In nothing but a sorry state

I have been thinking of what good could come out of KCR's blackmailing - no, I don't call it fasting coz it does not deserve to be equated with Gandhiji's form of passive resistance.
Bapu resorted to fasting as a means against the oppressive rule of foreigners, against injustice, and for the greater good of the nation. What KCR and other politicians do/plain to do is sheer blackmail for only political and personal mileage, and certainly not for the greater good of the nation.
In fact, this exercise has only gone on to foment passions pro and anti Telengana, and given a great opportunity to similar state-level self-centred politicians to make a beeline for 'their' states within what they might perhaps believe is their own country.

What KCR has done has been just like hijacking. It's only that this hijacking is not of a plane but of the government. It endangers not the passengers, but an entire public, and divides an entire nation. If you are a politician genuinely concerned about making a positive difference to your state and public, what stops you from doing it in your area? How does it matter if that area falls under an Andhra or a Telengana?

I believe just like we have (only after Kandahar) decided not to bow to any terrorist demand in the event of a hijack irrespective of the people on board, we must adopt a similar stance in the event of such open, shameless and brazen display of blackmailing, guised in the name of a fast-unto-death.

I am from Uttarakhand and I never quite understood the point of having a state for the heck of it, if the actual state of affairs does not change - for the people, for the region, for the infrastructure, for law order and governance. What's the problem if I belonged to UP and stay within UP instead of getting a new state for myself if the ground realities for me and all residents of the newly formed state would stay the same? There have been governments from both major national parties, and till now, I have not seen anything that would make believe that the creation of Uttaranchal expedited any development process or that any positive development would not have occurred had this state been UP, and not Uttaranchal.

People do not want name changes, administrative machinery changes. All we want is development, welfare, peace, security and good governance. State or no state be damned.

And are we not all Indians? Am I to feel happy if somehow people in Uttarakhand are better off than those in say, a Bihar? Are we all not one? Shouldn't we all strive for only one thing - the welfare of the ENTIRE INDIA??
If there's even a slight niggle in any part of my body, I feel irritated and concerned all the same, constantly till I am relieved of my pain. No other body part complains as to why I am showering undue attention on the affected part. In fact, even if there's a slight headache and the arms feel sore, the brain sends out a message for one arm massage to massage the other. There could be a a headache too but the head/brain does not contend the decision to take care of the arms, nor do the arms complain if they massage the head.
After all, it's all one body.
What good would it do if my brain were to decide to break my arm into smaller units and attend to it as a newly named, separately formed part of my body? How does that help me? Would that help me? Would I want to even think like that at all, in the first place?

Isn't it/Shouldn't it be the same when it comes to our country?
Aren't we all together in joy and grief?

Politicians are anyway always going to be petty and selfish with nothing but their own ulterior motives in place. Yes, there are exceptions but they are too few to make a substantial difference to the greater breed.

Who actually benefits from this new state-of-affairs?

• The politicians, who can claim to have created something for 'his' people
  

• The bureaucracy, the babus, who get to comprise or even manage a new administrative machinery for a new state, instead of having to languish as another Senior whatever...or Deputy/Assistant/Assistant to Assistant whatever in the babudom.

Take a look at this - this is a compilation of some of the aspirant states, and they are feeling all the more agitated and fast-prone, thanks to such KCR movements and even more importantly, the Centre's kow-towing to such tactics so that they do not lose their vote banks:

Bodoland (Assam) | Bundelkhand (Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh) | Gondwana (northern Deccan Plateau) | Gorkhaland (West Bengal) | Harit Pradesh (Uttar Pradesh) | Kamtapur (West Bengal) | Karbi Anglong (Assam) | Kodagu (Karnataka) | Kosal/Koshal (Orissa) | Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir) | Mahakoshal (Madhya Pradesh) | Mithila (Bihar) | Panun Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir) | Purvanchal (Uttar Pradesh) | Rayalaseema (Andhra Pradesh) | Tulu Nadu (Karnataka Kerala) | Vidarbha (Maharashtra) | Vindhya Pradesh (Madhya Pradesh) | Mau Pradesh (Rajasthan)

Where's India in all of this?
Can any politician put hand on heart (oh, they don't have a heart anyway) and say that all that stops them from developing their area/constituency is the fact that they are part of their parent state and not separated from it to be known as one of the above-listed names?

Unfortunately, it's the direct beneficiaries themselves - the legislature and the bureaucracy only - who get to decide/approve the creation of a new state.
It's like getting the Anti-Corruption Bill passed in Parliament when you know that the number of clean, honest politicians in Parliament is as high as that of the number of Eskimos in Delhi. It just won't happen.

You should also be ready to accept that if the direct beneficiaries of a decision are the decision makers themselves, then it's stupid to expect otherwise. Our politicans are too selfish and not dumb, they are too smart and not stupid.

Kabhi to nazar milaao...

I had written earlier this year, during election time, about how tough it is for me to decide who to vote for.
If there's one thing on which there's complete unanimity among our politicians, cutting across party lines, it is in their sheer incompetence and apathy towards their electorate.

I have not been able to choose the lesser/greater devil between the Congress and the BJP (the two parties most people can think of voting for, atleast at the national level).
An unprecedented number of MPs skipped Parliament yesterday, to miss presenting even their own submitted questions in the Question Hour.
Now, that's a new low they've scaled even by their own standards.

One wonders what's the use of wasting so much of the taxpayers' money when it is going to be spent on the Speaker of the House just calling up names of MPs one after another, only to find them missing from the scene - the apalling part is that this, is when they know they have submitted a question and will be required in the House to atleast present their case.

It's not even a case of one or two such luminaries going MIA - no less than 34 MPs who had submitted their questions were found to be absent from the Question Hour proceedings.

And then they come and ask us for votes, and urge us to pay our taxes on time - what for? This?

While it is definitely and shall always remain our duty to always pay our taxes (voluntarily), it is also our right to ensure that the money we shell out is utilised optimally.

The way they behave and launder our money, will our politicians be able to ask us to pay up taxes?

Will they be able to tell us how they are spending that money, while looking us in the eye?

Well, I guess, they can and will continue to do so.
For, had they been so shameful or regretful, I would never have been in a dilemma over which party is less worse.

The verdict is crystal clear

Right from the time the Hero Honda 7-match marathon began, it was billed as THE series that'd decide the numero uno team of international ODI cricket.
And for good reason too, since an Indian victory in this series would've seen them pip Australia to the altar of the ICC ODI rankings.

However, even before the final match of the series, the verdict has been made crystal clear. It's time to acknowledge that we still have a long way to go before claiming the #1 spot for good.
And I say this, not just because a statistic says 4-2 before the last match. I say this because this statistic has been made possible, not only inspite of new full-strength Indian team (playing in home conditions), but also inspite of an almost completely second-string Aussie line-up.

Here are some clear pointers to this:

1. We harped a lot on missing Yuvi, Zak, and Viru during the Champions Trophy. While there is no questioning the sheer talent and value of these cricketers, I hope we remember just how many first-choice players did not make it to the Australian line-up to even start with, and how many left midway through the tour. If Brad Haddin had been consistently impressive as a wk and batter, Time Paine did nothing wrong to harm his credentials when he got the opportunity with this tour. But if you thought Paine in pain was too much even for the Aussie bench strength, you got Graham Manou! Another reminder about the sheer depth and quality of Australian cricket.

2. With the exception of Australia, India is unarguably the toughest place to tour for any team. Well, it came true to every word - yes, the only exception is Australia, and in 'any team', let's include India itself! Coz our team found it too tough to play well enough against the Aussies even in home conditions! Mohali and Guwahati seemed alien to them and one got the feeling that we were not sure of how to pace our innings and understand our conditions on home territory. On the other hand, Australia capitalised on whatever was thrown at them, and almost fashioned a win at the dustbowl known as Kotla, but for Yuvi and MSD.

3. It was a 7-match series: This series win is not a short series. A marathon winner is held in higher esteem than a 100-m dasher, just as a Test century is dearer than a quickfire ODI century/T20 knock. Similarly, there cannot be a more telling indicator than the fact that this was a 7-match series win against a nearly full-strength Indian team, in India, by a consistently depleted, injury-ridden visiting team.

So hold your horses for the moment, fellow Indian team fans - we cannot claim ourselves to be better than all - not just yet. Amidst our disappointment and frustration, let's pause and give credit where it's due - to an amazing Australian outfit that has won a tough series against a tough team in alien conditions before going into the last match. Well done guys, and you deserve the first rank - well, for now, that is!

Moral of the story: It's a long way to go, Team India - atleast till the time we can beat Australia in Australia despite missing player after player from the original squad.

Team India: Jaago re, jaago re, jaago....re!!!

Just a request to introspect and ask: Why?

Day: Diwali Day. Time: 11 am.
Status: Normal, Relaxed, Happy.
Enjoying the holiday with the TV remote in one hand and mithaai in the other. Enjoying being lazy.

12 hours later - 11 pm.
Status: Angry, Frustrated, Almost Deaf.

Yes, it's Diwali (the festival of lights) and every Indian expects this night to be full of fireworks, sparkle, glitter and lots of dhoom-dhadaaka.
I too love the festive spirit and have always enjoyed celebrating every festival. However, I just don't understand what merit there is in converting almost every locality of India into an alternative for Pokhran.
I mean, I just don't get it.
 
Why do we have to equate Diwali festivities and enjoyment with having a blast so literally? Can't we be happy keeping all this to a minimum? I have no intention of imposing my ideas on do's and don'ts of celebrating Diwali, but just a request to ask ourselves, what is it the we are celebrating, how we are celebrating it, and isn't there a more meaningful way to go about this day?

I also realise an entire day of Diwali without fireworks, ladis, phuljhadis, pataakhas (not referring to anyone from the female species here), and charkhadis, etc. is like watching Virender Sehwag bat through an entire day without hitting a six or even a boundary.

I'm just wishing we could avoid the heavy-duty bombing we conduct, that not only bombards the ear plugs of everyone, but also scares and concerns the elderly and the infants.
And if that too is unavoidable (unavoidable? as if a doctor has recommended a person that if you don't send 100 bombs into the stratosphere, we might have to put you on life support), is it irrational to keep these to a minimum?

But the more fundamental question is this:
I just want to know why, in the first place, we have to celebrate this way?
What is it that we are celebrating?
Do we, ever, even think as to what this day means - what to learn from this day, and how would it be best to celebrate the day?

Is it not better to understand and remember this day by revisiting Lord Rama's story and teachings, thanking Him for the good things we have, reaffirming our belief in His Grace, having a small and simple puja with everyone at home and doing a good deed for the needy?

More than celebrating Lord Rama's arrival to Ayodhya, this day has become symbolic for gambling in the name of Goddess Lakshmi or incessant bombarding of crackers and bombs in the name of Lord Rama's arrival.
If this is the way we celebrate our devotion to them, I wonder if the obscene, incessant and insouciant way of the way we celebrate Lord Rama's life might itself be reason enough for Lord Rama to take another avatar to tell us to shut up the absurd, insensitive and the nonsensical, that too in His name, and extirpate this evil too!

Be honest here, would Lord Rama and Goddess Lakshmi want us to remember them the way we go about our lives and 'celebrations' on this day?

No, I'm no buddha khoosad/khadoos (neither physically nor mentally) who wants to impose restrictions on an individual's way of life - it's your life after all dude, and it's only you who has the right to live it the way you want to.

But I have a belief that atleast most (if not all) of us would not mind curbing some part of our enjoyment and celebrations, if that helps others to also co-exist peacefully, amicably and happily.
If nothing else, think about how wonderful it would be to spare the elderly their disgust, helplessness, anger, fear and disenchatment with having to live through the night non-stop, hearing a bomb go off in the vicinity of their house every 10 seconds (if it's a ladi, it's also continuously for 10 seconds). Or, the constant trepidation, confusion and unease a child has even when he is in the cradle or even after being put to/trying to be put to sleep.
All of us can provide these simple joys to so many people, at what cost? - by just ensuring we don't go berserk with our bombings, that's all - give it a thought!

Will doing so make our Diwalis less enjoyable or more - not only enjoyable but also more satisfying, caring and meaningful?

Belated Wishes for a Happy Diwali - But Please, Have Anything But A Blast!!!

To the broken glass items from that cutlery set

This post is dedicated to a cutlery set I observed, without which I couldn't have managed to write all this.. (..crap!)

I was just overseeing a cutlery set being placed, when I was struck by something. Well, that something which struck me, happened to be one of the glass items of the cutlery set.

In just a moment of negligence, not only was the glass broken, but even the beauty and symmetry of the entire set had also been lost, with the set now being rendered incomplete. Not to mention the fact that unless removed quickly and carefully, the glass pieces scattered all around posed a real danger to anyone treading on their path.

It was then, that another thing struck me - this time, a thought.
I thought of the following, which has now given way to this blog post:

While it's good to be transparent like a glass, I was just wondering how being a sensitive person is akin to being (like) another glass item.
Like glass, a sensitive person is also fragile and extremely susceptible to being 'broken' by the slightest of manhandlings or oversights.

We can easily find glasses/glass items in abundance. Similarly, one cannot classify the ultra-emotional, extremely sensitive kind of people in the category of dinosaurs or endangered species.

But if you think closely, it is not really a quality to be very emotional. In fact, if the 'very' part is to an extent that it affects your behaviour adversely and makes you a seething, over-the-top, mountain-of-molehill-attitude character, you are better off not being emotional at all.

What use are emotions if they do not help us be a better person?
What use are emotions if they become our masters and dictate us to feel so grumpy, so hurt, so annoyed that we ruin our relations? What use are they, if, instead of mending our relations, they strain them further?

I say all this because I consider myself among the sensitive lot and would anytime prefer to be sensible than being so sensitive that I change for the worse. Eventually, being too sensitive not only hurts us, but also the others who love us and who generally end up bearing the brunt of our outpourings (or even the lack of them!).

Let's all not be like a glass / cutlery set - always fragile and always getting labeled as handle-with-care - just like a glass, a sensitive person's nature is also prone to not only getting hurt easily, but also towards giving all around him endless and needless headache in being extra-careful all the time due to the fragile emotional strength of the person.

And again, even after careful handling, even one mistake is not 'forgiven', and just like glass, an over-sensitive person not only gets 'broken', but also presents a very real possibility of hurting others around with injury even after being broken.

It's wonderful to be emotional but surely not at the cost of hurting others' emotions. Let's be sensible and not sensitive.
Oh no na, too bad - if only that set had not broken, you wouldn't have had to go through all this crap!
But hey, don't get too worked up or 'emotional' about it. Uff, witty me, hai na?! :-)

Well done, Kiwis!!

Ok, so the Kiwi bird might not be able to fly but the Kiwi cricket team's march to the finals of the Champions Trophy is no flight of fancy!
Yes, they have made it to this year's CT finals, beating Pakistan in a superb chase at the Wanderers!
If I'm not wrong, NZ - the perennial underdogs/dark horses - had reached 8 semifinals of major tournaments but when it come to winning those semis, they could win and qualify for only 1 final. (Incidentally, the one final they reached was of the Champions Trophy only - inaugual edition held in Kenya, circa 2000 and they even won the final and the trophy by beating Sourav Ganguly's newly formed Team India - it was also the debut series/tournament of a certain Yuvraj Singh).

Well, make that count of semis-to-final conversion as 2 now!
And to do so by beating Pakistan, that too in foreign territory, when the Pakis were at full strength and using their strength (bowling) to stop NZ from winning the match.

I guess I might not be a mature, just-appreciate-the-cricket fan, and I still subscribe to the Pak-loses-to-anybody = India wins equation, which is obviously incorrect and unfair. But I have to admit that no matter how objective I try to be, I just cannot stop feeling happy on seeing Pakistan lose.

If there's anything that is comparable to the happiness of India winning, it is to either see Australia lose against anybody (to see a David win against these cricketing Goliaths), or to see Pakistan lose (c'mon, do I even have to tell why?!).

Oh, wait a sec, what abt Aus Vs Pak - I'd rather see Aus win!
What cathartic enjoyment it was to see the Kiwis chase down a moderate but pretty defendable 233 that the Pakis had set.

All the more commendable, given that the NZ batting line-up doesn't really boast of superstars and even with the resources at their disposal, they were playing without the injured Ryder and Styris.
Supeb stuff from Ian Butler and Vettori with the bowling, followed by an awesome finish with the bat by Grant Elliott and yes, you guessed it - Daniel Vettori again!

The best part about the chase was the manner in which they went about chasing the target without losing their wits. For all those who berate Dravid for his snail paced efforts, Elliott's innings was much the same (75* off 103 balls) in strike rate as Dravid's against Pakistan the other night (76 off 103 balls). Yes, the target for India was 70 runs more (304 as against 234) but the point is that India were always ahead of the required run rate. It was the wickets that were the key and that's basically the point that showed up here too.

As I said, this NZ batting line-up didn't even have many big hitters, with the exception of McCullum and Taylor (and they too, couldn't really ensure a win for NZ before getting out). Their batting always looked thin on paper - surely thinner than India's.
But look how they managed their chase, didn't throw their wickets away even when the required rate was contincuously creeping up. They played out all the bowlers who bowled well on the day - Afridi, Ajmal, and Aamer - all of them bowled well but due to Elliott and Vettori's sensible batting, these guys weren't swelling with pride when it came to bagging wickets.

I haven't yet mentioned how astutely NZ took the Batting Powerplay when the required run rate was 7.37 with 8 overs still to go, or how Elliott made the most of a life given by Younis Khan who dropped a sitter, or how the Pakistani bowlers' incurable oversteppings gave not only free-hits-as-freebies but also added to their frustration.

All in all, it was a great game and well played, NZ!
You did it for the Indian cricket fan, what his own team couldn't do this time - thanks very much for that!!

Here's wishing you the very best for the finals but whatever happens hereafter - win or lose, you've become THE team that I liked the most in this tournament - just because of your performance tonight!

Lessons from the loss

Right then...now that all the sporting spirit and reluctant acceptance of the loss has sunk in (it's gotto...do we have a choice anyway?), let's take down lessons learnt from the loss.
All of us make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes, but champions learn from their (as well as others') mistakes and avoid recurrence of atleast the known lessons that they have already learnt the hard way.

So here are things we gotta do before our next match:

1. Play Amit Mishra
For Googlesake, why on earth was he not played on a pitch that was ideal for him? Here's a man who deserves to be in the team for atleast a couple of tournaments, performance notwithstanding. Spinners anyway need and feed on a captain's confidence in them. I wish Dhoni could be a Ganguly here, and just tell Mishra to do his thing, show the rich gourmet of skills, variety, wicket-taking ability and the big-match temperament that he surely seems to possess from whatever we have seen of him.He just needs to be told to do his thing fearlessly, without having to worry whether he will need to be the drinksboy the next game. If the pitch is amenable to turn, then he too needs to turn up, in the Indian playing eleven.

2. Get Raina in earlier than #5-6
Mr. Suresh Raina needs to take responsibility and play longer and earlier. The former is his responsibility, the latter his captain's.

I'm surely open to situational requirements and match dynamics. If the need of the hour is that the team would much better off with someone else coming in instead of Raina, I'm all for it. But the guy has been going too low down too often, just to find Dhoni promoting himself ahead of him - only to potter around to scamper ones and twos - is this good enough reason to dispense with Raina from his position? The guy is a genuine talent and we are wasting him too often for too late. I'd hate to see him go the Kaif way.

3. Be courteous to Yusuf bhai
Mr. Dhoni needs to just politely say a thankyou Yusuf, and ensure he doesn't figure in Indian selectors' radar till he actually plays to his potential, consistently. Yes, everyone knows about IPL but that cannot be the passport to a life-time pass to the Indian team.
International matches are not exactly the platform to get a guy up and running. With Mishra in, we won't miss his bowling either, which is at best, containment-stuff.

It's time we got half as willing with an Abhishek Nayar or a Virat Kohli as we have been with Yusuf.

4. Harbhajan to bowl off and just-outside-off-stump line
He has been too often, far too short (-tempered, apart from his length) or far too full (of himself, apart from his length), too leg-sidish, too one-dimensional, and too flat and fast (without using the loop). I hope he bowls the way he used to earlier, when he had a nice trajectory, and the enviably sharp turn and bounce that he used to purchase from the wicket. Most of all, he needs to respect the place and responsibility he has as a wicket-taking bowler. He is happy containing batsmen and is now struggling to do even that.

5. Fast bowling woes
Talking of purchase from the wicket, if we haven't had reverse swing going for us, apart from maintaining a good length, why can't we try slower ones, yorkers or even low full tosses, for a change - they not only confuse the batsmen and stop taking you for granted, but can also be executed irrespective of the wicket or the state of the ball. Just why not?!

6. Fielding
Well, this is not something that can change overnight and certainly not before the next match, but still yaar, kuchh to effort daal sakte hain na? What are the umpteen support staff personnel doing when we still remain not only butter-fingered but also seem inept with our ground fielding? Except Raina, Yuvraj, Kohli and Karthik, how better are we as an overall fielding unit as compared to the fielding side of 5 years ago?

Just want to see improvements on these fronts - am sure we'll make a better team.

Koi bhi desh (read playing eleven) perfect nahin hota, usey perfect banaya jaata hai. :-)

Naheeeeen, keh do ye jhootth hai !!!!! :-)

Yes, that's exactly how I felt, when Bhajji tried the most uncouth of reverse sweeps to complete the final rites of India's loss to Pakistan. I was just left wishing why this match wasn't some untrue nightmare or why the rains couldn't just somehow actually come poring from nowhere even till as late as the 38th over of our innings (yes, we were ahead in terms of runs till then: Pak's 200/3 Vs. Our 218/5).

But after all, that's what sport's all about - not just learning how to win, but more importantly about learning how to accept a loss, and taking it in your stride with grace and with lessons learnt. No wonder, that's why such an attitude is referred to as "sportsman's spirit" and "being a sport". No other phrase can communicate this so succinctly and correctly if it is disassociated from the meaning and spirit of "sport".

So well played Pakistan, but don't lose heart India - you were good too, except the last 10-12 overs in both innings.

The proverbial butterflies in my stomach didn't take too long to disappear once the match began. But as the match progressed after the good first over, my stomach reported that the jittery, butterfly feeling had now given way to sharp, shooting pains. And as the batsmen took heavy toll of our incompetent bowling (with the exception of Nehra and Pathan), the pain spread from the stomach further towards the head and the heart.

It was absolutely mindless bowling - that's my only complaint. Too short, too leg-sidish, too amateur, too inconsistent and just too easy for international level.

Believe me, I didn't mind RP Singh's first over where he was smacked for a couple of boundaries - atleast he was bowling it up to Nazir. If you just have to be hit, you'd prefer to be hit for either a cheeky lemon-cut boundary (moral victory) or atleast a good shot where you make the batsman use his skill to hit a good one - and that's mostly possible on good-length/just short of length bowling.

So I was still ok with him erring on the fuller side and not on the shorter one. Yes, he overpitched, but I was willing to forgive him because a) it was his first over and b) even if he was overpitching, it showed he was atleast trying to put the ball in the right areas.

With the short ball (mind you, this was not the short-pitched, chest-high stuff), you just don't give yourself a chance because the batsman has ample time (especially on a belter of a surface like Centurion) to judge the length, the movement, and to make room for himself and play+place the shot to his liking.

Though he was too stiff and too slow than he should have been, what I really liked about the rest of that first over from RP was that despite being hit for 2 fours, he did not stop pitching the ball right up. I'm no expert and I might well be missing a trick but I don't know why the commentators did not acknowledge that part (prolly coz it didn't fetch him a wicket off those balls then!), but atleast to me, that was spirited, focused and really good bowling - undettered by the same kinda balls being hit for fours - neither did he drop his shoulders in that over, nor his length.

His bowling stats won't reflect that alright, and he should have tried just-short-of-good length instead of good length but him sticking to good length instead of too short was also acceptable to watch for me. I was happy to seem him get his due when he got Younis Khan out, poking at a just short-of-a-length delivery. It was a pity therefore, that he did not stick to good length/just short of good length bowling for the rest of his spell.

What followed thereafter, was splendid batting alright from Messrs Malik and Yousuf, but the bowling left a lot to be desired. Whichever team's supporter you may be, it's safe to say it was absolute mayhem from the 35th over onwards - whichever way you look at it.

Anyway, congratulations to Pakistan and well tried India - atleast in the batting, we didn't disgrace ourselves. Chasing such a huge total against a quality attack on a tough pitch, I liked the fact that we had a match on till well into the 92nd over of the match - all the more credible since we did not have the services of Yuvi and Viru. Sachin showed he too is human after all, and can fail sometimes. But most of our batting firepower acquitted themselves fairly well.

We could have easily collapsed in a heap below 200 or tottered to some meaningless total with meaningless, insane batting. Chasing 303 against Pakistan (not just another game/chase, right?!) on a pitch like this, with Sachin gone and no Viru+Yuvi, come two dot balls and there'll always be the temptation of going berserk. But I loved the way we applied caution with aggression, Dravid holding one end up, Gautam playing a gem and getting out the only way he could have got out, Raina providing the necessary impetus and thrill towards the latter half, but alas, it just wasn't meant to be.

And I just realised what a joy it is to see your team maxing on the free hits - with boundaries and sixes - sheer delirium!
I remember a time when Gambhir smote sixes and fours off consecutive free hits - what joy! Try telling that to the bowling team's players/fans.

But still, the team that played better cricket on the day was Pakistan and they were deserving winners this time. But we still have faith in you Team India, and it's time you guys now vent your disappointment/frustration/anger over this loss on Australia and West Indies. You need to take the wind out of their sails and by a handsome margin too, to make it to the semis.
Go on guys, we still love you!

Just a game? No way, sir!

It's still around 3 hours to go before the first ball is bowled but I cannot wait for the match to get started, and it's been this way for atleast the last 12 hours.

The continuous thinking + time-defying waiting + non-stop pre-match coverage and hoopla generated all around has ensured that the excitement, the nervous energy and the butterflies in my stomach have all reached a crescendo.

No matter whatever I am doing or not doing, every couple of minutes my mind goes back to the same questions: Kya hone wala hai? How will we fare? What's it gonna be like?
Will our injury-sticken team be able to put it across the full-strength Pakis?
Will we get an encore of Centurion circa 2003?
Will some unexpected name rise to the occasion and give our depleted team a new superstar from this match?
Can we maintain our near-flawless record against Pakistan in ICC-sponsored events?

Oh, it's too much to keep wondering. Wondering about all this only adds to the nervousness and curiosity.
No sane thoughts to calm myself seem to work. Sure it's just a game, as I see Younis Khan announcing himself available for the match while not being 100% fit.

The thing is, that no matter how objective you may try to be, such games cannot be treated as just a game although in theory, they should be.
It's like you cannot not be elated+nervous+excited if you are going out with one of the most beautiful women in the world, but outwardly, you need to display as if she is after all, just another woman. What a farce!

Facts-wise, nothing wrong with the "just another" statement, but the emotions that the occasions (India-Pak contest, To be with the best lady) stir, just do not reflect the strictly (and only theoretically/factually) correct "just another" tag.

So the probability of this game being treated as just a game, is as high as Osama bin Laden being elected as the President of the United States.

Mind you, I'm no jingoist and I can live with Pakistan winning (especially, - actually only, if they play better than us) without burning effigies, without losing my life and without stoning a cricketer's house.
I'll surely be mighty disappointed if we lose but that's fair enough - even though the disappointment of losing to Pakistan is acutely greater than losing to any other team in the world.
Which is why, it's anything but just a game - and the toughest part for even the players is this time - the few hours just before the match till they get to the ground - atleast till the action starts.

Just hope our guys have better nerves to come up trumps.
Never do I wait for any other game with such bated breath, anticipation, trepidation, perspiration, (heck, even constipation!) for "just a game" whose result shall offer either an unreal, unseen humiliation or supreme, unbridled exhilaration!
Watch this space for more..

Every breath you take, every move you make..

I just picked a thought (actually, it's a fact), which sounds rather gloomy: With every passing second, we are inching closer to our fated demise - the end of our life.

Well, it sure is a fact, but one need not feel too maudlin about it.
After all, we have only so much time on this planet (in this life), and what is important, instead of feeling what all you might miss out on and what all you might not be able to see/do/get, we'd surely be much better off focusing on what all we can do, what all we can set right, what all we can accomplish - with the time that we do have at our disposal.. ..with every passing moment.. ..with every breath we take.

This blog is no Face The Truth/Sach Ka Saamna platform, but I can admit that there have been so many times, when I might have hurt someone, when I could have done something better than I actually did, when I could have mended some fences, done something to make someone happy selflessly, et cetera, et cetera.

I just hope all of us get the good sense and more than just the intent, the ability and courage to execute our intent of setting things right, putting a smile on faces of everyone we meet especially our loved ones, sharing the joys and sorrows of our families together, making our lives more meaningful, more complete, and more "contentable" (just coined the word) - meaning, by the time we take our last breath, we are content, have no regrets, no I-wish-I-could've-done-that, no I-wish-I-hadn't-done-that.

I really hope I don't just write all this on this space and forget about it. I mean, it's always easier to say/preach/wish for something than to actually execute that wish/intention. But I just wanna make sure that if not all, at least most of the moments I have with me, are spent constructively, usefully, and in doing things that bring people together and make everyone's times together even more fun and cherishable.

Let's atleast honestly and sincerely try to make our lives contentable, likeable and loveable - not from others' point of view or to show anything to others, but just to feel better about things we did when we lived, and to feel good enough on having undone the mistakes of the past, of having had the courage to set things in order, of having mended relations, of having brought smiles on the faces which we always want to see smiling, of having seen to it that when no one sees us, we can see ourselves with our head held high and with our heart at peace.

Ab bahut ho gaya na?! :-)
I know, I think so too - till next time then!

It's ok, na?

One of my friends, Isha, keeps lamenting that my posts are mostly cricket and not much else. Ab kya karein bhai, actually this is bound to happen, coz I'm someone who straightaway lunges for the sports page in a newspaper, even if the paper is of the likes of The Economic Times.

On a serious note, actually I just go with the flow - if there's nothing appealing to me, I don't write(!), and if there's something I feel like writing about, I do - don't care much even if it consistently belongs to any specific domain or 'label'. Anyway, hope Isha and her ilk would welcome this non-cricket post, for a change!

Just finished with "The Alchemist" - I know it's a bestseller but with due respects to all its fans and ofcourse the very respectable Mr. Paulo Coelho, I did not find it as impressive as I was expecting it to be.
 

Perhaps it's a case of excessive expectations, or I might have missed appreciating something even when it might've been there, coz the bestseller that it has been, there must be something seriously great about it that I have failed to notice.

Anyway, that's my loss. But thinking of why you like any book, here are my reasons for doing so:

1. The message

2. The way that message is conveyed - with the plot, the lines, the humor (if required) and the narrative (if required)

And then follow the other qualities that these two elements ought to create in any good read:

1. Gripping - once you start the book, you need to stop reading it only if Aishwarya Rai has come running all the way just to sit with you, or..if you have actually finished reading it!

2. Readability - A good book can make you feel like reading it is more like talking to a known, pally friend - just a conversation - no need to bother about anything, just go with the flow, and enjoy without thinking too much, unless it's a Poirot/Holmes kinda suspense-thriller!

3. Enjoyment - This one's the clincher - you should just love reading the book and enjoy the time spent reading it - probably the toughest to make a reader do. Actually, if you can do this part, chances are you have done all others too. In other words, ensuring reader enjoyment makes up for all the Do's and Don'ts.

Basically, the message I got was about following your heart and sticking to your goals, being unwavering in following your destination, enjoying the journey to your destination, learning from anyone and everyone, what else? - but none of this was really new (and it doesn't matter even if it wasn't. Every new book does not mean every new line of thinking) but I somehow didn't find it gripping enough.

The plot seemed to drag/stretch as long as the Egyptian deserts mentioned therein and I knew it was not doing it for me when I was laboriously looking for each page to end, with a keen, continuous and tired eye on how many more still to go, before I reach the last page.

It was like watching a Sreesanth or the entire Australian team play match after match not only without quality, but also without sledging their opponents - could well be historical, but seems boring. (oops, there we go with the cricket again!)

Somehow, I just did not feel captivated enough through the book. Guess it's no sacrilege, just a matter of choice.
It's ok, na?!

Virender Sehwag's best six till date

This post is more about the virtue than the vice.
It's more about the positive aspect of Virender Sehwag's DDCA-expose than lamenting about the quagmire of politics, nepotism, corruption and a generally brazen disregard for professionalism, that the DDCA is neck-deep into.

There might be dozens of other such associations/sports bodies/clubs/people (not just in cricket or any other sport, but also in life) that may be just as corrupt and botched up, but the point is, how many people have the courage to stand up for something they believe in?

The thing to appreciate, respect and emulate, is to take it on, to take the bull by the horns, at least by the time we have attained some position from where our voice will not get choked in the chaotic ruckus of the very system we are taking on.

Why not have the courage of conviction to stand up for something we know is right and to protest against anything that we know is wrong, unfair, and unethical?

There's a wonderful saying - "If you cannot stand up for something (you believe in), you can fall for anything."

Some of us might be wondering why Sehwag would have wanted to challenge the administrators when his own place in the sun was assured, and when his own interest was being well-served.

And how could he be so sure that corruption in DDCA was indeed as rampant and as likely as SRK's presence in a Farah Khan/Karan Johar flick?

Well, I just read an article from the much-respected cricket journo Pradeep Magazine. The following extract from that article brings to light the reason why Sehwag, safely ensconced as an iconic player in the Delhi establishment, would want to make DDCA face the music:

"Those who are wondering why Virender Sehwag, safe in his fame, riches and iconic status, all of a sudden raised his voice and created a chaos in this 'ordered' world, perhaps don't know this story:
For two consecutive years, a young lad from the suburbs of Delhi would go to the selection trials of Delhi cricket, only to be shooed away after facing only half a dozen balls in the nets.
The crestfallen youngster found a godfather in Satish "Neelu" Sharma, who recognised his potential and pitted him against the full might of a DDCA team.
The boy smashed half a dozen sixes in his rampaging hundred, something that has become a signature of almost every Sehwag innings when he plays for India today."

C'mon, get me the popcorn, yaar - this is so very much like a truly, filmy-ly happy ending, with the hero bashing up the baddie in the end! Sweet redemption, Viru!

Aplenty are such scenarios in everyone's life where we just silently witness, and therefore knowingly or unknowingly connive with the trespassers of morality, ethics, and transparency, through our passive stance and tacit approval.

I just hope we all get to learn from Viru, and exhibit similar courage whenever we have our owns trysts with such scenarios. Power to you, Virender Dude Sehwag - this one's been the best six you've hit in your career, sending the ball of corrupt babudom at the cost of sheer talent, well outta the park!

Here's to more such Sehwags - may the club keep growing!

Jo WADA kiya, wo nibhana padega..

जी हाँ, पेश है एक और बार - BCCI की चमकार!
इसके जितना कमा नहीं पाती कई countries की सरकार!!
दादागिरी करने का मिला एक और हथियार!
करे अपने cricketers पर privacy-protection की बौछार!
BCCI की चमकार!

आया नया अँधेरा!!
(BCCI Says: "WADA का..)
..हर Clause मेरा"!

Enough, BCCI and Indian cricketers - much as we love our cricket, along with the joy you provide us with your talent, we are not taking this.

I mean, I simply don't get it, guys. Our cricketers are already exalted to demi-god status, we don't grudge them that. (It's another matter though, that all others who get recognition for the country should also come atleast close to the celeb status, wealth and sheer clout that the cricketers command after donning national colors).
But howsoever famous you may be, you cannot not adhere to already stated, and universally-accepted rules and guidelines.

We have the best of the best conforming to the clauses of the WADA - be it with the ATP (Tennis) or FIFA (Soccer) or all the sportspersons who participate in sports affiliated to the IOA (International Olympic Association). And didn't BCCI know what it was getting into, when it signed the agreement with WADA?

The cricketers are, reportedly, unhappy with the WADA clause that requires them to furnish information about where they would be, on the grounds that it infringes on their privacy. Sure, but isn't it a small price to pay for, if you understand the intent behind the policy and also note that all others agree to it as well?
Is others' privacy or information less sensitive or less important than our demi-gods'?

And instead of reining in the delinquents, why has the BCCI chosen to side with the cricketers, even taking on the Government, and bullying the ICC into creating a separate, autonomous testing system for cricketers?
Isn't that unfair use of monopoly?

One needs to be fair to all, and if security and privacy are the reasons, ask a Roger Federer if he is not entitled to privacy or the Pakistani and Sri Lankan teams if they are not concerned about security.
WADA is a universally-recognised body, which would only help each sport to get rid of the menace of doping.

And then, we whine about the lack of standards and cricket not being included in the Olympics.

If you shirk from performing when the stage is yours, you cannot cry over talent not being recognized.

Dear Bapu..

Dear Bapu,

I have always revered you for not only showing a new way of life but also practising everything that you preached.
It is no wonder, therefore, that most of your teachings are the foundation stones on which our constitutional practices and principles have been built.

However, sometimes I wonder, what your approach would have been if you were to have lived in the present era, of relentless and repentless terror, corruption and judicial torpidity.

Bapu, one of your most famous quotes has long been the cornerstone of our policy and law-making practices. It goes something like this: "Even if a hundred criminals go scot free, it's still preferable to even one innocent being unfairly prosecuted".

Please do not misinterpret my difference of opinion as disagreement with (much less, criticism of) your line of thought. I am anyway too inconsequential and your thoughts were and will always remain too good to be criticised. I am just wondering whether, having seen the light of the day in today's times, you would have wanted to continue your policy of tolerance and benefit of doubt to even the most evident of crimes and criminals - only for the sake of a policy.

I believe the assumption, typically sensitive and caring of you, was relevant for precisely the times you lived in. Back then, I cannot recall incidents when ingenious minds used their creativity negatively to make up lame excuses in favor of criminals.

Correct me if I am wrong, but today, things have come to such a pass due to the archaic give-benefit-of-doubt unless proven guilty (completely), that it has allowed our justice deliverance mechanism to go into unexplainable and unreasonable stupor, faster and longer than a Kumbhakarna.

I wonder how you'd react if you were to witness the gross abuse of the judicial process and policies in order to make open-and-shut cases (of inhuman, barbaric and most unequivocally condemnable acts) favorable for the accused party, all in the name of benefit of doubt, lack of evidence, delay in judgements' deliverance, etc. for years and years together.

The latest development is another case in point, where a decisive verdict would not only deliver justice but also provide a fitting message to the perpetrators of such crimes, about the consequences that they should be prepared for, if they dare to even think of committing any such heinous acts.

Why do we not deliver justice promptly in open and shut cases?
What do we get by waiting everytime for n number of evidences against an accused, who has all the time in the world to fabricate the case, threaten witnesses, pay up equally debased lawyers to abuse any caveat or loose ends in the law to his advantage, and delay the trial or even be released 'honorably'?

And again, I am not advocating that we do not behave in a statesman-like manner. I also know that there are diplomatic, political and symbolic reasons that also delay a verdict. But to see this happening in every case only gives the impression that the state itself is weak, paralysed and too indecisive to even deliver a just verdict promptly.

Well, forget promptness, most often, we are left high and dry hoping for atleast a verdict - Afzal Guru is still accused in the Parliament attack case of 2002. The Kataras, the Sabharwals, the Jessica Lalls, the Pandher-Koli victims, all have a story to tell - only to keep awaiting justice and expect their next generation to carry on the battle, hoping against hope.

Bapu, if you were around and you saw such blatant violation of civic and fundamental rights, and denial of justice to even the victims of open-and-shut cases, what would you have done?

Would you not agree it is high time we took the bull by its horns and ensure we DELIVER JUSTICE TO THE DESERVING AND THE HAPLESS VICTIMS, RIGHT AWAY?

Bapu, I guess you would have had to seriously reconsider the policy of trusting even a known criminal to be innocent if you could see the impunity with which criminals go scot-free, just for want of enough evidence (how much and when is it ever enough for them, anyway?!), and time-warped deficiencies in our laws and archaic policies.

Love you Bapu, but I believe the Mahatma that you always were, your soul too might really feel at peace only when we all shrug off this inertia of being indolent to arm-twisting by known criminals and offenders, and insolent to the frustrated, helpless victims.

One might somehow still be able to bear the victimisation inflicted by a criminal. But it is infinitely and exponentially more unbearable, unreasonable and unfair on those victims to see the criminal being exempted from punitive action simply for want of archaic laws and loose processes. And it is we, who are responsible for doing so.

Just as important as delivering justice to victims of known offenders (yet to be proven guilty only in the the soap opera of a trial in the courtrooms) is how soon justice gets delivered.

Justice delayed is justice denied, as well as faith dented - not just of the victims, but also of all those people who helplessly and frustratingly witness, read, observe and follow such developments.

Why be a weak state, taking years together to deliver long-due justice, which should take a month's time at best?

Bapu, did you ever want that people arm-twist the principles you laid out for our governance, in this way to suit themselves unfairly, and at the cost of the people who have already suffered enough?

Haven't we been witnessing that today, by taking advantage of the benefit-of-doubt and innocent-till-proven-guilty policy along with the inordinately long delays in judgements, known criminals and offenders merrily while away their time, while the victims and bravehearts who pursue the case seeking justice, are the ones actually suffering?

So eventually, instead of ensuring that even one innocent does not suffer, we have ended up making only the innocent victims suffer - not only once when they themselves bore the brunt of the inflicted crime, but many times over when they kept coming to the courts in the hope of justice and with the will to see the culprits being brought to book. Alas, only in vain.

So haven't all of us - since all of us are components of our corrupt, debased, and completely negligent system, the why-bother-if-it-doesn't-affect-me or why-take-on-the-system junta - actively or passively, only helped the criminals go off the hook, and made justice just a mirage for the victims?

Would you have wanted this to happen, Bapu?
I wish you could react to how things are today..
I wish you could show us the right way forward..

My 3 Best Friends

The following post might seem as if I am writing in a highly delusional, despondent mood, or that something tragic has befallen me, or that I have been watching Astha TV, Sanskaar TV or some marathon, non-stop pravachan for years together!!
However, none of the above is true.
I just want to share my thoughts and beliefs on this platform, and it'll be nice if any of the readers (if they too happen to agree with my thoughts) can also benefit from believing in some things that I have believed in, and benefited from.


All of us go through, have gone through, (and inevitably, will go through) such times in life, when one does not fully comprehend the reasons behind why something happened (I stress especially on the unpleasant happenings, because most of us generally do not "question" the good things that God bestows us with!)

There are times when one feels one has been hard done.

There are times when it seems that there could possibly be nothing good or rational behind an event/result that did not occur in consonance with one's wishes or to one's liking.

क्या आपको भी कभी ऐसा लगा है?! :-)

क्या आप भी कभी ऐसी situations में आए हैं?!! :-)

क्या आप ऐसे समय पर दुखी और निराश हो जाते हैं? :-)

अगर इन सवालों का जवाब हाँ है, तो मेरे इन तीन मित्रों से ज़रूर मिल लीजिये: :-)

I believe in 3 axioms in life - 3 postulates, which I cannot prove - you just need to believe them, that's all.
These principles/axioms/postulates are my 3 best friends because they always help me deal with the biggest of unexplainable, bewildering disappointments with ridiculous ease.

They have been such great friends to me that whenever I have faced any disappointment or an unwanted event in life that I have not found reasonable or justifiable, it is this belief in these 3 friends that has always helped me (through them) to find solace, assuredness, renewed belief and gratitude towards God and His grace, and contentment in whatever happens, has happened, or whatever will happen.

Thought of sharing them with you, just in case any of you too might be interested in meeting these friends, and if any of you might benefit from them, it would be worth the post.

If you can believe them wholeheartedly and sincerely, these 3 friends will always hold you in good stead:

1. Even if you cannot believe or understand it, everything happens for the best

Nothing happens without reason, and happens for the best, even if you cannot understand the 'good' in it, let alone the 'best' part. You just gotta believe in the fact that even the things that you do not find favorable or likeable, are happening for the best - it's just that at the given time, you are not able to know/understand/appreciate the reason behind it. But our ignorance cannot and should not change the merit of the event or the wisdom of His decision.

If not you, atleast certainly He, the Almighty, knows the reason, the blessing, and the 'good' for you, in the ostensibly 'unfortunate' event that you might be crestfallen about.

As I said, I cannot prove it with some statistical data or anything else except self-belief and experiences from my life as well as that of others.
All of us must be aware of incidents which, our immature mind would have thought of as unfair, harsh, or unfortunate and unwanted.
However, eventually, with time and more wisdom, we might have realised the merit behind those incidents and the positives that accrued from those 'unfortunate/avoidable' circumstances.


2. He plans for you much better than you can ever plan for yourself

He, the Almighty, knows more than you can ever imagine and He Himself wants to keep you more happy than the happiness that you yourself can ever want and plan for yourself.

Again, it is imperative that we do not feel perturbed by any situation and never forget that everything is happening for our good (even better than the 'good' anyone can ever plan for oneself, because it is planned for us by Him) and that even though we cannot understand the reason or even if the 'good' part is not evident, we are not as mature as Him and are not good enough to understand the reason behind His decisions.

But you should never forget that He is always with us, for us, despite us being us!


3. He is Supreme

The Almighty is named so, because of the word itself: All Mighty. Nothing in this world is beyond Him, the Almighty.
Unless you are an atheist, you cannot not believe this!
So hopefully, believing this wholeheartedly and at all times, should not be beyond you. So never let go of this belief - it will keep you happy, content, assured, and blessed.

As with the other 2 rules, you just need to have genuine, unflinching and resolute belief in these rules. That's all it takes for me to feel good or atleast come to terms in a much, much better way with any situation.

Now, if you genuinely believe all these 3 friends, combine all that they tell you, and then look at anything in life with this perspective:

1. Even if something apparently unfortunate happens, it is for a greater good. So whatever is happening, is for the best even if we cannot understand it right now. Just need to believe in Him.

2. He plans for you much better than you can ever plan for yourself. He knows more than we can ever imagine and He Himself wants to keep us more happy than the happiness that we ourselves can ever want and plan for ourselves.

3. He is Supreme, and whatever He wants, and only that which He wants, will happen.
With this belief, refer back to Rules 1 & 2 again.

So, believing the points put forth by all my 3 friends, I can only conclude that He is someone whose wants dictate and decide what happens with each one of us, and it is that very He, who wants and plans for us to make us even happier than we can ever imagine and plan for ourselves even in our wildest dreams.

So it's just a matter of having the faith and ensuring that we do not forget the fact that even if we are unable to see the good/the benefit in an event, we should atleast be wise enough and faithful enough to ensure that we do keep believing in Him and in His plans for each one of us. And since He wants to keep us happy, He WILL do so, in His own way and style. Rest assured, whatever and whenever it'll be, it'll be better than even we could have planned for ourselves. For, HE is Almighty!!!

May God keep blessing us all!

Ye Cup...Kaheen Aur Hi Jaayega :-(

So, the dream has ended.
England have knocked the defending World Champions out of the 2009 edition.

It's a pity we couldn't even make the semis.
It's a pity we played the way we played, given the talent and the billing the team always enjoyed.

Wish Bhajji - despite his excellent bowling otherwise - had enough wits about him to atleast not spray the ball way down the leg side (and fast at that!), only to give away 5 runs, along with an extra ball - not even once, but TWICE! - and certainly, not on the last ball of the innings!!!!
Couldn't Dhoni have just had a quiet word with him before atleast that last ball of the innings, especially when he had kept that over tight - just to remind Bhajji to ensure no extras were conceded?

Mind you, I don't have a problem with the opposition playing well, but to gift the match away by making crucial, basic errors is a cardinal sin.
By the way, I would have still castigated the bowler and the captain for the aforementioned instance in the aforementioned way, even if India had won.

Why was RP Singh not bowled for his entire quota, when he had bowled so well?

I can still live with the idea of promoting Jadeja if you try to understand Dhoni's intent - it was not such a bad idea after all, to have him up at #4, so that the bigger players were not lost before the 10th over, and the scoreboard would have kept moving.

Even if Jad would have got out, he wouldn't have been as big a loss as a Yuvraj or Dhoni or Yusuf and again, if he were to come down the order with the asking rate at 9+ or 10+, it would not have served him well there too. Wouldn't we have then said it was too much to ask from the inexperienced youngster?
So all in all, when it came to using his experience and playing style, I think it was better he came when he did. The only problem was that he took too many balls, he could have taken atleast 5-10 balls less than he actually did, and that's where Dhoni too missed a trick. He should have given instructions to the youngster to get on with it, definitely when the halfway mark of the innings had been crossed.

Why was Jadeja not told to hit out or get out, when he was clearly struggling? When he eventually holed out, it seemed he was more happy than the bowler for putting him out of his misery.

If you face good bowling, as India did, I still don't mind the slow start, but atleast the basic, school-level errors could've been avoided.

A little more common-sensical approach, a dash of enjoyment and intensity in the field and on the pitch in gaining an extra run with hard running, and a little more communication from the captain - is all I have a complaint against.

Yes, we could still have lost, but atleast I wouldn't mind it as much if we tried and gave our best, but lost just because the other team came better on the day.

Anyway, just as with wins, let's hope that we don't get carried away too much.
This is just an emotional outburst, and I am sure our team has enough talent to win more often than lose.

I'm sure the guys are just as disappointed as the others, if not more.
But just hope the intensity and enjoyment never get flagged, as it seemed to happen last night at Lord's.

Aamir Khan!!

I know I haven't discussed this on this blog as yet, but I have always been an Aamir Khan fan. Not that I do not like any other actor - I am also a big admirer of the inimitable Amitabh Bachchan and SRK, among many others.
But Aamir, truly, just stands apart.

Again, no disrespect to anyone, in fact, I think Amitabh Bachchan is the greatest actor we have seen, but the sheer planning, variety, attention to detail, exhaustive preparation for each character, ability to do justice to a script, and daredevilry to take up a challenge and rest your professional stakes on that one role for the entire year, takes some doing. Only a person with not just immense talent and intelligence, but also immense self-belief, can carry this off.

Shahrukh is wonderful too, but I have just one logic - I can swap any SRK role with Aamir - as in, I can expect AK to do any role done by SRK with as much elan, but cannot imagine SRK doing a Sarfarosh, a TZP, a Ghajini, etc. the way AK has.
Ofcourse, these are just my views and that is why you are reading them here - coz this is the reason I have created this space - to air my views, with the rationale behind my thoughts - you are free to agree/disagree.

I began reading Aamir's blog recently and it has only made me even more of an Aamir fan. Just reading his thoughts, the way he conveys everything, and mingles so humbly and freely with his fans, along with regular updates indicates a genuine desire to use the blog as a medium to connect with his audience in the way he wants it - informative, regular, fun-filled, informal, witty, and transparent (coming from the horse's mouth, it does not leave any room for speculation on anything and actually helps clears any misgivings anyone might have).

The fact that he has been finding time to not only personally write the blog so regularly, but also reading each and every reply to his posts and even replying back wherever required, displays genuine interest, sincerity, and attachment towards his blogging and affability by not letting any comment go unnoticed and many a time, also recognizing/appreciating it.

Here's just one sampler that I'm sure anyone who reads, would love. It shows the way Aamir used his body language, acting skills and intelligence to convey the right emotions and the non-verbal traits of the character (Bhuvan - the character he was portraying in Lagaan), on screen.
Highly recommend reading this entry on Creating Bhuvan.
I just felt so wonderful about being let in into the mind of this genius, who allowed us what all he tried and why, in projecting the right emotions and body language for his character.
And this is where I find him better than a ShahRukh as well as the great Amitabh Bachchan (even you yourself won't mind that na, Amitji - haayein..?!)

There are two main things that separate him from everyone else:

Abiility to research thoroughly and portray any character convincingly - By research I mean, genuinely thourough, exhaustive (and must surely be exhausting too!) research. And by any, I mean ANY: With due respects to others, but I think no one can match Aamir for his versatility. And it's not just about being versatile. What gets him the biggest edge is that he is most convincing in each of his so different roles - AK can portray a rebel (Mangal Pandey), a police officer (Sarfarosh), a mushy hero (QSQT), a strife-torn father-husband (Akele Hum Akele Tum), a lovable brat (RDB), a hilarious buffoon (Andaz Apna Apna), a comic hero (Ishq), a college-level hero (Jo Jeeta...), a tapori (Rangeela), an endearing rustic driver (Raja Hindustani), an urban youngster friend and lover (DCH), a terrorist in love (Fanaa), a rebellious youngster (Ghulam), an action hero (Ghajini), a sensitive teacher (TZP) - just to name a few..

And as you would know, the list ain't complete!
Which other hero has carried off such a huge run, variety and consistent string of quality roles for his movies?

Leader, Pioneer of Firsts - Whether it is the exhaustive preparation for a role, the unimaginable limits to which he can get soaked in his character, the great lengths to which he hedges his bets on only one project a year (by doing only 1-2 movies a year), thereby also displaying the strength of conviction to do quality-fulfilling and not indulge in needless money-raking movies, at the cost of churning inane performances in movie after movie: Go through any of the above traits and you will find even Amit sir, the legend has not made a conscious effort to dare do so few, so versatile and such intense movies, year after year after year.

And even more than these (but this is a trait in many other stars too), he also comes across as a genuine, unfazed-by-superstardom, well-meaning, sensible, mature, naturally friendly and peaceful guy with a wonderful heart and a great sense of humor - Not a bad list of ingredients in a person you'd like to have as a friend/mentor/guide.

I can go on and on but this should suffice for now - Aamir, if you are reading this, you deserve it, and no need to thank me!

Just keep up the great work, for we have spoiled and immuned ourselves to seeing nothing short of great stuff from you - and no need to take any pressure, yes, you are more than good enough. Touchwood!

Alright, one more line and his wife might begin to get fidgety. Mine too.

Of Maximums, Moments of Success, et al

Just in case you have recently migrated to this planet, let me inform you that the Indian Premier League - the glam show of T20 cricket replete with all assortments of stars, razzmatazz, and glamour, is now in its second year.

What might not have gone unnoticed too, is that it has established a new lexicon of terms associated with cricket.

The entire, conscious and business (marketing) exercise of calling every wicket a Citi Moment of Success, and every hit over the ropes coined as a DLF Maximum seems barely bearable, but one hopes they do not carry this branding too far. Who'd like to listen to such coinage every now and then, for every other term and event happening on the field?

This sickening thought just emanates from going through a nice read at Cricinfo's page on this:
http://content.cricinfo.com/iplpage2/content/story/402281.html

Quite witty and imaginative, but unfortunately, it doesn't really seem to be an extract from some sci-fi content. The way things stand, it might not be an unreal possibility.

Just hope Messrs Lalit Modi and his staff can all resist the temptation of selling, and then imposing, every brand on cricket.
It's not a bad thing for the coffers to stay abrim but as with most things in life, one should never fail from asking the question: At what cost?

Dilli-11

No, this is not some sequel to Delhi-6 but my list of who I'd like to see in the Delhi Daredevils playing eleven:

Click the image to view the list clearly:


The column on the left is my list of cricketers I'd like to see as my first-choice of playing eleven.
On the right, is the list of cricketers, who I can replace / can swap, along with the names of the cricketers I can swap them with.

These legends describe what the cricketers have been picked as:
BTA - Batting All Rounder,
Bt - Specialist batsman
Bl - Specialist bowler
Wk- Wicketkeeper
BLA - Bowling All Rounder

The 4 yellow-colored rows denote the maximum 4 foreign players who can be picked in a playing XI.
The team has been picked in batting order.

What I like most about this team is that it covers all bases - in terms of all the 3 facets: it has enough talent and depth in batting, bowling as well as fielding. Not just that, it has depth and variety within these departments too.

Let's pick each one-by-one:

1. Fielding

Some of the best: Manoj Tiwary, AB de Villiers, TM Dilshan, Paul Collingwood, Virender Sehwag, etc. are the standout livewires who would put any close-in ring of fielders to shame.

Guys like Glenn McGrath and Gambhir also possess a wonderful arm - to enable quick, strong returns from the deep.

2. Bowling

Led by the one and only Glenn McGrath, with perhaps the best left-arm slow bowler in the world in the form of Daniel Vettori, the wonderful prospects such as Dirk Nannes, Amit Mishra, Yo Mahesh and Pradeep Sangwan, along with the ever-reliable Ashish Nehra and Farveez Maharoof: you have all sorts of bowlers who can get you wickets against any opposition on any surface.

3. Batting

When a line-up has the likes of Gambhir, Sehwag, Warner and AB/Tiwary/Dilshan staring you in the face as its first four, does anybody need to tell you anymore about its prowess?
Apart from these living dynamites, there are also (only relatively speaking, though) sheet-anchor players, who can hold an end up and make others play their strokes around and on top of their calm and composed presence. Guys such as Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood, Dinesh Karthik, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia can alway be relied upon to stall any wicket-taking attempts of the opposition while also keeping the scoreboard ticking.

4. All Rounders
With guys such as Farveez Maharoof, the skipper Sehwag himself, Daniel Vettori, Rajat Bhatia and upcoming al-round talents like Dirk Nannes and Andrew McDonald, all-rounders are also available aplenty to choose from.

5. All-Round Depth
Most impressively, the all-round depth in each department of this Delhi team is extremely strong - atleast on paper, for sure. I would love to see a match where every skill in the game is utilised and harnessed in ensuring both hard-fought as well as facile victories.

Hope to see this set of Delhi XI playing someday, sometime, somewhere..can place a significant amount on it doing well. :-)

Kis? Kis? Kis, kis, kis, kis, Kisko???

Jaagore jaagore, jaa.aa..go..o..re!!
Yes, that's right - election ke din, agar aap vote nahin kar rahe, to aap SO rahe ho...
(and it plays out again - Jaagore jaagore, jaa.aa..go..o..re!!)

But yours truly - with all political disenchantment and without any clue on what choice to make - wants to know ki jaag ke, arthaat voting booth par pahunchke, karna kya hai????!!

Ji haan, vote to karna hi hai, par kis? kis? kis, kis, kis, kis, kisko?
Kisko vote karoon?!!

Now I do know, we do have enough regional/semi/quasi-national level parties, who have got quite used to calling the shots at the Centre in this age of coalitions.

But I want to zero in on only two - excuse me, all non-BJP, non-Congress, Third/Fourth/United/Disjointed/Secular/Whatever Front waalon and their supporters. Even if you possess an IQ that is as much as Mallika Sherawat's wardrobe, even then, you too would understand, that there are only two main parties in India: the Congress and the BJP.

These are the only 2 parties with whom shall wrest the responsibility of shaping the next government - whether on their own steam through a simple or near-simple majority (which is as likely as Himesh Reshammiya singing with the help of his vocal, and not nasal chords).

Or, one of these 2 parties can form/lead/support (from outside or from within the Cabinet), a coalition of parties where one of these two shall be the dominant, centrifugal partner in the coalition of parties that shall form the government.


Of the two, both seem to me to be equally (in)competent at the following:

• Corrupt: Now come on, we don't need to debate about it, do we? We have made ourselves and our country immune to it even faster than even the good folks who have been trying since so many years to immunise us and our country against polio through the pulse polio campaigns.
  

In fact, it has now come to a stage where corruption is a vice no more; virtue? - more
likely, necessity? - oh sure!

Which party/candidate to select, why and how?

• Communal: Overtly or covertly, directly or indirectly, whether through the direct, blatant, virulent verbal and physical attacks & hate propaganda by one party or through the other's squeamish, milk-them-and-use-them-in-the-name-of-secularism, get-votes-and-keep-promising-the-world attitude.

So, which one to vote for - the one that has Hindu sentiment and vote encashment as its
official warcry, or the one that just feels Muslims were born to live in a constant state of
shoot-at-sight, and it can feed off their insecurity and lack of other worthy options?
What enviable options!

• Apathetic: Don't know what others feel, but I can clearly sense these parties' care-a-damn-lets-get-power attitude.
  Pick any neta - Is anyone at all bothered about the welfare of the citizens and residents of an MP's constituency for the first 4 years 10 months??" What have both parties tried to do, when in power except on just encashing on the opportunity to use the power to achieve all material gains for self/party - in that order - at supersonic speed?

I know everything cannot be solved in 5 years (or even in 50 , for some problems). But I am not even asking for a quick-fix solution to everything. I just need to see intent, genuine intent, genuine effort, genuine concern and corrective action. Is that too much to ask for?
Unfortunately, none of the parties comes to the fore on any of these fronts.

I know, not voting does not mean the problems will be solved, but I need to know how to decide who is worthy of being voted?

How can you trust candidate A over candidate B when you have not only seen A and B, but have also seen the A's and the B's of the past - all happy enough to indulge in achieving their own personal goals and ready to involve themselves in mud-slinging against the other candidate/party at the slightest mention of their own tasks and achievements?

Yes, the answer is in putting your hand up if you feel so strongly disillusioned by things, and to make a difference. Forgive me for being such a pessimist, but I think such is the pre-dominance of these Big Two in politics, that even when the good, clean, meritorious, qualified, deserving and capable people have tried to make a difference, they have lost their voice and say, in the political spectrum of our country and have had to ultimately become subservient to one of the two parties, and pander to their big boss(es).

So where is the voice and clout of the independent in today's politics and what difference would you make, apart from raising some questions in the Question Hour? (that's assuming Parliament's not adjourned sine die, due to some or the other ruckus being created by some or the other party).

Anyway, just wanted to jot down my thoughts on the current scenario - apologies for the gloomy sentiments, and the pessimism - hope to find (and would love to receive through your comments) more answers than questions.

Till then...
Keep the faith, and do vote - just that I myself don't know, for whom? But good for you, if atleast you can put a finger on the pulse, and also on which button of the EVM to press!

Happy Birthday, sir!!!!!

It's here!! - April, the 24th!!
Another big day in the life of a gem called The Little Master, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, whose life is littered with big days and milestones galore.


Wish you a very happy and joyous day, and hopefully this is only one of many, many more joyous days and birthdays still to come, for many more years from now.

For mere mortals like us, events like birthdays are special, big days but sometimes I wonder what a milestone-laden genius like Sachin (on second thoughts, actually, there is nobody, quite like Sachin!) would feel on his birthday.

Yes, whatever heights you may achieve, a birthday is a birthday, and feeling stolid or emotionless about it. Agreed, he is of the rare breed who have enough reasons to celebrate and rejoice over some or the other milestone almost everyday anway - through his obvious precious and always-precocious talent, discipline, level-headedness, perseverance, international longevity (oh what not!) - he has now come to the stage that he keeps breaking records and milestones has become as much a part and way of life as breathing!

But perhaps he being one with a child-like zeal and zest for life, he would still treasure a birthday as much as any young kid!
Have you a great one, champ and you deserve to enjoy many, many more ones - also, many more birthdays still to come, where you might need to spend the day representing India, atleast till the 2011 World Cup !!

Such a genius and true patriot who has for long been a one-man army shouldering and carrying off the expectations of a people in every tournament, every innings, and on every ball, deserves to get a World Cup in his trophy cabinet, atleast before he turns 40.

That's my only, simple (and inexpensive, actually free!) birthday gift to you, Sachin - I sincerely pray and hope that may God bestow you with His grace and ensure you play a stellar role in making India win the World Cup!
(Having said that, you are the best, and ya shalt remain the best even if you score runs in the negative for the rest of your life! But having known your craving for the coveted glory, knowing your passion and penchant for seeing the Indian flag flutter gloriously on the winning podium), and to hear the national anthem of the winners as Jana Gana Mana, may you be bestowed with all the good luck and form to make it a dream come true - Amen!!!!!

Many Happy Returns of the day, Sir!!

What For, MSD?

Okayyy...so somebody's back!
No excuses for not writing in, but at least today, I just had to.

I have been (and still am) an avid MSD fan, and if you have followed some of my earlier posts, you'd know that I have always been singing hosannas, praising his demeanour, talent, tactics, et al.

And then I read about MSD (and Bhajji) skipping the awards, (http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=a21f82c6-77dc-434c-8a4c-d83d56bb4f56&Headline=Dhoni%2c+Bhajji+give+Padma+awards+a+miss).

And this is when I really wanted to give vent to my thoughts. I just wanted to put things in perspective, be fair, and ensure I am no blind follower of his.

Which is why, I decided to pen down (er..ok, make that key in) my disappointment over his conduct.

Disclaimer: Since I do not see myself (atleast not for now) calling up MSD and getting his thoughts/response on this, I have only been looking to a report citing MSD's version of things. Have waited a while but since no reports have been forthcoming, I write this with the assumption that he actually did skip the Padma awards ceremony for the sake of endorsements.

If it is indeed true that MSD has skipped the National Honor ceremony, only to turn up for a brand endorsement, it is certainly regrettable. I just hope it isn't lost out on the young man that any brand endorsement, function or any other event - unless it is a matter of someone's life and death - cannot be more important (however pre-planned it may be, and for that matter, the Padma Awards cermeony too, is not exactly an off-the-cuff, chalo-let's-have- it-tonite one) than an event where the nation is bestowing one of its most coveted civilian honors.

No amount of persuasion, arguments, or justification can cover for such callousness. Hopefully, whatever reason MSD has, if he stays true to himself, he will atleast in his own heart, own up to the fact that he need not have skipped this event. But this regret should not come about because it caused an unnecessary furore and diluted his brand equity - and ironically, which itself was what he wanted to build at the cost of missing the function, - but because others' reactions notwithstanding, his heart and mind should unequivocally exhort him to put country, national honor, and respect for the country and its love, above anything and everything else.

No brand can be bigger than the brand of a billion hearts beating for you, cheering for you, loving, respecting, adoring, and idolising you.