Jai Ho!

These are really interesting times in the Bollywood landscape.

Of late, a spate of meaningful, funny, and thought-provoking movies have come up. The last few weeks have given us Barfi!, Oh My God, and English Vinglish - pretty much one week after another.

A Truly Oh My God Collection

Now I am a no-holds-barred stickler for a witty, engrossing script. The last few movies (mentioned above) have been low on hype and high on output, thanks to their wonderful script, fluid screenplay, brilliant performances, and impeccable direction.

The fact that I have not even counted GoW I and II in this list, and have discounted the not-so-universally liked Heroine only shows that there have been enough big-ticket movies around within a couple of months.

Now that the audience has been introduced to such riveting and sumptuous fare, we are pining for more such movies coming our way.
Hopefully, Talaash should not disappoint, and I am still rooting for the SRK-Kat jodi onscreen in JTHJ (despite its rather thanda title).

Thankyou, Bollywood for coming of age and for producing so many likeable, truly 'different' movies with such disarming regularity of late.

This is just a post and a humble way of saying keep up the good work, from an interested and appreciative audience.
A special note to the Censor Board too, for passing a potentially sensitive and touchy movie like 'Oh My God' without much fuss.
Dear 'different' filmmakers and wondrous, creative storytellers - well done and more power to you!
Well done, and Jai Ho!

Dear Heart of Sai Baba, fare thee well!!

Profuse apologies for the really poor joke as the title of this post.
However, I am sad today and I would make up any PJ on this universe, to get even a whiff of any radical emotion other than disappointment.

I am sad to see an outstanding umpire's career coming to an end. Simon Taufel, take a bow sir - you have elevated the role and skill-level of an umpire to much better standards through sheer dint of your impeccable conduct and deportment.

It was painful to see Mark Boucher go the way he had to, a few months ago.
Many editors and journos have long been ready with their oft-rehearsed farewell lines for one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It's another matter that the Little Master might keep them waiting for a few more years, even now.
There was a void when the great Kapil Dev left, and one struggles to remember a genuine Indian all-rounder, before or after him.

However, the departure of this non-sportsman on the cricket field seems truly sad. No one has dominated the world of cricket umpiring with such unparalleled competence than Simon.

Before Simon, cricket has been blessed with some illustrious umpires - from Dickie Bird to David Shepherd to Rudi Koertzen.
However, the bright talent that this 'young' gem is and has been, will be hard to find.

Achieving so much at such a young age in the umpiring world, is not easy at all.
In fact I reckon Simon Taufel is the Sachin Tendulkar of umpires - started young, excelled in all conditions, vanquished pressure and the perils of stardom, achieved just about everything possible in his field, and became a living legend with great competence and insight.

Among the many admirable qualities he has, there are two things that truly made me a Simon fan:

Focus and Decision Making
His ability to read the length, trajectory and angle of the ball in determining LBWs is exemplary. The focus in identifying close nicks, and knowing when not to give a batsman out, was fantastic.

Positioning and Self-Confidence
The way Simon used to run in time adjacent to the stumps in perfect preparation of adjudicating a run-out is something fantastic, made even more commendable by the fact that umpires today do not bother to do any such stuff because they can always fall back on the safer, easier and more convenient option of going 'upstairs' to the 3rd umpire. Despite this, Simon never flinched from taking a tough decision, relying on his ability, knowledge and confidence on his decision-making abilities.

It is easy to overlook the fact that today, we live in an age of stumpcams, microphones, third umpires, decision reviews, and hawk-eyes. These are times when even an iota of error is magnified and played over and over again.

To remain pretty much unblemished in even such times, and to be able to trust oneself to give decisions instead of relying on the easy, safer option of simply calling up the third ump, has been truly commendable.

And now, he bids goodbye to help groom other umpires (if even a few of them can come close to him, it's job well done).

As the Word T20 ends, one country will win.
But the whole world will be at a loss - of a great umpire, whose expertise, equanimity, and faultless decisions shall remain etched in the memory of all his fans.

Fare thee well, Simon!!

Well-deserved and well-done - Congrats to the New # 1

It was indeed a special week, this last one.

I was chuffed to see South Africa finally get a long-due and well-deserved #1 Test ranking. Despite a gritty display from the English on the final day of the last test (and the series), the Proteas managed to come up trumps.

Unless you were a completely jingoistic Englishman or totally anti-South Africa (for any personal reason), you would have no reason to grudge them their victory.

Right since their re-introduction to cricket in 1992, the South Africans have always looked champion-material in whichever format, whichever tournament they have participated in. However, for reasons best known to no one, they have always finished second-best.

Further, more than any team, it is they who seemed to have almost patented the concept of a team having all the ingredients to win anywhere against anyone, but still managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the most inopportune, crunch moments.
No wonder, the C-word almost stuck to them.

It is because of all these reasons, therefore, that they have remained atleast (if not for most impartial supporters') favorite team to win.
If ever I wanted to see a team win besides my own country, it has been South Africa.

Being popular, long-deserving and also emotional favorites, it was nice to see them on top of a podium finally.
Hopefully, this should also help them realize that they are champions and perhaps they might not inexplicably C (choke) anymore in those big finals when it matters the most!

Guess what, as it turns out, the so-called 'choker' have been able to become No.1 in the world in cricket's toughest and most prized format - that too, by beating the reigning World Champions in their own backyard! Boy, it doesn't get better than this.

Dear England, as I had written earlier, it's much easier winning at home and being # 1.
I did not detest their becoming # 1 (though yes, being Indian, it was disappointing to see India lose. But we got what we deserved, for not playing well, and later in Australia too).
However, the Englishmen thought only Indians have follies, and that they can never play well outside the subcontinent.

Well, dear Englishmen, as things stand, we even stayed # 1 longer than you did (including drawing with the same South Africans in their own den).
And, facts have proved: atleast we do win (convincingly) at home :)
By the way, see you in India next!!

As I said, well-deserved and thank you, South Africa!!

The Great 'Wall' of India

'People like Gundappa Viswanath and Sudhakar Rao continued to play even after retirement. I have played with them (in his initial years) and it was a huge thrill for me to play against them.'

This quote, from the one and only Rahul Dravid, made me marvel at the character of the Wall, once again.

A few months ago, Dravid retired from international cricket.
A few weeks ago, Dravid turned up for his domestic club - yes, even after his retirement from international cricket, and scored a century.

The takeaway news here, is obviously not his century, but the fact that he felt committed enough, to voluntarily give something back to the game.

Yes, to the game that he has loved and lived pretty much all his life, till date.
To the game that's made him what he is, today.

Yet, how often do you see successful stalwarts, who have walked out of the spotlight, come back selflessly, to lend a helping hand for others?
To be a source of inspiration not just through their achievements, but also by their conduct?

There are only some who go on to become stars from amongst the also-rans and the mere mortals.
Even lesser than them are those who become superstars.
And then, there are the select few(er) from among the already few superstars, who become role models.
As I have written earlier too, Rahul Sharad Dravid is one who belongs to that elusive, last category.

So this post will not dwell too much on the talent (which is too evident to negate through the numbers he's stacked up since 1996).
This post is about acknowledging and lauding what a super-successful sports star is doing, to leave the game richer.
All of us know that if ever there is one word that defines him most appropriately, it is selfless. A team-man to the core, RD has done his bit for the team on numerous occasions on the field.
What is worth noticing, is that he his still keen to play, share his experiences and knowledge on the both off and on the field. Even now, after he has retired and need not play, he still turns up for his club in a domestic tournament.
He is still keen to sweat (as profusely as he always has), just so that he can give something back to the game - the same thrill, the same joy, the same lessons - that he learnt, while watching his idols and being starry-eyed and just plain happy about playing, thanks to their presence.

Once again, in the latest news that I read about him, Dravid has, characteristically, also tried to give his two cents in ensuring that the future of Indian cricket is not only in the right hands, but also with the right mind and temperament.

I don't care even if this sounds like a paean to Dravid but with gestures such as these, I like him all the more:
For not simply putting his feet up after an illustrious career and dismissing the new generation with contempt.

• For being a role model thanks to his impeccable and exemplary conduct.
  
• For caring enough for the new generation to teach, guide, and mentor them, with his readiness and voluntary, selfless presence on the field with them.
  
• For being a wise counsel to the next crop of cricketers to also place the value of toil, patience, and perseverance (Test cricket) over and above a world offering dollops of easy cash, glamor, and a laid-out lifestyle.
  
• For teaching that cricket is great(er) even if every ball is not a Citi Moment of Success or a DLF Maximum. For exemplifying that a ball left well can also be a moment of quiet victory for a batsman in a battle of attrition against the bowler.
  
• Most importantly, for stressing on and inspiring the new crop with the fact that playing in whites for your country at a fraction of the T20 amount, can still give the ultimate joy, pride, and satisfaction.

No praise is too high for this true champion.

I started this post with a Dravid quote, so it might be only appropriate to end with another one, that sums up what this ever-sensible character has to share for budding cricketers:

'What I'll like to tell young kids is that the greatest satisfaction you are going to get is by playing Test cricket and playing in some of these great stadiums of the world. That will give you the greatest personal satisfaction, so don't sell yourself short. Try and achieve. It is possible. It can be done.'