Kya Karati Ki Kya Ki…

These days the weather in Bangalore is what many would say “too maachhh”. Some awesome breeze that thinks of it as a wind. Pleasant sunshine hitting your back, doesnt pinch you but caresses just a tinge. And amidst all this heavenly atmosphere, when even lazy dogs finally yawn and stretch and go for a walk, I go to office. You would say ‘yeah right, even I do so..whats new about it?’ . But then I am not saying that you dont .

Anyhoo, to the Hyderabadi Spirit in me, here goes a poem that Akanksha Srivastava Sent me, left rolling on the floor for a long time:

Hathaan mein hath milake,
Hathaan mein hath milake,
angoothi churake uno chali gayi,
abhi galae milne ku aari,
kya karati ki kya ki…….

chay peenae ku aake,
chay peenae ku aake,
saucer churaake uno chali gayi,
abhi full meals ku aari,
kya karati ki kya ki…….

pehlichh mulaakat mein ,
pehlichh mulaakat mein ,
five star mein uno merkoo chunna lagai,
abhi date pe lekae jaao bolri,
kya karati ki kya ki…….

sagai-sagai bolkae,
sagai-sagai bolkae,
puri shopping karali,
abhi shaadi-shaadi bolri
kya karati ki kya ki

What can we learn from Cricket?

The obvious opening liner to post could have been…”In a Nation of over a billion, where Cricket is a religion and Cricketers (dummy) Gods……”, but then I dont intend to do the obvious . Many of us like to watch cricket. Many of us enjoy watching cricket. I would like to address my question to those who do not play cricket, but take pleasure in watching it. What have we learned from cricket? Rephrasing, what is it that we can learn from cricket?

My observations:

1.  Consider an ODI. Each side takes the field for atmost 50 overs. This means that a team is given upto 300 balls to knock out only 10 off the opposition. Why so?

2. At any point on the field, upto 14 people are willing to get that batsmen out. Why so? (Yeah yeah, I included those 3 umpires as well).

3. Sometimes, there is an appeal…all 11 players appeal, along with a strong crowd of say 20 thousand people. The batsman will not move untill that one man raises his finger…..why is that so?

Will try to answer these questions someday…meanwhile do chip in with your answers. You are free to take any route, even spiritual, to answer these if you like to do so. And congratulations to all of you, India got knocked out of T20 WC. Shame.

I Believe in Roger Federer

It has been a little over 3 days since Roger Federer achieved which many of us might have thought he would never achieve, and most of us were just waiting for when it would happen because there was no question of wheter he would be able to do it or not. Cryptic huh!!

Join me in congratulating Roger Federer on winning that coveted 14th GrandSlam, and a Career Grandslam. And who would have thought that he would be able to achieve it in a slow and drowsy clay court at Roland Garros. After what we saw of him in the last two years,  the not so ardent fans would have clearly written him off every major competition this year also. I do agree to the fact that great players like Nadal, Andy Murray and Djokovic had their respected bad days and were ousted unexpectedly, but let us not take the credit away from Roger by brooding over these things. It takes something to win a grand slam.  And you would not know what it takes to win it especially if you are the finalist for 3 consecutive years but end up on the other side. And year after year after year Federer has proven to the entire world  that he is capable of doing that.

The 2003-2007 era certainly belonged to Roger Federer, there is no question about that. He himself was once quoted saying : I have created a Monster of an image..” During these years he won almost every major tournament , except being the runner-up at the French Open. Worst was that he won most of his matches with minimal effort. If FedEx dropped a set, the commentators would make it an issue. If his impeccable backhand missed the line, the post-match analysis would need half and hour to discuss that. It is a fact that he is passed those days now, but that fire to win and keep close to that number one spot is still burning in him. There is a hunger to win and that is the mark of a true champion.

Perhaps,  we will hope to see days when Roger weilds his racquet with utter grace, those elegant half volleys down the alley, the angled cross court winners will flow along with his brilliance and some  intelligent tennis to take him to more grand slam victories….and all this time we cash in on the sheer pleasure of watching him play.

I believe in the phenomena called Roger Federer. Do you?

Its a different Ball game.

Its Australia and England in question today. Not for their awesome cricketing rivalries, but some unfortunate events that have been going on in both these countries for some time now. I know Australia is on the verge of exiting from the T20 worldcup, as I write, with Dilshan batting magnificently. But its not cricket that I want to point out here.

The Labor party in England looks like its on the verge of a collapse, yet again, like in 1981. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who took over the reigns after the controversial Blari rule, seems to have landed right into the soup. One controversy after another surmounts his authority, as one after another of his so-called loyal ministers desert his side. The blame game , looks like it will begin shortly. Those policy blunders and those tainted MPs might just prove to be a bit tough to handle for Mr. Brown. What has disapointed the most is his prowess failed to establish himself as a real good leader. Strong convictions look good on paper for sure, but when you are sitting in the hot seat, you are expected to deliver. Looks like the Labor party might actually think about change in leadership…when are the elections? coming soon i guess..

Shifting focus to Australia. A lot of innocent Indians, especially students have been reportedly victimised. Upto 12 such incidents have occured within a span of few weeks. Quite a concern. This has caused some wide spread condemnation as well. Students have held protest rallies throughout Australia as well as India. The Oz police anyhow denies that these attacks are of racial nature and targetted only at Indians. Though it s a fact that Indians tend to work over night to be able to make those extra bucks to pay their loan, and live in less secure cheaper areas and can make easy targets. But the police seems to have provided some stats which suggest that it is a mere coincidence that only Indians are being attacked. Well all I know that it is not a coincidence that the Oz PMs effigy was burnt in Delhi. And that Bal Thackeray wants punitive action against all Australian cricketers who played in the IPL…..yeah right!!

Bovines and Shelter

Yippe, blogging from office today (again)

I was just reading an article in today’s newspaper and I found it interesting enough to share it. Though I knew that Methane gas can trap heat to a large extent, owing to its carbon inheritance, I did not know that Methane Gas is actually a significant contributor in heating up our environment, especially when carbon dioxide takes up all the fame, energy and hype. What is more interesting is that Methane Gas is largely produced fro cattle or Bovine excreta.  Traditional Cattle food has always been grass and similar stuff….but large scale industrialization and other sophistication s have made us see the stage where Cattle are fed Corn n stuff.Research and studies have shown that this diet is actually causing a lot of Methane Gas to be released into the atmosphere and hence the ‘Global Warming’ (not entirely though). Hmmmn, interesting!!!!

Meanwhile the UPA govt has broken all records of optimism by stating that they will make India a ’slum-free’ country in 5 years time. Though Highly optimistic, I think that they are going the right way. Housing is definitely an important concern. I would like to look at this situation is a Pyramid way. The Urban population of India, as per the 2001 census, about close to 30% of the Urban population came under the ‘Urban Poor’ category, and obviously that figure must have rocketed in till date. But what seems to have NOT changed is the increase in the number of slum dwellers, especially in the big cities like that of Mumbai and Kolkata. With tier 1 cities raking up millionaires that might take up the tip of the pyramid….the Information Technology boom has actually helped the emergence of a new middle class in such cities,(like Bangalore of course) and this portion of the population forms the middle of the pyramid. But the people that for a wide base of the pyramid is the section in focus. Urban housing need not be only for the ‘not-so-poor’. Govt should take initiatives in acquiring land, and building homes for such people. Also, these projects should be taken up seriously, and must be completed within a stipulated time, with NO COMPROMISE whatsoever of quality. Only then can the Govt.  fulfill its promise. I know it is going to be a touch challenge, but, taking that first step is also not easy. Since now the ball has been set into motion, I only wish and pray that it gathers momentum and achieves that finish line.

I wonder, after all the Slums have eventually vanished, where will we get our Millionaires from? (SlumDog Millionaires…hehe )

Just a thought!

When you leave your land  uncultivated, what grows on it? Weed, or apple???????….

Why do people get more negative thoughts than positive? Because negative thoughts comes automatically….

It is because God made us that way? Or simply because it takes an effort to develop a positive thought?

Just pondering aloud…dunno if I will get the answers to all these questions.

I am watching Roger Federer play and that too after a long time….I feel at peace. I am watching him fight throughout, fight with his low self confidence, fight against a strong  opponent just as a random brainwave made me think these things. My neighbor is playing an apt hymn:

“Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning…..give me oil in my lamp I pray.Give me oil in my lamp keep me burning burning burning…keep me burning till the end of day“.

The Good, the Bad and the Unfortunate

There are so many things going on around us. A lot of things happening, both good and horrible. Some of those that come to my mind, I want to share it with you.

Meira Kumar became the first Woman speaker of the Lok Sabha. This I am certain is a good thing. A refreshing change that we welcome. The best part of it being there were no ugly altercations between the ruling and the opposition parties and that it was an unanimous decision. Things seems to have changed for the good, now a days its more of an understanding between the two parties on either side when it comes to the speaker. Until past Lok Sabha sessions, mostly the party that supported the Govt from outside (like the LEFT – Somnath Chaterjee, or TDP-GMC Balayogi) were  given speaker privileges. But since this elections saw the Congress dictate terms it kept this position for itself.

Andrew Symonds found himself in another controversy, ‘alcohol’ related this time. And he seems to have broken the code of conduct which he promised to uphold during counseling. Symo has hence been sent home from SA and will not be a part of the Oz T20 team. You decide if this is a good tihng or a bad thing. I have mixed feelings. Frankly, I admire the cricketer but I never like Symonds…..

Urban poverty seems to be on a rise. Must be wondering if I have gone nuts….no I am not. Urban poverty is not our typical poverty. The type of problems the Urban Poor people typically face is related to housing and employment. Though people might be able to find some jobs on a more day to day basis, they do not provide for substantial amenities in life. Bad thing for sure.

Pakistan could not withhold Saeed of the JuD fame in custody for long. Even after India and many other countries of the world expressed their strong concerns, the JuD chief, who is believed to have strong ties with the Lashkar E Taiba (LeT) had to be let free on technical ground. Yeah Right! First you house arrest the chap, do not tell him clearly the reason why so. Fake that the UN is concern over his involvement in terrorist activities, make provisional detention laws that aid the criminals, and finally release the person, even after India strongly suggested that it was the Let (and maybe the JuD) that caused the Mumbai Massacare in NOv 2008. Bad Bad Bad thing. Just as Pakistan would have hoped to resume talks with ‘the newly formed old Govt. ‘, Saeed’s release will absolutely close whatever small window existed.

And by far the most Unfortunate event to have happend lately is the tragic disappearance of the flight Air France 447. We live in an era where statistics prove that Air Travel is a lot lot lot safer than the road. Even as age old aircrafst are being replaced with the new fancy ones,  this tragic event has proven that mishaps are  bound to happen. Nothing is 100% safe. What happened to Flight 447 after it left Rio in Brazil for Paris is still a mystery, whatthe heck, it was not even over the Bermuda Triangle. Whether both its engine broke down, or having bieng stuck in a strom it was repeatedly beaten by lightning that could have caused a chain or series of failures……we do not know. While attempts of making air travel more safer might be given the highest priority, accidents like this should not shake off our faith. Untill those accident investigators find that ‘black box’ and tell the rest of the world the actual reason of the mishap, we all will be but keep guessing.

Crisis : Omnipresent

I have been hearing this term pleanty of times everyday, most of the times when being referred to the current economic situation, yeah the ‘Economic Crisis’. Looks like the Central Statistical Org. (CSO) has released data suggesting the country s GDP has grows by 5.8 pc or so in the Jan-Mar 2009 quarter. It took some time for that huge ‘SlowDown’ to percolate to the developing countries, and that could have been the reason why India did pretty well in the last quarter of 2008, growing at 6.7 pc, a touch better than the IMF predictions but spot on as per the RBI. India will have to rely on its agriculture and services to pull up its GDP and cover for those lost areas in manufacturing. Looks like the crisis might not be completely over for us, but one thing is certain, the developing nations will have to join hands with the world s largest economies to get past this slumber.

Speaking of Crisis, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to having some of it at the top-most level. The poor show during the General Elections 2009 left a sour taste in L.K Advani s mouth. With his offering to resign as the tip of the spear, the second rung ambitious politicians of the party are in a ‘on-your-mark-get-set-go’ mode. One of the largest parties of the country has been reduced to one of the largest ‘opposition’ parties. Seeing this stature of the party, I guess, the so called ‘think-tank’ decided that Mr Advani should stay on to face some more music, atleast untill early next year (I think) when Rajnath finishes his Party Supremo tenure, and then things can get carried forward. In this dire situation, some strong Leadership is very essential. We will need focused and diligent leaders who can steer us through the troubled waters. Maybe the people understood this fact while voting, and hence a venom-spitting Varun Gandhi could not give that NO2 boost to his party. Even worse, the AIADMK and the TDP along with the BJD decided not to team up with the NDA.

I cannot say for sure that this might be the beginning of the end….but I strongly believe that whatever happens, happens for a reason. I sincerely hope that  someday the BJP would come back and give the congress a tougher challenge. After all, no harm in hoping for that to happen, because in such a scenario, the party that gets the maximum benefit is the ‘third-party’, or the onlooker, or We The People.

Just saw Andy Murray lose out to Gonzales. Federer s chances of wraping up this French Open loom at large…..I hope he does it this time.  On another note, I am  wary about the frequency of attacks on  Indians living in Australia, wtf is goin on? Cant understand. Also, My Heart goes out to all the kith and kin of the passesngers of Air France 447.

Pakistan Resolute, but Climate Unstable

Even when we come to deal with  the fact that the global temperature might increase by up to 2 degrees C by the end of the century, its the events that are going on in our ‘friendly neighboring’ country of Pakistan that seem to make us feel hotter. All of us are aware of the so called successful Swat Operations in the North-Western Frontier Province, but how many of us are really aware of the attacks on Military and Civilian populations taken up by those Islamist Militant groups. These were those very groups that Pakistan seems to have built for proxy wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir. What a Shame!! Pakistan might have made a strong resolve to battle extremism and militancy, but I keep on wondering how long are they willing to fend off the  Taliban and the Al Qaeda at the expense of  those numerous Bomb attacks.

I am watching the India vs NewZealand warm up match at Lords, and the term ‘WarmUp’  has significantly caught my attention. A little bit of reading here and there did help me understand that the World, thanx to Global Warming, might be facing some morbidity and mortality issues, especially those with respect to vector-borne diseases like those insects and pathogens who feel at home at warmer temperatures.  What are we going to do  when access to clean water will be compromised by severe droughts? And when more intense monsoon events such as cyclones and floods stare at our faces? Theory would suggest that a global policy framework at every level possible might do the trick…but……what about funding and institutional capacity for anticipating the effects of these vagaries of the climate? India might not have advanced monitoring systems like the US does, but a sound disease and monitoring scheme at least at the national level should help. Lets see what the newly elected UPA does about this issue at hand.

I sincerely hope India perform well in the T20 world cup this year. O this remins me of a funny incident….when India were crowned the World T20 champs in the first T20 world cup, 2007…Ravi Shastry actually said..”And India have been crowned the  TT champions….”. I found it hillarious, he saying TT instead of T20….

Terminator Salvation

Right now I am slightly pissed! It has been raining for like EVER! And three of the movies that I was so desperately waiting to watch did not release in Bangalore with  the rest of the worl. Yeah yeah, maybe you must have saw my tweets…frustu huh! Well if Star Trek, Angels & Demons and Terminator 4 are the movies all your friends from the USA are bragging about, and you have to put up a sorry face. So i turned to Youtube instead….(dint have much to post today… so posting this T4 trailer… courtesy Youtube)

PS: I am desperately waiting for Sherlock Holmes and Transformers 2 as well……enjoy!