And it continues

Well, finished watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S ... the tenth time. It started way back, in 2005.

And I a pretty sure the eleventh time would have begun by the end of next year.

Yeah, there are things other than Wine and Single malt which get better with time.

It Sucks to be sucked into work

I wanted to be home early today. Mainly coz of the match to be played tomorrow morning.
I did not sleep much last night ... several reasons; Phone calls, Wonder Years, Girls in my dreams ...
Anyway, the gist of the matter being I wanted to sleep big time. And there was no way I was going to miss Tuesday morning's Cricket. After all, Saturday was so much fun ...
And guess what, things actually went wrong at office.
As I watched my colleagues leave office one by one, while I was stuck deploying a war file.
I mean, it's a darn simple procedure a two year old can do in 5 minutes; it's no rocket science once you know it. But something went wrong... horribly wrong.


I got exceptions of the kind and size I had never seen before. No help was at hand. My US counterparts were having an off day celebrating Columbus Day (Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt). And the Indians were already cozy in their homes ....
As I battled the horrible errors, my frustration began to mount. Here I was, bursting my brains out for an answer, while everyone else was enjoying, thanks to democracy and the election vacation it brought with it.


It kept on building, until I snapped. Most likely, the error was out of my league. I had done all I knew a million times. Nothing helped, not the online help for Weblogic neither the scores of Log file entries.
Moreover, I needed a few access IDs to probe further, and as I said, nobody was there.
In the end, after all that sweat, I narrowed it down to three possibilities. First, maybe the war file had gotten corrupt. No big deal, happens frequently. Second, maybe the file had been accidentally placed at the incorrect location in the server. And thirdly, that there might have been an issue with the rights of that file/containing folder.
I really really hope that the reason is one of the three. Else, all that hard work done alone in the office would amount to nothing. It would make a big stupid out of me if tomorrow the error turned out to be something which I could have fixed by myself.
Anyways, may I bat and bowl and field and argue like a true champion tomorrow. AMEN.

Saturday Morning Cricket

The Gladiators... another one is behind the camera.. me

The weekend has definitely started with a bang. Work finished on a good note in office yesterday, followed by an impromptu beer party late night, and now today morning, the gala event ... a cricket match.

The wheels of today morning's events were set in motion by a discussion at the start of the week by the regular Cricket enthusiasts of our office. One thing led to another, including a tasteful chain mail on Thursday, and generous contributions by people (in some cases unwillingly).
Once the funds were in order, the whole gear was bought which included a baseball kit for a cricket game.
Now lets get one thing straight. It is not easy to wake up at 6 am on a weekend when tons and tons of Beer has been consumed the previous night.
But as fate had it, after calls being made all around to get people out of beds, we were there on the field in Kandiwali.

All in all, the game and it's vibe cannot be described in words. But still a few stellar moments will remain etched in the memory of most who were a part of today's celebration. Moments when champions were born, revenge was taken, reputations were tossed ...

1. We found two genuine all rounders ; Siddharth and Sreenath. They carried the teams, with their batting, bowling, fielding, arguing and cheating skills.

...................... Him and of the Gutter ....................

2. We discovered that we are as a group gifted with a bunch of truly besharam sportsmen around us; with few like Ankit, Siddharth, Nigam and Vinay standing out.

............................... Body builder allrounder ..............

2. The Dark horse was Vinay, whom everyone perceived to be a kachchi goti before the game. But he showed that he has the mettle to swing the bat towards leg side off each and every ball bowled by each and every bowler. His blitzkrieg in the first match was a moral breaking innings for the opponents (Sid, Nigam, Ankit). From next time, there will be no off side field for him.

.................... Loosers to pay for breakfast .....................

3. The back-breaking over by Chinmay when he uprooted the stumps of Ankit and Nigam, ensuring a speedy end to an already lost match.

......................... The Devastating Over ..........................

3. It still remains a concrete fact that ball wire se nahi lagee thee , courtesy Ankit.

4. The outburst by the last man standing, Chinmay, when he found out that his right to stand his ground were being denied as the last wicket (Rahul) was caught and bowled by Sreenath.
ye sab kya bakwaas hai
Main ghar jaa raha hu
Main nahi khel raha
This legendary whining reminded me of the time I was in 4th class and used to bitch around and get my way (owing to the best bat on the block)

5. The comeback over by Ankit followed by the life Chinmay got after that, where he had his revenge by claiming his wicket. It could have been a first ball wicket caught by the keeper, Rahul. Bur unfortunately Rahul's Team Spirit far exceeded his Sportsman Spirit, as he dropped the catch.

.............................. Taandav Mudra ............................
6. Rahul was the most relaxed person on the ground. Barring his laziness, he proved to be a good guy to have on your side. Also, no one dances like him.

........................... The Unbeaten ..................
7. Nigam thinks he has silenced everyone by his brilliant unbeaten Opener's knock. He will soon realise that things wont change in any way.

8. Sid Shukla played knock of the day, the only 50 scored, to clinch the last match.

.................... Food is Always Good ............
So, 4 matches down, we emerged victorious men. We headed to get our brunch, after retrieving the balls from dubious places and packing our gear. Our appetite was well served, and the presence of Thakur College chicks made things better.

................... Very Very hungry .....................


We will meet again next Tuesday, same place, hopefully a bit earlier ... and the baseball bat may come in handy that day ... The worst loss in 4 matches (Team winner of Fair Play award)

Politics and Movies in India

I recently saw a few movies highly recommended to me. By coincidence, they all turned out to be political dramas. Crisp, thrilling, and with a high dosage of reality.

Thirteen days captures the 13 days in JFK's presidency when the world came dangerously closed to a nuclear war, a potential World War III. It started with USSR creating missile sites in Cuba. The movie captures the tensions pretty realistically; the armed forces Chiefs hell bent on a confrontation to salvage their pride after the bay of pigs fiasco, the back channel negotiations with Kruschev, and so on.



Frost-Nixon is a classic; brilliant screenplay and superb acting. It is a s much a reflection on the chemistry between David Frost and Richard Nixon as much as the interviews revealing the confessions of a fallen world leader.



The best thing about Lions for Lambs is that the narrative and treatment leaves you with unanswered questions. The parallel scenes presenting the political, philosophical and real action on the ground encapsulated my imagination. A charismatic Republican Senator breaks the exclusive story of a new strategy in Afgan war to a veteran journalist. A Professor of Political Science probes a bright student as to why has he stopped attending his lectures, while making his arguments based on two former students. And then we see those 2 students in action in Afganistan at the same time. Simply superb.



It made me wonder what was it that Kevin Costener, Ron Howard and Robert Redford had in common. Why can't such movies be made here, with our rich, diverse and complicated political legacy.
Other than partition, no other issue has really been dealt with credibly till date.
Maybe one of the reasons is a lack of mature enough audience. But is that the main issue? Come to think of it, is it really possible to objectively play political leaders of the past and present as characters in our country?
The answer is sadly NO.
We can't have a movie on our politics unless it's an all praise biopic of some leader. Or else, it has to be a war movie. We do have some good work in background of terrorist activities, but the center is never politics; it's either terrorism itself or a bunch of characters affected by it.

I've heard and read a lot of stuff, why not touch those topics?
1. Political upheavel when India carved out its states on linguistic basis.
2. Nehru's era post Chinese 1962 invasion.
3. Jay Prakash movement, emergency and Naxalism.
4. Reservations
5. The rise of regional parties

These came to my mind at the drop of the hat, and I'm sure there are many more out there. I soooo wish we had some good Indian movies based on Real Politic.
I hope it happens one day.

Help

All my life I have been too proud to ask for help. Or should I say, too reluctant. Always, without fail. No matter how big or small the crisis, I never went to anybody ever. Always trying to figure it out on my own.

Occasionally I got creamed along the way due to this. I wasted a lot of time figuring out stuff I could have simply asked; I took decisions on my own, when the advise of others didn't sound convincing.
Some things you just don't learn I guess. Maybe one is made a certain way, that can't be undone. Somewhere deep down, I think the burden of satisfying my ego hinged upon me being independent. If you ask for help, you are not good enough.
And this isn't the worst part. Somewhere along the way, I realised something was wrong. And another realisation followed this one; it was already too late. Even if I decide to change from now on, it'll take too long to actually be able to do it. Moreover, I cannot undo the things I have already done. Those actions, the results of which have so far steered the course of my life, I just can't go back and undo them.
Everybody wants a fresh start, a clean slate, a second chance. And everybody knows .. it ain't coming.
There is no heroism in being on your own all the time.
I recall the title song from the Sitcom Scrubs ..
Well, I know what I've been told
You've got to work to feed the soul
But I can't do this all on my own
No, I know
I'm no Superman

Just how our Nation spends Money ...

Today Chandrayaan-1 led to the confirmation of presence of water on moon via American made M3.
The cost of this historic discovery was Rs 386 crores (77 million)Just made me think how well this money had been spent, such wealth of knowledge and expertise was applied to complete the mission, and further wealth and knowledge to be generated as a consequense.

Another news some time back was the a 300-feet high statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji to be erected in the Arabian Sea, facing the Marine Drive. The proposal is for it to be surrounded by a garden with a museum. It will be a unique a landmark in the country's financial capital.
The cost of this project is estimated at around Rs 350 cores (70 million)
Speaking of Mumbai Landmarks, nobody can miss the grand Bandra-Worli sea link that stands proudly as the city's ornament.
This project, when all 8 lanes are complete will eventually cost us Rs 1600 crores (400 million )
UPA government's Farm loan waiver, Rs 60,000 crore (12,000 million)
And then we have Mayawati statues in Lucknow and Noida, at a cost of Rs 500 crore (100 million)

The DMK government gave away colour TVs worth Rs 700 crores (140 million)

The Delhi Metro project, which has set high standards of project completion and execution not only in India but worldwide has cost of Phase 1 as Rs 10,600 crores (2120 million)

Now people will have a different take on each of these acivities and others like that depending on their socio-economic level, native place and community affiliations. There have already been heated debates about a few of them.

As these random expenditures came to my mind, I realised that the problem isn't the expenditure as such. The concern lies somewhere else:

1. Priority of work. Where is the money required first?
2. Vested interests. Is the work beneficial to some section alone?
3. Whose money is it anyway, to be spent on this work?

Once this gets sorted, there will be no issue. Every activity i wrote above drives economic activity, in some way or other. Those like DMRC, Sea-Link etc can be measured in their ROI as a pure economic activity. Others like statues and Space mission have a greater social impact on the psyche of the nation, compared to the economic rewards.

So, nothing is a waste as such when things begin. The waste sets in when the premise is wrong. The waste in Mumbai's sea-Link project due to court battles; the waste when Mulayam Singh says he will demolish Mayawati statues when he comes to power; the waste when money for farm loan waiver disappears in the middle...
The only matter is, prioritize, start execution with full planning, approvals and advance court rulings.. and dont steal.

Effect of other people

This is a very uncharacteristic blog of mine. Usually i have sth in mind before i begin to write; some vague idea, or some even in my life, or some random topic i want to write about.

Well, I'm not totally blank... i am thinking, and i am not finding an answer.

Why is it that some people make me feel good about myself, while some not.
Why presence of some makes me remain calm wrt most haunting issues in my life, and others make me panic.
Why some make me feel i am worth more, while amongst others i feel I'm worth crap.
Why do i feel negative with some, and positive with others?

I know that all this is idiotic thought, but the effects i have talked about above are very much real.

Why does this happen? I don't know. Is it them, or is it me somewhere, somehow.
It would be good to have some answer.
As of now, i don't have a clue.

Into the wild

When was the last time you saw a movie that took you by storm; when you sat spellbound even when it ends and the credits begin to roll ...

"Into the Wild" is that kind of a movie. A thought provoking plot (based on true story) that cuts across geographies, cultures and demographics. It depicts the contrast of what we really want and what others make us think we want in life. I would recommend one watches it alone.

Every actor aspires for that one defining role in his/her career to catapult into the next league; Amitabh Bachchan got it with Zanzeer, Brad Pitt with Fight Club.
Emile Hirsch comes of age here .. a stunning performance. He acts the part, looks the part; rather, lives the part.

Sean Penn is a creative powerhouse. This movie is spellbinding; to pen a script and give it such an enigmatic and graceful treatment suggests Sean Penn's connection to the persona of Christopher McCandless at some level.

I loved few of his intuitive genius touches:

A. Complementing a situation with the sound of guitar in background and narrating the authors like Thoreau and Tolstoy whose works McCandless carried with him.
B. The breathtaking cinematography, capturing nature's grandeur and terror in the same shots. (I later looked up and found the cinematographer is Eric Gautier, also associated with The Motorcycle Diaries)
C. The impact of side-characters; Rainey, Jan, Wayne and Ron. They come and go, making sense to McCandless's Odyssey.
D. Narration about McCandless by his younger sister.



Some quiet moments convey so much; McCandless standing with his arms wide open, looking at the city lights; when he burns money, cards and other identification; how he feels for the moose that goes bad.

In the end, Christopher McCandless; dead at 24 in a wilderness of Alaska.

His disillusionment with society is explained through dysfunctional family and disturbed childhood.
Still, that is not the reason everyone connects with him.
He reminds me of Buddha, renouncing civilization, embracing nature. He becomes a man free of bondage; no family, no home. Westerners have always been fascinated with seeking the greater truth ... many have come to India; some famous ones like Steve Jobs and The Beatles.

Was he a coward, who ran from life and died out of arrogance and stupidity? Did the uncompromising choices he faced scare him? I think he was a lone hero, who had the guts to go out in search of answers.
We like him because he acted; did not bear with something he did not understand.

We all have had this urge at some point or the other, when we desperately seek to restore meanings to our actions and to this life. But we all either outgrow this phase or bury this feeling. Nobody can deny the fact that something drives some of us to drop out of society; go on a quest and test ourselves in other ways; The famous Walkabout program in Australia is a living testament.

This movie touches everyone; because deep inside, we all believe in Christopher McCandless.

Cheers to "Alexander Supertramp".

Political Masterstroke

Meira Kumar became the First Woman and First Dalit to become the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Further, she hails from Bihar. Her unanimous selection was obvious. It would be politically naive to oppose a Dalit Women.

But I recall a better choice, that should truly be said as a Political Masterstroke. When NDA proposed Dr APJ Abdul Kalam for President. They didn't really had the cushion of such solid numbers as Congress led UPA had here. APJ was a distinguished citizen, a Muslim, essentially an apolitical persona. Still, he wasn't elected unopposed.
What a splendid President he turned out to be ...

Speaking of Politics, a funny observation ... Rahul Gandhi took oath in ENGLISH in the Parliament, while Varun Gandhi took the Oath in HINDI.

Go GILLY Go ... 85 off 35

Well, this entry is entirely to satisfy my EGO

The Deccan Chargers are in the Finals of IPL 2009. Delhi daredevils are out

I am just so glad that I got quite a lot right in my previous blog entry.

1. Adam Gilchrist - His innings can be summarized in one simple German word embedded in English language by the Panzer divisions of Hitler's armies ... BLITZKRIEG



2. Delhi decided to go with Warner instead of Vettori .. and it showed.

3. I said that opening pair was the key for Delhi. Well, they were none for two after 1st over.

4. In hindsight, I believe one thing has hurt Delhi more than people care to admit ... the fine print of the ass of a genious bolwer on the benches of Delhi Daredevils dugout ... Glen McGrath

Not predicting today's match; Kind of want Chennai to loose though, because:

A. I think Dhoni's stars have realligned, and the law of averages is catching up with him. His luck is out. Let him suffer here due to bad luck rather than upcoming T20 World Cup

B. Mathew hayden cannot do it over and over and over and over again.

C. My younger brother Arpan is a fierce CSK supporter, owing to past 4 years he spent at IIT Madras. I just want to pay him back for what he gave me when KKR were thrashed last year (I was in Kolkata then).

Anyways, out of my initial 3 favourites; Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad ; first two are out. So, I want Deccan Chargers to win IPL 2009; In my heart I believe Gilly deserves it completely.

-------------------------------------------------

IMPORTANT : Champion's League, which was supposed to be held in India Dec 2008 and was cancelled dure to 26/11 attacks in Mumbai will be held in India October 23, 2009.

IPL 2: Semi-Final ONE

At the beginning of IPL, These are teams I supported (in order):

1. Delhi Daredevils
2. Mumbai Indians
3. Deccan Chargers

And now, Mumbai is down and out, and I have to choose between two teams I like.





Delhi is looking awesome. No problems anywhere.

1. Now with Sehwag and Gambhir firing yesterday, they can get Vettori in for Warner.
Bowling will look good; Nehra, Vettori, Amit Mishra, Nannes ... I would have McGrath rather than Nannes, but making him play out of the blue just like that isn't a good idea.

2. They are lucky to have a keeper whose Bat is firing; Karthik. Does wonders for team balance.

3. The terrific in-form opening pair will be followed by Dilshan and AB de Villers ... the two share more than 700 runs between them.

I believe the key for Delhi would be the Opening pair. If they fire, half the game is won then and there.



Deccan chargers started with a bang, but what worries me is that they don't have the momentum.
They were done in yesterday by Manish Pandey.
Their middle order isn't so compelling; barring Rohit Sharma of course.
Also, this is the second time they will be playing back to back games.

The thing in their favour is having match winnng players who love the big stage, important games.
Gilchrist's bat was silent all the way to the finals during World Cup 2007 in West Indies, and then he blasted Sri Lanka in the finals and made it a no contest.
Ditto with Gibbs. He is already in runs, scoring 60 yesterday.

It really doesn't matter, coz I know I will be both Heart-Broken and Euphoric when the game ends. All I really wish is that it is not a one sided game, and it doesn't rain.

***
By the way, does anyone knows What does "AB" stand for in AB de Villiers ??
It's Abraham de Villiers

Elections 2009: Results OUT !!!

I was in the 3rd AC of a train when counting commenced saturday morning and the results started pouring in (went to Raipur for Piyush's wedding). Would have simply loved to be glued to TV for those 3 - 4 hoours.

Definitely, UPA is back, NDA is out. Now I am no political Pundit/analyst. But I want to make a few comments:


1. A clear mandate was the LAST thing anyone expected in thes elections. And bhaartiya janta stumped everyone. Yippie !!!

2. This Election was not only engaging, but so much fun !!! Our Electronic media has quite come of age, and they made it a spectacular event, from campaign tracking to post-poll analysis ... Kudos to them.

3. The LEFT Parties got their ass kicked and I loved it. But not really sure if TMC would be any better.



4. Farewell Mr. Advani. I heard people say on Media that you will be remembered for demolishing Babri masjid. But I will remember you for something else; your Rath Yatra created the only viable non-Congress option in India. There was none before that. The regional parties were either the offshoots of Congress itself or a product of the Jay Prakash movement. Not commenting on what the BJP is today, it will most likely remain that thorn which will keep a check on Congress. Thanks to you, the Indian democracy stopped being a Congress Monopoly.

5. Glad that Mayawati, Mulayam, Lalu, Paswan got thrashed. They represent regressive caste politics and backward politics (SP manifesto proposed banning english and computers).




6. We will again have a Prime Minister which Indians feel proud of having. I remember when I watched the joint press conference of Dr. Singh and President Obama at theG-20 summit, I felt in my heart 'Damn, it feels good'. He is decent, clean, educated man. Dr Manmohan Singh, your political legacy as of now can be summarized in two things: Opening up Indian economy in 1991 and the Indo-US Nuke deal in 2008. I sincerely hope that you top these in this term; especially when the people of India have given a mandate which ensures you won't be hamstringed by allies again.

7. I felt the market would jump 700 - 800 points. It broke the upper circuit twice !!! More than 2000 points gained today.

Ladies from the SITCOMS

I'm a big fan of Sitcoms on Western TV ... The fad really started in college ...
I started with the mother of all SITCOMS, F.R.I.E.N.D.S ... and since then, it has never really stopped ...

The level of script writing, production quality and acting has often made me wonder how can the aam janta in India bear with the Saas bahu saagaas ...

Anyway, this one is about the female leads ... so, I list my favourites below ...

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Well, I just couldn't post a pic of Monica, rachel and Phoebe alone .. I just could not do it. Frankly, it is hard for me to think of them without the guys.



SEINFELD

She holds her own amidst the wild trio - Jerry, Kramer and George.
Elaine Benes .. Great Actor ...



The OC

Now, I watched this purely for the girls ... there is nothing new or good in this teenage drama ... except the girls. Of course, the other things like the beaches, the bunglows, the cars, the parties ... they all merely add to the main thing.
Hats off to Marisa Cooper and Summer Roberts; not for acting, but for looking so hot.



LOST

This is a series I cannot praise enough. Just watch it if you are into Sitcoms ...

I have chosen seven beauties from this huge starcast ... Cynthia Watros as Libby, Elizabeth Mitchell as Julia, Emilie de Ravin as claire, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Maggie Grace as Shannon, Michelle Rodriguez as Ana Lucia and Yunjin Kim as Sun.






















SCRUBS

Jordan and Elliot ... former is hot and latter is cute ...







BOSTON LEGAL

Another TV series I highly respect ... and the galz are goood. The best is Julie, followed by Rhona Mitra. Marisa is awesome as Alan;s secretary, and of course, the British chic Tara Summers has awesome British accent.
















GILMORE GIRLS
A shitty TV series ... but the kid daughter (Alexis) is WOW !!!



How I met your Mother

Cobie Smulders is a smokin gal, as Robin, she brings the oomph factor. This is the recent most addition to this list ...




Well, there were others as well without any female lead, like THE APPRENTICE, FULL HOUSE and WONDER YEARS... along with animated series THE SIMPSONS and SOUTHPARK.
And then there is a laugh riot ""The Coupling, where none of the females are particularly awesome.

There goes my list ... And I am sure more will follow.

To Movies and Moments ...

I saw "Good Will Hunting" (again). Boy. Some movies just grow on me. Each time I see them, I discover something I hadn't yet noticed. And this movie always reminds me of someone.

It reminds me of a college friend. He called such movies as "Talking Movies". I remember once, after a particularly heavy booze night, when he had puked and I was starting to get sober after being wild for quite some time, we decided to see "Good Will Hunting" and go for a Night-Out; and then crash in our beds after a particularly hot morning chai from Ramdhani.

That Friend is Sayantan Bhowmik aka bhoshi aka Shaitan.

Now he is in US, I am in Mumbai, last time I met him was way back in 2008. I don't recall him like ever, but when I do, I sure miss him.

Here below is the scene from that movie, which we saw repeatedly 2 - 3 times that night. I don't recall it happening exactly, and I am sure neither Bhoshi can ... but I know it happened coz it is there in my next day's diary entry.



Sean: Thought about what you said to me the other day, about my painting. Stayed up half the night thinking about it. Something occurred to me... fell into a deep peaceful sleep, and haven't thought about you since. Do you know what occurred to me?

Will: No.

Sean: You're just a kid, you don't have the faintest idea what you're talking' about.

Will: Why thank you.

Sean: It's all right. You've never been out of Boston.

Will: Nope.

Sean: So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared shitless kid. But you're a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my fucking life apart. You're an orphan right?

[Will nods]

Sean: You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fuckin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PS: Hope to see you soon Bhoshi ...

Incredible

I'm not an avid tennis follower. I do watch tennis. Never been into the game though, except perhaps an odd match featuring Maria Sharapova, or when Paes-Bhuapati-Sania do something. But something happened last year which made me more curious about tennis; Men's tennis to be precise.

Wimbledon 2008 had just ended. I was in Germany. First Onsite, I was trying to make the sweet talk with the client, and he said, "Something has happened to these Spaniards". I promptly started the conversation along the lines of Germany's loss in the 13th EURO cup final, complementing the German players. But few minutes into the conversation I figured he was primarily referring to the OTHER Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal.

He went on and on about the final, and the loss of Roger Federer. Back in India, I knew something fascinating was going on in Tennis, but was too preoccupied with my preparation for the trip. I just sat there, looked in his eyes, and nodded, providing the inconsequential fillers as the discussion carried on and others joined in.

As soon as I got time, I looked it up over the Internet, and BAM !!! I knew history had been created as I read the first partial line that GooGle threw up;
"...Wimbledon defeat that ended 9-7 in the fifth set".

Boy, I was so excited that FedEx was defeated on a grass court on the verge of his
14th Grand Slam.

I read all that I could about it, I found how oblivious I was to the the arch rivalry that had gripped the world of men's tennis for five years. This is how this Cricket crazy nation hammers down our psyche, the latest strike being the blockbuster IPL.

I made a vow then and there, that I would make amends.

And yesterday, I got my chance for redemption. The clash of the titans was to happen down under.

Setting aside my books for GMAT, I tuned in to Star Sports at 2 pm IST. And a desperate wish left my heart; "Please, let it be worth the wait".

The odds were evenly balanced; even though Nadal had proved to be Federer's nemesis for the past year, he wasn't well rested like the Swiss, who had an easy Semi-Final (avoided defending champion Novak Djokovic) and a day's break before the final test. Nadal's knee wasn't in the best shape either.

First set into the match, and I felt that today Fedex will equal Sampras. After all, despite the high octane tennis, he was leading 4-2.

However, as Nadal thwarted 6 break points in the third set (a tiebreaker), I knew my wish had been granted.

Although I am unaware of the technicalities of tennis, I can say Federer played a horrible 5th set. He looked and moved bad. Commentators kept saying how Nadal was displaying his nerve similar to Wimbledon 2008. Federer wilted in the 5th set, and I watched Nadal collapse to the floor in delight. I felt what millions must have felt in that moment; the height of joy and grief in a single moment. The world No. 1 had won a classic Australian Open final to secure his first hard-court Grand Slam title in style.

I was speechless. Too much in awe of the battle just concluded. And the presentation ceremony began ...

I later learned that 3 years ago Roger FedEx wept in the arms of his icon Rod Laver as he accepted the winner's trophy at the Australian Open.

He was brought to tears once again. I felt a lump in my throat as FedEx faltered to speak, unable to contain himself.

"God, it's killing me. I love this game, it means the world to me and it hurts when you lose."
"In the first moment you're disappointed, you're shocked, you're sad, then all of a sudden it overwhelms you," Federer said. "The problem is, you can't go in the locker room and take it easy and take a cold shower. You can't. It's the worst feeling."



It is moments like these which capture the greatness of sport. To see an all time great writhing in agony, unable to control his feelings. And Nadal responded as a true Sportsman should...

“Sorry for today,” Nadal told Federer. “I know how you’re feeling right now. It’s really tough. But remember you are a great champion, you are one of the best in history and you’re going to improve the 14 of Sampras.”

In the end, "jo jita wahi sikander"

It was such a contrast to the women's Final, where Serena Williams demolished Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 within an hour. I can't help asking "How the hell could Nadal recover from the 5 hour gruelling semi-final with Fernando Verdasco"? 10 hours of Tennis in 3 days! Never did I feel in any of the long rallies that Nadal showed signs of fatigue.

I guess when Nadal overpowered Federer last year at Wimbledon, he broke his heart. Till then, Nadal had been the God of Clay, and Federer the God of grass courts. Unlike in 2006, when the Swiss overpowered Nadal in the Wimbledon finals after straight four losses, Nadal won in an epic battle, said by most analysts to be the best game of tennis ever.

Nadal ended Federer's record streaks of 5 Wimbledon titles and 65 wins on grass.
It was like we say in hindi, "Ghar me ghus ke maarna" (to beat someone in its own backyard)

Nadal had tasted the same frustration in the Hamburg Masters in 2007, where his 81-match clay win streak spanning over two years was brought to a grinding halt by Federer. Incidently, that is the only time Federer has defeated Nadal on clay till date.

FedEx is a champion. And champions dont like to loose. Period. Looks like the July 2008 defeat left a lasting scar on Federer's psyche, which seems to have grown in a mental block. Everyone is talking about it. Federer looks all too shaken up.



This IS the era of Nadal and Federer. They have ruled Men's tennis for so long now. The signs of an ultimate showdown had begun to appear in Wimbledon 2007, when Nadal made Federer uncharacteristically lose his cool and complain to the umpire about the Hawk-Eye line calling system. Their differing personalities and playing styles have made the rivalry such a compelling one to follow. That is the beauty of their rivalry.
Yesterday, everyone wanted Roger to equal Sampras as much as they wanted Nadal to prevail. In the end, the true winner turned out to be Tennis.
Champions rise to great challenge. These two spur each other and churn out the unbelievable in each other.
Taking a cue from movies, the current Heavyweight champion Mason Dixon in "Rocky Balboa" wasn't considered great despite being a superb boxer simply because he had no worthy opponent to give him a fight. In "MI-2", the deadly virus Chimera was purposefully developed to make use of a wonderful antidote Bellerophon which was discovered first. Batman in The Dark Knight shined brighter in heroic glory because of The Joker.

In the past few years, the duo's dominance has been challenged in some measure by Novan Djokovic, who emerged in the summer of 2007, and has been in the fray ever since. I can't help but recall his impersonations of Sharapova and Nadal.

On top of it, Federer and Nadal are true sportsmen in the real sense; whom kids need to follow and get inspired. They are better than the Wayne Rooneys and Gautam Gambhirs of the world who wear their lack of discipline and arrogance on field with pride under the cloak of aggression.

How will this rivalry pan out in years to come? Well, Nadal is certainly an incredible player, but the huge role that raw power and stamina play in his game makes me wonder how long will it be before his body breaks down? He is 22 and already has problems with his knee. Federer is a seasoned pro and a champion at heart. Nobody can deny his return, which will be tough, considering the next Grand Slam is the French Open.

I also feel we need more variety of sport in India. Our Cricket team has let us down several times, too long we have been desperate to have a champion team worthy of the fan following it has. It isn't right that our cravings be served by one sport. I will never forget the image of Nadal's arm around Federer after the match. The nearest one in Cricket that comes to my mind are a bare chested Ganguly in the Lord's balcony and the T20 world cup winning team in Johannesburg. We need more such enduring images across the sporting spectrum. We need more like Gopichand, Yuki, Abhinav Bindra, Saina, Vishwanathan Anand, Vijayendra and Geet Sethi.
Cricket being a team sport can't provide certain thrills that those like Tennis can, where greats are crowned as they scale the Everest all by themselves. Besides, more sport would make us better as a society; we need the inherent sporting qualities like diligence, patience, focus and hard work to be imbued in our children and youth.

I believe this has been one of my most passionate blogs. I see I have written a lot as always, but I have done it in one sitting. I am out of ideas and opinions, but I still want to write more. I just can't have enough of it.
That is what sport does to you...

May the saga of Rafa vs Roger continue in days to come.

Hallelujah.

When they talk, LISTEN

I always like to meet new people. Always. And better, it is far more interesting and far more fruitful to get to KNOW new people. I am talking about getting to know others beyond the courtesies of Hello, Thank You and Goodbye. It is about getting to talk to them. Hear them out, what they have to say.

Everyone has his/her own perspective of life. I have, you have. A very insignificant number of people really KNOW what their perspective is. Those are the ones who are sure of what they are doing, why they are doing it. Most of us know WHAT we want. But when we have to decide at crucial junctures about the "How I want it", we all go primarily by our instinct. We decide on the spot, then and there, considering the ramifications; either thinking logically or just following our heart. However, the blurred idea of our perspective of life that we cling to in our subconscious mind is always guiding us.

I have an inkling of what my perspective is. I am unable to put it into words yet. I know it is evolving. It is something which none of us can rush through as we live each day. It gets shaped by every moment one lives.

So, when I really get talking to someone, I hear out the person, and try to sample out the few, discreet words and lines , backed by their expressions and body language. I don’t judge others this way. The only objective here is to help me restore meaning to life, looking at it through the other’s eyes.

I believe everyone finds their anchor before they die. Towards the end of life, the wisdom gathered over years of experience has to sample out what was truly important to them for all these years. And then in retrospect, everyone comes to comprehend the true force behind their actions, their decisions.

I don't know when the moment of truth will come for me and what will it will be like. I am not even sure whether there really will be a moment of truth. All I am aware of today is that I don’t want to wait to get there. I am unwilling to find about it as life takes its course.

The limitation is that I have only one life to live (to hell with re-incarnation), and only 24 hours in a day, just as every other person. So, the only way out is to share the experiences of others. Or should I say, to share the life of others... So that you will get closer to knowing who you are.

Is it unnecessary? Am I doing all this merely for my intellectual appetite? Is this just a quest to satisfy my ego? I don’t know. I know only one thing; that I need answers, even if the answer turns out to be that it was all irrelevant, and I want it as soon as possible.