Benazir Bhutto Killed in An Attack

Benazir Bhutto, 1953-2007 was killed in an attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Read SAJAforum for more news.

According to the December 27, 2007 New York Times Pakistani opposition leader was assassinated. NPR reports the rally was for parlimentary elections. Benazir Bhutto is being called a martyr. At least 20 others were killed in the blast.

Indian Students Killed in LSU Home Invasion

Since my last entry on the slaying of the 2 Indian PhD students Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam on December 12th, here is some additional information:

Per CNN, interestingly enough the Edward Gay apartment complex for married and graduate students is on the edge of the campus, close to one of Baton Rouge's highest-crime areas, and an elementary school. Apparently the apartment complex is within sight of the transition offices of Louisiana Governor-elect Bobby Jindal.

MSNBC reports that police continue to hunt for the 3 suspects seen leaving the area as relatives and friends mourn the loss of the 2 young Indian students poised for a successful life in the USA. Thus far, there seems to be no clear motive.

The grief-stricken parents find it hard to believe they no longer have their son.

FoxNews reports that the university did not shut down, because there was no evidence of a pattern that would suggest immediate rapid escalation?

Taslima Nasreen in Exile

Bangladeshi physician and writer Taslima Nasreen has been forced into exile ever since the publication of her book Lajja. Some believe she is being used as a pawn. Her crime was that she dared to write against her government and her religion. Should she or any writer in the world be penalized for speaking up?

Pfizer in India

Lower sales, high costs, patent expirations are some of the reasons why big pharma companies are gravitating towards India. Not to mention India's intellectual contributions. It is no wonder that Pfizer has established a dedicated clinical research division in India.

Pfizer is also interested in China and other Asia-Pacific locations. Could this mean more job cuts at Pfizer sites in the US? Does this mean in addition to Spanish, some of us should also learn Hindi and Chinese?

Outsourcing of Clinical Trials to India

Life style diseases such as diabetes are known to be rampant in India. Is it any wonder that pharma companies are looking towards India to draw benefits from their investments?

With the clinical trials market growing by about 65% in 2006, it seems more and more companies, especially from the US, are outsourcing clinical trials to India. Main reasons for this being lower costs, fluency in English, high quality of medical personnel, and overall efficiency in terms of patient recruitment.

But how will these clinical trial results impact other patient populations? Previously in the West, most clinical research included mostly Caucasian patients, with little or no data on other patient populations. With the advent of globalization, perhaps global clinical trials being conducted in India is not such a bad thing after all. Perhaps the scope of such trials will be larger and more complete and will not focus on a single patient population.

The Art of Negotiation

Is everything negotiable? Some would say yes. Is this a skill that can be learned or is it innate? Read more about negotiating like a Desi.

Is it Safe to Study Abroad? Deaths of 2 LSU Students

Almost all foreign students, before arriving in the US have success on their minds, and not being shot at and killed in random or non-random acts of violence.

It was no different for Chandrasekhar Reddy Komma and Kiran Kumar Allam, both, married, Indian PhD students at Lousiana State University. What led to their home invasion in the unguarded student housing apartment complex? No one knows. Were all other students on campus informed immediately of this act of terror? Yes and No. What went wrong?

It seems the university officials sent out a broadcast e-mail to people at LSU and posted a message to the university website. But the new mobile phone text messaging alert system partially failed. Hence not all students, faculty, and staff were instantaneously aware of the goings-ons.

Many are, needless to say, shocked not only to find out the horrific story but also the lack of urgency on part of the university. It seems the situation was not considered a pattern, hence the campus was not locked down!

Read more at SAJAfourm and at Sepia Mutiny.

Poona (Pune) in November, 2007

Photos taken by Laju K.

The S.G.S Mall in Poona is a stone's throw away from Main Street (I mean, M.G. Road) and across from Clover Center on the same street. This means competition for the mom and pop stores. Is this a good thing?

McDonald's and Pizza Hut are next door neighbors in the S.G.S. Mall. Is this a good thing?

What about the street side pani puri and bhel puri wallahs?

I suppose on the one hand, shopping in malls is much easier than making one's way through narrow traffic-ridden streets, but then again if we strip Poona of its charm, will it still feel the same?

Rajasthan - The Land of Kings

Photos taken by Laju K.

What is so special about Rajasthan? Well if I told you then I would be depriving you of your own discovery and adventure. Since I do not wish to do that, instead I will try to jog your memory regarding a few celebrity gatherings in the Land of Kings.

Remember Aishwarya Rai-Abhisekh Bachchan; Vikram Chatwal-Priya Sachdev; Arun Nayar-Liz Hurley; Vanisha Mittal-Amit Bhatia nuptials? What was the state in which these very famous couples exchanged their vows, so to speak? Why in Rajasthan of course! But why Rajasthan? Why not in New York, Maharashtra, or some place in South of France or Switzerland? Again, if I told you I would be spoiling it for you.

Most recently, we had the good fortune to vacation in Rajasthan. Even though it was only for a week, it felt like a lifetime and yet not. It felt like being in heaven and yet on earth. It was simply one of those experiences, which for most part, we would someday like to repeat.

We were fortunate to have gone with the same travel agent who had made travel arrangements for us in the past. But this time, even they out did themselves. We were impressed with Ms Chanchal Parwani's choice of hotels, not only because they were good hotels, but also because the ambience of each place was so unique that the overall experience was terrific!

The driver Mr Laxmikant chosen for the entire journey was most polite and the service at each point of our journey was warm and courteous.