गर्मियों का मौसम

याद आते हो बचपन के वो दिन,
जब हम इंतेज़ार किया करते थे गर्मियों का,
दिनों के लंबे होने का,
जब हम कुछ देर और खेला करते थे,
चिलचिलाती धूप में भी भागा करते थे,
जब खेल १० के नहीं २० ओवेरो के होते थे,
जब हम घर ६ नहीं ७ बजे आया करते थे,

आज भी जब गर्मियों का मौसम आता है,
जब दफ़्तर की खिड़की से बाहर झाँकता हुँ,
देखता हुँ उस चिलचिलाती धूप को,
मैदान में खेलते उन बच्चों को,
दिल में एक लालच सा आता है,
कुछ देर और खेल लूँ, कुछ देर और भाग लूँ,
थोड़ा और जीत लूँ, शायद थोड़ा और हार लूँ,

आज भी बहुत याद आते हैं,
वो गर्मियों के मौसम, वो बचपन के दिन.

Return of the Congress' Prodigal Son ??

A week back on Feb 24, our media had headlines blaring the announcement made by the Congress Party that Rahul Gandhi would be out on a few weeks' leave to introspect upon the recent past and prepare himself for the future. While this news sparked support from many Congressmen, speculations by the media and ridicule from adversaries and public; I was left to wonder why Rahul Gandhi's leave was being made the subject of such colossal national attention. The media was rife with ridicules about Rahul Gandhi being in Bangkok/Uttarakhand, and speculations of a rift between him and Sonia that were subsequently followed by reports from 'sources' that Rahul might be gearing up for the top seat in the Congress Party. However in the last couple of decades or so, the Congress has largely been successful in aligning itself to the Nehru-Gandhi family, or atleast in keeping any family disharmony under the linen, just like any good united family should. Those who haven't complied, have slowly been faded away into oblivion, be it Narasimha Rao or Sitaram Kesri. (Interesting read on the same: http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-the-sitaram-kesri-case-how-dynasty-trumped-ethics-1564149) Infact, the Sonia Gandhi era has been quite smooth, with most political veterans such as Sibal, Khursheed, Digvijay Singh infallibly pledging their loyalty to the Prince. This has been quite a contrast to the BJP, wherein tumultous relations between the Advani and Modi clans were hardly a secret.

Given this background, I find it tough to believe that the seasoned Congress party might release a statement that may indicate towards speculations about disharmony in the leadership. Infact, I wonder if the world knew about Rahul's wherabouts in the weeks before the announcement day. The Congress Party has rather been known to keep Rahul's movements highly clandestine, something that has recently caused discomfort to the Congress workers. (http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/delhi-election-results-rahul-gandhi-congress-aap/1/418219.html) What puzzles me, is that Rahul Gandhi could have very well been holidaying before the announcement, or could have holidayed easily without a public announcement. I wonder who the target audience for the announcement was and who would have missed him during this 'period of leave', his party workers or the people/his co-workers in his constituency Amethi. Probably the only place where his absence would have been questioned (for strictly political and not policy reasons) is the Parliament during the Budget session. If a political rift actually be the case that could make him miss him the Budget session, then the people of Amethi need to ensure that he's kept out of all Parliament sessions in the future.

In my humble opinion, this might be a last desperate attempt from the Congress leadership to resurrect Rahul Gandhi's image for projecting him as the new supremo. After the recent debacles, dissent amongst the workforce has been quite visible with shouts of "Priyanka lao, Congress bachao" being frequently heard. Getting Priyanka on board sounds promising on paper, given her charsimatic appeal and eloquent speeches, but it might not be the wisest move and the Congress Party would be well aware of that. Already being dubbed as dynastic, any move to bring another family member into the echelons of the hierarchy would invite hungry adversaries to attack them further. Also, some veterans might see this as their best opportunity to make a bid for the grand old partry's leadership.

But he answered his father, "Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living and wealth, you killed the fattened calf for him."

— Luke 15:29-30, World English Bible

Nevertheless, the party has invested in Rahul Gandhi for more than a decade, and it will not be easy for the decision makers to simply push him out of the picture, a classic case of sunk cost fallacy.

The society loves comebacks. Be it politics, sports or reel, comebacks are eagerly anticipated, and cheered with great furore, with rarely a thought on the ends that they might achieve. A brief hiatus projected to introspect, regroup and restrategise might just be the perfect platform to launch the Return of the Prodigal Son. If Congress actually had ideas similar to what I think they did, they have miserably failed. Rahul's "Out of office" announcement has gathered more ridicule, sarcasm and doubts over credibility rather than hopes and expectations. On a funny note, another "break announcement" that had media attention recently was Dhoni and the team's just before the World Cup. (http://sports.ndtv.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/news/236868-mahendra-singh-dhoni-co-get-luxury-break-before-world-cup-defence) I hope that the turnaround in the team's performance after the break did not inspire the Congress leadership to plan something similar for Rahul Gandhi.

"But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found." — Luke 15:32, World English Bible

The Prodigal Son will surely return, but will the return be celebrated with whistles and bells, only time will tell.

5 Saal Kejriwal or Bedi Sarkar

Flashback to Dec 3, 2011. The centenarian Calcutta Club was hosting a fiery debate on the Lokpal Bill moderated by Times Now’s Arnab Goswami. The participants represented all major stakeholders; Salman Khursheed (Government), Ravi Shankar Prasad (Largest Opposition), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal (Team Anna/Common Man). I vividly remember a moment from the debate where Sitaram Yechury alleged Arvind Kejriwal for having used inappropriate language against the government. An apologetic Kejriwal replied that he did not remember having done that, but would still like to extend his deepest apology. In times when apologizing in public seems to be a cardinal sin for leaders who go by the mantra “innocent even if proven guilty”, Kejriwal seemed media naïve, raw and above all, honest. 

Come 2015, while Kejriwal seems to have vastly improved if not mastered the art of media handling, ally-turned-rival firebrand cop Kiran Bedi seems to be struggling to strike a fine balance between a firm cop and a socially sensitive CM candidate. Delhi is a city in size but a state politically. In a state where social media penetrations are higher than most parts of India, the political sentiment largely gets decided by the social media and PR strategy of political parties.  Let’s have a look at how these strategies have spanned out over the last few months.

Arvind Kejriwal launched the Aam Aadmi Party in Nov 2012, riding on the huge popularity of Anna Hazare’s Anti Corruption Movement. While some accused him of parting ways with the revered Anna for political mileage, some appreciated his bold move of ‘doing’ rather than merely ‘protesting'. What followed next for AAP was a year of massive team building and campaigning. Enchanted by the movement's popularity and Kejriwal’s seemingly honest intentions, AAP attracted massive attention. Kejriwal said everything that the common man wanted to hear. His allegation of BJP and Congress having a nexus was not very different from a frustrated common man’s rant of “saare neta chor hai.” While Kejriwal went ballistic against Congress and BJP, the rivals had hardly anything to say against the party that had no political track record. This was a disruption that Indian politics had never seen before. In the corporate world, a new entrant in an industry would take a very long time to knock off the leader’s market share. In the 2013 Delhi elections, Kejriwal running a start-up uprooted the decades old organization which had been the market leader for the last 15 years. Surprising even themselves, AAP and Kejriwal formed government in Delhi on Dec 8, 2013. The concept of Corruption Free Governance was selling beautifully.

49 days later, Kejriwal submitted his resignation on grounds of insufficient support for his favourite Jan Lokpal Bill. If this resignation seemed a huge political blunder, he bettered himself soon by announcing AAP’s national ambitions and his personal ambitions of taking on Modi in Varanasi.

What goes up must come down. Kejriwal adopted the same strategy of relentless opposition bashing in a bid for the topmost electoral seat in India. However, the chief opponent this time wasn’t an incumbent scam ridden Congress, but a Modi-led BJP riding on a wave of development in Gujarat. Kejriwal decided to attack the Modi bull by its horns by travelling to Gujarat and 'exposing' that Gujarat hardly has any development. People were already miffed with Kejriwal’s resignation, and suddenly the crusader was being seen as no different from the typical power hungry and society indifferent politician. Consequently, AAP lost 428 out of 432 seats it contested.

By now, Kejriwal was being seen as power hungry, politically naive and the worst of all, a coward and deserter. Shifting focus back to the city that saw him rise to glory, Kejriwal launched a fresh attack on BJP accusing them of delaying the Legislative Assembly elections fearing a loss to AAP. Why the delay actually happened, only the insiders would know, but in all likelihood an immediate Delhi elections would have surely swept Kejriwal’s political career away.

To his credit, not for a moment did Kejriwal go slow on his campaign. From using the 2^nd most expensive advertising medium to ask donations for his financially lacking poor party, to questioning BJP’s funds, Kejriwal started giving it all. But Kejriwal has never been a man to get his media strategy completely right. Here are some major blunders that he committed:

1. Announcing that Delhi wants Modi as PM and Kejriwal as CM. Whether a hack or an ill-conceived ploy, Modi's picture on the AAP website was a big big disaster.

2. The radio ad where a girl claims to be stalked by goons, and not entertained properly by a police station. Delhi Police did not take it too well, and AAP had to take it off. Kejriwal later came with a follow-up where he expressed his gratitude to the police officers, and blamed their poor performance to the lack of modern equipments and technology to their aid.

3. Kejriwal asking voters to accept bribes from BJP and Congress but vote for AAP. This leveled serious ethical allegations against both BJP/Congress and the voters. Again Kejriwal came back with an explanation that just screamed lame.

The biggest chink in Kejriwal’s armour still remains his untimely resignation, which he has been wise enough to publicly acknowledge as a mistake. Of course, it also gives him the advantage of an almost blank political slate, which leaves virtually nothing for the opposition to question. BJP has surely questioned Kejriwal’s subsidies based policies, agitations against the Home Minister, abrupt resignation, but the questions from AAP to BJP have been more and louder. Kejriwal too has not refrained from making good use of his 49 days term, reminding people through highly melodramatic radio ads of low water, electricity bills and reduced corruption. Although to me, Kejriwal comparing his 49 days governance to Modi's 13 years governance record seems like a tail-ender comparing the strike rate of his 8 runs/2 balls innings to an opener's strike rate in an 80 runs/90 balls innings. 

Politics is a dirty business, and in no part of the world will one find politics devoid of corruption, corporate funding, lobbying and scams. If Congress was badly tainted, BJP too has reasons to be pinpointed fingers at. However, now Kejriwal's allegations of corruption are fewer and lesser heard with focus shifting majorly to what won Modi the General Elections- development. From promises of building new colleges, regularizing private schools’ fees, providing cheap water and electricity, installing CCTVs to appointing bus martials; Kejriwal has been picking up all that is wrong with Delhi. Not just that, even “Ab ki baar modi sarkaar” has been matched by “Paanch saal kejriwal”, boosted by a Dadlani jingle.

Meanhwile BJP’s post General Elections strategies have been highly questionable. By not announcing a CM candidate for long, they gave Kejriwal a chance to attack them for the very same reason that BJP had attacked Congress. BJP did finally pull out what first seemed a masterstroke, a product from the same factory that had produced Kejriwal and a far more reputed one. Kejriwal gave the best possible reaction to that, “Had always requested Ms. Bedi to join politics, am glad that she did today." What a turnaround from apologizing to Yechury for a comment that he did not remember making. While Ms. Bedi had plenty to boast about as a cop, her political credentials and affiliation soon came into question. In her defence, Bedi had been a part of Team Anna, but never a part of AAP. Very soon there were murmurs of Ms. Bedi being a ditcher and opportunist by choosing the party already in power at the Centre. After lauding Bedi’s entry into politics, Kejriwal started calling her BJP’s scapegoat in an election that seemed inevitable to be won by AAP. Slowly but surely, AAP was putting the ghosts of the General Elections behind it and was emerging as a super confident party. The radio commercial with Kejriwal’s oath taking ceremony from Dec 2013 is a firm proof of this faith. Not just that, AAP has been confident enough to take on every BJP allegation head on. Kejriwal himself responded to BJP’s radio ad of an old woman venting out her anger at him. Even the recent allegation of alcohol being discovered at an AAP candidate’s house has been strongly responded to on all forums. Whereas BJP has largely remained non-responsive to AAP's allegations. What lies beneath the allegations is another story, but AAP’s strong replies will surely tilt the voters’opinions in its favour. In the social media of politics, often he who says the last word has the last laugh.

Coming back to Bedi, her interview with Arnab Goswami was the first sign of a PR disaster volcano waiting to erupt. Bedi was found unaware and non-responsive to most questions asked by Arnab. For e.g: When Arnab asked Bedi on not taking on Kejriwal directly and instead choosing a safe seat, Bedi’s response was “I did ask. I did not get it.” If that was bad, then the moment where she produced files titled MODI and GOVERNANCE was another dismal low. It seemed like a desperate attempt to display the governance and political credentials of an ex-cop. Just when I thought that the ignominious part was over, Bedi expressed time shortage and left the interview, refusing to answer Arnab’s frantic calls. The time shortage could have been true, but the manner in which she left the interview left behind a sorry impression. 

NDTV, known for its anti BJP allegiance has been incessantly doing its bit in craning Bedi’s campaign car. Bedi’s interview with the now trending Ravish Kumar had preconceived bias written all over it right from the beginning. Even before Bedi’s entry, Ravish had been pinpointing at cars parked along the roads in her high profile locality, wondering if Bedi would get these cars ‘craned’ if she became the CM. Honestly, no car owner would want to park his car outside. The dearth of parking spaces and the overflowing number of cars has given rise to this problem to which “craning” no longer remains a solution. Ravish remained at his sarcastic best, at times toeing the thin line between sarcasm and disrespect while Bedi seemed out of sorts, behaving like an aggressive cop once and then mellowing down as if suddenly reminded of her CM candidature. Suddenly, Bedi seems to be politically naïve and an ill-trained CM candidate, adjectives that till not very long back were associated with Kejriwal. NDTV’s well-timed “End VIP Culture campaign signed by Arvind Kejriwal” seems to be nothing but more fuel added to AAP’s campaign. Another worthwhile mention is Kejriwal’s response to Barkha Dutt’s question on members leaving AAP. His “no comments” response to Shazia Ilmi’s exit was hardly probed by the elite journalist.

The post General Elections Ghar-Waapsi campaigns, regressive comments by the likes of Sakshi Maharaj have given Kejriwal ample points to attack BJP on. Bedi's unwillingness to have a debate with Kejriwal has reduced but not prevented the damage that the debate could have caused. BJP’s desperation can be well judged by their sudden increased artillery in the last few days. Probably BJP has well realized that they need an AAP defeat this season to increase entry barriers for him to the Prime Ministerial post in 2019. From Nirmala Seetharaman’s “Paanch sawaal Kejriwal” to Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah and even Modi’s speeches/comments, BJP finally seems to acknowledge that the game is slipping away from under their noses. Probably BJP should have gone deeper into Kejriwal's manifesto and questioned the numbers backing his 70 point agenda. Suddenly, master campaigner BJP seems to have got its 2015 Delhi Elections strategy horribly wrong. Feb 07^th, in all likelihood might just see the resurgence of AAP and Kejriwal. As Ravi Shastri would say, whatever may be the outcome, pray Delhi be the real winner.

Digvijay Singh reveals Sachin's UPA tie-up

In a sensational disclosure, UPA leader Digparajay Singh has revealed Sachin Tendulkar's recent batting failures to be a part of UPA's strategy to curb electricity prices. Digparajay Singh mentioned that the UPA government had been deeply affected by the rising electricity prices in India and had been brainstorming to combat the same for months. In association with eminent leader Jairavana Ramesh, Digparajay Singh had concluded that huge television penetration and electricity reach in India had lead to excessive power consumption, thus giving rise to an increase in electricity prices. The eminent leaders in mention had decided to capitalize on the trend of Indian cricket fans to "switch off their television sets after Sachin's dismissal" to counter the same. The UPA leaders had requested Sachin Tendulkar to get dismissed quickly in every match, following which millions of television sets in India would be switched off, thus reducing the electricity consumption. Digparajay Singh applauded Sachin for accepting the proposal and complying to it in every match without fail. In the press conference, a reporter asked Digparajay Singh if this could be termed 'match-fixing', to which he agreed and said that this move is surely going to fix people's problems of using matches instead of bulbs. The report is believed to have looked utterly disoriented after the reply.
Former cricketer Bhishun Singh Baddie has accused Sachin of using this excuse to cover up his failures to play long innings. Comments from Sachin are still awaited.
Meanwhile, Jairavana Ramesh has given the Shehzaada credit for this plan, calling it a part of the Shehzaada's "long term forward looking strategy for India".
Shehzaada on the other hand has revealed that he tore up several different plans by Dr. Maun Mohan, and finalized this one. While countered for the same, Dr. Maun Mohan replied with his trademark voracious "theek hai" speech.

Review: The Great Indian Novel

The ugly snake raises its head again after a year long hiatus in the golden bubble. In fact it did come out once, during that month which definitely wasn’t My December, in the form of a few random rumblings.

Yes, ideally book reviews come out pretty shortly after a book is released; but I couldn’t help the fact that The Great Indian Novel was released only on my 2^nd birthday.  So here I am, penning down my thoughts on our Minister Sahab’s concoction of the Mahabharata and Indian politics.

To start with, The Mahabharata remains a personal favourite of mine. The way multiple stories blend into the great battle of Kurukshetra, makes the Mahabharata an enthralling experience everytime I come across a story from the Great Epic. Dr. Tharoor weaves a story by mixing characters from The Mahabharata and the Indian politics of the last 100 years. Not just the characters, but he also co-relates a number of events from both time periods. Initially, it does seem a bit weird to read a story from the early 19^th century with characters called Ved Vyas, Pandu, Vidur etc. But the story does start settling in once the similarities between the characters are explained better. Dr. Tharoor does a brilliant job giving subtle but strong hints to relate his characters to each other. Not to forget, the modification in their names depicts a lot about his personal views as well. For instance, Lahore being called Laslut; Zulfikar Ali Bhutto being called Zaleel Singh Jhootha… never knew Dr. Tharoor’s sarcastic views about the 66 year old offspring of our country. For further details about the references, our good old friend works best: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Indian_Novel

A few favourite lines from the book:

1.       There is no point in trying to judge a mighty river by its source. (oh, someone kill the caste based reservation system)

2.       You learn something about a man from the kind of stories people make up about him.

3.       The clash was as inevitable as its outcome was uncertain.

4.       Not every story is meant to end; often the essence of the tale lies in the telling.

5.       In life one must for ever choose between being one who tells stories and one about who stories are told.

6.       The roots of division must be traced deep in the soil.

7.       I do not reject you; rather I measure the years that I have grown;

I worship your grey hairs father, But- I must comb my own.

8.       It is always dangerous to mistake the enthusiasm of a select few for the support of the broad mass.

9.       No great man ever achieved greatness by sincerity of purpose alone. Truth is always individual.

10.   I am torn between the must and the ought.

11.   You should not give up your seat until you know how much standing room there is.

12.   You quote the letter of the Constitution while I cite its spirit.

13.   In India opinions are rarely founded on any sense of responsibility or any realistic expectation of action. (precisely what the ARNABS are doing right now)

14.   You cannot derive your cosmogony from a single birth.

15.   Only democrats presume to represent entire people, monarchs and oligarchs have no such pretensions.

16.   The Kamasutra is the only Indian book to have been read by more foreigners than Indians.

17.   India has too many Krishnas.

One analogy that I liked a lot was the assassination of Jarasandh being compared to the 1971 War. The assassination of Jarasandh by Bhim by splitting him into two into 2 opposite directions is wonderfully compared to the splitting up of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. Not to forget, Bhim too was used to denote the Indian Army.

What I missed in the book:

1.       KRISHNA !!!- Yes, Krishna does make an entry in the last phases of the book, but there isn’t any analogy drawn with an Indian politician. Come on Dr. Tharoor .. Shri Krishna was one of the most powerful and unarguably the most interesting character from the Mahabharata; he did deserve a better deal. He being the kingmaker that he was, an allusion could very well have been drawn to Mahatma Gandhi. Probably Dr. Tharoor found Bhishma’s austerity, penance and hardships sustained more familiar than Krishna’s political prowess and female company.

2.       Sanjay Gandhi- One of the most enigmatic characters from post Independence Indian politics. Probably an analogy with child prodigy Abhimanyu could have added more colour to the novel, or Dr. Tharoor would have found that to be too much of a compliment for the first family’s dictator son.

3.       Doordarshan- The first TV channel from India that actually lifts its name from Sanjay’s gift from Mahabharata, and goes without even a mention. Not done !!

4.       A better allusion to the Emergency- Dr. Tharoor takes imagination to an altogether new level by drawing references as follows:

Yudhishtira as Judiciary; Bhim as Army; Arjun as Media; Nakul as Civil Service and Sahdev as Foreign Service. The part about Emergency could have actually mentioned Arjun getting arrested as the media rights did get suppressed during the 21 month Indian exile.

Apart from the above, a few of Ved Vyas’s dream sequences towards the end seem highly unnecessary and seem to be mentioned just because Dr. Tharoor did not want them to be missed from his novel. The poetry is brilliant, though seems to be too long in places. Throughout the novel, Shashi Tharoor effectively communicates what his background is, convent educated, the British connection does result into a mastery of the language and the use of numerous words that sent me running after the Mr. Oxfords and Mr. Cambridges. Dr. Tharoor also shows signs of suffering from the habit that most widely acclaimed Indian authors suffer from- over emphasis on scene descriptions and less focus on the narrative. It’s often forgotten that it is eventually a good narrative that keeps the reader hooked on to the book.

Dr. Tharoor reserves his best for the last. Towards the end, he changes the very end of Mahabharata and with it the definition of Dharma. It reminds me a lot of Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D where the protagonist doesn’t die in the end, unlike the previous Devdas movies, but goes on to start a new life, depicting the modern day psychologies. Yudhishthira’s following lines brilliantly showcase the essence of modern thinking:

“Accept doubt and diversity. Let each man live by his own code of conduct, so long as he has one. Derive your standards from the world around you and not from a heritage whose relevance must be constantly tested. Admit that there is more than one Truth, more than one Right, more than one DHARMA….”

To conclude, a highly recommended read. Signing off with a hope that what is preached here surely gets practiced by our author in power.

The beginning or the end ?

कहानी ख़त्म है या शुरुआत होने को है ?

सुबह नहीं है या फिर रात होने को है ?

As Joi Barua sings the above lines in Udaan, I sit alone in my room, waiting for the demon called solitude to creep in further. In the language of statistics, the normal curve of solitude and darkness has not yet reached its peak.

Across the length of the country, my fellow comrades fight their own battles, some one, some many. I am not a part of the troop, because I couldn't make it or I did not want to or rather I just gave up without fighting. Yes, I can complain that some were wicked or some got plain lucky. 

But then they all fought, did they not ? When was the last time Lady Luck chose you for romance ? Ain't you well aware of the fact that it just cannot happen between the two of you ? 

As the sun sets in, I know I have not made it large, rather I might have dropped the hammer on my own head. The fall could not have been steeper. From living the life, to watching it all fall apart. Is there a transformation waiting to happen ? If yes, let there be a bend and not a break. 

The veterans said the golden crystal is a place where nobody is ever alone. Oh... did I not prove them wrong ?

Will there be light falling in, or will the forest get denser ? Will the prowler fight and emerge out victorious or will he be destined to disappear along the muddy paths and dark cocoons ?

The game has just begun.... the prowler hopes !

The Ratna or not a Ratna

Should Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, unarguably India's most loved sportsperson be awarded the Bharat Ratna ?? Probably a matter which has garnered great interest over the last few months.
Yes, in my modest opinion. Not because I belong to a generation which has grown up watching Sachin Tendulkar bat, and which still wonders what cricket will be like after the Big Man retires.
Initiated in 1954, the Bharat Ratna awards people for the highest degree of national service. Further definitions: 'national service' translates to public service, arts, literature, and the recent and most debated upon 'Sports''.

But honestly, do fields like arts, literature and sports need to be awarded with the highest Honour of the Country ?? I don't think so. No disrespect to the stalwarts of these fields, but is an act of excellence in fields like these worthy enough of the highest honour ?? The country has been battling a lot many problems and there have been people fighting against them. I honestly feel that the Bharat Ratna should be awarded only to men and women who have improved the lives of people in our country; people such as E. Sreedharan, T.N. Seshan, Kiran Bedi. Let the government find out more admnistrative officers, social workers, defence officers (would have loved to add politicians too but alas...) who are not just mere entertainers but "life-savers and improvers".

The situation with the Bharat Ratna has sadly not been so. The honour has been awarded to the likes of Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeskar, M.S. Subbulakshmi. I honestly feel that the Bharat Ratna thus has lost its true sheen. If that be the case, why not then give it to Sachin Tendulkar also, who has been no less than the people mentioned above in his own field.

Qriocity- 2

1. The 'Peregrine Falcon', also known as the 'Duck Hawk' in North America, is a crow-sized falcon which feeds on small mammals and birds including the Blackbird. This feeding habit of the Peregrine Falcon led to the nomenclature of an iconic product of the automotive industry. Name the iconic product.



2. In 1985, small time Hollywood producer Menachem Golam met X's agent Tim Hudson, in a bid to convince X for an audition for James Bond. Golam believed that "X has the looks, the build and the accent to be the next James Bond, and at least he looked better than Tom Selleck. X eventually declined, realizing that 6 months of acting lessons might conflict with his actual day job. He later stated in his autobiography, "The whole place seemed to be full of hustlers and bullshitters, that was not a combination that had ever appealed to me."
Identify X.


3. Identify the significance of the below picture:

4. The picture below inspired an internet meme. Explain.

5. On February 26, 2011, M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender 'created history' by winning an all new Razzie. Which Razzie was it ??


6. American author Katherine Mayo in her 1927 book pointed to the treatment of India's women, the untouchables, the animals, the dirt, and the character of its nationalistic politicians. The book was written against the demands for self-rule and Indian independence. Mayo singled out the "rampant" and fatally weakening sexuality of its males to be at the core of all problems. The book was so widely criticized that even Gandhi called it a "report of a drain inspector sent out with the one purpose of opening and examining the drains of the country to be reported upon". 30 years later, a landmark Hindi movie borrowed its title from the title of the book. Identify the book.

7. Easy one... Identify the theme of this Time cover.

8. Wallace Hartley's funeral was attended by one thousand people, while 40,000 lined the route of his funeral procession. He is buried in Colne where a 10-foot monument, containing a carved violin at its base, was erected in his honour. Hartley's large Victorian terraced house in West Park Street, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, bears a blue plaque to remind passers-by that this was his home. As of 2001, Hartley's name was still being used when naming new streets and housing in the town of Colne. What is Hartley's claim to fame ??

9. Apart from being Kamal Hassan starrers, what is common to the following movies:

Nayagan, Thevar Magan, Kuruthipunal, Indian, Hey Ram, Swathi Muthyam, Saagar.

10. Oicho Kabu is a traditional Japanese game similar to the BlackJack. The worst hand in the Oicho Kabu, an 8-9-3 has a notorious significance. What significance are we talking about ??

Qriocity- 1

Hello folks, here's a modest attempt at tickling the ever qrious Q-bone all you guys have. Hope you enjoy the questions !!

1. "Waha nukeele patthar nikle hai, to un par to koi baith nahi sakta. To zameen ko samtal karna padega, baithne layak banana padega. "
The above lines are known to be the source of a great controversy. Identify the speaker and the alleged context.

2. On his maiden ship voyage, he made an observation that whichever way the ship's wheel was spun, one of the spokes always came in direct line with a clutch, which would eventually hold it. He turned this observation into a hugely successful invention. Identify the inventor and his invention.

3. Connect:

4. Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Sri Mahavtar Babaji, Sri Paramhansa Yogananda, Sri Lahiri Mahasaya and Goddess Lakshmi finally made it on ‘ X’. There were also talks to include ‘Y’ on ‘X’, but fearing reprecussions, the people in charge decided against it. Identify X and Y.

5. What is the significance of the following lines ??
" Chaar baans chaubees guz, angul asht pramaan,Taa oopar Sultan hai, Mat chooke Chauhan."


6. A member of the Bedfordshire Yeomantry in World War II, E.W. Swanton got captured by the Japanese in Singapore, and served 3 years as a POW. Swanton had a book with him which proved to be immensely popular amongst the prisoners. The book was badly torn due to heavy usage, but was repeatedly 'repaired' by the prisoners using 'rice paste.' The book is still preserved in a London Museum. Identify the book.


7. Connect the following pics:

8. Connect the following pics:

9. What is located at the following address: ?

1407 Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York.

10. In the world of theater, what do we commonly refer to as the Fourth Wall and the Fifth Wall ??

Chalo Patna.....!!!!

Gurgaon, 2107 hrs, May 05, 2011

Dhruba: My father’s getting transferred to Ranchi.

Me: Great... Now please have your marriage take place at Ranchi. Probably then I shall have a chance of visiting the place again.

Dhruba: Sure dude, Ranchi it shall be, the day is not far away.

Delhi Airport, 1015 hrs, May 06, 2011

Jet Airways female: Sorry, our flight to Patna is overbooked, we don’t have any seats left.

Me and Sister: Are you out of your mind?? We ain’t here to catch a bus, we are here for a bloody aircraft.

----------Half an hour of fighting with the Jet officials and enquiries for alternatives---------

Jet female: Our two best options are, same flight for tomorrow, or an immediate flight to Ranchi and subsequent surface to Patna.

We (after few minutes of deliberations): We shall take the Ranchi flight.

Barely 4 days back, we were sitting in a theatre and treating ourselves to Lara Dutta’s miseries due to an altered journey in Chalo Dilli. Now, with us being subjected to a “Chalo Patna” situation, the next few hours did not seem to be too exciting.

However, it was Ranchi, the place where had grown up and the place which we loved. The excitement for a few minutes which we were going to spend in Ranchi, was good enough to beat the anguish over the 9 hours drive which would be following it. So after a delayed departure, we finally landed at the Birsa Munda Domestic Airport at 1330 hrs. Quite surprising that this was only the 2nd time I had landed at the Ranchi Airport, the first apparently when I was less than a year old. And why would I, almost all our journeys in 'those' days used to take place to Patna, and the good old Hatia-Patna Express was good enough for that. After an hour of chaos and confusion at the Airport, we were finally given a taxi which would take us to home...oh wait.. weren’t we already at home, at Ranchi ???

The drive started and it was after 6.5 years that I had stepped onto the Ranchi soil and it felt great. The first place of recognition was the Hinoo Golchakkar, the Temple, and the Sweet shop next to it. As we proceeded from the Golchakkar to the H.E.C. Main Gate, we realized that the renowned Chola Tailors was still holding its place while the petrol pump next to it had closed down. Birsa Chowk looked exactly the same and the entrance to the road leading to Hatia carried an arch reading “Hatia Railway Station”. We also spotted a new restaurant at the HEC Main Gate, and we just managed to convince the driver to take us for a brief round inside the HEC colony.

And thus we re-entered the cool, calm and serene world of Heavy Engineering Corporation. Much to our disappointment, the “jad se toot aped aur talaab (uprooted tree and pond)”  were nowhere to be seen. (Don’t break your heads, only me and my sisters can understand what this means !!!)

The huge football field on the left, the CD Type and E Type Quarters on the right, all seemed the same as they were 7 years back. There was a Mahindra showroom just opposite to the Russian Hostel Entrance, which itself was now converted to the Jharkhand Vidhaan Sabha. The roads too were in pretty much the same condition as I remembered them to be, and I could almost see myself cycling on them. We could spot numerous small blue coloured tents on our right as we crossed VVM, and why not, it was a Friday, the ‘Haat’ had to be there.  The driver then pointed us towards a bunch of floodlights, belonging to an International Cricket Stadium being constructed next to the Plant Hospital. Wow.... I didn’t know that!!!

We then took a round of the once-esteemed F-Type Colony and trust me, almost 7 years and you do expect some changes. The place didn’t seem to have any!!! In spite of F-29, our residence for over 5 years appearing pretty shabby, it was great to look at it after such a long time. The ruins of the broken boundary wall were still holding forte. We could also spot the Sector-3 Market and the “Rajesh Cycle Store” at its front.

For some strange reason, we did not press the driver to take us around E-3 and the Sector-2 market. Probably we were overflowing with gratitude for the guy for showing us around F-29, and requesting him for further deviations from his route would have been asking for too much. On our way back, we could also spot some yellow and brown St. Thomas buses just before the HEC Main Gate, dunno if they were the school-owned ones or HEC facilities.

The driver was also kind enough to pin-point MSD’s bungalow on the by-pass road. Other landmarks which we crossed on our way out were IIM Ranchi, BIT Mesra and Ormanjhi Zoo. It was quite pleasing to see how useful the by-pass road was, for taking people from the HEC Colony to once distant areas like Kadru, Morabadi, Bariatu etc.

An obvious change from my past visit was that majority of the vehicles on road carried the JH no. Plates, instead of the BR ones. Jharkhand was relatively a new state back in 2004, and majority of the vehicles still sported the Bihar reg. Plates. Also, for a place where the maximum spotted cars used to be Fiat, Ambassador and Maruti 800, there were quite a few SUVs to be seen. Government muscle, I suppose.

During the drive back, NH33 underwent a major transition as soon as we crossed the Jharkhand border. NH 33 in Jharkhand wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t great either. The road throughout was narrow enough to be called single-lane, and overtaking always seemed to be a dangerous option. Also, the roads were undergoing construction in a few places, making travelling not the most convenient job around. As soon as we entered Bihar, NH 33 pleasingly widened and the road condition substantially improved. It remained so for quite a while, after which it narrowed down again to a single lane mode. Whatever, Nitish Kumar definitely seems to be doing a better job in this department when compared to his Jharkhand counterparts.

We finally reached Patna at midnight, a good 9 hours after we left Ranchi. Our visit to Ranchi was restricted to barely 30 minutes, but as some say, good surprises do come in small packages.
To add to it, as much as we enjoyed the short Ranchi visit, Jet Airways.... UP YOURS !!!

Good old Ranchi definitely requires an extended visit (hope you are listening Dhruba).... ,
till then... JOHAAR !!!

a miDnigHt Of madNess & Insanity

It was Destiny. Fairy tales are just not meant to have a sad end, in fact their endings form part of several mortals' dreams. Like a king thrust with the mantle of his regime early in his life, winning battle after battle, coming close to the One he has alway dreamt of, falling and biting the dust, and finally clinching it in his own backyard, in front of his own people. From the day India bowed out from the Caribbean in 2007, there have been experts calling for the veteran's heads. Heads did fall, but Sachin Tendulkar's stayed High and Mighty. Led by a man they call Midas, India fought batting collapses, opposition bowlers, their own bowlers, the best teams of the tournament and finally became the World Champions.

A few musings from the 45 days extravaganza:
1. Absolutely loved the way Gary Kirsten erupted after Dhoni hit the winning six. For a man who is not an Indian and is not known for a vibrant nature, this reaction was hugely wonderful. Wonder what it would have looked like, had Allan Donald chosen to run better.

2. For all those who criticized Dhoni's captaincy before the finals, kindly realize that his shoes were not the easiest to fit in. For a bowling attack which always seemed to be 3 bowlers short, he did a wonderful job juggling them and making the most of his limited resources.

3. Fine we have won the World Cup, but something needs to be drastically done regarding our bowling attack. Can't see Munaf and Nehra being a permanent feature of our seam attack. Bhajji better start getting his wicket-taking knack back, or else the lone spinner slot might very well be R Ashwin's.

4. Not just a Great Gambler, but Dhoni is also the most candid speaker around. From reprimanding the batters for playing for the crowds, to calling Raina a technically more sound bat than Phus-Phus Pathan, he almost poured his heart out after the finals, revealing his apprehensions regarding the storm he would have had to face had we not won.

5. Sourav Ganguly as a commentator...good and will definitely improve. Pretty similar to Wasim Akram, the speaking skills do need some polishing, but the content is definitely impressive (the importance of having good minds in the commentary box further cemented). To add to it, the pains of being a losing finalist became more and more visible as India marched on into the knockout stages.

6. It's a wonder how performances change people's perceptions towards you. Yuvraj did lose some weight, but not so much for him to be termed 'lean and fit' by the end of the tournament.

7. As much as I hate to say this, Ricky Ponting take a bow. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Ponting played one of his finest innings at the Motera. It was good enough to deserve a victory, just like a dozen from the Master were, but sadly for him, the others weren't good enough to support him.

8. In the group stage, India's campaign seemed to be one of a bunch of spoil brats overspeeding at traffic signals and getting busted. The turning point came when Yuvraj hit a cracking boundary off Tait just after Dhoni's dismissal. What followed next was India's first real fightback of WC 2011, courtesy Yuvraj and Raina. Australia were down and a mental block had been removed. India had beaten the man and his team which had denied it glory exactly 8 years back. The World Cup 2011 has half won on that day.

9. South Africa is never going to win a World Cup.

10. Was never a huge fan of Kohli, inspite of his vastly impressive one-day exploits of late. But the cool head which stood up to score 35 in a situation which could hav....... okay fine, actually his statement regarding Sachin carrying the country for 21 years has made me his lifelong fan. Hail Kohli !!

11. Spare a thought for Gautam Gambhir. The guy has topscored in both our World Cup victories and won a MoM for neither. Never mind, Rahul Dravid never minded, and so won't Gautam Gambhir, the World Cup was eventually won !!!

12. Was there indeed a sinister angle towards Gavaskar mentioning the Pakistani liking towards Mumbai after the Ind-Aus QF ??

13. Hate saying this, but the dropped catches, the delay in taking the Power Play and the snail paced Misbah innings did raise doubts about the sanctity of the game.

14. This one was a World Cup of revenges. Sri Lanka 1996, Australia 2003, Sri Lanka 2007, all taken care of. Who the hell said that the feeling of vengeance is an empty one ??

15. The progress of India and Sri Lanka to the World Cup finals this year were pretty similar to that of Australia and India respectively from the 2003 edition. Sri Lanka except for one match were on a roll, while India had their share of bumpy rides. Fortunately, the fates too ended up being similar.

16. Anyone out there who condemns the madness associated with cricket should have seen the streets after the Final. When else have the 1.2 billion of this country been given a single reason to erupt in celebrations ??
Every success for someone is normally associated with a failure for someone else. Not this one, this country on April 02, 2011 had only winners and no losers.

17. And lastly, the Indian Freedom Fighters from upstairs must be thanking the Indian Cricket Team. The scenes they would have imagined on the Indian streets At the Stroke of the Midnight Hour after Independence never happened. They instead took place 63 years and 8 months after Independence, at the mad-night of April 02, 2011..... when India was crowned the World Champion of Cricket.
CHEERS TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONS !!!

A Few Old Men !!

4..3..2..1.. Countdown Over...!!!
It's that time which the whole cricketing fraternity waits for with bated breath. There is the IPL and there is the T20 World Cup, but now it's time for the epitome of all cricketing victories. It's time for the Fifty Overs World Cup Tournament. The World Cup over the last 36 years has brought jubilation to a few, and disappointment to many more. If the mighty Lloyd wept in 1983, Imran in 1992 had the moment which many dream of, but few achieve. His protege Inzy wasn't so forunate, and so was the case with the great Lara, both falling without a whimper in 2007.

Come 2011 and the World Cup returns to the heartland of the game. As always, we shall see some new faces and some old, braving the heat of the tournament. But more than ever earlier, this edition there seem to be A Few Old Men, whose performances will shape the way this tournament shall progress.

1. Ricky Ponting (36 years, 352 matches)
A man we all love hating. Still, there is no denying the fact that the World Cup has been his playground for quite some time now. Few men can boast of a career comprising of 4 WC finals, 3 of which won, 2 as a captain.
Ponting might have taken truckloads of criticism for his leadership, but there is one thing he does better than countless others i.e. Lead by Performance. He is the reason why "140" still pinches every Indian cricket fan. Inspite of Australia having seen some low times recently, it would take a fool to rule out their chances at the WC for one simple reason- they are Team Australia.The Aussie One-Day side surely is a pack of wolves which knows the rules of the Jungle better than many others. On form Shane Watson might be their best man today, but certainly, in the long run of the tournament, Ricky Ponting could be the one making the final difference.

2. Jacques Kallis (35 years, 307 matches)

The Grand Old Man of South African Cricket. The cricketing world has seen great all rounders like Botham, Hadlee, Imran and Kapil Dev, but none have been mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Sir Gary  Sobers..well...almost. If SRT has long been hailed as the Bradman of this era, the new generation has finally found an answer to Sobers in Jacques Kallis. Few men today play with a bigger heart and greater passion than Kallis. Kallis infact does something that even Sobers did not do...bowl ten overs of medium pace and bat as high as No. 3. From the highs and heartbreaks of the late 90s to the lows of the match fixing storm to the resurgence under Graeme Smith, Kallis has stood like a rock for South African cricket. 

Perhaps the only blemish in Kallis' impeccable record has been his failure to accelerate when required. However, his performances over the last 2 years reveal otherwise. Since Feb 2009, he has scored at an average of 52.5 and a strike rate of 86.45, and we have still not talked about his exploits in the IPL.

Ever since Allan Donald failed to run, the "Choker" tag has had a stranglehold over the Proteans. Nobody knows it better than Kallis that not just for him, but for the good of future generations of South African cricket, the "choker" tag has to be removed. For an upbeat Protean team, this might very well be their biggest and best chance to do that.

3. Sachin Tendulkar (38 years, 444 matches)
And finally the biggest of the breed. No body wants it as bad as him. India has always been a land of brilliant masters of the willow, and there is no denying the fact that he has stood tallest amongst them all. If the unbeaten 200 was the prettiest piece in his crown of jewels, his baggage of glories shall always remain incomplete without the WC trophy. From coming within sniffing distance of the elusive cup, to suffering the ignominy of a first round exit, his unsuccessful attempts at the WC have been more than my attempts at CAT (quote courtesy DJC). The wise men all called for his head 4 years back, when a lowly Bangladesh and forever-nemesis Sri Lanka kicked us out. Heads did fall, but his stayed high and mighty, fighting bowlers, age and injuries alike. Speculations were often made about his retirement from the game, but he kept doing what he does best, scoring runs. By 2010 it was clear that the Master was not going to leave without another shot at the World Cup. As they talk about wine, this man too has gotten better with age. Till Feb 2009, SRT batted with an average of 44.05 and a strike rate of 85.41. The last 24 months have seen him score 1196 runs from 22 innings; at an astonishing average of 62.94 and a strike rate of 98.35. Not forgetting that him being an opener does not give him many unbeaten innings to boost up his average, and there haven't been any Bang/Zim featuring in those innings. His hunger for the Cup has kept him running, and expectations have seldom been higher. Although he himself has not made public any retirement plans, as always, there have been others talking on his behalf. As much as I want him to play forever, a match-winning century at Wankhede on Apr 3, 2011 might just be the perfect way for the great man to sign things off.

Apart from these greats, there will be many others taking their last shots at the elusive Cup. Though the sting might have gone down a bit, the wily old fox Murali still has enough in him to bamboozle batters on subcontinent pitches. I also dare to mention the widely under-rated Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, the lone man standing in possibly the worst years of West Indian cricket. How much would I love to see the Windians come back to their maverick ways. The Windies have had too many greats to boast of, and not many in the land of Lara, Richards and Sobers would talk about Chanderpaul. Probably Pollard has garnered more attention in his short career than Chanderpaul. Still, he has been one man standing tall amongst the ruins of West Indian cricket, and at 36 years, coming back again to where it all started 17 years back, he would definitely like to make the most of this final stab.
Without doubt, there will be only one or maybe even none of these greats lifting the World Cup trophy 2 months from now. Let's all realize that as much the presence of this trophy would elevate these men's glittering careers; there would be no amount of demeaning and disrespect in case the trophy is not won.
Here's wishing them all a very good luck.. .CHEERS TO THE BEST OF OUR TIMES !!!
                  

Two down !!

Somewhere around the same time of the year in 2008, a couple of firsts happened in the world of sport. The Indian batting order badly collapsed in its first encounter with mysteryman Ajantha Mendis while Rafael Nadal showed how you don’t need to be God to beat the God to clinch his first Wimbledon. Travelling in Sampoorna Kranti Express from Patna to New Delhi, I missed them both. A couple of days later, on 9th July 2008, I along with 18 “budding (or rather budded)” engineers started my professional career in a two wheeler manufacturing company.
As I write this, there are 13 of us still left in the company, and while this was not something totally anticipated by many back in college, I have indeed managed to be a part of a professional organization for two full years, (even the “professional organization” has managed surviving in my company).

Here are a few excerpts from the first two years of my work life:

1. As per plans, I should have been unemployed by now, reading management at perhaps an IIM. Reading I still am, but the books are not management, they are my 'paths' to management.

2. GETs (Graduate Engineering Trainee) are a royal lot. You can get away with the worst of offences with a simple line- "I am a GET."

3. A fresh engineer (never mind the college) wouldn’t know half as much as a simple bike mechanic.

4. At times I wonder why a worker is paid lesser than me. And then I am told it's my engineering degree. But isn't it that I am just fortunate that my parents could sponsor my education in an engineering college, and the other chap's parents could not, I wonder.

5. At times I even wonder if being educated is a boon or a bane. The labourers at my workplace threaten to stop work in the event of finding conditions not conducive to their requirements. We come across similar situations on numerous occasions, but since we are "educated", we continue to 'manage' ourselves to adjust and work according to demanding circumstances. The rewards.... keep wondering.....

6. In an automobile company, there are many things to life beyond a four-stroke engine. Those things are Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint, and there is not much to life beyond these.

7. To excel at work, you need to excel at Excel first. There are times when you feel Bill Gates is the biggest villian of all times.

8. All you guys out there reading Overdrive and dreaming about automobile engineering, loving automobiles and slogging in an automobile factory are two different things.

9. Some habits remain intact throughout your life. In spite of waking up at 0630 hours everyday for the last two years, I am still not comfortable doing the same, or rather I am just not programmed to get up early in the morning.

10. Never approach a Japanese without data back up.

11. There's a very important two-second unspoken rule at work. When confronted with a problem, you need to come up with a reason within two seconds stating why the problem is not your problem. Fail to do so, and you're dead meat.

12. It's my fucking body and I am not paid for the stupid 5 min morning drill. I JUST DON'T WANNA DO IT.

13. I hate the fact that hungry or not hungry, I am forced to have lunch at the 1235 bell.

14. And finally, no company is bad company (pun intended). It's just that the company is not made for you, or vice-versa.

Raavan-neeti

Old stuff since I started writing this last month, but dint manage finishing it...

A couple of months back I was finding it difficult to decide which movie I was more excited about, Bihari Babu's Rajneeti or Anna's Raavan. I eventually realized it was the madness and eccentricity of Beera Munda, which was getting the better of Prakash Jha's political ploy. Mind you, all these anticipations were before I had watched either of the movies.
4th June, I caught the first day last show of Rajneeti and trust me, I was indeed overwhelmed. That very day I wanted to blog down the movie, but I decided to wait for Raavan before jotting my views down. 18th June, I once again caught the first day last show of Raavan, but before we talk about the Mani Ratnam flick, let's get back to Rajneeti.
Rajneeti was surely a masterpiece. Yes, all the talk about it being a mix of Mahabharata and The Godfather, arguably the best literary works ever produced. But then, it indeed takes skill to weave a common plot out of two such collosal pieces. There is a very thin line between inspiration and imitation, and Prakash Jha made sure that his foot was well inside the line while making Rajneeti. For a person well versed with Mahabharata and The Godfather, the movie was definitely a treat to watch. The subtle references to them both were brilliant indeed. My favourite being the scene where Bajpai offers party membership to Devgan, depicting a Duryodhana and Karna. Probably Ajay Devgan could have got some more footage, with Karna being THE most powerful character of Mahabharata. Manoj Bajpai was terrific, his speech in the 2nd half being literally mindblowing. The movie could have been better probably with the "jyeshta putra" scene being done away with. And personally, I would have loved to see Ajay Devgan's father kill Ranbir Kapoor in the end. But overall, a must watch, the movie being so gripping that you actually do not wish to watch Katrina, her sequences surely interrupting the flow of the movie.
And now Raavan. I am a pretty big Mani Ratnam fan, Nayakan, Roja, Bombay, Guru, I have loved them all. Add to it, Raavan's promos were indeed mind boggling. There was a certain air of madness which I felt in the trailers. Plus AR's music, Behene De and Beera. V. Manikandan and Santosh Sivan are the best cinematographers we have, and Raavan had them both. OOOOOOOOOOOOOH...I had every reason to be excited about Raavan. But the movie....what SHIT direction man. Was it actually Mani Ratnam ?? The first half seemed to be NGC/Discovery, with nothing but the beautiful forests to look at. The kidnapping of Aishwarya, supposedly the turning point of the story, happens in the first scene, without any proper build up. And the sequencing of the songs, Beera could have been so beautifully used, and Behene De... Aishwarya attempts suicide and Abhishek has Behene De playing inside his head. And what exactly was Beera Munda supposed to be, evil or eccentric ?? Yes, he could have been both, if acted and directed well, but he ended up being neither, rather just a complete disaster (does that rhyme ??). This I think was more Mani's fault rather than Abhishek's. But for me, the parts that stood out in being disastrous were the scenes were Abhishek expresses his love for Aish. What fucked up dialogues... Abhishek trying to produce a scary voice and saying, "agar dev se pehle mai tumhe mila hota to......". Reminded me of Ramu's Road, where Bajpai says that to Antara Mali,...hahahahahaha. And how does Aish manages to return and find the deadly Beera Munda's hideout towards the end, when the whole police force failed to do so. Beats me. I was so bloody disappointed with Raavan that I have even stopped listening to its music. I can actually go on and on criticizing this flick, but I would rather stop and pray that this is not the death of yet another director in Indian Cinema.

The Romance of the 90s

There were two butterflies which effected me into writing this piece. One was the highly forwarded mail titled "You know you grew up in the 90s when...",which I read for the umpteenth time yesterday; and the second was India's unceremonious exit from the T20 world cup.
The mail first. Amazing piece of work, certainly relives the 90s decade. Absolutely love the part on GI Joes and Hot Wheels. A couple of points which could have been included:
1. You would have probably accompanied Vinod Kambli in shedding a tear or two following India's tragic loss to Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in the 1996 World Cup.
2. Your parents would not have minded you watching two programmes on DD1: Surabhi and Turning Point.

The 90s decade had an inherent romantic aroma attached to it. Starting with Indian Cinema, this was the decade which saw directors like Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar come up with their romantic blockbusters. The Khan legends of today established themselves in Indian Cinema by virtue of romantic classics (read MPK, QSQT, DDLJ) churned in the beginning of the decade or even earlier.

I find it difficult here not to draw an analogy between Indian Cinema and Indian Sport. While the romantic flicks continued to warm and break Indian hearts, the sportspersons weren't left behind. The year 1996 saw the start of India's arguably best batting line up ever, with the advent of Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. Sachin Tendulkar was already more than 6 years into international cricket by then. Very soon India UNarguably had its best ever opening pair in ODIs and its best ever no. 3 test batsman. Probably this was the period when the Indian's love for cricket had reached its zenith. The greatest ever Indian cricketing moment had probably happened over a decade back and it still remains to be repeated. But even then, with the advent of the idiot box in almost every household, the connection with cricket reached heights unseen before.
              Honestly, we never were strong contenders to win the 1996 cricket world cup. Still, Sachin thought differently and so did Anil Kumble. Aided by contributions hither and thither, we made it to the quarters and played perhaps the most memorable Indian cricket match of the decade. As Venky Prasad rattled Aamir Sohail's stumps and showed him the way to pavilion, the Indian fan got the moment which he would cherish all his life. We made sure Javed Miandad did not get the farewell he wanted, and felt that the Chetan Sharma ghost had been buried... if only to an extent. We rose to battle against the flamboyant Lankans in the semis, but fell with the fall of the Master. Kambli would have known that he was not the only one with wet eyes then.
That was the period when we lost more than we won, but the sting of the loss was much more than what it is today. Indian Cricket today has fans, back then it had fanatics. It was not just about the performances, it was about the style as well.
I remember a 1998 Outlook issue after the famous Sachin-Warnie battles got over. It had Ganguly, Dravid and Sachin on the cover titled as "The Creator, The Preserver and The Destroyer". Rarely have I read better articles on cricket. Here's the link: http://www.outlookindia.com/content.aspx?issue=129

A few famous remarks:
Rahul Dravid: "On the off side, there's first God and then there's Sourav Ganguly."
Dennis Lillee: "If I had to bowl to Sachin I would bowl with a helmet on. He hits the ball so hard."
Peter Roebuck: "The Indians regard Dravid as their own Steve Waugh, a fighter, resourceful and effective, who looks like one of those stern and reclusive monks, to be found in mountain retreats, whose wicket must be prised." Today, there might be some regarding Steve Waugh as Australia's own Dravid !!!

Same goes about the Indian bowling attack. After Kapil Dev, there hasn't been a fast bowler who bowled his heart out better than Javagal Srinath. Again, probably Zaheer Khan might end up with better records, but the Indian fan might never pray for him the way he prayed for Srinath. Similarly, Harbhajan Singh might never draw the respect which Anil Kumble commanded. Kumble had the unenviable task of being the first Indian frontline spinner after the famous quartet retired. Still, he ended up scoring a "10-on-10" in that.

Indian Hockey will never see the days of Major Dhyan Chand again. But if, there was one sportsperson in India who could draw parallels with Sachin Tendulkar in the 90s, it was Dhanraj Pillai. The man at 35 could still outdribble 20 year olds. We remember Kambli cry at Eden but few remember Pillai cry at the goalpost in 2000, after failing to qualify for the Sydney Olympics semis. It was the era of Dhanraj Pillai, Pargat Singh, the Varkeys and the Tirkeys which last managed to hold the attention of the Indian fan by springing up notable performances here and there.

And then there were the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. A certain Leander Paes (an unknown Indian with an 'un-Indian' name) lost to a certain Andre Agassi in the semi finals and a billion hearts broke. Pretty soon, he beat Fernando Meligeni (God knows who) and won the Olympic Bronze. Suddenly, Leander Paes was India's newest sporting sensation. Everyone even with a badminton racquet wanted to be a Leander Paes. This was the 1990's Indian's first tryst with tennis, which continued to grow with Paes and Bhupathi and then with Sania. The hopes now rest on the big Somdev Burman.

The Indian Cricket Team today is undoubtedly a more charged up lot. The don't look good when they play, but probably there ugliness is much more effective. The heroes back then din't win as many as the boys of today, but they surely paved the platforms for today's victories. Today we win more than we lose, but the firecrackers are lesser. We are still looking for names which can match up to the heroes of the 1990s. There is still a battle to be seen which can match up to the classic Sachin vs Warnie duel. The India-Pakistan rivalry has never been the same again.
Probably the time has come that the Indian fan wishes to move onto a different sport. There were cheers around when Narain Karthikeyan drove into Jordan and there are many wishing bigger for Karun Chandhok. Indian Hockey is all but over. Any attempt at its revival turns out to be a bigger letdown than the previous one. I hear someone shout EPL, but the common Indian would feel the connection only when India plays the FIFA World Cup.
We hope, for Indian sport's sake, that there are more like the Shooter, the Boxers and the Wrestler. We hope, that there will be a day when Somdev Burman beats Federer on grass and maybe even Nadal on clay. We hope, that the IHF wakes up and we see madness similar to Dhanraj Pillai's sprint on the hockey turf. We hope, that there will be a day when the Indian football fan will have his own country to cheer for, at the FIFA World Cup. And last but not the least, we hope for the singlemost biggest unifying factor in this nation- Cricket, that it leaves the controversies currently haunting it behind and the Indian fan gets to relive his romance with the game.... again...!!!

God Tweets

When I saw an e-mail titled "Do you follow God ?" from Baldy on my corporate mohhalla mailbox, I imagined no more to it than a mere typical forward. I didn't bother reading it then, and only when I saw the string of quick replies to it from my fellow corporate mohhallites, I decided to open the mail. It was a very short, crisp mail from an apparently highly excited Baldz who was announcing on Corporate Mohhalla the entry of Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter.
It was big for me, and perhaps millions more, and it was definitely big for the Indian media as well. NDTV, Times of India, Yahoo and many more chose to broadcast it as a "flash news". This is the very reason why Twitter has been getting so famous.
Despite there being numerous social networking sites around before Twitter, none of them had managed to capture the attention of celebrities yet. Twitter did just that, probably because celebs need not go about 'accepting requests' from their countless fans. Simple site without many hassles. But Twitter probably got its biggest 'boom' till date in India on 05 May'10, something which even the Twitter bosses back in US would have realized.

A few musings:
1. It has almost been 96 hours since Sachin joined Twitter, and sachin_rt has 2,49,505...no... 2,49, 508...gosh...2,49,521.. forget it... almost 2.5 lakh followers.

2. The rate at which Sachin's followers increase might be the only thing which matches his rate of scoring centuries.

3. Shah Rukh Khan apparently is the Indian with maximum 'twitollowers' (yes, I coined the term). Knowing Sachin's penchant for breaking and making records, SRK's might soon bite the dust.

4. Ashton Kutcher's is apparently the most followed profile worldwide, with 48L + followers (dunno why). God might find tough breaking this, considering the limited popularity of cricket globally.

5. The A.R Rahman community on orkut beats the SRT community by over a lakh
(big surprise !!!).

6. Atul Kasbekar is a childhood friend so understood, but how come Zaheer Khan and Narain Karthikeyan. Not the first ones I would have expected you to follow.

7. People I expect you to be following pretty soon: Harsha Bhogle, SRK, Shane Warne, MSD. Something tells me that Saurav Ganguly would take some time making to the list.

8. Please don't entertain Vidhu Vinod Chopra much. He might end up using your Ferrari for his movie and not offering you credit for it. Chetan Bhagat might offer you some advice here... (Hehehehe !!!)

9. There is a profile in the name of sachin__rt (note the extra _) and has almost 3700 mistaken followers. This chap seems to be a big SRK fan, looking at his tweets directed at him.

10. There have been numerous tweets celebrating God's arrival on Twitter. But this was probably the best of the lot: "Government of India decides to conduct a Census, requests Sachin to join Twitter to make the process easier and faster."

11. Absolutely love the way you have started replying to your fans. Speaks a lot, please choose to send me a reply some day.