“It is pathetic – this spot fixing. They get so much money, and still fix”, cried my friend Swami, as we were having our weekend coffee. My broker friend Jigneshbhai was, as always, watching Swami and listening. After a while, Jigneshbhai asked nonchalantly, “Who are you talking about?” As always, this irked Swami even more. … Read more
For those who grew up or lived in Mumbai (it was Bombay then) in the late 80’s or 90’s, and read ‘The Afternoon’, specially in local trains, this post will sound familiar. And for a Saturday, a few stray thoughts and a few general observations and a few points of view (all my own work): … Read more
“Where is Cyprus?” asked my friend Swami as we were having our weekend coffee meeting. We had met after a long time, as my broker friend Jigneshbhai had been out of town. Jigneshbhai knew what was coming next from the ever-questioning Swami, but like all his terse, double-edged and somewhat unclear answers, he said “Somewhere … Read more
My readers have been wondering where I have been for the past so many days, and why there have been no posts for a long time. My profuse apologies, but I must admit that I was busy in something more important. Well, not more important as such, but something that kept me busy. I was … Read more
In the late 17th Century, precisely from February 1692 to May 1693, there was a set of hearings and prosecutions in colonial Massachusetts in the United States for a set of people accused of witchcraft. These later came to be known as the Salem witch trials. People in the city of Salem believed that a … Read more
Aug 26, 2012 “Ben Johnson would seem a like a small-time cheat compared to Lance Armstrong.” Jigneshbhai tells Swami and I to not lose our heads, and stay composed in all circumstances, but he seemed truly angry today. Sarcasm coming from him generally meant that he was not at all impressed with what was happening, … Read more
My earliest memories of the Olympics are that of Carl Lewis running away with 4 Golds at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. And then attempting the same in the 1988 Seoul Games – till being stunned by Ben Johnson in the 100 m finals. Eventually, after 3 days, he got that too – due to, … Read more
Where does misuse of power and position end and where does corruption begin? Consider the following examples from the private sector: – The boss likes office parties and asks his favorite ‘compliant’ subordinate to pay the party bill and claim reimbursement, as the boss is the only approving authority. – The boss ‘negotiates’ with the … Read more
Oct 09, 2012 “I sometimes feel that the West Indies is every non-West Indian cricket fan’s favourite team after their own country.” Jigneshbhai made that remark as we were having our coffee. Swami was enthused with this cricketing remark. “Actually you might be right” he said. “If one were to ask cricket fans from different … Read more