Posted in Current Affairs at 11:46 pm by PuneTalks
The slaying of Benazir comes across as a major blow to the millions of people in the sub-continent who have grown sentimentally attached to the four most charismatic and illustrious families in South Asia. The Nehru-Gandhi family, the Bhutto family, the Sheikh Muzib-ur-Rehman and the Kumaratunga- Bhandaranaike family are there, right in the Top bracket, when there is any mention of the political elite of this part of the world. All members of these families were feted and felicitated when alive and mourned collectively by the nation when any of its members met a violent death.
These families have been eulogized in their countries so much that they have become synonymous with their countries to the outside world. Read more »
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Posted in Current Affairs, Education, Miscellaneous, PuneCity Info at 9:19 pm by PuneTalks
Didn’t you see my right foot?! In the middle of an argument over a minor accident the rickshaw driver claimed he had poked his right foot out to indicate that he was turning right. Pune has around 60-70 thousand three wheeler rickshaws. They are no doubt a very convenient form of taxi service. To many harried customers, rickshaw drivers are rude and indisciplined, but I don’t really find their behavior on the road to be any different than that of private vehicle owners. This is a country where everyone owns a piece of the road, so rules be damned. Read more »
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Posted in Current Affairs, Education, Miscellaneous, PuneCity Info at 9:11 pm by PuneTalks
New Delhi, Asian Games 1982. I have memories of broad, clean avenues and clean air. When I returned after a long gap in 1999, New Delhi was urban hell. My friend pointed out a particularly busy intersection and said, “that’s the most polluted intersection in Asia”. I went back in 2004, and something strange had happened. Something we Indians are not used to. Pollution had reduced dramatically. Air quality was better. The reason experts tell us, was the conversion of almost the entire public transport fleet (15-20 thousand vehicles by various estimates) of rickshaws, taxis and buses from diesel to CNG (Edit: Compressed Natural Gas). Read more »
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Posted in Miscellaneous at 10:35 am by PuneTalks
I cross Law college road everyday on my way to soccer practice. The traffic is an endless stream, and sometime back I told the other coaches that I will be coaching from the other side of the road. At the Prabhat road signal and at Nul stop the back-up is so bad, you could easily miss 3 or even 4 signals before crossing the intersection. Urban legends about these backups are growing. Just last week a woman gave birth in her car waiting for the signal. Most vehicles keep their engines idling during their wait. That gave me the idea for this blog. How much pollutants does your vehicle emit when you wait for a few minutes at a traffic signal? How much does the entire city of Pune emit? Read more »
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Posted in Miscellaneous at 11:31 pm by PuneTalks
The world’s largest amphibian is the giant salamander. It can grow up to 5 ft. in length.
The blue whale can produce sounds up to 188 decibels. This is the loudest sound produced by a living animal and has been detected as far away as 530 miles.
A new born blue whale measures 20-26 feet (6.0 - 7.9 meters) long and weighs up to 6,614 pounds (3003 kg). Read more »
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Posted in Humour at 11:12 pm by PuneTalks
If you know some one staying in Pune (India) let them know this. If you
are in Pune, do go through this story COZ, its a real one. Read this
true story…and let everybody you know in and around Pune especially
University Road………. Read more »
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Posted in Current Affairs, Miscellaneous at 12:18 pm by PuneTalks
Dear Karunanidhi-ji,
I am not a Hindu hardliner, but I am a believer in the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Just like the Christians believe in the concept of “The father, Son and the Holy ghost”, my faith in the trinity of Indian Gods is unshakeable.
I believe that lord Ram was born in Ayodhya, just as followers of other faith believe that their Gods were born in other Holy lands. Read more »
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Posted in Inspiration at 12:42 pm by PuneTalks
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies’ hostel. Read more »
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Posted in Humour at 12:46 pm by PuneTalks
Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it…don’t waste
them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart
will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of
your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap. Read more »
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Posted in PuneCity Info at 12:25 pm by PuneTalks
Today, anybody would agree that Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra is changing with an acute and rapid momentum. Today, Pune is no more just a cultural capital of Maharashtra, it is one of the forefront thriving IT hubs of the world. Today it is no more just a pensioner’s paradise, it is the enticing abode for all the student community of the world. Today it is no more a just a habitat situated in the valleys of Sahyadri, it is the silicon valley of India. Read more »
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