Most Tendulkar fans will agree

with Siddharth here.

My relationship with Tendulkar has varied from a great fan (till he scored is first century) to a person I did not like at all to finally a great player with his set of minor flaws. His 2011 victory was the greatest moment for me. His Sharjah century was one innings i watched live and was mesmerized. Of course there was the first time he opened made 82 and i was despondent that he missed the century. Little did I know he will make many more in ODIs. In fact, it was his obsession with 100s that made me lose my respect for him. Of course, that is a minor flaw in agreat batsman who palyed mostly fpr a flawed team with very little batting support. India as a team started clicking when Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly playes second to Tendulkar at different stages. His consistency in the long career is what stands out for me. Not to mention the pressure he had to face everytime he wlked out to bat. To live day in and day out with such expectations is inhuman. but he carried himself admirably. Adiue to a great champion in onedayers.

This is a joke

Read the full response from NRA here

 

Before Congress reconvenes, before we engage in any lengthy debate over legislation, regulation or anything else, as soon as our kids return to school after the holiday break, we need to have every single school in America immediately deploy a protection program proven to work — and by that I mean armed security.

Right now, today, every school in the United States should plan meetings with parents, school administrators, teachers and local authorities — and draw upon every resource available — to erect a cordon of protection around our kids right now. Every school will have a different solution based on its own unique situation.

 

Yes right, this is exactly what you want. Now if someone kills in a Mall, you will ask for security there. If someone kills in a hospital you will ask for more armed security there while blindly ignoring the weapon used! Hurray to the blind argument and hurray to the politicians who will support these idiots.

Is this an endorsement?

Can Narendra Modi make it work in New Delhi?

Hmm. Decide for yourself.

The joke is on us

For negotiating with Pakistan. The sooner Congress realizes the better. Oh sorry, how naive of me to think that way. They have a not so subtle reason for doing this. As far as that strategy is concerned it worked. That's all matters.

More on the topic here
AFTER REHMAN MALIK'S VISIT TO INDIA: THE CONTINUING FARCE

Unfortunately ...

Nothing will change.
Why No One Guns For The Guns
Greatbong gets it right on..

Quite a piece!!

Of corruption and contentment
Do read it.

I wish i felt

This way about music.

While the sitar gently weeps

It might appear stupid but i have felt similar joy with sports. Cricket and tennis have given me glimpses of such happiness. Be it Azhar playing some wounderful wristy knocks, sehwag's 195 in Melbourne, or Federer's many wimbledon matches. I am thankful for that.

Nice piece

By sandipan deb.
Kolkata: comfortably numb

Could n't have said it better

Siddharth Monga on our cricket team's story

 

The spinners are outspun, the quicks outswung, the batsmen 'outpatienced', and the fielders exposed. There is nowhere to hide, there are mirrors everywhere.

Between Kolkata then and Kolkata now, India have given their fans much joy in Test cricket. They got rid of the well-earned reputation of being poor travellers. Painstakingly and through foresight and planning, they earned India respect in Test cricket. It was good while it lasted.

Full piece here

 

What is going on

Well the morning session went fine and after lunch they seem t have lost it completely. This is abysmal batting!

Excellent article

What’s wrong with our cricketing heroes?

Documenting everything that is wrong in Indian cricket.

Sena and the reasons why it still has clout

The anxiety that lingers

A nice article by rajadakshya.

It is informative to read the article and see things are not always black and white.

Its confirmed now

Not only do we have a bad record outside, our record at home is also going down the drain. Well, there could be multiple explanations for this. The most plausible, of course, is that Indian cricket team has become a poor unit. But well what do I know! I did not play 150 tests!

Can't argue with this

Perceptions of corruption

I hope anti-corruption activists realize this.

Do read this if you love sports

Rejoice: the Indian Olympic Association has been suspended

Awesomely put

India needs a restart

Who is going to do it?

Hasn't been

easy. Well, somedays its harder than you can take. Last week has been hard. I find myself feeling low like crazy. Well, lots of things cause that - mental weariness, physical weariness and lack of any form of success related boosts. They sap you and make you feel empy. I just hope I can recover adequately with the upcoming break and move ahead as usual. To even remember the saga makes it even more hard. I feel cheated but anyway; you only control somethings in life. It is not as easy to let go as you would think.

Ian Chappel's

words ring so true in India

India is fortunate to have skilful young replacements but there's more chance the Dalai Lama will be replaced than Tendulkar moved aside. It's up to Tendulkar to replicate Ponting's decision and make sure the timing of his retirement is as exquisite as one of his flowing cover drives.

Full piece here

Getting old will be like this..

The man across the net

I only hope it is full of cheerful comes (who am i kidding.. Well I can wish)

Yeah right

See the quote from this piece

"When the foundations for lasting peace are in place, Israel will not be the last nation to welcome Palestinians to the U.N. We will be the first" Mr. Prosor (Israel's ambassador to the United Nations)

Words hardly do justice

A very proud mom

Living in Denial

We went to England and Austrlia we got trashed 8-0. Now, we were suppossed to be destroy England on spin friendly surfaces. Well, unfortunately the English spin bowlers humuliated the Indian batting line up. Still we hear quotes such as this from Indian team members. We are still in a state of denial. This is quite ridiculous. Indian test team is on the wane and the first thing we need to do is accept this. Only then we can rebuild. For example, the opening partnership is not what it used to be. Sehwag and Gambhir are going through a very long lean patches. The  Tendulkar is going through a low. Kohli is still finding his feet. Yuvraj's return to test cricket is more an emotional decision than a rational one. I do think Rahane, and Tiwary need to come into the team. If we are failing we rather fail with the younger batsman rather than have the older generation and fail. Gambhir is still not too old, Sehwag might have 2-3 years [i am not 100% sure on this]. But we need to prepare ourselves for a major rehaul in batting. The bolwing well - we lost Umesh Yadav and it affected us. The 3 spinner policy is a waste and we need to have 2 seamers. Of course, the fact that we dont have a half-decent second seamer. So, buckle up and be ready for some bad years on the Indian Test scene.

Arvind Kejriwal and his manifesto

Completely agree. I still am optimistic. I hope kejriwal can find some good economists to improve his view of national economics and then AAP might not be a bad idea.

Well Deb

gets it right (again). Full piece here

This does not in any way mean that I do not support Kasab’s death sentence. If anyone ever deserved it, it was Ajmal Kasab. But 11 years after the Mumbai blasts, four years after 26/11, we are no closer to striking a decisive blow to the medieval fanatics and criminals who mastermninded the deaths of hundreds of innocent Indians. I mean no disrespect at all to the men and women who died in these attacks, and their families and loved ones. But rejoicing over any hanging is morbid. And rejoicing over this particular one also displays naïvety, something that we can hardly afford in our fight against terrorism, which is not going to end very soon.

To understand the role of BT

you need to read this 

I do not endorse the apporach of Thackeray. But he appealed to a marginalized section of the population. 

Thackeray

So, Bal Thackeray has passed away. From the news on his health condition over the recent weeks it was apparent. Now, I have heard of him only after I finsihed my undergrad. I am not a fan of his approach or do i approve any form of use of violence to assert your will on the people. But what I dont approve of is the hypocrisy expressed when "secular intellectuals" respond on the day of his death with various statements - calling him "an asshole" or accussing people who call his death a loss to Maharastra as "pathetic" individuals. When a person dies people who respond to that are people who received some help/assistance from that man. Irrespective of whether he is a nice person or not, Bal Thackeray in his role as ShivSena brought justice (his version of it) to some undertrodden people. Yes, he did a lot of bullshit, but the people who received his help be it "amitabh" or a poor marathi family in Bombay, they will feel bad that he died and express their condolences. The fact that you cannot tolerate it only highlights the intolerance in your life. What you miss when you say he propogated hate is .. he was the source - probably - but the rest of the people chose to pursue what he preached. So, the responsibility lies with everybody. He was a politician, what he did was extract things that will win him votes. It is not any different from what Man mohan singh is doing. He wants to be the PM at any cost. But secular intellectuals are blind to such connections and will go vote for Congress without any qualms. Do you folks remember 1984 sikh riots. Read Ramchandra Guha's description of Rajiv Gandhi's response. Rajiv Gandhi was awarded Bharat Ratna after his death. To be honest, i feel the comments delivered on Bal Thackeray would be equivalently applicable to him too. But well, he allowed you to celebrate valentine's day and said he is secular. So, for you its not any different. 

I do not endorse any of the things BT did or stood for. To be honest i dont think he was right. But to blame an individual for an ideology that receives so much traction does not cut ice. The reason he has supporters is because of the vacuum created for Marathis in the political space due to the way Congress handled the state in 70s. the same in any regional leader. AP got NT Rama Rao because of the same reason. NTR was not so divisive but Congress fed him. So, if you want to blame someone, start blaming the Congress starting with Indira Gandhi. Well, i know you wont, because for you believe in the secular credentials of congress - irrespective of what they do in real life!

As always Guha makes a very good point here

 

on Nehru (link via rajesh)

Nehru's policies were ideal for the times. For a country just formed there were far larger goals than growth and prosperity. The issue of a nation was at stake. So, what Nehru did was follow a slower bu traditional state sponsored growth - a requisite element due to the lack fo infrastructure after the indepdence. However, his descendatnts have ruined what he started by pushing the agenda in the wrong direction to suit their electoral needs.

An excerpt

Living outside India, insulated in their daily lives from the consequences of the deeds or misdeeds of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, both Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev could appreciate the sagacity and moral depth of Nehru’s political vision. We who live in India are however inhibited from doing so by the unfortunate accident whereby control of our most powerful political party has passed on to Nehru’s descendants.

 

Chopra might

have some advice to Sehwag! Hope he is listening.

An interesting

Why Girish Karnad isn’t wrong about V.S. Naipaul

Piece on the Karnad and Naipaul controversy - by Salil Tripati

Seriously

Agricultural wages and NREGA: Exploring the myth

The piece above ignores the monsoon. In 1999-2004 most states had poor monsoon. That is the reason why growth outputs were low. We had good monsoons overall in 2004-2009 accounting for increased yield. Well the lady's PhD advisor needs go highlight these things. I hope s/he will.

Do read

Rahul Gandhi’s clarion call

The piece by sandipan highlights the hypocrisy of Rahul Gandhi's call.

A saga ends

with claims of utter disbeliif. anyway, I am no great person but I have never lied or have been dishonest (as claimed). So I will remain at peace with that knowledge.

Right on

Reconnecting with the republic

Nitin pai makes the case for policy think tanks in India. I hope people realize their value.

What else can you expect from

A government more interested in scoring political points.

Views | Another exit from West Bengal

RBI was right

Has Subbarao lost the opportunity to be a statesman?

I rarely disagree with sukumar from livemint. But here i think RBI got it right. yes, Chidambaram is making all the right noises since taking over. However that does not amount to action on fiscal consolidation. Until he does more RBI should hold the rates at its current levels.

Teaching

Somedays you are just not paid enough to teach undergrads. The lack of interest in the class somedays is appalling. Yet, you move along hoping (against hope probbaly) that there is at least one student who is interested in learning. Well, all you can do is hope right!

A new addition to our family

A new boy enters our family. I became a mamaiah today. Well, can't believe it.

I agree with Tom Friedman

OP-ED COLUMNIST; Why I Am Pro-Life
I am not a big fan of Friedman (tom not Milton). but in this piece he clearly highlights the hypocrisy of the republicans. Its quite  surprising that none of the mainstream media folk expressed this before.
It's not too late if people realize it.

Hope Kejriwal and Company listen to this..

A new system is not the answer
I agree with most of the content from the above post. I hope kejriwal and his ilk recognize this. I do believe that IAC wants to improve the situation in India. I only hope they realize its more complex than just corruption.
Anyway...

A big Bong joke...

Views | Mamata Banerjee and the Bong joke

Nice piece on Ms. Banerjee.

Capital Calculus | Delhi HC bats for public good

Isn't this awesome. Kudos to Delhi HC.

Holy moly

Tax policy and the size of the government

The article above is 4th in a sequence of 5 articles in Indian economy. To say that i am shocked at the piece and the lack of logic (coming from an economist no less) is an understatement. The articles effectively can be used by Congress in their manifesto. She claims the reason for the fiscal deficits in India is simple. Low taxes. Oh yes you read it correct. The reason for that is compared to developed countries we spend very less. Unfortunately she does not realize that the social security net increases as economy grows ..not the other way round. For example the system in us took decades to establish. But in India in the last 6 years the increase in social spending increased 10-15 times what it was. I am all for improving the social net but it should be based on enhancing self-sufficiency. Nrega or any scheme in place do not serve that. They offer short term relief. There should be short term relief for the needy but as a government we also need to focus on the longer. Not to mention the skewed rural economics because of the scheme. Social security in the US does not result in a skew of the system. The Non-work wages paid are less than the economical equivalent of a working wage. This is ignored conveniently by the author.

I am actually surprised the author got to write a 5 piece with her logic and dubious theories

Nice piece

by Sukumar on Arvind Kejriwal. You might not agree with his "Vision" but what he is doing is very good for the country. I hope he continues revealing the "deals" and ensures justice is pursued (lets think of justice being administered later).

Sandipan Deb

is quickly becoming my favorite writer on mint. Another good piece here

Man its scary

to read what Kejriwal things is the way ahead. he sounds more like an anarchist than a leader. More here.

More evidence

on Congress party's psycophancy here. Its just disgusting!

Well...

One of those weird days. Time moves slowly. the weather is dark and listless. I have lots to do and I sit in front of my laptop wasting time. 

anyway... all the reviews are finally out. 7-1. I am pretty pleased. Not all comments were nice; but well I am still a nobody so I can live with that. Lets see how things go from here.

Nobel Peace Prize

i have seen comments on facebook on how EU does not deserve a nobel peace prize. I mean common folks, before you post such comments just look up what EU is. It is a n organziation that has been there for 50 years. They should have done soemthing right!

See a piece here on how the award was too late!

Excerpts

To be fair, the EU is certainly deserving of the award, having finally brought peace to a conflict-ridden continent whose constituent nations and reckless leaders were responsible for perpetuating conflict in Europe and the rest of the world for over a century. Today, thanks largely to the EU, war is “unthinkable” at least among Europe’s key countries. The EU is also justifiably credited with democratizing the birthplace of both left-and right-wing totalitarianism as well as making Europe—until recently—an economic powerhouse.

Perfect

Well, Sandipan Deb hits the nail on its head as usual here

Kejriwal has chosen his first two targets very well. One, Robert Vadra, the first son-in-law, whose avarice seems matched only by his stupidity. It was a shameful spectacle to see senior Union ministers falling over one another to declare the charges “baseless” and proclaim Vadra’s innocence. It was proof, if any more was needed (it really wasn’t) that Congress politics is at its core a pathetic sycophancy.

Salman Khurshid, who won the first lap of the sycophancy race by announcing that he would “die for Mrs Sonia Gandhi”, has now been pilloried. Great choice. He is the law minister, and the allegation is that his wife’s non-governmental organization (NGO) has been siphoning money meant to aid the disabled. And it’s just days after a Hindi channel did a sting on the NGO’s workings, and Uttar Pradesh’s leading Hindi papers are publishing more news every day of how the NGO’s reports are full of lies. Now there is hard evidence that the Congress workers have been scampering to supply hearing aids and wheelchairs to people who were supposed to have received them two years ago. Trouble is, some of these supposed beneficiaries are dead, and others can’t be located—they were possibly fictitious anyway. And of course, the question Kejriwal has raised is absolutely valid: If it is a private NGO, why are Congress workers running around to cover up the filth?

If these two paragraphs of text do not convince the people of India that Congress should not be reelected, there is no way that india as a country can rise from its ineptitude.

I disagree

with the reason given by this article for why Vadra did what he did

Damaadji entertained no such eminently sensible doubts, not even when deleting his FB account in a huff: “Obviously, it seems I have people on my Facebook account who do not have a sense of humour. Everything I write becomes news and further debates on television?? I have decided to delete my account.”

Obviously, Robert isn’t very good at comprehending the obvious.

The reason I think he did that is because he knows in India nobody of any consequence has courage to do anything to him. Its pure and utter disregard that makes people that way not stupidity!

Fall

Fall season is upon us and Montreal and it surrounding are quite beautiful. I have been in the Notheast for nearly 2 years now; but this was my first Fall season. I went on a hike yesterday. it was very enjoyable with beautiful colored leaves on the ground and on the trees. It is very hard for me to athom these beautiful colors naturally formed. Nature.. is truly awesome!

A nice piece

By Aakash Chopra here

Since the Indian team is going through a transition, it will need Dhoni's gambling instincts as a leader more than ever, for now he may have to make the team punch above its weight often. I'm eagerly waiting for him to stop playing the percentages and start following his instincts instead. Instead of being vocal about wanting rank turners at home, it would be better if he starts addressing the big issue, which is to build a team that will also succeed overseas.

Dhoni's cricket has always been more about the attitude than skill, and sometimes that's what is needed to succeed at the highest level.

Lets see what happens!

The new party

I probably am a cynic but with visions such as these your intent will not matter

The locus of decision making should be shifted to, or proximate to the people. As far as possible, power and the resources required to execute that power must be transferred to the village or ward level. Only those powers should be left for upper tiers that cannot possibly be exercised by local communities. People must be consulted directly on key national decisions. Citizens must be consulted on any decision that affects their life or livelihood”.

Full piece here

Sometimes

It is quite difficult to undertsand some aspects of how to handle life. You expect these things to not bother you. In fact, believe that they should not. Yet you end up affected. I dont know if the issue is with the fact that you are like all of "them"  or if you did not get what you deserve. Well, life will only throw more such instances. Probably it will help me figure it out!

a nice piece

I missed earlier here by anantha nageswaran

It is a nation that has no pride in the past, does not identify priorities for the present and hence no sense of purpose about the future. It is a nation with no sense of history. Such a nation may still achieve spurts of economic growth, but it is unlikely to realize its potential ever.

The obsessive pursuit of instant gratification has resulted in the flight of decency, decorum, discipline and dignity from India’s public space. Anything that is scarce becomes more valuable. Therefore, there will be a natural scramble to possess them. Those who possess and display scarce commodities are rich. But not in India. These Ds are in short supply not because they are increasingly in demand, but because Indians have become incapable of generating them.

I desperately hope he is wrong!

I always thought

Iain O'Brien was a jolly sort, but when you read this piece you realize its all on the exterior.

All I wanted to do was be myself. I wanted to be comfortable in my own skin. But, in these situations, outside of my hotel room, I didn't know who I was. Everything I did was a bluff. All the confidence I showed was faked. Fake it until you make it. The problem with this though is that you're never comfortable. You spend so much time and energy pretending that it wears you down.

Physically, sport is tough. Mentally, it's harder. It's hard being me, it really is - living with my ego and the doubts it brings.

Can you argue with this

The far more telling commentary on the government’s attitude towards corruption is the readiness with which it has initiated criminal action or investigations against those who have spoken out against corruption, and has been dragging its feet when it comes to launching investigations where, as in the coal block allocation scandal, a prima facie case of monumental corruption  exists.

If that doesn’t amount to peeing on the Constitution, I don’t know what is…

Full piece here; If I write anything more they might say I am committing sedition too!

The Conventions

There are some things within the American system that I really like. you have the Conventions. You offer the contenders a 3 day chance ot make the case for why they should be leading the country. I think this is an amazing way to hear from and learn about the future leaders. Today, I witnessed one of the greatest polictical speeches I have seen. I heard of Bill Clinton's pedigree; but never watched him speak live. Man, i have never seen somebody deliver so many facts on such complex issues so effortlessly. I can see why people loved him so much when he was in his pomp. But the way he addressed all the lies from Romnney and Ryan campaign was quite cool. Also, loved some of the statements he made on the number of jobs generated during democrat versus republican presidencies! Interesting to know that (hopefully they are true!).

Can't argue with Karthik on this point

 Everyone get a life please...If a batsman is out on a stroll inspite of being warned, does that count as being in the spirit of the game? 

Murali Kartik is not amused by reactions on his "mankading" to get rid of Somerset's Alex Barrow in the LV County Championship

Well, Manmohan Singh might

finally be caught in the UPA web; that is an irony!

The chronology of the allocation process tells its own story, and goes some way towards demolishing Manmohan Singh’s case that since his government was only abiding by the policy drawn up in 1993, the original sin lies elsewhere. Between 1993 and 2005, during which period, India was barely stirring itself out of the slow-growth orbit and demand for coal wasn’t as high (and China’s own demand for mineral resources from around the world had not yet become monstrous),  only 70 coal blocks were allocated. But between 2004 and 2009, with coal prices soaring  on increased demand, principally from within India and from China, the UPA 1 government went into overdrive, allocating 142 coal blocks.

More tellingly, a flurry of allocations was made around the time of the May 2009 elections. In more than a few cases, as has been established, they were not even companies that had a track record in the mining space. Clearly, the attempt was to corner the coal blocks before a transparent system of auctions was implemented, sit on the hoard that they had thus secured, and sell them at a later date when prices rose even higher. Mining the coal from the “wombs of Mother Earth” as P Chidambaram so colourfully put it, was farthest from their minds.

Ugra

Usually, I am not a huge fan of Ugra's writing. But this is once I totally agree with her

Sixteen years after all is an entire generation - in 16 years, toddlers turn into teenagers, teenagers into the thirty-somethings, yuppies into the weary middle-aged. Sixteen years can be life-changing. Like thatpartnership in Kolkata. They did it, remember? Turned 'bat the whole day' from idiom to reality.
It is why the first stirrings of India's 2012 10-Test home season will contain, before everything else, the hollowness of departure. Like the turning away from a farewell handshake, the shutting of a door, the quiet after a goodbye on the telephone.

Another part of

the great batting quartet retires. Well, now all we will have is Tendulkar.

Laxman was a great contributor to Indian cricket victories. He played THE Innings by an Indian batsman; I think it will take a lot to beat that innings. He played many great ones too in chasing totals which is something none of the Indian batsman have mastered, By retiring the way hed did he ha sent out a message to the selectors that they are not planning for the future. It is unfortunate that players have to retire to force the selectors to make changes. 

Anyway, for today it is goodbye to VVS Laxman, a soft spoken Hyderabadi who made batting look elegant and easy at the same time. Probably he is the last specialist test batsman from India. 

Now even the PM

is caught in the corruption scandals. Good for UPA! This ensures all their leaders are consistent. It does not matter that the aspect of their consistency is corruption!

Can't disagree

with Aakash Chopra on this one

India are about to begin a very long home season, and this selection could have been used to make a statement of intent. Unfortunately, the out-going selection committee didn't see it as an opportunity; maybe they looked at it as a liability.

Full piece here

Another decent piece on the topic by Manjrekar

 

 

 

Seriously?

The unprecedented ethnic violence in Assam and the subsequent riots in Mumbai have created a scare in the Bodos living in Hyderabad.

Over 1,000 persons hailing from the north-eastern state, mostly Bodo tribals and working as security guards here, have fled the city fearing attacks from a particular community. More are likely to leave in the next few days leaving the private security industry in the state perplexed.

I would like to call a spade a spade. if Bangladeshi Muslims attacked Bodos in AP why can't the new article mention that? why should they use the ridiculous veil of a particular community. This is just double standard reporting of news

India is not alone; quebec runs close

If you think politicians in India are the ones making bad calls well Quebec politicians are not far behind. 

Read the news here

SNC is a big company. They hire a CEO to run the company. PQ leader suggests that he should learn French. Yeah right. He will be so free running the company he will invest the next 4 years learning a language. What a waste of his time and resources. Cant the people here see how the PQ leaders are just pandering? Do the people of Quebec want a CEO who will make profits and improve jobs for Quebekers or a CEO who learns French and destroys the company. Because, no CEO has time to learn French and also work on his job. So until Quebekers realize how pandering to their linguistic needs is harming them and future geenrations Quebec will remain behind the rest of Canada.

Olympics

We ended up with 6 medals. Well the rewards at Olympics will be closely tied to the infrastructure provided for our athletes. I think 6 is fair for what facilities are provided to our athletes. But to take the sanctimonious tone as this guy takes is what is wrong with our system.

Nirmal Sekar makes some very valid points in his piece here

But the truth is, it is we who let them down. For, we don’t care about them for three years and eleven-and-a-half months. We don’t care about their impecunious circumstances, their heroic struggles, their fight against-the-odds and battles with cynical, self-serving sports administrators heading often corrupt sports bodies.

Instead, we spend sleepless nights over whether Chennai Super Kings would make it to the final of the IPL or whether a mediocre also-ran cricketer really did take recreational drugs at some rave party in Mumbai; or whether Yuvraj Singh is dating the latest Miss India or some other starlet whose only claim to fame is that she was seen with a cricketing superstar on a night out.

My dear readers, let us get real. We have failed the Koms and the Yogeshwars and the rest as much as we seem to believe that many Indian athletes have failed us. They don’t owe us as much as we owe them.

Can't argue with that!

 

I am still young

Well I am over 30 now; an age I believed was old (naturally when i was under 30). 

Today something happenned that made me smile like a 20 year old. Probably what they say about age is true; you are as old as your heart.

A trip down memory lane.. 2004.. final year Btech

I chose to do my minor in Operations Research. Being from Civil that wa n't the smartest plan especially given that we do not do any probability class. So, it was no surprise that I sucked at the final year OR class which required a lot of probability. Not to mention the teacher was n't the greatest. There was only reason to go to class. There was a pretty lady (doing her graduate education at that time) who used to walk by in front of the door during the class. So, with a lot of effort (it was a lot of effort in 4th year) i used to go to class find a seat from where I can see her for the 15 seconds. 

Present time..

I attend a random family function. I see a lady on the stage who was quite pretty.. and then she seemed familiar. I was like I know her. I have seen her before. And it all came back to me. I wasn't sure though. It was too hard to believe. I mean such a small world was too unbelievable. So, I go up to her (it was hard!) and ask her did you study at IIT M by any chance. She replies in telugu. yes I did. I was stunned and then amazed at my own memory. It was fun to be the 21 year old kid who required so little to be happy. I would give anything to remain in the state of bliss I was in when I was in campus during my 4th year. Life only gets harder with every passing moment. But when such moments can be relived it feels a tad easier (even if for a short time).

Of course all it took was one email to bring me back very quickly; but i still had a happy 10 minutes that nobody can take away!

Only one man

can do this to me. I dont even know why i am surprised. It seemed all to easy; it sure was fickle. It was a heavy blow this time and for the first time I have decided to put an end to it. I do not care; I will figure out a way to live.

Isn't this true always

 

But people still sometimes ask me, why can’t they assimilate more? Dress like us. Talk like us. Perhaps, some seem to believe, that would prevent the sort of tragedy that happened in Wisconsin. I never have an easy answer. But I do know this: to wipe away what has come before, who we have been over the centuries, also means to forget who our own mothers and fathers were. It means that how they conducted their lives — the families they raised, the homes they built — didn’t matter. It denies us that basic human impulse, to remember their stories, the unique timbre of their voices. It would be as if they had never existed at all.

Full link here

 

Can anybody question this?

The Indian economic story is no longer just a tragedy. It is a farce and a tragedy.

See the full piece by nageswaran here on the grand schemes to be soon unleashed by this government.

Nice Video

Get ready to fork out

more tax. Now that all the necessary money for the Grand schemes of UPA have led o a fiscal deficit. They will follow the obvious alternative to reduce fiscal deficit. Reduce welfar spending. Really, fell for that. Common my friend think like a congressman. They will increase taxes. Yes, the pain of the fiscal deficit should be shared by everybody... except the poor... who will vote for Congress because they throw peanuts to the poor to ensure they are slavishly tied to the financial resources form the great old party. Of course all of this is accomplished while ensuring they remain poor.

The secular intellectuals will continue to support the Congress because they do not invoke communal riots. Forget Assam, the minorities are the ones attacking; so that does not count. Forget millions of indians (and subsequnet generations) losing opportunities to lead a reasonable life. A process more costlier than the mere value of "Secularism" as follwed in India. The parody continues. 

10 trillion

in wasted money. Is this enough or does the Congress led givernment have to spend some more for the people to realize what we have lost in the last 8 years.

Well, dont expect much.. 2014 will not change anything. Congress will continue to be in power and money will continue to be spent wasted ; remember Prince Rahul will take over!

There must be an element of truth

in this.

I am sure, some of the stuff is an exaggeration; but the crux of the story remain true. So called seculars ensuring their vote bank shares by following a policy of "choose to ignore" if the issue benefits us.

What can you say

when an exdirector of IIT provides this as a remedy for improving IITs

Going forward, the IITs should concentrate on PG education. The IITs produce only about 1% of India's undergraduate engineers, but contribute 90% of India's MTechs and 95% of the PhDs. Since privileged IIT BTechs do not prefer to pursue PG studies in the IITs, national interest demands that the IITs should consider making it mandatory for the entrants to commit to dual degrees when they take admission.

Full piece here

I am pleased this is an ex-director! Thank God for that!

Good to see

such innovative measures of truth in governance!

A commendable piece of journalism!

You can't put it better than

here by Nageswaran at TGS

Life

Well, as I begin my journey into the 30s, I am not sure if I should be happy or feel scared about life. It is a weird age to be I guess. I have to be responsible and yet I feel I am young. Anyway, lets see how the life turns out from now on.

Another TRB season draws to a close. This one has been pretty stressful for me and more so for my wife. But it is done now; tomorrow I am heading home and looking forward to some good food and lots of sleep.

In the meantime, the crap that is the government in India continues as usual. I have no energy even to complain; so i will let it die.

Stephen Fry

has a nice piece on his struggles as a teenager in 1970s being gay here.

Some excerpts

It doesn't matter in the slightest whether that love is for someone of your own sex or not. Gay issues are important and I shall come to them in a moment, but they shrivel like a salted snail when compared to the towering question of love. Gay people sometimes believe (to this very day, would you credit it, young Stephen?) that the preponderance of obstacles and terrors they encounter in their lives and relationships is intimately connected with the fact of their being gay. As it happens at least 90% of their problems are to do with love and love alone: the lack of it, the denial of it, the inequality of it, the missed reciprocity in it, the horrors and heartaches of it. Love cold, love hot, love fresh, love stale, love scorned, love missed, love denied, love betrayed ... the great joke of sexuality is that these problems bedevil straight people just as much as gay. The 10% of extra suffering and complexity that uniquely confronts the gay person is certainly not incidental or trifling, but it must be understood that love comes first. This is tough for straight people to work out.

More on Assam issue

here..

 

Some Excerpts

What is far harder to dismiss is the Congress’ contribution to the build-up of tension over the years through its cynical exploitation of minority politics, which manifests itself in its refusal to acknowledge that illegal immigration is a problem. As Assam’s Sentinel newspaper noted in an editorial, the Congress has over the years been responsible for “changing the demographic profile of the state and making the minorities a majority community… (because of unabated influx of Bangladeshis with geometric population growth) in several districts.”

And that cynical project, of actively feeding off minority politics, continues to this day.

In that sense, Digvijaya Singh is right. Assam is no Gujarat, but not for the reasons that he’s cited.  Assam is far worse than Gujarat: perhaps not in terms of the cynical arithmetic of the death toll from one episode of riots, but in the manner in which the Congress has milked ‘minority politics’ in Assam for years and years and deliberately downplayed the security risks from the unchecked illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

 

 

We can't call a spade a spade in India

because if you do you might not win elections!

A nice article on the violence in the Northeast. Oh dont worry nobody is accussing the secular party of anything. The media elite have more time for other stuff, not stuff that matters.

Anyway.. so the rule continues..

I am speechless

A blog by Mani Shankar Aiyar on his travel to USA. For a guy, who is part of the cabinet that is in power in one of the poorest countries i the world to make fun of the US is plain ridiculous!

And look at the classism statements he makes

Democracy in America apparently means the right of the lower orders to be rude to their social superiors. This goes by the name of “customer care”.

The guy does not relaize that equality first of all means no social structures! Just because 100 people are not running around the MP giving him VIP treatment he feels USA is inferior! Well, for all the secular people supporting the crap of the government Good luck. Your next leader has arrived! Go chant his name - Mani Shankar Aiyar!

 The full atrocity here.

Link via retributions

Even after such incidents

people in the US will not understand that the archaic Second Amendment should not exist. 

The ability to purchase such volumes of ammunition and guns sitting at home is somehow unbelievable. I mean make it a little harder; so that there are hints to the polic that some guy has gone nuts! For god's sake, if purchasing the guns were harder the nutcase would have found something else. I mean common! For no fault of theirs so many people who went to watch a movie perished. But still Americans for guns will argue if everybody had guns some person would have been able to shoot the guy. But it is just stupid talk. People do not go out everywhere with their guns; at least I hope they don't. Life should not be so scary!

Anyway!

What more can one say

Views | Cricket diplomacy or convenient passivity?

This is how we deal with the brutal hypocrisy of Pakistan. Well, as long as we have cricket who cares.

Wimbledon

Its that time of the year again. Will it be 17 or not is the most importnat question for tomorrow.

Go Feddie!

A nice preview from the folks at Wimbledon here

Well Can't

argue with Sukumar on this one!

Some excerpts

The message I got from the note was: “Don’t like the draft guidelines? Don’t blame me. You know whom to blame.”

 

Should such information

be published in news articles?

Sources say Jindal has given inputs about the Lashkar-e-Toiba's sleeper cells in the country to the police, based on which, police teams will be carrying out raids across Maharashtra. Police say Jindal used a different name in each incident he was involved in and has been questioned about all terror attacks that took place in the past six to seven years.

I am appaled.

A great piece

A bold piece on the state of our country by Bibek Debroy (via TGS)

Excerpts

 When the history of the Indian economy is written twenty years down the line, we will look back at the 2004 to 2014 decade as one that was just as damaging as mid-1960s to mid-1970s, if not worse, because the world has changed.  As was the case during that earlier decade, contrary views are not encouraged and are marginalized.  Advisers, bureaucrats and economists flow along with the tide.  That’s partly because views of many people are malleable.  That’s a requisite trait for survival.  

A sensible piece on the IIT exam issue

by Sandipan Deb here

The idea of including Board Exams is not a bad idea. However, the means in which it is incorporated needs to be considered. The weigtage should not have a part in direct admission to IIT. In its current form, it is used as a cutoff test; it is a good idea. however, the weigthage of 50% is still too high. Probably 25% is a more reasonable number. The wightage should be so as to encourage a complete education among IIT aspirants. However, the weightage should not be so high that you remove the deserving students during the cut off itself. It should eliminate people who have no apetite for a complete education. If some students who are good in math, physics and chemistry and suck at english and other languages they need to make sure they study them too. I dont think it is a bad thing. Again, the weigthage should ensure that people with low marks in math, physics and chemistry dont get an advantage just because they do well in langauges; because these students dont stand a chance in the Main JEE paper and are wasting the spots for deserving candidates. Thats my 2 cents!

Life

You think you have figured it out and know what you want. Well, hard luck son, it never is that easy!

A succinct summary

of what happenned wrong since 2004 in a very well written piece by Raghuram Rajan here

Some excerpts

In the years after the BJP’s loss, with a few notable exceptions, India’s political class decided that traditional populism was a surer route to re-election. This perception also accorded well with the median (typically poor) voter’s low expectation of government in India—seeing it as a source of sporadic handouts rather than of reliable public services. 

For a few years, the momentum created by previous reforms, together with strong global growth, carried India forward. Politicians saw little need to vote for further reforms, especially those that would upset powerful vested interests. The lurch towards populism was strengthened when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance concluded that a rural employment-guarantee scheme and a populist farm loan waiver aided its victory in the 2009 election. 

But, while politicians spent the growth dividend on poorly targeted giveaways such as subsidized petrol and cooking gas, the need for further reform only increased. For example, industrialization requires a transparent system for acquiring land from farmers and tribal people, which in turn presupposes much better land-ownership records than India has.

Some good words as the day begins

Some nice words from Michael Lewis (Link via tgs) ... do read it in full!

This isn’t just false humility. It’s false humility with a point. My case illustrates how success is always rationalized. People really don’t like to hear success explained away as luck — especially successful people. As they age, and succeed, people feel their success was somehow inevitable. They don’t want to acknowledge the role played by accident in their lives. There is a reason for this: the world does not want to acknowledge it either. 

Life’s outcomes, while not entirely random, have a huge amount of luck baked into them. Above all, recognize that if you have had success, you have also had luck — and with  luck comes obligation. You owe a debt, and not just to your Gods. You owe a debt to the unlucky. 

you are the lucky few. Lucky in your parents, lucky in your country, lucky that a place like Princeton exists that can take in lucky people, introduce them to other lucky people, and increase their chances of becoming even luckier. Lucky that you live in the richest society the world has ever seen, in a time when no one actually expects you to sacrifice your interests to anything. 

All of you have been faced with the extra cookie. All of you will be faced with many more of them. In time you will find it easy to assume that you deserve the extra cookie. For all I know, you may. But you’ll be happier, and the world will be better off, if you at least pretend that you don’t. 

Never forget: In the nation’s service. In the service of all nations.

 

 

 

So true

is all we can say!

The political lesson that can be learned from the celebrated rise and ignominious fall of Dr Manmohan Singh is that India cannot be led by prime ministers who are prime ministers by appointment. Sonia Gandhi must accept that her experiment in enjoying political power without a modicum of accountability may have worked the first time but has failed miserably this time around. And, India is paying the price.

 

Full piece here

I promised myself

not to get caught up with all the hustle bustle of my job. But over the last 2 weeks I failed to keep my promise. It comes crashing down on you very quickly. The foremost thing is for me to be happy. I need to remember that. The negativity spreads everywhere, especially more so on to the people you care for. I hope I can control the pressure better!

What more can you say?

Finally, this government lacks the willpower to deter potential tax evaders—the big fish that is. The surest way to do so will be to disclose the names of evaders that are available with the government. Given that our politicians are sure to figure on such a list, confidentiality of agreements with other governments and, hold your breath, human rights of tax evaders (page 68 of the white paper) come in the way of public disclosures. This is difficult to believe.

The ridicuoussness of India's ruling class and their arguments! Full piece here

An interesting article

on Mike Proctor part of the great South African side during the time South Africa was banned. 

Most interesting excerpt!

Is it hard for you to reconcile yourself to the fact that you lost what may well have been a fantastic career as an international cricketer?
Not, it's not. Yes, I lost a Test career. But what is a Test career compared to the suffering of 40 million people? Lots of people lost a great deal more in those years, and if by missing out on a Test career we played a part in changing an unjust system, then that is fine by me.

Thats quite nice!

Will somebody listen

to Raghuram Rajan

Rajan ended his speech with a clear warning. “The history of development is replete with countries that grew strongly for a while, only to stutter and stop as their leaders and their people started taking growth as their birthright. Somewhat paradoxically, it is only when we are paranoid about sustaining growth that we will continue achieving it. We need to become paranoid again, as we were in the early 1990s, and perhaps then we will achieve the full promise of Manmohan Singh’s reforms.”

Full piece here. I am not sure!

The forgotten murders

The most conveniently forgotten murders from the last century. The cases still go on nearly after 30 years! I don't see any of the secular intelletuals talking about this. 

What the hell?

I am no expert on juducial matters, but the recent RTE ruling by the Supreme Court is genuinely out of place. I mean the concept that private institutions can be ordered to do what the Governement wants them to do is quite adhoc. I understand imposing rules on aided schools but to impose restrictions on unaided schools is infringing on the freedom. The biggest problem I have is not the fact that private schools have to follow this but that minority private schools need not follow this. I mean if a Christian Organization sets up a school for "rich" christian families and denies admission to "Disadvantaged Christians" it is perfectly ok according to the Supreme Court. It just wants to ensure "Hindu Schools" do not do this. Either you have a unfiorm rule system on everybody or do not force that rule on anybody. This is just blatant padering! Just as a segment of the population should not be penlaized because they are a minority it is not right to impose restruictions on the segment that happens to have a large share of population. And don't get me started on "disadvanatged". It is not just poor. It is our India's very own contribution to the world. The great undefinable 'distadvantaged' !

A nice piece on this here

Mamata Banerjee

This is outrightly autocratic

Well Well Well

Most people will be angry to read this piece by Mukul Kesavan. But he writes exactly what i have been feeling after the 100th 100.

Some excerpts

There were a series of press conferences and public events starring Tendulkar immediately after his 100th hundred at Mirpur. In none of them did Tendulkar spend much time on the fact that a) India actually lost to Bangladesh, b) that one of the reasons India lost was that Tendulkar was so focused on getting his hundred that his run rate dropped as he approached this landmark, leaving the team short of the 300-plus target that was there for the taking, and c) that India were eliminated from the tournament before the final.

.......

For a man who through his long career, has been a model of unassertive poise, the crassness of the publicity blitz and his own odd complicity, is startling. It cheapens a great cricketing legacy, like a tinsel garland on a solid gold icon. Tendulkar doesn't have to brief us about his retirement plans; he is the greatest batsman of his time and he ought to play for as long as he can hold his place in the team. But he should, as he did in his pomp, let his bat do the talking.

I do believe Tendulkar's achievement is great. 100 international 100s is awesome, no doubt. But if you are a team man, the loss to Bangladesh should have hurt. Over the 2 days after his 100 it never felt like it did. That bothers me.

Another thing that I felt was that Dravid's retirement was received very well in the press and for those 3-4 days Dravid was "Tendulkar" for India. indian cricket was synonymous with cricket and suddenly Dravid was being showered with paludits usually reserved for him. It did not sit well with the great man. nothing worng, most sportsmen have massive egos. Tendulkar did not like it. It showed in how he celebrated his 100th 100.

What does it all mean and some random stuff

You are born. You grow up. Everyday there is some little thing here and some little thing there that bothers you. Somethings make you happy and content while somethings make you sad and grumpy. But what is the reason for life? It is so hard to understand. There are irrational fears, unconquerable expectations and thoughts that you have no control over. What can we do? No idea.

Of late I keep finding it hard to be alone. May be its the winter. The need to plan based on the weather. I never had to do this in Texas.

At the sametime I dont mind being alone. I look forward to the company of very few people nowadays. Gone are the days where i was a very social person. I have changed into a person who is fighting hard to maintain those good old friendships with very little time to make new ones. I dont know if I would say my personal life is stagnating on the social front, but I am not so keen on new friendships anymore. May be its marriage or may be I meet so many people in my day job where i end up talking superficially I am just tired. 

Over the last two years I have realized i love my job, in spite of all the pressures. I particularly love teaching. it makes me happy giving it my all. I just hope i can continue doing that. Now this summer I really want to enjoy the other component of my job. Research. I will see how that goes. It is going to be hard work, but I wish to try my best.

Amidst all this I hope to keep in my mind the insignificance of one's life and the so called achievements. All you can do in your life is be happy. If you can say that you have genuinely tried to be happy, you can say its a life well spent. Thats my motto! Take up challenges that give you joy. Hopefully I can take up challenges for the right reasons!

On the recreational front, I hope to start trekking. I really want to enjoy the summer in Montreal. I am planning for it. Lets see how it turns out.

Will this matter

The quid pro quo allotment of profits to different companies during the YSR regime. Now, will this matter to the people of AP. I dont see that happenning!

Aakar Patel

I usually read a lot of columns on Livemint. Somehow so far i have never come across Aakar Patel. I have to tel you this guy is amazing (not in a good way)!

See his articles here

Some of the piece he wrote.. why he likes south india

On a sect of muslims called Qadianis

He starts of in pretty reasonable fashion and then there are giant leaps of thought to arrive at incredulous opinions on the issue at hand. the ease with which he does it is quite awesome actually. He should be writing papers in the Trasnportation field. to be honest, looking at the enviornment out there, he will be a prolific author!

Wow

Well, the Bengalis deserve this for electing "The Queen" ;)

Life and its vagaries

Working on a backlog of things from the past. The memories are not easy to let go. But I am working towards it.

On a different note, once you start you life on your own, it is very easy to be drawn into competition. I have to work very hard to remind myself, life is not a competition with anybody. As long as I am satisfied with my effort, it will turn out fine. The days where i forget this, life becomes slightly more complicated and stressful. Hopefully I will learn to handle it better. 

Time will only tell..

New Zealand draws the match

Well, Kane Williamson gets a solid 100 against arguably the best quartet of pace bowlers (on current form) in the world. To be 21 and get the hundred augurs very well for Kane and New Zealand. May be a star is born!

People who do not know about cricket find it hard to see "Draw". But i was watching this match and was it fun or what. Draw can be as much fun as a victory (of course I mean a close draw).

In another match Jayawardene does his thing with a 180 against England. Good day for batting overall!!

Nageswaran hits the nail on the head

on the issue of Indian governance here!

what can you say abt UPA

They don't care enough to even do a decent budget. Now theyare trying to get back at Vodafone after they have wont the case in court. See the piece here

Nageswaran makes some nice points

as usual on the issues related to Fiscal deficit.

This however, is the crown paragraph of the article

(11) With all their acts of omission and commission, the two UPA governments have damaged India’s macro and micro-economy. Consequently, India faces the prospect of lower economic growth rate in the years ahead. Then, if the UPA were to be voted out of office in 2014, India’s lower economic growth rate might coincide with another non-UPA administration at the office. Voila! That would prove the authors’ point that UPA’s deficits have been good for India!

This is exactly how Congress gets away with all the mess it creates during their tenure.

Nice to read Mrs. Dravid's piece

on Mr. Dravid. 

Its a mess

Sometimes, in spite of yourself things are a mess. What can we do?

This is the culture

you breed when every Tom, Dick and Harry can buy his/her own gun without due process.

The tributes continue

Here are some: Rob Smyth, TGS, Alex Massie, Nirmal Sekhar, Rohit Brijnath, Laxman (yes VVS)

Some excerpts

For those who are into spirituality this should hit the right cord (from TGS link above)

He is one of the few sportsmen who could rightly be called The Gold Standard and that is not for his achievements on the field. In fact, that is because he did not allow Dravid, the cricketer destroy Dravid, the man. That is the true essence of ‘Sthitha Prajnan’ (hard to put it in English) that Lord Krishna talks about in Bhagavadh Gita:

 

“Sthitha Prajna is the concept, discussed in the Sankhya Yoga of the Gita, of a free being who lives in this world and appears to be like anybody else. A Stitha Prajna is one whose mind has become absolutely sill, quietened, tranquil.

When all desires of the heart have rested and the heart finds joyous satisfaction in itself because it has found that all joy exists within independent of external factors, then one is spoken of as a person of steady wisdom, a Sthitha Prajna.

A Sthitha Prajna, does what is necessary for the betterment of humanity with a completely tranquil mind, unperturbed. A person whose mind is tranquil will not react to situation in a way that causes harm to others because he sees everybody as his own self.”

Another quote (alex Massie)

The next week, at Sydney, Dravid batted for six and half hours to score 53 and 38 in another Indian defeat. Footwork and form were returning, albeit slowly. All this patience would be rewarded in Perth where Dravid's 93 (in nearly five hours) would be test's top score and a vital contribution to India's victory. At their own level, anyone can be brilliant when in form; it takes character to be oddly-brilliant when plumb out of touch. That takes fortitude. If batting is often a matter of resisting temptation there have been few purer souls in my lifetime than Rahul Dravid.

Nirmal Sekhar says it perfectly

Hey, Rahul, here's the 'keeper's gloves. Hey, Rahul, will you open the innings today? But, no, Rahul, wait a minute ... maybe you can bat at No. 4. Hey, hold it. What about No. 6?  No other player as good as Dravid has ever been “used”' with such cruel disregard for the man's self-respect in the entire history of Indian cricket. But these things hardly mattered to him. For, Dravid was the ultimate team-man in a very selfish sport and in the most selfish era in the history of professional sport.

..

He was more Boycott than Bradman but without the selfishness of the English opener.

Rohit's piece

He had been invited to a discussion on the sporting mind to inaugurate the Bangalore launch of Olympic shooting gold medallist Abhinav Bindra’s autobiography. 

“No speech, right?” he insisted, for that would mean a month’s dutiful hard labour for him. No, I promised. Only a discussion.

Except on launch day, in the evening, he took me aside. “I’d like to make a short speech, is that OK?” 

And so he did, a charming, generous introduction about Bindra and his virtues and the challenge of the Olympics. He is 10 years older than the shooter and far more celebrated, but this was not his moment, he wanted the shooter to have the sun and being in the shadows anyway held no fear for him. It was not Dravid at his best, it was simply just Dravid being himself.

 

I will end with this piece that I think does true justice to Dravid (Tendulkar Fans please dont read this)

Man, Dravid's going to be a hard act to follow (if there ever will be one)

Some more

His words as reported by Sambit Bal.

When we spoke a couple of weeks ago, I asked if he regretted not having retired in England. His response was a further revelation of character. He would certainly have retired if he hadn't had a good series, he said, but after doing so well, retiring would have been selfish. There was a series to be won in Australia, and he owed it to the team to make the trip. And no, there were no regrets. He would do it no other way, even if offered a second chance."

More on Dravid

Harsha Bhogle here

And his father will be proud of that. Oh, we family folk are suckers for that kind of sentiment. In 1994, when I used to do the highlights of domestic cricket for ESPN, Dravid's father would often call to ask if he could get highlights of his son's batting. The request was always very politely made and a thank you was always offered when I met him. You can see the shyness in the genes, the correctness. I don't mention it lightly. In our obsession with saluting the here and now we sometimes ignore what produced success. If Dravid senior was proud of his young man, Rahul was proud enough of his mother to be the photographer when she received her PhD. It might seem a small thing to do but it tells you a lot about the person. Giant edifices are built on solid foundations.

We bid adieu to you Rahul Dravid

It brings an end to a wonderful and illustrious career. i watched him play in his debut match in Lords. I felt very bad for him when he got out on 95, wondering if he will get another chance to make the 100. Well, I am happy I was wrong. He has made many centuries. Many of them overseas and in matches we desperately needed. But over the last few years more than the cricket it was the way he handled his life that has made me respect him even more. Dravid has the brains to go with game. He is humble and extremely likeable. As I read his statemet today, there were tears in my eyes during this part

He began by reading out his statement, his voice steady as he listed the people who'd played a part in every stage of his career - coaches, selectors, trainers, physios, officials, team-mates, family, even the media. He ended with the Indian cricket fan. "The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you… My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride."

We will miss you too Rahul. Thanks for remembering us.

"I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying" These are the words that I would like to say about myself when I am about to die. That is all one can do (in my view).

Viv Richards turns 60

A fan discusses cricket and Richards.

Most people might feel the guy is crazy, but well I understand how it feels!

Some excerpts

 

Ah, Lenny. Who once stopped inches from your face after sending one whizzing past the regal nose - and traced out a crucifix on your forehead. And you followed him all the way back to the top of his endless run-up. To brandish your fist in his face, glowering. Then walked briskly back to the crease to smash him straight for six the very next ball. "He destroyed you physically, mentally and emotionally," Lenny was to say later. You were all deeds; words and theatrics you dispensed with. "My bat is my sword," you said.

Do I need to say anything more!

 

Some decent pieces

Unfortunately they are too few.

On the state of affairs on the economy by Ninan here

(Link via tgs)

General comment

I find so few articles lamenting the state of affairs under the UPA rule. The economy has posted a very low growth rate this quarter. The growth rate has been successively reducing for the last 7-8 quarters. Well, that does not attract any attention. Moreover, it seems like it is not important.The growth rate of the economy does not influence people right. Whenever an economy slows down the most affected are the poor people. Their windows of oportunity to escape poverty are dashed.

The recent court directive on interlinking of rivers has attracted criticism. I mean is that greatest problem affetcing India now. The wonderful and faulty schemes such as NREGA, Right to Education and Right to Food are draining the economy so poorly. but well who cares, we dont comment or even discuss such stuff. The number of lost opportuntiies for people is not an issue. What I can't understand is how can you see people affected in a one time event versus a daily event. I agree if say a dam is built people and environment is affected. But at the same time the policies of this government are affecting the whole country. This I guess isn't the sexiest thing you can write on your facebook status. Man i get bummed at such ridiculous and skewed comparisons of reality. 

On top of that I see huge articles on how Narendra Modi should not be the next PM candidate. Really, has BJP announced Modi to be the PM candidate? I personally believe Modi should not even consider being the candidate. For his role in godhra riots he should not even be a politician, but thats life for you. he wins his elections and BJP does not have an option but to be with him in Gujarat. But give me a break, you have no issues with Rahul gandhi being the next PM candidate. I dont see 2 page editorials on why Rahul Gandhi should not be the PM. We are ok with Rahul Gandhi being the pm because he has "Gandhi" at the end. Talk about hypocrisy... Anyway..

Nageswaran nails it

Read this piece

 

Ironically, many commentators thoughtlessly refer to India’s 3.5% real growth rate in the first three decades after independence as the “Hindu rate of growth”. That is absurd. The policies fashioned by an avowedly atheistic Prime Minister who was as uninformed on Hinduism as he was on economics laid the foundation for India experiencing mediocre growth for a long period after independence. It was the Nehruvian rate of growth. Now, the Congress party is once again overseeing the derailment of the growth ambitions of a resurgent India in the new millennium. Mission accomplished.

 

The blame for letting the congress government derail the growth ambitions of the country have to fall on the secular educated indians who on the name of communalism have destroyed the hopes of millions of poor individuals. The hope for these poor people was in India growing massively. But hell no, we want to ensure "communal harmony". It does not matter that hundreds of people were killed in bomb blasts routinely. Oh well we got our secularism to support. 

What more can we say!

Well well well

the free doling of power has finally caught up with the Congress in AP.

See this

The good old days of NO power cuts under Babu weren't good enough for him to win the elections. So, I do not expect any change in the status quo.

I think its time for the

Great Man to stop playing One day cricket. It is no insult. It has to come to an end. It is better now than 2 years down the line. 

A nice piece on this

Well this statement explains it best

I wonder why terrorists bother to hurt India when we can do a far better job of it ourselves.

Full piece by Nageswaran here

So will Quebec learn?

Politician play a prominent role everywhere. Quebec is no different. Read here

The unions and the PQ claim to be worried about the children, but their main concern is protecting their own professional and political interests. Never mind if the majority of the province's students continue to struggle in English, learning more from pop songs than they do in the classroom.

The ceremony

It went well. One more friend joins the band of married. Quite happy for him.

Monk

Just completed watching the TV show "Monk". I watched all 8 seasons. It was awesome! I loved Adrin Monk's character. I usually hate detectives, as most of them are brash and over smart folks. But, I found Adrian Monk endearing with all his quirks. It was lots of fun!

Now its time I find another TV series to watch!

One of those discussions

I am a non-vegetarian. It is no secret. My wife is a vegetarian. So, we end up disucssing about the pros and cons of being either. She came across a nice piece on vegetarianism. I will disucss this here.

Most vegetaarians claim that they are vegetarian becasue they are not harming life. i always had an issue with this. These vegetarians are eating plants which is life and as far as I am concerned killing life. Non-vegetarians eat meat grown explicitly for consumption and so do vegetarians except the plants do not move. So, I always wondered whether there is a true vegetrian way of life. This brings me back to the discussion with my wife and the piece she read. Yes, you can be truly vegetarian, if you eat plant food that is discarded (for the lack of a better word) from the plants. So, you eat fruits that have fallen down from trees then that is not harming any life form. So then you are being a true vegetarian. When you grow paddy, at harvest time the plant dies and after that you use your paddy you are not killing the plant for food. So, this for me makes sense. Of course, it is pretty damn hard. 

The article does mention that there is a natural gradation in life and animals have more choices than plants and hence killing them is "worse" than eating plants. So, if there is a scale, eating plants is better than animals. This seems dicey and a matter of opinion to me. But the concept of being a true vegetarian rings true to me. So, thought i would share this!

Feel free to disagree with me (I didn't have to say that, Did I?)

 

What more can you do?

You work hard. Try to be patient. Ignore the criticism and pessimism. Look for the positives even in moments of despair. Motivate yourself from these low points. Then start all over again. You can only try. I tried for a really realy long time. What do I have to show for this efforts at building a frutiful bond. ZILCH. Yes, thats where it is now and probably forever. Sometimes you just accept that not everybody will appreciate what you do (even if it is suppossed be pretty obvious). Probably today is one of those days. I just hope I am strong enough to accept it and move on.