Another Day, another Year, another decade passes away. It was quite an eventful year marked by a plethora of unfortunate events – Corruption, Inflation, Chelsea winning the EPL – this year had it all. Even the Fourth Estate ended the year with mud on its face. However, despite all the negatives the year ended positively in most areas. A positive vote for governance from the caste conundrum that is Bihar, was reassuring to say the least. The Judiciary (and the CAG) provided the much needed scrutiny that the media failed to provide while the opposition surprised us by showing that it still has the bite needed to provide a stiff challenge to the Grand Old Party of Indian Politics. Finally, the year ended with India reigning supreme on the Test Rankings and Manchester United lording over the EPL. The Sporting world enters 2011 in refreshingly fine shape.
If I have to pick one person or object or incident etc. to represent 2010, it has to be Twitter. The advent of Cable Television marked the beginning of the decline for the newspaper. The speed of the visual medium was the USP which allowed it to defeat the mighty pen. Incisive, fact based journalism with a 24 hour lag was no match for Know-It-All anchors hysterically debating the fallout of events as they happened across the globe. Well, 2010 was all about the return (or atleast the beginning of it) of the written word. Twitter had taken the USP of News Channels and turned it on them. It allowed users to pursue whichever topic interested them, from whichever source they wanted, from whichever place suited them. So while the Media Barons blanked out ‘uncomfortable stories’ like Radiagate, there were quite a few uncomfortable questions raised by the Twitizens for which there were no answers. Long Live the age of the Internet.
Another remarkable incident this year was the coincidence that took place on 19th December, 2010 (as pointed out by a friend). Two legends who have made a habit out of creating history, did just that on the very same day. While Sachin Tendulkar chose the fateful day to become the only batsman in test history to score 50 Test centuries, Sir Alex Ferguson eclipsed Sir Matt Busby to become the longest serving manager at Old Trafford. These two larger than life individuals, who have come to represent perfection in their chosen sport, who reached their own personal milestones this year will be looking towards 2011 with an eye on achieving things which will bring a sense of completeness to their careers. While the Master Blaster will seek to add the World Cup to his otherwise exhaustive list of trophies, the Scottish Genius will seek to bring a 19th League Title to Old Trafford cementing Manchester United’s claim as the most successful club in English Football. As was the case with Sir Don, sport can be a very cruel master. But surely in the case of these two legends, it will choose to make an exception.
Thus, with 2010 ending on a hopeful note, the first day of the fresh year began with a fresh frame of mind. However , ‘The Masthead Of India’ sure knows how to puncture my mood as I found Chetan Bhagat and his stupid smirk staring back at me as soon as I opened their Editorial. I guess my hate for the newspaper will continue this year too (though they made up for it with a wonderful piece in the Sunday Times by Gurcharan Das). Also, on the last day of the year I decided to make up a resolution, “ I will not procrastinate in the new year as much as I did in the last one”. But then again, I thought I will give this year a miss and keep this resolution for the following year. ;)
Finally, by now I believe all you guys would have gotten over the hangover of late night parties. Hence, leaving you all with a nice article to read and ponder over here. Happy New Year, Folks!!!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
'Why So Serious?'
This very question, made so famous by THE JOKER himself, was put to me recently by a friend after I objected to the repeated refusals of my Table Tennis Doubles partner to join me at the table, sowing the seeds of this blog post. Indeed, the utterances of this character immortalized by the Great Late Heath Ledger had left their impressions on my mind long ago. But it was the context of this question that truly enabled me to fully fathom the depth of this character.
What most people find unbelievable is my insistence on adequate preparation for the scheduled tournament with my assigned partner. In a non-sporting nation, preparation for a sporting event figures very low on the general list of priorities. Hence, when a individual arrives who demands ‘unwarranted importance’ for a ‘dispensable’ issue, it is seen as disturbing ‘The Plan’. Indeed, ‘The Plan’, prompted by my 'irritating taunts', was for me to accept the 10 minutes within the lunch break offered from my partner’s busy schedule which was considered as enough preparation.If I were to bend over backwards in order to accommodate the whims and fancies of my partner, nobody would have noticed my spineless behavior as things were going ‘according to plan, no matter how horrifying the plan was.’ But the moment I asked for respect for the game, ‘the established order was disturbed and everything turned to chaos’.
Indeed the established order is so sacrosanct that everything upsetting it is met with ridicule. A person without a sweet tooth in a sugar hungry world is ridiculed. A silent person in a world full of motor mouths is an outcast. A driver stopping at a red light on an empty road has to bear the brunt of incessant honking. He is rude, arrogant, stand offish, ruthless. He is ‘a freak’. Everything he touches is reduced to chaos. He is an ‘Agent of Chaos’.
This affinity for ‘The Established Order’, is not limited to an individual but it does affect the society at large. Corruption at the CWG 2010 was not an issue until its very existence was threatened. ‘The Plan’ was only to host the event irrespective of the cost and corruption involved. ‘The order’ also defines a certain party as the ruling party and another as the opposition. Hence, corruption in the 2G Scam, rising communalism in sensitive border areas, rising inflation do not ‘Introduce Anarchy’ as The Order is not threatened. But the continued success of a certain Narendra Modi upsets the entire Plan. The ‘Schemers’ are made to work overtime to ‘make plans to control their little worlds’. Non-existent dirt is dug up, smoke is created without fire, all in a bid to restore ‘Order’.
Sometimes, one wonders if it would truly be more fruitful to behave like a ‘dog chasing cars who doesn’t know what to do with it if he ever caught one’. Hats off to the genius of The Joker! A better student of human psyche is yet to be born.
What most people find unbelievable is my insistence on adequate preparation for the scheduled tournament with my assigned partner. In a non-sporting nation, preparation for a sporting event figures very low on the general list of priorities. Hence, when a individual arrives who demands ‘unwarranted importance’ for a ‘dispensable’ issue, it is seen as disturbing ‘The Plan’. Indeed, ‘The Plan’, prompted by my 'irritating taunts', was for me to accept the 10 minutes within the lunch break offered from my partner’s busy schedule which was considered as enough preparation.If I were to bend over backwards in order to accommodate the whims and fancies of my partner, nobody would have noticed my spineless behavior as things were going ‘according to plan, no matter how horrifying the plan was.’ But the moment I asked for respect for the game, ‘the established order was disturbed and everything turned to chaos’.
Indeed the established order is so sacrosanct that everything upsetting it is met with ridicule. A person without a sweet tooth in a sugar hungry world is ridiculed. A silent person in a world full of motor mouths is an outcast. A driver stopping at a red light on an empty road has to bear the brunt of incessant honking. He is rude, arrogant, stand offish, ruthless. He is ‘a freak’. Everything he touches is reduced to chaos. He is an ‘Agent of Chaos’.
This affinity for ‘The Established Order’, is not limited to an individual but it does affect the society at large. Corruption at the CWG 2010 was not an issue until its very existence was threatened. ‘The Plan’ was only to host the event irrespective of the cost and corruption involved. ‘The order’ also defines a certain party as the ruling party and another as the opposition. Hence, corruption in the 2G Scam, rising communalism in sensitive border areas, rising inflation do not ‘Introduce Anarchy’ as The Order is not threatened. But the continued success of a certain Narendra Modi upsets the entire Plan. The ‘Schemers’ are made to work overtime to ‘make plans to control their little worlds’. Non-existent dirt is dug up, smoke is created without fire, all in a bid to restore ‘Order’.
Sometimes, one wonders if it would truly be more fruitful to behave like a ‘dog chasing cars who doesn’t know what to do with it if he ever caught one’. Hats off to the genius of The Joker! A better student of human psyche is yet to be born.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Judging the Judgement.
“The Country has moved on.” , they claimed. “But will the saffron brigade accept the verdict?”, they asked. This nature of the question was indicative of the fact that the people asking it had already made up their mind regarding what the verdict would be or rather should be. That question accompanied by visuals of 1992 was used to reinforce stereotypes of certain organizations and create an atmosphere of impending tragedy. Finally, the verdict came and the nation accepted it without incident. All parties involved accepted it gracefully. There were no losers and no winners. The nation truly had moved on, except for one section. The Media.
While the nation heaved a sigh of relief, a storm was brewing inside each newsroom. First, the court ‘overturned’ the verdict which the news channels had already delivered in the days preceding the actual one. Secondly, the humble poise maintained by the ‘Saffron Brigade’ following a favorable verdict belied the rabble-rousing stereotypes that the media had so carefully carved over the years. As the day passed, each newsroom turned into a courtroom. Each anchor was a judge, each expert a prosecution lawyer. In the dock were the three judges. Their crime: Delivering a judgment not palatable to the news makers. Within hours, the ‘experts’ had analyzed the 10,000 page judgment (in the process creating a world record for fastest reading) and declared it a ‘panchayati verdict’ on the basis of arguments ranging from the absurd to the imaginary. Some of these arguments were:
• Archeological Evidence was contentious: When a case is argued in a court of law, each and every piece of evidence is contested by opposing parties. This is exactly why lawyers are said to have ‘argued’ in courts. It’s for the judges to decide which piece of evidence to accept and which to reject. The reasons for accepting the archeological evidence were mentioned clearly in the judgment as mentioned in this article. Only if the wise men in the media had bothered to read.
• There was no reference to 1992: As mentioned endlessly by the media itself, the case was a title suit based on historical possession. The first case itself was filed more than a hundred years before the demolition of the structure. The bench, therefore, did not have the mandate to comment on 1992. Strange that a media which is complaining of judicial outreach would expect the court to do exactly the same when it suits them. Or maybe, not so strange.
• Court has chosen faith over law: Conveniently, the main stream media (MSM) forgets that all the points raised by the Waqf board have been set aside by the courts on purely legal grounds. And as concerns the Ram Janmabhoomi, the observations of the bench were in reply to questions asked of it. The judgment itself was not based on this observation alone. It was backed by documents compiled over centuries and evidence presented by the ASI. Facts which the MSM chose to ignore.
The problem, for the MSM, does not seem to be the verdict itself, but the parties who stand to gain by it. For decades, the MSM has portrayed the Sangh Parivar as the culprits of the 1992 episode. Though the judgment makes no comment on the episode itself, the MSM considers it to be a vindication of the ideological position taken by the Saffron parties. Hence, while the whole nation seems to have accepted the truce formula presented by the court, the media itself finds it hard to digest. Clearly a case of ‘Justice will be delivered only if judgment is in my favor’.
While the nation heaved a sigh of relief, a storm was brewing inside each newsroom. First, the court ‘overturned’ the verdict which the news channels had already delivered in the days preceding the actual one. Secondly, the humble poise maintained by the ‘Saffron Brigade’ following a favorable verdict belied the rabble-rousing stereotypes that the media had so carefully carved over the years. As the day passed, each newsroom turned into a courtroom. Each anchor was a judge, each expert a prosecution lawyer. In the dock were the three judges. Their crime: Delivering a judgment not palatable to the news makers. Within hours, the ‘experts’ had analyzed the 10,000 page judgment (in the process creating a world record for fastest reading) and declared it a ‘panchayati verdict’ on the basis of arguments ranging from the absurd to the imaginary. Some of these arguments were:
• Archeological Evidence was contentious: When a case is argued in a court of law, each and every piece of evidence is contested by opposing parties. This is exactly why lawyers are said to have ‘argued’ in courts. It’s for the judges to decide which piece of evidence to accept and which to reject. The reasons for accepting the archeological evidence were mentioned clearly in the judgment as mentioned in this article. Only if the wise men in the media had bothered to read.
• There was no reference to 1992: As mentioned endlessly by the media itself, the case was a title suit based on historical possession. The first case itself was filed more than a hundred years before the demolition of the structure. The bench, therefore, did not have the mandate to comment on 1992. Strange that a media which is complaining of judicial outreach would expect the court to do exactly the same when it suits them. Or maybe, not so strange.
• Court has chosen faith over law: Conveniently, the main stream media (MSM) forgets that all the points raised by the Waqf board have been set aside by the courts on purely legal grounds. And as concerns the Ram Janmabhoomi, the observations of the bench were in reply to questions asked of it. The judgment itself was not based on this observation alone. It was backed by documents compiled over centuries and evidence presented by the ASI. Facts which the MSM chose to ignore.
The problem, for the MSM, does not seem to be the verdict itself, but the parties who stand to gain by it. For decades, the MSM has portrayed the Sangh Parivar as the culprits of the 1992 episode. Though the judgment makes no comment on the episode itself, the MSM considers it to be a vindication of the ideological position taken by the Saffron parties. Hence, while the whole nation seems to have accepted the truce formula presented by the court, the media itself finds it hard to digest. Clearly a case of ‘Justice will be delivered only if judgment is in my favor’.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Farewell
13 months ago, on a remarkably dry monsoon morning, 5 complete strangers walked through a door and assembled in a small room. Part apprehensive, part curious and completely oblivious to the existence of each other, until that point, their short introductions were to form the basis of a flourishing friendship. Over the course of the next year, during many extended tea and lunch breaks, they shared their joys and frustrations. And then, the much expected, yet hardly awaited moment arrived. A member of the clique made the decision to walk through that same door yet again, this time in the opposite direction.
Recently, a very dear friend decided to quit the organization leaving behind objects once identified with that individual’s erstwhile presence and habits which need to be killed. An empty desk unsettles by the absence of activity around it and an unoccupied chair haunts by just being immobile, unused. A message typed into the local messenger is erased promptly since the recipient is no longer on the network. As reality starts sinking in, the mind wanders off to revisit all the wonderful moments shared by the group. A collection of memories are like a glass which is perennially half empty. Even after having spent a year together, it craves to experience those very moments one last time. No amount of addition will make any difference to the completeness of this glass. I wonder which basic human emotion is responsible for this perception - Resistance to change or a lack of satisfaction. The only escape is to perceive the glass as being half filled.
The event brought back memories of my graduation day. Three eventful years spent in the company of Mechanimals and yet we wished for more. Those three wonderful years were beautifully encapsulated in the form of a poem which i present below. I can only claim credit for the last four lines, the rest being the creation of a certain Mr. Swapneel Rane ( more from this talented soul can be found here).
There once assembled a crowd of fools,
Who never knew bats from tools.
All they wanted was to enjoy,
And not be bothered with the Principal's ploy.
First year they were held apart,
In different classes they just wouldn't start.
Second year brought them together,
After that, seperate they could never.
Carrom brought us little gold,
At T.T. we were ever so bold.
Cricket champions at first try,
Best Class was still a far cry.
Worthy opponents were the Telecom geeks,
Their women were but mighty freaks.
Young they were when crown was theirs,
Alas they leave with vivid nightmares.
Support we recieved from Comps,
Cheer us they did in lots and lots.
To their maidens were lost many a heart,
The Comps-Mech link was here to last.
Final year brought with it many a tear,
To Goa we went inspite of fear.
Results were quite a revelation,
Dazed we were left with utter fascination.
Best in sports, we were again,
But not without hiccup and pain.
Zeal brought with it a new sensation,
Institutional torture and a new dimension.
Through collective might,
We won the fight.
Working hard through day and night,
To scream Best Class is now our right.
For four years, like zealous birds we flew,
Having created history, we now bid adieu.
A legacy to live upto, we leave for all others,
Champion Of Champions thus leave the Band Of Brothers.
As for the friend who bid farewell, may you be blessed with success in all your future endeavors. Cheers!
Recently, a very dear friend decided to quit the organization leaving behind objects once identified with that individual’s erstwhile presence and habits which need to be killed. An empty desk unsettles by the absence of activity around it and an unoccupied chair haunts by just being immobile, unused. A message typed into the local messenger is erased promptly since the recipient is no longer on the network. As reality starts sinking in, the mind wanders off to revisit all the wonderful moments shared by the group. A collection of memories are like a glass which is perennially half empty. Even after having spent a year together, it craves to experience those very moments one last time. No amount of addition will make any difference to the completeness of this glass. I wonder which basic human emotion is responsible for this perception - Resistance to change or a lack of satisfaction. The only escape is to perceive the glass as being half filled.
The event brought back memories of my graduation day. Three eventful years spent in the company of Mechanimals and yet we wished for more. Those three wonderful years were beautifully encapsulated in the form of a poem which i present below. I can only claim credit for the last four lines, the rest being the creation of a certain Mr. Swapneel Rane ( more from this talented soul can be found here).
There once assembled a crowd of fools,
Who never knew bats from tools.
All they wanted was to enjoy,
And not be bothered with the Principal's ploy.
First year they were held apart,
In different classes they just wouldn't start.
Second year brought them together,
After that, seperate they could never.
Carrom brought us little gold,
At T.T. we were ever so bold.
Cricket champions at first try,
Best Class was still a far cry.
Worthy opponents were the Telecom geeks,
Their women were but mighty freaks.
Young they were when crown was theirs,
Alas they leave with vivid nightmares.
Support we recieved from Comps,
Cheer us they did in lots and lots.
To their maidens were lost many a heart,
The Comps-Mech link was here to last.
Final year brought with it many a tear,
To Goa we went inspite of fear.
Results were quite a revelation,
Dazed we were left with utter fascination.
Best in sports, we were again,
But not without hiccup and pain.
Zeal brought with it a new sensation,
Institutional torture and a new dimension.
Through collective might,
We won the fight.
Working hard through day and night,
To scream Best Class is now our right.
For four years, like zealous birds we flew,
Having created history, we now bid adieu.
A legacy to live upto, we leave for all others,
Champion Of Champions thus leave the Band Of Brothers.
As for the friend who bid farewell, may you be blessed with success in all your future endeavors. Cheers!
Monday, July 5, 2010
The politics of BANDH
After a respite of almost 5 years, the dreaded cry was heard in Mumbai yet again. ‘Bharat Bandh’ cried the opposition in unison and their cadre carried it out to perfection. While the government may claim otherwise, the agitation against the oil price hike was a resounding success with the common man preferring to stay indoors. The government promised security to any citizen brave enough to venture out of his home, but the success of its efforts to control the protest against inflation was akin to the success it received in controlling inflation itself. With the ‘Man on the Street’ preferring to stay off the street, the ‘intellectuals’ and the media continued to ask the same old clichéd questions that are asked during any Bandh. So via this blog post I attempt to answer these questions often aimed at deflecting attention from the issue raised by the Bandh itself.
What does a Bandh achieve? The familiar refrain of all intellectuals generally unaffected by the issues raised by a bandh. If the same question were to be asked when a certain individual named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, undertook a symbolic march to Dandi, where would we be today? While I do not wish to demean the Dandi March by comparing it to a political bandh, I do wish to draw parallels between the issue raised and the means used to raise it. In both cases, the protest was against a tax levied by the government on a commodity which has a direct bearing on the bread and butter of the common man. In both cases, protest was registered by breaking the law. That such measures have to be resorted to even in a democratic country is unfortunate. The issue was raised in parliament and on the streets of Delhi. Every debate on price rise within the four walls of parliament received the same disdainful reply-“Global effect”. It’s a failure of the constitution that it does not provide a means for the opposition to register its protest in a constructive manner. When the constitutional means of protest are exhausted, people have generally resorted to unconstitutional means. If the ruling party had accorded the issue the respect that it deserves, instead of attempting to brush it under the carpet, this form of protest would not be needed. Until today, no news channel had bothered to raise the issue of inflation in the public domain. Today, all of them have been forced to conduct debates and ask tough questions of the government. This is what the Bandh has achieved.
Does the opposition have any solution to the problem of inflation? Well, the counter to that question is whether the government is in a mood to listen to suggestions? That a government headed by a famed economist is bereft of ideas to control inflation is an acknowledgement of its failure. The role of the opposition is to expose the failures of the government. The role of the government is to address these failures. If the people in power have no answer to crucial economic issues, they should vacate the treasury benches. This argument is similar to justifying the selection of Ravindra Jadeja by suggesting that there is no evidence that any other player would perform better than him. Unless given a chance, the opposition won’t be able to put its policies into action at all.
Isn’t there a better method to voice protest? Unfortunately, it has been seen time and time again that inconveniencing the common man is the most effective tactic to arm-twist the government. The Gujjar agitation and the more recent Motormen Strike has given further credibility to this school of thought. The only method to break the slumber of the government seems to be to hold the common man to ransom. Unless the government starts dealing with such protesters with an iron fist, the politics of Bandh will continue to prosper.
The arrogance with which the government deals with such issues in parliament is borne out of the fact that neither the UPA Chairperson nor the PM participated in the debate on Price Rise. In such situations, the opposition can hardly be faulted for resorting to extreme measures. Even the gods seemed to support the Bandh as the heavens started pouring only after the Bandh was called off.
What does a Bandh achieve? The familiar refrain of all intellectuals generally unaffected by the issues raised by a bandh. If the same question were to be asked when a certain individual named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, undertook a symbolic march to Dandi, where would we be today? While I do not wish to demean the Dandi March by comparing it to a political bandh, I do wish to draw parallels between the issue raised and the means used to raise it. In both cases, the protest was against a tax levied by the government on a commodity which has a direct bearing on the bread and butter of the common man. In both cases, protest was registered by breaking the law. That such measures have to be resorted to even in a democratic country is unfortunate. The issue was raised in parliament and on the streets of Delhi. Every debate on price rise within the four walls of parliament received the same disdainful reply-“Global effect”. It’s a failure of the constitution that it does not provide a means for the opposition to register its protest in a constructive manner. When the constitutional means of protest are exhausted, people have generally resorted to unconstitutional means. If the ruling party had accorded the issue the respect that it deserves, instead of attempting to brush it under the carpet, this form of protest would not be needed. Until today, no news channel had bothered to raise the issue of inflation in the public domain. Today, all of them have been forced to conduct debates and ask tough questions of the government. This is what the Bandh has achieved.
Does the opposition have any solution to the problem of inflation? Well, the counter to that question is whether the government is in a mood to listen to suggestions? That a government headed by a famed economist is bereft of ideas to control inflation is an acknowledgement of its failure. The role of the opposition is to expose the failures of the government. The role of the government is to address these failures. If the people in power have no answer to crucial economic issues, they should vacate the treasury benches. This argument is similar to justifying the selection of Ravindra Jadeja by suggesting that there is no evidence that any other player would perform better than him. Unless given a chance, the opposition won’t be able to put its policies into action at all.
Isn’t there a better method to voice protest? Unfortunately, it has been seen time and time again that inconveniencing the common man is the most effective tactic to arm-twist the government. The Gujjar agitation and the more recent Motormen Strike has given further credibility to this school of thought. The only method to break the slumber of the government seems to be to hold the common man to ransom. Unless the government starts dealing with such protesters with an iron fist, the politics of Bandh will continue to prosper.
The arrogance with which the government deals with such issues in parliament is borne out of the fact that neither the UPA Chairperson nor the PM participated in the debate on Price Rise. In such situations, the opposition can hardly be faulted for resorting to extreme measures. Even the gods seemed to support the Bandh as the heavens started pouring only after the Bandh was called off.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Top 10 Things we won't see at World Cup 2010.
Spain lost its first match. England has drawn two while France are on the brink of elimination. ‘Nothing is Impossible’ seems to be the theme of this World Cup. So what better way to talk about the World Cup than by discussing those things which surely won’t be happening during this World Cup. This is my list of top 10 things that we won’t see during World Cup 2010:
10.)Samba Magic : “Ronaldo to Rivaldo, Rivaldo to Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho to Roberto Carlos, Carlos to Ronaldo…(Repeated 5 times)…And it’s a GOAL!!!”. That mesmerizing brand of football won’t be seen on the field this year. While Coach Dunga swears by his much touted ‘effective but not entertaining European Style’ of Football, sales of Sholay VCDs have seen an abnormal rise among Samba crazy Brazil Fans…..OK….Bad Joke!
9.)Host Team in the Knock out Rounds: For the first time in 19 World Cups, the host team won't progress beyond the first round of a World Cup and poor Bafana Bafana will be the holders of this dubious distinction. Well, at least it will take the sting out of those Buzzing Vuvuzelas.
8.)Pierluigi Collina: I know he retired before World Cup 2006, but he still deserves to be on this list. The sight of the hairless Italian Referee with those menacing eyes officiating in the World Cup Finals will be sorely missed.
7.)Arun Lal : Cue Celebratory Music and Firecrackers. This World cup is officially ‘Arun Lal Proof'. No more excruciatingly painful - ‘The Team that plays better will win’- kind of insights. No more….wait did I just see Shebby Singh on that ESPN panel. I knew it was too good to be true. WHERE IS THE MUTE BUTTON ON THIS DAMNED REMOTE???
6.)Czech Republic: Rosicky, Matejovsky, Papadopoulos, Vlcek, Ujfalusi, Moravek, Hubschman. None of these delightful sounding yet difficult to pronounce names will be present at the World Cup. Who would have thought that the weaker part of erstwhile Czechoslovakia will undertake the journey to SA while the Czechs cool their heels at home. How I miss supporting the Poborskys and the Smicers. Pavel Nedved, Where Art Thou? (Also Croatia)
5.)Wayne Rooney sent off by a Winking Devil: 34 goals for Club last season and none for the Country. Wayne Rooney sure knows when to score and when not to. In this kind of form, he is more of an asset than a threat to opposition teams. Rest Assured. Nobody will try to get him sent off this year.
4.)A French Legend head butting a slimy Italian defender: For the simple reason that none of those two teams will progress far enough to face each other. And even if they do, then there are no legends left in that French Squad. So all you guys waiting for an encore can safely turn off your TV sets.
3.)Guus Hiddink: Netherlands ’98, South Korea ’02 and Australia ’06. Guss Hiddink had mastered the art of ‘upsetting’ Soccer Giants with relatively unknown teams. The master Strategist couldn’t quite turn Russia ’10 into a reality but it’s the World Cup which is poorer due to his absence. Hope to see him back with Turkey ’14. (Also Luiz Felipe Scolari)
2.)Galacticos: Figo, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo, Beckham. Each one is capable of single handedly selling out any stadium in the world. It isn’t a surprise then that even C. Ronaldo of Portugal and Ribery of France haven’t been able to fill those huge shoes. And no, C. Ronaldo and Kaka are not Galacticos.
1.)Maradona dancing Naked in the streets of Buenos Aires: Sorry to break the hearts of all Argentina supporters, but this one surely isn’t happening. Argentina are too fragile at the back to go all the way. And before contradicting me, kindly imagine that dastardly scene if they do win. Oh NO,NO,NO. I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Please God, don’t let Argentina win.
10.)Samba Magic : “Ronaldo to Rivaldo, Rivaldo to Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho to Roberto Carlos, Carlos to Ronaldo…(Repeated 5 times)…And it’s a GOAL!!!”. That mesmerizing brand of football won’t be seen on the field this year. While Coach Dunga swears by his much touted ‘effective but not entertaining European Style’ of Football, sales of Sholay VCDs have seen an abnormal rise among Samba crazy Brazil Fans…..OK….Bad Joke!
9.)Host Team in the Knock out Rounds: For the first time in 19 World Cups, the host team won't progress beyond the first round of a World Cup and poor Bafana Bafana will be the holders of this dubious distinction. Well, at least it will take the sting out of those Buzzing Vuvuzelas.
8.)Pierluigi Collina: I know he retired before World Cup 2006, but he still deserves to be on this list. The sight of the hairless Italian Referee with those menacing eyes officiating in the World Cup Finals will be sorely missed.
7.)Arun Lal : Cue Celebratory Music and Firecrackers. This World cup is officially ‘Arun Lal Proof'. No more excruciatingly painful - ‘The Team that plays better will win’- kind of insights. No more….wait did I just see Shebby Singh on that ESPN panel. I knew it was too good to be true. WHERE IS THE MUTE BUTTON ON THIS DAMNED REMOTE???
6.)Czech Republic: Rosicky, Matejovsky, Papadopoulos, Vlcek, Ujfalusi, Moravek, Hubschman. None of these delightful sounding yet difficult to pronounce names will be present at the World Cup. Who would have thought that the weaker part of erstwhile Czechoslovakia will undertake the journey to SA while the Czechs cool their heels at home. How I miss supporting the Poborskys and the Smicers. Pavel Nedved, Where Art Thou? (Also Croatia)
5.)Wayne Rooney sent off by a Winking Devil: 34 goals for Club last season and none for the Country. Wayne Rooney sure knows when to score and when not to. In this kind of form, he is more of an asset than a threat to opposition teams. Rest Assured. Nobody will try to get him sent off this year.
4.)A French Legend head butting a slimy Italian defender: For the simple reason that none of those two teams will progress far enough to face each other. And even if they do, then there are no legends left in that French Squad. So all you guys waiting for an encore can safely turn off your TV sets.
3.)Guus Hiddink: Netherlands ’98, South Korea ’02 and Australia ’06. Guss Hiddink had mastered the art of ‘upsetting’ Soccer Giants with relatively unknown teams. The master Strategist couldn’t quite turn Russia ’10 into a reality but it’s the World Cup which is poorer due to his absence. Hope to see him back with Turkey ’14. (Also Luiz Felipe Scolari)
2.)Galacticos: Figo, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo, Beckham. Each one is capable of single handedly selling out any stadium in the world. It isn’t a surprise then that even C. Ronaldo of Portugal and Ribery of France haven’t been able to fill those huge shoes. And no, C. Ronaldo and Kaka are not Galacticos.
1.)Maradona dancing Naked in the streets of Buenos Aires: Sorry to break the hearts of all Argentina supporters, but this one surely isn’t happening. Argentina are too fragile at the back to go all the way. And before contradicting me, kindly imagine that dastardly scene if they do win. Oh NO,NO,NO. I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Please God, don’t let Argentina win.
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Forgotten People.
When after four long years, the month long carnival of football rolled into distant Africa, it was but natural for me to consider writing a blog post providing my analysis of the competition. However, I have no intentions of following in the footsteps of the ‘incorruptible’ fourth estate of this country (which I will vilify later), which has completely ignored the plight of more than a million fellow countrymen held to ransom by a handful of protesting Naga groups aided by a limp wristed government. As the Economic Blockade of Manipur completes two months, inflation in the state has attained dizzying proportions creating a situation of scarcity seen only in underdeveloped African countries while the Government, the Main Stream Media (MSM) and the Opposition continue to be mute spectators. Only via First hand accounts can the true extent of the tragedy be gauged.
The situation created by the blockade is not new to the people of Manipur or to the Government. Over the years, the state has seen many such blockades the most notable being the 52 day blockade in 2005. The Indian Government’s strategy during all those incidents was the same as its strategy today. They had no strategy. They just waited for the Nagas to lift the blockade themselves as the locals coped with the hardships. As a result, the people of the state have started accepting this as a part of life. Faced with such hardships, the people of any democratic country would revolt either via the ballot or by other extreme methods, hoping to force a change in the lackadaisical attitude of the rulers. However, the absence of such a reaction from the local populace, stemming from a complete loss of faith in the government, suggests that the alienation of the state is complete. While we continue to play vote bank politics under the guise of involving marginalized sections of the society, the step motherly treatment meted out to marginalized states will ensure that calls for separation will only grow louder.
While the attitude of the government is along expected lines, what is appalling is the virtual black out of this issue by the media. As a country we have enough time to debate the prospects of European and South American countries in a tournament held in South Africa but not a second of airtime is devoted to the hardships faced by our own countrymen. An irrelevant blockade in Gaza draws detailed analysis from the all knowing news anchors but the paralyzed life of Manipuris doesn’t even get a mention on their tickers. While issues of public importance are hardly pursued by the news makers with such enthusiasm as that seen while sensationalizing absurd issues, the blockade hasn’t even received the customary lip service accorded to such issues. Media pressure, in this country, is generally the catalyst which breaks the Government’s inertia of inaction. Unfortunately, media owners choose to use this trigger for all the wrong issues.
The role of the opposition in mature democracies is to generally address the deficiencies in service of the Govt. The opposition needs to raise issues which the government fails to address and then use the media to pressurize the government to act. Unfortunately, the principal opposition today has become more of a reactionary entity. It has left the business of criticizing the performance of the government entirely to the media and has restricted itself to issuing statements on any issue which the media deems worthy of comment. It has failed to set the agenda of discussion and therein lies its failure to become a responsible opposition.
Unless these three key players get their act together, the feeling of alienation will only gain ground in the minds of the people living beyond the Chicken’s Neck. With separatist groups and hostile neighbors waiting for a vulnerable opportunity, India can ill afford such feelings. Unless attempts are made to integrate the Seven Sisters with their more fortunate siblings, the unity of the family will continue to be in danger. The Forgotten People may just choose to remind us of their presence and not necessarily in the most pleasing manner.
The situation created by the blockade is not new to the people of Manipur or to the Government. Over the years, the state has seen many such blockades the most notable being the 52 day blockade in 2005. The Indian Government’s strategy during all those incidents was the same as its strategy today. They had no strategy. They just waited for the Nagas to lift the blockade themselves as the locals coped with the hardships. As a result, the people of the state have started accepting this as a part of life. Faced with such hardships, the people of any democratic country would revolt either via the ballot or by other extreme methods, hoping to force a change in the lackadaisical attitude of the rulers. However, the absence of such a reaction from the local populace, stemming from a complete loss of faith in the government, suggests that the alienation of the state is complete. While we continue to play vote bank politics under the guise of involving marginalized sections of the society, the step motherly treatment meted out to marginalized states will ensure that calls for separation will only grow louder.
While the attitude of the government is along expected lines, what is appalling is the virtual black out of this issue by the media. As a country we have enough time to debate the prospects of European and South American countries in a tournament held in South Africa but not a second of airtime is devoted to the hardships faced by our own countrymen. An irrelevant blockade in Gaza draws detailed analysis from the all knowing news anchors but the paralyzed life of Manipuris doesn’t even get a mention on their tickers. While issues of public importance are hardly pursued by the news makers with such enthusiasm as that seen while sensationalizing absurd issues, the blockade hasn’t even received the customary lip service accorded to such issues. Media pressure, in this country, is generally the catalyst which breaks the Government’s inertia of inaction. Unfortunately, media owners choose to use this trigger for all the wrong issues.
The role of the opposition in mature democracies is to generally address the deficiencies in service of the Govt. The opposition needs to raise issues which the government fails to address and then use the media to pressurize the government to act. Unfortunately, the principal opposition today has become more of a reactionary entity. It has left the business of criticizing the performance of the government entirely to the media and has restricted itself to issuing statements on any issue which the media deems worthy of comment. It has failed to set the agenda of discussion and therein lies its failure to become a responsible opposition.
Unless these three key players get their act together, the feeling of alienation will only gain ground in the minds of the people living beyond the Chicken’s Neck. With separatist groups and hostile neighbors waiting for a vulnerable opportunity, India can ill afford such feelings. Unless attempts are made to integrate the Seven Sisters with their more fortunate siblings, the unity of the family will continue to be in danger. The Forgotten People may just choose to remind us of their presence and not necessarily in the most pleasing manner.
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