…it’s over.
At approximately 7.30am this morning, the Taj operation finally came to something of a close. Reports are that one terrorist has been caught and three have been killed there. There have been some casualties among the NSG and the NSG chief JK Dutt has urged guests in the hotel to part their curtains so [...]

10.20am - The Trident has been cleared of terrorists and everyone has been evacuated. Two or three terrorists are believed to be holed up in the Oberoi (adjoining tower in the same complex). The Taj continues to burn and still not much luck with Nariman House, even though commandos being airdropped on the roof.
Apparently, the [...]

10.45am - There are still 50-odd hostages inside the Taj. The Trident also continues to be under siege. The Taj has about 5 terrorists inside. A navy officer said that sniffer dogs are being used to check whether dead bodies are booby-trapped. Media are being told to not play up things and to not expect [...]

And no, the lyrics of the Pearl Jam song will not be part of this post.
If there’s one thing that I didn’t think I’d ever do when I took to blogging, it’s live-blogging during a bombing/hostage situation.
Today was the premiere of the movie “The President is Coming“. While we were drinking free white wine, courtesy [...]

A large-scale S. Bombay terrorist attack is going on right now using automatic weapons, hand grenades and possibly a taxi bomb. Commandos and military are supposedly being rushed in. Gunfire is still being heard on live TV. ToI:
Three people, employees of Taj Hotel in South Mumbai, were killed after being fired upon by terrorists and [...]

Here’s an excerpt from the fascinating Gang Leader for a Day, the Chicago version of Maximum City. In ‘89, economist Sudhir Venkatesh went out for his first thesis survey in a ponytail and tie-dye. He was held captive all night by a crack-dealing gang called the Black Kings:
‘Nigger, what the fuck are you doing here? [...]

To understand recursion, you must first understand recursion

One of the coolest visual effects in the clinically romantic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was the beach house at the end of the movie being disassembled in real time, rafters vanishing into the ether. Charlie Kaufman’s feverish visions have often demanded unobtrusive CGI, and this shot, [...]

Both Hollywood and Bollywood just released 3D animated movies starring pooches. Going by the status of most dogs in India, I’d have guessed the star of Roadside Romeo would be a mangy stray rather than a lost pet. But both Romeo and Bolt are privileged house dogs who, by happenstance, lose their cushy, pampered [...]

Here’s a current AdSense ad referencing Pakistan’s Supreme Leerer. We really do need a Romanization standard for Indian languages. Who would’ve thought you could build entire competitors around transliteration-squatting? (thanks, Puneet)

The President is Coming opens in India on Nov. 28th, and it’s one of the rare cases where a play benefits from the transition to film. As funny as the play was, there were some lulls in its second half. The film version is sharper and tighter. My buddy Anuvab Pal, the playwright and screenwriter, [...]

Singing contests are so popular in India that someone made an entire movie around the idea (Loins of Punjab). With the popularity of outsourcing and English-medium education in India, I always figured we’d be first in line if American bands ever started outsourcing their singing.
But hark! What strange beasts slouch toward Madison Square Garden? Milord, [...]

My best friend and I have long wondered what it is about Indian men that gives them exotic appeal because, despite what our exploding population figures may suggest, few Indian or Asian women see it or at least admit to seeing it. However, get on to the other side of the Arabian Sea and it [...]

Benaam (’74) opens with a psychedelic spinning void…

… and segues into ’60s-tastic fashion:

Moushumi Chatterjee’s upturned corners have always been a favorite. A college friend wore it with black clothes and a velvet choker, rockin’ the infamous ’60s Madras goth look.