As I was trying retire for the day albeit little too early, something in me told me not to. And, I would always listen to my intuition, being a Piscean- as they say, I just held onto my bean bag fingers crossed. Well, why only fingers – I even had my legs crossed. Being superstitious that I am ( always and ONLY when Sachin is batting, I had to tell myself –‘don’t just get up until the job is done’. As it unfolded after some nervous moments it was to be a gentle push-cum-drive to cover-point off the fiery Steyn. I don’t think there could have been a better occasion, at this moment, for baba ( well I fondly call him Baba) to raise this historic.
And what a coincidence, we just experienced arguably two of the best moments of both Test and ODI cricket history in the same year. Man, this 2010 will go down to cricketing history as ‘the year that was’..Awesome one for world cricket. Other coincidences- both the moments came against the same opposition as on both occasion MSD was at the non-striker’s end !!! ha ha...
My kiddo was grossly disappointed this morning as we had to postpone our picnic for some unavoidable reason. Now, in hindsight I just thank the goodness in God as He wanted me to witness history in making. As Harsha bhogle said y-day, even the 1st 300th test wicket was hailed as a big ‘history’ being witnessed then.. lolzzzzzzzz
A half century test centuries and a double century in ODI have certainly made my year-2010. However, being an insatiable Sachin fan, I just cannot wait to see his bat raise to acknowledge the applause for his 50th ODI ton and a World cup in his hand. So a ton o f tons and then u never know what wud be unfolded as we move on. Lets allow time some time as we did for this 50th ton, to unveil many more such wonderful moments that we should be proudly tell our grand children
I wish I could get 3 wishes from God now. BTW, I will use the 3rd one for mine.. ha ha ha……..
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Words' worth: Guangzhou
After a struggle to get the pronunciation right, am now fairly in control over Guangzhou. I must say its been fun keeping track of the action from the 3rd largest city of China. The river show set just abt the perfect tone for the sportive actions to follow. Esp after the gala show at CWG, all the eyeballs were on AG opening ceremony. And no prize for guessing- china produced a spectacle which the whole continent had no clue to until the curtain was raised. ZIMPLY AWEZOME !!! for Indian interest, i mean for those who love/follow Olympic sports, the games started on a not-so-great note with out much high rated shooters failing the targets over and over again. It was until the cue-ist Pankaj Advani struck in billiards, the yellow medal eluded the 2nd most populous country of the continent ( oops they are also the 2nd in the whole world). and then a long silence till the lanky army man got the well-deserved 2nd. Half way through it was a mixed-bag for the Indian contingent. However things suddenly changed as athletics events started. India has never been known as great prospects in the track and field so far as Intl meets are concerned. But this time around it was a different story. Started with Preeja and now the hurdlers ( Ashwini and Joseph), its been a great haul.....I just hope many more follow- esp the 4x400 women's relay team of which Ashwin is a member and not so many weeks ago they created history at CWG. It was heart-breaking to watch the women's discuss throw event. But then poor girls gave their best- and the silver lining being the bronze by Poonia. Shooters were not the only ones who failed to live upto their names, wrestlers also did so. Now that we have quite some prospects in boxing, am with my fingers crossed. Women's kabaddi team is on the verge of getting the 11th gold as I write. Hope the day gifts us at least 4-5 more yellow medals........all the best ...
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Word's Worth: oof yeh cwg!!! Delhi badnaam huyee darling tere liye!!
Some one just sent me an email which reads like this:
teacher: what does your dad do?
kid: he is a stripper in a gay bar.
after class
teacher: is that true about your dad?
kid: no, actually he works for the CWG with suresh kalmadi but i was too embarrassed to say that...
From financial bungling to bad organisation to the possibility of construction work not being complete on time -- it's all happening around the Delhi CWG. With days to go before the event begins, it's anyone's guess how the Games will unfold. Whatever happens now, one thing for sure if in past 5 years our CWG organisers couldn't do the proper arrangement, you cannot expect a miracle to rectify mistakes in whatever time is left. Out problem is , we are over tolerant people and let such things happen day in day out.
Now with the PM and the Delhi CM pitching in to do the damage control, all we need to do is go back to our routes and take the blanket of hospitality, love and appreciation for our visitors and convince them that they didn't make a wrong choice coming to India. Am sure some infra related things cannot just be fixed . And lets accept that and do whatever possible to ensure that they don’t create inconvenience to the athletes.
Give a facelift to the ‘filthy’ areas and clean the pavements if we can't fix them and make sure that the overall experience and security of visitors is as required if not exceeding expectation. Security in this part of the globe is the prime concern . so the margin of error has to be zero.
For the time being let the OC alone ( sideline them asap and afap). We will have a lifetime later on to catch the defaulters of the fiasco to punish them ( we must) for whatever they did or did not do. Right now save the image and country. Many of us are already hanging our heads in shame.
I read it somewhere the other day- “After bagging the CW games, responsibility of organizing the event should have been given to Private sector. BCCI organizes huge events like IPL and world cup without any fuss because there is no Government intervention. IPL is a huge tournament, is organized in many cities, there are large number of matches, is played over 45 day period, but still is organized beautifully and top of that makes profit. This shows the difference in organizing capabilities.” Well, it makes lot of sense to me...........
teacher: what does your dad do?
kid: he is a stripper in a gay bar.
after class
teacher: is that true about your dad?
kid: no, actually he works for the CWG with suresh kalmadi but i was too embarrassed to say that...
From financial bungling to bad organisation to the possibility of construction work not being complete on time -- it's all happening around the Delhi CWG. With days to go before the event begins, it's anyone's guess how the Games will unfold. Whatever happens now, one thing for sure if in past 5 years our CWG organisers couldn't do the proper arrangement, you cannot expect a miracle to rectify mistakes in whatever time is left. Out problem is , we are over tolerant people and let such things happen day in day out.
Now with the PM and the Delhi CM pitching in to do the damage control, all we need to do is go back to our routes and take the blanket of hospitality, love and appreciation for our visitors and convince them that they didn't make a wrong choice coming to India. Am sure some infra related things cannot just be fixed . And lets accept that and do whatever possible to ensure that they don’t create inconvenience to the athletes.
Give a facelift to the ‘filthy’ areas and clean the pavements if we can't fix them and make sure that the overall experience and security of visitors is as required if not exceeding expectation. Security in this part of the globe is the prime concern . so the margin of error has to be zero.
For the time being let the OC alone ( sideline them asap and afap). We will have a lifetime later on to catch the defaulters of the fiasco to punish them ( we must) for whatever they did or did not do. Right now save the image and country. Many of us are already hanging our heads in shame.
I read it somewhere the other day- “After bagging the CW games, responsibility of organizing the event should have been given to Private sector. BCCI organizes huge events like IPL and world cup without any fuss because there is no Government intervention. IPL is a huge tournament, is organized in many cities, there are large number of matches, is played over 45 day period, but still is organized beautifully and top of that makes profit. This shows the difference in organizing capabilities.” Well, it makes lot of sense to me...........
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
TON or NOT
So it is now open season on Suraj Randiv, who bowled the no-ball that ‘denied’ Virender Sehwag a century he truly deserved (In contrast to those knocks where he blazes away from ball one, on this particular occasion Sehwag absorbed the loss of his colleagues at the other end, battled with the demons of the pitch and atmosphere, revealed an unsuspected ability to do the grind, and fulfilled the fantasies of millions of Indian fans who, ever since the swashbuckler made his debut, have lusted after the possibility that one day, he will bat through an innings). It is also open season on Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, who if the transcription of words picked up from the stump mike is to believed, reminded Randiv, just as he prepared to bowl the decisive ball, that “If he hits it, he gets the run”.
Digression: Consider Randiv’s brains, or lack thereof. If Kumar was in fact instructing his bowler, was that instruction to bowl a no-ball? Ridiculous – a batsman can and, in this instance did, hit a no-ball. A more canny bowler would have bowled a wide – because it is the wide that, by definition, you cannot hit.
But back to cases: So everyone, from the Sri Lankan cricket board to sundry Indian stars of yesteryear, have been banging on about the Lankans’ lack of sportsmanship (If there is any irony in Mohammad Azharuddin, who was banned from international cricket for match-fixing and related activities, talking of the spirit of the sportsman, ignore it, please – it is also the silly season).
What strikes us is how the public discourse, and wall to wall ‘exclusive’ coverage on television channels, misses the point: Sehwag was denied his century not by the Kumar-Suraj combine, but by scorers and umpires who were clearly asleep and/or ignorant of rules that, incidentally, have been framed so ambiguously as to convert a fairly simple proposition into a complicated situation.
Here is what happened, pure and simple: Randiv bowled. The umpire called ‘no-ball’. There is a reason the umpire calls it as soon as a bowler bowls one – it is to let the batsman know that there are no real penalties attached to having a go. A batsman, on hearing that call, knows he can have a swing without running the risk of being bowled, caught, declared LBW.
So Randiv bowled. The umpire called. Sehwag had a swing, and despatched the ball over the ropes.
That logically is seven runs added to the total – one to the team total as an extra, the other six to Sehwag, the batsman who was quick to seize on the opportunity. Simple.
This is where the idiocy of umpires and the ambiguity of the rule book come in: How could the game be over as soon as Randiv over-stepped? A ball, to be deemed bowled, has to be delivered; the batsman has to play/miss it; in the case of the former the ball has to be retrieved while the batsman runs, or not…there is no provision in cricket for declaring a result, and ending a match, at some intermediate stage of this process.
Thus, for umpires to declare that the game was over as soon as Randiv overstepped is plain folly. To understand this, consider a hypothetical situation: Randiv bowls. It is a no-ball. Sehwag decides the game is over, lets the ball go and walks off. Sangakkara collects and whips off the bails.
Is the batsman out? Of course he is. The extra run cannot be counted until the ball in question is officially dead; in our example Sehwag left his crease while the ball was in play, therefore he is out.
So, if his dismissal off a no ball counts, why were the runs he scored off that no ball not counted to his name?
The question, simplified: How could the umpires, or the scorers, or both, consider the match over before the ball had completed its necessary course?
Read Law 24 (No ball)
Runs resulting from a No ball
The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras.
Where is the ambiguity? The law clearly says that any runs completed by the batsman, or a boundary allowance, off a no ball shall be credited to the striker.
Sehwag ‘completed’ a sixer. His score – unless the scorer is a congenital idiot – should have been 105. End of story.
The key is to understand that a game is not declared over midway through a cricketing action – which is the space between a ball being ‘live’ and being ‘dead’. Consider this example: India needs one run to win. Sehwag whacks the ball high in the air. While the ball is in the air, the batsman cross over and complete a run. The ball comes down, and is caught.
Is the game over, simply because the batsmen had crossed while the ball was in the air, and had not yet been caught? No, the verdict in this case would be, the batsman is out, the run doesn’t count. So clearly, runs and results are not declared at some arbitrary point while the ball is live – such a determination happens only after the ball is ‘dead’.
The fallacy appears to be in the thinking that any runs accruing to the batsman and/or side after a result is achieved do not count. That is equally a fallacy. Here is an illustrative example:
India needs to get one run to win. Sehwag drives, and the batsman race across for a single. The ball then goes on to cross the boundary. Do you award Sehwag one run, or four? Clearly, the answer is ‘four’ – despite the fact that the first of those runs won the game.
It is not the intention of this post to ‘excuse’ what Randiv did, or what Sangakkara asked him to do. That action was clearly unsporting, childish, petty. Here was one of the great batsman of the modern era, in challenging conditions, digging deep within himself to play a match-winning innings that was contrary to type. A gracious opposition would have admired, applauded; instead, the Lankans appear to have conspired to score a childish ‘victory’.
Fair enough. What beats us, though, is this: Why is there, amidst all this noise, no attempt to question the outcome declared by the scorers? Why is there no debate on the central question? Where were the umpires, the match referee? And where, incidentally, was the Indian team management that it did not think to question the scorers’ declared result?
Source: http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/17/sehwag-did-get-his-century/
Digression: Consider Randiv’s brains, or lack thereof. If Kumar was in fact instructing his bowler, was that instruction to bowl a no-ball? Ridiculous – a batsman can and, in this instance did, hit a no-ball. A more canny bowler would have bowled a wide – because it is the wide that, by definition, you cannot hit.
But back to cases: So everyone, from the Sri Lankan cricket board to sundry Indian stars of yesteryear, have been banging on about the Lankans’ lack of sportsmanship (If there is any irony in Mohammad Azharuddin, who was banned from international cricket for match-fixing and related activities, talking of the spirit of the sportsman, ignore it, please – it is also the silly season).
What strikes us is how the public discourse, and wall to wall ‘exclusive’ coverage on television channels, misses the point: Sehwag was denied his century not by the Kumar-Suraj combine, but by scorers and umpires who were clearly asleep and/or ignorant of rules that, incidentally, have been framed so ambiguously as to convert a fairly simple proposition into a complicated situation.
Here is what happened, pure and simple: Randiv bowled. The umpire called ‘no-ball’. There is a reason the umpire calls it as soon as a bowler bowls one – it is to let the batsman know that there are no real penalties attached to having a go. A batsman, on hearing that call, knows he can have a swing without running the risk of being bowled, caught, declared LBW.
So Randiv bowled. The umpire called. Sehwag had a swing, and despatched the ball over the ropes.
That logically is seven runs added to the total – one to the team total as an extra, the other six to Sehwag, the batsman who was quick to seize on the opportunity. Simple.
This is where the idiocy of umpires and the ambiguity of the rule book come in: How could the game be over as soon as Randiv over-stepped? A ball, to be deemed bowled, has to be delivered; the batsman has to play/miss it; in the case of the former the ball has to be retrieved while the batsman runs, or not…there is no provision in cricket for declaring a result, and ending a match, at some intermediate stage of this process.
Thus, for umpires to declare that the game was over as soon as Randiv overstepped is plain folly. To understand this, consider a hypothetical situation: Randiv bowls. It is a no-ball. Sehwag decides the game is over, lets the ball go and walks off. Sangakkara collects and whips off the bails.
Is the batsman out? Of course he is. The extra run cannot be counted until the ball in question is officially dead; in our example Sehwag left his crease while the ball was in play, therefore he is out.
So, if his dismissal off a no ball counts, why were the runs he scored off that no ball not counted to his name?
The question, simplified: How could the umpires, or the scorers, or both, consider the match over before the ball had completed its necessary course?
Read Law 24 (No ball)
Runs resulting from a No ball
The one run penalty for a No ball shall be scored as a No ball extra. If other penalty runs have been awarded to either side, these shall be scored as in Law 42.17 (Penalty runs). Any runs completed by the batsmen or a boundary allowance shall be credited to the striker if the ball has been struck by the bat; otherwise they also shall be scored as No ball extras.
Where is the ambiguity? The law clearly says that any runs completed by the batsman, or a boundary allowance, off a no ball shall be credited to the striker.
Sehwag ‘completed’ a sixer. His score – unless the scorer is a congenital idiot – should have been 105. End of story.
The key is to understand that a game is not declared over midway through a cricketing action – which is the space between a ball being ‘live’ and being ‘dead’. Consider this example: India needs one run to win. Sehwag whacks the ball high in the air. While the ball is in the air, the batsman cross over and complete a run. The ball comes down, and is caught.
Is the game over, simply because the batsmen had crossed while the ball was in the air, and had not yet been caught? No, the verdict in this case would be, the batsman is out, the run doesn’t count. So clearly, runs and results are not declared at some arbitrary point while the ball is live – such a determination happens only after the ball is ‘dead’.
The fallacy appears to be in the thinking that any runs accruing to the batsman and/or side after a result is achieved do not count. That is equally a fallacy. Here is an illustrative example:
India needs to get one run to win. Sehwag drives, and the batsman race across for a single. The ball then goes on to cross the boundary. Do you award Sehwag one run, or four? Clearly, the answer is ‘four’ – despite the fact that the first of those runs won the game.
It is not the intention of this post to ‘excuse’ what Randiv did, or what Sangakkara asked him to do. That action was clearly unsporting, childish, petty. Here was one of the great batsman of the modern era, in challenging conditions, digging deep within himself to play a match-winning innings that was contrary to type. A gracious opposition would have admired, applauded; instead, the Lankans appear to have conspired to score a childish ‘victory’.
Fair enough. What beats us, though, is this: Why is there, amidst all this noise, no attempt to question the outcome declared by the scorers? Why is there no debate on the central question? Where were the umpires, the match referee? And where, incidentally, was the Indian team management that it did not think to question the scorers’ declared result?
Source: http://in.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/17/sehwag-did-get-his-century/
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sach is the in(m)pact...
‘Failure making headlines’ is a strong indicator of success. At least such (sach) is the case in India (+in = Sachin). Having a cursory look at the media reports in past few days gives an idea how this little (?) man has been under scanner for over two decades now. I was going through a piece this morning on rediff which talked abt the records that this man does not hold until now. And guess what- some of them would soon be in his kitty. That is besides the point here. Conducting oneself for over 20 years without the starry tantrums off the field and consistently scoring on the field are what has made him what he truly is. Take a bow!!! Zahanpanna- tusi great ho...
What I am afraid of, of late- is whether cricket in india will be the same after Sachin retires. On a personal note I cannot even think abt cricket without this great ambassador of the game. I don’t know if I wud follow the game the way i have been doing for over two decades now. It pains when Sachin gets injured or prefers to be rested for a series or a tournament. Imagining that someday he would hang his boots is nothing less than a nightmare.
Being what he is or has been with the changing rules of the game is awesome. I have always hated to compare anyone with sachin or the other way round. But I would never hesitate to add the numero uno tag with his name, no matter what! If he is not then who is !!! I am not quite sure what plans he has in mind before he calls it a day. But one thing I am quite certain that the millions of fans around would want him to score at least a half century of centuries in both the forms, a century of half centuries in ODIs, now that a double ton in ODI is already in his kitty- can there be a test-triple as well?-, and a world cup which has been eluding the most successful ODI batsman of the game..The list is not too big, but then many like me would love to see these ticked sooner than later. There is no denying to the fact that whatever he has achieved so far is unmatchable. But the insatiable fans want to see more against his name even if he thinks otherwise. I can only put these items in my wish list and hope that he ticks them before finally seeing his active days off.
What I am afraid of, of late- is whether cricket in india will be the same after Sachin retires. On a personal note I cannot even think abt cricket without this great ambassador of the game. I don’t know if I wud follow the game the way i have been doing for over two decades now. It pains when Sachin gets injured or prefers to be rested for a series or a tournament. Imagining that someday he would hang his boots is nothing less than a nightmare.
Being what he is or has been with the changing rules of the game is awesome. I have always hated to compare anyone with sachin or the other way round. But I would never hesitate to add the numero uno tag with his name, no matter what! If he is not then who is !!! I am not quite sure what plans he has in mind before he calls it a day. But one thing I am quite certain that the millions of fans around would want him to score at least a half century of centuries in both the forms, a century of half centuries in ODIs, now that a double ton in ODI is already in his kitty- can there be a test-triple as well?-, and a world cup which has been eluding the most successful ODI batsman of the game..The list is not too big, but then many like me would love to see these ticked sooner than later. There is no denying to the fact that whatever he has achieved so far is unmatchable. But the insatiable fans want to see more against his name even if he thinks otherwise. I can only put these items in my wish list and hope that he ticks them before finally seeing his active days off.
Monday, July 26, 2010
To be(at) or not to be(at) !
I don’t think a national sport would have been abused anywhere else on the plant the way Hockey has been managed in India. Even cricket in West Indies and Zimbabwe would be dwarfed by the sorry state of affairs in Hockey India.
Hockey in India has become a football which gets kicked by people who don’t know an iota of sports and games let alone hockey. The legacy left behind by the big names (who have made us proud with the 8 Olympic golds- which unfortunately has become a part of our folklore) is witnessing something which is an all time low. Guess, the infighting during KPS’ rein was not enough. HI was created out of a sheer farce and what followed its creation has become a ludicrous thing. Am sure many hockey lovers in India would hand their heads in shame for the fallen grace of the game. The current young brigade is immensely talented. But the only thing that’s eluding them is a good management of the admin affairs. But what in offer now is yet another dirty politics surrounding the control over the game’s administration. The ongoing series in Europe has taken a backseat and hockey lovers in India have been forced to wait to see the outcome of the much-awaited polls. An 83-yrs old Vidya Stokes ( for heavens sake let her do what people at 80 should do) locking arms with one of the best in his trade that the game has ever seen- Pargat Singh. Well, i have no idea how good or bad administrator Pargat Singh would turn out to be. But even a 4th grader would say who is what. And guess what- I am just told that the govt’s guideline on age limitation has also been violated. God bless these Indian politicians. They are awesome in humbling even Napoleon. Poor hockey lovers like us have to bear with some more dirt slinging before we get to see or hear about the team’s performance. Such has been the impact of the game’s administration. Wow (hockey) India wow!!!
Hockey in India has become a football which gets kicked by people who don’t know an iota of sports and games let alone hockey. The legacy left behind by the big names (who have made us proud with the 8 Olympic golds- which unfortunately has become a part of our folklore) is witnessing something which is an all time low. Guess, the infighting during KPS’ rein was not enough. HI was created out of a sheer farce and what followed its creation has become a ludicrous thing. Am sure many hockey lovers in India would hand their heads in shame for the fallen grace of the game. The current young brigade is immensely talented. But the only thing that’s eluding them is a good management of the admin affairs. But what in offer now is yet another dirty politics surrounding the control over the game’s administration. The ongoing series in Europe has taken a backseat and hockey lovers in India have been forced to wait to see the outcome of the much-awaited polls. An 83-yrs old Vidya Stokes ( for heavens sake let her do what people at 80 should do) locking arms with one of the best in his trade that the game has ever seen- Pargat Singh. Well, i have no idea how good or bad administrator Pargat Singh would turn out to be. But even a 4th grader would say who is what. And guess what- I am just told that the govt’s guideline on age limitation has also been violated. God bless these Indian politicians. They are awesome in humbling even Napoleon. Poor hockey lovers like us have to bear with some more dirt slinging before we get to see or hear about the team’s performance. Such has been the impact of the game’s administration. Wow (hockey) India wow!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Aaall izz well...
Sadly its curtains for the soccer extravaganza now. With Spain emerging as the king of the game for at least until 2014, many analysts, critics and gurus have been left scratching their heads. Btw, what went wrong? Well, for me- nothing. Am glad that the better team of the day has won. And it was the case for most of the matches played in the land of rainbows barring few heart-breaks like Ghana-Uruguay match. Like for Paul, the whole football world was split down the middle for Suarez. May be, his million-$ celebration after Gyan missed the stroke did not go down well with many. Any ways, thats past now. I just hope FIFA feels it a serious business to amend or introduce some rules. With many high points like Higuain’s hat trick, Ghana making to the last-4, brave shows by teams like NZ and North Korea, etc., this edition will also down to history as one with many forgetful things. But then, don’t we say this after every edition? Lolz...........Paul the unlikely hero will now be provided z+ security. Hope we get it to India some day. Thats a great business idea. Kuchh ho na ho, it will make lots and lots of money. Am sure there wud be a beeline stretching a lightyear to get Paul predict people’s lives here. Less to say abt our Netas, the better. On a personal note, I am very happy for Spain and I would have been equally happy if the Dutch team was to be crowned. Such is the impact of the game.....
Aaall izz well...
Sadly its curtains for the soccer extravaganza now. With Spain emerging as the king of the game for at least until 2014, many analysts, critics and gurus have been left scratching their heads. Btw, what went wrong? Well, for me- nothing. Am glad that the better team of the day has won. And it was the case for most of the matches played in the land of rainbows barring few heart-breaks like Ghana-Uruguay match. Like for Paul, the whole football world was split down the middle for Suarez. May be, his million-$ celebration after Gyan missed the stroke did not go down well with many. Any ways, thats past now. I just hope FIFA feels it a serious business to amend or introduce some rules. With many high points like Higuain’s hat trick, Ghana making to the last-4, brave shows by teams like NZ and North Korea, etc., this edition will also down to history as one with many forgetful things. But then, don’t we say this after every edition? Lolz...........Paul the unlikely hero will now be provided z+ security. Hope we get it to India some day. Thats a great business idea. Kuchh ho na ho, it will make lots and lots of money. Am sure there wud be a beeline stretching a lightyear to get Paul predict people’s lives here. Less to say abt our Netas, the better. On a personal note, I am very happy for Spain and I would have been equally happy if the Dutch team was to be crowned. Such is the impact of the game.....
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Paul the Octopus
I am sure most Germans would be vying for Paul's blood now. They would not have taken Paul so seriously when it predicted Germany's loss to Serbia in the league stage. But Paul shot to limelight after it went to the box with the other box having England's flag. Then it became the darling when it ignored the in-form Messi and co. But now ??? AM quite sure Vuvujelas and Jabulanis are not making headlines any more....After the white and black brigade lost to the Euro champs, Paul would have become a villain of sort. poor thing..Come 11th and we would have the new champs crowned. A big game on cards. Am certainly luking fwd to it. Honestly I never expected this orange-roja battle. One is in the final after 32 yrs and another a first-timer in the biggest match in 4 yrs. This makes the grand finale a very interesting prospect. My limited competencies don;t allow me to sit down and do a postmortem of what has happened in the rainbow land until now. However, I have really been chasing the news on Paul's million $ predictions quite eagerly. Every time we would talk abt law of average catching up Paul which in fact is not something to happen as yet. Villa and Sneijder would also battle for the golden boot.Now we have 2 days to rest before getting glued to espn on 11th. oh oh- we also have a match in between to decide who is placed 3rd. Btw, do we even care to remembers who comes 3rd !!!!!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
time to deliver the knock-out punch in the land of rainbows.....
This edition of the WC football has, so far, been a dull and lull thing for me personally. At least the preliminary round has been so- am sure many would agree with me here. Sans couple of games where Argentina got the better off Kor Rep 4-1, Portugal thrashed a hapless Nrth Korea DPR 7-0 (btw, portugal scored only those 7 goals in 3 matches of the leage stage) and Gemany handing over the OZs a 4-0 defeat, most other games failed to produced the quality of game that was expected of this extravaganza. 4 matches ended with 0-0 and 13 others decided with a 1-0 scorelines- doesn't this point to something? Well, am not talking about the number of goals scored alone. But of course, people pay to see some goals being scored in a match. I don't possess a great knowledge of the game but I do know something more than just what meets the eye. Blame it on the ball (well, can't they practice enough to get complete hang of it), but there is a limit upto which you can escape with that. Arg has by far been the best looking side ( awesome messi touch- a goal has eluded this poor chap- but am not complaining for his 0-balance. Brasil looked good in patches. But i know they pull up their socks to deliver the knock-out punch when it matters the most. Holland is another side which I am looking fwd to in the knock-out stage along with Portugal. And, I also pray that the Spanish brand gets back to their rhythm. With the reigning champs gone along with two flamboyant teams: France and England, the title race is wide open. I am not putting my money on anyone yet. Hope, i just get some good games to watch.....
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Indian Summer-2010
This year's summer has been quite eventful- one of the most unfortunate air-mishaps in India to president's rule in Jharkhand to repeated carnage by Maoists to gold at its (all-time-high) glittering best to BCCI saying no to sending a team to the Asiad to Fedex's shock exit from Roland Garros to Big B doing what NM has been doing for Gujarat so far to UPA-2's report to the people to the 3G spectrum auction going in billions to the attack on Shri Shri in Blore to BSE's plan to set a SME exchange to my personal agony in this hot and humid summer.........uuff yeh garmi!!!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Javed jee: tusi great ho...
Javed Akhtar's speech at the India Today Conclave:
I am quite sure ladies and gentlemen, that in this august assembly nobody would envy my position at this moment. Speaking after such a charismatic and formidable personality like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is like coming out of the pavilion to play after Tendulkar has made a sparkling century. But in some weak moment I had committed myself.
There are certain things that I would like to make very clear at the very outset. Don’t get carried away by my name – Javed Akhtar. I am not revealing a secret, I am saying something that I have said many times, in writing or on TV, in public…I am an atheist, I have no religious beliefs. And obviously I don’t believe in spirituality of some kind. Some kind.
Another thing. I am not standing here to criticize, analyze, or attack this gentleman who is sitting here. We have a very pleasant, civilized relation. I have always found him to be an extremely courteous person.
One is talking about an idea, an attitude, a mindset. Not any individual.
I must tell you that when Rajeev opened this session, for a moment I felt that I have come to the wrong place. Because, if we are discussing the philosophy of Krishan and Gautam and Kabir, Vivekanand, then I have nothing to say. I can sit down right now. I am not here to discuss a glorious past of which I suppose every Indian is proud, and rightly so. I am here to discuss a dubious present.
India Today has invited me and I have come here to talk of spirituality today. Let’s not be confused by this word spirituality, you can find two people with the same name and they can be totally different people. Ram Charit Manas was written by Tulsidas. And the television film has been made by Ramanand Sagar. Ramayan is common but I don’t think it would be very wise to club Tulsidas with Ramanand Sagar. I remember, when he had written Ramcharit Manas, he had faced a kind of a social boycott. How could he write a holy book in such a language like Avadhi? Sometimes I wonder fundamentalists of all hues and all colors, religions and communities…how similar they are. In 1798, a gentleman called Shah Abdul Qadir, in this very city, for the first time translated Quran in Urdu, and all the ulemas of that time gave fatwa against him that how could he translate this holy book in such a heathen language.
When Tulsi wrote Ramcharit Manas and he was boycotted, I remember a chowpai that he had written.
“Dhut kaho abdhut kaho rajput kaho ki julawa kohu
Kohu ki beti se beta na biahab, kohu ki jaat bigaar na chahu
Mang ke khaibo, mehjid ma raihbo, lebe ka ek na debe ka dohu”
Ramanand Sagar, when he made his television serial, he made millions. I am not undermining him, but obviously he is much lower in the rung.
I will give you another example. Perhaps it would be more direct and more appropriate. Gautam came out of a palace and went into wilderness to find the truth. But nowadays we see, the modern age gurus, come out of the wilderness and wind up in the palaces. They are moving in the opposite direction. We can’t talk of them in the same breath. So let us not hide behind names which are dear and respectable for every Indian.
When I was invited to give this talk, I felt that yes, I am an atheist, try to be a rationalist in any given situation, Maybe that’s why I have been called. But suddenly I have realized that there is another quality that I share with Modern Age gurus. I work in films. We have lot in common. Both of us, sell dreams, both of us create illusions, both of us create icons, but with a difference. After three hours we put a placard – the end. Go back to reality. They don’t.
So ladies and gentlemen, let me make it very clear that I have come to talk of this spirituality that has a supermarket in the world. Arms, drugs and spirituality – these are the three big businesses in the world. But in arms and drugs you really have to do something, give something. That’s the difference. Here you don’t have to give anything.
In this supermarket you get instant Nirvana, Moksha by mail, a crash course in self realization, cosmic consciousness in four easy lessons. This supermarket has its chain all over the world, where the restless elite buy spiritual fast food. I am talking about this spirituality.
Plato in his dialogues has said many a wise thing, and one of them is – before starting any discussion decide on the meanings of words. Let us try to decide on the meaning of this word spirituality. Does it mean love for mankind that transcends all religion, caste, creed, race? Is that so? Then I have no problem. Except that I call it humanity. Does it mean love of plants, trees, mountains, oceans, rivers, animals? The non-human world? If that is so, again I have no problem at all. Except that I call it environmental consciousness. Does spirituality mean heartfelt regard for social institutions like marriage, parenthood, fine arts, judiciary, freedom of expression. I have no problem again sir, how can I disagree here? I call it civil responsibility. Does spirituality mean going into your own world trying to understand the meaning of your own life? Who can object on that? I call it self-introspection, self assessment. Does spirituality mean Yoga? Thanks to Patanjali, who has given us the details of Yoga, Yam, Yatam, aasan, pranayam…We may do it under any name, but if we are doing pranayam, wonderful. I call it healthcare. Physical fitness.
Now is it a matter of only semantics. If all this is spirituality, then what is the discussion. All these words that I have used are extremely respectable and totally acceptable words. There is nothing abstract or intangible about them. So why stick to this word spirituality? What is there in spirituality that has not been covered by all these words? Is there something? If that is so then what is that?
Somebody in return can ask me what is my problem with this word. I am asking to change it, leave it, drop it, make it obsolete but why so? I will tell you what is my reservation. If spirituality means all this then there is no discussion. But there is something else which makes me uneasy. In a dictionary, the meaning of spirituality is rooted in a word called “spirit”. When mankind didn’t know whether this earth is round or flat, he had decided that human beings are actually the combination of two things. Body and spirit. Body is temporary, it dies. But the spirit is, shall I say, non-biodegradable. In your body you have a liver and heart and intestines and the brain, but since the brain is a part of the body, and mind lies within the brain, it is inferior because ultimately the brain too shall die with the body, but don’t worry, you are not going to die, because you are your spirit, and the spirit has the supreme consciousness that will remain, and whatever problem you have is because you listen to your mind. Stop listening to your mind. Listen to your spirit - the supreme consciousness that knows the cosmic truth. All right. It’s not surprising that in Pune there is an ashram and I used to go there. I loved the oratory. On the gate of the lecture hall there was a placard. Leave your shoes and minds here. There are other gurus who don’t mind if you carry your shoes. But minds?…sorry.
Now, if you leave your mind what do you do? You need the Guru to find the next station of consciousness. That hides somewhere in the spirit. He has reached the supreme consciousness, he knows the supreme truth. But can he tell you. No sir, he cannot tell you. So can you find out on your own? No sir, you need the guru for that. You need him but he cannot guarantee that you will know the ultimate truth… and what is that ultimate truth? What is the cosmic truth? Relating to cosmos? I have really not been able to understand that. The moment we step out of the solar system the first star is Alpha.Centueri It is just four light years away. How do I relate to that!! What do I do!!
So the emperor is wearing robes that only the wise can see. And the emperor is becoming bigger and bigger. And there are more and more wise people who are appreciating the robe.
I used to think that actually spirituality is the second line of defence for the religious people. When they get embarrassed about traditional religion, when it starts looking too down-market, they hide behind this smokescreen of cosmos and super consciousness. But that is not the complete truth. Because the clientele of traditional religion and spirituality is different. You take the map of the world, you start marking places which are extremely religious, within India or outside India, Asia, Latin America, Europe…wherever. You will find that wherever there is lot of religion there is lack of human rights. There is repression. Anywhere. Our Marxist friends used to say that religion is the opium of poor masses, the sigh of the oppressed. I don’t want to get into that discussion. But spirituality nowadays is definitely the tranquilizer of the rich.
You see that the clientele is well heeled, it is the affluent class. Alright, so the guru gets power, high self esteem, status, wealth…(which is not that important), power…and lot of wealth too. What does the disciple get? When I looked at them carefully I realized that there are categories and categories of these disciples. It’s not a monolith. There are different kinds of followers. Different kinds of disciples. One, who is rich, successful, doing extremely well in his life, making money, gaining property. Now, since he has everything he wants absolution too. So guru tells him - whatever you are doing, is “niskaam karma” – you are playing a role, this is all “Maya”, the money that you are making everyday and the property that you are acquiring, you are not emotionally involved with it. You are just playing a role. You come to me because you are in search of eternal truth. Maybe your hands are dirty, but your spirit and soul are pure. And this man, he starts feeling wonderful about himself. For seven days he is exploiting the world, and at the end of the seven days when he goes and sits at the feet of the guru, he feels – I am a sensitive person.
There is another category. That too comes from the affluent class. But he is not the winner like the first one. You know winning or losing that is also relative. A rickshaw-wallah if he is gambling on the pavement and wins hundred rupees will feel victorious, and if a corporate man makes only 300 million dollars, while his brother is a billionaire, he will feel like a failure. Now, what does this rich failure do? He needs a guru to tell him – who says that you have failed? You have other worlds, you have another vision, you have other sensibility that your brother doesn’t have. He thinks that he is successful…wrong. The world is very cruel, you know. The world tells you honestly, no sir, you have got three out of ten. The other person has seven out of ten. Fair. They will treat you that way and they will meet you that way. There he gets compassion. There he plays another game.
Another category. And I will talk about this category not with contempt or with any sense of superiority, not any bitterness, but all the compassion available one that is a very big client of this modern day guru and today’s spirituality, is the unhappy rich wife.
Here is a person who put all her individuality, aspirations and dreams, and her being at the altar of marriage and in return she got an indifferent husband. Who at the most gave her a couple of children. Who is rather busy with his work, or busy with other women. This woman needs a shoulder. She knows that she is an existential failure. There is nothing to look forward to. She has a vacuous, empty, comfortable yet purposeless life. It’s sad, but it is true.
Then there are other people. Who are suddenly traumatized. They lose a child. The wife dies. The husband dies. Or they lose the property, they lose their business. Something happens that shocks them and they ask – why me? So who do they ask? They go to the Guru. And the guru tells him that this is Karma. But there is another world if you follow me. Where there is no pain. Where there is no death. Where there is immortality. Where there is only bliss. He tells all these unhappy souls – follow me and I will take you to the heaven, to the paradise, where there is no pain. I am sorry sir, it is disappointing but true that there is no such paradise. Life will always have a certain quota of pain, of hurts, a possibility of defeats. But they do get some satisfaction.
Somebody may ask me if they are feeling better, if they are getting peace then what is your problem. It reminds me of a story that I have read. It’s an old Indian story told by a sage, that a hungry dog finds a dry bone and tries to eat it and in the process bites its own tongue. And the tongue is bleeding and the dog feels that he is getting nourishment from the bone.
I feel sad. I don’t want them, these adults, to behave like this because I respect them. Drugs and alcohol are also supposed to give mental peace and serenity, but is that kind of piece or serenity desirable or advisable? The answer is no. Any mental peace that is not anchored in rational thoughts is nothing but self-deception. Any serenity that takes you away from truth is just an illusion – a mirage. I know that there is a kind of a security in this which is like the security of a tri-cycle. If you are riding a tri-cycle you can’t fall. But adults do not ride tricycles. They ride bi-cycles. They can even fall. It is a part of life.
There is one more kind. Like everybody who is the member of the golf club is not fond of golf. In the same way everybody who is seen in an ashram is not a spiritual person. A film producer who is an ardent follower of a guru, whose ashram is about two hours from Delhi once told me that you must go to my Guru. You will see the who’s who of Delhi there. Let me tell you my Guruji is another Chandraswami in the making. Now this is a contact point for networking.
I have great respect for people who are spiritual, or religious, and in spite of this they are good people. And I have a reason. I believe that like every emotion or feeling, you have a limitation.
I am feeling slightly pressurized about time, can I get another five six minutes please…may I sir… Rajiv Mehrotra “yes you can”
You can see upto a point. And you can’t see further. You can hear upto a point, but beyond that you won’t be able to register sounds. You can mourn upto a point and then you will get over your mourning. You will feel happy upto a point and then you will be through with your happiness. Same way, I am sure that you have a certain capacity for nobility also. You can be as noble and no more. Now suppose if we count this capacity for nobility in the average man as ten units, now anybody who goes to pray in a mosque five times is consuming his five units, there anybody who goes to the temple or sits in the feet of the Guru, he is consuming his quota of nobility there. And in a totally non-productive manner. I don’t go to pray. I don’t pray. If I don’t go to any guru, or mosque or temple or church, what do I do with my quota of nobility. I will have to help somebody, feed somebody, give shelter to somebody. People who use their quota in worshipping, praying, adoring religious figures and spiritual figures, in spite of that, if they are left with some nobility, hats off to them.
You may ask me, that if I have this kind of ideas about religious people, why should I show such reverence for Krishan and Kabir and Gautam? You can ask me. I’ll tell you why I respect them. These were the great contributors in the human civilization. They were born in different points of time in history, in different situations. But one thing is common in them. They stood up against injustice. They fought for the downtrodden. Whether it was Ravana, or Kansha or the pharaoh or the high priests or the British Samrajya in front of Gandhi – or the communal empire of Firoze Tughlaq in the times of Kabir, they stood against that.
And what surprises me, and confirms my worst feelings, that today, the enlightened people who know the cosmic truth, none of them stand up against the powers that be. None of them raises his voice against the ruling classes and the privileged classes. Charity, yes, when it is approved and cleared by the establishment and the powers that be. But I want to know which was that guru which took the dalits to those temples which are still closed to them. I want to know which was that guru who stood for the rights of the Adivasis against the thekedaars and contractors. I want to know which was that guru who spoke about the victims of Gujarat and went to their relief camps. They are human beings.
Sir…It is not enough to teach the rich how to breathe. It is the rich mans recreation. It is the hypocrites’ pretension. It is a mischievous deception. And you know that in the oxford dictionary, mischievous deception is a term that is used for a word, and that word is…HOAX. Thank you.
I am quite sure ladies and gentlemen, that in this august assembly nobody would envy my position at this moment. Speaking after such a charismatic and formidable personality like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is like coming out of the pavilion to play after Tendulkar has made a sparkling century. But in some weak moment I had committed myself.
There are certain things that I would like to make very clear at the very outset. Don’t get carried away by my name – Javed Akhtar. I am not revealing a secret, I am saying something that I have said many times, in writing or on TV, in public…I am an atheist, I have no religious beliefs. And obviously I don’t believe in spirituality of some kind. Some kind.
Another thing. I am not standing here to criticize, analyze, or attack this gentleman who is sitting here. We have a very pleasant, civilized relation. I have always found him to be an extremely courteous person.
One is talking about an idea, an attitude, a mindset. Not any individual.
I must tell you that when Rajeev opened this session, for a moment I felt that I have come to the wrong place. Because, if we are discussing the philosophy of Krishan and Gautam and Kabir, Vivekanand, then I have nothing to say. I can sit down right now. I am not here to discuss a glorious past of which I suppose every Indian is proud, and rightly so. I am here to discuss a dubious present.
India Today has invited me and I have come here to talk of spirituality today. Let’s not be confused by this word spirituality, you can find two people with the same name and they can be totally different people. Ram Charit Manas was written by Tulsidas. And the television film has been made by Ramanand Sagar. Ramayan is common but I don’t think it would be very wise to club Tulsidas with Ramanand Sagar. I remember, when he had written Ramcharit Manas, he had faced a kind of a social boycott. How could he write a holy book in such a language like Avadhi? Sometimes I wonder fundamentalists of all hues and all colors, religions and communities…how similar they are. In 1798, a gentleman called Shah Abdul Qadir, in this very city, for the first time translated Quran in Urdu, and all the ulemas of that time gave fatwa against him that how could he translate this holy book in such a heathen language.
When Tulsi wrote Ramcharit Manas and he was boycotted, I remember a chowpai that he had written.
“Dhut kaho abdhut kaho rajput kaho ki julawa kohu
Kohu ki beti se beta na biahab, kohu ki jaat bigaar na chahu
Mang ke khaibo, mehjid ma raihbo, lebe ka ek na debe ka dohu”
Ramanand Sagar, when he made his television serial, he made millions. I am not undermining him, but obviously he is much lower in the rung.
I will give you another example. Perhaps it would be more direct and more appropriate. Gautam came out of a palace and went into wilderness to find the truth. But nowadays we see, the modern age gurus, come out of the wilderness and wind up in the palaces. They are moving in the opposite direction. We can’t talk of them in the same breath. So let us not hide behind names which are dear and respectable for every Indian.
When I was invited to give this talk, I felt that yes, I am an atheist, try to be a rationalist in any given situation, Maybe that’s why I have been called. But suddenly I have realized that there is another quality that I share with Modern Age gurus. I work in films. We have lot in common. Both of us, sell dreams, both of us create illusions, both of us create icons, but with a difference. After three hours we put a placard – the end. Go back to reality. They don’t.
So ladies and gentlemen, let me make it very clear that I have come to talk of this spirituality that has a supermarket in the world. Arms, drugs and spirituality – these are the three big businesses in the world. But in arms and drugs you really have to do something, give something. That’s the difference. Here you don’t have to give anything.
In this supermarket you get instant Nirvana, Moksha by mail, a crash course in self realization, cosmic consciousness in four easy lessons. This supermarket has its chain all over the world, where the restless elite buy spiritual fast food. I am talking about this spirituality.
Plato in his dialogues has said many a wise thing, and one of them is – before starting any discussion decide on the meanings of words. Let us try to decide on the meaning of this word spirituality. Does it mean love for mankind that transcends all religion, caste, creed, race? Is that so? Then I have no problem. Except that I call it humanity. Does it mean love of plants, trees, mountains, oceans, rivers, animals? The non-human world? If that is so, again I have no problem at all. Except that I call it environmental consciousness. Does spirituality mean heartfelt regard for social institutions like marriage, parenthood, fine arts, judiciary, freedom of expression. I have no problem again sir, how can I disagree here? I call it civil responsibility. Does spirituality mean going into your own world trying to understand the meaning of your own life? Who can object on that? I call it self-introspection, self assessment. Does spirituality mean Yoga? Thanks to Patanjali, who has given us the details of Yoga, Yam, Yatam, aasan, pranayam…We may do it under any name, but if we are doing pranayam, wonderful. I call it healthcare. Physical fitness.
Now is it a matter of only semantics. If all this is spirituality, then what is the discussion. All these words that I have used are extremely respectable and totally acceptable words. There is nothing abstract or intangible about them. So why stick to this word spirituality? What is there in spirituality that has not been covered by all these words? Is there something? If that is so then what is that?
Somebody in return can ask me what is my problem with this word. I am asking to change it, leave it, drop it, make it obsolete but why so? I will tell you what is my reservation. If spirituality means all this then there is no discussion. But there is something else which makes me uneasy. In a dictionary, the meaning of spirituality is rooted in a word called “spirit”. When mankind didn’t know whether this earth is round or flat, he had decided that human beings are actually the combination of two things. Body and spirit. Body is temporary, it dies. But the spirit is, shall I say, non-biodegradable. In your body you have a liver and heart and intestines and the brain, but since the brain is a part of the body, and mind lies within the brain, it is inferior because ultimately the brain too shall die with the body, but don’t worry, you are not going to die, because you are your spirit, and the spirit has the supreme consciousness that will remain, and whatever problem you have is because you listen to your mind. Stop listening to your mind. Listen to your spirit - the supreme consciousness that knows the cosmic truth. All right. It’s not surprising that in Pune there is an ashram and I used to go there. I loved the oratory. On the gate of the lecture hall there was a placard. Leave your shoes and minds here. There are other gurus who don’t mind if you carry your shoes. But minds?…sorry.
Now, if you leave your mind what do you do? You need the Guru to find the next station of consciousness. That hides somewhere in the spirit. He has reached the supreme consciousness, he knows the supreme truth. But can he tell you. No sir, he cannot tell you. So can you find out on your own? No sir, you need the guru for that. You need him but he cannot guarantee that you will know the ultimate truth… and what is that ultimate truth? What is the cosmic truth? Relating to cosmos? I have really not been able to understand that. The moment we step out of the solar system the first star is Alpha.Centueri It is just four light years away. How do I relate to that!! What do I do!!
So the emperor is wearing robes that only the wise can see. And the emperor is becoming bigger and bigger. And there are more and more wise people who are appreciating the robe.
I used to think that actually spirituality is the second line of defence for the religious people. When they get embarrassed about traditional religion, when it starts looking too down-market, they hide behind this smokescreen of cosmos and super consciousness. But that is not the complete truth. Because the clientele of traditional religion and spirituality is different. You take the map of the world, you start marking places which are extremely religious, within India or outside India, Asia, Latin America, Europe…wherever. You will find that wherever there is lot of religion there is lack of human rights. There is repression. Anywhere. Our Marxist friends used to say that religion is the opium of poor masses, the sigh of the oppressed. I don’t want to get into that discussion. But spirituality nowadays is definitely the tranquilizer of the rich.
You see that the clientele is well heeled, it is the affluent class. Alright, so the guru gets power, high self esteem, status, wealth…(which is not that important), power…and lot of wealth too. What does the disciple get? When I looked at them carefully I realized that there are categories and categories of these disciples. It’s not a monolith. There are different kinds of followers. Different kinds of disciples. One, who is rich, successful, doing extremely well in his life, making money, gaining property. Now, since he has everything he wants absolution too. So guru tells him - whatever you are doing, is “niskaam karma” – you are playing a role, this is all “Maya”, the money that you are making everyday and the property that you are acquiring, you are not emotionally involved with it. You are just playing a role. You come to me because you are in search of eternal truth. Maybe your hands are dirty, but your spirit and soul are pure. And this man, he starts feeling wonderful about himself. For seven days he is exploiting the world, and at the end of the seven days when he goes and sits at the feet of the guru, he feels – I am a sensitive person.
There is another category. That too comes from the affluent class. But he is not the winner like the first one. You know winning or losing that is also relative. A rickshaw-wallah if he is gambling on the pavement and wins hundred rupees will feel victorious, and if a corporate man makes only 300 million dollars, while his brother is a billionaire, he will feel like a failure. Now, what does this rich failure do? He needs a guru to tell him – who says that you have failed? You have other worlds, you have another vision, you have other sensibility that your brother doesn’t have. He thinks that he is successful…wrong. The world is very cruel, you know. The world tells you honestly, no sir, you have got three out of ten. The other person has seven out of ten. Fair. They will treat you that way and they will meet you that way. There he gets compassion. There he plays another game.
Another category. And I will talk about this category not with contempt or with any sense of superiority, not any bitterness, but all the compassion available one that is a very big client of this modern day guru and today’s spirituality, is the unhappy rich wife.
Here is a person who put all her individuality, aspirations and dreams, and her being at the altar of marriage and in return she got an indifferent husband. Who at the most gave her a couple of children. Who is rather busy with his work, or busy with other women. This woman needs a shoulder. She knows that she is an existential failure. There is nothing to look forward to. She has a vacuous, empty, comfortable yet purposeless life. It’s sad, but it is true.
Then there are other people. Who are suddenly traumatized. They lose a child. The wife dies. The husband dies. Or they lose the property, they lose their business. Something happens that shocks them and they ask – why me? So who do they ask? They go to the Guru. And the guru tells him that this is Karma. But there is another world if you follow me. Where there is no pain. Where there is no death. Where there is immortality. Where there is only bliss. He tells all these unhappy souls – follow me and I will take you to the heaven, to the paradise, where there is no pain. I am sorry sir, it is disappointing but true that there is no such paradise. Life will always have a certain quota of pain, of hurts, a possibility of defeats. But they do get some satisfaction.
Somebody may ask me if they are feeling better, if they are getting peace then what is your problem. It reminds me of a story that I have read. It’s an old Indian story told by a sage, that a hungry dog finds a dry bone and tries to eat it and in the process bites its own tongue. And the tongue is bleeding and the dog feels that he is getting nourishment from the bone.
I feel sad. I don’t want them, these adults, to behave like this because I respect them. Drugs and alcohol are also supposed to give mental peace and serenity, but is that kind of piece or serenity desirable or advisable? The answer is no. Any mental peace that is not anchored in rational thoughts is nothing but self-deception. Any serenity that takes you away from truth is just an illusion – a mirage. I know that there is a kind of a security in this which is like the security of a tri-cycle. If you are riding a tri-cycle you can’t fall. But adults do not ride tricycles. They ride bi-cycles. They can even fall. It is a part of life.
There is one more kind. Like everybody who is the member of the golf club is not fond of golf. In the same way everybody who is seen in an ashram is not a spiritual person. A film producer who is an ardent follower of a guru, whose ashram is about two hours from Delhi once told me that you must go to my Guru. You will see the who’s who of Delhi there. Let me tell you my Guruji is another Chandraswami in the making. Now this is a contact point for networking.
I have great respect for people who are spiritual, or religious, and in spite of this they are good people. And I have a reason. I believe that like every emotion or feeling, you have a limitation.
I am feeling slightly pressurized about time, can I get another five six minutes please…may I sir… Rajiv Mehrotra “yes you can”
You can see upto a point. And you can’t see further. You can hear upto a point, but beyond that you won’t be able to register sounds. You can mourn upto a point and then you will get over your mourning. You will feel happy upto a point and then you will be through with your happiness. Same way, I am sure that you have a certain capacity for nobility also. You can be as noble and no more. Now suppose if we count this capacity for nobility in the average man as ten units, now anybody who goes to pray in a mosque five times is consuming his five units, there anybody who goes to the temple or sits in the feet of the Guru, he is consuming his quota of nobility there. And in a totally non-productive manner. I don’t go to pray. I don’t pray. If I don’t go to any guru, or mosque or temple or church, what do I do with my quota of nobility. I will have to help somebody, feed somebody, give shelter to somebody. People who use their quota in worshipping, praying, adoring religious figures and spiritual figures, in spite of that, if they are left with some nobility, hats off to them.
You may ask me, that if I have this kind of ideas about religious people, why should I show such reverence for Krishan and Kabir and Gautam? You can ask me. I’ll tell you why I respect them. These were the great contributors in the human civilization. They were born in different points of time in history, in different situations. But one thing is common in them. They stood up against injustice. They fought for the downtrodden. Whether it was Ravana, or Kansha or the pharaoh or the high priests or the British Samrajya in front of Gandhi – or the communal empire of Firoze Tughlaq in the times of Kabir, they stood against that.
And what surprises me, and confirms my worst feelings, that today, the enlightened people who know the cosmic truth, none of them stand up against the powers that be. None of them raises his voice against the ruling classes and the privileged classes. Charity, yes, when it is approved and cleared by the establishment and the powers that be. But I want to know which was that guru which took the dalits to those temples which are still closed to them. I want to know which was that guru who stood for the rights of the Adivasis against the thekedaars and contractors. I want to know which was that guru who spoke about the victims of Gujarat and went to their relief camps. They are human beings.
Sir…It is not enough to teach the rich how to breathe. It is the rich mans recreation. It is the hypocrites’ pretension. It is a mischievous deception. And you know that in the oxford dictionary, mischievous deception is a term that is used for a word, and that word is…HOAX. Thank you.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Red red go away, come again no other day!
I wish Karl Marx was alive to see how his conceptual notions have been used, misused and abused day in day out here. The other day, someone asked me if i noticed any difference between Marxism and Maoism. And, I strongly said no- as I feel at an ideological level, its all abt class struggle. But I had a problem with the manifestations. Violence/killing CANNOT just be justified at any cost.
Killing people to gain visibility or to stake claim over scoring a point has no place in a civilized society.
74 CRPF jawans massacred in a naxal ambush in Dantewada!!!! Omigawd!
I just fail to understand why aren’t our security forces equipped and trained enough!!! Look at any developed nation and you would be surprised to see how their security personnel look like let alone the modern ammunition that they carry. And the political apathy!!! Guess a top-notch politician should fall prey to such mishap to ignite a stern action against people who take law and order into their hands and go on a killing spree.
This dantewada thing was a sheer mockery of intelligence, tactics, combat, preparedness, and the list goes on..................if media reports are anything to go by, the naxal folks were carrying sophisticated arms which makes one to believe that there is a much deeper and larger network which is outfoxing the intelligence of the country. And if this is not the case, then there might be some high level involvement ( well, this is just a speculation). One cannot ignore any permutation or combination when it comes to such a sensitive issue that is – security...I hang my head in shame the way we have created a hero in kasab ( just because there was a cross-border intrusion) and have given clod eye to our internal enemies..
I must submit that i have very limited reading to the cause that some people are fighting for. But then, i just cannot see them let free with a license to kill ( am sure they think so).
Less than two years ago, I lost a very good friend of mine to such dastardly act. It was a huge personal loss and I can only feel for the families of the deceased. Destiny of such people who are in the noble cause of saving the motherland is written in such a fashion-----well, I can just offer my dry prayers. Wish I could do more.....
Killing people to gain visibility or to stake claim over scoring a point has no place in a civilized society.
74 CRPF jawans massacred in a naxal ambush in Dantewada!!!! Omigawd!
I just fail to understand why aren’t our security forces equipped and trained enough!!! Look at any developed nation and you would be surprised to see how their security personnel look like let alone the modern ammunition that they carry. And the political apathy!!! Guess a top-notch politician should fall prey to such mishap to ignite a stern action against people who take law and order into their hands and go on a killing spree.
This dantewada thing was a sheer mockery of intelligence, tactics, combat, preparedness, and the list goes on..................if media reports are anything to go by, the naxal folks were carrying sophisticated arms which makes one to believe that there is a much deeper and larger network which is outfoxing the intelligence of the country. And if this is not the case, then there might be some high level involvement ( well, this is just a speculation). One cannot ignore any permutation or combination when it comes to such a sensitive issue that is – security...I hang my head in shame the way we have created a hero in kasab ( just because there was a cross-border intrusion) and have given clod eye to our internal enemies..
I must submit that i have very limited reading to the cause that some people are fighting for. But then, i just cannot see them let free with a license to kill ( am sure they think so).
Less than two years ago, I lost a very good friend of mine to such dastardly act. It was a huge personal loss and I can only feel for the families of the deceased. Destiny of such people who are in the noble cause of saving the motherland is written in such a fashion-----well, I can just offer my dry prayers. Wish I could do more.....
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Ooof yeh mohabbat !!!
For over a week now, the news of the possible sania-shoaib tie-up has been all over the places. With who-knows-who-is-this Ayesha from Hyderabad, the i-will-decide-everything Thackres from Mumbai, we-also-exist fundamentalists and rest interested for a masaladaar news leaving no room for better sense to prevail, I am sure this episode is gonna travel some miles albeit crossing that do-not-touch-me indo-pak border. I will not be surprised if white house issues a statement offering to mediate this (ye)S-(ye)S tie-up.
Well, sania has always been media’s darling for whatever she does or does not do. Such a poor thing for the Hyderabad lass. I remember her speaking to the British media post a match at Wimbledon and she handled so beautifully a sensitive question on her religious affiliation and her tennis attire inviting ire of some self proclaimed custodians of a belief back in India. I was taken completely aback. What a matured and responsible answer and the Brit chapie appeared scratching his head !!! And I just loved the way she spoke. But sadly, her tennis (the best in the class for and from the Indian sub-continent) amidst everything, unfortunately had to fall prey. Am sure many tennis lovers would have been disappointed beyond description.
Ever since she broke into the intl tennis circuit, the poor girl has been subjected to kitna kuchh. How stupid- others had to take a call on what she had to wear on the court!!Q. I wish someone could dare saying that to the Kurnikovas and Williams. Next time when an Indian goes to compete with Usain Bolt, he would be asked to run with a lungi or a dhoti on. And why not try heptathlon in the commonwealth games wearing saree. But then, who to blame!!! We Indians are so hell bent on calling the heads of people that make us hold our own high in pride.
Now Uddhab and Balasaheb are singing contradicting tunes on someone’s personal decision ! man, some people are so pata-nehin-kya-type. Worse, these are the people whom we choose, select and elect to script the destiny of a billion.
But for a change, a non-politician’s personal life hugging so much limelight in India is certainly a sign of progress .
Why cannot we leave two people alone to decide what they want (not) to do (well within the legal framework)? Doesn’t my land give me a right to my private life?
Well, sania has always been media’s darling for whatever she does or does not do. Such a poor thing for the Hyderabad lass. I remember her speaking to the British media post a match at Wimbledon and she handled so beautifully a sensitive question on her religious affiliation and her tennis attire inviting ire of some self proclaimed custodians of a belief back in India. I was taken completely aback. What a matured and responsible answer and the Brit chapie appeared scratching his head !!! And I just loved the way she spoke. But sadly, her tennis (the best in the class for and from the Indian sub-continent) amidst everything, unfortunately had to fall prey. Am sure many tennis lovers would have been disappointed beyond description.
Ever since she broke into the intl tennis circuit, the poor girl has been subjected to kitna kuchh. How stupid- others had to take a call on what she had to wear on the court!!Q. I wish someone could dare saying that to the Kurnikovas and Williams. Next time when an Indian goes to compete with Usain Bolt, he would be asked to run with a lungi or a dhoti on. And why not try heptathlon in the commonwealth games wearing saree. But then, who to blame!!! We Indians are so hell bent on calling the heads of people that make us hold our own high in pride.
Now Uddhab and Balasaheb are singing contradicting tunes on someone’s personal decision ! man, some people are so pata-nehin-kya-type. Worse, these are the people whom we choose, select and elect to script the destiny of a billion.
But for a change, a non-politician’s personal life hugging so much limelight in India is certainly a sign of progress .
Why cannot we leave two people alone to decide what they want (not) to do (well within the legal framework)? Doesn’t my land give me a right to my private life?
Friday, April 2, 2010
abt pens, pensils and notebooks....
For a country which got its independent identity over six decades ago, right to education for its citizens in 2010 fails to appeal me as a welcome move...am not undermining the imp of edn here. Rather i think this should have been done in 1951 itself.
Any ways, better late than never.with ppl like m m singh and kapil sibal at the helm of affairs, i have reasons to believe that the education landscape of India wud be like never before. nowithstanding what oppsn wud say, what some fanatic activists wud say, sibal seems to be in a hurry. and his being in a hurry gets my 'thumbs up'. man, u have the balls to do things this way.
however, we keep on hearing abt tall talks on 'balanced growth', 'social democracy', 'participatory development' and guess what, 4 days ago a friend asked me - what is 'positive development'..boy oh boy- what non-sensical things we guys are into !!!
Don't we realise its time we did the talk......enuf of talking and walking the talks..
With right to education all set to boost the GER ( Gross enrolment ratio) what confuses me is the meeting of RTE and 'compulsory education-CE'...Does this 'compulsory' element invite punishment for parents for not sending their children to schools? Does this also imply punitive action against primary school teachers for not getting eligible kids in their catchment areas to the schools? will RTE and CE put together create rooms for more corrupt practices? will the 'learning aid', 'food', etc reach the beneficiaries or will this mean more money for you-know-who ?
Many such questions are not eyebrow-raising. And am sure the policy makers have factored all these into the policy.
Never mind. anything with a noble purpose is always welcome. No matter how much of a penny goes to the beneficiary, it MUST go there.
Dear mr sibal, expand higher education with excellence and equity, bring in as many Harvards, Standfords, Sloans,etc to India.......but the greater need will always remain at the bottom of the pyramid.......so let SSA, MSA (?) and HE be naturally be supplementing each other and each one automatically providing the womb for the succeeding ones and be in sync with each other.
Lets also get real and understand that up in ladder, education (higher) is not for all, and not all would opt for education...hence we must have ample avenues for earning livelihood...the Skill mission is just abt the right kind if thing to meet this need. Its for us to wait and see what fruits all these policy initiatives are gonna bear.........but, am quite hopeful....Lets give time some time....... cheers
Any ways, better late than never.with ppl like m m singh and kapil sibal at the helm of affairs, i have reasons to believe that the education landscape of India wud be like never before. nowithstanding what oppsn wud say, what some fanatic activists wud say, sibal seems to be in a hurry. and his being in a hurry gets my 'thumbs up'. man, u have the balls to do things this way.
however, we keep on hearing abt tall talks on 'balanced growth', 'social democracy', 'participatory development' and guess what, 4 days ago a friend asked me - what is 'positive development'..boy oh boy- what non-sensical things we guys are into !!!
Don't we realise its time we did the talk......enuf of talking and walking the talks..
With right to education all set to boost the GER ( Gross enrolment ratio) what confuses me is the meeting of RTE and 'compulsory education-CE'...Does this 'compulsory' element invite punishment for parents for not sending their children to schools? Does this also imply punitive action against primary school teachers for not getting eligible kids in their catchment areas to the schools? will RTE and CE put together create rooms for more corrupt practices? will the 'learning aid', 'food', etc reach the beneficiaries or will this mean more money for you-know-who ?
Many such questions are not eyebrow-raising. And am sure the policy makers have factored all these into the policy.
Never mind. anything with a noble purpose is always welcome. No matter how much of a penny goes to the beneficiary, it MUST go there.
Dear mr sibal, expand higher education with excellence and equity, bring in as many Harvards, Standfords, Sloans,etc to India.......but the greater need will always remain at the bottom of the pyramid.......so let SSA, MSA (?) and HE be naturally be supplementing each other and each one automatically providing the womb for the succeeding ones and be in sync with each other.
Lets also get real and understand that up in ladder, education (higher) is not for all, and not all would opt for education...hence we must have ample avenues for earning livelihood...the Skill mission is just abt the right kind if thing to meet this need. Its for us to wait and see what fruits all these policy initiatives are gonna bear.........but, am quite hopeful....Lets give time some time....... cheers
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