I love cricket both as a player and a spectator. T:20 as a concept and a highly successful experiment that is reaping rich rewards for the ICC, BCCI, Subash Chandra's Zee Group and the players and their respective boards. My question is something to do with the so called supplementary attractions-half-naked cheer-girls dancing to loud music, stunts by bikers and actors, music shows etc..

Cricket is a game that can sustain interest in the viewer on its own. If I wanted to see ridiculously costumed women dance I would as well watch a porn movie or go to a strip bar. Why do we need such unnecessary aping of the American concept of cheer leading, that has its roots in basketball and baseball tournaments.

The Hindustan Times has published an interview with some of the cheerleaders performing in the IPL, all of them feel insecure and are afraid that someone might harm them. They say everyone from a seventy year old grandpa to a 15 year old teenager makes lewd passes and comments at them.

The following is taken from the same article and are thoughts echoed by noted cricket historian Ramchandra Guha-"India’s leading socio-historian and writer, Ramchandra Guha, dubbed the phenomenon of cheerleaders despicable and degrading for the game of cricket.

“All the organisers are doing by making scantily-clad white women dance in front of huge crowds is to stoke the base, voyeuristic and sexual insecurities of the Indian male. It is revolting, appalling and shows the game in very poor light,” a disturbed Guha told HT.

“Why we always have to borrow the worst of the western world is beyond me. I have nothing against the cheerleaders, they are only doing their jobs, but I'm against the very concept,” he added. “It's revolting and crude. I hope people are watching cricket rather than the cheerleaders.”

The obscene amounts of money that has exchanged hands is many times more than the GDP of many African countries. Think of the situation in India, inflation, rising prices of all essential commodities, suicide of farmers.....I know I am moving off-track, but I am just pouring out my frustration on the system. You keep spending so much money on one game and keep crying that the nation cannot produce a single Olympic gold medallist. Look at the sad state of affairs of Indian hockey. Jothikumaran accepting a bribe, K.P.S. Gill's dictatorial control, India's failure to qualify for the Olympics, when are we going to see proper utilization of money earmarked by the government or banks for the sustainable development of the country. Should not the BCCI donate a share of its revenues for national growth of its own free will. Do not these stars have a role to play in the upliftment of the country, many have struggled to reach the heights of wealth, fame and power that they currently reside in; but can't they work for a better tomorrow for the nation.

The bitter truth is that we are least bothered about what happens to others. As long as I am not affected, my family and friends are fine, my job is there, I still get my pay-check-"Sab thik thak hai."(Everything is fine) Unless this attitude changes nothing is going to change. Politicians will continue to fool us with fall promises, scams will keep happening, the dollar will rise and fall, we will continue to be bossed around by China, the USA and Russia, the list goes on......

Unless the change happens from within we are doomed.

Everywhere the situation is the same I meet my friends, ex-colleagues, college mates, all of them have the same glum look. The reason "Matchaan appraisal la aap vechutanga da." (They screwed me in my appraisal.)

"The falling dollar, recession, inflation, hazaar reasons to hit my pocket."

Everyday the prices of essential commodities are rising. The price of milk, oil, cereals.. everything is hitting the aam aadmi.

Things are not rosy.

What to do?

The government both at the centre and the state will have to change their stance. They might actually lose the forthcoming elections if the current trend continues.

In all this tamasha the obsene amount of money that the players in the Indian Premier League make drives me and the economists nuts.

God save me, God save you, and God save this country.

Musings...

The admit-card for the Civil Services Prelims came by post yesterday. The exam is to be held on May 18. Hardly a month left for D-day. Preparations are going on at a moderate speed. Have to hit on the accelerator and focus on my optional subject-Indian History.

There will be two exams. The optional subject in the morning and the general studies paper in the afternoon.

Strange things are happening at work. Everyday it is like a guessing game and one finds out that one more colleague has resigned. Do not know what is going to happen.

The IPL tamasha started yesterday and after lot of babes, glitter, laser lights, stilt dances and stuff, the actual match ended up as a dampener with Brendon Mc Cullum destroying the inflated ego of Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers with a pulsating knock of 158 runs of just 73 balls.

The Knightriders won by a margin of 142 runs.

Dravid has to do a lot of thinking. Perhaps if the team switches to Mc Dowells from Kingfisher they might win J

THE RED DRAGON AND THE WHITE LOTUS

The atrocities committed by the Chinese in Tibet and the chain of events that have disrupted the Olympic torch rally across London, Paris and other parts of the world continues to mystify me. China claiming Tibet and accusing the Dalai Lama of being a serial liar, claims of a foiled terror attack on athletes, it is almost like reading a Robert Ludlum novel.

Coming to the point the Beijing Olympics is becoming more and more like the infamous Nazi Berlin Olympics. The world has to open up and realize that Tibet may not have oil or uranium resources for America to launch a war on terror, but Tibet is still a land and has millions of ethnic Tibetans living there while over the years millions have migrated to other parts of the world.

Mere condemnation and holding press meetings do not solve the problem. China's attitude is of grave concern to India. Already the Chinese have made inroads into various parts of Arunachal Pradesh, which the Indian government shamelessly denies. Now they are eyeing parts of Mizoram and Nagaland. There was a news on many channels that the website of the Ministry of External Affairs was hacked by a Chinese, who knows what data was stolen or what virus/malicious program was left.

India has to stop behaving like a soft cushion on which every foreign power can step and rest, we need to take issues of security seriously. Pakistan is not our only threat, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka(LTTE) and China are big threats to the country's security. If the Defence Ministry and the government are yet to wake up from their self-induced slumber, well be prepared for a long and bitter war.

RESERVATION FOR OBCs

The curse continues, in the name of creating a better India, with more qualified students, the reservation of 27% seats for OBCs has once again opened another Pandora's box. Reservation on the basis of caste is not going to help. Let there be only merit to decide the future of a student, not his/her religion or caste.

The Supreme Court has done one good thing by keeping the creamy layer(well off/rich) out of this 27% quota. We need a system in place where the income certificate of the student's parents/guardians and the student's marks in the qualifying exams become the sole criteria for his/her selection and admission to a proper educational course in college.

Or we can go for a policy where in the government should assume complete responsibility of a child's education from nursery till college(graduation) and the student should work for at least five years as a government employee to meet the costs of his/her education borne by the government. If this happens there will be one best model of education, private colleges will cease to charge obscene amounts in the name of fees and we will get intellects not mass produced factory-made robots who will only be fit to write exams and will be failures when they come out in the competitive professional battlefield where only the fittest can survive.

The timing of the ruling, the forthcoming elections and one land of citizens who get conned into voting each time expecting a better tomorrow. God knows what is going to happen......

HAPPY VISHU AND TAMIL NEW YEAR 2008 TO EVERYONE.

Wishing everyone good health, joy, success and prosperity.

Om Shanthi!

SHOPPING FOR THE NEW YEAR...

April 14, is Vishu or the Malayalam New Year. A day of great importance for all Malayalees, it signifies a new beginning, prosperity and joy.

Shopped for new dresses for ma and pa. Got a couple of sarees for ma and a set of trousers for pa. Got myself a shirt and set of trousers too.

Seem to have lost the flair for writing and am blogging about mundane stuff here.

Hope to be back with some great book and movie reviews soon.

Wish me luck folks.

MUSINGS

Life goes on, one more night at work comes to a close. Another 20 odd days of night shift and then it will be time to go into the morning shift. The exam date is approaching and studies are going on, am awaiting the examination hall ticket. I will be more secure and comfortable once I get it.

Once the exams are over I will have to take decisions regarding the road ahead. Lots of things to do.

Waiting for things to happen....

Hoping to speak and convey my feelings.....

Waiting for the best moment......

Will I lose the moment itself?

Time alone knows the answer.

India was comprehensively beaten by South Africa in the second test match at Ahmedabad.

The highlight was India being bowled out for 76 runs in 20 overs.

Let us see what happens in the Kanpur test.

The first test match between India and South Africa ended in a tame draw. The match was a run feast as the bowlers from both teams were punished mercilessly by the batsmen. Sehwag plundered the Proteas to notch up 319 runs. Dravid labored and frustrated the audience, Graeme Smith, and Sehwag to score 111 and cross the landmark of 10000 runs in test cricket.

Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla and Smith got runs and Harbhajan bowled expensively but got a five wicket haul.

The second test will start in Ahmedabad in a few hours from now. Sachin is not playing, Kumble is likely to miss the game too.

Let us see what happens.

Raghuvaran-An Obituary

The first Raghuvaran movie that I saw was Visu's family drama "Samsaram adhu Minsaram." The eldest son of a middle class joint-family who was forever calculating the family budget was a wonderful role. Then I saw "Shiva" the Nagarjuna starrer where he portrayed the role of Bhavani the dreaded don. Over the years eith the advent of cable television I saw many of his movies like "Puriyadha Pudhir," "Anjali,"Love Today."

A native of Kollenkode in Palakkad, Kerala; he acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi movies. Starting his career as a hero in "Ezhuavathu Manithan"(The Seventh Man), he found fame and success by portraying complex psychological characters and villains. Roles like the ones he portrayed in "Poovizhi Vasalilae" and "Puriyadha Pudhir" are etched forever in the collectice psuche of the Tamil film-lover.

His marriage to Rohini ended in divorce, they have a son named Sai. Raghuvaran battled depression, alcoholism and drugs. In recent years he played the role of the father and elder brother with great flair in movies like "Mugavari," "Run," "Kannukul Nilavu." His comic talent was never used with perhaps the exception of "Run," where he played the role of Madhavan's brother in law.

Raghuvaran has inspired Prakashraj a lot, movies like "En swasa katrae" and "Daya" were the two got plum roles have excellent confrontation scenes between the two.

Raghuvaran brought in his style of method acting, tall and striking with his lean mean looks he redefined the archetypal villain with the bulging muscles, bald head, and roaring laughter. In "Puriyadha Pudhir" he harassed Rekha (hi screen wife) with his menacing looks and his dialogue"I know, I know." Manic suspicion and jealousy reached new heights with his portrayal of the emotionally disturbed husband in "Puriyadha Pudhir."

In "Anjali" one of India's most underrated movies he played a loving father and husband who hides the birth of a mentally challenged child to his wife and family. The love, anguish, and sorrow that he portrayed in the movie is so realistic that you forget where reality ends and cinema begins.

Mark Antony in "Baasha" was a super duper role where he got equal screen time and powerful lines with Rajnikant. The usual villain roles in movies like "Kaadhalan" and "Ratchagan" also happened.

His death came as a big shock, the reason cited was complications due to diabetes and coronary problems.

Throughout his life he ended up a loner and a stranger, in interviews he would say how much he still loved his wife and how close he was to his son Sai. Questions remain unanswered and his personal life is no business of mine. I wonder if he and Rohini would have tried to save their marriage and been together perhaps Raghuvaran would not have met such an early death.

Destiny struck its cruel blow and Raghuvaran is no more.

Rest in Peace.

The Vellore Diaries-2

Then we returned to Vellore town and went to the the Vellore Fort. The fort is home to the famous Jalagandeeswarar Temple. The temple is pretty old but well maintained and had a number devotees visiting it that day. The consort of the presiding deity is Goddess Akhilandeshwari.

There was a Shivalinga to which one could perform an abhishekham by paying Rs 10. There was also a wishing well in which one could drop coins and make a wish. Somehow I did not go near the well and decided to convey my wishes to Lord Shiva through my prayers. I got a book about the temple's history and a Navagraha yantra.

I took some snaps of the temple. Then we proceeded to the outer walls of the fort and sat for some time at the top of the hill and got a magnificent view of the town from the top of the hill.

Then we went to Saravana Bhavan and had lunch. At the restaurant a group of school students from some international school, some Bangalore school(bus registration number:) had KA on it) created absolute mayhem and the poor waiters had a tough time managing them. Madhu joked and Said that Srini would make a perfect teacher and manage the students brilliantly! Srini gave a glare and continued to eat in silence.

Ratnagiri Murugan Temple


Then we visited the Ratnagiri Murugan Temple. Ratnagiri is around forty minutes by bus from Vellore en route to Arcot. The temple on a hillock is beautiful and the sculptures and paintings are an art lover's dream come true. We climbed hundred plus steps to reach the top of the temple. Both Srini and me felt tired but Madhu kept climbing without any signs of fatigue and beat both of us to reach the summit first. The temple is clean and well maintained; a factor that was common to all the temples that I visited in Vellore.

We got the darshan of Lord Muruga and then sat on the marble steps enjoying the cool breeze and got some excellent snapshots of the view from the temple. While returning we chose to use the road, then Madhu said lets climb on the rocks and take some pictures. Both Srini and me got really worried when Madhu climbed on to the rocks, then she proceeded downhill searching for a shortcut to reach the road below. We tried to stop her, but as adventurous as ever Madhu completed the trip, found that the path had been barricaded and returned to the top.

We climbed down and had tender coconuts. Then we purchased prasadam-Panchamritham and Ladoos.

By 18:00 hours we were at Srini's place. En route we also visited a small Ayappa and Anjaneyar temple.

We were really tired after all the traveling. We had dinner at a restaurant and it was time to bid adieu to Madhu. It had been more than a year since we had met and it was a wonderful experience to meet her after such a long time. I gave her a birthday gift and was really happy when I too got a birthday present- a beautiful pen stand from her.

I returned to Srini's place and got an early morning bus to Chennai the next day.

So the Vellore Diaries officially end here , these lines describe one of the happiest days of my life. I really thank Madhu and Srini for being such caring friends and making my trip such a pleasant and memorable experience.

Hopefully I will be making one trip to Vellore in May and visit Sholingar and Amriti.

So till then.... Until we meet again.

THE VELLORE DIARIES-March 7-9, 2008.

It was a trip that had been postponed nearly thrice because of work, so finally when I boarded the bus to go to Vellore I was elated. I got an Ultra-Deluxe bus that was going to Hosur. The seats were comfortable and the fare was Rs 80. The bus left Koyambedu bus terminus at 16:50 hours and went via Poonamallee, Sri Perumbudur, Wallajah, Arcot to finally reach Vellore at 19:20 hours.

I met Madhu at the bus stand, from there we took an auto to Madhu's friend's house, his name is Srini. A real nice chap, friendly and helpful. I stayed at his place for two nights.

March 8, 2008

I got up at around 6:45 in the morning, and took a bath in the icy cold water. Srini and I finished breakfast and took a bus to the old Vellore bus stand. Enroute Madhu too joined us. On reaching the bus stand, we took another bus to Sripuram. The bus reached Sripuram in about 30 minutes.

The Sripuram Golden Temple




The temple is run by the Shakti Amma Trust. More than two tons of gold, four tons of copper and the hard work of artisans and sculptors for six years at a huge cost enabled in the completion of this architectural marvel. Security measures are very strict and no cameras or mobile phones are allowed within the temple. One has to pass through a metal detector test, a body search and a scan before entering the temple.

We walked through a corridor, a long winding one set in manicured lawns with music being played on stereos, to reach the main sanctum which was set apart from the corridor by a moat. The presiding deity is Goddess Lakshmi Narayani.


Somehow it struck me odd that I did not experience any sense of divinity in the temple. The temple is well maintained and is managed in a professional manner. To get the darshan by going close to the idol one has to buy a special darshan ticket. A sense of familiarity or The Tirupathi Effect as I call it struck me when the temple staff asked us to move quickly.

As we walked out through another corridor we noticed many counters with the staff manning them soliciting donations for various welfare activities. Then we were surprised to find glass windowed shops selling stuff ranging from temple souvenirs to sarees and T-shirts.
Somehow all the gold and marble and the brilliant architecture left me disillusioned.

Is it possible to find divinity where so much wealth and extravagance exists? More than a temple the place looked like a huge film studio.

Whatever may be the answers to one's questions on faith and spirituality the place is definitely worth visiting.


(To be continued)

India make history at the Gabba and win the CB tri-series by defeating Australia.

Detailed report shall follow.

CHAK DIYA INDIA

Three Cheers for Dhoni's Devils.

HI ThIS IS A TEST POST.

India defeats Oz.....

India defeated Australia in an ODI in Melbourne after 22 years. Ponting decided to bat first and the young bowling attack ripped through the Oz defence, Ishant Sharma took 4 wickets, Sreesanth got 3 wickets and Pathan took 2 wickets. Harbhajan bowled well and got one wicket. Australia were bundled out for 159 in 43 overs, Michael Hussey's unbeaten 65 helped Australia to reach 159.

India's reply was shaky and Sehwag was out for 11, Sachin hit two consecutive fours of a Bret Lee over and was lucky to be given not out when he had nicked the ball to Gilchrist. Pathan was promoted to number three and hit a quickfire 18. Gambhir played some shots but he and Sachin fell quickly, Yuvi's horrible form continued and he was out for 3.

Dhoni and Rohit Singh played carefully and guided India to victory with 4 overs to spare.

It is time to drop Yuvraj and give Dinesh Kartik a chance; the batting has to find its soul and get enough runs on the board to supplement the excellent pace attack. India play Sri Lanka on Tuesday, an Indian victory might most probably book a place in the finals for India.

Well the title says a lot doesn't it. The next few days will prove to be crucial and provide the answer to the question.

Gambhir and Dhoni showed great temperament to lift India from 84/4 to 267/4. Gambhir struck 103 and Dhoni scored in excess of 80 runs. It was a test of character for the two batsmen, and for a while it looked like there would be another Indian batting collapse. The duo rotated the strike and took quick singles as the Sri Lankan fielding slipped from being good to becoming mediocre. The last ten overs of the Indian batting yielded 105 runs.

Earlier in the day Sachin became the first batsman in ODI history to cross 16,000 runs. He looked in great form but once again dragged the ball onto his wicket. Sehwag flattered to deceive and was caught behind by Sangakkara as he tried to hook a ball that was wide of the leg-stump; he too got out in his thirties. Yuvraj was caught in the slips when tried to drive a Murali flipper, Rohit Sharma was unlucky to be adjudged caught behind as replays clearly showed that he had not nicked the ball. He has been fined 10% of his match fees for showing dissent to the umpire's decision.

Rain played spoilsport and the two teams were given two points each. The next match between the Lankan Lions and the Kangaroos should prove interesting and I would love to see a Sanath special. India has plenty of time till Sunday to get itself into fighting form as they shall play the Aussies in a crucial match.

England defeated New Zealand in a T:20 match.

Musings.....

Back to the night shift, time actually seems to move faster than usual. I am still waiting for a reply; perhaps in vain, for a reply that shall never come. Life has to go on as usual..........

I need to go on a journey, somewhere in the hills or perhaps to some quaint little village by the sea. A sleeping bag, a backpack, a notebook, a pen, and my camera.

Everyone is grumbling at the office, the rising rupee has made a severe dent on everyone's appraisal and lots of resignations might pour in.

Exams for the IAS are in May, preparation is going on at a snail's pace.

Bought some books on Saturday, that takes the toll of unread novels in my possession to thirty four.

Rain saved India in the first ODI against the Aussies. They face Sri Lanka in a few hours from now. If the weather holds we have a cracker of a match on the cards.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY

Better late than never:)