Folks now I write at http://chiragchamoli.indiameme.com/

After creating the information dashboard for Indiameme. I am now working on a simple project to collect all the government websites both national and local. Please help me with this huge task of collecting various websites you can leave them in the comment section. This page will really help all of us.

Thanks for your time.

Posted via web from The Chirag Chamoli Lifestream

Thanks for the emails and comments for the last post. I had taken a break to write a site, I have been try to promote for a few days now.

What is in for you

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• Glance at the Day’s Stories and Blogs
• Read stories only from the best sources
• This is the probably the most cleanest site in India
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Indiameme is still in beta so there may be some glitch, you can provide feedback here.

My blog will be quiet for a few more weeks while I’m in between moving jobs, packing and traveling….While I’m gone, please visit the many fine and funny websites listed under Blogroll. Thanks for the emails and i will be back.

The secret to happiness is short-term, stupid self-interest! -Calvin

© Andy Singer

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman (Laxman) perhaps is best known for his creation The Common Man. Laxman’s earliest work was for newspapers & magazines such as Swarajya and Blitz. Whilst still at the Maharaja’s College, Mysore, he began to illustrate his elder brother R K Narayan’s stories in The Hindu, and he drew political cartoons for the local newspapers and for the Swatantra.

When the American cartoonist Ranan Lurie asked him who the best Indian cartoonist was, Laxman flashed back, “I am.” The second, third, fourth, fifth best man on the job? Laxman continued to repeat, “I am.”

As you can expect The Common Man has spoken only once ever  in an early cartoon about Nehru. He tells Nehru even as he doesn’t recognize him, “…Don’t know all that Sir, but I’m voting for that man…!”, pointing to Nehru’s statue. Satire is clear as it Nehru- Gandhi debacle that led India into a dynastic nation and stripping away all the freedom struggle with few emotional decisions, for which we are still paying, anyways, moving on.

Common man has represented the mute millions of this country . What you’ll note in the boxes, there is no political comment, only political statement. Can you call this superficial? A Laxman cartoon essentially contains two elements. It is drama frozen at a tipping point with something before and something after it. He puts us on the spot.  The common man is helpless in his country, he chokes with frustrations and fury each moment. Laxman’s cartoons convert this rage into humour and a smile.

On being asked if he’s happy with the new government and he harrumphs: “I like all governments; they work for me. If there were no governments, there would be no cartoonists”. The Budget? “The Budget is a bore,” he snaps. “The papers, NDTV are still talking about it all the time. Remember Nani Palkhivala’s Budget analysis? Those were the days.” Laxman doesn’t spare any words when it comes to the media. “Things have undergone a sea change since my early days: packaging has become more important than content”.

Khushwant Singh once wrote in a column: “Both R K Narayan and Laxman conceal enormous self-esteem and inflated egos. I have to concede, though, that neither has anything to be modest about. Laxman is the pillar that sustains The Times of India. The day his cartoons stop appearing on its front pages, Indians who start their day with a smile will have nothing left to smile about.“

After graduation Laxman went to Delhi to find a job as cartoonist. The Hindustan Times told him he was too young, that he should start with provincial papers. The Free Press Journal in Bombay had no such qualms. Laxman found himself seated next to another cartoonist who was furiously drawing a bird in a cage. His name was Bal Thackeray. (“Is that an Indian name?” wondered Laxman who knew only of William Makepeace Thackeray.)

One day the Journal’s proprietor banned him from making fun of communists. So the twenty-three-year old Laxman left, caught a Victoria, and walked into the The Times of India office. From that day “I had a table and a room to myself which I have used ever since.” And used with a freedom unknown to any Indian journalist for as long. Laxman feels oppressed by having to turn out a cartoon everyday.

“Each morning I grumble, I plan to resign as I drag myself to the office. By the time I come home I like my work.”

Laxman plays with every shade of humour — wit, satire, irony, slapstick, buffoonery, tragicomedy. Such versatility dazzles as does his unwearied discipline. Through the long, prolific years the man from Mysore has never hit anyone below the belt. And that makes him India’s most beloved cartoonist… Creating the common man.

Here are few of my favorite strips and also, Thanks to Chittaranjan, you can use this link @ ToI for a date-wise archive of his cartoons. You’ll needs an Indiatimes ID though!

I heard him say that he was going to speak out boldly and reveal some very shocking matters shortly. I think he is retiring soon !

All Images are copyrighted by TOI and Penguin Publishings.

I’ve been buried under a lot of work lately. I don’t know what happened, but in the last 2 weeks, I feel like I’m a slave in a AC cabin . Office paperwork, presentation, design work, strategy, reports, misc. work. My desk is a mess.  My feed-reader is overflowing. I have to still call my friends and one of them just got married. I’m not complaining, I’m just observing. In addition, the primary observation that comes out of all this is that multitasking is the fastest way to mediocrity. Things suck when you do not give them your full attention.

Obviously, it is not a discovery, it is just a reminder to self. If you want to do great work, focus on one thing at a time. Finish it and move on to the next thing. It means some things aren’t going to get done as fast as some people may want. It means some people are not going to get your full attention for a while. However, doing a bunch of crappy work, or making a bunch of poorly considered decisions just to get through the pile is not worth it.

As my dad said if you are playing play and if you are reading read.

Ofcourse im talkn about pink floyd…….pioneer of psychedelic rock……the kind of music that plays with your psych after u r stoned………..trust me!!!!!!!!!!  Starting with famous lines

Music is what life sounds like. – Chirayu

i have thought a lot about y i want to write this thing……..i think im music promoter….and it is cheap…..u can get it any where…….it makes you happy…….listen to wish you were here……it makes you cry……1 of my friends eventually cried after listening to Fuzon ~ Aankhon ke sagar……i started with general stuff like backstreet….only gay band i ever liked……then i went to rap….eminem was my man…..lyrically magnificent…..then a bit of metal….like maiden,metallica…..i still headbang a lot in a rock show.and always be there in mosh pit…..then my foray into music started…..classical rock……led zep being 1 of the 1st ones…….stairway to heaven……..Yes, there are two paths you can go by  But in the long run Theres’ still time to change the road you re on.And it makes me wonder….fuck man lyrics like this gives you a shiver……….then i heard free bird……by lynyrds skynyrds……..then there were bands like ac/dc, john denver, scorpions, eagles, bob dylan, bob marley, jimi hendrix, jim morrison, aerosmith, jefferson airplane, the byrds, ramones, queen pearl jam, neil young, paul simon, def lep lepard, bill halley, grateful jethro tulldead.,zzy ,gnr, clapton,velvet underground,the who ,tom petty ,rolling stones………….phew thanx for reading all the names if i may have forgotten any  i will post it later…..thanx for lettin me post this thing in ur blog thing and thanks chirag for givining me his ipod……which is the only thing i hav and  i like…..i lost the zippo so sorry…….okay after so many band u do understand music……..Shorter of breath and one day closer to death,…this is by time……..if u can feel it……their music is so refreshing……..wen ever im bored i listen to them and they take me to high,……………space rock it is if you ever heard of……….richard wright died bocz of cancer every 1 think which 1 is floyd i perceived that rick is the floyd bcoz he is the 1 who made the pf extraordinary……by the way all the pink r exceptionally talented like syd,roger,david…………..but i think wat the difference was trick ………………….cheers 2 u man……….u rock………….shine on you crazy diamond a half an hour song………….dedicated to syd……………is 1 of their best …………..u have to feel it urself………..their art show…………arey it ii is like u can relate ne song to urself,,,,,,,,,hey ppl try cold cofee with a bit of whiskey it is good……..i tried it today………………but dope that is good……..and try PF wid dope……..its best thing u can ever get…………sorry i was high writtin all this stuff………but wat the heck,………originally christined as the pink floyd sound….it was appropriate….this article have been written in a very good intention…….just to spread PF…..that is it……..peace ☮.

A guest post by Chirayu Chamoli .

Ofcourse im talkn about pink floyd…….pioneer of psychedelic rock……the kind of music that plays with your psych after u r stoned………..trust me!!!!!!!!!!  Starting with famous lines

Music is what life sounds like. – Chirayu

i have thought a lot about y i want to write this thing……..i think im music promoter….and it is cheap…..u can get it any where…….it makes you happy…….listen to wish you were here……it makes you cry……1 of my friends eventually cried after listening to Fuzon ~ Aankhon ke sagar……i started with general stuff like backstreet….only gay band i ever liked……then i went to rap….eminem was my man…..lyrically magnificent…..then a bit of metal….like maiden,metallica…..i still headbang a lot in a rock show.and always be there in mosh pit…..then my foray into music started…..classical rock……led zep being 1 of the 1st ones…….stairway to heaven……..Yes, there are two paths you can go by  But in the long run Theres’ still time to change the road you re on.And it makes me wonder….fuck man lyrics like this gives you a shiver……….then i heard free bird……by lynyrds skynyrds……..then there were bands like ac/dc, john denver, scorpions, eagles, bob dylan, bob marley, jimi hendrix, jim morrison, aerosmith, jefferson airplane, the byrds, ramones, queen pearl jam, neil young, paul simon, def lep lepard, bill halley, grateful jethro tulldead.,zzy ,gnr, clapton,velvet underground,the who ,tom petty ,rolling stones………….phew thanx for reading all the names if i may have forgotten any  i will post it later…..thanx for lettin me post this thing in ur blog thing and thanks chirag for givining me his ipod……which is the only thing i hav and  i like…..i lost the zippo so sorry…….okay after so many band u do understand music……..Shorter of breath and one day closer to death,…this is by time……..if u can feel it……their music is so refreshing……..wen ever im bored i listen to them and they take me to high,……………space rock it is if you ever heard of……….richard wright died bocz of cancer every 1 think which 1 is floyd i perceived that rick is the floyd bcoz he is the 1 who made the pf extraordinary……by the way all the pink r exceptionally talented like syd,roger,david…………..but i think wat the difference was trick ………………….cheers 2 u man……….u rock………….shine on you crazy diamond a half an hour song………….dedicated to syd……………is 1 of their best …………..u have to feel it urself………..their art show…………arey it ii is like u can relate ne song to urself,,,,,,,,,hey ppl try cold cofee with a bit of whiskey it is good……..i tried it today………………but dope that is good……..and try PF wid dope……..its best thing u can ever get…………sorry i was high writtin all this stuff………but wat the heck,………originally christined as the pink floyd sound….it was appropriate….this article have been written in a very good intention…….just to spread PF…..that is it……..peace ☮.

A guest post by Chirayu Chamoli .

While researching for this post, I  first asked  fellow blogger,  regarding their perception of India, and I did get a overwhelming response from everyone. Do look at the footnote with a shout out to all of you, all the people who, helped me with this post. I have tried to step out of the concept of being an Indian and looked at us, here are some observations, you may agree and may disagree, but will definitely hope you enjoy this… Enough with the introduction. Finally, please do visit the Bearman cartoons, the official cartoon editorial person for this post and a really Wonderful Cartoonist and is great Blogger .

1. All Indian do have a funny accent, when we speak in English, and for those who fake the accent its even worst, only exception are people who are born and brought up outside, India who have zero trace of accent.
2. Indians did invent the zero, but seriously guys, get over it, its not like we cured cancer, or something.
3. We have ‘1 hospital bed per 1000 people’ here but we do enjoy a massive incoming medical tourism from across the globe for cheaper medical facility, also, we may not agree but there are 5-8 million AIDS patients in India, and we don’t even have sex.
4. Even though, India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world. We have been have being duped for past 63 years into believing we are democratic nation, the funny thing is we have been ruled by Gandhi’s for better part of the 60+ years.
5. Speaking of dynasties, George VI of the United Kingdom, was the last Emperor of India, does, BJP know this?
6. First king who, fucked it up was Shah Alam II  .
7. Indian did invent the game of Chess  and we are played everyday by our political leaders, religious wrath lords , Cops,  business….
8. India claimed to be a sovereign country and we cut throats and destroy lives based on the ever funny question “Who has a better imaginary friend”.
9. Swastika is often confused with Nazi symbol which is a very auspicious symbol for Indian, with Hinduism as their faith.
10. Indian ranks #1 with $1.456 trillion of undocumented money or Black Money. We are  a poor county
11. Outsourcing is more of a curse than a boon to Indian economy, but since its easier math with outsourcing, it is considered as first business of most of the Indian entrepreneurs, yes, including , Infy. TCS , Wipro.
12. Indian music industry and plagiarism is nothing new, but if  you think Anu Malik is bad, you’ll be surprised classics like OP Nayyar and A R Rahman also, have had there share for Inspirations.
13. Most of the articles of Indian origin, on Wikipedia are heavily biased, either by corporate or by people not from India, if you read about the British Raj Article on Wikipedia, it will seem as if we had extended open invitation to be colonialzed
14. Studies show that 6/10 movies, from collective Indian Cinema industry are either scene by scene copy or inspired by foreign cinema, that is pretty low for a nation of billion people.
15. Slumdog Millionaire wouldn’t have won anything if it were directed by an Indian fellow, the sooner Indian will face this fact the easier it will be to sleep over it
16. Politicians in India earn a huge tax inflow from alcohol and cigarettes, still they condemn it each time it comes up
17. Tea is a preferred drink in India, which was a gift from our colonial masters, like the bad education system, drained assets like gold, diamonds and A wonderful bureaucratic system, we strive in today.
18. India does have a lot to thanks the NRI’s for people like Gandhiji and  the first serial killer Charles Sobhraj, yes he too was an NRI without whom Indian would be incomplete.
19. In all the Indian newspapers, only The Hindu is worth your time, attention, and rest are mostly garbage in and garbage out.
20. ‘Frontline’ is the World most underrated Indian magazine, which actually is quite good, considering the alternative.
21. Article 377 was another gift from British raj, and we still follow it, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code a piece of legislation in India introduced during British rule of India used to criminalize homosexual activity
22. Lakmé is an Indian brand of cosmetics which was started by Tata’s because of a personal request of the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru idea of Women’s Liberation, Yay… No wonder, even with the most powerful Indian being a women, crimes against women have only increased.
23. Coca-Cola was thrown from India for not being Indian enough and now govt. is preparing a drink with cow’s urine and I just can’t get no satisfaction
24. Jammu & Kashmir were actually great tourist destination, like Paris or Switzerland and people; had to book accommodation/tickets in advance, before terrorism, screwed the beauty and serenity of the valley.
25. Simple Kissing in public in India has a fine ranging from a “full fledged mass protest” outside your home to 200 Rs ( $4) fine depending on the lips, I guess
26. Indian Army is the world’s second largest force and they all deserve each bit of our sincerest wishes, after all it is they who lay their lives in the battle field and not politicians, who should in, my opinion should serve at-least for 5 years, to understand the value of a human life.
27. Indian women wear Nighties more often than Saris.
28. In most southern parts of India and  some northern , Lungies or dhotis are preferred. It is hot after all and we are hairy, except may be people who work for movies.
29. Despite all the purdah and ghoonghat for women, young women are seen tying and retying their saris at ISBT (InterState BusDepot, Delhi) and at Railway platforms, and also are seen bathing by the road sides, … they probably don’t  know 50% (atleast) Indians do not have toilets, and yet, history has it we installed  the first toilet.
30. Each state in India has a very different language. It is like a different country at every border. In reality 70% of Indians have a language other than Hindi and we all don’t speak that too.. Take me for instance, I can speak 5 Indian languages and understand 5 more, brilliant right. However, do not go by head nodding of an Indian, we will have the same nod for yes, no, and maybe so, kindly adjust.
31. We love saving plastic covers, cartons, and packets and cover everything with a cloth or preferably, plastic cover, we hate to remove the plastic cover from our car seats… (the seats will get dirty)… and store old TV boxes etc. It is just typical of us.
32. We rank really high in corruption too, I mean, we even misused the Red Cross funds meant for Kargil soldiers , so that is how low we can get. BTW, I have personally bribed a cop with 20Rs ( 40 Cents ). You get the Idea.
33. Indians think environment hazards are something, which happens only in a developed countries.
34. We are the global dumping ground for everything from jeans, cars, medicines, rejected and inferior graded brands in Europe….. Due to import quality control and obviously you can bribe us we are cheap and easy. Also,Tata’s the most respected brand makes two versions of auto rickshaw , one for Indian Market and one for Other markets, as other Asian markets don’t take the Indian made crap due to there environmental and safety regulations
35. In Indian context, after you have paid you are a moron and no one care, consumer rights is a myth in India.
36. We have ban on Sex Education by many Indian states, we think taking and reading about sex will make us promiscuous and malign our culture, we would rather keep child molestation, rape, pedophiles, spousal abuse, physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse under the blankets of … but we never talk about it.
37. We still vote on lines of caste and religion
38. We always offer water, tea, coffee, sherbet and something to  eat to all our guest, no matter who you are and what time it is, except may be Salespeople, stray dogs and politicians.
39. India has the largest Postal network in the world with 1,55,618 Post Offices at the end of the financial year i.e. 31.3.2003 including 1,39,081 Post Offices in rural areas.
40. We stay with our parents even after marriage, generally, folks in US  and Europe think that it is crazy, but it is what it is.
41. We don’t have a lot of Snake Charmers and Elephants, may be Elephants, but that stereotype need to go through a change, you can stereotype us with a lot of call centers, tea, or something cool, why the Jumbo!
42. Folks in US and UK, don’t get mad at me, but we and Chinese did led the world in gross GDP for 3000 years till the British came to India and stole took away snatched exchanged most of it, for the miserly.
43. We along with China are the two richest countries in natural resources, that is one of the main reasons why there is so much population in this Asian landscape… All the wanderers who came here settled here!! The Mongolian’s and Aryans took the two most rewarding places on this planet as far as natural resources are concerned. The Turks tried to come in however they only managed to get some parts of India, and they largely settled in the Indian Subcontinent. This is the most significant reason for the high population, as there were more resources and less hardship the concentration of people happened and then they kept reproducing… and you know the rest.
44. India receives 20 inches of fresh rainfall each year… meaning almost 2 feet under water, this is an unbelievable gift we have…. However the utilization has left a lot to be desired, In spite of all these rivers, dams and bloody three oceans, water is being distributed in Tankers under police protection, go figure.
45. Indians in general are violent and mob rules, not right or wrong, just rules.
46. We will do almost anything for money
47. Most of the cases, Indians will give more importance to family over friends.
48. We are not health-conscious, yet.
49. We are born crooks…They spend a lot of time thinking of ways to cheat people and the system for personal gain.
50. Indians are not generally humorous people.
51. When we says, India never invaded any country in its last 100000 years of history,  remember we never got a chance, because, we were fighting internally over petty issues like, caste, religions, what women should wear, how my state is great….
52. The name ‘India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshipers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu. The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name ‘Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
53. The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called ‘Mokshapat’. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowries shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
54. The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
55. The value of “pi” was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
56. Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world.
57. The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
58. Ushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
59. The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world’s largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
60. India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
61. Yoga & Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries. which proves my point India is good at creating stuff but not so good in marketing/ IP protection.
62. The first reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra India?
63. World may be surprised that Indian national sport is not Cricket its hockey and no one cares.
64. One good and bad thing about India is we are open to every change and embrace everything with open arm, even if it hurts at first and then get used to it.  But, still this country is because of few of those,  who dare to fight odds  for the most basic rights.

Please don’t take this too seriously it is more for entertainment purpose than educational.

Shout out to: Bearman, Poonam, IHM, Indyeah, Solilo, Dhiren, Quirky Indian, Ajit, Bones, Nita, Nimmy, American Desi, Goofy Mumma, All of you. Thanks, Niki for reading this and giving suggestions, once in your life, you did read what I wrote