Talking about grassroots adoption of technology (and a more cutting edge open source one at that) what Kalyan saw is definitely not what you would normally expect.

While traveling from Mysore, Kalyan came across this bus sporting the famous firefox logo.

Madam Tussad's in Baywatch? This is better seen than explained. Oh, and you can theoretically order one of yours here too.

Baywatch has recently added a new attraction -- India's first wax museum of famous people.

A suggestion book is placed prominently at the museum so you can request who you would like to see at the museum when you come next. This is forwarded to an advisory board.

There is only one sculptor who works on these request. His name is Sunil Kandallore and he works in Kayamkulam, located in Alleppey district in Kerala. Thirty-three-year old Sunil's wax statues cost Rs 200,000 to Rs 250,000 and are made completely from wax.

Pics and the whole story here.

Indian fashion is inspiring articles in the gulf! And when newspapers in Dubai run lines like the following, one wonders just which way is the morality lesson going to.

Slipping bustiers and busted zippers on the catwalk are lending spice to a top fashion show in India, a conservative country where the slightest hint of sexuality can titillate.

Clothes coming undone on the ramp are nothing new to the fashion world, but in India the slip-ups have sent newspaper editors and TV producers into a feeding frenzy.

TV channels repeatedly broadcast the footage, blurring out the model’s breasts, while newspapers published reports with photographs of the model during her moment of distress.

Indian art has been so taken for granted and pushed under the carpet all these years that every stir on the hammer creates headlines.

Last year Tayeb Mehta's Mahisasura stunned the art world by becoming the first piece of modern Indian art to be sold for over a million dollars.

At Sotheby's Asia week today two more paintings by Raza and Tayeb Mehta have crossed the million-dollar mark.Falling Figure with Bird by Tyeb Mehta and Tapovan by SH Raza were just two of over 200 pieces of modern Indian art that went under the hammer at the Indian and Southeast Asian Art sale at Sotheby's.

However, a cautionary note is well due. How many indians really do know about art? Most artists are treated more as Page3-or-nowhere rather than professionals.

Read more at DNA India

It's not just the zero that we have to be proud of, according to Texas A&M University anthropologist Vaughn Bryant, Indian's might as well have invented kissing.

For all those who thought kissing was un-Indian and a foreign influence on desi sensibilities, here’s a reality check to make you pucker up and take notice. Research reveals the first recorded kiss in human history can actually be traced back to Indian origins. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Indians were alert and kissing way back in 1500 BC. Forget the simple zero, it seems the sizzling smooch is actually Hindustan’s greatest contribution to the world.

IndiaTimes reports.

Gaurav gives his humourous take on the currently in vogue pseudo-secular writing.

This post is intended for budding intellectuals, eager to make their mark in the world as tenured idiots academician or pompous courageous journalists, I hope this will be a helpful introduction for uninitiated to the treacherous and incestuous world of quislings intellectuals.

Rang de basanti released today coinciding with India's republic day, the 26th January. Touted as a 'coming-of-age' film it matches the hopes and aspirations of a bunch of youngsters against the depressing social and political realities of current day India.

Abhishek Bandekar reviews Rang de basanti on NaachGaana.Com:

If Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi was a eulogy to the youth of the 70’s, Rang De Basanti is a preface to the fortunes of this generation- one that is driven by the addiction of ambition, one that is letting life slip by.

Google video added a new dimension to Bollywood piracy when it started showing recent hits for viewing or downloading. But a legal notice took care of the issue.

The website has promptly removed the illegal videos. Film distributors in the US are keeping tabs on the website.

More on the news here.

Emperor Ashoka by the mobile-phone games maker IndiaGames might be the first title by an Indian company to foray into the multi-billion dollar pc gaming market.

The game features goddess kali.: With multiple limbs and each hand wielding a different weapon, the fearsome Indian warrior-goddess Kali is a natural video-game character. And next year, Kali will be coming to game consoles, PCs, and mobile phones around the globe.

BusinessWeek reports on how the Mumbai based IndiaGames is taking shots at the gaming market with its Indian-themed games.