“You guys blog because you want to show-off.”

Someone once said this to me with great distaste in a discussion on blogging.

OK. So let’s take this show-off bit to the next level.

I’m going to show-off, ever so blatantly, a list of blogs I like consuming.

In fact I recommend you go read them as well.

(I am presuming that my taste in blogs will agree with you.)

These are not (boring) celebrity blogs.

There is no particular genre – since I read whatever I like.

More importantly, if this list is limiting, it is because of my limited exposure to great/useful blog-writers.

Do chip in with links in case you know a great blog that I don’t.

Let’s Put Da
A collection of ROFL posts by Ramesh Srivats. Pun-dit stuff.

Born Of Chaos
Ashwini Gowariker’s blog. She writes a little infrequently now. But some of her posts, like the Face Value series, rock.

Doing Jalsa And Showing Jilpa
Epic wit of the highest order. The author describes himself like this – “Krish Ashok is an anti-social, music loving philistine who is doing jalsa, showing jilpa, enjoying gilma, thinking about matter, vuttufying peter, sutthufying ooru and generally having gajabuja fun.”
Now you know what to expect

Ces Mots
Intense writing by Rads. I am happy to have run into her and am presently indulging in #fables on Twitter thanks to her.

Munna On The Run
Thought-provoking, issue-based, exceptionally creative and rarely disappointing. Hemant Anant Jain’s blog.

Copywriter Diaries
It’s a personal blog. I don’t know Nabila. But I like her writing. Because it reads personal, I guess.

Dinchak Disco
Eminently readable. Anytime.

Bhatnaturally
A well balanced and extremely useful blog – marketing, internet, advertising focused. Authored by L Bhat – his blog ranks very high in the list of top global blogs on the subject.

The Ad Contrarian
Bob Hoffman, ceo of Hoffman/Lewis advertising, authors this blog. He is witty, sharp, funny and loves to go contrary to what is popular advertising and marketing wisdom. Must read. He has some gems in the archives.

Great Bong
Disgruntled movie-fanatic, wannabe politician. I like this madness. Check out the header image

Fly You Fools
Some very funny stuff here. The author, as the blog informs us, is Saad Akhtar from Delhi.

India Uncut
Immensely popular. Amit Verma’s blog. I particularly like his WTF posts.

Miss Kido Speaks
Never fails to make me smile.

Prashant Godbole
God, as he is known amongst friends. The blog is proof.

A Twist Of Word And Mind
Rambodoc, another hugely popular blogger.

Twisted DNA
Immensely enjoyable writing.

There are some other personal blogs I like.

But I am not sure if i should link them without seeking permission.

However, you can return my gesture by sharing links to blogs you admire, love or follow.

That way we could rustle up an eminently chewable list.

Simply posting the link in the comment box will do.

Happy reading.

__________________

Added by readers:

Smoke Signals
Prem Panicker’s blog – this is a temporary location as he revamps his original blog, which is Here.

Dave Trott’s Blog

Antidote
Souvik Chakraverti’s Blog

Son of Bosey
A humor based blog by Anand Ramachandran

Iyer Matter
Jai Iyer’s blog

The Fake IPL Player Blog needs no introduction to blogosphere. 

My gut says a lot of people are glued to the blog a tad more than to the event itself.
‘Damn revealing’ is how my cricket-crazy friend Subbu describes it.
True. In more ways than one.

The Blog has also revealed a side sport.

The Indian Comments League.

I have been observing, with rising interest and falling hopes, the quality of comments posted on the site.

Trust me, it is ‘revealing’.

The Indian Blogosphere seems to be teeming with over-enthusiatic people who wish to post nothing short of utter garbage in the form of comments.

Yes it is a hugely visted and hugely commented upon site. Every post here invites comments in hundreds.
And which blogger worth his post doesn’t love comments?

Initially, the comments centered around the Blogger’s identity.
Every reader had a take on who the writer was.
That done, the comments quickly moved on to guessing the true identity of the players behind the wonderfully corny names used in the posts.
‘Appam C’ is legendary stuff now – call it permanent branding.

But it ends there. Period.
One look at the comments beneath the posts and this is what you will find.

1. A crash course in the choicest cuss words in various Indian languages.
2. Proxy regional wars being fought (mallu, bong, punjabi etc etc)
3. Language that is blatantly abusive and sexual in nature

Yes, the Blog itself treads the thin line when branding the players and the people associated with the event.
So I guess it would invite comments to tread the same path.

But the Blog is written wittily. And wit assumes and presumes a little liberty.
The league to which the comments have stooped, however, is inexcusable.

It is a running commentary on the pitiful quality of bloggers.
You should also see the number of people placing links to ridiculously unconnected sites in the comments section.
‘Playboy Pics’ included.
Or the number of comments that encourage you to ‘Click and get Freebies by making points’. Each posted multiple times – (an evade deletion technique I assume)
There is also the reader war – one reader calling the other names that are usually confined to college campuses and hostels.

In fact the number of comments deleted by admin is going up as we speak.
Poor Fake IPL Player – he seems to be desperately seeking a blog monitor.

I guess when there is a good show on, who doesn’t want to stand up and do a quick jig dance and sit down again.
Old Indian style.

Ah yes, one good point. The next time you have a great web idea and your client shoots it down saying internet penetration is low in India, point that client to the comments sections on Fake IPL Player.

That’s greater India having a great time, if you ask me.

P.S. Know the latest side-sport on in the comments section of the Fake IPL Player Blog?
Who gets to post the first comment. Lol.

Ok.

Having spent 48 hours looking all over the www, trying to make making head/tail of jargon, (HTML=head messed, tail lost) and trying various free blogger templates, I finally settled for this one.
That is after I tried various versions of the same.

I have asked a couple of friends. The opinions are diverse.
So here’s a poll.

Do let me know if this look rocks or sucks. If it’s easy or messy. Or whatever.
I refuse to suffer this Libran agony. So over to you folks.

Whatever you say.