New Year

Before you know it, one more year has passed. 2010 has ended and in a hour or so 2011 begins!

2010 has been a very happening year. So many things happened this it is hard to believe that all of them actually did.

Me and my family
I completed my PhD
My sister got married!
I got a job. My first real job (I am not joking!)
I got a chance to see if I can stand up for my choice the second time
I moved out of Austin
I left the United States to move to Canada
I am beginning a new phase of my life in Montreal
My standing up for myself did work this time
During this year period I learned a lot about a friend.

Friends
one guy found a gult bandi
one couple moved into their new hosue
one guy found a marathi bandi
one couple are having a kid
one guy is standing up to his parents
one guy is still pondering whether he should put fight or not

Cricket and Tennis
Sehwag had a decent time
Indian cricket team is at the top in Tests. Thats all I ask for!
Federer had an ok year. Nadal had a great year.
Oh yes, Tendulkar hit a 200 in onedays and 50 hundreds in tests (people who are surprised at me saying good things about Tendulkar, i have really changed :))

TV shows
I have completed watching Frasier the third time and am upto third season the fourth time
Watched Seinfeld twice
Watching Becker again

Books
India after Gandhi was good, really good.
Other notable books Atlas Shrugged (finally), Crime and Punishment, My Experiments with Truth (Even I can't believe i read this one), Unaccustomed Earth, Winesburg, Ohio. Overall a little less than my normal!


I wish all my readers (a small number I know) a happy and prosperous new year!

Funny

to say the least A rhyme that makes sense (Link via News you can't use)

Taking sycophancy to higher levels

Look at this

“People looked upon Sonia Gandhi's renunciation of power as reminiscent of the Mahatma,'' the book suggests in a chapter “Congress in Coalition'' that trace the Congress' return to power in 2004.

I am no fan of Mahatma, but I am sure even he is turning in his grave at this comparison.

Full piece
here

Oh yes, in the same book that Congress authorized to be written by historians they could devote only a paragraph to some of the greatest disasters in Post Independence era. If you know Congress government you would have guessed these tragedies correctly (Sikh riots and Bhopal plant). Of course, the fact that the congress government had a major role in these events has nothing to do with it!

Will India Listen to

this advice. I really hope so. But, with our political system, who am I kidding!

What more can you say except

what realitycheck has put so eloquently here

A sensible piece on

Congress's ludicrous assault on RSS

Some excerpts

The exercise initiated by Mrs.Sonia Gandhi, the President of the Congress (I), and her cohorts at the just concluded 83rd plenary of the Congress (I) to have the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) projected and demonised as a Hindu terrorist organisation comparable to the Nazi groups of World War II vintage and the more recent Islamic terrorist organisations speaks of the mental confusion that prevails at the senior levels of her party. It also highlights the total bankruptcy of thinking and the total indifference to sensitive issues that have become the defining characteristics of the party under her leadership in recent months.
...
The anti-RSS campaign of the Congress (I) will not only add to the already existing anger in sections of the Hindu community,but will also play into the hands of the jihadi terrorists by facilitating their objective of aggravating the divide between the Hindu and Muslim communities. Before this campaign starts further damaging the relations between the two communities, the Congress (I) should stop its demonisation of the RSS, which would prove counter-productive.

Tendulkar's batting with tail

Tendulkar scored 50 hundreds. Its a great achievement and a testament to the man's longevity in the game!

This post isn't about that.

When he came to bat on the 5th day I want to ask him what was his objective. Did he even believe that he can save the match? Did he just want to make sure he remained not out?

What I don't understand is when you are trying to save a match (yes it is very hard, but if you are not trying whats the point of playing) how can you take a single of the first ball and expose the tail to Dteyn and Morkel. Isn't it stupid? Why can't batsman see this? If its a first innings, yes no sense in shielding the tail because you want to score runs, so be positive take all the runs you can get. What was Tendulkar trying to do by taking singles and exposing the tail. Graeme Smith mentioned this in the interview. I am peeved at how every Tom Dick and Haryy of the cricket world had time to comment on Tendulkar reaching his 50th hundred (a great achievement no doubt) but did not offer any meaningful insight on decisions that are utterly stupid!

This is not to demean his innings. His batting was wonderful and responsible for India to be batting on the 5th. But I feel what he did on the fifth reveals a lack of tactical acumen on his part. I mean we needed 30 runs to make SA bat again. Wont it have been better for him to get out trying to score those runs than taking the not so useful singles and hoping Sree and Jadhav will survive Steyn and Morkel.

Also, all those supporters who are ecstatic at his 50th ton, please do remember India lost the match.

Anyway!

Rant on Congress

The sycophancy in the Congress has no bounds! Don't believe me? Try this. P. Chidambaram sucking up to The prince here. The Congress party disgusts me! These are moments when I feel an extreme right candidate like Modi is much better candidate to be PM than anybody from the Gandhi family! At least Modi rose to power on his own feet! To all those people who don't think so, I have some really kind words for you!

Congress

For those who believe the secular credentials of Congress, I urge you to do read this

“The Congress Party, after first distancing itself from the comments (of Antulay, the then minority affairs minister), two days later issued a contradictory statement which implicitly endorsed the conspiracy. During this time, Antulay’s completely unsubstantiated claims gained support in ... Indian-Muslim community,” Mulford wrote in his secret cable to the state department on 23 December, 2008.

“Hoping to foster that support for upcoming national elections, the Congress Party cynically pulled back from its original dismissal and lent credence to the conspiracy,” Mulford wrote.

Regardless of home minister P Chidambaram’s dismissal of Antulay’s comments, the Indian-Muslim community “will continue to believe they are unfairly targeted by law enforcement and that those who investigate the truth are silenced,” he said in the cable.

“The entire episode demonstrates that the Congress Party will readily stoop to the old caste/religious-based politics if it feels it is in its interest,” Mulford alleged, according to the cable posted by WikiLeaks on its website yesterday.

The United States has neither confirmed or denied the authenticity of these cables, but said that some 250,000 papers have been stolen from its system and demanded that WikiLeaks, the whistle blower website, return them back to the State Department.

According to WikiLeaks, there are some 1,300 cables from the US embassy in New Delhi. However, only half a dozen of them have been posted by it on its website.

Mulford said while the killing of three high-level law enforcement officers during the Mumbai attacks, including ATS chief Hemant Karkare, “is a remarkable coincidence, the Congress Party’s initial reaction to Antulay’s outrageous comments was correct.”

“But as support seemed to swell among Muslims for Antulay’s unsubstantiated claims, crass political opportunism swayed the thinking of some Congress Party leaders,” he wrote.

Random stuff

The party yesterday rocked. I had so much fun it was really unbelievable.
The cold has not been bothering me much. It was at -10C yesterday night and today it was -12C (feels like -18C). It seems like I am able to take up to -15C ok types. Lets see when it goes further lower!

Tomorrow early morning it will be as low as -18C (feels like -23C) here. Good luck to those guys getting up and leaving at 6!

My first snow storm

Man does it snow or what in Quebec!
It has been incessantly snowing here for the last 2 days. I hear the amount of snow is 25cms. For people used to living in the colder parts of the world it might not be much. For a guy who was born in India and moved to Texas this is a big deal. Because
1) We are not used to seeing white layers of snow on the roads or cars or rooftops.
2) We are not used to walking on thick layers of white material (we are used to walking in puddles of water, but thats different)
3) We are not used to negative temperatures (may be in Celsius)
4) We are not used to seeing the roads and even cars disappearing under snow
5) We are not used to feeling cold on the face and sweat on our backs

All this after my first snow storm. I know I have a rough winter ahead!

Montreal

Over the last two to three weeks life has been pretty different from the past. I am getting to meet a lot of people and am settling down in life at Montreal. The cold weather has begun. Today I walked about 2 miles in cold weather (feels like 9F... cold for me!). It wasn't bad at all. I have to get used to such walks I guess! Have some work to complete over the December break. Also, I have to start preparation for my course!

Also one of the most important decisions in my life has received support from all quarters. Now its only a matter of time before the big occasion!

Lets see how things unfold.

Awesome Project

in Bangalore. Details here

Some excerpts

Yet it is from here that a quiet revolution in urban traffic management and planning has begun. Of Bangalore’s 380 traffic junctions, 180 are now fitted with 360-degree dome cameras. Each of these can be controlled remotely, has a line of sight of 1km, sports night vision, and is weatherproof. The cameras are hard-wired to the Ashok Nagar servers using fiber optic lines. A “cockpit” of LCD screens at the police station’s command centre shows junctions categorized into zones. Constables assigned to each of these zones can read number plates to assign penalty tickets to vehicles that violate rules. Back-end processes integrated with the transport department data print and mail violation letters with links to photographic evidence.

These remotely manoeuvrable cameras at major traffic junctions form one leg of a vast new information network. The second leg is a parsed cellphone tower information that generates a teledensity “heat-map” of traffic movement in the city. The third comes from city buses fitted with GPS devices that indicate speed and congestion on arterial roads. These three sources together create an integrated view of live traffic conditions in the city. Rs50 crore in traffic penalties generated in one year pays for the initial investment, and more.

Interesting take

on the Raja corruption issue by retributions here

The same equation may be at play here. The case the Congress party is making to the middle class voter is simple: “Look, we are against corruption. We are ready to act against the corrupt in our own party. We would have acted against A Raja only if we did not need his party’s support. Next time, make sure we don’t need the support of such elements.” It won’t be surprising that instances like A Raja may actually result in Congress emerging with a larger majority in 2014. The Congress party deserves praise for transforming weakness and victim hood in to a successful political formula.  Now, it is possible that a relentless opposition, constant media spotlight, and legal compulsions force the resignation of Mr. Raja but it is hard to see any political downside to his continuation in the cabinet.

McGill University

I have joined McGill University as an Assistant Professor. Suddenly, I have moved to the other side of the spectrum. The transition should be fun and hectic at the same time. I hope to enjoy the transition while contributing to my area of research.

The move to Montreal so far has been smooth. Lots of furniture assembling and running around. I have settled into my apartment.

Lets see how the move turns out.

Antilla

If you haven't heard is the name of Mukesh Ambani's new house. I have heard people say his house looks disgusting. I have no opinion on that front to offer. But Sali Tripathi makes a very interesting connection here. Do read the full piece! 

Mark Taylor

Sharda Ugra on one of the most likeable Australian cricketers (and my personal favorite) Mark Taylor

The beauty of cricket when Sehwag bats

Read this piece.

Some excerpts

If Australia had the plan, Sehwag had the counters. He has done that to Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith again and again over the last year, and was ready to do it to Ricky Ponting too.

What summed up Sehwag was neither an individual shot nor the strike-rate. It was the reaction on the faces of gully, slip and short leg when he upper-cut Mitchell Johnson. Michael Hussey at gully and Simon Katich at short leg were like men who were watching a prey enter the trap. Hussey jumped back expectantly, looking at the third man, only to see it sail over. Katich was sure that that was the wicket, but was left with an "aah" on his face. The prey had not only slipped away, he was creating havoc. Shane Watson at slip, perhaps more perceptive of Sehwag's methods than others, just laughed.

Johnson pitched up later, and Sehwag punched him through the covers. Peter George, the debutant, was then asked to bowl his first over to Sehwag of all the people. Twice in first over he was driven between the non-striker and mid-on. As the noise in the stands became louder and louder, the conferences between captain and bowler lasted longer and longer.

...

The first one was so accurate it got Sehwag in the helmet. A hush fell on the ground. It sounded like a boo, but it like the nasty ones of yesterday. Hilfenhaus would have liked it. Nasser Hussain, one of the more successful captains in India, has spoken about the importance of silencing the indian crowds. It was perhaps that silence that let Hilfenhaus think more clearly.

If this was going to be short, Sehwag was going to pull it in front of square: he was going to be ready deep in the crease. Sure enough the ball was short, but it was the slower bouncer, and Sehwag ended up dragging the pull straight into the lap of the man waiting in the deep. For a moment, only Hilfenhaus could be heard in a stadium holding at least 30,000 people. He deserved to be. He had out-thought the most destructive batsman in cricket today.

 

Vangivarapu Venkata Sai Laxman

Isn't he something special. Nice piece by Sambit Bal on the man with silken wrists and nerves of steel.

On a related note: Sehwag gets Test Cricketer of the year award. Sachin gets the Cricketer of the year award. Can't ask for more!

Sir Ian Terence Botham

I bow to you! See this piece by Mike Selvey

Is he the greatest all rounder (as so many English man claim)?

If he retired a brilliant achiever, then Botham in his youthful prime was a phenomenon. He made his debut, against Australia, in 1977, when he was still 21, and was still only 23 when he completed the double of 100 wickets and 1000 runs, with four hundreds and no fewer than 10 five-wicket innings, in fewer matches, 21, than anyone (Kapil 25, Imran 30). Three years on, just days past his 26th birthday, he reached the next level of 200 wickets and 2000 runs (a further four centuries and eight more five-fors); fewest matches again, 42 (Kapil and Imran both 50). Twenty-eight and it was 300 wickets, and to be precise, 4153 runs; fewest games, 72, once more (Kapil 83, Imran 75). His bowling average for the first 100 wickets was 18.97; for 200 it was 21.2: if he had retired then, it would have been preserved as amongst the best in history.

May be he was May be he wasn't but he sure must have been awesome to watch.

The bad effects

of Common wealth Games might not just be the ill-effects of corruption. See this piece by Salil Tripathi.

Supreme Court slams the Government

I can actually see the members of the organizing committee telling to themselves, just hang in there for a month, we would have made a fortune. In one month's tme nobody will care about how much we stole!

Anyway, the full piece on the courts verdict is here

The problem with Pakistan is over?

Shocked? So was I when I read the title of this post by Nitin Pai. But there sure is some truth what Nitin conveys.

Excerpts

These are options that are within India's reach today. If the astute minds in New Delhi's strategic establishment were to concentrate on a shift from direct engagement of Pakistan to a direct engagement of Pakistan's scaffolds, it is certain that a number of strategic options -- ranging from the geopolitical to the geoeconomic -- can be developed. India has spent fifteen years in the futile attempt to reassure the military-jihadi complex. Given the reality of the all-round failure of the idea of Pakistan, it is time to reframe the problem. It's time to go after the scaffolders.

Its too simplistic

to say Dhoni gets lucky as discussed here by Sriram Veera. He is a very shrewd captain and the number of victories he has gained for India and Chennai are a testament to that!

A nice post

on how Common Wealth Games represent all that is wrong with Indian government something entirely different from the rising India (private enterprise)

Chennai

A nice collection of Chennai photos up here.

 

Funny

Viru on Sushil Kumar, the world cup gold medal winner

I never dared to break the glass of his house while playing cricket as I used to be extremely scared of him.

One man who could restrain Virender Sehwag's big-hitting was India's world champion wrestler, Sushil Kumar, who grew up in the same locality as Sehwag
Cricinfo Quote Unquote

What can be done about Kashmir?

As I pose this question, I feel despair. As a kid I was taught to believe that Pakistan was the perpetrator and everybody in Kashmir (if given a chance by Pakistan!) will choose to live with India. It was only when I was older that I realized the situation is far from that. There is a sizeable population in Kashmir that wants to be independent rather than join India. Well, thats the truth you like to believe it or not. So, now what should India do? Well, nothing it does will ever be enough. But inaction (as we see in the current crisis) is not helping either. I wish there were a magic solution to this problem!

Salil Tripathi has a very illuminating post in his livemint column  here.

Some excerpts

Many Kashmiris do seek a different freedom—neither this, nor that; neither India, nor Pakistan; or, as Mercutio says in Romeo and Juliet: “A plague a’both your houses!” A recent report of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, drawn from surveys of Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control, shows, with hard numbers, that Kashmiris want to control their own destiny. But some loud voices see being with Pakistan as azadi. They want to replace one occupying power with another.

Do read the entire post!

India All Time XI

Pretty close to what I opted for! But man what a team :)

Why burning the Quran

is a stupid plan!on the Filter Coffee blog

25+? Do read this

post here.

Some excerpts:

These youngsters shake me out of my cynicism too. They’re willing to give. Not money, but time. Which, if you think it over, is in the truest sense giving of oneself. They believe. In causes, in people. And in the future. After all these years of seeing the seamier side of life, it’s refreshing to see these young people forego their own pleasures. To teach poor children, to clean public spaces, to help with their own blood. I admire their energy, their selflessness. And I am humbled.

.
.
.

Nor am I suggesting that senior citizens (a term used by the young, I believe, to refer to any person over the age of 25) are devoid of value. We oldies get a lot done too. I’m proud to have contemporaries who still have mental flexibility, tolerance, energy and compassion. These qualities are not the prerogative of youth. Or perhaps they are. Perhaps youth is defined not by a figure but the very possession of these qualities. And the country of old men exists only in the mind.

A very detailed

piece on the failure of lower levels of Indian bureaucratic system

Oh Boycott!

Only you can say something like this and get away!

What else can you say about people wanting to tell the world about the trivia in their lives?

Geoff Boycott clearly isn't a fan of Twitter

Have to agree with him on this one!

An interesting piece on

what India should be doing in Afghanistan here at filtercoffee

A nice piece on the

perils faced by cricket highlighted here by Gideon Haigh

Damning yet

the necessary action for the scandal is prescribed here by Sambit Bal

Mohammad Amir must either stand tall or never bowl a ball again. Nothing in between is acceptable.

China flirting with democracy?

Think again say this Mint article

Sense and sensitivity (as published by the Economist)

Immensely sensible piece on why building a Mosque near WTC is not wrong here!

Some excerpts

But that simply invites the question of why building the mosque is so tactless. It certainly would be insensitive, to use Mr Gingrich’s terms, to wave swastikas by the Holocaust Museum. But for this analogy to work, a mosque must be to 9/11 what a swastika is to the Holocaust. Happily, however, most politicians are reluctant to suggest that mosques are symbols of terrorism, or that Muslims are all terrorists.

Instead, the complaint seems to boil down to a vague sense that doing Muslim stuff near ground zero is an unhappy reminder of terrorism, because the terrorists claimed to be acting in the name of Islam. That smacks of collective punishment: I doubt, somehow, that Mr Obama or Mrs Palin would consider it insensitive to build a church near the site, say, of a cross burning carried out by the Ku Klux Klan or an abortion clinic bombed by Christian fundamentalists. I doubt also that they would want, if they thought about it a bit harder, to accept the 9/11 attackers’ assertion that they were acting on behalf of their Muslim brothers.

A general rant on Kumar Sangakkara

I think he is a born cheater. He appeals for stuff that is clearly (i mean blatantly) not out. Then comes out and talks as if he is a kid. Moreover he talks of things like sportsmanship and honesty. Please dude gimme a break. At least the Australians agree they play a tough game. You are a slithering snake worse than that! Anyway

Finally

a problem of utmost importance has been identified by the Prime Minister on the eve of the 64th Independence Day

Ian Chappell on the brilliance of Sehwag

Well, Ian Chappell compares how Sehwag is like an Australian legend named Don Bradman here.

Could you have guessed this?

Read th full piece here

With Sehwag you have fear and hope, with Gavaskar it was like hitting your head on a rock at the sheer futility of bowling. Gavaskar would never have got stumped on 99, and he wouldn't have tried to hit a six on 195 either. Two different styles you could not hope to see in a lifetime. But at the corresponding points in their career (79 Tests each), a mere 88 runs separate them. The difference in batting average is but 0.68.

Will the US government never

learn from the crisis of 2008. Still you see such schemes!
The damning statement from the piece!

This is really unfortunate. If you can't afford a substantial downpayment, then you don't need to be buying a home. And you certainly don't need the government urging you on.

Awesome

article by Pratap Bhanu Mehta on the distressing state of affairs under the current congress government.

Excerpts

The sense of crisis brewing across the nation now requires us to ask some graceless questions about political responsibility in the current government. In Kashmir, the government has irretrievably squandered an opportunity for real political progress; instead of hope, the stench of violence, intimidation and resentment again dominates the air. In the Northeast, the era of damaging blockades and political deadlocks is back. In Andhra Pradesh, the success of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi casts a shadow not just on the future of the state, but also on the ability of the Congress to sustain its momentum. Our neighbourhood is in disarray. Although the challenges posed by Pakistan are beyond the control of this government, its inability to swiftly take advantage of the propitious political circumstances in Bangladesh is sending disastrous signals: India is a power that cannot be respected. The modest gains that resulted from welfare outlays have long been dissipated by inflation. There is an odour of corruption and callous squandering of resources on so many fronts. Despite an opposition teetering on the brink of ideological and political bankruptcy, the government seems to be unable to muster confidence, resolve or far-sighted imagination.

I challenge you

to find a more bull shit quote than this one

The captains... say it's a batting wicket, bowlers have no chance. They don't have the bowlers to have a chance
Anurudda Polonowita, Sri Lanka's national curator

Can't an American ever admit

honestly that America funds terrorism in Pakistan (not directly, but thats how its funded). In a typically convoluted fashion Tom Friedman alludes to this fact in his New York Times Column here

Only one

batsman in cricket is capable of such a stroke. See how Samir Chopra reacts to the shot played (or the missed one) by Viru in the test match against Sri Lanka

Somedays you just cant sleep

As I lay awake at 5.30 AM in Chennai I think about life and what it has in store for the future. Not just for me, but in general. Is it a good way to spend time. Well, I don't know. I am really surprised at this state of mine. I had an awesome time yesterday in terms of food and a gult movie. But was uneasy from the moment I tried to sleep. Well, I got up at 4AM and completed Crime and Punishment. An interesting yet depressing book that makes you feel weird. Yes, thats the best way to describe it. Weird!

Anyway, I am also influenced by visit to IITM. I look forward to, as always, taking a walk in the campus that I am so fond of. In addition this year I will be making a presentation. Should be interesting and lots of fun!

Great Fight

Irrespective of the result, Indian Tail showed great spirit by batting on for as long as they did. An entertaining display!

I hate to say this

but a large part of population has to be utterly stupid to allow our political leaders to function the way they do.
There is Jagan going around AP consoling random people who happened to die around the day his dad died.
Then there is Chandra Babu Naidu's rally and his subsequent mistreatment. Can't his political stunt be handled better. He went there for publicity and Ashiok Chavan gave it to him with his stupidity.
Then there are two train accidents that occurred. Ms.Banerjee instead of taking responsibility talks as a rumor monger suggesting that the opposition party is responsible for that.
Now Shiva Sena is protesting Babu's vist by targetting AP's reservoir. I mean does Bal Thackeray have any sense left in him. How can a state that is upstream of AP have any problem with dams downstream. Oh sorry who am I kidding. Indian politicians and common sense is an oxymoron. Or should I say Indian common man and common sense is an oxymoron.

Simply stunning

piece on the Tendulkar Opus
If you haven't heard some random company is mixing Tendulkar's blood (yeah you read it right!) to make a book while charging you 49,000$ (no typo here too) for it. Many of my blog reader (or the few of them) know I am not the biggest fan of Tendulkar. But even if it were Sehwag's blood I would have written the same thing. the idea is preposterous and foolish. But hey, if people have the money to wash down the drain this way who am I to stop!

Andhra Pradesh versus Maharashtra

This has not been nice. The Congress government in AP and Maharashtra surely are not doing what they are supposed. to treat a nine year old CM, a current leader of the opposition of the state it is utterly ridiculous to treat the guy in that manner. There are 74 MLA/MP/MLC within the group. To treat these members in that manner is wrong. Lets see how this unfolds!

Bangladesh beat

England. Awesome for Bangladesh cricket!
Poor Bell walked out to bat in a huge cast. Unfortunately it was in vain!

Christian Ryan on the controversy

around Jon Howard's rejection for the ICC president post here
An excerpt from his article

For it tells us how he carries himself in circumstances where the words you choose are crucial, and where people, non-white people, believe that their rights have long been trampled on, and their voices not listened to, and that only now are they beginning to taste a little power.

Sound familiar, cricket fans? Put John Howard in such circumstances and there is good reason for us all to feel cautious in our hearts.

The entire nation is watching the

Jagan rally. Because, I stay in AP, I am forced to see more of it. Here is a take by a national newspaper on the issue

An interesting piece

by David Brooks of NYT on the learning culture promoted by Internet.

Are we forgetting the most important

constituent of cricket? Dileep Premachandran feels that way and described why so in this piece

An excerpt

In the age of miracle and wonder, and TV deals worth a billion dollars, the hardcore fan, who queues up at dawn in order to sit on super-heated concrete, often without enough drinking water, has been shafted. If you keep telling him that he's wasting his time on something that's not a sport, that's only business, he will eventually walk away. And unlike him, the come-lately groupies that tweet about Yuvi being "cho chweet" aren't there for the long haul.

How can you not feel he is right!

Blogging from Dubai

Well, have been here for 5 hrs and have 1 more hour to go. Watched the Ghana vs Uruguay match. It was pretty cool. Not football of the highest caliber but intriguing nonetheless. The way Saurez sacrificed himself for the team was awesome (Call it unsporting, but thats for another day).
In other news Brazil lost. Thats stunning. But I don't mind.

Then at Wimbledon Berdych is flying hot and I hope his gas will last for one more match. Basically I am asking for a new Wimbledon Champion (if you get the drift:P)

Ok I will sign off with a nice piece by Bhogle on how cricket experts need to react with a little more responsibility regarding how India handled Jon howard's nomination.

I am off to India for 2 months and blogging might be sporadic (if you care!)

I would like

to see Gideon Haigh feel the same way when Autralia/New Zealand/England make a ridiculous stance on a ICC president nomination. I don't intend to support the 7 board members who voted against Howard. But, to simplify the issue at hand as self-serving is not only ridiculous but funny. What have the 3 boards done for all the years. How can you sit so silent then and rant because people who are at the top don't agree with you. Its like Fox making fun of Obama because he does things they don't agree with!

Anyway, I do think that the boards that voted against Howard need to highlight why they did so as Sambit Bal points out here.

A novel idea that

might offer many advantages to the parliamentary process in India.

Fiscal Austerity

Who do you agree with?
Economics Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman who claims, in his New York Times weekly column, the world is heading towards a Third Depression.
Live Mint Bare Talk Columnist Anantha Nageswaran, who claims the fiscal austerity might be the right option!
Read the articles and decide. I think Nageswaran points seem more reasonable while Krugman's view seem to emanating from personal preference than sound logic.

Ok, I might be wrong (or may be not smart enough to get it) but what the hell I will not stop to opine!

Does anybody

among the NSG members have the courage to stop the Nuclear deal between China and Pakistan? I am not sure. But lets see!

You can hardly

disgree with Rahul Bhattacharya regarding the poor state of cricket!

Life....

As you grow old there are different phases you pass through. A couple of years ago it was all good news with lots of friends getting married. However, the last year and a half has been different. There are still good news about weddings, engagements, jobs etc. But there has been a new dimension of constant news of deaths of people I have known. It kinds of scares you and at the same time reminds how fickle once's life is. Enjoy it while you can!

A fable

by David Brooks on how liberalism might be at a loss

Listen to this comeback by Manoj Tiwary

during his India A match from the link here by jrod. Please be ready for A rated language!

An interesting

article on the course of liberalism here by Ross Douthat in the New York Times. I do not entirely agree with his views but it does provide an interesting take on the criticism of Barack Obama by liberals like Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart.

BJP top brass meet today to discuss Bihar row- Hindustan Times

Does n't BJP have any political acumen. How do they expect to make any progress if they cannot maintain their alliances. See the Bihar row. It is very immature of a national party to lose alliance partners on issues that seem trivial and could have been managed. The Congress on the other hand is working hard to please its allies at the cost of progress. What an awesome state of affairs for India. Hmmm!

Want to make a change in India?

May be its time we follow the lead of the people discussed in this Amit Varma post

Some excerpts

Raj uses the term ‘colour pictures’ as a metaphor and a proxy: what he actually showed these men in power was “a vision for a better future”. He made it compelling and tangible, with no vague head-in-the-clouds talk about grand ideas. These examples are not examples of liberal ideas per se, but this is exactly the approach that classical liberals in India should take: Eschew the grand talk, get down to brass tacks, bring out the colour pictures.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta has a nice

piece on the problematic governance of Congress here!
An excerpt

The Congress will need to ask sooner or later: how long can this supposed division of political responsibility and responsibility for government continue? At the moment it is producing a situation where both head of party and head of government emerge only very episodically to perform any leadership function. And if at the very top there is so little decisiveness, you can only imagine what signal this sends to the rest of the system: that individual responsibility can be evaded by lobbing the ball in the court of an EGOM.

Well ..Well

How smart are congress politicians. I mean Modi was in charge when Godhra riots took place and he is tattooed as a villain for life (and rightly so!). But Rajiv Gandhi presided 2 riots. Yes, one riot of killing Sikhs (for assassinating Indira Gandhi) and the Bhopal tragedy. His government allowed Henderson to run away. Negotiated a pittance as liability*. But well for 15 years nobody cared about. I would love to know how congress runs their publicity machinery so well. Stunning, or should I say !@#$$^&* unbelievable!

All those educated folk who vote for Congress and stand against BJP because BJP flaunts Narendra Modi (a villain), Please answer this: How can you vote for a party which allowed such tragedy to happen in the first place, and allow the perpetrators to run away in a state owned plane? OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE OF INDIA. PLEASE OPEN YOUR EYES. YOU ARE GETTING LOOTED BY THE SAME FAMILY FOR YEARS AND IT WILL NEVER STOP.

*BTW he was also awarded the Bharat Ratna (may be for doing these things so smartly!).

Sidharth Monga

has a nice piece on how cricketers try to handle heckling here
An excerpt on how Dravid manages to hold his ground!

Dravid's way is pretty effective too. 'From the team bus, when I put the curtain down, I often see there are people lined up waiting for you, waving at you,' he says. 'There is a young kid on the road, selling magazines. He smiles at you, recognises you through the tiny window, waves at you, does a cricket action for you. That's passion. That's what it is about. I always look at it and say, that's the world game. The whole world's got to be grateful for that. And when I came across the rare idiot of the other kind, that kid is what I think of.'

You can't help but respect this man immensely. He is not only a talented, hard working cricketer but a geneuinely wonderful human being.

What can you say?

A piece by Annie Zaidi requesting Obama to look into the Union Carbide case. Well, as long as it not American lives I don't see anybody from the White House giving a damn!

Reading books

There are days where I wish I read books for a living. These books I read transport me into a different world allowing me to feel different emotions in different ways. Somehow, reading a sad story gives me an outlet for my own suffering. Similarly, a happy ending makes me joyous about my own good fortune in life. It is as if I am connected to a different world through the books I read. I am grateful for acquiring the habit of reading books. Two contemporary authors have touched my life so much that at different moments in my life they have given me solace, provided me with context to my pain and allowed me to understand life a little bit better. Jhumpa Lahiri and Khaled Hosseini - Thank you.

Just finished reading Unaccustomed Earth. It's a nice book. Nothing really great, but there is a connection I feel that makes it wonderful, really wonderful for me!

Hmmmm

Well, its been a longtime since I posted on my personal life. So many things have ironed out over the last 1 month its hard to imagine. There will be some new beginnings, some old baggage and of course optimism for the future. Lets see how things turn out!

Greatbong has

sensible piece on the flotilla incident here.

An experiment in teaching

working great!

Sal Khan at Gel 2010 (founder, the Khan Academy) from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Link via (Rajesh)

Surely seems like

a credible plan to face the Maoist threat presented here by Pragmatic Euphony.

Naxalism in India

In the recent months, Maoism has caught on as the most serious challenge to India's Law and order. This admission is really huge, given that, we Indians are regularly used to Pakistani based militants attacking us whenever they want to, killing innocent people. Now, we have our own citizens (of course it's possible that they have help from China and/or Pakistan) attacking CRPF personnel first and now even innocent people. I have seen articles on both sides of the aisle: supporting the cause of the Naxalites and opposing their cause. The biggest difference in these two arguments is, the people who oppose the naxalites are not trying to brush away the development issue. All they are saying is to ensure development you need to maintain law and order. After today's blast on the railway tracks in West Bengal, I hope all the people who support the naxalites will call it quits and increase pressure on the government to act against these butchers. Yes thats what they are! If their cause was improving the cause of the tribal people they had no reason to attack innocent civilians travelling on a train (most probably not affecting tribal population in any way). These butchers are attacking India. Their objective (which most of the people who support them do not even value) is to dismantle our democratic government. Do you get that? And after what they are doing over the last two months they seem to believe that they have the strength to do that. Will the people who support Naxalites wake up at least today and accept them as a menace. Please!

I would like to ask Ms. Arundhati Roy whether she still calls these butchers Gandhians with Guns. The comparison is a sleight even to Gandhi (People who know me well enough do know the kind of respect I have for Gandhi, but thats for some other day!)

Manmohan Singh, please stand up

and address the Maoist problem.
The Maoists attack a train of innocent passengers. Now what are they doing attacking innocent civilians and why the hell is the government not dismantling their infrastructure! Common what more do you need? They have lost all credibility by attacking innocent civilians. Please act before its too late!

Amit Varma writes

a fabulous piece on work ethics here. Especially, this part of the article rings so true:

After doing the match, the study found that “the elite performers had each totaled ten thousand hours of practice… the merely good students had totaled eight thousand hours, and the future music teachers had totaled just over four thousand hours.” The part of the study that I find astonishing is that not only did all the top performers have over 10,000 hours of practice to their credit, but everyone who put in 10,000 hours was a top performer. The key to excellence was not natural talent, but hard work. (Caveat: this is not to say that talent doesn’t matter at all. Firstly, as the researchers pointed out, there was a minimum level of talent required to get into the Academy. Secondly, a completely untalented musician would probably not get the positive feedback for his work that would motivate him to put in 10,000 hours in the first place.)

Hardwork alone isn't enough but without hardwork any amount of talent will get you no where! Something I think is pretty obvious but often neglected. Also, I would like to add another one of my thoughts here. If you work hard consistently it will bring you rewards. It need not get you the job you wanted or the career you aspired for but all the hard work you put in will surely come handy in occasions you cannot even imagine when you were working! So keep at it everybody (includes me too, if you are wondering)!

A hilarious video

on the European economic crisis! (link via economist blog)

Is there any logical reason for such

disproportionate growth in assets for Mayawati. What is the point of declaring assets when nobody cares how the assets grew over time. What has Mayawati done to accrue 1 crore every month. Hmmm, oh yes she is the CM with a salary of 50k per month. But that does not become 1 crore. Who am I kidding! Everybody knows where she gets her money from donations.

The efforts made

by Obama and his Department of Justice officials to scuttle whistle blowers activities is over the top and in fact ridiculous! See more here from Glenn Greenwald an ardent supporter of freedom of speech

This guy does not go down

without a fight! Seems like Lalit Modi is back with a 14 page e-mail that maligns everybody involved. Most of the e-mail might be false but not impossible if you knwo how India works! See more details here.

It is clear to me that

Soumya Bhattacharya is n't alone in his crazy love for the gentleman's game. Haven't we all been there?

Will better sense ever

prevail in the case of Maoism in India? A million dollar question as discussed here.

Rajadhyaksha

argues why Manmohan Singh the finance minister was better for India than Manmohan Singh the PM on his column at livemint. I tend to agree with his view! The idea of income redistribution is a scheme to ensure a political vote base by ensuring people remain poor and dependent on government for income. This is typical of the age old congress tactics in a different form. When Indira Gandhi was in power she did the same with her "Garibi hatao" campaign. But, she knew better than most that if she delivers on the promise of removing poverty there wont be people so dependent on the government (or as congress is always in power it is synonymous with congress!) Now Sonia Gandhi is carrying the flag forward with the MGNREGA (or Rahul's flagship project!). Unfortunately, Manmohan Singh, who knows its not good for India in the long run, still allows it go on uninhibited! In spite of such schemes we know Congress will stay in power in India for the foreseeable future!

An interesting

article on the press conference by Dr. ManMohan Singhhere. Have to say, hits the nail on the head!

Well

for a change an Indian Film Star has something sensible to say! Teaching should be the highest paying job: Aamir Khan

Will the politicians

be smart to recognize this about caste politics. Don't be so sure!

I am wondering if the

article is actually serious. Come on Tamil Nadu (or for that matter any state in India) is not ready to scrap reservations. If possible they will add to the existing reservations!

This recent

act of inhuman barbarism on the part of the naxalites should expose them for what they are. A threat to Indian democracy! See the mint article that puts this succinctly.

Some excerpts

The incident removes the last shreds of the ideological cover behind which Naxalites had been hiding. Beyond the hysterical response that has ensued, however, there are three beliefs at stake. One has to do with the claim that Naxalites are fighting a “just war” against the government of India. They aren’t. The second is another claim that there is a difference between them and terrorists who operate in other parts of India. There isn’t. And finally, there is the issue of ends. If Naxalites were to attain their goal, which is the destruction, for all times, of a legitimately constituted government of India, what would replace that?

Harsh Bhogle has a refreshing

piece in India's exit from T20 World Cuphere

Some excerpts

From here on, India's young cricketers need to ask themselves whether they want to be rich also-rans or want a place in history. It is a choice they must make. Currently they are not good enough, but pelting abuse, and the odd stone, at them will not solve the issue, only point fingers at ourselves.

And, did you see How Hussey played the match. Wow! That knock ensure no sub-continent team is in the T20 final!

Sali Tripathi discusses the problem with fundamentalists

here Some excerpts:

Divinities are strong enough to look after themselves. Artists and writers aren’t. They need our protection. But as Bart Simpson says on the blackboard: “South Park: We’d stand beside you if we weren’t so scared."

Everyone is scared. But nothing is sacred. Relax, it is just a sketch.

Have I really

completed my PhD. Seems hard to believe. It might take forever to sink in. But well it has happened. I successfully defended last friday and unofficially have fulfilled all the requirements for obtaining a PhD from University of Texas Austin. I am thrilled! Now all thats left is the small matter of what next!

A nice piece by Pratap Bhanu Mehta

on the infaltion issue here.
An excerpt

In part we are becoming victims of our own sophistication. In the old days, lines were clear. Government is responsible, and it better show it is so. Now, no intellectual, even on the pain of being right, could possibly say that. That is so seventies and so uncool. Better to talk of global trends, structural factors. All those matter, but the conduct of the state does as well. With government out of the picture, there is no object to fasten on. Poor old Albert Pinto’s tormentors were clearly visible: he could get angry at someone. We cannot get angry at our agriculture minister, since he has given us the best circus in town; we cannot get angry at the prime minister since he understands structural factors; we cannot get angry at the Congress president since she really does care about the poor through all these schemes; we cannot really get angry at any of the chief ministers since we might find our guy complicit as well. So Albert Pinto fends for himself, precisely because everyone is too busy looking after him.

ramachandra guha

makes an astute observation regarding the congress attitude when he remarks

Indians are an unhistorical people. It may be that it is ignorance rather than malign intent which will lead to these (and other) names from the Congress's past being overlooked in the party's ongoing celebration of its very long life. But the treatment of Narasimha Rao by the party he once led is another matter. To forget his achievements, but to remember his mistakes, is a product of cold and deliberate calculation.

Olbermann on Obama's assassination program

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

IF MSNBC starts criticizing a Democrat President then Obama is doing something seriously dodgy (Link via Glenn Greenwald)!

Pragmatic Euphony

provides a path for the government here:
Excerpts

The centre can no longer blame the society, the media, the political opposition and the leftist intellectuals for the Maoist menace. Time for such recriminations is gone. The onus is now well and truly upon the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to deliver smartly — effectively and efficiently — in this war against the Maoists. If they succeed, Dr Singh and Mr Chidambaram will be f�ted as national heroes; else they must be sacrificed at the political altar of national interest.

How will they respond?

What will the pseudo

liberals (read Arundhathi Roy) supporting the Maoist cause talk about this? You still support their cause? Why shouldn't the Indian Government use power to quell their threat. This is downright ridiculous!
Excerpts

Maoist guerrillas Tuesday carried out the worst ever massacre of security personnel by trapping and slaughtering 75 men in the
dense forests of Chhattisgarh, two days after Home Minister P. Chidambaram called them cowards. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a security meet.

"The death toll is 75 of which 74 are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and one from the state police force. Seven others are also injured," a senior CRPF official said here in Delhi.

"The security personnel from the 62nd battalion of the force were on regular patrolling when they were ambushed by the Maoists," the official added.

The officials refused to say how many personnel were missing after the attack in Dantewada in Bastar region. The number of missing personnel could be high as a company usually comprises 100-120 men.
....
In what appeared to be a meticulously planned operation, hundreds of Maoists -- one report put the number at about 700 -- bombed and fired at the CRPF personnel as they entered a hilly stretch of forest where the rebels have held sway for decades, running a de facto state.

An article B Raman on this here

Alec Bedser

passed way today. One of his interview from the past here
Some excerpts:

Cricket gave me a good life. It's been great. Wish I could do it again.

Is this the beginning of a fued?

between players and administration? Gambhir has taken an aggressive stance
Some excerpts

'I don't believe in saying things I don't mean. If you're looking for platitudes or banal gestures, I don't think you'll get that from me. I don't mean to sound arrogant, I'm not, but I also can't be a hypocrite. More pertinently, I can't be expected to get all worked up about comments made by people who have never picked up a cricket bat in their lives. If I listen to opinions seriously, it is from people who have played the game.'

Sounds fine to me!

Pleasantly surprised

to see the good work that Shakira is undertaking in Latin America for kids. Simply unbelievable and inspiring! Wishing more success in her efforts!

Hope the Indian government

responds appropriately to the Pakistan's ridiculous outcry on the sharing of river waters!

Salil Tripathi on

the smart maoist supporting India lady Arundhati Roy. Some excerpts here

Roy is experiencing the vicarious thrill all reporters yearn for—walking the jungle with rebels. The critical difference between real journalists and Roy is that she accepts what she is told, does not question much and romanticizes the revolutionaries, whereas someone like Alma Guillermoprieto in The New York Review of Books describes what she sees in Latin America, reminding us—and herself—how complex the world is, because there are at least two sides to every story. In Roy’s adventure in the Dandakaranya forest (a name resonating with Ramayana metaphors) there is “good” and “evil”; in the Marquezian landscape of Guillermoprieto, there are no angels, only devils of different hues.

To be sure, democracies are flawed, and to Roy’s credit, she forces the cheerleaders of “shining India” to reflect on what makes a large part of India writhe in agony. She rightly excoriates the Indian state for betraying the Constitution, justifiably refuses to condone the state’s duplicity, and questions the media for its complicity. But she is stunningly credulous in accepting Maoist claims about what they say they do to the policemen they kidnap, and how they spare civilians, even cows. Even they care for the Hindu vote.

I am not a big fan of Miss Roy. She overemphasizes one-side of the story as Sali points out!

An interesting

analysis of cricketers in the last 40 years here

Seems a pretty impressive analysis!

Rahul Bhattacharya

summarizes the advertising campaign that is IPL, best in this piece
An except

A minority will grumble but India can accept the IPL the way it is because it is not a playing society. Its relationship with sport is not of participant but consumer. It holds nothing sacred. The IPL knows that it competes not against sport but general entertainment. "Saas-bahu se better hai," [It's better than family-drama soaps] a viewer remarks. And to compete with saas-bahu one must make concessions. Do not give them a moment to linger; cut to Deepika Padukone, a cheerleader's thigh, a 30-second dugout interview.

A true cricket gem

A nice story: Aus NZ cricket commentary has this

Luke has a nice story: "Bradman was playing golf at Royal Adelaide with Dean Jones and hit his drive up the middle of the fairway that had a dog leg to the right protected by some large trees. Bradman turns to Jones and says "when I was your age I used to drive over the top of those trees", Jones not one to shy from proving his ability decide to take the trees on but hits the largest of the trees half way up andhis ball falls straight down in deep trouble. Bradman turns to Jones and says "of course when I was your age those trees were 3 foot tall."

Hmmm

Another one bites the dust!

Its no wonder that

Palestinians are not really comfortable with Israeli settlements. You doubt it see this (link via soliloquy)

Will better sense

prevail? I am talking about how US will handle the US-Pak meetings and more importantly what will US dole out to them! See a piece here, bt Pradeeo Kumar Saha, on why Pakistan should not be offered a civil nuclear deal.

Smart words

from Gideon Haigh:

life, I was learning, never quite delivered all the goods. But occasionally - just occasionally - it offered something to keep you interested.

Who will

take responsibility for increasing number of children in Iraq being born with birth defects. Will somebody start a new war to obfuscate the fact the attacks were responsible for these defects.

Everybody must read this

A wonderful story of a New Zealander's immense courage Simply unbelievable! No doubt its narrated to every kid in New Zealand (link via amit varma)

Sali Tripathi

writes a wonderful piece on Narendra Modi's imminent meeting with the Special Investigations Teamhere

Some excerpts

If Modi appears before SIT, he could say: “It was my responsibility to protect all the residents of my state. I failed. I should have defended the vulnerable; my police turned them away. For that I am sorry. I should have prevented violence; I did not. But in the eight years since, I have learnt. I have created jobs, improved social development indicators, and there hasn’t been violence. I want to atone for what happened by making Gujarat peaceful and prosperous.”

Or he could say: “I had nothing to do with the deaths. It is sad that so many people died, but Gujarati Hindus were provoked, and they reacted. I have stood against forces of terror and destabilization. Look at Gujarat today—we represent what India is capable of doing. This is a politically motivated inquiry and the people of Gujarat have re-elected me twice since 2002.”

What will he say! I really hope he has the courage to admit his mistakes!
Well who am I kidding!

Hmm.. Will the US and Indian Policy

makers really acknowledge the truth about China
I hope so!

A sensible piece on

IPL over-enthusiasm

Seriously

guys?
These people think women should stay at home and rear children? Why? so that you guys can have 10 wives each and do what you guys do well... reproduce!

Sehwag

He seems to be around wherever I go! Garry Sobers was being interviewed in the match between Deccan and Kolkota and guess what he says.
"I like Sehwag because he plays the same way whether its T20, ODI or Tests. I would have played that way myself"

Thats an awesome complement from a player often considered the most complete cricketer in history!

You just can't miss Sehwag when cricket is being played (it doesn't matter if he is playing)

This sound right to me

Pragmatic Euphony on how India should offer military training in Afghanistan! He surely has a very good point!
Some excerpts

In contrast, India suffers from none of these disadvantages. It has a professional armed force, which has been always subservient to the civilians, and which understands the constraints of operating in a vibrant democracy. Indian armed forces also possess the rich experience of conducting counter-insurgency campaigns in diverse social settings in various regions of the country, where successful security operations have often culminated in political negotiations for lasting peace. Moreover India, and Indians, have historically enjoyed a favourable reputation in Afghanistan, which has been further enhanced by India’s liberal economic and developmental assistance to the war-torn country since 2001.

IPL Preview

Rich Abbot previews IPL 2010 with minor information on the participants!

Funny!

Greenwald takes on the American Elite

Well all I can say is read this article where Greenwald takes on Tom Friedman and his ilk.

Glenn Greenwald

from salon.com blasts how Obama just sticking with Bush/Cheney policies is hurting guess who Obama!

A possibly useful link

for UT students to find housing

A good piece

on WSJ detailing how Bollywood is doing a better job than Hollywood in terms of producing movies on Muslim extremism! May be its because India has been continuously at the receiving end of Muslim extremism for the last 20 years that people are more interested in this topic!

Will Obama go ahead?

with Reconciliation? WSJ claims that ObamaCare is not the only thing on the menu! Sounds interesting!

My 2 cents

In a previous post I linked Akhtar's article on spirituality. Now here is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's (art of living) response. (links via rajesh)

When i posted Akhtar's link I said I liked the speech. However, I did not make it clear that I disagree with some aspects of his speech. Here below is an interaction over this topic with a friend of mine. This encapsulates my thoughts!

I have to say the response is not as good....akhtar's speech is better... but i have my issues with what akhtar said... there is a broad generalization of gurus.... also... u need to have questions that bother you everyday to really appreciate what spirituality is... a person without internal questions (i mean those that stay with the person for more than 10 or so years) will not seek ways to find answers. If as an individual u never experience such unrest the person will be incapable of understanding what spirituality means or what purpose it is for! I can see that akhtar falls into that realm. Mind you there is nothing wrong with that. It makes life more stable. More importantly, you dont choose how you want to be. Some people just cant push away those questions while some can push them away. The people who can push them away claim that its easy and those who cant control such questions are fools. This only shows their lack of understanding of human life. People need to be more open than that! Of course, I personally believe that the questions and the resulting quest (or search) adds intrigue to one's life making the ride more exhilarating. So.... a life without questions might be very stable and balanced, the one with ups and downs opens your eyes to many things ensuring you learn more about life!

ok thats my 2 cents!

An excellent

piece on spirituality by Javed Akhtar! (Link via Deepak Iyer)

To be outraged

on reading this article is ridiculous! The author Taslima Nasreen makes a case for not using a burqa! What kind of freedom of speech we have in India! (Link via Deepak Iyer)

Will Man Mohan Singh

ever learn with regards to Pakistan? They are a country encouraging terrorism. Treat them as that, not as a normal one!

He surely has a point

Salil Tripathi On MF Husain becoming a citizen of Qatar!

Well

WSJ Opinion Article here does not seem to give Obama or even Democrats a chance ha! I mean, common when Bush went on issuing executive orders you were fine with it. But when Obama considers reconciliation it is undemocratic? Do not forget majority is required for reconciliation also! Anyway, if ObamaCare passes the November election will let us know if WSJ is correct!
 

Bold move?

May be.. but its worth considering an alternative proposed by Katrina Vanden Heuvel at a time when US is face rising unemployment levels with very little scope for reduction!

One of those

pieces by P Sainath that make you stand up and take notice!
(Link via pragmatic)

Another

inspiring story that sports brings to life. This time a Pakistani Skier (Link via iyerdeepak).

Seems like the

press likes the budget!

Tendulkar

becomes the first batsman to score 200 in Onedays!

Options to deal with

state sponsored terrorism are outlined in detail by raman here. If only the leaders had the will to tackle the problem!

Seriously?

This is a status message of one of my friends on facebook

India may never win anything in the winter Olympics...so let's feel proud that someone else thought about depicting an Indian dance

How does a team of another country using an Indian song make you proud? The reasoning behind that is even bizzarre. If India were to win a medal it won't make you feel proud? So weird!

A wonderful piece

bemoaning the lack of honest opinion in cricket. Of course, exceptions such as Sehwag exist. Some quotes!

Sehwag single-handedly has done enough to warrant being appointed spokesperson for every match India plays. Picture this: as the winning captain of the Delhi Daredevils in an inconsequential game in the second IPL (his team had already qualified for the semi-finals), Sehwag was asked by a hyperventilating Ravi Shastri how his team motivated itself for the match.

"There is always an incentive to play hard. The team management has promised $50,000 for each win. So there is an incentive," said a poker-faced Viru.

His views on an upcoming tour of New Zealand and the kind of pitches he expected: "If they give us bouncy and seaming tracks, they will struggle against our attack, because their batsmen are not technically sound."

He has also demonstrated that he is equally proficient with foot-in-mouth as he is with tongue-in-cheek, as when he branded the Bangladesh bowling attack "ordinary" the day before India went down like ninepins in Chittagong this year. But get past his arsenal of clichés - the "of course", the "obviously", and the "see the ball, hit the ball" - and Sehwag never fails to elicit a chuckle or raise an eyebrow with a straight-faced gem.

Another...

Exceptions arrive like a bolt from the blue now and again, the element of surprise having more to do with rarity than relevance. Anil Kumble's impeccable impersonation of Bill Woodfull after the ugliness of the Test match in Sydney early in 2008 stood out - not only for its nod to an epochal event but for the power of the words, and for Kumble's intent to express an opinion. Reminding us that in this world of audio and visual marvels, words can be magical too.

Bollywood at Olympics

See the video here for winter dancing of the US team to Bollywood music!

Sehwag wins

another tribute. Read the wonderful piece on his 293 here

Some excerpts

Leg-side fields didn't matter: Sehwag stepped out, made room and chipped over extra cover, even first ball after a break. Or he reverse-swept past point, from outside leg. In one day he hit 40 fours and seven sixes. The longest he went without a boundary was 12 balls. Violence, power-hitting, streaky shots - none of those, no sir. Just gap-finding of the most delightful kind.

A cricket ground has never looked so prone. To watch Sehwag bat that day was to realise that nine fielders can cover only so much. It is a simple thought that at any given time about 90% of the field is exposed and safe. Yet we need an uncluttered mind like Sehwag's to drive that point home. Batting seemed dangerously easy that day. Batting was pure, infinite joy that day.

One more!

Sehwag ended the day 284 not out, having beaten the attack to pulp, and said he played each ball on its merit and tried only to hit bad balls. "Yeah, right," you and I might say. "Yeah right," his team-mates said. "In the dressing room they told me I was hitting the good balls too, but if you look at it my way I hit only the bad ones," he said the next day. That's what this innings was, an exercise is redefining the "bad ball".

An article on how

since 1997 India has been too soft on terror attacks sponsored by Pakistan. Is covert action the way to go? Israel and to some extent US use it effectively! Can India use it?

One of the influential

judges in India retires. Salil Tripathi has a nice piece on Ajit Prakash Shah.

An interesting

piece on love of current times in India!

Laxman

has played 2937 consecutive dot balls. What can I say!

Good way to

decide ha!
But what if even when you toss your mind only thinks about the head or tail! Then any of the options is fine I guess!

Love for Cricket

We think we follow cricket assiduously. But read this.

An excerpt

GS Sundaram, Bachelor of Arts, Gopalasamudram, Tamil Nadu, India, passed away well before innovations like limited-overs cricket reared their heads. I suspect he might not have enjoyed them. He lived his life in a more leisurely era, one that never considered time worth saving. He never ever watched a game of Test cricket in his life, and yet he managed to instill an intense passion for cricket in my father's generation. They, on the other hand, had an easier time getting us excited about cricket. They just had to switch on the TV.

Simply amazing!

Issues with

Indian Justice system in Arunachal Pradesh? Ramachandra Guha's piece on Sarit Chaudhuri and Sucheta Sen Chaudhuri.

Development or Human rights?

Isn't it always a trade-off? A nice piece on the Orissa case. You decide which way should you go. I, personally believe we need to go towards industrialization. However, the path towards industrialization should be treaded carefully!

Something of serious

concern to India. But who is listening!

Viru on his fatal stroke

I don't know how many times I said sorry to the coach
Virender Sehwag rues the shot that ended one of his best Test hundreds, and led to a collapse in the Nagpur Test

Not sure if that is enough! He shouldn't have played such a stupid shot. But it might to be too hard to criticize a guy who scored 109. Anyway, off late Sehwag has been more circumspect compared to his old self. But not much has changed in his batting style. Its good to see this change. I hope it will make him a better batsman for the team!

I never expected this

What can I say! Even Pakistan understands the importance. Kapil Sibal will you take notice of this!

For once, we can learn from Pakistan, where in 2006, the government announced education pay scales that, in purchasing power parity terms, are better than those obtained in most advanced economies!

For full article see here

A Wakeup Call?

for the Indian Government on the Afghanistan front! Lets hope so! There is a lot at stake for India to ensure Afghanistan remains settled.

Life

Has been forever since I cribbed on the blog. Now its time for one of those posts.

Over the last year things have improved substantially. However, some problems remain. I am not really sure what is the way forward or if there is one! Only time will tell.

BT Brinjal

As far as this article is concerned isn't a bad option. I feel like it might be true. But you never know!

This is how it might begin

An article on Badri's potential debut!

A good governance step

I am pleasantly surprised seeing how P Chidambaram is doing the right things as Home Minister! (Link from pragmatic)

Can't help but post these

pieces that have Viru in great company! One more here

India After Gandhi

Just completed reading the book "India After Gandhi". A fantastic book on Indian history after 1947. I was very wary of starting this book because of my opinion (don't know how it came into existence) that old authors are generally pro-Congress or pro-Nehru-Gandhi family. However, I am happy to admit I could not have been more wrong! The book is wonderfully written summary of most important events in Indian history. In fact, I believe its a must read for all Indians.

Prior to reading this book, I thought India, as a nation, is a moderate success. I always believed we could have done a lot better. But after reading this there is a change in my perception. In spite of so many adverse situations India faced since independence it is simply remarkable that we are in the current state. For India to face

• Partition and the consequent riots
  
• Kashmir and Punjab secessionist movements,
  
• linguistic upheaval, 
• Nehru's death,
  
• Emergency,
  
• Operation BlueStar,
  
• Indira Gandhi's assassination and the subsequent Sikh riots,
  
• Rajiv Gandhi's assassination,
  
• Lack of foreign reserves,
  
• Gujarat riot

all the above and yet survive as a single nation is simply astonishing. As been pointed out in the book nobody gave India a chance! Yet here we are celebrating our 60th year as a republic and 63 years as an independent nation. Long live the country!

The author Ramachandra Guha deserves great praise for providing such an elegant and unbiased account of contemporary India. It was a delightful experience reading all the 771 pages of this book!

How ridiculous can these

people get! Sehwag's comment on Bangladesh being a poor team will influence Indo-Bangla politics? You got be kidding me! See this article if you don't believe me!

I really

hope either Man Mohan Singh/Chidamabaram/or any of their advisers are reading this piece by Antha Nageswaran! The article outlines necessary steps for the Indian economy to pursue! I hope the financial hotwigs in India are at least investigating these options!

I have to

agree with Vadukut on this one. We did waste a lot of our time since the partnership between Srinath and Kumble on that day. I watched it live too :P

Whats going on?

When I read news articles all I can see is stupid policy making.
For example, the agricultural minister Sharad Pawar acts in such a way that he increases supply mismatch resulting in price increases. Then he will step in with a retrograde scheme to bring the prices down! So smart politically but suicidal to the economy. Well why will he care
Then, the Congress-NCP government imposes a rule that you need to read/write marathi and have lived in mumbai for 15 years to get a taxi license. For heaven's sake we are talking of being a taxi driver! Not a defense head of the country. We live in a country where a person not born in India can become the prime minister but the same person wont be able to drive a taxi. Does this make sense? What are the policy makers trying to do? Simply political gain. Screw all the poor people emigrating to Mumbai trying to survive.

In AP, the growing nonsensical handling of Telengana. Give it or don't give it make a decision Damn it! If you give a separate state make sure the rest of the state is appropriately supported for creating a new capital. If you intend not to give it, provide telengana region with an increased funding for sometime to improve it. Just don't drag it on forever and disturb lives of common people who really don't care.

All these above issues are simply because of the spineless behavior on the part of the Congress. But guess what I dont see how there will be any change. There is no viable political alternative. Forget about alternative, I don't even see somebody standing up against these stupid policies. All political parties are acting in a way that is outright disgusting.

I think it too optimistic to expect sensible behavior on the part of these power mongers.

Lets wait and see!

Back after a very

long time!
Was traveling for the last 2 months pretty much. Very soon stable life should begin and with it my regular cribs and other issues!

Before I leave.. a very nice post by greatbong on Jyothi Basu who just passed away. Have to say pretty damn good one!