Avinash Kaushik Article about Amazon

Avinash Kaushik

Right Graph, Wrong Headline: *After Decades of Toil, Web Sales Remain Small for Many Retailer*

You have to marvel at how utterly dominant Amazon is in online retail. And they absolutely 100% deserve their position. I love them. But.... it is imprecise to say that web sales for Macys and Best Buy and Staples and Wal-Mart "remain small after decades of toil."

Decades of toil for what? Except for A...mazon most of these retailers simply stink at ecommerce. Have you been to the Macy's website recently? It looks like I walked into a K-Mart (and I don't pay the high prices when I walk into a Macy's store because they make me feel like K-Mart!).

Amazon has won fair and square. But it has also benefited from the sheer incompetence of its competitors. Horrid return policies. Terrible customer service. Awful personalization. Disappointing shipping times. Complete lack of use of their offline presence power. Painfully bad Search / Display / Social / Email marketing strategies. Incredibly bad mobile See-Think-Do (http://goo.gl/wykpzp) execution. So on, and so forth.

Real world retail is not dead. It won't be dead anytime soon. At the same time digital is here to stay, it is how well we do there that will determine our near future.

But you can't half-rearend it, you can't half-commit, you can't 1990 it.

You have to go all in. Else stop toiling for decades to have these horrible results and cause your shareholders a loss of value.

#goamazon #everyoneelselearnordieanuglydeath

Article with imprecise headline and analysis: http://goo.gl/ThkHb8

My Cousin Tina who is trying to make it big in LA

Tina is a close cousin of mine, we are practically sisters. She is trying to make it big in LA, I am listening to here music, providing some constructive feedback...Her more recent song is called Appetite,hmm.. I've been on a diet for the past 6 months... Enjoy, she is like my twin.. 

Good Will Hunting Quote

• Why shouldn't I work for the N.S.A.? That's a tough one, but I'll take a shot. Say I'm workin' at the N.S.A. and somebody puts a code on my desk, somethin' no one else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it, maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. And once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels are hidin'. Fifteen hundred people that I never met, I never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', 'Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area,' 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called 'cause they were out pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from Southie over there takin' shrapnel in the ass. He comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks.
  Meanwhile he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so that we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And of course the oil companies used the little skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them but it ain't helpin' my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. They're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, maybe they even took the liberty of hirin' an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs. It ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work. He can't afford to drive, so he's walkin' to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks because the schrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorroids. And meanwhile he's starvin' 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State.
  So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure, fuck it, while I'm at it, why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president.
  
  http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Good_Will_Hunting
  
  
  

The Beatles - In My Life

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

In my life I love you more

The Bridge Across Forever

• "We're the bridge across forever, arching above the sea, adventuring for our pleasure, living mysteries for the fun of it, choosing disasters triumphs challenges impossible odds, testing ourselves over and again, learning love and love and LOVE!"
• Richard Bach

Simon And Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water

When you're weary 
Feeling small 
When tears are in your eyes 
I will dry them all 

I'm on your side 
When times get rough 
And friends just can't be found 
Like a bridge over troubled water 
I will lay me down 
Like a bridge over troubled water 
I will lay me down 

When you're down and out 
When you're on the street 
When evening falls so hard 
I will comfort you 

I'll take your part 
When darkness comes 
And pain is all around 
Like a bridge over troubled water 
I will lay me down 
Like a bridge over troubled water 
I will lay me down 

Sail on Silver Girl, 
Sail on by 
Your time has come to shine 
All your dreams are on their way 

See how they shine 
If you need a friend 
I'm sailing right behind 
Like a bridge over troubled water 
I will ease your mind 
Like a bridge over troubled water 
I will ease your mind

Across The Universe

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of live are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on, across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM

Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva [fade out]

Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Bette Midler From A Distance

  Songwriters: GOLD, JULIE From a distance the world looks blue and green,  And the snow-capped mountains white.  From a distance the ocean meets the stream,  And the eagle takes to flight.  From a distance, there is harmony,  And it echoes through the land.  It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,  It's the voice of every man.  From a distance we all have enough,  And no one is in need.  And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,  No hungry mouths to feed.  From a distance we are instruments  Marching in a common band.  Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace.  They're the songs of every man.  God is watching us. God is watching us.  God is watching us from a distance.  From a distance you look like my friend,  Even though we are at war.  From a distance I just cannot comprehend  What all this fighting is for.  From a distance there is harmony,  And it echoes through the land. 

And it's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves, 

It's the heart of every man.  It's the hope of hopes, it's the love of loves.  This is the song of every man.  And God is watching us, God is watching us,  God is watching us from a distance.  Oh, God is watching us, God is watching. 

 

Gita Quotes

"Who knows for certain?

Who shall here declare it?
Whence was it born, whence came creation?
The gods are later than
this world's formation;
Who then can know the origins of the world?
None knows whence creation arose;
And whether he has or has not made it;
He who surveys it from the lofty skies.
Only he knows-
or perhaps he knows not." 
— Anonymous (The Rig Veda)

"Let Good Thoughts come to us all from all sides ever,may we all be open to receive them ever" 
— Upanishads Ancient Indian texts

1: Om, Lead us from Unreality (of Transitory Existence) to the Reality (of Self),
2: Lead us from the Darkness (of Ignorance) to the Light (of Spiritual Knowledge),
3: Lead us from the Fear of Death to the Knowledge of Immortality.
4: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.” 
― Upanishads Ancient Indian texts

My visit to the Hindu Temple and Holy Name Cathedral

My visit to the Hindu Temple and Holy Name Cathedral

I was brought up in a religious family, my parents and grandparents visit temples regularly and even construct and manage them. I have a strong foundation in Hinduism  and it is my cornerstone in times of crisis. I have attempted to go to church to have my prayers answered and the Cathedral of the Madeline in SLC was a good place to visit. Since I have gone through this phase of church going, I think based on feedback from family and my own experience, I will remain a Hindu, it is good to cling on to a belief system you were raised with and one that has served you well.

Here are a few quotes from The Bhagavad Gita, it is a book that encompasses some core beliefs of Hinduism, I think a core message is that they are no strict rules, I am afraid of offending God, but they are not many easy ways to offend God in Hinduism. 

I like visiting Churches, I have many Catholic friends from my time growing up in Dubai and India. It is a peaceful place to gather your thoughts and admire the architecture. Honestly I  would miss the Idols and Imagery and noise of Indian temples if I stayed away from them too long.

“Roar with delight while you still can, O illiterate demon, because when I will kill you, the gods themselves will roar with delight” 
― Hindu Goddess Durga

The God Krishna (the Preserver) could have been a source for the Jesus/Christ story. There are many cults built around Hindu gods as well,  my family generally tends to avoid them. The God Krishna and other Hindu deities are bigger than the Solar System, the encompass multiverses.

There are demi gods , these are minor deities similar to Greek Gods, these are rarely worshipped around India, but in some parts of India they can become the guardian spirit for a house, it is a practice where I live to worship these spirit Gods.

“A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return” 

The Bhagavad Gita

“One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor; and is ever steadfast with the Supreme Self.”

  Bhagavad Gita

Action is the product of the Qualities inherent in Nature. ~Bhagavad Gita

“There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist. As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.”

  Bhagavad Gita

“Fear not what is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed.”

  Bhagavad Gita 

Review of The Butler

Here is my hastily prepared draft :

I watched the Butler today, the movie begins in 1926,  literally the first scene in  a Cotton farm (reminded me of Cotton Wood Heights) , has a white plantation owner rapes Mariah Carey (possibly half black- half white)and shoots her husband (black)in the head, killing him. Their son grows up to become Forest Whitaker’s Cecile Gaines(I think this character is a combination of a lot of real people, just insert African American woman’s husband could be anyone I may have dated could be a version of my dad). Cecil Gaines leaves his family and eventually becomes a Butler at the White House. His first President is Robin Williams as Eisenhower.

Cecil’s wife is played by Oprah Winfrey(me or mom), somewhere in the middle of the movie she might have an extra marital affair with her neighbor played by Terence Howard. Terence is somewhat of a jerk. The couple have two sons, Louis who is a civil rights activist who insists continually on going to the racist Southern part of the country to particiapate in the civil rights movement , and continues to end up in Jail as a result. His parents would rather he stayed away from these dangerous sitiuations and stay in DC, they are the ones funding his education.

The second son Charlie is a nice guy , he enlists for the war in Vietnam and ends up dying there, there is a scene in the Arlington National Cemetery. I live close to a town called Arlington Heights.

In Cecils professional life he has Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz as co-workers, as well as the various big name actor cameos as Presidents and Presidential spouses.  I think John Cusack as Nixon was interesting despite usually acting asa nice guy he does say some hurtful, racist things as part of his acting for the job. I think that situation comes up a lot where a white character is made to behave racist as training for a protest. Which brings me to the Freedom Bus that the elder son Louis was in that gets blow up by the Ku Klux Klan.

I think with the two children the parents want them to be safe at home, but they make independently make decisions to contribute to the welfare of the country. Towards the end, the Reagan administration does not want to get involved in Apartheid in South Africa. Cecil make a moral decision to resign from his post under the Reagan administration and get more involved in Louis activities thus ending their estrangement. The movie ends with Cecil going to meet President Obama at the White House with a picture of Lincoln(Illinois) displayed prominently in the closing scene.


There is also a scene with pay raises, where the African American staff have consistently been paid less than their white counterparts
and the Butler wonders why he isn't an engineer though he has spent a lot of time training for it. This could be anyone honestly, dad,me UT

Forrest Whitaker is my ex- boyfriend who i am still FB friends with

Current coworkers of mine seem to be there especially the civil rights protest instigator.

This was a good movie. The theatre was packed. I would give it a 4/5 rating.

The Butler is an important movie because essentially we are all Butlers

Winfrey: 'The Butler' is about perseverance over racism

How many times can you go to Alabama to fight racism, it is tiring for the parents. #1960's

. They have a row over his paying more attention to what is going on in the White House than in his own home.

"The performances compound its impact, aided by the quiet dignity almost everyone brings to their roles. Yet in 2013, with all we’ve learned and supposedly overcome, the gasps are telling. For some, the events in The Butler will be previously unknown and now new. That should never be the case, considering how shortsighted we can be as a society. " http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/174421-racism-the-butler-and-the-audible-gasp/

April Fool's Day

Nice pic...

Joyful Girl

i do it for the joy it brings
because i'm a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe each other the world
i do it because it's the least i can do
i do it because i learned it from you
and i do it just because i want to
because i want to

everything i do is judged
and they mostly get it wrong
but oh well
'cuz the bathroom mirror has not budged
and the woman who lives there can tell
the truth from the stuff that they say
and she looks me in the eye
and says would you prefer the easy way
no, well o.k. then
don't cry

i wonder if everything i do
i do instead
of something i want to do more
the question fills my head
i know there's no grand plan here
this is just the way it goes
when everything else seems unclear
i guess at least i know

i do it for the joy it brings
because i'm a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe each other the world
i do it because it's the least i can do
i do it because i learned it from you
and i do it just because i want to
because i want
-Ani Di Franco

Hold On...

Hold on to what is good,
even if it's a handful of earth.

Hold on to what you believe,
even if it's a tree that stands by itself.

Hold on to what you must do,
even if it's a long way from here.

Hold on to your life,
even if it's easier to let go.

Hold on to my hand,
even if I've gone away from you.

-
A Pueblo Indian Prayer

Living single...

I was thinking about roommates …. Maybe it was because I saw a scrap from my present roommate today. a few scraps above my previous two roommates ..and yea seems like half my testimonials are from people I’ve shared living space with….i’ve been living with flat mates/roommates /housemates since ’98…close to 10 years…. Wow ….I guess roommates tend to take a place higher than acquaintances ..if for no other reason than that they are the ones you get back home to after a day spent with acquaintances… given that fact roommates past and present should ideally stay in your head even while some acquaintances may fade away in memory, .. I thought I’d undertake a project and just list the initials of people I’ve stayed with …

’98 A.M and S.P with S.S. a constant visitor :)
’99 S.M and V.J
’00 A.D and P.
’01 A.D and S.B.
’02-’03 –Parents
Spring ’04 SG
Interim ’04- darn I forget her name :)
Fall ;04 HW
End of the year ’04 –B.P,S.J., S.
Spring ’05- P.K.
Fall ’05- C.M
Spring ’06 S.G and S.G. :) and P.M.
Fall 06’ S.G. and S.D. and S.P (for a day)
Also M.N and S.R, when I first came to ttown…..
Spring ’07- P.P.!!
That’s a long list …interesting activity when you think about it …

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

---Dr. Seuss

Which brings me back to the No.1 city in the world I would like to live in!!!

Not for a New Yorker the white picket fence and a two-car garage home on a sprawling suburban acre of land, where the closest place to get milk and bread is over a mile away. This is a city where if you can't go down the stairs and get what you need, you're likely to move residence; where 7 out of 10 of your neighbours look nothing like you, and nothing like each other either.

While on the topc of neighbours ..can you imagine my surprise the day I moved to my new apartment complex FYI .., it’s in the city , and not the desi preferred neighborhoods of Alpharetta, Dunwoody etc..and my next door neighbors have rangoli at the entrance and those gold welcome leafs with gods pictures and swastiks and what not that typically decorate doors of a lot of homes in India …

A New York Diary
________________________________________
Maya Mirchandani

Senior Special Correspondent

Thursday, December 7, 2006:New York

For the last five years, the entire occidental world has debated and discussed the new global order through the lens of Samuel Huntington's paradigm of a clash among civilisations, whether in the context of the war on terror, the war in Iraq, tensions with Iran, the cartoon controversy, or the galloping tensions over the wearing of the veil by Muslim women in Europe.

So much so that this week's CNN's coverage of the Pope's visit to Turkey is headlined "When Faiths Collide".

But in a country that has produced both Samuel Huntington and the most vocal followers of his ideology, also exists a city like New York.

With its own cultural dynamic, sense of community and style - no matter where you come from, how you talk or what you look like, New York manages to find space for you.

How else can you explain a Pakistani kabab diner in the heart of predominantly desi Jackson Heights pulling out of the oven a huge roast turkey, covered in tandoori masala?

As I was ordering a plate of kababs for a visiting friend and myself, I asked him whether that was a special order of some kind. The all in one chef/manager/proprietor of Roti Boti told me, with an ever so subtle smile, "Bibi aaj Thanksgiving hai, na!" Can we carve you a slice, Professor Huntington?
________________________________________
Two and a half years ago, a piece in the Metro section of the New York Times advised other Americans visiting the city for the Republican Convention on city etiquette.

Having been a resident here for just a short while myself, I brushed it off as Democrat disdain for hillbilly Republicans thronging New York to endorse a man New Yorkers can't stand, as President for a second term.

Now, having lived here a couple of years since then, things are clearer. True New York is Democrat, and true its citizens don't have much patience for President Bush, but the etiquette advice all that while ago was right on the money!

The speed at which to swipe your subway card through the turnstile so that you don't hold others up, walking at a pace that other pedestrians - local new Yorkers in a constant rush to get somewhere - find acceptable (that's the easiest way to spot an outsider), wearing black-always at night, but also advisable during the day, crossing the street anywhere and anytime that traffic is clear instead of waiting for the light, and so on and so forth.

This is a city which is willing to make any outsider one of its own; provided you follow its simple set of rules. Newcomers to New York, refer to the NYT archives of August 2004 for a full list of dos and don'ts.
________________________________________
New York City might as well be the Independent Republic of New York. It's a complete antithesis to Americana in a way that most other Americans find hard to believe.

Not for a New Yorker the white picket fence and a two-car garage home on a sprawling suburban acre of land, where the closest place to get milk and bread is over a mile away. This is a city where if you can't go down the stairs and get what you need, you're likely to move residence; where 7 out of 10 of your neighbours look nothing like you, and nothing like each other either.

A ride on the subway could be a virtual tour around the world in a couple of hours. The 7 train is even called "the international express". It starts in Times Square, comes through Greek Astoria, goes through South Asian Jackson Heights and ends up in Chinese Flushing.

The F train travels through the city from Forest Hills, an old white American neighbourhood in Queens, through International territory Roosevelt Island (many, many UN officials live there) to Korea town in Manhattan, to Arab Coney Island Avenue to Russian Brighton Beach.

Each area bears the cultural and culinary flavours of its inhabitants. With food as the eternal elixir and dining out a tradition in this city rather than a treat, a scientist friend of mine summed it up quite succinctly.

"Where else can you find American customers, Mexican cooks in an Indian restaurant in Chinatown," he asked!
________________________________________
There is certainly something to be said about the social fabric of this city. I often wonder why the controversy over wearing the veil hasn't taken on the same contours here in New York, in the way that it has across many European cities.

It's a city that has seen one of the worst acts of terrorism committed in history, and felt the closest thing to communal tension in the days immediately after 9/11.

I know first hand how tough those days were. Five years ago, everyone who looked "Muslim" was suspect. I decided to wear a salwar kameez for a dinner party and found it difficult to hail a cab. Subway riders would rather leave the seat next to me empty than come sit next to someone they weren't sure of. But around the rest of America, things were far worse - we all told ourselves - and braved another day.

Today, a group of friends can get together at a local pub and spend an evening singing Farsi and Urdu ghazals, reading Korean poetry and send out an email inviting people to an evening of "Poetry from the Axis of Evil" without a care in the world.

It's hard to say whether it is because of its overwhelming liberal democrat population, or because of the fact that people of every colour and creed live in such close proximity to each other, that "live and let live" becomes the only way to live here.

It is true that cases of discrimination still flood immigrant lawyers and activist groups on a daily basis, but it's also equally true that for every case that does, there's inevitably a New Yorker raising a voice and fighting against such discrimination.

They may win their cases, they may not - but taking on the challenge is what makes New York resilient.

I don’t know why I feel nostalgic for B-grade Hindi Film songs….maybe it’s because I miss the weekends spent watching film trailers in practically every channel ( music or non music ) in India . I know I can get a whole B4u/Sony/Zee and all the new stuff package for 50 bucks a pop give or take. but I guess I don’t miss the channels that much…plus I don’t have a tv right now… don’t plan on buying one soon either ( unless I get back my old one) which is a whole other story… any way I heard this song on Musicindia online…I guess the singer is a relative of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan..sounds a lot like him…I guess Akshay Kumars character is abroad and misses home or something…talking about being abroad…. In a few days it’ll be three years since India stopped being my country of residence…… I left home ( i.e. the house my parents live in ) the night of my 23rd birthday ..left India a day later…. Oh to be 23 again!!!!!! But then again…age ain’t nothing but a number :)

Main Jahaan Rahoon ( Lyrics )
Movie : Namaste London - 2007
Music Director : Himesh Reshamiya
Singer(s) :Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Krishna
Lyricists :Javed Akhtar

Mood/Type : Sad
Mein jahan raho
Mein kahin bhi hoo
Teri yaad saaath hai

Kisi se kahun
Ke Nahi kahun
Yeh jo dil
Ki Baat hai

Kehne Ko saath
Appne Ek duniya chalti hai
Per chupke is dil mein tanhai Palti hai
Bas yaad Saath hai
Teri yaad saaath hai


Mein jahan raho
Mein kahin bhi hoo
Teri yaad saaath hai


Kahin to Dil mein yaadon ki
Ek suli gad jaati hai
Kahin har ek Tasveer bhahut hi dhondhali pad jati hai
Koi nai duniya ke naye rango mein khush rehta hai
Koi sab kuch paake bhi yeh maan hi maan kehta hai


Kehne Ko saath
Appne Ek duniya chalti hai
Per chupke is dil mein tanhai Palti hai
Bas yaad Saath hai
Teri yaad saaath hai

Kahin to bete kal ki jade
Dil mein hi utar jaati hai
kahin jo dhage tute to
Malayen bhikar jaati
Koi dil mein jagah nai baaton ke liye rakhta hai
Koi apni palko per
Yadon ke diye rakhta hai

Kehne Ko saath
Appne Ek duniya chalti hai
Per chupke is dil mein tanhai Palti hai
Bas yaad Saath hai
Teri yaad saaath hai