Monday, August 27, 2007

India fails again...

India lost the third one day match against England at Birmingham, chasing 282 for victory, the Indians were bundled out for 239. The batting failed miserably, the two southpaws Ganguly and Yuvraj made valuable contributions, but Sachin, Dhoni, Dravid, and Karthik failed to score.

The bowling was O.K. but the fielding was extremely poor, lots of dropped catches, missed run-outs and bad or rather horrible throws from the deep to the wicket. Let Karthik be the specialist wicket-keeper, Dhoni should focus on his batting, he has strong arms, and can be stationed in the deep while fielding.

Robin Uthappa seems to have become the specialist substitute, he deserves to play a couple of matches, I feel that sending Sreesanth home and playing Agarkar was a grave error. With four more matches to go, lets hope for the best.

Moving away from THE WEEK THAT WAS some in-depth articles this week.

THE HYDERABAD BLASTS

Terrorism has once again raised its ugly head. Hyderabad was rocked by two powerful blasts on August 25, 2007. The explosions occurred in the evening at Lumbini Park and an area near the Hussain Sagar Lake. Close to 45 people have died so far and many more are fighting for their lives in various hospitals.

A laser show was going on in the park when one bomb exploded, the other bomb exploded near Gokul Chat Bhandar, a famous eatery. The Andhra Pradesh government has announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakhs each to the families of those who were killed in the blasts.

Reports have also been received that a bomb was diffused in Venkatadiri theatre, and a couple of more bombs were discovered in other areas. It seems that the bombing was planned in a sequence similar to the horrific 1993 Bombay Blasts.

A powerful and advanced explosive Neo gel was used to make the bomb that was set to a timer device. Close on the heels of the bombings Rs. 2.5 crores in counterfeit money was seized in Hyderabad, and a man was arrested on August 26, 2007 in Nagpur, in connection with the blasts.

My heartfelt condolences to the families of the people who died in the blasts.

All Alone On Sunday Night

It is 2:21 A.M. Monday morning, and I am sitting all alone in my bay as I am the only one on this shift. I came in on Sunday night at 10 P.M. Shift gets over at 6:30 A.M. in the morning. Moreover I am in the night shift for the next month too. Let us see what happens.

Too sleepy, am fighting to stay awake.

Cheers.

Friday, August 24, 2007

August 15, 2007-Sixty Years of Independence

When I drafted the first copy of this post, it was 12:45 A.M. on August 15, 2007; and I was in office, with a ten minute break from work. First things first, wishing everyone-"Happy Independence Day."

I am happy and proud to be an Indian, but the things happening in the country bring in more sadness than joy. The nuclear agreement with the United States of America is causing lot of heartburn, everyday the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnesses chaos and pandemonium, ending in adjournment of both the houses. Is it for this tamasha that the hard-earned money of the tax-payers goes in making the fat salaries of the MPs. My question is if this agreement would have been signed when the BJP was in power, would the Congress accept it?

The kidnapping and murder of sixteen year old Adnan in Mumbai by his friends, has once again brought into fray the role that social networking sites like Orkut play; and how the youth of today are degenerating with gross disregard for moral values. Drinking, smoking, indulging in sex, addiction to drugs, the list is endless. Have we reached the point of no return?

The BPO culture of today with its easy money, work hard and party hard culture, zero-balance salary accounts has a role to play in this degeneration. There has been a substantial increase in the availability of jobs and the average income of the middle-class family, but we are a paying a price. Night shifts, increasing number of divorces, children not cared for, alcoholism, substance abuse, once again the list is seemingly endless.

I saw something that really made me sad and made me stop and think for a while. I was walking on the road on a Friday evening about 7:30 PM, there were a line of roadside eateries during steady business, selling parottas, omelettes, and fried chicken. There was a big garbage bin one corner of the road where the used banana leaves and paper plates were dumped. I saw a man, a begaar dressed in rags, rummaging for food in the garbage bin. The man was weak and impoverished and looked as if he would fall down. In the same garbage bin was a stray dog also rummaging for food, in comparison to the beggar the dog was well-fed and looked strong. The dog was growling at the beggar and it appeared that it would bite him. The beggar found some leftovers, put them in a plastic bag and walked away.

Even after sixty years of independence a country which calls itself a farmer's nation is not able to feed its citizens. Whose fault is it, is it the individual, the government, or the policy makers; it is a question that remains unanswered. Thousands have died in West Bengal, Bihar, and other parts of the country because of floods. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have witnessed a lot of suicides by farmers.

The propsed Tata small-car plant at Singur in West Bengal, has caused bloodshed from day one. The titanium di-oxide plant at Sattanukulam in Tamil Nadu has again caused problems. Where do we go from here? What kind of a country are we going to leave for our children? Are we going to offer them a better tomorrow or a living hell?

Think and reply, please post your comments.

Cheers.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Sports

The Nehru Cup has started after an eight year hiatus and India won its opening match.

Cricket

England Lions mauled the Indian bowling attack in a friendly match before the ODI series. Rain stopped India from chasing the target of 296 runs.

ICL

The Indian Cricket League announced its teams, though there is no Brian Lara or Shane Warne, we do have Lance Klussener, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammed Yousuf, Imran Farhat, and Nicky Boje from foreign shores. Lots of Indian cricketers like Dinesh Mongia, Rohan Gavaskar, S.Sriram, and many more Ranji players have joined the league.

Lets wait and watch. This means big money, big business, and big entertainment. I am waiting for Klussener to launch a scathing attack of fours and sixes.

Politics

The political tamasha continues as the Left goes to war against the UPA, we are on the way to mid-term polls, let us see what happens.

Cinema

Mohanlal's "Alibhai" releases with great fanfare, Mohanlal's good run at the box-office continues. Yet to see "Hello." Vishal Bharadwaj's "Blue Umbrella" is making waves.

Cheers folks.

See you next week.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Politics

For once the puppet stood its ground and made its stand clear(No offence meant). Our P.M. Dr. Manmohan Singh has stood his ground firmly saying the Left(Communist Party of India) can leave the coalition but the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal will stand. Good show Manmohanji finally you showed courage.

The Nuclear Deal

The deal from my perspective is heavily in favour of America, yet I think we needed some concrete backing and resources. so this deal had to work out. Hopefully it will be beneficial for India.

Cricket

India is on verge of a historic series win against England, as India posted a mammothe 664, aided by Anil Kumble's maiden test century. He hit an unbeaten 110, Dhoni, Sachin, Karthik all of them joined the run-making feast. In reply England were 324/9 at the end of the third day's play.

Football

Manchester United defeated Chelsea 3-0 on penalties.

Cinema

"Chak de India" opens to positive reviews, Vishal Bharadwaj's "The Blue Umbrella" has also garnered praise.

"Gandhi my Father" wins critical acclaim, is bound to get some awards the coming year. Cash bombs at the Box Office.

Cheers folks!

The Third Shift

It is two weeks now, since I have been working in the third shift or the night shift. The shift timing is from 10:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M., the next day. No complaints, I just feel a bit sleepy between 12:30 and 1:30. The company provides a cab from Avadi for pick-up, there is free dinner, and early morning breakfast. I return home by 9:00 A.M., take a bath, have one solid meal, watch the news channels for thirty minutes and sleep till 6:00 P.M.

I get up a bit groggy-eyed, and freshen up, have some light tiffin, read for a while, and then it is back to the railway station, to board a train to reach Avadi. The cab-driver is a good chap, shy, nervous, and a big FM radio enthusiast. The cab picks up to more people on the way, and then we head to office making it by 10:20 P.M. Well that is my life for you.

By the way will have to come to work on August 15, I remember attending Maths special class in high-school on August 15, but this, well everything has to start some day or the other right; anyway the company does provide double wages for working on a holiday; so no complaints.

People the exam fever has hit me again, I am performing miserably in my assessments at office, and I am worried like anything. I thought my exam phobia would end with school, but somehow it keeps returning to haunt me in some way or the other. Have to get a grip on myself and stop being nervous.

Started reading "Life of Pi" it is Booker Prize winning book; will post a detailed review after I finish reading it. A team outing is on the cards, but there is a budgetary constraint, hence I am not sure if the trip will materialize.

Results of my M.A. Exams are yet to come, beginning to feel a bit edgy, hope I get good marks.

Cheers folks.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Black Friday

I got a chance to see a movie titled "Black Friday," it is based on a book of the same name and highlights the 1993 Bombay blasts, and the investigation of the Maharashtra police. I enjoyed reading the book a couple of months ago, and I was a bit apprehensive about seeing the movie, five minutes into the movie all my fears were laid to rest, as the drama unfolded on the screen.

There are no rumours and impersonations, real names and actual situations, the movie directed by Anurag Kashyap brings out the bare facts, the anger, and the frustration of Mumbai after the blasts. K.K. Menon as the police officer in charge of the investigation, Pavan Malhotra as Tiger Memon, and another T.V. actor who plays the role of Inspector Abhijeet in Sony's C.I.D.[I don't know his real name:)], perform brilliantly.

The movie shows how Tiger Memon plans the Mumbai bombings, with the help of Dawood Ibrahim and the I.S.I. of Pakistan. The psychological turmoil of the people who planted the bombs, their meticulous planning, and how they are caught, these are portrayed on screen.

Watch this movie.

I rate it ***/5.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

A case of jellybeans, Zak, and an Indian victory

When the English cricketers probably Matt Prior, Collingwood, and may be Pieterssen scattered jellybeans near the batsman's crease, when Zaheer Khan was batting, they did not fathom the destruction that Zaheer, referred to as Zak (for the past few days by the media) would unleash on their batting lineup.

Zaheer scalped five wickets to restrict England, even while Michael Vaughan showed his class with a defiant knock of 124 runs. All said and done, the damage had been done, and India were set a target of 73 runs to win the Trentbridge test. Chris Tremlett scalped three wickets on the final day, but India won the match with four byes.

It is India's fifth victory in 47 test matches in England. A good morale boosting victory, India should do their best to win the final test.

Let us see what happens.

Munnabhai Chale Jail

At the end of one of India's largest criminal case trial, Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to six years rigorous imprisonment. All of Bollywood was shocked, but justice has been served. It is the producers who are kicking themselves as films worth almost Rs 60 crores are stuck in various stages of completion.

Sanjay is going to appeal to the Supreme Court and we will wait for further developments.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.