SRI'S Blog

Quotable Quotes of the week My father defies rest and we believe he will not retire - M.K.Stalin Dy CM of Tamilandu on CM Karunanidhi Problems arise when we say" My religion is good, yours is bad". It is like saying " my mother is perfect, yours is a prostitute"- Mata Amritanandamayi Spirtual Leader Pakistan is not some vegetable that they will come and take it - Yousaf Raza Gilani Pakistan PM on Taliban The best partnership of my life is the one with Anjali - Sachin Tendulkar on his wife Tiger Episode - its aftermath - Price of Success ? !! One more bites the dust - I thought the last quote by a another great sportsman was very relevant . What a coincidence to make this statement when the world has been shocked by some revelations of Tiger's personal life and more rumours being floated just to add flavour and spice to his personal life. The last count of his affairs was a incredible 14 !! One of the most popular , savvy , quiet hero was Tiger Woods and it was

Quotable quotes of the week If we want compassion from God, we need to show compassion to all his creations-- Pankaj Advani Billiards Player I want to teach people that biggest gift in the world you can give to anyone is to be human - Salman Khan Actor I am still connected to Gandhi. It is something indelible and extraordinary in my bones -- Ben Kingsley - Actor who played Mahatma Gandhi in the film Gandhi Let us leave with basic differences. Left does not believe in disinvestment, i believe in disinvestment - Pranab Mukerjee Union Finance Minister Cricket -- India the No 1 team in ICC rankings -- what an achievement by the team!! This has never happened to the Indian test cricket team. They have threatened to get to the top but did not quite get there--They had their task cut out on what to achieve in the recently concluded Test series against Srilanka.They had to beat Srilanka 2-0 to go up to the No 1 spot . Srilanka was visiting India riding on their home success against the Kiw

Quotable quotes of the week There is a certain amount of assertiveness on the part of the Chinese -- Manmohan Singh PM I just want one last chance to play with Sachin Tendulkar-- Vinod Kambli former Cricket-- Sri :"He missed this when he was doing well and in the Indian team -- look at the lost opportunity" Artists should be mindful of their great responsibility to communicate beauty-- Pope Benedict XVI The honesty of a judge is like the virginity of a traditional Indian unmarried girl -- Bilal Nazki -- Former Bombay High Court Judge The English Premier League ( EPL football ) update and what do i think ? It looks like Chelsea is getting its act right - After the past four seasons where they did not win any title and then went about sacking their managers, ( except for Hiddink who was clear that he will leave at the end of the last season on his own ) , they brought in Carlo Ancelotti as their Manager from AC Milan this season and this seems to be working for the team. The t

Quotable Quotes of the week I am the messenger of India's ancient thoughts world over -- The Dalai Lama Military action in Afghanistan is not an alternative to action in Pakistan but an inseparable support to it- Gordon Brown British PM If it happens that i don't play cricket again, i can walk away knowing i have given it my best -- Brett Lee Australian Cricketer on his recent injury- CPI ( M ) has become stale . Now nobody can stop Mamata Banerji from coming to power in 2011- Abdur Razzak Mollah West Bengal Minister for Land reform. BSNL Sports Quiz over the week end As most of you are aware , i am avid follower of this live quiz , that is aired every Saturday at 10:10 PM on DD Podhigai -- I try to dial in and see if i can answer the questions on the grid and win a prize-- It has been tough luck in getting through the lines -- there are also live SMS contest and email questions that you need to answer over the week - Nothing was working for me in the last six to seven weeks --

Quotable Quotes Asif Ali Zardari is a criminal and a fraud. He will do anything to save himself. He has no love for Pakistan. He is a third - rater - Pervez Musharraf - former Pakistan President on the present president Better than that is to meet my watery grave in a gutter - Lalu Prasad Yadav RJD Chief on possibility of joining hands with the BJP He will not only play in the 2011 world cup but also 2015. He has the fitness and the hunger - M.S.Dhoni Indian Cricket team captain on Sachin Tendulkar He, of course, has the right to go wherever he wants and talk to people who he chooses to talk to- Ian Kelly US State Department spokesman on The Dalai Lama Sachin Tendulkar -- Twenty Years of work and ongoing -- I know this is a topic that has been covered in all forms of media and it has even got Sachin some advice on how to play cricket from Shiv Sena who of course play a different form of sport - But i being a cricketing fan cannot avoid writing a para on this humble legend who t

A Patchy week end and a patchy blog post as well !! Rains -- dampness -- Cannot go outdoors -- The weekend was damp -- Rains were persistent-- Few planned events got moved / cancelled -- All of us wanted to avoid going out -- What do you do -- Need to keep everyone engaged and also the fact that you suddenly find so much of time available to spend indoors !! I did some reading ( in fact made progress on some books that have been staring at me for a long time )-- More on that as i complete reading them -- But on to a indoor game that can be played when you are on sticky weekends as this one was .. there is no other indoor game that can be interesting as the game of "Thayakattai " or the game of dice - Here is how the square looks like During my childhood days , we used to draw the squares using a chalk on the floor ( cement floor no marble or tiles and there used to be a fight as to who will clean the floor of the chalk ) -- But now my wife has asbestos sheet over which the

Quotable Quotes of the week For people of my position , it helps demystify the title and clarify what it is I do and what it is important to me -- Queen Rania First Lady of Jordan in social networking sites. Mayawati is a corporate illiterate. She is stupid. - Amar Singh SP leaker on the Uttar Pradesh CM The BJP needs a surgery or a chemotherapy treatment - Mohan Bhagwat - RSS chief I don't have anybody working for me on the blog. After writing , i edit it. that is not difficult as i am not a good writer -- Amitabh Bachchan Actor The Beach Cricket at Marina -- the ban on playing cricket I am not going to say whether the ban is right or wrong -- But looking at the media reports , it looks like the ban is only on playing cricket at the Marina beach and other sports can be played -This is a boon for other sports to be played on the beach and that is welcome as well !! From my perspective i enjoyed some intense games at the Marina beach not now but probably twenty years back -- It is

Quotable Quotes of the week Music arouses profound emotions, invites us to raise our minds and hearts to God -- Pope Benedict XVI The government is at war with Naxals to aid MNCs -- Arundhati Roy Social activist and writer He's an animal, a great athlete and a great player -- Pete Sampras on Rafael Nadal Actors are narcissists. For them it is all about I, me and myself . You will need to constantly pamper their egos-- Nandita Puri Wife of Actor Om Puri Moto GP Valentino Rossi won his ninth title -- Rossi drove in third at the wet Malaysian GP and that was enough to get him the world title ahead of his team mate and closest challenger Jorge Lorenzo --One race still remains to be completed but Rossi is home -- Rossi celebrated the victory on the race track with a rooster and a oversized egg and had this to comment on the celebrations -- " in Italy , a old chicken is no good to lay eggs , they are good for soup .. I am like the old chicken but have laid a egg " -- this wa

Formula one Jenson Button of Brawn GP was crowned the Champion for the 2009 season with one race at Abu Dhabi to be completed -- As written in my blog of two weeks ago , Jenson had the best chance and was in the best position to win -- Saturday's wet qualification did help him although he was at a lowly 14th-- His strong challenger Vettel was at 15th and his compatriot Barrichello was on Pole !! -- It must have been comforting to Jenson that his co teammate was on pole position and not Vettel of Red Bull -- Else this would have put him under pressure and he may have made mistakes- But to Jenson's credit he drove strongly and with no mistakes and crashes finished fifth that gave him enough points to gain the title -- During the course of the race Barrichello faded away, lost his pole position and finished after Jenson himself - Mark Webber won the race but who cares ? It was Jenson winning the world title that took the limelight. The fight for the second place will be on at the

A weekend Trip -- My family joined me over the week end at Coimbatore following my business trip on Friday -- I was looking at options and decided to take a risk- The Hindu newspaper in August 2009 had covered this resort and i was tempted by the write up -- It was risk that i took that paid off -- Ambraa River Resorts on the Pollachi - Trichur road ( roughly 10 Kms away from Pollachi ) is a fantastic place to cool off -- Hidden in the coconut groves , with the Aliyar river flowing on the back side of the resort it is best getaway from noise and to remain with the nature -- Although the resort has only six rooms 9 read cottages ) , the rooms are equipped well - The beds are cosy , the fridge,the mini bar (no alcohol ) is loaded , the aircon functions (when you need it ) , the television is hooked up and there is a generator back up as well -- A lovely balcony gives you view of the river and the swimming pool that is coming up -- the restaurant has all the works and the packa

Quotable Quotes of the week If i am asked to choose a portfolio, i will probably choose environment and forest. I can go to the forest lodge and read books - P.hidambaram Union Home Minster It will take 25- 50 years to cure all the people in this world - And i wills tick around till then - Baba Ramdev Yoga Guru It is always a charm to age gracefully - Lata Mangeshkar - Singer after turning 80 Getting angry makes me mentally tougher -- Cricketer Gautam Gambhir The Trip , The Roads and Infrastructure and People waiting ... I had the chance to travel on the NH45 ( Chennai - Trichy stretch ) two timesin the last week - One was a day trip and the other was a night trip-,Both trips was great in terms of the time it took , the excellent condition of the road , clear sign boards ,reflectors etc., -- A travel to Trichy that would take minimum of six to seven with great rash risky driving skills, can now be done comfortably in four and half with ease of driving -- Work is still on to make t

Quotes of the week India has not caused the global warming problem. We are a deal - maker, not a deal- breaker -- Jairam Ramesh Union Minister for environment and forests Seize the opportunity of the Commonwealth games to change our behavioural pattern . Behave as residents of a international city- P.Chidambaram Union Home Minister to Delhiites I was selfish before, everyone is , but until i became a father - David Beckam footballer If you keep a pickle for more than two years, it turns rancid. I feel LK Advani;s period is more or less over- Manohar Parrikar BJP leader on the utility of the party's opposition leader The Navratri - Kollu at home It is a event that is run so efficiently by my wife and mom together -- Right from planning the invitee list, making up a probable list from the invitees of who will come home definitely ( risk assessment with high , medium and low confidence levels ), planning for unplanned visitors, to planning the "Sundal " and Sweet of the

Quotable quotes of the week Killing a girl child is akin to killing a thousand saints-- Sri Sri Ravishankar Spiritual leader on female infanticide There is something sinister about your body, under siege, under war. But I believe in the infinite power of the body to heal itself - Lisa Ray Actor , on her cancer What these people are doing cannot be compared to what I did for the sake of Marathi people.- Bal Thackeray Shiv Sena chief commenting on Raj Thackeray his nephew and now having his own party. The Formula one race fixing -- what a shame !! One would have not expected this to happen in F1 racing -- But Renault seems to have done this and managed to keep it under wraps for nearly a year Renault forced their second driver to crash , bringing in the safety car which allowed Alonso their first driver to get ahead in front and then win the race - I watched this race on TV last year, being the inaugural race at Singapore 2008 ( night race as well )-- I looked at my blog of Sept 30th ,

Quotes of the week Gossiping is fundamental to being human -- Nicholas Elmer Social psychologist He is somebody I find a lot of inspiration in. He ended up doing so much and changed the world just by the power of his ethics - Barack Obama on Mahatma Gandhi I compete with myself, not anybody else -- Priyanka Chopra Actor when asked about rival Katrina Kaif I do not need Mr Jaswant Singh to write a certificate for my grandfather - Nusli Wadia -- Businessman and grandson of Mohammed Ali Jinnah on the former BJP leader's book The US Open -- Amazing Champion in the women's and a new champion in the Men's category It was a fairy tale dream run for Kim Clijsters -- Having been off the circuit for more than two years to raise a family and then coming back as a wild card unseeded player to win the tournament was a astonishing feat !!Clijsters proved that she could compete at the highest level after such a layoff- And this will be a great boost to all mothers and mothers to be in

Quotable Quotes of the week Many ask why i joined politics and then why i left it. I joined because i was asked to and i left because i was inadequate for the job- Amitabh Bachchan When you do well in sports the bar gets raised. If you cannot raise the bar , you have no business being here - Vijay Mallya after his Force India car finished second at the Belgian GP Only a leader who loves his people selflessly and unconditionally will reap success - Sri Sri Pooja Ravi Shankar , Spiritual leader Different Strokes -- Stroke 1 The Butter Story -- Most of you must have been aware of the shortage of the government made and sold Butter sold through various outlets , that is a key ingredient in any household in the south. The shortage has been due to short supplies, as well as rumours floating thick around other Butter/ Ghee manufacturers buying the government brand and badging them as their own product!! To ensure my household has enough supplies ( i do not consume this product at all )

Quotable Quotes of the week Your strength is our strength and our strength is your strength -- Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan President while in China The teachings of Jesus seem hard, too difficult to welcome and put into practice -- Pope Benedict XVI I am shocked.. I defy anybody to come forward and furnish details on this . The labourer ministry is lying -- Suchitra Krishnamoorthy Actor, after being accused of employing a minor- Formula One -- Success for Force India at the Belgium SPA GP It has been long time coming for Force India -- When Fischella took pole in the Saturday qualifying , i was surprised and shocked as well -- I doubted the car had enough fuel in it even to last a lap or two in the race on Sunday -- Fischella and the Force India team proved everyone wrong -- Not only had the car enough fuel but also power and stability to last the race-- Fischella ended up finishing second and on the podium and the first points for the Force India team-- this is significant for the team

Quotable Quotes How long is a generation ? I still have no clue . People are measuring it in months now -Pritish Nandy Film Maker Insurgency in Afghanistan didn't just happen overnight and we won't defeat it overnight - Barack Obama All talk of differences between us is wrong. When there was no fight, where is the question of rapprochement - Lalu Prasad Yadav RJD chief on Congress President Sonia Gandhi Ashes -- Aussies bite the dust -- It was a result that no one would have not expected after the strong performance in the fourth test by Australia to level the series -- The Aussies lost the plot very clearly on three different instances during the final test that went in England's favour -- First Instance :On day two , they were cruising along merrily , when there was rain interruption - I am not sure what changed after that but Stuart Broad made the ball talk -- His line and length and the swing he got post rain was extraordinary and clearly the Aussies were not able

Quotable Quotes There is little doubt that drug testing has to be mandatory in cricket . Every good system must create an atmosphere for the clean to thrive and the weeds to be uprooted - Harsha Bhogle Cricket Commentator My husband is not the secretary of state-. I am, I am not going to be channelling my husband - Hillary Clinton to a question on her husband The era of Lalu Prasad Yadav is over and Nitish kumar is on his way out - Jagadish Tytler Congress leader , while in Bihar Minorities are a sacred trust for Pakistan - Asif Ali Zardar Pakistan President. EPL -- Start of the season r 2009- 10 It was a terrific start to the football season -- All the matches played over the week end were result oriented -- No drawn matches and that makes it good to watch and follow - MY favourites ManU got the better of promoted side Birmingham by a solitary goal -- that was good enough for a team that has been dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo's heroics for the past four years -- They need to re

Quotable Quotes It will take many more months to fully dig ourselves out of this recession. A recession that we have learned was even deeper than anyone thought- Barack Obama US President I am just a capitalist, happy - go - lucky , dumb star-- Shah Rukh Khan Actor I want to write something at some point about the contribution of Gandhi to our civilisation -- Gordon Brown British Prime Minister . The BJP's foreign policy was dialogue without terror . The Congress policy is dialogue irrespective of terror -- Arun Jaitley BJP leader Schumacher and the plan to return to Competitive racing--and disappointment I had written the below and somehow i did not complete and post my blog for the week -- Sometimes sitting on things help and late on Tuesday India time , i become aware that Schumi has withdrawn from racing -- the neck niggle become a major issue -- i was wondering if i should continue the writing that i have done and then took the call to post it as it is for i loved writing wh

Quotable Quotes We should hang our heads in shame when such incidents take place in India in the 21st Century -- P. Chidambaram Home minister on honour killings I advise him not to have whisky at this age - Pranab Mukerji Union Finance Minister on BJP's Jaswant Singh Social network sites are irritating -- Bill Gates Microsoft Co Founder The Congress party has always had a history of ditching people -- Mulayam Singh Yadav Samajwadi party leader The Ashes Test Series 2009 --- so far I waited for the 3rd test results before writing this down -- Australia after being in the box seat in the first test allowed England to escape with a draw--and then paid a heavy price for letting England off the hook -- they lost the second test match being outplayed by the English and then just about managed to save the third test - With two more tests to go , England should be cock a hoop with what has happened so far -- Couple of big reasons as to why England has done extremely well so far 1. Andrew F

The Medical Camp -- Success The medical camp at our Rotary Medical center on 26th July was a grand success -- Success because we managed to get in around 75 ++ people at the venue to have them screened free of cost for Diabetics and Ultrasound and if needed for X rays and ECG-- We have never seen that many people at the center except for the Inauguration function where it was our own crowd that came in !! -- Couple of reasons for the event being a success : 1. We wanted to make it a success and nothing else other than this attitude will create success mind set. 2 We were helped by Volunteers from Ford Warranty team who over the past week end , distributed Flyers of the event to areas around the medical center -- they were outstanding and went beyond expectations -- the flyers were on Share Autos , Metropolitan buses route buses that plied in the area , Housing board flats in the area-this contributed a great deal to the people coming for the event. One flawed effort was on marketing

Quotable Quotes of the week This menace called naxalism is spreading due to large scale corruption in our society -- Nitish kumar Bihar Chief Minister An 18 year old girl and a 21 year old boy who haven't achieved anything in life are not meant to get married. They also have to understand the world to realise what producing babies mean - Ghulam Nabi Azad Union Health Minister A female too , can be a Dalai Lama. It is for Tibetan people to decide - The Dalai Lama If talks are on pause , it benefits only the terrorists -- Yusuf Gilani -- Pakistan PM on Indo - Pak dialogue THE IPL --- a insider perspective I had the good fortune to listen to J.Krishnan ( JK ) who was the CEO of Deccan Chargers team for 2008 and advisor for 2009-- I say good fortune because the talk by him really gave a inside in to the functioning of the IPL and some close news as he was at the dugout as well --- The IPL cannot be just treated as a sports event alone , it is becoming a sports business and this is

Quotable quotes of the week The United Nations needs a reform so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth -- Pope Benedict XVI The poor pigs got infection from humans and not the other way around -- Maneka Gandhi BJP leader on the Swine flu -- Sri : I agree that there is always a another view for every issue !! I found him tough, shrewd, very unsentimental and very pragmatic -- Barack Obama US President on Russian PM Putin My party has too many spokesperson these days . All they are interested in is seeing their names in print and faces on Television -- BJP Leader L K Advani ( h..mmmm ) The Music show by my Nieces Some bragging that i have to do .... This should have appeared on the last week blog but there were too many topics -- My nieces ( wife's sister's daughters ) have been learning to play the violin ( carnatic ) using the internet for the past few years-- the teacher is in Chennai and they learn sitting in their homes in Minneapolis -- They visit