Back and forth.

My maternal grandfather passed away on Monday morning, and I had to rush back to Calcutta. So that kind of explains the lack of posts over here. Have to admire the old man, he was 82 and was proud till the end and left behind two well-setlled daughters and four decently smart (even though I worry about Brotherman) grandkids. Being the eldest, I had to perform the last rites, and that is a rather depressing thing. Going to the cremation ground in Calcutta though is a world away from what I have seen before.
Firstly, and I admire this, it seems that Calcutta seems to have dispense with old-style cremation, everything happens in huge electric crematoriums. Imagine gigantic ovens - I'm sorry but thats what they are, they aren't romantic, but then again death never is, but they are a lot more environmentally friendly than chopping down a tree to cremate someone, and in a city where it seems there are more humans than trees, I guess it makes sense. Given that my grandfather who was against much ceremony and ritual, I guess we kept it all rather quiet, but my uncle did chide me for giving too much money to the priest who oversaw the ceremony. However, the crematorium itself is a very depressing place. We went to the Keoratala crematorium behind Kalighat and all around us there was huge wailing and screaming. Double Daddy pointed out that among Bongs (and it seems Indians on the whole) wailing is a ritual. Thats fine, but insanity needn't be a ritual. Death, and the ceremonies that we have after death should be dignified. However, I guess its easier for some rather than others.
I flew back today morning on an Air Deccan flight, which was cramped but none the less, it was also the first flight in the last two months that I have taken that took off within ten minutes of its scheduled time. I'll post some more pictures from Cal and the flight later.
Addendum : I do not have the linx or file of the phone video Mallika Sherawat (or not Mallika Sherawat) having sex with some white man when she was in Cannes. I know half the people visiting this site in the last five days have come in looking for that, and I'm sorry its not with me. In fact, I doubt its anywhere on the internet just yet, maybe try the forums at Masalatalk as well as disabling the 'Safe Search' function on Google. Why don't you try and find it the old fashioned way, get it from a friend via Bluetooth. Incidentally, I have only heard of this clip till now and haven't seen it as yet, but from what I hear it may not be Jat-girl. Now I read a report in The Statesman today morning where Mallika's friends in Bollywood have assured Jat-girl it isn't her after they 'carefully studied' the clip. I don't know what to say! Jat-girl (ex-Jet-girl mind you) should really do India proud by calling up Hugh Hefner and becoming the first desi to appear in Playboy. Not that there is much left to see, but at least PB is classier than starring in a MMS video. I've said this before and I'll say it again - Indians are voyueristic bastards - and if we don't do somthing about it soon, we'll end like Japan - on the Sex front that is.