Singh meets King

Posted On: 28-Feb-2010 18:46:58 Source: Agencies


PM Manmohan Singh will meet Saudi King today to discuss various issues

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz will meet on Sunday evening and have delegation level talks on a variety of issues including bilateral, regional and international concerns.

Dr Singh arrived in Riyadh on Saturday to a rousing welcome from the Saudi Government which demonstrated a special gesture as the entire cabinet, including the three brothers of King Abdullah, received him and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the King Khalid International Airport.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister and second Deputy Prime Minister second Crown Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz and Governor of Riydah Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz warmly greeted Dr Singh, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country in 28 years.

Amid his keenness to impart "strategic character" to India-Saudi Arabia ties, Dr Singh will hold wide-ranging talks with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on issues ranging from cooperation in various areas, situation in Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism.

India's concerns over 'safe havens' of Al-Qaeda and Taliban along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border will be also discussed during the talks between Singh and King Abdullah.

Saudi Arabia itself has concerns with regard to Al-Qaeda operating out of Yemen.

During the three-day visit, the two sides will sign ten pacts including Extradition Treaty, Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners and Agreement on setting up Joint Investment Fund.

Dr Singh and King Abdullah will also hold talks on Sunday on opening "new frontiers" of cooperation in various areas including security and defence.

During the visit, India and Saudi Arabia will sign a number of pacts including Extradition Treaty, Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners and Agreement on setting up Joint Investment Fund.

Ahead of his departure from New Delhi, the Prime Minister, in a statement, noted that his visit to Saudi Arabia carries a "special significance" and that India and Saudi

Arabia have much to gain by cooperating with each other in combating extremism and terrorism.

Dr Singh said he would discuss with the Saudi King the situation in Afghanistan and other regional issues and ways in which "we promote greater stability and security in the region and impart a strategic character to our relations beyond the traditional areas of our cooperation".

Referring to the Delhi Declaration issued during the visit of King Abdullah in Riyad in 2006 as Republic Day chief guest, the Prime Minister said it was a "valuable blueprint" of cooperation between the two countries in the future.

Hinglish Ads

Currently, am doing research on the use of Hinglish in ads today. The 70s-80s ads were either in pure Hindi or pure English (a bit of borrowed English words in Hindi ads). The new ads have metaphorical codewitching done smoothly - English and a reginoal language. It reflects the language of today's generation. Hinglish ads - where the matrix language is Hindi and the English words/phrases are beautifully fitted in the Hindi syntax. So far so good. So I was a bit surprised to find this ad that was ahead of it's time!

Nirma lime fresh
Girl: Nirma lime fresh feel taazi
Nirma lime fresh mein hai everything
wow
wow
Nirma lime fresh

Boy: lots of taazgi zyaada fun
Together:aur yeh ho gaya
tera mera number one
Boy:life mein ek hai aarzoo
Together:Nirma lime fresh main aur tu
Nirma lime fresh main aur tu

41

[Copying from my notes in Facebook written just now]

41 - 4 and 1, 1 and 4 are always there in the "numbers" of my life - at least most of the times. My personal email ids are always "radhika41" - from a couple of years when I give this id I would joke, I am not 41 yet! So what's 41? If you haven't heard it earlier... [I hear a groan from others;-)]

My LIFE - as in ON MY OWN kind of life - began in 1990 after graduating. I was 21 [mentally 14] when I joined for my Master's in Linguistics at Hyderabad Central University [HCU] aka University of Hyderabad [or the other way round].

My room number in old hostel was 214. I shared this room with Shanti from Sociology dept. Later we shifted to the new hostel - single room - room number 140. I was here for a long time - MA 2nd year, MPhil and 2 years of PhD. "140" was a popular/busy room.

Then I joined NCST, Bombay, in 1996. And guess what was my flat number? 41!!!
And my extension in office - 41!!! [Later the phone numbers changed to 3 digits]
This was the time I had also made my yahoo account - so kept it as "radhika41" as radhika123 was taken:-) After that all my email ids or account numbers in cyberspace have been [99% of the times] radhika41.

Reminiscing, I feel these numbers - 1 and 4 - have been the indicators of good times. lol. In Nagpur, the flat# 206 and in Vizag flat#11 and then flat#302, in Mehdipatnam flat# 3, had no 4 and 1.

When I shifted to IIIT hostel, the saga with 4 and 1 continued after a gap of 5 years. My room number was 104!!! In Riyadh it is 2409 - I was a bit disappointed - I don't believe that not having these numbers are indicators of bad times, it is just that I like the fun to continue...

And then they painted the numbers for all the stairs in the block, and the stairs I take frequently is - #14!!

Last year, I bought a flat. Among other reasons, the deciding factor was the flat # 401.

That's my association with 4 and 1. Nice?

So much to say that I love being 41 forever...But I can be 41 for only a year, but the numbers can be with me for a lifetime!

So...

How am I celebrating my 4 years of successful innings!

By watching some hilarious videos on Youtube. Posting some here...



If you liked Jasraj, you will love M.S. Subbalakshmi too. lol!!



I love India - so much of variety in everything.

Now watch this.
Desi spiderman...



Desi Tom (& Jerry)


Just to show the power of dubbing, a last one [lol].




Bye for now.
Love you world!

This day that year in 2006...

Feb 20th, 2006

Took the night flight to Riyadh. Had gone to IIIT to say my bye-byes, and then at night everyone in the family [akka, bavagaru, dad, ash]came to see me off. Dad and Ash had come from Rjy. Till the flight took off, I was talking/smsing to Himani, Ash and Monis. Rest had gone to bed. I still remember the big jumbo I took - the one that would pass our hostel in the nights. I loved looking at the planes flying so low at IIIT. Now, I guess, the route has changed. Hyderabad looked lovely from the top - I felt I was looking down at the stars.

In short, I feel it was yesterday I had come to Riyadh. Memories so fresh in my mind. Good innings overall.

Am very happy!!

Little drops of water...

I went down to the supermarket to get some sugar. The water for tea was boiling when I realised that I needed sugar. I didn't waste time to think 'to go or not to go' - because I know a little voice would tell me "give up sugar, rads" "it's time to give up sugar".

I go out and what a pleasant weather it was - very windy with little drops of water hitting softly on the face! The supermarket is just below near the stairs - so not so much of exposure to mother nature. But the 2 minutes of joy are recorded here in the time capsule called BLOG.

Long time...

It was a nice week of compliments. Six people - in different contexts - laughed and laughed and said that I made their day, appreciated my sense of humour, asked if Ricky/Bittu are also witty etc etc. I had made the swedish hero film, made some comments in the 'stress management' lecture which others found very witty and when someone said we are prisoners, I added 'of our own delight'[Hotel California]

At end of the semester - finished all the teaching, tomorrow is one last class. Wrote 3 of the 5 exams. Looking forward to the weekend to finish our paper. I add the swedish heroine here...