A.R.Rahman gets two Grammy nominations for Slumdog Millionaire

Robbie Williams sang “Swing while you are winning”. And who knows this better that the Mozart of Madras A. R. Rahman himself, who’s now dancing that too to his own compositions.

A.R.Rahman has bagged two Grammy nominations for his compositions in the Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. He has been nominated in the Best Song Written For Motion Picture and the Best Compilation Movie Soundtrack categories.

A.R.Rahman has already won two Oscars for the Best Original Score and the Best Song. He has also won a BAFTA for Best Music.

The Grammy Awards function will be held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on January 31st.

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No minarets for us: Swiss people to Muslims.

Muslims around the world have exhibited anger and shock at the same time over the referendum in Switzerland banning the construction of new minarets. Some Muslims have even called for the banning of Swiss goods and breaking of all ties with Switzerland.

The referendum was voted into power after more that 57 % of Swiss voters voted in favour of the ban on new minarets. Muslim clerics around the world have described the vote as an attack on religious freedom that too in Europe, which is widely regarded as a continent which is democratic and fair.

A minaret is an ancient symbol of Islam. It’s simply a tower from where the imam (the holy priest) tries to call people to pray (not war). However there is so such mention that a minaret is necessary for prayer.

Muslims around the world feel that European countries are trying to take protective measures even when there is no need or threat. “A concept of European Islamization doesn't exist amongst Muslims”. This feeling has been gaining ground since the French ban on wearing the Islamic headscarf and the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed in the Danish newspapers.

However, though Muslims have been very vocal on the Swiss issue, there has been some introspection going on behind closed doors. Many people in Egypt are now beginning to feel that that the azan is more of a disturbance rather than a prayer call. Authorities are rushing through ideas and spending sleepless nights in order to find a solution to the problem before the religious ritual gets tarnished. After all everyone has a right to peace and tranquillity. Prayers should be conducted quietly without disturbing the other even of the same faith.

To counter this problem, the Egyptian government has come up with a proposal to have a unified call to prayer from the minarets in order to cut the chaos and confusion created especially by the thousands of untrained muezzins performing the azan over microphones and loudspeakers for five times a day, often out of sync.

A muezzin would announce the azan from one of the larger mosques and his voice would be beamed across to others through specially designed receivers.

This proposal too has been met with strong opposition as it is said to be un-Islamic to block someone from performing the azan. Also the jobs of thousands of muezzins are at stake.

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Indian Navy to Ambani, Tata: No Helipad

Sometimes it seems that even the rich bend or rather have to. After all, they live in the same world as you and me and thus all their plans and ambitions are way too much for reality or rather for the law of the land.

If the Indian Navy has its way then it’s soon going to clip the wings of the Ambani’s and Tata’s, both top-notch industrialists in India. The Navy has sought cancellation of the flying permissions for the helipad atop the Ambani’s home Seawind at Cuffe Parade and the one used by Ratan Tata atop the Wellington Mews in Colaba.

Why???

Well, the Navy feels that these two helipads are very close to the naval dockyard and other vital naval installations.

The helipad atop Wellington Mews is within the flying area of the INS Shikra which is responsible for all the operations in the area. In case of an error, the pilot might land atop of the naval dockyard and the ships instead of his actual destination. The Navy has therefore sought to object the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for any helicopter operating from Sea Wind. In addition the Navy is also opposed to helipads on top of any private building as they pose a security risk.

This stand of the Navy hasn’t found many takers. The Brinhanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has cleared the Ambani’s helipad and a NOC has been received from the Air Force for the Taj Wellington helipad. This has now put people to think whether the Navy’s objections are based on facts or simply ego.

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Get ready for 11-digit mobile phone numbers.

If you are always on the lookout for new handsets, offers, plans and technology then this news will probably will seem like a bolt out of the blue. The DoT (Department of Telecom) has come up with a proposal to increment the mobile number by 1 digit to a 11-digit numbering system to overcome the surge in mobile phone users and the addition of more cell phone companies. (If like me you had trouble remembering the 10-digit number then get ready to pull your hair out).

The present numbering system which was introduced in 2003 was intended to cater to the needs of 600 million users and for the next 30 years. But thanks to the whooping increase in cell phone users, the number of 500 million subscribers will soon be breached. The government has therefore decided to push for a system which would allow for smooth running of services without any hassles and room for more players. The government is thus thinking of making it mandatory to prefix a 9 before the existing mobile number (something similar to a 2 before your landline number).

But the plan of the government hasn’t gone down well with the telecom companies. The change in numbering system will mean a total overhaul of the network equipment. This would not only take days but also involve a lot of technical snags, drop in quality and large investment. The telecom companies are thus proposing an alternate plan. They propose de-reserving certain series reserved for certain companies; like 92 for Tata Teleservices, 93 for Reliance Communication and 94 for BSNL.

But since the government is favouring the 11-digit numbering plan the telecom department has gone ahead and circulated an internal note identifying January 1st as the implementation date. However, insiders reveal that this may be delayed to give the telecom operators more time as they have to also start with implementing number portability from January 2010.

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