City of dreadful knights

City of dreadful knights

Ah, the great Indian city! The lack of urban infrastructure destroying the infrastructure of the human soul. By 2020 Mumbai will have a population of 20 million. Bangalore, already with 6.5 million inhabitants has seen phenomenal growth. 300 million Indians live in urban areas; the figure will spurt by 40 per cent in the next 11 years. Whatever the rural romantics may say, India's future is irreversibly urban. Mumbai and Bangalore are symbols of the urban Indian dream, the first, whose present chief minister claims will be a new Shanghai, the second, which a former chief minister wanted to make into another Singapore.
But forget Shanghai and Singapore, which instead are the voices that are speaking the loudest for the Indian city? The new voices that are yelling into the urban skyline are anything but urbane or metropolitan. In Mumbai, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has declared war on north Indians, mimicking what he calls their strange accents, noisy pujas, nasty civic manners and demanding preferential treatment in jobs for local Maharashtrians. Raj Thackeray wants north Indians out of Mumbai. In Bangalore, as the campaign for the assembly elections of 2008 gathers momentum, another "son of the soil" is also demanding reservations for locals. HD Deve Gowda's political manifesto demands thirty per cent reservation of jobs in the InfoTech and BioTech sectors for local Kannadigas.
What do Raj Thackeray and H.D Deve Gowda have in common? In a fast-changing urban milieu, as cities and their enterprises turn global, Thackeray and Deve Gowda have turned aggressively local. In a modernizing economy, they have found the shortest possible political ticket to the largest possible grievance, the ever growing grievance of being left out of the new jobs that are on offer in a growing economy.
Mumbai has always attracted ambitious outsiders. The stock market, Bollywood, organized crime, the vast informal sector, the corporate sector, and the rags to riches possibilities were heady. The singing Johnny Walker was the embodiment of the happy- go-lucky urbanism of Mumbai. Bangalore was once a sleepy pensioner's paradise with its splendid old rain trees shading the streets from sun yet has always been a city of strategic and intellectual significance. From the 1950s, the Nehruvian vision dreamt Bangalore's 'modern' identity into existence. Around the parks and bungalows, rose ISRO, DRDO, HAL, NAL, giant public bodies that provided the city with the research institutions and industrial growth that created a professional educated middle class, spurring the subsequent achievements in InfoTech and biotechnology.
Sixty per cent of Maharashtra's industrial production comes from the Mumbai-Thane belt... In 2001-2002, Bangalore alone contributed 22 per cent of the state income. As economist Vinod Vyasulu puts it, Bangalore is a neighbour of San Jose not of Tumkur. Mumbai dreams that it is neighbour to Manhattan. But now Tumkur is demanding its pound of flesh from Bangalore. And the Konkan belt is demanding its share of the prosperity of Mumbai. The provinces are beating at the doors of the rich metropolis, saying we will break this door if you don't let us in.
Three years ago when Raj Thackeray broke away from the Shiv Sena and launched his own Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, he promised to create a modern version of the Sena. Three years after being in the political wilderness,after being wiped out in the Mumbai municipal polls, Thackeray has realized that modern politics is hardly ever successful in a modern economy.Instead, the best way to win votes in a reforming economy is not to join hands with the forces of change but with regionalists and cultural chauvinists, who are unwilling to compete in the open economy, but instead want the benefit of other peoples' hard work by simply the privileges of their birth in a particular state.
For the first time in Karnataka, the "Kannadiga" identity is an important factor. From Deve Gowda to Congress leaders like Siddharamaiah all are united in demanding reservations for Kannadigas in the new economy ( "IT-BT" as its called) There is Kannadiga protest against non Kannada films, English medium schools, even clubs, bars, live bands which represent the "outsider". Karnataka is trying to reclaim Bangalore. Never mind that Infosys on its Bangalore campus alone, employs 18000 young Indians from all over India, many from Bihar and UP. Never mind that Mumbai, a city built by migrants over centuries, has always counted among its loyal "citizens', not just Maharashtrians, but communities from every part of the country, all proudly classified as "Mumbaikars'. Tragically, this important cosmopolitan identity has no political face. As cities become diverse, the politicians who control the cities are insisting on chauvinistic identities, simply because their voters are not in the city.
There is a battle therefore on who will manage and control our cities. Should it be the politicians whose votebanks are not urban? If a chief minister tries to manage a city, or create urban bodies to manage civic affairs by inducting qualified urban citizens, then he is, like SM Krishna, instantly branded as high tech and elitist. Yet the fact is that cities like Mumbai cannot be managed by sugar chieftains of Maharashtra who see the city simply as a collection of real estate to be used for funding political campaigns. Nor can the city of Bangalore be managed by Vokkaliga village potentates whose economic vision only begins with the word 'reservations'.
Cities like Mumbai and Bangalore need efficient managers and public representatives who will invest in their social and physical futures, by making them as inclusive as possible, creating areas of "common space" between locals and outsiders and creating conditions for wealth generation. Wealth that can then be spent in overcome inequalities between town and provinces. Sadly, the post of a sheriff or mayor is not just undervalued but rendered irrelevant when it is most needed. There is no urban agency that can nurture new identities for our cities. Instead the politicians entrusted with Mumbai and Bangalore are only using the city's hard earned prosperity (prosperity which can be a great resource for the entire state) to attack the city and its unique ethos. Delhi, by contrast belongs to everyone and no one, the reason why regional chauvinism has no place in the politics of the national capital. Because Delhi has statehood, its rulers have a stake in Delhi's development. Any demand for similar city state status or "statehood" for Mumbai or Bangalore will be violently opposed by the hinterland chieftains.
Delimitation of constituencies has led to a great increase in urban voting power in Karnataka this time. In Bangalore alone, the number of seats have gone up from 16 to 28. The rise in urban educated voters is an enormous opportunity for the political needs of a city to be addressed. Once votebanks change from only rural to urban, urban concerns will necessarily have to be addressed. On the flip side, if urban seats rise, politicians might be even more tempted to whip up urban anger against that caricature enemy, "IT BT".
But till the status quo is broken, the "outsider", both in Bangalore and in Mumbai will be the favourite whipping boy, whether they are "English speaking outsiders" who are 'ruining' the city with a yuppie culture, or the poor migrant outsiders who are taking up the lower rung jobs. As facilities collapse and the economy grows ever more competitive, local jealousy and anger is on the rise. If a city is only abused and exploited instead of being nurtured and used to fund other parts of the state, then India's centres of the new economy will only become sites for ancient conflicts of language and identity.

ash-abhi

20th April 2008 - One year to their married life ... 1st marriage Anniversery of Aishwarya and Abhishek and here are some words from Aishwarya itself describing about their married life … just read them …

"I am a happy girl, can't you make out?" beamed Aishwarya.

"Everybody was teasing me when I came here to celebrate 'karva chauth' (a Hindu ritual). But I said I have to experience it," she added.

"This is the first travel where people start calling you, 'Hello Mrs. Bachchan, good evening,"'

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On last year may be around in December or January … Bollywood market was hot … rumour was flowing in the air … as everyone wants to know whats going on between little big B and most beautiful woman and heart throb Aishwarya Rai … everyone want to know. At last as they say Abhishek proposed to Aishwarya after the premiere of ‘Guru’ in Toronto and the actress accepted his proposal without a second thought and later on Big B announces that yes … Abhishek is going to marry Aishwarya … Immediately this news flashed on every news channel … and internet writers started writing and publishing their photos togther all over the internet … but this all episode started in February 2006, when Amitabh Bachchan's brother Ajitabh Bachchan admitted to media that he had gone to Bangalore-based astrologer Chandrashekhar Swamy with the horoscopes of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.

This is quite a coincidence. Amitabh got married to Jaya after their first Hit together - Zanjeer. And 34 years down the line, history repeated itself when Abhishek got engaged to Aishwarya after their first Hit together - Guru!!

The 'roka'/'shagun' ceremony (prevalent in UP & Madhya Pradesh) taken place at Aishwarya Rai's residence, on the holy occasion of 'Makar Sankranti'. And on 20^th April 2007, most awaited marriage happened, all bollywood stars, big names, big fames was there … media was trying hard to get the view but nothing happened … every news channel was trying to capture this moments … they were airing live every movement of Abhishek Barat … they were guessing and flashing videos of whats going on at there … after the marriage all the internet fully flowed with the photos of Aishwarya and Abhishek marriage … even today when you type Abhishek and Aishwarya on Google then you will got … Latest photos of Aishwarya and Abhishek Marriage. Huge space of Internet occupied by these photos as every alternate person is either fwding their marriage photos or just adding those photos to their websites or blogs to get traffic

Just I am wishing them … have a great time as Papa Bachchan and Mama Jaya enjoyed so far … you guys really look made for each other and compliment to each other as well … just keep cherish your life as you got life once … you don’t know what happen later on … God Bless you guys …

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Some of Aishwarya interview excerpts

"I am feeling wonderful. I am very happy. By the grace of God, everything is wonderful," Aishwarya Bachchan

Bollywood actress said: "It's all things good. It's a blessing. And it's a wonderful family," she said, going on to describe Abhishek as "superlative and fantastic.”

Aishwarya said she had found wonderful parents in her parents-in-law Amitabh and Jaya. Asked if she had changed after marriage, she said, "No. I am just a normal girl in a wonderful time of my life, a very special time. It's fantastic. It's all things good."

"Marriage is a beautiful chapter in life. It is so blissful and wonderful...in fact difficult to articulate. I strongly recommend it to everyone. Each one of us must experience it," she told.

"Our honeymoon was our first holiday and after that we were straight back to work. I wish I could have taken more time off. I would love to spend every minute of the day with Abhishek."

At last ... what do you think about this ...

Saturday, January 26, 2008

What do Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Juhi Chawla, Zeenat Aman, Lara Dutta, Dia Mirza & Sushmita Sen have in common? Well all these hot girls are not only the proud winners of the Miss India contest but they have also made it big in Bollywood.

Ash is one of the few actresses to be immortalised in wax at the 'Madam Tussaud's Museum'. This is a great honour as she is the second Indian film star after Amitabh Bachchan, this is for sure that in coming years many more actors and actresses wax model will be there.

Till Date Aishwarya Rai Bachhan's journey can be define in

• Childhood and Teenage
• Modeling Carrier
• Acting Carrier
• Controversy
• Married

Biography -

Nickname : Ash, Aishu, Gullu
Date of Birth : 1 November 1973
Sign : Scorpio
Weight : 122 lbs.
City : Mangalore (Karnataka)
Country : India
Mother: Vrinda Rai
Father: Krishnaraj Rai (ex-merchant navy officer)
Siblings: Brother Aditya Rai (merchant navy officer)
Children: No
Marital status: Married
Husband: Abhishek Bachchan
Private life: Dated Salman Khan but after the split Aishwarya has refused to work with him again
Height: 5' 7" or 1.70 m
Religion: A practicing Hindu
Likes: Honesty, family, friends, dignity, strength of character, chocolates
Favorite food: Not fussy about food at all
Favorite color: White and Blue
Her hero: Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor
Her heroine: Madhubala & Nargis
Other facts: Trained classical dancer
Hobbies: She loves collecting watches
Occupation: Bollywood actress / hollywood actress / fashion model
Debut film: Mani Ratnam's Iruvar
Languages: Tulu, English, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu

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Childhood and Teenage




She excelled at academics as a child and chose science as her area of concentration, hoping for a career in medicine (zoology being her favorite subject at the time) but later on she opt for Architecture. Instead, Ash -- one of her nicknames -- opted for a career in architecture, and passed her college entrance interviews with flying colors. She made her first commercial for Camlin pencils when she was in the 9th grade.

Schooling - Arya Vidar Mandir in Santa Cruz, Bombay, India

College - DG Ruparel College, Matunga, Bombay, India

Architecture Study - Raheja College Architecture in Bandra, Bombay, India

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Miss India Runner Up, Miss World & Modelling Carrer

She then decided to take a break from architecture and concentrate on modelling. She made her first commercial for Camlin pencils when she was in the 9th grade. This green-blue eyed beauty stole ads for many prestigious firms, the ones which brought her into the limelight were the garden sari and the pepsi ad. Crowned Miss femina '94 runner up, she was a hot favorite to win the miss world title, which she did ! Her beauty and charm made her India's darling.

Facts about Miss India Competition Day

Nothing went right for her on Miss India Competition day. She lost her swimsuit, a gift from her father, and a ring , which was a gift from her mother. Then there was the much - publicized showdown that took place backstage. Sushmita Sen complained to the Times of India authorities that Aishwarya had been given preferential treatment by the hair stylists and make up artists all day, while the other contestants were kept waiting until 15 minutes to show time, and she even threatened to quit the pageant (wouldn't that have changed history quite a bit!)

Well, it came down to two. Aishwarya and Sushmita ended up in a tie for Miss India/1, so another question was pulled out for the two to answer (what this question was, and how they answered it, is unknown by me, but according to many, Aishwarya was too ready to win and too overly confident of herself) and so, the rivalry came to an end, as Aishwarya Rai was declared Miss India/2, and Sushmita Sen was declared Miss India/1, ready for the Miss World and Miss Universe Pageants, respectively.

Miss World Introduction …

At the evening gown competition in Miss World Competition, where Aishwarya, fitted in a white extravaganza, came down, and took the microphone, as this was the part where each semifinalist stated something about "If I will become Miss World" and this is what Aishwarya had to say:

"Good Evening and thank you for this opportunity. If I shall go on to become Miss World today, I shall take over from Lisa (referring to Miss World 1993') onto my duties, with as much sincerity and dedication, to go on to become an ambassador of peace, goodwill, harmony and compassion, and trying to do full justice to our motto, 'Beauty with a purpose.' Remember, people, I'll always be there for you, thank you!"

At the Top 5 round, Katherine Kelly Lange, who gave Ash this question:

Q - What qualities should Miss World 1994 embody?

Aishwarya Answer:

"The Miss World's that you've had up to date are proof enough, that they had compassion, compassion for the underprivileged ... Not only for those who had status and stature, but who can look beyond barriers that man has set up for ourselves of nationality (crowd again goes crazy with enthusiasm), color, we have to look beyond that, and that will make a true Miss World, a true person, a real person."

So at this point, the judges made their final decisions "...And Miss World 1994 is...Miss India!!!"

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Guys ... just bookmark this page as very shortly I am going to post Acting Carrier, Controversy and reason behind Aish marriage. So just wait for few days ...

• Acting Carrier
• Controversy
• Married

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