Second Hand

A long time ago, a certain Ayn Rand wrote an in-your-face, blatantly honest, thought provoking novel by the name of 'The Fountainhead'. In it, the protagonist, a self-proclaimed egotist, lives his life and works his profession in the only way he knew how, in his own terms. He is not open to borrowing ideas, not keen on accepting changes to his plans, and in general not in favour of most of the compromises people make to 'gel' with society. He says that every person has a brain of his own, to use on his own. A group can come up with a joint solution, but each person comes up with their own idea, using their own thought process, from which a decision is made. He says further that everyone who has ever made a great discovery or invention has not done it for others, but to get an end result to his own creative thought. From collegiate life to professional life, he is generally hated for his lack of social ethos. Infact, people are afraid of him. People are afraid of him succeeding. They are perhaps afraid that their otherwise slovenly world would suddenly have meaning, make sense. This fear can be attributed to man's general intolerance towards change. 'Let things be as they are...' is much easier to say and to do than 'Let me try something new today...' or asking the simple question 'Why?'. 'Why does it happen this way? Is this the only possible solution? Can't I come up with something better?'. When was the last time you asked those questions?
Though Ayn Rand wrote this book almost three quarters of a century ago, it is more than relevant today. If somebody at office tells you,"There is no need to think about the way you do your programs, just follow the way it's been done in the existing ones. There is a shortage of time and we can't afford experiments. There is no need for you to put new inputs into this." And to top it off, this was supposed to be my 'learning' for that day! Whatever Miss Rand wrote all those years ago, I could hear them resonating in my head that day. There is a serious shortage of independent thinking. The worse part is I'm starting to fear that I'd lose that ability myself trying to be professional. There are very few corporate organisations who give independent thinking a fair chance. Everyone else is just running the rat-race. Onward Ho!!

The Swish and FLICK

No this is not a blog on Harry Potter. This is a blog on a person who wielded the cricket willow as if it was a magic wand. The first time we see the Potter clan perform a spell at school, they are taught to move their wands in such a way that it performs, first a swish and then a flick. Watching this person bat, we also saw the 'swish' of his uncannily short back-lift and the majestically brilliant 'flick' of the stumps, between mid-wicket and mid-on, leaving the fielders as mere spectators as the ball raced to the boundary.The person being spoken about here is special, very very special. In short he is VVS, VVS Laxman. And when he batted, we were left spellbound.
Vengipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman, or VVS Laxman, as we all know him, announced his retirement on Saturday, bringing to an end a glorious 16 year long career. From the very beginning, he had to struggle to make his place in the national team, having been dropped and recalled on several occasions. His 167 against Australia at Sydney proved a point to the selectors, cementing his place in the side. And then came that fateful test match at the Eden Gardens in 2001. Faced with the might of the Aussies, who were on a 16 test match winning streak, no less, faced with the improbable task of rescuing the Test match after being forced to follow-on, he produced probably the most beautiful innings in Indian cricket history. His 281in that innings still stands as the milestone around which Indian cricket turned the corner into big game players. Two full days he reigned on that hallowed turf. Two full days of spectacular stroke play, epitomised by the flick off the stumps through mid-on, to the boundary, led to an innings which could only be described as magical. He tormented Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and the likes. And in true fairy-tale fashion, India went on to beat Australia in that match, with 7 wickets falling in the final session of play. And I was THERE. I watched the magician bat through day 3, dismissing every bowler who came in his way with sheer non-chalance of champion. The Australians came up another name for him. For them VVS stood for Very Very Special, and on this I agree with them whole-heartedly.
As his career progressed, he went on to become a third and fourth innings specialist, anchoring the innings on countless occasions. At a point it seemed almost inevitable that while wickets tumbled all around him, one could count on VVS to come up with a innings which would save and often lead us to victory. The wristy, stylish batsman lead India to numerous wins, with his capability to produce the goods overseas being his biggest asset.

The way this special player bid goodbye is another example of how icons are forgotten once they grow 'old'. Perhaps ours is the only nation where there is a retirement age in sports! This is the sad reality and this mindset doesn't seem like changing any time soon. Yes he seemed to be fading away at the end of his career. But at the end of the day, we will always remember his career as one which brought us immense joy. He was a part of the famous quartet of Indian cricket which led us to become world beaters. He is the third pillar of the four to bow out, in his own terms. He was a part of the generation which made us world beaters. Very Very Special indeed....

India celebrates it's 65th Birthday...Troubled and Hopeful

A bit delayed, but I'm here once again with this 'Freedom' special blog post...
We are 65 years old now. Modern India that is. India as a civilisation is almost 6500 years old. Yet we can only celebrate being 65! 65 years since that fateful morning when the British left our glorious land after almost two centuries of plunder and debilitating rule. 65 years since that fateful day when the foreign scourge were driven away by the tremendous efforts of our freedom fighters. And yet, today, 65 years on, the foreign scourge seem to have an indigenous counterpart. The past couple of weeks have seen brutal, almost inhuman, fighting in Assam, leading to military intervention. Irony of all ironies, it spread over the entire period where we were supposed to be celebrating being 'free'. Messages of backlash against people of Northeastern descent have been circulating throughout the country, leading to an exodus of these communities from the Southern and Western parts of the country. And now, to further cast a dubious shadow over the entire sense of 'freedom', the government has regulated that people would not be able to send more than 5 text and multimedia messages a day for the next 15 days, as they believe this has been a medium for spreading rumours regarding the riots. Further, there was violence in Mumbai when an anti-Assam protest turned violent, catching an ill prepared police force off guard. Scores dead, numerous injured and endless questions to the government are all we are left with. This is probably not the kind of Birthday celebration our nation was hoping for.
Last weekend also saw the biggest sporting spectacle in the world come to a close. And yes, we performed the best that we ever have at the Olympics. 2 silver and 4 bronze medals, 6 in all, made this the best haul India has ever achieved at the Games. A slight disappointment remained because of the inability of any of the athletes to clinch a gold medal. But things do look up. A few big guns delivering, a couple of unexpected successes and a few heartbreaks later, we returned home a triumphant bunch. In the process, Sushil Kumar became India's most successful individual Olympian ever, winning a silver medal to add to his bronze at Beijing in Wrestling. The entire medal tally of the Indian contingent is given in the following table.

Event	Athlete	Medal
Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol	Vijay Kumar	Silver
Men's 66kg Freestyle Wrestling	Sushil Kumar	Silver
Women's Badminton	Saina Nehwal	Bronze
Women's 51kg Boxing	M.C. Mary Kom Hmangte	Bronze
Men's 10m Air Rifle	Gagan Narang	Bronze
Men's 60kg Freestyle Wrestling	Yogeshwar Dutt	Bronze

There is however one lingering thought on my mind. In the 116 year history of the Olympics, we, as a nation, have won just 26 medals. counting the 2 won by Norman Pritchard at the 1900 Games. In a nation having more population than almost the whole of Europe, that is a worrying figure. Even post Independence, in the 17 Olympic Games that have followed, we have managed 21 medals. There needs to be serious overhaul in the way Olympic sports are looked upon in India. The trend is changing, thanks mostly to the individuals who have brought glory to our nation. But more needs to be done in the way of sponsorship and infrastructure to get us anywhere close to what we should be achieving at the Olympics.
Sport is something which takes us away to a positive place. Achievement in sport is something everyone feels proud about, no matter how much a person claims to not be sporty. It galvanises a nation. it brings nations together. It transcends all boundaries in its true form. There have been promising signs at this Olympics for Indian sport. Rio 2016 should see further improvements. I would love see them double the medal tally again. Till then, signing off from this 'Olympic' world...

Many falls before this Rise...

Christopher Nolan has made us wait for 4 long years before he presented the last edition of his Batman trilogy to us. And not without reason too. Heath Ledger blew us away with his portrayal of 'The Joker' in the previous film, a performance that won't be forgotten anytime, even though the man himself is no longer with us. Nolan probably wanted to have enough time between the 2 movies so as to minimise any comparisons with the previous edition, no matter how difficult a task that may be.This time around, there is no singular path-breaking performance, there are no wicked smiles which attract you to the anti-hero, but the hero himself is brought to 'light' with so much darkness, that the line seems to be blurred between good and evil. The characters in the movie constantly mould and remould themselves to become a part of the circumstances surrounding them. The entire first half seemed like a giant connect-the-dots game, with hundreds of dots spread over an area not much bigger than a notebook page. It does take some concentration to connect all the pieces. And if the sound system of the theater decides to go low volume during the dialogues, then it gets quite confusing. Don't get me started there!
The movie begins with Gotham's 'White Knight', the Late Harvey Dent being remembered on the 8th year of his passing. What follows is a whirlwind of activity, where a host of new characters are introduced, old lies are exposed, old friendships are tested, a servant's love comes agonizingly to the forefront, and one man's resolve to fight a city's battles is again tested. Having given up his cape that same day 8 years ago, Bruce Wayne is once again faced with the conundrum of choosing either his well-being or his city in a time of massive crisis. No prizes for guessing which one he chooses. But even Batman himself may have bitten off more than he can chew this time around. He is faced with a brutal enemy, hardened in a torturous prison, and trained by the same man who was once Bruce Wayne's trainer. There are a lot of references to the previous two movies of the trilogy, so a little bit of a revision would do you no harm. It would probably take you the entire first half and a bit more to figure out who's who. Once that is done with, the pace really picks up in the second half as Gotham City comes under the control of Bane, Batman's nemesis in this movie. The scene in the football stadium where the attacker runs to the end-zone, all the while the entire playing surface gets blown to bits is amazing. Pity it was already shown in the trailers. For me this was probably the scene of the film.

It takes Batman more than one attempt to get the better of his nemesis this time around. Not without help though. The absolutely stunning Anne Hathaway plays a stylish and slippery Catwoman, portraying both the spoil as well as muse for Batman. She steals the show when acts the role of a helpless woman trapped in the crossfire. That happens at the beginning of the movie. By the end, she is as willing to get rid of Bane as Batman, and together they form an unlikely, but not too surprising team. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are back as Alfred and Lucius Fox. The scene where Alfred leaves Wayne mansion, bidding an emotional farewell to Bruce is touching. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a spunky, 'hotheaded' police officer, who is probably the only one in the entire movie who doesn't have any gray shades. He portrays the role well and comes off as genuine. Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon, a man saddled by the lies he is forced to keep alive about his former colleague, Harvey Dent. Marion Cotillard plays Miranda, the President of Wayne Enterprises, after Bruce's misfortune, and it is her character which will answer most of your questions. Christian Bale in the role of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, Batman, doesn't do much different from the previous movies, but doesn't do too badly either. Here in fact he is more in the spotlight than the previous movie, where The Joker stole most of the spotlight.
All in all, a compact second half makes this film worthy of a watch. It does get a bit confusing at times. A second watch would probably clear out most of the details. In my opinion, this is not as compelling as the previous movie, but it is definitely not one to miss, especially if you are a fan of the 'Dark Knight'.

The Olympics

It's almost here. Just 12 more days to go for the biggest sporting extravaganza that man has created. For a sports buff like me, it doesn't get any bigger or better than this! The very spirit of the Olympics stands for achievement, for an unending passion to stand in front of the world as a representative of your country, the will to fight on in the times of the severest crises and come out victorious.

I remember returning back home as fast as I could from college the day of the opening ceremony of the last Olympics. That was 4 years ago. The memories from those Games still linger. The sight of Usain Bolt thumping his chest as he crossed the line, winning the 100 meters gold and with it creating a new world record is something I will never forget(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F14EaVEDyUs). The delight on the face of Michael Phelps as he won his 8th gold medal, creating a new world record for the most gold medals at the same Games. The roar of an entire nation as Abhinav Bindra grabbed the gold in the 10 meters Air Rifle event, becoming the first individual gold medalist from our country. The Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, which played host to the event, was a sight to behold in itself. It was one of the most unique stadiums in Olympic history.

This time around, this sporting spectacle is being hosted by London, with Great Britain playing host to the world for 2 weeks. Excitement is already abuzz with the Games nearing its opening ceremony. All the controversy from the Dow Chemicals sponsorship, the organization responsible for the horrendous Bhopal gas tragedy, will be left behind as the world tunes in to stories of triumph and ultimate joy. Once again, swimming, gymnastics and athletics willbe the marquee events, with the men's 100 meters sprint drawing the biggest attention.

Indian interests lie in sports like archery, shooting, badminton, tennis, boxing, wrestling and perennially hockey. The Indians women's recurve archery team is ranked number 1 in the world and go into this Olympics with a lot of hopes riding on them. There's Vijender Singh, who as well as being the highest ranked boxer in his class, is also a defending Bronze medalist from Beijing. M.C. Mary Kom, a five time World Champion would be a firm favourite in the women's boxing event, the only new event this time around. Sushil Kumar, another Bronze medalist in Beijing, would be looking to live up to his top ranking in his wrestling weight class. Then there are a host of shooters looking to add to the tally of 2 medals won in the past 2 Olympics, one in Beijing and one in Athens in 2004. India's golden girl of badminton. Saina Nehwal would be looking to improve on her quarter final appearance last time around. All has not been well with the tennis team over the past month or so, but I hope they can leave their differences aside when they take to the courts representing our country. Indian hockey has left behind its glorious past, and it would probably be too much to expect any medal from them this time around. A good showing at the Games would do their confidence a world of good.

 
  
 
 
 

27th July, mark that date on your calendars, as athletes from more than 200 nations start to compete for the biggest prize in sport, an Olympic gold medal. Personally,I cannot wait for it to start.

Its good to be Blogging again...

I'm back!! Almost 2 months have passed since I last sat down to write something in this blog. There have been quite a lot to write about, but somehow the intent didn't get converted into the action. But now that I'm here again, I intend to make up for the short sabbatical.

First of all, a very Happy Birthday to Mr. Sourav Ganguly. Call it co-incidence, but as it turns out I picked today to restart writing my blog, a lot like how he re-scripted the fortunes of the Indian cricket team. I am not comparing myself to him, I don't have the audacity (:-P). Just a reference to the co-incidence. A humble request Sir, please please please stop the producers from releasing your upcoming movie. I'm sorry to say, but it is rather shameful to watch you 'act' in such a movie. I'd much rather know you for your fighting spirit and winning mentality on the pitch than such low-grade publicity stunts. The Test match victory over Australia and the Natwest series final win over England, both with you as the captain, are the 2 best and most memorable cricket matches I have seen. Please do not let that image be spoiled by one misguided attempt at experimentation. Many many happy returns of the day Sir.

Coming to my life over the past couple months...well for one thing, it's certainly been different. First experiences of more than a single something. Phone calls have increased but the number of people at the other end has decreased. Well mostly the phone calls are being made to a particular number. Friends have become displaced, friendships have not. The change being is that face to face meetings have changed to ones involving a computer or a mobile. Work life is on in full swing, with not much 'Me' time left in the rest of the day. Bus rides to and from work are the best part of the day, with a 9 hour wait, often times longer, in the middle. A lot of work, with not much play, play time mostly being restricted to one involving a computer screen and a gamepad. Hope I don't become a dull boy!

This month sees the mother of all sporting events lined up to start - The Olympics, in London, England. This year itself has been a feast for all sports lovers. Even today is a very busy sporting day with the Wimbledon men's singles final as well the British Formula 1 Grand Prix lined up. Plus, the Tour de France is on. Roger Federer in the final of Wimbledon again, up against Andy Murray. The smart money is on Federer. My money is on Federer. I'm smart you see!!

Promise to keep writing more. A good Sunday lined up. Some plans made as well. Later...

We were wrong all along...My Football Season Review

Haven't we always been told that money can't buy us success? Haven't we been imprinted with the idea that hard work and dedication are the keys to success in the long run. That team work and self improvement will bring us sweeter rewards than what all the money in the world can buy. Looking at the various football leagues around the world, we may have been deceived all this while!
Alright, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh to the teams who've spent the cash and b(r)ought in the trophies. After all you need more a collection of good players to win trophies. You do need to play as a team, and go beyond individual glory to achieve success.

Second time lucky, thanks mostly to the Drog. Europe turns Blue
From before the match yesterday, there seemed to be a feeling at the back of people's minds that this perhaps was the year Chelsea would reign over Europe. As the match progressed, one could not help but feel that the title already had Chelsea's name written on it. The appaling misses, the goal scored from an offside position, the decision to bring off Muller after he had scored, Ribery's injury and Robben's poor penalty all seemed to be pointing towards a Chelsea win. And true to the omens, they came up trumps at the end of the penalty shootout, beating Bayern 4-3, despite Manuel Neuer saving the first kick. But credit should be put mostly on Didier Drogba's broad shoulders for the incredile header 2 minutes from time, as well as coolly slotting away the last penalty to seal the deal.

 

England is painted Blue again, but a lighter shade
For a couple of seasons now, Manchester City have displayed the financial might other clubs can only dream off in England. They won the FA Cup last year, which at the time, and correctly in hindsight, was pipped to be the start of a successful spell for the club. To be honest, they were excellent for most of the season. A little slip-up at the fag end of the season almost took the trophy back to the the Red half of Manchester. But a stunning comeback in injury time against QPR in the final match of the season gave City their first trophy for 44 years.
Of the other two Cups played in England, Chelsea outdid Liverpool in the final of the FA Cup, with another Didier Drogba special at Wembley. Liverpool had earlier squeezes past Cardiff in the final of the League Cup, via penalties no less.



The Royals are Kings again in Spain
Real means royal in Spanish, and nobody could stop Jose Mourinho and his band of merry men from lifting their first Spanish League in 4 years. Led by an incredible Cristiano Ronaldo, and ably supported by the likes of 20 goal men Karim Benzema and Higuain, assist specialist Mesut Ozil, Di Maria, Ramos, Carvalho and others, they romped to a comfortable win in their national league, beating Barcelona along the way to drive home the point. The Spanish Cup final is yet to be played though. Barcelona versus Athletic Bilbao coming up next weekend.



Borussia Dortmund buck the trend
Perhaps the only team to have won a high profile league this season without spending bucket loads of money would be Borussia Dortmund. They concentrated on retaining the core of their Championship winning team from last season, adding a couple of new players along the way. Having successfully beaten Bayern Munich in what turned out to be the title decider, they stamped their authority on a league which in the past decade has been largely dominated by the Bavarians. Furthermore, they beat Bayern 5-2 in the German Cup final to assert their superiority.



Back from the basement
Having been relegated and docked points in 2006 for their alleged involvement in the match fixing scandal which rocked Italian football, it was indeed a sweet victory for the Old Lady from Turin as they lifted their record 28th title, leaving behind AC Milan in what was a see-saw affair all season. Having retained most of their players despite being relegated, they finally spent a lot of money at the end of the last season to bring in a host of talented players, which paid off as they managed to win their first Serie A title in 9 years. The Italian Cup final is yet to be played with Juventus facing Napoli, coming up tonight.



Montpellier could do the unthinkable
Having spent next to nothing at the end of last season and having never given the impression of being front-runners  for the title, many have been left amazed with the rise of Montpellier to the top of the French League this time around. The final round of matches are coming up tonight, and Montpellier hold a 3 point lead over big spending PSG. They need just 1 point to seal perhaps the biggest surprise in European League football for quite some time.



Elsewhere
The traditional powerhouses have dominated most of the other leagues this year with Celtic and Ajax winning their respectively leagues this year. Porto picked up yet another Portugese League title, adding to their already sparkling trophy cabinet.