Memories!!!

Straight to business!
Scariest Moment 1: Being part of the 30 odd people who were denied to write the RM paper. Later we were told by Vaishali that the papers wouldn’t be corrected, reason being there was complete chaos in the class after the qts paper was disturbed and I guess she was justified in doing what she did. Later the papers were corrected on tendering an apology and I got 6/15, for which Prantosh Sir’s comment was “structured pfaff”.
Scariest Moment 2: Shivram Apte Sir’s batchmeet after he had caught virtually the entire batch copying an assignment. Those 15-20 mins in the assembly hall felt like a couple of hours and my feet were actually shivering all this while. The highlight was when he banged his foot on the wooden platform.
Laugh Riot Lecture: Almost all of Shivram Sir’s lectures would qualify for this. However the most special one was the GD/PI session and his comments/views about HR. Also Phatak Sir’s lectures, his evaluation problems, his taunts about our intellect and Vikas Sikka’s Railway Phatak…simply Hilarious!
Longest Lecture: The 6 hr marathon session by Prantosh Sir for MM towards the end of Sem 1. There have been lectures of longer duration than this, but the fact that we were taking down notes throughout the lecture made it really exhausting. Even Prantosh couldn’t hold peoples’ interest for those many hours.
Shortest Lecture: All of Narawane Sir’s lectures, but the shortest amongst them was this particular lecture when Sir marked the attendance in the attendance coordinators room and the class was over. People who were even a couple of mins late didn’t realize what had happened. This day later became known as Aditya G’s Black Monday!
Most Awaited Moment: The “Somvit Maji Introduction” during Sem 1. Div B people looked forward to this as if some Oscars were being announced. At times, faculty was persuaded to ask for introductions. Apparently Mr. Gutlimaar had some degree from IIT and he was a Boogie Woogie Winner. Booo!!!
The Best Dance: Actually, there are a couple of them. Aditya G’s “Pappu Can’t Dance Saala” where he broke his foot. Post this incident he just refused to lift his foot while dancing avoiding any risk whatsoever. The other one is Somvit maji being made to dance to the song “ Choli ke piche kya hai”. It was simply hilarious and showed what lengths people could go to in order to avoid Todi’s and Channu’s kicks on the backside. He surely would have given Madhuri Dixit a run for her money.
Unadulterated Joy: It has to be SymbiOlympics! Don’t know why, but it was such a lot of fun, sitting till 4 in the morning, yelling and supporting HRD and booing IB and IT. The fact that HRD won, was the icing on the cake.
The Payback Moment: Channu being hit for 22 runs in an over in the final after not having conceded a single boundary in the run-up to the finals. 30 mins later I was hit by a rocket kick straight in the face. Both incidents were payback for the previous night’s gossiping session. Aditya G went scot-free.
Moment of Pride: When the ERM report was finally uploaded on the website. Lot of effort went into it. Aditya G’s and Shrijit’s constant following up made it happen. Another one is my 1st waterpolo goal.
Moment of Amazement: When the owner of Saundarya sent a Volvo bus to pick up and drop some 20-25 of us to the hotel. We all knew Div B was special, but didn’t know that people at Saundarya also knew it. More surprising was Thomas George’s excel sheet, with V-loopup and H-lookup to calculate the expenses for the previous night.
Subbu Moments: Actually this topic warrants another post, but nevertheless will list out the most fascinating ones. The most amazing one has to be Subbu wanting Sanjay Gandhi as the Chief Guest for Neev, then Subbu meeting Indra Nooyi of Coke, Subbu receiving a call from Mr. Birla to meet at the Marriot, Subbu asking us to carry ENO for the Director’s walk (what he meant was Glucon D), Subbu escorting Rajnikanth Patel in a green Shirt and wearing Chappals, Subbu's Basel III norms, Subbu convincing Harsh Mariwala that we don’t need placements and his innumerable batchmeets.
Saddest Moment: Joglekar Sir receiving the news about his mother’s death while in the middle of the lecture. He was the sweetest Prof we had. Very considerate of Anoop to offer condolences on behalf of the div in his next lecture.
Most Disgusting Moment: Sem 3 elective selection batchmeet, when Waknis Sir was told in no uncertain words that people hadn’t taken some elective in Sem 2 because he was teaching it. I appreciate honestly and speaking one’s mind, but not at the expense of respecting your elders and teachers. Another one was being made to pay for a lost/stolen computer mouse. Though the amount was a trivial Rs. 3, paying for it meant accepting the fact that we had stolen it.
The Funniest moment: Our OR presentation on Integration. Rohit Jain started by saying “today we will enlighten you about Integration”, Aditya G, who doesn’t know what integral xdx is, said something about “triple integral of a curve” (Newton must have turned in his grave) and when Phatak Sir stopped the presentation, Rohit Jain came with another beauty “ Sir aage suno toh, aage Princess Diana ka accident hai”. All this while I couldn’t control my laughter and was on my knees laughing and hiding behind the podium.
The Architectural Masterpiece: “GuptaSthali” created by Aashay and A2K.
The Worst Beating: Mundhada being beaten up after Sem 1 results. Also I was kicked by all the Div B girls on my birthday and almost all missed their aim and kicked me on my back!
Most Embarrassing Moment: Being asked out for the Fresher’s Date. All thanks to the Power Puff girls from Delhi.
Act of Gluttony: Many many many…..Standout one was finishing an entire brick of Vanilla Ice Cream on Fresher’s Night.
Most Wonderful Period: Has to be the 3 days during Neev ’07 (sorry Sneha and Aashay). Great games, fantastic informals, rocking rock show and the icing on the cake Augustus. Sad that Neev’08 didn’t live up to the hype. Money doesn’t guarantee success.
Lecture that brought tears: Prantosh Sir’s lecture on life cycle stages. It made me miss my Family like anything.
Most Intellectually Stimulating Lecture: Without doubt, Anant Gupta Sir’s class on “Dell’s Working Capital Management”. In this particular lecture, most uncharacteristically, he didn’t not comment about our lack of knowledge, that we copy assignments from seniors’, blah blah. All the subjects in Sem3 cumulatively will not be able to stand up against this particular lecture.

This is the last post about HRD and life and people at HRD. Nostalgia over, time to move on!

Friends

It has been a two year sabbatical from blogosphere, and no better way to end it than by writing about the people who made the two years at SCMHRD really special, which otherwise could be categorized as a misadventure. (Names in the list in no particular order).
Div B: Being in any other div would have been a mismatch. Div B people truly rocked, be it studies, competitions and even Sybiolympics. The Class parties were the most enjoyable moments but not far behind are the birthday celebrations (thanks Suchi), the corridor gossiping sessions, the Mulshi trip, the Saundarya rendezvous and many more. We were the pioneers in starting the DART games and Water Polo and as Gupta had pointed out, even Div parties. Thanks for really making me comfortable and making these two years enjoyable.
Ankita: She must have been brought up on a diet of honey, chocolates, desserts and mithais! She is without doubt the sweetest person I have ever met. Sukhatme madam’s cute little girl, is the most beautiful girl on campus with an even more beautiful heart. One person I sincerely hope never changes.
A2K: He is calmness and patience personified. But wait, only till 10:00 pm. Post that you are at his mercy if you happen to be in the firing line of his one-liners. But I must confess, I have been a huge fan of his one-liners and more recently his sweet talk. Inventor, of the SWADES posture of sleeping he is an amazing football player and sadly a MANU fan!
Gupta: I cant recollect addressing him by his 1st name. The Gupta brand beats everyone in college. Anant Gupta’s “Cute Boy” is born Manager. His enlightening presentation on integration was the most funny moment in class and outside it off course has to be “Pappu can’t dance saala!” He is kaamchor but always there to help around. He is finance genius and his knowledge is second to none. A fun person and a true friend.
Channu Baby: This 6 n a half foot baby is an all round sportsperson and a fierce competitors. Never cross his way when is in the mood to pull someone’s leg! And btw, its my turn now, he gave away 22 runs in one over in the finals of Symbiolympics (its documented now, Suchi won us the game!)
Dev D: Consultant Chauhan, is another all rounder, in studies, competitions, sports. He is a marketing genius and a budding photographer.
Charu n Ashul: Consultant who is a ppt expert and analyst who is a report expert (pain for many). My partners at Moolyankan and part of the dumb C group. You both rock. Oye Anshul, bach ke rahiyo Ghazhiland se!
Gogo: Atul Kasbekar of the batch. Your photos are awesome and so was your dance at the Div B party with #$@$.
Ratika, Avanti, Rekha: Part of the newly christened Bournvita gang. Ratika is a cute lil darling, Avanti the Coconut Tree and Rega my co-CR who will now rock the gulf. Breakfasts have been fun because of you people.
Thosas George: Makadi Manav has raw brains. The excel wizard is a fitness freak and has a huge role to play in the success of Fassos. On serious note a admire him for the efforts that he took to learn Hindi.
Anoop: The funny man. He could have made a really successful career as a standup comedian, actually he still can. “Meri Hindi Garib hai” & “Baiyya kabab mein kaun kaun hai?”…what more can I say. Cut down on your drinking bro!
Somspan: He is one of the coolest guys around. A pakka Mumbaikar. He is a food lover and we share the same passion-FISH. He is quick witted and is known for his dry caustic sense of humour. Mr. Lazy bones is a computer games freak and an M&A expert.
Akshay Manake: Subbu’s pet has been my whipping boy and punching bag, both figuratively and literally. His skills with ppt are awesome and its been pure fun reading his blogs. I have loved Munger Dairies and the cricket one the most. Way to go! Kind hearted person, who ditched me (ladki ke chakkar mein) on my trip to Mumbai.
Aastha: The one person I am not at all worried about being in touch with. Its not even been two days since she has left and I have already received 10-15 SMSs and 3-4 calls. Aastha Juneja boletoh NO TENSION. She is a jovial person with a mature head. Always eager to play a prank and also not one to chicken out when at the receiving end. She introduced me to the Zinger burger and then subsequently to many other eating joints. There hasn’t been a dull moment with her around. You Rock Aastha, cya in Bangalore! (pls)
Sneha Sodha: Fashion critique (maybe guru someday), a food connoisseur, potential brand manager and FIN MAN expert! The rule says that Beauty X Brains = Constant, but every rule is proven by the exception it has, and Sneha is an exception to this one. The hastily decided visits to the city, the trying out of new eating joints, the chats near the café’, the gupshup in the library while studying FINMAN and off course the ARGUMENTS, I’ll miss all these great times we have had. A genuine person and a friend one can count on in difficult times.
Chopu: Teddy Bear! Ms. Nautanki, should have tried her had at Ekta Kapoor serials rather than doing an MBA. She is a fraud Punjabi, doesn’t eat non-veg, but in true Punjabi style is a very warm hearted person, sadde naal rahoge toh aish karoge! This member of the consultancy cell is to be consulted only if you have to seek advice about soft toys, clothes, food and any other problem for which you need a patient ear. Miss (hitting) you mottu!
Manasvi: Maaannnnnuuuuu!!! Phattu is technically challenged! She made me climb 5 floors because she wanted a printout. She is a hard worker, practical & methodical in approach, sincere in attitude. She has been a true friend, from IBM to HRD, from Saveloy to Chowpatty, from ABC to Intl HRM.
Vibhor: Mundhada, the confused soul, is the Finance wizard, who excelled at Marketing, who’ll go places in IT!!! Mr. Rondhu has suffered from all possible ailments. He is a really sweet person and a truly caring friend. Div B ki shaan Mundhada has been the Jaan of most parties, and he’ll be surely missed for his shyaris (Chehare pe hansi……)
Nikhil: My roommate for two years. He is an ideal student for teachers, a perfect friend for me and a true companion for somebody. I have admired him for the way he has managed time and juggled between different responsibilities. Chocolate boy was a regular source of chocolates. I’ll miss for all the great times we have had.
Anand: Mr. Singing sensation is about to lose his independence. Wish you a happy married life and a successful career in singing.
Ankur: IT expert. Fiddling with the laptop is his hobby. Blogging is his passion. Way to go dude!
Todi: Lazy Bones, will surely realize his true potential one day and be an Operations Expert!
Alim Bhai n Rahul Bhai n Krishna n Madhu: Thanks for the food!

What’s in a Name?

There are a few things that have always baffled me, and continue to do so. One amongst them is one’s name. It is one of your most important identities, yet something, to which you pay hardly any attention. It’s something that reflects your religion, caste, maybe even nationality and in some cases even behavioral patterns. People will remember you throughout your life by your name, and even after death, your name would continue to be your sole identity. Now if this name is so important why don’t we have a say in deciding what it should be? After all, the name is a part of me and a very important one too. My name, like in any others case as well, had been decided by my parents, albeit after much discussion and debate. Just that I wasn’t a part of any of those. The surname too is a family name. Neither I, nor my parents or their parents had a choice in deciding it. Btw, when I talk about the name, I refer to it in its entirety, “Name . Surname”.
Now when the version 1 in the Tendolkar family was rolled out, it was decided with consent of the elderly in the family and with some religious help that the baby would be named Pushkar. Its is a pretty uncommon name and it’s now that I appreciate the efforts that would have gone into deciding it. However, previously I couldn’t. I don’t know how long it took me to pronounce my name correctly, but surely would have been quite some time. Whenever I have tried telling someone my name, it being a little different, the response has been the customary “aannn” sound, meaning “didn’t get it”. At an early age this was a very weird if not an ugly feeling. Early on the issues were with the simplicity of the name. I found names like “Rohit”, “Vijay”, “Ram”…more appropriate, maybe because they were pretty common and secondly because the protagonists in the books that I read then had names. There was never a comic or a cartoon shown in which the main character was named “Pushkar”…sob sob. Then came another phase, when I realized that there is some meaning associated with every person’s name. However, it seemed to me that I would be unlucky on this front as well, that’s because the only meaning I could think of my name was “to push”, and I still remember my Tabla Sir calling me “Dhakal” meaning “push” in Marathi. It was then, that my mom comforted me, telling that my name has some 32 meanings. The religious priest who had played an important part in deciding what my name should have been had also handed over a piece of paper with all these meanings written on it. I am at loss of words to express my gratitude for this gentleman, but for him, my name would have always been a “verb” rather than a “proper noun”.
No sooner that my miseries with my first name end that the ones with my surname started. Now Mr. Pushkar Tendolkar was leading an ordinary life with an almost ordinary name. Ordinary because, I wasn’t a Sharma or a Malhotra like every alternate character from every alternate movie, which would have added glamour to it, and like any typical Maharashtrian surname it was post scripted with “kar”. Even though not a common one, it wasn’t as confusing as the first name. However I being at peace with my surname was soon to change. It all happened on 15th November 1989, when a curly haired, boy wonder debuted for the Indian cricket Team. His fault being, he shared my surname, with a subtle difference, that on a “U” and “O” in our surnames, a difference which was going to bug me for the rest of my life. Suddenly, I became a more popular figure in school, people being in awe of the surname now, I also commanded some respect, even got a promotion in the batting order of my class team. Along with the perks, however, there were also the fallouts. There was a class of people who used to ask me whether I am related to Sachin Tendulkar and if I could get them an autograph. At first all the attention was likable but after some time it becomes somewhat irritating. Then there was another set of people who used to point out a spelling mistake in my name. Now don’t these people understand that it’s not only difficult but impossible for a 15 year old to misspell his name however hard he may try? Every time I encountered these people I had to explain them the subtle difference in the surname and prove that these are indeed two different surnames. In fact I stopped bothering much if people misspelled my surname unless of course it was an important official document like passport, license etc. Once I had been to the district court to get my domicile certificate. Like any other government office, here too I had to pass through an array of gov. servants. The first one I met quizzed me about my surname and whether I was Sachin’s brother. I explained him the difference and moved on to the next table. Here I encountered a female and thought she might be more interested in knowing how Priya Tendulkar was related to me. But to my utter surprise, I was greeted with the same question. And the same scenario was repeated at the next table. Being a little bugged, I said “Yes I am his brother”, upon being asked the same qts at the next table. The reply was “Phir dono ke surname mein difference kyun hai”. I said “Cousin bhai hai” and left with my certificate stamped. Btw, it took me quite some time to move from one table to another and this one babu to another journey wasn’t as simple (for obvious reasons) as it may appear here. These third type of people were the most irritating of the lot. People who questioned why are the two surnames different? What difference does an “o” and “u” make, why did my surname have an “o” and his surname a “u”? Never, other then the reservation issue, had I felt that surnames were so important to some, until I met these people. Have they, anytime even thought of asking Sachin, why his Surname has a “u” instead of an “o”, that he misspells his surname etc.? Hope, I’ll give them a reason one day. High hopes…The conflict isn’t restricted to others, it is internal as well. Let me explain this with an instance. Once while batting (gulli cricket, of course), I found myself at the receiving end of one of the fastest bowler in our colony. And he was genuinely quick. To add to that he lacked direction. So there was always the possibility that you might find a ball directed straight at your nose. And that’s what happened. A misdirected full toss, aimed at my ribcage. Now, any sane person would have ducked or tried to get out of the trajectory of the ball. But not me! I tried to be too clever and decided to angle the ball past the wicketkeeper. If only the execution had been half as good as the intention. I wasn’t even through half the shot when the ball banged straight into my ribs. It took some time to recover my senses and to return back to normalcy. I realized, I had taken my surname a bit too seriously…After all what Shakespeare said is so true “What’s in a name?”

Sachin - Manjrekar Controversy

It appears to be a rule being followed in cricket, for quite some time, and more so recently, that one can gain instant publicity (not fame), a lot of media coverage and attract the attention of fans if he can come out publicly with a controversial statement about Sachin. In today’s world most of the things are market driven. Agreed, that there are a lot of people genuinely interested in the sport, but there are an equal number who are interested in the controversies surrounding cricketers and cricket. Channels are also on the lookout for the so called “experts” who have a penchant for creating controversies and are thus more marketable than the others who don’t. Don’t be surprised if Sanjay Manjrekar laughs his way to the bank when he negotiates his new deal with TEN SPORTS. And Sachin is a bunny for such cheap publicity seekers because he hardly reacts to whatever they say or write. Most of the time, his willow does the talking of shutting their mouths. But somehow in the process, these people end up benefiting from the controversy, even if they fall flat on their faces. I shouldn’t be wasting an hour or two, writing a blog, trying to uphold Sachin’s integrity and crystal clear image, just because some cynic called Manjrekar decided to question the same. Sachin doesn’t require anyone to bat for him, but it is just that I feel like having a go at this cynical person. I call him so, not just because of this particular controversy, but because of the fact that throughout his career as a commentator and expert he has been harshly critical of India players and the team as a whole, most recent being his downplaying India’s series win against WI. Most people, with whom I have discussed cricket with, would acknowledge this fact particular fact.
Now let’s get to the point. He starts of by saying “It is time Sachin started thinking like a man who has played 362 ODIs and 132 Tests. Which means he has to accept a fact of life that his mind may remain young and retain the youthful exuberance for the game but his body is ageing rapidly”. Anyone who has watched cricket, related television shows, and read interviews would know that Sachin himself has umpteen number of times accepted the same fact and also said that he cannot continue playing like a sixteen year old. With aging, both of the mind and body, he has evolved and matured as a player and his role in the team has also seen another dimension being added to it. Point is, Manjrekar doesn’t need to remind Sachin, that he has played XYZ number of matches. The guy even remembers how he has been dismissed in all these matches. He has been thinking like a 34 yr old, and hence the change in attitude.
Then he goes on to say, “Judging other people's injuries and their seriousness is a very dangerous exercise. Except the person affected, no one really knows how serious the affliction is.” If he is aware of this then why take the pain to write this particular article and rake up a controversy. Secondly, to comment about matters related to injuries, he is neither a practicing sports physiotherapist, nor is he privy to the details of the injury which the team management would be. Being a cricket commentator and a former he could and should comment only about the game being played. While doing so, there is no harm even if he ends up criticizing Sachin for his lack of form, so on and so forth. That would amount to constructive criticism. But why talk about someone’s injuries when you have neither the proper knowledge of the medical science nor the related facts.
Throughout the article he uses words like “guess”, “if this …than”, “could”, “would”. All this goes to suggest that he himself is not sure on what he is writing. Just as an example “But my guess is that Tendulkar seems reluctant to play any international cricket unless he is physically and mentally 100% fit.” How can one write an article about a person who is a national icon, enjoys an almost cult status in India, criticizing him and asking questions about his integrity, when your entire conviction is based on pure guesswork? How can a national daily print it? Absolutely ridiculous. Yellow journalism at its best.
Then he cites certain examples to put forth his guesses. Sachin scored a double ton against Bangladesh and then declared that he was not fully fit. Now, is it written somewhere in the cricket rule books or in the medicine books that one cannot be injured if he has scored a double hundred. If he had declared so after making a paltry score the same person would have criticized him for faking injury to cover up for his bad performance. Then he talks about the Super Series which Sachin missed, and instead opted to take rest and be fit for the Sri Lanka series. Now this particular series which Manjrekar thinks was a great opportunity, not worth missing had actually been ridiculed by former as well as current players and questions were raised as to why such a circus was given official status. Didn’t Sachin do the right thing by opting out of it, probably wasting an opportunity to score a memorable innings without much to lose? Wasn’t his decision to put country before personal glory a correct one. Had he played that series and got injured the same person would have asked questions about his credibility, as to why he chose to play an inconsequential match rather than playing for his country.
Comparing Sachin with Lara is a big farce. Lara doesn’t play one-dayers. That relieves him of at least 2/3rds of the burden of international cricket. Secondly whatever Lara does, shouldn’t be taken as a protocol for rest to follow. Why should a player, who is not fully fit, be playing, however big his stature may be? He indirectly does disservice to him team and teammates. Also I haven’t heard of Lara and Inzamam suffering from injuries like “tennis elbow” and shoulder injuries requiring surgery. In their case injuries are just niggles.
To say that Sachin would fake injuries, one has to be absolutely insane. He would be the last person to do so. And even the physios have come out giving factual evidence of how Sachin has played through pain for the cause of the team. Who can forget the one man show at Chennai, against a lethal Pakistani attack, battling Waqar, Akram and Saqlain and more importantly severe back spasms? Have we forgotten how he played through pain from a finger injury throughout the WC’03, to take India to the finals. There are many more such instances.
Being a journo and having right to freedom of speech doesn’t give Manjrekar the license to raise questions about somebody who has achieved much much more than him. The fact that Sachin came out defending his cause, shows that he was hurt by this and that things need to be seen in the right perspective. Speak and write if you have to, but only about things which you have complete knowledge, don’t make wild guesses. My only question to Manjrekar is, “ Would you like to see an unfit Tendulkar playing, and further aggravating his injuries and jeopardizing the rest of his career or a completely fit Tendulkar, continuing to be the pillar of the batting order and a mentor of Indian cricket for another 4-5 years”?

BOMBay BLASTS

After the serial blasts which shook Mumbai a few days back, a lot of talk has been going around in the media, print as well as electronic, and even the common Mumbaikars about the so called "Spirit of Mumbai". I simply fail to understand what exactly does this mean. I appreciate the fact that in spite of the blasts and amidst the general fear which grips a city after such an incident, lots of people came out to help the needy, take the injured to the hospitals, queued outside blood banks till there was surplus blood, arranged for food packets and safe drinking water for those traveling back home and so on and so forth. But then wouldn’t any other city have done the same. Be it, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai or even New York, London or Madrid, all would have reacted similarly. It has nothing to do with spirit of the city, after all we are all humans and it’s our duty to help those who need it, especially in such circumstances. Had I been in Mumbai, I too would have done the same, irrespective of a person's caste, creed, religion and maybe even nationality. Try telling the families devastated by these blasts, those who have lost their breadwinners, those who have lost their parents, those mothers who have lost their children about this spirit. Why should have their near and dear ones died, why should there have been a need to donate blood, why should have there been blasts in the first place??? I know we all end up blaming the police, the IB for intelligence failure, the government for not keeping things under check, and even Pakistan who must be responsible for all this. But then aren’t we Mumbaikars also equally guilty?It’s been 13-14 years now, since the 93 serial blasts. Even 5 year old kids would tell you who did it, and who supported them with logistics and finances to execute that brutal act. We have seen the bomb blast case go on endlessly, people being acquitted for lack of evidence, and the most chilling fact of them all, the mastermind of these blasts, Dawood, sitting merrily in Pakistan. Don’t we all know that Pakistan is the root cause of all problems that India has faced? Do we actually need investigations to bring to light the fact that Pakistan was behind these blasts as well. Every single person would know this. But what have we done about this. People can come out in the streets and in huge numbers, to fight problems as trivial as water shortage, power shortage, etc. But has anyone of us come out in the open to question the government about what has it done to get Dawood back. Can’t we pressurize our local MPs that every time there is a Parliament session; this point has to be brought forth. Cant we question our government as to why do we require friendship with Pakistan when it endorses terrorist activities in our country. Shouldn’t they be questioned about why we are required to pamper Pakistan when the person who was responsible for the death of 250 odd people in 93 is sitting merrily in that country? Don’t we feel anything for those who have lost their lives, their families, wont we react until there is a personal loss??? How selfish have we become? Will we just not react? Just start a new day, hoping that it is not our last day? Lot has been made of the fact that Mumbai returns to normalcy within few hours. Well, in 93 I thought this was our grit, our resilience, our way of answering the terrorists, that we will not fall, however hard they may try, whatever they may do, we will take them head on and foil all their plans. But not anymore. Probably what I had mistaken for resilience, grit, spirit of Mumbai then was just plain simple indifference, apathy, numbness, spiritlessness. Cant the Mumbai which contributes to 60-70% of the country's taxes, hold the government to ransom and tell them that nothing will be normal, till the culprits are brought to justice, that the city will be dysfunctional as long as we pursue this imaginary friendship with Pakistan. I know there will be huge economic losses but then that is what will wake up our government. If we can break ties with Pak after the Parliament attack, then why can’t we do the same now? Are the lives of the politicians more valued than those of ordinary citizens, should we wait for those sitting in tight security zones in Delhi to react. We have to ask ourselves these qts, and then our elected reps. Are we going to sit in those same blood stained train compartments where many of our fellow citizens lost their lives, and go to work as usual, as if nothing happened. Won’t those gory images of what happened a few days back ask us any questions? Are we driven so much by money, that we'll swallow this incident like a bitter pill and forget it. Look what the President of Kotak AMC has to say...'Infys quarterly results and the blasts would negate each others effect'. This is the pure materialistic attitude of us Mumbaikars. Shame on us. We are such hypocrites that to hide our indifference to what has happened we call it the “Spirit of the city”. We have become so accustomed to this, that it’s almost become a routine, something that should have sent a shiver down our spines, doesn’t even get our attention. Wake up Mumbai and Mumbaikars, before it’s too late.Now some peace of mind for those intellectuals, who still think that we can have lasting peace and friendship with Pakistan. How can we trust a country like it (for any other country the pronoun would have been her)? They don’t even deserve our attention, forget our friendship. Just to please a few of the minority community who have their relatives and families over there, should we put the lives of thousands other in danger. A lot is said about the fact that terrorists do not have any nationality, religion, that most of them are misguided youth, suffering due to lack of education and poverty. Utter rubbish. The people responsible for these blasts were well educated computer literate youth. Fanatics will display a spontaneous reaction to situations; these were pre-planned, well planned attacks. Cold blooded murders, one may say. These are exceptional circumstances and we need to take exceptional measures to counter them, we cannot be soft as our puppet PM (sorry to use that word, because I still have utmost respect for him) who is a very anti thesis of a warrior and proud Sikhs we have grown up or heard about. I am sorry to say that these inactions will lead to weakening of India and will make us more divisive instead of uniting us. Let’s realize a simple fact that Pakistan is a friend in need and an enemy in deed. How long will we tolerate its nuisance? Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t advocate an out and out war with Pakistan, that time has passed by. They are now a nuclear power and a very foolish one too, can use those weapons without even thinking about their repercussions even once. But we can at least seal our borders; stop the flow on man and material across the border, instead of starting buses and trains. As it is, our borders are porous; we can do without official vehicles for transporting these terrorists. The sooner we realize this, the better for us. I personally have a lot of hatred towards that country but will restrain myself from discussing the same over here.Let’s hope that now we see some actions and not reactions, no more cowardice sugarcoated in the name of spirit. Let’s unite and fight terrorism not turn our backs to it. And finally let’s all pray that one day there would be no Pakistan on the world map and that day comes sooner rather than later. If 1 billion people pray, then God won’t disappoint us. Hope to see that day in my lifetime.Long live Mumbai, Long live India. Pakistan … (did not feel like using bad words, why unnecessarily insult them (the bad words), obviously).

Indian politicians form a football team.....

With India not making it to this edition of the World Cup and it looks like she won’t be making it to the finals for the next 15-20 years, all the talk has been surrounding the politics involved in the game, thought out writing about a football team formed by our very own politicians.....Goalkeeper: Absolutely no competition for this slot. It goes to J. Jayalalitha (for obvious reasons). Even Gianluggi Buffon would look like an amateur I front of her. And guess what everyone who SMSs for her in the "Player of the match" contest get free sarees and colour televisions. Her nearest competitor for this slot is K. Karunanidhi, you just cannot slip the ball in between his legs (again for obvious reason). If the coach makes him the no.1 goalkeeper than he is bound to get a contract as a football expert on Sun TV.Defenders: I would have put the ever dependable, crisis-man in this place, Pramod Mahajan, who else, but alas he is no more. Another person who comes to mind is A.B. Vajpayee, but he has a recurring knee injury sustained during his last stint as the captain of a club called "parliament" in India, handling the whims and fancies of his 18-man team. yet another one is Arjun Singh, who it seemed, a few months back was on the fag end of his career, but has made a late surge and given his career a new dimension, albeit jeopardizing the careers of all others who aspire to play the game. Not one to follow the instructions from the coach (I'll come to him later), this guy has tremendous sense of occasion and a talent to manipulate situations. He has pledged that he'll pass the ball to only 50% of the players, the OBC ones and also requested the FIFA to increase the no. of players from 11 to 22 so that everyone gets an opportunity to play. The quality of the players and of the game are least of his worries. The last of the defenders would be Amar Singh. This guy adds a new dimension to the sport, not on the field but off the field, with his entourage of film starts and corporates adding glamour to the sport.Midfielders: Laloo is the playmaker. A footballer who played pathetically for his club mainly because he thought his position was secure. Now he is out of that club. So he is playing for his country quite well. Though many people think it is because of his support staff. The next is Sharad Pawar, famous for his hard tackles, bound to keep ball possession and weave an entire game around himself. He has serious issues with the President of the Football Association and may be seen warming the bench, if he doesnt fall in line with her. Next is the firebrand right-winger, Narendra Modi. Expect him to make hard tackles, at times injuring opposition players, give controversial interviews, but be there for his team when most needed and resurrect them from the doldrums when required.Forwards: You require some youngsters in this position, for they can show some innovation and the urge to speed up things. The choice revolves around, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia. Not much can be said about their performace as they are just in their 1st seasons with their respective clubs. Another contender for this spot was Rahul Mahajan, but he now runs the risk of a two year ban for consuming performance enhancing drugs. However we maybe eventually end up seeing that none of these make it to the final 11. That spot will surely be taken up by Rahul Gandhi. Not because he has performed well, actually this guy hasn’t played football at, school, college, club or any other level. But then he has been drafted into the team because he is the son of the President, whose family has been ruling the sport in particular and the Indian mentality in general for the last half a decade.Coach: Manmohan Singh would be coach. During his 1st stint as coach, some 15 years back, he did a great job by getting in foreign recruits, creating competition, boosting performance levels and at times even hurting a few egos. A coach with sound strategies but armed with players out of whom 50% have no intentions to follow them, 25% are too daft to follow them and the rest are covered in the next point. Sonia Gandhi will be the coach's coach, the President. The person who is not a part of the team but who runs it. It is because of her that the remaining 25% follow the strategies of Mr. Singh. However these players tend to fall all over themselves to please the coach's coach. Prominent among them are Natwar Singh (who has been red carded indefinitely for doing some hanky panky with a few family members and friends), Arjun Singh, etc.The support staff activities would be looked after by the members of the Left parties. They would never enter the playing field, maybe not even the stadium. However all match analysis (read criticism) would be left to these people. Chances are that this support staff might shift loyalties to another game where one of their heroes (shame to many others, that definitely includes me), needs them to resurrect (read, burn effigies, riot, bring things to a a standstill) his career which is virtually over.That’s about it....oops forgot to add something important. Rival teams and punters are most welcome to fix matches. all processes are streamlined and all rates are duly fixed. A list of official middlemen will be circulated 2 days prior to the game. Interested parties can get in touch with them. Punters approaching through a middleman named Quattrochi would be given preference.

Gentle-giant of Indian Cricket

There is a cliché in cricket, That it is a batsman's game. And how true it is! I am really perplexed by how little the bowlers receive in terms of appreciation, from the authorities, media and even from the fans. Maybe a few flamboyant ones like Murali, Shoaib, Lee, Warne (though I guess he is in the news for reasons other than cricket) get their due in terms of media space, endorsements and in a general sense recognition for their achievements. However its the workmanlike bowlers who tend to lag behind, be it Pollock, Mcgrath, Kumble...the list I guess is endless. This particular phenomenon has pinched me for quite some time now and so decided to write about it. However, in this particular blog I would restrict myself to Anil Kumble - Not my most favourite cricketer (that place will always be reserved for, THE GOD), but surely the cricketer I respect the most.
In a country like India, where the population is fanatic about cricket to say the least, where, the sport is not just a sport but a way of life (Some say its a religion, I say its more than that, there will be another blog on this, i guess...) and where cricketers enjoy the status of demi-gods, its very surprising to see that in most of the discussions Anil Kumble's name is not taken in the same breath as a Sachin, Dravid, Shewag, Yuvraj...Even someone like Dhoni who has recently joined the team has more fan following and more endorsements than Kumble. Not that I am complaining about this, but its something that I just cant figure out...why?There have been two instances on the cricket field which have touched me the most. One was a misty eyed Sachin Tendulkar scoring a century, albeit against Kenya, after a huge personal loss. That the one, which has been quite talked about as well. The other one is about Anil Kumble, playing with a broken jaw, with his face bandaged, just to earn a draw for India. And he bowled relentlessly that day, with the same probing line and length that we have come to accept from him and even got the prized scalp of Brian Lara. My admiration for this guy just skyrocketed from that day.
I have heard people arguing and even making fun of the fact that he doesn’t turn the ball as much as his contemporaries do. But i ask, who cares? He still manages to get wickets. And its not without skill that he has survived in international cricket for a decade and a half and got more than 500 test wickets. We are so very trilled and excited to see to a ball pitching outside the leg and uprooting the off stump, that we fail to realize the importance of a ball pitching of a ball pitching in line, missing the bat and getting an LBW. As it goes down in the books, its just a wicket. The point I would like to make is that, the turn that Kumble extracts or the lack of it shouldn't be used as an excuse to belittle his achievements. After all, bowling consistently, day in day out, with nagging accuracy, with the same line and length is an art in itself, though not an exciting one.
I am intentionally staying away from quoting statistics, because I believe one can manipulate them to suit one's argument. For a team like India, which has always be spoilt by the riches of batting resources, scoring runs has never been a problem., at least in the subcontinent. But to win matches you need to take 20 opposition wickets. Thats's where I guess, this person's true greatness lies. He has single-handedly marshaled India's bowling attack for years now, and has had a major role to play in almost all our victories. Though the batsman end up with all the adulation, media hype and Man of the Match awards, its his contribution which sets apart Victory from a Draw. Also its the failure of the batsman overseas, who don’t give him enough runs to play with, which accounts for our poor overseas record. The 2003-04, Australia tour was a perfect example of what wonders this guy can do, if the batters manage to set a decent score.
I sincerely believe that how you bat, bowl or field can make you great, but to become a legend, a hero, an idol, I think there has to be a clean image, on and off the field. That’s something Kumble has achieved. Never have we seen him criticizing selectors for his exclusion, neither getting involved in any arguments with his team-mates nor any untoward incident with opposition players. Its the respect that you command from your peers which matters the most and Kumble leads the pack in this regard. To some it may seem, it is submissiveness, but to me, it is the true spirit of the game, after all, its not without reason that this game is called "The Gentleman's Game", and Kumble just epitomizes this spirit.
I genuinely think that you realize the importance of people when they have left the scene. The of loss Sachin, Dravid and co. as and when they retire will be felt, but a large extent of it will be made up by people like Shewag, Yuvraj, Dhoni etc. but what I am most worried about is the fate of Indian bowling attack in the absence of Kumble. He'll probably retire in a couple of years and unless we find an understudy to him and develop him to carry on Kumble's legacy we may again become a struggling side. In any case, our bowling attack would be orphaned without him.But then thats life, and thats cricket, because cricket is life. So lets appreciate and celebrate his achievements as long as he is performing (thats the least we can do as a mark of respect for this guy).
Long live JUMBO!!!PS: plsss, if somebody is listening, have him in the WC'07 team.....plsssss