Firefox 2

Firefox 2 is released. I downloaded it yesterday and it is working fine. I am amazed to read this post that Firefox2 was downloaded over 2 million times in the first 24 hours of launch or 30 downloads per second. Wow. IE can you beat it?

Justice delayed, but done

The Telegraph, Kolkata, reports:

A decade after the Delhi University student was raped and murdered at her home, and seven years after the accused had walked free from the trial court, Delhi High Court found Santosh Kumar Singh guilty of both crimes.

Priyadarshini Mattoo, a law student, was raped and murdered by Santhosh Singh, son on a Police Officer, on 23 January 1996. The lower court had given Singh benefit of doubt and acquitted him, due to lack of evidence . The additional sessions judge G.P. Thareja had observed in his judgeement, “At last it is felt that approach and working of subordinate staff of the Delhi police suggests that the rule of law is not meant for those who enforce the law nor for their near relatives.’’ What could be more shameful.

The Delhi High Court has overruled lower cour's order and convicted Singh. Santhosh Singh must be given death penalty. It is indeed sad that what seems to be an open and shut case, had dragged for 10 long years. Had it not been the relenless preservance of Shri Chaman Lal Mattoo, Priyadharshini's father, the case may not have come to its logical conclusion. Well, justice is delayed, but seems to have been done. The verdict of penality, either life imprisonment or death, will be pronounced on October 30.

Update (Oct. 31) The Delhi High Court has given Santosh Kumar Singh the death sentence for raping and murdering Priyadarshini Mattoo. Read more ...

Away and back

Due to some personal reasons, which are to personal to disclose here, I have been away from blogs and all that, for about two weeks. Now it seem the reason for which I was away is half-solved. It may soon be solved fully soon.

Here is my what interesting and uninteresting happened to me during these days.

I purchased my favourite sportsman Steve Waugh's autobiography, Out of my comfort zone, as a present from myself to myself on my birthday. For quite some years now, I have been presented books to myself on my birthday, since no one else seems to be doing it :(. Anyway, the book seem quite long, about 800 pages, and it has quite interesting pictures of Steve Waugh and of the matches he has played. It would be good reading. I intend to start reading it soon.

Two more books were purchased along with the above book: Remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro and Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. Both are Booker prize winners. I hope they will be good read.

During the past two weeks two excellent movies Khosla ka Ghosla and Dor were released. But as I live a small city of Ulhasnagar, these movies were not released there in the first week and were released later. I could not get to see Khosla ka Ghosla, but did saw Dor last Saturday. I just loved the movie Dor. It was excellent. I will write a separate post about it. I thought Omkara will be movie of the year for me, but it seems to be it will be Dor.

Nothing much interesting happened at the home or office front. Life goes on. As a poet, I could not recall his name, has said `Din hota hai, shaam hoti hai, zindagi yuhun taamaam hoti hai' or something like that. Loose translation would be: days come and goes as does evenings, and life seems to be coming to an end. May be I am having some mid-life crises or whatever.

Turned 43

I turned 43 today, for better or for worse. Let us hope for the better :).

Sachinda, 100

Sachin Dev Burman [1 October 1906 -- 31 October 1975]

Today is the 100th birth anniversary of Sachin Dev Burman. If Sachinda were alive today, he would have turned a grand old man of 100.

A few days ago I was listening to one of Sachinda's composed song, from movie Bandini, which he himself has sung, and in that song there is a line in the first mukda

ho man kii kitaab se tuu, meraa naam hii miTaa denaa
gun to na thaa koii bhii, avagun mere bhulaa denaa

I realise while I was listening to this song on my iPod, I had tears in my eyes. Such is the power of lyrics and of course Sachinda's singing.



And the next song of Sachinda's in my iPod's SD playlist hai apanaa dil to aavaaraa, na jaane kis pe aayegaa made me smile.

Thank you thank you Sachinda for the wonderful and beautiful compositions.