Tag Archives: India

Sri Lanka Cedes Another Port, This Time An Airport, To Foreign Powers — India + Russia!

1 Reply

by Anura Guruge
on April 26, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. News snippets from ‘Google News‘.

This can’t be good. China already has a 99-year lease on deep-sea HARBOR nearby. Then, {as I reported} folks talk about ‘Russian Enclaves‘ in Sri Lanka. Now this. So, now China, India & Russia — a rather curious trinity — legally have footholds in Sri Lanka, controlling ports to boot.

Some of this {maybe much of it} probably has to do with the rampant corruption in the upper echelons of the government. Sri Lanka has been plagued by corruption & mismanagement for at least the last 50 years — & they have only been independent (from the British) for 76-years. I don’t think it was always the case. I think the first batch of leaders we had, straight after Independence {i.e., the ones I were personally familiar with}, weren’t totally corrupt. From what I could see {& I had quite a good & privileged vantage} they genuinely cared. They wanted to make something of the much sought Independence.

I could be wrong, but I think the corruption crept in during the late 1960s.

I, obviously, have no skin in this game. I gave up my Sri Lankan citizenship in 1983. I haven’t been back since 1992. So, this is all kind of academic. Historic.

I think China should TAKEOVER Sri Lanka. They own much of the Sri Lankan debt. Sri Lankans aren’t doing a very good job taking care of their country.

Sri Lanka Independence Day 2024: For The 2nd Year, The Government Panders To India — This Time By Inviting A Submarine!

4 Replies

by Anura Guruge
on February 3, 2024

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Click to access the original from the Indian ‘The Hindu‘.

Last year. A stamp to honor ‘Jawaharlal Nehru‘.
See my post.

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Google News’.

Sri Lanka got its political independence from Britain on February 4, 1948.

That was a BIG DEAL.

But now, due to decades of corrupt and inept governments both FINANCIAL & MILITARY independence has been squandered.

Sri Lanka is mighty beholden to China & India — both jockeying to get the edge over the other.

Inviting an Indian submarine for Independence Day celebrations is like a JOKE. It doesn’t convey strength, resolve and independence.

Last year the stamp. This year a submarine.

Yes, I have heard that large chunks of the locals are NOT happy.

It is a shame. I grew up, in Ceylon, as the 1st generation born after Independence. Those were happy days with much optimism and promise. Shame.

I have NO skin in the game — other than being born there. I gave up my Sri Lankan citizenship in 1983. That was 41 years ago.

But, I still mark ‘February 4‘. Always remember that as Independence Day.

India Train Accident That Killed ‘300’, In ‘Odisha’, Was NOT Due To ‘Signal Error’ — It Was Caused By A ‘SWITCH’ Error.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on June 4, 2023

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Click to access the ‘CBS News‘ original … with the ERRONEOUS news.
Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Wikipedia‘. Click for Wikipedia entry with this diagram.
Click to ENLARGE. What a switch looks like. In the case of this accident the switch was set wrong.

More pictures of SWITCHES.

Click to ENLARGE. ‘Conway Scenic Railway’, New Hampshire.

To say that this tragic accident was caused by ‘signal system’ error is just PLAIN WRONG.

Yes, the signals most like were wrong too as was any INTERLOCK SYSTEM that they had (assuming they actually had one). The INTERLOCK would have COORDINATED the SWITCH & the signals.

But, in the end the problem was the SWITCH. It was set wrong. IT WAS SET WRONG! Period.

Doesn’t matter about the signal. YES, IF the signal was RED the train could have stopped before the switch. That is all that the signal could have done.

The KEY QUESTION is WHY was the SWITCH set wrong. If the SWITCH was set to ‘straight ahead’ there would not have been a problem. That is it. That is why Wikipedia gets it right.

So, please, please, please, DON’T call this signal system error. It was NOT. It was a SWITCHING ERROR. OK?

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Sexually Very Explicit 2018 Indian Movie ‘Garbage’ (On ‘Netflix’) Is NOT Garbage, But HIGHLY Disturbing.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on May 13, 2023

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Click image to access the ‘IMDb.com’ listing for this documentary that has the feel of a movie.

Watch the YouTube trailer — BUT can only be seen ON YouTube because of age restriction.

Click image to access YouTube trailer. GRAPHIC!
Click to ENLARGE. From the YouTube trailer ABOVE.

This movie got some getting used to. The FIRST Indian movie I have seen (& I have been watching Indian movies for 60 years) with NUDITY (full frontal, at that) — never mind the explicit sex. Wow! This is NOT porn — hard or soft. It is a bona fide movie, with a clear storyline & message, that just happens to have a lot of vivid sex, in every form — with no effort to be subtle or discrete.

The message shown above stating that the ‘battleground is the vagina‘ is the basis of the story.

Yes, I guess we all see/hear this in the form of the gang rapes of women in India.

This is profoundly disturbing. This can’t be pie-in-the-sky. This stuff MUST HAPPEN in today’s India. Probably has for centuries. Yikes.

India has always been highly stratified society. Today, with the new wealth, drugs, rampant tourism, social media & nationalistic fevers things seem to have got out of control.

This is disturbing.

Obviously ‘the authorities’ & folks know. I guess much of it is tolerated. SOME of the messages from this movie MUST be — should be — widely disseminated. I am not sure I can recommend it on blanket basis. IF you are a mature adult who wants to know about some of the social issues besetting India you might want to watch this. Remember it is graphic & disturbing. Some scenes that are … Let’s just say BEYOND BAD!

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Sri Lanka Issuing A Stamp Honoring India’s ‘Nehru’ As Part Of Lanka’s Independence Day Celebrations Is Sheer, Shameless Political Pandering.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on February 7, 2023

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Google News’.

I am fortunate enough to have met & spoken to the charismatic ‘Jawaharlal Nehru‘. He, as Prime Minister of India came to our house for dinner during his official visit to Ceylon in 1962. {Smile. What can I say? My father was in charge of that visit & I guess he wanted something other than a very fancy, state dinner for at least one night.} I still remember meeting him. I would have been 9. He towered over me, all dressed in his trademark white. He GLOWED. He was so tall. So erect. Wow. What a man.

I have nothing, whatsoever, against Nehru. He was a GOOD MAN. One of my third-tier heroes. Under any other circumstances I would have applauded Sri Lanka honoring him with a flag.

But, this is so, so shameless. Political pandering, bordering on political prostitution.

Yes, Sri Lanka is so, so desperate for India to bail it out of its dire financial crisis. But, this is so obvious & pathetic. It will also annoy the Chinese. The Indians must be falling over themselves laughing at the weak, groveling Sri Lanka. Not good. Very sad. We were once a proud nation.

A Sobering Map Of The World Showing The Overweight Problem Across The Globe.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on January 22, 2023

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Click to ENLARGE. For full U.K. ‘Daily Mail’ article.

Not much I can add to this other than NOTE that the LATEST data (based on what appears at the bottom of the map) is from 2016. That was 6 (if not 7) years ago. So, this map is a bit dated. But, I am sure the overall picture hasn’t changed — just that some of the BLUES would have got darker.

The numbers are India have to be distorted by their HUGE village-dwelling population. Of late I have been watching a quite a lot of Indian movies on ‘Netflix‘ & I am always struck by how many folks, of both genders & across the age spectrum, are overweight if not obese. Yes, much of that is to do with their carb-rich diet.

All said, an interesting & sobering map to contemplate.

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

ESPN+ Doing A Decent Job, So Far, Providing 15-Minute Highlights Of The “ICC Men’s T20 World Cup”.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on October 20, 2022

Click to ENLARGE. Picture from my TV last night.
Click to ENLARGE. Picture from my TV last night.

Failure to do HIGHLIGHTS was the biggest drawback of cricket coverage on ESPN+.

Then, no doubt under commercial pressure from India, they started — grudgingly & stutteringly — doing 12-minute highlights for ‘IPL 2022’. That must have been well received. Then they started doing highlights of ALL games involving India. Yep, just for India & Indians.

I was real worried that they wouldn’t do highlights for the T20 World Cup. But, they have. I can’t be 100% sure but I think they have done all the games. At some point I will have to go back & check.

Their highlights aren’t bad either. They must have hired Indians to do it. I think 15 minutes highlights are a tad on the short side. 20 minutes would be Goldilocks. But, for now I am happy. Lets wait & see if they end up doing all the games. With the IPL, earlier this year, they didn’t do highlights on the matches that took place on the first weekend. I wrote & complained.

ESPN+ Providing ‘Tata IPL 2022’ Highlights Did NOT (Alas) Last For Long.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on April 4, 2022

Click to ENLARGE. From ESPN+.
Click to ENLARGE.

The IPL 2022 Highlights were like clockwork until last Friday (April 1, 2022) — Match 8: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Junjab Kings (PBKS). Then they stopped. Damn.

I spoke too soon.

On Sunday (i.e., April 3) I CALLED & spoke to an ESPN+ Rep. He didn’t fully understand the whole issue BUT he was sympathetic. He called up the ‘International Division’ etc. He promised to escalate it. A few hours later ONE new highlight (in both languages) popped-up.

But, highlights of the 2 Saturday matches are still missing.

Maybe the folks that do highlights don’t work on weekends! Would that be possible. WOW.

China Should Take Control Of Sri Lanka To End The Misery & Mismanagement. There Will Be Little Repercussions.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on March 31, 2022

Follow Anura Guruge on WordPress.com

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Google News‘. All in the last 14-hours!
Click to ENLARGE. 3 posts from my old ‘NHlife’ blog. Access blog & do a search.

Here are some extracts from my May 2021 post (shown above):

“China already through various deals & LEASES owns a fair chunk of coastal Sri Lanka — including one strategic port.”

“Various administrations, over the last two decades, have out of desperation or for personal gain, given China more & more access & sway over the country. China is happy to lend Sri Lanka lost of money (with backhanders in tow) as long as the loans are backed up by access to land & water.”

“It is no secret that China doesn’t have enough fertile land to support it population. They are buying & leasing land all over the world.”

The current President & his relatives (that run most of the country) will gladly handover the keys to Sri Lanka to China for a few more million dollars & flee to the U.S.! Yes, many have U.S. citizenship — or they will claim asylum.

It would be bloodless.

And as we have seen with Ukraine U.S. & others, at best, will impose some financial sanctions on China — who will just shrug them off.

Yes, India will NOT be happy BUT India is not going to go to war with China over Sri Lanka. That nuclear thing … & Sri Lanka, in the end, is still a very small potatoe.

China will whip the country back into some level of normalcy. It will be better than the misery they have now.

Just my thought. I am sure China has already thought this through & has a plan.

ESPN+ Doing A Good Job Providing ‘Tata IPL 2022’ Highlights (& Full Coverage) In The U.S.

Leave a reply

by Anura Guruge
on March 28, 2022

Click to ENLARGE.
Click to ENLARGE. From the official ‘IPL’ website.

Until earlier this year ESPN+ failed to provide HIGHLIGHTS of the cricket matches they covered. It did NOT matter whether it was a Test, an ODI or T20I — they only provided the full, ball-by-ball coverage. This meant that it was pretty useless to most of us. However much we love cricket, most of us don’t have the time to watch 5- to 7-hours of ball-by-ball coverage. Even watching a T20I, which I enjoy, requires around 4-hours. This is why they have cricket highlights.

Though I subscribe to ESPN+ (& Willow) for the cricket, I had despaired of ESPN+. I love Willow’s coverage — BUT they, increasingly, are getting squeezed out, like with the IPL.

So, I was AMAZED & DELIGHTED to see, a few weeks ago, that ESPN+ had started doing highlights — both in English & Hindi — albeit, just for matches involving India. ESPN+, obviously, was bowing to pressure from the huge Indian fan base. I was glad. This was a start.

Their highlights, at present, are under 15-minutes — those for the IPL just under 14-minutes. To I, that is a tad too short. 1-hour highlights used to be the norm. But, I have noticed that even Willow is making 25-minute highlights. I think 30-minutes should be the mark.

That said, I, so far, having watched the first three IPL 2022 matches, have liked the 14-minute highlights. That worked out real well, yesterday, when we had two matches. I could fit in the highlights for both.

So, just want to pass this along given that I know that there are millions of folks in the U.S. who want to watch decent IPL highlights.