Among most of the movies that I ever saw when I was younger were your usual timepass stuff, which did include some good stuff. However, over the years there is one thing that stuck around – the cinematic beauties. Weather it is Sofia Loren, the over hyped, yet cute – Marilyn Monroe, our very own, Smita Patil, Sridevi, Madhuri, Juhi or Aishwarya. The difference between the beauties of the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s and now lies in the sheer talent that the ladies of that generation possessed.

Take Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Smita Patil or Madhubala for instance. These were (some still are) gorgeous women, spelling ‘true beauty’. What sets them apart is the sheer talent and their brilliance in showcasing the toughest of roles with absolute ease. Can we say the same about the ‘so called beauties’ of today? Maybe not! But then that’s just my opinion…….which I feel quite strongly about

Watching Madhuri in that ad or Sridevi walking the ramp or Juhi hosting the kiddies show, still gets my pulse racing. True eternal beauty with sheer talent. Alas! Wish I could say the same about the rest that we see today

During my growing up years, I struggled to play this sport (or love it), especially when people from my generation would listen to our fathers talk about the glory it brought to Indian Sports under the able leadership of Kapil Dev in the 1983 World Cup Cricket. All of us, irrespective of Race, Class, Creed, Religion, Region, Nationality, Color, are competitive; whether it is in the class room, the battlefield or a sport; all of us love to achieve the Foremost Position. I can’t remember the last time I, personally, managed to achieve this feat (I think it probably was in swimming when I was in the 9^th Grade!); but as a nation in my short life, it first happened in ’83 when I was just getting out of my diapers with the ’83 World Cup win; further accolade brought to the Indian soil by the likes of P.T. Usha (not included Milkha Singh as his honor’s were much much before I was born; however that’s another legend who has made us really proud). Then years passed and so did decades, but nothing much, until 2010, when we hosted the Commonwealth Games and what a proud moment that was for us all. Unfortunately, like all great things in our country, this was also short lived due to the black medals (read Corruption) of the Leaders of this Great Republic! Then came the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011; the 10^th CWC; 3 host nations; 14 participating countries from 104 entrants; 49 matches played; 45 days of absolute craze and One Proud Nation!

From my younger days, I have been privy to the craze surrounding this game. However, during my growing up years, this craze seem to have taken the shape of a Religion, in its own right. Cricket, probably is the only thing that binds the very essence of the Indian society; it is like Opium for Indian’s; a 2^nd religion. After Team India Bled Blue through these 45 days, each member has become a legend; now we will just immortalise them!

Coming to a promise that I made to some of my friends in the past month; a promise to share the reason (s) why I am not such a huge fan of this sport. Out of the numerous reasons that I have am listing a few, below.

Without pretentions, the foremost reason remains that as a child I used to suck at it; I never could throw one straight ball, let alone an entire over! Yes people, that’s the absolute truth…there you have it! Get over it now!!! However, moving from there, it’s a damn slow game, and if you are watching it on television, one is further tortured with the countless advertisements after every over. Thirdly, I never could understand how 1 guy could eagerly await the other to throw a ball so that he could hit it and the other 10 from the latter’s team be running, shouting & screaming at each other to stop it, catch it, throw it back, blah, blah, blah! Am sure out of the miniscule number of those reading this, there would be a rare 1 or 2 who may agree with me; but then am not here to clarify or debate the various possibilities on this thought…trust me, in the past 2 decades I have had enough of that! Coming back….lastly, one of the biggest reasons are divided into two parts, but boil down to one point – Monetisation of the Game! Somewhere around the late ‘80’s, early ‘90’s we saw the advent of the infamous bookies in the clean sport of Cricket. Now, gambling and betting on sport has been in existence for ages, my problem came up when the bookies started to “pay off” players, coaches, etc. to throw away the game (as per various news reports & investigations over the years). This is when it became, what I like to call a – Black Game! Today, what is the guarantee that a game is not fixed? Without sounding unpatriotic or undermining the efforts made by each of the member of the 2011 Indian World Cup team in getting the CUP home, I could not understand how a ‘one time’ Champion (with not a single member being from the same team as that of ’83!) could not defeat a country like ENGLAND, which was visibly a match we could not have lost from a long shot but ended up in a DRAW, and ended up defeating FOUR time World Champions Australia (1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007), ONE time World Champions Pakistan (1992) to finally defeat ONE time World Champ Sri Lanka. It’s not undoable (after all we did it, didn’t we?), it’s just unimaginable! My theory on this has been (obviously with much resistance) that  the India – Australia match could have been fixed, for the simple reason that there would have been more money at stake (bookies, obv.) on India – Pakistan, as if India beat Australia, we had to face Pakistan and if we lost, we were out of the World Cup. Go Figure!!! Now, after we beat the shit out of Pakistan, like we usually do in most cases (just being wicked here!), facing Sri Lanka on home ground wasn’t tough. Now, I know by now I would have infuriated quite a few readers….hence, I would like to say that I’m just going by pure logic, I have no proof what-so-ever of whatever I have stated above, neither is this an effort to undermine the hardwork and efforts put in by the entire team in making all of us proud. With this feat, they have made us (me included) a part of History and this sure is a lifetime opportunity and the proudest moment for all of us (the final sixer hit by Dhoni will be embedded in our memories for the rest of our lives). 

That was part one of my last point. Part two of the same is basically the absolute monetisation of the players that we have done in the name of brand ambassadors, hosts, MC’s, anchors, entertainers, etc etc etc. Add to that, BCCI’s decision to award each of the players on the team ONE CRORE EACH after they got the Cup Home, is just ridiculous. Use that money for the development of the country and not to make Rich, richer! As if they really need the money, they are making enough of that through endorsements of various brands. I loved what a commentator said when Ravi (Shastri) announced this reward on the Green after the final – “Money is all good, but you can’t take the focus of the Number 1 spot away from the World Champions with that gesture, it is time of their Glory”. Most apt and in-the-face for all those who want to leverage and politicize such occasions. I find it plain old ridiculous; don’t you? Oh! Did I mention the money payments that each player on the IPL team gets every year? It’s just fascinating!

A sport needs to be played (and respected) as a sport instead of people trying to use it as a political or monetary platform for their own vested interests…that’s just wrong! I don’t mind watching a good game of cricket (Ashes or India vs Pak) but then I don’t want to be thinking about the ‘match being fixed or not’ while watching it; that just takes away the essence.

Finally, the above are strictly my views and as mentioned above, most of the thoughts are supported by logic and in a place or two from past events (no proof what-so-ever) and I apologise in advance if I may have stepped over some sensibilities, no deliberate intention of doing so.

We showed Three World Champs what it means to Bleed Blue and are done bleeding….now is the time to just color the world ‘Blue’!

Here I am, back to thinking, thinking about a lot of random things, with quite a few random thoughts, over a year later, having stepped into another year!!!

Another year gone by; fruitful or not, here I am, yet another year older! Wonder, how does one see a glass ‘half-full’ or ‘half-empty’ when it is related to age? Managed to survive 3 long decades on this very interesting planet, meeting some very interesting beings, dealing with even more interesting specimens, making some really interesting friends; missing some that I care for; loosing some which weren’t worth keeping; yet remain as clueless about myself as I probably was when I was born! Is it just me, or does everyone go through it? Is this randomness a sign of loneliness or of having gone cuckoo or as most say, just a phase? Who knows, who cares, who bothers? Alas, only time will tell! And this interesting journey called life……….continues….

Here’s wishing a brilliant year ahead, to myself….and you too

Wow, first the Lok Sabha elections and now Congress sweeps off Assembly elections as well. Incredible! This after the whole country, especially critics of the party blasted them for negligence and bad governance. Now, I’m wondering it’s either that they are doing something right or that the people of this country (read voters) refuse to learn from their mistakes! I think I will go with the first one {just to clear all doubts, I’m very liberal in my political thoughts, so do not really care who’s running the country till the time it is run like a Sovereign, Socialist, Democratic Republic!}.

Coming back to the 3 state Assembly election results, announced today – Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, Congress seem to have beaten the shit out of the other parties, yet again! In the most critical of the 3 states, Maharashtra, Congress’ strategic alliance with NCP seem to have worked yet again. For the Marathi Manoos party, although I have my serious doubts, but hope they look at someone with either some sort of charm or atleast some knowledge of the State and how it needs to be run. As for our dear ol’ BJP; well the less said the better, but I would like to surely mention that they do some soul searching and address issues that really bother the people of this great nation {no sarcasm intended!} than move around with the monkey brigade beating on issues which should have died a long time ago, like some of their leaders.

Towards the end, all I would like to say is that I am glad that there is some sense still prevailing amongst the voters of this nation, however, hope that more people chose to exercise their right to vote in the future!

…..and what a way to be back….have a look @ my next post and you will understand why I say so

happy reading to whoever drops in and do leave your thoughts on the atrocious content or writing style or anything else you would choz to leave your thoughts on! jst remember this is a Democratic forum, with everyone, including the author the Right to Free speech so AVOID being verbally abusive.

At this juncture in my life, I really wonder what wound be going through the minds of people who are on the verge of thinking of a change in jobs!!!

This thought has been prevailing in my mind for quite a while and finally I had to give into the thought of moving on in life. Interestingly, there has been enough and more happening in my life anyways, for me to have to multitask on this path as well, all at once!

A lot of people ask for recommendations of my current, or should I say my previous organization and I am at a loss of words on it! Is it just me or does everyone go through this phase, I wonder!

Interestingly, I’m not sure if I am in any place to comment about my organization or any for that matter. Honestly, I believe, I am still in the learning phase and evolving in the process and hence reserve my comments on any organization, altogether. Recently, I got an invite to join this site which went by the premise that since all organizations did a reference check for us employees, why is it that we cannot do the same for them??? And the site, I guess, was called Refcheck.com!!! How convenient!!!

Now, as much as I would really like to comment about the organizations that I have worked at, I reserve the right to do so with a simple thought that maybe I am being way too critical of them and that I need to do some introspection before being in a position to share my opinion on them.

What amazes me is how the internal politics seem to take over the working of an organization and the lives of its employees, as compared to the professional abilities of these fine professionals (no sarcasm meant here truly!) But I guess, we in India seem to have grown beyond those requirements anymore! Today, what seems to matter is how well can you polish shoes and suck up to your superiors than what you are professionally capable off!!!

I have had enough and more people come and tell me that I lack diplomatic abilities and my response to them is that if I had any, or for that matter, if I chose to be diplomatic, would I not be better off in the Ministry of External Affairs, rather than the field that I chose to be in??? Alas, no one seem to come up with a valid answer to that, although a number of them, including my immediate family, seem to think that I suck at diplomatic relations and believe that I am way too rigid and critical about everyone and everything around me. Now, am I wrong about it? I wonder!!!

If one does not agree with something, or if something doesn’t seem to be right, is it wrong for anyone to oppose it or at least get an opportunity to have an opinion on it!!! Interestingly, I am told; if you have an opinion on something, keep it to yourself. Why should I? What is the point of having an opinion when there is no one to hear it or validate it or for that matter ponder over it!!!

The corporate world seem to believe that, if you have an opinion, you are better off in a government job, where there is no one to hear you or care for whatever shitty opinion you have! Hence, the shitty state of our bureaucratic set up and the state of our county, at the end off it all!!! I wonder where we are headed at the end of the day! Is it not all interlinked, anyways? And this is the crossroad I seem to be crossing at this point of time!

Having watched Harry Potter on television all this while, I had the privilege of seeing the 6^th of the 7 part Harry Potter movies for the first time in the hall the other day. Now, not that I have been a huge Potter fan, but do not mind it in some spare time either!

I have never been too open at reading books, no matter what type they are (thanks to my aversion to text books!). So, inspite of moving around in a circle of friends who are avid readers of basically whatever they can get their hands on, I have not read even a line from any of the Harry Potter series. Had no intentions to either, until I saw The Half Blood Prince. Not because it was an excellent movie, but because it was the 2^nd worst movie I have seen (the 1^st position already taken by Curse of the Golden Flower).

The Half Blood Prince started off on a decent note, atleast with some action in it but then I have no idea what happened to the Director after 45 mins of the movie and it became such a drag. Having seen the other 5 parts on television, I do not remember any of those parts having humor to make me laugh, but here I was sitting in a hall, seeing the last show of the new release with people sitting around me laughing at the most inane bits of jokes and SMS’in their friends / boyfriends / husband / wife / etc with least interest in the movie. Do I blame them? Not the least! Such a crappy piece does not call for anyone attention in the first place. I wonder what our dear Flim Critics in India were thinking when they gave it a rating of 3, 3.5 and 4. Man, if this is how movies are rated, I mite as well use my own brains and pick the movies that I would want to see. But in a case of Harry Potter, a little help from a good movie review would have really helped a number of people who ended up wasting their time and money on this absolutely worthless piece of art!

One, there was complete lack of creativity, direction, action and dialogues. Two, there was more romance in the movie than concentration on what happens to Voldemort. There seems to be enough and more mention of this dude in the movie and his skeleton shape in the dark clouds, etc etc, but not once was he seen in person taking on the boy wonder!!! Anyways, then there is this whole adolescent thing between Ron & Hermaine, Harry & this overtly sweet clueless girl and Ron & this overtly irritating girl and this other girl who tries to woo Harry with some kindda love potion….man all this movie had was the testosterone levels of all characters flying through the screen.

Interestingly, Albus Dumbledore was there to show face initially and to die in the end!!! And, I have no freaking idea what the rest of the cast was there for, since I went off to sleep immediately after 45 mins of the movie and woke up 2 mins before the unscheduled break to get tortured for the next 1 hour of the remaining movie. This flick was 3 freaking hours long!!!

It’s only after the group of friends I had gone out with, left the hall and started a 2 mins discussion on what crap did we just see, is when I heard that the book had so much more than the shit they came up with on screen. This is when I decided that one I shall take a copy of this one from one of them and read it and two never go for a movie off which unnecessary hype has been created, just because its predecessors were successful or it’s a big budget film.

Oh! And yes, last but not the least, never ever to go by movie reviews!!!

Now, I might be using this phrase way too often in my professional sphere; today, I truly learnt the real meaning of it when I woke up early in the morning with the urge to smoke and saw the love of my life – my car – broken into, with the car stereo gone.

Now this is my first car, so it really hurts when something bad happens to it!

With the side glasses smashed into pieces and the car stereo ruthlessly removed from the console, I was under the impression that the worst was over. Alas! I was mistaken. With some positivity (if that’s a word) and some hope, I called up 100 and lodged a complaint hoping some immediate action into the case. Well, so much for ‘For you, with you, always!’- The ever cautious Delhi Police (Their reputation surely precedes them). It took them almost an hour to get to my house, which is like 5 mins drive from the closest station! {Aren’t we all shocked!!!} and then, the SI, who was supposed to do the 2ndory visit; ended up going to the wrong address and then I was asked to bring my vehicle to the station for, well I have no clue. ‘Cause after giving a written complaint and shit, all I got to hear was, well Sir you know, these guys never get caught, although we will surely do our best to catch them, but wudn’t really keep our hopes high. Oh! And yes, having being told that such cases don’t require a FIR to be lodged, inspite of insisting for one. So much for For you, With you, Always!!! Well, I had no hopes anyways with our great Executive body, let alone our Judiciary & Legislative bodies!!!

All in all, financially, F@$*ed beyond belief and there is nothing anyone can do about it…..sadly. Where is my rich aunt, with no survivors but me???

I find it quite interesting and intriguing when we Indians start taking notice of unfair practices on others outside our own country. Not once do we happen to turn around and look at our own very selves to figure out if anything is wrong with us.

I have been hearing and reading a lot about the racial discrimination being inflicted on Indian students in Australia. Personally, or rather humanely, I completely detest the very act and the people involved in them when it comes to discrimination, no matter at what level or on what grounds it would be of. As for the acts being conducted in Australia, well the less said the better!!! I suppose that is something to be taken up by the Australian Government internally and the Indian External Affairs Ministry with the Government of Australia. What I do know is, that I have never favoured or wanted to go to Australia or any other country for further education. Now with these set of fresh incidents there, I do not want to even visit that country, ever!

Coming back to my original point. We Indian’s, and yes I very much include myself in it, have made it a habit of sorts to have double standards, have become too judgmental of others for their actions, or the lack of them! Not once do we turn around and see what is happening within our own homes, our country, our society. Racism is deeply imbedded in the roots of this country, whether it  is based on religion, caste, creed, education, region or even social status for that matter. Today, I have examples of conversations with peers, friends, acquaintances, who consider themselves as being the educated lot, who have made snide remarks / comments on an individual (s) or a group based on the above criteria. I personally know of people (just as acquaintances, thank God for that!) who would befriend someone else just based on the color of their skin or the size of the house they stay in or the car they drive. Are they not being racists?

Does Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code not endorse discrimination? I know of instances, where citizens of this country hailing from the North – Eastern region are looked down upon thinking that all women from there are sluts (pardon the language) and all men from there are drug addicts. Whereas, we have been proven wrong time and again and the 2 recent most Indian Idols are living proof of that. We question the West, mainly the US, on discriminating people basis the color of their skin, do we, as Indians, not discriminate against the Africans or dark skinned people? Does our Government not endorse racism? Earlier it was the Reservations Bill, wanting to give equal opportunity to all Indian citizens, irrespective of class or caste and now it is going to be the Women’s Bill! Are these not provisions of racism. If we are trying to set up an equal society with equal opportunity for all, why is it that we need such bias’, at all?

More than pointing fingers at others, I would suggest we look at ourselves first and rectify where we lack as a society.

“If your wife wants you to see this side, see this side. If she wants you to see the other side, do obey her. One who obeys his wife rules the world”, said Justice Markandeya Katju. Dude are you serious? This remark seems to have become the joke of the year, if not the decade.

As much as I do not have an issue in listening to what they have to say, I do not and will never understand the reason why strangers have to decide or opinionate over my internal family issues. But then, there are a million others, unlike me, who seem to be approaching the courts to decide the fate of their marriages, property, etc. every year.

The point being, I will love my wife (whoever she is), why in God’s name will I ever have an issue in listening to what she has to say, no matter how illogical, irrelevant, impractical or stupid it may sound? If I have the liberty to be opinionated on things, which are very well accepted (may not agreed upon) by her, then why can it not apply to us men? Have we always learnt to take from women and never give back?

I am of the opinion that most women are serious feminists and they would never leave an opportunity to sound it off.  And most men, on the other hand, are considered to be MCP’s (Male chauvinist pig – for the dumb n daft!). There have been enough and more instances, where I have commented on things completely unacceptable by many of my lady friends but then have managed to reason it out with them and tried reaching a common ground over them (not an easy task though). Does that mean that couples should be willing to become dumb and deaf and lead their lives blindly as per each others direction? I do not think so; that is something that will be unacceptable by either sides. And moreover, what is a relation, if it does not have its share of up’s n down’s?

So, Justice Katju, I do not agree with your thoughts or the way you chose to deal with your marriage. My opinion on this sacred institution is that couples should try to understand each other first (arranged or love) and then try becoming opinionated on things with the choice of wanting to listen and agree with the other, once in a while. If one is not willing to do that, I’m sorry, you should not bother either ruining your life or someone else’s. There is not point, if you haven’t learnt till now, you never will!