A long way to go for Team India

Not so long ago, the Indian supporters would run with joy and celebrate the fact that we have won another test series that too in a foreign land. But Indian Cricket is not the same anymore. We have a bold captain leading a talented set of players who believe nothing is impossible. Considering this fact it was surprising that India chose to “Shut Shop”. 86 runs of 90 balls were required. A gettable target under easy batting conditions especially playing against moderately talented bowlers. This is a challenge which I believe the present Indian team has thrived upon in the past. Being the number 1 side in the world naturally raises expectations but even if we weren’t why would you want to throw away an opportunity to win a series 2-0. We boast of having the best T20 and ODI players in the world and surely less than run a ball is not a big ask. If India wants to stay on top then they need to develop the Killer Instinct and the hunger to win dead rubbers. Lack of innovative thinking from the bowlers allowed Fidel Edwards to “Setup Shop” in Dominica. Why do we always end up trying for Bouncers and Yorkers to get tail enders out. Everyone can bat nowadays, and its important sometimes to stick to bowling the ball in the right areas to even the lower order. It bodes well for Indian cricket that the press chose to criticize the fact that India didn’t flex their muscles in the chase. Imagine the chill down Strauss’s spine if we chased the target down. We would have had a psychological advantage in England considering the fact that our big guns weren’t available in WI.

In the end we played a dominant series and emerged victorious in all 3 formats. Well played Team India and Best wishes for England. You need all the wishes you can get. Continue making us proud.

A fresh new Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has always played under the shadow of Nadal and Federer, two of the greatest players in the Open Era. Little did he know that 2011 would turn his fortunes. The “Hand of God” is upon him and the Djoker has laughed his way to two Slams, the Australian Open and the Wimbledon. He has been in sublime form this year; forehands kissing the touchlines, backhands played at angles with a surgeon’s precision and aces at crucial points, hallmarks of a legend in the making. Here are some views of mine on how Djokovic has turned the tables on his opponents.

(1)Djokovic has always been someone who plays on flatter trajectories and likes hitting the ball at a ferocious pace but this year he has managed to hit the ball a lot deeper allowing him to put his opponents on the backfoot and take charge of the point. This is also the reason why the points are shorter with smaller rallies.

(2)There was an interesting stat in the Wimbledon Final which showed that Djokovic won 70% of the points on Nadal’s second serve. A direct corollary of this statistic is that once the point begins clearly Djokovic is the favourite to win it. Another pointer towards a better all round game.

(3)Fitness levels of Djokovic have improved considerably in 2011. There was a time when he had to pull out of matches sighting fatigue as the reason, (happened in Australian Open against Murray). He is more athletic now, anticipation levels have risen and you won’t be surprised to see him pull out some amazing points. The point against Nadal where Djokovic was on the baseline and reacted to Nadal’s drop with a cheetah like sprint and after reaching an impossible drop, he still managed to pass Nadal who was left watching like a policeman in the middle of the road.

(4)I have always noticed a direct correlation between a player’s backhand and the kind of form he is in. You would notice how Federer always messes the backhand, sometimes they end up in the crowd, on those rare occasions when he is out of touch. Nadal’s two fisted backhands which look like a frontfoot drive in cricket end up going long when things are not going his way. Djokovic has his own unique backhand, two fisted like nadal but with less spin imparted to the ball, which allows him to carve out angles and crosscourt winners. This aspect of Djokovic has been a delight to watch.

(5)Since Andre Agassi left the game, I believe there has been no better returner of serves than Djokovic. His closest competitor would be Murray with those long arms streched to meet any ball. Federer is lazy in chasing serves as he knows that once the ball is in play he would be the better player. Nadal puts the effort in reaching balls but the returns are on the slower side as they invariably have a lot of sidespin and topspin. The trademark of a great returner is the positioning on the baseline and the fleeting sideways movement which allows you to reach balls down the T and on the corners. Djokovic possesses both these skills and combined with his attitude, it adds up to a lethal combination.

We can continue to expect more chest thumping action from the Serbian in 2011 and he would do well to add to his titles given the form which he is in because “All good things must come to an end”.

Raina: India's Hussey?

Two dashing lefthanders, both indispensable members of their teams and possibly future captains of their countries. One started early whereas the other, in a true traditional Australian style, was brought in late. Both are heavy run getters and come from domestic teams which aren’t their country’s breeding grounds for talent. Not to forget, both play for the Super Kings and have been hugely responsible for their amazing success.

Hussey is renowned the world over for finishing matches with a plomp. He never sweats under pressure, shock absorber for Australia and rarely misses the plot. Raina seems to be following a similar path. He has truly become a trustworthy number 7. As a testimony to his prowess, He bailed India out twice in the World Cup against Australia and Pakistan with remarkable rear guard action considering the fact that he hadn’t played before that in the tournament. It also led Gary Kirsten to remark that it was Raina who had truly won the World Cup for India. A huge statement but a deserved one.

Limited overs are truly the forte of both players but their ability to play with the lower order has rubbed onto the Test arena as well. Hussey has had some remarkable partnerships with the tailenders; Jason Gillespie against Bangladesh comes to mind. The recent WI test comes to mind where Raina performed a rescue act with Harbhajan to save India. Another proof of how similar their game is.

Age is the competitive advantage which Raina has got over his counterpart. The India Australia series will be a spectacle between the two, as I am sure there would be countless situations where they would be called into action and who knows, they might even be asked to roll their arms over as they can be handy with their off spinners. Mouthwatering treats await us.

Hussey has proven his worth in Tests without any shadow of doubt. The England series could be the turning point in Raina’s career. Playing against the moving ball in helpful conditions will be a challenge he would never have encountered. I think he has got the skills in his repertoire to succeed in England and establish himself in this Indian test team. Raina along with Kohli and Gambhir hold the future of Indian Cricket.

Renaissance

Sometimes in Life situations look promising but the end seems so unfortunate. I have always felt my life has somehow been based on this philosophy. “So Close yet so far”. Hopefully this phase of life augurs better results. I have always cherished these two quotes from "The Alchemist", these lines put life in perspective;

(1)“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.”

(2)"People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them."

I have always dreamt big in my life but never worked that much. I have returned a cropper so many times for various reasons. I believe someday I will get what I deserve in this life or the next. The last few words have been borrowed from the inspirational lines said by Russell Crowe in Gladiator.

I am embarking on a new mission, something which I have always wanted to do. I am seeing signs everywhere that I should follow it passionately. Hopefully my meeting with my Uncle and one of my good friends bodes well for the future. The last thing I want is to fail in this. I need to forget what I was and look at what I can be. I have all the equipment I need for this journey. Sometimes I doubt my passion, it leaves me when I want it the most. I need to cling to it like a monkey clings to its mother. Hopefully my learning’s from my previous encounters have made be battle ready and I already feel like a warrior.

The last few months have shown me the importance of freedom, both financially and personally. My last experience taught me the importance of stopping things at the right moment. There was no future in that direction and as any good strategy student would tell you, no point in wasting resources. There is no better gift than the identification of a lost cause when you see one. If it was meant to be, it would come back to you wherever you might be.

Its time to open the gifts with which I have entered the mortal world else generations to come would criticize me for being a coward in the face of never ending opportunities. I will end this note with another one of my favorite quotes once again from the eternal book “The Alchemist,

“Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him.”

I think I am close to finding my treasure. Godspeed

Last week in Politics

Whenever I come home, my Political genes get turned on. The last few days have seen monumental changes in the Indian political scenario amply demonstrated by the thrashing of the Left in Bengal. The Mamta Magic has finally worked and Left was left hoodwinked. They knew it was coming, and still they didnt take it well. 34 years have filled with them a false sense of arrogance and pride and the fall from the perchy tops to the ground (Ironically Trinamool means Grassroots) will be the toughest journey they will have made. It always has been a riddle to the best minds of our country has to how a government which has failed to deliver progress for decades still continues to be voted back to power. It's Customer Retention at its best. The stronghold they had over people using both mafia and money power overlived its existence and I think the Election Commission deserves a special mention in this regard. Whatever the outcome of the elections, the EC is a clear winner in all states. Having said this, Mamta has her task cutout. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Bengal might be behind Bihar in terms of development. She should take a leaf out of books of Nitish Kumar, Raman Singh etc...Balancing issues of Agriculture and Industrialization in a state dominated ny Naxal belts will be a monumental task and Mamta doesn't exactly have a track record of good governance keeping in mind the state of the Railways. One thing she has is the undivided love of the people who have given her a resounding mandate and here's hoping she is the answer to all of Bengal's problems.

I just love the way both Tamilnadu and Kerala vote. They give everyone a chance. This way parties are forced to work in those 5 years in the hope that they would get a second chance. South Indians by nature vote for a person more than the party. Thats why it is not unusual for parties to rope in filmstars for campaigning. The leader is always bigger than the party, and authoritarian rulers are common in south. In Tamilnadu, Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi are larger than life people. VS Achuthanandan showed his class by almost single handedly taking LDF to a victory. One thing about governments in South is that the parties might have different ideologies and manifestos but good governance is assured. Second thing is that people are hardworking and honest in nature and carry out their activities diligently thereby moving the economy irrespective of the government. The impact of these states is more at the centre as the assembly polls can dictate how the parliamentary seats would go which in turn would decide the nature of the coalitions at the centre.

Congress would be happy with the results of these elections as they have made gains in Kerala and West Bengal but they have a lot of trouble brewing in Andhra Pradesh. YS Jagan is all set to take Congress headon and given his popularity, his father's charisma and the symapthy wave flowing in AP, mid term elections could be a possibility. AP as a state has only gone backwards after the demise of YSR. There have been no major investments in the state; they lost out the VW plant to Chennai and the F1 Race circuit to Noida. There are issues of Land Allocations in Srikakulam which the centre has turned a blind eye to (Interestingly Rahul Gandhi has taken notice of the Noida land problems, probably due to the fact that elections are due in UP in 2012 and this is his way of getting political mileage). The long awaited Metro Rail project got postponed again due to issues of land allocation. To top it off we have a weak CM who is incapable of controlling his party factions. Usually congress as a party never projects a CM candidate in the state elections except AP where they have always had good leaders such as YSR, Chenna Reddy etc... The lack of a strong candidate is hurting Congress in Andhra. The state is headed for troubled times and this could have a huge impact on the centre as Congress has 33 seats from AP.

I think the next 6 months in Indian Politics will be interesting, watch out for these headlines

(1) 2G scam and other corruption cases will be in full steam by then.
(2) Problems in Andhra
(3) Noida Land Allocation issues
(4) DMK-Congress Alliance
(5) Progress in West Bengal (Mamta is more than capable of kicking the congress out of the coalition)
(6) BJP's problems in Karnataka
(7) Maoist problems in Chhattisgarh and Orissa
(8) Global issues of Pak-US conflicts, changes in the structure of UN, India-Africa Summit etc...

An Ode to a dear friend

It's not often that we get this amazing feeling of meeting someone and knowing that its going to last forever. By God's grace this happened to me when I came to India in 2001 and met this wonderful personality. He always came across as someone who knew what he wanted in Life. A rare gift to possess but he used it with great care. There was always this calmness and surety about him that you couldn't overlook. His face carried the same composure when he finally left us.

He was born to be an achiever but the "bad" fate had made other plans. It tore him apart like the careless wind that cuts away a flower in its prime. There were surely other more deserving targets which were of a greater burden to this earth. Good People die young is an oft quoted statement. He was surely better than the best.

The NFS duel's or the campaigns in AOE will forever be etched in my memory. I always knew there was a home for me half a kilometre from mine where I could go whenever I felt lonely or needed to talk to someone. He was forever welcoming in nature, helpful by design and a passionate friend. His love for Metallica and Rock Music was eternal and he could talk about it for hours. Those wonderful debates we used to have on the latest technologies. I will miss playing cricket at his home after college and then fighting over the result. I will miss going to movies with him and then knowing that he would be the one to drop me back home. I will miss his teasings about my kiddish attitude and he behaving as an elder brother to someone who is older than him.

Who will now teach me about Rock Music, Who will I talk and debate with and most importantly Who will now bring me back home. O God thou art most heartless and most merciless that you don't take good care of your children. RIP, My Friend, wherever you maybe, I am sure you are bringing countless joy to everyone like you gave us for 10 years.

Trip To Bishnupur

Tucked away in a corner of West Bengal is the quaint and charming town of Bishnupur. It's well known in the world for its Terracota Temples dedicated to various Gods and Goddesses. Indian Railways makes it an easily accessible place for tourists and history lovers with daily connections between Kolkata and Bishnupur.

The tour kicked of with a visit to Rasmancha. Unique in its architecture and said to be one of a kind in India, this pyramidal structure consists of concentric galleries which used to be full of images of Gods during olden times.



Here are more pictures of the Terracota temples at Bishnupur.





The picture below is one of my favorite. Have a look at the detailing of the images and engravings which have gone into the sculpting. Scenes from Indian Mythology have been depicted in a vivid fashion. A special thanks is in order to our friends at the Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) who have done an incredible job in helping us relive our glorious heritage.



Dalmadal Cannon (as shown below) was used by the Malla Kings of Bishnupur on the Maratha Invaders. It's 3.8 Metres long and has a muzzle of 29.2 cm. Imagine a Wrought Iron ball of 30 cm in diameter coming at you. Deadly !!



The most endearing part of the trip was the visit to a Baluchari Sari making centre. Baluchari is the most well known Bengali Silk Sari and along with its more Illustrious cousin, Swarnachari (made using golden threads) are the two important weaving techniques of Bengal.
The effort which goes into the design and production of a Baluchari can be well understood by the fact that it takes close to 112 hours to produce one Sari.



The final output turns out something like this, simply exquisite.



A nice piece of history to end this post. We Indians love romanticizing things :)