Sayan Das

What truly are Human Rights? Why do we clamor for it with a personal enthusiasm? Moreover, when is it going to be recognised? Since the World War years, in particular the Second World War, we have seen Human Rights emerge as a very important subject. The extremely dismal yet superiorly structured genocide of the Jews by Hitler led Germans was the starting point of Human Rights. The devastation caused singularly to one religion, wiped out the golden rays of Read the rest of this article »

In the world of pageantry, the four big beauty pageants, also known as the Fab Four, are the Miss Universe Contest, Miss World Pageant, Miss International and Miss Earth. Miss World and Miss Earth attract the highest number of participants every year, reaching well over a hundred. While the Americas, Japan and Philippines are staunchly loyal to the Miss Universe Pageant, the Miss World Pageant enjoys similar allegiance in Europe and Africa. Both the Miss Read the rest of this article »

Dil Kabbadi is a roller-coaster ride you would not want to take for it is erratic, boring, and slow and certainly does not know the direction it is headed towards. This is a movie made with very little finesse and has no structure on which it has been built. It falls flat from the very beginning and does Read the rest of this article »

This seems to be the extreme spectrum in terms of testing the patience of a nation and its citizens. The terror attacks raging in Mumbai, entering it 45th hour as this article is being written has been, and must be, the last straw of our tolerance towards any form of terrorism. Read the rest of this article »

It is ironical that I am writing this article in English, that you are reading it in English and that the morning newspaper you usually read is also in English. To further the discourse, it possible that, like me, you too study in English and watch mostly English entertainment channels. Doesn’t it make you tired of English? I get tired. What truly breaks the monotony is my mother tongue, Bangla Read the rest of this article »

“Mile sur mera tumharaa, to sur bane hamaraa….
Sur kee nadhiyaan,
Har disha se behkee saagar mein milee,
Baadalon ka roop leiker,
Barse halke halke…
Mile sur mera tumharaa too sur bane hamaara..” Read the rest of this article »

Fashion, set in the world of high fashion traces the journey of Meghna Mathur, a model whose story reaches up for the stars, witnesses the bottom of the professional well and finally her scrappy resurgence to recapture the lost dream Read the rest of this article »

I have always felt the need to know my scriptures, the epics, the stories and fables that make our lives so much more colourful. It makes us richer in our sensibilities and makes us understand the origin of our culture and heritage Read the rest of this article »

The Grand Slam calendar of Tennis came to a very spectacular and glamorous close at the city of New York,,which hosts the annual U.S. Open. This year, too, the show went on with an added spectacle, in celebration of the fortieth year of the Open era Read the rest of this article »

Uniformity in administration brings about an effectiveness of policy execution in any country, or even in an organisation or an institute. It is this effectiveness which translates into a successful enterprise of governance Read the rest of this article »

What happens to a child governed by special rules as opposed to the ones who are abiding by the common rule for meant for all? The child in question becomes pampered, spoilt and his demands become unreasonable Read the rest of this article »

Has anyone ever asked why movements like SIMI (Student of Islam Movement of India) began in the first place? Why,do groups have to style themselves in such self destructing methods and ideologies Read the rest of this article »

‘Rock On!’ is a movie with wings of the youth but values of antiquity. It is a movie with the flavour of the much loved rock genre of music and the heady values of everlasting love, loyalty and friendship. It seems that Indian movies are finally coming of age, maturing with ageless grace and telling stories Read the rest of this article »

I am more than glad that we won three medals at the recently concluded Olympic Games and that a clutch of athletes came agonizingly close to a medal. However, what is troubling me is the over scripting we are doing to the wins. Haven’t we done the same when our athletes came back with the same distinctions from the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games a few years ago? Read the rest of this article »

Reality TV is the new mantra of television producers and channel executives. It is the means to increase TRP ratings and the end is always to outdo the other channels and the ‘similar-but-tweaked-here-and-there’ shows churned out by the competition. Read the rest of this article »

The resignation has finally arrived, and it has arrived with a package (read departing speech) of alarms of the nation going downhill, forewarning of political upheaval and counsel of safe keeping the nation against its falling apart. Since June 20, 2001, Pervez Musharraf had administered the country of Pakistan as the Chief of Armed Forces and the President. Read the rest of this article »

Grey’s Anatomy is a series in the USA which began its journey as one of the most famous medical dramas in 2004. Since then, this series has scaled an immense stature of fame, love, critical appreciation and intense audience anticipation. It began airing in India in 2005 and has ever since developed a very loyal support base (I refuse to use the word ‘fan’ as it is a very demeaning connotation for the word admirer). Read the rest of this article »

There are movies which are supposed to be enjoyed, and promptly forgotten about - save for the beautiful locations, amazing clothes and how good the actors looked. Bachna Ae Haseeno is one such movie where the actors do deliver in performance and in looks, while the locations could not have been better. Read the rest of this article »

At sporting events like Olympics, time and again we have put up a patriotic and beautiful rendition of cultural values in every opening ceremony. Our contingent has always boasted of higher number of officials than sportspersons but still we manage to represent our country with the right spirit in every opening ceremony. Read the rest of this article »

The momentous occasion of the Beijing Olympics is here! The 29th edition of the Summer Olympic Games have begun with enough pomp and show to convince even the most divine occidentals that the oriental fare of entertainment packs a punch, a big one at that. With ninety-one thousand people watching in the stadium and a television audience of about four billion to boot, the Games have truly begun with a bang.

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I finally see our name on the medal tally list which enthuses and warms my heart. It is our first individual gold medal in an individual event and comes after the gold medal winning feat of the then Indian Hockey team at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. We have waited sixty two years for our first individual gold medal and another twenty eight for one to return to India. The best part is that it comes at the time we celebrate our independence. Read the rest of this article »

This seems to be the season of losses from the unlikeliest of quarters for a player who is a legend and for one who is an established player on the tour. Roger Federer and Sania Mirza have been enduring losses which are uncharacteristic and happening at the time of the year when they usually peak in terms of their respective performances.

  &nbsp   Read the rest of this article »

The Olympics are the greatest sporting movement to grace the world. The games have had an impact on the sporting careers of many greats, and, the sport itself in such an incredible fashion that renders it difficult to put down in words. The Olympic movement involves many sports.

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I look around myself, only to find an innumerable number of examples of people who haven’t let their adverse conditions come in the way of their dreams, of people who have converted their hardships into their strengths. It takes an extraordinary courage, sincerity and dedication to make it from rags to riches. No one, perhaps, is born with such potential and vigor in them, it’s life that teaches one to stand firm.

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It has been two weeks since July 6, 2007, and those five hours that made the world and her subjects stop at their heels and dedicate themselves to the two legendary players who graced the Centre Court for the final at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship 2007 for the third consecutive time. Here I am writing about that very final because it has taken these two weeks to let those five hours sink, and I have woken up from a trance which the tennis took me to. Read the rest of this article »