Author Archives: vinod

The things we take for granted…

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Sepia Mutiny’s favorite soldier, Lt Neil Prakash (aka Red Six), gives us a glimpse of the mind / heart / soul of a soldier thousands of miles from home –

2 things that break my heart: 1) SSG Terry promised his little 3 year old angel, Josephine, that he would be home for her birthday. So everyday when she wakes up at home now, she asks her mother, “Is it my birthday, today?” 2) Whenever I call my fiancee, I have to cut her off with “Baby, my 30 minutes are up.” I had no idea that she is on the other end, repeating to herself, Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Someday, I won’t have to, Laura. But not anytime soon. Because you’ll be saying that to me when you come here. So I guess, “Now the rubberband is on the other claw!” to quote Dr. Zoidberg.

Good luck and Godspeed LT & Crew. If ever a group of men so richly deserved a simple hug & pat on the back, it’s you.

[Neil’s Blog, Previous SM Coverage here & his Silver Star] Continue reading →

Desi iTunes

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Instead of having your desi tunes illegally copied @ the local grocery store, you can now get an online store to do it for you –

San Francisco, Feb 4 : A California company has launched what it calls the first online music download store dedicated to music from India and the Indian sub-continent. CrimsonBay offers music from premiere Indian labels such as Saregama India Ltd, Ishq Records, Yatra Communications and others. The online marketplace, which is similar to Apple’s hugely successfully music download business iTunes, carries over 40,000 songs. A company press release said currently it was offering Hindi content including memorable songs from films such as “Umrao Jaan”, “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge”, “Aradhana” and artists such as Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Bally Sagoo and Rishi Rich. It plans to update its catalogue regularly.

As before, I suppose there’s a chance that music purchased from CrimsonBay will end up compensating the original artists, but call me a skeptic. Continue reading →

Indian Train Crashes into Tractor; Kills 52

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A passenger train near the N. Indian town of Kanhan crashed into a tractor that was trying to cross the tracks. The accident killed 52 & injured 10 others.

Now, in just about any other country, it would be safe to assume that those casualties were folks on the train. But, in India, they’re instead passengers on the tractor –

NAGPUR, India — A passenger train smashed into a trailer carrying wedding guests Thursday in western India, killing at least 52 people and injuring 10 others, a railway official and witnesses said. The dead included 30 women and 10 children. …Sudarshan Shende, who works at a nearby school, said at least three vehicles full of wedding guests had climbed the slope that led to the crossing, when the last vehicle, the tractor pulling the trailer, drove up and stopped. “They stopped for a while, and I could hear them arguing. Some wanted to cross; others wanted to wait. Then the driver decided to cross,” Shende told The Associated Press. “The tractor crossed, but the train rammed into the trailer.” He said no one was injured on the train, which did not derail despite the impact.

Sheesh. Continue reading →

SAPA Meeting – Sat, Feb 5

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sapa.jpgA quick shout out for all you Bay Area Mutineers — the South Asian Political Alliance (SAPA) will be holding it’s launch gala this Saturday evening.

SAPA was formed from the ashes of the South Asians for Kerry (SAKI) organization as a new vehicle to carry forward the Desi Progressive political consciousness.

Sepia Mutiny neither endorses nor condemns this event. 😉 And although I’m probably one of the last to label my politics “progressive”, I’ll probably be there cuz it’s gauranteed to be an interesting and interested crowd. For ex., San Francisco’s colorful (pun intended) District Attorney Kamala Harris – will be in attendance.

Details –

Saturday, February 5th 7pm – 10pm Element Lounge 1028 Geary Street San Francisco, CA Continue reading →

Desi Sex in the City

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sx291200513110.jpgAn interesting premise that seems to have gone nowhere –

SaharaOne’s much hyped show, Kuch Love Kuch Masti, a spin off on the global hit Sex and the City may not live long enough to see its end. The show about three urban girls who have no qualms discussing love and sex started off with alot of razzmatazz. The media and audiences were curious to see if the show lives up to the comparisons made with its foreign counterpart.

When faced with accusations of copyright violations, the show’s producer responds in tres Desi fashion – indignant denial –

When asked about the show drawing inspiration from the global hit Sex and the City, he is quick to claim, “I don’t know why these comparisons are made, but the show is definitely not a take off on Sex and the City.”

Having seen Indian Superman, call me a skeptic. 😉 Continue reading →

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History of Gun Rights in India

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Interesting little article about a topic that always generates some heat –

I live in India and I am a proud firearm owner—but I am the exception not the norm, an odd situation in a country with a proud martial heritage and a long history of firearm innovation. This is not because the people of India are averse to gun ownership, but instead due to Draconian anti-gun legislation going back to colonial times. To trace the roots of India’s anti-gun legislation we need to step back to the latter half of the 19th century. The British had recently fought off a major Indian rebellion (the mutiny of 1857) and were busy putting in place measures to ensure that the events of 1857 were never repeated. These measures included a major restructuring of administration and the colonial British Indian Army along with improvements in communications and transportation. Meanwhile the Indian masses were systematically being disarmed and the means of local firearm production destroyed, to ensure that they (the Indian masses) would never again have the means to rise in rebellion against their colonial masters. Towards this end the colonial government, under Lord Lytton as Viceroy (1874-1880), brought into existence the Indian Arms Act, 1878, an act which exempted Europeans and ensured that no Indian could possess a weapon of any description unless the British masters considered him a “loyal” subject of the British Empire.

Discuss amongst yourselves. Continue reading →

Reason #35236 Desi kids are “Freakishly Smart”

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You snooze, you lose (an eye) –

Indian boy’s eye injured as teacher flings pen at him NEW DELHI: An eight-year-old school boy’s eye was badly hurt when a furious teacher flung a pen at him during class to get him to pay attention in the southern Indian state of Kerala, a report said Wednesday. Al Amin, bleeding profusely, was rushed to a hospital Tuesday where he underwent emergency surgery for a 4.5-millimetre cut in the pupil of his eye, the Press Trust of India news agency said. Doctors who performed the surgery said it was too early to say whether the boy’s eyesight would be restored to normal, the report said. The woman teacher hurled the pen at Amin to make him pay attention during an Arabic lesson at a government school in Kattakkada, near Kerala’s state capital Trivandrum, the report said. Police have filed a case against the teacher, the report added. Indian parents often complain about harsh treatment of students in schools. Many teachers and school administrations believe corporal punishment is the best form of discipline.

When I saw the headline, a little voice inside my head said “I betcha this is in Kerala.”

(fyi – reason #35235) Continue reading →

Bridal Beer

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I usually don’t post refs to other blogs until they’ve been around for a while and generated a good body of consistently high quality material. But the premise behind this blog is just too interesting for Sepia Mutiny to ignore –

When I was a child, I imagined death as being a collective experience. As the lion roared for one last time and the monsoon clouds ripped their chests for the last July shower, we would suddenly drop to the ground, hands extended, toungues out. Dead. As a young adult, death seems too trivial an encounter. What casts shadows of fear is life. Especially if you are on the verge of an impending engagement with a guy you don’t particularly want to kiss-and never have. (Assuming you are a woman. Or a man.) He was “26 yrs computer professional, Brahmin, 5′ 10”, Ivy-educated looking for family values working girl bride of reputed North Indian family, no dowry, willing to settle in US”. Soon he will father my children and be the financer of my groceries. We will share toothpaste and possibly memories. In an arranged marriage, the premise is that you kiss a frog on the first night(and for the first time)- to convert him into a notional prince. Which reminds me of a video about illegal activities between a woman and two frogs. Can I bring my ex-boyfriend’s porn collection as dowry? I stole them when we broke up and I’m too sentimental to E-bay away those romantic Tuesday nights.

Follow BridalBeer as she navigates from the ex-boyfriend in NYC into an arranged marriage in India. Continue reading →

Cruise with Raj

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This is just downright brilliant –

‘ApprenticeÂ’ cruise to set sail …An eight-night cruise with the theme of the hit NBC show will sail from New York to the Caribbean on Sept. 26, after a bon voyage party in Manhattan with a send-off from Donald Trump. Cast members from the show — including Bill Rancic, the first Apprentice, and Stacie Jones Upchurch, Jennifer Crisafulli and Raj Bhakta from the second season — will be on board. The trip will take place on the Carnival Legend cruise ship.

A ship full of women, most of whom have seen you on TV – methinks Raj will be thoroughly entertained. Stay tuned for the “Cruise with the cast of Sepia Mutiny.”