Update 1: The confirmation email, sent from “confirm_vote@Sparklit.com” and may be stuck in your spam. Remember your vote is not registered till you click on the link you get sent to your inbox
The Indibloggies 2008 is taking place and Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind has been nominated, aap ki kripa se, in two categories: Indiblog Of The Year (Category 1) and Most Humorous Blog (Category 5)
In an ideal world, I would have been able to promise many things to get your vote—tubewells, blankets, quotas, the opening of an IIT or IIM in your neighborhood, free desi liquor or at least guarantee that my “friends” will not torch your house out of “spontaneous anger” should I lose.
But since we do not live in Utopia, I only appeal to the goodness of your heart.
If this blog has touched you in appropriate ways and in appropriate places, please vote for Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind in the Indiblog Of The Year and Most Humorous Blog categories. [direct link into voting area]
Please note that you do not have to vote in all categories to register a valid vote, though I would very very strongly encourage you to look through the categories and click on a few blogs you may not have heard of before. Also note that a valid email address is required to vote and a vote will be registered ONLY after you confirm your email.[Note: the voting is not complete unless you click on the link that is sent to your inbox]
Voting closes December 10, 2009.
An update on my book “May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss” to be published by Harper Collins.
A little detail on what the book is about is here. The release time is the end of February 2010. I will hopefully be in India then and there will be, as per current plan, book events in New Delhi and Kolkata where I hope to meet many of you. Exact details will be available here at the blog and also at the Facebook group. As to the status of the book, writing has been finished and initial edits also completed in consultation with the editor. Now it goes for a second round of editing and once that is done and the book-cover finalized (currently under construction) by the designer, we are good to go.
The above picture (click for a larger version) is art developed by my wife for promoting the book. It is done in classic Bangali “pata” style using the traditional elements that go into a pata-chitra except with a modern twist, keeping in mind the theme of the book.
Stay tuned for further updates. And please do not forget to vote.
The Greatbong Blog & Podcast 
Waiting for your book….
Will surely buy it..
For a Change No ‘Me first’ this time
see you in delhi!
Voted first and then completed reading this post -:) Vert much awaiting the hard (hitting) copy.
i have voted. do vote.
Arnab,
Looking forward for your book and your tours ala Sarah Palin. Waiting for your book. Do you plan to sell it in US (through Amazon or some other site)?
Thanks for the votes.
Praveen,
I hope so. Dont know the final status of that.
So my chances of getting a autographed copy are less I guess!!!
Congrats! & All the best! I will be on the lookout for the pirated version of the book on the streets of Mumbai
The cover design made me feel all nostalgic!! Awesome 🙂
vote casted best of luck for both indiblogger and you book 🙂
“Appropriate places…” ……how vvery appropriate
first official, authorised, signed copy of the book… i dont want the ipod
@Partha Pratim: That’s not the cover design.
Voted !!
Looking forward to the book..
voted ! looking forword to the book.
Did not even see other entries!! Thanks for all the entertainment.
I have voted for you in the past and will probably do again. Though for some reason I don’t really jump up to read your articles nowadays vs. 2-3 years ago (sometimes I just skip through the articles). Some reasons why the level of engagement is missing
1. The typical greatbong edge is somehow missing in lot of your posts – are too many things happening with the book and stuff?
2. I have become used to the typical greatbong brand of humor and writing and the novelty is missing
3. Internet makes us exposed to constant “newness” and there is an overload of awesomeness which makes all of us bored very easily
That said I really enjoyed some of your posts (specifically on cricket, “the king and I” and the slice of life nostalgia bits) and you are still my favorite blogger. Keep up the good work and best of luck for your book. It takes something special to keep up the writing for so many years and reach stage when you are close to fulfilling one of your key ambitions.
Arnab,
To be fair to RTDM fans on the westside, could you please arrange for a similar promo in Mumbai too? Just a request.
VOTED FOR U SIR.PLEASE PROMISE ERASING THE IPOD WALA COMMENTS IN EACH SUBSEQUENT POSTS (VERY IRRITATING)
HOPE WHEN U ASK FOR VOTES NEXT TIME THAT WILL COME WITH PROMISES OF FREE COPIES OF THE BOOK
@Ramrajvi: I would love to. However, the way book releases work is that the publisher’s marketing team decides these things (which cities and how many) and so these decisions are out of my hands. Thanks for asking though; it always feels great to be invited to someone’s city.
hebb voted saar
Voted. Also there’s no contest really since all those other blogs try to hard/suck outright or both. Thanks for all the free entertainment. I feel indebted enough to actually buy the book irrespective of its quality.
What? Book events in New Delhi & Cal and no Bbay? I can has Bbay book visit too pls? kthx.
Lukin 4ward 2 the book… Voted already.
I forget all other things and start afresh after reading your posts.
Thanks U 🙂
Dear GB:
You will win this year with greater majority than PV Narasimharao got. The book cover is really nice and interesting.
Arnabda,
What would be the date of the Kolkata event? Could you give the details in advance?
my vote for u!:)
Best wishes for the book GB. The cover is very interesting.
Maybe your publishers should make you do a tour of the US too for your book 🙂
Voted for RTDM !!! In both categories.
All the best !!! 🙂
Dude you got my vote , all the best for the book launch. Looking forward to it
Arnab, just voted for you. I was going to ask you the question that, Praveen, above, has already asked and you answered. However, would be disappointed if your book is not available in the US (via any means) soon after the Feb 2010 release. I would hate to have my sister mail it to me from India (yes, I have had her done so in the past, poor woman!).
Mera Mat jama ho gaya!!
Voted only 2 categories, ie. the ones where RTDM is a nominee.
GB, please nominate yourself for the 2011 Assembly elections in WB.
Sure you will win that with asstounding majority 🙂
The picture is intriguing. Do you mind explaining the theme? Or is it a part of the book content?
One of the important things bloggers must keep in mind is that their site must be accessible in office…e.g. out of 5 monimations for indiblog of the year i could open only greatbong and acorn from office…websense blocked the rest…
Voted. Awaiting book. Bangoma-bangomi(?) featured on the branch reminded me of the Thakurmar jhuli cassettes I used to listen to. 🙂
voted sir!!… lukin fwd for ur buk!!
Article on Sachin20years drew me to visit GB regularly. Now this exhortation to vote gave me a chance to visit other indiblogs. I thank you.
Already voted. You have an awesome blog. Lured me away from Sidin’s!
what about a US tour for the sake of the desi community ? u have a lot of fan following here too u know? is that the cover page??
Thanks to all of you that voted. Thanks a lot.
@Sambaran,
The picture, which is not the cover, is as mentioned in the post done in traditional “pata” chitra style using the elements usually present in such works of art. However if you look closely, you will see the horse-man, who with a pirate patch and a suit represents the corporate criminal, picking the pocket of the man in front or just feeling him up (what is it we leave to you). That man getting pinched is the hero, on whom we put a Ravana-like face and placed a colored glass on his head (Govinda style) and a scarf (Mawali style) as he serenades the heroine. She is wearing heels and her finger, depending on your perspective, is either a come-hither raised index or simply “flipping the bird”. Talking of birds, the byangoma-byangomi (birds) have spy-cams and mics, hiding in the tree, presumably doing a “sting” on the scene below. The politician on the side, offended at the whole drama, is making a speech, asking for attention “pliss”.
Arnab,
But, but, the local club boys told me that the booth was closed. I checked, and they said I voted, so did my late father and grandfather. I am confused!
Okay, enough of the Bengali jokes! Just voted and expecting your book; will mail you a copy for an autograph.
Vasabjit
Your blog is gr8 and book i look forward to buy; but who’s Arnab Ray?
I will vote but you have to promise you won’t turn into “Bong Raj thackeray”. I am really worried about your anti non-bongs sentiments.
By any chance, have you removed anything from this blog? I was searching for the one where kasav comes to kolkata, but finds a banglabandh. May be I didnt look hard enough….
there is ink on my fingertip.
YES
i voted.
i too want an autographed copy of this here book when you turn up at cal.
heard that the t3 was closed.
then, where shall we meet again?
Hey greatbong,
Ive been reading ur blog for the past 2 years and its has been my most enjoyable time spent online. Ive voted for u from 3 email ids. NOW PLEASE RETURN THE FAVOR… BE A LIL EASY ON HIMESH BHAI on Dec 3… :-p
All d best…
Hey GB,
How about an event in Pune. We have a big Bengali diaspora here too. Well I aint a bengali but was just trying to lure you anyways.
Waiting for ur book 🙂 🙂 🙂
Arnab da, you should visit Hyderabad. We hebb your lot of fans here… 🙂
Exactly Vinay! Who the hell is this Arnab Ray? GB, has your blog been hijacked?
@Advait- GB is a gourmand as well as a gourmet. I know Poona is a veg city, but if you arrange a grand feast with lots of out of the world meat, biryani and kebabs…who knows….maybe you can lure him to Poona. 🙂
@GB- Voted. For you and the Fake IPL Player.:)
Hi Arnab,
Voted for you… you didn’t have to ask.. really! When are you likely to be in New Delhi? Will try to be in India then.. Good luck for your book release.
Cheers
Voted 🙂
And I read Amit Verma’s My Friend Sancho. Loved his brand of humour and now waiting for yours…
Voted 🙂
And I read Amit Verma’s My Friend Sancho. Did not love his brand of humour (same sentiment as everyone I have spoken to who has read it- shallow, artificial, pretentious, just like his fake blog) and now waiting for yours…
Voted Sir, An honour to do so, for all the joy, humour and the intellectual stimualtion tat RTDM has provided
Just Voted… Eagerly waiting to read your book… Must kill some time in toilet
I voted more eagerly than the Lok Sabha elections! ..What?! No southwards book trip? That’s sad.. Let me try…
there are around 40 durga pujos here in Bangalore (think of no. of Bongs to make that)
And we also have the best of food (read non.veg + world) and liqour and an automated K C Das rossogolla factory. Does that work?
And the legendary mellow climate.
And near to Goa where you can always do a short trip.
And Crossword, Landmark and Timeout hosts book launches regularly.
havent been followingur blog lately but thankfully saw just in time to vote bcos missed last time.varsha
I went to vote but I was stopped and told that an illegal Bangladeshi alien had voted on my behalf. So I told the Trinamool thugs at the booth that I too was an illegal Bangladeshi alien and so they happily gave me another voters ID card. So I voted as one “Rockibull Ghoji Pintu” and I’ve got an ink-stained finger to prove it. Here… *flips the birdie*
Can I get my free ipod, three lungis and Rs.500 now, as my “voters gift”, please ? LOL
It’s the first time I’ve happily voted for an independent candidate, even though I’m grumpy that you chose Prabhuji* to campaign for you.
*es, the same Prabhuji who campaigned for the CPI(M) thugs. See the photograph
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Belgachhia-East-Cliffhanger-in-Subhas-citadel-as-wife-disciple-fight-for-legacy/537974/
I have voted for you, ofcourse. All the very best with the award and the book, and keep up the good work.
Hey GB,
The link doesn’t let me vote. I logged in from my work computer but gave my home email (can’t access home email at work). However, the link sent to my home email does not allow me to register my vote.
@Arnie,
When you say “does not allow you to vote” what exactly do you mean? When you click on the link what does it say?
It says ‘the results of this vote is private’ or some such thing. I do not get any button to ‘register’ or ‘accept’.
Arnie, That is the message everyone gets. It just means it wont show you the result because thats what the settings of the poll are. So you are OK.
Ah that’s a relief !! I thought there was a ‘register’ button which needed to be clicked. well good luck & all that.
Looks like you will have a tuff-fight with Rakesh jhunjhunwala’s secret blog.