jindal? A cursory Google check will tell you how big they are on the Who's Who wireframe of the world. And yes, they have a strong India connect no doubt.

But ask the government in power, and it will not hesitate in staking ownership over their hard work. Don't we remember how just everyone bent backwards digging out Pandit's India-Mumbai and Nagpur roots the moment he was tipped to take over the Citi. ...

Acceptance speeches fascinate me. I guess because it is rare to see a captivating verbal prose on a podium, especially locally bred (and buttered) speakers from the subcontinent. It has been ages since one heard great oratory. I have been privileged to hear Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his fiery best. But that was then.
In one of my earlier blogs, I had gushed over Obama's Presidential address. Long, impactful and inspiring.
 
The Oscars gave us one more opportunity to hear performers at their vocal best. Be it Sean Penn, Or Robert De Nero. It was also a pleasure to hear desi heroes, Resul Pookutty and A R Rahhh-man (as the anchors unmistakably referred him as) wow the world with , not a long draw speech, but an emotive burst.
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Two bits of completely unrelated news pieces caught my fancy over the weekend.
 
The first, was a small gathering in Madhya Pradesh, presided by a young IAS officer. Half way through, someone whispered in the officer's ears, that former prime minister Vajpayee had breathed his last. Promptly, the adalat was converted into a condolence meeting and tear jerking speeches marked the moment.

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The next few months would be high drama. We  have seen it happen, twice in Mangalore. Rajasthan not to be left behind, wants to join the bandwagon too. Imposing its' own guidelines against pubs and consumption of non vegetarian food. And now with  Valentine's round the corner, we shall soon see  the UP, MP and Bihar brigades trying their hand at moral policing.  One hopes they give due credit to the shiv sainiks of the nineties, who would wait outside card galleries  and coffee shops for hours on Valentine's day, till the media arrived and then, only then, start damaging property.
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How long before one forgets the November 26 tragedy?  Never, or Very long, I had thought. Day after day, I saw outpourings and unsung heroes being feted in words on front pages of newspapers. Slowly, it seems to have died down. Wasn't  that so very  obvious? The realist in me had argued. Was it?
 
But its been less than two months. And we already have reams of newsprint on Amar Singh and Manyata and their new found friendship. And how Akshay Kumar's travel from Chandni Chowk crash banged into the Great wall of China. But what we can still experience is the anger within one, and all....