Where Solkar Dared !!

Traditionally Indians have always been bad fielders the only exceptions being MAK Pataudi, Ghulam Parkar ,Brijesh Patel who stood like a rock in the covers ,Mohd. Azharuddin at slip and Gully , Abid Ali at mid-on/mid wicket and to the recent Ajay Jadeja/ Yuvraj Singh at backward point.
All these fielders were exemplary and achieved accolades for their courageous attitude and daredevilry on the field. However all these positions were ‘’SAFE’’ and the chances of getting injured was negligible if not impossible.
People who have played cricket at a reasonable competitive level reckon the position of ‘’Forward Shortleg ‘’ as a suicidal position to be in for any fielder of any calibre. Once the ball leaves the bowler’s hands and it pitches on and around middle and leg it is the natural tendency of the batsmen to heave his bat either for a flick or a pull which is enough for the fielder at forward shortleg to take evasive action. Instinctively the fielder will try to save his face and groin for these are some of the most sensitive body parts prone to get hit and if you do get hit YOU STAY HIT!! Atleast while Playing gully cricket (that too with tennis and rubber balls)most of us –including me always avoided that position and opted for safer areas like the slip cordon or at best be the wicket keeper.
In the ‘’PRE-HELMET’’ era of the early 1970’s E.D.Solkar – Eknath Dondu Solkar played for India who created his own space and stood within handshaking distance of the batsmen. Mind you there were no shin guards to protect the knees from getting hit and it was left to providence and destiny if they were to survive any onslaught from the batsmen.
It is said that LEGENDS are BORN and NOT MADE.
Born in perpetual penury his father struggled to make ends meet by working as a groundsman at Hindu Gymkhana where a hut in the far corner was home to Eknath and his 5 siblings.
Clad in tattered clothes he used to fetch the cricket balls in a jiffy for the fielders from the boundary.
Drafted in the Indian team he was a complete utility player who could play at any position and also bowled medium pace and spin as per the situation.
He had a very good reflex further complemented with a hawk like eye- sight which made him a predator on the prowl at the most enviable but dangerous position.
He played 27 tests and took 53 catches which is a world record for the highest average per test- which comes to 1.96 catches per test (for all fielders except the wicket- keeper who have played a minimum 20 tests).
The first ever overseas victory over the West indies and England in 1971 was a team effort but his contribution in batting /fielding in those twin victories is still talked about in cricketing circles.
During a recent effort while launching the Eknath Solkar academy his erstwhile team mates had come to talk about his super human efforts his colleague and of his most dear friends BS Chandrashekar, was choked with emotion and could barely speak about the long and fruitful association of the duo who mesmerized batsmen with the scoreboard often reading: caught Solkar bowled Chandra . Solkar took some amazing catches of his bowling and many debated whether it was due to the exceptional ball or the unbelievable catch that was taken. He had the ability to catch the ball inches off the ground and often threw himself forward, sometimes landing at the batmen’s feet. In the later stages when batting form deserted him he was included in the side just for his fielding exploits justifying his abundant talent and skill.
India’s famous overseas Victories over the West indies and England in1971catapaulted him to be acknowledged as the best close in fielder in the World and some odd dropped catch made Headlines!
England batsmen like Allan Knott and Fletcher lost confidence because of his close proximity which rattled their concentration and which ultimately resulted in losing their place in the test squad.
The legendary West Indian Batsman Vivian Richards made his debut against India in 1974/75 series and who treated every bowler during his playing days with disdain and contempt was shocked by the audacity of this slenderly built man with rolled up sleeves standing next to his shadow . He had to frequently nudge him with his bat to stand at a little more distance fearing that some of his shots could hit, maim or even kill the fielder who stood dangerously close for comfort. The greatest tribute paid by Richards was : “”Man! I am not afraid of your Chandrashekar (one of the best leg spinnners in the game) but this man gives me the goose bumps . This man is preventing me from playing my natural game and I really cannot concentrate’ . I can bet no one will field this close and even when he was hit on occasions there was not a flinch or grimace.
ED Solkar or 'Ekki' as he was fondly called by Chandrashekar became immortal on 26th June 2005 at a young age of 57, I reckon he had already attained that stature in his mortal state amongst his innumerable fans for his acrobatics and dare-devilry.
We were privileged to be born in an era and proud to have witnessed and heard about the exploits of this talented Cricketeer who was very humble and never discussed his on- field heroics and waived it off with a smile.
The image of the crouching fielder ever eager to pouch half chances that came his way shall always be vivid in our memory.

New cricketing terms and rules have come into existence and the ‘’FORWARD SHORTLEG’’ Position is now called as ‘’SHORTLEG’’ perhaps justifying the truth that –NO fielder will ever dare to stand in that fatal Position where ONLY SOLKAR DARED !!!

Grave Mistakes

The Govt. recently issued a circular which imposed a moratorium on the number of SMS being sent using security and enforcement of law and order as a pretext . A bill is on the anvil to gag or stall social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google which could empower the govt . authorities to force articles which it justifies to be deleted on the grounds of formenting communal divide, racial discrimination and inciting adverse reactions or take action against the writers on the grounds of defamation. Although facebook reluctantly has agreed to fall in line with the controversial legislations ,It is heartening to note that Google refused to buckle under the pressure and clarified that it would not be a part of its agenda to gag the ‘’ freedom of expression’’. Any one challenging the actions of the govt. are subjected to harassment ,threats , coercion and veiled attacks from paid goons.. Day in and Day out the Govt. is coining new measures to stifle any democratic movement against them and sabotage all honest attempts at reviving the anti-corruption crusade. The over whelming response and support by the youngsters to this crusade against corruption invoking their own innovative methods using SMS’s and social networking sites has prompted the authorities to tackle the issues in a very crude manner which is provoking them into making GRAVE mistakes which could catapault it into digging its own GRAVE..

The Amazing Sketchman- Mario Miranda

Obituaries and more obituaries. The legends are passing on to another world in a jiffy and falling like 9 pins. One of the latest casualty is the legendary Indian Cartoonist –Mario Miranda. The deep abyss left behind by these legends probably will never be filled as they were possibly handpicked to leave the indelible mark on mankind with their creative, unique craftsmanship daringly different yet refreshing. Circa 1970’s. The Children studying in English Medium Schools in the early 1970’s in the 2nd and 3rd Standard had Balbharati text book replete with the characters Tim, Mini and Robert. They were effectively complimented by sketch or murals or cartoons whatever name you may call. All these carved sketches had a distinct stamp and a trade mark at the bottom of the photo, signed by the inimitable Mario Miranda. The Sketch seemed to talk to the readers on behalf of the dumb characters, so vivid and complete was the insight provided by the thought provoking caption less masterpiece. The trademark stray dog or Cat at the bottom of the sketch as visualized also lent its silent meaning which defied the now familiar statement : The Pen is Mightier than the sword. For the soft spoken Mario the Paint brush was his talking tool which depicted all the things going on in this world from Current affairs to office jokes to everyday anecdotes which caused instant smirk amongst the viewers. It was the same Times of India Group which had rejected him earlier citing poor artistic skills which later on placed him on that unshakeable pedestal and linked him to its publications like the Illustrated weekly and Femina. The unforgettable characters of Miss Fonseca and Miss Nimbupani and the Sardar sitting in a bulb Specially created for Khushwant singh’s column will continue to entertain and endear the readers for generations to come. .

Last Man Standing

The demise of the evergreen star of Indian Cinema Dev Anand signifies the end of the nostalgic era of the early 50’s which mesmerized the Cinema goers with pristine music, exquisite and mind-blowing lyrics and un-hyped acting. The masses identified the characters on screen with themselves as they found everything so natural, down to earth and which synchronized their humble dreams unifying them with the celluloid print focused on the giant screens by a noisy projector beaming black and white images. Dev Anand along with Raj Kapoor were the trend setters which saw heroes who solely merited their presence on account of their handsome good looks. Prior to this people accepted disheveled, bearded or any ordinary looking guys and a good story coupled with good music alone guaranteed sure shot box- office success. Dev Anand was the last man standing as all the rest of his colleagues /co- stars of the magical era of the 50’s and 60’s had predeceased him. The puffed up hairstyle was plagiarized from the legendary Hollywood icon- Gregory Peck who as admitted by Dev Anand was his idol. Geogory Peck and Clint Eastwood were famous for their Cigarette smoking cum talklng acts which only a handful few could enact with such dignified charm and grace. Dev Anand too has enacted the MUST SEE scene in Hum Dono with aplomb with the cigarette dancing up and down in his mouth while chatting with his colleague in his customary style. The close resemblance between the actors(Peck & Dev Anand) has an interesting story which happened in the late 1960’s.Someone close to Gregory Peck told him of the amazing resemblance which raised curiosity and rustled his egoistic feathers and prompted the need to have a peek at the so called Indian film star. He didn’t waste an opportunity to Visit India when called upon to give the filmfare awards in the 1960’s. An amazing photo was clicked (this snap had appeared n the now defunct magazine- The illustrated weekly India) which showed Peck with a wry smile admiring Dev Anand from a distance. Dev Anand was simply gushing at the prospect of meeting his idol but perhaps the Hollywood idol himself was at his wits end calculating who was the better looker. Waheeda Rehman his co star in Guide had rightly pointed out that the magic touch waned rapidly in the 1980’s and some whimsical and eccentric films stumbled out of the once famed Navketan Studios. Yet the magic weaved earlier in films like Hum Dono, Solvaa Saal,Prem Pujari,Tere Ghar ke Saamne,Johnny Mera naam, Jewel Thief and Guide was good enough to keep his die- hard fans by his side despite the shortcomings as a Director in the later stages. True to his ever youthful image he didn’t wish to die with Cotton sticking in his nose and wished to have a funeral in some distant country where his true fans wouldn’t have a glimpse of see his lifeless body. His wish granted , even in death he remains an enigma difficult to decipher yet difficult to ignore. As the flames consume his MORTAL remains the SMOKE emanating from the funeral pyre would probably hum the IMMORTAL lyric: Har Fikr ko Dhueee mein Udddaaaaaa thaa Chalaaa Gaya !!!!

The Curious Case of Ishrat Jehan

Ishrat Jehan the name has once again raked up the controversies which were buried along with her dead body after a bloody encounter with the Gujarat Police.
Tongues started to wag soon after the encounter and pseudo political parties vied with one another to rake up the minorities issue and muslim organizations and Urdu newspapers united behind the family which portrayed this as an attack on faith and minorities.
The Khalsa college where Ishrat was studying lent support for its student who it claimed never indulged in any anti-social activities and was an average performer who maintained a low profile.
The Let – Lashkar- e- Toiba a well trained terror organisation scouted for individuals who had innocent backgrounds and brain washed its likely victim on the basis of false religious discrimination and other imaginary plots often citing that the existence of Islam itself was in danger.
While being interrogated by the FBI, David Coleman Headley the king –pin of Let gave full account of his recruits across Asia and confessed that Ishrat Jehan was indeed a Let operative and was working clandestinely to destabilize the Country by resorting to usual hit and run policy adopted by the experienced terror group. The FBI too later verified that the confession or inputs provided by David Coleman Headley were factually correct.
Of the other 3 killed one Pranesh Pillai a native of Kerala had converted to Islam using the alias name of Javed Shaikh. He was booked in a number of assault cases at Pune and Mumbai and was also charged in a fake currency racket . It is conclusive that a person who indulged in various nefarious activities and had strong criminal connections with people with questionable intents was hell bent on committing a terror act.
It is quite possible that the foursome were killed at point-blank range after their activities were proved.
To me it is very fair because had they been tried in some local court it is likely that they could have jumped bail and would have gathered enough time to spread their dirty tentacles in communally sensitive areas.
Its better to have such people eliminated rather than keeping them like Kasab who is thriving on tax payers money.

Occupy All streets

The Occupy Wall street movement Fallout seen in USA and other European Countries speaks of the volume of disenchantment and distrust of the common man over the accumulation of disproportionate wealth by the elite. The rule –books are cast to the dustbins when it comes to distribute the profits, maximum is stealthily relegated to their personal shelves and the people in the lower hierarchy are fed breadcrumbs to feast upon.
Working for a British Logistic Multinational Exel Plc. revealed the usual dirty corporate greed.
All earnings used to be dispatched to the Parent Company in Britain which in turn used to send a certain percentage to each specific region to be distributed as Bonus /Performance incentive.
The Indian regional top brass hatched upon a sinister Plan to distribute the bonus amongst themselves and the bizzarre gauntlet almost paid off but for a whistle-blower who blew the lid perhaps because he was a recipient of a smaller share of the booty. The middle management were informed that due to lower margins during that financial year incentive for that relevant yea r was being scrapped. The junior cadre, were furious on learning about the scam but the situation was quickly defused and frayed tempers were soothed by denials, sweet talk and coercion though not necessarily in that order.
Capitalism has failed miserably in this context where inequality and lopsided development has mushroomed and the gaps between the haves, and the have-nots has widened paving the way for the simmering discontent.
During the economic slowdown in 2008 billions of dollars was pumped in to save financial institutions/ affected banks from going bust as if the economic revival was based on their sole existence!
Citibank NA was on the verge of sacking their Chief Vikram Pandit during the global meltdown but when the bank was back in the black he was showered with unprecedented benefits that defied logic and rationale. Once the Supply- demand cycle was restored the first thing to be sorted was regaining all the lost ground for these bankers who made merry with their innovative skills of grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
A HR Chief S Mohan of BPCL a Govt. Undertaking was given a grand bash on retiring from the Co and an astronomical amount of Rs.40 lacs was splurged on the same. An amount of 40 lacs would surely hurt the bottom line of a company but who cares?
The salaries were more or less rationale during the early 2000’s but then all of a sudden Corporates vied with one another to carve out salaries in Crores. Once the bench mark was laid it was difficult to peg back the extravagant perks . Western Corporate Culture was bluntly copied by Indian corporates and the Obscene & vulgar display of wealth creation hogged the headlines. Jetliners to Luxury Yachts being gifted by industrialists to their wives and girl friends became a norm or some sort of ritual. A multistorey building was built as a residence in South Mumbai for a single family of 4. A race ensued as to who would list in the TOP 100 List of Billionaires which prompted even a mature and restrained person like Ratan Tata to issue a statement to all industrialists that such a Vulgar display of wealth is unfair to scores of people in our country who don’t even get one square meal a day.
This movement does not see any strategic support in India as most of the upper middle class people and those belonging to the elite certainly would not like to reduce the surging cash flowing into their coffers while those coming from the lower strata of society cannot sustain these kind of tactics as they are more concerned about holding onto their present jobs even if it is providing diminishing returns.
The Occupy Wall street movement which even saw Violence in some of the European countries is spreading its tentacles far and wide as the commoners have got fed up due to stagflation, unemployment, reduction of social security measures, disproportionate income levels across the board.
If not controlled the movement will ‘’Occupy All Streets’’ instead of limiting itself to Wall Street.
Bouyed by the success of the Egyptians/ the Libyans and the Anna Hazare movement the people in the Western Countries have held the corporate honchos and other wealthy bankers who more than often seem to get the optimum benefits by the scruff of their necks and time will tell whether they can effectively strangulate them to their benefit.

CON Banega Karodpati????????????

The reality shows which has flooded the idiot –box in recent times has managed to keep its select band of viewers strapped to the seats. Whether its Little Champs which parades the talent of Kids to the variety of dance and talent shows showcasing team and individual events to the whimsical Big Boss which includes contestants who are in the news for all the wrong reasons.
The reality show which stormed into fame was Kaun Banega Karodpati? modeled on its western avatar- Who wants to be a millionaire?.
The show was meant to be a show stopper and one of its kind without the usual Cry baby Stuff , jealousy, business rivalries and the routine mundane stuff that accompany Saas bahu type serials.
People who were true aficionados of general knowledge were thrilled to match their skills and fill their vacant cells of their cerebellum with oodles of information that was hitherto unknown.
The organizers having struck the gold-mine went over board after TRP’s came down post the initial hurrah and turned to innovative techniques to keep the interest going. News leaked about the person who became the First Crorepati- Viz. Harsh Vardhan Nawathe.
If any of the readers can recollect some of the episodes featuring the eventual 1st winner- in one of the episode which revealed a murkier side. Harsh Nawathe took a opinion poll to seek an answer to the question to which he was clueless.
After mulling for a moment he surprisingly selected the option which the participants had given a measly 5% votes and MORE SURPRISE ..his option was Correct. Never ever a person who doesn’t know an answer would exercise his option like this!!Even when he won the 1- Crore Prize the celebrations were questionably restrained and muted. The Overall Joy and camaraderie of a true Winner was missing. Tongues started wagging and the Programme was slowly taken off the slot citing date problems for Bacchan. The winner too sulked and was not seen anywhere and the fixing angle gained momentum.
But the Current episodes have breached or surpassed all barriers of cheating.
One of the Contestant (obviously pre-selected one) claiming to be working for a Premier IT co, had no clue whatsoever about the Full Form of USB ( even Kids nowadays know this stands for Universal Serial Bus) she goes in for a opinion poll wins the round and leaves after garnering 25 lacs. A woman who had very limited access to information barely getting to read a newspaper through her own admissions surprisingly answered mind boggling questions and too quit after gaining 50 lacs. There were Several Participants who were easily recognisable from their traits/actions about their level of knowledge, yet received prize money in excess of 25 lacs. The organisers were clever enough to recruit some People who suffered early exits to prove that nothing was amiss.
The producer/presenter in tandem with the sponsors have chalked up a clever Plan which tries to play on the psyche of the viewers by selecting contestants from their own stables given adequate training on speaking etiquette and which revolves around Praising Bacchan every now and then for no rhyme or reason, wanting to chat with Aiahwarya Rai, and coming up with few anecdotes pertaining to Madhushala – a poem written by Senior Bachhan. Sometimes we all wonder whether there was any poet born other than Harivanshrai Bacchan??
Further Mr.Amitabh Bacchhan does, what he only can do best- ACTING .
Every Participant is given a Philip..a boost .Prodding .a false impression is created that the organizers caters even to people based in the lower rung/lower strata of society.
Siddhartha Basu is an entrepreneur in a true sense. It sure requires abundance of talent to fleece the innocent people without even raising an eye-lid of suspicion. But faulty Planning and lack of foresight has shred this amazing fool proof plan and set the cat amongst the pigeons.
The revenue generated through SMS’s sent by gullible viewers is astronomical.
Each SMS is charged at the rate of Rs.6/- to the sender.
Assuming there are only 100 entries from say 10 cities of some 20 districts and 20 states...

6(Rs/SMS) x 100(entries) x 10(cities) x 20(districts) x 20(states) = 6
x 100 x 10 x 20 x 20 = Rs.24,00,000

24 lakhs in 20 minutes.
(People trying for the 2 lakhs cash prize)
Imagine what if 1000 entries try out from 100 cities?

The figure simply grows by 2 more zeroes and yields a whopping 24 Crores!!!!

And it does not stop there...

In practice it could be another multiple of 100 or a multiple of 1000 on an average.

In that case it is 24 x 100crores earnings in just 20 minutes on every episode!!!

And the prize money: A mere 2 crore..
(and from whose pocket?)

And the best part of this calculation is just the SMS earning!!

We still have to account the revenue generated through advertisements.

A rough annual profit calculation goes like this:

2400 x 5 x 4) (episode/month) x 12 = 5,76,000 crores.

Let even 50% get dissolved in taxes and other payments, still you will be left with (which includes even the meagre 480 crores of prize money i.e.if every episode bags 2 crore prize)!

2,88,000-crores profit !!! (only from SMS)


Common on guys, at least do your homework and analysis properly before resorting to CONNING .
Eat only that much which you can digest and fool only those who can be conned.

Man with the Golden Voice- Jagjit Singh A Tribute

The man bestowed with the golden Voice –Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh passed away in serene calm on 10 Oct 2011. His age and his voice blossomed and radiated with every passing year akin to the Preserved Vintage Wine which gets matured in barrels.
In the 1970’s when Kishore Kumar/Mohd. Rafi reduced all competition to dust with their melodies Jagjit made his presence felt by belting out his first composition – Unforgettables in 1976.
Though the album made waves it did not translate into work for which he had to sing jingles in scores of advertisements to sustain his livelihood.
Singing in tandem with his wife Chitra he created his own select band of fans by composing songs which could be easily deciphered even by a layman with limited knowledge of Urdu and poetry.
Perhaps the greatest drawback was he could not raise his voice to a high pitch which incidentally worked in his favour in creating that soft and silky voice custom made for his trade mark Ghazals.
A car accident in 1990 killed his teen aged son Vivek which destroyed the singing career of his wife who seemingly lost her voice trying to cope up with the irrepairable loss. Jagjit went solo after a brief lull of around a year.
Any avid fan of his would vouch for the sudden change in the depth of jagjit’s Voice post 1990,which inculcated all the grief, gloom and the melancholy notes so effectively that it was relatively easy to identify the soul of a father who silently mourned for his dead son through the rendition of his songs.
One has to hear his ‘’Na chhiti na koi sandesh ‘’ and ‘’Kagaz ki kashti’’ and I bet it would be difficult to hold back the excess moisture breaking the contours of the eye lashes and cascading down the cheeks, as one could sense the overpowering grief let out in these classics.
It was always seen that he never showed any emotions and was a man of few words and was instrumental in organising concerts for charity as and when requested by scores of NGO’s.
While it would be difficult for his wife who has to continue the journey of Life without him his ardent fans hope that Jagjit Singh would have found solace after REUNITING with his beloved son.
The best compliment perhaps bestowed on him in 1989 was by the renowned Writer Khushwant Singh who said’’ He is a better singer than Mehdi Hassan and a better looker than Dilip Kumar.
As someone rightly said’’ God called Steve Jobs as he wanted an I- Pod and then had to call Jagjit Sngh to fill it up with his melodies.

The Dirty Picture

On a popular talk Show in Australia Radio Jockey Kyle Sandilands recently uttered some uncharitable words about India that incensed many of the Indians staying in Australia.
Kyle called India a shithole besides adding another expletive –calling the Ganges a ‘Junkyard’.
A Spanish diplomat recently aghast at the lack of dustbins in Delhi, volunteered to buy them and arranged to place them at strategic locations across the city to further the cause of hygiene as the roads earlier were strewn with trash.
This was perhaps the most humiliating incident which should have woken up the govt. authorities from the deep slumber rather than making an issue over the war of words expressed by the westerners who shudder at the apathy and the callous attitude of most of us Indians.
The Holy Ganges as it is called comes from the Himalayas and is in the most sublime and pristine liquid form, full of the mystic faith, that pervades within itself. The water is pure and clear and is known to cleanse all evils and sins in its path.
The gushing water later enters the plains, and at various pilgrimage destinations like Varanasi and Hardwar untreated effluents from various leather tanneries are released into it shedding all inhibitions, half burnt corpses are disposed off the burning ghats without any remorse and untreated sewage from the cities too makes its contribution to the muck factor that is lot more polluted than a ‘’JUNKYARD’’.
The word FILTH is synonymous with the Indian sub-continent .There is no need to zoom into the ‘subject’ you will find the same, at every opportune place.
People relieving themselves at the nearest corner, the so called educated people travelling in the 1st Class compartment throwing/spitting the wrappers /fruit peels/ghutka /pan contents out of the train windows, people residing in the slums/chawls recreating their own virtual dust bins on the roads by throwing the waste from a long distance (akin to a professional NBA basket –ball player) very often missing its target.
The Municipal Corporation with its corrupt and lethargic attitude cannot be expected to clean this muck alone, which mounts at an alarming rate often threatening the area with epidemics like cholera and malaria.
The Plastic Industry has successfully managed to stem the reported BAN on plastics by meeting high- profile politicians who deliberately dilly dally on such issues. Plastics act like a catalyst creating huge stagnant pools which serve, as a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents which forage on decaying matter emitting nauseating and sickening odour leading to people gasping for breath of fresh air besides aggravating the ailments.
Crores of money has been spent on cleansing the Ganges at strategic places which has gone down the drain as NO real effort has been made to arrest the release of the various pollutants which negates the effect of the Cleaning Campaign.
Western countries have openly aired the dirty culture pervading the Indian sub-continent which is mistaken as an attack on our glorious past and incredible Culture.
Apologies followed later on as usual but honestly I feel Kyle only expressed his disgust at the mindset of Indians who when holidaying abroad adhere to all the rules and rave about the cleanliness but do not think twice before chucking cigarette stubs/spitting out of the car windows on landing back.
The comments though provocative certainly doesn’t fall within the purview or ambit of any racist slur.
Our self- respect and ego are easily hurt by the comments but the DIRTY PICTURE is not viewed in the right perspective.
Perhaps we have got so accustomed to the filth around us that, we have started to ignore it as a malady which is incurable.

SRK- The Legend Lives On......

14th August 2011 was the date when the ‘body’ and ‘soul’ of Shamsher Raj Kapoor better known in the Hindi film industry as ‘’Shammi Kapoor’’ decided to part ways – the body fading away into oblivion and the soul- immortalized in the hearts of millions of fans who were stunned to believe the colossal loss.
Though, many knew that the end was near with the aging star battling renal failure for almost a decade with only the faith and his ever cheerful attitude, which kept him going.

The Indianised version of Elvis Presley struggled to make a dent in the film industry which boasted of stalwarts like Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor at the helm in the 1950’s.However success didn’t elude him for long and Tum sa Nahi Dekha was his stepping stone to stardom from where he never looked back with a string of hits such as Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening in Paris, Professor, Brahmachari, Dil deke Dekho,Teesri Manzil and so on.
It must be mentioned that the songs which he crooned on screen were sung by the inimitable genius, Mohd Rafi who it seemed gelled with the character and sung with such enthusiasm and versatility as if, his entire life depended on it. The result was flawless rendition, the effervescence of the actor and the vivacious melody of the singer synchronizing and belting out arguably some of the best songs ever composed. Perhaps the Rajesh Khanna/ Kishore Kumar and the Raj Kapoor/Mukesh combo are the only competitors till date.
The only time he reportedly lived the life of a recluse was when his beloved wife- Geeta Bali died of Small –Pox in 1965. After a brief lull he was back to his very best and carried on with life as only he could.
He lives on though, in the hearts of millions of his fans who clamored for his almost silly antics ‘’on screen’’, the Swinging and dancing coupled with wild and vibrant mannerisms, seldom seen on celluloid till the advent of this maverick star. His style was a rage in the late 50’s and the early 60’s and could not be imitated by any one in Bollywood ,though a couple of wooden faced Bengali babu’s did try to ape his grandeur and mannerism’s which ended as abruptly as it began.
Besides being an actor he was very tech savvy. He was one of the first to have subscribed to and access the internet in India, and was very familiar with the latest technology available on hand.
He even had a HAM license and was instrumental in helping and reaching out to people in danger in those days when mobile technology was in an infant stage.
Numerous stories float around about his generosity in helping out many junior artistes as he too in his initial days as a struggler had been in their shoes before achieving stardom.
The cry of Yahoo!! and the scene of Shammi Kapoor sliding down the icy slopes like an avalanche will remain entrenched in our hearts forever.
RIP- SRK …The Legend lives on…………………….

Freedom of Speech

Speech is an art of expressing oneself amongst a gallery of astute listeners.
A good orator is one who captivates his audiences with his mannerisms, wit, intelligence and connects with their inner soul in the minimal time frame.
He should have complete knowledge of the topic under discussion and should be able to have the entire gathering completely under his sway with anecdotes and humor that adds freshness to any monotonous vibes that may prevail in the audience.
The Speech should nether be too long lest the audience would be left squirming in their seats with yawns reverberating all over nor should be too short to leave them a disgruntled lot wondering why on earth they are there for.
The Indian leaders since time immemorial prefer to read out their speeches which are drafted out by eminent people, checked for any grammatical mistakes, but are often riddled with some absurd words and sentences which do not synchronize either with wit or common Sense.
In 1947, Nehru roared from the ramparts of the Red Fort with some of the most insuating words ever: ‘’At the stroke of midnight hour when the world sleeps, India awakens to freedom’’. Perhaps the erstwhile PM or his over ambitious ghost writer got his geography all wrong and thought that the World is flat and every country woke up and slept at the same time.
Come Independence eve, the president arrives with a zombie like expression armed with a pre drafted speech laden with quotes ,self congratulatory messages, some absurd commitments /welfare measures that fail to take off , so on and so forth. All the TV channels are forced to broadcast this miserable display of word power that is hardly understood by the common man. The studio is decked up for the occasion and the President is more interested in displaying or showcasing her/his well Starched and well ironed attire.
The only exception to this strange practice was President Abdul Kalam who was both convincing and astute in his presentation.
We also have this moron of a Foreign minister who has made himself a laughing Stock in front of the dignitaries of United nations Security Council when he unassumingly picked up a paper belonging to a Portugal diplomat lying beside him and calmly read it till he was interrupted and intimated about the faux pas by a colleague.
Yesterday this very Foreign Minister requested Pakistan to release a prisoner serving a life sentence, on humanitarian grounds.This was made in complete ignorance of the fact that the so called prisoner is currently lodged in Ajmer Jail and not in Pakistan.
Honestly I presume the right hand of this guy doesn’t know what his Left hand is doing.
Most of the political parties have self-appointed spokesmen specially designed to brief the media , to calm down frayed nerves and to protect the party’s image when the going goes rough.
The crux of the matter is: It is fascinating to watch the debate involving the western parliamentarians who display shrewd technique and restraint while handling even the most complex of issues and possess immense knowledge of the related subject as compared to the hooliganism and immaturity displayed by their Indian counterparts.

Oily Issues

The Indian shores particularly the western part of it is in the News again for all the wrong reasons ,of course. Merchant Vessel- Rak capsized some 31 nautical miles off the Mumbai Coast on 3rd August 2011.The Ship is leaking crude at the disastrous rate of about 1 to 2 tons every hour. The high tide coupled with the choppy monsoon conditions hastened the Oil Slick to Juhu , Versova & Madh Islands.
The fishermen community has already sounded alarms and blasted the slow and lackadaisical attitude of the Govt. agencies viz. the ever sleepy Coast Guards and the almost defunct Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
The Navy which boasts of having acquired sophisticated gadgets over the years has time and again failed to locate the drifting ships or even plug the leaking vessels prompting people to cast apprehensions on these so called security agencies who might well be novices in using /handling the sophisticated arms and security gadgets.
This incident comes barely weeks after the Merchant Vessel – (M.V. WISDOM) which had drifted from the Gulf state of Qatar and settled itself on Juhu beach.
On 7th of August 2010 there was a collision between MSC Chitra and MV Khalijia near Mumbai which destroyed tonnes of precious marine life and uprooted huge tracts of Mangroves so essential to maintain the fragile ecological balance.
There were talks of taking the owners of both the ships along with the captains to task and recover the damages. It is likely that an ‘’OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT’’ was negotiated and the culprits were allowed to go after greasing the palms of the authorities.

The Navy and the coast guard doesn’t believe in rescue operations but can only indulge and limit itself to salvage operations. They wait aimlessly and shamelessly to let the ‘’event’’ happen and then rush in to clean the muck.
It was evidently known during the rescue operations conducted on M.V. RAK, that the ill fated Vessel was carrying Crude/diesel /coal and impetus should have been given to block the Oil-Slick and restrict it to a limited area.
The callous attitude of all, be it the Govt. agencies, the navy, the Coast Guard and others is deplorable to say the least.
The damages for restoring the partial ecological balance should not only be recovered from the Ships owners involved but also the Coast Guard and the Navy for negligence that defies logic.
It is also quite possible that many ships (mostly registered in Panama) are on their last voyage and are deliberately drifted in this part of the Ocean saving the tugging costs up to Alang -Shipyard in Gujarat, where ships are broken down after its seaworthiness is over. The Ship Owners are fully aware about the lax in intelligence and obsolete security measures prevailing in the region making their task even simpler to carry out.

By the time you read this scores of marine species would have been exterminated from the Arabian sea , the beaches have been rendered unsafe, livelihood of innumerable fishermen has been put at stake and the rapidly dwindling mangroves snuffed off in double quick time, but who cares?
This careless and arrogant attitude coupled with lack of responsibility is primarily responsible for many forgettable incidents that have happened in our Country.

Bolting the stable after the Horse has fled

1. Bomb blast.
2. Cops, ATS ,RAW officials, Bomb disposal Squad rushing to the Site to take Stock.
3. P.M., home Minister, Leaders of the opposition make a beeline to visit the injured and offer condolences and shed CROCODILE TEARS.
4. Act is termed as dastardly, cowardly etc. and the terrorists are condemned.
5. Compensation is announced to the next of Kin.
6. A high –level enquiry is set up.
7. Candle –Light Vigil by the elite often accompanied by celebrities.
7. Spirit of Mumbai is evoked and saluted.
8. Garlands would be offered at the site –NEXT YEAR as remembrance.
9. End of the Story.
10. Waiting for another round of such unfortunate and avoidable incidents.

Moral of the story:Bolting the stable after the horse has fled

This is the sequence followed in our Country which is touted as the largest democracy in the world but in reality is headed by one of the most spineless and timid govt.post-independence. Even before the mortal remains of those killed in the Mumbai blasts of 7/13 have been cremated the home minister makes a callous statement and gives a clean chit to the intelligence officials who have time and again have failed to detect the conspiracies despite obtaining a lead from Interpol and western intelligence outfits.
The media has uncovered that the Local intelligence was hot on the heels of an anonymous person and tracking his each and every move before he gave them the customary slip and vanished into oblivion a couple of days before the blast.

The infiltration from Bangladesh/Pakistan that is taking place in and around Mumbai since he past several years is hardly heeded to. Most of our pseudo-secular Parties have time and again thwarted attempts to evict slums that are proliferating in and around Dongri, Bandra East/Kurla and Mankhurd in fear of losing the minority votes. These dingy shanties can easily camouflage scores of terrorists who can strike at will.
The Politicians jump the gun and announce compensation /ex-gratia to the dead and injured.
No one objects to the compensation being paid as this is one way of providing solace to the affected family who many a times lose their sole bread winner of the family.
What hurts is perhaps the mode of declaration. The govt. decides the amount to be doled and declares the same (out of the tax- payers money) as if their accountability and responsibility towards the people is over.
There is no accountability on those who run this Country. The salaries of all those in charge(Home ministry/Top Police Brass/PM & the cabinet ministers should be used to compensate the loss of limb and life instead of wasting the TAX PAYERS money. Once this is leveled we will see a drastic fall in such incidents as these guys would work 24X 7
It is difficult to manage the surging crowds at every nook and corner. Numerous food stalls and shops selling cheap Chinese items attract small time crowds and are potential soft targets for terrorists to leave the minute of bags containing RDX and other deadly potent mix of chemicals which can cause maximum casualties. At almost all major railway stations spaces have been encroached courtesy, the municipal/railway police officials who are bribed at regular intervals to set shops which have become possible terror targets.
Our dirty Politicians send negatives vibes when they openly say that the terror acts cannot be eliminated entirely which shows the glaring inefficiency of the Police and intelligence bureau who are spending all their precious time in protecting/shielding our corrupt MP’s and MLA’s .
It’s high time that an all out effort is made to deal strictly with terror and tough judgements are delivered in the least possible time frame and eliminate these outlaws by an iron hand .

Singling them Out

The latest Indian origin student casualty Andrew Naidu gunned down in Toronto has not only merely raised the death toll by a single digit but also the eye-brows of many analysts who might evaluate these incidents in a different way.
There has been a spate of attacks on Indian origin students mostly IT Professionals in Countries like USA, Canada and Australia.
It is well known that Indians are as compatible to IT just like any marine species blending with its surrounding aquatic conditions.
The Profound research and abundant supply of cheap but technically-sound labor has relegated yesterday’s invention redundant today.
All these has resulted in better, cheaper and competitive products and of course better and through knowledge based professionals who migrate to western countries in hordes to graze in the greener pastures and better working conditions.
It is quite possible that the locals may have been sidelined by employers favoring the more elite and cheaper expatriates. It is seen in recent surveys that unemployment figures are steadily rising in the western countries and the ire is often directed at expat Indians.
The South east Asians- all the lot comprising of Pakistanis, Indians or Bangladeshis are referred as Pakis as it is very difficult to distinguish this lot for most of the local population because of the similar facial features and the common language.
When it is difficult even for us Indians to distinguish and identify the South Indians for that matter it is quite surprising as to how the Andhraites are singled out and targeted by the attackers.
If one analyses the attacks carried on in the recent past almost 90% of the people are from Andhra Pradesh. One might safely assume that either 9 out of 10 techies migrating to these lucrative Countries are from Andhra or those techies are not adjusting or mingling/behaving with the locals.
Some time back a major racket involving Andhraites was unearthed who used a novel method to gain admission to an university run on dubious lines in violation of the laid down US norms and laws. The University had a sole intention or call it a hidden agenda to aid the ‘infiltrators’ (read students here) gain access/foothold in the US of A. Once the Visas were issued these so called students tried to solicit work without having a legitimate work-permit. Stung by the nefarious activities the US took an extreme step of clamping tags on their feet till better sense prevailed and put their ordeal to an end.
It is easy perhaps to criticize the US action but after the recent terror acts they are bound to protect their Citizens and if outsiders infringe on their sovereign right the authorities were bound to retaliate in a harsh manner.
No one however, has given a thought to the manner of the attacks which has often singled out students from Andhra in particular and authorities should analyze /investigate as to why such incidents revolve around a specific and miniscule community.

Managing the Politicians

We are proud to say that we are the World’s largest democracy and assume that we are in a far better state than impoverish and anarchy ridden countries like Somalia, Egypt, Myanmar and some east African countries. Perhaps India is affected by both anarchy and oligarchy.
Once the elected representatives get hold of their coveted Posts all they can manage is to go on endless trips with their entourage to European countries, stash away the black money in safe tax havens, corroborate with high-profile business magnates and hobnobbing with dreaded criminals.
Its 64 years that we became Independent but still we have not been able to unshackle the bonds of illiteracy, female infanticide, soaring crime rate, widespread corruption, ever widening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
In 1947 India indirectly benefited from the numerous infrastructures like good roads, steel plants, textile industry and ports etc which was built during the years of the raj and was naturally the most industrialized Asian Country.
Most of the Asian Countries today have marched past India and can exercise their right and influence in decision making in the economic affairs relating to the World due to their sound economic Conditions.
The dearth of good quality leaders has led to this mismanagement and chaos. All political Parties in India have a Single Point agenda of clinging to Power and have no real interest of catering to the well-being of the Country and its folks.
Politicians who have committed frauds and scams have somehow always managed to hoodwink the law and emerge unscathed.
The recent opposition to the Jan Lok-Pal Bill by the wily politicians is very much justified considering that once the bill is ratified then the Politicians would be at their wits end to save themselves from the tentacles of Justice.
Any person trying to garner a mass movement against this scam ridden Govt. would find themselves throttled by the Govt. agencies like the CBI/Tax authorities and would have to face a barrage of questions ranging from questioning their nationality to barring their assets and the ways and means of acquisition of the same.
If the Govt. is so worried why doesn’t it act when they feel wealth is being amassed /accumulated from undisclosed sources? Why foreign nationals are not stopped from entering this country illegally?
Why allow people from HOSTILE Countries to settle in hordes and pave way for suicide attacks like 26/11?

Sycophants like Kapil Sibhal /Digvijay Singh with their usual way of owning and disowning a statement ,trying to divert the peoples mind and even making a desperate attempt to create a rift amongst the members of the Civil Society will realize the folly of playing to the gallery as the Common man is fed up of the antics and give back what they deserve.
A well known Stooge of the UPA/Paid self styled Journo/small time actor cum entrepreneur recently made a statement that the Civil Society has no right to ask for reforms or amendments in the Jan Lok-Pal Bill citing only elected representatives of the Govt. can decide who should be within the ambit of the law. Though everyone is entitled to his/her opinion his backlash on TV, the adamant manner in which the views were voiced/dictated were atrocious.
What has this Stooge/self-righteous man done for this Country than rile away at the top of his Voice in the comforts of A/C Press Box?
It is very easy to speak about Politics in trains /buses, give discourses sitting in A/C media rooms etc but try contributing to the Common man on the street ,try to be involved in social causes, most of us would sulk citing some goddamn alibis and instead preferring our neighbour to take the plunge first.

Anna Hazare /Ramdev have barely managed to Pass STD.V but have definitely managed to awaken the educated illiterates across the length and breadth of the country by their sincere and conscious efforts. While one has changed the attitude of his countrymen the other has changed people’s life and vision that was dormant for years
The elected representatives (our eminent Parliamentarians) were the ones who have repeatedly blocked the bill since the 1960’s fearing that their right to cheat and right to commit all types of atrocities would get exposed.

The CAG-Comptroller and Auditor General along with the Supreme Court in their recent overviews have time and again commented adversely over the functioning of the Govt. but the Puppet PM along with his coterie have chugged along without any remorse. The Choreographer of this nautanki along with her projected PM Son are working overtime behind closed doors to magnify /cleanse their larger than life image to no avail.

The Politicians know very well that their days of cowering/bullying the people are numbered going by the mass intelligentsia who have joined the movement to jettison the sinister designs perpetrated on the Common man since the last 6 decades.

TOLL Taking its ''TOLL''

Modern Technology has made road travel more comfortable, faster and reliable and it’s a pleasure to go on long journeys keeping our spinal cord intact. It was only during the last decade or so that the govt. has woken up to solve the grave problem of setting up a decent infrastructure and expressways have sprung up all along the country.
We have had a perennial problem of farmers not getting the correct procurement price due to lack of warehousing facilities, lack of good roads connecting the rural cultivating area to the urban Consumer market which often leads to wasting about 25% of the total produce.
More than one lakh people succumb on the Jittery roads and crore’s are doled out every year from the TAX PAYERS money to the next of kin of the unfortunate Victims in compensation.
Gallons of Petrol/Diesel are wasted day in and day out due to the lack of good roads or bad maintenance.
Building an infrastructure needs lot of capital investment which culminates in national benefit because it arrests most of the ill effects mentioned earlier. The Govt. ropes in Companies of repute after setting a deadline offering the contract to the lowest bidder. It further gives them authority to operate on BOT basis. BUILD, OPERATE & TRANSFER.
The Person who builds the roads/bridges has to maintain that infrastructure in a sound condition.
The Govt. gets the credit for building the bridge and the Contractor the coffers from the TOLL that they subsequently impose/collect from the end users.
Unfortunately off late it has been seen Kiosks have been built alongside old roads which are in dilapidated state to collect tolls. Though the sum is quite meager in some cases , huge amounts are being collected for no effort at all. The Babus in the govt. have hit upon this new found idea to procure advance money from the so called infra co’s which in turn, more than recovers the same through engaging in ‘’TOLL””.
One would have felt happy if the toll was utilized for maintenance of the roads but most of it is ends up in the wrong side of the pocket after paying the trivial salaries/mundane expenses of the collection agents.
After a certain number of years when the cost of the infrastructure is recovered through the levies some benefit should be passed on to the users may be through reduced fare structure, instead the toll inevitably goes on mounting every passing year devoid of any logic or sense.

The people have become immune to all these irrelevant taxes that are treacherously levied on them and seldom protest against these unjustified and immoral practices.
Though we Indians are intelligent, mature and knowledgeable we show an amazing tolerance level that has instigated and emboldened the perpetrators (our spoilt parliamentarians) to levy any tax at their whims and fancies.
The muck in the Parliamentary sort of working where the netas dictate terms to the electorate ,raise their own salary by unilaterally amending/flouting the laid down norms in the name of ‘’DEMOCRAZY’’ should be exposed at all levels .

Living In a Material World

Money, Money ,Money ...must be funny In a rich man’s world.
This evergreen hit song sung by ABBA in 1976 aptly describes the value of money in one’s life. It has relegated every other want or desire to an inferior position and placed this on a pedestal and has almost become a monopolistic entity.
Money can almost buy anything on this planet except perhaps happiness. The law of diminishing returns perhaps is made to look ridiculous by the sheer lust it has created amongst the mortals who fight for a tiny morsel of the same.
Numerous ways have been devised to acquire the Vitamin –M and People try out novel ways by applying various permutation and combinations available within their ambit .
Some gain it through specialised skills, some through destiny, some others due to hard work, perseverance and dedication. Some are lucky enough to inherit the same.
The inherited money is the primary cause of discontent igniting the inferno of bitterness in families and destroying the thin fabric of love and compassion existing amongst the siblings.
It is sad watching the siblings slug it out between themselves for the share of the pie which incidentally has been ‘’baked’’ and ‘’nurtured’ ’by their fathers and forefathers and their own personal contribution towards its actual nourishment is practically zero.
The siblings who during their kindergarten years have shared food, clothes, love and happiness within four corners of a room suddenly start manipulating and conspiring against one another to lay claim to their ancestral wealth.
The morals can further deteriorate if one of the more opportunist and wily sibling gets control of the ancestral assets through dubious means casting aside the rights of the others.
It is but natural that every individual tries to improve upon his/her standard of living and yearns to earn more by utilising and applying their skills and knowledge and gain foothold to the luxuries of life.
The simple basics of life are forgotten –we come into this world empty handed and would leave it empty handed one fine day, whatever be the amount one may have stockpiled during his/her life time.
It is a common sight nowadays about well to do people struggling to work odd hours, investing in shares and property day in and day out in a desperate bid to add to their already filled kitty and perhaps outwit financially their nearest relative, acquaintance, or friend out of sheer jealousy.
If despite having enough fortune the heart still aspires for more, it will be futile to gain satisfaction in life besides putting an enormous amount of stress due to comparing/matching their wealth with everyone within their vicinity and community.
We usually tend to compare ourselves with those who earn much more than us or those whose standard of living is tad higher than us rather than comparing ourselves with those who struggle to earn two square meals a day. It is very difficult to identify or associate ourselves with persons who strive to earn the bare minimum. Our place in society, the respect we get from our relatives/friends is determined by the income we generate which incidentally provokes us to go all out in quest of this never ending saga. The comparison with a lesser mortal is perhaps a realistic way of measuring as to where we stand. The day we realise that we have been blessed with a small but cosy house, can afford a comfortable if not, lavish lifestyle and live with a clear conscience, life would be more comfortable and peaceful.
It is true that every service or product comes with a price tag and one should have enough money for their old age, medical emergencies and other comforts but to amass money in a greedy manner with no real end in sight would take away the satisfaction that is needed to live a cheerful, bountiful and meaningful life.
It may be too late to realise the harsh truth that the money so painstakingly nurtured, gathered, or pilfered would not be with us once we leave this mortal world at the end of our limited life span.

The Forbidden Fruit

Life has become so cheap that it can be snuffed off just for anything and by any one for the flimsiest reason.
The scorching summer heat over the sub-continent takes a heavy toll of both humans and cattle alike due to dehydration and depletion of essential minerals in the body. Survival of the fittest as depicted by Charles Darwin seems to eliminate the unfortunate few who cannot withstand the brutality of either Man or Nature.
The Chilling incident which unfolded in a small town of Harishchandrapur, a district in Malda -west Bengal on 9th May 2011 will stand testimony till eternity for lynching a small girl aged 9 years for a petty ‘crime’ she so innocently committed.
The sight of juicy watermelons laden aboard a truck in addition to the parched throat courtesy, the glaring summer heat induced the girl to pilfering the fruit.
Unfortunately the act was witnessed by the driver of the truck who along with his accomplices tied the hapless girl to a tree and then mercilessly beat her up with bamboo sticks. The little girl succumbed to the injuries inflicted soon after.
Malda district of West Bengal is one of the impoverished and most of the people barely manage to have 2 square meals a day. Does this act induced by acute hunger and thirst quantify to be a crime? The minor age and the innocence of the kid too was at stake.
This incident is just one of the many that happens routinely in one of the largest democracies of the world and is brushed under the carpet as the Victim is living hand to mouth and has no platform or support to fight against the oppression.
The photograph of the dead girl with deep anguish writ all over her innocent face would have moved the most hardened person to tears. It was perhaps even reflecting the calm serenity of death which released her from acute Poverty, from the clutches of starvation, from living a life which often pondered when the next meal would arrive.
If God is hell bent on giving her a re-birth then I earnestly appeal to him to at least give her a life which will not coerce her to commit a ‘crime’ and lose her life over a goddamn fruit.
Stealing is a crime and the perpetrator should be dealt with stringently.
This being the case the politicians who have stolen, misappropriated, embezzled billions of dollars should be handed the most apt Punishment commensurate with the extent of committed offence.
Our Country has always boasted of separate laws –one for the common man and one for the elite.
In unison we wish that the waves of change that is engulfing the Country at the moment would be instrumental in abolishing the glaring disparity/lop sided development pervading the shores of our ONCE great Nation.

Rigging the Game

The involvement of the People who have managed to Fix Matches in the ongoing Cricket world Cup from places as far as Nairobi and London has disturbed the avid cricket Fan a great deal.
The game which saw a lot of passion, determination to excel in the early 60’s and 70’s has been replaced by the lure of money and greed and games have been thrown in connivance with the bookies who operate in nexus with the top cricketing officials. Most of the top officials who have no knowledge of the game whatsoever are involved in running and administration of the same has ruined the ‘’gentlemen’s ‘’ game.
It all started in the western world where games like Boxing and wrestling(WWF) were fixed long back at the cost of the avid viewers and with some games where betting became legal the sports lost the competitiveness as Money replaced Passion and the will to win against all odds.
The ICC is said to be looking for bookies and has confirmed that a minimum of 7 matches have been found to be fixed -the most prominent amongst them being between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Let’s revisit some of the statistics which definitely has raised a few eyebrows.
India were 267 for 1 in 39 over’s against South Africa. The South Africans were down and out and preparing for a massive onslaught /run riot. The Indians lost the next 9 wickets for a mere 29 runs.
India made 338 against England but there were an astounding 139 DOT BALLS in that game- an incredible 23.1 overs were bowled by England without a run being scored. In real terms India scored 338 in a mere 25 overs (they were bowled out in the 48th Over), the run rate being an brain scratching 13.52 per over.
The IPL played on the same lines of the EPL (English premier League)-Football saw massive rigging and betting as several politicians hobnobbed and vied with one another to enter as franchisees seeking lucrative players to rake in profits. Fortunately the people saw the mess and the infighting amongst the politicians ,some of the players bogeying in late night parties with a glass of wine in one hand and damsels from the film world in another.
The World Cup suddenly has fewer viewers as the poeple are gullible no more and can easily spot the chinks in the armor. Countries like Pakistan have lost talented young batsmen and bowlers due to spot fixing recently who tried to make easy money forsaking their patriotism in the bargain.
I personally feel that empty cricket stands in the near future in protest against this willful deceit committed by the players and cricket officials across the world will restore the mindless sanity that has invaded the game which has cost us from watching the gentleman’s game with pride and dignity.

Avoidable Deaths

The macabre sight of the slippers along with the packed lunch boxes and the water bottle atop the 19th floor terrace from where Nidhi Gupta threw down her kids and jumped therein after was gory enough to melt even the stoniest hearts.
The little kids had no idea what destiny had in store for them when their own mother whom they had trusted so much had cut short their Journey of life which had just started to bloom, on his planet forever.
The deaths aroused sentiments from all over and the blame game shifted to the in laws whose behaviour might have provoked or instigated the hapless Nidhi Gupta into committing this act.
The father booked a complaint against the in-laws accusing them of torturing his daughter mentally over the past several years.
Despite knowing the family disputes and the husband’s callous attitude the girl’s family in order to save this marriage optimistically hoped for a better future.
This has been the bane of many Indian families which unfortunately culminates in such avoidable disasters.
Armed with a Professional degree Nidhi , who worked as a Professor in a College and could have easily managed out on her own coupled with the fact that her father too is extremely well off.
The Children would have grown up independent and confident in a different environment altogether and Nidhi could have managed everything by herself given the financial credentials and the academic qualifications she possessed.
It is very easy to write something about others whom we do not know personally , it is easy for us to comment sitting within 4 walls of a comfy room expressing our views, it is easy to be optimistic while lecturing others, it is easy to debate such incidences but it would be possibly very difficult to relive the ordeal experienced by Nidhi and her kids, maybe it was difficult to overcome the menacing wave of depression which had engulfed her but somewhere at the back of the mind I feel that she should have talked to her folks back home, charted out some way for her and the kids renounced her hubby along with his eccentric family considering her sound educational /financial background instead of resorting to such a ghastly act.
Whatever, but the little children did not deserve this gory end.

Intimidating the Blogger

The amendment in the Indian IT Act of 2008 has indirectly hauled in those providing web-hosting Services called as intermediaries, ISP’s (internet service Providers) and on line auction sites. However for some strange reason the term intermediaries has included Blogs within its ambit.
The blogs neither provide any service nor inculcate any large scale commercial interests so as to be clubbed within the aforesaid act.
The Govt under the onslaught of the hawk eyed media is desperately trying to brush under the Carpet the various Scams unearthed day in and day out and barely managing to survive the crisis by manipulating its numbers amongst the Coalition Partners.
The Blogs are primarily meant for people who love to write and who want to express their unreserved feelings, of events which in turn offers an insight to the eventual readers about the existing circumstances and sharing knowledge amongst them.
There is no compulsion on the readers to accept the opinions expressed by the blogger and they can either take it or leave it in toto.
There is no real threat as perceived by the UPA Govt which is seeing RED at the Blogs which according to them indulges in character assassination, based on irrelevant records, lacks in scientific approach, spreads communal hatred and all sort of negative trait’s .
It won’t be surprising if more of such illogical laws are enacted which will try to suppress and coerce the Private News Channels into the erstwhile outdated and obsolete era of ’Doordarshan ’.
Despite the Progress (which is obviously lop-sided) the mind set of successive Govts at the Centre hasn’t much changed and every opportunity is used to hide the nefarious activities of the netas and their brethren /next of kin, RTI activists are attacked threatened and even eliminated for exposing their Criminal links.
The Govt would have to retract this draconian Law which curbs the freedom of Speech -an inherent trait of Democracy once the movement against this is launched by bloggers and readers alike.
The same blood is running in the veins of the current young turks in this Govt which once tried to throttle democracy in 1975 by imposing emergency.
Whether this Gag Order remains or is withdrawn, the Pen will always be Mightier than the Sword.

Amar 'Pai'tra Katha

The demise of one of the most loved 'UNCLE' viz.Anant Pai at the age of 81,the person who pioneered the book revolution in India saddened the hearts of many avid book lovers.A Chemical engineer by profession who took to editing and publishing mythological Stories by Chance.It is said that on a Quiz show in the early 1960's he was aghast on learning that Young Indian kids during that time had access to Greek History but couldn't remember the name of King Rama's mother.
In 1965 after introducing the kids to INDRAJAL COMICS featuring Mandrake, Luthar & Phantom which he merely published after obtaining rights from abroad he started publishing ''Amar Chitra Katha'' books in 1967 featuring both mythological characters like Rama,Krishna ,Hanuman and Shivaji,Rana Pratap etc.The books were featured in a lucid style with pictures used as a backup which was a instant hit amongst Parents and kids alike.The rich and varied culture of Indian History /Mythology was depicted and expressed in a magazine that was cheap,vibrant and devoid of any gross misrepresentation or distortion of facts.The phenomenal success can be gauged from the fact that the comics were published in 38 Languages and featured nearly 500 stories.
The number of readers have dwindled considerably with the advent of technologies like the Internet and Cable TV boom since the early 1990's.
The credit of conveying the message in a simple lucid manner will always go to Uncle Pai who along with his band of technicians weaved magic amongst the readers and carried them into a different magical world where truth always prevailed and high morals were maintained and presented with a deft and loving touch.
Uncle Pai,you have not only immortalised the Amar Chitra Katha but unknowingly been framed together within it till eternity for all of us who have been lucky enough to have been born in an era which saw an eminent Story Teller like You!
There's no Denying that your Humble and noble Soul will rest in Peace.
Thank You For being a leading light and for enriching and enlighting our Knowledge!!

While the Mortal world down below craves for Your Wit,Style and wisdom God would be Proud to have a Story Teller amongst His Kingdom who can ease his tiredness from Controlling this Self Centred and Money Centric Human Race.

Gods Own Messenger-Narayanan Krishnan

Narayanan Krishnan –the name would sound Alien to many people in the Metros who go through their daily grind like a ROBOT fighting for morsels of Cash, fame and fortune.
Making and Raking in the moolah is the motto. We have Scores of Engineering Colleges and B-Schools churning out techies and MBA’s who study or rather lap up subjects rarely deviating from the rationally accepted scientific principles and mugging time tested mundane formulas.
Narayanan Krishnan brash and young but a bright student completed his hotel management and on the verge of a lucrative Career had landed a job in Switzerland and scheduled to fly in a week.
Fate willed otherwise. While visiting a temple along with his mother he came across a gruesome and disgusting sight of a mentally deranged man consuming faeces.
Taken aback and repulsed by the sight, Narayanan immediately left the place and prepared a wholesome nutritious meal of hot sumptuous idlis and fed /bathed the person who scarcely said a word but the stream of tears waltzing down his face said it all.
The young Krishnan chucked up his Coveted and famed trip to Switzerland and instead planned to serve the ill, impoverished and starving People on the streets of Madurai.
The Parents who were drooling over their son’s achievement only a day earlier were stunned to hear the news but reluctantly gave in to his new found commitment and passion.
The news spread like wild fire amongst his friends and relatives who pitched in with finance for his new Venture.
In the initial stages it was very difficult as the income -from donations barely met the spiralling costs /expenditure. A philanthropist donated a Van to carry the food to various destinations in the city.
It was a herculean task as the Young lad used all his energy, finance and wit in accomplishing this.
The ancestral house bequeathed to him by his grandfather was also hypothecated to raise finance for this endeavour leaving him potentially bankrupt.
Donations from like- minded people though continued to pour and with help from close acquaintances kept him going. A trust was formed -aptly named Akshaya just like the mythological Akshay Patra which churned out food and did not go empty even after satisfying infinite number of hungry people.
This trust is managed efficiently and professionally, upto date accounts are maintained, tax returns with annual audited balance sheets are clearly mentioned on its web site with the means of procuring the finance and utilisation of the same. In short, there is total administration/fiscal transparency for people who are sceptical to donate as there are several unscrupulous people who misappropriate funds in the name of charity.
The Passion to serve the scores of hungry people with eyes craving for food, the determination to overcome the financial aspects ,the odd rude comments from the people did not deter Krishnan from continuing with his noble task of Caring for the People on the Streets and giving them a life of dignity.
The likes of Narayan Krishnan Whom I see as messengers of GOD and have been sent on a mission to eradicate or rather emancipate the sufferings of the countless number of poor, the hungry and the impoverished lot of the society.
Let us admit we Indians lag behind the western countries in philanthropic purposes.
We need to be coaxed, prodded, nudged and in some cases even coerced to donate to worthy causes which is disgusting.
There is a need of paying back to the Society (however miniscule the percentage may be) what we have earned in our lifetimes. There is a need that the Cash -flow filters down from the ‘Haves’ to the ‘Havenots’.
The address of Akshaya Trust is given below:
Alshaya ‘s helping in H.E.L.P.Trust
9, West 1st Main Street,
Doaknagar Extension, Madurai 625016

The readers are welcome to Visit the Website by typing Akshaya Trust in Google for more details.
In all fairness this blog is intended to help the Akshaya Trust in mobilising funds for a noble cause. Let’s together make this a monumental success by spreading the message around through e- mails or by word of mouth.

We didn't Start the Fire !!!

The Spate of uprisings has spread across the Middle- east Countries after the rousing success of the Egyptian Revolution about People who defied the tyrannical rule of Mubarak in the African State of Egypt and literally forced him into a self imposed exile has woken up the MEN IN POWER from a deep slumber in such prospective countries.
Countries In Africa like Yemen, Sudan,Libya and some of the middle- east Countries of Saudi and Bahrain have realised that it will be difficult to cling to POWER in the wake of sustained Public pressure and ire which can easily tilt the throne of the Self Imposed Rulers who till now thought they can run their Country at their will mercy and who even in their wildest dreams never imagined that the perennial sword of Damocles would dangle over their Crown.
The rulers or the dictators as the World prefers to call them have been Suppressing or clamping down laws often defying common sense on their subjects for decades.
The rebellion was always on the cards and it was a matter of time before the raging fire surged in unison across the globe taking along with it the suppressed anger, boiling disenchantment coupled with unemployment, corruption and the perpetual north ward bound inflation.
Perhaps the dictators have forgotten the Economics Maxim: ‘’Power Corrupts .... Absolute Power corrupts absolutely..
The uprising that usurped Mubarak from Power within a span of 18 days has given a new lease of life to the power struggle in Various parts of the world and is giving sleepless nights to all those in Control who have taken things for Granted and exploited the timidity and helplessness of the People .
Time is fast catching up be it with Col. Muammer Gaddafi in Libya or the Bahraini King because of the rapidly changing equation and more ever people have lost both faith and patience to tolerate the trash dished out by the autocrats.
The World is watching this latest development with a lot of skepticism as there is an outright chance of Islamic radicals taking charge and threatening the economy and security of the region with their now familiar terror Agenda.
The winds of Change Could even over run India –the largest democracy in the world where the Govt has permitted Corruption to grow beyond the level of tolerance ,failed miserably to stop the menace of inflation, fanned the nexus between Politicians/Builders/ Mafia and allowed to grow the black money to unimaginable proportions. The Media too has played its part within its means to unearth the vices prevalent in the System which has stumped the scamsters to rethinking their objectives and motives.
The People of Egypt have literally set the stage on Fire with many more Countries ready to usher in this raging Bon-fire of ‘’CHANGE’’ in their backyard for a fresh beginning.

It reminds me of the Hit English single ’’ We didn’t start the Fire ''by Billy Joel which Conveys the same meaning as to what the Egyptians unwittingly have done by ringing in a revolution amongst the Oppressed masses in different nationalities.