The Downfall Of My Trusted Lieutenants

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 5/17/2013 12:25:00 PM

'They are still the most loved and cherished members of our family. In the past, they have always moved with us to various cities around the globe. Even now, one of them always accompanies us on our camping trips as well as to other outings where we stay in log cabins or family suits. We can’t imagine our life without them.But a recent incident—none of their fault in the least—have given them a bad rap. Now we can not even speak aloud our beloveds’ names at public places, nor can we (...)'

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Goatie Bansal And Pawan Bakri

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 5/14/2013 6:26:00 PM

'Goatie Bansal And Pawan Bakri (May 10, 2043)Thursday, May 14, 2043Believe it or not, mano ya na mano, the above picture was captured a few days ago by a family member of Goatie Bansal and it has gone viral. This weird sight was witnessed when Goatie Bansal was about to kill a goat named Pawan Bakri for good luck. It is believed that when someone is about to die, his and his onlookers faces from previous birth flash for about a millisecond. After seeing this picture, we decided to co(...)'

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My Dad’s Maruti (Mere Dad Ki Maruti): Movie Review

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 5/7/2013 9:15:00 PM

'Daddu (name withheld on request) has agreed to write movie reviews for the Grist Mill. He is a closeted Hindi movie fan. Although he doesn't allow his family members to watch the degraded movies, he himself goes out and enjoys every movie with his Khap friends. Their families believe that they are away discussing important social issues. At first, Daddu sent me reviews of the movies that had the word “youth” in their titles, but I explained to him that this was a family bl(...)'

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The Metamorphosis Of Mohammad Azam Khan

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 4/30/2013 3:54:00 AM

'(In this article, the first part tells the real story of Mohammad Azam Khan’s April 2013 trip to the US, and the second part is fictional.)Part IThis astonishing story is from 2013 AD. That year, Akhilesh Yadav, 39, the young chief minister of an Indian state, Uttar Pradesh, and his urban development minister, Mohammad Azam Khan, 64, were invited along with a 12-member delegation to attend a symposium on South Asia at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The subject of the(...)'

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Why I Became A Pessimist

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 4/25/2013 11:52:00 AM

'All of you must be aware that scientists keep on experimenting and publishing results of new studies. For example, one of the studies taught me that if I put a foot in front of the other foot, I will move forward. I am a great fan of such studies. So you can imagine my excitement when a study proved that pessimists live longer, happier lives. Now I am also a sucker for all sorts of tips and advice that promise longevity because I feel my life has just begun and I still have many unf(...)'

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Why, Narendra Modi, Why?

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 4/20/2013 1:01:00 PM

'Maya Kodnani and Narendra Modi (via countercurrents.org)We trusted you all these years and now you betray us. Why you no save Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi? Why you want death penalty for these brave warriors?We have heard many stories of royal intrigue, conspiracies, and Machiavellian designs from the past, but this is the most shocking tale of betrayal in the recent history. Just because we called you Hindu Hridaya Samrat, you have started acting like those samrats or kings (...)'

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How To Produce More Terrorists

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 4/18/2013 3:26:00 AM

'(Picture via nytimes.com)The recent bombing incidents at Boston Marathon in the US and at the BJP office in Bangalore, India, have left me sad and dismayed. I am disappointed at the decline in quality and quantity of such terrorist attacks.It is very important for countries like India and the US to have more homegrown terrorists as it has become increasingly difficult for the terrorists from outside to carry out terror attacks on foreign soil. There are many websites that teach peop(...)'

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The Last Wicket

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 4/9/2013 3:59:00 AM

'For some time now, Dinesh had considered himself the most eligible bachelor in the town. It was a realization that had dawned on him lately, as all of his friends had become householders. Not that he had intended to remain unmarried. It was just that he couldn't find a bride of his liking. He had wanted a wife as beautiful as Madhuri Dixit, who would also get along well, working with his mother in their joint household and not spout abuses all day long like his two sisters(...)'

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Helping Others: Scaling Success With Altruism

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 4/1/2013 10:36:00 PM

'(via nytimes.com - link below)All of us know that helping others makes a person a better human being. We also keep hearing stories where the good always wins over the evil. In fact, we are born in this world amid a cacophony of wise sayings passed on from generations of philosophers and thinkers blasted from public platforms and mean and selfish talk in the confines of privacy. Thus, most of the people remain confused and are skeptical of helping others.This is the reason, from(...)'

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RIP, Holika!

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 3/28/2013 3:42:00 AM

'Holika and Prahlada (via rediff.com)On the eve of Holi, the recently concluded festival of colors, many Hindus celebrate the death of Holika by burning her effigies in bonfires. I usually feel sad at the untimely and cruel death of this young woman, who was a casualty in the enmity between two egotistical cousins. I have to confess that I am also a bit guilty of eating green chickpeas roasted in the Holi bonfire during my childhood.Although the Hindu Gods have become apathetic, inco(...)'

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With Love To Sharad Yadav

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 3/20/2013 8:10:00 PM

'Related news:NDTV: Who amongst us has not followed girls?IBN: JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav says stalking women in India a norm, 'everyone does itIndian Express: 'Sexist' Sharad Yadav says 'Who amongst us have not followed girls' The Grist Mill: Bring Your Own Grain'

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Never Before Seen Pictures Of Pope Francis

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 3/19/2013 3:08:00 AM

'Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) was born on 17 December, 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires City.Newborn Jorge Mario Bergoglio (1936)He was an adorable baby. Soon enough, he learned to crawl on his own all by himself.Jorge Mario Bergoglio (1937)Amalia Damonte who grew up in the same Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires as Bergoglio says that when they were 12 or 13 years old, he had a crush on her. According to her, he said that if she didn't say yes, he would have to become(...)'

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On Gender Equality

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 3/8/2013 5:18:00 PM

'Gender equality, a habit, which people in west have taken on like wearing clothes, still remains elusive in India. Most of the people here are like members of some remote tribe, proudly gyrating in nude showing off their stuff/junk of inequality in the name of culture and tradition. They remain oblivious of their grossness because it is the only way of life they have known. This habit is so normalized and ingrained that it will take decades for all our people to adopt equality and b(...)'

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Oh Dear, Let’s Go To Mars

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 3/5/2013 4:48:00 PM

'Oh dear, let’s go to Mars!Let’s accept Tito’s offer,Of this space adventure,And explore heavenly stars. Our vitals fit the bill,For the 2018 Mars trip.Let us train some more,And learn all the tricks.We’ll be blissfully cramped In each others embrace While jetting through spaceFor five-o-one days. No household chores,No commuting to work,Only time aplentyTo love and reflect.With courage in our hearts,And stars in our eyes,Let’s put ourselves on the map,By mapping unknown skies. (...)'

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Making Sabyasachi’s Childhood Dreams Come True

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 3/2/2013 1:37:00 AM

'Recently, I happened to watch "Farah's childhood dreams come true" on NDTV. It is one of the episodes of a show called, Band Baajaa Bride with Sabyasachi. This episode was about a 25-year-old girl who is a vegetable vendor’s daughter. Sabyasachi, the fashion designer, who has made a fortune by draping healthy Bollywood actresses in curtains and bed-sheets and selling beautifully designed clothes at exorbitant price, helps the girl fulfill her childhood dream. I learned that he has b(...)'

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My First Animated Short: Cats Doing The Harlem Shake

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 2/27/2013 7:46:00 AM

'Animation and cats' accessories are original. Background picture via nytimes.com. Some of the cat pictures are from various clip-art collections.Dear friends and relatives, please let me know if you want me to mention your name in my Oscars speech next year. Also if you want to convey any message to any Hollywood celebrity, send me an email.Related link:The Wall Street Journal: Why the Harlem Shake Matters The Grist Mill: Bring Your Own Grain'

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Next Prime Minister Kaisa Ho?

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 2/20/2013 7:54:00 PM

'Via Open MagazineIt is very important for a country to have a good Prime Minister. A bad Prime Minister is like a bad zookeeper, who along with his subordinates, siphons the money allotted for the animals for his own use. He doesn't care if the animals are fed properly or if their enclosures are cleaned or maintained. As a consequence, the zoo stinks and the animals either starve or kill each other.In 2014, Indians will once again get a chance to pick a Prime Minister. I r(...)'

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Love Gone Sour

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 2/9/2013 5:04:00 AM

'Important message: Before I divulge the details of my love story, I want to inform you that the Grist Mill has now become a seven-header blog. At any point of time, if you find my stories boring or upsetting, please click on the tabs above and have a look at the assiduously designed, uplifting blog headers. The good news is that ever since I added these headers, the daily page-hit count of my blog has skyrocketed as I have been clicking on the tabs again and again. ***The follo(...)'

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Indo-Pak Rap: Ok, Ok, Oh My God!

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 1/26/2013 5:44:00 AM

'Latest Super-Hit Chart Buster Indo-Pak Rap: Ok, Ok, Oh My God!Lead Vocalist: Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief at TIMES NOW Other Indian Singers: Raza, Strategic Affairs AnalystLt. Gen (Retd) B S JaswalPakistani singers: Zafar Hilaly, Former Secy, MEASyed Tariq Pirzada, Former Pak Ambassador to USProf Zafr Jaspal, Quaid-e-Azam UniversityAdmiral (Retd) Jawaid Iqbal, Defense AnalystOriginal Video: The Newshour Debate: Pak's Open Aggression (Full Ep(...)'

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Mark Your Calendars

Author : Giribala      Blog : The Grist Mill      Date : 1/14/2013 3:48:00 PM

'Life is to celebrate. We get to live 365 or 366 days every year. Even though, most of us celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day, Women’s Day, All Fools’ Day etc., many distinguished people are still left under-appreciated. It is very important to honor friends and relatives who are sexist, superstitious, bigots, homophobes, racists, etc. Many times people do not even know that their friends, or relatives, or they themselves are qualified for such (...)'

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