A lot of times, we tend to identify who our friends are, by the way they interact with us. Friendship is literally the most common opportunity of a 'mind' to connect to another. That extra thought, that extra smile, that little help to show that he/she cares is all that makes friendship tick. Its not everyday that life goes through an up and down. People who tend to stick with you when they are up will not necessarily be the same crowd who will stick with you when the chips are down.
Now thats a fact and thats a fact underlined!
In today's fast paced world, expecting someone to help you, at times of need is a difficult proposition. Only the rarest of rare characters, out of the many lot, who would be with you in a moment of joy, will stand by you. There is this story of Karna - the mythological character in Mahabharat, who tends to express this point of view very well and till his death. Standing by Duryodhana through the thick times and thin, Karna epitomises the 'gratitude' and promise owed to one's friend. He is arguably a more powerful role model than the Pandavas, because his conviction and his character was tested more than them.
O' Maula Mere, where is my Karna. I only need one such person and I can overcome anything in this world, my heart felt through the last few days! Tough situations always tend to bring out the tougher person in me. And I am glad that this time, it also helped re-define my Karna'n sensex in the share market of 'friendship'. I am no Duryodhana, ofcourse! But I am sure, everyone of us would like to have that one person who will always be there for us when we need help.
Luckily in my case, most of the people whom I could turn to, were really true and helped me with a lot of advice and insight. All is not lost. All, except a few, whose locus has been plotted permanently outside my 'dosti' rekha....! How did I feel? Well, you know by instinct who is genuine and who isnt. I would really say, our heart felt feelings always need to be crosschecked with the 'mind' man inside us. Most often the latter would tell a few point blank truths.
Respect is certainly a 'two-way highway'. One must complete the circuit both ways within one's lifetime. 'Necessity' bound characters will always be around us, trying to exploit and use our resources for their needs. Identify such weeds and help save the farm from a poor harvest.
In this life of chess, everyone around us is either black or white. Identifying what colour they are will only become clear when its time to 'check'. Thats the moment of reckoning. Thats when you will feel yourself saying - "the Karnan checkmate!"
Rare words for a rare occasion.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
3 years up & running!!!
Its that day of the year to look back and think of the wonderful time that is 'married life'. January is probably that month of the year where most of the good times in the year dawn upon you.. The Tamil harvest season notably being amongst them.
Its been a good, eventful and enjoyable journey from the day I tied the knot to the day I am today. Eventful is both a lot of happiness and difficulties, but thats a part and parcel of everyone's life. So its not really much different that way.
Its been a good, eventful and enjoyable journey from the day I tied the knot to the day I am today. Eventful is both a lot of happiness and difficulties, but thats a part and parcel of everyone's life. So its not really much different that way.
Sujata Subramanian, whom I call SUJ, has been the person behind my every success and failure. Shloka has just about pitched in and its been a very beautiful part of my life, being with her. As I say this, its been some months since I have been with her. I am sure she is enjoying her time in Mumbai now.
Every wedding anniversary is special and so is this one. Its a hatrick of an anniversary, in cricketing commentary. Lots of runs were scored and wickets fell too, but the match is on and its really been an entertaining one :) Certainly for the audience, which is my family and hers.
Every wedding anniversary is special and so is this one. Its a hatrick of an anniversary, in cricketing commentary. Lots of runs were scored and wickets fell too, but the match is on and its really been an entertaining one :) Certainly for the audience, which is my family and hers.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
'17 another time, mate'
Its finally over. A thrilling match in Perth, a pitch which was deemed the fastest in the world, ends with a convincing win for India. This match will go down as one of the turning points in the history of Australian cricket. Certainly its to do with the Sydney Saga, and the aftermath of playing with a lot of spirit and honor. Anil Kumble can stand for election in any constituency in India and can win hands down today.
Its not about just winning, but winning after taking the high moral ground. Indian players maintained a very good body language throughout the match with very few exceptions. That really speaks a lot for the mental frame of mind they were in. Its not every day that you get to play in Perth. So for the Indians to play in Perth, after a gap of 16 years, it was obviously fair that they had no idea of the pitch or the pace off it.
Having spent sleepless hours in the past few days, sincerely following 80% of the match live, I can feel very satisfied now that I can enjoy the moment even more!! Termed now as the 'greatest' test match victory ever by India - this is a moment of vindication for India, in more than one ways. Even before the series started, the Indians were venting the right vibes and were really focussed on getting the prized 'series' victory in Australia. It all ended up sourly in Sydney.
In many ways, the ghosts of Sydney have actually redeemed themselves in Perth. That the team was huddled in a hotel for two days became opportunistically a 'successful re-grouping activity' with the mission of proving a point on the cricket field. And thats the reason why Australia lost. The backing of every single fan in the moment of crisis, really helped the moral attitude of the team.
The decision to make Kumble the captain of the Australian series, has been the blessing of the year. Its fair to say, anyone else, would have handled the Sydney fiasco in either a too aggressive or soft manner. Kumble had the right percentage of both these traits and he knew how to balance it out. The forgiving of Hogg was the masterstroke ahead of the game.
Tendulkar and Dravid played vital roles in the 1st innings. That really created the backbone of the Indian success. The combination of this team is as good as it gets for India, in recent years. Its good in a way, that Pathan and Sehwag, the new entrants to the squad - made most of the difference between the two teams. The balance of the side at the moment looks excellent.
Ishant Vs Ponting's score of 2-0 speaks volumes of the talent of the young man. 4 years ago, Irfan Pathan had emerged as one such talent and he is today the 'Man of the Match'. Australian and British pitches indeed help the fast bowlers more than the Indian ones and its not suprising to see our bowlers do well in these conditions.
It has to be said that VVS Laxman played the 'character' role in this match. The kind of role, which in Indian cinema would relate to the 'silent good-doer' behind the hero, who pitched in whenever the hero was in trouble. Its not easy to play No.3 in one match and then No. 7 in the other. Both positions are totally different in terms of the way you approach it. Kumble is very lucky to have such flexible 'minded' batsmen in his squad, players who put the match situation in front of their personal targets and carve a place for themselves depending on the position of the match.
Sehwag is considered a very smart captain in the Indian cricket ciruit and his suggestion to Kumble to keep Ishant one for an additional over got the wicket and turned the tide today. Thats smart thinking for me! Kumble's thought process did the rest by bringing Sehwag on, showing Gilchrist and Lee - the door to defeat. Australians will swing and swing hard. Thats only fair to say. When one of my colleagues asked me today morning, what would be the margin of victory, I said '80-100' runs. I wasnt too far off the mark.
Perth has been conquered. The Indian flag is flying high. But not before the 'Indianness' of a billion people was put to test in Sydney, not before the 'sportsmanship' of the Australians was questioned all over the world and not before Kumble said - 'Only one team played in the spirit of the game'.
With that background, the battle was indeed lost but the war has been won. And that, for me, is the home run, the first of the many nails in the Australian coffin. There is definitely something to tell to Ponting's men though, sweet 16 but '17 another time, mate'!!!
Its not about just winning, but winning after taking the high moral ground. Indian players maintained a very good body language throughout the match with very few exceptions. That really speaks a lot for the mental frame of mind they were in. Its not every day that you get to play in Perth. So for the Indians to play in Perth, after a gap of 16 years, it was obviously fair that they had no idea of the pitch or the pace off it.
Having spent sleepless hours in the past few days, sincerely following 80% of the match live, I can feel very satisfied now that I can enjoy the moment even more!! Termed now as the 'greatest' test match victory ever by India - this is a moment of vindication for India, in more than one ways. Even before the series started, the Indians were venting the right vibes and were really focussed on getting the prized 'series' victory in Australia. It all ended up sourly in Sydney.
In many ways, the ghosts of Sydney have actually redeemed themselves in Perth. That the team was huddled in a hotel for two days became opportunistically a 'successful re-grouping activity' with the mission of proving a point on the cricket field. And thats the reason why Australia lost. The backing of every single fan in the moment of crisis, really helped the moral attitude of the team.
The decision to make Kumble the captain of the Australian series, has been the blessing of the year. Its fair to say, anyone else, would have handled the Sydney fiasco in either a too aggressive or soft manner. Kumble had the right percentage of both these traits and he knew how to balance it out. The forgiving of Hogg was the masterstroke ahead of the game.
Tendulkar and Dravid played vital roles in the 1st innings. That really created the backbone of the Indian success. The combination of this team is as good as it gets for India, in recent years. Its good in a way, that Pathan and Sehwag, the new entrants to the squad - made most of the difference between the two teams. The balance of the side at the moment looks excellent.
Ishant Vs Ponting's score of 2-0 speaks volumes of the talent of the young man. 4 years ago, Irfan Pathan had emerged as one such talent and he is today the 'Man of the Match'. Australian and British pitches indeed help the fast bowlers more than the Indian ones and its not suprising to see our bowlers do well in these conditions.
It has to be said that VVS Laxman played the 'character' role in this match. The kind of role, which in Indian cinema would relate to the 'silent good-doer' behind the hero, who pitched in whenever the hero was in trouble. Its not easy to play No.3 in one match and then No. 7 in the other. Both positions are totally different in terms of the way you approach it. Kumble is very lucky to have such flexible 'minded' batsmen in his squad, players who put the match situation in front of their personal targets and carve a place for themselves depending on the position of the match.
Sehwag is considered a very smart captain in the Indian cricket ciruit and his suggestion to Kumble to keep Ishant one for an additional over got the wicket and turned the tide today. Thats smart thinking for me! Kumble's thought process did the rest by bringing Sehwag on, showing Gilchrist and Lee - the door to defeat. Australians will swing and swing hard. Thats only fair to say. When one of my colleagues asked me today morning, what would be the margin of victory, I said '80-100' runs. I wasnt too far off the mark.
Perth has been conquered. The Indian flag is flying high. But not before the 'Indianness' of a billion people was put to test in Sydney, not before the 'sportsmanship' of the Australians was questioned all over the world and not before Kumble said - 'Only one team played in the spirit of the game'.
With that background, the battle was indeed lost but the war has been won. And that, for me, is the home run, the first of the many nails in the Australian coffin. There is definitely something to tell to Ponting's men though, sweet 16 but '17 another time, mate'!!!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Of food and fun!
After many an office party in the past few years, it was all but a routine thing to attend yet another party on 18th Jan. A reluctant heart, an open mind was all that was taken with me to the venue. The ambience was really rich and the restaurant did appeal to one and all with its style and splendour.
With tables spread around, it was literally a case of 'musical chairs', when I was sitting in one big circular table and finally ended up in one of the more 'used to' rectangular ones.
But then something was in the air. The energy levels were on the rise and from then on began a good sense of laughter - jokes left right and centre. Its not everyday that you get a group totally into fun and frolic, right from the word 'go'. This will surely go down as one of the more memorable moments of my time in London.
By the time food was served, our tummies were full of laughter, and then on, it was a matter of relishing food and fun all in one swoop. My table mates, thanks to you all for making this a very enjoyable evening. Much appreciated.
The desert was quite ok as was the rest of the food. This party, for one, will be remembered for that strange sense of happiness which engulfed us all, something which doesnt necessarily can be put into the trials of 'justification' or 'reasoning'.
A windy walk home, interspersed with some slow moving trains, made up the rest of the evening.
A wish come true for that ideal party. If you want to relish one such party yourself, all you need is an open mind and a relaxed frame of thought.
Of food and fun, indeed it was!
With tables spread around, it was literally a case of 'musical chairs', when I was sitting in one big circular table and finally ended up in one of the more 'used to' rectangular ones.
But then something was in the air. The energy levels were on the rise and from then on began a good sense of laughter - jokes left right and centre. Its not everyday that you get a group totally into fun and frolic, right from the word 'go'. This will surely go down as one of the more memorable moments of my time in London.
By the time food was served, our tummies were full of laughter, and then on, it was a matter of relishing food and fun all in one swoop. My table mates, thanks to you all for making this a very enjoyable evening. Much appreciated.
The desert was quite ok as was the rest of the food. This party, for one, will be remembered for that strange sense of happiness which engulfed us all, something which doesnt necessarily can be put into the trials of 'justification' or 'reasoning'.
A windy walk home, interspersed with some slow moving trains, made up the rest of the evening.
A wish come true for that ideal party. If you want to relish one such party yourself, all you need is an open mind and a relaxed frame of thought.
Of food and fun, indeed it was!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Rare Pair!
The past few days have been chaotic to put it mild. Odd hours according to my body clock, even odder according to my mind.... it has been a lot of testing 'hours' really. Getting back to London was good, but seeing the state of my home, when compared to the slick outlook of my hotel room in Singapore, has opened many a eye inside me.
Its a mammoth task to get things in order, let me remind you. You have got bills to pay and then its the cleaning, kitchen looks fungy, fridge even more... bedroom and hall have sort of become interchangeable... all the right motives to prove that I am living a bachelor life.. king size!
Somehow I have managed to keep the expectations between what is need at work and home - unlike the ideal 'Work-Life Balance' lingo which every company preaches but never practises. Wednesday was going to be special in some ways, because there is this cricket match between India and Australia and most of my generation heroes - Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid - will be playing their last season there. So it was important to ensure that I was 'alive and kicking' to watch the match live.
The only slight problem was the timing. 2 AM in the morning. With the energy balance being negative and the food consumption/burnout efficiency really high, on most occasions, I would have cursed myself if I had to get up at 2. But I did manage to sleep for around 5 hours. Got up at 4 AM. All my dreams were about the match and I was constantly getting some scores shown to me ... I finally managed to check how much reality matched my dreams.
Tendulkar. A person who has managed to sway the emotions of millions of people for well over 2 decades. I think if ever there is someone closer to God, in terms of being a mass attracter, it would be him. And to justify my getting up early, he was playing amazingly well. The odd cheeky shot off the slip cordon, and then the flick to the midwicket boundary. But when I was watching the game, he played a shot which really stood out, mainly because, its both a rare and difficult shot to play. Unbelievable was the reaction - seeing it live.
Its truly like a 'leave the ball first and then play it over the stumps above the slip cordon and into the boundary'. Man, this shot was enough to tell the devil inside me that I did the right thing getting up. The case was closed and the verdict delivered.
I have never seen anyone else play this shot as cleanly as Tendulkar did and this is not the kind of shot you can play in most other cricket pitches in the world.
A rare pitch brings out a rarer stroke. Now thats a rare pair!!
Its a mammoth task to get things in order, let me remind you. You have got bills to pay and then its the cleaning, kitchen looks fungy, fridge even more... bedroom and hall have sort of become interchangeable... all the right motives to prove that I am living a bachelor life.. king size!
Somehow I have managed to keep the expectations between what is need at work and home - unlike the ideal 'Work-Life Balance' lingo which every company preaches but never practises. Wednesday was going to be special in some ways, because there is this cricket match between India and Australia and most of my generation heroes - Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid - will be playing their last season there. So it was important to ensure that I was 'alive and kicking' to watch the match live.
The only slight problem was the timing. 2 AM in the morning. With the energy balance being negative and the food consumption/burnout efficiency really high, on most occasions, I would have cursed myself if I had to get up at 2. But I did manage to sleep for around 5 hours. Got up at 4 AM. All my dreams were about the match and I was constantly getting some scores shown to me ... I finally managed to check how much reality matched my dreams.
Tendulkar. A person who has managed to sway the emotions of millions of people for well over 2 decades. I think if ever there is someone closer to God, in terms of being a mass attracter, it would be him. And to justify my getting up early, he was playing amazingly well. The odd cheeky shot off the slip cordon, and then the flick to the midwicket boundary. But when I was watching the game, he played a shot which really stood out, mainly because, its both a rare and difficult shot to play. Unbelievable was the reaction - seeing it live.
Its truly like a 'leave the ball first and then play it over the stumps above the slip cordon and into the boundary'. Man, this shot was enough to tell the devil inside me that I did the right thing getting up. The case was closed and the verdict delivered.
I have never seen anyone else play this shot as cleanly as Tendulkar did and this is not the kind of shot you can play in most other cricket pitches in the world.
A rare pitch brings out a rarer stroke. Now thats a rare pair!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Camera - Action !
Recent movies I saw and most importantly liked are:
The Holiday
Heartbreak Kid
3:10 to Yuma
American Gangster
Would put 'The Holiday' right on top of most charts I can draw up simply because its so natural and witty. It gives a very good insight into the thought process of the female mind, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. The kind of issues they face when they are 'alone' or 'dumped'. Kate Winslet is really so adorable with her charm throughout the movie. Jack Black, one of my earlier favourites is an amazing actor especially when it comes to anything around music. He just knows so much about music.
While Kate can be the sweet, girl next door character, Cameron Diaz has really 'acted' in this movie for a change. A real character role with lots of energy and humour. Outgoing and candid about every subject under the moon, she is awesome! Jude Law makes completes the quartet with an elegant British accented, well mannered role, a role which endears him to the audience much more than the others.
Overall a very romantic comedy but with lots of suttle messages of human value. Been watching this movie so many times now in Sky movies, that I almost know the dialogues. Its a must watch for the open minds and most of you reading this blog will like it for sure. I can guarantee it!!
From the kind of comedy about people in relationships, in and out, ofcourse, there is another movie - The Heartbreak Kid, which gives a totally different take on the subject. Ben Stiller gives yet another comedy role, something similar to 'There's something about Mary', only that this is not that amusing, but nevertheless a very good movie to watch.
Some of the scenes take you by suprise and I was laughing like hell that the ppl sitting next to me, literally thought the plane was having some turbulence :)) The good thing about someone like Ben is that he can keep his face calm when making the most atrocious of humour lines.
The role of a guy 'confused', especially when not sure where to place his heart, is something which most guys can relate to, in a good way ofcourse. I guess every guy goes through that phase in some part of his life and its quite like a gamble most of the time, whichever way he decides :)
Well folks, this is end of Part 1. Need to get ready to go to work. Its going to be a long day today. Hopefully good as well.
Part 2 will talk about the two action movies and what they represent, in common and contrast.
The Holiday
Heartbreak Kid
3:10 to Yuma
American Gangster
Would put 'The Holiday' right on top of most charts I can draw up simply because its so natural and witty. It gives a very good insight into the thought process of the female mind, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. The kind of issues they face when they are 'alone' or 'dumped'. Kate Winslet is really so adorable with her charm throughout the movie. Jack Black, one of my earlier favourites is an amazing actor especially when it comes to anything around music. He just knows so much about music.
While Kate can be the sweet, girl next door character, Cameron Diaz has really 'acted' in this movie for a change. A real character role with lots of energy and humour. Outgoing and candid about every subject under the moon, she is awesome! Jude Law makes completes the quartet with an elegant British accented, well mannered role, a role which endears him to the audience much more than the others.
Overall a very romantic comedy but with lots of suttle messages of human value. Been watching this movie so many times now in Sky movies, that I almost know the dialogues. Its a must watch for the open minds and most of you reading this blog will like it for sure. I can guarantee it!!
From the kind of comedy about people in relationships, in and out, ofcourse, there is another movie - The Heartbreak Kid, which gives a totally different take on the subject. Ben Stiller gives yet another comedy role, something similar to 'There's something about Mary', only that this is not that amusing, but nevertheless a very good movie to watch.
Some of the scenes take you by suprise and I was laughing like hell that the ppl sitting next to me, literally thought the plane was having some turbulence :)) The good thing about someone like Ben is that he can keep his face calm when making the most atrocious of humour lines.
The role of a guy 'confused', especially when not sure where to place his heart, is something which most guys can relate to, in a good way ofcourse. I guess every guy goes through that phase in some part of his life and its quite like a gamble most of the time, whichever way he decides :)
Well folks, this is end of Part 1. Need to get ready to go to work. Its going to be a long day today. Hopefully good as well.
Part 2 will talk about the two action movies and what they represent, in common and contrast.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The DNA of Internet Friendship!
As I type, I am sitting in one of the many hotels in Singapore, in the cornermost room of the top floor. There is absolutely no one I have spoken to today using my vocal chords, except some work colleagues on my work assignment and the person at the restaurant I had lunch. But I have been in touch with a lot of people around the world and equally in the opposite direction.
Internet being the backbone, but GTalk and Yahoo Messengers have changed forever the way we behave and live. Now a days, its no longer the 'lets go for a walk..' syndrome of friendship. Life's dearer relationship has been reduced to a couple of lines here and there, some offline too.
Racing against timezones, and adapting to different work cultures and expectations has taken a lot out of our personal space and its going to be even worse in the coming years. The aspect of establishing a friendship circle spanning the globe is really a challenge and something which not too many ppl can claim success at. Seeing a person tete-en-tete and chatting to him/her are two contrasting ball games and internet and its magic tools cant get friendship any closer or make it more natural.
IT professionals especially, working in the odd places, odd enough to be alone, have to bear the brunt of the loneliness which surrounds them. Its a bit of luck to always have company to go places with. For me, I have always been happy to be alone. I realise that it gives me a lot of time to waste, but also the time to think back at things I want to improve upon. It gives me the room (literally speaking - a big one) to assess what mistakes I am making...!
Sitting in California, one of my good college friends has no time to reply back to my email. Obviously one cant feel disappointed in such a situation. Such is life. Out of Sight, Out of Mind is truly the truth. But its also interesting that chatting can make two strangers get along very well in very little time. I have to say, I did get to chat with some of my college friends, with whom I have never spoken anything friendly during our 4 years together, with the help of internet - we are quite able to converse and exchange ideas too!
Is internet and our new way of life, therefore, all about reaching to new people while our existing bank of friends get eroded silently. Is this all that is left for this generation to yearn for? Sites like Orkut have indeed brought together a platform to keep each other informed, but it does seem that gone are those days when one used to go out with all our friends in that remote place called pondicherry/pilani. Those times seem utopian indeed.
With every day that has passed, we all have missed saying a lot of things to each other, some good, some bad, but most importantly all 'timely'. Most of us are living a zone which only underlines the power of ONE or if you have a family, the strength of TWO.
Friends will come and go, but friendship stays - was the old saying.
Friendship will come and go, though friends wont - is probably the new mantra.
Internet being the backbone, but GTalk and Yahoo Messengers have changed forever the way we behave and live. Now a days, its no longer the 'lets go for a walk..' syndrome of friendship. Life's dearer relationship has been reduced to a couple of lines here and there, some offline too.
Racing against timezones, and adapting to different work cultures and expectations has taken a lot out of our personal space and its going to be even worse in the coming years. The aspect of establishing a friendship circle spanning the globe is really a challenge and something which not too many ppl can claim success at. Seeing a person tete-en-tete and chatting to him/her are two contrasting ball games and internet and its magic tools cant get friendship any closer or make it more natural.
IT professionals especially, working in the odd places, odd enough to be alone, have to bear the brunt of the loneliness which surrounds them. Its a bit of luck to always have company to go places with. For me, I have always been happy to be alone. I realise that it gives me a lot of time to waste, but also the time to think back at things I want to improve upon. It gives me the room (literally speaking - a big one) to assess what mistakes I am making...!
Sitting in California, one of my good college friends has no time to reply back to my email. Obviously one cant feel disappointed in such a situation. Such is life. Out of Sight, Out of Mind is truly the truth. But its also interesting that chatting can make two strangers get along very well in very little time. I have to say, I did get to chat with some of my college friends, with whom I have never spoken anything friendly during our 4 years together, with the help of internet - we are quite able to converse and exchange ideas too!
Is internet and our new way of life, therefore, all about reaching to new people while our existing bank of friends get eroded silently. Is this all that is left for this generation to yearn for? Sites like Orkut have indeed brought together a platform to keep each other informed, but it does seem that gone are those days when one used to go out with all our friends in that remote place called pondicherry/pilani. Those times seem utopian indeed.
With every day that has passed, we all have missed saying a lot of things to each other, some good, some bad, but most importantly all 'timely'. Most of us are living a zone which only underlines the power of ONE or if you have a family, the strength of TWO.
Friends will come and go, but friendship stays - was the old saying.
Friendship will come and go, though friends wont - is probably the new mantra.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Humour of the tumour!
Among editorial writers, The Asian Age says of the "monkey" comment by Harbhajan to Andrew Symonds: "Even assuming India's temperamental off-spinner did use the simian reference, as claimed by a section of the Australian team, the moot point is if the word is to be considered an insult to a player of black (Afro-Caribbean) racial origin, or is it a general insult to all of humanity who, according to Charles Darwin, are said to have descended from monkeys.
The Clock and the Compass!
My new found bunny, Ricky Ponting, has to learn how to think beyond his selfish record and his team's ruthless behaviour. Aussies play hard but fair. This seems to be the standard statement given by everyone from Cricket Australia's CEO to the toilet cleaner at SCG. I dont know if they actually know what they mean here.
In many ways, Ponting has become the man riding the donkey of arrogance, in indian parlance. He used to be regarded as a great captain until this match. Things will never be the same again. This is yet another situation after the Jade Goody-Shilpa Shetty incident, when an Indian has been at the receiving end. We all know what has happened to Jade after that show.
Ponting on the other hand, has a chance to redeem himself - if he resigns very quickly and quietly. He might be a good player, but certainly not a honest one. Cheats can come and go, but players at the international level and that too the captain, claiming a catch when he grounded it, is literally unheard of in the annals of world cricket.
Peter Roebuck has hit the nails on the head of Ponting and his pack of wild dogs. Its even perfect a statement as Peter is Australian as well. BCCI and his muscles have been put to test, yet again. This is one test which the BCCI can never lose as long as you and I follow the game as intenty as we do now. But lets not forget that till this point, no action has been taken by Cricket Australia on any of its players or indeed the arrogant captain.
I suspect it will be a matter of time before CA takes a quick action. Cricket Australia calling the Sydney match 'fantastic' is just PR stuff. BS you can say. If CA sticks to this line, the day is not far off, when Australia would be banned from international cricket for not adhering to international cricket standards of gamemanship. After all, abusing the oppositions' parents or wives is hardly the way to go about playing a game of cricket.
The buck of sledging will finally stop here. Ponting and his team wont be sleeping well. They have been disowned by their own fans. Some thing drastic will happen soon. Some very appreciable change will be put in by CA to rectify this image of the team. Maybe Ponting is counting his last few games as captain. One can never say!!
The honest hearts in CA should awake and once this incident has died down, lay the track for some fresh minds to run the team. Its going to be all about how quickly they react and which direction they are aligning themselves to.
The clock and the compass dont wait for anyone!
In many ways, Ponting has become the man riding the donkey of arrogance, in indian parlance. He used to be regarded as a great captain until this match. Things will never be the same again. This is yet another situation after the Jade Goody-Shilpa Shetty incident, when an Indian has been at the receiving end. We all know what has happened to Jade after that show.
Ponting on the other hand, has a chance to redeem himself - if he resigns very quickly and quietly. He might be a good player, but certainly not a honest one. Cheats can come and go, but players at the international level and that too the captain, claiming a catch when he grounded it, is literally unheard of in the annals of world cricket.
Peter Roebuck has hit the nails on the head of Ponting and his pack of wild dogs. Its even perfect a statement as Peter is Australian as well. BCCI and his muscles have been put to test, yet again. This is one test which the BCCI can never lose as long as you and I follow the game as intenty as we do now. But lets not forget that till this point, no action has been taken by Cricket Australia on any of its players or indeed the arrogant captain.
I suspect it will be a matter of time before CA takes a quick action. Cricket Australia calling the Sydney match 'fantastic' is just PR stuff. BS you can say. If CA sticks to this line, the day is not far off, when Australia would be banned from international cricket for not adhering to international cricket standards of gamemanship. After all, abusing the oppositions' parents or wives is hardly the way to go about playing a game of cricket.
The buck of sledging will finally stop here. Ponting and his team wont be sleeping well. They have been disowned by their own fans. Some thing drastic will happen soon. Some very appreciable change will be put in by CA to rectify this image of the team. Maybe Ponting is counting his last few games as captain. One can never say!!
The honest hearts in CA should awake and once this incident has died down, lay the track for some fresh minds to run the team. Its going to be all about how quickly they react and which direction they are aligning themselves to.
The clock and the compass dont wait for anyone!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Analysis of the Crime Scene.
Indians all over the world wake up to a hostile news which comes with their morning coffee. Its not like they expected the contrary, but they were not sure that this had actually happened. I have to say Anil Kumble and his team deserves a lot of credit for being professional - to the best of their abilities - during these relatively rare emotional situations.
The good thing about Kumble, apart from his cricketing skills, is his level-headedness. He knew that injustice was done to them from all corners but yet he maintained that elusive self-respecting attitude. That is the sign of a leader. A man who knows what it is to lead.
Ponting on the other hand, is being called all sorts of names, both by Indians, Australians and other nationals following the game. 'Fire him' is the mantra emerging!!
Step in Indian board and every step is taken with a lot of precaution. Whats at stake here is a lot more than what meets the eye. Its not just about maintaining the public posture of Indian pride, there are a lot of commercial interests which are below the covers. India has always been the money puller for the game of cricket and its because of each and every fan like you and me.
The players realise this more than anyone. If there is a totally blatant lie which has led to a ban, and no one from the BCCI is stepping up to protest, the players wont really sit there counting their stars of fate. Its good that the players have told BCCI - either you tell the world that the tour is on hold, or we will tell. The board duly came out with a strong statement.
Appeals and paperwork are happening. Lawyers are licking their lips over the case, this is easy money and a lot of free publicity to go with. But the main player in this controversy is 'ICC'. The ball is in their court.
Who will lose more in this battle? Morally, financially and emotionally? At the moment all roads lead to Australia on this one and the first one to get the axe will be Ricky Ponting. He claimed a catch which was grassed and backed his so called 'integrity' in an angry press conference. Any street kid playing cricket in the front verandah of his home, can understand and feel the difference between a catch taken freely or being grassed.
Its nothing to do with seeing how you land. You will know instinctly that you have taken it cleanly. If you dont, there is something wrong with your reflex setup and its called a 'medical' condition. To suit that medical condition only when you are to benefit shows the hollowness of one's character. Morally, Ricky Ponting is the big loser. He can be a technically good player, but cricket always had the upper edge over other games when it came to 'gentlemanliness'. Its not rugby or ice hockey!
Now again, no reaction from the match referee.. Why, because it is an Australian. It has to be said that racism indeed exists in world cricket. Not the 'monkey' abuse kind, but the step-motherly treatment for all the asian teams. Starting from Muralitharan to Pakistan's test fiasco in England, the Asian teams have always been the one who had been targetted.
Michael Slater created a ruccus once in a test match in India, McGrath reacted like an unstable man when shouting at Sarwan. Nothing happened. It was labelled 'mental disintegration' and many articles and books followed. But no one wanted to contain it from within the ICC. I think one should call it by the same standards one does to a 'Sreesanth'!
The reason is simple. Cricket in some quarters is still played with the colonial supremacy in mind. Its disappointing but this is truly the case. An Australian can get away with murder but an Indian can get banned even with no evidence. This is the actual racism which exists!!!
Umpires being incompetent can be for a couple of decisions in a match, but the packaging of this tour does indeed smack of some kind of match-fixing, whether intentionally planned or extensively executed. If I was aboard ICC, I would simply go all out and annull this test match and set the tone right for the game of cricket, its integrity and its credibility.
The good thing about Kumble, apart from his cricketing skills, is his level-headedness. He knew that injustice was done to them from all corners but yet he maintained that elusive self-respecting attitude. That is the sign of a leader. A man who knows what it is to lead.
Ponting on the other hand, is being called all sorts of names, both by Indians, Australians and other nationals following the game. 'Fire him' is the mantra emerging!!
Step in Indian board and every step is taken with a lot of precaution. Whats at stake here is a lot more than what meets the eye. Its not just about maintaining the public posture of Indian pride, there are a lot of commercial interests which are below the covers. India has always been the money puller for the game of cricket and its because of each and every fan like you and me.
The players realise this more than anyone. If there is a totally blatant lie which has led to a ban, and no one from the BCCI is stepping up to protest, the players wont really sit there counting their stars of fate. Its good that the players have told BCCI - either you tell the world that the tour is on hold, or we will tell. The board duly came out with a strong statement.
Appeals and paperwork are happening. Lawyers are licking their lips over the case, this is easy money and a lot of free publicity to go with. But the main player in this controversy is 'ICC'. The ball is in their court.
Who will lose more in this battle? Morally, financially and emotionally? At the moment all roads lead to Australia on this one and the first one to get the axe will be Ricky Ponting. He claimed a catch which was grassed and backed his so called 'integrity' in an angry press conference. Any street kid playing cricket in the front verandah of his home, can understand and feel the difference between a catch taken freely or being grassed.
Its nothing to do with seeing how you land. You will know instinctly that you have taken it cleanly. If you dont, there is something wrong with your reflex setup and its called a 'medical' condition. To suit that medical condition only when you are to benefit shows the hollowness of one's character. Morally, Ricky Ponting is the big loser. He can be a technically good player, but cricket always had the upper edge over other games when it came to 'gentlemanliness'. Its not rugby or ice hockey!
Now again, no reaction from the match referee.. Why, because it is an Australian. It has to be said that racism indeed exists in world cricket. Not the 'monkey' abuse kind, but the step-motherly treatment for all the asian teams. Starting from Muralitharan to Pakistan's test fiasco in England, the Asian teams have always been the one who had been targetted.
Michael Slater created a ruccus once in a test match in India, McGrath reacted like an unstable man when shouting at Sarwan. Nothing happened. It was labelled 'mental disintegration' and many articles and books followed. But no one wanted to contain it from within the ICC. I think one should call it by the same standards one does to a 'Sreesanth'!
The reason is simple. Cricket in some quarters is still played with the colonial supremacy in mind. Its disappointing but this is truly the case. An Australian can get away with murder but an Indian can get banned even with no evidence. This is the actual racism which exists!!!
Umpires being incompetent can be for a couple of decisions in a match, but the packaging of this tour does indeed smack of some kind of match-fixing, whether intentionally planned or extensively executed. If I was aboard ICC, I would simply go all out and annull this test match and set the tone right for the game of cricket, its integrity and its credibility.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
This is called Murder!
India lost one of its greatest chances of winning a series against Australia in Australia today. Denied, can be debated at length, but pre-decided it all seemed to be. The Indian players ate the conscience pills in every meal during the five days, whereas the Australians forgot those pills or rather ignored them cleverly in their diet schedule.
A series can be fought and lost. But the basic reason why you want to play such a series is to compete fairly and in simply put - 'unambiguous rules and procedures'.
Sports can be cruel at times. Loss is like digging a pit and burying yourself alive. Unfair loss can be so hurting that words cant describe them. The Indians certainly felt that they were playing against 13 players on the field and not 11. And truly so.
Never in the history of the game - in the recent years - have so many inconsistent decisions being made on the same occasion. This match was all about how not to enforce the rules of the game. The charm of a test match is dependent on how the decisions are taken by the human whistle-blowers. If they are incompetent or favouring one team, there is absolutely no need to travel all the way and play the game in Australia.
One can easily simulate this in a computer game and with a lot of precision too.
That the Indian team is still in Australia and lodging complaints against the umpiring and the spirit of the game is a brave thing to do. If the same thing had happened to the Australians, it wouldnt take much time for them to re-consider the whole tour.
If you ask me - did Australia deserve to win. I have one good word - Bullshit.
This is where the great captains like Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor come into play. They enforced a layer of 'gentlemanly' behaviour to the Australian team, something which the team learnt to spell only then. Now, with a man aptly named as punter, all that has been burnt and buried. Win even if you end up killing the opposition, but have that happy photo and raise the profile of the Australian team by stacking records. Thats all that matters to them.
History will not stop short of calling this team - cheaters! They cheat all the time, if it goes in their favour. Its like playing poker and cricket all together in one go.
No Indian captain, has so far, made a statement on inconsistent Australian behaviour when it comes to the spirit of the game, as has Kumble. That itself, is enough for negating the fact, that statistically, this game went to Australia, but then thats only on a piece of wood on the wall. Reality is that, they lost, because this game is not just about winning, its also about playing like a gentleman. A true gentleman!
A series can be fought and lost. But the basic reason why you want to play such a series is to compete fairly and in simply put - 'unambiguous rules and procedures'.
Sports can be cruel at times. Loss is like digging a pit and burying yourself alive. Unfair loss can be so hurting that words cant describe them. The Indians certainly felt that they were playing against 13 players on the field and not 11. And truly so.
Never in the history of the game - in the recent years - have so many inconsistent decisions being made on the same occasion. This match was all about how not to enforce the rules of the game. The charm of a test match is dependent on how the decisions are taken by the human whistle-blowers. If they are incompetent or favouring one team, there is absolutely no need to travel all the way and play the game in Australia.
One can easily simulate this in a computer game and with a lot of precision too.
That the Indian team is still in Australia and lodging complaints against the umpiring and the spirit of the game is a brave thing to do. If the same thing had happened to the Australians, it wouldnt take much time for them to re-consider the whole tour.
If you ask me - did Australia deserve to win. I have one good word - Bullshit.
This is where the great captains like Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor come into play. They enforced a layer of 'gentlemanly' behaviour to the Australian team, something which the team learnt to spell only then. Now, with a man aptly named as punter, all that has been burnt and buried. Win even if you end up killing the opposition, but have that happy photo and raise the profile of the Australian team by stacking records. Thats all that matters to them.
History will not stop short of calling this team - cheaters! They cheat all the time, if it goes in their favour. Its like playing poker and cricket all together in one go.
No Indian captain, has so far, made a statement on inconsistent Australian behaviour when it comes to the spirit of the game, as has Kumble. That itself, is enough for negating the fact, that statistically, this game went to Australia, but then thats only on a piece of wood on the wall. Reality is that, they lost, because this game is not just about winning, its also about playing like a gentleman. A true gentleman!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Singapore it is!
The journey to Singapore was something which was appealing all the more because Singapore Airlines had a reputation preceding it. I have to say, it didnt match to my expectations. I was left earning for more.. mainly food. There was no veg meal.. only the stuff which herbivores eat. Needless to say, I spent more time sleeping and watching Sivaji.
10 hours earlier, I was eagerly looking forward to the 1st test match between India and Australia. India was really playing up the word game, but it was quite matched with action with the bowlers picking up most of the wickets by end of day one. What was to come in the next few days, was in my mind, as I took the ride to Heathrow.
A great match, a new city... a new year. Thats as deadly a combination as it gets! Missed Suja and Shloka.. that would have completed the equation.
Singapore at first view, was so green, it was incredibly artificial. That perception was short lived. The place has real trees, with real leaves and something called 'photosynthesis' happening inside. I miss my botany classes! Would have enjoyed the different varieties lined up along the roads. 10th floor of the Grand Park houses the Executive Class. The room is appealing and has the right things including a DVD player with cool speakers. Havent checked till date if they offer Dolby surround, never mind!
When we talk on the phone to a stranger, we try to associate a face to them. Some basic things like dark, round face... or long nose.. something which hits our intuitive curve. I had the chance to compare how far away my I curve was from reality. But it was cool to meet the face holding the voice. Lots of hi's and hello's followed some serious work too.
Singapore has a very relaxed, cordial and absolutely pleasant work culture. Atleast thats what I saw in my office there. There was not too many ppl complaining or cribbing. All was fine always!
Shopping in singapore is as integrated as Kamal Hassan is with face makeup. Its omnipresent and effective too. But one has to be very careful with one's bargaining skills. Smart ladies and smarter men will survive the challenge and get a product at the right price. Shopping in India is much easier if you ask me!
Finally managed to get a good 8.2 Mega Pixel FujiFilm camera. I went with the advice the local man gave - Fuji is better than most brands. I dont regret it, having used it for some days now. Sentosa was blessed with my feet landing there?? nah, it was the opposite. It doesnt have too many different varieties as a Disneyland would have, but its got its own unique charm. We (myself and my colleague Lalit) really had fun at the Underwater Park and the laser show. The show was really upto the mark and worth the wait and money.
Rest all were ok. The Merlion, Singapore's in-house brand, is a very interesting combination of a lion and a mermaid myth. It stands out bravely guarding Singapore from unknown forces. The populace here is mixed, Malay/Chinese/Indian. Little India, for those who know my eating talent, was in the center of all my travel plans. It either started with a lunch there or ended with dinner there. We also tried some good food elsewhere..
Overall, coming from London, where one had to travel a decent distance to get good food, I was really ovewhelmed to see Indian (read 'South Indian sambhar type') food wherever your eyes wanted them. They werent costly either. The other cool aspect literally was the fact that restaurants/car/buses/MRT/room/office - everything was AC'ed to a good degree. Man, thats sometimes(read 'always') so comfy.
The new year eve was a day of action, in all the contrary terms - no talks about watching the fireworks or having a blast in the seashore. It was all about work. Focus!(my fav word). Left for one of the client's depot by 10 PM and was there till 8 in the morning next day. New year, new place, new ppl and a completely new challenge in the early hours of the day.....without going into too many details, (you can read this section in my autobiography 20 years later)... i can say...."And then there was sunshine!!"
A new release was born on new year aptly enough.
Alls well that indeed begins well.
10 hours earlier, I was eagerly looking forward to the 1st test match between India and Australia. India was really playing up the word game, but it was quite matched with action with the bowlers picking up most of the wickets by end of day one. What was to come in the next few days, was in my mind, as I took the ride to Heathrow.
A great match, a new city... a new year. Thats as deadly a combination as it gets! Missed Suja and Shloka.. that would have completed the equation.
Singapore at first view, was so green, it was incredibly artificial. That perception was short lived. The place has real trees, with real leaves and something called 'photosynthesis' happening inside. I miss my botany classes! Would have enjoyed the different varieties lined up along the roads. 10th floor of the Grand Park houses the Executive Class. The room is appealing and has the right things including a DVD player with cool speakers. Havent checked till date if they offer Dolby surround, never mind!
When we talk on the phone to a stranger, we try to associate a face to them. Some basic things like dark, round face... or long nose.. something which hits our intuitive curve. I had the chance to compare how far away my I curve was from reality. But it was cool to meet the face holding the voice. Lots of hi's and hello's followed some serious work too.
Singapore has a very relaxed, cordial and absolutely pleasant work culture. Atleast thats what I saw in my office there. There was not too many ppl complaining or cribbing. All was fine always!
Shopping in singapore is as integrated as Kamal Hassan is with face makeup. Its omnipresent and effective too. But one has to be very careful with one's bargaining skills. Smart ladies and smarter men will survive the challenge and get a product at the right price. Shopping in India is much easier if you ask me!
Finally managed to get a good 8.2 Mega Pixel FujiFilm camera. I went with the advice the local man gave - Fuji is better than most brands. I dont regret it, having used it for some days now. Sentosa was blessed with my feet landing there?? nah, it was the opposite. It doesnt have too many different varieties as a Disneyland would have, but its got its own unique charm. We (myself and my colleague Lalit) really had fun at the Underwater Park and the laser show. The show was really upto the mark and worth the wait and money.
Rest all were ok. The Merlion, Singapore's in-house brand, is a very interesting combination of a lion and a mermaid myth. It stands out bravely guarding Singapore from unknown forces. The populace here is mixed, Malay/Chinese/Indian. Little India, for those who know my eating talent, was in the center of all my travel plans. It either started with a lunch there or ended with dinner there. We also tried some good food elsewhere..
Overall, coming from London, where one had to travel a decent distance to get good food, I was really ovewhelmed to see Indian (read 'South Indian sambhar type') food wherever your eyes wanted them. They werent costly either. The other cool aspect literally was the fact that restaurants/car/buses/MRT/room/office - everything was AC'ed to a good degree. Man, thats sometimes(read 'always') so comfy.
The new year eve was a day of action, in all the contrary terms - no talks about watching the fireworks or having a blast in the seashore. It was all about work. Focus!(my fav word). Left for one of the client's depot by 10 PM and was there till 8 in the morning next day. New year, new place, new ppl and a completely new challenge in the early hours of the day.....without going into too many details, (you can read this section in my autobiography 20 years later)... i can say...."And then there was sunshine!!"
A new release was born on new year aptly enough.
Alls well that indeed begins well.
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