The Rebirth of Cricket

Short. Fast. Colorful. Three terms that can be used to describe the new Twenty20 Cricket World Cup that is going on in South Africa. This new form of cricket that marks the third stage of evolution of the ‘Shepherd’s Game’ from 5-day tests to 1-Day Internationals (50 Overs) to just 20 Overs a side. The game has been compressed more and more by the passing of the ages.

But this is not a bad thing if the frenzy at South Africa around the Twenty20 World Cup is any indicator. The new form has proved to be a run-away hit. The stands are full. The organizers are happy. The spectators can look forward to watching matches, each one promising to be explosive to say the least. Just look at the number of sixes and fours that have been smashed in this World Cup alone. Yuvraj Singh has become the fastest run taker  smashing an incredible 50 off 12 balls in an innings that saw him hit every ball of an over for six (the poor bowler!).

I think the new form of the game is an excellent way to revive the game that was losing its sheen of late. The Twentry20 version of the game has truly given Cricket a new lease of life.

Sorry state of Communism in India

Communism in India is in an advanced state of decay. With all due respect to powerful leaders such as Sitaram Yechury and the likes, communism in India will only decay further. Every political party in the world has learned to progress with the times. But the communists in this country prefer to go back in time and clutch older values close to their heart.

I used to be a great fan of communism. The values and considerate social aspects of its politics were enduring and enigmatic. But not anymore. By not progressing with the times and holding on to outdated values, communism in India is killing itself. One example that shows this general suicide of the parties is when computers where introduced into Kerala – a southern state of India under the Leftist rule. When computers were introduced, the party frivolously objected saying that many people will lose their jobs to these machines called computers. And many party officials proceeded to destroy computers in the government offices and other establishments! And look how that is changing India for the better today.

Similarly, the US n-deal deserves mention. Moreover, the parliament is being continuously brought to a standstill by these criminals of politics and important bills (some that might even take precedence of the US n-deal) are starting to rust in the parliament. What good can this bring to the common man. Today, the communists are in a heightened sense of self-denial. They are too stubborn to admit that they could be wrong. They just want to utilise their political clout in the name of the common man – who doesn’t have the time or resources to think for himself – and blindly follows what these alleged social do-gooders say. Thus the communists have gained a sizable support to allow them such liberties.

But what the Communist parties should do is reform themselves. Make themselves open their eyes towards the inevitable change that is taking place all around them. The Congress party has, to an extent, been successful in achieving this (more or less). Their are thinking of the future generations and making plans accordingly. Even other communist countries like China are endorsing this forward view while only the Indian communists are moving backwards! Time to change Mr. Yechury. Time to change.

India win Asia Cup 2007

Well, well, well. As much as I would like to say, “I told you so!”, I am restraining myself. Why? Because we all know that India has a curious way of proving you (or anyone, for that matter) wrong on a consistent basis. That’s what the country is all about and that’s why I love it so much.

What am I talking about? Today India won the Asia Cup 2007 by defeating South Korea. The score line speaks for itself: 7 – 2. This year’s Asia Cup has seen a dream run made by India. In the end, India ended the tournament with a jaw-dropping 57 goals without losing a single match and winning twice against South Korea. What’s infinitely more amazing is the fact that India achieved this while conceding just 5 goals! All this despite the fact that there were many established hockey teams like China and South Korea! A job well-done.

This coupled with the Nehru Cup win might just script India’s most successful Sporting year in a long while. All I can say at this juncture is let’s hope that all this new-found glory does not get to the players. Here’s wishing them all the luck.

Chak De India!

The Indian Engineer

The making of the Great Indian Engineer is not an easy task. It is a collaboration of many disciplined and restrained efforts. It involves patience, suspension of reason, lotsa money and a will made of an alloy of titanium and diamond. Although an Indian engineering grad will look normal to the outside world, there will be 10 centuries worth of wisdom and knowledge between his years. We are trained never to let the world know of our amazing abilities lest we be labelled as the definitive Indian geeks.

An Indian Engineer’s training to take on the world starts as soon as he enters the college premises for the first time. He is made to feel a false sense of security by the seniors until the parents accompanying them have left the college compound. Then he is given a lecture by his seniors on words he never knew existed – like ****** ***, ****** and even ******** – and rules are laid down, which each and every new student will inadvertently follow letter for letter. This is the first and (usually) only legitimate class that actually takes place for the next four years!

After that, everything else learned is through self discovery. Life governing Philosophies are learned step by step from “Thy toothpaste is thy entire hostel’s toothpaste” slowly making its way up to “Thy undergarment is thy neighbour’s undergarment”. Privacy, to an engineering student, is only something that can be had in the toilet, and that too separated by a thin, hole-ridden wooden (make-shift) door with negligible sound (and smell) proofing.

Classes occur rarely and when they do, except for a few uninitiated ‘day-scholars’ and an unfortunate professor, the class will be empty. The teachers serve little purpose other than to act as scarecrows to keep the children away from the staff rooms. Innocent love-birds are seen chirping at every nook and cranny of the college campus. Studies are non-existent for the entire length of each semester.

The only time he studies – and this is what sets an Indian Engineer widely apart from other kinds of engineers – is on the day before the final University Semester examinations. In fact, some engineers are gifted with an abundance of skill such that even this last minute studying is rendered redundant and needless. That being said, I have seen some of the brightest students in the world in these Indian engineering colleges. The way their brain absorbs information will put even a sponge to shame!

Nights in a hostel are all about partying. Walk through the corridor of an Engineering students hostel at night and you will inadvertently -> hear sounds of gunfire (Counter Strike), listen to loud and deriding wise-cracks, ‘clinging’ of paper-glasses accompanied with all involved students yelling “cheers!” and see different colored smoke as if the hostel was on fire or something. But you will also see one or two students sitting alone with their books not minding any of the distractions on offer as if they were some social outcasts.

But no matter what happens, when the 4 years of engineering are up, the ordinary Indian boy that went into the college will emerge as The Great Indian Engineer with companies ranging from Wipro or TCS to Yahoo! and AMD fighting over them. This is the story of The Indian Engineer.

Indian Sports Scene Improving?

Of late, the Indian sports scene has seen much reason for elation. And I’m not just talking about cricket. Take everything from tennis to football to hockey and all we can see is good news. Of course, I realize that we haven’t suddenly turned world-beaters over-night. No, I haven’t suddenly gone crazy either.But if you’ve been following the sports news lately, you would have noticed a spate of good news from all over the sporting arena.

I’ll start off with tennis. Sania Mirza (who else?) after taking a break for an operation and general fitness improvement is back. And back with a Bang! Her rankings had slipped to the 60s area and now she is on 27! And her recent US Open performance has the pundits betting on an even better ranking. Already her ranking is the highest any Indian Woman Tennis player has ever seen and its only going to get better? I’ll be hard-pressed to find a better example for this post. Because of this, some really brilliant showing by Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (business as usual?) have not taken up much of the spotlight but are extremely praiseworthy mentions in their own right. As I right this, Paes is preparing for his mixed doubles US Open finals

In Football, the recent Nehru Cup victory would not doubt have revived some lost interest in the national football team. A 1-0 final score against a much better ranked ( some 30-40 ranks better) Syria in a highly physical match is testimony to the growing confidence of team India in the global footballing space. Although the coach, Bob Houghton says its just a small step forward inthe international footballing scene, for us Indians who have forever been battling with delays, red-tape-ism and beurocracy, even a small step forward for an Indian sports team will seem like a huge leap. Hope this good form continues for India in the world’s favourite sport.
In hockey, with the new coach Carvalho, things are already looking up. Traditionally, hockey has been India’s forte with many talented hockey-players stealing the show in international events. But that was almost 60 years ago. Not today. Today, India have sunk from the heroes to the underdogs of Hockey. But hockey still is the national game (I know some of you still think its cricket. Shame on you!). This season, there is a good chance that we can qualify for the Olympics (touchwood). We have already displayed that we can play well as a team by defeating SriLanka 20-0 in the Asia Cup and setting a world record in the process. But just like in Cricket, consistency is an elusive concept to Indian sports-persons. We are cruising along in the Asia Cup as I am writing this post we have already defeated China – although it was a mediocre display, a win is a win is a win!

I am not going to talk much about Cricket, as you may already be well-versed on the subject. The England tour is a big step forward and currently we are 3-3 on the ODIs. Good luck guys.

But lets not count the proverbial chickens. There is still a looooooong way to go before we can be proud of The Great Indian Sports Teams. But we could be on the pedestal to greater achievements. Who knows. My fingers are crossed and here’s wishing India all the luck they can get (and they’ll need it too).

GDP? Who’s that?

Is there anyone reading this that isn’t aware of the fact that India is firmly on the driver seat in the ‘expressway’ to economic glory? Thought so. But believe you me that there are still many, many young people out there, all over India, that aren’t aware. No, I’m not talking about the farmers(who, incidentally comprise of around 60% of the population! Yeah, 60%!) and others who have missed (at least for now) the Development bandwagon. I’m talking about the educated youth. I have talked to many of my young compatriots (well educated) and they seem to be completely oblivious of the fact that India surely is growing. And growing fast.

The farmers and associates, I can understand. They have been completely left out(again, I stress: for now) of the Great Indian Growth Story. They wouldn’t and shouldn’t be enthusiastic about India’s recent GDP growth. But what about the educated youth. Most of those I’ve talked to don’t even know what economic growth signifies, let alone GDP growth. This truly is a sorry state of affairs.

I see India in a totally different light. I read a lot(I’m not bragging , promise) and I like to keep abreast of the going-ons of my motherland with a special emphasis on development(be it social or economic). So I like to think that I have a pretty good overall picture of India and where she stands today in the global order of things. And I must say, India is progressing and progressing fast. It may not be immediately obvious to the naked eye, but I’m confident that if data on India is analyzed over a significant period of time, a pattern will emerge. A pattern that shows the world that India is growing at a scorching pace economically and as a result socially as well. You can call me a capitalist but the economic liberalisation is doing India a whale of good. I’m a great advocate of liberalisation. The results of liberalisation talk for themselves (Telecom anyone?).

And to think that the leaders and entrepreneurs of tomorrow are not even aware of the these facts! The whole global business community has woken up to Indian Growth possibilities and yet, so little Indians are aware. One of my(so-called) educated friends went so far as to declare that India didn’t even have it’s own satellites. What nonsense!

To me, right now, today’s India is a land of oppurtunities. And these oppurtunities will only increase. Reforms like the Administrative Reforms and liberalisation will no-doubt do more good than damage. But the resulting oppurtunities must be capitalised by the new bolder, confident young India. A basic level of awareness and patriotism has to be cultivated for that to be a reality.

Chak De Yaar!

I went to see Chak De! India recently and was actually quiet impressed. No, not by the any amazing new concept that the film-makers have incorporated. Rather by the lack of it. A thoroughly enjoyable movie from start to finish. The game-sequences are exceptionally well-executed (by Bollywood standards!).

The film doesn’t break any new totally unchartered grounds. Sports movies have a very orthodox and expectable story-line that can be summarized as follows: <huge failure>, <no hope>, <sudden, small hope>, <huge odds against> and finally <amazing, spectacular win against all odds>. So when you go to watch the movie you already have a pretty good idea about how the movie is going to unfold.

What sets the truly great sports movies apart are the differences in their execution and they way they tackle various issues that aren’t directly related to the sport. In a country like India, sports is always indirectly (or directly) related with harrowing social issues. The list of such issues that Chak De! tries to tackle is long. The issues include feminism, patriotism, unity-in-diversity and hockey. The movie, about a bunch of female rag-tag hockey players playing for the national team, manages to tackle, captivate and hold the audience’s attention on the said issues. This movie might also bring back some national interest into hockey (which incidentally is the national game of India) from the religious reverance that cricket enjoys. The recent Nehru Cup win of the Indian football team also deserves mention.

The scene at McDonald’s was really classic and enjoyable. A strong message for eve-teasers. The cinematography was excellent. The climax superb. But what really impressed me was Shah Rukh Khan’s performance. I am not a really huge fan of Shah Rukh Khan but his performance in Chak De is more than commendable, pulling off an underplayed and reserved performance with no hint of his usual over-acting. Here’s to hoping that more such movies are churned out from Bollywood regularly…