No ! U did not deserve this

During the recent turn of events , the hullabaloo around fixing charges against some players in the glitzy gaudy Indian Premiere League coming to light ,my mind was rather gripped with an a sore feeling for the team these players were associated was "Rajasthan Royals".Not because this team was in between an "inspirational purple patch",not because its my favorite but for the reason that it is lead by RAHUL DRAVID ,the greatest ambassador this game has ever witnessed.It is difficult to come in terms as to what might be going through his mind as he lived cricket, breathed cricket and yes,perspired cricket profusely.He played cricket on his own terms though in shadow of cricketing god himself.Did not give up captaincy after shock exit in 2007 world cup as team was in tough waters , and eventually gave it up when the time was right to nurture a new leader for the next world cup.Always kept team's interest above his own and played his last ODI series against England when his nation needed him even though he wasn't in the ODI mix.Nobody can question his dedication and commitment for the game as during the game his concerned,tense and occupied look makes you feel for this guy and you want him to SMILE.Surely ,he is the last one who deserves this ,from his teammates and my heart goes for him.And now the feeling is more prominent that I want him to lift the cup,to feel the euphoria, if that is compensating.I'm curious to know what he must have said to the team after the upheaval,but i guess I' m concocting suspense as we all know the answer ,he 'll like to go out and let his cricket do the talking.

Happy reading :-)

Oh Adam! Stay Put

The Idea for this blog struck me during COMBAT , combat to wriggle my way through a nasty Traffic
Jam,one of such where if you are IN ,boy oh boy! you are in ,for ages. One which is part of your worst nightmares,one where in every second you scold the the prime minister,the authorities,your work and even yourself for being such muddle head to pick this very way,this very time and this very date.
We begin The  JAM  JOURNEY on a lighter note throwing banters at our friends and family.Looking around taking a moment off,Try to talk through this interminable adventure reciting anecdotes ,stories and incidents with the issue at hand being epicenter secretly hoping for freedom.Gradually the occasion starts to get the better of us with our eyes looking  for a way out,either to a fellow in another car or at the traffic signal in utter desperation as we are days without Nature's Call.Animated becomes the new trend and we start finding  Culprit with our razor sharp eye and suddenly everyone fits our bill of rarest of the rare amounting to million years at GITMO bay.Once a gentleman is now at receiving end our rip roaring hyperbole of abuse .
And if we are in hurry(which we always are in )the gravity of our emotions shall test my writing skills if I even make an attempt.Hundreds of civilized men spew vitriol in every manner known and our land of "Mi casa su casa " turns Satanic Road Rage.I wonder what hormonal change every one undergoes at same time coincidentally which  may even count for a wonderfull theory and why???.Are we all so frustrated with our lives ,angry to see our team loose at IPL ,baffled at escalating prices ,our job targets ,assignments and list goes on.Is it so or it's just me trying to Stephen Hawking "A brief history of Jam".Whatever the reason be,it reflects our real self sans the shade sans the caramel.As I was pondering trying to get to the intricate details a loud sound honked me out,and strange smile returned to my face seeing some space to maneuver.I accelerated throwing caution to the winds ,disposing my theory way behind and only one emotion prevails
Euphoria!!!!

Happy Reading!!!!!

Yes I Need a LEADER

Leadership qualities ,leader's trait ,leader's this and leader's that have been very much part of everyone's  curriculum in some or the other way and yes we all know the usual drill of  "LALIT NIBANDH "with elicitation marked by UTOPIAN ideas.If we all know these ideas do we leave them to our answer sheets . At least our top brass does.This piece does not intend to pinpoint or lash out at someone but is for me,and ordinary citizen and his aspirations. I shall not masquerade my views with sugar and go all out here.Even if I don't wish to but whenever I see our prime minister I form an image of BECHARA rather than a staunch person at helm of affairs.I ask Why?? and answer is right there in front,I don't need an educationist or economist to lead me,no we don't.But a person who can lead them ,lead us,the educationist the economists ,the bureaucratic alike and lead his cadre with a firm hand.Such a spellbinding leader that no opposition has audacity to question him. But even if they do question ,he doesn't reply back with lame SHAIRI but facts of truths.I know he I'm stating  superlatives here but that is the way it has to be rather should be.I am not of the view that our prime minister turns from a taciturn to a loquacious one in one night's time.Neither do i wish that he presents the nation with SPLIT BABY decision like king Solomon ,even if it is a secret desire no i don't expect it but at least I would rather be interested in a person who administers confidence in the masses by his sheer presence.One who  may "call a cow a cow and bull a bull".Speaks up when nation wants him to. In fact TALK THE WALK ,let the nation know Mr. prime minister ,we are all ears to you.Please do  not be mum lamb when barbed with inaction accusations.Throw your caution to the winds ,I  IMPLORE
And If you,one day shall come when chips are down and you say some wise words I'll believe you to my heart,root for you.
Happy Reading :-)
PS: These are my views and may seem biased ,readers are welcome to oppose and correct me.

Why Most Fables Have Such End

Before I start giving piece of my mind ,I'd like to mention NIKE,for whom my heart goes with deep empathy  for enduring one storm after the another as it is a brand associated with Tiger Woods,Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius .After Armstrong , European football scandal now Oscar Pistorious is yet another sportsperson in docks ."BLADE RUNNER" as he is famously known as ,the 26 year old  is one of the most illustrious athlete in the sports milieus as he wronged millions by becoming first with prosthetic limbs to feature in London Olympics. He became hero to billions including me for he exhibited indomitable spirit to scale the peak.His life took a u turn on valentines day when his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was found murdered with him being prime accused.Multiple theories circulated since then and I would like to affiliate with none. I am not penning this article to accuse ,acquit or exculpate him but for the sole reason that if ,if he is found guilty ,once again the mystical halo shall burst.Ruptured faith,lost belief regarding "awesomeness"  for  sports icons shall usher in once again ,and It would hurt so bad.We people rejoice ,weep and exult for them each time they gear up as we see our dreams being fulfilled by them for example when Liu Xiang twisted his ankle at finals of the 110m hurdles at Beijing Olympics whole China cried for their Hero.These icons are a face to many of us and if Pistorious joins the ignominious brigade the very fabric shall be marred.
I wish deep down his innocence as I want to relive the the nail biting moments when we pray for a gold medal,the ADRENALINE rush when our team requires 12 runs off last 3 deliveries and anguish in defeats.
Imagine the life if none of them existed. :-((


Happy Reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   :-)

To See Or Not To See

Mobile phones being necessity or addiction has been a topic going on since time immemorial amongst the enlightened kind and i got to admit it does not make my head turn forget a fleeting thought  as I  find it devoid per se quality debate .Counting mobile phones out is OUT of question ,its just like a day without NATURE's CALL , ugh can't imagine of one.But before i start enlisting the pros and make this article one of the "many such" , i start harmonizing and many of u will, that we have a knack of  Nomophobia in each of us.We share a peculiar tendency of checking our cellphones even without any commotion.We stare ,we peer, but we do look ,its indispensable. Yes the frequency varies and each of us have different reasons regarding it.We anticipate someone and uneasiness grips us when long time passes.A study compared stress levels induced by the average case of a mobile addict to be on-par with those of "wedding day jitters" and trips to the dentists and another study's subjects checked their phones 34 times a day, not necessarily because they really needed to check them that many times, but because it had become a habit or compulsion.I then started to ascertain the reasons behind this habit and i squared on to 2.Firstly , every time we receive a call or sms,its something NEW,our brain likes this idea as its often nice or harbinger of one.Secondly, every time there is a sms,we get a positive jolt that we are an important person,this is addictive and once the brain becomes accustomed to this positive feedback, reaching out for the phone becomes an automatic action you don't even think about consciously.And i guess these reasons apply to FACEBOOK addiction as well,we are happy to see the sheer number of notifications ,don't we??I don't want to sound like a PUNDIT having cracked a code and shout EUREKA on top of my voice,neither do I want to pin point like a critic.But if this is introspection i tried and i'd like to think and write more on this,and would love if the readers add their views for it'll help all of us grow...
Happy reading ...  :-)

Able Abe

The name fascinated me in the first place ,"ABE" and it just lingered on for days to come.Abe as Abraham Lincoln was known to near and dear was a was not only the 16th President of the USA but also a iron willed commoner who had the tenacity to fight every odd.His story appears like a fable superficially but faced hardships galore ,too much for a single hand to handle.Lincoln's distinctively human and humane personality and historical role as savior of the Union and emancipator of the slaves created a legacy that endures. His eloquence of democracy and his insistence that the Union was worth more than individualistic sentiments and embody the ideals of self-government that all nations strive to achieve for he succeeded when stakes were high.He modeled a true democracy and was an epitome of grit, guts and gumption.He came from a humble background in Kentucky and lost his mother at 9 ,was alienated from his father,but it was his stepmother who encouraged him to read.At 22,he struck out on his own and started manual labor ,he was special with axe and switched jobs from shopkeeper to post master and during this time he started studying law.The war of BLACK hawk proved to be the turning point and abe never looked back.He was selected to Illinois legislature in 1834 and subsequently president in 1861.But soon after his election he faced a tide called CIVIL WAR.But stoic and excellent personality as he was ,with good diplomatic skills he won every sphere and united the states .
We can learn oodles from the Able Abe........

Reminiscences

This weekend was filled with recollections from old memories lying intermittently somewhere and Op-Ed page of national daily was evocative of the same.The moment i noticed this photograph it all came back, NAT GEO , Beautiful Eyes, Documentary, refugee.Most of you might be aware of this captivating photograph ,for those who don't ,this is a picture of an afghan girl taken at Peshawar Refugee camp 29 years by famous photographer Steve McCurry,who shot to instant fame by this photograph.It became cover of the Nat Geo magazine in 1984 for this girl's eyes reflected "harrowing tale" of pain and hardships faced by the afghans at that time.These eyes were rated as the most beautiful ever as they told thousand tales and help poured in thereafter .Few years back i saw a documentary wherein Steve McCurry and others tried to find this girl.After immense toil and meticulous research they found this girl now a grown woman,and indeed nothing had changed ,for she had the same eyes with anguish, Afghanistan was no better ,everything prevailed
only time had passed......

Man Who Brought Darkness

Fleeting look at the 10 rupees currency bill which was parting my wallet , a thought dawned upon me,apart from the obvious one of "dysphoric loss of 10 bucks" ,i saw Gandhiji looking west , in a flash date came to my mind which usually eludes me in the examination hall ,where either neighbor or watch comes to the rescue,latter when you remember to wear one.  :-))..
Coming back,i got hold of the day,it was 30th Jan ,day  when "Light went of our lives" according to Jawaharlal Nehru ,day when Gandhiji were shot point blank.I paid my reverence in solitude.And then my thoughts wandered ,who shot him??? Nathuram Godse.Why??? and Why prevailed till google came to my rescue.Why i din't know this man,was it my own ignorance or ignorance of our society on whole,we talk less about the man who assassinated Father of Our Nation.I wanted to learn about his "PSYCHE" which i did.He was a stoic hindu ,learned man and a social acivist.He took pride in his religion which taught him to respect other religions,help fellowbeings,fight against the social injustices like dowry.He was the editor of a Marathi newspaper - Hindu Rashtra and a well-known member of the Hindu Mahasabha. Clean-cut, sober, intelligent, the thirty-seven-year-old bachelor hardly seemed a candidate for the role of assassin. From time to time he had written scathing editorials denouncing Gandhi and the Congress party, though acquaintances could not recall an occassion when he had spoken bitterly against the Mahatma. He had no personal hatred of Gandhi. Godse even stated in his trial, 'Before I fired the shots I actually wished him well and bowed to him in reverence'. More i read more curious I became for why he did it then,and then i read his speech he gave on nov 8,1948 during the trial at Red fort.He was not sorry,had respect for gandhiji but had hs own reasons for his diabolic act.Quite an eye opener his views were that made me think about the other side of the coin....
bonne journée 

Fleeing and its Sideeffects

This recent act of "Torching the manuscripts" might have escaped my thought if my friend didn't bring it to my notice yesterday, and hearing about it doesn't make it sound like a rare occurrence because "Destruction during Retreat " can easily be dated back to time immemorial.Take torching of Nalanda University which  was ransacked and destroyed by an army under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193. The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for three months after the invaders set fire to it, ransacked and destroyed the monasteries, and drove the monks from the site.This recent vexatious event bring to light that the Islamic Radicals Tuaregs who claim to fight for the country have no respect for country's rich cultural heritage and they are no better than a A B or C invader.Timbuktu, the fabled desert city where retreating Muslim extremists destroyed ancient manuscripts, was a center of Islamic learning hundreds of years before Columbus landed in the Americas.Written in ornate calligraphy, these manuscripts form a compendium of learning on everything from law, sciences, astrology and medicine to history and politics, which academics say prove Africa had a written history at least as old as the European Renaissance.Hearing about loss of this " Knowledge treasure" makes one sad but dwelling deep I infer that this is the core of human nature ..... We intend to harm the thing if we do not possess it..... that has been the way so far...shall be in future...
c'est la vie

A Disheartened Smile

Thinking of Egypt makes one feel sorry ,for what it was in "Making" and what it has been subjected to now.Approximately 2 years ago millions of people gathered at the Tahrir Square in Cairo  to sweep aside an entrenched regime under Hosni Mubarak who held the presidential postion for around 30 years after the assassination of Anwar Sadat..30 long years of undemocratic,acerbic, authoritative, and oppressed rule makes one feel for the civilians there.Yes resentful for the regime as they became finally,facing the flake every time ,they stood up,protested,got beaten up,and finally ended Hosni's rule where in army too jumped in.

But what followed next was more gruesome.Polls happened and Mohammad Mursi was propelled to the presidency by the Muslim Brotherhood,he has lurched through a series of political crises and violent demonstrations coz' the steps taken by him to restore the democracy and shoring up the downtrodden economy are "unheard of".He has tried to take fleeting powers accounting for reforms,this has annoyed the masses and thrown Egypt,one of the harbingers of the Arab Spring into deeper abyss.Violent protests are in every days menu marred by deaths of the innocent and different political parties are trying to gain their own benefit........I hope and pray for stability for the "NILE" country.......

WikiFilmed Assange

Seeing Julian Assange in action after a break of about 7 months excited me ,for he has been a man with a substantial whistle for every leak on WikiLeaks.I looked and found his address to the Oxford Union,and boy this time its "him",he claims to have obtained a copy a forthcoming film on him The Fifth Estate and goes on to call it a "massive propaganda" .My first reaction was like ,What!!!,,he should be happy 'bout a film on him  but on the contrary he is cynical about it.As the video progresses he questions the ulterior motives behind the film for which he says "lie built on a lie" and accuses Bill Condon ,the director of the film attempting to fuel fears over Iran's nuclear programme.Julian Assange declined to speak about the source from where he got the script and said they were closely examining it whether to put it on the website.
From an outsiders view ,we do not know what is the movie's content and what is on offer.....So till then its Shushiieeeee....But one thing comes to my mind ,creative as these hollywood directors are ,the movie might provide an idea to Julian Assange to escape London where he has been holed up for seven months..sounds exciting...!!!!!!

The Mighty Did Fall

Yes , he lost his first match to Andy Murray in slams yesterday at the Rod Laver Arena ,yes his majestic aces were missing,yes murray's aggressive baseline shot making forced him to the corners but he is still  "the" ROGER FEDERER adored and respected and worshiped by millions like me.For his match we would take a leave from work,miss an important appointment and would even run a mile to see him win(which i did for quarterfinal match against Tsonga). Regal as it is,his play making skills leave his opponents bewildered and spectators overjoyed with same magnitude but yesterday the story was different..Andy Murray looked a better player from the outset with his superior service game and granite defense , and everybody knew in their hearts that Roger might fall before the Brit as he has in the recent past but hoped for the man to show resistance.His serves were inaccurate and backhand sloppy but "Volcano Of Talent ",that he is fought his way back into the game each time he seemed like loosing it.In the fourth set when Murray was serving for the match ,roger broke him for the first time in the match and fought the tie breaker like a lion.But the inevitable did strike in the fifth set and Murray did win the match rightfully.
Inconsequential as the result is to me,he still rules my heart and is still the KING
CM'OM  FEDEX

Strange Dilemma

When you get up late in the morning and the next moment painful realization strikes you point blank about an early morning lab,you are like  "MANN,this is gonna be a HARD day".And it really was with a bunch of lectures and labs.Yes,chilling out with friends during the day did help but by the time  college came to day's end a question popped up before me,regarding which i couldn't take a firm stand.We had to collect books from the library ,a routine errand  ,there were 2 separate lines for boys and girls ,some friend of mine questioned a separate line,and in his defense he said that different lines are formed so that women are not misbehaved with at public places like bus stop etc.Even though some of my closest female friends stood there i could not fault the boy's question because yes we were all great friends and deeper i dwelled more i felt like seconding him,as there was no question of ill treatment to girls there but surely i feel morally for the girls as many of us do .......so still the question lingers.......   :-)..."Real Food for thought guys "