Faking News » Sunday Magazine

Barbers hike rates as Dhoni goes bald after world cup victory

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:14:26 +0000

India won the ICC 2011 World Cup 2011 yesterday and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni appeared in a new avatar today. As soon as the new look of Dhoni went public, hairdressers and salons across the country raised their rates for head shaving. They are calling it the “Dhoni Cut”. Experts too are predicting that tonnes of hairs could fall down in coming days in India:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 3rd April 2011

Sunday Magazine: Meet the real Game Changers of India

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 11:37:07 +0000

Pepsi believes that cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni are “game changers” for having introduced the “helicopter shot” to cricket. But that’s nothing compared what the “real” game changers have been introducing to India all these years. Faking News brings you the real game changers of India, who have changed every rule of the game called politics and administration.

The list is just indicative and not exhaustive:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 13 February 2010

PAC vs Manmohan Singh: How is this game going to end?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:52:44 +0000

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has offered to appear before PAC (Public Accounts Committee) of the Parliament in connection with the 2G spectrum scam. Will this help in nailing the culprits of the scam? This week’s Sunday Magazine takes a look at this game between PAC, headed by BJP member Murli Manohar Joshi, and the UPA government, headed by Manmohan Singh.

Now presenting – PACMAN, the 2G edition:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 2 January 2011

Saina wins Hong Kong open; would we see this on TV tonight?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 09:53:48 +0000

Saina Nehwal has won Hong Kong super series title after defeating Shixian Wang of China, and is poised to become world’s number one badminton player. Clearly, this is going to excite Indian media, especially the Hindi news channels. We are going to witness innovative reporting on Saina’s professional and personal life, but can we hope to see this on television tonight? Please Mr. Rajat Sharma, please!

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 12 December 2010

Sunday Magazine: One lakh rupees for making one call? WTF!

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 12:45:17 +0000

Won’t you kill for a job where you are paid one lakh rupees to make one phone call? And guess what, this job exists in our own country, which funnily is known for cheap call centers and BPOs. According to reports, Niira Radia was paid 60 crores rupees by two clients as legitimate consultancy fees, and all that is known about her is that she makes phone calls to VIPs. She is supposed to have made around 6000 calls to industrialists, politicians, bureaucrats and journalists.

This week’s Sunday Magazine seeks details of this job for the benefit of our future generations:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 28 November 2010

Is India no longer the land of snake charmers for the USA?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:11:11 +0000

Most of the western countries, including the USA, used to think India of a country with snake charmers and ancient maharajas, where they should visit only for photo opportunities and buying some artifacts. But now, we have a US President touring India, who says he is here because he wants to create jobs back in his country. Have times changes? Or are we just fooling ourselves?

This issue of Sunday Magazine analyzes the truth as we also take a look at other important events in the country such as Rakhi Ka Insaaf:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 7 November 2010

Sunday Magazine: why most Indians want to host Olympics

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:58:35 +0000

A recent poll by The Times of India (Delhi edition, dated 16^th October 2010) showed that after the 19^th Commonwealth Games got over, 82% of the Indians wanted to bid for and host Olympics. While many thought it surprising, Faking News found out that it indeed was true and many Indians supported the idea.

This week’s Sunday Magazine finds out why this news has brought cheers on the faces on some Indians:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 17 October 2010

Why are there no well-known 2G spectrum scam jokes yet?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 11:42:01 +0000

After making so much fun of the Commonwealth Games, our team is feeling very guilty and suicidal, so we decided not to cover the CWG for our Sunday Magazine. Instead, we are focusing on another alleged loot-fest that took place a couple of years back – the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The estimated size of this scam is dozens time more the whole budget of the CWG.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 26 September 2010

Kashmiris really want to become an independent nation?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 08:23:27 +0000

In the last three months or so, protests have been taking place in various parts of Kashmir valley asking for Azadi (independence). Most of these protests are being led by Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who thinks throwing stones weighing around 5 kilos on policemen is a form of “peaceful protest”.

Last time a person led an “independence movement” in the sub-continent, he had different ideas and means.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 19 September 2010

Is India responsible for match fixing by Pakistani cricketers?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:15:39 +0000

Last week saw a sting operation conducted by a British newspaper that suggested that at least three Pakistani cricketers – Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt – were involved in what was later termed as spot-fixing, which we thought could have been better termed as ‘match-fixing for dummies’. But whatever fixing it was, it broke the faith of many who still thought cricket was a gentleman’s game.

While Pakistani officials initially expressed shock and outrage and vowed to punish the guilty, they started blaming India towards the end of the week. While there was no Indian involved in the whole deal, we thought to analyze the issue deeper and find out the Indian connection to the whole story. This week’s Sunday Magazine finds out that Indian connection:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 5 September 2010

After higher salaries, should our MPs get private escorts?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:10:31 +0000

So a higher salary could curb corruption among our leaders? Well, some people think it will at least give them a chance to be honest, even though most of the corrupt to the core guys have been stinking rich already. But fine, maybe it will curb corruption. Then why not also give our leaders some private escorts so that… this week’s Sunday Magazine makes a point.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 22 August 2010

On a serious note, I’m not against higher salaries to a set of people who are supposed to be our leaders and representatives. They number just 543 out of a country of more than a billion. Which means each MP is literally someone, who is that proverbial ‘one in a million’ person, and hence deserves a salary that is commensurate with his or her ‘value’ and ‘worth’.

After all, in our country, there must be thousands of CEOs, VPs, Chairmen, and other people holding such fancy designations that attract astronomical salaries, and our society doesn’t really object to that. In fact, we marvel at them and aspire to be one of them. Then why begrudge some benefits to these one in millions guys? Why not give them that social and financial status and then aspire to be one of them? That way politics could also attract ‘good’ people, no?

The answer is ‘the value of one’s performance and worth of the outcome’ of that performance. Those fancy CEOs at least create some wealth for their organizations, and hence pocket away that kind of compensation for their efforts.

But what do our MPs do? Forget wealth in terms of cash, how many of our MPs could claim to have created even any ‘notional wealth’ in their constituencies, say in terms of general feeling of prosperity and contentment among the masses?

I wish we could have a formula (and it would not be a rocket science to develop one) to calculate the real and notional wealth an MP can create over a period of time. If they could create some in their constituencies, I’d love to see the MPs take home a salary that is many times higher than what they have currently got after disrupting the parliament.

Earlier in March this year, in an interview to the website blogadda, I had favored legalization of corruption for the same reason when I wished to read this headline in papers – “Bribery to be regularized. MPs and bureaucrats can officially take 10% success fee from corporates”.

So respected Netaji, why just 50k, take home a salary of 50lakhs per month, seriously, but please, for doing some genuine work, not for being just a fucking MP.

Where did Shashi Tharoor go wrong in handling allegations of corruption?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:04:14 +0000

Last week, like many weeks before that, saw more news of alleged corruption in the organizing of the Commonwealth Games and demands for Suresh Kalmadi’s removal from the organizing committee. But Kalmadi clarified that he’d resign only if ‘his leaders’ wanted him to, and expressed confidence that he’d complete his full term, which has continued unabated for over 14 years now, and organize the games successfully.

Towards the end of the week, there were emotional appeals from humbled citizens and rational editorials from alert editors to support the Commonwealth Games, as the games were a matter of national pride. And it seems Mr. Kalmadi is here to stay.

That leads us to ask and analyze where ex-Minister of State for External Affairs Mr. Shashi Tharoor went wrong in handling the allegations of corruption in case of IPL bidding:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 8 August 2010

Sunday Magazine: celebrating Friendship Day with special edition

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 10:30:49 +0000

Today is Friendship Day, without which we could have never ever understood the importance of friends and friendship in our lives. The Sunday Magazine on this day celebrates the same undying spirit of friendship and helps you relive the moments spent with your best friends, which you might have forgotten by now. Also find a couple of self-help articles on friendship and get the spice back in your life:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 1 August 2010

Sunday Magazine: Is Bihar finally returning to normalcy?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:16:34 +0000

Last week Bihar assembly made news on international arena with a Congress MLC Jyoti Devithe reminding people of The Incredible Hulk and a hammer-throw player. Earlier such events didn’t made news as they were deemed natural and normal for Bihar legislators. In wake of these events, this week’s Sunday Magazine tries to find out if Bihar is returning to normalcy after a gap of five years:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 25 July 2010

Sunday Magazine: where are India Pakistan talks heading towards?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 12:48:53 +0000

The Foreign Minister level talks between India and Pakistan were mostly awarded zero stars by most of the critics despite powerful and dramatic dialogues delivered by the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and a stoic and somber performance by his Indian counterpart Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna. This week’s Sunday Magazine of Faking News analyzes various aspects of the talks – why they failed, what could have made more interesting, and other finer aspects that are ignored by the mainstream media:

The Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 18 July 2010

Will we see India play in any FIFA world cup in our lifetime?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:30:26 +0000

FIFA 2010 World Cup final takes place between Spain and Holland today in South Africa while we Indians divide ourselves between the two teams based upon our knowledge of football or whether we like an octopus or a parrot. But at the same time we wonder, if we, in our lifetime, would be ever be able to support our own national team in the world cup.

This week’s Sunday Magazine focuses on the same issue, as our group of expert analyze what ails Indian football:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 11 July 2010

Sunday Magazine: How news channels cover celebrity weddings

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 11:20:24 +0000

Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni is getting married and it has pushed news channels into giving attention to details and practicing vigilance for new developments, witnessed only during other celebrity weddings or to an extent, during terrorist attacks. This week’s Sunday Magazine documents the heroic efforts of our news organizations and brings you up close and personal with people who are responsible for such impeccable reporting.

The magazine also contains articles on other vital issues impacting our lives, apart from celebrity weddings.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 4 July 2010

Why do MBA colleges put pictures of random girls on their website?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:42:16 +0000

Monsoon might not have arrived yet in many parts of the country, but it’s raining free laptops for students who want to take admission in any MBA course. Various business schools are trying to woo prospective students by all means, one of which includes putting up pictures of attractive girls on their websites. It’s not clear what do business schools want to convey through this step.

This week’s Sunday Magazine tries to find out why do business schools put up random pictures of girls, most of whom are models, on their websites. Do they consider the future managers to be smitten with physical beauty? Do they really hire beautiful support staff? Do they discriminate against people who might not be good looking? Find all such vital questions answered:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 27 June 2010

More pictures of Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi together found

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:05:48 +0000

The Sunday Magazine team of Faking News has discovered dozens of never-seen-before telling pictures showing Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi together. In wake of the recent controversy over one such picture, our team analyzes what effects these new ones could have on Bihar assembly elections and on the relationship between the two political parties. Furthermore, we also ask, should a picture come with an expiry date? Should a picture lose its relevance and life after sometime and using it to convey some message be outlawed?

Grab a copy today and find out:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 20 June 2010

Sunday Magazine: was Anderson happy with Indian hospitality?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:25:41 +0000

While everyone is asking Arjun Singh, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, to break his silence on the alleged escape of Warren Anderson, former Chairman of the Union Carbide, after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, no one has tried to contact Anderson himself, who is still alive like Arjun Singh. Shouldn’t we get to know how the esteemed guest of India was treated by the then governments?

Faking News tried to contact Anderson but he declined to talk, but this week’s Sunday Magazine takes a look at the whole Anderson escape affair from the point of view of Anderson himself. Was he happy with the facilities provided to him in the state car, guest house and the chartered airplane? Does he cherish those moments as one of the best ones in his life? Does he have pictures of Indian leaders of those times in his personal photo-album? And many more such possibilities reported on the basis of informed speculations:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 13 June 2010

Sunday Magazine: Is Rahul Gandhi ready to step into the shoes of Manmohan Singh?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 30 May 2010 09:40:54 +0000

A man is known by the company he keeps and the shoes he wears. We all know the company of our beloved Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but we don’t know much about his shoes unlike his trademark blue turban. Therefore, stepping into Manmohan Singh’s shoes is akin to wearing his turban. And today we analyze if Rahul Gandhi is ready to step into Manmohan Singh’s shoes.

We ask this question because on the eve of UPA government’s completion of one year in office, one of the oft-repeated questions was whether Rahul Gandhi could replace Manmohan Singh in the current term. Take a look yourself and decide if this could and this should happen. As always, this week’s Sunday Magazine also analyzes other import events of the last week.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 30 May 2010

Sunday Magazine: Mamata Banerjee trying her best to reach Delhi

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 23 May 2010 10:22:30 +0000

In an exclusive interview to Faking News, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee denied that she was deliberately staying in Kolkata to help her party prepare better for the West Bengal assembly elections. Ms. Banerjee clarified that she was trying her best to reach New Delhi but her train tickets were not getting confirmed. She promised that once her tickets are confirmed, she would be back in Delhi and look into matters like stampede at New Delhi railway station or strike by some railway employees.

You can read this exclusive interview with Didi in this week’s Sunday Magazine, which also enlists factors that could help Hrithik Roshan’s latest movie Kites do well at box-office. Our investigation team also finds out if Pakistan is using cyclones to create troubles in India.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 23 May 2010

Sunday Magazine: What should we do to win in T20 again?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:20:30 +0000

Since we won the T20 Cricket World in 2007, we have been performing horribly in the subsequent editions. While a lot is being said about the reasons of our poor performance, including IPL, no one has seriously bothered to analyze the facts. Instead of questioning the fitness and commitment of the players, we should look for factors that have changed since we won the inaugural cup.

Keeping with its tradition of serious journalism, Faking News thoroughly analyzes and lists important factors that caused Indian team’s debacle. This week’s Sunday Magazine also includes an exclusive interview of Sri Ram Sene chief and leading professional vandal Pramod Muthalik.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 16 May 2010

Sunday Magazine: Are we doing enough to stop Domestic Violence?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 09 May 2010 11:30:20 +0000

A recent research has shown that domestic violence is rampant among birds and animals too. While we are busy training dogs and disciplining horses, should we not do something to stop this form of domestic violence too? This week’s Sunday Magazine lists out important steps that we as human society should take to get rid of this social stigma. The magazine also lists out steps that UK should take so that we Indians discuss their elections with the same interest and enthusiasm as we discuss the US elections.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 9 May 2010

Sunday Magazine: Are we ready for spy-wars with Pakistan?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 02 May 2010 11:00:46 +0000

The arrest of Madhuri Gupta, an Indian diplomat working in Pakistan, on charges of spying for Pakistan’s ISI has thrown up many vital questions. Is India ready to take up such challenges? Do we have any spies in Pakistan at all? Are we safe? This week’s Sunday Magazine analyzes these issues of national security in detail, while we also bring you the exclusive interview of Telecommunications Minister A Raja, who clears air about 2G spectrum scam.

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 2 May 2010

Sunday Magazine: Should IPL be identified as charity work?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:35:57 +0000

Government had put a ban on Fashion TV for ten days starting March 12 this year, but on the same day third season of the IPL started. Many people admitted that the tournament provided them the much needed relief and thanked the IPL committee for the benevolence and generosity bestowed upon them. So does that not amount to charity and hence exemption from taxes for IPL?

This week’s Sunday Magazine analyzes the issue of tax exemption and evasion by the IPL and also takes a look at the other important events of the last week:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 18 April 2010

Sunday Magazine: Are IPL sponsorships getting out of hand?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:52:04 +0000

It all started when a commentator of IPL3 called a eunuch (hijra) DLF Maximum, triggering protests from the hijra community. Thankfully that was fake news, but we all shuddered at the thought of a father terming his son cracking IIT-JEE as his Citi Moment of Success, or DPS terming its lunch recess as MaxMobile Strategic Time-out. And for all that we know these are real threats facing our society, thanks to IPL.

This week’s Sunday Magazine analyzes the causes and effects of these threats:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 11 April 2010

Sunday Magazine: Are we missing something on Sania’s marriage?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:45:46 +0000

Last week belonged to Sania Mirza as she made news off tennis court yet again, but are we having all the possible entertainment information? Not really! We have not heard much from Sohrab Mirza, the guy to whom Sania was earlier engaged. Would it not be just awesome if he too joined the debate and accused Sania of ditching him? Isn’t our media being slack and irresponsible by not hounding him enough and dragging him into this whole drama? Should we not speak up for our rights?

This week’s Sunday Magazine takes a detailed look at these issues apart from the other important developments of the past week:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 4 April 2010

Sunday Magazine: Lalit Modi admits IPL abroad would be more fun

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:30:49 +0000

Having ruled out the possibility of taking a full-fledged IPL abroad earlier last week, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi got candid with Faking News and admitted that hosting the tournament abroad could be more fun. He wistfully remembered the beautiful moments of the second season of IPL, which was hosted in South Africa, and conceded that he missed those delicacies in their current season of the tournament.

This week’s Sunday Magazine has the exclusive interview of Lalit Modi and also touches upon various important social developments that happened last week. Take a look:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 28 March 2010

Sunday Magazine: Are LinkedIn Updates frustrating you?

Pagal Patrakar — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:35:39 +0000

As if your pain-in-the-ass boss, who stopped you from getting a promotion or a salary hike, was not enough, there are big-mouth contacts in your LinkedIn Network who are hell bent upon aggravating your misfortune by telling you how brilliantly they are performing at their jobs. Each week you get these updates on how someone has changed his job profile or moved to a better location.

We understand that such messages cause you acute mental pain, grief, and frustration that can push you in depression. This week’s Sunday Magazine tells you how to deal with your problems and be happy in your life. Take a look:

Sunday Magazine of Faking News dated 21 March 2010