Another day, another tribute. It was just a week ago that I bid adieu to India's greatest match-winner. And in the early hours of Monday morning, India's winningest test captain bid farewell to the game that is my passion. Personally, the latter was undoubtedly the bigger of the two farewells.
India regained the Border Gavaskar trophy, currently the most coveted prize in cricket (ahead of the Ashes),led astutely by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the man who will be king one day. It was one of the most important wins for Indian cricket. The coronation was well deserved for the deligent troops who had walked the talk for the better part of a month. In the background though, one man depicted a silent smile, albeit one that spoke a lot. As soon as the 9th wicket fell, MSD called his "Dada" for a chat and asked him to marshall the troops one last time. It was after all, a team he helped build. This gesture by MSD was unprecedented and there was a lump in the throat at witnessing the true passing of the baton.
It all started way back in 1991-92. Sourav, who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, 'earned' a trip to Australia on what many thought as East Zone's best player(Indian selection system at that time was not bereft of nepotism). He was a lost soul, in a team dominated by the presence of seniors like Kapil, Shastri,Vengsarkar and Srikkanth..These were people he watched and adored from his multi-storeyed mansion in Behala. He allegedly refused to carry drinks and behaved like a snooty prince. But knowing who said it,I refuse to take it at face value. There might have been an element of truth in the story, but surely not what it was made out to be.
Having played a solitary one-day game on that tour, Ganguly came back into the grind of domestic cricket and performed admirably. Many thought he would be consigned to the trash, but he continued to break into Duleep and Irani trophy sides and his name continued to be around the fringes of national selection for the next 4 years.
His day of reckoning came in 1996, when he was picked for the England tour. There was hullabaloo all over India, that he was a quota selection. When the entire system is flawed, why blame only the benefitiary?There would be no tomorrows if he failed and as he left Indian shores,he bloody well knew it.
In June 1996, in the 2nd test at Lord's (after another meek Indian capitulation abroad, in the 1st test at Edgbaston), he made a hundred on debut. Another debutant, a certain Rahul Dravid made 95 and a new generation of Indian batsmen were born, much to the delight of the over-burdened Sachin Tendulkar and the Indian cricket fans.
For the next 4 years, till early 2000, Ganguly, now known as "Dada" within the team, was a consistent performer for the Indian side, especially in his new found role as Tendulkar's opening partner in the one day game. Together, they obliterated many a record of Haynes-Greenidge and forged what is now rightly called the best opening combination in ODI history.
In 2000, when Tendulkar renounced captaincy and when a match fixing scandal engulfed Indian cricket, the selectors turned to a "youngster" as captain. Since Sourav was the only player established in both test and ODI teams, he was the default choice as skipper.
It was in Nairobi, in the ICC knockout later that year that he flourished as captain and showcased the new India for the first time on the cricket ground. The adage "Team India" was seemingly coined at this juncture and it sure was a proud moment for Dada and India both.He also vouched for a "foreign coach" along with the senior players and the concept of the no-baggage, no bias coach bore fruition with John Wright taking over in late 2000.
The litmus test for the duo was when the all conquering Australians arrived in 2001 and Dada annoyed his counterpart by turning up late for the toss, ignoring him and all such idiosyncrasies which shook his opponents. It wasn't the protocol by any means, but it was damn effective alright. It was all in the intention of getting his team to win the mental battles. The Aussies grudgingly acknowledged that here was a tough cookie, an opponent whom they loved to hate. He backed this behaviour up with innovative tactics and India conjured up their most memorable triumph in history in a series that is part of folklore.
He encouraged Laxman, Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Pathan, Dhoni,Zaheer and many a youngster thrived under his tutelage and took on the mantle of match-winner in the team.
During 2000-2004, Dada became a great batsman in ODI cricket and a damn good one in Tests. India won matches abroad (a new and refreshing phenomenon) during this time and also were pretty much unbeatable at home. But his supposed waterloo came in 2005 v Pakistan. He was struggling with the bat and his often deplorable ground fielding was beginning to show. He didn't seem to deserve a place in the side, but carried on. It was to be a big mistake.
He was inspired by Greg Chappell during the 2003-04 Oz tour, when a few chinks in his techniques were instantly sorted out after a talk with the great man. So, he went ahead and recommended Greg as the successor to John Wright. It was a blunder he was to regret later.
Greg sent out an obnoxious mail, about the bad influence that Dada was having in the side, to the BCCI and it was promptly leaked in the media. Dada felt cheated by Greg. The contents of the mail were truly inflammatory. But as fate would have it, Dada lost the captaincy and thereby his place in the side. For the next one year, he was a true taboo in Indian cricket. With the coach having none of him, he was being spoken about in the past tense. But it was to change.After the youngsters (whom Greg backed)failed to live up to expectations, Ganguly was recalled in December 2006, on the tour of SouthAfrica.
He was all guts and gumption in that SouthAfrica series and the sight of him fighting for a few more runs for India with the No.11 batsman at the crease was something his detractors also appreciated. It's hard to keep a good man down. That was a lesson learnt by many.
He played well in the disastrous World Cup campaign in 2007, but was released from One day duties for good in late 2007 by Dhoni, who wanted to build a team of youth and rightly so.
Dada performed superbly in tests in 2007-08 and made a heroic 239 at Bangalore and an even more personally significant and emotional hundred at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, his theatre of dreams.
However,after a poor series in Srilanka in mid 2008, the knives were out for the umpteenth time. He was dropped from the Rest of India side, jeopardizing his preparation for the Oz series at home.
With the changing of the selection committee, Dada was thrown another lifeline. But this time he had had enough. Visibly frustrated, he announced at the start of the series that it was to be his last.This, he felt,was his only chance to go out on his own terms.
He made a gritty hundred in the Mohali test and was always among the runs in the series. Not least the 85 he made in his penultimate innings. He made a golden duck in this last try, but I am sure it was a moment that he will look back philosophically in due course. He was deeply disappointed to narrowly miss out on joining his "best-buddy" Greg Chappell in the list of players who have made a ton in both their first and last test matches.
To put things in perspective, Dada was not a great test batsman. Far from it. He was an honest trier and fighter. To be fair, he was a trifle lucky to be mentioned in the same sentence as his more illustrious colleagues as part of the Fab Four. He sure was the 4th best in that group, the top 3 of which is a non debate. But to his credit, he performed day in and day out, made utmost use of his talent and played 113 tests for India. Only a handful have played more.
Dada, despite his batting exploits, will always be remembered as the man who changed the face of Indian cricket. "Lambs abroad and tigers at home" was a notion that was erased in his era, so was the favoritism that was a part and parcel of cricket in the land.Many a good player maybe born in the future, but truly inspirational leaders like Dada come once in a generation. Whenever he was down in the dumps, a miracle saved him, proving he truly was a child of destiny.
The nucleus of the present team, which I am sure will do wonders under MSD, was formed in the Ganguly era. Younger players like Sehwag, Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Dhoni will, till date do anything for their beloved Daadi.
He taught the present India to fight. He gave meaning to the theory that we are no less than anyone else.
I salute my hero. He will be sorely missed.
Thanks for everything Dada..
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 03, 2008
A champion alright!
Saturday night..I switch on Cricinfo and to my utter amazement and disbelief I find that Anil Kumble has announced his retirement from International cricket with immediate effect..
My first reaction was "Oh No.." But the second and more thought out one was "Maybe Yes"..
I then asssessed that since Dada is retiring after Nagpur, could Indian cricket together afford to lose 2 bespectacled heroes, who both ironically had a clear and perfect vision for the future..
Ganguly deserves a tribute on his own too...That wil come later..
The time now is to celebrate Anil Kumble.... This name is synonymous with determination... Hardwork, perserverance, work ethic.. Bring on the thesaurus.
A man who made his debut as a bespectacled, easy to rag engineering student in England in 1990.. At first sight he was a trundler.. Not many who saw him could love him instantly..He wasnt a Shane Warne..The tweak was non existent and beating batsmen in flight was almost an unwelcome visitor.. He seemed to have his ways.. His height was strange for a "spinner".. His modus operandi seemed to rely on the uneven nature of the wicket and hope that the batsman made a mistake when the ball misbehaved..
Easy to say, he dint quite work..Azhar wasn't swept off his feet and traditional spinners like Raju and Hirwani seemed better to his laid-back eye..
But what Kumble did was fight.. He went back home and completed his Engineering ..And kept performing on the domestic circuit, albeit on helpful pitches.. He was moderate without ever being eye catching.. But this was to change and quickly...
The redemption came at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in the capital, one that was to be his bastion later on.. It was the season opener Irani trophy game, an annual fixture between the Ranji champs that year and the Rest of India, an assembled squad which was akin to a quota system realization.. Kumble sure won the quota from the South Zone and off he went to Delhi.. He took 13 wickets against a strong Delhi contingent and made the selectors sit up and take notice..This performance earned him the sobriquet "Jumbo", one given to him by the outspoken Sardar, Navjot Singh Sidhu..
The performance earned him a recall to the SouthAfrican sojourn later that year and he took a 5 wicket haul in his comeback game and did well enough to be picked as one of the 3 spinners to face the "Poms" (England for those who came in late) in the sultry 1993 summer.. He made the Poms smell dust and at the end of the summer had earned a reputation as India's leading spinner..
Throughout the 90s. when Azhar and Tendulkar led India, their concept was simple...When in doubt turn to Kumble.. Most of the fast bowlers(that is sure a misnomer) of the 90s were just people to take the shine off the ball.. Skipper Azhar and coach Wadekar soon sized up the situation that India was better off playing on doctored surfaces, where even the coin at the toss would tweak after landing on the pitch.. Kumble was his right hand man.. No Kumble meant no win..
Crept in the bad habits.. When India went abroad, Kumble wasnt a force cos he was used to bowling on the turners and he was played as a medium pacer by the batsmen.. Jumbo was more of a stock bowler abroad and this was simply not working for India cos the pacers were not upto scratch anyway, apart from Srinath,who again was an honest trier and maybe later Prasad..
Indian team to no one's surprises lost all they played abroad, but come any home game and Kumble and co would run amok at the slightest sign of turn..
His moment of crowning glory came when he took all 10 wickets against Pakistan at home in the Delhi (where else!) test.. The uncharitable would point to JP being the umpire, but hell he deserved them all(OK most).. Then came the bouquets and formation of "Anil Kumble circle" in his homeland..Both his feet all the while were firmly entrenched on the ground..
Post the Azhar and the Sachin era, Ganguly was annointed captain.. Kumble though had a shoulder injury(rotator cuff) due to a heavy workload.. Now that came as no shock for the yeoman services he had rendered to Indian cricket.. In the meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh was born.. A heavily strapped Kumble assisting him in the nets in the 2001 home series against Aus was a sight for sore eyes..
A fit Kumble in 2001-2003 did not find a place in tests abroad because he simply wasnt bowling better than Bhajji.. Ganguly took the "hardest decision of his tenure" and Jumbo was benched.. But the sight of him readying his lens to capture the winning moment in Trinidad test in 2002 is stil embedded in memory. Team came first then came self.. It was a refreshing change in Indian cricket and the humble engineer had showed the way..
2 tests later, bowling with a broken jaw at Antigua was the pinnacle.. Though it seemed a touch foolish, he said "I am going home tomorrow and wil be content that I gave my best"..It was difficult to disagree with such a warrior..
Jumbo at this time was stil king in test matches at home.. The Bhajji-Jumbo duo simply crushed all comers and India continued winning at home, apart from the new found Dada instilled vigour that helped them win a match in all series abroad during 2001-03.
The turning point though came at the Gabba in late 2003... Bhajji had an injury to his bowling hand and he had to leave Oz.. The benched engineer was drafted in to what was to be his biggest project till date.. He took 24 wickets in the 3 ensuing games and 13 no less in Steve Waugh red ragged farewell at Sydney in Jan 2004. A man of the match away from home was a first and made him proud..
Since then he never lost his place and Bhajji had to do the reserve role abroad.. Jumbo had well and truly taken off...
He had that quality..Once he was given a chance, he rarely fluffed it.. Milestones came like there were no tomorrow.. 300 and 400 both at Bangalore(I watched both in the stadium luckily!)..And then 600 at Perth in 2008..
600? U must be kidding me.. For a man who wasn't by any means the Sheik of tweak like the genius Warne or a mystery freak like Muralitharan, this was some achievement..
He became captain in 2007 when Tendulkar refused test captaincy..If u had asked Jumbo to take bullets for India, he would without flinching.. Captaincy was nothing after all... But in the end the bed of thorns that came with being captain consumed him..
His biggest praise was from Steve Waugh who said he was amazed by how relentless Jumbo was.. U could lose focus for a moment against him at ur own peril..
Harsha Bhogle once said that for any growing up schoolboy the role model should be Kumble and not Tendulkar, cos Kumble is a hero for the common man.. He gives us the feeling that "I can become one like him someday".. The Gods surely weren't very impressed with him initially and he was born with very few gifts.. But they would have been showering flowers from the clouds and nodding in approval when he announced his retirement at the Kotla.. It was a win for mankind.. For work ethic against riches..For the mortals against the geniuses..
If any kid today is given a pocket money of 100 bucks, I would suggest him to call Jumbo.. How to make use of one's limited resources is a lesson not many have taught... Hell..Jumbo did that for 19 years..
It was sad to see noises from all quarters when he was on the struggle.. When he had a bad game, people suddenly saw that he dint turn the ball, that he wasnt good anymore.. But 619 wickets? Not a joke.. He had his style and he achieved greatness with it.. Nothing more nothing less..
I will always be proud that I share my birthday with the great man..
Thanks Anil.. I can't imagine what Indian cricket will be without u.. U have influenced my growing up years mate.. And yes u have imparted smiles on the way... Good on u..
My first reaction was "Oh No.." But the second and more thought out one was "Maybe Yes"..
I then asssessed that since Dada is retiring after Nagpur, could Indian cricket together afford to lose 2 bespectacled heroes, who both ironically had a clear and perfect vision for the future..
Ganguly deserves a tribute on his own too...That wil come later..
The time now is to celebrate Anil Kumble.... This name is synonymous with determination... Hardwork, perserverance, work ethic.. Bring on the thesaurus.
A man who made his debut as a bespectacled, easy to rag engineering student in England in 1990.. At first sight he was a trundler.. Not many who saw him could love him instantly..He wasnt a Shane Warne..The tweak was non existent and beating batsmen in flight was almost an unwelcome visitor.. He seemed to have his ways.. His height was strange for a "spinner".. His modus operandi seemed to rely on the uneven nature of the wicket and hope that the batsman made a mistake when the ball misbehaved..
Easy to say, he dint quite work..Azhar wasn't swept off his feet and traditional spinners like Raju and Hirwani seemed better to his laid-back eye..
But what Kumble did was fight.. He went back home and completed his Engineering ..And kept performing on the domestic circuit, albeit on helpful pitches.. He was moderate without ever being eye catching.. But this was to change and quickly...
The redemption came at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in the capital, one that was to be his bastion later on.. It was the season opener Irani trophy game, an annual fixture between the Ranji champs that year and the Rest of India, an assembled squad which was akin to a quota system realization.. Kumble sure won the quota from the South Zone and off he went to Delhi.. He took 13 wickets against a strong Delhi contingent and made the selectors sit up and take notice..This performance earned him the sobriquet "Jumbo", one given to him by the outspoken Sardar, Navjot Singh Sidhu..
The performance earned him a recall to the SouthAfrican sojourn later that year and he took a 5 wicket haul in his comeback game and did well enough to be picked as one of the 3 spinners to face the "Poms" (England for those who came in late) in the sultry 1993 summer.. He made the Poms smell dust and at the end of the summer had earned a reputation as India's leading spinner..
Throughout the 90s. when Azhar and Tendulkar led India, their concept was simple...When in doubt turn to Kumble.. Most of the fast bowlers(that is sure a misnomer) of the 90s were just people to take the shine off the ball.. Skipper Azhar and coach Wadekar soon sized up the situation that India was better off playing on doctored surfaces, where even the coin at the toss would tweak after landing on the pitch.. Kumble was his right hand man.. No Kumble meant no win..
Crept in the bad habits.. When India went abroad, Kumble wasnt a force cos he was used to bowling on the turners and he was played as a medium pacer by the batsmen.. Jumbo was more of a stock bowler abroad and this was simply not working for India cos the pacers were not upto scratch anyway, apart from Srinath,who again was an honest trier and maybe later Prasad..
Indian team to no one's surprises lost all they played abroad, but come any home game and Kumble and co would run amok at the slightest sign of turn..
His moment of crowning glory came when he took all 10 wickets against Pakistan at home in the Delhi (where else!) test.. The uncharitable would point to JP being the umpire, but hell he deserved them all(OK most).. Then came the bouquets and formation of "Anil Kumble circle" in his homeland..Both his feet all the while were firmly entrenched on the ground..
Post the Azhar and the Sachin era, Ganguly was annointed captain.. Kumble though had a shoulder injury(rotator cuff) due to a heavy workload.. Now that came as no shock for the yeoman services he had rendered to Indian cricket.. In the meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh was born.. A heavily strapped Kumble assisting him in the nets in the 2001 home series against Aus was a sight for sore eyes..
A fit Kumble in 2001-2003 did not find a place in tests abroad because he simply wasnt bowling better than Bhajji.. Ganguly took the "hardest decision of his tenure" and Jumbo was benched.. But the sight of him readying his lens to capture the winning moment in Trinidad test in 2002 is stil embedded in memory. Team came first then came self.. It was a refreshing change in Indian cricket and the humble engineer had showed the way..
2 tests later, bowling with a broken jaw at Antigua was the pinnacle.. Though it seemed a touch foolish, he said "I am going home tomorrow and wil be content that I gave my best"..It was difficult to disagree with such a warrior..
Jumbo at this time was stil king in test matches at home.. The Bhajji-Jumbo duo simply crushed all comers and India continued winning at home, apart from the new found Dada instilled vigour that helped them win a match in all series abroad during 2001-03.
The turning point though came at the Gabba in late 2003... Bhajji had an injury to his bowling hand and he had to leave Oz.. The benched engineer was drafted in to what was to be his biggest project till date.. He took 24 wickets in the 3 ensuing games and 13 no less in Steve Waugh red ragged farewell at Sydney in Jan 2004. A man of the match away from home was a first and made him proud..
Since then he never lost his place and Bhajji had to do the reserve role abroad.. Jumbo had well and truly taken off...
He had that quality..Once he was given a chance, he rarely fluffed it.. Milestones came like there were no tomorrow.. 300 and 400 both at Bangalore(I watched both in the stadium luckily!)..And then 600 at Perth in 2008..
600? U must be kidding me.. For a man who wasn't by any means the Sheik of tweak like the genius Warne or a mystery freak like Muralitharan, this was some achievement..
He became captain in 2007 when Tendulkar refused test captaincy..If u had asked Jumbo to take bullets for India, he would without flinching.. Captaincy was nothing after all... But in the end the bed of thorns that came with being captain consumed him..
His biggest praise was from Steve Waugh who said he was amazed by how relentless Jumbo was.. U could lose focus for a moment against him at ur own peril..
Harsha Bhogle once said that for any growing up schoolboy the role model should be Kumble and not Tendulkar, cos Kumble is a hero for the common man.. He gives us the feeling that "I can become one like him someday".. The Gods surely weren't very impressed with him initially and he was born with very few gifts.. But they would have been showering flowers from the clouds and nodding in approval when he announced his retirement at the Kotla.. It was a win for mankind.. For work ethic against riches..For the mortals against the geniuses..
If any kid today is given a pocket money of 100 bucks, I would suggest him to call Jumbo.. How to make use of one's limited resources is a lesson not many have taught... Hell..Jumbo did that for 19 years..
It was sad to see noises from all quarters when he was on the struggle.. When he had a bad game, people suddenly saw that he dint turn the ball, that he wasnt good anymore.. But 619 wickets? Not a joke.. He had his style and he achieved greatness with it.. Nothing more nothing less..
I will always be proud that I share my birthday with the great man..
Thanks Anil.. I can't imagine what Indian cricket will be without u.. U have influenced my growing up years mate.. And yes u have imparted smiles on the way... Good on u..
Thursday, July 10, 2008
When sport is more than just sport..
Its been more than a year since I stopped time and penned down to my heart's content..A couple of busy semesters coupled with "I'd rather relax or listen to songs than blog" attitude was the reason for this prolonged hibernation..
Up side of it is it feels like Aamir khan...one blog a year.. :) (U patrons of this blog must be thanking heavens that I will be writing only 1 a year, but I may not be that kind to u guys!)..
One reason why I showed a stop sign to my laziness was that the topic popped up itself, without me having to go running wild behind it.. It was just last Sunday that arguably the greatest sporting event of the year ended..And this time it very much lived up to its name..
2 of tennis' greatest players perspired and inspired their way to the greatest tennis match in recent times.. The incessant rain at London along with the ever active Sun God in the United Kingdom added more drama to the event..
The match in itself was 4 hours 44 minutes long..Wait wait..Long is not the word.. It was just a measly 4 hrs 44 minutes short.. The way the two artists of the drama were playing, it seemed we could stay in front of the idiot box for another zillion years..It was tense, roller coaster like and an exuberant battle of the best...
Well u may argue that since the man I was backing won, this blog was written..Well that is partly true..Who would watch highlights of a cricket match India just narrowly lost...Thats natural..
Coming back to the artists of the showpiece..The man who lost first...Roger Federer...He
who is part of the endangered species of tennis players cos they dont make them like him anymore..A man bristling with talent, surely the most talented player to have ever walked on a tennis court... He sometimes has 2-3 shots for each occasion and surely that backhand to save matchpoint in the 4th set tiebreaker was unthinkable and surreal..
And then the "challenger"..Rafa "vamos" Nadal... He is now the champion, no? I have rarely seen someone who is willing to retreive every ball as if his life depended on it.. A nerveless macho man with amazing resolve and brilliant concentration..
This is not the forum to discuss who is the better player and who will be better.. This is simply a celebration of the riches these guys have provided tennis fans over the past few years, especially the last 2 Grandslam events...
What makes a rivalry tick is if both guys on any given day can beat the other...From what I have seen Sampras-Agassi in the mid 90s was at par the Fedex-Rafa bull fight...Am not qualified enough to comment on Borg-Mac and Connors-Mac cos this was well before the 90s...
I just hope that these 2 guys continue what they do best, decimate opponents along the way and reach finals.. Cos simply put, this has been a salivating rivalry, one that will easily be the paradigm for more to come in this century..
I know for sure that the genius of Roger Federer will keep making semifinals and fi
nals on all surfaces for some time to come yet..Now its up to the man from Mallorca to follow suit... He sure has everything that takes to click on all surfaces..
And yes, the more time Roger takes in exceeding Pete's tally of 14, the better it is for tennis fans and tennis per se.It means that Rafa has made it to more finals along the way and given life to this rivalry as well as to the tremendous sport that we all love..
Up side of it is it feels like Aamir khan...one blog a year.. :) (U patrons of this blog must be thanking heavens that I will be writing only 1 a year, but I may not be that kind to u guys!)..
One reason why I showed a stop sign to my laziness was that the topic popped up itself, without me having to go running wild behind it.. It was just last Sunday that arguably the greatest sporting event of the year ended..And this time it very much lived up to its name..
2 of tennis' greatest players perspired and inspired their way to the greatest tennis match in recent times.. The incessant rain at London along with the ever active Sun God in the United Kingdom added more drama to the event..
The match in itself was 4 hours 44 minutes long..Wait wait..Long is not the word.. It was just a measly 4 hrs 44 minutes short.. The way the two artists of the drama were playing, it seemed we could stay in front of the idiot box for another zillion years..It was tense, roller coaster like and an exuberant battle of the best...
Well u may argue that since the man I was backing won, this blog was written..Well that is partly true..Who would watch highlights of a cricket match India just narrowly lost...Thats natural..
Coming back to the artists of the showpiece..The man who lost first...Roger Federer...He
who is part of the endangered species of tennis players cos they dont make them like him anymore..A man bristling with talent, surely the most talented player to have ever walked on a tennis court... He sometimes has 2-3 shots for each occasion and surely that backhand to save matchpoint in the 4th set tiebreaker was unthinkable and surreal..And then the "challenger"..Rafa "vamos" Nadal... He is now the champion, no? I have rarely seen someone who is willing to retreive every ball as if his life depended on it.. A nerveless macho man with amazing resolve and brilliant concentration..
This is not the forum to discuss who is the better player and who will be better.. This is simply a celebration of the riches these guys have provided tennis fans over the past few years, especially the last 2 Grandslam events...
What makes a rivalry tick is if both guys on any given day can beat the other...From what I have seen Sampras-Agassi in the mid 90s was at par the Fedex-Rafa bull fight...Am not qualified enough to comment on Borg-Mac and Connors-Mac cos this was well before the 90s...
I just hope that these 2 guys continue what they do best, decimate opponents along the way and reach finals.. Cos simply put, this has been a salivating rivalry, one that will easily be the paradigm for more to come in this century..
I know for sure that the genius of Roger Federer will keep making semifinals and fi
nals on all surfaces for some time to come yet..Now its up to the man from Mallorca to follow suit... He sure has everything that takes to click on all surfaces..And yes, the more time Roger takes in exceeding Pete's tally of 14, the better it is for tennis fans and tennis per se.It means that Rafa has made it to more finals along the way and given life to this rivalry as well as to the tremendous sport that we all love..
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
RIVETING INDIA
This post is an outcome of one of the innumerable chats that I seem to be having these days..Not all are meaningful.But this one bloody sure was.. I am glad I had it.One of my dear friends was amazed when I told him that even though I have widely covered India and some places in the US now ,Manali was one of the few places which simply blew me off my feet.He told me that I should pen my thoughts even if it is 9 years since that day of unbridled joy,when India looked beautiful to my eye.
I here under describe the places/monuments that are a must see in India,atleast once in one's lifetime.I also furnish the reasons why I feel there is a need to see these places.
They are in no particular order cos I feel each one is so vastly different and hence it wouldnt be fair to keep one of them on a pedestal.Here goes:
1)Venkataramana Temple,Tirupati:
It is ironical that Tirupati is about 5 hours drive from Bangalore and even lesser from Chennai,compared to a 10 hour journey from its very own capital,Hyderabad.
One of the many times I have been there was on a biting cold December day.I was not even into my teens then..
Yet the aura of the place was simply too much to ignore,so me joined the brigade in chants of "Govinda Gooooooooooovinda"..Seeing Lord Balaji in the rush near the sanctum sanctorum,where it is impossible to hear anything apart from "Jaragandi,Jaragandi" from the priests is an enthralling experience and one where you are overtaken by devotion automatically..The power of the place I guess..
I had the previlege of living in Tirumala for sometime too..But I was 3 then and I dont seem to remember much.. :)
2)Birla Mandir,Hyderabad:
The Birla Mandir is a breathtaking sight especially when illuminated.Always seems crowded but is worth going to.It is a turn-off for some of the older folks cos one needs to climb a lot of stairs to reach the actual temple at the top.
Last time I went there 10 years back,there were elevators to aid the elderly,so I am guessing the facilities now have vastly improved and it has become more user friendly.
A day out sightseeing in Hyderabad is worth the time.Salarjung Museum,Golkonda Fort,Charminar et al..Birla Mandir is the best of the lot though.
3)Taj Mahal,Agra:This one doesnt require any description or introduction.
For many foreigners,India is the land of the beautiful Taj Mahal.
That is the first(and on some unfortunate occasions,the only) thing that strikes them when someone talks about India.Need I say more. :)
Indeed a national treasure.A marvel.The Taj Mahal was dedicated to his wife Mumtaz Mahal by Mughal emperor,Shah Jahan.He has raised the bar..I am sure any other emperor,even at his benevolent best cannot come up with what can be termed as a semblance of a replica of the Taj..
That is the first(and on some unfortunate occasions,the only) thing that strikes them when someone talks about India.Need I say more. :)
Indeed a national treasure.A marvel.The Taj Mahal was dedicated to his wife Mumtaz Mahal by Mughal emperor,Shah Jahan.He has raised the bar..I am sure any other emperor,even at his benevolent best cannot come up with what can be termed as a semblance of a replica of the Taj..
The Taj wil forever continue its hegemony as the best monument in India.
4)Golden Temple,Amritsar:Situated about 450 kms from Delhi is this small town called Amritsar..Small did I say?? Oh it more than makes up for it cos it features twice on my list.
I was far from impressed by the town per se,but I was bowled over by the monuments,its jewels.
Perhaps the only temple surrounded by water..And yes when you do go there,take the Swarn-Shatabdi from Dilli to enjoy beautiful and picturesque nature.
5)Wagah Border,Amritsar:This is goosebumps stuff.
When your neighbouring country is ten feet away from you and when the Indian soldiers are in the "zone".
A gamut of emotions engulfs you,cometh the flag hoisting hour.
The soldiers do a march of friendship.But believe you me,each step of the march has the soldier's heart and soul in it,letting his arch-rival know he means business.It moves you.If this is called patriotism,I would love to have some of it.
6)Kulu-Manali:Switzerland they say is beautiful..Is it Manali-esque I ask..
If yes I would love to see it.
Located 12 hours from Dilli,it is simply the most beautiful place I have seen in Swades.
Rohtang Pass,Hadimba Temple are among the places to visit here.I remember the scenery from my hotel room like yesterday.
It was straight out of a dream sequence in a Hindi movie.
7)Mysore Palace:
Call it partiality or what have you.My birthplace has to feature in the list :)
The land of the Wodeyars is a magnificent place to visit.
Located close to the city's Devraj Urs road and Sayyaji Rao road is the city's palace.
It is a resplendent and simply irresistable setting under lights.The reaction in the crowd when the lights are turned on is a great moment.You are stunned for a minute with its beauty.
The Chamundi betta,Planet-X,Lalitmahal Palace and KRS make up for a perfect weekend plan.
Not to forget the thrill-a-minute Infosys campus located in Hebbal..A must see this one
These are some of the many gems I have seen in India..
Yes there are traffic jams,yes there are small stretches of roads amidst the huge ensemble of potholes and other things of orderly disorder.
But I believe in the phrase,"Give credit where it is due".
These places make up the aura of the land.
Dazzling and Riveting India.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Phrases reloaded!!
'Phrases' (my earlier blog) was one of the experiments that I always wanted to try out.They say "never change a winning team(till it loses)",so me will take a chance again.
CRICKET:
1)Sunil Gavaskar-- Partiality is my motto in life..Tendulkar rocks!!
2)Ravi Shastri-- Show me the money,babeh..
3)Sachin Tendulkar(SRT)--Legend..Drop me for the finals of each tournament,I never play when my team needs me.
4)Sourav Ganguly-- Great leader,impartial..Plays to the gallery and is a great actor too.. :)
5)Rahul Dravid--Probably India's greatest batsman ever. I can't captain for nuts..Who was supposed to bowl the 31st over Mr.Chappell,tel me fast.. And yes he is way better than SRT..
6)Ajit Agarkar--Definition of liability..Dont waste a bullet on him.
7)Harbhajan Singh--These days the only flight in my vocabulary is Cathay Pacific,British Airways and Lufthansa..Flighting the ball anyone??
8)Anil Kumble-- India's greatest test match bowler..Has a circle named after him on the distinguished MG Road in that great land..What else does one want?? Huh..
9)Ricky Ponting--I am sick and tired of winning world cups. But I will win 1 more..
10)Muttaih Muralitharan--Chucker..Great chucker by the way..
11)Shane Warne--The game's greatest slow bowler ever.
12)Brian Lara--More talented than SRT..Better?? NO..Not as consistent..Finals excluded :)
13)Greg Chappell-- Great as a player..Horrible as coach...Disgusting psychopath with priorities in the wrong place.. Sucked even as coach of South Australia..
14)Shahid Afridi-- If he is 27,Pakistan is bigger than India, in size..
15)Maninder Singh--Now I know why u were always hyper active..Cocaine,Ganja et al huh??
16)Bishan Singh Bedi-- I dont care a rat's a%# on what u have to say on people and cricket...U are a disgusting,arrogant,filthy moron..
TENNIS:
1)Pete Sampras-- Greatest player I have ever seen though he wasn't exactly a genius on clay..Fought vs amazing contemporaries..It was genius vs men not genius vs the boys as in (2)
2)Roger Federer-- More talented than pete..But not better..Huffs and puffs in a five setter cos he hasnt seen many against these children..
3)Andre Agassi-- Superb player..Was born in the Sampras era..Despite his bravura feats wil always be Mr Steffi Graf and that's sheerly out of respect for Steffi..
4)Williams sisters--Power play..Slam bang...Is this the ladies game at all??
5)Richard Williams(their dad)--Nut case..
6)Maria Sharapova--Oomph and substance..Package deal..
7)Paes-Bhupathi--A potentially great combination that went awfully awry..Shame that egos took precedence over country..Indian sport's darkest chapter..
CRICKET ON TV:
1)Harsha Bhogle-- Great knowledge..Yours truly owes a lot to one of his articles in the Sportstar in April 1998..Awe inspiring writer...
2)Charu Sharma-- Super TV person..Wil be unabashed in praise of this chap..But one suggestion.."Be bold da..We know u wanna flirt with Mandira".. :)
3)Mandira Bedi--Actual cricketing lingo from a lady is truly refreshing..Has come a long way looks wise from the gawky young lady in DDLJ..
4)Ruby Bhatia-- Is my make up ok?? By the way who is the captain of this team??
5)Kris Srikkanth--Macha speak in tamil..I can understand..
POLITICOS PART2:
1)HD Kumaraswamy--No english me..Only kannada..Me son of Devegowda..
2)Chandrababu Naidu-- Hyderabad is the hen that lays the golden eggs.. Rest can wait..
3)SM Krishna- Bangalore..
4)APJ Abdul Kalam--Finally someone whom we can(or wil it be could??) call President..Hats off Kalam sahab.
5)Jawaharlal Nehru--Flirt..Actually a lot more than that..Lady Mountbatten anyone??Unfortunately his name is the second that pops up when we talk abt freedom fighters..Gandhi,Nehru blah blah...Bhagat Singh,Patel,Tilak,Azad anyone??
6)MGR,Rajiv Gandhi-- A disgrace to the coveted Bharat Ratna..Puhleezzz..Gimme a break...
7)NTR-- 2 rupees a kilo rice mythologically...
8)Sardar Patel--India's nearly,very nearly man..Might have been the boost we needed early on..
9)MK Gandhi--Epitome of simple living..Is he a mahatma?? Thats debatable.
10)Bhagat Singh-- Forgotten hero..A martyr in the truest sense of the word.. I salute the man..
11)Toady,Sycophant,Servile flatterer,Boot licker--Rajiv Shukla..
12)Jagmohan Dalmiya-- Kaam bhi bahut achhi tarah karoonga aur jhol jhaal bhi..
Will keep options open for the third part of the trilogy..Cheers :)
CRICKET:
1)Sunil Gavaskar-- Partiality is my motto in life..Tendulkar rocks!!
2)Ravi Shastri-- Show me the money,babeh..
3)Sachin Tendulkar(SRT)--Legend..Drop me for the finals of each tournament,I never play when my team needs me.
4)Sourav Ganguly-- Great leader,impartial..Plays to the gallery and is a great actor too.. :)
5)Rahul Dravid--Probably India's greatest batsman ever. I can't captain for nuts..Who was supposed to bowl the 31st over Mr.Chappell,tel me fast.. And yes he is way better than SRT..
6)Ajit Agarkar--Definition of liability..Dont waste a bullet on him.
7)Harbhajan Singh--These days the only flight in my vocabulary is Cathay Pacific,British Airways and Lufthansa..Flighting the ball anyone??
8)Anil Kumble-- India's greatest test match bowler..Has a circle named after him on the distinguished MG Road in that great land..What else does one want?? Huh..
9)Ricky Ponting--I am sick and tired of winning world cups. But I will win 1 more..
10)Muttaih Muralitharan--Chucker..Great chucker by the way..
11)Shane Warne--The game's greatest slow bowler ever.
12)Brian Lara--More talented than SRT..Better?? NO..Not as consistent..Finals excluded :)
13)Greg Chappell-- Great as a player..Horrible as coach...Disgusting psychopath with priorities in the wrong place.. Sucked even as coach of South Australia..
14)Shahid Afridi-- If he is 27,Pakistan is bigger than India, in size..
15)Maninder Singh--Now I know why u were always hyper active..Cocaine,Ganja et al huh??
16)Bishan Singh Bedi-- I dont care a rat's a%# on what u have to say on people and cricket...U are a disgusting,arrogant,filthy moron..
TENNIS:
1)Pete Sampras-- Greatest player I have ever seen though he wasn't exactly a genius on clay..Fought vs amazing contemporaries..It was genius vs men not genius vs the boys as in (2)
2)Roger Federer-- More talented than pete..But not better..Huffs and puffs in a five setter cos he hasnt seen many against these children..
3)Andre Agassi-- Superb player..Was born in the Sampras era..Despite his bravura feats wil always be Mr Steffi Graf and that's sheerly out of respect for Steffi..
4)Williams sisters--Power play..Slam bang...Is this the ladies game at all??
5)Richard Williams(their dad)--Nut case..
6)Maria Sharapova--Oomph and substance..Package deal..
7)Paes-Bhupathi--A potentially great combination that went awfully awry..Shame that egos took precedence over country..Indian sport's darkest chapter..
CRICKET ON TV:
1)Harsha Bhogle-- Great knowledge..Yours truly owes a lot to one of his articles in the Sportstar in April 1998..Awe inspiring writer...
2)Charu Sharma-- Super TV person..Wil be unabashed in praise of this chap..But one suggestion.."Be bold da..We know u wanna flirt with Mandira".. :)
3)Mandira Bedi--Actual cricketing lingo from a lady is truly refreshing..Has come a long way looks wise from the gawky young lady in DDLJ..
4)Ruby Bhatia-- Is my make up ok?? By the way who is the captain of this team??
5)Kris Srikkanth--Macha speak in tamil..I can understand..
POLITICOS PART2:
1)HD Kumaraswamy--No english me..Only kannada..Me son of Devegowda..
2)Chandrababu Naidu-- Hyderabad is the hen that lays the golden eggs.. Rest can wait..
3)SM Krishna- Bangalore..
4)APJ Abdul Kalam--Finally someone whom we can(or wil it be could??) call President..Hats off Kalam sahab.
5)Jawaharlal Nehru--Flirt..Actually a lot more than that..Lady Mountbatten anyone??Unfortunately his name is the second that pops up when we talk abt freedom fighters..Gandhi,Nehru blah blah...Bhagat Singh,Patel,Tilak,Azad anyone??
6)MGR,Rajiv Gandhi-- A disgrace to the coveted Bharat Ratna..Puhleezzz..Gimme a break...
7)NTR-- 2 rupees a kilo rice mythologically...
8)Sardar Patel--India's nearly,very nearly man..Might have been the boost we needed early on..
9)MK Gandhi--Epitome of simple living..Is he a mahatma?? Thats debatable.
10)Bhagat Singh-- Forgotten hero..A martyr in the truest sense of the word.. I salute the man..
11)Toady,Sycophant,Servile flatterer,Boot licker--Rajiv Shukla..
12)Jagmohan Dalmiya-- Kaam bhi bahut achhi tarah karoonga aur jhol jhaal bhi..
Will keep options open for the third part of the trilogy..Cheers :)
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Phrases..
As I started thinking and pondering and wondering abt the topic for my next blog,got a gut feel that I should try something entirely different,instead of the routine run of the mill articles that people churn out day in and day out and expect people to comment.This one might fall flat on the face or hit the jackpot..I am prepared to gamble this time.. :)
Coming back to the topic,I thought why not describe many of the celebrities that I know in a sentence or less...It could either be a first impression or the first thing that comes to your mind when u think of these people...I wil cover desi celebs this time...
Here goes:
POLITICIANS (Political leader is an utter misnomer..I dont believe in that phrase)
1) Dr.Manmohan Singh-- Man of integrity.. Economist par excellence..A thinker..PM??? nah...
2)Atal Behari Vajpayee-- Along with LB Shastri,one of the few politicians(call him a leader,I am fine with that) I doff my hat off to.
3)LK Advani-- Hardliner...Dude take a chill pill...We are all Indians for God's sake...
4)Laloo Yadav-- Joker....Entertainer..
5)Sonia Gandhi-- A Mrs..G in the making..
6)Jayalalithaa-- Dictator...Period
7)Karunanidhi--This is my last election..
8)Pramod Mahajan,Rajesh Pilot,Madhav Rao Scindia,Ranga Kumaramangalam-- India's future..Sadly curbed by cruel twists of fate..
9)Praveen Togadia--Need such people to counter Karan Thapar and Prabhu Chawla..
10)Dharam Singh-- Who is he?
11)HD Devegowda-- Ex PM..No qualification needed for the post...
TV WORLD:
1)Prannoy Roy-- God of indian news..Pro. Never searching for a word...
2)Rajdeep Sardesai-- A dynamic Prannoy...Great for TV
3)Barkha Dutt-- Hype (she is good but she aint no saviour)
4)Nidhi Razdan-- Sexy..
5)Vishnu Som --Stop flirting with Nidhi mate...She is married :)
6)Prabhu Chawla-- Dude u suck...
7)Karan Thapar-- I know to make people cry..Ask Kapil Dev Nikhanj..If this guy has to be punished, ask him questions til he cries..
8)Ram Jethmalani-- Side effects of BP
9)Aaj tak-- Breaking news that breaks out every minute
10)Udaya TV-- Change the channel
FILM WORLD:
1)Amitabh Bachhan- Indian cinema's greatest actor.ever...If not him then who..Tel me .
2)SRK--Wil do anything for cash..Super actor when director is at the helm(read Swades)..
When jokers direct him,he plays SRK on screen as well..:)
3)Aamir Khan-- Hindi cinema's version of Kamal sir...Not as good yet but may get there one day.
4)Karan Johar-Something's seriously wrong...Stick to TV..U aint no director..
5)Dr Rajkumar-- Biggest influence in Kannada cinema..LEGEND
6)Raghavendra Rajkumar-- Biggest mistake of Kannada cinema
7)Shankar Nag-- Maestro of Malgudi..
8)Anant Nag-- Truly great entertainer..
9)Rajnikanth-- Superstar..Leave ur brains at home..
10)Kamal Hassan-- Genius..In the top 5 actors ever in indian cinema
11)Paresh Rawal-- The definition of the word actor is him..
12)Om puri-- Great voice..Greater actor.
13)Vidya Balan-Ethereal beauty
14)Rakhi Sawant-- No comments..This is a family blog..:)
15)AR Rahman-- Flawed genius. Too much of hype..We need more Roobaroo's macha not the Rukhi Sukhi rotis .
16)Sonu Nigam--Mimic par excellence...
17)Aishwarya Rai-- U settled down finally..Aunty..:)
This is a precursor....More coming up in the next blog...:)
Coming back to the topic,I thought why not describe many of the celebrities that I know in a sentence or less...It could either be a first impression or the first thing that comes to your mind when u think of these people...I wil cover desi celebs this time...
Here goes:
POLITICIANS (Political leader is an utter misnomer..I dont believe in that phrase)
1) Dr.Manmohan Singh-- Man of integrity.. Economist par excellence..A thinker..PM??? nah...
2)Atal Behari Vajpayee-- Along with LB Shastri,one of the few politicians(call him a leader,I am fine with that) I doff my hat off to.
3)LK Advani-- Hardliner...Dude take a chill pill...We are all Indians for God's sake...
4)Laloo Yadav-- Joker....Entertainer..
5)Sonia Gandhi-- A Mrs..G in the making..
6)Jayalalithaa-- Dictator...Period
7)Karunanidhi--This is my last election..
8)Pramod Mahajan,Rajesh Pilot,Madhav Rao Scindia,Ranga Kumaramangalam-- India's future..Sadly curbed by cruel twists of fate..
9)Praveen Togadia--Need such people to counter Karan Thapar and Prabhu Chawla..
10)Dharam Singh-- Who is he?
11)HD Devegowda-- Ex PM..No qualification needed for the post...
TV WORLD:
1)Prannoy Roy-- God of indian news..Pro. Never searching for a word...
2)Rajdeep Sardesai-- A dynamic Prannoy...Great for TV
3)Barkha Dutt-- Hype (she is good but she aint no saviour)
4)Nidhi Razdan-- Sexy..
5)Vishnu Som --Stop flirting with Nidhi mate...She is married :)
6)Prabhu Chawla-- Dude u suck...
7)Karan Thapar-- I know to make people cry..Ask Kapil Dev Nikhanj..If this guy has to be punished, ask him questions til he cries..
8)Ram Jethmalani-- Side effects of BP
9)Aaj tak-- Breaking news that breaks out every minute
10)Udaya TV-- Change the channel
FILM WORLD:
1)Amitabh Bachhan- Indian cinema's greatest actor.ever...If not him then who..Tel me .
2)SRK--Wil do anything for cash..Super actor when director is at the helm(read Swades)..
When jokers direct him,he plays SRK on screen as well..:)
3)Aamir Khan-- Hindi cinema's version of Kamal sir...Not as good yet but may get there one day.
4)Karan Johar-Something's seriously wrong...Stick to TV..U aint no director..
5)Dr Rajkumar-- Biggest influence in Kannada cinema..LEGEND
6)Raghavendra Rajkumar-- Biggest mistake of Kannada cinema
7)Shankar Nag-- Maestro of Malgudi..
8)Anant Nag-- Truly great entertainer..
9)Rajnikanth-- Superstar..Leave ur brains at home..
10)Kamal Hassan-- Genius..In the top 5 actors ever in indian cinema
11)Paresh Rawal-- The definition of the word actor is him..
12)Om puri-- Great voice..Greater actor.
13)Vidya Balan-Ethereal beauty
14)Rakhi Sawant-- No comments..This is a family blog..:)
15)AR Rahman-- Flawed genius. Too much of hype..We need more Roobaroo's macha not the Rukhi Sukhi rotis .
16)Sonu Nigam--Mimic par excellence...
17)Aishwarya Rai-- U settled down finally..Aunty..:)
This is a precursor....More coming up in the next blog...:)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
MAL-GOODY DAYS
Saas bahu sagas...Soap operas...A lady casting an evil eye on another lady..Jealousy..A clandestine affair...A cover up..A murder for property or gain..An irate household disowning the person involved...A bahu becoming a baa..Generation leaps..Glycerine... Bitching....(Each of these things wil start with K)... Kyun ki baa bhi kabhi beti thi...Kyun ki hum sab pagal hain...Gosh.............
This sadly is the symbol of new age India.The modern India..The India of the 2000s..Dr Kalam says by 2020,India should be a superpower.I am sure he is unaware of the going ons in the TV and entertainment world..Cos these are making India move,rather run in the opposite direction...
You have these very well educated, sophisticated housewives(and others) of the modern day,who stay in these posh houses in metropolitan and new age India, shedding tears on some bullcrap serial and a godforsaken character rather than contributing in someway or the other objectively..The mind is rotting..Creativity is a word that exists only in the dictionary these days...We will all agree that India is shining..Definitely more lustrous than the India of the 1980s and the early 1990s.But is the shine going to stay..Or is this surfacial and artificial??
A look back to the olden days reveals a striking difference..India wasnt shining as much,if at all..It was still in the infant stage of improvement and development..But what was being telecast on TV,generally the pulse of the nation at any time, was of an entirely different class..
The story of the pandavas and the kauravas,the epitome of courage and sacrifice,The legendary Mahabharatha...
The story of the great Sri rama and the peerless Matha Seetha warding off the threat of the monster Ravana... It was the ultimate story of victory of truth over lies, good over evil and the perfect lesson in morals and virtues..
The story of a cherubic town that can be located anywhere in Southern India and the simplicity yet magnanimous nature of its innocent and distinct characters...The Malgudi days...
The simple story of a household in the india of the 1980s..Hum Log..
These are some of the many classics that the public followed..
Each day people ran home from work and postponed all possible useless activities so that they could follow their story..Will karna be humbled by the brilliance of Sri Krishna? Wil ashwathama be brought down to his knees by yet another stroke of genius...
Will swami be beaten up by his dad and mom for his notorious yet lovable activities with his friends..Wil jagan accept his firangi daughter in law in Malgudi.. This was clean entertainment..May not be socially relevant in some cases,but it wasn't something that pulverised the mind, day in and day out..It definitely did not impede learning...There was a small moral that you could take home daily...There was a small trait that could be imbibed each day to make yourself a better person...There wasnt this bitching that we see nowadays where a lady is almost everytime the vamp in a designer saree and out to wreck the family...
I personally feel that our minds wil be cleansed either if we stop watching this crap or still better if these serials are never made..I am sure none of these two will happen..The latter because it is the bread winner for the production houses,winning them TRPs and raking in the moolah and the former because of the TINA(there is no alternative) factor for the viewing public...
People,grow up.
I only hope that after all the India 2020 vision, Saas bahu serials are not being tuned into at Rashtrapathi Bhavan...That's the least we can expect...
Incidentally, K also stands for kalam sahab :)
This sadly is the symbol of new age India.The modern India..The India of the 2000s..Dr Kalam says by 2020,India should be a superpower.I am sure he is unaware of the going ons in the TV and entertainment world..Cos these are making India move,rather run in the opposite direction...
You have these very well educated, sophisticated housewives(and others) of the modern day,who stay in these posh houses in metropolitan and new age India, shedding tears on some bullcrap serial and a godforsaken character rather than contributing in someway or the other objectively..The mind is rotting..Creativity is a word that exists only in the dictionary these days...We will all agree that India is shining..Definitely more lustrous than the India of the 1980s and the early 1990s.But is the shine going to stay..Or is this surfacial and artificial??
A look back to the olden days reveals a striking difference..India wasnt shining as much,if at all..It was still in the infant stage of improvement and development..But what was being telecast on TV,generally the pulse of the nation at any time, was of an entirely different class..
The story of the pandavas and the kauravas,the epitome of courage and sacrifice,The legendary Mahabharatha...
The story of the great Sri rama and the peerless Matha Seetha warding off the threat of the monster Ravana... It was the ultimate story of victory of truth over lies, good over evil and the perfect lesson in morals and virtues..
The story of a cherubic town that can be located anywhere in Southern India and the simplicity yet magnanimous nature of its innocent and distinct characters...The Malgudi days...
The simple story of a household in the india of the 1980s..Hum Log..
These are some of the many classics that the public followed..
Each day people ran home from work and postponed all possible useless activities so that they could follow their story..Will karna be humbled by the brilliance of Sri Krishna? Wil ashwathama be brought down to his knees by yet another stroke of genius...
Will swami be beaten up by his dad and mom for his notorious yet lovable activities with his friends..Wil jagan accept his firangi daughter in law in Malgudi.. This was clean entertainment..May not be socially relevant in some cases,but it wasn't something that pulverised the mind, day in and day out..It definitely did not impede learning...There was a small moral that you could take home daily...There was a small trait that could be imbibed each day to make yourself a better person...There wasnt this bitching that we see nowadays where a lady is almost everytime the vamp in a designer saree and out to wreck the family...
I personally feel that our minds wil be cleansed either if we stop watching this crap or still better if these serials are never made..I am sure none of these two will happen..The latter because it is the bread winner for the production houses,winning them TRPs and raking in the moolah and the former because of the TINA(there is no alternative) factor for the viewing public...
People,grow up.
I only hope that after all the India 2020 vision, Saas bahu serials are not being tuned into at Rashtrapathi Bhavan...That's the least we can expect...
Incidentally, K also stands for kalam sahab :)
Monday, January 22, 2007
STATE(S) OF MIND...
It was a chaotic morning on airport road when I packed my bags from my hometown,Bangalore for my higher studies in the United states
I reached the airport in time and after a warm hug to all my closest buddies and also one to my uncle,I went in to check in my baggage and was promptly fined for excess baggage(the entire JP nagar was in my bag so this was expected!!!!).After shelling out a fortune I took off to Delhi but I couldnt take my eyes off Bangalore till the last moment and I mean it :)
After spending 10 hrs in dilli in the unbelievably cold climate(I was shivering with a monkey cap on!!!).. I left by the early morning flight to london.London was really cold I heard but I never stepped on British land.After 5 hours in heathrow airport where I felt as confused as a rabbit in the headlights,I got ready to board the flight to phoenix.It was a long haul,one of 10 hours.I was happy that I was going to the united states for the first time(as everyone would be),but I couldnt but think anyless of the place I had just left.Call it whatever u want,obsession maybe.It is an emotion that everyone feels when they leave home for greener pastures,I guess.
I soon landed in phoenix at the Sky Harbor airport(and was welcomed by real cold weather,it was deja vu..) and to study in one of the US's premier institutes,Arizona State University in Tempe,about 25 mins drive from the state capital,Phoenix.I was lucky that my cousin resides here,so the initial homesickness was dealt with comfortably and I felt still at home.After a phone call to my folks back home,I felt normal again.
It took 5 days for me and my friends to find a house here and we moved in on the 6th day to a 2 bed room apartment.I realised when I moved in to a house,how difficult it is to set up one on our own without help from the elder folks.Here everything had to be done by us,including that priceless art form called cooking and I knew it would be a challenge.It will continue to be..
My university is a 10 min walk from my room and I was told that it is best to purchase a "Bike",no not bajaj pulser,but our very own do-pahiya cycle(cykil in kannada :)).I immediately did buy one .People think about life in the US as a luxurious one,with all the facilities thrown in for good measure,but for a student it exactly isnt one ,surely not at the very start.
Surely a demotion from TVS victor to a cycle is not luxury,so isn't sitting in the room on the carpet(for the time being) without furniture,without tv,computer,internet and phone.It is a hard grind,but I love challenges.As they say,it is all a matter of time :)
Arizona's(state where I stay) climate is the best in the US during winters(its like delhi),but atrocious during summers(ala rajasthan).My university is the second largest in terms of student population in the US,almost catering to a 50ooo students.The building is also a tone down version of the royal and regal campuses in Infosys,India.This is more of the traditional variety,grandiose nevertheless.
Here the eye always is on the look out for indians,'desis' in the local lingo.There used to be a hazaar ones around me in Bangalore,but here the number is 800(in my university), so it is a very close finish :)
I have seen desis here giving each other a smile,almost a sheepish one(though seeing each other for the first time),as if to say "tu bhi aa gaya kya bete". :)
One lesson that everyone learns when they leave India is that "rupee" works only in India and in the US it is dollars.Strange?? No..I mean you cannot survive here if you convert your expenditure to rupees. For example a good chicken burger is 60 rupees but here cheese chicken burger(cheese seems compulsory herefor the locals,but desis like us desis-t it!!!!) is about 5 dollars or so. 230 Rupeeeesa???? No buddies it is just 5 dollars.(Conversion works when you come back to India.So hold on till the semester breaks:))
I know this is the place I will be in for the next few years and so the mind has now adjusted accordingly.It will be the same with whoever leaves India.It will take time to adjust,may be 1 to 2 weeks... :) The traffic follows rules here(they dont in India),everything seems so systematic unlike the mostly haphazard setting in India.But does that mean this is better? Well you can make your head change its thoughts,but the heart will do its own thing always.
As I write this listening to a few select kannada songs on the internet and having had a good voice chat with my buddies in the morning,I miss home yes.But thanks to internet it is not as bad as it used to be,I am sure.
And yes I do make it a point to catch a bangalorean and speak to him ONLY in kannada because I feel like I am in Jayanagar then rather than university drive in tempe. :)
US rocks,but india is the best,anyday(and this wont change for me,forever:) )
Guys who are planning to leave india in the next few years,do make sure that you enjoy your time out there instead of the uncontrollably bad cribbing that goes on "is desh ka kya hoga" and all that bullshit. And guys home food is the best always.Trust me you will find it out when you eat your own cooked food :)
Keep the desi flag flying high and by the way
Navaduva nudiye kannada nudi.. :)
I reached the airport in time and after a warm hug to all my closest buddies and also one to my uncle,I went in to check in my baggage and was promptly fined for excess baggage(the entire JP nagar was in my bag so this was expected!!!!).After shelling out a fortune I took off to Delhi but I couldnt take my eyes off Bangalore till the last moment and I mean it :)
After spending 10 hrs in dilli in the unbelievably cold climate(I was shivering with a monkey cap on!!!).. I left by the early morning flight to london.London was really cold I heard but I never stepped on British land.After 5 hours in heathrow airport where I felt as confused as a rabbit in the headlights,I got ready to board the flight to phoenix.It was a long haul,one of 10 hours.I was happy that I was going to the united states for the first time(as everyone would be),but I couldnt but think anyless of the place I had just left.Call it whatever u want,obsession maybe.It is an emotion that everyone feels when they leave home for greener pastures,I guess.
I soon landed in phoenix at the Sky Harbor airport(and was welcomed by real cold weather,it was deja vu..) and to study in one of the US's premier institutes,Arizona State University in Tempe,about 25 mins drive from the state capital,Phoenix.I was lucky that my cousin resides here,so the initial homesickness was dealt with comfortably and I felt still at home.After a phone call to my folks back home,I felt normal again.
It took 5 days for me and my friends to find a house here and we moved in on the 6th day to a 2 bed room apartment.I realised when I moved in to a house,how difficult it is to set up one on our own without help from the elder folks.Here everything had to be done by us,including that priceless art form called cooking and I knew it would be a challenge.It will continue to be..
My university is a 10 min walk from my room and I was told that it is best to purchase a "Bike",no not bajaj pulser,but our very own do-pahiya cycle(cykil in kannada :)).I immediately did buy one .People think about life in the US as a luxurious one,with all the facilities thrown in for good measure,but for a student it exactly isnt one ,surely not at the very start.
Surely a demotion from TVS victor to a cycle is not luxury,so isn't sitting in the room on the carpet(for the time being) without furniture,without tv,computer,internet and phone.It is a hard grind,but I love challenges.As they say,it is all a matter of time :)
Arizona's(state where I stay) climate is the best in the US during winters(its like delhi),but atrocious during summers(ala rajasthan).My university is the second largest in terms of student population in the US,almost catering to a 50ooo students.The building is also a tone down version of the royal and regal campuses in Infosys,India.This is more of the traditional variety,grandiose nevertheless.
Here the eye always is on the look out for indians,'desis' in the local lingo.There used to be a hazaar ones around me in Bangalore,but here the number is 800(in my university), so it is a very close finish :)
I have seen desis here giving each other a smile,almost a sheepish one(though seeing each other for the first time),as if to say "tu bhi aa gaya kya bete". :)
One lesson that everyone learns when they leave India is that "rupee" works only in India and in the US it is dollars.Strange?? No..I mean you cannot survive here if you convert your expenditure to rupees. For example a good chicken burger is 60 rupees but here cheese chicken burger(cheese seems compulsory herefor the locals,but desis like us desis-t it!!!!) is about 5 dollars or so. 230 Rupeeeesa???? No buddies it is just 5 dollars.(Conversion works when you come back to India.So hold on till the semester breaks:))
I know this is the place I will be in for the next few years and so the mind has now adjusted accordingly.It will be the same with whoever leaves India.It will take time to adjust,may be 1 to 2 weeks... :) The traffic follows rules here(they dont in India),everything seems so systematic unlike the mostly haphazard setting in India.But does that mean this is better? Well you can make your head change its thoughts,but the heart will do its own thing always.
As I write this listening to a few select kannada songs on the internet and having had a good voice chat with my buddies in the morning,I miss home yes.But thanks to internet it is not as bad as it used to be,I am sure.
And yes I do make it a point to catch a bangalorean and speak to him ONLY in kannada because I feel like I am in Jayanagar then rather than university drive in tempe. :)
US rocks,but india is the best,anyday(and this wont change for me,forever:) )
Guys who are planning to leave india in the next few years,do make sure that you enjoy your time out there instead of the uncontrollably bad cribbing that goes on "is desh ka kya hoga" and all that bullshit. And guys home food is the best always.Trust me you will find it out when you eat your own cooked food :)
Keep the desi flag flying high and by the way
Navaduva nudiye kannada nudi.. :)
Thursday, November 23, 2006
MIDDLE CLASS MESSIAH
It was a boring weekend when I rented out the DVD of BAWARCHI starring Rajesh Khanna.It was the nth time I was watching this classic, yet I was glued to the television set,like I had never seen it before. There were some thoughts that crossed my mind,when I saw the careful,soul stirring treatment meted out to each scene and the impeccable attention to detail.
My mind then scanned back to other movies from the same decade and I arrived at the common denominator.It was Hrishikesh Mukherjee,the director of the film,popularly known as Hrishi da,by one and all. I realised that as a person born in the 1980s, I would not have consumed this diet of films if I was not a film buff like I actually am. I realised that many from my generation would not be aware of the brain and the genius of the man behind these epics. Hence this article.
There were 3 clear milestones in Hrishi da's career graph. The pre ANAND era,the ANAND era and the last one was his waterloo.
The films from the pre ANAND era are not ones which I have watched,so I cant comment. However the other 2 eras are ones where I am a little qualified to comment.
The second era started with ANAND. The story of a dying man living the last few days of his life with an infectious smile,with the heart of a lion appealed to one and all. It was to be his best piece of work,a master piece. Look out for the scene where Rajesh's character dies and the cassette in the player calls out "Babu Moshai".Little piece of brilliance that.
The other movies in this era comprised of Namak Haram which pitted Amitji and Rajesh, the legendary Chupke Chupke, which made an adoring husband into a driver to impress his wife's jeejaji,a young girl's infatuation for her favorite film star memorably captured in GUDDI, a female version of ANAND in MILI, the best comedy I have seen in Indian cinema,the flawless GOLMAL and the natkhat and chulbuli KHUBSOORAT.
If I look at all these films with the microscope,I find that all of them had the same backdrop. The big lower middle class joint families of the 80s.This is something I found easier to connect with rather than the opulence of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's DEVDAS or any other modern movie. The ambience had an I-have-seen-this-before-and-I-know-this kinda feeling.
These films were thought provoking,each one of them having a message embedded amidst the magical moments. They compelled the common man to take cognizance of the issues faced by his ilk.These films will be timeless,because as they say you should never forget your roots.
His waterloo came with the rise of Amitabh Bachhan and films became more hero centric,the character actors started playing the support role.The family theme of Hrishida was considered obsolete by the then producers,but hell it was to be Indian cinema's loss. Hrishi da couldnt master this genre and all but faded into oblivion.His last film in the 90s was a shocker,but then at the age of 80,you cant fight age,generation and your contemporaries.
Hrishida, I feel will be judged by the ANAND era which reinforced that family movies were still the in thing and the feel good factor was still prevalent.
Undeniably,one of the greatest directors in Indian cinema, I salute Hrishi da.
Adieu sir and thanks for those everlasting and influential memories. :)
My mind then scanned back to other movies from the same decade and I arrived at the common denominator.It was Hrishikesh Mukherjee,the director of the film,popularly known as Hrishi da,by one and all. I realised that as a person born in the 1980s, I would not have consumed this diet of films if I was not a film buff like I actually am. I realised that many from my generation would not be aware of the brain and the genius of the man behind these epics. Hence this article.
There were 3 clear milestones in Hrishi da's career graph. The pre ANAND era,the ANAND era and the last one was his waterloo.
The films from the pre ANAND era are not ones which I have watched,so I cant comment. However the other 2 eras are ones where I am a little qualified to comment.
The second era started with ANAND. The story of a dying man living the last few days of his life with an infectious smile,with the heart of a lion appealed to one and all. It was to be his best piece of work,a master piece. Look out for the scene where Rajesh's character dies and the cassette in the player calls out "Babu Moshai".Little piece of brilliance that.
The other movies in this era comprised of Namak Haram which pitted Amitji and Rajesh, the legendary Chupke Chupke, which made an adoring husband into a driver to impress his wife's jeejaji,a young girl's infatuation for her favorite film star memorably captured in GUDDI, a female version of ANAND in MILI, the best comedy I have seen in Indian cinema,the flawless GOLMAL and the natkhat and chulbuli KHUBSOORAT.
If I look at all these films with the microscope,I find that all of them had the same backdrop. The big lower middle class joint families of the 80s.This is something I found easier to connect with rather than the opulence of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's DEVDAS or any other modern movie. The ambience had an I-have-seen-this-before-and-I-know-this kinda feeling.
These films were thought provoking,each one of them having a message embedded amidst the magical moments. They compelled the common man to take cognizance of the issues faced by his ilk.These films will be timeless,because as they say you should never forget your roots.
His waterloo came with the rise of Amitabh Bachhan and films became more hero centric,the character actors started playing the support role.The family theme of Hrishida was considered obsolete by the then producers,but hell it was to be Indian cinema's loss. Hrishi da couldnt master this genre and all but faded into oblivion.His last film in the 90s was a shocker,but then at the age of 80,you cant fight age,generation and your contemporaries.
Hrishida, I feel will be judged by the ANAND era which reinforced that family movies were still the in thing and the feel good factor was still prevalent.
Undeniably,one of the greatest directors in Indian cinema, I salute Hrishi da.
Adieu sir and thanks for those everlasting and influential memories. :)
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
DON(NING) A NEW AVATAR
As I rushed into Sanjaynagar's Vaibhav theatre first day first show to watch "Don" my mind ran amok with thoughts,among them were "Will SRK do justice to the role portrayed and brought to life so brilliantly by the Big B or will this movie turn out to be another also-ran in the list of remakes".
I was already 5 mins late and by the time I entered someone told me India's has-been and Bangladesh's superstar Chunky Pandey had come and gone.The first scene I saw was SRK playing golf(the poise in his pose would have made Tiger skip a heartbeat :)) and kills the guy whom he suspects is the spy and as it turns out he is on the button.The auditorium at this point in time is engulfed by whistles and all sort of animal sounds because DON has smelt blood and they have too.
I have seen the old DON atleast 5 times till last count and with each scene,till date, I wonder why the director Chandra Barot couldnt carve out another classic movie post DON.It was rivetting with a thrill- a-minute theme and boredom was as rare as a Federer loss.As I began to follow Farhan Akhtar's version I couldnt but observe the comparisons my mind was making.
The focus shifts to Kareena and her boyfriend and his sister Priyanka.My dil went "hmmm" at this point.Lucky boy I said.But was he really lucky? SRK kills him and throws his body into a "was-that-a-swimming-pool".
Kareena then tries to dance to the classic "Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana".Is that a remix, Shankar? Listening to this rehashed version Kalyanjibhai would have turned in his grave.
I heard a couple of friends yell "Hey she is obeseeeeeeeee da!!!!!" and they were dead right.Helenji was a dancer par excellence and the comparison was glaring.
After 2 mins,DON does the thing I was waiting for most,he kills Kareena's character and with it the audience breathes a sigh of relief.
Then begin the twists and the turns.Boman chases SRK and SRK becomes Vijay paan eater,Priyanka shows that she too can fight and the audience is fully into the movie.I am too.
The first half ends and when you have the wordings "INTERVAL" on the screen,there is a crucial twist to the tale and everybody is in love with the movie.With bated breath all await the second half.
When I saw that twist I said to myself "This will either make or mar this film.No two ways about it" and I hoped it would be the former.
But what follows after the interval is utmost disappointing fare.Farhan,for all his talent from DCH,shreds Barot's DON to pieces and tries to go his own route.I am sure even the biggest of SRK's fans must have felt let down by on-goings in the second half. Why Farhan why? No one would have blamed you for making a scene to scene remake.We had paid our money wanting it to be a good film,not necessarily a I-will-try-hatke-but-may-fail second half.
As I walked out of the theatre I felt that this was a movie which was right up there but disintegrated in front of our eyes in the second half.
Boman Irani as the inspector is brilliant.He matches the role played by Iftikhar in the original and dare I say it rises a notch above.
What one of India's finest actors Om Puri was doing in a tum-chor-ko-pakdo-main-dekhta-hoon kinda role I cant fathom.
Priyanka is good but Zeenat was better in the original and Helen's trance was streets ahead of Kareena's treadmill dance.
Now coming to the DON.
SRK,India's biggest superstar(not the best actor!!) tries his best to be the DON and succeeds to an extent.He tries to chew paan and dance to the "Khaike paan banaras" number but looks as clueless as Greg Chappell has been with the Indian team in the past 5 months.
When I begin to drive back home I realise why everyone idolises Amitabh Bachhan.I am one of his very ardent trillion fans and this film sorely misses him.SRK--well tried, but dude, there is no shame in coming second to India's greatest actor,he with the magnificent screen presence and the enchanting voice.
Don lives on and he is Amitji.
I was already 5 mins late and by the time I entered someone told me India's has-been and Bangladesh's superstar Chunky Pandey had come and gone.The first scene I saw was SRK playing golf(the poise in his pose would have made Tiger skip a heartbeat :)) and kills the guy whom he suspects is the spy and as it turns out he is on the button.The auditorium at this point in time is engulfed by whistles and all sort of animal sounds because DON has smelt blood and they have too.
I have seen the old DON atleast 5 times till last count and with each scene,till date, I wonder why the director Chandra Barot couldnt carve out another classic movie post DON.It was rivetting with a thrill- a-minute theme and boredom was as rare as a Federer loss.As I began to follow Farhan Akhtar's version I couldnt but observe the comparisons my mind was making.
The focus shifts to Kareena and her boyfriend and his sister Priyanka.My dil went "hmmm" at this point.Lucky boy I said.But was he really lucky? SRK kills him and throws his body into a "was-that-a-swimming-pool".
Kareena then tries to dance to the classic "Yeh mera dil pyar ka deewana".Is that a remix, Shankar? Listening to this rehashed version Kalyanjibhai would have turned in his grave.
I heard a couple of friends yell "Hey she is obeseeeeeeeee da!!!!!" and they were dead right.Helenji was a dancer par excellence and the comparison was glaring.
After 2 mins,DON does the thing I was waiting for most,he kills Kareena's character and with it the audience breathes a sigh of relief.
Then begin the twists and the turns.Boman chases SRK and SRK becomes Vijay paan eater,Priyanka shows that she too can fight and the audience is fully into the movie.I am too.
The first half ends and when you have the wordings "INTERVAL" on the screen,there is a crucial twist to the tale and everybody is in love with the movie.With bated breath all await the second half.
When I saw that twist I said to myself "This will either make or mar this film.No two ways about it" and I hoped it would be the former.
But what follows after the interval is utmost disappointing fare.Farhan,for all his talent from DCH,shreds Barot's DON to pieces and tries to go his own route.I am sure even the biggest of SRK's fans must have felt let down by on-goings in the second half. Why Farhan why? No one would have blamed you for making a scene to scene remake.We had paid our money wanting it to be a good film,not necessarily a I-will-try-hatke-but-may-fail second half.
As I walked out of the theatre I felt that this was a movie which was right up there but disintegrated in front of our eyes in the second half.
Boman Irani as the inspector is brilliant.He matches the role played by Iftikhar in the original and dare I say it rises a notch above.
What one of India's finest actors Om Puri was doing in a tum-chor-ko-pakdo-main-dekhta-hoon kinda role I cant fathom.
Priyanka is good but Zeenat was better in the original and Helen's trance was streets ahead of Kareena's treadmill dance.
Now coming to the DON.
SRK,India's biggest superstar(not the best actor!!) tries his best to be the DON and succeeds to an extent.He tries to chew paan and dance to the "Khaike paan banaras" number but looks as clueless as Greg Chappell has been with the Indian team in the past 5 months.
When I begin to drive back home I realise why everyone idolises Amitabh Bachhan.I am one of his very ardent trillion fans and this film sorely misses him.SRK--well tried, but dude, there is no shame in coming second to India's greatest actor,he with the magnificent screen presence and the enchanting voice.
Don lives on and he is Amitji.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
AL-MA MATER(S)
I thought it would be appropriate for my first ever blog to be about my college,the place where I picked up a few traits like street smartness,studying smart(and not hard) and knowing about the college-ki-murgi dal barabar syndrome.Love you BMS on that count.. :)
The journey began in 2001.I was confident that my CET rank would be somewhere in the 300s and that I would get an admit in Electronics in my dream college SJCE in mysore.But come the physics CET paper and life got screwed.I dint want to leave home for computer/info science in SJCE and decided I will do my engineering in Bangalore.Also I had made a decision that I will not take a payment seat.For a rank of 853,a seat in BMS or RV or PESIT was unthinkable because I was adamant about the evergreen branch of Electronics.
Suddenly someone told me that UVCE(University Visweswaraya College of Engineering) was a very good college,the oldest one at that.The name dint ring a bell to me but I was told that my uncle studied there long time ago. One call and a few parleys later,I still wasnt convinced whether I should indeed study there,because of the BU tag.
Come the first round of counselling and I was in two minds whether to choose UVCE or another college in south bangalore which a moron had told me was very good.It turned out that the particular college was not at all special and generally roped in people in hordes if they had a longshot ranking.
I made a tough decision that I will go to UVCE,located in the heart of this great city,Bangalore.
Now started the tough time.Whomever I met thought I was going to RVCE and not UVCE and when I told them it was UVCE,they were candid and went"UVCE na? adu bangalore university alva? adu chennagilla anta keliddini" and I went in my mind "nan karma.decision final aytu.innenu madakke agalla".As a parting repartee they tried to console me so as to think,saying that this was old news and may be its gotten better now. But the wounds were inflicted and the damage was done.
When I entered the college on 1st October 2001,my preconcieved notions were only justified.It was located in the heart of the city yes but the campus was sprawling and well maintained(pun intended).It looked like it was Visweswaraya's dream project and that they had not made any changes to it after he left mother earth. The windows were scary to say the least and antique to put it best.
2001 was a time when on campus placements were at the nadir and UVCE was known for its good placements being a government college.This was another decision that drove me to KR Circle.
Classes were about to begin that day and we had a cross section of people pouring in.The rich,poor,middle class,aunties,uncles,but strictly no eye candy.It felt strange after being in the midst of a glam crowd in my previous college in Mangalore.
As days went on and classes came and went,we got used to the sound of automobiles zooming past us when class was in full swing and it became a part of life almost.
Time passed by and when I turned around, I found many other people who were in the same boat,some worse off. As we formed a gang of our own and started cribbing about the college and consoling each other to study we began to realise that we were getting better.
The apathy of the college authorities,if taken in the literal sense was enough to drive you mad,but surprisingly it made us independent and we began to ignore the negative points.
There wasnt any spoon feeding going on and I have never learnt so much from discussion with peers.This was a new setup and it was slowly sinking in.
Then came the fun time.Bunking classes,eating food in a morose canteen,exploring all the movies in town,going to each others place for timepass were a part of the strict regimen.
The college was least bothered about us but we somehow thrived in the environ.It gave us a reason to smile,to enjoy,while at the same time remember that exams were serious business.
Internals were always fun time and for details have a look at
http://prometheus0611.blogspot.com/
in the internal matters section.
The icing on the cake was great placements in 6th and 7th semester where most of the eligible people got placed on campus,which reaffirmed our faith in our college.
The irony is that after we pass out of college,whenever I go to meet my friends on weekends,I see some strange faces whom I never saw in 2001-05 there.Before I continue they are indeed my classmates but only that their trips to college has increased manifold now, after passing out because they realise its importance now.
Before I get emotional on the subject,I would like to end this blog.
Hope it has made a small place in your hearts. :)
The journey began in 2001.I was confident that my CET rank would be somewhere in the 300s and that I would get an admit in Electronics in my dream college SJCE in mysore.But come the physics CET paper and life got screwed.I dint want to leave home for computer/info science in SJCE and decided I will do my engineering in Bangalore.Also I had made a decision that I will not take a payment seat.For a rank of 853,a seat in BMS or RV or PESIT was unthinkable because I was adamant about the evergreen branch of Electronics.
Suddenly someone told me that UVCE(University Visweswaraya College of Engineering) was a very good college,the oldest one at that.The name dint ring a bell to me but I was told that my uncle studied there long time ago. One call and a few parleys later,I still wasnt convinced whether I should indeed study there,because of the BU tag.
Come the first round of counselling and I was in two minds whether to choose UVCE or another college in south bangalore which a moron had told me was very good.It turned out that the particular college was not at all special and generally roped in people in hordes if they had a longshot ranking.
I made a tough decision that I will go to UVCE,located in the heart of this great city,Bangalore.
Now started the tough time.Whomever I met thought I was going to RVCE and not UVCE and when I told them it was UVCE,they were candid and went"UVCE na? adu bangalore university alva? adu chennagilla anta keliddini" and I went in my mind "nan karma.decision final aytu.innenu madakke agalla".As a parting repartee they tried to console me so as to think,saying that this was old news and may be its gotten better now. But the wounds were inflicted and the damage was done.
When I entered the college on 1st October 2001,my preconcieved notions were only justified.It was located in the heart of the city yes but the campus was sprawling and well maintained(pun intended).It looked like it was Visweswaraya's dream project and that they had not made any changes to it after he left mother earth. The windows were scary to say the least and antique to put it best.
2001 was a time when on campus placements were at the nadir and UVCE was known for its good placements being a government college.This was another decision that drove me to KR Circle.
Classes were about to begin that day and we had a cross section of people pouring in.The rich,poor,middle class,aunties,uncles,but strictly no eye candy.It felt strange after being in the midst of a glam crowd in my previous college in Mangalore.
As days went on and classes came and went,we got used to the sound of automobiles zooming past us when class was in full swing and it became a part of life almost.
Time passed by and when I turned around, I found many other people who were in the same boat,some worse off. As we formed a gang of our own and started cribbing about the college and consoling each other to study we began to realise that we were getting better.
The apathy of the college authorities,if taken in the literal sense was enough to drive you mad,but surprisingly it made us independent and we began to ignore the negative points.
There wasnt any spoon feeding going on and I have never learnt so much from discussion with peers.This was a new setup and it was slowly sinking in.
Then came the fun time.Bunking classes,eating food in a morose canteen,exploring all the movies in town,going to each others place for timepass were a part of the strict regimen.
The college was least bothered about us but we somehow thrived in the environ.It gave us a reason to smile,to enjoy,while at the same time remember that exams were serious business.
Internals were always fun time and for details have a look at
http://prometheus0611.blogspot.com/
in the internal matters section.
The icing on the cake was great placements in 6th and 7th semester where most of the eligible people got placed on campus,which reaffirmed our faith in our college.
The irony is that after we pass out of college,whenever I go to meet my friends on weekends,I see some strange faces whom I never saw in 2001-05 there.Before I continue they are indeed my classmates but only that their trips to college has increased manifold now, after passing out because they realise its importance now.
Before I get emotional on the subject,I would like to end this blog.
Hope it has made a small place in your hearts. :)
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