July 2, 2009 Bay Area Edition Vol. 5 No. 7 Events   There are 24 upcoming events listed in our Bay Area calendar. Click here for calendar. Pirates from India The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired two new potential pitchers. They are Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, former cricket-playing hurlers from India who won a TV contest called "Million Dollar Arm" that earned them $20,000 worth of contracts. Piracy Elsewhere The Horn of Africa is not the only place where ships are boarded by unauthorized persons in international waters. The Spirit of Humanity, a ship with carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza, was impounded in the open seas off the Gaza coast by Israeli forces on June 30, and reportedly towed to Israel. Among the Spirit of Humanity's international crew of 21 are the Nobel Prize winner Mairead MaGuire, and former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. And the ship's cargo? Medical supplies, olive trees, reconstruction materials, and children’s toys... When some pray for Drought, What price Kyoto Protocol? Cui Bono?, is a question often asked in everyday reasoning. With the thermometer hitting new highs in New Delhi and other parts of India, schools in several places have actually been closed an extra week due to water shortage! Not every Indian may have read RK Narayan's Waiting for the Mahatma, but Waiting for the Monsoon is an exercise undergone by every soul in the subcontinent. Now Jawed Naqvi is also asking the same question, "Cui Bono if the monsoons are delayed?", with a fair bit of social history thrown in. More... Small is Bountiful In 1928, Rabindranath Tagore warned of the perils of a divergence between the interests of village and town. In China, jobs in modern industry declined by 20 million since 1990 while those in light industries in the countryside increased by 30 million. But Tagore's words seem to have been lost on his own land. An Aseem Shrivastava essay. More... Learning and Listening Continuing his writings on the joys of appreciating classical music, Ram S. Sriram writes this time about the importance of listening to other musicians as part of one's musical training. This is, as anyone paying attention at Indian concerts would attest, a trait in short supply among a large number of us. Through his usual imaginary characters Vani and Durga, the author gently reminds us of our own impatience and rudeness. More... An Evening with Daniyal Muennidin The son of an American mother and Pakistani father, having grown up in America but settled in Pakistani Punjab, author Daniyal Muennidin has a unique perch from which to observe East and West. This he uses to good effect, bringing acute observation and sensitive ears to bear upon a gifted pen. Culture correspondent Lakshmi Jagannathan caught Muennidin at a book reading recently, and filed this book and author review. As she puts, it, "I thought I'd inhale this book in a couple of days, and I did." More... Nothing Like a Plum Ambassadorship When told that a family acquaintance had been made an ambassador, Gram Sabha's current cricket columnist Anushrut, then 6, was honestly puzzled. "Taxi ban gaya"? he asked, incredulous. He was being unwittingly precocious about the commercial nature of such appointments, as Mevin Durai observes. More... Movies     There are 7 movies playing in Bay Area. Details... Three Deaths Michael Jackson died last week, apparently of cardiac arrest. He made one trip to India in 1996 and performed in Bombay, a tour promoted by the Thackerays (yes, the same ones who trash Valentine's Day). His style inspired several Indian imitators. Farrah Fawcett became known in India in the '70's as a supermodel being dated by tennis star Vijay Amritraj. Memorable for her portrayal of a battered woman in The Burning Bed. Ed McMahon, lodged in our minds only as Johnny Carson's sidekick, was a fighter pilot in both WWII and the Korean War. Also familiar for his sales pitches on behalf of several organizations. In Quotes "...And, well, what is culture? He [MJ - Ed] represents certain values in America, which India should not have any qualms in accepting. We would like to accept that part of America that is represented by Jackson..." --Bal Thackeray About us |Submit articles |Advertise | Contact us |Subscribe FREE |Privacy Policy |Archives Copyright© indogram - the global Indian village in your neighborhood™